Ethan M. Aldridge's Avatar

Ethan M. Aldridge

@ethanmaldridge

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ Bestselling author and illustrator. Creator of the Deephaven Mystery series, the ESTRANGED duology, THE PALE QUEEN, THE LEGEND OF BRIGHTBLADE, and more. Linktr.ee/ethanmaldridge

13,888
Followers
191
Following
1,810
Posts
29.05.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Ethan M. Aldridge @ethanmaldridge

Post image

This is from my hand-drawn webcomic, Sable: A Ghost Story, which you can read now! Sablecomic.com

10.03.2026 22:15 πŸ‘ 81 πŸ” 22 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Teddy, an anthro stoat in a red sweater, sits in a windowsill, pausing from reading the comic in his hands to look out at the stars

Teddy, an anthro stoat in a red sweater, sits in a windowsill, pausing from reading the comic in his hands to look out at the stars

A moment of peace

10.03.2026 18:51 πŸ‘ 765 πŸ” 216 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

Aww

09.03.2026 21:48 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Hang out for a long drawing session. A recent studio live VOD is up now! www.youtube.com/live/y1K3_O8...

09.03.2026 00:28 πŸ‘ 174 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I do! I use a vintage inkwell I picked up at a flea market years ago. I use FW Acrylic artist ink, and have lately been playing around with Platinum Carbon ink a bit

09.03.2026 03:43 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Hang out for a long drawing session. A recent studio live VOD is up now! www.youtube.com/live/y1K3_O8...

09.03.2026 00:28 πŸ‘ 174 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image Post image

Some Blind Alley illustrations.

10.11.2024 20:48 πŸ‘ 1963 πŸ” 432 πŸ’¬ 17 πŸ“Œ 2
Video thumbnail

From "A Story about Fire", a very traditional animated film : hand-drawn ink-wash on Xuan paper, cutouts, stop-motion...
Directed by Wenyu Li at Shanghai Animation Studio.
Coming this year in Chinese theaters.
>> www.catsuka.com/news/2026-03...

08.03.2026 19:00 πŸ‘ 488 πŸ” 124 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 6

I wish for this graphic novel Kickstarter to make its goal!

07.03.2026 15:39 πŸ‘ 72 πŸ” 26 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Yeah I'm going to be taking some of what he rights about into my next school visits

07.03.2026 01:10 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It's such a good book!

06.03.2026 23:13 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Book cover: The Grammar of Fantasy by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe, translated from Italian by Jack Zipes.

Cover illustration is a colorful, textural depiction of a child in white cloak walking past a giant’s foot; snakes, fish, a rabbit, and dragons lurk nearby. Eerie but friendly at the same time.

Book cover: The Grammar of Fantasy by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe, translated from Italian by Jack Zipes. Cover illustration is a colorful, textural depiction of a child in white cloak walking past a giant’s foot; snakes, fish, a rabbit, and dragons lurk nearby. Eerie but friendly at the same time.

Chapter header from The Grammar of Fantasy: 

38. The Child Who Reads Comics

Illustration of a child hidden behind a large comic book with simplified shapes, eyes, and a mouth for panels.

Chapter header from The Grammar of Fantasy: 38. The Child Who Reads Comics Illustration of a child hidden behind a large comic book with simplified shapes, eyes, and a mouth for panels.

Excerpt from The Grammar of Fantasy:

books, new inventions are
often added to the basic sounds, and these, too, must be deciphered.

The entire course of the story must be reconstructed in the imagination, combining the signals provided by the captions, dialogue, and onomatopoeia with those given by the drawings and color, so that the many loose threads of the plot can be mentally tied together into a single, continuous thread. And it is the reader who makes sense of everything: the personality of the characters, who are not described, but shown in action; the relationships between them, which result from the plot and its developments; even the action itself, which is revealed to the reader only through jumps and fragments.

For a child of six or seven years, comic books seem to me sufficiently demanding work, rich with logical and imaginative operations, regardless of the value and content of the comic book, which is not at issue here. When reading a comic, the imagination of the child does not passively assist; rather, it is urged to take a position, to analyze and synthesize, to classify and decide. There is no room here for absentminded daydreams, not while the mind is engaged in such complex attention and the imagination is called upon to fulfill its most noble functions.

To venture to say that up to a certain point, the child's principal interest in comic books is not determined by their content, but is tied directly to the form and substance of the comics themselves, as a means of expression. The child wants to master the technique of the comic strip. That's it. She reads comic books in

238

Excerpt from The Grammar of Fantasy: books, new inventions are often added to the basic sounds, and these, too, must be deciphered. The entire course of the story must be reconstructed in the imagination, combining the signals provided by the captions, dialogue, and onomatopoeia with those given by the drawings and color, so that the many loose threads of the plot can be mentally tied together into a single, continuous thread. And it is the reader who makes sense of everything: the personality of the characters, who are not described, but shown in action; the relationships between them, which result from the plot and its developments; even the action itself, which is revealed to the reader only through jumps and fragments. For a child of six or seven years, comic books seem to me sufficiently demanding work, rich with logical and imaginative operations, regardless of the value and content of the comic book, which is not at issue here. When reading a comic, the imagination of the child does not passively assist; rather, it is urged to take a position, to analyze and synthesize, to classify and decide. There is no room here for absentminded daydreams, not while the mind is engaged in such complex attention and the imagination is called upon to fulfill its most noble functions. To venture to say that up to a certain point, the child's principal interest in comic books is not determined by their content, but is tied directly to the form and substance of the comics themselves, as a means of expression. The child wants to master the technique of the comic strip. That's it. She reads comic books in 238

Continued excerpt from The Grammar of Fantasy.

order to learn how to read comic books, to understand their rules and conventions. She enjoys the efforts of her own imagination, more than the adventures of the characters. She plays with her own mind, not with the story. It may well be high-handed to separate things so clearly in this way. But the effort of distinguishing between them is worth it if the distinction helps us not to underestimate the child, and the underlying seriousness and moral engagement that she brings to everything she does.

Everything else about comics has already been said, for better or for worse, and I won't bother you by repeating it.

Continued excerpt from The Grammar of Fantasy. order to learn how to read comic books, to understand their rules and conventions. She enjoys the efforts of her own imagination, more than the adventures of the characters. She plays with her own mind, not with the story. It may well be high-handed to separate things so clearly in this way. But the effort of distinguishing between them is worth it if the distinction helps us not to underestimate the child, and the underlying seriousness and moral engagement that she brings to everything she does. Everything else about comics has already been said, for better or for worse, and I won't bother you by repeating it.

did not expect this chapter! I especially love:

β€œWhen reading a comic, the imagination of the child does not passively assist; rather, it is urged to take a position, to analyze and synthesize, to classify and decide.”

(and also the eternal nature of β€œcomics ? for kids ????” discourse lmao)

06.03.2026 22:55 πŸ‘ 116 πŸ” 30 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
Panels from my webcomic. Teddy runs from a darkened room, but is blocked by a skeletal wraith with ink flowing from its bones

Panels from my webcomic. Teddy runs from a darkened room, but is blocked by a skeletal wraith with ink flowing from its bones

Nowhere to run. There are new pages of Sable: A Ghost Story, up now for Patrons!

03.03.2026 19:13 πŸ‘ 502 πŸ” 95 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 3

To be clear, queer stories will be told regardless of what bad-faith politicians do. We always find a way. But kids need to know they're part of a community too, and laws like these are intended to cut them off.

06.03.2026 19:26 πŸ‘ 56 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Politicians crying that they're just "protecting the children" while doing the exact opposite is nothing new, but if this becomes law it could effectively end the careers of some of you favorite queer creators (including mine!)

06.03.2026 19:20 πŸ‘ 774 πŸ” 573 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Why comics creators must fight the proposed censorship of H.R.Β 7661 H.R. 7661 could restrict federal funding for schools over LGBTQIA+ and sex education content. Here's what's at stake and how to fight back.

Why comics creators must fight the proposed censorship of H.R. 7661

06.03.2026 16:31 πŸ‘ 540 πŸ” 379 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 18

He's a fanboy at heart

06.03.2026 16:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Teddy, an anthropomorphic stoat, lost and sinking in a sea of ink

Teddy, an anthropomorphic stoat, lost and sinking in a sea of ink

Try not to drown. There are new pages of Sable: A Ghost Story up now for Patrons. Patreon.com/ethanaldridge

06.03.2026 16:33 πŸ‘ 104 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you!!!

06.03.2026 16:20 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you! They're really fun to draw

06.03.2026 00:46 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The Making Of SABLE: Chapter Three
The Making Of SABLE: Chapter Three YouTube video by Ethan M. Aldridge

Anyway, if you'd like to see how I do drawings like this, check out my recent process video! youtu.be/95ge4k4eNHY?...

05.03.2026 22:42 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

A grumpy little rodent!

05.03.2026 20:18 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

He's just a small creature trying his best in a scary world!

05.03.2026 19:42 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Another drawing of Teddy, his eyes wide and sparkling with wonder.

Another drawing of Teddy, his eyes wide and sparkling with wonder.

05.03.2026 19:34 πŸ‘ 160 πŸ” 19 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
An inked, in-progress panel from Sable: A Ghost Story, showing Teddy with his typical surly expression

An inked, in-progress panel from Sable: A Ghost Story, showing Teddy with his typical surly expression

05.03.2026 19:33 πŸ‘ 225 πŸ” 27 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Lovely to see SABLE mentioned in this webcomic roundup video!

05.03.2026 19:25 πŸ‘ 63 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Ooo amazing! This is so nice to see, thank you for the heads up!

05.03.2026 19:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This is the exact same edition I'm reading!

04.03.2026 15:05 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you!!!

04.03.2026 01:51 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

protect this sweet baby boy at all cost

03.03.2026 23:30 πŸ‘ 50 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0