Hello!

I am over the moon with the response to the SPACESHIPS Kickstarter! THANK YOU for showing up and supporting it!

If you have not had a chance to check out the Kickstarter go here: LINK​

This book is getting made, and I'm excited to add it to my stack of books.

Alright, read on, there's 5 things I thought you'd find interesting this weekend.

Enjoy!

1) SPACESHIPS, SPACESHIPS, SPACESHIPS

From the Special Projects Unit

Some more spaceship drawings I made yesterday and today for the Kickstarter. These are add-ons you can add to your pledge.

I made a guide on how to manage your pledge and add an original art piece: LINK​

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I've got more art to share in the future. Next week I'll be showing A LOT of process and behind the scenes stuff on the Patreon. So if you haven't signed up yet, now would be a good time. LINK​

​Patrons also got a free copy of this Red-Shift Renegades One Shot I just released:

There's also been a great discussion on the Private Patreon section of the discord about how to be an indie comic artist, and an outline of my approach to business. Join the patreon and then join us in that conversation!

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JOIN THE DISCORD COMMUNITY HERE: LINK​

It's been a ton of fun seeing what people are posting and discussing over there. The newsletter has it's own thread so you can discuss what I share with other like-minded folks. Come on over, grab a snack and join the party!

2) Stargazing in Style

Department of Space Exploration in cooperation with the Architecture Desk

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Out in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, France, nestled in the rocky grasslands is a tiny village of telescope buildings specifically designed for stargazing.

This is like the perfect mix of everything I love: weird bubble architecture, elaborate machines, scientists hiding out in the wastelands, and space.

Chefs kiss!

(Via: Messy Nessy Chic)

Related: Pascal Hausermann​

3) Color and style unite in this artist's work

From the Illustrators Division

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Take a good look at the work of Korean animator and illustrator Osro.

Love this stuff!

More here on his Tumblr: LINK​

Instagram: LINK​

Youtube: LINK​

That snake assassin at the bottom is one of those wish-I-thought-of-that characters.

4) Are you in the market for a very large ship?

Department of Vehicles and ships

While researching spaceships I stumbled on a website for a company the builds ships: Damen Shipyards Group based in the Netherlands.

Their website is a cornucopia of different styles of ships. Here's a list of what they build:

Tugs
Workboats
Pilot & Tender Vessels
Ferries
Dredging
Offshore Support Vessels
Pontoons & Barges
Defence & Security
Research & Science Vessels
Cargo Vessels
Fishing Vessels
Shipyards & Docks
Yachting

Not living next to an ocean makes me forget just how many ships there are out there. As a boy raised in Arizona where water is pretty rare, I'm fascinated with ships like these. Any time I see them in person, they stop me in my tracks.

Damen has a nice style to their ships. Love the shapes and colors going on. Good reference here for spaceships too. Click around and you find neat stuff like these research vessels they build: LINK​

5) On the bet

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

This week I launched a kickstarter for a book I believed in, but wasn't sure would be accepted like my past work. I've sold a lot of DRAWINGS books (for an indie self publisher) and it made sense to do another DRAWINGS book. I've also sold a lot of comics. It made sense to do another graphic novel. But this hybrid thing that is Kepler's Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships seemed risky.

The ONLY way I would know for sure was to buckle up and make a pitch to people that this thing was worth their time and attention. That takes some courage.

Betting on your ideas is still a bet. Sometimes you lose. At the end of the day though, losing a bet with yourself is still a win. You get knowledge on what works and what doesn't. You still get experience. You still grow. Most importantly you exercise that courage muscle.

The alternative is the "sure thing." Which gives expected results, expected experience, and sure, growth (maybe?). The worst part though is your courage muscles atrophy. Some day you'll want them, even need them and you'll wish you had the strength to take the bet.

That's all for this week. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!

-Jake

My sponsor for this newsletter is…me. It's me, because I'm not accepting sponsors for my email list, and don't plan to any time soon. Really, I'd just like people to buy stuff from my shop. If you like this newsletter, you can support it a few ways:

​Order something from the shop (Best)

​Back a kickstarter when I launch one (Also Best)

​Support me on Patreon (Second Best)

​Share the newsletter with a friend (Third best)

​Shop for art supplies using my affiliate links* (Fourth best)

Mention it on social media (Fifth best)

I'd appreciate any of these when you can. Thanks!

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*Any amazon link I post is an affiliate link

By the way, I'm getting a TON of positive responses to my new Renegades comic. If you haven't had a chance to read it, you can snag a digital copy here:

DOWNLOAD MY NEW COMIC HERE: LINK​

​💥Download it and read it TODAY!💥​