Rhodes looks back on his older work. Note the complete and total absence of bears.
KNM is a surrealist horror comic, but it’s also a comic about the personal significance of art and its relationship with mental health. It’s not the most marketable idea, but I’m not trying to appeal to a mass market audience and I feel comfortable occupying this hyperspecific niche. Write what you know, as they say.
Happy new year!
Perhaps Gideon could learn a thing or two from them, and yet - does he need to? He's an anxious recluse, but he doesn't seem unhappy!
He just needs to lose Gabriel somehow.
You’re picking up on a lot of themes that will be explored later on in the story… 👁👁👁
AAAAAAAAAA I know this feeling! I look at my old art sometimes, sure it was bad, but some of the details were great! I wish I could get something like that with my current style.
Oh yeah I’ve definitely been there. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the mindset where I was less disciplined but more free.
But that would create a logic loop that would cause the universe to collapse upon itself!!
OMG
THE SULKY BLOB IN THE CENTER BOTTOM SHELF Rhooodes XD
Any comic or work of art that explores creative block feels as much like autobio as whatever genre it actually is, haha
I had a lot of fun figuring out what kind of sculptures he’d do in his less disciplined but more experimental younger years. I think he’s underestimating how many people would appreciate his sad blobs 😂
Honestly a lot of my work could be interpreted as thinly-veiled autobio lol. Sometimes I don’t realize how many pieces of myself I leave in my work until someone points it out and I’m like “…oh.” Art is a way for us to communicate what’s in our souls and what it’s like to be us, and tbh I find it beautiful when people allow themselves to be vulnerable in their work in that way
HELL YEAH SON I also subscribe to this philosophy. Art without vulnerability on some level is kinda boring, or at least not tapping into its full potential. It's worthwhile to put oneself on the line
Nothing kills your motivation like being stuck in a rut. Experiment, man. It's good for the skills and the soul.
A lot of his older work was more experimental—unfortunately it looks like he’s forgotten how to get into that mindset. He’s too deep into bear purgatory beargatory
Each of these statues is my dear friend and I'm leaving all my worldly possessions to them in my will
They would appreciate that very much. If you’re an organ donor, please leave those to them as well
the cross armed sad dragon statue is sending me
and that gondola lookn friend
an excellent collection
good that he saved them... !
I think every artist can relate. I get nostalgic too when looking to my ancient, moderately bad, experimental drawings.
Interesting theme for sure!
Thanks! It’s very strange how we can be nostalgic for a time when we were much less skilled, but more free to explore ideas without feeling beholden to a certain standard.
Did...did Rhodes carve a canvas painting of mountains (second from bottom shelf and second from the left)? Because that's kind of awesome.
And so…the anxiety attack begins…
Honestly, I love to see more artists with this mentality. Trying to appeal to everyone is how you appeal to no-one, and this comic’s uniqueness is what gives it the charm that brings so many of us to read it and comment on it. Write what you know indeed!
Exactly! Working with personal topics you understand will make them more relatable to others, even if it makes the audience smaller. I'd rather have one good art piece than 20983 mediocre ones.
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