Re-Applying For My Dream/My NSFW Smut Comics...and Kittens!

Hello my friends, welcome back.

In an effort to aid my re-applying for my dream job that I've been doing since 1994, I've been evolving my thinking and my business model. This is something I started early last year but it got shelved as I dealt with everything that happened in the personal life. Now that the smoke has cleared, and I've got more clarity and research done, its almost time to get rolling on it.

Before I get to that, some personal postings: 

This weekend Kitty D and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary with a trip to Mongolian BBQ... one of our favorite places!

Good news! Our cat Belle had her kittens! In total there were five born, but two didn't make it. It was a tough thing to see happen and deal with. But so far, three are healthy and strong. For the first week its constant nursing and tiny mews. But within a couple weeks here, they will be crawling all over and digging those tiny claws into my leg and what not. We're talking with some various folks to get them good homes to go to. We didn't know Belle was pregnant when we got her, so we got quite a bargain I say!

Now on to business: Check out some newer art...

Spoiler free peeks at PLEASANT LIFE 2 and something else that has been secret for a while...

I started out last year with the drive to launch a Patreon page dedicated to new exclusive NSFW adults only comics. Some would be side Starslam stories but most of them would be stand alone erotica and only exclusive to the Patreon supporters and followers. I shelved the comics and stories I was working on when everything in the personal life got in the way. But now that the smoke has cleared and I've been more productive that usual, its time to start thinking about doing that again.

What I want to do is get a few stories in the can and then launch it. Right now, it will be set up in such a way where you get one exclusive story a month, a few side erotica/humor comics, stories and blogs/vlogs/audio exclusive to ONLY the Patreon. It is my intention to take the momentum I've harvested here on my idiothead.com site and bring it over there as well and build a nice community of followers and supporters. I really hope that you will consider following me over there. I intend to keep the prices low for my supporters and use it as the new business model for me to do things.

Crowd funding is the way of the future. And through those efforts I've done on Kickstarter, I've discovered that the majority of my audience likes and enjoys my NSFW content. Its something I've grown increasingly comfortable with and needed to find a way to get it out to everyone. Taking smut books to a family friendly comic con isn't ideal. But Patreon and Kickstarter seem to have a lot of like minded folks who want to support good adult content. And I've strived to keep my things female friendly and sex positive.

I started this movement in my work back in the mid-2000s when I started taking on more adults only commission work. And in 2009 when I started STARSLAM as a superhero erotica comic. Then it became a webcomic in 2011. Then a Kickstarter in 2014. Its just snowballed from there. And currently, I'm busy working on the third STARSLAM book in the trilogy! Check out a newly colored page right here: 

Andy's colors are just killing it, man! Its never looked better.

With Kickstarter working with my Starslam work and Patreon backing up my other NSFW content, this will keep the business afloat for me to continue other endevours. Like my slice of life comic: Pleasant Life and other stuff I have planned. So expect PLENTY from me in the coming days.

Right now, I'm planning on launching the Patreon page sometime this summer. I could launch it today if I wanted to, but I want to be sure that the stories are all set in my backlog before I attempt a launch. I really want to come out the gate with this thing on all four legs and moving. I'm gonna chase the whimsy and see where it goes. Its been my plan all along.

So the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. This is what I've been teasing and building towards until life got in the way. But now we're almost ready to go. Will you be willing to join me at the Patreon and support the new comic work I will be doing? Do you like the way I write and draw erotica comics? Will you help me build that community there as you have supported me here?

We're in this together, folks. Help me make the leap toward the future and we can get new readers involved with what we're doing here. Onward and upward!

....I intend to!

--T

VLOG 3 is Live!

New VLOG has been uploaded! See behind the scenes making of "TALES FROM THE GORE" comic, cat craziness and shark slippers! Enjoy!

--T

Refining

Oi fellow Mac N Cheese eaters and those who don't eat Mac N Cheese. I think that covers everyone, right?

Busy, is an understatement. I've got a lot going and man, I need a vacation. Its getting fucking brutal. Starting off with everything Kickstarter related. Right now, it stands at over $1,200. Almost TRIPLE what we asked for! Only a handful of days left so act quick! Note: The TALES FROM THE GORE book WILL NOT be available in my online store after the Kickstarter ends. So this is pretty much the only way to get it from me. I will not have any copies to sell you. If you track down 12 Gauge Gore at a horror show, you could find one. But from me? Nope. This is the only way. Don't be left out in the cold! Pledge and support the Kickstarter for my new book right HERE - Only Three days left!!

I got the proof copy of the book from the printer this weekend. It looks great! Check it out:

Where I won't have this book in my online store, I still have my other books. I sold a Pleasant Life today even! Here's a sketch the lucky person got when they ordered the book. Thanks a lot to all who continue to support my stuff! 

I always love drawin' the boys. I miss them. Hopefully I can get STARSLAM 3 done so I can continue their adventures!

After the Kickstarter ends, Olya and I will be busy with your commissions and then once the books are here, we got books to do sketches in! So we will be busy all March and part of April getting these things done. I haven't spoken to her but we are all thrilled with how well the Kickstarter for Caleb's book is doing. Thanks everyone who has pledged and supported! It means more than you know. This is not just any other book I've done. It represents so much more.

Well, I registered my hotel so now I am 100% locked in for Chicago Exxxotica in June. More on that later. I am also sooooooo ready for a vacation!!! I'll be taking next month to Horrorhound Cincinnati. We will have limited copies of the TALES FROM THE GORE at the 12 Gauge Gore booth but mostly its time for me to walk around and enjoy myself. Its also my girlfriend and I's one year anniversary at the show! Interestingly enough, I put my deposit down for my first tattoo that I will be getting at the show! Its a Caleb tribute piece I've been talking about doing for months now and I chose the right person and place to do it, I think. Its about time I get some ink on this old body. Looking forward to the trip. I'll have plenty of pics and video to share when I come back. Less than a month away! I need it!!!

I really have been running around ragged lately. Overtime, job, artworking, kids, cats, etc. Its been crazy. Right now, one of our fur babies, Belle, is severely sick and we gotta take her in tomorrow to get looked at. I hope its nothing too serious. Even though they fight, I think Lily is a bit upset at her friend being sick:

This weekend I was able to do some inking on Starslam 3 pages. I also refined the script a bit, adding some new elements and deleting some others. I basically streamlined it and got rid of some stuff that I didn't think was working. I think now its much tighter and makes way more sense. I'm still 50 pages in but I got my next 30 plotted out. I'll pull reference and start pencils this week. I should have a batch this week to toss to Andy for coloring as well. Might as well get this baby out the door while I got the fire to get to rolling.

I also have commissions to work on and a few other things on the TO DO list. But I'm still rockin' it. Not much else to say. Just get it done. Do what I can. Make it happen. The nice weather this week has been a welcome bonus to my day too. Helps remind me that the sun is still willing to welcome me to a new day of trying. I'm busy refining my work and my life approach. Its not an overnight thing. More a lifelong thing.

Cheers, T

Milestones

Hello friends!

Well, the Kickstarter for TALES FROM THE GORE, my Caleb Stevens horror anthology tribute book went live yesterday and I'm proud to say it was funded in less than 12 hours. This marks the third Kickstarter in a row for me to do that. I'm beyond thrilled about it and how people are jazzed about it! We're even doing some exclusive copies to be sold at the SALT CITY HORROR FEST In Syracuse, NY on April 15-16th. Some will be sold and some will be raffled off along with some other goodies I am tossing to them. For details on that horror show, check out their Facebook link HERE
-- There will be some cool guests there, dealers and movies on 35mm playing. The people that run that show are good people. Check them out.

Meanwhile, the Kickstarter rolls on! You can learn the ins and outs about the kickstarter and stories behind its making and why it means so much, by checking out the new episode of the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW PODCAST by clicking HERE

Lastly, you can check out the actual Kickstarter fundraiser for my new book: TALES FROM THE GORE by clicking HERE

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Whew, now that is out of the way. We can talk about other stuff going on.

I'm still in heavy overtime mode at the day job. And with me juggling commissions, Kickstarter launches and more book production, I really haven't had much time to breathe or do anything really. My PS4 just sits there collecting dust. Plus we're adjusting to life with our new baby:

We decided to name her "BELLE" after the character in "Secret Life of a Call Girl."

Lily and Belle don't get along super well, but they are adjusting.

Between work and all this production, I really am just burning my candle at all ends. Even the middle! I got my boys the next two weekends and so that will be a handful of a different sort.  I decided after this weekend to take an extra day off just for me to unwind, spend time with Kitty D and just be still for a moment.While it feels good to make things happen and get things done, inside I'm just screaming for the train to slow down for a minute! The stress and the overall run run run life gets to me. Its something to talk about in my therapy sessions, for sure. I need to make those more of a priority very soon.

I discovered a new hobby, that of perler beading old 8-bit NES game sprites and things. But I haven't had much time to devote to it. But one night last week, I took a few hours and just sat and did it. It was great to turn my mind off and just put beads into a rack and make things. It reminds me of putting together legos, but way less expensive! These are the things I made the other night:

I like the hobby and will continue it. I feel like it centers me a bit. Hopefully after the rush of the Kickstarter is done, I can indulge a bit more and do other things I want to do with the perler beads.

Next month is Horrorhound Weekend. I've already booked my hotel and I'm excited as shit. If all goes well, I'll be getting my first tattoo there. Its a tribute piece I thought up for Caleb. Of course I will take pics and videos there for my VLOG and BLOG here. No worries. And a trip away will be nice. Because after that, things are going to ramp up with heavy production on my remaining projects, as well as new challenges at the day job where I am cross training on some new stuff. These things will take a lot of my time and focus. Ah, the stress to come.

But today, I am happy that we crossed the line comfortably with the new Kickstarter. I did all this for Caleb and Joe's family. I did it for Caleb. And I want it to be hugely successful for them and we sell a mass amount of comics. But this is just the basic cost needs for the book to get out the door. We still got far to go with the funds to raise. So much more can be done. And we've got 13 days to do it. Please repost or check out the Kickstarter for my new book: TALES FROM THE GORE right HERE

I appreciate the support, as do Caleb and Joe's family. I've done all my work. Its up to us to keep it going. Let's rock this thing!

--T