HELL. YES. My sis got me a copy of James Gurney's incredible painting book, and I am just stoked beyond belief right now!

Yup. I recently set my charges and nuked my old Twitter account cuz I was mad at it. HOWEVER, like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, my old Twitter has been reborn as a new Twitter. I'll be posting art and other fun stuff there once more, and you can follow me if you're a cool person. 

FOLLOW MY TWEETS HERE K THANKS

So yeah, I'm keeping a public record of my progress with learning the mandolin (and the guitar). I've already taught myself how to read sheet music and I know all the notes on the fret board (and the piano), and I'm using the Ocarina of Time soundtrack to teach myself to play. This is my first ever music vid, so don't expect a stellar rendition (It's the Windmill Hut theme, in case ya don't know) XD

I'll be making much more of these to share with you guys as I learn to make music!

Special thanks to my bud Andy Scherman for all his advice and for getting me hooked on music.

Look at what finally arrived in the mail!
It's official: I'm a Melodica Guy now.

This is gonna be my year, you guys. I'm gonna gain a TON of new followers, make a literal BUTTLOAD of new art, and finally get my SHIT together! Keep a look out for lots of new stuff from me: New Stanley Crowe pages (not to mention some future stuff with him), new animation, and maybe even some NSFW art here and there ;)

I'm seriously jazzed to share all my new work with everyone! LOOK OUT 2019, HERE I COME!
 

I've started taking music seriously again after being in too much hurty to practice. I'm already learning, and it's proving quite the healthy outlet. I've gone ahead and printed up some sheet music to learn on my mandolin, and I made sure to choose something I'll be super motivated to stick with ;)

That's right, your pal Jake is officially accepting commissions! The Orbital Death Ray needs routine maintennance and donating blood and plasma only gets one so far. Here are my prices:

Single character sketch: $30.00

-Additional characters: $20.00 each

Single character inked: $50.00

-Additional characters: $35.00 each

Single character colored and shaded: $85.00

-Additional characters: $60.00 each

A full background with all the bells and whistles will run about $100 extra, but the price varies depending on the level of details/finish.

If you have something in mind, or just general inquiries regarding what I'll draw, don't hesitate to shoot me a message.

Of course, you can always swing by my Patreon if you feel like supporting me but don't want a commission: https://www.patreon.com/JakeStueber

Cheers, friends!

-Jake

So the company I work for, Dekko Comics has launched a crowdfunding campaign that could use your support!

Dekko makes educational comics for school kids who might struggle to learn the conventional way. They do great work and frankly, I wish I'd had these when I was struggling in school myself.

Please consider kicking in a few bucks for support and help spread the word!

CHECK OUT THEIR INDIEGOGO HERE

I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Stan Lee just the other day. Lee was a great man who did more for the medium of comics then most of us realize, and he'll be missed.

Unfortunately, I'm also seeing a lot of people bickering about the guy; folks coming out with "UM he actually didn't create (insert character)" and "He was just an editor, he didn't really write a lot!" I just want to address these complaints real quick.

First of all, Stan Lee wasn't just an editor, he was one of the most important editors in comic history, and vital in creating the Marvel we know today. He helped write amazing characters, mostly by adding essential elements of humanity and relatability. He held the artists to high standards and reigned in some of their more ludicrous ideas to keep things accessible (MAD respect for King Kirby, but some of his actual story ideas could be pretty out there). Not to mention his work on "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way", one of the ESSENTIAL books on narrative art.

But even getting hung up on his tenure as an editor is to undermine his true importance. Stan was the first person to truly champion comics as both art and literature at the level he did. What his critics like to deride as "self-promotion" was just as much crusading on behalf of comics.

It's important to remember that back then, comics were seen as disposable fluff for kids, to be consumed and discarded like candy wrappers. Stan used his natural gift for self-promotion, personable demeanor and unique eloquence to tell the world that they were so much more than that. Just watch the man in interviews as he speaks about the latest issue of Iron Man or Captain America with all the breathless enthusiasm and childish glee as if it were a great film or novel.

More so than anyone before or since, Stan Lee was a champion of comics as art to be admired as one would admire a great painting; literature to be read as one would read a fine book; a medium created by real artists and writers that deserves to be taken seriously.

In this age of web comics, creator-owned publishers and cinematic universes, the stigma of comics has thankfully passed. And now, sadly, so too has the man who did more than any other to fight that stigma. As a narrative artist myself, I say: Thank you Mr. Lee. Thank you for moving the medium forward, thank you for helping the world appreciate us and our art, and thank you for believing in us.

Excelsior.

That's right, after a few weeks of having this project on the back burner, Stanley Crowe is back! I've got a huge chunk of the remaining thumbs done, several paintings underway, and I'm stoked!
Halloween never ends, and Stanley still has some serious adventuring to do ;)

You can help support this project on Patreon, if you wanna: https://www.patreon.com/JakeStueber