Oh wow, I can't believe you went ahead and ordered one for yourself! Now I feel the pressure of my recommendation holding up! 😅 Well, I'll at least blast you with as big an upvote as I can muster... consider it a bit of a rebate offer. 😆
Honestly though, I hope you dig it and it helps rekindle some of that childlike enthusiasm or points you toward areas that you haven't thought about before. I want the sharing of resources, instructional materials, and inspirations to be a big part of this community, and you'll see a lot of that from me. Magazines like Draw!, ImagineFX, Illustration, and PanelxPanel are things I look forward to immensely. I've got my eye on some awesome books at good prices too for future giveaways. I'm only hesitant to do physical items because I fear the Hive community is quite international (which is a good thing!) but it could make shipping a nightmare!
I'm certainly no role model, just another guy trying to figure it out and sharing a bit along the way like you! I too am not necessarily interested in "joining the industry" per se. Only because I do feel immense pressure when drawing for others. My hope is to do only personal projects that come from me, and monetize them so I can do more!
Rebate offer, LOL. 🤑 I already dig it and that's based on a nibble-sized preview! Thirteen bucks seems like a cheap investment in my skillz development. Last time I was at Barnes & Noble I was flipping through the magazines in their visual arts section. There were plenty of pretty pictures, but nothing jumped out as something I wanted to buy (i.e. didn't seem like they offered enough value).
That's what I like about Comics Community already. 🤓 I plan to help grow this place with you and everyone else who joins. I might not post anything for a while, but I'll contribute in other ways. You're right about the international shipping nightmare!! But honestly most people are totally cool with digital giveaways too, especially considering the present state of the global supply chain.
It's really amazing how much we humans can influence one another to accomplish great (or evil!) things, sometimes without even trying.