About

The evolution of my story was gradual and developed over the span of 12 years. It started with a character, then a desire to build a world around that one character, and eventually populating that world with more characters. But at the very heart of this story is the idea of overcoming self. We all have inner demons. Some of us have made peace with them, many more have not and will wrestle with them until the end of their days. Even worse yet, some have chosen to give in completely to their inner demons, allowing the darkness to define who they are. When one reaches that point, is it possible to ever come back? Moreover, when free will and destiny are added to the equation… what then?

Ultimately, it was the drive to explore these questions that allowed me to give my characters purpose.

The Blacksleeves is that exploration brought to life.

Yes, this is a comic illustrated with the help of AI. Despite the controversy and upheaval AI has seemed to incite in the art community, as a creator with limited time and skills, I’ve embraced it as a highly misunderstood (and grossly misused) tool. With the help of Midjourney, I photo bash AI-generated images to create the backgrounds and environments you see in many panels.

It would take me many years to get to the level of skill needed for me to be truly satisfied with the quality of the backgrounds if I opted to paint them myself. I’ve already spent many years getting to the skill level I am now with characters, and I still have much to learn. AI has helped me bridge that gap in skillset when it comes to rendering environments, as well as helping me create the aesthetic I want to make this world more fleshed out.

This choice in and of itself might turn people off to the comic. If that’s you, I respect your opinion. If that’s not you, then stick around! We’ve got a long journey ahead of us. 🙂

Nellie

Hi, hi! I’m a true Bay Area native who eventually traded fog for sunny beaches and now reside in Los Angeles. By day, I’m a graphic designer – by night, I dedicate time to The Blacksleeves webcomic. Full-time story-teller? That’s the dream, even if my wallet’s skeptical. When I’m not crafting characters or weaving plotlines, you’ll find me gaming, playing the same 4 Foo Fighters songs on my guitar, and indulging my inner hermit on long camping trips.

Oh, and I’m also on a mission to try every Asian fusion dish this SoCal food scene has to offer. So if you have any recommendations (or just wanna say hi), shoot me a message!