studiomcah
Art • Books • Writing
INNNNNCOMING
News for Early Summer 2025
May 28, 2025

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!

community logo
Join the studiomcah Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
0
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
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: Smell of Intelligence Characters

https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/72-2002-014-SmellOfIntelligenceCharacters

Yesterday's scan came up with this cool piece of the characters from the story "The Smell of Intelligence" (now available in Clays Upon the Sands, the second Jokka collection volume). From 2002, so this was before the story was in its final form (or possibly even written!) Certainly, I don't recognize the sentiment I jotted down under Duna's portrait.

Other pictures of these characters:

https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/loose-2025-0700-Chenji

https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/72-2002-079-FathaWebsiteGraphic

I'm definitely missing a handful. Just a sign that I need to keep scanning!

October 07, 2026
Wednesday Share: The Peltedverse Tarot

I found this one in Sketchbook 71, from 2002... which would be before a lot of the canonical books were written, which makes this list of potential Tarot cards with Peltedverse characters on it a fantastic historical artifact. Some of them still work (Alysha as Strength); others are a little less relevant now that the story's been written (Sediryl as the Moon!). But a lot of them are still great (like the Exodus as the Tower, or Margeaux as Death).

Here's the link in case the first one glitches: https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/71-2002-082-PeltedTarotList

In 2016, I returned to the idea with a few sketches, which you'll find indexed off this first one of Alysha: https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/112-2016-028-TarotAlysha

I'd make a very different list today, I think! What character do you think belongs to which card these days?

September 30, 2026
Wednesday Share: Stardancer Women Poster

https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/143-2026-16-StardancerWomenPoster

Somehow, the Stardancer books lend themselves really well to montage-style images, and I'm really happy with this one! It's actually a redraw but the picture it's a redraw of is so old I need to go find it in the closet to scan it. If I still have it! If I do find it, I'll be sure to share it, probably in a back-in-time post.

I hope you enjoy this one, meanwhile!

Some other attempts at the Stardancer cast:

Cast roster: https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/121-10-20190512-StardancerCast

Sketching faces: https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/120-2018-28-StardancerWomen

Even more face sketching: https://mcahogarth.org/gallery/image/141-2025-20-TheStardancerWomensFaces

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!

Read full Article
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

Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
Read full Article
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

Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals