Chris Baldie

"You get laid off again and again, and then you can't find a job."

A few years ago I learned that to a highly financialised state (eg the UK), a person in debt is considered far more valuable than a person just working and paying taxes.

After reading that, suddenly every government policy made much more sense…

Thanks bud! I did watch the video again now that you posted it and still think it’s pretty good! Books pretty decent too!

Long live 2D animation (& practical effects).

Text: "Planes" are a depiction of anything that exists in a drawing at a FiXED spatial distance from the viewer, with each grouping of subjects at a shared distance overlapping the next in order to suggest the spatial relationship of each element in the drawing to the others. This image has three planes: (Image of a drawing with a scorpion on a rock, a cowboy sitting on a rock, and a mountain in the background). Each plane in an image signifies a different degree of distance, with the foreground SHARiNG the viewer’s spatial plane, and the background being the farthest from it. There’s clear distance between each plane; no plane “touches” another.

Text: why is overlapping the planes necessary? (image: a cowboy apparently close to the viewer, one a ways back, and then a saloon behind him). Unless one plane directly overlaps another, there’s no sure clarity that they are, in fact, suggestive of different distances. (image: the cowboy appearing to be closest is shown to be a giant, swinging the apparently midground cowboy by the head into the two-story saloon that's only about as tall as a person). it’s also important to suggest scale in each plane using subjects whose size the audience is likely to know. when that isn’t possible, try repeating the element-of-unspecified-scale (a) from one plane in another and have it (B) interact there with a subject whose scale is clear. (image: a small round cactus in the foreground, and farther off a cowboy sitting on a similar cactus)

Text: A perspective grid composition (A) suggests depth by progressive recession in space, while planar composition (B) suggests it with staggered recession in space. (image: a receding grid and a series of staggered planar elements) The principles of overlapping planar composition can be used with a perspective grid, especially if there are elements with right angles (like buildings). Rough your panel with plane elements in place first... ...then make/place a grid that fits your layout... ...then utilize the grid to make the receding angles match.

(image: a wanted man hiding against a wall while a cowgirl crossed the street, looking around). One of the most useful* aspects of a foreground element is to create a sense of immersion for your audience. by putting it on essentially the same plane as the audience itself, the audience becomes a part of the story, seemingly able to touch the foreground, to lean around it for a better view. (image: the wanted man is now decidedly a foreground element). *it also means less time spent drawing all of the detail in the midground or background planes without ever aesthetically shortchanging your audience.

Hey, friends! Here are some thoughts on using planes in your compositions.

Sinking ship thinks about heading back to safety of the dock it just left.

Ten years ago today we shipped Firewatch. I say this every anniversary but it feels both like a lifetime ago and like it was yesterday. Thank you everyone who played it back then or played it today for the first time. Thank you to everyone on the team, I’m still so proud of what we made.

❄️⛸️❄️It was amazing to show the first peek of the game to people at @mivsmagfest.bsky.social ❄️⛸️❄️

Me pointing at a cartoony beaver I drew on a cafe window. It says “dam fine coffee”

A standalone image of the cafe window with a clear shot of the beaver painting. The beaver is brown and holding a large white coffee mug almost half its size and saying”damn good coffee”.

The digital drawing of the beaver

I drew a beaver for a local coffee shop.

Perth has beavers.

So it sort of makes sense.

Exhibitor applications for Thought Bubble Comic Convention 2026 close in just under 1 week!

The deadline is 11:59pm (GMT) on Sunday 8 February 2026. Tell your friends!

Find all the information, and how to apply, here: thoughtbubblefestival.com/exhibit

Me pointing at a cartoony beaver I drew on a cafe window. It says “dam fine coffee”

A standalone image of the cafe window with a clear shot of the beaver painting. The beaver is brown and holding a large white coffee mug almost half its size and saying”damn good coffee”.

The digital drawing of the beaver

I drew a beaver for a local coffee shop.

Perth has beavers.

So it sort of makes sense.

Yeah likewise, any form of payment directly to a band is far and above anything they'll ever get from you via streaming. Vinyl, CD, download from Bandcamp, going to a show! It's all good shit

If you already have a Youtube premium account then you also have access to Youtube music. That's my current recommendation.

I'll always make the argument that you pick whatever streamer is easiest/cheapest/free(est) for you and use that saving to buy one album a month on bandcamp.

Pah! Accuracy has never stopped me having a good time and getting a message across.

a screenshot of a WIP comics page in CSP, with an attempted line drawing of a complicated tall ship with a lot of ropes in rough waves

for me a major part of making comics is apparently trying to draw historical chairs or ropes on a ship better. so that the gay kissing and interpersonal drama hits right

The depth of this is so good! Great use and shape of the waves!

A sketchy drawing shows Jacques jumping from one rooftop to another, holding a length of rope. The pose of Jacques is lacking some energy for the scale of the feat.

A second iteration of the drawing has Jacques in a slightly different pose with some more natural posing. still not quite right.

A third iteration sees Jacques pose stretched out much further and he's now reaching forward as if he might not make the leap and might have to grab on. The background has been redrawn and you see much more of the streets below and just how high up he is.

A final inked version shows Jacques leaping across the Parisian streets below.

Thought I'd share a fun little process for this huge single panel page.

I hated the pose in the first iteration and just couldn't find the energy in it. redrew it a bunch of times and finally found the right feel with his arm out stretched.

I also redrew the background to add scale and peril.

Thanks Sam! I'm having a blast with it so far.

A black and white drawing of a character jumping from a Parisian rooftop to grab a rope in mid air.

A black and white drawing of Jacques leaping from one rooftop to another holding a length of rope that’s trailing behind him.

Took a break from comics in 2025 for the most part as I just didn’t have the drive, but I finally got the urge again in December.

Forgot how much I actually enjoy drawing!

Keep your eyes peeled for more Jacques in 2026

actually the track pad is such a good shout, I hadn't even thought about using that...

Doesn't solve all my problems, but it's something!

a sketch of the perfect express key device. It has a small steering wheel to navigate your art. It also has 4 buttons to Pet My Dog, Make Art Better, Convert to meme, and Get a treat.

Does anyone have recommendations for external express keys to use with the Wacom/tablet?

I got a touch Cintiq and it's entirely useless with Mac (apparently much better on windows). So I need something to help me quickly pan/zoom/a few hot keys etc.

Can't stress enough how useless the touch is.

A still of the film shows a giant and beautifully crafted Jim Henson puppet of a Vorgon creature.

Got a blu ray/dvd player for Christmas & so I’ve dusted off my giant dvd wallet. First film was Hitchhikers Guide To The galaxy. Which I remembered enjoying but what I didn’t remember was the incredible amount of design that went into it. It’s so beautiful! Jim Henson puppetry and everything!

Just a heads up, as I wasn't aware, but you can very easily change your default browser to another service in the Settings. Same for the iPhone settings too.

It's taking some getting used to; not having the results I expect. But that's probably a good thing & will make me use my brain more

I am pleased to inform you that my freakish AI-inspired nativity scene card is back in stock

👼🥐

Picked up a physical copy of this at Thought Bubble this year and I'm excited to sit down and actually learn about a subject I (ashamedly) have almost no knowledge of.

A flyer for SCARF (Sheffield Comic ARts Fair), happening on 10th October 2026

I may come to regret this decision, but...

SCARF! Sheffield Comic ARts Fair! Next October! Liam "Pais" Hill drew our mascot! Exhibitor application form will be out soon, tables will cost as little as I can get away with!

Please remember to apply so this isn't a terrible decision on my part 🙏

I hope you enjoy the silly adventure!

This one affects me and my wife, so would appreciate the effort it takes to fill this in.

Unsurprisingly they won't be dissuading those rich folks, who can simply buy their way in.

I lost my voice at the weekend and it’s still a bit croaky, so I thought I’d make the most of it.

My new Space Captain book and all the others are available on my store

Https://chrisbaldie.etsy.com

Self sealing A5 comic bag

Stack of comic bags

Selection of cardboard mailers seen from the side

A unfolded cardboard mailer

Any nearby pals want several hundred (?) self sealing A5 bags and some cardboard mailers? Free to a good home.

Feels wasteful to chuck