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About the Comic

about

As of September 25, 2017, Bardsworth is no longer updating. You can read details about it in this blog post.

Bardsworth is the story of a young man named Mike Cosley who finds a doorway into another world – in his closet, of all places. In this new world he discovers there is a school that teaches magic called Bardsworth University. As Mike attends college there he befriends a cute but temperamental fairy, a sarcastic but loyal roommate, a beautiful elf girl, an energetic bard major, and a lot things he didn’t bargain for. In the meantime, unbeknownst to him, a mysterious figure watches from afar and harbors plans for Mike.

The comic is drawn and colored digitally using a Wacom Intuos tablet, Clip Studio Paint, and Adobe Photoshop CS5. The site uses Comic Easel, an add-on to WordPress, and is hosted by 1&1 web hosting service.

About the Artist

My name is Peter Tarkulich and I started Bardsworth as an outlet for drawing and writing, both of which I have a strong passion for.

I was born in Rochester, New York on July 13th, 1981. In 2003 I graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a degree in Media Studies. In August 2005 I moved to Long Beach, California with my wife, Katie. After getting her Master’s in Costume Design, Katie and I moved to and lived in North Hollywood for a year before returning to upstate New York.

I’m a big geek. I’m into movies, music, fantasy novels, and cartoons. I homebrew my own beer and am a nationally recognized beer judge. I am also an author.

The Bardsworth Manifesto

These declarations are to make my intentions with Bardsworth clear and simple. I will do my best to adhere to all of these points. The Manifesto was last revised on 3/30/17.

  1. Bardsworth is meant to be a family friendly webcomic. This means that I would like it to appeal to both children and adults. I will not dumb down the content or restrict myself to strictly clean content, but neither will I use offensive or “adult” content.
  2. Though the comic is family friendly, not all external links on the site are. This includes any ads that may show up, as well as my personal sites, such as my Facebook page or Twitter feed. Please use discretion when browsing off of the site.
  3. The comic shall be updated once a week (typically on Thursday) on a continuing basis unless stated otherwise on the main page and/or forum. Hiatuses, potential and scheduled, will be mentioned ahead of time if circumstances allow. To stay up-to-date on posted strips, subscribe to one of my social media accounts (buttons are located in the upper left corner of the website).
  4. The comic will continue until all story lines are resolved. If circumstances dictate that I cease work on the comic, a secondary solution will be offered.
  5. Interaction with me is encouraged and will be reciprocated. This means that I will acknowledge all questions and feedback. I do not want to be merely a name on the website and will do what I can to communicate with all willing parties.
  6. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Constructive. Untactful, thoughtless, and insulting criticism will most likely be ignored.
  7. The comic is a humorous one, but the underlying plot and themes are serious. At any time the comic may switch from having jokes and gags to exposition and darker themes. I will do my best to maintain a balance and not go to one extreme or the other.
  8. Bardsworth is not now, nor will it ever be, a place to parade my or anyone else’s beliefs, ideals, political leanings, etc. It is not meant to be high art or cutting edge. It is not meant to be “classic literature”. It is escapism. It is simply a story I want to tell and that I hope others will enjoy reading. It is meant to give the reader a brief minute or two of fun during the day. It is Bardsworth, nothing more, nothing less.
    8a.  This is not to say, however, that political or social themes will not be talked about within the context of the story. What the characters do and say are their own, and not necessarily a reflection of my own beliefs and ideas.