Issue 184

Hello,

Just wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year as we roll into the final days of 2023. Thanks for reading these emails, and for all the replies and responses I get. Putting these together every couple of weeks and sharing what I love with you has genuinely been a highlight of my year.

Here's 5 things I thought you'd find interesting this weekend.

Enjoy!

STAYING IN THE LOOP:

• The 12 Sleighs of Christmas! My Christmas book: LINK​
• I was a special guest on the Ink Pulp podcast: LINK​
• Podcast Episode 187: Inappropriate Children's Books​
• Podcast Episode 186: The Year In Review​
• Podcast Episode 185: The Most Common Art Mistakes​

1) Rux Ryder Comic Pages

From the Making Comics Division

I've been chipping away at a new comic that will be in the Robots book. Here's the first 3 pages. I'm sharing the entire process and the rest of the comic on my patreon for those interested.

The comic in the SPACESHIPS book was directly connected to the book, in that I had Kepler breaking the 4th wall and was speaking to the reader part of the time.

This time for ROBOTS I decided to have my character unaware of the reader, but still have the story correspond with the rest of the guidebook. I think it'll still work just as well. Also, I can cut out the comic part and make a standalone comic with just it.

These are getting colored up by Anderson Carman and the finished pages I'm getting back look solid!

PATREON: If you want to see ALL the sketches, reference material, and prelim drawings I'm doing that go into the creation of drawings like these, become a patron today.

If you sign up this month I'll give you any of my digital artbooks of your choice. Just DM after sign up and I'll send you a download link.

You also get a 15% discount in my shop, and at the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK​

2) AST21's Wild Aircraft

From the Office of Aerial Design

Chinese artist AST21 is a master of hard surface industrial design with a particular knack for flying craft. Sharing a few of my favorites here, but there's 100+ more on the links below.

What I like about these is they're all so believable, yet wildly creative. It makes me think that this guy is tapping into an unseen alternate reality where we just had ever so slightly different engineering ideas and out aircraft turned out like this.

Artstation: LINK​

Pixiv: LINK​

X: LINK​

3) The Insane World Building of Tanner Staheli

From the Illustrators Division

Tanner Staheli is a Utah based artist who's built and incredible universe he calls "Immortalize." His world is as meticulously fleshed out as the hyper-detailed crosshatched drawings he's made for it.

The website he's put together has all the regions of the world with drawings and descriptions, dozens of characters, over a dozen different organizations, and even fauna.

But Staheli isn't just caught in the world building trap, he's begun writing a drawing stories for this world. You can get the first comic he's made here: LINK (sadly it's out of stock, but you can get a digital copy for $5.)

Website: LINK​

Instagram: LINK​

Shop: LINK​

4) Baron Empain Palace

From the Architecture Desk

​Baron Empain built a Hindu style palace for himself, inaugurated in 1911 in Cairo, Egypt. Inspired by the temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, it was made entirely out of concrete. Is rumored to be haunted.

I guarantee Indiana Jones visited this place at some point.

More photos here: LINK​

More info here: LINK​

5) On service

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

A friend of mine shared this message with me this week and I keep thinking about it.

I love this message, because for the side of me that thinks I'm hot stuff it's a reminder I shouldn't use my talent for stroking my ego, and conversely, for the side of me that thinks I'm a washed up hack it's a reminder that I have the ability to use it in the service of something bigger than me.

Source: Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity

That's all for this week. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!

-Jake

My sponsor for this newsletter is…me. It's me, because I'm not accepting sponsors for my email list, and don't plan to any time soon. Really, I'd just like people to buy stuff from my shop. If you like this newsletter, you can support it a few ways:

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