About the Comic
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 - 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 pencil-drawn on 14" x 17" smooth Bristol board and inked with Micron ink pens. All coloring and shading is done digitally using a Wacom Graphire tablet and Adobe Photoshop CS2. The site is hosted by 1&1 web hosting service. The website is entirely designed and maintained by the artist.
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've been obsessed with webcomics since 2001 and I'm glad to be a part of a rapidly growing and evolving community.
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, who graduated in 2008 with her Master's in Costume Design. We 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, webcomics, and cartoons. I'm obsessed with pie, and have a great fondness for coffee. I also draw fairies.
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 revised on 10/8/09.
- 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.
- 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 LiveJournal or Facebook page. Please use discretion when browsing off of the site.
- The comic shall be updated on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 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. (Please note that the comic is currently on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule until noted.)
- Donations and profits from merchandise will be used for promotion of the comic, material costs, and server fees.
- The comic will continue until all storylines are resolved. If circumstances dictate that I cease work on the comic, a secondary solution will be offered.
- 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.
- Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Untactful, thoughtless, and insulting criticism will pointed out for what it is, though.
- 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.
- 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.