Category: Words

Sketch and Release

Posted on by Athenic

The last time I recorded a podcast was almost seven years ago. I’ve been wanting to get back to it for a long time but also try something different for Patreon.

I started working on podcasts in 2005 with Podtacular ,which I’m sure must be the longest-running Halo podcast at this point. Through building their website and contributing to the podcast, I learned so much about online communities and met some of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure of fragging trucks with.

In 2008, I co-hosted the PiQ podcast the best people I ever made a nerdy entertainment magazine with. We got four of those in the can before the whole affair was ripped out of our hands.

We managed to pull the energy back together on our own in 2010 with Sodapop Journal because there just weren’t enough podcasts with people talking about movies! I’m always down to talk about movies and filmmaking, but at the time, the struggle of trying to figure out what now amounts to a simple Zoom call and keeping a regular schedule led to it gradually coming to a quiet end in 2014. (I’m still surprised that Joe Rogan has unknowingly kept the name alive after all this time, but that’s for another time.)

Now in 2021, I’m starting the machine up again. I learned a lot from the past, and in a way, I’m using that to know where I don’t want things to go.

I don’t want it to be complicated.

I don’t want it to be a chore.

I don’t want it to be another job.

So I’m going to do what I do anyway: draw something and let it go.

Sketch. Release.

Check it out here or find it where you get podcasts.

Video feed is available on Patreon.

Here’s to new beginnings!

It’s Time to Step Into the Future

Posted on by Athenic

A year ago, I was riding high on a renewed interest in creating more artwork. I started drawing, writing, recording with the hopes that the coming year might open up some big opportunities.

Since 2020 didn’t quite work out like any of us planned, I started looking for other ways to share my work and support my passion to keep creating. Starting now, I’ll be using Patreon as the platform for sharing my work.

What’s in it for you?

For a monthly pledge, patrons will get to follow the development of these projects and more:

  • Treadbeats (graphic novel)
  • The Spark in the Dark (animated short film)
  • The Schoolyard (novel)
  • Mal (short film)
  • One Against (novel)
  • Dare Me (film)
  • The Untrilogy – Unexpected, Unrest, Undone (film)

If these titles don’t mean anything right now, that’s okay. This mix of art, writing and film projects have been a part of my life for the last several years, and I’m determined to share them with you.

Anything else?

Building on this creative momentum, I’ll also be adding more perks for patrons, including:

  • Original artwork including notes, sketches and commentary
  • Companion playlists
  • Exclusive digital downloads (wallpapers, posters, music and more)
  • Exclusive videos and short films
  • TWO new podcasts
    • Sketch and Release
    • Sounds from the Hardgrounds

I’ll still post some occasional peeks at this new stuff on social media, but Patreon is the place to follow the creative process and see how these and other ideas become a reality. Only there will you see things before anyone else anywhere else.

How much?

One dollar a month.

You can follow the page for access to free things, but some goodies will only be available with a pledge. Right now the goal is to find an audience that’s genuinely interested more than making money. So let’s start small.

Until then, that’s a lot for just $1 a month, right?

Become a Patron!

My Strange and Curious Sights From 2020

Posted on by Athenic
My top nine Instagram posts of 2020

I started the year with scattered ideas and no solid direction, but world events found their way into my work in more ways than I realized at the time. While my approach to illustration definitely evolved and improved, my ideas also started to take shape. I decided to back away from posting to focus on that, so here’s how 2020 ended up.

I’d normally share these top nine with pride, but I think it might have been different if you saw what’s coming next. 😉

Strangeness in the Proportion

Posted on by Athenic

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.”

Francis Bacon

In August 2019, I set a goal of drawing and sharing something new everyday, and I ended up drawing more in five months than I had in the previous five years.

Whether it took me minutes or days or even years to complete, self-consciousness and doubt and fear have always been hard to overcome because I was aiming for excellence. The result is far less finished work with only slightly-improving quality. After more than 30 years of calling myself an artist, I really should have much more to show for it.

For so long, I thought art was a matter of crafting perfection, but making something that I’m happy with is more important than creating a masterpiece. An artist doesn’t have the power to deem their work good or bad or anything beyond that. That belongs to the viewer.

So this first drawing of the year represents the incredible vulnerability of sharing my personal art with the world and what 2019 taught me about embracing the discomfort that comes with it.

Today, my only concern is communicating what’s in my head (be it amusing, weird, fantastical or downright disturbing) and that I’ve done it to the degree I think is most appropriate — not the best, or the fastest, or even the clearest. Better to let it be rough or unusual or embarrassing instead of never letting it be at all.

Thank you to everyone that showed love and encouragement for what I’ve shared so far. Turns out I needed it so much more now than ever before. There’s much more to come in 2020, and I hope you’re down for the ride.