Rejection 26

/0 Comments/in , /by

After much deliberation, I am changing my newsletter to a mix of free and paid posts.

Since the beginning of my career in 2009, I shared my art for free. As I continue to grow as an artist and storyteller, it’s time to be paid for my work. I will continue to post long form autobio comics and share behind the scenes process. Additionally, I want to share more personal comics and it scares me. The paywall will be a nice bridge. The paid subscription will be like a backstage pass – comics, process and access to archives.

I will continue to share single comics, updates and news for free for everyone.

Thanks for your support and joining me in this artistic journey.

 

Everyday Love Art is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Language lessons

/0 Comments/in , /by

Travelogue Europe #1

/0 Comments/in , /by

Painting the day away + SDCC

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I’m working on a soon to be announced picture book. It’s my first time making a book with watercolor, ink and color pencil. It’s simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

It’s also meditative. Calming. I sit away from a screen, in front of a window where squirrels and birds frolic among the trees. I sometimes lose myself in a pattern or color mixing and forget to eat. I forget the hour. I’m consumed by making art.

I make a lot of mistakes. I smear ink, paint inside the lines and it’s less polished. Those mistakes could be fixed on a digital page. But there’s a charm in it. In a painting, minor mistakes add life and warmth.

As I paint, I allow my mind to wander, resettle and focus. Writing, drawing, promoting and earning a living wage as an author is hard. I plan my work years in advance. I often feel that my schedule and demands are non-stop.

But making this book with a brush in hand feels decadent.

And I am full of gratitude.

—

Speaking of non-stop schedules, I will be at San Diego Comicon this weekend promoting Super Boba Café! My panels and ARC signings are below.

After Comicon I am away for most of August so I won’t update for a long stretch. I’ll be back in Sept with more.

Until then, happy summer!

Rejection 24 +ALA

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

My summer is definitely not slow!

This weekend I’m headed to the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual conference for my upcoming graphic novel, Super Boba Café. Recently someone asked why people already have copies of the book? Great question!

Ahead of publishing a new book, Advance Reader Copies (ARC) are released. For Super Boba Café they’re black and white copies (the final book is in full color) and key people like teachers, librarians, booksellers and influencers receive copies. At ALA’s annual conference, those folks receive free copies of ARCs to share with the readers in their lives. It creates great energy and buzz for upcoming books.

Super Boba Cafe marks my first PRINTED ARC. The 12 books prior were available as digital ARCs. It’s very exciting! If you’re attending ALA my events are below.

I will also be at the Rainbow Roundtable celebration for the Stonewall Awards because STRONG received a Stonewall honor. It will be a whirlwind of events and book love!

Hope to see you there!

Rejection 23

/0 Comments/in , /by

Rejection 22

/0 Comments/in , /by

One of my many rejected comics from the New Yorker which I wrote about here.

Rejection 21

/0 Comments/in , /by

One of my many rejected comics from the New Yorker which I wrote about here.

Rejection 20

/0 Comments/in /by

Numbers, numbers, numbers

/0 Comments/in , , /by
Stacks of SHARK PRINCESS to sign at Stonebriar B&N in Dallas

On my Shark Party Tour I

  • Visited 5 cities (Portland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta)
  • Presented to 17 schools and libraries
  • Signed hundreds of books
  • Signed a dozen shoes

Kids ask the best questions including “what is it like to be famous?” and “can you make a book about a megamouth (he meant megladon)?” One frequent question was “how many books have you made?” and I need to be better about concrete answers. They want numbers. They want FACTS.

I am fortunate enough to have many books out and more waiting to be made, so the number fluctuates in my mind.

But the firm answer is

Skaggs schools in Dallas
Kids with their SHARK PRINCESS crowns during my presentation

When I present, I include facts about sharks. I prepared my presentation a couple years ago and I read that there were 400 kinds of sharks in the ocean. Except, like my books, that number fluctuates. Due to new discoveries, the number of shark species identified has increased.

  • There are 500 different types of sharks (!!)
  • I drew 30 different types of sharks for Shark Party

I’m home and looking forward to making progress on my next book deadlines. I still have events through the summer but nothing like a book tour. Over the summer I will

  • Visit 3 cities for book events
  • Visit 5 cities for personal travel

First up is the Fairyland Book Festival in Oakland this Saturday at 1pm.

Hope to see you there!