Tessera

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 4mo ago

i started this poetry comic five years ago and that number makes me want to set myself on fire. but with a celebratory flair

The cover for my poetry comic, DEAR FUTURE LOVER #3. Drawn in blue pencil, a greek statue bust is next to various pottery; a large moth obscures the statue’s face. Small constellations peek in on the edges of the image.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 4mo ago

i started this poetry comic five years ago and that number makes me want to set myself on fire. but with a celebratory flair

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 7mo ago

i just want to reclaim a tiny sliver of myself this year. just enough to fix some things. here’s to a new, terrifying, unknown year

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 7mo ago

i made personalized pokemon tcg packs as gifts for christmas, thought they turned out pretty nice. figured i’d celebrate an ‘art win’ and share it. hope y’all are keeping warm and safe this holiday season ❤️

Four handmade Pokemon TCG packs, made out of white paper. A simplistic black ink illustration of different Missingno forms are on each pack, the one on top being the classic data glitch form.

Another look at the packs- the one closest on the left is of the ghost form of Missingno. The back of one is visible, done in the style of early Pokemon set releases.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 7mo ago

i made personalized pokemon tcg packs as gifts for christmas, thought they turned out pretty nice. figured i’d celebrate an ‘art win’ and share it. hope y’all are keeping warm and safe this holiday season ❤️

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

It's finally done! 160+ pages of poetry, illustration, and nonsense by yours truly. Print books are being worked on, but a digital edition is available through my itchio storefront (linked next post). I really hope y'all enjoy it. #poetry #smallpress

The cover spread of the book, Ghost Walks. A large field with dilapidated houses, seemingly fallen from the sky, is inhabited by small ghostly forms. A bright blue sky is over head. The book blurb reads,

"Over five years in the making, Ghost Walks is a sprawling poetry
collection gathering prose from sketchbooks, scraps of paper, and
the author's notes app. Cameron's work within handles loss, longing,
love with a bare and earnest heart. Merging celestial phenomena with
history and a personal pantheon of his own, he weaves mundane
moments into something sacred."

A page excerpt from the book. The poem, "a story", is surrounded by illustration- flowers, shooting stars, a crumbling house, a figure obscured. The poem reads,

i want you to
tell me a story
a beginning, a middle
an end.
where everything
goes right-
it always went right.

i’ve asked this
enough to last until
god snuffs out our wicks-
there’s no hint
in the eyes, in the breath
that you mind.

everyone gathers ‘round
to witness another miracle.
a defiance, right here
in southern suburbia;
you take a breath–

A page spread excerpt from the book. The poem, "god damns the soil", reads:

god damns the soil
with a stale 40, bored
like one decides which
tie looks best for a funeral.
salted, the fauna flee first;
propelled by something
far older than the world,
long before the grasses
turn and wither.

next, unease moves in
buys a new condo at
ten under asking (what
a bargain, they’d say)—
the bushes & violets
blanch.

something's in the water
these days, pooling
in between the cracking
pavement slabs, weeds
don’t see the point of trying
anymore. you once dove

back over and over, but
the crick’s gone shallow;
the well only brings up
something brackish these days.

...

something's in the water
these days, turning daughters
into shallow graves. barren
cemetery dirt peels into lazy
curls, hangs there limp
at your shoulders; steady
pressure on the vertebrae

…

it's a shame— you never stood
a chance.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 11mo ago

i’m still very lost with my life, but at least i drew something after i spiraled for hours yesterday ✏️

a figure is surrounded by fragments of a shattered house. the figure’s face is obscured by debris, his body turned away from the viewer. everything is floating, dreamlike, and a single word balloon emanates from the empty window above to say, “where do you even begin?” in hot pink text.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 11mo ago

man, i used to fucking draw. who am i anymore lmao

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

how does one get a job in book design??? cos doing this on my own is lonely and i would like healthcare. i didn’t get that fellowship, which isn’t the biggest surprise, but it still sucks. also please check out my dumb poetry book 🙃

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

It's finally done! 160+ pages of poetry, illustration, and nonsense by yours truly. Print books are being worked on, but a digital edition is available through my itchio storefront (linked next post). I really hope y'all enjoy it. #poetry #smallpress

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

i finished a book of poetry that’s taken 5 years to write and compile together. every accomplishment feels hollow and stupid in the face of what’s happening these days. i hate this fucking country and i hate how proud i am of this dumb book but oh well i guess

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

i’ve been feeling reconnected with my creative well again. i know i sound like a broken record, cos i feel like a broken record! there’s been a lot of shame and guilt wrapped up in this weird state of atrophy. i feel like a failure on so many fronts, but i will take this win.

A picture of my desk, with a bunch of blockprinting stuff scattered across it.

A part of some wedding stationary I designed- the words “gracias a la vida” encircle two flowers.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

hey y’all, i have a new book up for sale on my itchio store. ghost walks will collect around 5+ years worth of poetry and sketches, and it’s something i’m really proud of. it’s a WIP, but future updates will bring the page count to ~120+ pages, so it’s a big boy ✨📖✨

The cover image for my poetry book, Ghost Walks. A vast field of grass is littered with dilapidated houses and debris, with little ghosts floating in and around the structures.

A page excerpt from Ghost Walks. Sketches surround the poem, which is titled ‘artwork.’

you gotta work-
or the story in your pen
will die, never sharing
its heart on sheets
of dead trees.

draw what you like,
what you love, all
the things that set
you aflame & leave
only quiet, tired
bones behind. draw
everything that
hurts, arouses, and
frustrates you—
draw, because what
else is there for
a fool like you?

A promotional image for my book, Ghost Walks. The text reads:

Ghost Walks is my largest collection of poetry to date. This book gathers about five years worth of poetry scattered about in sketchbooks and my notes app. They come to me a lot while I'm in my head, lost within a feeling. I like to call them 'ghost walks,' since they feel like I've gone somewhere and nowhere- hence the title.

This is a digital, incomplete version of the book, which will continue to be updated. Thank you for supporting my work, and I hope you enjoy.

All my love,
Cameron

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

actually, could a crushed soda bottle do THIS? i think not

Screenshot of a design portfolio, showing three slides with a fourth cut off. The slides have different book design projects displayed in a uniform fashion, with text along the side describing the project. For a portfolio layout, it’s kind of a slay

mancameron@mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

somehow submitted an application for a book publisher fellowship at the last minute and i feel like a crushed soda bottle

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

somehow submitted an application for a book publisher fellowship at the last minute and i feel like a crushed soda bottle

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

taught a workshop today on poetry comics and felt another piece of myself reassemble? pretty proud of what i put together!

A slide from my presentation on poetry comics, which introduces the first of three formats I’ve come to notice as distinct formats for the medium (at least in my work). The text reads:

Image & Text
Base format for poetry comics. The stanza is paired with an illustration (usually in a panel). Both elements, pictorial and text, are equal in their reading importance. The visual element can be used to elaborate, contrast, create a narrative, draw allegory, etcetera to the text.

A picture of two examples I did during the workshop of the three formats. The examples are done in a collage style, with the same poem used in both to show how each format changes the impact and balance between the text and pictorial elements.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

taught a workshop today on poetry comics and felt another piece of myself reassemble? pretty proud of what i put together!

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

trying to manifest something. one day i’m gonna get back to myself. one day i’m gonna stop living like a contortionist, hiding away because doing anything in a public or online setting makes my stomach turn. one day i’ll say hello and apologize and beg forgiveness and ask about everything

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

hey y’all, i have a new book up for sale on my itchio store. ghost walks will collect around 5+ years worth of poetry and sketches, and it’s something i’m really proud of. it’s a WIP, but future updates will bring the page count to ~120+ pages, so it’s a big boy ✨📖✨

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

i forgot to add a dot com to the link… whoops. fixed the link here! ✨ hauntedenamel.storenvy.com ✨

Home from mancameron

hi! name's mancameron. i really like pins and comics and dogs.

hauntedenamel.storenvy.com

mancameron@mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

keeping this short- in a little financial bind atm. my online storefront is open and i’m also open to taking on logotype/design work, so please get in touch if you’re in the market. gonna thread some links/etc below- thank you! stay warm out there 😊

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · last yr.

keeping this short- in a little financial bind atm. my online storefront is open and i’m also open to taking on logotype/design work, so please get in touch if you’re in the market. gonna thread some links/etc below- thank you! stay warm out there 😊

hauntedenamel.storenvy

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 2y ago

my car got a flat tire the day before the final class i’ve been teaching this semester. today, my bf and i swapped it for the spare before he went to work. it was surprisingly easy. i plan to sell the car when we move to chicago with my family next year, but it’s nice to know i can change a tire now

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 2y ago

saturn’s return, or something like that 🪐💫✨

Page 1 of a comic. The style is inspired by late 50s/60s science illustrations- a sun dominates the bottom right corner, with a large pink pencil above it. A thin white strip spirals above them both, then wraps around the pencil a few times before trailing off the bottom of the page. The title, RETURN, rests in the right hand corner.

A large face takes up the right side of page 2. Pink squiggles resembling a brain fill the top right corner, while two planetoids (and their shadows) cross the entire page from lower left to upper right. The poetry text reads:
saturn cannot be blamed
for much longer,
sweetheart— your sun
(moon, rising, whatever)
gave up the ghost
how many summers ago?

Page 3 has a greyscale figure on the left side, looking worriedly at a planetoid that orbits around his head. Another hand reached out from the upper right corner, fingers about to grasp the planetoid. The poetry text reads:
elliptical or spiral,
your orbit keeps digging
deeper grooves in the
reclaimed hardwood floor-

the event horizon bristles,
moves to the sunroom
as you carve canyons,
eyes glued on your
rearview mirror.

Page 4. Five yellow, orange, brown toned lollipop shapes take up the upper half of the page, a half circle of a moon rests at the bottom. A darker purple semicircle is decorated with constellations that overlay the lollipop shapes. The poetry text reads:
“certainly, it’s still
there— right?” you cry,
hands at nine and three.

“it has to be,” comets chirp
sympathetically, knowing
that exit sign is long gone;
there’s no sender
to return to.

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 3y ago

almost teared up at friendsgiving tonight, the first one i’ve ever gone to(!!), but i kept it together :’^) it’s been a tough few years fighting the idea that i’m a difficult person to be around. being reassured that i’m wanted in a friend group like this has been nice, to put it simply haha