This newsletter will be a chill read for you to enjoy on the couch with your cup of coffee. I hope you’re having a chill Sunday, at least. It’s my first day off in a while, and it’s not really a day off. Here I am, writing a newsletter.

This past week, I had to work twice the amount of hours I normally work at the print shop to help cover my coworker. I have to keep reminding myself the paycheck will be worth it, but I also, like, have a job. It’s my art job. And being at the print shop for that many hours was starting to rob me of my ability to do my art job.

Not to mention next week I’ll be in LA for Anime Expo. That’s technically a part of the art job, but not the usual “respond to emails, draw lesbians” stuff that I really need to be working on. I’m not complaining at all!! It’s just a busy month, you know?

Next event: Anime Expo

Summer Story Fest is done, and so is my one night popup at Rose City Comics with Emerald Comic Distro. It was so nice to see Anne and hang out in the shop that kind of started my comics career. And Summer Story Fest was delightful! There is a blog post coming tomorrow about it. I feel so fulfilled and refreshed.

Next on the agenda, Anime Expo! I will be at En’s table in artist alley at table H-7. We’ve never done this show before, and we know how huge it is. Even still, I don’t have a ton of anime stuff, so I think En will be way busier than me. Which is great news for me, because I have a lot of scripting I want to do behind the table.

The Shepherd’s Sword, Volume I

This past week I’ve been sharing some of the bonus art that my lovely friends are contributing to the back matter of The Shepherd’s Sword, Volume 1. Take a look at these stunning pieces!!!

There are more on my socials, and more still to come. All of them will be printed in The Shepherd’s Sword, Volume 1, so don’t miss out! Get your copy today!

I think I found a printer who will do this project within my budget, which means I’ll get to pay my friend who is doing the print layout design. Shout out David Uribe.

PS: The black and white floppies of parts 1 and 2 are still on sale as a bundle (two for the price of one). If you can’t swing a pre-order of Volume I right now, picking up these soon-to-be ultra rare zines helps!

The Shepherd’s Sword

We’re starting a new chapter! Nieve’s adventure chapter :) This page was meant to be published on Friday, but I’m having a wee technical difficulty with the site, so thank you for your patience. Nevertheless, we’re starting a flashback chapter, and I think you will really like this one.

Sexy Comics Class

I had the honor of guest teaching a class for Crucial Comix this month, led by the sweet and charming Joaquin Golez! We talked about the interconnection between drawing sexy comics and the landscape that sex workers navigate daily and how we need to be in alignment and solidarity with our colleagues.

Then we took time to draw some characters, script a brief comic, and start penciling. I took the opportunity to draw another Boyish Girlish strip. You can read the whole thing on Patreon, even free members!

I was so flattered and honored that the class was totally full, and there were so many sweethearts in that class. I’d be so down to do it again, and maybe next time I won’t be so nervous.

June Patreon Rewards

Tomorrow is your last chance to join the mail club and get these rewards! Choose your tier and get the sticker, or the sticker + print mailed to you next month!

Bonus, I just added the above design to my Threadless, where 100% of my profit gets donated to National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network!

What else did I do this month, hmm…

Summer Story Fest, Rose City Comics, extra hours at the print shop, decompressing after TCAF… It’s been a busy month, but I’ve been trying to make time to do things. Working at the print shop really helps, actually. I love when people come in to print menus and flyers for events, and then I go.

I got to go to a queer stand up comedy night, and I invited my friends and we had a blast. It was at a bar I haven’t been to in years, but they serve devilled eggs that I’ve thought about regularly in all that time. And I also got shave ice and spam musubi from a pop up at a bar up the street. And I got the inside scoop on where to get boiled peanuts!

The funny thing about having lived everywhere is you keep a little bit of that with you, so when someone tells you where they’re from, you can say “oh yeah, me too” and you find each other all the way out here at the edge of the world (Portland, OR). And you get to eat good food.

I haven’t gone outside as much as I would have liked by this time in the year, but I do have a short trip to Crater Lake planned at the end of July, and camping at the Washington Ren Faire. I think next year I’ll have to be more precious about what weekend events I’m doing because it takes a toll! It’s taking my precious outside time!! But on top of that, En is also working crazy hours, so it’s hard for us to both get time off together. It’s a hustle grind summer, but it won’t always be this nuts.

The good news is, I am enrolling in Spanish class and signing up for volunteering at a local indigenous farm, which are two things on my goals list for this year. And I’m getting my finances back in good graces (another goal for this year).

The final outstanding goal: start a new trad pub work. I have something out on submission right now, but it’s taking a minute. And I have more pitch packets waiting in the wings, but I’m having a hard time finding time to work on them… Hopefully the travel calms down and the print shop calms down and I’ll have time to work on art lol

Okay, that’s enough. I have to watch The Ultimatum and pencil some magical girl manga pages. BYE!!!

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

• My friend Gen just started a newsletter! YAY NEWSLETTERS!!

• Illustrated novels are the wave. Check out The Traitor & The Wretch right now!

• Bandcamp has a playlist feature, and I’m posting about it here because I’m heavily considering leaving Spotify’s ecosystem… but I just haven’t done it yet.

• I started playing Deltarune, but I’m rerunning it from Chapter 1, so I haven’t even gotten to the new chapters yet. AND THEN PEAK CAME OUT. I’ve just been playing Peak after work to unwind.

• A guide for digital security and what to do when your security is breached: “For Those Who May Be Compromised (Or Just Need Peace of Mind)” by Liz Howard, Professor & Red Team Specialist, The Multiverse School

• One really quick thing you can do to help people right now is giving someone their ability to communicate and connect.

• Every beautiful bus in the world. Take it all in.