Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Permission To Be Happy

Drawing comics is how I learned to let myself be happy. My friend Bridget McElroy was the one who told me what I needed to hear to take the first step toward cartooning. Everyday, I think about the gift of what she said to me and it still keeps me going. Thank you always, B.

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After some time offline, I've started sharing updates again, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively. You can also sign up to hear from me directly on my portfolio site. 
Short comic titled "Permission to be happy." Page 1: Illustration of a girl with a backpack, staring in awe at an exhibit of comic book pages displayed in a museum glass case. Text reads, "When I first got into comics and cartooning as an adult, I never thought it was something I could be good enough to do myself." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024.
Page 2: Illustration of a girl with a backpack, alone, staring out into vast, unfamiliar terrain, potentially treacherous to cross. Text reads, "I had very low confidence and self-esteem and didn't know how or where to start." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024.
Page 3: Illustration of a forlorn-looking girl, hunched over from the weight of her backpack, with a single rain cloud, over just her head. She's talking to her friend, a young woman named Bridget, with bright energy and clothes, who says to the girl, "You're an artist, Connie! Let yourself be happy! You deserve to be happy!" The girl thinks to herself, "That's an option?" Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024.
Page 4: Illustration of a girl with a bun in front of an art easel au plein air, painting a vast landscape. Text reads, "It took one person, who believed in me before I did, to convince me to start letting myself be happy, in the face of everything...I'm still grateful to work at this everyday. Thanks, Bridge." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024.



Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Drawing Yourself Everyday

"Remember who you are today. Write it down for tomorrow. Draw yourself into existence daily."

These are creative mantras I build my art practice on. Sharing them here in case they are useful for you too. - Connie

Illustration of a girl with a bun drawing at her desk. Caption reads, "Remember who you are today. Write it down for tomorrow." Second illustration of the girl with the bun drawing her own shape in with a pencil. Caption reads, "Draw yourself into existence daily." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024.















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After some time offline, I've started sharing updates again, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively. You can also sign up to hear from me directly on my portfolio site. 

Tuesday, November 05, 2024

Uncertainties

This week's cartoon: I've done what I can do today and, tomorrow, I will also do what I can do. 

3-panel comic strip showing a girl with a bun coping with uncertainties. In panel 1, she is sitting pensively at a desk, with a few stray clouds over her head. Text reads, "Life is full of uncertainties. My challenge today is to stay calm & centered." In panel 2, she holds out her hand as a cloud rains a few question marks. Text reads, "Focus on simple, self-evident truths." Panel 3: Girl is stress-eating and about the take a huge bite of a sandwich, with a thought bubble that reads, "I AM HUNGRY. THEREFORE, I EAT." Original art by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024





















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(After some time offline, I've started sharing updates again, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively. You can also sign up to hear from me directly on my portfolio website. Thanks for reading!)

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Practicing Courage

Life seems to test our courage constantly, in big and small ways. It would be nice if it were easier, but maybe the practice makes us stronger in the long run. 

I definitely struggled to come back to cartooning, but I'm glad I convinced myself to be braver than I felt in this instance. Often, all we can do is be a little bit brave, everyday. 

Wishing you daily courage, wherever you need it most. - Connie

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(After some time offline, I've started sharing updates again, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively. You can also sign up to hear from me directly on my portfolio website. Thanks for reading!)

Illustration of a cartoon girl with a bun rowing a boat with an oar-sized pen, navigating a Hokusai-style wave made of crumpled paper. Titled "Practicing Courage." Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024


Panel 1/5: Illustration of a girl with a bun on the shore of a deserted island, looking out on open water. Text reads, "To find my way back to cartooning, I had to remember why I started in the first place." Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024

Panel 2/5: The girl is wielding the giant pen like a spear now and says defensively, "You know, there's really a lot that could go wrong!" The caption reads, "This thought played in my head on repeat." Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024

Panel 3/5: Text: "It never stops being scary to open yourself up and risk vulnerability. And the world IS a scary place. It's not just my imagination." The girl peeks out from behind jungle cover, eyeing her surroundings suspiciously, thinking to herself: "Hah! As suspected...danger, EVERWHERE." Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024
Panel 4/5: Text: "I had to convince myself to pick up a pen everyday, regardless of outcome." Illustration of a cartoon girl with a bun rowing a boat with an oar-sized pen, navigating a Hokusai-style wave made of crumpled paper.  Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024

Panel 5/5: Text: "This is what I had to do to start over." Girl in a small boat, rowing through a sea of crumpled paper with a large fountain pen, singing to herself, "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream...Merrily, merrily, merrily..." Caption reads, "Cartooning, like courage, takes practice." Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024


Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Modern Existence

After over a year offline, I’m having to change my relationship to blogging and social media. Not easy to start up again, but I’m glad to reconnect with friends and readers. 

Does art need an audience? I’m not sure yet. I’ve been filling private sketchbooks and journals, which has been great for developing ideas and techniques. But there is something about sharing work with you all that forces me to “translate” and clarify ideas a step further.

Thanks for reading and for your patience as I get my blog up and running again. Lots of new work to share in the coming weeks! - Connie

(Starting this month, I'll resume sharing updates and artwork regularly, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively. You can also sign up to hear from me directly on my portfolio website.)

Illustration of a cartoon girl with a bun sitting at a desk, with an elephant walking by behind her. Girl asks the elephant a rhetorical question: "If a person deletes all their social media and nobody hears what they think, do they still exist?" Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024
Illustration of a cartoon girl with a bun sitting at a desk, with an elephant walking by behind her. The elephant turns to respond to the girl's question: "Well, if there's one thing humans are good at, it's making their existence known. Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024




Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Godzilla Algorithms

Thanks for your love and support, especially after all this time. I've been working offline to develop my ideas into book-length stories. 

Since art and algorithms don't always mix, thanks in advance for your patience as I figure out how to come back online with brand new cartoons. I'm excited to share new drawings with you in the coming weeks.

Starting this month, I'll resume sharing updates and artwork regularly again, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively.

My new portfolio website is up as well, where you can also sign up to hear from me directly.

Thanks for your patience as I get my systems up and running again. - Connie
2-panel comic illustration of algorithms in 2010 compared to today (2024), depicted as a cute baby reptile that grows into a fire-breathing Godzilla that destroys big cities. Panel 1 shows a cartoon girl with a bun, cooing at a newly hatched baby lizard: "A baby algorithm! OMG so cute!" The year is 2010 and she is crouching to pet the hatchling. Panel 2 cuts to "Today" and shows an illustration of a cartoon Godzilla-like monster, towering over a metropolis, breathing fire and destroying buildings. It's gripping small figures in its giant claws, one of which is the girl with the bun in the first cartoon panel. In big bold lettering, the caption reads, "Godzilla Algorithms wreak global havoc." Original cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024


Tuesday, October 08, 2024

A Long Time Away

I've been a long time away, but I'm back! Though I was offline for longer than expected, I never stopped writing and cartooning, and I'm excited to share what I've been working on with you.

Starting this month, I'll resume sharing updates and artwork regularly again, on my blog and Ko-fi page. I'll be back on Instagram selectively.

My new portfolio website is up as well, where you can also sign up to hear from me directly, if you haven't already.  

Thanks for your patience as I iron out my schedule and get my systems up and running again. - Connie
Illustration of a cartoon girl in a cave with a messy bun, sitting alone in front of a fire. Titled "A Long Time Away." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024


Illustration of a cartoon girl in a dark cave, making rudimentary cave drawings. Graffitied on the wall is the text, "How can you even call yourself an artist?" Caption reads, I took a break from social media for over a year to relearn how to make art offline, free of algorithms." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024
Illustration of a cartoon girl in a cave with a messy bun, sitting alone in front of a fire. The shadows cast by the light are scary and taunting. Caption reads, "It was hard to start over. Cartooning online had been my first love and longest relationship of 12 years." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024
Illustration of a cartoon girl stranded on an island, dressed in rags, looking out at the water under moonlight. There are frogs on lily pads croaking, "Fraud, fraud, fraud" at her. Caption reads, " I struggled to find my bearings again and make some sort of peace with being 'lost' for a while. There were a lot of ups and downs and difficult lessons along the way." Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024
Illustration of a cartoon girl with a bun sitting at a desk, drawing, no longer stranded on an island. Caption reads, "But most importantly, I'M BACK! And I can't wait to share what I've been working on with you!" Original artwork by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2024