Reupping this for the afternoon crowd. Kind of a crazy, desperate Hail Mary, but I don't really have any other options, and if you followed me on Twitter, you know how much I love doing serialized comics on social media. 'Bout time I did something like that on here.

Matthew Dow Smith@matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 9h ago

Right. Okay. There is an increasing chance that I'm not going to get paid before the end of the month, which is gonna 'cause some huge problems. Which means I need to do something desperate and possibly insane. If you help me pay my bills, I'm going to make a comic on Bluesky.

This whole AI scrapers going after Cara thing is really driving home how much the mentality of these people is the same as an abuser. The lack of consent excites them. It turns them on. And that's deeply messed up and pathetic.

THE FANBASE WEEKLY Podcast@thefanbaseweekly.bsky.social · 10h ago

@forbes.com: Artists Built A Site To Escape AI. Scrapers Are Coming For It Anyway www.forbes.com/sites/robsal...

Here are 3 minutes of unedited sanderling joy from right before sunset tonight 🥹 🪶

It Is like AI bros hate to see us doing what we can do without their sloppifying machinery so they’re hellbent on destroying us so there’s nothing left but them. They’re bound to lose in the long run, but god this cat and mouse game gets tiring. 😑

Tara O’Connor@taraocomics.bsky.social · yesterday

Their whole “we’re democratising art” “stop gatekeeping art” are very clearly bullshit when you see it’s always been about attacking artists, nothing more.

This is how you know you’ve made it. Spotted by a friend during a moment of contemplation.

Last week while I was printing some stuff for the book fair some dude walked out with AI-slopped as all get out food signs for some eatery I guess. The force of will, dear reader, to not blast a "I hope your joint goes broke" to him because I had more pressing issues. 🙈

Sam Biddle@sambiddle.com · yesterday

The death of folk graphic design in favor of AI slop across our country's delis is leading to some incredibly Lovecraftian food horrors

Meanwhile, your humble narrator keeps scraping by to make back the $1200 or so invested on self publishing and selling his comic at a fair´s booth 🥹🤞 The queen of t*rfs doesn’t need any more money. Indie creators do.

Doc Vivi Leandra【 VTC 】- Real-Life Scientist VTuber 🧬🖥️@docvivileandra.bsky.social · last wk.

A lot of people are dooming about the Harry Potter TV Series being an inevitable success that will make JK Rowling a ton of money, but I want to remind y'all they are spending more money producing this thing than any TV series has EVER MADE www.republicworld.com/entertainmen...

So, this is happening: My first self published #kidscomics story "Historias de Villa Pizote" (eng: Histories of Coativille) is debuting at Costa Rica's International Book Fair. 🇨🇷📚 I'll be present at the event's Artist Alley Thu 27 through Sun 30. Thread below: On how this all came to be 🧵⬇️

The Saga of Rex was a story serialized in the Flight comics anthology. So proud of Michel for pulling this off and adapting his own comic himself. This better get as much hype as every other comic book movie!

ToonHive@toonhive.bsky.social · 3d ago

The official trailer for ‘The Saga of Rex’ has been released. The indie hand-drawn feature was solo-animated by Michel Gagné over the course of 14 years. Releasing in 2027.

Roundest friends

Must then be a good thing drawing has lately been not just something that’s kept me busy, but also a creative distraction, because I haven’t had the budget to do much else in a long time. 🥲

‘I’ve Hit My Limit’: Some New Yorkers Opt for Fun at Home to Save Money (Gift Article)

When wages are low and activities are pricey, the frugal find new ways of socializing.

nytimes.com

Just a reminder to support actual artists, as slop is pushed down our throats online, those companies losing billions. As they should. #oc #toon #design #illustration #digitalart #noai

Jonathan Glazer didn't make Jamiroquai dance with perfect timing in a room on little wheels being shoved around by grips to create the illusion of a moving floor so you could say "AI is inevitable"

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 5d ago

Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” turns 30 today. The lyrics were prescient, said frontman Jason Kay: 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 “But I’ll never get the credit for it,” he added.

From what I understand (I'm not in the US) this was the Blockbuster of CDs. Kinda. I remember the 5 CDs for a penny ads and I... Quite wanted to get in on the act. Sigh 🥲 But I don't buy CDs since what, like 20 years ago?? 💿

George Wallace@mrgeorgewallace.bsky.social · 6d ago

Y'all, we can save them if we each chip in a penny and whatnot.

Everyone asking for a follow up drawing with a line at their table… remember this sadness; internalize that pain. Think of these lice next time you’re at a con and see someone with no one at their table

beetle moses@beetlemoses.bsky.social · 6d ago

Would you get their autograph?

Thinking about this quote today

Jacob Souva@jacobsouva.bsky.social · 12mo ago

I've compiled a bunch of picturebook #kidlit #kidlitart making truths that I think are helpful. Things like #9: From my Mom: “If you speak with your heart, people will hear with theirs.” open.substack.com/pub/jacobsou...

Omg it’s finally here! It was a career highlight to be able to spend my time making something like this! It came at a point when I was feeling very burnt out and it this was a project that breathed life into me again. I am so grateful to Cartoon Network for this opportunity youtu.be/IarVMeWtFVU?...

Unravel | Cartoon Cartoons

YouTube video by Warner Bros. TV

youtu.be

Since Bluesky was being glitchy yesterday and, well, I need the money to cover bills, I'm going to keep this open for the next couple of days. If you're interested, let me know ASAP. I've been having a lot of fun with these and they really, REALLY help while I wait to get paid for stuff.

Matthew Dow Smith@matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · last wk.

Doing a discounted round of these this weekend to bring in some money while I wait on some freelance checks. Any character you want in either my kids style or my YA style. If you’re interested or have questions, DM me or email me at matthewdowsmith@gmail.com!

So I owed @jonscrazyblues.bsky.social a #crazysummerblowup collab and this being a hyper busy week ahead for me I feared I couldn’t do the deed but planets somehow aligned and here it is. Just Bubble Fox excelling at his top expertise and my brats being their usual selves.

Hay muchas pequeñas historias dentro de 'Encarna viva', cuentos, leyendas o anécdotas que relatan algunos personajes. Son dobles páginas como esta, a veces confusas, a veces claras, a veces contradictorias, porque así es como se cuentan.

Hal started "Prince Valiant" when he was 44, BTW. Just letting you know, in case you're one of those folks that thinks you're cooked if you haven't achieved your life-defining successes at 22 or whatever.

Comics in the Golden Age@comicsinthega.bsky.social · last wk.

Today is the birthday of Hal Foster (Aug. 16, 1892-July 25, 1982), writer, artist, & creator of the Prince Valiant newspaper comic strip.

This, on a time where the tyranny of social media wants us to be performative 24/7, is golden advice. Specially for younger people who never knew a world before social media/Internet. Keeping stuff to yourself if only for not having to do a lot of explaining is to set sanity boundaries. 🙏

Sen@dresdencodak.com · last wk.

Art tip: don't share everything you draw. Draw things you never intend to show anyone. Your brain needs time to just exist in a state that's not about performing for strangers. This used to be the normal way to exist before social media poisoned us.

I call this sort of editorial or art directing as the spaghetti on the wall method. It is tortured and it never really works. Best to go in with clarity of what you want to convey both emotionally and editorially. The results are far more successful and satisfying. And far more fun.

Dr Artyom Trakhanov@vor-bokor.bsky.social · last wk.

'I can ask the AI to give me 75 different variations of one thing, but I cannot have 75 different illustrators come up with a variation in three seconds' this is just Treat Economy. You Can't Have ALL The Treats, Patrice.

@andressanchis.bsky.social cuando por acá aún no le llamábamos anime a todo esto, esta fue la primera historia de ese tipo de mi generación y aún sigue siendo una favorita ☺️

Animation Obsessive@ani-obsessive.bsky.social · last wk.

Character design work by Yoichi Kotabe for Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), dir. Isao Takahata, Zuiyo Eizo

Dunno man, this here Gen Xer barely had any party money and that's why I spent my teens rather drawing and painting ✏️

Roger (6’5”)@iamtherog.com · 2w ago

I'm gonna turn to dust.

Honest question: How do you get to promote your business without Meta? I loathe all things Meta but the pressure to comply locally is HUGE. Everything and everybody runs on IG and/or FB. Nobody cares about Bluesky. 🥲

Mia V. Moss@magicrobotcarnival.com · 2w ago

General reminder that no one "needs" Facebook for anything and everything people claim they "have" to use it for could be done, online, before Facebook ever existed. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...

You're better off with 1,000 people who think you're the cat's pajamas and will happily pay you 15 bucks a month on Patreon to keep it up than you are with 100,000 subscribers on Webtoon who read your comic alongside 49 others they just feel kind of 🤷 about.

lol I have a LOT of opinions about comic aggregate sites, most of which I'll admit are anecdotal & vibes-based. Don't ask for proof, cuz there isn't any. BUT! While I'll concede the Webtoon/Tapas/etc set-up clearly works VERY well for some, I think it's the wrong move for most. Low-quality views.

Paul Southworth ☢️ 🐟@southworth.bsky.social · 2w ago

Well there goes the none readers I have there.

Howdy, here's a free downloadable copy of Beneath The Grove's entire first chapter for you to own. Print it, share it with buds, soak it in milk and smack it against a wall - the world is your oyster. drive.google.com/file/d/1CY_M...