My 8-Year-Old Self: A Year in the Life of a Geeky Introvert

Follow the adventures of My 8-Year-Old Self as he navigates the stress of everyday life and school while living in his own fantasy world as he pursues his ambitions to draw the most epic comic book ever created.

Loosely based on artist Mike Ivy's childhood experiences and the characters he created at the time, My 8-Year-Old Self began as a series of drawings posted on social media. Presented here are the first 70 drawings woven into a story following My 8-Year-Old Self's mishaps and triumphs over a year of his life.

Author's note:

My 8-Year-Old Self is based loosely on my childhood experiences and the characters I created at the time and began as a series of drawings I regularly posted on social media. I initially approached these drawings as an Art series: planning, experimenting, and creating, similar to how my Advanced Drawing students work. Of the 70 drawings in this book, 50 were created traditionally with a ballpoint pen on bristol board paper. The rest were created digitally, once I found digital tools that allowed me to nearly match my traditional drawing style.

This book is the realization of a childhood dream to be a published author and illustrator. It just took me a little while to realize this dream:

I was obsessed with Art from an early age, drawing pictures of my stuffed toy Bunny, made for me by my mother, and cartoon characters such as Snoopy. By age eight, I was obsessed with Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip and actively collected his books. That summer, a movie premiered, which would profoundly impact my creativity: Star Wars.

Sometime during that formative year, my love of Peanuts and Star Wars inspired me to create my own character. He was a space hero that looked somewhat like Snoopy, whom I called "Space Dog." I would obsessively draw Space Dog comic books for the next five years. I still have some of those comics.

Like most of us, my interests changed and evolved as I grew up. But while most of us "put away childish things," I found myself clinging tightly to some childhood loves. I would revisit Space Dog briefly in college, updating his design and even casting a small bronze sculpture. Later, Space Dog would be my subject in several artworks as I learned to draw on Photoshop. Now, as I approach retirement age, Space Dog has been revived again as My 8-Year-Old Self draws his own comics. It has taken several decades with many detours, but I have come full circle as I start to fulfill the dream that began when I was eight years old.