Adventurers, we’re already halfway through June and I don’t know about you but the second the sun (and warmth) comes out in Minnesota suddenly my focus shifts to the outdoors. I spent some time this past week cleaning up some of the weeds trying to take over my tiny little herb and veggie garden and I’ve been slowly but surely planting seeds and young plants to set them up for a summer of growth.

It’s also peak convention season, and I have several new charcoal pieces underway to launch at summer cons! I’ll have more to share about those (and some other big announcements!) as we head into July, but for now I wanted to share a brief update to get the latest enamel pin project on your radar, for those of you who are here for the pins. Take a look below at what’s new, now, and next at Raden Studios!

Happening Now: Mythical Bards Enamel Pin Campaign

I know I’ve had a lot of updates more recently connected with enamel pins. They’re not a primary focus of my work, but they are a relatively new one! In fact, I’ve been collecting pins myself for nearly two decades. I think it was probably inevitable that these would hit my creative radar eventually!

My latest set of pins, “Mythical Bards,” is currently live on BackerKit as part of our “Pin Quest” event and the first three pins have all fully funded! The next three we’re working to unlock, in order, include a dragon, will-o’-the-wisp, and wolpertinger. Drafts of the stretch goal designs are underway, along with finalizing the existing pin designs (they’re mostly there, just not quite final). There’s also a freebie pin you get for backing at least three of the Pin Quest projects, and a fun storytelling pin I’ve made as an add-on.

The whole series of Pin Quest projects includes a lot of really fun takes on mythical creatures and RPGs, both. Take a look, if that’s your thing! Pin Quest ends on Thursday, June 26.

Support the Mythical Bards campaign now!

If you’re looking for more enamel pin fun, I’m currently planning two additional crowdfunding campaigns to bring them to life through BackerKit, along with a third set of pins I’m self-funding:

• Mythical Bards 2 (spooky edition): There were too many mythical bards to pick from for this current series, but I’m having so much fun designing these I’d love to continue! Right now I’m intending to focus on some spookier (maybe glow-in-the-dark?) bard pins for the annual Pintober event in October. Top of my list includes a will-o’-the-wisp (if it doesn’t fund in this round of pins) and a cat-sìth!
• Con Adventurers 2: Similarly, there are so many more convention activities I’d love to capture in pin form! I’m planning for a return of my dragon and cat duo for Pintopia 2026 in January, bringing to life some major activities I missed in the first round, including gaming and cosplay.
• Artist Series 2: The first pins I designed with my own work (rather than as volunteer work for a local convention) were pin versions of some of my original charcoal drawings. My intent is to continue these every year, and I’m hoping to have the next set of six – including versions of “Deep Beneath the Waves,” “Quoth the Raven,” and “I’ll Believe in You” – ready before the fall!

Up Next: July Events!

Did I mention it’s convention season? Because it’s FULLY convention season! We have a very art-filled month ahead. Take a look below at what to expect in July (and to wrap up the end of June):

• June 14-28 | The LAST Unicorn Art Show, Minneapolis, MN | Art Show
  This is happening NOW! After ten years of unicorn art shows, this is officially the last one that the Otherworldly Arts Collective is hosting. I stopped by the show on its opening night last Saturday and there’s such a beautiful variety of unicorn/myth-inspired artwork. Definitely try to check it out before it’s gone!
• June 20 | Minnehaha Falls Park Market, Minneapolis, MN | Vendor, OUTDOORS
  Cross your fingers for me, it looks like rain in the forecast. This will be my first outdoor event, in beautiful Minnehaha Park, right next to the falls themselves. Music in the Minnehaha Bandstand starts at 7PM this day, and if the rain truly sticks to just the morning it could be a beautiful afternoon by the falls!
• June 20-23 | MisCon, Missoula, MT | Art Show
  I have a box of artwork inbound to Montana as we speak that should arrive in time for this upcoming convention weekend! There will be some limited edition works and originals, both, available for bidding in the art gallery.
• July 3-6 | CONvergence, Minneapolis, MN | Dealer’s Room/Art Show/Panels
  I’ll be here live and it’s going to be a PACKED CONvergence (CVG) weekend, but I’ll share more details about where to find me, my art, and my badge ribbons on socials when we get a tad closer. One of the biggest and busiest events of my year, and it’s nonstop fun for all four days!
• July 4-7 | BayCon/Westercon, Santa Clara, CA | Art Show
  I’ll have work in TWO art shows over the 4th of July weekend! BayCon/Westercon should have a new piece or two, as well. Stay tuned!
• July 12-13 | Range FanCon, Virginia, MN | Vendor
  One more live show in July and this one is up in beautiful northern Minnesota. I really enjoyed my time up here last year, looking forward to seeing you all again in just a couple weeks!

The best place to see the most up-to-date list of upcoming events is on my Events page, which I keep updated regularly when I receive acceptances into a new show.

As always, please let me know if there’s anything else you’d really love to see or hear about in my newsletter, and thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me!

There’s something I love about every season, but spring nudges ahead juuust a bit every time. The birds are chirping, everything is blooming and turning green, and it feels like a fresh setup for the rest of the year. I’ve been spending some time in my tiny little garden planting seeds and encouraging them to grow. I’m not always particularly successful, but I’m learning a bit more each year, and I find a lot of joy in connecting with nature, learning how the plants communicate their needs, and doing what I can to help out a bit.

Spring is also often the perfect time for me to look out at the creative year ahead! We’re on the precipice of blasting into summer, just before convention season really kicks into gear, and this year is shaping up to carry all that spring growth vibes into the summer months – including, notably, a step outside for the first time with a couple one-day outdoor markets in June and August.

That’s the ultra short update because there’s so much more to dig into below. (And apologies in advance for the quick snapshot photos versus ones that are better lit AND the very, very long update. I’ll work to make future ones shorter!) Take a look below at what’s new, now, and next at Raden Studios!

My metal bookmarks are some of the most popular items I carry at conventions, and they’re some of my favorites, too! They’re sturdy, shiny, pocket-sized art pieces that work well with the tall, narrow art style I tend to prefer. However, perhaps unsurprisingly given current changes across most markets, some changes are coming to both the bookmarks and rigid magnets. So, what happens now?

• Prices are rising for bookmarks and rigid magnets from $5 each to $7 each starting June 1. The cost of producing the metal bookmarks jumped significantly over the past couple weeks, and magnets aren’t far behind. Both are items I’ve kept at really small margins because I’ve enjoyed being able to make such sturdy, high-quality items at a really accessible price point. Unfortunately, that’s just no longer sustainable. But I did want to make sure you had some heads up so you can add any bookmarks you were looking at to your collection before the change!
• The printing process for metal bookmarks is changing (probably). The printer I typically work with has changed their printing process for metal prints, so new restocks moving forward (unless I find a new printer, which is also an option I’m looking into) are going to look a little different. It’s hard to describe the differences. If you’ve seen the current bookmarks before, they’re very shiny and have a smooth, glossy surface. The new process looks and feels sort of like a print on metal versus a metal print, if that makes sense. You can actually feel the inks on the metal and the effect is a little more matte and less vibrant than the glossy look we’re used to. On the plus side, in my opinion, the new printing process does a more accurate job of translating the art clearly to the metal, which I very much appreciate. On the flip side, I’m not sure if it really capitalizes on the effects of printing on metal in the same way. I have a comparison photo below of the “Quoth the Raven” bookmark with a sample of the new printing to try to show how it looks different. Let me know what you think, or if you prefer one over the other!
  • For reference, the bookmarks most likely to be restocked with the new printing first are Home Sweet Fairy Home, The Road Goes Ever On, and Curiosity: Touch da Fishy.
  • If you’re at Quantum-Con this weekend, I have the sample of the new version on hand to look at, if you’d like!

Comparison of current metal bookmarks with (coming soon) updated version.

What’s New: Restock/New Stock Coming May 23!

New bookmarks (left) and magnets (right). Not pictured: Con Adventurer pins.

If you visited Minicon in Minnesota over Easter weekend in April, you may have caught sight of a few new goodies!

• Floral Folklore gets magnetized: For the first time ever, four of my “Floral Folklore” series drawings are available as square fridge magnets! The “Floral Folklore” series has previously only been available as limited edition giclée prints. I love the quality and compact size of the “Floral Folklore” prints but wanted to try out something a little different for those lacking wall space at a slightly more accessible price point. I hope you love them!
• New bookmarks/magnets: Dinosaurs in Space, The Unicorn Breaks Free, and The View from Up Here have also now been added to the metal bookmark options. The View from Up Here is also now a rigid fridge magnet!
• (Some) Con Adventurer pins/stickers coming soon to a con near you: The first three Con Adventurer pins have been fully graded, backed, and are ready to rumble! The other four are still in production, pins for BackerKit backers have been pre-prepped, and shipping will begin soon on any orders that I am able to fulfill with just the three pins and stickers I have on hand now. I have plenty of extras, so you’ll be able to see them in person at conventions soon!

These are not available online (yet!) but should still be online this month. I’m aiming for a May 23 launch online for the new magnets and bookmarks. Stay tuned!

Happening Now: Art-a-Whirl and Quantum-Con

Left: Quantum-con volunteer bookmarks from 2023-2025. Right: A close-up of a portion of “Vicious Bardery,” on display at ALTR Gallery.

If you are in Minneapolis this weekend, there are two opportunities to see me and/or my work!

I’m vending LIVE at Quantum-Con in Plymouth all weekend long! You can find me in the Dealers Room (NOT Makers Market as I’d previously shared), probably doodling away on the next art piece, with lots of prints, bookmarks, magnets, and more on hand. I also have had the great privilege of designing a metal bookmark for volunteers for the last three years running! I don’t actually know what volunteers need to do to get this year’s bookmark (ope 😅) but you can see all three at my booth this weekend.

Additionally, my newest art piece, Vicious Bardery, is debuting at ALTR Gallery in Minneapolis as part of the Otherworldly Arts Collective “Visions from the Tabletop” art show. The show is open all weekend during Art-a-Whirl, which is also a lot of fun! Art-a-whirl is the largest open artist studio tour in the country and there are so many great artists sharing their work. Vicious Bardery isn’t available in print form (yet,) but I did stop by the art show last weekend and it’s a delightful assortment of dungeon-y, dragon-y, dice-filled art fun. Definitely worth checking out!

Up Next: A Busy Summer (Including Outdoors?!)

My art visited two art shows last month (JordanCon in Georgia and RavenCon in Virginia) and one in-person convention (Minicon) and I’m so grateful to all of you who brought a piece of my work home! Now we’re moving from a somewhat relaxed, but gratitude-filled, April into a VERY busy May (and summer ahead). No wonder this post is out late this month haha 😅

I’m separating the list below of summer events between shows I’ll be at live and shows where my art will be (but not necessarily me) to make it a little easier to navigate. I don’t have notes next to all of them, but wanted to call out some of the ones where I know already that I’ll be doing something a little different in addition to my art being available.

Live, in person, with a larger selection of art:

• June 7 | MNCBA SpringCon, Saint Paul, MN | Creator
• June 20 | Minnehaha Falls Park Market, Minneapolis, MN | OUTDOORS
  This is new! I’ve never done an outdoor event before. I have… a lot of anxiety around some of the unique challenges presented with setting up in an outdoor space. However, summers in Minnesota involve as much outdoor time as possible, and I’ve got my eyes on some large events I’d really love to try that require being outside. So we’re giving this a try with some short, one-day shows to learn in a limited space. Plus the park is beautiful and, I believe, the event is aligned with other events happening in the park at that time. Lots of outdoor fun for all!
• July 3-6 | CONvergence, Minneapolis, MN | Dealer’s Room
  I’ll so thrilled to be returning to CONvergence’s Dealer’s Room this year, but will also be in the Art Show AND on no less than *seven* panels. I already have badge ribbons on hand and can’t wait to dive into a very full four days of geeky fun with all of you!
• July 12-13 | Range FanCon, Virginia, MN | Vendor
• August 3 | Lake Harriet Park Market, Minneapolis, MN | OUTDOORS

Gallery-style art shows, where you’ll usually find some of my originals and limited edition work:

• May 23-25 | Balticon | Baltimore, MD
• May 23-26 | WisCon | ONLINE
• June 14-28 | The LAST Unicorn Art Show | Minneapolis, MN
• June 20-23 | MisCon | Missoula, MT
• July 3-6 | CONvergence | Minneapolis, MN
• July 4-7 | BayCon/Westercon | Santa Clara, CA
• August 13-17 | Seattle Worldcon | Seattle, WA

The best place to see the most up-to-date list of upcoming events is on my Events page, which I keep updated regularly when I receive acceptances into a new show. But hopefully this little snapshot is still informative while you look ahead at the summer, too!

As always, please let me know if there’s anything else you’d really love to see or hear about in my newsletter, and thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me.

Welcome to April, Adventurers! I’m back home from a whirlwind weekend at WonderCon in Los Angeles (LA) and I’m so grateful for everyone who stopped by or who I connected with this weekend!

Last year’s WonderCon was the first time I flew to a convention in order to participate in Artist Alley. I made a LOT of mistakes. But I learned from those and am so pleased with the changes I was able to make this year that led to a smoother flight, set up, and weekend all around – including learning some CAD to design my own 3D-printed modular, flat pack shelves! For my fellow artists out there, we’re looking at ways we can make these shelves available to others. They worked so beautifully during their first test run this weekend! Stay tuned!

The closer we get to the summer, the busier the year gets. Take a look below at what’s new, now, and next at Raden Studios!

What’s New: Shrinking Down Originals!

Nope, this is not an April Fool’s joke! In case you missed me in LA, I offered a few mini originals at this year’s WonderCon for the first time ever! Flying to a convention requires a lot of additional considerations (not the least of which is luggage weight and space) and I just can’t bring my regular framed original work with me right now for a con I’m flying to. Introducing these 4″x6″ charcoal drawings allowed me to bring some original work to the convention when I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, and provided a little bit of a different format for some charcoal fun!

I only brought four of these little cuties to the convention this year, but most quickly found new homes! This is definitely something I’m going to consider for future events. TBD. But I’m pleased that this was a successful first foray into smaller original works, and I’m grateful to those who brought one of these originals home!

Happening Now: Enamel Pin Pre-Order

My “Con Adventurers” enamel pin pre-order store is still open for anyone who missed the crowdfunding window – but not for long! I’m tentatively planning to close orders and lock surveys on April 13, 2025. There are two additional pins that we didn’t quite reach during the initial crowdfunding campaign that we’re working to unlock through the pre-order store, and one is *very* close to unlocking. Take a look if you haven’t already!

Visit the Pre-Order Store Now!

If you did back my crowdfunding campaign during the crowdfunding window, thank you! Surveys are due soon, take a look at the last project update for more details!

Up Next: A Packed April (and a Peek at May)!

We’re fully in convention season, and April is packed! I’ve had a few last minute additions to my convention schedule. Take a look below at where you can expect to see me and/or my art this month!

• April 18-20 | Minicon, Minneapolis, MN | Dealer/Art Show
  Minicon has returned to the “Radishtree,” as it’s affectionately called in the geek community in Minnesota, and I’ll be tabling there for the first time this upcoming Easter weekend! I also plan to have work in the art show. Can’t wait to see you all there!
• April 25-27 | JordanCon, Atlanta, GA | Art Show
  I’m unfortunately unable to attend JordanCon this year, but best wishes to all my Wheel of Time friends! If you’re a writer and are attending, I *highly* recommend the writers track and visiting the author alley, as well! #ItISAprilNow
• April 25-27 | RavenCon, Richmond, VA | Art Show
  I unfortunately haven’t yet been able to attend RavenCon in person, but I am excited to return for the second year to the RavenCon Art Show and am grateful to connect with you all still in this way! I hope you all have a lovely convention weekend!
• May 10-18 | Visions from the Tabletop, Minneapolis, MN | Art Show
  This gallery art show will celebrate artworks inspired by the realms of high fantasy tabletop roleplaying games and will be running during Art-A-Whirl, a massive open studio tour and art celebration held in northeast Minneapolis annually, now in its 30th year!
• May 16-18 | Quantum-con, Plymouth, MN | Makers Market
  Not only will I have a table at Quantum-con this year, but this is also the third year in a row that I will have made official art for the con featuring the convention’s mascot, Quint the unicorn.

I’m planning on new work being available for most, if not all, of these upcoming events, so stay tuned! As always, please let me know if there’s anything else you’d really love to see or hear about in my newsletter, and thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me.

Hello, Adventurers!

I know I promised to keep posts/email updates to a minimum, and that remains true, but I wanted to let you all know of an important change. My news home has moved once again – if not for forever, at least for a good long while. After learning a little more about Substack and their values (after the initial move, but better late than never), I know it’s not going to work for me, and I apologize to anyone who got a bad taste in their mouth from the initial decision.

My new news home is on my own website, using WordPress tools in ways I haven’t in a long while! In the realm of silver linings, I found through this process that a blog-like news device that could also send emails was definitely more appealing to me than a traditional newsletter. And what better space to live than on my own website, rather than through a disconnected tool!

So here we are. I expect we’ll still have some kinks to work out as I learn to utilize another new system. But I’m looking forward to connecting with all of you here!

That’s all for now. Diving back into WonderCon prep, and you’ll hear from me again in April!

Storyteller note: Hi, Adventurers! This is a re-post of my first newsletter/blog post which had first appeared on Substack. I very quickly moved away from there to here, but didn’t want to lose this first post. The post below is unedited from the original.

Hello, and welcome to my new news home – and the very first Raden Studios newsletter!

You’re here because you either opted into receiving emails from Raden Studios or because you found me on social. You may have also noticed, after signing up for the mailing list, that your inbox remained mysteriously (and unintentionally) quiet.

My intention, for some time now, has been to create a monthly newsletter sharing what’s happening in my little corner of the creative world but it just… kept slipping through my fingers. Today, I’m working to change that.

I’m new to Substack and really just getting my feet wet, but what I do love already is that this feels more personable than your standard email. That’s really what I’m hoping to achieve with this newsletter! My goal is that this will become a space where we can connect a little more organically and a little more authentically on everything that’s going on.

Thank you for your interest and belief in my work (and me!) so far! I’m looking forward to continuing this journey together. Into the news, Adventurers!

What’s New: “The View from Up Here”

We’re just two months into 2025 but I feel like the number of “firsts” I’ve tried could fill a year – first ever dance classes, first crowdfunding campaign, first illustration commission in a new format, wrapped up my first official comics lettering work, first convention Art Shows of the year, and so much more!

Much of that is behind-the-scenes work, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about each of these as the year progresses. But I’m also excited to share my first charcoal illustration of the year!

“The View from Up Here” depicts a cat on a very tall stand of rocks, so high it’s almost as if they can touch the night sky all around them, with the moon looming just ahead and planets just a quick jump away. The original drawing debuted and sold at the Gallifrey One Art Show February 14-16. Prints will be available at in-person shows this month!

Happening Now: Enamel Pin Pre-Order

If you follow me on socials, you may have seen that I was part of BackerKit’s Pintopia January 23-February 13. My “Con Adventurers” enamel pin project did successfully fund but we didn’t quite unlock all of the stretch goals. I’m pleased to share that my pre-order store is now open for anyone who missed the crowdfunding window – along with two additional pins that we can still unlock if they receive enough support!

The pre-order store won’t be open for long, so don’t wait – especially if you’re interested in the two stretch goals. Take a look!

Visit the Pre-Order Store Now

If you did back my crowdfunding campaign during the crowdfunding window, thank you! You’ll receive surveys hopefully this coming week. Take a look at the latest project update (sent today) for more details!

Up Next: Classes, Conventions, and Comics

I’ll be heads down much of this month as I work to wrap up art on two short comics, along with prep for two March conventions AND a new-to-me teaching opportunity!

• March 4-5 | Young Writers & Artists Conference, Mankato, MN
  I will be presenting an interactive session on creating comics during the upcoming YWAC conference in Mankato, which is designed for kids grades 3-8. This is an entirely new experience for me, but I’m so excited to spend some time connecting with and empowering young creative folks!
• March 7-9 | MarsCon, Bloomington, MN
  I’ll have art in the MarsCon Art Show. My hope is to debut one new art piece, “A Midnight Stroll,” but as of this writing it’s not quite done. Either way, there will be lots of prints, metal bookmarks, limited edition gold foil prints, and more available!
• March 28-30 | WonderCon, Anaheim, CA
  I’m returning for the second year to Artist Alley at WonderCon! I’ll be near where I was last year, at table F-58, and will be bringing a selection of new prints, an easier-to-navigate display, pins, magnets, and even some small original drawings.

Whew! That was a lot for a first newsletter, but there’s so much more ahead. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d really love to see or hear about in my newsletter, and thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me!