THE TRUTH HURTS. Spending forty hours on one background isn't dedication. It's a prison sentence preventing you from finishing your project. Many artists fear 3D tools are cheating. That lie keeps you stuck as a struggling artist while pros hit deadlines using every tool available. At Creative Illuminati, we focus on results. DAZ3D and Blender don't replace your art. They remove the soul-crushing labor of perspective and architecture. Use 3D assets to block out your scene and lock in angles. Then, draw over them with confidence. Focus on character acting and story, not vanishing points. Stop wasting time on grids and start building your world. What is the most frustrating part of drawing backgrounds for you? Share your experience in the comments. Join the Creative Illuminati community to master these workflows and finish your work faster. Join the Creative Illuminati at: https://www.skool.com/mikes-sketchbook-7350/about

@Cynthia Shiller

❤️‍🔥ZETSU EDU 🧿FEB 1st UPDATE Since December, ❤️‍🔥Zetsu EDU has been a completely free, live build lab. 🟢In that time, we’ve taken ideas from Skool members and turned them into 8+ working applications, with the full library expanding to 16 complete app examples. 🧑‍💻Each app is its own class a real product built from a real idea, showing a different way to use AI to create something functional. 🟢Alongside that, we’ve been building a full How To Build With AI guide that breaks down the tools, the workflows, and the new tech that makes fast building possible. 🙇‍♂️Up until now, everything has been about creation. ☝️🧑‍🏫Starting February 1st, we move into the next phase: monetization. This is the part that’s changing. ❤️‍🔥Zetsu EDU is shifting from a free build space into a structured creator ecosystem — one where you don’t just learn how to build apps, but how to turn those builds into income. 🧿The first project in this new phase is a month‑long sprint where anyone can start with a raw idea and leave with a fully monetized invention. We’re starting with ArtStylz, but the same system applies to all 16 app examples. 🪬This isn’t about charging for content. It’s about giving creators a clear path from idea → product → earning. Feb 1st is the beginning of that shift. 📅 What launches on Feb 1st 1. The February Course 🧑‍💻🤖💵 Using AI to Make Products That Earn Money 2. The Pipeline Promotion → Demos → Monetization 🔊🎥💰 3. The Case Study 🎯🚀 ArtStylz — built, tested, and pushed to market live during the course 4. Why Join🤔 If you’ve ever thought: “I can build this… but how does it actually make money?” 💡 This is where you learn the answer. ➡️ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No more gatekeepers. Print on demand lets you publish, sell, and restock instantly: with zero permission needed. Creative Illuminati teaches the workflow to finish and ship fast. What will you create next? https://www.skool.com/mikes-sketchbook-7350/about

Comics and graphic novels are facing a new wave of censorship. The impact? It lands hardest on independent creators: those without big publishers or legal teams behind them. When a few vocal groups drive organized book bans, it’s not just well-known series that get targeted. Indie writers and illustrators are the first to feel the chill, often forced into self-censorship or kept out of libraries and classrooms altogether. This climate of fear makes it tougher to tell authentic stories, especially for marginalized voices. When comics dealing with gender, identity, or real-world issues are pulled off shelves, everyone loses. The truth: censorship isn’t just about what’s offensive, it’s about who gets to decide what stories are seen. Have you faced or witnessed comic book censorship? Share your experience below. Let’s keep the conversation going and support creative freedom: especially for independent creators. Learn more or join the Creative Illuminati community: https://www.skool.com/mikes-sketchbook-7350/about