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August round up early!

August round up early!

14 Aug • This will only take you 6 minutes

We’re only half way there?

I usually send these things out at the end of the month, but August has been so busy already, so we’re commencing with the recap early. After a month of burn out, I’ve readjusted my schedule to crawl out of my ditch and start working on my graphic novel again. July was really rough on me, mentally and emotionally. I was getting upset at the silliest things because I was overworking myself. But that simply cannot be how I move through life. I make comics. No one’s vital organs are in my hands. It’s not that serious.

So I changed. I actually have a day off each week now; what a concept. The improvement on my temperament was dramatic. I need to buy my gf a huge cake and on the cake it says, “sorry I was evil, thank you for your patience” because they noticed my mood bounce back instantaneously. I’ll get my friends cupcakes that say “sorry I was dissociating every time we hung out for the past several months” as well.

Thanks to all this readjustment, my work in all areas of my life has become much better, I think. I hope you’ll see it too! Now, on with the show:

Paw Prints

I helped format this very special zine for Nova and Mali. It's a 36 page zine with 50+ artists' pets, which will be printed in blue and bubblegum pink. Proceeds will go to animal shelters in Nova and Mali's hometown; the pre-order ends August 31.

Get your copy here!

Heave and Thaw

Heave and Thaw, my contribution to Boyish² Volume 2, tells the story of Emery, an uptight knight from the city falling for the rugged outdoorsy woodswoman Char.

The Kickstarter for this anthology ends August 28!! Don’t miss out. Lots of excellent butches from around the world have contributed comics to this collection. You’re gonna love it!

You can read the first eight pages of Heave and Thaw for free on my site or as a PDF on itch.io!

We’re Rich! (My 50TH!!!! Autostraddle comic!!!!)

My Autostraddle comic this month, can you guess what class action lawsuit this is about? lol This is my 50th comic in the Reine series 🎉I don’t think I gave it enough fanfare on socials for this milestone. I can’t believe I’ve been doing monthly comics for all of lesbian kind to see for 50 consecutive months… Thank you all for being here for the ride.

Read it in full along with all my other Autostraddle comics here.

Mail Club & 18+ for June 2023

Here’s a look at the designs for August’s mail club. Join the mail club and get these sweet treats! Normally, all mail club treats are printed locally in Portland, OR, but my local sticker printer is having technical difficulties this month. The mini prints are still printed in town, tho!

And some TLT spice for the NSFW tiers 🔥 (Full image available for Pin Up, Love Letter, and Lucky tiers.)

I’ll send out August’s rewards next month <3

What else did I do this month, hmm…

I’ve been spending more time away from screens, playing sudoku, whenever possible. I’m also going to try to go camping more, especially in autumn and early spring when it’s nice and wet outside. Being alone with my thoughts really helps.

En and I went camping at the end of July when we drove down to see Boygenius in concert. During that disconnected quiet time, I made some progress on planning my next graphic novel, and next steps for when I get back to The Shepherd’s Sword!

Seeing Boygenius in concert (and then Ghost Files live show immediately after) made me want to make art with my friends SO bad. I think it’s so important to make art with your friends!! That’s what my goal in life is!!!

I’m also working on three projects that haven’t been officially announced yet. One is a porn comic I’m very, very excited about. One is a monster lover illustration, which is ALSO exciting and right up my alley. And the other is a new riso print for an upcoming show, which is super fun and allowing me to flex my brain muscles! I’M SO BUSY, BUT SO HAPPY!

Here’s some sweet treats for you to check out:

Fawnduu has published Big Cats, her lesbian cowboy graphic novel! You gotta pre-order this.
If you’re gonna watch a TikTok, make it this one.
The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A. — I want to pre-order this, it looks cool as hell. Maybe you want to pre-order it too?
July: no hike, just camping at Olallie Campground, which, as of this writing, is completely smoked out by the Lookout Fire. And the Bedrock Fire. And now the Wiley Fire. The Priceboro Fire… and the Salmon Fire… I’m tired of trying to see the world before it all burns down, guys.
August: no hike, too hot. Instead, we did the World Naked Bike Ride and floated the Sandy River from Oxbow to Dabney. Extremely fun, my body is so sore.
Don’t forget my new shop :) It’s very beautiful and I don’t have any tabling events this summer, so please enjoy.

Cheers!

Ren

PS: If you want more content that isn’t in this newsletter, I recommend joining my Patreon for some exclusive work every month like comics, sketchbook pages, spicy drawings, and some mail rewards!