Alexandra Nobles

Any time a company has to "make a statement", it means they're sweating. Cook them

In my experience, talent is a *detriment* to learning.

I didn't have to practice early on so I *didn't know how*. I didn't start to learn how to practice until my 30s! (When much of my life was taken up with parenting, so I didn't have time!)

I didn't start to improve as a musician until my 40s!

This is the most important lesson in the world: throw the censor in your mind into the ocean. You don't need them. They can do nothing but hurt you. Whole books have been written about how the censor in your mind is what destroys your writing.

And when it's written, rewrite it, be embarrassed because it's not as good as you hoped, release it anyway, and write another.

And another.

And another.

You become the author of your dreams by fucking up. You HAVE to write garbage first.

And even the garbage will be beloved by some.

How do you give yourself compassion while you work on your craft and it isn’t where you want it to be yet? I think that’s my biggest barrier to self-improvement, especially with art.

A comic showings cartoon man degrade into a bubble with eyes and a mouth saying that comic work no matter how well drawn they are.

Posting this again to remind you you dont have to be an amazing artist to draw comics!

I am certain that whenever someone posts about “gatekeeping art” or whatever, they’re talking about posting drawings online for clicks. They never mean arranging rocks in the back yard. They never mean whistling to yourself and finding a tune that makes you happy. They never mean napkin doodles.

Seven reasons why hosting a silly little potluck (or game night, or porch hang, or book club, or group hike) is essential to defeating fascism Honestly, I don't think we'll win if you don't

Everyone wants community. But I am afraid few are willing to sacrifice the energy it takes to make it happen. It's so much easier to scroll or watch TV. On top of that, everyone is so tired. It's gonna take a lot of gumption and elbow grease.

Velma holding a stylus pen, crawling on the ground looking for something and saying "My video essays! I can't draw without my video essays!". On the ground are two youtube thumbnails of video essays "Line goes up -the problem with NFTs" by Dan Olson and "ROBLOX_OOF.MP3" by hbomberguy

They're a requirement

Source: disagigglebilities on tumblr - being disabled is often being accused of having no work ethic even tho you regularly run yourself into the ground working

Source: disagigglebilities on tumblr

Furries have already achieved the dream of every shit silicon valley technology and in a more ethical and less cringe way

The metaverse: VRChat
NFTs: adoptable fursonas
Typing words into a text box and having art appear: commissions

A calico cat lying on her side on a pink and purple paisley duvet cover. Her eyes are half closed as she sleepily holds her paws up just enough to be in swatting range as her tail flicks back and forth. Occasionally she gives it a good smacking when it gets too many notions.

O to be an elderly sleepy cat curled up content with her human but perpetually vexed by that goddamn tail

The GOOD MORNING MOM deliverer of cat butthole to my forehead. Ash is a fluffy black boy kitten.

Cat woke me up by sitting on my face so now I'm your problem.

Sometimes people do things to you that you can’t do anything about. You just have to survive it and go on.

Learning about proscriptive vs. descriptive language was very healing for me (highly recommend looking it up), but I will die on the hill that “literally” is the one word that should keep its one fixed definition.

And yet *verifying* information you find online is harder than it’s ever been.

“Thanks, doc! You see, I am Pagliaci, and learning that you think that what I do helps people, why, that cheers me right up!”

Co-workers who message you to ask you if you’re free for a “quick chat” should be taken out behind the chemical sheds and shot

Reminder here’s some adobe alternatives, Because FUCK ADOBE….

Spice the frog is on the ground painting a green picture of a frog. Words say: make the art you want to make

just make the thing 🎨 🎶 ✍️ 💃

Thinking a lot about how “NSFW” tags can mean anything from showing a little skin to a full on giant schlong and there’s no way to know until you click through.

We're so fucking princessmode (via @mayakern.com) #trans

a week or so ago @tonyisabella.bsky.social was looking for as complete a list as she could assemble of comic creators who are trans-inclusive

i named a whole bunch of folks, so i added in a buncha editors and made a starter pack!

I mean, feel free to unfollow me if I am insufficiently pure for you. Otherwise, unless one lives in a stick lean-to and drinks naught but pure rainwater, all any of us can do is choose what level of hypocrisy we live at and with. I wrote about this, in fact:

whatever.scalzi.com/2025/03/12/t...

New USPS rules: Postmarks now show when a ballot is processed, not mailed. 📬
Avoid rejection! Mail 7 days early. If sending on Election Day, get a manual hand-stamp at the counter or use a drop box to ensure your vote counts. ✅🗳️
BlueVoterGuide.org

Wait, Mathemagics was your fault?

You won't know yourself, as a comic artist, until you make comics. You won't know what kind of stories you want to tell until you tell different stories. You won't know what your "style" is until you've drawn in different styles.

TLDR: make some dang comics and worry about the rest later.

Make friends. Real ones.

Maybe they’ll be your collaborators and maybe they won’t. Maybe your careers will grow together, maybe they won’t. That part doesn’t matter as much as real honest connection.

Develop real friendships in the space with people you can trust.

Don’t try and make your comic perfect. I got a lot more relaxed working on Experience Boost when I accepted that it was not My Comic; it was my *first* comic.

Same with Spell X Sword: it is not My One Defining Comic; it is my *next* comic.

You can only make better comics by *making* comics.

recreation of a popular Squid Game meme using my OC Rosaline Belville in place of Seong Gi-hun. in the top image she appears young and full of life, while in the bottom she is much older, haunted by all that she's seen. the background uses screenshots from the actual show.

concept art depicting a climactic battle in the skies. Maya rides on her gravboard, using debris from the conflict as a makeshift sword and shield to defend herself from an Empty Vessel swarm. she swerves to dodge an allied resistance fighter, flames bursting from its damaged wing as it careens through the air. the Empty Vessels pursue Maya with a variety of over-the-top facial expressions, their arms twisted into sharp lances.

concept art depicting a surreal moment with Tenma-00. she's found herself on her knees in a field of grass, hair caught in the wind as the distant and incomprehensibly massive silhouettes of the Obelisks slowly turn against a blood-red starry sky. a rainbow-colored void leaks from the fracture on the left side of Tenma's face. she looks past the camera at something, wearing a horrified and guilt-ridden expression.

artwork depicting @cassetteno9.bsky.social's OC Bunnie (left) hanging out with my OC Maya (right). the two are dressed for a double date with their robot boyfriends Hunnie and Clem, respectively - Bunnie wears gold jewelry, a frilly green top, brown split hem pants and black open-toed heels. Maya's jewelry is silver with blue earrings and a matching necklace, with a black crop top, high-waisted denim jeans and brown high heel sandals with clear straps.

⭐ favorite personal art of 2025 ⭐

feel like I fell off a little in the second half of the year lol, but honestly I'm pretty proud of myself overall. hoping for more consistency next year!