#strangelykatie

[littlealienproducts]

Dragon Tea Label Sticker Set by strangelykatie

[kazoosandfannypacks]

“Counting Lanterns”

Re-tracing of this comic by strangelykatie on deviantart that’s always meant a lot to me :)

(I do not own the original comic; I simply retraced the last panel.)

Let me know what you guys think!

[citruslucy]

redraw of @strangelykatie’s #drawthisinyourstyle challenge!!! this was so much fun, I love her design! 💫

[sugostudio]

I absolutely love the original of this ✏️ #drawthisinyourstyle 😍 @strangelykatie #strangelykatie

[everydayamermaid]

by Katie O’Neill (tumblr)

[afictitiousfox]

The Tea Dragon Society - Is That One Lump or Two With Your Review?

This Saturday just gone, as a part of the magnificent All Star Women’s Comic Book Club monthly meet ups, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the lovely Katie O’Neill, author and artist of the equally delightful The Tea Dragon Society.

This beautiful hardback book seems, at first glance, to be more of a picture book for children than say a comic book. This was confirmed by Katie when asked, saying that she does write more for children but hopes that they are still appealing and beautiful to an adult audience, which I found to be true. I felt as if I was reading a bedtime story, filled with a beautiful sense of peace and security, with no feeling of any harm ever coming to any of the characters.

The art style lent itself to this feeling, being drawn in a very smooth but bright style, with Katie saying that she was inspired by things like Studio Ghibli. Unsurprisingly then, one of the main tea dragons, Jasmine, looking very reminiscent of Haku from Spirited Away with his little chicken legs! 

The design of each of the characters was so lovely, with each character very thoughtfully created and unique. Greta, a little goblin child, was a reliable, determined kind of character, with her tough, little bullhorns and strong colours reflecting this. Minette, on the other hand, has very delicate deer antlers with long, flowing, pink hair and pastel colour palette tying in with her subdued and sometimes forgetful nature. The dragons themselves are equally beautiful, with each ‘flavour’ of tea given a unique personality and characteristics within the dragon itself and its design. The inclusiveness of this comic book was definitely one of my favourite aspects of it, including a gay couple, a person in a wheelchair, and multiple, kickass ladies. Katie was overjoyed to hear this from our club, saying that her aim was to include as many types of people as possible without making a big deal out of it, which makes both her readership and herself happy as an artist.

The story is set out in little vignettes throughout the seasons, so 4 chapters and an epilogue, with each chapter reflecting a slightly different colour palette for its corresponding season. Katie mentioned that she enjoys the idea of the passage of time, showing how the characters grow and change over time, and hence the choice to move through each of the seasons. The story itself has a very gentle but important message about dying crafts, like tea-making and blacksmithing. It shows how important passing down this knowledge is, and the memories and love that are passed down within these items, even if they may not necessarily be functional within society any more, like the swords Greta’s mother creates. Katie said that this message was very close to her heart, and you can really see how this passion comes through in the story.

At the very end of the book, there is a lovely little additional of a ‘How To’ and ‘Care Guide’ for each of the dragon species. It was great to look through, and to see which dragon most resembles your own personality, or which you’d like to own. This does hint that there might be more to come from Katie and this particular universe, as there are several dragons that were not present within the book that are featured in the guide. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story - it is soft and gentle, with an original idea and gorgeous, inclusive characters of all shapes and sizes. It is perfect for children but still has a strong enough message that it resonates with people of all ages.

[superposeblog]

GUEST ART BY KATIE O’NEILL / STRANGELYKATIE author of Princess Princess Ever After and Tea Dragon Society, both from Oni Press!  We’re still on hiatus as we’re moving to a new home, so this week we have this sublime and soul-healing vision of Rafael.

READ SUPERPOSE |  PATREON | TOP SURGERY FUND

@superposeblog​  is the place to read tumblr-friendly pages as they air, and see other Superpose-related content. Fullsize pages, as they were intended to be viewed, are still available on the Superpose website.

@saint-vagrant has a gofundme to raise funds for top surgery HERE!

Thank you so much for reading! - @kingfisher-cove & @saint-vagrant

word of mouth is our only form of advertising, reblogs are much appreciated! thank you

[kfkfljdkclfmmdl]

Inktober day 8: Jasmin. original: @strangelykatie