It's been quite a week! As I write this, which is Saturday around 2:30 pm (while at my job) let me just say, I'm very tired. I feel like I should be hitting the digital campaign trail hard right now for the Kickstarter, but I just might sleep in tomorrow morning and trust that whatever new pledge I may miss, I can pick up later on. No it doesn't have to do with staying out until midnight celebrating my kiddo's 23rd birthday. I can still have a late night and get up the next morning with energy to spare... Okay, I admit it. I can't. I'm old y'all! I'm just an old cartoonist who needs more naps in his life. Pretty sure I've got enough energy to tackle this week's newsletter though. Well, hold one second...gonna' refill my coffee. ... *sips loudly while sitting back down in front of computer desk* Aahh, this'll help. Okay let's go! |
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This week's autobio comic was basically just a commercial I drew for The After Death Book Two. Reposting it here just in case you missed it on my Instagram. I had fun playing with idea of me interrupting myself, and then breaking the fourth wall near the end. Someone on Insta commented, "Into the Haymanverse" which was great. This is a great example of one of the things you can do in comics that would be much more difficult to do on screen. Instead of filming myself in two different spots at different angles and splicing the footage together, etc. etc. I can communicate the same energy with just a pen and paper. Comics Rule! |
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We're at the very beginning of this campaign, so forgive the number of times I may mention The After Death Book Two. But, it's a big part of the month, a big part of my year (launching it-and getting it funded-is one of my goals for 2024), and is big part of my creative practice at the moment as I'm working on drawing new panels for the book. I also may be adding a couple of new splash pages and I also have to consider what should go on the back cover. Should I draw a completely new scene or just re-use an illustration I've already created? So many unanswered questions! Instead let's focus on what I can count on and that's the numbers! As we stand at the moment we've (you've) helped raise $805 out of a goal of $4000. That's 20% towards the goal. That's 30 backers in 4 days and 28 days to go! The first Kickstarter wound up having 115 backers total and when I go back to compare that campaign to this one, on day four we were only at $366 and we've already raised double that in half the time. Many of you guys are the reason for this so a big huge thanks to you! Comparing last year's numbers to this year's is a big relief in that I completely forget how things measured up from last year to this one. Happy that Kickstarter lets you go back and look at the analytics. It soothes my anxious soul to see how much better the initial book launch is going comparatively. And (of course) if you haven't taken a look at the Kickstarter page now's the time! |
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The only additional artwork I was able to get done this week was some fan art pieces I drew on the back of some postcards I had printed up to put in my local comic shop. I filmed the process and then made a reel advertising that if you picked up a postcard, you had the chance to score an original drawing. Below are the scans I made the drawings. They're pretty main stream characters as I was hoping to appeal to the atypical fanboy or girl. They are, in order: Super Shredder (from the movie: TMNT Secret of the Ooze; Dogpool and Deadpool from the recent film; and Poison Ivy, a popular Batman villain. |
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What's Making Me Happy This Week |
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Not only does this make me happy this week, but pretty much every week I find myself tuning into to this Spotify playlist. The name of the playlist: "POV UR in an 80's film driving at night." It's a perfect playlist for chill, synth, 80's vibes. Perfect for mood setting, background music, drawing comics, or driving at night...even if it isn't the 80's. It's been a staple playlist for months and months now. Listen here.
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I think that about brings this newsletter to a full and complete stop. Please be careful when exiting the webpage and don't forget to look around and help your neighbor if they happen to need a hand. As for me, I'm going to try and focus back on making some new art for Book Two. There's still a few gaps left on a few pages and so I'll be making new panels to fill those blank spaces. Next week may bring some news on the comic Tourists, my on-again off-again relationship with this book has gone on for much too long and I'm trying to get back to work on that project in hopes of getting it finished. More on that soon. Until then, I hope you all have a great week ahead. ~b |
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If you enjoy this newsletter and want to help support it and my artwork consider hitting one of those buttons below. They're all free to peruse but becoming a member on Patreon or a paid Substack subscriber are the best ways to help me pay some bills. If you don't want a long term commitment, consider checking out my Etsy shop. Or, lastly, follow me over on Instagram. Thanks for reading! |
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