News

My Sister the Freak Returns!

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Dani

I make a webcomic called My Sister the Freak (if you are unaware of it, you can read the whole first volume in the Stories section!). I haven’t updated it in awhile, but I am planning a triumphant return. After struggling for months with plans and updates for this comic, I can now give you some solid news and dates!

My Sister the Freak will be back to regular updates on FEBRUARY 3, 2012. And with this return, I am implementing a few changes.

New Schedule, Two Times the Fun!

The comic will now update twice per week on TUESDAYS and FRIDAYS. Mark your calendars and subscribe to stay up to date.

Introducing "The Adventures of Captain Bacon"

On February 3, I will not start Volume 2. Instead, I'm going to launch a spinoff comic called "The Adventures of Captain Bacon" featuring crazy imaginary adventures of Mary and Captain Bacon. I am very excited about this idea and hope you'll enjoy it.

The spinoff comic will be a lot quicker, snappier, and black and white, which means it will be a whole lot easier for me to write and draw. This will be a fun way to fill in the time between volumes and chapters of the main comic.

So Where is Volume 2?

I have the story outlined and am fleshing out the full script. I was going to put a rush on it and get it done for February, but as I was working on it I really felt that I should give this every ounce of effort that I can and write the best story possible. So, I'm going to slow down, finish the script, then begin working on a buffer of pages.

As of now, I expect Volume 2 to go up around May. The time in between will allow me to draw and color the whole first chapter, and with that buffer in place, the comic can update uninterrupted on the new twice-a-week schedule for the duration of Volume 2.

Fan Art Contest

While I am working on the comic and posting the spinoff, I am going to take the opportunity to do other fun activities too. First up, I want to hold a fan art contest. I want to see what talented readers I have out there! There will be both adult and kid divisions, and winners will receive signed books, original art, and gift cards. All entries will also be posted to the website with credits and links. Look out for the full details coming up on the My Sister the Freak website, and start sketching up those ideas!

See you February 3!

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Watch Me Paint on Ustream

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Dani

As part of my commission deal, I will be painting live throughout the month on Ustream. Come by every Friday at 10 AM ET to watch and chat.

View the show here: http://danidraws.com/danidrawslive

If you are unfamiliar with Ustream, it is a live video streaming service. I will be drawing and painting live from my studio. You can chat in a chatroom and ask questions while I work.

Reminder: Commissions are open until January 31. All the details are in my previous post. Get in your order soon, and I might even draw it on the show!

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Open for Commissions / Cintiq Fundraiser!

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Dani

I recently bought one of these:

Happy 2012 to me! When it arrives, expect a full review and pics here on the blog!

However, this also cost me 2500 smackaroonies.

So for a limited time, I am opening up commissions. I have had commissions closed for a while because I am blessed to be super busy with client work. But I figured this would be a fun way to cushion the blow to my wallet and draw lots of nerdy stuff.

So if you would like me to paint you a picture of anything, anyone, and anyhoo, read below for the details:

  • All guidelines and ordering info are here: http://store.danidraws.com/commissions
  • Limited time only. I am closing all commissions again on January 31.
  • I am making two sizes available – sketch cards and larger 5x7s. All are full color and painted with watercolors and/or gouache.

Examples:

SpikeAngel of DeathBorg QueenJack SkellingtonRobin HoodSam CarterCaptain KirkBuddy the ElfRalphieJohn McClane

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Christmas Coloring Book

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Dani

I made these illustrations for a company called LDS Mobile Apps for an app called LDS Coloring Book. It is a digital coloring book for the iPad and iPhone. These images are part of an extra set that they are selling for Christmastime.

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Womanthology

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Dani

I had the opportunity to contribute to a project called Womanthology. It is an anthology graphic novel featuring stories written, illustrated, edited, and organized all by women. Over 140 people have worked on this book, including everyone from young girls to industry professionals. It is being released under IDW publishing and all the proceeds from this book will go to charity.

I worked on a four-page story called “Swimming” by Ashley Avard. It is a simple yet powerful story and I’m proud to have worked on it.

You can pre-order the Womanthology book and the accompanying process sketchbook now on Amazon. It will ship early next year. All profits go to the Global Giving Foundation.

Click to see the process behind my Womanthology comic

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Picture This

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Dani

I am contributing to a new blog called Picture This. Check it out at http://justpicturethis.tumblr.com!

The other day, I was lamenting on Twitter how there are few art blogs out there that are highlighting children’s illustration. There’s a lot of general illustration blogs who only occasionally mention children’s illustration. Most emphasize editorial and contemporary stuff. I strongly hinted that someone should start a new site with a more kids lit flavor.

Casey Girard came to the rescue. Casey is the illustrator coordinator for NESCBWI. We decided to partner up and get a site running, and she has been kind enough to set it up.

We are going to use Picture This to post any news, links, events, and artwork related to children’s books that we find interesting. Please subscribe, follow, and share the site with your friends and help us spread the word!

Send Your Submissions!

We are opening Picture This to reader submissions. Just go to the Submit page and send us your links. We’ll post anything we find interesting.

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My Sister the Freak Volume 1 Books

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Dani

I recently got a bunch of My Sister the Freak Volume 1 books in the mail. They look awesome! Thanks to Ka-Blam for the printing job.

This book marks a big milestone for me. It collects the first four issues of MSTF together in one volume to create one full graphic novel. It represents over a year’s worth of work and the completion of my first major writing/comic project. I’m so happy to see this story all together as it should be read.

The book is over 100 pages. Nearly half the book is bonus material, including a peek into my process, activities, and a super guest art section.

I have been slowly but surely getting all the preorders signed, sketched up, and mailed out. Thanks so much to everyone who preordered the book – I could not have gotten the printing done without you!

Every person that took advantage of the preorder is receiving a full-color watercolor sketch. Here is a sampling of some of the sketches I made for the orders already:

Thanks for waiting so patiently while I get these all done. I should have them all mailed off within the next week or so.

Here’s one book that already has a happy home!


[Captain Bacon for Mike!]

If you receive your copy, email or tweet me some pics. I love seeing ‘em!

The book is still available in my store. New orders won’t receive the watercolor sketches, but I’ll include a pencil sketch (and I’ll sign the book too of course!). There is limited quantities available. Once I get all the preorders mailed out, I’ll have to figure out just how many I have left. If I run out, you can also order it from IndyPlanet, who can print it on-demand.

And if you don’t want to spend $20, you can also get the digital copy for much cheaper here.

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