iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

follow my patreon for unfiltered gems in the image captions, such as this.

a cropped screenshot of a patreon post showing image caption text that reads "For a friend. Extra spicy!!! I feel like more people should be unafraid to commission nsfw. Don't be shy, artists are freaks. I'm artists."

i'll be at these Cartoonists United events this month, see you there perhaps: 🎼✍🏽 hosting Ear and Eye Jam, Oct. 11 🖼️💭 facilitating Critique Group B, Oct. 19

A graphic announcing the “EAR & EYE JAM SESSIONS” event, to be held on Sunday, October 11th, at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 7 PM GMT / 5 AM (Monday) AEST. The illustration is mostly black and ivory in a sketchy fountain pen style. On a page of sheet music, an inkwell with a coy, mysterious smile draws musical bars using a singing five-pronged pen nib. Text below reads: “Listen to a music album start to finish, draw what you hear”. Music notes stylized to look like eyes, time signatures and squiggles of ink decorate the page.

A black and white graphic showing two illustrations of co-op mascots Inkling (an inkwell) and Nibford. Body text reads: “Comics Critique Groups / Group A: meets on the last Saturday of each month at 6 PM UK Time / Group B: meets on the xxxx of each month at x PM xx Time / Check out hub.cartoonist.coop/doku.php?id=critique_groups for Zoom links, submission forms, and more!” On the left, over handwritten block text reading "CUG-A!", Inkling wears cat paw gloves and throws a bunch of comic pages in the air while Nibford reclines underneath wearing cat paw gloves and a cat ears headband. On the right, over handwritten block text reading “CUG-B!”, Inkling and Nibford wear matching striped rugby uniforms and cleats and run to the left together over zigzaggy grass.”

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 29/09/2026

Silk + Cassandra Cain details. thanks for liking this one. 🔏✌🏽

a crop of an ink, watercolor and gouache illustration on bristol paper depicting Marvel comics character Silk. she sits in a relaxed pose between a pair of wood-paneled speakers mounted on a lime green wall in a record store.

a crop of an ink, watercolor and gouache illustration on bristol paper depicting DC Comics character Cassandra Cain / Batgirl. she sits on a round orange stool with chrome trim and is thrashing whilst turning up the volume on an amp to "MAX".

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 28/09/2026

biiiiig Silk + Cassandra Cain commission done! where they're hanging was artist's choice, so of course i put 'em in a record store with the client's fave albums. soooo freakin fun 🕸️🎸🦇

an 11x17 inch ink, watercolor and gouache illustration on bristol paper depicting Silk and Cassandra Cain in an old school record store. Cassandra Cain sits on a round orange stool with chrome trim and is thrashing whilst turning up the volume on an amp to "MAX". in front of her is a Micro-Seiki DD-40 turntable, currently playing DANGER DAYS by My Chemical Romance. in between a pair of wood-paneled speakers mounted on the walls, Silk sits in a relaxed pose and hands another record (LILIAC by IU) to Cassandra. decorating the walls are more vinyls and posters including works by Sam Cooke, Norah Jones, Nas, Big Pun, Labi Siffer, Olivia Dean, Yorushika, and (my self-indulgent addition) The Strokes. the colors are bright, with the lime-green walls dominating, mixtures of purple, pink, teal and highlighter yellow in the characters' supersuits, plus warm browns and oranges in the furniture and audio gear.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 27/09/2026

for this commission, i really wanted to draw an old-timey elevator. thank you to this client for letting me trap their characters in one. ✨

an ink and watercolor illustration for a commission of Remi and Tamaki from COLD HANDS, COLD HEART by Mariko Abe. a tall femme with long, swirling platinum hair wears a fur coat that's slipping off one shoulder to reveal a dark glittering dress; she looms over a shorter, curly-haired person in a herringbone vest and pants who looks up at her with an admiring and timid expression. they are in an old fashioned elevator with brass grilled doors; the color scheme is mostly brass tones of sepia and gold and blue-black shadows with accents of ice blue and violet.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 22/09/2026

requiem of the rose king commission done. thank you for the extremely emo request 🖤🥀

a black and white ink illustration on bristol paper of Richard from Requiem of the Rose King; an androgynous one-winged figure in a tight-fitting black gothic outfit sprawled elegantly on marble overgrown with thorns and roses, a dagger in one hand

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 20/09/2026

more 80D doodles. still feeling sentimental!

scribbly fountain pen ink drawings in my sketchbook of Jay Corvidae and Fix Vulpes from EIGHTY DAYS being generally romantic

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 18/09/2026

some variegated monstera leaves around the apartment.

some fountain pen ink drawings of individual variegated monstera leaves scattered across a page of my sketchbook

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 15/09/2026

clear skies, good swing out west.

scribbly fountain pen ink drawings in my sketchbook of Jay Corvidae (leading) and Fix Vulpes (following) from EIGHTY DAYS swing dancing under strands of fairy lights lights.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 10/09/2026

finished inking another danmei commission ✒️ #tgcf #heavensofficialblessing

a black and white ink illustration on paper of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian from Heaven's Official Blessing framed by blossoming branches and a round gate in a garden

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 09/09/2026

another commission painted. "what would CLAMP do?" 🌙

an ink and watercolor commission of a woman with swirling platinum blonde hair and wearing long flowing robes of teal and purple holding a dagger above her head. against a dark sky, streaks of white edged with pink stream upwards from a full moon in the background

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 08/09/2026

thank you, last but not least, to those who have been friends and readers to Jay, Fix, Sable and their story in the years before and since EIGHTY DAYS was published. the life this comic continues to have is thanks to you.

a scratchy ink pen illustration of the three main characters of EIGHTY DAYS, Jay, Fix and Sable. they are sitting on stone steps in front of a wall covered with three worn show posters advertising each of their chapters in the book in Italian: Ottanta Giorno / Eighty Days, Scatola Nera / Black Box and Piuma / Featherweight. the beige or off white background color dominates but there are accents of faded blue, red-orange and grey color washes in the posters and the characters.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 08/09/2026

one of my most regretted oversights with this book is that it doesn't have an acknowledgments section (it was weirdly not standard practice with some graphic novels, though that may be changing). let me do that now, at least for my own peace of mind.

screenshotted acknowledgments text reads: "thank you forever and ever to editors Sierra Hahn and Allyson Gronowitz and my agent Kate McKean. additional thanks to Esther Kim, Scott Newman, Dafna Pleban and many more at Archaia / Boom back then. shoutout to Avery and Ollie Kaplan (The Beat / Prism Comics), Zack Quaintance (Comics Bookcase), Brad and Lisa Gullickson (Comic Book Couples Counseling), Cat Purcell (Comics AF) and Tracy Brown (L.A. Times) for their coverage around the release. those interviews and articles still mean a lot to me. and also to the mystery figures who got the book nominated/listed for the GLAAD Media Awards, YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens, the International School of Beijing Panda Book Awards and others."

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 08/09/2026

five years ago on 9/7, my debut graphic novel EIGHTY DAYS came out in bookstores. the work of my life (so far) 🖤

a hardcover copy of my graphic novel EIGHTY DAYS on a sunlit, white table.

a selection of original comic art pages from EIGHTY DAYS drawn in ink, brush and pen nib taped to a wall; in front of the wall is a white chair and a pair of short, silver-studded black boots

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 04/09/2026

finished painting another fun commission. based on The Lovers tarot card, but for three 🃏

my hand holding a 5x7" watercolor and ink illustration on bristol board. the art has the same composition and bold linework style of The Lovers card from the Smith Rider Waite deck, but replaces the Adam and Eve figures with three teens in fashionable clothes linking hands.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 03/09/2026

all right, time to reveal what the heck i drew this poster design for. i'm hosting EAR & EYE JAM SESSIONS for Cartoonists United! listen to one album all the way through, draw what you hear. tune in Sunday, October 11 @cartoonist.coop 🎼👂🏽👁️

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 02/09/2026

finished painting this big stingray commission 🌊

a watercolor and ink illustration on bristol paper of Stingray spreading the wings of his cape and riding a sunlit ocean wave as foam crashes around. to the left is a color sketch, to the right is my watercolor palette and brushes, and in the lower left is my hand making a peace sign.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 01/09/2026

one of the things that delighted me most about getting my copy of AMERICAN* FUJO* antho was seeing how editors @tshirt.bsky.social and @theswordwizard.bsky.social organized the essays/comics. the structure and flow puts pieces in conversation with each other in a very cool way. read it, you'll see.

two bottom-feeding sea creatures on the sea floor clink wineglasses (at a guess, cabernet sauvignon). meme-style, impact font text along the top and bottom of the image reads: "Its been one of those weeks... / ...Pass the yaoi!!!"

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 31/08/2026

work in comics in the U.S., or know someone who does? (self-pub and webcomics count) tell 'em to fill this @cartoonist.coop survey! sharing knowledge is power 💪🏽🔏 airtable.com/appLRxNDI7Yj...

the top of the website form for the 2026 Comics Worker Survey by Cartoonists United, showing an image of Inkling (a cartoon inkwell) holding Nibford (a cartoon nib pen) encircled by text reading "Cartoonists United". underneath the picture, body text reads "The 2026 Comics Worker Survey / -This is for comics workers who live and work in the US / -Please answer relevant fields with your earnings from 2025 ONLY"

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 27/08/2026

what is an artist's alley by the beach like. i don't know. let's find out. i'll be tabling at the Redondo Beach Historic Library this friday 🌅

schedule page with my upcoming event info. relevant text reads: "Artist Alley by the Beach / Friday August 28th / Redondo Beach Historic Library / 309 Esplanade, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 / 5PM - 9PM / Free Admission"

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 23/08/2026

penciling day. cape comics people, where you at

on my desk are two large drawings on bristol paper, two Blackwing pencils, my left hand making a peace sign and my laptop open to a recording of a Strokes concert. the upper drawing is of Stingray riding an ocean wave; the lower drawing is of Silk and Cassandra Cain kickin it in a record store.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 21/08/2026

more commission thumbnails. it's like you guys know what i'll enjoy drawing or something.

a row of three commission thumbnails in pencil: a tall femme trapping a shorter, curly-haired person in an old-fashioned elevator, an androgynous figure in a tight-fitting black gothic outfit sprawled elegantly on marble overgrown with thorns and roses, and a man with long dark hair and flowing robes touching the cheek of another man with an eyepatch kneeling next to him in front of a circular garden gate.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 19/08/2026

inking performers in constant motion and transformation while immersed in colored lights, music, energy, intention, was a whole new kind of (a)live drawing / cartooning to me. i loved every second.

a photo looking over the heads of a seated audience towards the opposite end of the room, where illustrator Emil Konishi stands on a raised platform before a music stand and a wall covered with gilded mirrors of different sizes and shapes, live sketching with charcoal on paper.

a photo of my hand holding a drawing board, upon which is an ink illustration on paper depicting drag performer Tuesday Gloom seated on a couch in front of a sequin-covered patchwork curtain. the model and stage are visible in the background

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 19/08/2026

drag royalty drawn live + onstage during V IS FOR VELLUM, a show honoring illustrators at The Stud historic queer bar in SF. one of the coolest, craziest gigs i've ever done ✍🏽🖤🪩

a layered collage of various figure drawings of drag performers from the Fancypants San Francisco V IS FOR VELLUM show. the linework is loose, done in fountain pen, brush and ink on a mixture of translucent polyester paper and white bristol paper. the central image is of a queer couple facing each other; the short-haired person on the left wears a mesh shirt and a collar attached to a leash which the long-haired figure on the right is pulling close. they are framed on four sides by handwritten text: "a marvellously translucent quality / in drawing as well as drag / the difference between fashion and fetish / is about a 24-inch waist"

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 14/08/2026

outfit planning for sunday's show 🌉

three grey fountain pen ink doodles in a hobonichi weeks planner of outfits im planning to wear on a trip/gig in san francisco. the first two are casual outfits with two toned jeans, dark shirts and backwards baseball caps; the one on the bottom is of a sheer-sleeved Tadashi Shoji top and a light, many-layered, mixed pattern long tulle skirt

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 13/08/2026

working on something fun for Cartoonists United 👂🏽👁️ 🎶

various thumbnail sketches depicting an anthropomorphic inkwell holding an anthropomorphic pen nib with a five-pronged "music" nib head, drawing lines and musical notations on a sheet entitled "EAR & EYE JAM SESSIONS"

a fountain pen sketch of an anthropomorphic inkwell holding an anthropomorphic pen nib with a five-pronged "music" nib head. the inkwell has a coy and mysterious smile and glances up at the viewer; the nib's eyes are closed and its mouth is open / singing. in the background is a real music pen nib

various fountain pen ink doodles of musical time signature symbols and notations. some of the notes are stylized as eyeballs

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 06/08/2026

my partner (emilkonishi.com) and i will be sketching the performers throughout the evening + selling zines at the merch table. if YOU wanna draw with us, there's a life drawing sesh before the show begins, with FP providing supplies and a fantastic model! i love what these folks do. be there 👠

a pic of myself and my partner wearing Alice and the Pirates Gothic Lolita and ouji at a brunch place.

a photo of the Fancypants performing cast onstage, from the V is for Virility transmasc themed show in February 2026.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 06/08/2026

san francisco! i'll be a guest artist at Fancypants: V IS FOR VELLUM, an illustration-themed drag show (!!!). join us in Folsom on August 16th for a night of queer life drawing, theater and joy ✍🏽🪩🌁

the show poster for Fancypants Presents: V IS FOR VELLUM, illustrated by Reese Bice. on layered sheets of vellum taped to a drawing board with blue painter's tape, handwritten text reads "Fancypants Presents: V is for VELLUM". underneath, a realistically rendered graphite-drawn hand holds a pen nib and draws a flower that is blooming and flowing into portraits of the drag performers. in the lower right, show info reads as follows: "Date: Sunday, August 16 / Time: 7-10pm / Doors: 6pm / Location: The Stud, 1123 Folsom & 7th / VIP seats available" below this is the artist's signature in looping cursive

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 04/08/2026

a happy mail day! though my cat is dangerously interested in the Marrow miniature 💀 thanks @bonedustpress.bsky.social @benoitrc.bsky.social

a copy of THIS MORTAL COIL by Jasmine Walls and Marie Enger on an oblong wooden table next to a paper miniature designed by BenoitRC of the book's main characters Marrow, a skeleton, and Kingslayer, a sword.

a tortoiseshell cat looming ominously over the paper miniature of Marrow and Kingslayer.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 02/08/2026

*blows smoke off finger guns* fastest thumbnails in the west

six 1x2" thumbnail sketches for commissions

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 01/08/2026

corset study. ref was a video by Nuit Clothing Atelier

a sketchbook spread of various drawings capturing the gestures of of a youth with disheveled hair putting on and tying a lace-up corset over a voluminous dress with large ribbon-cuffed sleeves

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 30/07/2026

listened to the new Evanescence album while drawing this. my 2003 self is jumping for joy

a punk youth with disheveled lank dark hair sitting slouched over, head on their knees and looking at the viewer. they wear an oversized suit jacket covered in metallic hardware: safety pins alternating with hoops and ring piercings along the lapels, seams and hem, draped chains, some attached to dangling cross or skull-shaped charms. some of the chains are strung out on the ground. long, dramatic brushstrokes stretch downward off the page like shadows or reflections.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 29/07/2026

long shot, does anyone want a commission like...right now?? several projects are delayed/ghosted and i'm in a pickle re: rent. dm or email me.

ten ink and watercolor commissions mostly done within the past year

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 29/07/2026

i'm a big believer in "draw what you can't have". spotted this insane jacket in a vintage shop

a punk youth with disheveled lank dark hair wearing an oversized suit jacket that's absolutely covered in metallic hardware: safety pins alternating with hoops and ring piercings along the lapels, seams and hem, draped chains, some attached to dangling cross or skull-shaped charms.

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 27/07/2026

celebrated REALITY AWAITS release day by drawing through my entire first listen. dark, unpredictable, funny, a bit psychedelic. fantastic album.

fountain pen ink drawings i made while listening to REALITY AWAITS by The Strokes for the first time. on the left the small silhouette of a robot riding a horse looks out over a wasteland surrounding the ruins of a city in a valley. California poppies in the foreground reach roots down to darkness where disco ball spins and diagonal raindrops streak across an eye surrounded by broken cocentric circles. mixed with the raindrops is flowing text reading "falling out of love". on the right are two lanky figures, one falling and one sitting inside a cube that is breaking into abstract, Bauhaus or Russian Constructivist-like geometrical shapes, along with equally geometric text reading "going to babble on".

fountain pen ink drawings i made while listening to REALITY AWAITS by The Strokes for the first time. on the left are speedlines and arrows pointing right towards Vegas-like neon signs and a chaotic mass of overlapping billboards with block text "GOING SHOPPING" over and over, with the text always cut off and disjointed. in the middle are two pairs of those ugly as fuck evil surveillance sunglasses with the text "SURVEILLANCE for MEN!" and "surveillance...for Ladies!" on the right are the words "LIAR'S REMORSE" in a classic serif font on a dark sky over a lamplit pier extending to the horizon. the reflections in the water stream downwards into chains, a pair of Great Gatsby-like eyes and floating buttons of video game controllers. in the very bottom right corner are rectangles with tons of holes and the text "too many eyes. phones have too many eyes. too many ize."

fountain pen ink drawings i made while listening to REALITY AWAITS by The Strokes for the first time. on the left is a jungle scene with a full moon over palm trees and tropical grasses falling over while a humanoid figure walks on ground covered in piles of junk. superimposed over this scene is a graceful but angry leopard and a classic American comic-style narrative box containing handlettering that reads "THE FRUITS OF CONQUEST...". on the right is one more huge full moon peeking out from behind an old brownstone building, where a figure is leaning over the railing of a fire escape and looking down as everything
below disintegrates into abstract lines and shapes. worked into the metal of the railing is curly text reading "Tyrants of the Mellow Moon".

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 26/07/2026

step one: make scritching noises with pen while "what would Ai Yazawa do" echoes in my head repeatedly step two: add water

minimal sketchy fountain pen ink lines blocking in the drawing of a punk and a snake

the same drawing as previous image, now with ink washes and more details of the snake's scales and the punk's piercings and tattoos

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 26/07/2026

thank you for 700 follows 🖤 character belongs to @fangandtentacle.bsky.social

a fountain pen ink drawing in a sketchbook of a shirtless punk with asymmetrical dark hair, piercings and tattoos with a large snake winding and draped around his limbs

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 22/07/2026

whoaaa my self-published comics are on Hoopla!! now folks who can't get my zines at cons can check 'em out through most public libraries for free! courtesy of Aggregate Ink 🖤

caption reads: "first up: my Shortbox Comics Fair story from 2022 and a proto-EIGHTY DAYS comic i made in college in 2014 / more releases to come! / also i do get a cut from borrows so hell yeah support the library AND indie comics at the same time!" over a screenshot of those comics available on the Hoopla website (logged in to my account with the Los Angeles Public Library)

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 19/07/2026

drag night sketches part 2. fabulous masked stranger + down home king who shook it to Numb by Linkin Park.

two fountain pen ink sketches of a drag performer in a long tattered trenchcoat, large floppy hat and a full-face cloth mask posing on a stool with one leg extended out. ten minutes

overlapping sketches in blue and orange ink and marker of the masked stranger drag performer in various poses. 2-5 minutes each

fountain pen ink sketches of a drag king in a sequined plaid shirt, sagging jeans and a trucker hat in various poses under rainbow bunting, cutout stars hung on a string and a disco ball. 5-10 minutes

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 18/07/2026

hootin and hollerin about this everywhere: AMERICAN* FUJO*'s 2nd print run is featured on THE freakin BEAT!!! thanks @averykaplan.bsky.social @comicsbeat.bsky.social ! 👯 www.comicsbeat.com/american-fuj...

screenshot of the American* Fujo* second preorder announcement on THE BEAT comics culture website, coverage by Avery Kaplan, American* Fujo*'s title type design by Alexis Rippen

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 17/07/2026

draw your ocs in the Revolutionary Girl Utena pose challenge, go (i made this up)

a loose pencil drawing of an androgynous youth in fitted clothing and a coat draped on their shoulders pulling a rapier from the chest of a different femme youth in a dress who is in a sort of swoon, their clothes and hair billowing dramatically in the wind, a direct homage to Revolutionary Girl Utena

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 16/07/2026

snapshots from my Polaroid 600

two polaroid 600 instant film snapshots on a black photo album page. the first shows a seagull perched on a tidepool rock with a crashing wave foaming on the horizon; the second shows my partner and sibling standing in shallow water and looking back at the camera. the sea and sky are mostly gentle, almost washed-out tones of blue, pink and purple with bits of bright green and deep blue in the shadows and algae-covered rocks

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 16/07/2026

took my fam to the beach. lovely to see so much life in the tidepools 🦀

fountain pen drawings in blue ink in my sketchbook of things i saw at Leo Carrillo beach, including: hermit crabs in various shaped shells, slightly threatening seagulls, a small boat, and a frilly, slug-like California sea hare

photo of a small dark greenish-black crab in a crevice between algae-covered rocks, flexing its claw

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A.C. Esguerra @blueludebar.com · 14/07/2026

sometimes i think i'll let this comic go out of print, but then i remember the people who told me it helped them understand themselves. so here's to them. 🥂🖋️ blueludebar.itch.io/bespoke

a scan of a sheet of bristol paper covered with practice character sketches, messy lettering and ink nib linework tests

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