Bushidolad

I have used ginger tincture externally and find it works similarly to an icy hot.

Steve

Clues (1996-2002)

Crayon on Handy Dandy Notebook

Sign-ups are now OPEN for Amorous Blue Moon: A Muffy/Molly Zine!

SIGN UP HERE!

This zine is an open sign-up zine. This means that all who apply are automatically accepted, so artists of all skill levels are highly encouraged to join us!

Update(26/09/2024): New, free Procreate brush pack!: https://ko-fi.com/s/1826b34a4d

✨✨Dawner's Free Procreate Brush Pack✨✨

I’ve been sitting on this set of brushes for a while and finally found the time to organize and upload them for free! Here’s a download link for them:

➡️https://ko-fi.com/s/ed3403783d

I also have other resources over here as well! Both for Procreate, CSP and texture packs!

If you’ve not read it, I recommend doing so, but the general idea is that I just don’t know if I can continue producing JL8 unless I’m able to improve my financial situation, so I’m going to be holding a sale in an attempt to drum up funds to support the continued creation of the strip, similar to a PBS/NPR pledge drive. I AM continuing work on JL8 in the meantime. However, I’m going to be prioritizing any immediate work that brings in funds, so it likely won’t be receiving 30+ hours/week of my attention, so I’m unsure when I’ll actually have new pages ready to start posting. I wanted to make sure I clarified that, as I don’t think that came across in the previous post.

Now for today, two things:

First, so many of you have already been unbelievably supportive. From amazingly kind comments to incredibly generous financial support, this is a massive first step well beyond what I could’ve expected prior to even having the sale and I simply cannot thank you enough.

Unfortunately, this is still just a first step, and there’s still a ways to go, so the second thing I wanted to discuss was the sale itself so you might have an idea of what to expect.

Without a doubt, the absolute best option is still Patreon support. The predictability of it takes a huge mental load off of my shoulders, and it largely being support simply for what I’m already doing also means I can strictly focus on making comics, which means more comics more frequently. A bunch of you joined within the last 24 hours, and I cannot thank you enough.

Beyond Patreon, next week I’ll be having a sale in my online store, with 50% all prints, and 30% off all original artwork. I’m planning to kick that off on Wednesday, November 12th, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

Finally, I’ll be offering discounted commissions, and I plan on making those available starting Monday, November 24th. I bring this up last because while focusing so hard on getting JL8 back on track, I’ve fallen behind on commissions and I want to clear as much of that queue as possible before accepting new ones, and secondly, commissions are the option that most impact my ability to produce comics. They can be incredibly time intensive, and while they bring in great funds, they tend to have the biggest adverse impact on JL8’s update schedule. I’ll be offering single character for $125 (down from $150) and two characters for $250 (down from $300). Both of these quotes are for 9”x12” pieces. More elaborate pieces can be accommodated, but you’ll need to contact me directly to work out the details of those.

I can’t help but apologize that I have to come to you all asking for help like this, but I am eternally grateful that so many of you have been so kind in your understanding and support. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it many more times, but I cannot thank you enough. 

This is an incredibly difficult post to make for a plethora of reasons, not least of which is that there are a great many people here in the States having much more difficult times, but please know that I’ve been putting this off until the last possible moment, and that moment feels like it’s finally arrived.

It’s no secret that JL8 has been largely inactive for years until very recently. I want to clarify that the lack of updates was never due to a lack of interest or desire to produce the comic, but because of a myriad of health issues—that I’d prefer to keep personal—that I’ve been struggling with since late 2018 that have been preventing me from working on the series with any degree or regularity. As I’m sure anyone can surmise, not working on a comic regularly is not a great way to find success when you’re trying to live as a cartoonist. So much so that at the beginning of this year, my wife and I had a serious discussion about whether it was time for me to accept that I’m no longer capable of making this my living, and that I need to move on.

With the writing so clearly on the wall, and with a LOT of help from support networks, I threw myself into the work in a way I haven’t in years. So far in 2025, I’ve produced and posted more pages of JL8 than I had in the past four—nearly five—years COMBINED, even with occasional spates where my health prevented me from working as regularly as I’d liked. I was, and am, determined to save this project that I love so much, but the reality is that it may be too little, too late. Nine months into this return, and the needle doesn’t feel like it’s moved much.

To be clear, this is a financial problem. I wish that we lived in a world where that didn’t matter, and people could make art for the sake of it without having to worry about how they’ll put food on the table, but that’s not the world we live in. As it stands, it requires about 30+ hours of work per week to maintain the current JL8 output, and that’s only if I have other things—commissions, shop orders—to also work on. If I don’t have those extra obligations, JL8 gets a full 40+ hours per week. A full-time workload. 

I try to monetize my work via convention appearances, commission work, online sales, and Patreon. Conventions are sporadic in occurrence  and becoming increasingly difficult to get into, Of the five conventions I’ve done  in the last 12 months, only one has been truly profitable with three actively losing me money, which is by FAR my worst showing since becoming a professional. Commissions are great but they take a lot of time away from working on comics, and because they’re expensive, fewer people can afford them. Online sales are good, but it becomes difficult when you don’t have time to produce new merchandise, or worse, produce new merchandise that no one cares to buy. Couple that with how hostile social media platforms have become to sharing links to other websites, and they’ve become very unreliable. That leaves Patreon, which is far and away the steadiest stream of income I have, as I receive a payout every month. However, my Patreon pledge total sits at just a bit over $700—seven hundred—a month, and only manages to grow by 4-5 $1 pledges per month. I am eternally grateful to the Patrons who have been supporting me, but unfortunately that amount isn’t enough to live off of.

I’ve never set out to get rich making comics, but I do need to be able to at least pay the bills, and I’m just not sure if producing JL8 can meet that need. Having a number of emergency home and car repairs in the last year have only exacerbated that reality.

As such, starting next week, I’ll be kicking off some massive sales on prints, commissions, original art, everything in an attempt to drum up funds to keep this thing going. You’re also welcome to join the Patreon at any time. But the truth is that if these sales fall flat, I may not be able to continue working on JL8. Please, PLEASE believe me when I say that I’m just trying to be honest about my situation.

I am not entitled to a career as a cartoonist. That decision has always been in the hands of the readers. If you decide my time has passed, then it’s passed, and I thank you for these many years of support. But if you decide to keep me around, believe me when I say I’ve still got plenty of stories to tell.