57 - Busy Bee

Lots of work that I can't talk about.

This is kinda an Art lite newsletter, so really soak this one in. Also, I have an art class that I teach on Friday’s so I am moving the Newsletter to the first Monday of the month.

Project “Lakes”

I just had my “final” meeting with the writer on this fun book. The book is 90% complete, which is always the toughest stage because that last 10% can be so muggy. I still need to illustrate the cover, layout the book, prep for print, and print the book.

The writer, Matthews, is pleased with the book and we had a great time collaborating. we will shop this around, but even if this doesn’t get picked up I anticipate working with Matthews on something else shortly

Project: Coal

I had my second meeting with the creative team to get the ball rolling on this project. We have an NDA in effect so I cant share any art right now but I did a test page and the team loved the page and is excited to make a full comic with me—next step Thumbnailing.

Project: Beaver

I am in the final stages of this project, all the pages are roughed, I just need to decide if I am going to ink and color traditionally or digitally. I’m leaning towards digital because I don’t anticipate being able to sell the originals and the style is pretty simple.

Project: Association

My Agency, Shannon Associates, got me this project and I can’t wait to get the ball rolling. This is a Middle Grade Reader for a big-name publisher. I can’t share more than that right now because of confidentiality but I am very excited and this is a big step up for me.

CONS

October 26-27: Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga Con is my last con of the year. I will have a few new original art pieces, and I am excited to do commissions and share my books with a new audience. Please come say “Hi.” all subscribers get a special new ribbon for the show!

2025 BOOKS

Next year is looking to be a barn busting year for me in terms of publishing. Hope Never to See It comes out in March and then I have two books with a Q1 release date and at least two other books with a Q3/4 release schedule. On top of that I have plans to work on CLB and some other books to potentially bring that number up or at the least make sure 2026 is similar. I hope to have a full book release schedule for you in January.

PATREON

I have been running a Patreon for a couple of months now and I have really enjoyed this special slice of my community. I am planning to restructure it in 2025 a little and would love to hear from you fine free-loaders what extra content you would most be willing to pay to gain access to.

WATCH: PES Animation

I am teaching an Animation class to high schoolers this year and I rediscovered these golden animations about food prep, there are more on his YouTube Channel.

LISTEN: Epic Concept Album

I found this album by Jorge Rivera-Herrans on Spotify and fell in love with it. Each saga combines to tell the story of Odysseus from Greek mythology. I introduced it to my family on a recent road trip and my son got a particular kick out of the Cyclops saga.

READ: The Manderfield Devil

I backed this Kickstarter back in 2022. Since it is the spooky season I figured it was time to give it a rec. Rachael Allen Everett mixes greek mythology with hardboiled detective to create a wonderful short comic that is touching and grim. You can read it for free but I would also suggest buying a physical copy here.

PLAY: Wordle

Super late to the game here, but at DragonCon my friends reintroduced me to this fun NYT daily game. Sometimes it is infuriating but most of the time I am able to use this game as a nice break/reset between drawing pages.

Initially I was writing about the concept of Compelling, but It lead into this rant on Urgency and prioritizing your work. I’m sure I will return to the compelling topic again in the future.

I have long been taught and followed the Eisenhower Matrix for crafting a to do list.

This grid helps to organize and prioritize items. You can read a full breakdown of how I use this grid on my Patreon.

Cheers,

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