Thinking is Hard

Art tumblr type-thing of Laura Renfrew Questions are also hard (ask me one anyway) |

[thinkingishard]

<< First Page || < Previous Page

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley) This is the last page of Spring 1! I'm actually writing this post days in advance. We're about to go on holiday so I'm trying to queue up as much as possible for you guys. What is next?

Some exclusive content for my Patrons: Including a version of the Blossomvale Town Centre map with the houses marked up, and some behind-the-scenes for Spring 2.

Holiday sketches/photos (subject to change): I'm hoping to be able to fit in a sketchbook on my holiday, and will be releasing sketches exclusively or early to Patreon depending on how I feel for the day! I am visiting family and friends though, so will have to play this by ear.

Spring 2: I'll be back to work on my return from holiday, and hopefully have these comic pages out to you soon! As before, pages will be released a day early on Patreon, then posted to Tumblr.

My lowest tier on Patreon is £1 (though there are benefits for those who sign up for higher pledges!), if you enjoyed Blossomvale, consider supporting me on there?

Hope you enjoyed my return to comics!

If you did, share it with your friends!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

This page shows three phone screens similar to the very first panel of the first page - they are profiles on BLOSSOMVALE COMMUNITY. Some text above the three phones reads 'Blossomvale - Spring, day 1, year 1, end' Phone 1: Profile for Mo, a brown bear. His profile picture shows him in a pink shirt, looking off to the right. It shows his name (Mo). It shows his pronouns as He/Him. It has a little leaf and '25' indicating that his birthday is Autumn 25. He has left his profile information mostly blank, just writing '.'. Under a section titled 'I CAN HELP WITH', there are three icons with writing underneath - a paintbrush labelled 'ART', a pot labelled 'COOKING', and a pen and pad of paper labelled 'ADMIN'.

Phone 2: Profile for Bug, a pink axolotl. Her profile picture shows her facing slightly to the left, but looking at the camera. She is wearing the same beanie as earlier, but is wearing a plaid shirt. The rest of the profile shows her name (Bug). It shows her pronouns as She/Her. It has a little sun and '8' indicating that her birthday is Summer 8. Her profile section reads: "My favourite game at the moment is Shaping Venus, come play it with me at Cup Half Full!". Under a section titled 'I CAN HELP WITH', there are three icons with writing underneath - a cup labelled 'COFFEE', a little purple demon emoji with ears labelled 'PRANKS', and a jigsaw puzzle piece labelled 'PUZZLES'.

Phone 3: Profile for Elm, a golden brown and white hamster. Her profile picture shows her leaning on their elbows on a brown table while she holds up a coffee mug. They are wearing a purple t-shirt and there is greenery in the background. It shows their name (Elm). It shows her pronouns as She/They. It has a little green leaf and '14' indicating that their birthday is Spring 14. Her profile section reads: "IF YOU ARE SICK OF LUCK CO. RUINING EVERYTHING SIGN MY PETITION: blssm/shrt1". Under a section titled 'I CAN HELP WITH', there are three icons with writing underneath - a cup labelled 'COFFEE', a cake labelled 'BAKING', and a placard sign with an exclamation mark labelled 'ACTIVISM'.

End ID. ]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 10.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Comic >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1. Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, and Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, walk side by side. Mo says, “Hm, it’s getting late...”

2. They both smile as Mo leans over to Gumi. Mo asks, “Dinner?” Gumi pumps their fist and says, “Yeah!”

3. A cut to Mo cooking several veggies in a frying pan while Gumi sits at a counter talking.

4. Another cut to Mo and Gumi sitting across from each other at a table, eating with chopsticks, talking, and laughing.

5. Gumi and Mo stand in front of a bedroom door and say in unison, “Goodnight!”

6. Gumi has changed into pajamas, yellow plaid pants and a purple shirt that says “Sleepy” above a yellow rabbit. She is getting into bed.

7. Gumi is tucked into bed with their eyes closed. Several Zs float above their head.

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 9.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1. Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, and Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, walk out of the Cup Half Full Cafe. Gumi is turning as she walks to wave goodbye to Elm, a hamster in an apron, who is waving back from the door of the cafe.

2. Mo smiles and say “Okay,”

3. Mo looks down at Gumi as they both walk. He says, “Time for me to give you a little tour.”

4. A map of Blossomvale, with Mo and Gumi's faces following a dotted trail to look at some of the labelled buildings. To the north is a mountain, to the south is the beach, and to the left is a bus stop. Only community buildings are labelled, the houses are not labelled:

Cup Half Full Cafe.

Blossomvale General.

Town Hall, Post Office, Library, and Historical Society. (all in one building)

Graveyard (behind the Town Hall)

The Lazy Petal Pub.

Sunny Style And Beauty.

Park And Community Garden.

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 8.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1. Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, rests her elbow on a round table and her head on her hand. She says, “There is a full on board game cafe in the Big City but it is so corporate...”

2. Gumi's speech bubble continues, "This place though-" we see Bug, an axolotl in a collared shirt, brown apron, apron, and a beanie, frowning with a worried look. Gumi has another speech bubble while she is talking from off-panel "Sorry, did I say something?"

3. We see Bug with a worried look on her face and her hand held up nervously, “It’s OK. We were going to be a proper board game cafe...”

4. Elm, a hamster in an apron, slams their hands on the counter - next to the coffee machine - with a “thwack!” They have a very jagged looking speech bubble that says, “Luck Co. jacked up the land costs!” Bug is in the foreground, still looking sad. She says, “Yeah, it sucks hard.”

5. Gumi looks towards Bug (who is off-panel), gripping the edge of the table with her hands. She says “That’s awful!” Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, also looks sad. A few lines and a note that says 'NOD' indicate he is nodding.

6. Bug shrugs. “It is what it is. What’s your order?”

7. Gumi points to herself and says, “Oh! A latte please!” Mo is sillhoutted, and we see that he says, “Usual for me!”

8. Bug serves Gumi and Mo their drinks on a small tray - she is putting a mug on the table for Gumi, and an iced coffee for Mo is still on the tray. Gumi has her elbows on the table and is resting her head in her hands as she smiles up at Bug. Mo is holding his hands to his chest to keep them out of the way of Bug's serving, he is also smiling. Bug says "What is your favourite game?" Gumi replies "Riches Isle right now"

End ID. ]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 7.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1.  Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, and Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, walk into a cute little coffee shop named “The Cup Half Full”. It is a little brick building with a single window under a pink and purple awning. There is decorative stained glass above the door which Mo and Gumi are walking through. There are loose, large flagstones outside, where two chairs and a table set up. There are several plants scattered around. There is a brightly coloured sandwhich board decorated with a heart, and showing some boxes suggesting a specials menu. We can see that it's a beautiful day with only a few clouds in the sky.

2. Inside the coffee shop, we see a brown counter with a coffee machine, a tip jar, a screen, and a small stand-up sign. Behind the counter are two staff members who say 'Welcome!' in a speech bubble shaped like a cloud, adorned by pink hearts: - a pink axolotl who wears a beanie featuring a pin badge that says 'she/her', wearing a white, longsleeved collared shirt under a brown apron. She is wiping out a mug with a cloth. - a golden-brown and white hamster who is wearing a scoop top t-shirt and a brown apron the same as the axolotl. Her hands are on the counter.

3. The axolotl leans forward on the counter towards Gumi, who is smiling and holding a hand up to her face. The hamster is smiling and standing next to the axolotl. A speech bubble from the axolotl says, "You're a new face!" Gumi replies, "Yes! I'm Gumi!" The axolotl says, "Nice to meet you! I'm Bug and this is Elm" her speech continues into another speech bubble, "Go on and take a seat"

4. We see Bug - fullbody, so we can now see her tail - with a happy look on her face as she gestures to a very small shelf. The shelf has a potted plant on it and some boxes styled like real-life board game boxes. They read 'Hue Mind', 'Always Glade', 'Epidemic', 'Overthrow', 'Copper Big City', and 'Shaping Venus'. There are three more boxes which do not have readable text. Gumi is facing us as she has her elbows on a round table that has a plant in the middle. Her chin is resting in her hands. Mo is looking at Bug from the lower right of the panel. A speech bubble from Bug reads "So, as Mo knows, this place's tiny but we do have some board games" a speech bubble from Gumi replies "OoOh!"

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 6.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1.  Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, holds several seed packets to their chest with shining, teary eyes. They say, “Thank you!” A speech bubble from Mo (a brown bear in a black hoodie, off panel) says, “Ha! It’s okay. Mum wants to host you for dinner tomorrow too.”

2. Gumi and Mo stand across from each other, Gumi rocks on the heels of her feet, grinning and saying, “Sounds great! I’m gonna plant these now!” Mo says, “Cool!”

3. Gumi opens up a mushroom box, taking a trowel to the dirt inside and planting their mushrooms.

4. Gumi rips open her packet of radish seeds.

5. Gumi squints at the packet in their hands and says, “Wait.”

6. Gumi pulls out her phone and starts looking up “How to plant radishes”.

7. A much smaller than average panel, where Gumi stares at their phone. Several ellipses are drawn to either side of them.

8. Mo comes back and asks, “Hey, do you want to grab lunch?” Gumi's eyes have become like wet saucers. She says "YES" in a spiky speech bubble.

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 5.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Page

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1.  Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, sits at a table, holding their sketchbook close and smiling. They say, “Oh wow, they are so cool in your style!" and "Thanks, this was so fun!”

2. Gumi holds her sketchbook out and smiles at it, little hearts floating around her head. She thinks, “This is so cool, I’m going to frame it!”

3. Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, holds up a finger as he says, “Oh! Before I forget...”

4. We see Mo's paw and three packets on the table. One has a mushroom on it, one has a radish, and one has a tea bag with a leaf over it. A speech bubble coming from Mo's direction says "I told my mum you wanted to try gardening..."

5. Gumi holds up the seed packets with wide, shining eyes. A speech bubble from Mo (off-panel) starts and continues into the next panel "She left these for you"

6. "...and we did the yard up", Mo's speech bubble from the previous panel finishes. We see Gumi standing on the back porch of their house. Gumi's eyes have stars in them and little hearts are floating around their head. They are looking at a brick-lined empty garden plot with a trowel stuck in it. In the yard, there are also flowering bushes lined up along the porch, a small cobble path, a mushroom box, and a garden hose. It is all enclosed by a fence.

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 4.

<< First Page || < Previous Page | | Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early!: patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style. 

1. Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, and Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, hand each other their sketchbooks. Gumi says, “I’m going to draw your TTRPG character”. Mo says, “I’ll draw yours!”

2. Gumi and Mo sit at a table together while they draw. Mo’s tongue is sticking out, and they both look intently focused. The words 'Scribble' 'Scribble' 'Scribble' 'Scribble' rise up from their sketchbooks.

3. From the bottom left we see a ring-bound sketchbook held by Gumi, showing a sketch of a bearded human holding an axe. To the right of it, Mo is offering a saddle-bound sketchbook showing a messy-haired elf with a violin covered in leaves. A speech bubble from Mo says 'Here!' and one from Gumi says 'Thanks!'

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 3.

<< First Page || < Previous Page || Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early! www.patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1. Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, walks into a sparsely-decorated room with a campbed loaded with a purple blanket, a purple wardrobe, a door leading to the right, and a hanging cloud-shaped light with colorful things hanging off of it. There are also some polka dotted curtains over a window.

2. We see the same room - Gumi is shown in green to represent their movements throughout the room, with trails showing her path. She puts some stuff away in the wardrobe, unpacks some things from her suitcase, and investigates the other door - which turns out to be a bathroom.

3. Gumi wipes off their forehead and says, “Phew! I’ll do the rest when my stuff gets here -” the speech bubble is interrupted by a 'GASP!' with an arrow that points into the next panel.

4. Mo, a brown bear in a black hoodie, is sitting at a table on his phone. Several swooping arrows point towards the sketchbook sitting next to him.

5. Gumi holds her hands to her face. There are sparkles in her eyes and around her head. Big letters to either side of her head say “Sketchbook Swap”.

End ID.]

[thinkingishard]

Blossomvale: Spring 1. Page 2.

< Previous Page | | Next Page >

£1+ Patrons get pages a day early! patreon.com/ReniDraws

Blossomvale is based on my playthrough of M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want!: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley)

Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

1. A wide shot of a pretty little house, surrounded by bushes, lavenders, wildflowers, and two pink-flowering trees. Gumi, a koala in a rainbow sweater, and Mo, and brown bear in a black hoodie, walk up the porch stairs. Mo says, “I set up a camp bed for you until your stuff comes tomorrow.” Gumi says, “Aw, thanks!”

2. Mo gestures inside the house, which looks very comfy with purple sofas and a coffee table, rugs, a small dining table, and a crammed bookshelf. He says, “Well, here’s our place!” Gumi is visible just out of frame, silhouetted with a little heart symbol above her head.

3. Gumi adjusts their backpack straps and says, “Thanks again for asking me to be your housemate! Coming to Blossomvale feels like the change I need.”

4. Mo and Gumi grin as Mo shrugs and says, “Eh, seemed like a good idea to live with a friend I met off the net! ...I’ll let you unpack.”

End ID. ]

[thinkingishard]

Next Page > I’ve been playing M. Kirin’s TTRPG ‘Iron Valley’ (which is pay-what-you-want and about to get a HUGE new update: https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley) and I have been enjoying it so much that I’ve started making a comic based on the story I am making in it! So this is Page 1 of Blossomvale, Spring 1. Page 2 is already up for my Patrons. Get pages a day early at patreon.com/ReniDraws Thanks to @a-tired-space-ace and @theforestspiritplaysironvalley for creating image IDs for these, I’ve made some slight edits and will include them myself when I get Spring 2 out!

[Image ID: a comic drawn in a cute, cartoony style.

Panel 1: A fuzzy grey clawed hand holds a phone with a social media profile on screen. The screen is labelled “Blossomvale Community”. The profile picture shows the face of a koala with a swoop of teal hair. Her name is listed as “Gumi”, their pronouns as “she/they”, and her birthday as Summer 20. Gumi’s bio reads, “Hi!I am new to Blossomvale from the Big City! I’m staying with my friend Mo - we met through our favorite game!” At the bottom of the screen is a section labelled, “I can help with”, with the sections being rainbow magic, art, and mechanic, with little illustrations.

2. We see Gumi wearing a rainbow sweater and a backpack while carrying a suitcase. Gumi has their phone out and is standing in front of a bus station as the bus drives off in the background. A little notification reads, “Blossomvale profile confirmed!”. Gumi has an exclamation mark over their head as a speech bubble from off screen says 'GUMI!’

3. Gumi looks over to see a brown bear wearing a black hoodie. Gumi says, “MO!”

4. Gumi looks to have run to hug Mo so quickly that her suitcase is beginning to topple over. Gumi says, “It’s so good to finally meet you in person!”. Mo says, “You too! Welcome to Blossomvale!”. The word ‘Blossomvale’ is decorated with pink flowers

End ID. ]

[thinkingishard]

A bit of Commander Sterling. As a treat. #YesCommander . . . . #fanart #jimstephaniesterling #jimquisition #wrestling #digitalart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp3tiA1K2hn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thinkingishard]

Finished commission for emcarnicom on Instagram! I had so much fun doing this D&D inspire portrait of her 🤩 can you guess what class it is 😘?

[thinkingishard]

Behold -MILLIPEDUS! The shoe ‘dragon’. This was a Lowlife TTRPG commission. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmJLO6ZKqmD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thinkingishard]

Preview of ’Jaqlaund’ book out this month - a D&D supplement paying homage to Redwall, Mouse Guard, Brambly Wood, and similar. I was really lucky to be able to work on this with a bunch of great artists and writers.

This preview features art by me and writing by Brittney Hay (FNDungeonMom on Twitter)

[thinkingishard]

Nice to be doing lifedrawing again! https://www.instagram.com/p/ClWxw47q9Zl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thinkingishard]

Hey it’s Reni with ART. I AM GOING TO START POSTING IT HERE AGAIN. Have some, this was a commission:

(Also on my Instagram - Lafrewr)