Nick Davis's Blog, page 15
October 14, 2018
Preview Of Awakenings Act Two A Kickstarter Comic Book
[image error]The Awakenings Act Two Kickstarter is still active and with nine days left and only 31% funded at the time of typing this we still need backers to help us over the finishing line. This is a comic book adventure about Teddy Bears v Monsters written by Nick Davis and drawn by Veronica Smith, and after the jump we have a huge SIX page preview for you!
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
September 29, 2018
Teddy Bear v Monster in Awakenings Act Two, An Action Comedy Adventure Comic Book On Kickstarter
[image error]
For your consideration on Kickstarter, we have launched Awakenings Act Two the second part of the Awakenings story. This is a new Teddy Bear Tale about Tristan the Teddy Bear as he encounters the Monsters under the bed for the very first time.
Following on from Awakenings Act One, this new installment follows our two cuddly defender heroes Tristan and Wilma Bunny as they hunt down the mysterious Teddy Bear that saved them from their first encounter with the Monsters, and they start to uncover answers why the Boogeyman is after their child.
I am joined again by the creative talents of Veronica Smith (Awakenings Act One, The Long Tall Tail & Mr Button) as we stumble more into a world of wonder, adventure and deep dark dangers lurking in the shadows. Please help make it happen by backing this Kickstarter by clicking the button below.
September 16, 2018
The #ForNathaniel Bone Cancer Appeal Is On Page Nine Of The Dundalk Eagle
[image error]
Great News, our Bone Cancer Donation Appeal #forNathaniel has reached the ears of the Dundalk Eagle and they reported the story on page nine of the newspaper. Thank you! Every nugget of publicity we can get can only help bring more sales of A Teddy Bear Tale, and in-turn bring more money to aid Children’s Bone Cancer Research. You can read the full story after the jump.
The Dundalk Eagle published a story about my fundraising efforts for Children’s Bone Cancer research this week, I have posted the full article below. With this being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I hope you help today by buying A Teddy Bear Tale, all author royalties are going to be donated to Childhood Bone Cancer Research! Together we can make something really special happen.
Local author gives back for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
By: Gianna DeCarlo gdecarlo@chespub.com
Nick Davis, an author and illustrator based in Essex, never thought that his “silly” story about a teddy bear could ever be anything more than a fun children’s book.
However, earlier this month Davis learned that his fun, little story was more than that, as it became a source of comfort, inspiration, and strength for Nathaniel, a nine-year-old boy battling bone cancer in Arizona.
[image error]
Davis wrote “A Teddy Bear Tale” in 2012. The story focused on Tristan, a teddy bear, and his group of Cuddly Defenders that helped protect their owners from the monsters under the bed and the critters that go bump in the night.
“We all remember that special stuffed animal we had as a child, the one that we couldn’t leave home without,” states the book’s prologue.
Davis said that over the years he would occasionally hear from parents who said the book helped their kids sleep with the lights off and make them feel safe before bedtime.
But it was only a couple weeks ago when Davis learned about Nathaniel.
His mother, Christine, reached out to Davis on Facebook, telling him the story of her son and how the book impacted him.
She said he carried around and slept with a stuffed orca he got from SeaWorld every night. After reading “A Teddy Bear Tale”, Nathaniel began to believe the orca was watching over him and protecting him as he battled cancer and dealt with the fear and anxiety of his journey.
“His mother wanted to let me know the joy my silly story gave him, how it helped him and the memories it gave them as a family as it was read to him. I don’t know what to really say to that, except thank you,” said Davis. “I felt hollow saying ‘thank you’ when I was thinking, ‘i should be thanking you!’”
Sadly, Nathaniel, despite a brave fight, passed away in 2013. But Davis said he will keep his memory alive and use his story to give back during September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
In Nathaniel’s memory, Davis is donating all the author royalties from sales of “A Teddy Bear Tale” to Children’s Bone Cancer Research until the end of September 2018.
“After hearing this story, which is just so bittersweet, and learning about this family and all they’ve been through, I thought, “What else could I do? There has to be something more I can do.’”
Also in keeping his memory alive, Nathaniel’s family is now passing down the story of Tristan to their daughter.
“I am truly humbled by their story, and very happy it brought them joy at a very dark time,” said Davis.
Based in Essex, Davis came to Baltimore County from England over a decade ago.
As a writer, he said, you never truly know or can predict who will read your words and how it will impact them and the story of Nathaniel proves that.
Please Help You Can Make A Difference
Thank you for reading, please buy the book, please share this post and let’s make something special happen #forNathaniel!
[image error]
Help Fight Bone Cancer Purchase A Teddy Bear Tales – $9.99 (Opens New Window)
September 8, 2018
A Teddy Bear Tale Bone Cancer Awareness Appeal Is Front Page News In The Avenue Newspaper
[image error]To further push the read of our campaign to donate the royalties from A Teddy Bear Tale to Childhood Bone Cancer Research, the local Newspaper here in Essex, MD contacted me about the Nathaniel’s story.
This is awesome as it increases the reach and hopefully the potential donation we can give at the end of September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awarness Month, to this much deserving cause. Please read the full article on The Avenue News Wesbite, and pick up a copy of Teddy Bear Tales and donate to Childhood Bone Cancer Research today for Nathaniel. Thank you.
August 22, 2018
How A Silly Story About A Teddy Bear Helped A Child Face Cancer
[image error]In 2012 I wrote a silly story about a Teddy Bear who defended his child against the Monsters under the bed. I called it A Teddy Bear Tale and had the story illustrated by local Maryland Artist Dan Nokes
The story never really sold a lot, but it did manage to touch some lives. I heard stories from parents how the book helped their child sleep with the lights off, or how Tristan, or one of his fellow Cuddly Defenders helped their child get over their general anxiety. Today, from his Mother I learned the bitter-sweet story of Natheniel.
In 2013 Nathaniel turned nine years old, like every kid his age he was rambunctious, full of energy and life. He also had a favorite cuddly toy, an Orca (God Of The Sea) that he slept with every night. Sadly, also in 2013 he was diagnosed with cancer and lost part of his right arm to the disease.
His father found a picture of Tristan the Teddy Bear defending his child from the Monsters under the bed online, he brought the book and it soon became a family favorite, giving Nathaniel the peace and courage he needed, and with his Orca watching over him, he slept better at night.
Unfortunately, the cancer was too much for his young body and Nathaniel passed away on Christmas Eve of that year, of which I send my deepest condolences.
His Mother wanted to let me know the joy my silly story gave him, how it helped him and the memories it gave them as a family as it was read to him. I don’t know what to really say to that, except thank you.
They recently brought the story again to share with their Daughter and re-live the memories it gave them. I am truly humbled by their story, and very happy it brought them joy at a very dark time.
Thank you for sharing your story with me, thank you for letting me share it with everyone else.
Peace.
Special Announcement
Any purchase of A Teddy Bear Tales or Cuddly Defender Story until the end of September 2018, all royalties will be donated to cancer research.
August 13, 2018
We Are Creating Teddy Bear Action Figures On Kickstarter
Yes, you read that right, we are creating Teddy Bear Action Figures on Kickstarter and you can help make this happen! If you’ve been following my ‘Project Weekend’ postings on social media you will know I’ve been sculpting the Cuddly Defenders out of sculpey, the Kickstarter to turn our heroes into Action Figures has been inspired by this creative project!
The Teddy Bear Action Figure will be based off Tristan the Defender Teddy Bear and will be five inches high, with five points of articulation controlled by a ball and socket joint. The sculpey ‘Project Weekend’ posts inspired me to see if it was possible to make an action figure to the same quality of the toys we all own, and after a lot of research, two dozen emails, a very long negotiation, and a day of cajoling from the wife I put together a very ambitious Kickstarter – too be frank I’ve never done anything this big before!
The entire cost of the Kickstarter goes towards a singular purpose to get a Teddy Bear Action Figure manufactured, and hopefully in the Kickstarter Backers hands by December 2018. The plans have been laid, we just need the funds and this is were you come in.
So what say you? Are you ready to launch a brand new toy line that is designed to protect the Toy Box from the Monsters under the bed? Then please back the Kickstarter today, and share it with all your friends. We have a big goal, but lets take a swing at it!
And maybe… maybe if we crush the primary goal we might be able to stretch to see the entire team of Cuddly Defenders made into Action Figures! Now wouldn’t that be a thing to see?
Click To Create Teddy Bear Action Figures On Kickstarter
July 26, 2018
Mr Button’s One Shot Get’s Reviewed On Comic BS
[image error]Our favorite psychotic polyester furball has been picked up and reviewed on the weekly comic book Podcast Comic BS!!! This came at me out of the blue (much like Mr B) on New Comic Book Day in a Retweet on Twitter, so not a bad way to start the day.
[image error]Comic BS is a weekly podcast on iTunes recorded in the ‘studio’ of Mr Beej Anderson, who hails from the land Down Under, he reviews the books in the company of his dog Sticks and his cat Oscar. He can get a little blue, but he has a pure enthusiasm for storytelling, and after reading to a handful of his podcasts his reviews are always a lot of fun.
You can view his podcasts by clicking here,
This week he tackled the Mr Button, the most ‘bad-tempered’ character in the ‘Teddyverse’ and definitely my only rated R character that I currently write. The book is like Marmite, you either like or your hate it, so with trepidation I listened to the review and laughed throughout.
You can listen to Mr. Button’s Review in Issue 36 of Comic BS by clicking here.
If you like what you hear don’t forget to leave your rating, these podcasts live and die by them and thank you again Mr Anderson for the review!
And if you want to learn more about Mr.Button and pick up his comic book One Shot visit his website at MrButton.rocks
July 22, 2018
Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone – Working With Sculpey
[image error]This weekend I decided to do something I have not done for over fifteen years, I stepped completely out of my comfortzone and picked up sculpey (and tools) to undertake a sculpt of my main Cuddly Defenders character Tristan the Teddy Bear. Project Weekend had begun.
Project Weekend main goal is to take an idea and spend the weekend concentrating on that goal, to create something that takes me out of my creative comfort-zone, and I end up with an artistic creation, be it 2D art or 3D, that I would not normally create. Indeed that is the purpose of Drawing Outside Your Comfortzone. With Project Weekend I would be attempting to sculpt again, how hard will it be?
It Is All About The Shapes
The secret with creating in any medium is not about drawing the object, but drawing the shapes it makes up, this carries across to sculpting too, it is all about shapes. Which in the case of Tristan the Teddy Bear is a ball (head), egg (body) and cylinders (arms & legs).
[image error]
I used sculpey as my medium to build Project Weekend, the material stays malleable and will retain the form you give it, until you bake it for 20 – 25 minutes in Kitchen oven. The material is also fine enough to make fine details and you can use standard clay tools in working the material. In the first two hours of working on this project the body of the Teddy Bear was formed. The head, arms and legs were attached to the body using armature wire.
Adding Detail
[image error]With the body built, cooked and allowed to harden I could work on the details. Tristan is not a complex character to create, but he has several details that make him, well him; sleeping hat, tabard, scarf, shield are his main signatures. For part two of Project Weekend I would create these details out of sculpey, using the body as a mannequin to shape them, then bake and glue them direct to the Teddy Bear. The plan mostly worked – a word of advice if you spread sculpey too thin it will break, shattering like china during the cooling processif you handle it too soon (as I found out).
Part two took longer than building Tristan’s body – working the fine details of this character was still an exercise in shapes, just the detail is finer. Again the malleabliness of sculpey allowed me the time to work on these details without having to race an air drying clock, which was good, because it took me four – five hours to complete the details you can see below.
Time For Paint
[image error]
Fun Fact – My Citadel Colour Paints Are Older Than My Kids
After working so far outside my comfortzone, it was good to return to medium I am much more comfortable working in. I’ve painted miniatures for most of my life, honing my skills on 25 to 28 miniatures – although I’ve not painted a toy soldier for a long time’ I was confident that this part of Project Weekend wasn’t going to be as daunting as sculpting Tristan.
To make this part of the process easier I removed the head to make manipulating the sculpt a little easier, a couple of pieces also removed themselves during the head separation, but nothing superglue would not fix after the sculpture was painted.
[image error]
I am not going to go into great detail on how I painted Tristan. The sculptures undercoat of Skull White was hand painted (Maryland humidity screws with spray paint application). After that I applied my standard painting techniques of base color, shading color and then using the base color for highlighting. I paid a lot more attention to lining and keeping the paint scheme clean, which at this scale is much more important than fancy shading techniques.
The shield, eyes and nose were given an extra glossy look using Sculpey glaze, and I glued everything together using Superglue Gel (never use superglue liquid on anything this large). As I used armature wire to hold the limbs together it allowed to me adjust the legs to compensate for the sculptures weight and Project Weekend was complete.
The entire project took a total of fifteen hours and I fitted this project in with the rest of my usual weekend tasks of house project, errands, dog walking, chasing cats, making sure my house doesn’t flood from the epic rainstorm this weekend, catching up on my reading and drinking the required cups of tea to keep me English. To sum up, this was a great weekend project and I got to use skills I’ve not touched for a very long time, with the end results I have a creation that will help me visualize a new future for our Cuddly Defenders.
So… Next we sculpt the bunny? Now y’all go draw outside your comfortzone.
[image error]
July 9, 2018
Introducing Dee & Duo Your New Teddyverse Heroes
[image error]Introducing to you Dee & Duo, new Teddy Bear Verse heroes that are coming to the Teddy Bear Tales series very, very soon. Dee of course is the precocious young girl, super-smart and an insatiable urge to explore, Duo is her long-suffering Teddy Bear who is forever trying to keep her out of trouble.
Dee is the first child to discover (although quite accidentally) the long going battle against the dark that Teddy Bears have fought for over 100 years. Together these new heroes are going to have a series of little big adventures, thwarting the plans of the Monsters under the bed, and exploring new worlds, new dimensions. meeting new friends and I hope y’all come along for the ride. The aim is to start this story late Summer 2018, enjoy the gallery below and watch for new announcements.
June 30, 2018
Hero Ted Returns To Webtoons
[image error]Teddy Bear Action Comics has been updated on Webtoons with a brand new Hero Ted comic strip, you can view this fun all-ages superhero adventure be clicking here.
This brand new adventure has Hero Ted encounter the Night Flower who wants to take over the city park with himself, and our heroic Teddy Bear has to find away to stop this very angry flower. I wont giveaway the story as you can read for free online on Webtoons.
[image error]Hero Ted And The Night Flower is the first webcomic I have drawn that is completely digital, all artwork and layout was completed using an iPad with the Procreate App for art, and Pow Comic Creator used for layout – marking a new and exciting direction for Altworld Studios, and for myself as a creator.
It’s a whole new age… Enjoy the adventure!
