Promptober is almost here! Year four of our October drawing challenge, where the Draw or Die community takes on a new spooky prompt every day. If you’ve never joined in before, you can learn more here: https://youtube.com/shorts/B37D-vXCXl8?si=jaLGxzUVGK_otifm

This year, we’d love to send you a prompt postcard to help kick things off and keep us all drawing together through October. To do that, we just need to make sure your mailing info is up to date: 👉 https://form.drawordieclub.com/info

It’s completely optional, but if you’d like to receive the occasional piece of postal mail (like postcards), you can add your mailing address to the list.

Official October prompt list dropping soon! Stay tuned!

- Draw or Die!

This week’s comic is a gentle reminder:
You don’t need art school.
You don’t need fancy courses or tools.
You don’t need anyone’s permission.

All you really need is a pencil and the guts to keep going.

Sure, instruction can help…but it’s not a requirement to start.

There is no “right” way to make art.
The only wrong move is letting someone else’s opinion stop you from creating.

Please don’t be the kind of artist who judges or gatekeeps.
Be the one who cheers others on.
Encourage more people to pick up the pencil and GO for it!

That’s how we grow the art world…
By drawing together, not drawing lines in the sand.

Speaking of drawing together…

🏴‍☠️ IN REAL LIFE…

The first Tuesday of every month I host one in Pittsburgh if you can make it. Oh! That’s TONIGHT! Facebook Even Link here. I highly encourage you to setup a in person meetup at a local coffee shop or public space in your town and DRAW TOGETHER!

🏴‍☠️ I’m hiring???

As you may or may not know from reading my content, I’m now the Executive Creative Director at VeeFriends, where we’re primarily making COOL comic book stories. I have some big names lined up. Anyways… “talent searching” for serious artists who can meet a deadline and have experience with sequential art, (pages) - If you’re interested, fill out the form here. https://forms.gle/dV7skjc2ZFqmxjFS9 -
If it’s a match, I’ll be in touch. STAY SHARP. STAY READY!

🏴‍☠️ HEY! Join The Daily Drawing Club!

Wanna help us build the world’s greatest drawing club, join the DAILY DRAWING CLUB!

HEY… If like 1300 people join the Daily Drawing Club, then Ally can quit her job and just run the brand for us. 😂 Well, we only have like 150 members right now so we have ways to go...

Stay sharp with DAILY morning drawing prompts

• Over 650+ drawing prompts and counting await you in the app!

JOIN US!

keep drawing.
keep dreaming.
keep going… your own way.
See ya next Tuesday!!!

- Draw or Die!

In this week’s comic, Skully reminds Suzy Q that “you don’t have to be GOOD to start, you have to start to get good!” Stop giving a F what other people think and just enjoy drawing. And maybe stop being so hard on yourself.

See the full comic, and share with a friend on our Instagram!
Give it a like and share?

🏴‍☠️ SAN DIEGO COMICON MEETUP?

If you’re around San Diego Comicon this week / weekend, let me know if you want to meet up and sketch, drink and draw, whatever. e-mail dj@drawordieclub.com Probably Saturday aft

🏴‍☠️ WATCH this…

This week, I’m drawing some clouds…

Ally and I went out last weekend and took photos and video of some awesome clouds and nature. I really enjoy the pareidolia drawing exercises and drawing what I see in clouds and nature. If you’ve never tried this, OR if you don’t do it often, I highly encourage it. Check this one out…

🏴‍☠️ The Daily Drawing Club!

We’re building the world’s greatest drawing club, Will you join us?
Stay sharp with DAILY morning drawing prompts

• Over 650+ drawing prompts and counting await you in the app!

  JOIN US!

Keeping it Short and sweet today… gonna be a busy week heading into San Diego Comicon
See ya next Tuesday!!!

- Draw or Die!

🏴‍☠️ This Week’s Comic

We think every Artist needs a friend like Earl E. Bird to remind them to take some time for yourself every day! Like Earl says, “Don’t let the job kill the dream!”

Me? I wake up at 5am every day so I can read, sketch, or have a little time for myself before giving my time to others.

Even if your job IS art or design related, a little sketching in the morning really does wonders for your creative brain.
FIRST, WE DRAW!

🏴‍☠️ The Daily Drawing Club!

We’re building the world’s greatest drawing club, Will you join us?
Stay sharp with DAILY morning drawing prompts

• Over 650+ drawing prompts and counting await you in the app!

  JOIN US!

🏴‍☠️ WATCH this…

I can teach anyone to draw IN SECONDS.

I’ve put together these free SHORTs on Youtube, which are not only great for beginners, but has been shown to help old pros stay sharp and exploring.
Let me know what you think:

Short 1: https://youtube.com/shorts/XEFf42EG1fU
Short 2: https://youtube.com/shorts/S0yH7jtsHZA
Short 3: https://youtube.com/shorts/0yDCcT85O28
Short 4: https://youtube.com/shorts/wkocomPDBdA
Short 5: https://youtube.com/shorts/5T_AAYfi-v4?si=tA1D_yaSJTwrgOOz

See ya next Tuesday!!!

- Draw or Die!

🏴‍☠️ This Week’s Comic

Who else knows this feeling? You tell yourself you’ll draw after work, but then… ZzzzzONK! Day jobs have a way of draining your creative energy before you even pick up a pencil.

The best fix? Draw before work. Even just a few minutes. Make time for yourself first. You deserve it!

🏴‍☠️ Featured Drawing Prompt

Each week we’ll feature a prompt from the daily drawing club…

What’s the first thing you think of when you read that? Sketch it out!

Here’s a look at a few from the daily drawing club last week:

What would you draw for this prompt? Show us what you got! Tag drawordie.co on insta , or join our free discord community and post over there!

🏴‍☠️ The Daily Drawing Club!

• Help us build the world’s greatest drawing club!
  Join the DAILY DRAWING CLUB today!
  Stay sharp with DAILY morning drawing prompts and club perks.

• Over 650 prompts await you in the app! You’ll never not have anything to draw again!

  JOIN US!

🏴‍☠️ IN REAL LIFE…

Tonight, July 8th in Pittsburgh, our monthly meetup. Show up anytime between 6-8pm ET, Federal Galley Patio 200 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh PA. More details at the Facebook Event page.

🏴‍☠️ Watch this…

Check out our latest short videos on Youtube, and submit your own drawing prompt ideas in the comments! https://www.youtube.com/@drawordieclub/shorts

We’re starting a series there called LEARN TO DRAW IN SECONDS which I think you may enjoy.

See you next Tuesday!

- Draw or Die!

It’s been a minute… or months. I had to step away and focus on my own mental health and work, but now I feel like I’m coming back, finally.

I made a pretty raw, maybe the most raw video, for you today, where I discuss the fresh freak outs over AI trying to do us all in. I also share a personal story or two.

Watch it on the Youtube channel (CLICK HERE), and drop your thoughts in the comments there.

Nice to feel back…

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

Guys, gals, I’m ready to say goodbye to 2024 and eager for a fresh, fresh start.

My year was bittersweet, as I started with my dream job and on the professional side it’s been a blast, but on the personal side I’ve had to deal with a lot of grief and death in the family this year, ending with my Dad passing just two weeks ago. It’s still a bit fresh.

We all know this is how life goes. Challenges are going to come out of nowhere and hit us when we least expect it. I’m getting better at dealing with it and going through it. I haven’t felt much like drawing or creating anything the past couple weeks. A lot of self-doubt has crept in… that little other voice that whispers “am I good enough?” - “Why am I even bothering?” -

The good news is, I know it’s ridiculous. I know nothing that “other” voice says is true. I know the act of art and creation itself is healing.

I’m Challenging Myself… Wanna Try With Me?

THE 2025 DRAW EVERY DAY CHALLENGE

Let’s keep it nice and simple. “Don’t Break The Chain” , how many days in a row can you draw something in 2025? The rules are these:

• Draw a little something EVERY DAMN day in 2025. It can be ANYTHING YOU WISH. No limit.

• Post a daily check-in with the group in our special DISCORD Channel. https://discord.gg/agU9gCya5E (it’s always free!)

I also encourage you to document your journey in a little journal or social media post, but the OFFICIAL CHECK-IN is the Discord thread.

• If you break the chain, you’re not “out” - you simply can begin again. Try to beat your record each time!

Remember this is a challenge for YOURSELF. Nobody else!
It’s your own clout. Your own record to beat.

Don’t Know What To Draw? I got you!

So, We have a DAILY DRAWING CLUB with prompts or challenges that come out every day at 5am to your email or the mobile app. There’s about 151 members in that right now… I’d love for you to join us.

Get One Month of Daily Drawing Club FREE

Just use the code CHALLENGE at the checkout. After 30 days it’s only $5 a month for the daily inspiration and reminder to DRAW EVERY DAMN DAY! (plus other member perks) JOIN HERE!

You don’t have to be a member of the DAILY club to take part… it’s just there if you need it.

If you’re committing to the challenge, check in on the Discord channel and say hello: 👉🏻 Don’t Break The Chain Discord Channel

If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU for being here. Let’s get into year

☠️ GRAB SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET MY DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more

This Weeks Drawing Challenge

This weeks drawing mantra to think about is BODY LANGUAGE. How to make any characters or critters you draw this week have a more believable pose. Or think to yourself “how can I evoke an emotion in this figure?”

While DRAW or DIE isn’t a “how to draw” brand, I’m aware many are on the list who are looking to improve their skills, and I want to point out two great resources for you today.

Book Recommendation:

Michael Hampton wrote THE book on this, Figure Drawing: Design & Invention - grab it on Amazon. If you’re serious about drawing, It’s worth having on your shelf, I think…. study it a bit. It might be a little overwhelming for noobs, but dive in a few pages at time. AND it’s a great book for intermediate artists to study on. It’s fun!

BONUS: Check it out, here’s the author himself doing a little demo on PROKO’s channel on Youtube.

The Biggest Mistake Artists Make:

My big point is that most artists, including myselg, once you learn something, you don’t go back and re-study.

I try to summarize the wealth of info I learned, into what works for me. You may approach it totally differently and that’s cool! I’m NOT the best “teacher”, or claim to be, BUT I can point you in the right directions.

Challenge yourself this week to dust off those old “how to draw books” or go dive into some Proko and study up! Build those drawing muscles…

DRAW EVERY DAY WITH US!

JOIN the DAILY DRAWING CLUB! only 5 bucks a month. Get 5am Drawing Prompts, Quarterly Member Sticker and more JOIN HERE!

Thanks for reading and drawing!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

On Sundays, there’s a FREE weekly drawing prompt or exercise.

Here is this weeks drawing prompt:

If you draw something like this today or with this in mind and you want to share it with us, the best place to do that is Instagram and tag @ drawordie.co

and OR you could join our free Discord community here. I join in when I have time (I’ve been super busy), BUT there are tons of great regulars there to discuss tools, share, art exchanges… it’s a great little community of “art friends”

Level Two: The Daily Drawing Club

The DAILY Drawing Club is $5 a month (or 4.50 a month if you do annual) - It comes via e-mail EVERY DAY at 5am ET, or there’s a WEB app you can put on your phone.

• ✏️ 5am ET Daily Drawing Prompt / Challenge or Exercise! (in email or app)

• 🏴‍☠️ Quarterly Member Only Sticker!

• ⭐️ Limited: Annual Subs Get MINI Notebook!

• 🤑 10% Off Merch Discount

• 🤘🏻 Daily Club Member Discord Channel

You can join that JOIN HERE

Merch & Orders Update…

Thanks for your patience with orders and prizes being sent out. I’m happy to say that ALL pending orders are shipping out of here Monday morning… Scope this picture of hundreds of orders AND my neglected dog in the background pouting. 🥺

💜 Big shout to Ally (my wife and partner in crime) - She doesn’t want or need the roses. BUT she literarily spends an entire Saturday from 7:30am in the morning until 8am at night filling orders, organizing the art exchange and more…. it’s amazing… but it’s also a bit too much. And it’s not sustainable.

Which is why….

I’m dialing things back a little…

Like I said at the beginning, I’m taking it back to the basics here. The core of Draw or Die is motivating you to draw more often. I didn’t do it to have a “side hustle” where we’re putting extra strain in our personal lives. I mean… we really have neglected pretty much everything else in our lives, and we need to change that.

SO… Yeah, the daily drawing prompts stay, and any print on demand merch on our site stays.

Self-fulfilled items like our sketchbooks, stickers and member stickers will go “members only”.

Some parting words this week… maybe my LAST “editorial”

When you’re about to QUIT… keep going!

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve felt some serious strain trying to balance running the side brand here. my job, and our personal life.

I thought about just wrapping up he whole brand and saying “that was a fun 3 years!”

On top of all of the busyness, when I do check in, I get snarky messages or people being very demanding of our time, and frankly? It started to piss me off.

And I know that’s not the majority of you. But it’s just not what I signed up for, ya know? And yeah yeah, I know I should ignore it and move on, and I often do… but I’m only human. I don’t really WANT to be an “influencer” , but i guess I am. If I influence you to draw more and be a better person… well then FUCK YES. Mission accomplished.

Can you believe I even got criticized for me saying if I find out you’re a Nazi, I won’t send you a prize. :D ? I mean… what in the world?! I’m sorry y’all, but if you are down with the Nazis, or self-identitfy as a Nazi… you can go f#ck yourself.

I’ve been back and forth and back and forth on what to do the past couple months… but in the end, I’ve decided to KEEP IT GOING.

And it’s just a lesson in life I guess. When things get hard? It might not be time to quit… when you feel like quitting sometimes, maybe it’s a sign to adjust and KEEP GOING.

Same goes for ART and Drawing. We have artists who “quit” all the time. WHY? Why quit art or something you say you love to do? That’s dumb. Don’t be quitting for anyone else.

Especially NOT for Nazis, trolls or any other haters.
If you’re one of THOSE, please kindly unsubscribe.

We DRAW, or DIE.

Okay, time to spend a day cleaning my friggin house.
Thanks for reading! Thanks for DRAWING EVERY DAMN DAY.

2 years and 8 months ago I started this newsletter for artists to help keep you inspired. A lot has happened in this time. I’ve had thousands of conversations now with artists from all walks of life. You can always read the full archive of over 130 newsletters for free at: https://www.drawordie.club/archive

I don’t have as much time or energy to donate to this personal brand as I did before, but I’m still committed to its mission. Still here, just a little quieter.

Sometimes it feels like I’m repeating myself…but I know these mantras are worth repeating. Bookmark ‘em, print ‘em out.. Re-read it often.

Mantras matter because we need reminders, especially on tough days. Each repetition is fuel, a spark for your fire.

This is …

The Draw or Die Manifesto. 

#1 Do It Because You Must.

You were born a creator. Therefore if you do not create, you will be unhappy. You will resent anyone you perceive as stopping you, be it your family, friends, authority figures. This can spiral out of control in many different ways, none of them are good for you, or the world around you.

#2 Draw Every Day.

You must make time to do this. Put the time for yourself FIRST. That may seem selfish to you or others.The simple truth is if you’re living a life where there is no time left for you, you’re not living at all. Even as little as 10-15 minutes per day will make a difference. 

#3 Draw Small. 

Stop overthinking your art. Instead of feeling you need to draw on a giant canvas, or that every drawing has to be a masterpiece, just draw small. Draw in a pocket sized notebook. Make it a little challenge to yourself. And remember, the biggest ideas often spring from the tiniest sketches.

#4 If You’re Stuck, Scribble It Out.

You are about to experience an ancient and magical exercise.
I call it “scribble challenge”.  Anyone can do it, anytime, anywhere.
It works like this:

When you feel  uninspired and don’t know what to draw, begin lightly scribbling. To “draw” is to “pull” something out. You will “draw out” what you see within the scribble.

It doesn’t have to make sense. It might be abstract or strange. Go with the flow here. Forget perfection. 

The simple act of getting your hand and mind acting in this way, will attract the muse.
You will find yourself wanting to do it again. Perhaps every day?

#5 Draw Your Stories.

Drawing a story in a series of drawings is the most powerful form of communication in all of human history. It’s taken many forms over history, from cave paintings, to hieroglyphics, and here in modern times you may know it best as comics, graphic novels, or sequential art. 

It’s the most powerful form of communication because visual storytelling transcends human words and language barriers. It is a universal language, a story that may be understood from beings not even of this earth. 

We all have stories, be it in our imagination or something we know or experienced.

 I challenge you to draw a story. Even if only 3 panels. After all, every story has a beginning, middle and end. 

#6 Don’t Delay, Draw Today.

What are you waiting for? You don’t need anyone’s permission. You’re good enough to go, trust me. Something to draw with and on, it’s all you need. 
You’re not too old, or too young.
No more excuses. 
Draw today.

#7 Share Your Art & Story.

It might not feel this way to you right now, but your art can make a difference in someone else’s life, and could even change the world. Even the act of you openly creating and sharing will inspire someone who needs it.

Your art is the gift that will keep giving, even when you’re  long gone. 

#8 Stay Encouraged.

On good days, and bad days, draw every damn day.
Put all these tools together to keep yourself inspired. It’s going to be hard to remember on the bad days But trust me, I’ve spoken to thousands of artists now who have told me this all works. It’s changed their lives for the better. 

This mindset, these mantras, will help you too.

You’re not alone… join our community…

I don’t plug it enough, but we do have a free community on Discord you can join here: https://discord.gg/ay4EXNNu

A place a little bit away from social media where you can chat with other artists on similar journeys. Heck, we even have some artists in there who have no social media accounts at all, who are very helpful! (shoutout to Matt!)

Note: I still kind of personally suck at Discord, but I try to take part when I can. :D

Even though I’m a little quieter these days, my mission here remains unchanged: to inspire you, to remind you, and to keep the community drawing. Draw or Die lives on because of each of you.

You’re

Join our DAILY Drawing Club

Daily drawing challenges and exercises drop at 5am ET every damn day. You’ll never not have something to draw. Plus get a quarterly member sticker and other perks… JOIN HERE

Thanks for reading… now, go get drawing!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

We will be LIVE on Sunday at 7pm for the live drawings on Youtube.

If you want to review all the official terms and conditions, they are on the site here.

Important: A few folks didn’t read the terms or watch our streams, but we had to limit prizes to those with a United States shipping address… mainly because there are really WACK contest rules for other countries, and we have to follow guidelines. Remember, this is for fun! If you’re super upset about this, shoot us an email and we’ll talk to you. ;)

Hope you all had fun drawing this year, AND best of luck winning some of the cool prizes!

BUT I want to let you all know again, it’s NOT TOO LATE to get some small drawings in for PROMPTOBER - you have until Friday!

The prize form is also up on PROMPTOBER.COM with all the prizes and more info.

Remember EVERY DRAWING counts as a ticket, even if you only drew a few or one!

More news this weekend!

Big Week Incoming…

Apologies for being a bit absent the past 10 days. I was in NYC for 8 full days, drawing live at NYCC and doing some work for VeeFriends. I’m building out my own little comics team there, so it’s been my hyper focus the past little while…

To make up for my absence, I’m going live a BUNCH this week on Youtube…

Tonight 7pm ET, LIVE ON YOUTUBE:

On Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/live/QtoSr6vEsac
I’ll be drawing LIVE, and chatting about Promtober, NYCC recap from my perspective, and some BTS at my dream job, where I’m building a modern and innovative comics dream team.

Monday 8pm ET, LIVE ON YOUTUBE:

Let’s set some time aside to catch up on some of the Promptober Drawing Prompts! And a reminder it’s STILL not too late to jump in! https://www.youtube.com/live/TS9LWJopNco

Tuesday 6-8pm Our PITTSBURGH MEETUP! IRL!:

Our “in real life” meetup in Pittsburgh has been the last Tuesday of every month. This might be the last one for 2024… let’s see. FACEBOOK EVENT LINK HERE.
OR if you hate Facebook just show up to Federal Galley on the Northside of Pittsburgh. Located in: Nova Place - Address: 200 Children's Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 — Free street parking at 6pm- OR park in the NOVA PARKING GARAGE and take elevator to “plaza” level. Then find us. BRING YOUR OWN ART SUPPLIES!!!

WEDNESDAY 8pm ET, LIVE ON YOUTUBE:

More Promptober drawing and live QnA: https://www.youtube.com/live/o6z_K59gUys

THURSDAY 8pm ET, LIVE ON YOUTUBE:

Happy Halloween! It will be the LAST DAY of Promptober. Let’s do ONE LAST PUSH for drawings!!!
https://youtube.com/live/M2CpnXw-Kj8

This week’s message… It’s NEVER TOO LATE!

I hear it all the time… the idea that you’re too old. Or you missed the boat somehow, or now it’s getting late in the year and you’ve wasted it…. stop with all that BS.

Especially with Promptober or the other Drawing Challenges. You think you missed a day. Or you missed starting and now what’s the point???

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself and just DRAW.

Here is a step by step way to get going…

1. Pick up a pencil and paper (or whatever you work with)

2. Read one of the prompts.

3. Sketch out the first thing you think of.

That’s it! Stop overthinking it. It can even be MINUTES, not hours.
Too many artists I’ve heard were thinking they could turn their entire month into a nice sketchbook, amazing portfolio, or some other BS…. stop it.

Your overthinking is killing your creative spirit. In fact, I believe this is just your “shadow self” trying to resist you doing anything GREAT for yourself.

And drawing every day, even small or fast… it’s going to make you feel better AND get better at drawing even.

Anyways… pick up a pencil and draw with us.

If you want to get inspired, join one of those livestreams and see how I’m going to try tackling as many prompts as I can in just a few days. Believe me, it’s not as hard as you think… and it’s worth it to at least TRY.

SEE YOU SOON!!!

Wanna get Serious about DRAWING EVERY DAMN DAY?
JOIN the DAILY DRAWING CLUB! 5 bucks a month. Daily 5am ET Drawing Prompts, Quarterly Member Sticker and more JOIN our community HERE!

Back to the drawing board for me!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

Ally and I will be LIVE tonight on Youtube for week #130 of the Draw or Die Co.

Join us live here: https://youtube.com/live/QDkg_9XYFIw (subscribe and click the bell!)

Tonight’s agenda:

• Promptober Week 2 Review

• A NEW cool surprise sponsor! VERY cool for artists (an item valued a retail value of $129!)

THE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION: The feeling of being BEHIND as an artist. Especially in challenges like this. Hey, even I’m behind on my daily prompts, and we’ll dive into how I feel about that, and what you can do about it.

Remember, it’s never too late to join in on Promptober! Every drawing you do can be worth a ticket at the end for some OUTSTANDING prizes for artists from sponsors like Blackwing, Field Notes, Nomatic, Makers Cabinet, Sketchbox, Sketchboard Pro, POSCA, and More!!! Details at https://promptober.com

This month in the DAILY DRAWING CLUB…

All this month we’re working on some quick drawing exercises to keep your skills AND YOUR MIND sharp- JOIN HERE!

See you soon!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

https://youtube.com/live/tbtuggxsQf4

Join us LIVE tonight at 7pm ET!

Ally and I will be live to tonight on Youtube , the agenda is:

• Review Week One of Promptober, and BTS

• Announcing a new BIG prize sponsor!

• Q4 Member Sticker art reveal…

• I’ll draw today’s prompt live…

Live at 7pm ET https://www.youtube.com/live/5wwPLXP2bm0

I’m keeping it simple this year…

Someone asked me in the comments how I’m approaching my prompts this year…

I’m treating my personal drawings for Promptober like I do my other daily prompts, Drawing small, keeping it simple. They’re just warm up drawings to me, fast, loose. I’m using pencil only in my Field Notes notebook.

Funny thing, I don’t even like to look at the list again until it’s time to draw. The way I approach the prompts is to try to draw the first thing that comes to my mind, even if it’s silly or doesn’t make sense. This helps me build my muscle to be able to draw fast and on command when and if I need to.

Overthinking your art is a trap. Just get in there and get dirty. Like uncle Bob said, there are no mistakes! Get in there and fuck things up. Have fun!

Daily Drawing Club! Get in there!

We reached a milestone of 150 daily drawing club members! This might not seem like a lot, but it’s exciting for us. Some join just to support the brand, but many are in it for the community, the discord, the perks… AND improving your art and mental health.

A comment from a new daily club member…

It’s me. I send them. You’re very welcome. This is exactly why I do it. Comments like that make me want to do this forever.

This month, I’m featuring some quick drawing exercises you can do anywhere. Here’s an example of today’s exercise… which by the way, is a super powerful and stealthy exercise…

So I’d love to invite you to join our little DAILY drawing club! By member 151? Get 5am DAILY Drawing Prompts, A Quarterly Member Sticker and more JOIN HERE!

OKAY! See you tonight at 7pm ET LIVE! Back to the drawing board for me!!!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

Weekly Dispatch…

It’s week 128 of the Draw or Die Club, and we’re heading right into PROMPTOBER YEAR 3 this week! I hope to see many of you taking part!

We’re the ONLY October Drawing Challenge with big sponsors like:

• BLACKWING Pencils

• Field Notes

• Sketchboard Pro

• SketchBox

• DANGO

• Makers Cabinet

• POSCA Markers

Big thanks to our prize sponsors. See all the prizes at https://www.promptober.com/prizes/

HOW IT WORKS!

• You can join PROMPTOBER any time during October! Just start drawing!

• You can draw in ANY medium (pencil, ink, color, digital, whatever!)

• You don’t have to draw them all! However, Every drawing you do is like a little “entry” you can put in for prizes at the end.

• At the end of the month, there will be a form to fill out (we’ll remind you!)

• We will draw the prize winners LIVE on Youtube NOVEMBER 3rd!

That’s it! Remember, JUST HAVE FUN!!! Drawing every day shouldn’t be a burden or a “challenge”— it should always be something you enjoy and look forward to!

THANK YOU, DAILY DRAWING CLUB!

Congrats AND THANK YOU to all our DAILY DRAWING CLUB Members! You made it through another quarter AND daily members will receive the following exclusive Q3 sticker, and can snag some cool members only products in our shop.

This month’s DAILY DRAWING Prompts are going to focus on fundamental practice and quick warm-up exercises. It’s a great time to join the daily club and improve your own art and STAY SHARP!

Non-Members? A Special Offer for You…

THIS WEEK only, if you join the DAILY DRAWING CLUB this week, we’ll add you in to getting the Q3 member sticker too! JOIN BY OCT 6th!!!

JOIN HERE!

That’s it for this week! I hope you all stay encouraged out there and DRAW EVERY DAMN DAY in PROMPTOBER! Let’s GOOOOO!!!!

Back to the drawing board for me!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

This week I thought it would be fun to answer 5 random questions sent to me this week.

But first.. housekeeping!
ITEM - a reminder that PROMPTOBER is coming in hot! (Our October Drawing Challenge) Download a copy of the official prompt sheet at Promptober.com, check the prize details, and share it to your socials if you’re participating. Be sure to tag us up!

ITEM - It’s DRAW CLUB Night this Tuesday in Pittsburgh. 6-8pm out on the patio at Federal Galley on the North Side. (park at the Nova Garage) or street parking is free after 6pm. Here’s the FB Event link if you want to share.

ITEM- FIELD NOTES IS F#CKING AWESOME.
Our friends at FIELD NOTES, are not only sponsoring prizes again this year, but have given us a special coupon code through October for 25% off the STREETSCAPES sketchbook. https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/streetscapes Just use code OCTOBERDRAW in the checkout!

AND, if you’re drawing in Field Notes in October, TAG them up, they want to share some of your art to help support! Thank you Field Notes!!

5 Questions From and For Artists

1. What’s the best way to find paying gigs?

Your network is your networth. Start with who you know. This can be friends, family, right in your local backyard. Maybe try to specialize in ONE THING instead of just being the “jack of all drawing trades”. I would also offer something that’s not going to burn you out.

What if you feel like you don’t know anyone??? Well, it’s time to get out of your shell. Here’s a simple scenario. Draw a few shirt style designs for fake coffee shops, or breweries, or niche shops. Make a little flyer for yourself and your offering, and then go strike up some conversations at your favorite businesses.

Don’t get discouraged right away. Maybe your art isn’t ready for primetime yet! And that’s okay! Keep working to make it better and more appealing.

2. How can I improve my art FASTER?

I might sound like a broken record here.. but DRAW EVERY DAMN DAY. And in the case of wanting to improve faster, I would challenge myself to watch at least one tutorial video per day on Youtube, maybe something like PROKO- here’s a playlist. While you’re on Youtube, make sure you subscribe to my channel too!

If you have a couple bucks, I would invest in going to some local life drawing classes in your area as well if you have them. Worth a little drive too.

3. How do you make your livestreams look so good with multiple camera and angles?

I use a free program called OBS, Open Broadcaster Software, that allows you to setup “scenes” and different camera sources. Without going into too much detail I have 3 “sources” pulling in. 1. My main digital camera (or you could us a webcam) for my face. 2. My iPad drawing screen view, sourced right from the iPad. 3. My iPhone is a source for the 3rd camera view looking down on the iPad. - The other graphics are just pulled in randomly and on different layers. You can see my livestream setups on VeeFriends Comics live here.

You can then toggle through “scenes” where it’s different combinations of views. You can also use this as a “virtual camera” view for yourself on Video meetings or record directly into your computer.

I don’t have time to give or record a full tutorial… but I can tell you I learned everything on Youtube just watching videos like this one.

If you don’t know a thing and want to learn it, just simply block an hour or so per week or day to dive in and fuck with it. It’s how I’ve taught myself everything.

4. Is there a sketchbook that won’t bleed through with ink, I don’t want to waste pages…

I thought for sure I had some that were solid and wouldn’t bleed, but i did a test with micron, brush pen, sharpie, and felt drawing pens, and almost ALL of them bled through in some way. I guess it depends on what kind of ink you’re using. The best one I tried was Strathmore 400 series paper. Or cheap ass BienFang drawing pads. Barely any bleed… unless you’re a barbarian who draws with sharpies. :D — I recorded some short videos I’ll put together, because this was kind of surprising and interesting rabbithole I fell into 😂. (subscribe to the youtube so you don’t miss them)

5. Do you prefer drawing digitally over traditional? Wondering if I should make the jump…

I like ALL drawing. I guess it’s safe to say almost 100% of my professional work right now is draw on iPad Pro in Procreate, and I do prefer it but mainly due to the speed and efficiency. But I still love drawing and doodling on paper.

I encourage artists to try ALL tools. I personally love to be able to draw with ANYTHING, ANYWHERE. Hand me a fucking crayon and challenge me, BOOM! I’m gonna do something. It may not be GREAT, but I want to be able to draw with anything. Sticks in the dirt? Chalk on a wall? I’m gonna make something.

But yeah, I do my best work on iPad Pro currently.

Second choice is drawing on smooth bristol board with Blackwing Pencils, and I like Pentel Brush, Microns or Sakura Sensei felt markers for inks. Still love COPIC markers or Prismacolor pencils for colors.

Questions for me? DM me or email dj@drawordieclub.com

The Daily Drawing Club!

In October our DAILY DRAWING club will feature some quick daily drawing exercises you can do in minutes, focusing on fundamentals and strengthening your imagination muscles, and hand-eye coordination.

JOIN the DAILY DRAWING CLUB!

only 5 bucks a month.
5am DAILY Drawing Prompts
Quarterly Member Sticker and more

JOIN HERE!

I hope this week’s newsletter brought you some value of some kind! Back to the drawing board for me!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

Ally & I will be LIVE tonight at 7pm EST on Youtube for week 126 of the Draw or Die newsletter for Artists.

Tonight’s agenda:

• Sponsored Prize update for Promptober! (prize updates on Promptober.com too!)

• Live Topic: “the Art / Life Balance” - We’ll talk about how to balance a busy work life, find time for Art and for family. And if you’re a workaholic like me, how to force yourself to go LIVE a little….

• Probably, most likely, some live giveaways for those who hangout live!

Watch LIVE or enjoy the replay at: https://www.youtube.com/live/axFiSk2OSmo

HEY! JOIN our DAILY DRAWING CLUB community! only 5 bucks a month.
Get 5am Drawing Prompts, Quarterly Member Sticker and more JOIN HERE, see details!

See ya soon!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.

Quick notes!

• I will be LIVE at 7pm EST tonight for the Draw or Die Podcast, talking about some new sponsors for the Promptober & more. Watch on Youtube LIVE https://www.youtube.com/@DJCoffman/streams

• Promptober is coming! Join the October drawing challenge with daily spooky prompts and win prizes from brands like Blackwing, Maker’s Cabinet, and Sketchbox. Download the full prompt list at promptober.com

Welcome to Week 125 of the Draw or Die Club Newsletter for Artists.

My 3 BIG Takeaways from VidSummit for Artists

I’m fresh back from a week at VidSummit, hanging out with some of the world’s biggest Youtubers and creators. Many of whom are artists.

I’ve had a few art friends question why I’d go to a “youtuber” show, am I just trying to be a famous youtuber? Not at all.

It’s just the fact that Youtube is, and will remain, a GIANT opportunity for artists out there, but only if you understand the game and the formula.

I don’t mean “go start an art youtube channel”, or be a “how to” or just show yourself streaming. You could do that… but it’s DEEPER than that.

#1 Know Your Niche…

What I love most about VidSummit is, there are success stories in just about every niche or category of life you can imagine. I’ve heard similar success stories from plumbers, real estate agents, agricultural channels, thriftshoppers, sports enthusiasts, the list goes on and on. Literally any topic you have a passion for has a niche somewhere on Youtube. Youtube just happens to be their platform the blew up on. But you can do it anywhere. Even at a local farmer’s market.

How artists should think about this: The big mistake most artists make is their “niche” becomes that they are an artist. And you casually fall in to making art content targeted to other artists.

The formula is simple:

YOU (the artist) + TOPIC / PASSION = Your Niche

My uber drive to the airport happened to be a digital artist who was trying to “make a go of it.” - He knew his niche pretty well, he said he wants to make art (digital art) for the texas lifestyle. He showed me some of his art in the car, it was good, it had a “texas vibe”.

But then what the uber drive said next, was him falling into the classic trap…
“when I get to ____ , then I’ll ______.”

In his case he was saying he was going to wait until he had 10 solid pieces before launching his art business in time for the holidays. But in the meantime? Nobody knows who he is yet.

He’s setting himself up for disappointment, to spend all that time working on pieces he thinks are solid, to maybe have a few sales. Then he’ll quit again, and the cycle repeats itself.

#2 and #3 takeaways…

You know, I’ve written too long here already this morning, I have a lot to do today, AND Ally and I also want to go see Beetlejuice. :D (Believe it or not, this is a big takeaway)

#2 is about taking action , #3 is the most eye opening to me…

I’m going to talk about those on stream in detail tonight live at 7pm EST. Hope to see you LIVE or watch the replays at https://www.youtube.com/@DJCoffman/streams

HEY!!! DRAW EVERY DAY WITH US!

JOIN our DAILY DRAWING CLUB! 5 bucks a month.

• 5am DAILY Drawing Prompts & Ideas

• Quarterly Member Sticker

• Merch Discount, and more

JOIN HERE!

See you soon!

☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.