Tribe With Shabazz Arts
If you have been following my social media accounts, you have seen me push the word "tribe" a lot. It's a precursor for the announcement of my subscription service. It's similar to Patreon, except you sign up here rather than on their platform.
The first thing I want you to know is that if you are a free subscriber to my website, you'll continue to enjoy the same privileges you always have. Joining as a tribe member is for those who want to see what Shabazz Arts can become. With enough subscribers, I can continue to put out more projects, hire other artists to work on projects with me, keep this website ad-free and the downloadable materials free to access.
In exchange for becoming a paid subscriber, you get a 10% discount on all purchases and access to my gallery of character designs and comic book pages, and BTS access to the projects I am working on. Each month I will also do random giveaways for three lucky tribe members to keep things interesting ;)
The more the tribe grows, the more I can offer. Like most artists, I survive on multiple sources of income, so your support means a lot toward the progress I can make on any given day. I am a comic book creator, first and foremost. However, focusing on teaching for the last few years has increased my thirst to get back into fictional narratives. Storytelling is my passion, and I have several stories I have yet to tell.
My projects take time to come together and a lot of planning. So with that in mind, I cannot offer anything special until they've come together. It will take some time to have the gallery fully functional. I expect it to be ready by February. The gallery will be updated regularly with art I won't post anywhere else when it is up and running. If you like the kind of work I produce and want to see more, becoming a tribe member is the best avenue for you.
Looking forward
The next project for myself and Shabazz Arts is a return to "Cyber/Punk/Funk!" with a new anthology that takes place in a connected universe. Each short story will give a piece to the overall arc of the collection while being self-contained. I am still recruiting artists and writers for this project, but in the beginning, the stories will come from me. Over time, each part of the anthology will be uploaded on the website for subscribers to read; however, the last chapters will only be made available in print. You will watch the story grow and follow it here, but the ending is in the finished compilation. Various designs you have seen from me will come to life in Cyber/Punk/Funk! so if you have ever been interested in the stories behind the characters, you're in for a good time.
HTDBP VOLUME 2 UPDATE:
How To Draw Black People Volume 2 will be made available in three parts labeled: theory, practice, and reflection.
"Theory" contains the first three chapters of Volume 2, including the cultural character prompt, racial archetype examination, and my examination of art as a language.
Practice will include all the tutorials and explanations from myself and the other talented artists that worked on this volume.
Reflection is a workbook-style version that contains all the activities found at the end of each chapter and the extra materials found in the appendix.
The price of each book is still to be determined, but my initial estimates suggest they will be $25 each. That price includes taxes and shipping.
You'll be able to pre-order any or all of the books in our shop starting January 17th, 2022.
In the meantime, pick up out a sketchbook to match your future purchase ;)
I wish you and yours a year of abundance, health, and love. I hope you will join my tribe and me as we build a place where we belong with the stories others won't dare to tell.