Sketchbook Silliness – Funny and/or thoughtful cartoons by illustrator Cedric Hohnstadt.
For over three years now I've been drawing fun and thoughtful cartoons. It's been an experiment of sorts, allowing me to stretch creatively, try new things, and build a larger audience for my work. I've had a great deal of fun and enjoyed brief flashes of success with several cartoons going viral.
However, I have so far been unable to find a way to earn a sustainable income from webcomics. I successfully Kickstarted a book, licensed a few cartoons to publishers, and even worked out a small syndication deal, and yet in the grand scheme of things I've been losing money. I've given hundreds of hours to this project that I could have spent working on growing my freelance illustration business. As a result my freelance income has steadily declined and the webcomics income hasn't come close to making up the difference.
I turned to Patreon hoping it would help turn things around. The conventional wisdom is that Patreon works best when a creator can provide bonus content for backers. So I worked hard to make exclusive backer-only cartoons, write articles, and deliver other goodies. And it wasn't working. Instead of earning me more backers, my backers were slowly falling away. I was focusing on quantity over quality and I think it showed.
For me, launching a webcomic has felt like trying to fly a kite on a calm day. Over and over I tossed it up in the air. Every once in a while I would catch a stiff breeze, but eventually the kite kept fluttering back to the ground. I can only do that so many times before concluding that the wind just isn't with me.
So, I'm pulling back to refocus. I'm not quitting. I still want to make comics. But I'm turning away from artificial schedules and fluffy Patreon rewards to just focus on making good comics whenever time allows. I don't feel right taking regular payments from backers in exchange for irregular output. Eventually I may come back to Patreon but for now I'm redirecting my energies.
I want to say a ginormous THANK YOU to all of you who have gave your hard-earned money in support of my work. It really means a lot and I'm deeply grateful!
You can also get new comics emailed to you by signing up for free at http://www.sketchbooksilliness.com/subscribe.
If you want to support my work, you can always toss a dollar or two my way by buying me a coffee.
I've been happily married for over thirteen years, long enough for the heart-pounding romance to mature into a deep, comfortable friendship. Yes the sheen has worn off and yet we love each other more now than we did when we first got married. My lovely wife has been close by my side through thick and thin, and somehow puts up with all of my craziness. To celebrate Valentine's Day, here's a collection of cartoons that in one way or another were inspired by something in our marriage.
I've posted another cartoon exclusively for my Patreon backers.