Last Fall I participated in a fan art contest on Instagram hosted by @venomized_truebeliever and sponsored by the folks of Key Hero Comics and Encased Comics. I’m doing a revamp of my site and just realized I never shared the news with you, the good people who visit this forgotten site in a dusty part of the interwebs. The first King in Black Ink Contest didn’t go that well for me and I lost in the second round to a fantastic piece by Matt Brosch. You can see my entries from that year in my Portfolio section of the site. But I did auction off those two pieces and managed to raise some funds for a local women’s shelter during a time when most of the annual fundraising efforts had to be cancelled. I’ve donated art to their Starry Nights charity auctions in the past and was happy for the opportunity to help again. I love this community and how we can all come together in the difficult times to help those who need it. A huge “Thank you!'” to the amazing collector who won both pieces.

Was I going to do that all over again?

An excuse to draw Symbiotes, of course I was down for that!

When the second contest started and it was announced the prize would be an exclusive cover opportunity… I promised myself I would work day and night to make that happen. I had a week for each entry with an extra week for the final round. I made it my mission to prove to myself I could design and complete a full 11×17 cover on comic art board for each round. I had never done anything like that before.

But I’m damn glad I did.

Because I won!

We’re currently in talks to find the right comic fit that I can put the same passion and drive into as I did when creating these five entries. I look at them and I see with each one I got a little better, worked harder, and wanted this more than ever. Follow me here or on Instagram @foxlayng for updates about how to get your hands on my first exclusive comic cover. It’s a dream 30+ years in the making.

The third #kibinkcontest is starting around now so head over to IG and give it all you have.