The Wheel Keeps Turning
November has become a time of planning, of throwing ideas at the wall, of coaxing out plotlines and seeing what sticks. I've been looking at the year ahead and sketching dates into my mental calendar. At last count, I've got ten projects in the works.
Finishing up BLINK
My top priority, the one I plan to have wrapped up by the end of the month, is getting the digital and print files for BLINK finished. The working files are basically done, they just need a polishing pass.
I'd like to quit adobe for at least the first half of the new year—which means having all my ducks in a row before then. I just need all my 2024 projects to be officially wrapped up and then I can reclaim that monthly financial payment.
DINOvember
Going strong. Some days have been a struggle, but I've been researching and drawing a little dino every day of November. And through this process I have discovered my new favourite dinosaur: Microraptor.
They had four wings, and toothy beaks, and were max 1.2 meters. Excellent.
And on the 17th my family and I made a visit to DinoLabs! If you live around or are visiting the Greater Victoria Area, then I highly recommend taking a visit. The staff are very knowledgeable, we got to touch millions year old dinosaurs, and at the end you get to do a little excavation on real fossils.
ZINEvember
Also, I've been attempting to sketch a zine a day. I've mostly succeeded, with a bit of waning this last week. Eventually, sometime in December, I'll ink my favourites to reproduce on my printer at home. I also have a notion of making them available as print-and-fold yourself freebees, but I still have to figure out how to do that. I know at least one person I can ask for guidance \o/ we'll see how long that takes me.
DIGIcember
Next month's prompt list, intentionally non-holiday themed. As mentioned above, I'm planning on quitting adobe, at least for awhile. I stumbled across the idea of a Digital Art December, but I didn't like the list (or the rambling name) so I made my own from unused zine prompts. I intend to use the month to refamiliarize myself with whatever alternative drawing program I settle on (likely gimp).
As an aside, I don't mind making my own prompt lists—I put it together on my phone—but I always feel like my little share-able square is kind of boring compared to other people's. But that doesn't matter—what matters is making art.
Kraken Komiks
We've started a new anthology project—the theme: recipes—and the pitch deadline is 01 January 2025. I've tentatively figured out my own comic, and I'm excited about the other submissions I've seen so far. It's going to be another fun project, to be completed sometime in 2025.
If you are a Vancouver Island (ish) comic artist who would like to contribute, if you know a Vancouver Island (ish) comic artist who might like to contribute, or if you'd like to become a Vancouver Island (ish) comic artist, you can reply to this email to reach out for more information.
Untitled Wish Comic
One of the creative challenges I've given myself is to write three related 16-page stories, to eventually be produced into an 8.5in×5.5in printed comic. Thus far, I've thumbnailed the first draft of the first story.
I might make this my first patreon project—but more on that below.
JAZZLEDOM
I've been scripting JAZZLEDOM for more than a year now. It's a bit of a Shakespearean romance between a robot and an alien, and I'm so close to being done with the script. I'm trying to use NaNoWriMo as motivation to type up the last few thousand words, and have made some progress toward finishing. I've got approximately two more scenes to write and an initial edit to complete before I can show it to early readers for feedback.
Originally, I started JAZZLEDOM when I realized that the majority of my original works have all been sad or bittersweet or riddled with death. I'm sure this will be a continuing trend—for the human condition is what it is—but I wanted to purposefully make a truly Comedic work, complete with a wedding. I've been working on character designs on and off throughout the year, I've started some tentative act one thumbnails, and I've got a list of stylistic choices I want to lean into. I just need to finish polishing the script so I have a solid foundation to work from.
Eventually, I had the notion that JAZZLEDOM—as a potential behemoth of a project at 29000 words and growing—would make a good patreon project. But more on that below.
OMNIBUS
This was a stretch goal—another printed comic—that I had attached to the BLINK project. We didn't reach that stretch goal, but I still want to print it. So my Omnibus will be my next kickstarter project.
Date TBD, sometime in the first half of 2025. It's an anthology of my early work—colour versions of old kraken projects or things that haven't gone to print. I don't currently have physical copies of a personal anthology, so this project stems from that desire. It's arguably mostly done—done enough for a kickstarter at least. But I still need to produce some artwork for the coverages and some inside pages, and futz with things. I'll work to have a more concrete plan in place for the DECEMBER NEWSLETTER.
How to Touch Grass
https://powerandmagicpress.com/pages/anthology-submissions
How to Touch Grass is an anthology I would like to submit to. I don't know what I'm doing, at all. I should probably take a day of ZINEvember to try and thumbnail something. Power and Magic Press are accepting pitch submissions until 12 January 2025.
PATREON
For my birthday, in March, I'm going to restart my Patreon.
I technically became a patreon creator in 2015, but I quickly paused everything to do with that when I realized I didn't really have a plan and didn't feel like I was actually offering creative content to be consumed. That was before I became a comic artist, when I was still a directionless writer angsting in the food service industry. That's changed.
JAZZLEDOM, as an ongoing project with an unknown page count, is a perfect candidate for a patreon project. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I have enough of a head start on it to be able to commit to any kind of page count per month. I'm close, but I need buffer time for my buffer time.
So, Untitled Wish Project. It will be a manageable 48 pages, which I will have thumbnailed by the end of November. Sometime in December I can start on the full-size sketches, so I can start producing backlog pages sometime in January. I'll have February to feel out what a sustainable pace is, to start posting—first to patreon and then publicly on my website—in March.
Easy peasy lemon squeazy.
THIS MONTH I READ
Blackout City by Jaye Fable
Looking Forward
Asides from the above projects, I've got classes, events, and we're on the precipice of the winter holidays. Locally, there is:
Vic West Elementary Winter Craft Fair
https://allevents.in/victoria/vic-west-elementary-craft-fair/200027555053643
On December 7th, Vic West Elementary is hosting their second craft fair. It's local to me, and some of the kids who have gone through my Comics Classes have been from Vic West Elementary. I was able to table at their first Craft Fair, last year, and it was a ton of fun. I'm actually unsure on whether or not I'll be able to table at this event, as theoretically I have Saturday Classes that I teach—but my registration is currently sitting at zero, so there's a good chance I'll be able to make it. I've already got a table in reserve with the organizers.
Regardless, if you have free time and are in the neighbourhood that Saturday, you should check it out. Proceeds go towards stocking the school's Art Supplies.
December Classes
I've got one more round of classes before the New Year—both which need a minimum of 4 registrants to run, both which are currently sitting at zero registrants.
Introduction to Art Journaling
9:15am - 10:15am Saturdays, December 7 - December 21
Esquimalt Rec Center
Drawing in Perspective
10:30am - 11:30am Saturdays, December 7 - December 21
Esquimalt Rec Center
If either of these interest you, drag some friends along and we can have some chill and arty Saturday mornings together. :) And if December just doesn't work—understandable—registration has opened for classes in the New Year.
In Conclusion...
Thank you for reading through this Friday Ramble. I've got some art stuff that I've got to catch up on, some creations to attend to, food to eat—but I look forward to showing off some projects in the near future.
Find me places:
Insta: @UnscrupulousArtist
Tumblr: @UnscrupulousArtist
Facebook: A.D. Greenlees
Linktree: A.D. Greenlees
Comics: www.UnscrupulousArtist.ca
And take some time to make something.
Stay Rested,
Audrey