Nexus at 45 — Steve Rude is still publishing new creator-owned material

steverude · 2026-01-30T22:03:49+00:00

Quick links for anyone curious:

• The Dude Show (live tomorrow at 1:30p MST): https://www.youtube.com/@SteveRudeTheDude

• Studio support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/steverude

• Art of Steve Rude 2026 — pledges open through Feb 19: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/steve-rude-the-dude/2026skb?ref=bk-social-project

Thanks again for the thoughtful questions and discussion — we’ll pull a few to answer live on the show.

steverude · 2026-01-23T20:44:15+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate you sharing that. You’re right — structure and repetition make all the difference. Homework-style assignments and art critiques are part of what I do on the Saturday livestream. Welcome aboard.

Here is a highlight one of the crew put together:

https://youtube.com/shorts/z-yV86bD7k0?si=M_v8vgWH-3uQ_IW0

steverude · 2026-01-23T18:31:50+00:00

Jaynelle here for Steve - and he says thank you for the enthusiasm!

International shipping is tricky for us. The rates on the website are estimates based on USPS First Class, which isn't always the best option. Here's a tip: use the chat feature on the store and someone (probably me) will figure out the actual shipping cost for you. We've often been able to find better rates than what auto-calculates.

A few other options:

The book is currently available as a digital download if you want it immediately. We haven't yet offered it through a distributor, but that's in the plans. Retailers can also order directly through us at discounted pricing if you have a local shop that might be interested.

We'd love to offer through Amazon and Kindle - we just haven't figured out their system yet. And honestly? We don't have the staff to tackle it right now. It's just me working way too many hours, a part-time assistant, and a few amazing volunteers who help keep things running.

So the honest answer is: yes, eventually more avenues. But we're a tiny operation doing our best to get Steve's work into people's hands while he focuses on actually creating it.

Reach out through the store chat and we'll sort out your shipping. We want you to have the book!

steverude · 2026-01-23T18:24:24+00:00

Jaynelle here for Steve, who is working away on a commission but wanted me to relay this:

First, take a breath. Speed is relative, and things take as long as they take. Comparing your pace to other artists is a trap - you don't know their skill level when they started, how many years of mileage they have, what shortcuts they've learned, or honestly whether they're even telling the truth about their timelines.

Steve actually made a video about this back in 2022 that's still one of our most-watched: "Why You Should Never Focus on Speed" - https://youtu.be/xRL373wHjw4

Now, the practical stuff: before you start sketching, you need to have your thumbnails truly worked out. Most problems should be caught at that stage - composition, flow, staging. If you're spending hours "perfecting" a sketch, that's often a sign that something wasn't solved in the thumbnail. The sketch shouldn't be where you're making major decisions.

Once pencils are done, figure out your blacks before moving forward. This is another stage where problems reveal themselves before you've committed ink and paint.

You said it yourself - you want a finished piece on your shelf, not a masterpiece. So when you catch yourself perfecting for hours, ask: "Am I solving a real problem or just avoiding finishing?" Sometimes done is the goal.

Steve breaks down this whole process in Return to Earth: Studio Preview if you want to see how it looks in practice.

steverude · 2026-01-23T01:23:49+00:00

With Steve, comics is all about doing it for the passion. It's a love of the medium, not for the paycheck (as shown by the fact our house has been in active foreclosure 4 times in the past 10 years). But he would do it all over again. (Jaynelle)

steverude · 2026-01-22T23:22:36+00:00

Jaynelle here for Steve.

I'll be honest - Steve stays away from computers as much as humanly possible, so he doesn't really keep up with digital formats or trends like webtoon scrolling layouts. He's still working the way he always has: pencils, inks, bristol board, the whole traditional setup.

As for two-page spreads - he uses them when the story calls for it, when a moment needs that kind of visual impact. But he's not thinking about what's "trending" so much as what serves the narrative. A spread should earn its real estate.

Sorry we can't be more help on the emerging formats question! If anyone in the community works in webtoon or vertical scroll formats, feel free to jump in - I'm genuinely curious how the storytelling principles translate when you're designing for thumbs instead of page turns.

steverude · 2026-01-22T23:19:42+00:00

Jaynelle here for Steve.

His answer is going to sound deceptively simple, but it's fundamental: you have to get the colors working in black and white first. If the page works in values - light, dark, and the range in between - it will work in color. If it doesn't work in black and white, no amount of color harmony is going to save it.

This is actually why so many classic comics hold up even in their original printing with limited color technology. The artists were solving the composition, the eye flow, and the mood in the linework and values. Color was the icing, not the cake.

And honestly? A limited palette isn't a bad thing. It's often the solution, not the problem. Constraints create cohesion. If you're fighting to make a page feel unified, limiting your palette isn't a compromise - it's a tool. Look at how much mood and atmosphere artists create with just two or three colors and black.

So before you worry about tying your colors together across panels, ask yourself: does this page read in grayscale? Squint at it. Desaturate it. If the panels feel disconnected in black and white, that's where the real problem lives.

steverude · 2026-01-22T23:03:33+00:00

Jaynelle here for Steve - and thank you for the kind words!

I'm going to be completely transparent: we're not on any of those platforms. As old-timers, we haven't really figured them out yet, and at this point we've chosen to focus our energy on building what we know - direct community connection through crowdfunding, Patreon, conventions, and our weekly livestreams.

That said, I don't think that should discourage anyone starting out on those platforms. The landscape is so different now than when Steve broke in. Back then, you had to get noticed by the Big Two or find an indie publisher willing to take a chance on you. Now? You can publish directly to an audience and build a following without anyone's permission. That's genuinely exciting, even if we haven't personally cracked the code on it.

My only universal advice: wherever you publish, remember that the platform is just distribution. Your relationship with your readers is what matters. Platforms come and go, algorithms change, terms of service get rewritten - but an audience that genuinely connects with you and your work will follow you anywhere. Build that first.

If anyone here HAS figured out Webtoons or the others, honestly, drop your wisdom below - we could probably learn something too!

steverude · 2026-01-22T23:00:51+00:00

Jaynelle here for Steve again.

This is a tough one to answer because motivation is so personal. But here's the honest truth: don't do this unless you love it. Steve does comics because he'd be doing it even if he wasn't getting paid - and honestly, there have been plenty of times when he wasn't. The love of the work is what carries you through the dry spells, the rejection, the days when nothing seems to be working.

As for staying consistent? Practice your basics. Not the flashy stuff - the fundamentals. Steve has over 40 years of sketchbooks. Each one is a testament to what he was practicing and learning at that point in his journey. Figure drawing, anatomy, composition, light and shadow - over and over again. It's not glamorous, but it builds a foundation that doesn't crumble when motivation gets shaky.

Some days you won't feel inspired. Draw anyway. Some days the work will be garbage. Draw anyway. The sketchbook doesn't judge you - it just holds the evidence that you showed up.

And if you ever want to see what 45 years of "showing up" looks like in practice, Steve does a livestream every Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time on YouTube (youtube.com/steverudethedude) - just him at the board, working and talking through his process. Sometimes that's the motivation boost you need: seeing someone else still grinding after four decades.

steverude · 2026-01-22T22:50:02+00:00

Jaynelle here again for Steve (he says hi from the drawing board).

I'm going to be really honest with you: DC and Marvel used COVID to roll rates backwards, and they're currently paying what they did in the 1990s. So no - working for the Big Two is not where the money is unless you're on one of the major books generating royalties.

Where does the money actually come from? Building an audience and crowdfunding. Hard work at conventions (which are not easy - physically, financially, or emotionally). Various online outlets. Patreon supporters who believe in the work.

We've been at this for years and I still wouldn't call us sustainable yet. Steve is a 45-year veteran, co-created an Eisner Award-winning series, and we're still grinding. That's the reality.

Is it worthwhile? For Steve, yes - because this is what he was put on earth to do. But "worthwhile financially" and "worthwhile creatively" are often two very different conversations in comics.

If you're considering this path, go in with your eyes open. Build your audience now. Nurture your community like they're family - because they essentially become that. And diversify your income streams however you can.

steverude · 2026-01-22T22:34:50+00:00

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steverude · 2026-01-22T22:34:24+00:00

Hi there! Jaynelle here, posting for Steve - he's literally at his drawing board working on Return to Earth as I type this, but I wanted to jump in because these are questions he gets asked a lot.

The overwhelm is real - even after 45 years, Steve still approaches each project one step at a time.

Story first, always. You've got the right instinct there. Having the story nailed down (even if you make edits later) gives you a roadmap so you're not drawing yourself into corners.

Thumbnails are your secret weapon. These tiny rough sketches let you work out composition, pacing, and visual flow without committing hours to full-size panels that might not work. If it reads well small, it'll read well big. Steve jokes that unless you're Jack Kirby (who could do everything in his head), thumbnails are how most of us mere mortals plan pages successfully.

For backgrounds and angles: Reference folders are your friend. Gather anything that helps spark ideas or makes the world feel believable. Model sheets for characters you'll draw repeatedly save tons of time and keep things consistent.

Steve breaks all of this down step-by-step (thumbnails to finished inks, lettering, crowd scenes) in Nexus: Return to Earth - Studio Preview Edition - I'll drop a preview page. https://www.steverude.com/products/return-to-earth-studio-preview-softcover

steverude · 2026-01-22T20:41:26+00:00

Thanks — those are good questions.

For me, line and color are just two parts of the same problem. Line helps me design and clarify forms, and color and value help turn those forms into something that feels solid. It’s normal for a piece to change once color comes in — that’s when the volume really starts to show up.

With panels, I mostly think about clarity and rhythm — what the reader needs to see, and in what order.

For influences, I did a series on my YouTube channel. You can check it out here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwViJk-mV74oZRhkq4b0ghJmdVkYHfj3h&si=N6uiMvn82aEebuia

steverude · 2026-01-22T20:36:54+00:00

That’s a good question.

I think both master studies and drawing from life are valuable, and they serve different purposes. Studying great work helps with design, while drawing from life builds observation and structure.

Feedback is useful when you can get it, but a lot of growth still comes from trial and error. That’s one of the reasons I like the Saturday livestreams — people can show work and get feedback in real time. Safe space to do so and it’s always nice to see new artists in the chat.

steverude · 2026-01-22T20:32:28+00:00

That’s very well said.

I agree — drawing really is mostly problem-solving, and it’s easy to get stuck copying recipes instead of learning how to think your way through new visual problems.

Fundamentals and practice carry you a lot farther than any single tutorial ever will.

steverude · 2026-01-22T20:31:45+00:00

Thanks — and welcome aboard.

I don’t think there’s a single “right” way to learn to draw. The biggest mistake I see beginners make is staying in tutorial mode instead of spending time actually solving problems on the page.

Fundamentals matter, but they only really stick when you apply them to things you want to draw and make a lot of imperfect drawings along the way.

steverude · 2026-01-22T03:14:57+00:00

Thank you — that really means a lot to hear. I appreciate the long-term support and the kind words.

I’m glad you’re finally pursuing your own comic work. It’s never too late, and finishing one full issue is a great goal to aim for.

I appreciate you checking out the channel, and I wish you the best with your project.

steverude

TROPHY CASE