After a long time of hearing about the benefits of using Instagram to connect with fans and promote one’s work, I finally caved and signed up for an account (instagram.com/jmdwriteist). Last week I made an announcement on my various social media pages, and just yesterday I began posting images and linked the account to Facebook and Twitter (unfortunately, Google+ doesn’t seem to have this option). However, despite the excitement of adding yet another way of connect with people, the growing social media trend creates a bit of a conundrum for me. (Read more…)

It’d been two years since I had been to Baltimore for the Comic-Con, and I was looking forward to going back. I have a number of fans that travel for the show, and I’ve always really enjoyed doing it. There’s a unique atmosphere at the show, as it’s large enough to be considered a large convention yet there’s a sense familiarity usually found only at smaller shows. It’s always been one of my favourites, and it holds the distinction of being both the first show I ever travelled for (beyond the New York-New Jersey area) and the show where I met my publisher, Bill Campbell (Rosarium Publishing), two years ago. That said, it’s also now the first show I ever missed a year of attending and then returned to, and for that reason, I was a bit nervous as to how the show would go for me.

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I had a wonderful time at this past Saturday’s Inbeon Con. It was held in a great location (and I hope this continues for some time) and was well organised. Never mind that since my friend, Eric Hutchison, holds the con every year, it was great to see him and his family (including their new addition) as well as some other friends of mine who attended and exhibited at the show. Plus, these cons are helping me through the grief of my office buddy’s passing. They’re getting me out of the office while still allowing me to connect with my writing and art. It’s been an unexpected but welcome form of therapy in this difficult time (and thank you everyone who offered their condolences). Though perhaps what struck me most about this show (and the week leading up to it) is how many people have (sympathetically) approached me about my blog post about the previous week’s Newark Comic Con. (Read more…)

In Memory of Mishu

Loss, of any kind, is a difficult thing. There are happy memories mixed with guilt, comfort mixed with regret. We think often about the things we did and the things that we should have done or that we wanted still to do. For anyone who has ever owned an animal, they know that those feelings are no less intense when a pet dies. They become part of the family, as so many say, and for our cat, Mishu, that was twofold; not only was he a part of the family my girlfriend, her daughter and I have been building, but he was also my silent companion in my home office and studio. (Read more…)

As the title states, it’s been a rough week. On Wednesday, following a wonderful Boston Comic Con and vacationing a few days in Salem, MA, my girlfriend, her daughter and I rushed back to take care of one of our cats only to have him pass away that same night. I had planned to write an entire blog piece about him today, yet on the other hand, this past Saturday was an equally notable experience: the Newark Comic Con. Though the fans were great and I did well financially at the show, I can’t put it any other way than it was the worst show I’ve ever attended. I feel strongly that artists and vendors should not support it based on mine and others’ experience there, and I feel compelled to share that. (Read more…)

Yes, as the title implies, I’ve already signed up for an Artist Alley table at next years’ Boston Comic Con. It’s honestly one of my favourite shows to do in my favourite city (I still think I’d like to move up this way someday). This year’s show was another success. I’ve sold out of a few things, and I don’t know that I’ll be able to restock on these items for this Saturday’s Newark Comic Con. (Sorry, though I still have plenty of prints and books available.). Though Aside from sales alone, there’s a lot more appeal to exhibiting at the Boston Comic Con. (Read more…)

This weekend, you can find me in Artist Alley at the Boston Comic Con Friday, Saturday and Sunday. According the convention’s website (bostoncomiccon.com), my Artist Alley table is C722, and from the looks of things on the map it’s located slightly right of the exact center of the show (that is, right based on where the entrance is located). Of course, how that plays out in physical terms is entirely different, but it looks like a pretty nice spot. That said, and somewhat surprising even to me, Boston is going to be the first of four consecutive shows. (Read more…)

August is officially here, and that means we’re halfway through the summer. Be that as it may, it seems that the second half is going to be the busiest. I have three conventions to attend before I return to my full-time teaching post and a load of work to get done on Chadhiyana and Gentleman Cthulhu as well as some back work on other projects. Though now to add to all that, part of the remaining weeks are going to be spent on putting a new system in place in my studio–hopefully for streamlining my work-process going forward. (Read more…)

It was five years ago this month (July 2011) that I began preparing for my second New York Comic Con appearance. I had decided beforehand to dedicate the entire summer to getting new work ready. This included new prints, my first (and, to date, only) sketchbook (for sale, that is) and a collapsible banner to draw people to my table. Amongst the pieces I created that summer were an unused cover idea I had wanted to submit to Planet Lovecraft Magazine (before it closed its doors) of Cthulhu sitting in an armchair in Victorian attire, reading a copy of the magazine and an acrylic painting of a nameless Indian female warrior. (Read more…)

About a month ago I posted that I was running just a tad behind on a few things due to a dreadfully disheartening school year in the district where I teach (amongst other things) and that I was going to need a bit of time to catch up. Little did I know it was going to take about a month to do so; I thought a week, two at the most–but as the saying goes, “Even the best laid plans…” (Read more…)