Work Snapshot 4/28 (Patreon)

Hello wonderful patrons! Hope you're all having a great week. Here's a work snapshot of what I've been up to the past month!

I've been traveling a lot for comic festivals this month so lots to share on that front, and I'm almost finished with the promised Spring Dragon print to conclude the Season of Dragons series for March's Patreon print- (finally) almost finished with the line art! Plus I'm all wrapped up with April's print- Island Dreams- so I'm a little out of order but want to make sure prints are still being sent out while I linger on getting the Spring Dragon just right. 

New York for MoCCA fest and Bug Cafe!

Earlier this month I went to New York for two weeks to table at MoCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Arts), which is a comic festival run by the Society of Illustrators. Every year it takes place in Manhattan but this year it was in a much more central neighborhood in Manhattan so the turn out was nuts! People were walking down the sidewalk and asking 'what's happening in there?' and would go stand in line to get in. Pretty great! 

As always, it was amazing to see other artists and new faces, I love chatting about Riso and making new creative friends. I'm always so energized to make new work after conventions, I hear such great feedback and it really inspires me to make more! I also love seeing all the other artwork around the festival- being around so much talent in one place is the best inspiration there is!

I think one thing that's also so motivating is getting to see all of my work in once place. I see new stories I want to tell and colors I want to try. I've been keeping prints and tests on the walls of my studio because of this but nothing beats being able to see all of my favorite prints in one place. I can't deny sometimes I forget what I've done and spiral into feeling like I haven't done enough! But then I see all my hard work in one place and get really excited and confident to share again. 

Another reason I made MoCCA a priority this year (not just because I was excited to attend again) is because I did the badge art and some branding for the event!! I loved being able to make little monsters holding, drawing, and reading comics- it was a dream come true! 

I was so shocked when I walked into the building and saw the giant sticker of the tiny drawing I'd made. It was actually really alarming!! I started pointing out all my mistakes and a friend just rubbed my back and said 'let's go in now Natalie' lol. When will I escape needing to edit to death?! 

Turthfully, I feel like this is some of my best work. I really enjoyed making these images and I'm looking forward to making more like them! I also made stickers of these images- just cut out a few little guys and gave them a simple border to give them new life outside of the scenes they're in. 

Bug Cafe! Small pop up gallery event at From Here To Sunday

The week after MoCCA I spent setting up a little gallery show at a really sweet shop and gallery space called From Here To Sunday! The shop owner Diana had been buying my work for consignment for a few years and we'd always wanted to put on an event together- so we decided this was the moment! 

It was so fun working with Diana on this show- we both had vague ideas of what we could do for a show and as we bounced them off one other the concept of the show really flourished. Since there are bugs and little bug-like creatures in most all of my prints I wanted to do a bug themed show! We decided to do a Cafe theme also because you could pick and choose off the wall which prints you'd like, as if you were ordering them (plus we wanted drinks)! I suggested doing little originals and putting them around the gallery and she suggested we hide them all around the store so it's like viewers are seeking and collecting secret bugs! 

When I sent Diana the Bug Cafe concept it was really rough and silly! It was a great challenge to plan out the space and how people would interact with it. I really enjoyed curating a space with a partner and didn't realize it was something I loved doing so much! Now I'm on the lookout to be able to do more events like this! And also to be able to use Riso in a fun new way on the walls and hanging from the ceiling! 

I also love Diana's gallery space- the gradient wall is so fun and clever with the air conditioning unit and the sparkly streamer wall was perfect with all the fluorescent risograph prints! We're scheming up the next Bug Cafe now so if you're in NY and didn't get a chance to go there may be another soon!

Spring Dragon Progress:

March's print, Spring Dragon, has been a really difficult image for me to figure out, especially because it's the last in this small series!! I want it to be a nice addition to the polyptych, with colors, poses and designs that compliment the other three. 

Since I already promised Spring Dragon to March (anyone paid on March 1st), and I know a bunch of you have been looking forward to it, I'm going to delay it just a little bit and send out April's print first, which is already finished. I was so frustrated with this Spring Dragon print that I decided to finish that one first! 

Now that I've got most of the line art figured out for it I feel confident I can be finished with this print by next week. The top of the print will be pink for cherry blossoms, and the dragon will be a soft blue or light green to compliment the spring greens around them! This dragon was especially inspired by Falkor from The Never Ending Story- for some reason a yawning dragon was really giving Falkor vibes! 

'Island Dreams' print for Giant Robot's 'Land and Sea' show and for April's Subscription print!

I'm all finished with April's Riso print and had been planning it out to coincide with Giant Robot's Land and Sea show that opened last weekend! It's printed with green (with green line art- something I haven't done in a long time!), yellow and fluorescent orange. Print breakdown for this one coming soon, but I reaalllllyyy love how cool (temperature-wise) the green looks next to the yellow and orange. Can't wait for you to receive this! Prints are shipping out this week. 

Frog Butt keychain - a thought!

I'm working on some fun things for my store as well- I sketched this a few days ago and am already searching for a manufacturer! Right now I'm thinking of using middle man Pin Depot because I've had luck with them before, they're fast and reliable, and I'm not sure I want the stress of searching for an overseas manu right now! Highly recommend Pin Depot, though!

Ukraine Relief print

I'm currently sending weekly payments to Come Back Alive Ukraine/ @savelife.in.ua to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. They don't send arms but they do send defensive tech, supplies and general aid- plus they've been operating in Ukraine for several years now so I feel like they're the best suited to get help to those who need it fast. My friend Mariya Pilipenko (who's also an amazing artist!!) has friends and family in Ukraine and recommended this organization to me. All proceeds from her shop go to Come Back Alive, which is very generous. I recommend checking out her beautiful work as well!  

This print is a little different from the last one, and a little more active in her defensive yet hopeful pose. It’s a Risograph piece printed in three colors- blue, fluorescent pink and yellow. I’ve added just a little bit of fluorescent pink to the yellow to give the field more of a golden tone.

I printed the yellow first, then pink, then finally blue- and fed the print into the rollers from the top so there were as few roller marks as possible. 

Little Wedding Save the Date for a friend

And last but not least, a little drawing for my two friends who are getting married! Portraits are pretty scary for me, but I'm really glad I got to do a portrait for them and think this one turned out great!

Thanks for reading! Will add breakdowns soon. 

xx nat