Reed Black Comics

he/she Represented by Alyssa Jennette of Stonesong. White, gay illustrator & comic creator. Currently working on "Champions of Breakfast" graphic novel for Razorbill. 

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I made this as a zine years ago, and I realize that I never posted it here. I'm honestly really proud of it and I should do something more with this idea.

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Who knows how long I can keep up with this, but I thought I'd do a hopefully weekly journal comic. I thought each panel could be for a day or I could use it to talk about 1 idea.

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Drawing and I are having a weird relationship right now.

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Another sketch/doodle dump. Incomplete or otherwise not suitable for posting on instagram.

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I got a little desk mirror. It's designed so you can see your boss coming and turn off your internet poker. For me it's so my supervisor can keep tabs on me from the comfort of his bed. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJRXd_Ojo7j/?igshid=1jlzaf904za0s

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I’ve had this idea for a comic spinning in my head for a very long time. Not that I need another project right now. I figured I’d post old sketches and concepts here at least.

I want to make a travelogue comic. No real plot, no stakes, just a character giving a tour of these cities built on top of ancient sleeping giants.

I’ve thought a ton about the culture, exports, and attractions of each of these cities. World building is only fun if you get to share it.

Maybe some day

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Part 6 of a personal comic I made a year ago.

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Part 5 of a personal comic I made a year ago.

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Part 4 of a personal comic I made a year ago.

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Part 3 of a personal comic I made a year ago.

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Part 2 of a personal comic I made a year ago.

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Part 1 of a personal comic I made a year ago.

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I realized this is a perfect place to dump sketches that will probably NEVER be finished. Especially the ones that I started to ink and then gave up on. 

1. Early in the 2020 quarantine times I had this brilliant idea that I was going to learn to screen-print. So I made this complicated image hoping that it would be super fun to print. My ambition was greater than my interest. I still have all the screen-printing supplies, so who knows what I’ll do in the future.

2. An unfinished Kingdom Hearts Mickey

3. I just felt like drawing Digimon.

4. The Simpsons’ living room. I had an idea for Inktober (before I learned that the guy behind the hashtag was a plagiarist and all around terrible person). I was going to draw a bunch of fictional places.

5. I’ve been wanting to draw Farscape for a long time. I still haven’t gotten there yet.

6. I found this whole group of people who make retrod midcentury modern doll houses and I thought it’d be fun to draw the rooms they made. I didn’t get far.

7. Woody and Buzz. I like the sketch, but not enough to finish.

8. I’ve been wanting to revisit my fanart for Nightmare Before Christmas.

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I don’t have a lot of time for personal work right now, but I’ve been slowly figuring out 3D sculpting in my spare time.

I started with sculpting my book characters for ease of drawing from different angles. I sculpted this group model in an app called Nomad Sculpt, for the iPad. The dream is to have it 3D printed for my desk. Since I was a kids watching every Disney behind the scenes featurette I could get my hands on, I’ve wanted a maquette for my desk.

The second image is a combination of old ideas. Cities built on sleeping giants and a surreal landscape of a spherical sky made of starry tiles. I still have a lot to learn about rendering and lighting, but I’m glad I was able to get this picture out of my head.

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This is honestly one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me. I did it, I got a book deal.

The year 2020 has been ROUGH to say the least, but I have to take the bright spots where I can get them.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of my Agent, Alyssa Jeanette, I’m working full time on not one, but two graphic novels! 

These characters are very near and dear to my heart. I made them during a particularly difficult period in my life and to see them being given life like this is incredibly gratifying.

[reedblackcomics]

An artist I really respect, Reimena Yee, recommended maintaining a blog. A place away from Instagram and Twitter with their strangulating algorithms. 

I realized I still had THIS blog, a time capsule of the last 10 years. A lovely collection of cringe, drawings, and bad memories. So I did the reasonable thing and nuked all the posts. No more reminders of ex-husbands, terrible opinions, or dead names.

I was in my late twenties when I started this blog, and the username was very different. I’m now in my late thirties and a very different person. I’m glad I was able to see who I had been before, and I’m glad I don’t have to keep to memories public. 

So here is to a fresh start.