Oh wow, how is it the end of April??? This month flew by as I’ve been toiling through taxes and recuperating from the sleepless nights of medical/job worries and deadline crunch that was Jan thru March.
Rebooting My Brain
Things haven’t been all craziness and exhaustion, thankfully! I’ve been hyped to continue my quest to re-tool my skillset from painter to writer-illustrator and have finally returned to my studies now that the dust is settling (knock on wood?).
I’m in a transition period as I figure out how to brush up these rusty writerly skills of mine, but also find a way to combine my writing and art skills for new storytelling possibilities. I’ve picked up some classes to help me figure it all out:
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Neil Gaiman’s MasterClass – I finished this one this month and it was a condensed shot in the brain of Gaiman’s best practices and anecdotes from his experiences as a writer. It was refreshing to see his scrappy comic script thumbnails. I’ve finished his masterclass with a bit more perspective and feeling a little more confident!
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Clip Studio Paint Basics – I’ve also dove deep into learning Clip Studio Paint EX! I hope to use this program to utilize its 3D models to inform my illustration, as well as use CSP’s other tools to help in creating complex backgrounds. It also has book layout functionality, which would be useful for so many of my projects! It’s a LOT to take in and I’ve been taking it slow with this one.
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Proko Presents Marvel’s Art of Storytelling – Getting a little more back in taxes than expected helped me splurge on something more for fun. I’ve always been interested in comics, but never felt brave enough to really make them. This class has been a fascinating glimpse into an adjacent industry and motivation to give some of my fun side ideas a try just for my own personal good, even if I don’t plan to go into comics professionally. My biggest takeaway so far is my comics friends aren’t paid enough for all the things they must master!
Other Patreon News – Last Chance Loyalty Merch!
May is the last month my Birthstone Goddesses loyalty merch will be available! After this month, I’ll be deactivating this merch to make ready for my Patreon’s soft re-launch into a new theme focused on creating work inspired by novels, starting with the Kushiel’s Legacy series.
For a limited time (till the end of May), I’m going to offer all of the Birthstone Goddesses Loyalty merch exclusively for Patrons to snag before it’s gone for good. Patrons who have been here long enough have gotten this merch for free, but those who may have missed out because they’re new Patrons that joined after the merch’s debut will at least have this chance to snag it for a fee before they disappear into the vault.
Stay tuned for the announcement for when these items go live in the Secret Shop. (Should be within the week!)
Posts You Missed in April
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I didn’t have too many posts in April, as the inspiration lists take quite a while to compile. I’m hoping to get Part 2 of Movies That Make Me Want to Paint done for May, instead. Meanwhile, prep continues for the grand re-launch. I can’t wait to roll out the new direction for this Patreon which promises to help me read more books and create more art that I love and want to see in the world!
More soon,
– Ang