I am going to be the new artist for the webcomic series, Love is in the Blood. It’s a tale of Lamashtu, a Sumerian demon and the first vampire, who has been cursed by the father who despises her very existence. Romance, action, adventure, and vampires!

Updates begin on Valentine’s Day, but you can check out the concept art sketch I drew as well as the first book of the series (illustrated by Elliot Dombo) online!

LoveisintheBlood.com

UPDATES: Three weeks in a row and I think I can safely say that Red String is moving back to three comic pages a week. I am not going to fully guarantee every week will be like this. There will most likely be a Sketch Friday on a weekend right before a convention and the week of the convention I’ll be attending. However, it looks like I am able to keep up with the three pages a week schedule right now.

BABY TALK: Lucinda is doing well, though she has started teething, so she’s cranky a lot. We’re already on the remedies to help her get through this. We’re a bit frazzled, though! Haha. Otherwise she is happy and healthy. She LOVES the gifts you all bought for her last year. Some of the items we were able to use right away, but now she’s starting to interact with toys, so those gifts are starting to come in handy! Also, to the wonderful couple who gave us a copy of The Baby Sleep Solution book at a convention last year, THANK YOU! The system works and she is sleeping wonderfully through the night!

ERSTWHILE: There’s something new at Erstwhile. With our new SPECIAL CONTENT subscription section you can now get a behind the scenes look at the series. It has concept art, character design sketches, notes on the characters and art created. There will also be a look at page layouts and penciled roughs of the work. We will add new content roughly once a month. All subscriptions go to paying the artists involved in the series for the work they have done and continue to do. It’s kind of like a tip jar or donation section, but with something extra as a way of thanks for your support.

WATERCOLORS:
As you all have seen, I have been painting watercolors lately. I am having a lot of fun and glad you all are enjoying them as well. You can see all the previous ones I have painted in the gallery section of the site (see the menu bar at the top of the page). I am curious if you would like to see more of these piece, what types of things you would like to see, and what types you might be interested in purchasing (if any). So far it seems that couples are a very popular subject matter, but as always, I’d like to hear more from you, the readers.

MERCHANDISE:
I would love to also hear if there are other things you would be interested in seeing in the Red String shop and at conventions. Obviously, some things might not be possible, but I am always open to suggestions. I am putting together a better webstore that I hope to open in the next month. It should make shopping at Red String SO much easier!

Inspiration in Comics

As you might know, this author has a great love for fairy tales and mythology in a wide array of cultures. That’s how Red String got started. I was delving into my books on Japanese myths and came across the story of the red thread of fate. It inspired me to draw a little doodle of a kogal who wanted to challenge destiny and from that strange little doodle with the scrbbled note came a fully fleshed out idea of romance, destiny, and self-discovery. It evolved into a story about growing up and exploring all forms of love.

Erstwhile was born in a similar fashion. I was reading a huge collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and was finding all sorts of great folk tales that never made it to movies. They were absolutely marvelous tales, but had been overlooked by Disney and other film makers in favor of the more popular tales. Even books that do spins on fairy tales tend to only take ones that are easily recognized. That lit a fire that could not be extinguished. I just HAD to tell these stories and what better way that the way I knew how to best tell a story.

Red String took the middle age group, Erstwhile took the younger age group, and now there is Riding Hood which looks to the much more adult road. There is no doubt I am a romantic at heart and so while this story is being posted over at Filthy Figments, you know it’s something with heart. I love a good romance and Riding Hood is a fun and sexy take on the fairy tale which inspired it. Just remember, this is just for the adults! Kids and those at work should stay away!!

I don’t know where inspiration will take me next, but I am excited to find out. The same goes for all you aspiring comic creators out there. You never know when and were you are going to be inspired, but when it hits you, for the love of all things holy, make sure you have something close by to jot it down on! Nothing hurts like coming up with a great idea and having nothing to write with, THEN forgetting the idea by the time you do.