Building Worlds
Building an original world isn't always about making progress. Sometimes it's about waiting for the next piece of the puzzle to reveal itself. A founder's journal on comics, creativity and building The Canis one step at a time.
The most frustrating thing about building an alternate reality streetwear game and world is that my brain needs rest in between.
The cognitive load of the past week has been brutal.
Letting the puzzle emerge rather than making the pieces fit is honestly annoying.
I don’t often stare at a blank page for very long, or at least if I do, then there is my first clue, I’m barking up the wrong Tenet.
The Comic
As The Canis underwent its own supernova, and exploded in every direction, I have been trying to work out what goes in the comic.
I already had the story, so how hard could it be right?
A week of hardly anything. Small notes, one hour of progress, and then the end of thought, for the day not just that session. And when I say end, I mean end. Of productivity as well, not just comic book text.
That’s been rough, I don’t like slow. Everything is already slower by its nature, independent brand, solo founder, circular fashion.
It feels personal, when it goes even slower because I’m still going a thousand miles an hour.
But the comic has emerged successfully.
Concept artwork exploring Spineless, one of the Conditions spreading throughout The Canis.
Art is next
This is actually what I was most afraid of but having gone through the comic book tunnel and emerged the other end, with game stronger and story stronger, the art has become what I am most looking forward to. I just wish there were two of me.
Kerryn and Nyrrek
Why am I picturing one with a hunchback?
Printing the comic
I’ll be hiding it online first. Once I have done the work that needs to be done, over the coming months, I will see if people want it. You might have noticed hardly anyone knows we exist yet.
I just need to move house, and then that will be my focus. In the meantime, tell someone you know.
Much bigger than me
I’ve quietly built a behemoth.
Does anyone have any biscuits?
Dance Tenet
The game has officially started. A quick update on The Canis, comics, cards, and why Tenet dancing is somehow the least strange thing happening around here.
There is a small chance that I have lost touch with reality. That’s not a bad thing; I am building another one.
The Canis is an original world expressed through streetwear, comics and playable artifacts.
It’s On
Raptor 1 and Raptor Wakes as dusty recovered artifacts.
There is much to be revealed, but the game has officially started.
Hours of web building, alt text, and thousands of moments in between figuring out language and images, and I can’t stop thinking about the cards and the points system behind them.
I cannot wait to get started on the comics and the cards. I’m a systems person. This really is my bag. I have wanted to make my own comic for as long as I can remember.
The Cards
The first part of The Canis streetwear game is live; the cards are an additional layer. They will be playable. More on that when my brain produces it. Signal Lost.
The Comics
Trying to take this on by myself might be the most insane thing I have done yet. Most comics are made by several people. I still have a business to run, designs to create, story to write and characters to develop.
Thankfully, half The Canis writes itself, the hard part is getting it out of my head.
Please send help. We accept magical caterpillars, beans and dolls.
The world is evolving.
I think moon eaters are coming. I know Logic is growing something else. Tenet will most likely hijack my brain at some point.
And Ultraviolet is somewhere in another universe, getting more annoyed by the minute.
Sun Eaters
A doodle. A grin. A giant cosmic worm.
Sun Eater began as a sketch over before evolving into one of the first true species of The Canis. This is how a bedtime doodle became mythology, original art, and sustainable streetwear.
I honestly have no idea why I put that doodle on a tee.
It must be his stupid grinning face.
He makes me laugh.
No one knew that this 11pm doodle, would become a species, a force of nature.
“I ate the sun, but I’m sorry!”
Star Maggots
Attracted to dying or unstable light.
They only know one way to solve a problem.
No world, no problem.
I almost deleted it
When I started the shop with my 20 year old teenage art, I knew they were characters, I knew there was a world.
The world just hadn't revealed itself yet.
While every other brand is doing back prints, sleeve prints and full-garment graphics,
I'm drawing star maggots.
Sun Eater is no longer a drawing
He’s a giant cosmic worm.
He cleans up.
He might eat our sun.
But he’ll definitely apologise after.
Let the design breathe
Inhale, hum, bark. (if you know, you know)
That's the transition from illustration to mythology.
I’m having so much fun. There aren’t enough hours in the day.
Though this heatwave is making me, question things. Maybe he should eat it…