013: Who do you think you are?
Wherein we get to know each other better...
It’s week 13 of DRAW or DIE. My lucky number. I wanted to do something special this week. I would like this week to be ALL ABOUT YOU.
We have over 1100 members on this list as of writing this. I’ve heard from a few dozen of you over these weeks in DMs or emails. And I know there are many more reading and staying. How do I know this? We’ve had zero unsubscribes to the list, and we’re holding strong at 45% average open rate on the weekly email, that’s about double what a “great” open rate is on typical emails. (Sorry, my day job creeping in…)
Anyways, I know you’re out there reading and I’d love to get to know more about you, your art, no matter what level you’re at. Don’t be shy.
A great place to do this would simply be in the comments here on this newsletter.
Introduce thyself
Go ahead and introduce yourselves. Maybe use the following prompts to kick off some conversation, or feel free to add what you’d like:
Name and where in the world are you?
Type of art you do, or aspire to do?
Social channels or portfolio link. (I encourage all DorD members to follow and support each other if you have the time!)\
What age did you realize you wanted to be an artist? Do you remember your moment?
What is the biggest thing you struggle with or have struggled with as an artist?
Are there any topics you’d like to dive deeper into together?
If you had a magic wand that only worked on you and your art, that only had one charge left, how would you use it? What’s your big wish?
I’m really looking forward to checking out your work and conversations in the comments.
This week’s prompt is “SECRET HANDSHAKE”. Do with that as you will. As always, tag #drawordiechallenge out there in the wild so myself and others here can find you.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: ANAHEIM JUNE 21-25th
I’ll be in Anaheim, CA attending VidCon from Tuesday June 21 through Saturday the 25th. If anyone is privy to meetup for a drink or a draw, don’t be a stranger.
Until next time, back to the drawing board!
Connect with me elsewhere 👁 @djcoffman on Instagram / TikTok / Twitter
🛠 My Comic Page Templates for Procreate
✏️ My Custom Digital Brushes & Comic Page
▶️ DJ on Youtube (Tutorials & more)
This is lovely, thanks D.J. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my pal Tim up there pumpin' your tires! (his secrets are safe with me, ha!) I also hail from The Good Land. I started drawing the moment I could pick up a crayon and dubbed myself an artist from the word go, drawing characters from my parents' fave stuff like V: the miniseries, Star Trek, and Rocky Horror. Alas, tale as old as time: I think college art classes and having to grow up to make a living eventually snuffed out my illustration dreams. Today, however, I'm more grateful that my graphic design career has been relatively art-adjacent – not every artist has that privilege.
My biggest challenge is finding that wide-eyed, confident kid again. It's silly how I struggle to think of myself as an "artiste" as I've made a decent go at a side hustle with my husband (theflashnites.com): shooting abandoned spaces at night and lighting them up with color lights. But it was a project that originated with him, and I consider myself a co-pilot rather than the captain of that ship. In 2019, I finally broke out of my decade-long illustration drought with a project similar to your scribble challenge in resistancerebels.com (making creatures from abstract ink blobs), but when the pandemic hit, my soul went dark and I lost every drop of my mojo. Recently, thanks to your 3-Day Challenge, I rekindled my crush on drawing. I don't know a thing about comics, but I'm shushing my fears and taking it inch by inch to develop Bonesick, a story about a melancholy skeleton with a sad secret. I'm inspired by the other artists here who show up no matter what.
My one-charge magic wand wish? Anyone who witnessed something artistic that I produce would get instantly inspired to make their own thing without fear. Earthling Improvement: Unlocked.
1. Tim Demeter - Milwaukee, WI.
2. Comics and illustration. Generally pen + marker and vector.
3. www.quixotronic.com
twitter and insta: @quixotim
tiktok: quixotim_draws
4. I knew I loved art by like the second grade. I loved drawing dinosaurs. I decided I wanted to BECOME an artist when I fell in love with comics in middle school.
5. Like DJ, I have been inside comics smoke-filled rooms and while working in the business of the business was amazing (I still refer to it as the glory days) seeing how poorly talent can be treated was rough. Flash forward 15 years and I'm over 40 and have a "sucessful" career in marketing that I mostly resent. Thing is, I have no interest in drawing Spider-Man for minimum wage at this point either so I'm trying to, as I've called it, divorce art from capitolism and not look for happiness in my career but rather in my artwork. Just saying that makes people uncomfortable and I end having to further explain, "no, I don't hate my job but it doesn't bring me joy. That's not something I require of it though and why does it bother you that I'm not interested in finding happiness in my means of income?"
6. See above. Lol. Honesly, I'm just happy to know others feel this way. Funny enough I'm always telling other artists the same things that DJ is saying in this group I guess I just needed to hear it from someone other than my inner monolouge.
7. I wish I were better at liknesses. I can invent all the people you want but I've always struggled with tight likenesses.