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And they are looking swell, if I do say so myself!

So keep your eye balls on your mailboxes, cause these bad boys are going out NEXT WEEK!

And just in time for the launch of The Canon of Vangel, Issue 2! Coming to Kickstarter May 2nd!

Because making books is fun!

Gonna be at Planet Comicon in Kansas City, this weekend!

Artist Alley table 732

Just straight down the way from the Boulevard Brewing Company stand! (There’s a reason I keep coming back to this con 🍻) And of course, I always love it when folks stop by and say hi, so don’t be a stranger!

Good news @everyone!

I’ve received word from the printer that the books are on their way and that I can expect delivery by the end of April!

They even included this sexy sizzle video of the book! Enjoy!

My youngest daughter’s kindergarten class is starting a unit on graphic novels, and their teacher asked me to come to class to talk about how I make comics. Since I work digitally, it made more sense to me to make a video about it instead. 

And of course I figured I’d share it with all y’all as well.

Hope you like it!

Heya Patreon Pals! 

Did you know that you will get to see yours and every other commission I get via the Mind Astray 2022 Kickstarter come to life in a speed drawing video? Just one of the exclusive perks of being awesome!  

It’s important to let people know how you feel about them, after all!

XXOO

https://bit.ly/MindAstray22

-Nathan

Got a little silly and overdramatic this time around. Hope you like it!

And once you’re done watching, CLICK HERE to go to the Kickstarter page!

The day after tomorrow, Friday, February 3, my 2022 sketchbook Mind Astray launches on Kickstarter. And you know what? I don’t think I’ve been this nervous about a launch since my first one 3 years ago.

CLICK HERE and hit the button to get notified as soon as it launches, BTW.

Why am I nervous?

This is my eighth Kickstarter, after all. I should have this down to a process by now, right?

Well, perhaps you’ve heard of this little thing called A.I. Art? Kinda blew up the internet a couple months back. All the kids were talking about it. For just a couple bucks you can get a computer algorithm to make a piece of art for you that looks anywhere from pretty good to good enough. Not only that, but you can get it to mimic the style of your favorite artist as well. Quite frankly, it’s hard for a human artist to compete with.

Last year, when I launched the first Mind Astray, I envisioned it not only as a way to share my lesser seen artwork and processes with people, but also as my big commission drive for the year. Made especially special because commissions purchased through the Kickstarter would actually wind up in backers’ books! Thus each and every copy of Mind Astray would be unique to the backer!

But then, right as I was starting to think about the 2022 edition, BOOM! A.I. Art comes and blows up and the whole art community is on edge! Now I’m left wondering, is anyone even going to want a drawing from me when they can just go get a computer to poop something out for a couple bucks? Or even free? Is anyone going to want me to draw their TTRPG character anymore? Or give life to the funny little idea they have in their head?

So that’s it in a nutshell. It’s daunting having not just one’s career, but one’s very identity supplanted by a machine. The John Henry moment has finally come for the art world. The djinn is out of the bottle and it ain’t going back in.

Hence why the tagline for Mind Astray 2022 is “Rage Against the Machines”. It’s adapt or die time. Personally I choose the latter. Will we fly or will we fall? All I know is, I’m going down swinging.

So I hope you will follow along, share the campaign, and CLICK HERE to get notified when we launch.

A.I. Art is the new game in town. Now it’s time to see if town is big enough for the two of us.

Hope I see you Friday!

Till then, be good!

But not too good 😉

– Nathan

That’s right, kids!

In just ten days, that’s a week from Friday, on February 3 ( 2-3-2023 ), I will be launching the Kickstarter for Mind Astray 2022!

CLICK HERE and hit the button to get notified as soon as it launches!

Bigger and better than before! All my favorite, sketches, drawings, doodles, cartoons, commissions, and miscellaneous artistic brain farts from 2022! And it won’t be complete without your edition to it! Just like last year, if you get a commission as a part of this campaign, it will be in your copy! That’s right, no two books will be the same! Your copy will be unique to you!

And you are most definitely going to want to get notified when it launches, because everyone who backs at a physical tier before the end of the first 24 hours is going to get this exclusive signed mini print of the cover art with their reward!

And on top ofthat, every backer will be getting a handpicked bonus bundle of digital comics, created by my awesome indie artist friends!

Last year was the first time I ever did a sketchbook campaign, and almost 100 backers made it a smashing success! I’ve got a fun bonus in store for everyone if we can get over 100 backers this year!

Let’s smash that record!

Will we make it? I don’t know! But I’m going to need your help to do it!

Here’s that link one more time:

MIND ASTRAY Prelaunch Page

See you next Friday!

Till then, be good!

But not too good 😉

– Nathan

The print proof for Concrete Arcanum has arrived! That’s exciting in and of itself! But what’s even more exciting is that I just today launched a campaign for Concrete Arcanum on Indiegogo!

CLICK HERE to gogo to the Indiegogo!

Now I know most of my Patreon Pals have probably already secured themselves a copy of Concrete Arcanum, but this is the perfect opportunity for anyone who missed out on the Kickstarter. If you could do me one teeny tiny little favor and give it a mention on the social medias or, better yet, to any friends you might have who are big into The Dresden Files, Supernatural, or Carnival Row, that would really help this true awesome anthology collection reach an even bigger audience.

Here’s that link for your copy/pasting convenience:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/concrete-arcanum

Thanks in advance and thanks to everyone who has already made Concrete Arcanum a success! Y’all are the wind beneath my wings!

So this is a bit of a departure for me and I want to get your opinion on it…

A children’s book. It started as a game I’d play with my young daughters. Whenever they do something that needs correcting, rather than just scold them, I ask if they would do the opposite in the reverse situation.

For example:

“Do you take a bath in the toilet?

No?

Then don’t pee in the bath!”

“Do you watch TV on the jungle gym?

No?

Then don’t climb around on the couch!”

“Do you eat your toys?

No?

Then don’t play with your food!“

It usually gets a laugh and gets the message across without shaming them. Soon it dawned on me that this might make a good children’s book.

Here’s an example of the illustration style that I’ve used for past children’s books I’ve worked on so’s you can visualize:

The only thing I’m not sure about is whether or not the interest is there. Most people know me for fantasy and comics and this book is neither of those.

So I figured I’d ask you. Leave your answers below. Honest answers only, please.

Would you back Do You Take a Bath in the Toilet? on Kickstarter?