Dice, Gremishka, and Tressym, Oh My!
A very D&D October
Hey folks! I’ll update this space every few months with project updates, release info, and some light behind the scenes gossip!
Adventure Dice Stickers
This is the last week of my first sticker Kickstarter! I’m incredibly grateful to have reached 100% within the first 24 hours. I really liked putting these illustrations together, and the extra on top will go towards printing enough stock to keep up with the holiday demand for zelda stickers on Etsy! I will likely try another crowdfunded run early next year, maybe with some goodies like notepads and washi!
Ravenloft Horror Collection
Did this collection release in April? Yes! Is it an extremely spooky Halloween anthology? Undoubtedly! Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft Caravan of Curses (no colons, no commas, just existential terror) is a horror collection set in the D&D setting of Ravenloft. It’s written by Casey Gilly and Amy Chase, and features art from Jose Jaro, Silvia Califano, Eryk Donovan, and Sarah Stern. I had the pleasure of illustrating the framing mechanism that unites the shorts, the adventures of a wandering crone who rolls across the landscape in search of poor cursed souls in need of a fresh bargain.
I’ll have some closer looks up on my Patreon over the next few weeks, but here’s some extras for everyone!
Gossip:
I followed a lot of sphynx cat channels on insta for inspiration for Shortcrust, beloved 3-legged gremishka and companion to the Crone. I discovered that when sphynx cats swipe at each other, the soundscape produced is Unimaginable.
Most of the creative team was completely obliterated by the gremishka encounter in BG3 the first time they tried it
We really tried to give the firbolg those cute tortilla ears that fans tend to draw them with, but Wizards of the Coast was very firm about the handbook canon!
I also designed and printed some little stickers of our cute, canonical, and legally real children Shortcrust and Maggot Baby (ft. Alchemy Jug) for myself, Amy, and Casey! They’re going out to my sticker club this month, and if you find one of us at a con or signing, we might have one for you!
Behind the Scenes
I have colored a lot of books (like a LOT), but you may be surprised by a different kind of contribution to publishing: I did the layouts for Julie and the Blue Guitar: American Girl Mysteries Across Time! An outstandingly charming book illustrated by Felia Hanakata and written by Casey Gilly, Blue Guitar connects two girls and one mystery across decades through a journal found in a local thrift shop.
Layouts are a little-known part of the comics pipeline, used to support the interior artist’s process by laying out storytelling elements like the flow of panels, staging, and character acting. Because the story passed frequently between two eras, I used two different color schemes for clarity.
I was big into American Girl as a kid, so it was really nice to get to help out on this one!
Hall of Justice 9th Anniversary
The last piece of news I have for you is that I and the rest of Jam House will be at the Hall of Justice Comics and Collectables for its 9th Anniversary party! It’s an all-day event on Saturday, November 23rd in Parker, CO. I’ll have stickers and maybe some books at the tables upstairs, stop by the visit the shop if you’re in town!
At the Studio
I have been striving for more looseness in my lines and rendering lately through my stationery illustration, and it’s really helped me with the art block that’s been weighing on me for the last few years. It still means fighting against the ghostly art teacher in my head calling it “sloppy”, but it’s a work in progress!
I was out of the active comics freelance pool for almost all of 2023 because while drawing an OGN, and returning this year has been a real struggle. As of this month, I have seen six different projects cancelled or delayed indefinitely mid-production, often before I could start my part (and be paid for the preproduction and time set aside). I’ve been chugging along on savings, sticker sales, and design work outside of publishing, but it is rough out here!
I finally started my second playthrough of BG3, a Gale origin run. I don’t have strong feelings about Gale, but I do have strong feelings about having Tara in camp! I even dipped into modding to have her as a companion. She makes little kitty noises when you move her! 5/5 would tressym again. Durge is probably next, but I don’t have a lot of time for gaming so it probably won’t be til next year!
Tara from one of my BG3 sticker packs; I love her
Highlights
I got to do a sticker for Starweed #3! The book’s crowdfunding campaign finished last week, but you can still do a late pledge or sign up to be notified when the books are up for sale! Here’s the final, and some of the sketches that didn’t make the cut.
I helped with the 2024 MaxFunDrive pins! 18 of those cool enamel babies were designed by Maret Paetznick and finished by me!
Most of the covers I color are collabs with studiomate Jorge Corona, one of the recent highlights was definitely the TMNT/Stranger Things crossover for IDW!
PetraPosting
My supervisor Petrichor celebrated the autumnal equinox by settling into her fluffy bed for the first time in months. She’s really trained hard and perfected her napping technique, it’s going to be a great season for her!