I have been doing well at my goal of consistent scanning; my target is five historical scans a week and whatever I’ve done in my current sketchbook, and instead I’ve been doing about 25 historical scans a week, sometimes more. I’ve been picking a random book every day, just to keep things interesting, but once I started getting into the final chapters of the new Alysha novel I plucked out Sketchbook 121, which has some scans in it from my initial story development for that book that I know I’ll want to include in the author art backmatter.
Focusing on this one sketchbook allowed me to finish scanning everything in it, giving me my first “mission complete!” in this project. Orrrrrr, so I thought, until I had a look at the folder and thought, ‘and now I need an inventory.’ It’s no good to have the scans if you don’t know what you are, and there’s a limit to the data I can cram into the filename.
I started a spreadsheet, which I hope to turn into a template for the rest of the project, and to a large extent it’s a duplication of the old stardancer website database backend. Not all of the fields I had for that database were useful, so I’m trying to streamline the thing to ‘here’s where the search terms I hit most often.’ I also decided to go with a spreadsheet because I figured it would make uploading into a future database easier (exporting from spreadsheet to database-uploadable-file is standard stuff). And yes, there was a separate decision tree where I tried to decide whether to have one spreadsheet per sketchbook, or if I wanted one master spreadsheet with each sketchbook in a tab; I decided the latter would quickly become cumbersome, which is how I ended up landing on ‘plan to put all this in a future database.’
I thought scanning was tedium, but populating the inventory is like trudging through waist-deep mud, and it can’t be outsourced; while superfans might be able to identify some 20%-40% of what’s in these sketchbooks based on long experience with my ENTIRE published canon, no one is going to be able to look at a few wavy lines and say ‘oh yes, that’s when I started drawing a Jokka and got bored because I put the head too low and couldn’t be bothered to erase it and move it up the page; also, I was sitting in the Starbucks by the university, and I was working on this particular Jokka short story at this time, so it was on my mind and that’s probably Kediil come to think of it.’ I mean, I could page through the sketchbook and say that stuff out loud to someone typing it in for me, but I’m still involved.
So yes. Tedium. The ‘scan and upload what you just drew’ part of this process is intended to prevent me from having to do this all at once at some future date. Or it will, once I decide how I want this template to look.
Currently the spreadsheet has two tabs: the overview (with the themes and physical description of the cover), and the page list (which breaks down the page-by-page content of the book). I’m debating if there’s anything else I want to add to these; long-time jaguar readers will remember that for a while I was doing a sketchbook retrospective on Livejournal that discussed a cluster of five sketchbooks at a time, with a lot more context (I’ve included a screenshot of that). I really liked that data and want it to exist somewhere permanently, I’m just not sure how I want to keep it.
Those of you who’ve known me longest also know that some part of me is considering how to monetize this long and extremely time-consuming process. I don’t have any fresh ideas on that one, but here are some of my considerations:
- Livestreaming the scanning
- Kickstarting the livestreaming of the scanning (really!)
- Writing posts like this for patreon/locals, or posting the artwork
- Doing a ‘best of’ portfolio, which I used to do for auction sights in the early 2000s
- Doing a ‘sponsor the scans’ retrospective, like I did on Livejournal
- Sell access to the archives (not sure what this would look like, but it’s on my mind)
I am not far enough into this process to figure out how to recoup my time, but I want to because this is a monumental amount of work.
So, Sketchbook 121 is not actually as done as I thought. And now I’m going from ‘scan 5 pieces of art a week’ to ‘scan 5 pieces of art a week and document them,’ so as I expected, this project is bloating up nicely. >.>
As always, suggestions are welcome! (And yes, my fellow data-paranoics, I am backing up to multiple sources and investigating adding extra ones. I share your doomsday scenarios….)
Or at least, I intend it to be relaxing. Hopefully it delivers.
4:22 minutes
Materials:
- Pen: Moonman Starry Glass dip pen, Mars: https://www.jetpens.com/Moonman-Starry-Sky-Glass-Dip-Pen-Mars/pd/31536
- Paper: Strathmore Writing Series 500, lined: https://www.jetpens.com/Strathmore-500-Series-Writing-Pad-8.5-x-11-Lined-50-Sheets/pd/15322
- Ink: Robert Oster, Rose Gilt Tynte: https://www.jetpens.com/Robert-Oster-Rose-Gilt-Tynte-Fountain-Pen-Ink-Shake-N-Shimmy-50-ml-Bottle/pd/25170
In which I talk about the paper, the paint, and the experience of oils versus gouache. Fun stuff, will do more.
Thank you Locals supporters! Your contribution to my art war chest here is what's powering these experiments and videos. For now I'm keeping them public but I may start doing some subscriber-only videos if you all are interested.💖
Thanks for your comments yesterday on the business post... all very provocative, in a good way. I'll try to respond to all of them today.
Some Alysha misc now, since I'm gearing up for the results of the Kickstarter!
Petrov is giving away coupon codes for every book in the Alysha series (and has some leftover coupons for Marda and the business book). You can pick those up here (and please do! The books are bought already, someone should use them!) https://twitter.com/PetrovNeutrino/status/1457344535843987461
Our own @JudasComplex sent along a sample of the Faith in the Service audiobook, which I've attached for your delight! I... haven't had a chance to listen to it. Don't ask me about my past week and a half or so. Putting it here will guarantee I get to it.
After hearing the amused comments during the livestream, I went ahead and added all the ship type illustrations I have inked from the 90s to the wiki. Glory in the rampant adorableness of their anthropomorphic stylings! See those ...
A little comedy today, at least in the link. Transcript follows.
Hi, all. Welcome to this episode of The Jaguar’s Heart.
A while back I was introduced to a comedy sketch about Cuban coffee by a Mexican comedian, Gabriel Iglesias. ( The sketch begins with him greeting all his fellow Latinos and then backing up to say ‘but we’re all different, aren’t we’ which is a segue into a demonstration of how different Hispanics speak Spanish.
It is hilarious. First, because I am a Spanish speaker and a linguistics hobbyist, and his portrayal of various accents resonated with my experiences in trying to make sense of them myself… Not always easy, since from culture to culture, slang and accent are often totally different (and sometimes grammar! Spaniards use a grammatical construct that has died out in many other Spanish-speaking countries, the plural “you.”)
I also loved it because the Cuban coffee part is real. I grew up with Cubans. I know how we are....
One of the most common things I hear (and say) right now is "the asymmetry is the story." Here's one about how none of us are innocent of the sins we hate in others.
Hi, all. Welcome to this week’s episode of The Jaguar’s Heart.
It’s been weeks since the Baen’s Bar incident and I’m still thinking about it... because the longer I do, the more I feel, overwhelmingly, that it’s obvious that the problem is deeper than “this forum was saying stuff that offended us.” We have to back up to the glaring fact that people on opposite sides no longer consider each other human. Nothing I say will matter because the people disagreeing with me don’t think I’m human. They have denied my humanity; they have not bothered to listen to my beliefs, or have fake-listened to them in that way that people do when they’re so ready to prove you wrong that they’re only using your speech to provide talking points for their own ideas.
We have forgotten how to listen.
Increasingly, we have also ...
I have been hacking at this for nearly two weeks! But I think I'm minimally viable (other than a few niggling CSS errors I'm chasing down). Everything's been redesigned around the quiz, and the store in particular got overhauled in a way that hopefully makes what you want to shop for easier to find. Please go wander my website and my revamped shopify store and tell me if there's anything that breaks for you (or that delights you - there are easter eggs!). The site should change colors based on the time of day, and there are random fun facts to read (and click on) and other things, too. Plus, the quiz! And such. :)
Website: https://mcahogarth.org
Quiz: https://mcahogarth.org/bookrec/
Shop: https://studiomcah.com/
Mostly, what the jaguar is up to is resting, because I managed to overuse my hands/arm/shoulder and now every time I type or sit at the computer or drawing board, I aggravate the injury. Very frustrating! But I wanted to get out this (mostly dictated) update for you!
Kherishdar 5 is about 2/3rds done, and Conversations 3 is 90% done. (Yes, imagine my frustration that I’m this close and can’t keep going!). I’m still anticipating an early summer date for those.
The gamelit novel is now available at retail, which means it’s officially out! It will finish serializing on PatreLocals and then I’ll decide what I’m serializing next. If you’ve read it and feel like dropping a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or my shop, I’d appreciate it! And the special edition will be available once I okay the new proof, which probably won’t get to me for another month or so. Sorry! Special editions take a long time to print. Here's the "Every retailer" landing page; note that AI-audio is the only ...
KICKSTARTER KICKSTARTER GO GO GO
The Jokka kickstarter launches Thursday! And runs for 12 days, so if you want any of the original art (or one of the few “get yourself drawn as one of the Jokka” slots), go sign up to be notified of launch!
ON THE HORIZON: A LOT MORE ART
Scott Adams is fond of saying that you either want something, or you decide. That if you’re in the ‘I want’ phase, you don’t actually take steps; things only start happening when you have decided they’re going to happen. And I, ariisen, have finally decided I’m sick of not scanning and archiving my sketchbooks and turning them into stuff you can enjoy, like art books and prints and wiki images! I’ve already done Sketchbooks 1-10, and I’ve made a start on the next set of ten.
My plan is to run a Kickstarter for the first art book in a month or two (so if you’re a fan of my art more than my writing, your campaign is coming!) and use that as the proof-of-concept for the process for the remaining 200 or so… see where the issues are, streamline where I can, order proofs of the art book and decide what paper I like and what kinds of covers are economically feasible. I’ve timed myself and it takes about two hours to scan one sketchbook, if I stand there and do nothing but turn pages. I don’t think I can make that part go by faster, but I might be able to do something about the post-processing phase. Let the experimentation begin!
While I’m doing that, I’ll be posting some of the scans here! These posts will be separate from Back in Time Tuesday, which is for finished artwork dug out of the closet from whatever time period I feel like sharing. This means the Patreon will be getting EVEN MORE ART.
I’m debating right now whether the art sharing will be my “serial” until I’m ready to serialize new fiction. Someone also suggested writing wiki/worldbuilding entries as serial content, which might be fun. But I’m still only wanting to do those things—I definitely haven’t decided. Until then, there definitely will be an art explosion. I’ve montaged some things up there as demonstration of what you have to look forward to!
If you are a lurker, now’s a good time to decide whether you want to subscribe to contribute to my coffee fund. I do, in fact, literally drink a cup of coffee while trapped in my laundry room, turning pages and leaning on the drier! Or if you’re a paying subscriber, consider buying me a monthly coffee if you’re currently in the ‘tossing the jaguar a buck’ club. My coffee capsules are closer to $2 after shipping. XD
We’re all overloaded and looking for moments of beauty and cheer and inspiration in our days. A lot of this older artwork is silly, or delightful, or cartoonical, and I think it might be just what we need.
Seriously, check out happy bee guy there. What even was that. Lol.😂
Anyway, I'm doing the things! Jokka! Art! Fun! Forth!
