studiomcah
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Community for science fiction and fantasy author/artist M.C.A. Hogarth.
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February 03, 2022
Future Plans

A while back I posted a link to a survey in the hopes of understanding how to make things more awesome for those of you supporting me on various patronage platforms. Some of the results were surprising, but I think I got a pretty clear picture based on the responses. Here are some of the takeaways:

• Most people are subscribing just to tip me, not for access to locked content.
• Most people are using platform-generated email to read my updates (instead of an app or the platform website).
• Surprisingly, just over half of you don’t read the content unless you remember to.
• 85% of you either don’t care about the community aspect, don’t have time to participate, or can take or leave it (!)

The responses as to preferred platforms yielded some interesting insights. The major ones:

• People like the Locals app/website better than Patreon’s, citing easier-to-use comment sections, more interaction, and better user experience and organization/layout.
• But most people, while reporting a dislike of Patreon, prefer to continue using it over dealing with multiple sites.

The latter was a drumbeat in response after response. ‘I don’t like Patreon, but I’m supporting multiple artists with a single payment a month and it’s just not worth the hassle to move/add another site.’

Patreon has years of inertia behind it, and I don’t think that’s going to change.

I continue to think Locals has potential, and am curious to see what they’re evolving toward, and as inconvenient as it is to have multiple sites to manage (for me, in terms of posting), I like to have diversified revenue streams. When I had all my eggs in the Patreon basket, Patreon going down, kicking me off, or changing its terms and conditions to something untenable was a major worry. Having my patrons split across Patreon and Locals has relieved some of those concerns (and it is nearly half split: 212 people on Locals vs 150 people on Patreon).

But given that the people on Patreon aren’t going to move, I’ve decided to standardize my content (as much as possible) across both platforms. There are some things that will only be on Locals because of the technology, like the livestreams and the better comment sections. But going forward, all free content will be posted to both platforms, and all locked Locals content that can be cross-posted will be available to Patreon patrons paying at least $5 a month (since Locals doesn’t allow me to set a lower membership price). I already have a $5 tier on Patreon, so that makes things easier; I’m debating removing the $1 tier to avoid confusion, but I’m going to wait on that decision to see how things work out first.

This is my intention, but since I have to do it manually I can’t guarantee I’ll catch every post.

The tl;dr version: I am sticking with two major patron platforms, Locals and Patreon. Locked content will be available on both platforms at the $5+ a month level. Content will be cross-posted unless the technology prevents it; Locals has some features Patreon doesn’t.

Here I mention that both Patreon and Locals have yearly as well as month-to-month payment options, so if you want to lump-sum things and get it over with, you can with both sites. And for those of you curious about Locals, here’s a promo code for a free couple of months: https://studiomcah.locals.com/support/promo/FEBCOFFEE

Thanks to all of you for participating in the survey! I really appreciate the window into your interests and pain points. I’m going to use that data to serve you better!

Questions, comments, and suggestions, as always, welcome!

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October 27, 2021
Cursive Practice Video, to Relax

Or at least, I intend it to be relaxing. Hopefully it delivers.
4:22 minutes

Materials:

00:04:27
Overview of the First Oil Paint Experiment

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.💖

00:03:35
Video Review: Oil Painting Papers

My initial review on receipt of the three oil paper products I ordered: the Canson pad, the Rembrandt block, and the Arches single sheets.

00:01:54
November 09, 2021
Alysha Misc

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 ...

Alysha Misc
The Jaguar's Heart 7: We Are Not a Monolith

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....

The Jaguar's Heart 7: We Are Not a Monolith
The Jaguar's Heart 6: Hatespeech

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 ...

The Jaguar's Heart 6: Hatespeech
Wednesday Share: Children Of Firilith

Thought I'd share something recent... I did this one a few days ago, because I have not forgotten Surela 3 and am in fact still working on the outline for it. That led inevitably to Surela and Lunet because cuteness. If you follow the link, you can also bounce to the fallowtide children drawing which is a lot of fun. Quite the baby boom during the Fallowtide! (Do you have a favorite kid? I should write a story about one of these kids, but which??).

https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/146-2026-16-ChildrenOfFirilith

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October 23, 2026
Starting Serialization November 6: Coracle 2: Squire Marda!

I've picked my Friday serialization and it's the sequel to Marda Quincesinger: Postulant! Every Friday we'll return to the world of Coracle for the further adventures (and education!) of Marda at the Outremers' Abbey. This year, everyone receives their Godsib, a companion animal! What critters will choose each of Marda's friends?

I feel like we need a dose of weekly gentle and wholesome to look forward to. Mark your calendars, and if you haven't already read Book 1, give it a look here: https://studiomcah.com/products/marda-quincesinger-postulant

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October 21, 2026
Wednesday Share: Author Talk

https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/62-2001-072-AuthorTalk1

Today's share post is this 13-page storyboard/comic I did where I talk with Hirianthial and Lisinthir about the events of Her Instruments, and it's notable because:

1 - at the time, I hadn't finished writing Her Instruments, so I didn't know what was in the future...

2 - ...I had only a hazy idea of how I was going to get from Her Instruments to the Fire War's culminating arc, and so...

3 - it's a really interesting look back into my head while I was still developing/writing the Peltedverse, 25 years ago.

4 - Oh, and the art is actually really good.

So I went through an annotated every single page with author commentary! Plus there are previous/next buttons for easy navigation. Go check it out if this kind of meta-conversation/background stuff is at all interesting to you!

October 05, 2026
Quick State of the Jaguar!

I had a lovely birthday! And I'm looking forward to a productive October. I thought I'd catch you up, bullet-point style, on what I'm up to:

  • Tomorrow the Tea vs Coffee (and Galaxy) dragon kickstarter ends! (Last chance!) So I'll be doing coloring sheets and fulfillment for that.

  • Finalized the paperback edition of the re-issue of my fantasy short collection, which I'll have a formal launch for, probably next week.

  • It's been a month, so it's time to edit Kherishdar's Witness! I re-read it yesterday and made two pages of notes of things that need adjustment, but it's much closer to ready than I thought. Early November for that, probably.

  • I have only 31 big sketchbooks left to scan for the gallery! Which is at 9466 images. I'll easily hit that 10K I predicted, and after that it'll be time to start on the small sketchbooks and loose artwork, and continue my annotations.

  • Reminder that the new, winter seasonal gallery code is pinned here for subscribers at the $5+ level. Go collect and apply!

  • Related, I'm back to daily drawing, and am glad to have restored that practice. Thank you, discord members, for your frequent prompts/requests, which I fall back on when I can't think of anything.🧡

  • I'm gearing up to start serializing Coracle 2: Squire Marda here, probably near the end of October. More on that when I'm ready!

I see a lot of you are free subscribers; I hope you'll consider joining the paying patrons! I post weekly (usually 2-3 times a week), which is (I'm told) a lot more than most subscriptions. And it would be a big help to me with all the projects I want to conquer going forward! Including having the money to travel to at least one con a year to meet more of you in person. Even a dollar a month helps and unlocks almost all the paid content, and $5 a month gets you unlimited access to the 9000+ image stardancer gallery. Please consider buying me a cup of coffee if you're not already.

And to all my paying patrons, many of whom have been with me for decades, know that I appreciate you, as always. You are the pillars of the Jaguar tribe.🧡

More to come!

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October 02, 2026
Freebie Short: The Black Hat

To prepare for writing a Western for Raconteur Press's Wyrd West anthology, I vanished into a Louis L'amour black hole and didn't come up for air for about two weeks. I had a grand time, and the result was this short.

Why did I want to write a Western, you ask? Because I wanted to see if I could. I did, and I enjoyed every bit of it!

Also, goodness, it is my birthday! I'm going to go eat ice cream after this. XD

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September 25, 2026
Freebie Short: Hate That Guy

Today's short returns to the Le'enle for a comical urban fantasy published originally in Raconteur Press's Brim to the Dregs anthology. This was a potion-and-brew-themed call, and that made it a perfect fit for the Le'enle who have a special relationship with...

Well, just read on. XD

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