Tripp 3tych Gustin
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trippgustin.bsky.social
Tripp 3tych Gustin
@trippgustin.bsky.social
310 followers 580 following 620 posts
Comic creator, illustrator, animator, graphic designer. Freelancing & making @TrueniverseComics! I like stuff that is weird, queer, colorful & from the heart 🌈 (he/they, 35, Atlanta)

Portfolio: www.trippgustin.com
Comics: www.trueniverse.com
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trippgustin.bsky.social
Tripp 3tych Gustin @trippgustin.bsky.social · Oct 14
Hey #PortfolioDay! I'm Tripp, a trip(p)le threat in #graphicdesign, #illustration & #comics. I'm currently looking for contract work in commercial illustration, comics, book covers, motion design, & logos! Also new art friends :)

🌐 trippgustin.com
💬 trueniverse.com
✉️ [email protected]
A photo of my graphic novel, True Colors: Book One. It features the four main characters (Iro, Kit, Ben, and Sonia) walking away from their college dorm on a sunny day, talking animatedly. Iro is a friendly and optimistic GNC biracial individual with long blonde hair who is wearing a tanktop with a blue feather on it. Kit is a snarky and hot-tempered white woman with brown hair in a high ponytail, and she is wearing a shirt with a magenta sun on it. Ben is a nerdy and down to earth black man with locs holding a robot, and he is wearing a green hoodie with a skull gear on it. Sonia is a sweet but shy white woman with shoulder-length black hair, and she is wearing a purple top with flowing sleeves that has waves on it. Behind them is their dorm, where their RAs are watching the residents leave; Kit waves cheerfully but Carlos looks suspicious. In the background is a mysterious Man in Black standing in the shadow of a tree. The front cover text reads “True Colors: Book One” at the top with my name, “Tripp Gustin”, at the bottom. The back reads "The first day of college is a big step. Don't let the past trip you up! It's the first day of freshman orientation at Trueman University, and Iro, Kit, Ben, and Sonia are all looking forward to fresh starts. But when a room assignment mix-up throws their plans into disarray, they're forced to reexamine their relationships, confront their pasts, and dig more deeply into who they want to be for the next stage of their lives. Their dorm's R.A. is eager to help whether they like it or not. At least there's free pizza! Included in Book One: Chapter 1, Interlude Iro, Chapter 2, Interlude Kit, Bonus Story (FreshFiction)" A sample of my illustration work. A horned silver dragonborn druid named Caelux examines a strange stone in a wintry tundra. Above him his draconic starry form looms, its outlines glowing and peppered with constellations. A stylized digital illustration. In it are two black towers on a red background, each with its own pale yellow circle behind a red eye. The leftmost tower is the tower of Sauron from Lord of the Rings, with the flaming eye of Sauron overhead. It is surrounded by curling mist and has the One Ring at the base of the tower. The rightmost tower is the Dark Tower from Steven King's novels of the same name, with the dripping red eye of the Crimson King overhead. It is surrounded by thorny vines and has a bunch of red roses at the base of the tower. Between the two towers, suspended in the air, are Frodo's sword Sting in white and the Gunslinger's revolver in black, each pointed at the eye of their respective foes. You Are What You Eat: an image of a book cover illustration and print layout designed by me. The title reads “You Are What You Eat” and the author’s name is “Lynn Faiola”, with both written in a delicate serifed font. The cover illustration features a green dragon claw reaching out for a strawberry cake. The dragon claw is green and scaly with sharp white claws and a ridged crest on the arm. The strawberry cake has fluffy yellow cake, light pink frosting, and strawberries decorating the top and the middle. The cake sits on a floating wooden platform with a delicate doily in the center, and is surrounded by pink and white sparkles. The background has pink magical clouds on a yellow background. The back details the plot and has the following text: “William Wright has a dream. A big, scaly dream: he wants to be a dragon. As a cook in a small café, he spends his days cooking delicious food and his nights making experimental desserts with illegal ingredients from magical creatures. Mama always told him you are what you eat. After a success that tastes like pixie dust, tiramisu and a hangover, a mysterious stranger offers a shady proposition with the promise of a dragon scale. William now faces a tantalizing choice: embrace the stability of his life as a cook or indulge in the exhilarating life of a dragon. Will he savor the sweet taste of freedom or stick to the recipe of normalcy? See that smoke rising in the distance? LYNN FAIOLA has, once again, burned dinner & accidentally set something on fire. They reside somewhere in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains with their two dogs, partner, & progeny, away from well-populated areas.”
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
screentonescast.bsky.social
🖊️It's time to boogey! 🖌️
Our cast members at Screen Tones have assembled a digital tool MEGA PACK that contains over ⭐️140 brushes, textures, templates, and actions to use for your comic making journey!
Want to support what we do? Head over to the shop! ko-fi.com/s/12e9c33386
a graphic showcasing a 'mega pack' by screen tones, orange boxes have the words brushes, textures, templates, and actions in them
November 25, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
hamishsteele.bsky.social
What if Wicked was released in 1900?

Here is my take on the book cover / movie poster using the designs W. W. Denslow and John R. Neill did for L. Frank Baum's original books.

(I made the Witch green more for colour scheme but also it's fairly significant to Maguire's book)
An illustration depicting a take on the Wicked movie poster done in the style of the original L Frank Baum Oz book illustrations. The text reads Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
November 24, 2025 at 9:13 PM
trippgustin.bsky.social
Yeah, it’s always nice to have a few good NA options beyond water. My favorite party hosting hack in recent years has been to make a big batch of a nonalcoholic punch, which people can drink by itself OR mix it with a liquor of their choosing. Everyone wins!
karenho.bsky.social Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 2d
I do not drink because I have almost no tolerance for it anymore (one margarita is too much).

If you are hosting a party, I recommend also stocking:
-fancy ginger beer
-coconut water
-premium juices like lychee and guava
-apple cider with cinnamon
-Italian sodas
-sparkling water

Lots of options!
November 24, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
korybing.bsky.social
IT’S DONE! A cross stitch T-120 VHS to go with the Polaroid VHS I made awhile back. This one is full of Space Ghost: Coast 2 Coast taped off late-night Cartoon Network in the late 1990s.
November 24, 2025 at 6:35 AM
trippgustin.bsky.social
Basically my philosophy with regards to spirituality lol. Is there some deeper mystery to life and a path we’re being guided along, or is it all just empty randomness our pattern-seeking brains ascribe meaning to in order to cope with conscious existence? I have no idea! But it’s neat either way ✨
November 21, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
thxnywy.art
celestial harvest // heavenly hunt
#art
a neon tower beneath a column of stars- a sun or moon stabbed by a sword drips red sauce into an overflowing chalice on the roof, which flows down the stairs and floods the world
November 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
davis.social
Well put by @drrachelbarr.bsky.social
cinema_nasties 1d Al defenders are so embarrassing j.paulmonter 2h All you are saying is that you want to gatekeep creativity. That's not good. drachelbarr & 20h • •• Neuroscientist here... creativity is a process. A process. A FUCKING PROCESS. Not an output. Nobody is gatekeeping the process - Al simply invites you to skip to the end, to the output. Which, as mentioned, is not creativity. Nobody cares if the output is aesthetically pleasing, because the process, the act itself, the limitation of a single human mind and the resulting creations that capture that one single inimitable human experience... is what makes a creation worth paying attention
November 19, 2025 at 11:02 PM
trippgustin.bsky.social
Motion design/animation work is great because it FORCES me to take breaks while my computer renders and exports videos. I don’t wanna slow it down, so I guess I’ll just… do the dishes? Go for a walk? Read a book??? Really makes me realize how much of my life is spent glued to my computer 😅
November 20, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
nileoart.rip
If you're wanting to improve your line control and you find that going slow during exercises like this still leaves your line shaky, there's other exercises you could to do work up to this where going slow isn't as difficult (an ellipse is one of the hardest shapes ngl)

More info in the alt text! 📚
a series of digital exercises, all drawn with confident controlled strokes. Make sure to practice ghosting, aka making "ghost strokes" with your drawing tool before placing an actual line down in order to plan your stroke and ensure that you're relaxed before placing. Top left: A square in perspective, finding the center and the halfway points, then drawing an ellipse inside the square. Top middle: Making two points and trying to aim a straight line in one confident stroke connecting them. To vary it up, try making 3 or more points and connecting them in a confident and clean curve. Go over these lines multiple times trying each time to get it as close to the point as possible. Top right: Same exercises as before, but freehand. Make a straight line, then try to trace it multiple times keeping it as close to the original as possible. Freehand a curve, any kind of curve, then do the same. Bottom left: Circles and ellipses. Try to connect your first one to the top, left, and one side. Then, the side of that circle or ellipse becomes the side of the next one. Repeat til the entire thing is filled up. To mix things up, add a curved or straight line inside so you're forced to draw shapes of different sizes. One confident stroke. Bottom middle: First draw a straight line, then two opposing curves on either side. Draw a thin ellipse in the center, then with each ellipse slowly widen them consistently as if you're tracing a contour in perspective. Controlled ellipses, but with relation to each other. Bottom right: More of the box and ellipse exercise. I like to do a lot of these, these were my bread and butter back in the day. Would do one page of them each morning before sketching people on the bus on my way to work.
November 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
jameelawahlgren.bsky.social
I saved this perfect comic by @patabot.bsky.social years ago and I revisit it whenever I'm stretching myself creatively (literally doing anything)
A comic where a little animal encourages a person to keep trying as they scream that they're uncomfortable doing something new
November 18, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
emiliusdraws.bsky.social
#3157 A helpful tutorial
A digital drawing of one of those drawing tutorials that says 'don't do this, do this.' The drawing is of an almost naked middle-aged man doing a flying kick. The 'Don't do this' one has a bunch of areas circled and a cross under it. The 'Do this' one is exactly the same but without the circles and a tick instead of a cross. The text reads 'Needlessly adding red circles will ruin your art' and a smaller bit of text at the bottom reads 'Bonus tip! Add a tick under all your art so people think you did it right.'
November 17, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
skatunenetwork.bsky.social
Yeah, I got ADHD

Ahhhhhh
Dis
Head
Dontwork
November 17, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
mossworm.bsky.social
worm
a worm or snake like creature with a black head and square scales in a quilt-like pattern
November 17, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
lukewhenderson.bsky.social
The Queer Comics Creator Discord is working on our first project, something I hope will bring a little joy to every member of the queer community.

We’re always open to new members, so if you identify as any form of queer be we’d love to have you: discord.gg/ydEVfKvkN
QCC logo. The letters “QCC” inside a shouting balloon with the under balloon being the pride flag.
November 16, 2025 at 5:34 PM
trippgustin.bsky.social
Me // how I draw myself

I basically always just draw myself in my default style (True Colors) and try to be relatively accurate to myself. So when I met a bunch of SpiderForest people at SPX this year it was very validating that SEVERAL people said “you look just like your Discord avatar” lmao
A bathroom mirror selfie of me. I am a Caucasian male-presenting person with pale skin, brown hair in a mohawk, and blue eyes. I am wearing a black graphic tee with a colorful spacey hand design on the front, earrings, blue nail polish, and a black leather bracelet. A self portrait of myself. I am a Caucasian male-presenting person with pale skin, brown hair in a mohawk, and blue eyes. I am wearing a black denim battle vest with patches of the various places I have worked, a sleeveless turquoise hoodie, black denim jeans, black boots, triangular earrings, and blue nail polish. I am running with my Wacom stylus held overhead like a torch, with swirling paint and digital glitches pouring from the tip. In my other hand I am holding my graphic novel “True Colors: Book One” which spills pages out behind it to reveal their contents.
November 16, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
spencerwan.bsky.social
If any of y'all wanna play a metroidvania with really beautiful art and support an indie studio, you should check out this game. Some really talented people worked very hard on it.

Oh and I also worked on it a little bit.
possessors.bsky.social Possessor(s) is OUT NOW @possessors.bsky.social · 15d
The wait is over. Today, you meet Luca & Rhem.

Heart Machine & Devolver Digital are proud to present: Possessor(s).

PC + PS5. Available now. 😈

store.steampowered.com/app/2132890/...
November 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
trippgustin.bsky.social
Here's a cut of the animation work I did for "The Sediment We Share" by the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and Skodaworks Media & Marketing! All assets (other than the logo) were hand-drawn by me, including the maps.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrPn...
#motiondesign #animation
"The Sediment We Share" Animation Edit
YouTube video by Tripp Gustin
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:39 PM
trippgustin.bsky.social
Happy #Cartoonber2025! I partnered with some killer @cartoonist.coop talent to tell "Hot Couture," in which Juan Jotters takes the world of sexy costumes by storm.

Script: @aaronsegman.bsky.social
Pencils: @strandedcomics.com
Inks: @gwinga.bsky.social
Color/Lettering: Me!

1 of 4: RISE
A page from the short comic "Hot Couture". Panel 1: EXT: A store with a banner that says "Halloween Store". Juan: There it is, Morbert. The savvy penny-pincher's secret to HOT COUTURE! Panels 2-4: Juan Jotters, a man that looks like a cross between John Waters and Raul Julia's Gomez Addams, raises his arms excitedly. He wears a white tiger stripe suit and a hot pink shirt. Beside him is Morbert, his stoic androgynous assistant, who carries a clipboard with a pencil behind their ear. They are wearing a purple suit and opaque glasses, and never show any expressions. Behind them, two passersby look at the strange characters with suspicion and delight. Morbert: HAUTE couture, sir. Juan: Can't you FEEL it, my friend? Commerce! Celebracion! AMERICA!!" Panel 5: Juan calls out to Kevin, the retail drone. Kevin is a short and stout man with red hair and a beard, wearing an orange vest and carrying several boxes. Kevin yells out in shock. Behind them are several racks of sexy costumes, most of which look like Catwoman. Juan: MY GOOD MAN! Kevin: AAA! Juan: Pray tell, where are your lounge lizard costumes? The ones formerly in Aisle 6, where the revealing super-heroic costumes are currently situated? Panel 6: Kevin: We're not selling lounge lizard outfits this year. The "revealing costumes" are "situated" over half the store. They're our biggest seller. Juan: SCANDAL! Why, a store that abandons its staple offerings will sink in the shifting sands of popular faddery! Where is the LOYALTY to longtime CUSTOMERS? Panel 7: Kevin: Hey man, all anyone wants to spend MONEY on is sexy costumes. Panel 8: Juan: Money, you say...? Panel 9: Juan: Do you realize what this MEANS, Morbert? Morbert: You can't buy a new jacket, Sir? Juan: Pish-posh! When I'm done, we shall bathe in a pool of the FINEST jackets! Panel 10: Juan: For if the lucre flows to sexy costumes, then we shall open our own store... of nothing BUT sexy costumes! Kevin: Sir, no planning rival businesses in the store...
November 12, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
sith-art.bsky.social
“Content” is a corpo-brain term, makes me cringe when I hear it in the wild.

You don’t make “content”, you make ART! You write STORIES. Its your WORK (and often play too)!

“Content” is the noise you flick through when trying to find a SHOW you like, don’t cheapen your work comparing it to SLOP. 😤
cypjj.bsky.social cypii 🪤 @cypjj.bsky.social · Sep 16
"Content" is a blatantly misleading term to use for fanworks. Fanworks are the antithesis of content; content is produced for individual gain and consuming, whereas fanworks are created out of inspiration and the communal experience.
obviouslyaard.bsky.social AARD @obviouslyaard.bsky.social · Sep 14
start using "fanworks" again instead of "content" let's go people
September 16, 2025 at 11:25 AM
trippgustin.bsky.social
I’ve been getting some good momentum lately with freelance and comics and collaborative projects, but maaaaan, above all else I just want some stable income and my own health insurance 🥲
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
basil-mage.bsky.social
Mood
Drawing of a tired puppy with the caption; "this too shall pass but like holy f"
November 9, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
carlydraws.bsky.social
more painted pixels! my mix of grotty charcoal, painted box art, & pixel art inspiration all jumbled in together. Love pixel art! lots of glow, texture, scanlines & all that fun stuff!

This is an alternate cover for CRYO DRAKUS, a gradius/R-type inspired #ttrpg by SpicyTuna games, check it out!
spaceship approaching alien planet close up of painted-pixel spaceship
November 7, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
extrafabulous.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
cnuan.bsky.social
*slams through door* Hey. Hey! HEY! I like this thinking! Gang, firstly, even if you freelance, should be taking AT LEAST that 15-min break every two hours, pls & ty. Secondly, this is basically the pomodoro concept or the HIIT fitness idea; so, yeah, cycle through your skills, then REST to re-up!
oneilljones.com ONeillJones @oneilljones.com · 20d
applying heat to my stupid wrist so I can finish drawing this page and wondering if this is how JRPG characters feel when their favorite skill has a cooldown mechanic
Cloud Strife drinking at a bar looking off into space
November 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Tripp 3tych Gustin
hmnh.bsky.social
i didnt want to do it like this, but a series of recent testing and medical procedures has left me in a difficult financial situation that needs to be resolved in the next two days.

i am humbly asking for some help, if you can spare it. paypal.me/jamesroachmusic
Pay James Roach using PayPal.Me
Go to paypal.me/jamesroachmusic and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.
paypal.me
November 4, 2025 at 3:39 PM