Alex Zen Draw

Some Lovely Things About “The Garden” by Butch Hartman

This blog post doesn’t have much to do with my own stories, but I do feel that this is a perfect platform to talk about a new show called The Garden. You see, I am part of the launch team for an animated show called The Garden, and my job is to basically spread awareness about its existence.

Before I talk about the show, I wanna talk about its creator. His name is Butch Hartman. He produced 4 different animated TV shows on Nickelodeon, and has had a 20-year long career with the channel before leaving to pursue his vision for a new, family-friendly streaming service called Oaxis Entertainment. I personally grew up on 3 of his cartoons: The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and T.U.F.F. Puppy.

I have personally met Butch Hartman at his very first “Vision: Possible” conference in Illinois back in October 2018. The conference was specifically about making the dreams in your heart a reality. As an aspiring showrunner, I wanted to learn more about what I can do to make my dreams happen. This man taught me a lot! I remember even showing him some of my comic book work (before anything was even published), and he said I would be great at making comics! Little did I know I would publish my first comic book only a few years later. ❤ Words are powerful! Back in 2020, Butch Hartman and his wife both helped me with organizing my ideas for Space Grind, which now has a published comic book on Amazon, and another one on the way.

I had the honor to learn from not just Butch, but also three other Vision: Possible speakers: people-saavy Julieann Hartman (Butch’s wife), social-media-saavy Carly Hartman (Butch and Julieann’s first daughter, who will soon be Carly Conrad when she gets married this month ❤ ), and business-saavy Nathaniel Spiers (a friend of the Hartmans who is also a web designer).

Alrighty! Now we can officially talk about The Garden…

The Garden is an animated cartoon for children (ages 3-10) that can be watched right now on PureFlix. It is a wholesome, adorable, and even humorous cartoon about “Leni the Lion” and “Lucy the Lamb.” It reverently talks about God and Scripture in a way that is engaging for children. Heck, I think even parents will appreciate the catchy little tunes the characters sing, making passages of Scripture memorable and fun!

As a Christian myself, who received Jesus about ten years ago, I am 100% on board with Butch Hartman’s vision!! It’s like another VeggieTales with its own unique, creative spin! I have watched two episodes myself, and I believe it beautifully teaches kids not only scripture, but how to have their very own relationship with the Lord. ❤ The characters Leni and Lucy have their own relatable flaws, while still being excellent role models for children to watch! They also refer to God as “Boss,” who is portrayed as a lovely rainbow. I feel like the rainbow is such a beautiful representation of God’s majesty and makes me think about His faithful promises. What stands out to me with “Boss” is His gentleness and compassion and understanding, just like the God I know in my life!

The Garden also has their very own app, which you can download onto your phone now! The app has some episodes, some games, and other engaging content that will not just entertain your little one, but also help them relate to God and befriend Him at such a young age. ❤

I also wanna mention that you can buy a kids Bible, which has illustrations of Bible stories and characters from The Garden. Kids will be able to read Scripture and see how it is incorporated into even their favorite episodes of the show! The illustrations were made by the creator Butch Hartman. He spent two years on that Bible, while also pursuing his other plans for Oaxis and ministering to the people around him. Here is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Childrens-Bible-Hardcover-International/dp/0785241817/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MG7UBVLSYEXA&keywords=garden+bible+butch+hartman&qid=1674091786&sprefix=garden+bible+butch+hartma%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1

Lastly, here is the website for The Garden, where you can learn more and even sign up to updates via email: https://www.gardencartoon.com/?fbclid=IwAR3p4DjN4nCpoOdcrO7sXTuGfse8b7ijifdmOlugmvEIs0A0sTHtGyLtLCU

I really look forward to seeing this show will change lives. I truly believe this series will have that kind of an impact, especially on families. That’s all I have to say for now. I will write more on this cartoon in the future 🙂

April 2023 Progress Report

I got a little bit done during the month of April. Not a ton, but I got at least a few pages done.

Accomplishments List

April 10th, 2023 — Emailed a YouTuber to potentially review my comic book Space Grind: House Havoc, in hopes of potentially getting more attention for the book.
April 11th, 2023 — Fixed a typo page 23 for both versions of Space Grind: House Havoc, and updated the paperback manuscript (I will eventually get around to editing the digital manuscript)
April 11th, 2023 — Fixed an accidentally left-behind swear word in the censored version of the manuscript (Space Grind: House Havoc: No Swearing Version)
April 15th, 2023 — Completed page 15 of “Girls’ Night Out.” (page 26)
April 17th, 2023 — Completed page 16 of “Girls’ Night Out.” (page 27)
April 19th, 2023 — Completed page 17 of “Girls’ Night Out.” (page 28)
April 20th, 2023 — Fixed a mistake on page 17 of “Girls’ Night Out.”
April 25th, 2023 — Completed page 18 of “Girls’ Night Out.” (page 29)

Unfortunately, I haven’t received any response from the person I emailed, but who knows. Maybe something like that will happen soon. Pray for me lol ❤

As usual, here’s a sneak peek of something that got done for the next comic book 🙂

New Designs For the Space Grind Main Cast

After LONG and CAREFUL consideration, I have decided to redesign the main characters for Space Grind. Here is what they what OFFICIALLY look like now!:

Aren’t they wayyyyyyy better than last time? 😀 Feel free to comment your thoughts about them. NO OBJECTIONS!! Also… Happy April Fools 2023! 😛

March 2023 Progress Report

I am happy to say that I have gotten A LOT done for the month of March! Here is a list of things that got accomplished last month:

March 13th, 2023 — Got page 10 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed! (Page 21 of Space Grind: Robot Takeover!)
March 13th, 2023 — Live-streamed myself drawing a panel for page 11 on Twitch (the FIRST Twitch livestream for AlexZenDraw)
March 14th, 2023 — Worked on the back cover for Space Grind: Robot Takeover!
March 15th, 2023 — Got page 11 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed! (Page 22 of Space Grind: Robot Takeover!)
March 16th, 2023 — Live-streamed myself drawing a panel for page 12 on Twitch
March 17th, 2023 — Got page 12 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed! (Page 23 of Space Grind: Robot Takeover!)
March 17th, 2023 — Wrote the description/introduction for “Girls’ Night Out” (page 11)
March 17th, 2023 — Finished the description/introduction for “Girls’ Night Out” (page 11)
March 17th, 2023 — Got started on the copyright page of Space Grind: Robot Takeover!
March 17th, 2023 — Got started on the Table of Contents (open to change)
March 17th, 2023 — Got page 4 completed for Space Grind: Robot Takeover!
March 17th, 2023 — Prepared a PDF file of all the pages made so far for Space Grind: Robot Takeover!, so I can print a preview/proof copy of the unfinished book (in the near future)
March 19th, 2023 — Completed 6 Stickers That Will Be Used For Twitch Streams
March 20th, 2023 — Got page 13 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed! (Page 24 of Space Grind: Robot Takeover!)
March 25th, 2023 — Got page 14 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed! (Page 25 of Space Grind: Robot Takeover!)

As you may have noticed on that list, there were multiple live-streams happening on Twitch! Unfortunately, I cannot continue the livestreams for a little bit. I will let you all know in a blog post when regular streams can happen again. For now, I have created a Discord server, so that people can temporarily watch me stream on there. As well as have a little community where readers can talk about upcoming comics and provide feedback on published works.

Here is the Discord invite for anyone interested in joining the Discord server: https://discord.gg/BSDQksHQ

Keep in mind that the invite link only lasts for 7 days. I will send new invite links, as well, when other ones expire.

I hope all of my blog readers have a splendid April! ❤

As usual, here is a snippet of what gone done last month! This time, in the form of a meme 🙂

My Digital Art Skill Evolution

This blog post will go into how my art skills have changed over the years. I will share some EMBARRASSING old art on the way, so buckle up!

Before Digital Art

I’ve been drawing on paper ever since I was very little. Like… “3-years-old little.” I remember scanning my paper drawings a lot before having my own laptop at age 15.

I had a lotta TV show ideas back then that I would work on. The example I share right here is a show idea I had called Cooper the Cat. Which was basically a purple, walking-talking cat (kinda a rip-off of the title character Chowder to be perfectly honest LOL).

Paintbrush for Mac

When I officially got my first laptop at age 15, I discovered an Apple Mac application called “Paintbrush,” which I used A TON!! I actually have a YouTube video of myself making a character using this bare-bones drawing program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRmXKrv98K0

It was so bare-bones that there wasn’t even a LAYER FEATURE present! I made some many drawings using this program it’s not even funny. Then again, a part of me still looks back fondly on this program, since it was all I had for digital drawing at the time. I definitely made the most of it before I moved onto GIMP, a free digital art program that actually had some decent features. Keep in mind that I didn’t even have a drawing tablet at the time. Didn’t get one until I was 17 (big game-changer BTW).

This drawing of the character “Barsha” was made using “Paintbrush.” Looked good to me at the time LOL

GIMP

Eventually, I learned how to use GIMP thanks to one of my artist friends teaching me. The first time I used it, I didn’t realize it would’ve been way easier to use a drawing tablet. I actually made this drawing in GIMP using a trackpad.

For a little while, I would use GIMP to spice up the “Paintbrush” drawings. Yep! I used a combination of GIMP and Paintbrush to make my old digital art. In this link is a video I made of me doing this with one of my drawings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSgVY7Ba5_8&t=4s

Here is an example of me using both Paintbrush and GIMP to make something. I feel like things are starting to look more improved. GIMP allowed me to play around with shadowing and depth, while I used Paintbrush for line art.

High School Art Classes

I began using drawing tablets when I was a sophomore in high school. I eventually got the hang of it enough to do my own drawings on the school computers for fun. The drawing below was my first ever drawing using a tablet. The school I went to used Photoshop Elements at the time. Learned a lot of my Photoshop skills there.

My First Drawing Tablet and Photoshop

I got my first drawing tablet at Christmas when I was 17. It was a Wacom Intuos tablet, which I still have.

I remember this drawing being one of the first GIMP drawings I made using an actual tablet. And yes… that is a floating knife smoking a cigar.

Photoshop

For a little bit, I used Photoshop to make my drawings. In fact, the first ever Space Grind drawing was made using Photoshop.

In my opinion, my best Photoshop drawing.

The first ever drawings of the Space Grind characters. Their placeholder name was In Thrall.

Clip Studio Paint and Wacom Cintiq

Eventually, I bought Clip Studio Paint on a Black Friday deal, which I mainly use now! I even used it to make my comic book, which you can buy on Amazon. Also, when I was either 20 or 21, I bought a used Wacom Cintiq 21 (which I also still use) for $300 on the Facebook Marketplace. Traveled 3 hours to pick it up. SO WORTH IT!

Morticia Addams being used as an example of a Cintiq drawing.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BLOG POST

Have a good day 🙂 Also, if you wanna see more my old art, here’s a link to my DeviantArt account where I posted SO MUCH ART: https://www.deviantart.com/esmereldaimagination

Here’s also the GateCity2015 art account, which has less art, but it’s more of the newer stuff: https://www.deviantart.com/gatecity2015

Introduction to RPL

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything other than a progress report on my comic books, so I decided to share a little bit about a particular character named “RPL.” Her name “RPL” stands for “Robot Prim Lady.” She is a rival of RSL and belongs to the Trax’s rival Ozuha.

Ozuha and RPL

Like Trax with RSL, Ozuha converted a dancing robot into a fighting robot. While Trax did it purely to improve his robotics skills, Ozuha did this with RPL simply to compete with Trax’s abilities. Ozuha usually prefers to use his “manly” robots to impress others. He usually only uses RPL to give RSL and Trax a hard time.

RPL’s Rivalry With RSL

RSL and RPL often find themselves forced to interact with each other in a competitive way. Both their sassy demeanors often clash with one another. While RSL doesn’t usually enjoy these forced interactions, RPL seems to enjoy it herself. She takes pleasure in trash talking RSL and showing off.

RPL’s Dancing Style

While RSL’s dancing style is usually pole dancing, RPL’s dancing style is ballet. She is designed as a ballerina and program really well as a performer. She’s a bit of a diva about it, too. She loves to soak in the applause.

RPL’s Fighting Style

Like RSL, RPL is capable of combat. She has a bladed tutu and can hit hard (especially when she’s provoked).

RPL Cameo in Space Grind: House Havoc

RPL actually cameos in the first published comic book Space Grind: House Havoc in the comic titled “Corona is a Cabrona,” or “Corona Virus on Planet Zeyrion” (censored version). You can see her on page 24.

I Hope You Enjoyed The Post

If you read all of this, I would like to thank you for your support ❤ Please comment your thoughts on this character, based on what you’ve read so far 🙂

February 2023 Progress Report

Didn’t get much done for the comic book this month. I was focusing heavily on my physical health. I don’t think I’ve really gone into that stuff on this blog, but I’ve been having severe dizziness episodes that prevent me from working regular jobs. Sometimes that gets in the way of the comic book progress, unfortunately. Thankfully, I’m getting help and support toward fixing that situation with physical therapy and such.

During the month of February, I got 3 pages done for the comic book. Here are the pages that got accomplished:

February 3rd, 2023 – Got page 7 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!
February 9th, 2023 – Got page 8 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!
February 19th, 2023 – Got page 9 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!

I’m officially in the double digits with the comic book page! I already began page 10 😀 I hope I can get this comic book done by maybe Summer time. Thank you all for following along with the progress I’ve been making with this comic series.

As always with these progress reports, here’s a sneak peek at the progress that got done this month ❤

January 2023 Progress Report

Honestly not sure what to report this time. It’s mostly been a whole month of tweaking my comic book script, rather than drawing. Luckily, I am proud to say that the script for “Girls’ Night Out” is FINISHED!

WOOHOO!

I also made some drawings for a comic book focusing on Rachel the Vampire. I hope you look forward to getting to know these characters.

December 2022 Progress Report

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is now officially 2023!

Here is a list of the things that got accomplished for the next comic book last month:

December 2nd, 2022: Got page 2 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!
December 4th, 2022: Got page 3 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!
December 7th, 2022: Got page 4 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!
December 15th, 2022: Got page 5 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed! (TOOK SUCH A LONG TIME UGH)
December 21st, 2022: Got page 6 of “Girls’ Night Out” completed!
December 23rd, 2022: Live-streamed myself drawing the seventh comic book page on Facebook
(Bonus) December 30th, 2022: Got a Radmu crochet doll, made by my incredible artist friend Maddie Crum (who also contributed to the character creation of “Edge” the Razor from the previous comic book)

That’s the gist of it! December got less busy during the Christmas and New Year weeks. I’ll be back to the grind this January. Myself and Crochet Radmu would like to wish you all many blessings in 2023!!

An Update On The Next Comic Book!

This post feels a little unorganized. Unlike the previous progress reports, I haven’t recorded all my progress with the next comic book. However, to give all who are looking forward to the next book some idea of my progress, I will do my best to give a comprehensive list of all that’s been accomplished so far.

Since July 5th 2022, I’ve been working on the script for the next comic book. A lot has happened between then and now that has slowed down progress, but it’s thankfully getting there. As of today (November 27th, 2022 at 4:47pm), I am almost done with all 30 pages of dialogue! Three pages left!
On August 15th, 2022, I downloaded new fonts for the next comic book. I am replacing the robot font that was used in Space Grind: House Havoc with a new font that should be easier to read for people with dyslexia. I remember hearing from a few dyslexic readers that they had a hard time reading RSL’s dialogue because of the way it looked. For this new font I’ll be using, I made sure to get the approval of a dyslexic person I know 😉
On November 5th, 2022, I completed the front cover of the next comic book Space Grind: Robot Takeover!
Also on November 5th, I replaced all the font in the “Exposition Time!” comic with the new font. In fact, you can read the improved “Exposition Time!” comic here: https://alexzendraw.wordpress.com/2022/11/05/space-grind-exposition-time-comic-new-font/
On November 13th, 2022, I completed the very first page of the next comic story “Girls’ Night Out”.
On November 16th, 2022, I began writing the captions for the “art gallery” section of the next comic book. Two days later, I finished writing all ten of the gallery pages 🙂
Also on November 16th, 2022, I began to work on the introductory page of the “art gallery” section (page 43). The drawings on that particular page have been sketched, but not completed.
On November 27th, 2022, I asked some people to proofread the almost-completed script for “Girls’ Night Out.”