AARON ALEXOVICH – Page 3 – Art + Comics by Aaron Alexovich

HALFWAY THERE

by AARON on November 13, 2013 at 11:39 pm

Wow, has it really been two weeks already? Halloween was THAT long ago? This has been, without hyperbole, the most overstuffed month of the most overstuffed year I’ve ever experienced in all my 478 centuries on earth. NO HYPERBOLE.

Did I mention I’m moving this weekend? (#PROTIP – Do not switch apartments in the dead center of a Kickstarter campaign.) In the process of packing up about six years of stuff and life, I came across a very interesting box that ties directly into what we’re doing here this month. Totally forgot it existed. Come back Tuesday to see what it is!

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MEDIA STUFF

HOORAY! The Serenity Rose Kickstarter got a mention on one of my favorite pop culture websites, STRANGE KIDS CLUB. Strange Kids is a lumpen, oozy paradise for 80’s-kid weirdos like me (The “Garbage Pail Generation”), and Rondal has been a big supporter of my stuff for the past few years, particularly my last book, ELDRITCH! (with art by the legendary “Devil-May-Care” Drew Rausch). Check out the rest of the site below!

If you’ve got a link to the Serenity Rose Kickstarter (or just SR in general), please pass it along! I like sharing.

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FROM THE VAULT

Okay, so last time I mentioned Sera was originally conjured up as a character to use for animation tests in art school. HERE IS PROOF. It’s a sheet of poses for an old “attitude” assignment… Back then I had two versions of her, one super-cartoony and the other slightly more realistic like this one. Of course, even “realistic” Sera looks pretty squirrelly… Her eyes are so weirdly close to each other… Almost… GARFIELD close.

“Just got a compliment and isn’t sure how to respond.” Boy, I know how that feels lately…

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CRESTFALLEN MEET YOURSELF

Today’s featured resident is PHILLIPA! Phillipa “Seedlet” Robinson, even. Phillipa is another very talented painter and multi-media artist who’s been sending fan art for long time now. ELDRITCH! fans might remember her awesome Anya painting from a while back:

With a Birthday Massacre belt buckle, even!

If anyone else would like to be featured in CRESTFALLEN MEET YOURSELF, you still have time! Artist, writers, musicians… Just send me a message and I’ll try to share as many of your links as I can (AT LEAST four more, anyway).

Thanks for all your support, everyone! Keep spreading the word! Remember: SLIPCASE EDITIONS are for you Kickstarter backers ONLY. Just think of your friends’ fury if they miss out!

FURY.

-a

Comment

FULLY FORMED

by AARON on November 11, 2013 at 10:05 pm

Posted In: kickstarter

Well, after you crushed that slipcover challenge and left nothing but ash in your wake, the final book is just about fully formed. Here’s what we’ve got:

– Hardcover (450 pages, full color, endpapers, 6″ x 9″ – bumped it up a bit size-wise)

– A KICKSTARTER BACKERS ONLY slipcase.

– Spot UV on the cover

– High-quality paper stock

– Bound-in blue silk ribbon

That book is about as tricked-out as it gets. I really liked the idea of the tipped-in signature plate, but since I’m literally going to sign every Kickstarter copy, it doesn’t seem necessary. Thank you for the suggestion, though! Definitely something to think about for the future.

Still mulling over some KS-only stretch goal THINGS as we near the second half of the campaign… Keep sending your suggestions! I’M LISTENING.

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FROM THE VAULT

This year is the 10th anniversary of the SLG’s publication of Serenity Rose #1. But like I mentioned on the main KS page, Sera was actually first pulled into dimension five years earlier when I was a student at CalArts. I thought it might be fun to show you some of those horrible first drawings a couple times a week. Here’s the first one:

From 1998. I guess she had a problem with Mickey-headed bats back then? Is that thing on fire? No idea what’s going on there, but I do know I could use a pair of those smokin’ hot white jeans. More to share on Thursday!

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CRESTFALLEN MEET YOURSELF

Today’s Crestfallen community artist is actually TWO artists. A few days ago a fella named Kevin Davis Martin sent me a link to his monster/humor comic on Indy Planet. Looked cool! Then within an hour a fella named Thomas Rickner Martin sent me a link to his monster/humor comic on Indy Planet. Looked cool! Also I thought I had maybe lost my mind, or at least discovered a glitch in the Matrix.

Turns out they’re twins. (WHEW… At least one more day of sanity for me!)

Check out Kevin’s comic, Strange Comics for Strange People here:

And Thomas’ comic, Freakshow Squadron, here:

I think I’ve got that right, anyway… Thanks, guys! If anyone else would like to be featured in CRESTFALLEN MEET YOURSELF, send me a message! I’ll be doing them Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next few weeks.

Thanks so much, everybody! Keep spreading the word, and I’ll see you Thursday!

-a

Comment

TAKING SHAPE

by AARON on November 6, 2013 at 10:33 pm

Posted In: kickstarter

As I’m writing this, we’re closing in on $30,000. Just one week ago when I clicked that “LAUNCH” button, I was worried we wouldn’t get $1000. Incredible.

THANK YOU!

I’ve been getting a few repeat questions here, so I figured I should post some quick clarifications…

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THE SHAPE OF THE BOOK

“How’s this little conjure going, Aaron?” Well, I’ll tell you, the speed with which you guys have attacked this Kickstarter basically wadded up all my little “stretch goal” plans into a tiny ball and launched them into the sun. At this point the book is about as tricked-out as it’s going to get… Here’s what we’re looking at so far:

– Hardcover (450 pages, full color, endpapers, 6″ x 8.5″)

– Spot UV on the cover

– High-quality paper stock

– Bound-in blue silk ribbon

And if we get to my arbitrarily selected $35,000 target.

– A KICKSTARTER BACKERS ONLY slipcase.

Let me know if there are any other printing-type deluxe-nesses you’d like to see!

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ADDING INCENTIVES

Some people have asked if there’s any way to add incentives if they’ve already pledged at a certain level. The answer is YES. Just pledge at any level, then click “Manage Your Pledge” to adjust the amount… The prices are $20 for the pendants, $20 for the art books, $50 for the “TRIPTYCH” prints, and $10 for the “ANNIVERSARY” print.

Sorry it can’t be simpler than that! Kickstarter was never really designed to be a storefront, so this all sort of held together with tape and dreams and very tiny, trace bits of ectoplasm. I’ll send a survey out at the end of the campaign to make sure we know what you wanted. Easy peasy!

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CRESTFALLEN MEET YOURSELF

OKAY! Now on to more fun… Today’s spotlighted Crestfalleneer is EEKAH! Or “Squeek.” Or, well, “Erica.” Let’s go with Erica.

I’ve been following Squeek’s artwork since she first sent me a terribly sexay/unsettling bit of Vicious fan art back in 2008. Let’s embarrass her now by showing it off! I LOVE IT.

But as great as that is, it didn’t prepare us for the sheer sweet creepiness of the thing she posted just a couple weeks ago:

Now THAT is Halloween. It looks like something Charles Burns would dream about after gorging on Japanese food and absinthe. Gonna own that print someday.

Thanks for submitting your link, Erica! And if any of you other artsy Crestfallen citizens would like to see your work in the spotlight next Tuesday, send me a message.

Thanks again, everyone! Next week I’ll start taking you deep into the crypt to reveal the very earliest days of Serenity Rose!

-a

Comment

AAAH! NEW GOAL!

by AARON on November 4, 2013 at 11:25 pm

Posted In: kickstarter

5 days. $25,000.

HOLY CHATTERING GOBLINS.

Thank you again, everybody! I really don’t know what to say other than that… This is so far beyond what I expected I’m speechless. I’ve been wracking (racking?) my brain for a way to extra-specialize this whole experience, and what I settled on is this:

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KICKSTARTER ONLY – SLIPCASE EDITION.

If we’re lucky enough to hit $35,000, I’ll have this lovely hardcover wrapped in a shiny, heavy-duty SLIPCASE for KICKSTARTER BACKERS ONLY. Yep, if we hit that magic number, everyone who pledges this month will get a super-extra-megafancy version not available to anybody else.

And since I’ve gotten a lot of requests, I’ll also add the lil’ silk bound-in BOOKMARK, a streak of blue through the book like the streak of blue on Sera’s head.

Sound cool? LET’S DO IT!

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NEW INCENTIVE LEVELS

Also by request, I’ve added two incentive levels:

PUMPKIN PARADE level: The BOOK + the 13×19″ 10th ANNIVERSARY print + a PDF copy of the full book + your name on the “THANK YOU” page

FOUNDERS FESTIVAL level: The BOOK + the PENDANT + the ART BOOK + the TRIPTYCH print set + a PDF copy of the full book + YOUR FACE DRAWN ON THE “THANK YOU” PAGE.

The 10th ANNIVERSARY print is pretty much what you’d imagine, but HUGE.

Hope those sound good! And keep sending suggestions… We still have over three weeks to go!

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CRESTFALLEN MEET YOURSELF

Okay… Now THIS should be really cool…

Over the years I’ve noticed an alarmingly high percentage of SR fans are artists, writers, musicians, animators, monkey jugglers, evil clowns, and so on. You know, “creative” types. I LOVE THIS. A lot of you have gone on to do some incredible stuff, and I’m sure a bunch of you are among us this very moment. So speak up! Send me a message, and maybe I’ll include a link to your work with the next update. Show the rest of the Crestfallen community what you’ve got!

I’ll start with somebody who didn’t even ask.

SARAH BANNING was one of the first people to send me SR fan art way, way back in Heart-Shaped-Olden-Times. I think she was maybe four years old then (memory’s a little hazy). Her sketches were super-cool even at four, but now she’s gone beyond the superzone. Click the image below to see her lovely gallery and check out her sweet webcomic, Find Kelly Green!