Issue 213
Hello!
I’m back in your inbox as we charge headfirst through fall into winter. I skipped my newsletter last month because we landed a house and moved in, plus I went to New York for a week for the comic convention. All of that on top of a very full work schedule. That’s about all this man can handle in a month!
Here’s the current state of the new studio space:
It’s doesn’t look finished, but like the second Death Star, it is fully operational.
NYCC was a blast with so many great moments, cool people, and lots of creative fuel. Lucky for you, I did not sell all my Rux Ryder and Lost In Somnia books, so I will be opening the shop next weekend to sell those and a few other things. I’ll announce the sale here so you don’t miss it!
Alright, lots to share today so…let’s jump into it!
STAYING IN THE LOOP:
🔒Patreon: Lost In Somnia - Before and After
🎙️3PP Podcast: How Much I Made at Comic-Con
🎙️3PP Podcast: Do What Scares You
1) Darkstalker is out!
From the Making Comics Division
My new graphic novel has finally hit bookshelves across the world! I am excited, thrilled even, to have people finally read this book brought to life through my drawings.
I always dreamed I’d have a book on the top 100 sellers page on Amazon. What blows me away is as of today it stands at #27 on the “Amazon Best Sellers” list!
Now, I know that I’m just an appendage to a dragon IP juggernaut, and that this book would be in this spot regardless of who drew it. But I’d like to think that my work moved the needle a little bit. Also, I’m not the only one who worked on this book.
Shout out to the creative team:
Writer/Creator: @tuisutherland
Adapted script: @barry.deutsch Rachel Swirsky
Color: @pencilcatart
Lettering: @ek.weaver
Art Director: Phil Falco
Order on Amazon here: LINK
Or even better: Go out to your local indie bookstore and pick up a copy there.
Here’s some of my favorite pages from the book:
If you want to see lots more behind the scenes breakdowns of this book, I’ll be sharing it on my patreon in the coming weeks.
2) Transformers
From the Concept Art Division
Uhhh…how come not one of my friends, nor the algorithm, has brought this concept art for the 1986 Transformers movie to my attention?! This stuff rules! Way too good and somehow timeless? These designs punch way above their weight and look as good as anything you’d see in an “Art of” book from the last decade.
Art by Floro Dery, who was another wonder from the Philippines. (I have met sooo many amazing artists from that country!)
There’s a great article on his contribution to Transformers here: LINK
3) Brutalist, but not too much
From the Architecture Desk
Once there was an Italian cement entrepreneur who had a taste for art and flare. He wanted a home that paid homage to the material that made him rich. Long story short: in 1971 architect Carlo Graffi and engineer Sergio Musmeci collaborated to build Villa Gontero and with it introduced the world to Italian Brutalism.
I love this because the Italians some how made brutalism look…fun.
And is that little pops of vermillion I spy?
The story didn’t end there. The reason it still stands and looks as good as it does over 50 years later is told here: LINK
4) Pre-Raphaelite Graphic Design
From the Illustrators Division
I’m flipping out over here because of these exquisite line drawings by English illustrator Florence Harrison (1877-1955). Harrison was known for her paintings which is a lot of what you find when you google her work. But the stuff that really shine for me is her book design, lettering, and chapter headings.
Gorgeous stuff!
5) On Creative Seasons
From the Inspirational Thought Unit
As you know, I moved to Virginia this summer and Autumn is finally in full swing here. Almost every tree is golden yellow, simmering orange, or burning red, with a forest green pine sprinkled in between. The air is crisp in the mornings when I take the dog for a walk. Last week we had three days of heavy clouds and rain. I didn’t want it to end. When the sun finally showed itself and I felt its warmth I was actually grateful for our mother star. I love this change and did not realize how much creative energy I pull from the weather and seasons. Arizona was good for many reasons, but when it comes to sunshine, it is the definition of the problem of having too much of a good thing.
What does this have to do with creativity other than drawing inspiration from the colors of the season? I think there’s a lot we can learn from our distant progenitors who worked with the land for their survival.
Their work year was divided into four seasons patterned after the weather cycles:
PLANT: till the soil, plant the seeds.
NURTURE: weeding, watering, protecting the crop.
HARVEST: harvest the crops and bring them to the marketplace.
PREPARE: repairing tools, mending clothes, storing grain, planning next year.
You can imagine what this looks like on a quiet homestead in the country, but how do you do this as a modern day thought/creative worker?
PLANT: Discovery & Concept Season
Gather references, read widely, collect imagery, observe.
Sketch without purpose.
Brainstorm story seeds, prompts, “what if?” ideas.
Have conversations. Wander museums. Fill your creative bank account.
NURTURE: Routine & Crafting Season
Get to work, showing up daily.
Build momentum by chipping away at the project page by page
Not a time for re-evaluation, it’s a time to keep moving forward. Let the idea grow and get roots
HARVEST: Production & Release Season
Finish your work share it with the world
Tell the story of your creation
Enjoy the moment of release!
PREPARE: Recovery & Strategic Planning Season
Rest purposefully
Review and evaluate your work, process, and productivity
Review your creative identity. Ask what do I want to work on next?
These seasons don’t have to overlap seamlessly with the farming seasons. The way I look at it my Prepare Season works best in the summer, so that my winter is spent buckling down to nurture a project to life.
The point of all of this is you should be working to find balance and harmony in your life. Grinding ALL the time leads to serious burnout and doesn’t just hurt your work, it hurts your soul.
I share this, not because I’m a shining example of it, but because I’ve been grinding too hard for too long and need to get back to this cycle. Hoping I can get this going in 2026.
(Note: credit to Cal Newport overall, and more recently @nikgoodner who inspired me to think about my own creative seasons with his post here: LINK)
That's all for now. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!
-Jake
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Congratulations on the release of the graphic novel. The Florence Harrison illustrations and designs, and the thoughts on the creative seasons really take the spotlight for me. Thank you for sharing!
ordered a copy! looks beautiful!