cup of stars ☕️💫 (& ann arbor comic arts fest!)
hello!
thank you so much to everyone who came out to see me at TCAF (and a warm welcome to folks who signed up for this newsletter there)! i had an absolutely wonderful time there and got to meet so many cool people. (stick around to the end of this newsletter and you’ll get to see some of the cool comics & etc i picked up there as well!)
this month’s newsletter has a bit of a theme — the theme being this passage from the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson.
Eleanor looked up, surprised; the little girl was sliding back in her chair, sullenly refusing her milk, while her father frowned and her brother giggled and her mother said calmly, 'She wants her cup of stars.'
Indeed yes, Eleanor thought; indeed, so do I; a cup of stars, of course.
'Her little cup,' the mother was explaining, smiling apologetically at the waitress, who was thunderstruck at the thought that the mill's good country milk was not rich enough for the little girl. 'It has stars in the bottom, and she always drinks her milk from it at home. She calls it her cup of stars because she can see the stars while she drinks her milk.' The waitress nodded, unconvinced, and the mother told the little girl, 'You'll have your milk from your cup of stars tonight when we get home. But just for now, just to be a very good little girl, will you take a little milk from this glass?'
Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again; don't do it; and the little girl glanced at her, and smiled a little subtle, dimpling, wholly comprehending smile, and shook her head stubbornly at the glass. Brave girl, Eleanor thought; wise, brave girl.
i’ve been wanting to make some art based on this section for a while, and earlier this month i finally got around to it! it’s available in several forms:
june’s patreon mail
i made some mini prints based on this quote, which will be going out to patreon members at the ouija board or spirit box levels next week! if you’re reading this the day i send it out, you’ve got until june 1st to join and get this print — that’s less than a day, so get in there fast if you want one.
as of this month, i’m officially back to full-time art freelancing! which is very exciting, and also means i’ll be relying a lot more on my patreon to give some semblance of a steady income month to month. if you’d like to support me in being able to keep making art full-time, please sign up for my patreon! there’s tiers ranging from a $1 tip jar tier to the $25 spirit box tier (which gets you quarterly packages with all the books, zines, prints, stickers, and etc i’ve made that quarter). i really appreciate any level of support!
bonfire shop
over on my bonfire shop, i’ve also made some shirts, sweaters, and mugs! they’re available in a bunch of different colors, styles, and sizes. also in tie-dye, if that’s your vibe.
ann arbor comic arts festival
i’ll be at A2CAF in ann arbor, michigan in a couple weeks! i’ve never been to ann arbor before, and i’ve heard great things about this event, so i’m super excited. if you’re in the area, definitely come say hi (and maybe give me recommendations of cool things to do while i’m in town)!
new art
a two-color riso print for the haunts kickstarter’s seance set! the red and pink prints are limited edition for the kickstarter, but i also made some blue and pink ones, which will be available at conventions. (any red/pink ones i have leftover after fulfilling kickstarter rewards might be for sale at some point too, so keep an eye out in a couple months!)
some cute new cat stickers i’ll have at conventions! the embrace whimsy cat is glittery! (you can get that one on a shirt, too!)
a very zoomed-in glimpse at a big piece i’m currently working on.
recommendations
to start with, some of my favorite stuff i picked up at TCAF!
super graphic ultra modern girl, a chappell roan fanzine by jennifer lee copping
dream journal by a liang chan (i’m absolutely obsessed with this series of drawings, and so thrilled to have a physical copy now!!)
pillow talk by stephanie cooke & mel valentine vargas
i’m stuck in retrograde by my wonderful friend/tablemate jade zhang
a print of this beautiful piece by rosemary valero-o’connell
and some more recommendations!
siren queen by nghi vo - an absolutely gorgeous magical realism book about the monsters of hollywood. i finally read this last month after having it on my to-read list for ages!
sixteenth minute (of fame) - a new podcast by jamie loftus, one of my favorite podcasters! dives into the stories behind viral internet content in a really fascinating way.
catgirls, dungeons, and zombies! - a kickstarter my friend bex ollerton is running to fund three new fantasy comics by UK comic artists!
i think that’s all for now! thanks so much as always for your support, and i hope you have a lovely day! happy (almost) pride month!
<3 - kaylee rowena