Let's Try This...

I've been venturing out of the house, a bit farther afield - first to Massachusetts, now I'm in Maine. When I get back home, I'll be working on the Studio space - electrician ("Let there be light!"), removing the piano, clearing out the toys, and setting up the work space.

Setting up new spaces, healing, taking risks and Begin(ning) Again - seem well timed for Springtime!

So, in that spirit, I'm revamping my Patreon and would love it if you would consider becoming a Patron!

Right now, most of my Posts are Public, so feel free to take a look and see what's been going on. You can click on tags - like Comic or Sketchnote or Lilah Bean! Soon, those posts will be visible only to Patrons.

I've decided to make new posts private so that I can post without worrying about getting into trouble and so I can post content that I don't want finding its way onto social media... such as downloadable PDFs and printables.

Also, I created new tiers so that you can decide what you want to see --- Comics, Sketch-Notes, or Zentangle? Or all three! You can choose what you want to pledge and you can cancel at any time.

I'd like to do more comics about life, mental health, parenting, and joint projects with my kid. I want to post Zentangle ideas I'm working on and tangles from the past, sketches and material from my books too. And I plan to do more sketch-notes! I'll post the scanned, cleaned up versions of the sketch-notes so you can print them out. Also, I can post sketch-notes from classes and conferences that I've completed in the past. Other printables too - coloring pages or other material from books I'm working on!

This is an experiment! I had made all the comics and other material on Patreon available to the Public... and I lost almost all my Patrons.
OK. That was a dumb idea.
Begin Again.
I work really hard on these drawings and sketch-notes, etc. so I'm testing out the idea that people might not mind paying to have first crack at new material or the privilege to see behind-the-scenes and influence a project or even, get exclusive material!

If you've never heard of Patreon, or don't know how it works --- it's a lot like a "subscription" for creative material (artists, writers, musicians). You "pledge" an amount each month and you get content (like comics, essays, printables, video, etc.) Your pledge is charged to your credit card at the beginning of each month and that unlocks the posts. You can cancel your pledge at any time.

You can also "Follow" Creators that you like. In this case, you only see public posts that they make. It's possible to leave Comments on the posts and that creates a sense of community. I really need to build/rebuild my Art Tribe, so that feedback and acknowledgement would be incredibly valuable for me. I often feel like I'm working, alone, in my Belfry with only my Demons, the Lilah Beans, and Minou (the cat) to talk to!

I need feedback and encouragement. Cheerleaders, Art-Tribers, fellow cartoonists, Tanglers, and folks who love reading comics and sketch-notes!

And, lastly, if you need more incentive - you know me - I always overdeliver! ("Anything worth doing, is worth OVERdoing!")

If you'd like to become a Patron, click here: https://www.patreon.com/join/SandyBee?

If you want to take a look at the current posts, click here: https://www.patreon.com/SandyBee/posts
You can Filter the posts according to Tags - on the left side of the page.

You know you want THIS!

The Kickstarter only has a few days left (it ends at 8:30am (ET) on Monday, March 11! And we still need to raise about $1,000 more. We CAN do this!!


As extra incentive, I've added two super special, limited quantity, Rewards.

Boxes of Books and Goodies!
I have so many Zentangle books and tiles and pens and tangle cards and tangle tattoos... tangled everything!!! Help me untangle...

There are only five of each of these rewards available and they will have lots of really great, special STUFF in them - so go back the project right away!!

If I can get backers for these boxes of goodies, I will consider this Project a MAJOR success (and I'll have a bit more space in my Studio Shop) - and YOU will be so busy playing with your new art supplies and getting inspiration from all the books, you won't leave your house for weeks! But don't forget to feed your pets before you disappear into your studio.

Fun things I'm working on! (And you can Buy!)

It's NOT all about GOrillas you know! I've been working on a whole bunch of things this fall and I'd like to show you some of them now.

The Demons from We Will Never Leave You have been up to all kinds of things besides my Christmas Card. I've started thinking of ideas for a sequel as well. I made a tiny "zine" of the Demons and I'm looking into making a tiny Teachables class with it. I'm planning out Demons Trading Cards.
I made cool pins (buttons)...

and I just created this Introvert Demon Sweatshirt...

Introvert Demon Sweatshirt
by BumbleBat

And this is the back of the sweatshirt...

It's very soft and cozy - perfect for hiding out. I got an XL so I could disappear completely (they're available up to 3X). They sell for $50, but Zazzle often has excellent coupons that make it a no-brainer.

I created THIS t-shirt for my daughter so she wouldn't have to keep repeating herself...

"Go AWAY so I can READ" T-shirt
by BumbleBat

If she doesn't want to be that specific about WHY we should go away, she can cross her arms across her chest, like a teenager. Just, "Go Away."

And she created this design of Creature, the Cat, being Moody...

Creature Cat Baseball Tee
by BumbleBat

and this is the back...

Maybe you remember my daily comic collection, QUO VADIS? (That means "Where are you going?") I created that comic as part of my Thesis - I drew a cartoon or sketch every day for a year.

But the published edition (which sold out!) only included 7 months, since I had to publish what I had drawn so far for the thesis committee. BUT - I kept drawing cartoons every day until the end of July - one complete year! I'm working on revising and republishing QUO VADIS to include the entire year. I will probably do a Kickstarter to presell the comics. Stay tuned!

But the partner project to QUO VADIS is the ARTgenda - which is a "Planner - Sketchbook - Journal." The calendar comics are so-called since I drew them in a weekly formatted calendar. It worked well in that it kept me moving - don't miss a day! - but there were a number of things I did not like about it. The paper was really thin, Saturday and Sunday were smaller boxes, I had to start on the date the calendar started, etc.

So, just in time for the New Year... I redesigned it all and created my own... the ARTgenda. I printed them through BLURB (an on-demand printing company) and they look and feel really nice!

"The perfect planner, sketchbook, and journal for creative people. Can be used as a weekly calendar too. Perfect for doing a "drawing a day" challenges or keeping track of books read, Zentangle® patterns- anything! Features 4 intro pages with ideas and suggestions for use. 52 undated, weekly spreads - with 8 days each. Weekends are just as important as Weekdays!"

It has 120 - 8"x10"pages.

You can order them directly from BLURB - especially good if you want to get a quantity discount or use a BLURB promo code, or if you live outside the US.

If you are in the US, you can also order them (not with a discount) from my Etsy store, Bumblebat.
As always, I throw in some fun goodies. :-)

Lastly - if you'd like to see (most of) the calendar comics I drew, you can see them on my Patreon page.

Let's Go With Plan... J?

I've got a bit of a mess that I need help sorting out. I apologize for the long post, and I understand if you don't read it - but if you do make it through - I would really appreciate any ideas, encouragement, suggestions, or large checks. ;-)

I'll try to break it down into the major issues.

WINGDOODLE

The Great Idea:

Wingdoodle was a "Creativity General Store" that my mom and I ran for about 10 years, and then I used the space as my studio (The BeeHive) for a year until I went to grad school. There's an apartment upstairs that I rent to a couple of really nice guys, but the store had been empty while I was away. When I moved back from VT last summer, I realized I didn't want to open a store again and I really needed the money... So I decided to sell the building and start a new business in Concord.

It took quite a while, but I found a group of farmers/artists who wanted to open a Co-op Farmer's Market and Gallery. After months and months - they formed their business and we were able to work out owner financing. That would give me a small chunk of money to start my new studio and publishing company ("Bumblebat Books") and a little monthly income too.

By April, it seemed like we'd figured out all the necessary details - we signed a purchase and sale agreement...

...and the nightmare began.

The Problem:

The title company said I didn't have a clear title - the neighbors were claiming they owned part of the store's property. Turned out, when the piece of land that serves as the apartment's off-street parking, was transferred from the neighboring house to Wingdoodle, the town had not filed the paperwork with the title office - until more than 3 years later. Unfortunately, by the time the land lot line adjustment was correctly registered, the house had been sold, with an incorrect Deed.

By May, there was a corrected Deed and Title for the house and it looked like we could go ahead with the sale of the Wingdoodle building - but then the neighbors decided not to sign unless we gave them a Right of Way across the land in question. Then they wanted a permanent Right of Way. Then they said it was actually their land. Then they claimed the shared driveway was theirs. And the tenants were trespassing by parking their car there... and then... and then...

The Options:

Now it's August. No one can accept the "blame" and there's no compromise in sight. The escalation already has had serious financial consequences and now, legal consequences. I have no idea where this is headed, but the only thing my brain is thinking, besides "WTF?!" is "I don't want to PLAY!"

The options are - try to find a way to compromise about the Right of Way and the Easement, go to court for a quiet title (a LOT of money and time), or start suing everyone even remotely involved.


THE BEEHIVE

The Great Idea:

Last August, I rented a tiny studio space at the Concord Community Arts Center so I could work on a few comic and picture book ideas. The space was 5x14 feet! So - classes, meetings... were all out of the question. This April, I had a chance to move up to a HUGE (850 square feet) studio space in the same building - at the same time that I needed to clear out the Wingdoodle building for the new buyers. The Universe sent me a very clear message to jump on the chance.

I set up the new space, The BeeHive, with a gallery/shop space, a meeting space, a classroom, chalkboards, a reference library, a more private work area, a stocked supply area and a large die cutter. I put up the trees from my store, and started on new murals. There are huge windows and enough space to hula hoop.

The Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) Meetup group and the SCBWI Book Dummies now call the space home and there are some exciting programs in the works for this fall.

My Great Idea had been to create a place for my art tribes - building interactions in the real world. We're all so consumed by social media and I know that I disappear into my introversion without an actual public Studio to go to.

I imagined a space for CZTs to teach classes, and learn HOW to teach classes. Authors and illustrators could have shows and book signings and workshops. Groups could have meetings, meet ups, gatherings, retreats... all that good stuff!

The Problem:

The BeeHive space is leased by Wingdoodle LLC and is/was dependent on the sale of the Wingdoodle building. (See Above) That means that  - not only is the monthly rent and business insurance not being covered by the sale of the store building, but I haven't had the time or attention span to focus on getting the new studio rolling.

The Options:

The responsible thing... would probably be to break the lease, rent a storage unit and just put the whole idea on ice.

I'm not inclined towards being responsible.

I'd like to find someone, or a few people to run the studio - organize, schedule, maintain - get the teachers in, get it all rolling, earning money, making a difference in the world. I did look into hiring an assistant to run it - but as it is, there's no way to pay them to begin. Catch-22.

I'd like to find some sponsors to help pay for the space in exchange for.... ?

IF we can get this working, we could turn it into a non-profit, get donations and sponsorships (tax-deductible) and include workshops to provide artists with financial, legal, marketing, etc. information.

I don't want to run another business, I want to be a part of a cooperative studio space.

BEEZ INK STUDIO : BUMBLEBAT BOOKS

The Great Idea:
Beez Ink Studio is my own business - I've been doing freelance illustration and recently, more sketch note type work. I'd like to develop that more - an illustration-comics-sketchnote-zentangle fusion. Graphic Medicine, Science Comics, Picture Books, Online classes... and I wanted to publish more of my own books through Bumblebat Books.




OK, I admit it - when I start talking about these projects I get SO EXCITED!!! I truly LOVE creating these kinds of weird projects whether they are books, comics or stand alone pieces. The research, sketching, brainstorming, design... I get to use almost all my superpowers and different techniques. I LOVE DOING THIS!!!!!

The Problem:
The money for printing the books and running all the online pieces of the biz (Mailchimp, Teachable, Photoshop, etc .)... was going to come from the downpayment on the sale of the Wingdoodle building. So it's all on hold for the present. Also, I'm still trying to work out getting some of my rights back to my Zentangle books. The BeeHive was going to be the home base for Bumblebat Books as well as the place to sell and promote the books.

The Options:

If I let go of the BeeHive Studio, some of the money going towards running it might be used for printing books, etc - but printing is in the thousands. I could do Kickstarters too. Or take a home equity loan.

These three Ideas were all intertwined - the sale of the Wingdoodle building would fund the Bumblebat publishing and the BeeHive Studio. The BeeHive Studio provides the support (mentally and creatively) and the marketing venue for the books I want to create with Bumblebat...

Illustrator Saturday!

I am SO excited to be the featured artist on Kathy Teaman's WRITING and ILLUSTRATING blog for Illustrator Saturday!

Click HERE to read the Interview and see all the images on Kathy's blog.

And here is just a little preview:

How long have you been illustrating?

More than 30 years.

What and when was the first painting or illustration that you did where someone paid you for your artwork?

I think it was in High School… I did comics for a local newspaper. I also painted the windows at our comic book store!

Did you go to college to study art?

No. And Yes. I went to summer programs at art schools when I was in High School – but I was expected to go to a “real” college. I went to Brown University to study Egyptology. I left after a while and went to the School of Visual Arts (NYC), then to the Rhode Island School of Design.

How do you find illustration work?

I trip over it. Seriously. It never comes from where I expect… marketing? Nope. Someone sees my work in the science museum while shopping with their kid…

What is a Certified Zentangle Teacher? How did you get certified?

Zentangle® is a meditative drawing process. It’s blasphemy to describe it this way, but it’s “focused doodling”. I was one of the original guinea pigs in the certification program – class #1!
And I wrote the first books on the subject. It changed my life – it’s kind of “trendy” now – but it’s true magic is that it teaches “creative confidence”.

Click HERE to read the rest of the Interview.

NH CZT Gatherings at The BeeHive

We've had a few of the CZT (Certified Zentangle® Teacher) gatherings at The BeeHive and they keep getting bigger and better!

Everyone works on their own projects (or just chats and relaxes), but Bette Abdu brought a project to share.

Once it is cut out, the shape folds into a 20-sided, jumbo-sized, tangled die!

I started filling my shape in with organic tangles that I might use for the wall mural around the trees on the studio's walls. I didn't finish during the meet-up, I work slowly and talk too much!

I've been working a little bit each time I am at the studio, and then I started adding shading...

I am really enjoying easing back into the Zentangle world! Meeting new friends too.

If you are a CZT in the New England area - or a visiting CZT - let me know and I'll give you more details about the next gatherings (there's one this Saturday, and two in July) - we'd love to see you!

The BeeHive!

If you'd like to see more pics of The BeeHive, take a look at the BeeHive's website.

Bauble Tree on Sale

I can still ship out books or the new card packs in time for Christmas - but I also wanted to remind you that I have ebook/PDF versions- Instant Downloads - of a few of the books too. You can send the books to your friends anywhere in the world!

And in honor of the Season, I'm offering the Inspiration Sketchbook #3 - The Bauble Tree at $3.00 off it's usual price! And yes - you can still use the coupon code found at the end of The Fright blog post!

The Bauble Tree isn't necessarily a "Christmas" ebook - it shows the thought process behind the design decisions and also offers insights and tips for composition and using colored pencils.

Here is the book description:

Inspiration Sketchbook #3: The Bauble Tree is a little ebook, about 35 pages, filled with great ideas for tangling or doodling. Unlike the first two Inspiration Sketchbooks, this one focuses on just one tangle, but gives lots of ideas and tips for composing, shading, and use of color. It shows the thought process behind two pieces of art and gives inspiration that you can apply to your own artwork.

This tangle, Bauble, has been applied to a "Christmas Tree" image in the ebook, but the instructions and ideas can be applied to any image and any time of year.

New Packs of Tangle Cards!!

I'm so excited to announce that I actually got my act together long enough to create something new!

Joining it's older sibling - the AlphaTangled Tangle Cards - please welcome the freshly printed - Tangles of Kells Tangle Cards! Yeah!!

This new card pack includes 40 tangles from my book - The Tangles of Kells - with new artwork on the front of each card, and step outs for drawing each pattern on the back.

They are trading card sized (like baseball cards) and come in a handy, clear storage box.

Yes, Virginia - they will fit nicely into your Zentangle stocking.

 Yes, they can be purchased as a set - the cards and the matching book (click here).

And, Yes, you can use the Secret Coupon Code I mentioned at the end of the previous blog post!

Nov. 18th - Open Studio at CCAC!

Did you miss my Open Studio back in September? Well, you have another chance to see my new Studio (Art Closet!) at CCAC - the Concord Community Arts Center - at 40 Thorndike Street in Concord, NH.

This Saturday, November 18th, from 9-5pm the CCAC will have lots of Open Studios AND a big Crafts Fair!

I'll have my Zentangle books and cards, Comics, Holiday cards, tattoos, some other stuff... and I'll have a few buckets filled with my rubber stamps that you can bag up for really cheap - great stocking stuffers!

PLEASE come and visit me! You know how crazy these things make me - give me a hug, tell me something encouraging - and I'll give you a sticker or tattoo. ;-)

OgunquiTangle 2.5

I now have about two weeks worth of school work to make up - but I was lucky to get a chance to sneak away for four days. OgunquiTangle is labeled as a "retreat" for Certified Zentangle Teachers - but I found it to be even more intense, and with longer hours, than my usual school day.

The wonderful part for me was to be back with the ladies who I consider to be my Tribe! There was so much laughter and chatting and hugging. And Ogunquit, Maine is one of my most favorite places in the world. I really needed to See the Ocean and remember to step back from my Drama.

The days started very early each day with a beautiful sunrise over the water. Our classroom had lots of windows and a view of the ocean.

We had a nice mix of teachers and projects. Here are some pics of my finished pieces...

I'm not putting any details since the teachers all teach these classes in other locales too. But here are some more photos of my students' work from my Fragments class on Friday night. We did eraser carving of 1" Fragment tangles:

And... here's the progression from "normal" folks to... well... the Tangled Ladies...