31st Birthday

Hey guys!  Today is my 31st birthday, and I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit blue.  Throughout the year, its important to set goals, and so many of my goals require your involvement.  I know some of you have gotten involved with my Patreon, and that's fantastic- but analytics show there are A LOT of you, and I could really use your help! 



So help me celebrate my 31st birthday by helping me tick a few goals off my list.


Take a moment to request that your local library carry a copy of 7" Kara, Volume 1.  It has a Baker and Taylor number, as well as an ISBN, so with your request, this shouldn't be a problem.  I cannot request that libraries carry my books, but patrons can, and this would be a huge help in getting my comic out to the kids who need it!  Your library should have request forms on hand, and it only takes a moment of your time.  If your library does order a copy, please let me know on Twitter- that sort of news really brightens my day!



If you haven't checked it out yet, 7" Kara launched as a webcomic in February, so please give it a read.  Chapter 2 is well under way, and I've completed up to chapter 6, so there's steady updates for at least the next two years.  If you like what you see, subscribe to the RSS or the Tumblr, and please do share it with your friends, family, as well as any teachers or librarians who might be interested.  This is something only you can do for me, I cannot do this for myself.  If you dislike waiting on updates, you can always order a physical copy of Volume 1, which contains Chapters 1-4, from my shop.



If you have a Tumblr, please follow the 7" Kara tumblr- it only features pages from the comic and some additional art, and it is family and work safe.  My birthday goal was to hit 100 followers, and so far, I only have 65, so your support would be a huge help.



And if you enjoy my art, you can see it on a daily basis by following my Instagram.  I post works in progress, field tests, commissions, and lots more.

I'm in the middle of a big project that ends right as convention season begins, and I've run out of posts!  Efforts to solicit paid guest posts on Twitter have not been quite enough to fill the hole, so if you've ever wanted to write for this blog, please send me a pitch!  I use Patreon earnings to help pay for guest posts, so if you love this blog, and would like to see it continue, please join us on Patreon!  I've already spent my budget on guest posts, so any additional guest posts would be paid for out of my very shallow comic artist pocket.

I've gotten a bit burnt out trying to juggle so many things, so if you have a free moment, an email of encouragement would really mean a lot, and it would let me know that people do care about this blog, and all the tutorials and reviews that take so long to write.



If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel, please make it a point to do so- I'm sure there's something you will enjoy.  I have fountain pen videos, watercolor tutorials, inking tutorials, comic tutorials, and loads of marker tutorials, all organized into handy playlists.  If you watch 30 seconds of the included ads, I also see a few cents of ad revenue- and that can really add up!  That money is used to help pay my bills, keep the lights on, and keep me drawing, so if you enjoy my work, checking out my channel would help me a lot.  And if you like what you see, make sure you subscribe for more!  I just hit 3,000 subs, and would really like to hit 10,000 so companies will consider me for sponsorship opportunities.



Speaking of sponsorship, if you enjoy this blog, please take a moment to write to some of the companies in the Support Me section of the right hand sidebar.  Your good word means a lot, and they may be more likely to consider future partnership opportunities.  Right now, this blog has zero sponsors, and has never benefitted from sponsorship, which means I bear all costs.  Sponsorship would open this blog up to so many exciting opportunities such as reviews, tutorials, and collaborations.



If you know anyone looking to hire an illustrator, watercolorist, portrait artist, or comic artist, please send them my information!  I am always looking for paying work.  You can find links to everything pertinent in my Info section.  Or you can hire me for your own projects!  If interested, please email me- but only paying work please- I'm doing plenty of spec work already.



I know this may come across as a marketing ploy, but the YouTube, this blog, and 7" Kara are the things I care about most (besides loved ones), and seeing these ventures succeed would really mean a lot to me.  I am doing everything I can to ensure their success, but I could really use more support from you.  Please take the time to share this blog with your friends, family, or fellow enthusiasts not just today, but ANY time I write a post that you have found helpful or informative.  I really depend on your help and support in order to continue to producing all the work that I produce that's available free to the general public, and an engaged audience would help me get through the lean times.

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