Author, Gamer, Dreamstress
Two years ago in May, Marie and I said 'let's do this' and launched a whirlwind four months of writing. Most weeks, we put down 10k words or more, and by the time October rolled around, we had a 225k word book draft for what would eventually become The Mask of Mirrors. Last year in… Continue reading May Updates and Cover Girls
My friend Wendy has been liveblogging her viewing of The Untamed. Wendy has already won the internet so many times that we don't even bother to give it to her anymore, but her booty report inspired me to do some art (with her enthusiastic permission). I got a lot of practice drawing butts. Enjoy!
A little less than a year ago (August 11, 2020), I decided I wanted to learn how to draw. I was unemployed, stuck in quarantine, and not doing all that great mental health wise. A few days later, my spanking new Wacom tablet was delivered, and for once I actually used the shiny new tech… Continue reading State of the Art: One Year Check-in
It's started to feel like every piece has four stages. There's the first stage where I dither forever about what to draw because everything seems blah and I have no inspiration. After I get over myself, there's the stage where I'm mapping out the piece and drawing wireframes and boxes. Then there's the rough and… Continue reading Art Progress – Fan Boys, Pt. 2 – The Shadening
I really like thematic groupings -- they give me the inspiration and structure I need to push past executive dysfunction. I've found this is especially true of my drawing practice. Deciding what to draw next has been challenging for me unless I have an outside impetus (like Yuletide or a fanworks challenge week) or some… Continue reading Art Progress – Fan Boys, Pt. I
I had a few goals this month for learning to draw. I wanted to practice figures in movement, and I wanted to get more comfortably free with my shading and highlights -- sort of deliberately messy? There's probably an art term for it. I don't know. I just know that my shading and highlighting lines… Continue reading Shut-up and Draw Dancing
Happy pi (π) day! Those of you who've watched one of our recent virtual events know that I've been making astrological charts based on one of the magic systems and the in-world calendar of The Mask of Mirrors. Because that system (numinatria) is so intrinsically tied to mathematics and sacred geometry, it seemed fitting to… Continue reading Pie (day) Chart
Back in mid-August 2020, I decided I wanted to learn to draw. I got myself a Wacom pad and a subscription to Clip Studio Paint, downloaded a few courses on Udemy and watched a bunch of youtube tutorials, and just... started to draw. I've learned a lot. Mostly I've learned how much I don't know,… Continue reading Six Month Art Progress Check-in
We have two exciting events coming up for next week's publication of The Mask of Mirrors. First, Mysterious Galaxy is hosting a virtual book launch on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7pm PT. It's a joint event with Christopher Paolini, author of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, where we'll chat about our books and… Continue reading Book Week Launch Events
The Mask of Mirrors is a book shot through with textile metaphors, from slang terms like ‘knots’ for the gangs and ‘cuffs’ for the nobility; to the pattern deck and its suits of the spinning, woven, and cut threads; to the interweaving of multiple PoVs to create a dense cloak of intrigue. We didn’t consciously… Continue reading The Clothes Make the Con Artist
The lack of job and annual Christmas trip with my mom meant that I had a LOT of spare time this year to dive into Yuletide. That ended up with me writing my assignment, two pinch-hits, and a treat. For one of my pinch hits, I decided to illustrate it, so there was also art.… Continue reading Yuletide Treasures
Alyc Helms 