MAKE MORE COMICS

IT ALL STARTS WITH AN IDEA. IN MAY OF 2024, I DECIDED TO START ILLUSTRATING. I WAS DRAWING VERY RUDIMENTARY CARTOONS (NOT VERY GOOD ONES EITHER). BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE, AND I COULD SEE THAT. TIME TO PUT PEN TO PAPER.

I SET OUT WITH A PERSONAL GOAL TO HAVE ART PRINTS READY BY LATE SUMMER OF 2025. WELL, I COMPLETLEY CRUSHED THAT GOAL. I CURRENTLY HAVE ISSUE #1 OF MY COMMUNITY ANTHOLOGY SERIES IN PRINTING! I DID NOT DO IT ALONE. NO CARTOONIST CAN MAKE THE TREK OF A PROFESSIONAL CARRER WITHOUT A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM. IF YOU HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY YOUR EFFORTS HAVE NOT GONE UN-NOTICED, THANK YOU. THERE ARE A FEW KEY PEOPLE FROM MY JOURNEY, THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT:

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SHRIMPS

RAY FREHNBACH

SHAWN CRYSTAL

JIM RUGG

STEVE RUDE & THE DUDE FAM

DON SIMPSON

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MARY (SHRIMPS) IS MY GIRLFRIEND AND I OWE HER A TON FOR EVERYTHING SHE HAS DONE FOR ME. WHEN I WAS STRUGGLING TO START SHE WAS ALWAYS SUPER ENCOURAGING. ON HOLIDAYS AND BIRTHDAYS, SHRIMPS HAS CONTINUED TO BUY SUPPLIES FOR ME TO KEEP THIS TRAIN ROLLING. I SPEND SO MUCH OF MY DAY WORKING MY NORMAL DAY JOB, RUNNING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL, TAKING ART WORKSHOPS, AND MAKING COMICS. TO SAY I AM BUSY, IS AN UNDERSTATMENT. SHRIMPS UNDERSTANDS WHAT I AM DOING IS WHAT I LOVE, AND SHE SEES THE POTENTIAL IN ME. I LOVE HER SO MUCH.

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RAY FREHNBACH WAS MY FIRST ART MENTOR. I STARTED TO TAKE CLASSES AT THE LOCAL ART MUSEUM AND SAW THEY HAD MONSTER / HORROR CLASSES. I ENROLLED AND THATS HOW I MET RAY. RAY WAS THE ART DIRECTOR AT KITCHEN SINK COMICS FOR 14 YEARS. RAY HAS WORKED WITH WILL EISNER, MARK SHULTZ, & KEVIN EASTMAN (TO NAME A FEW ARTISTS). WHEN I FIRST STARTED TAKING CLASSES WITH RAY, HE HAD THOUGHT I WAS ALREADY A COMPETENT ILLUSTRATOR AT THAT POINT. I REALLY DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO THINK. BECAUSE I WAS ONLY DRAWING FOR ABOUT 2-MONTHS AT THAT JUNCTURE. WHEN I TOLD HIM I WAS ONLY A BEGINNER, I SAW HIS JAW DROP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. THAT’S WHEN HE TURNED THE HEAT ON.

RAY GAVE ME ADDITIONAL ASSIGEMENTS OUTSIDE OF CLASS. HE SHOWED ME THE WALLY WOOD 22 PANELS THAT ALWAYS WORK. AND THAT WAS A MASSIVE EYE OPENER FOR ME. RAY WOULD PICK MY BRAIN AND ASK WHO MY INFLUENCES ARE AND WHAT KIND OF COMICS I LIKE TO READ. I RAN DOWN MY LIST, BUT WHEN I LANDED ON DON SIMPSON; RAY STOPPED ME. “I WORKED WITH DON FOR MANY YEARS AT KITCHEN SINK”. I SAT THERE FOR A GOOD 2 HOURS AND LISTEND ABOUT STORIES FROM THE KITCHEN SINK COMPOUND DAYS. THIS WAS A BUILDING FULL OF CARTOONISTS LIVING TOGETHER CRANKING OUT COMICS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WISCONSIN. IMAGINE BEING A FLY ON THE WALL IN THAT PLACE.

MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM RAY - WAS NETWORKING. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE GOING TO MEET. AND WHO THAT PERSON MAY KNOW OR HAVE CONNECTIONS TO. NETWORKING IS BY FAR ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN A CARTOONISTS CARRER.

RAY GOT ME INTO CONTACT WITH DON SIMPSON AND I WAS JUST DUMBFOUNDED. DON IS ONE OF THE CARTOONISTS I HOLD AT THE VERY HIGHEST REGARD. HIS LETTERING HAS SO MUCH PERSONALITY - YOU CAN TELL WHEN DON DID THE LETTERING JOB IN A COMIC. THAT IS A VERY UNIQUE SKILLSET YOU DO NOT FIND VERY OFTEN. DON HAS GIVEN ME TONS OF ADVICE AND HAS ENCOURAGED ME TO KEEP GOING. I WILL FINALLY GET TO MEET WITH DON WHILE TABLING AT THIS YEARS EDDIE P CON. I CANNOT WAIT.

CHECK OUT RAYS SITE: https://npfiddler.wixsite.com/ray-fehrenbach

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CARTOONIST KAYFABE IS THE BIBLE FOR ALL THINGS COMICS. THE AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE ED & JIM GAVE AWAY IS INSANE. IT’S HAVING A FULL ON COMIC EDUCATION FROM 2 OF THE INDEPENDENT COMIC GREATS. THEIR INFLUENCE ON ME AND THE GREATER COMICS COMMUNITY WILL NEVER GO OVERSTATED. I WAS SHOWN A PATH FORWARD, THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE A DENT IN THE WORLD OF COMICS. IT IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT DEDICATION, SACRIFICE, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS TO MAKE IT. BUT ITS POSSIBLE. JIM IS THE MOST DOWN TO EARTH PERSON YOU’LL EVER MEET. I CANNOT THANK HIM ENOUGH FOR HIS WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND OR ADVICE.

CHECK OUT JIMS SITE: JIMRUGG.COM

I AM UTTERLY HEARTBROKEN I WILL NEVER GET TO MEET OR SPEAK WITH ED. THERE IS NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY, WHERE I DO NOT THINK ABOUT ED. I HAVE CONTACTED THE PISKOR FAMILY AND EXPRESSED TO THEM MY UNCONDITIOAL LOVE I HAVE FOR ED AND HIS WORK. THERE IS A SUPER DEEP CONNECTION I HAVE WITH ED’S WORK, IT HONESTLY MAKES ME EMOTIONAL. I CREATED A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PISKOR LEGACY. JUSTINE AND BOBBY ARE GREAT PEOPLE AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INCREDIBLE TO ME. EVERY PAGE I APPROACH, I CHANNEL MY INNER ED “FUCK YOU, IM MAKING COMICS” ENERGY. THAT CARRIES ME FORWARD MORE THAN ANYTHING. I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING JUSTINE AND BOBBY IN PERSON THIS SUMMER AT EDDIE P CON <3

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WHEN YOU LOOK AT MY WORK, YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS, THAT STEVE RUDE IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE ARTIST. FOR ME, ITS ABOUT STEVES PHILOSOPHY AND DISCIPLINE WHEN APPROACHING ART. STEVE JUST DOES NOT STOP, HE GROWS AS AN ARTIST EVERYDAY AND THATS ADMIRABLE. PICK UP ONE OF STEVES SKETCHBOOKS AND LOOK AT WHAT STEVE IS DOING JUST FOR PRACTICE. IF YOU ARE NOT STRIVING TO BE AS GOOD AS STEVE RUDE, THEN JUST GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN. BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LONG ASS WAY TO CATCH UP TO “THE DUDE”. STEVE AND HIS FAMILY HAVE BEEN GREAT TO ME DURING THIS WHOLE PROCESS. I COULD NEVER SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE RUDE DUDE FAMILY.

CHECK OUT STEVES SITE: STEVERUDE.COM

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SHAWN CRYSTAL IS SOMEONE WHO BELEIVES IN ME, I CAN SEE THAT. I’VE APPROACHED SHAWN IN THE PAST, PROBABLY NOT IN THE BEST MANNER - IF YOU HAVE EVER MET ME, YOU’LL KNOW I AM A VERY SERIOUS PERSON. WHEN I SAY I AM GOING TO DO SOMETHING - I DO IT. I AM THE MOST HEADSTRONG PERSON ON PLANET EARTH. WHEN I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO SOMETHING IT STARTS TO BECOME EASY, AND I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT. COMICS IS NO EXCEPTION. NO ONE CAN OR EVER WILL STOP MY PASSION AND LOVE FOR COMICS. GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!

SHAWN WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO LEVEL WITH ME ON A HUMAN LEVEL. SHAWN IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW PEOPLE YOU WILL MEET IN COMICS THAT ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT THIS SHIT. THERE IS SO MUCH GATEKEEPING THAT GOES ON IN COMICS; SHAWN BREAKS THOSE DOORS DOWN AND LETS YOU IN. SHAWN IS A GREAT ARTIST, COMIC CREATOR, AND TEACHER. BUT I LOVE SHAWN BECAUSE HE’S A GREAT HUMAN. SHAWN AND I HAVE A RELATIONSHIP - IM NOT SURE HOW TO LABEL IT - BUT I VIEW SHAWN AS A MENTOR. THIS ANTHOLOGY PROJECT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT HIS HELP / PLATFORM. I OWE SO MUCH TO SHAWN, I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO PAY HIM BACK. I ENROLLED INTO SHAWN AND JAKE PARKERS COMIC COURSE - THAT STARTS IN 2-WEEKS. THE EXCITEMENT IS KILLING ME. LET ME INNNNNNNNNNNNN!

CHECK OUT SHAWNS SITE: INKPULP.TV

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IM NOT TAKING COURSES, MAKING COMICS, NETWORKING, SELLING PRODUCT, AND PUBLISHING WEBSITES FOR NOTHING. MY ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO BE A FULL TIME INDEPENDENT CARTOONIST. THE GOAL IS SO FAR AWAY, BUT IT’S OBTAINABLE. I AM IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL. MAKE MORE COMICS.

THANKS FOR HANGING OUT AND TALKIN’ COMICS

-SAM