It gets the message across, I think.
I said I was going to do this and I did it. Poly Pride, Poly Love is available on many fine products in my RedBubble shop. So now I have 3 non-heteronormative designs in my shop, I have to create a new portfolio to house my message. I had way more to say about this design and accidental representation spotting but it took me way longer to draw than estimated and now it’s late and I’m tired.
Anyway: T-shirt! And I actually have a comic in the works.
I’m not even going to say anything about the shoes, but where do you even get a headband like that?
You hear a lot of noise about the children. Think about the children. How will we explain this to the children?
Children are a lot more open-minded than adults, and a lot better able to assimilate information that diverges from their previously held worldview. Children like to be initiated into the secrets of the world.
So, you know how we explain this to the children? With simple unbiased, age-appropriate words, providing additional information as appropriate, because there aren’t any important conversations we have with our kids just once. We communicate our values through word and action, and if we show the children that it’s OK to be who you are, even if you’re different, then we raise children who learn to be kind and accepting of themselves and others. We teach that the world requires many different ways, and that it would be dull and flavorless if we were all exactly alike. We celebrate diversity wherever it can enrich our understanding of our condition.
If we communicate fear and hatred, we raise children who learn to loath their own uniqueness and torment those who dare to express their uniqueness honestly. We teach them to police themselves, to ridicule divergence and lack of conformity. We drive everything that doesn’t fit within our rigid boundaries underground and then we congratulate ourselves on keeping things orderly, of proving to ourselves that clearly, ours is the only perspective, because we’ve silenced all the other voices.
Mostly, though, we have to trust kids to know who they are. Our labels and our perception can’t get at their inner truth; they have to get at their own insides themselves. We have to let them know that we trust them to tell us who they are, even if they are something we do not yet understand. That’s what we tell the children.
This T-shirt has the pre-school seal of approval..
Another satisfied customer models the Punk Rock Raven kids’ T-shirt size 7 in green.
My thoughts on the magnificent corvid being well-documented, there is not much more to say about this shirt other than it’s adorable, almost as adorable as this kid. Especially adorable on this kid.
I took another stab at using Photoshop to color correct an image today. It didn’t come out bad, except that somehow I managed to make a tree in the background look completely fake, and by the time I even noticed, it was too late to undo it, so I had to go down to the pixels and fix it up by hand. As this was only my second attempt, we can call it a qualified success. Will continue to learn.
Instant hipster cred for your legs!
Here is the part where I try to sell things even though I’ve never been interested in selling things and throughout my career have put the most lackluster effort into any aspect of selling things required by any job I ever held. Only creating things interests me. For example, I drew this picture of a truck that The Man admires greatly, and then I used the Internet to make available to you this item: The ’52 Ford Bus Leggings. Designing for leggings is complicated, due to the fact that the image or pattern has to wrap around a person’s legs and so on. Personally, I think these pants are hilariously weird. However, I’m sure that someone, somewhere in this world, wants these leggings. There is at least one human being who would be amused to go around wearing a pair of orange leggings festooned with the image of an old rusty bus. It is the power of the Internet that makes it possible for me to offer such obscure bottoms, as well as the power to allow that mythical person to access the ’52 Ford Bus Leggings, so, even though I’ve probably not done a successful job of selling them here, I can leave it up to the universe to connect these fabulous pants with their rightful owners.
Keep an eye on your caffeine consumption
Here’s another relatively new product at RedBubble, for people who need to drink coffee everywhere and also either admire the abstract concept of beauty for the sake of beauty or else appreciate reminders regarding their own concept of themselves: The Vanity Has a Thousand Eyes Travel Mug is basically a painting of a peacock, emblazoned on a travel mug. What you see is what you get. It’s also available on a ceramic coffee mug, a canvas clutch, and a variety of other products, but it looks especially good on this mug, and if you like it, it will probably look especially good in your hand, in the cup holder of your automobile, and on the corner of your desk at work. See, that’s what advertising sounds like to me. It’s a coffee cup with a picture on it. Either you like it or you don’t. The point is to convince enough people to look at it so that there’s a statistically good chance that it appeals to one of them.
Sleep softly, sleep in beauty
This Golden Barrel Cactus Flower Duvet Cover is available in three sizes–twin, queen, and king– and is a lovely accent to the natural environment of your bedroom. What else can be said about it? I assume it’s soft and comfortable and I’m pretty sure it’s machine washable and color fast. What I do know for absolute certain is that it’s the first digital painting I ever did where I was 100% happy with the result. These flowers look really, really good. I know I’m proud of what I painted and that this design is a good one. I know that if you like it here, you’ll love it on your bed.
Perfect in any weather
This is one of the newest products: big scarves, great for wrapping around your neck or head. You could probably use it as a beach cover up or fold it in half and wear it as a skirt. Cheer up with the Rainbird Scarf.
Zip your stuff up in beauty
Finally, the last new product is this canvas clutch. It’s just right for holding pencils, pens, and other art or school supplies, and with this Blue Morpho Butterfly Studio Pouch, you can contain all your small details in a pretty package. /endpitch
Funny comic tomorrow!
The artist and the fighter
These are the pictures from Boobapalooza, the event celebrating my friend’s recovery from breast cancer and the well-heeled social circle who helped crowd source her reconstructive surgery after she lost her insurance in the middle of the procedure.
At the party, someone asked me if I realized, when I designed the shirt, if the “Boobapalooza” part would end up directly over the rack of any busty girl who wore it. Well, obviously! It’s actually sort of problem with some of my designs, which are primarily directly at little girls, but still find an audience among grown women. This shirt doesn’t mind if it calls attention to the female figure.
This party took place in a bar downtown called the Dusty Monk. It’s a small space within a much larger complex, a very Tucson sort of space where there is indoor and outdoor dining, live music, and even some little shops. The room was very loud and the food menu was kind of limited, but The Man told me they had all his favorite beers on tap, so I guess that makes it a serious bar. I spent the majority of the party sitting in the corner with some other introverts, even though I actually knew probably 30% of the people in the room. There were a lot of people in there, and it was very loud.
Yep, they took half a dozen photos and only posted the one where my eyes are closed.
It was nice to see a lot of folks all wearing my work in one place. This picture shows some of the people who bought the shirt, but clearly not all, because I sold about 15 of them. I love that my friend Cindy, in the back on the left, did a classic mod on her shirt, cutting the sleeves off and then (look close) fringing the bottom. It’s so completely retro. I never learned how to do that sort of thing because the last expression I wanted to transmit in the ’80s was girliness, but it’s adorable here. Too bad I didn’t bring the good camera. You can only capture so much light with a cell phone, so the picture’s not as sharp as it could be.
In case you’re wondering, I did get some of those Mardi Gras beads later in the night. It was Boobapalooza, after all.
Boobapalooza is still available from my shop: T-shirts, stickers, and more.
Vanity Has a Thousand Eyes
This work was a long time in coming, something I tinkered with sporadically for probably about 6 months. For a while I figured it would never be done, but tonight I just went at the last bits and got something I could live with. This design looks pretty boss on this smartphone case, and does its job just fine on a T-shirt. It also makes a particularly stunning throw pillow.
I actually don’t care too much for peacocks as living, breathing creatures. The summer before 7th grade, I went to camp at the Philadelphia Zoo. We had a lot of special privileges, including getting into the zoo 15 minutes before it opened and being allowed to go behind the scenes in a lot of exhibits. There were peacocks, everywhere, taunting me. Every kid there found a peacock feather that summer. Every kid but me.
Well, you say, that’s no reason to hate peacocks. OK. My second year in college I did an internship at an elementary school that kept peacocks on the grounds. For atmosphere, I guess. Peacocks were sort of their mascot. Part of my compensation was the use of a trailer on the school grounds. The compensation wasn’t all that great: besides the trailer I got $25 a week and leftover pizza on Fridays. And not only did I have to share the trailer with the principal’s 12-year-old son (apparently he was so obnoxious that the principal and his wife didn’t want him in the house either) but I had to share the roof of the trailer with a flock of peacocks.
I had a rough time getting to the school; there was an utter lack of communication on the school’s part concerning my arrival, compounded by the fact that I had sprained my ankle earlier in the week. When I finally got to my destintaion, many hours later than anticipated, and with my leg swollen to twice its normal size, I just wanted to sleep. The principal casually mentioned that I might hear some strange sounds in the night, as it was the birds’ mating season. He did not mention that the birds’ preferred mating ground was the roof of my trailer. At 4 o’clock in the morning. He further did not mention that the mating call of a peacock sounds eerily like a small child screaming for help while suffering excruciating pain and abject terror.
Ha ha. Peacocks. They’re terrible birds. The elementary school also kept a potbellied pig, a flock of chickens, and a sheep on the grounds, all of which would have made better mascots. When the peacocks laid their eggs and hatched their babies, the rat snakes ate all the chicks. Rat snakes would have made a better mascot.
Like many creatures, peacocks are successful in the modern world because they are nice to look at. Because if they weren’t, they would have gone the way of the passenger pigeon. Peacocks take irritating to the next level. I understand they were considered quite tasty in the medieval world.
I photographed this proud gent at the local zoo. The Girl and I had lingered after closing time and security had not yet found us to throw us out. I could tell the peacock thought we should leave, but I don’t like to be kicked around by birds, no matter how magnificent their tail feathers may be. If you, like me, enjoy looking at peacocks but would prefer not to experience them in person, consider purchasing “Vanity Has a Thousand Eyes,” now available on a variety of garments and household goods in my RedBubble store.
Raven: out of the forest, into the city. Photo courtesy of VioletPhotography
Direct from California, we have another iteration of Punk Rock Raven, pictured here on a red tank top modeled by the ever-lovely Violet.
One takeaway I’ve gotten from customers is that the sizing on some of the shirts is unexpected. Although the site shows a female model wearing the “unisex tank top” (pictured above), the sizes on that product are actually calculated for men. The “racerback tank,” however, does use women’s sizing: the chest measurement for a small racerback is 3 inches less than that of a small unisex tank. In any case, if you’re on RedBubble buying a T-shirt, and you’re trying to decide which size is correct for your body, there’s a tiny link beneath the size choices that says “sizing chart,” which explains how that particular style is cut. It’s different for the different types of shirts, so I would advise checking that out before you order. Then you can easily measure yourself/your favorite shirt, and choose accordingly.
Closer view of the bird. Every feel like giving someone the bird? Well, now you can. Photo courtesy of Violet Photography.
I noticed that this design wasn’t available on the coffee and travel mugs, so I reuploaded it to remedy that oversight. Now Punk Rock Raven can join you for breakfast or on the road.
Click this link to check out Punk Rock Raven products in the QvD shop!
QWERTYvsDvorak: The Desert is Magic!
These lovely ladies are modeling their new, magically delicious QvD raglan shirts. On the left, Robyn is inspired in a green-sleeved “We Make Our Own Magic” rainbird shirt, while her charming wifey, Lisa boldly shows off a Dragon Comics “You Know What Helps Me Feel Magical? Glitter!” shirt in blue. The 3/4-length sleeve baseball-style shirts are made of a super-soft lightweight cotton that’s perfect for fun in the sun. It’s thinner than the standard style T-shirts and very comfortable.
We’ve also got a bonus image of “Giralicorn,” now featuring an actual human head with attractive features.
Daft Punk was not available for your party. Would you accept this charming substitute? She plays the ukelele like a champ.
It’s been a strange day for art. I must have spent 90 minutes trying to write a comic script, which entailed writing a sentence, then crossing it out, over and over, until I had 2 pages of crossed-out dialog, which I then mined in desperation until I had 4 panels of material. Not sure I’m entirely satisfied with the punchline, but at least I can get 90% of the way through. I also spent an inordinate amount of time drawing a background I ultimately didn’t love, but had invested too much into to scrap it. You can be the judge, tomorrow.
Strangely enough, I already have the punchline and visuals for Friday’s comic laid out, even though I don’t really know what the rest of the script will look like. All things being equal, it’s probably easiest to start with the punchline. I consider myself lucky if I have one.
At the risk of potentially promoting myself or something: more Dragon merch! There are 6 new designs in the Dragon Comics portfolio on RedBubble, some of which have been a while in coming.
Dragon and The Man beneath the Milky Way
Dragon and The Man beneath the Milky Way looks great on a dark colored background. Get cozy with nature as you watch shooting stars arc across the dust lanes.
Cool Clothes. And a Beard.
Cool Clothes. And a Beard brings together some of the Internet’s most endearing nonsense: 3 wolf moon, nyan cat, international bearding competition winners, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
The Machine
It’s a water heater! It’s a wankel rotary engine! It’s a solar panel! It’s…The Machine. Fuel your machine with this inexplicable contraction on a coffee cup, or advertise the fact that you’re a no-nonsense machine by wearing a ridiculous T-shirt.
Dragon and Owl Painting in the Desert
Creative minds need to find creative ways to pass the time while they’re waiting for the world to recognize their sublime artistic genius. Join Dragon and Own Painting in the Desert and keep your creativity well-fed with tea and pebber nodder
Whatever You Need for Comic Effect
If your sofa needs a little random insanity, Whatever You Need for Comic Effect is available on a pillow. Who needs a bag of many things when you have a magic cave? Carmen Miranda hat, fun size trebuchet, or wearable triceratops head, it’s all within easy reach.
Dragon Rages against the Kids’ Electronic Devices
Give in to a little primal rage against the machine with the Dragon Rages against the Kids’ Electronic Devices; take it with you wherever you go with a travel mug. Or get a sticker and slap it on someone’s Kindle screen.
That’s all the publicity I have in me right now. Support a tortured artist.
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QWERTYvsDvorak is just about to go on vacation. Wednesday’s Dragon Comic will be the last update of the year, but we’ll return in 2015 with all new ridiculousness for your wasting-time-at-work pleasure. Today, please enjoy these images of our RedBubble merchandise in the wild.
You too could look this happy, if only you had ordered an “I Can Get Better with Practice” Dragon shirt.
My nephlings got QWERTYvsDvorak shirts for the holidays, those lucky kids. Pictured here, this handsome fellow models the Dragon Comics “I Can Get Better with Practice” panel T-shirt, kids size, gray. “I can get better with practice,” is, of course, our motto. Words to live by, folks.
Princess Sealestia of Aquastria reigns supreme over the underwater world.
This lovely little lady is obviously enjoying the glamour and style of the kids pink “Princess Sealestia of Aquastria” T-shirt. There’s still a little time to order for Christmas, if you get express shipping. Your children could be almost as adorable as these kids. I mean, being incredibly good-looking and unspeakably talented runs in the family, obviously. I can’t guarantee that your kids will be just as adorable, but they can certainly be just as well dressed.
qwertyvsdvorak 