tychodorian

[tychodorian]

QUERY UPDATE:

Okay, here’s your little querying update from a perpetually stressed-out author: I got ghosted. Yup. An agent who explicitly asked for an exclusive submission vanished. Like a magician. POOF. Gone. Never heard from again. So, I’m moving on like any emotionally resilient person would by submitting to more agents and refreshing my email every six minutes.

I’m on my first batch now. One of them already rejected me, which is fun and sexy and absolutely great for my self-esteem. 🤣

So now I’m just in that liminal space of waiting and hoping and wondering. But seriously, fingers crossed someone out there loves my book enough to take a chance on it.

[tychodorian]

🧧 Day 02 of trying to convince you to buy this Chinese-inspired mixed media painting before I board a plane to New Zealand ✈️

Day 02 of trying to convince you to buy this painting before I inevitably forget how to pronounce 'Aoteraroa' under pressure.

This piece is inspired by the Xiehong makeup trend from the Tang dynasty, when people painted red slashes on their cheeks or next to their eyes. Why? Fashion. Drama. Possibly blood. One story says a consort had a real cut on her face, and suddenly everyone was like, oh that’s the look now. Kind of iconic, honestly.

So naturally, I turned that vibe into a shadowbox painting using Black 3.0, metallic paper, watercolor, and fake pearls because I am, fundamentally, also just that dramatic.

But here’s the thing: I literally can’t take it with me. It doesn’t fit in my suitcase. My cat barely fits in my suitcase. So unless I want TSA to yell at me, I need you to adopt this piece and give it a nice wall.

✨ Buy it on Etsy or DM me. ✨

[tychodorian]

One of many third book makeouts 🫡

[tychodorian]

Brand new page of Heaven's Equal is live!

Shawn's on a mission to hunt down a killer, now. You can all 200+ pages on Tapas and Webtoons.

If you're a fan of Sun Wukong, Journey to the West, and the monkey king, you'll love this!

[tychodorian]

Hey writers—are you accidentally turning your characters into walking infodumps in the first paragraph?

You know the one:

“She had long, curly auburn hair, emerald green eyes, a black leather jacket with silver studs, fingerless gloves, combat boots, a skull necklace, three earrings in her left ear, and a crescent moon tattoo on her collarbone…”

It's giving that one My Immortal fanfic, which isn't great.

That’s not a character description. That’s a receipt. And while you may be eager to show off your OC’s entire Hot Topic ensemble, it’s a fast-track way to make your reader quietly set the book down and walk away.

Instead, drip-feed those details. Naturally. In motion. Like this:

“She shoved her hands into her fingerless gloves and kicked the vending machine. One of her earrings caught on her jacket’s collar, but she didn’t stop.”

Same vibe, but it ends up more immersive. This'll prevent your reader from getting bored and their eyes glazing over as they try to get to action over information.

Think of character traits like seasoning. Too much all at once ruins the dish. Sprinkle. Don’t smother.

Follow for more writing tips, and remember: just because you see the character like a fully-loaded Pinterest board doesn’t mean your reader needs to get flashbanged by it on page one. 👍

[tychodorian]

The taco has found a home!!!

Thank you to a buyer on YouTube/TikTok for sending this baby to a new place. I appreciate everyone taking such an interest in my art, and words can't describe how amazing it is to make something and to have someone love it so much they want to display it in their home!

[tychodorian]

Commissions are open again!

Now that I'm not dying from grad school, I can take any and all commissions, whether book editing projects, publishing stuff, or art.

My book publishing services include editing, ghostwriting, writing coaching, and book design.

If you're interested, DM me for details!

[tychodorian]

Omg @hollow-prey thank you so much for your kind words!!! Seriously, I love Errol so much 😭 he's got a great design and I'm so happy I got to draw him. 💜

SO many thanks again to the @jndzine for selecting me to be one of the artists for the zine. I can't even express how much of an honor it was to be able to share my love for this fandom with everyone!

[tychodorian]

Being an artist right now, especially if you're like me and in grad school, working a job, and trying to keep your personal projects alive, is absolutely exhausting.

You can’t just do one thing to stay afloat. You have to juggle everything. Client work, personal art, commissions, merch, books, content creation, part-time jobs, and somehow still have the energy to exist. Every dollar comes from a different micro-income stream, and none of them are enough on their own. It’s like financial Jenga. LITERALLY the worst.

And yeah… I miss deadlines. Burnout hits hard. Projects fall behind. But if I stop? Everything falls apart. There’s no safety net. Just this constant hustle.

Bleh. I don't know. Just feeling overwhelmed lately.

[tychodorian]

🎨 Day 01 of trying to convince you to buy this Chinese Tang dynasty-inspired painting before I vanish into the fog of New Zealand and become an international cryptid

This shadowbox piece was painted using exactly 60 brush strokes for a gallery show challenge, and it's made with synthetic pearls, watercolor, metallic paper, and Black 3.0—aka paint from the void. It absorbs 99% of visible light and looks absolutely unreal in person.

If you're looking for a gift for your mysterious art-loving mom, or just want to support a trans artist fleeing the U.S. for somewhere safer, this is your sign. 🖤

💥 It’s 30% off in my Etsy shop right now. Go grab it before I disappear into the mist.

[tychodorian]

crayfish galore!

[tychodorian]

A new page of Heaven's Equal is live!

I can't believe I've posted over 200 pages of this thing. Slowly but surely this comic is coming together!

You can read the entire thing for free on Tapas and Webtoons.

[tychodorian]

🎧✨ One week left! ✨🎧

There’s only ONE WEEK left to grab a Late Pledge for the King of Dust Audiobook on Kickstarter!

If you missed the original campaign, this is your last chance to grab the full audiobook (narrated by me!), exclusive merch, and early-access bonuses before it’s gone for good.

🦇 Queer fantasy? 🧛 Cursed vampires? 💔 Messy exes? ✨ Found family + redemption arcs?

It’s all in King of Dust, and now it’s fully voice-acted, dramatized, and wrapped in bonus goodies for backers.

🎁 Late pledges close May 13th – don’t miss out:

Thanks for the support, friends 💜

[tychodorian]

🌮✨ Goodbye, little taco painting! ✨🌮

THE CLAW HAS CHOSEN

It’s official! My beloved taco painting has found a new home! While it didn’t make it into Casa Bonita like I originally hoped, it's headed somewhere even better: the rad home of TikTok user ryebread4986, who generously gave it a new life.

Thank you so much for supporting my work and giving this piece the love it deserves. 💛

Now go, little taco. May your cheesy spirit bring joy forever. 🌮🖼️

[tychodorian]

Dog

[tychodorian]

Okay. Can we PLEASE talk about something that happens way to often on art streams?

Why do people feel the need to pop into a stream and immediately type: "DRAW MY TWO OCS KISSING."

Like... hello? Sir? Ma'am? Friend? I don't know you!

You didn't say hi. You didn't engage. You didn't even lurk for five seconds. You just came in hot with "DRAW THIS" like I'm some sad little NPC waiting to do everything you ask.

Artists streaming their work are already offering a free service. We're out here making stuff, offering good vibes, and sharing that process with people FOR FREE. That is already a gift.

We are not zoo animals. We are not art vending machines. We are not AI bots trained to draw whatever you type in the chat.

If the stream says commissions are open? Awesome! Be a human being and ask POLITELY about pricing. You wouldn't walk into someone's store and scream "GIVE ME THIS FOR FREE" so why are you doing that in my stream, ya filthy animal?

Just... please have manners. Respect artists. Support us if you can. But please, for the love of all things good in this world, stop demanding free stuff.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk. Artists are people, too.

[tychodorian]

The latest update of Heaven's Equal is live on Tapas and Webtoons!

If you like the Monkey King, you'll love my Journey to the West adaptation. I only need 12 more subs on Tapas to be able to make ad revenue!

Check it out: