mleiv

Advice For Artists: Dry Eyes

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:03:35 -0400

A somewhat long-winded description of my eye problems and solutions, which boils down to washing your eyes twice a day and using Genteal gel.

storyofthedoor: Destined Legends Box Preview by =blix-it I...

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:57:09 -0400

storyofthedoor:

Destined Legends Box Preview by =blix-it

I didn’t design the box, I just did the painting seen in the far right photo. c: This photoset is for my vanity!! XD And to advertise that Destined Legends can now be preordered through its online store! The kickstarter is all done and great, these photos are from a test copy sent by the manufacturer before they go ahead with assembling the other 1000+ copies of the game.

Another exciting thing is that I bought a good handful of copies of this game and I’ll be selling them at Otakon! (You can also buy the game at Anime Expo and at San Diego Comic Con, Destined Legends will be set up at both of those cons!)

I am pretty damn excited for this game. I guess to me it’s kind of the first time I’ll see someone else actually be proud of the work I created for them and they’ll go out and sell it. IT IS ACTUALLY A THING THAT IS NICE, HERE LOOK AT IT. After so many years of being turned down for everything, because of watercolor painting, because of commission rates, because I live in the US and I can’t afford to charge 5$ for a giant painting … here is an example of my work when I’m actually paid fairly to do something. Not like paid HUGELY, just paid fairly. And then I turned around and reinvested all of that money in the game by purchasing wholesale copies for myself to sell at shows. XD

Lately I’ve just felt so sick of everything. Sick of fighting with people over the rates I charge to commission. Sick of drawing comics that don’t update enough and that aren’t cared for much when they DO update…

WELL HERE IS A THING THAT’S DONE AND NICE LOOKING, THANK GOD.

This is such a beautiful game! Lovely paintings from Blix-it everywhere.

The Rose Throne is out today! Go buy...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:19:48 -0400

The Rose Throne is out today! Go buy it: http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Throne-Mette-Ivie-Harrison/dp/1606843656

If you have the opportunity to go to one of Mette’s signings promoting this book, she might even have some of these cards to give away. ^^

I first saw your art in Emily and the Strangers and I quickly fell in love with it (even though the comic and I ended up not getting along) But I couldn't stop admiring your art. There's just something about it that feels so unique. Your use of color especially captivates me, how you can use such a limited color scheme, but keep everything feeling so lively. Are there any of your other works that I can read?

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:14:37 -0400

Aww thanks! I had two webcomics you can read online: The Locked Maze and Rotsterarsil. But EtS takes up most of my life now, because I am slow and obsessive in the drawing. My personal website with lots of back art is http://mleiv.com/

Fan Sketch Friday: The Rose Throne This is a great book by my...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:00:33 -0400

Fan Sketch Friday: The Rose Throne

This is a great book by my sister, Mette Harrison. It comes out May 14. You can preorder it here: http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Throne-Mette-Ivie-Harrison/dp/1606843656 .

Ailsbet is the princess of Rurik, the richer of the two islands, where things are hard and violent. She just wants to be a musician, but she is key to her father’s ambitions and must serve his whims. Marissa is princess of Weirland, the weaker island. She loves her home, but needs to make an alliance with Rurik to keep her people safe. She loves poetry and gardening. I thought they worked perfectly together as a Queen card design. And I got to draw lots of fun patterns. ^^

This is a book for younger audiences, but I found the story fascinating: dark and sad, revolving around the destructive nature of strict gender roles and the power/powerlessness of being a princess. I liked that the ending was not about man vs woman so much as women fighting for each other, using their own strengths. And there was plenty of room for a sequel.

Of course, in the sequel I’ve written in MY head, Ailsbet and Marissa give Kellin the finger and run off together. <3

metteivieharrison: Depression

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:28:22 -0400

metteivieharrison: Depression:

metteivieharrison:

I am not depressed any longer, though I was for several years and still watch myself to see if I am showing signs. I tend to be pretty cautious about stressing myself out too much, not getting enough sleep, saying yes to too many things, because I want to make sure that I don’t dig myself into a…

Amen.

metteivieharrison: The Rose Throne book trailer is now here!

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:51:56 -0400

metteivieharrison:

The Rose Throne book trailer is now here!

secondlina: A bit of color and now we are steampunking with...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:54:31 -0400

secondlina:

A bit of color and now we are steampunking with power.

Adorabuhls!

goshyesthemiddleman: ETA: ARTCRAWL!

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 22:42:51 -0400

goshyesthemiddleman:

ETA:

ARTCRAWL!

okbjgm: hey america, do you remember that time when you...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:32:11 -0400

okbjgm:

hey america, do you remember that time when you wondered if there would ever be a high-quality, high-res, professionally shot, non-play-listed version of the now-legendary 2009 san diego comic con middleman cast reunion and table read of the lost episode “the doomsday armageddon apocalypse?” yeah…me too!

Middleman!

Reviews of The Rose Throne

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:29:13 -0400

metteivieharrison:

The Rose Throne is up on www.netgalley.com, if you would like to read it on-line:

One reviewer is saying, “Two princesses? Magic? Love? Music? Sign me up! …

One thing I really liked about this story was that it wasn’t a light and fluffy princess story. There’s cruelty and a fight for power, characters that I absolutely hated, and some that I truly loved.”

Loved this book! :)

metteivieharrison: Why I Hate My Body “My body can do...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:30:28 -0400

metteivieharrison:

Why I Hate My Body

“My body can do cool stuff, and I think that’s the most important thing.” Hell yeah!

Amya Chronicles: Cutting the cost of Culture

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 23:56:14 -0500

Amya Chronicles: Cutting the cost of Culture:

writersavvy:

As some of my readers may know, one of my day jobs is in Audience Development in a large theatre company. Today it was released to the press that we ended last season in a deficit composed of a few million dollars. I’m sure the news was startling for many who have already lost a significant amount…

Amen. Sure, there’s always another young rube to give away their art for free, but when your favorite webcomic gives up and dies, remember that this attitude is prolly the #1 reason why. Giving it away for free does not mean our work costs us nothing to create. /vent

jeffrey-sewell: nataliemorales: As promised. Middle...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:07:37 -0500

jeffrey-sewell:

nataliemorales:

As promised. Middle ID’s.

(Thanks to @joshcheek aka joshprops)

awesome!

metteivieharrison: How to Be a Woman

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:03:46 -0500

metteivieharrison: How to Be a Woman:

metteivieharrison:

Some thoughts on how to get into the mind of a woman. Just imagine that this was your life:

Every day you are told that what matters most about you is how you look, not what you do, not what you think.

You are constantly being told that you are too big, and should make yourself look…

Yeah, that sounds about right.

I hate to be bothersome, but I cannot find the comment in which you(or a follower) named the book/books in which Kernan/kernan's father was inspired/based on. I was wondering if you could recommend me some books to read?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:47:00 -0500

Kernan is from Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones. His father… I would try Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly or Tea With The Black Dragon by R.A. MacAvoy. I have most of my favorite books here: http://mleiv.com/favorite-books/ If you can find a digital copy of Red Feather or a book from the library, that is a phenomenally good fairy tale. And Something Rich & Strange is also about evil/good (sea) fey. Oh - and The Perilous Gard! The fairy queen in that is AWESOME.

Hey, Question coming from a clueless artist that doesn't know what to do with the rest of her life. I was wondering what sort of post secondary school you went you, or degree's you earned in art, or what programmes you went into. If you answer this I'll be very thankful!

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:36:29 -0500

Disclaimer: I should never be allowed to talk to teenagers about career goals. Never. Ever. EVER.

My Life Story.

I had a terrible experience in high school art and never pursued art in college (I studied Latin and Computer Science instead). I got a job through blatant nepotism as a digital artist in 1991 (also because I was the only person in the city who knew how to use a digital art program) and I learned a lot there, surrounded by art students who deeply resented my presence and lack of skill. Then I spent some 15 years working as a programmer while drawing and painting at home for myself. I’ve had very few freelance art jobs, and the majority of them were just as - if not worse than - most other artists relate. I was paid ten cents an hour for my labor and frequently told at the end that they had siblings who coulda done a better job. I started my personal webcomic in 2007, expecting that no one would ever read it. No one did for about two years. Webcomics are a wonderful experience in throwing art into a void. A Dark Horse rep happened to see one of my cheaply-printed copies at a convention I was selling prints at (one of three I have ever gone to, all of which were money-losing endeavors and extremely stressful) and offered me a gig. I don’t know why. Maybe everyone else said no.

I still don’t make money at art. I make money at other things and use it to pay for my crack-addiction-esque art habit. The world is a horrible, horrible place for artists and if you can wholly suck that passion out of your soul and never, ever look at it again, you will be a much happier person. But if you can’t, then you - like me - have to figure out your own way to fund it and nurture it. I don’t know that path. I don’t recommend my own choices AT ALL. But I don’t think any amount of planning makes it easier. Do art because you love it, and maybe someday someone will deign to pay you for it. But it may be that all you ever get back is loving it.

8th-circuit: Comic Review: Emily and the Strangers #1

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:04:35 -0500

8th-circuit:

Comic Review: Emily and the Strangers #1

Fan [Paint] Friday: Remains I will go rolling fast, arms out in...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:58:26 -0500

Fan [Paint] Friday: Remains

I will go rolling fast, arms out in the rain. 
Feel momentum building to lift off ground like an airplane. 
Love ties you down to the pains.  
A billion eyes watching, fossilized, they see what remains.

Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon, Remains

secondlina: The Namesake kickstarter has reached it’s goal in a...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:34:31 -0500

secondlina:

The Namesake kickstarter has reached it’s goal in a little more then 24 hours.

I’m just…

I think I need to lie down.

You guys are awesome.