Thursday, September 29, 2016

Dreamkeepers Request Stream schedule

We're having a request stream tomorrow, September 30th!

It will be right here on our picarto channel:  http://www.picarto.tv/Dreamkeepers

While David doodles in photoshop, we'll have a string of guests on to chat about various fun.  Moderators will be on hand in Discord to check for questions & requests in the chat during Q&A segments.  Below is a rough outline for the stream:

(All times EST pm)


4:30:  Skidd and Phuufy of UberQuest- on creating their comic & stuff

4:45- Q&A / Chaos

5:00 - Darkspeeds and Gabriel- on the Ashworth comic and DK motion-comic adaptation

5:15- Q&A / Chaos

5:30- Voidslice of StarWarriors- on the future of cartoons

5:45 - SuperflatPsychosis- on starting out as a comic artist / writer / creator, and whether that approach may or may not work for you

6:00 - Q&A / Chaos

6:15- Stratica who does cool art, and talks about stuff

6:30 - Chad of the SlackJaw Punks podcast, on comics & culture

6:45- Q&A / Chaos

7:00- Geo, author of the Wayward Astronomer- on storytelling & mythology as a human experience.

7:15- Q&A / Chaos

7:30- Idfox, the boss of Katbox- on managing a fleet of comics

7:45- Q&A / Chaos

8:00- Spencer and Acus, on game design and developing the Dreamkeepers battle card game


Possible Bonus Guests: Luke McKay of 'Balls 2 That', Riiser of the Webcomic Relief, Waltz of being awesome.

The schedule is a rough guide, not rigid- so we'll see how it goes.  To submit questions for the guests or sketch requests, snag the mods in Discord:  https://discordapp.com/invite/0119hlzTKxn9xDjvy

But before we take listener sketch requests, I'll be tackling the requests from our glorious Patrons- https://www.patreon.com/Dreamkeepers  After all, this is entirely thanks to them!


Patreon requests:

I'd like to see how you envision the Dreamkeepers of the members of Tool, the music group.

Well, It'd be fun to see Reagent with the Troika Combat Vest and Springer Rifle

i want to see lilith and namah dance and fuse like in the "steven univers" show XD(or universum?) XD XD XD

Battered, battledamaged and bruised shocktrooper using his/her powers out of pure necessity

If you're taking sketch requests i'd like to see Bill trying to flirt with Vi, or the outcome please.

Vi in a sexy spy uniform making an unintentionally attractive pose while aiming her weapon at somebody who spotted her all while rocking the Metal Gear Solid guard-style exclamation mark over her head.

Bast as a Falconer

Indi and Digo in a typical situation for them during the Prelude time period.

More Super Sayian Namah!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Halloween Fanart Contest


Ghouls and goblins, the recurring horror lives again!

Prepare, for the 11th annual Dreamkeepers Halloween Fanart Contest.

The grave- er, deadline- er, BLOODBATH- is scarcely a month away now.

Prizes and rules have been resurrected on our site:  http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/HalloweenRules.html

As usual, every entrant may receive a trick-or-treat sticker.

And there's more- this year, we're trying something new.   David is going to create a new Dreamkeepers drawing- and you get to decide what it is!

If, that is, you can gather the most support.

Introducing our new game:  POLLMASTERS.

The readers will determine two factors for our Halloween illustration:

1)  Which Dreamkeepers character, and:
2) Which direction the illustration will take- Creepiest, Funniest, or Sexiest.

STAGE 1:  Character choice.

Create your own poll of character selections.   Could be on twitter, deviantart, wherever- as long as we can see the number of respondents.

On October 15th, share a link to your poll.   The winning character on the poll with the most respondents becomes the official subject!

STAGE 2:  Subject.

With the victim- er, character selected- we'll host a poll with the three directions:   Creepiest, Funniest, or Sexiest.   Once the poll expires, we'll have all the necessary info to create a new illustration for all of you!  To be unveiled on Halloween, with the Fanart Contest entries.  

So that's the plan for this year- all the spooky fun you can shake a crucifix at.

It's not too early to start planning for the POLLMASTERS contest- solidify your alliances, plot your desired direction, and hit the internet!  

This is going to be a Halloween to remember.

And don't miss our ongoing "Worst Slogan" contest for your chance at a free Plush:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-plush-whip/posts/1692535

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

"Worst Slogan Ever" Contest

Time to Do It Wrong, everyone.  

Join the "Worst Slogan Ever" contest!  

Just think up the worst possible marketing slogan for our Kickstarter:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-plush-whip

We'll put the winning slogan on actual banner ads, and invest $50 into showing your handiwork to the world.  Plus the winner receives their Whip Plush from our Kickstarter for free!   We'll hit you with a $35 rebate at the end of the campaign- and the winner also receives with their Kickstarter rewards a bonus sketch from David, of Grunn.   Doing whatever you want.

To enter the contest, post a marketing slogan for the Whip Kickstarter on your social media.

Then reply to our Kickstarter update (here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-plush-whip/posts/1692535 ) with a link to your post, so we can check it out.  Be sure to reply in that comment section, it's where we're gathering entries!

We'll assemble a list of our ten favorites (To protect ourselves from "Whipping it out for Harambe" overload) and then let the readers vote.   You can submit as many entries as you like, just make them separate posts.

Share your absolutely awful marketing slogan by Sunday, October 4th- because we're hosting the vote on the 5th.

And remember to ask a friend to join our Thunderclap-  https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/47575-soft-fluffy-plush-apocalypse?locale=en  That's one bit of marketing that might actually work, so we need all the help we can get.   Even from your Mom.  #MomsforWhip

...Just a little taste of the cringeworthy marketing to come.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Thunderclap & Contest

The magnificent Whip Plush backers are one stretch goal away from free Grunn pillows- let's help unlock them!

Regardless of whether you can back the campaign, everyone can jump in our Thunderclap:  

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/47575-soft-fluffy-plush-apocalypse?locale=en

Free to join, and it's tremendously helpful- nothing works like word-of-mouth.

I've had publicity firms and marketing places coming out of the woodworks the past week, all clamoring for a cut of the action- but the thing is, none of those guys are as effective as you.  

Which is why we're also launching a contest.

I need your help to come up with the "WORST MARKETING SLOGAN EVER."  I'll take reader submissions for the worst possible tag-line to promote this Whip Kickstarter, and we're gonna use the winner on actual banner ads all over the internet.  

I'll post up contest details tomorrow- meanwhile join our Thunderclap, and don't forget our free sketch-request livestream coming up on Friday, the 30th!   Times, guests, and links to be announced.

Friday, September 23, 2016

The Long, Hard Road to Grunn

Alright, Grunnts.  Let's talk strategy.

With the main Kickstarter goal crushed- ( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-plush-whip )

-Our next objective is stretch goal #1, which unlocks Grunn pillows.    Free Grunn pillows for everyone.

Free Grunn pillows for everyone to demolish children with.

The magnitude of the stakes here speak for themselves.  Failure will doom us all to an unthinkable future devoid of Grunn pillows, where smelly kids run free.

I have a three-pronged assault in mind:

1) Internal Sale Supercharge
2) Banner-Ad Blitzkrieg
3) Invitation Squad
4) Thunderclap campaign.

Don't bother correcting me, I'm in charge.


1) Internal Sale Supercharge:

I'm launching some exclusive offers from the add-on menu, accessible to anyone backing the Plush Kickstarter: Volume 1 is half-off for $10, and Prelude Collection hardcovers are at a colossal discount.

It usually costs $50- but for backers in this campaign, Prelude Collection 1 will be $15.  So $50 would net the book, AND a Plush Whip.

Offering solid internal sales will help existing backers snag great deals, pushing us all closer to free Grunn.

2) Banner-Ad Blitzkrieg
Not all browsers have an air-defense system- er, adblocker- in place.  So we'll do some carpet bombing and see what turns up.

3) Invitation Squad
The other tactics are mainly support- if we hit that goal, it'll be reader word-of-mouth that does it.  Backers in the campaign, set your shill cannons to 'stun.'  See if anyone you know likes webcomics, plush, or both- and then apply the thumbscrews until they join our honorable cause.   The more hostages-er- customers we can recruit, the closer we get to a glorious child-free future with Grunn pillows leading the way.

4) Thunderclap.  
Understandably, some people won't be able to join the Kickstarter- and that's okay.  We don't have to kill them, they can still sign up for the Thunderclap!  We'll share the link as soon as it's live.  It's free, and fabulous at helping spread the word.

So that's it!  Ill also be hitting our customer e-mail database with a brief note about our campaign.  If you guys want to launch any ops on your own initiative, go for it.  Just one rule:

It's gotta be fun.  E )

-David








Morgan's Organs

What if Pixar's 'Inside Out' wasn't squeaky clean- but down 'n dirty?  After all, have you ever really looked at the inside of a human body?   Nightmare.

If that prospect entices you, then flip open Morgan's Organs.

It's the comic for everyone's inner adult child- the part of us that still knows, deep down, that toilet humor is funny for a reason.

The story follows Morgan, a normal guy just trying to get through life while his brain and his penis clash over control of his behavior.

His brain wears glasses, and "Pepe" dresses- well, the way you'd imagine.  They try to persuade various other organs to take their side in the conflict- and the result is fun.

We get a nice little slice-of-life social comic with Morgan, his romances, and his buddies- with a fun layer of inappropriate body-based humor unfolding in parallel.

The comic had a successful Kickstarter- hhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dbrods/morgans-organs-1-a-comic-book-set-inside-our-insid  And you can check out free previews here:  http://morgansorgans.com/comic-preview/

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Welcome, New Readers!

Many new readers have been touching base recently- you're delightful, thank you for the kind words and enthusiasm!

 Because of the surging site traffic, it seems appropriate to make an official greeting journal.

Welcome!

Whether you discovered us through recent endorsements, a certain controversial snow-leopard cartoon, or word of mouth, we're glad to make your acquaintance.

And we have stuff for you-

A lot of stuff.


You may want to save this journal until you have a nice chunk of quiet time for reading and enjoyment.

First, flip through our critically acclaimed graphic novel saga:  http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/GNSaga.php?pg=1

We started Volume 1 a long time ago- I'm striving to improve as the story advances, and now Volume 4 is updating weekly for free.

Also updating weekly is our Prelude comic:  http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Prelude.php
It features the childhood misadventures of the graphic novel cast.   And there's more-

Explore the site for history and lore, there's a self-contained spinoff novel releasing soon, and a card game in development.

Thanks to supportive readers, we're able to do this while preserving the immersive reading experience on the Dreamkeepers site- there are zero outside ads.

You may wonder what keeps all of this art rolling out- and the answer is you!

For years Liz and I worked part-time jobs, pouring effort into Dreamkeepers to get the series rolling- and now it's rolling.

If you find some quiet time that our story can fill with enjoyment, please consider dropping a dollar into our Patreon.  I feel silly shilling it- but this platform really does make a difference.  It gives customers the power to decide for themselves what gets developed in entertainment- never again can dumbass TV executives cancel your favorite series.   Now you and your fellow customers are the executives.

And speaking of Patreon- we've hit that milestone again!   https://www.patreon.com/Dreamkeepers

You guys are unstoppable!

This can only mean one thing- another free sketch stream.   We're going live on Friday, September 30th, to hang out, chat up readers and other artists, and of course pump out some free request sketches.

In the meanwhile- longtime readers have been asking about plush for years, so I should drop a reminder for our current Kickstarter:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-plush-whip
You guys crushed the goal within hours of launch!   If anyone wants plush Whip, spread the word.  E )

And thank you to everyone who has been spreading the word- we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.

You guys are brilliant.    Thank you for wandering off the beaten path- finding us- and sticking with us.

We're going to show you things you've never seen.


-Dave and Liz


Friday, September 16, 2016

Plush Kickstarter: Live- and ALREADY FUNDED!


Absolutely incredible-

We launched the plush Kickstarter just last night, and before my head could hit the pillow it was fully funded.   I don't know what else to say- thank you, thank you, thank you!    Dreamkeepers readers take no prisoners.   X D

Plush Whips are now locked in- and there's plenty of room for anyone that would like to bring the bue devil home!  

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2083757038/dreamkeepers-plush-whip

Cuddles, hugs, and soft minky fur- comin' our way!

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Milo Fursona

So this happened:  https://www.facebook.com/myiannopoulos/photos/a.594779487326617.1073741828.423006854503882/743666632437901/?type=3&theater

We don't always snag endorsements from celebrities.   But when we do, we turn them into furries.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Live with Comics-r-Cool Tomorrow

Live event tomorrow!  

Probably.

Liz & I will be crashing with Chad and the Comics-R-Cool crew for their Indy-month event.

They told us there would be pizza.  Then there was no longer a choice.

What will we talk about?  Stuff!  If you have any burning topics you'd like to suggest, let 'em know:  https://twitter.com/SlackJawPunks

  If the Tech Gods bless us, the podcast will be streaming live on the Dreamkeepers facebook tomorrow (Weds) around 6pm Eastern:  https://www.facebook.com/Dreamkeepers-Comic-347556762615/?ref=sgm

And if you didn't catch it yet, check out our interview on the Comics-r-Cool podcast:  http://slackjawpunks.com/comics-r-kewel-ep-24-musicals-and-dreams-feat-david-and-liz-lillie/

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

License to Plush

Readers know we've been plotting plush since spring-  http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/art/Whip-Plush-610649217

Whip is slated for a Kickstarter campaign, along with reinforcements- but who?

After a summer of mad experimentation, we can announce that a select number of handcrafted Mace and Vi will be joining the campaign!   ...Along with a sackful of cute little ryuu-nekos.

To bring the exclusive Vi and Mace plush up to our standards, (We cannot vouch for the quality of knockoffs), we have been left with no choice but to call an unknown titan of the craft out of retirement.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_ZMQuzZ6U&feature=youtu.be&t=1m43s

Watch our accounts for a sneak peek of the style guides, and the Kickstarter announcement-  Coming your way in about a week.

In the meanwhile, we must all ask ourselves:

Just how much fluff are we prepared to handle?