ellenmillion

I have been committing art. And writing.

Dragon of Glass revisions are done, print cover is laid out, it's got a new epilogue and about about 5k new words in total (which is lovely, because it was too short!), and I'm super excited to release it next week! I did a lot of new things for me. (And for Zoe, for that matter.) I'm really curious to see how it does and am basically going in with no expectations. I'll have pre-order up later this week!

Dragon Prince's Quest is almost at 18k, and I'm still loving it, though I took a break to do the final polish on DoG. Have a sketch of Carina and Toren:



If you count up ALL the words, I've written about 16,000 since Nov 1 (DPQ started at 6500), and considering I started 5 days late, that's not bad. I had a couple of 3k days there, and I'd like to settle in and do a few more of those at least. There's still a shot at finishing this month!

Happy Veteran's Day, I'm back to writing now... zoom!

I owe a weekend report! On Thursday night, I drove out to Chena Hot Springs, all by myself in the van. I camped there overnight, soaked in the morning, and met Layla for a plein air watercolor painting class. Yes, I was torturing myself again with Things I Am Not Good At. Patreon patrons will get a look at what I painted! Friday night I camped out with Layla, Saturday was another day of painting outdoors, and then Saturday night Layla drove back in and Jake left Guppy with the grandparents and drove out in his fancy car. We stayed until Sunday afternoon, soaking and enjoying a leisurely breakfast.

It was a gorgeous time. Sunny weather the first day, threatening clouds the second - but no actual rain until we were tucked into bed, long after a lovely fire and marshmallows.



I brought my iPad and keyboard with me, and actually managed to write a few thousand words, as well! Not-a-book is up to 40k, and I've got just another scene (maaaaybe two) and a fluffy epilogue still to write on it. I've mocked up the cover and drafted the blurb. It feels like it's stampeding to the finish line now! It's eating my brain, big time.

Tomorrow: a massage, the farmer's market, a new artwork release, and maybe a thousand new words, if I'm lucky. All the paid #junicorns are mailed except a few I'll take into town with me tomorrow. (And one more original sale would make me over the moon! I made a special folder at my artist Facebook page to show which originals were still available.)

The last day of preschool was yesterday! *SOBS*

I got my 500 words (and a little bit) written, and I did a bunch of Torn World admin, and I did some errands, and I made some phonecalls and now I'm looking at my to-do list and remembering the things I forgot I needed to do while I was in town. BRILLIANT. It helps if you use the darned list, self.

I forgot them again today, along with a half dozen other minor things, like my earphones for the gym. We went to get the tires inspected on the truck today, but it's first come, first served, and by the time I'd dragged Guppy out of the house, there was a 3.5 hour wait, which didn't exactly fit the schedule. So we went to the gym, and when I picked her up from an hour of gym daycare Guppy burst into tears and said she waited for me the whole! time! and GUILT SOB GUILT.

We met a dad friend of mine at the park for a surprise (to the kids) playdate and picnic lunch, and I got to carve my first wooden spoon, which was great fun and I didn't lose any fingertips, though I do have a blister now. My first spoon is a bit wobbly and I haven't whittled since I was about eight (and it shows) but I love it!



Waiting for it to dry a bit more before I sand it.

No words yet today, but maybe after someone's bedtime.

This is my fourth deck with 78Tarot, an artist collaborative project. (And you know me and collaborative projects... :))

The twos in tarot are all about balance. The two of pentacles, in particular, is about balance of earthly things – wealth, business, and communication most specifically. Here we have an astronaut who is balanced in space, indicating the rich-looking, pentacle-adorned space ship she is attached to, and a satellite, which represents communication and more spiritual needs. It can be a tricky balance, complicated even further by blazing rocket boots! The infinity symbol from the traditional Rider Waite deck is hinted at in the curve of her tether, implying that the figure in question can handle an unlimited number of problems. Below her, a cold-war Russia and Alaska face each other under aurora-lit skies, representing outside conflicts.

This card cautions us to manage our time well, and encourages us to remember that if we do, we can handle all the things life throws at us.



This piece was an experiment from start to finish. I wanted a crisp, vintage look, and painted over my linework with acrylic before realizing that I had completely obscured my lines. Not daunted, I printed out my linework scan and colored it with Copic markers, then cut it carefully out by hand. That was the really sharp feeling I was going for! A few touches with colored pencil and gelpen were made at the very end. The original is 9x12, acrylic, marker, ink, and the kitchen sink (including glittler glue), and it's available for $200, US shipping included.

The Kickstarter to fund this deck is on NOW! It only runs one more week, and has already funded, so if you want to snag one of these gorgeous decks, this is your best chance: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayti/78-tarot-astral

I spent all of yesterday convinced it was Tuesday, which means I'm already a day behind on this week and I have deadlines breathing down my neck. Fortunately, practice means I've gotten faster at doing artwork, which is something I had actively despaired of. Also fortunately, one of my deadlines was pushed until the middle of next month. Thank goodness!

I did finish this (literal!) monster:


That puts me at 8 pictures for the sea monster mini-coloring book, and just two to go! Horrah!

The crowdfunding dribbles along - every order does add up, though, and we're about $70 from bookmarks in the $15+ sponsorships. Just $70 to the professional printing, which - have I mentioned once or twice? - I'd really like to get to. :)

http://ellenmillion.livejournal.com/1515101.html

I've also been leaning on the marketing machine - I designed a new postcard and made a big postcard order to go off to Kayti, who is organizing the 78 Tarot Kickstarter. I'm working on some adspace in a pagan magazine, and debating how teeny an ad will be effective:


Too teeny?

Speaking of Kickstarter, it is Kickstarter season, apparently. Here are a few you may be interested in:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayti/78-tarot-nautical
This is the 78 Tarot Nautical project! I have artwork in this deck, which I will do a formal reveal of... at some point involving free time.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonladyart/little-wings-dragon-plush-a-baby-dragon-to-cuddle
Carla is crowdfunding an adorable dragon plush!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/436212567/the-omen-limited-edition-kirin-print
Jessica is Kickstarting high quality prints of her kirin multi-media piece, The Omen.


Aaaaaand, Guppy is waking up - I have to get dressed asap and hustle us out of the house to do some time-critical errands and DEADLINES and all the stuff because today is Thursday, not Wednesday, and there is stuff to be done.


ETA: Since I put gardening in the subject, I have to follow through with actual news. My lilacs came back! I transplanted about 8 of them from my sister's yard, and all of them have healthy leaves coming in like crazy! Horrah! Also, what I thought was a strawberry was actually the delphinium propagating. Which surprised me because it was So Very Sad last year.

It's May! My favorite month of the year! And not just because it's spring and the sun is back and snow is going away and we've got birthdays and family coming!



May is Sea Monster month, and I'm awfully excited. I have a new project to unleash at you next week, and we'll have lots of sea monster goodness at the site. You can catch up with things from previous years here, and I've got a new comic on the topic up here. Last year, I did 24 art cards, this year will be a bit different... you'll see on Monday!

I showered and went out in public today, which was both awesome and exhausting. I still have a bit of a cough, but seem to be otherwise pulling back to health. We went to the library (libarry!) and got books (books!) and went to the post office and did a little shopping.


The artist in me deplores the composition here - they aren't facing each other, she's running out of the frame, the log in the middle adds nothing, should have cropped out the white chair blob in the corner... but it's so much fun, who cares?

Inbox is at 61, which makes me grind my teeth until I remember that about a month ago it was at 600. I can handle this. I can.

Now, a snack, and then... something awesome. (I don't know what, but whatever it is, it will be awesome.)

This is a first glimpse at a project I am incredibly happy to be involved in, Seventy Eight Tarot. 78 artists! 78 cards!



Mine is the 3 of pentacles: the completion of a project, teamwork, leadership, planning, and skill. The meta levels of this card are pretty amusing, and I've snuck in a deck of cards that will represent the 78 tarot project itself... :)

But that's not the only art!

I also finished the last not-Kickstarter custom card I promised for that project (ETA: Er, no, I have one more, but still haven't received references for that one...):



But I know why you're here:

I am triumphant! I have taken the coding project I have been poking at, beaten it sideways into shape, cleaned it up, and have turned it into something elegant and clever. All a day ahead of schedule! I feel quite chuffed with myself. I have also leveled up in loops. Significantly.

Tomorrow, locals can see some of my work and buy my coloring books at the First Friday at the Alaska Center for Natural Medicine. I will not be able to attend in person, but the lovely folks at the center will have a table with my work available. (There will be at one other artist featured, as well!)

Tomorrow is also Sketch Fest: http://ellenmilliongraphics.com/sketchfest/

If I can manage two sketches, I will have made my year's goal for getting two for each Sketch Fest in 2013.  That is admittedly a modest goal, but one I feel pretty good about accomplishing.

On that same list of goals, I have a whole lot of unmet writing goals. One I think I can reasonably still make is the short story count: "25 short stories - at least 15 of which should be Torn World Big Plot stories and 2 of which should NOT be Torn World stories." I currently have 19, all of the Torn World Big Plot stories. I did exactly NO writing in October or November.  I was pretty burnt out on the series and got some legitimate but discouraging feedback that the last bits weren't much of a page-turner.  I have gone back and found a few nice comments that were left throughout the earlier installments, and refreshed myself on the plot, so I hope to get back in and spice them up a little, as well as get the rest done, but I'm not going to tackle that until next year.  That leaves me 6 stories - 2 of which should NOT be Torn World.  I could count the story I wrote for RTH that ended up being set in the wrong time and all backwards-like... if I do, there are still 5 due. I am going to aim for some flash fiction - maybe even drabbles. Maybe Jenny/Bjorn things? I feel writing-rusty. Any requests? I won't do anything formal like a prompt call, but if there's a sequel, prequel, fandom or anything that you'd like to see something short in, just ask!

In Guppy-stories, she's started saying "EW" when she wants her diaper changed, which is silly and funny, but totally appropriate.  We count everything now, but she's sort of stuck on two and five, with the occasional guess of nine. Also, she doesn't like ham. This may be the first meat she doesn't like.

Yesterday was an unexpected weekend day, because Jake's calendar said so.

Woe! < /sarcasm >

Productive weekend, if not a lot to show for it - lots of little repairs... we installed a light above the kitchen counter, I fixed the handle on the chest freezer and re-repaired the KitchenAid. Much cleaning, good food, and a long walk for me and Norway. It's colder today - under zero! - so there's a cheerful woodfire in the stove.

I left Rails alone all weekend, though I moped about it whenever I remembered it, and opened it with trepidation again this morning... to find that it's not at ALL as bad as I'd built it up to be in my head. I made a few cosmetic changes, tweaked a few conversations just a little, and decided it worked. Is it perfect? No. But I don't think I got far from the mark I was aiming at, and it's engaging. It's totally set up for a sequel or two, it ties up just exactly what it HAS to, and I think it does the characters justice. Done! Just need to ebook it up and think about Kickstarting a print copy. The next section is up to the public in Railbrakes.

Muse Fusion is this weekend, Sketch Fest is next weekend!

Have some art and photos:



( +4 more photos )

And, artwork! ( +5 )