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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork

@alzamon.bsky.social
1.4K followers 626 following 7.2K posts

Alberto González, Costa Rican 🇨🇷 children's illustrator, middle grade comics author, character designer. Not sure of what I'm doing but I do anyway. Portfolio 👉 alzamon.com Newsletter 👉 newsletter.alzamon.com Elsewhere 👉 go.alzamon.com

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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 12h
I've seen lots of faux pas in comics, both amateur and professional, but the one which always irks me is two balloon tails crossing each other, sword-like... come on, how about re-arranging your scene so you don't have that? That's why now I start with the lettering to figure out the rest.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 14h
I did take some time at ease as stated on Monday but alas, the guilt trip hit pretty soon (curse you freelancing life!). So now I have about 3 illos at several completion stages, and extra art for my TBA comic's website which yes, I am coding it myself as I have all mine.
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Dolo Okecki @dolokecki.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
#kidlitartpostcard day! I am Dolo Okecki, an 🇦🇷 artist who has mainly illustrated middle-grade books, textbooks and comics/GN. And love picture books with animals. Repped by Astound in the US., UK and most regions, contact details and samples at www.dolokecki.com Available in 2027 but times flies.
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scott⚡️mccloud @scottmccloud.bsky.social · 17h
When some comics became intangible online, paper became *visible* to artists again, leading to beautiful new paper comics. Now, when some "art" becomes inhuman, *we* become visible to ourselves again. What beautiful new *human* art might be the result?
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 17h
Yay for beanies, not so much yay for the empty eyes. Looks like he's possessed or something. 😅 I did create a mascot self persona a while ago and in fact I use it on my artist branding, but I still feel my OCs are funnier for avatars.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 17h
Have been thinking about this (it was bound to happen sometime anyway) but what I think it will happen is younger artists having harder than ever to prove their work isn't deceitful slop. At least I still have some old, horrible amateurish sketchbooks from the 90s to provide as evidence. :P
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 20h
That sounds much better and effective - there's power in numbers and organization. I've seen some such examples around. Still, it is wise to go tactfully about it as no goodwill is achieved on attacking others troll-style. You want supporters, not new enemies ☝️
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 20h
That's my current litmus test. If I come across a given place where everything looks nice and in place but I spot one of those such things, they ain't getting my business. Most people sure don't care. But I do, I vote with my money 💸
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 21h
I live in what could be described as a working class neighborhood and while I understand many small business owners not knowing better, seeing AI slop signs at their places always feels like a hot slap at my face. Microagressions if you will. If the circumstances allow I try to explain though.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 22h
Gotta love White Sox Pope being based AF in regards to AI only for someone to follow up with “what about the Minions” 🍌
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 22h
Not even Orwell was able to imagine this scenario. Reality keeps trumping fiction, much to our dismay 🤦🏻
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 22h
Y sí, hay artistas que si uno no estuviera familiarizado con ellos por ✨años ✨como el caso de la presente, va uno y dice de una que es IA, tal el volumen de apropiación (robo) del que han sido objeto. Ahora tenemos que andar acumulando evidencias de que no somos robots, hostias ya. 🙃
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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
You can read the first four chapters right here! For FREE! Free is good, right? Everybody likes free.
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Jess Fink🍉🌈 @jessfink.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🎃
A 7 panel comic by the artist. First panel: The artist is running from a distance towards a group of people playing basketball in the park. The artist is holding a pumpkin above their head and screaming "AAAAAAAAA". Second panel: The artist has leapt up and is in position to slam dunk the pumpkin into the basketball hoop. Panel three: the pumpkin splatters violently against the backboard of the basketball hoop, sending orange pumpkin goop everywhere. Panel four: the players stand staring, covered in pumpkin goop and shocked. Panel five: the artist stares at them wide-eyed, also covered in the goop and says "it's October FIRST". Their hand reaches towards their face. Panel six: the artist rips off their own face like a rubber mask to reveal a skeleton beneath. Panel 7: the group of players stand shocked and horrified, watching as the skeleton falls to the ground in a pile of bones, the sound effects says "CLATTER".
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The penciling phase involves a lot of redos and second thoughts for me, I don't feel confident to move to inking until I get to a crystal-clear base... Then I often question myself why always be a perfectionist and why not just do it all on pencils instead 🥲
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𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒔 🦑 @andressanchis.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
¡Viva las bibliotecas! ¡Viva los libros! ¡Viva al Cultura, las historias y las personas! Os dejo, en petit comité, una propuesta ilustrada que no salió adelante para un proyecto de @squidandpig.bsky.social. Nunca lo habíamos publicado ni compartido. Ositos lectores que se parten de risa ;) #art
Osito lector de humor.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The same could be said from picture books, GNs and the like. Even if AI´s sources were finally ethically correct and all that to produce them, they would still suck in the sense that creative art and writing are intimate exchanges between *human* minds and worlds, not fabricated hallucinations. 📚
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Brandon Santiago @4brandonjs4.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Remember, fellow artists: it’s okay for your sketchbooks to be messy. That’s kind of the point. It doesn’t have to be fancy like those sketchbook tours on Instagram. Funny thing is I gotta remind myself that sometimes too. lol
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Acá ya es parecido, bocha de gente perdiendo empleos y así, muchos vamos al todo o nada para la temporada de fin de año, esperando que la gente se distraiga comprando cómics y peluches, ja 🥲
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yo imprimí cien copias de mi librito pensando que iba a vender todo en un finde. Ahí tengo aún dos tercios, a ver si los muevo de acá a fin de año. Interesante la experiencia como aprendizaje y no se me da tan mal ser vendedor pero hacer el artista a la vez es alto embole. 🫠
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Team Cascão desde o berço ✊
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
So I'm here trying to finish a piece for tomorrow but... let's just say everything's incredibly hard when you feel like rowing through molasses all the time. 😪
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Scruffo @scruffodraws.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Another concept piece as I try to figure out how to improve my backgrounds
1930s scene of a cartoon girl crossing a street and telling a cat, "ya gotta stay vigilant, kid. This city will eat you alive if you ain't careful!". She's too busy playing with a yoyo to notice the Ford Model A slamming on the breaks to avoid hitting them.
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Meg @meganroseruiz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Apparently I don’t know what gray is?
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There IS lots of great music currently being made. It is just not to be found on the usual mainstream channels. Granted we haven't been able to shake off completely the idea of MSM shaping up our tastes and preferences like they used to in the 80s-90s. 😅
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Quite likely no one there would choose listening to sloppy AI simulacra over this, it's not that complicated 🤘
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Même si j’aimerais de faire des choses de plus en plus “à l’ancienne“ , la bd est cependant hors question 🥹 maaaais j’ai commencé à essayer avec cettes miniatures-ci à l’aquarelle après d’années de faire rien en papier, ne me consomme pas trop de temps et c’est zen et fun ☺️
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R. LaFille @rivkahlafille.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I see the "how to avoid burnout" question making the rounds, and as always, my answer is this:
kidscomicsunite.com
How to Build a Career in Graphic Novels and Not Kill Yourself Doing It. - Kids Comics Unite
Once upon a time, I was young(er), bright-eyed, and twenty-three. I also happened to have my first graphic novel to finish, and less than a year in which to do […]
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Brandon Santiago @4brandonjs4.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Imagine having a somewhat cute looking mascot character for your company and using them to defend a bad business decision you made… only to then see millions of artists draw every imaginable type of torture committed onto that mascot. Brutal, but still deserved.
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Norin 🦈 🔜 Nycc 3679? @mahoukarp.com · 30/09/2026
giant pikachu 🐁⚡️ #art #pokemon
Illustration of a gigantic pikachu in the middle of a city
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The Inside Out remake nobody asked for. Now seriously, what is it with AI and all these kawaii-cutesy avatars? What's the idea? Souring us all on the cute and cuddly? 🥲🐹
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pxmolina @pxmolina.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today is Mafalda's 62nd “birthday”. Quino's brilliant comic strip is as relevant and popular as ever. The only sad part of this is all the stupid AI-generated slop that makes her say all sorts of nonsense she never actually said. But anyway, here's my tribute (not made with AI).
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
TBH you can actually prompt an AI to produce an output and then explain the "why" of everything to you and self-evaluate yourself, as in coach mode. However most don't bother and take the laziest route instead: "do magic for me" 🙃🪄✨
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
And of course the capybara fulfilling its nature-assigned, complementary role of undisturbable zen pillow/sofa 🐹
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Have been pondering about this. I'm not really sure how much is worth it learning to code from scratch these days (full disclosure: I'm assembling a project companion website with AI assistance). But also, how else are you gonna understand what are you actually doing, that's the question. 🤔
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Having had a previous life as a tech worker meant having known too many people who didn't see anything wrong with AI and were rather hyped, very vocal enthusiasts of it... until it began messing with their very job security and career futures. Meanwhile, artists:
static.klipy.com
First Time? Meme from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
ALT: First Time? Meme from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For my latest comics release I decided to dispense with CSP's crappy text / color profile tools. Exported everything into Affinity Publisher* and added text, balloons, CMYK profiling there. Printed out fine. *I still use version 2 cause I paid for it, not the free one 🥲
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I had a past life as a tech worker and most of my contacts there are from that time. The sight of them now being super pilled AI shills is a giant nope for me being there :P
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Pa mí esto va más allá de las Españas, que por acá hay más de uno que no te atiende como no sea por el puñeto WASAP. Ya se les olvidó que existen los mails y que en lo profesional la palabra escrita es la que vale. En fin, llámenme viejo.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ugh here too. As in "need it but also loathe it". The duality of man 🥲
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Los mismos que llegan a mi país 🇨🇷 a "encontrarle sentido a la vida" (medio siglo acá y aún no lo hallo, jodé) y mira tú por donde el "sentido" en forma de latifundismo para encarecernos la vida al resto, es que no hay color :P
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Ugly drawings are better than AI drawings” But of course.
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schmoe :⬮] @spongebeatle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
having artist friends with styles way more complex than yours but they still fw you
static.klipy.com
Chris Griffin Dances: Take On Me (Family Guy)
ALT: Chris Griffin Dances: Take On Me (Family Guy)
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The latest infringer IME is Youtube Music which I use since I'm paying a premium family plan. Well now they've got these stupid "refine with AI" buttons strategically placed so you can't NOT hit them, dark patterns all the way. I'm tired 😓
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Abeeha Tariq @abeehatariqart.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
something a bit more different from me but I got a lot to say and I’m not comfortable in front of a camera so… keep AI out of schools!!
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Meanwhile, the children of Silicon Valley's top brass receive top strict analog, screen-free education in their formation years and... no one questions why is that?
nytimes.com
Silicon Valley Executives Are Tech Fans. Just Not for Their Own Kids. (Gift Article)
At home, moderation and restraint are the rule for tech parents. Boredom is exalted. Maybe they’re onto something.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
But Pogo's P.T. Bridgeport did it first 📣
Sample frame of Walt Kelly's Pogo featuring the character of P.T. Bridgeport talking in elaborate fonts in the old style of retro posters of the 19th century
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I've been holding on to the same sketchbook for _years_ (yes, tablet syndrome too) it's about 80% full though, and nowhere as tidy as yours. And I have a bunch more still unused. At my current pace I won't need to buy a new sketchbook ever again 🥹
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Even me who isn't into that stuff (but do follow a bunch of very vocal, opinionated people on the subject) knows what's going on. Granted, big business turning a blind eye on all this and continuing with the HP charade because it's still a monster money making machine doesn't help.
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Alzamon | Middle Grade Comics & Artwork @alzamon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Well, first week in months I don't have to rush with jobs so I wanted to cool my jets a bit, draw stuff just because... But I still need do do some email follow-ups, finally organize my Patreon / Kofi, and think of Halloween / Xmas motifs for pending art fairs in the year (3 at least).
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