Ellen Million: Artist, Writer, Project Enabler, Creative Force of Nature. And, Mom.

Projects:

Currently in crowdfunding: Sketch Tarot! - Sponsor a card or pre-order a deck at a steep discount today!
Coloring Books - Highly detailed coloring books for grown-ups. (By many artists!)
Sketch Fest - a monthly prompted 48-hour creative jam for artists around the world.
Portrait Adoption - adopt a pre-finished character portrait that will be exclusively yours! (By many artists!)
Ellen's Escape - my personal webpage and an archive of pretty much my entire artistic journey.
Torn World - a shared science-fantasy world.
Etsy - digital stamps (digi stamps) and coloring books.
Patreon - support Ellen and get monthly surprise goodies!

Other links of possible interest:

2015 goals
2014 goals review
Chopping Block of 2010 - an interesting snapshot at all of my projects of that time, including several that did not survive the cull.

Ellen elsewhere:

Ellen Million Graphics at Facebook
Ellen Million, Artistrix at Facebook
Sketch Fest at Facebook
Torn World at Facebook
Ellen Million at Facebook - mostly a feed of this journal.
@ellenmillion at Twitter - almost entirely a feed of this journal. (Has been hijacked by hackers. See my business twitter: @ellen_million)
@torn_world at Twitter - updates for Torn World
ellenmillion at Deviantart - very, very rarely updated
Elfwood gallery - oldest gallery of my work (aside from my personal site, above).

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It was a weekend of beds! We bought Guppy a bed frame, finally. She outgrew her toddler bed a while ago, and we had a mattress on the floor for her, but this is much, much better.

Not stopping there, we dismantled my weird-sized bed and turned it into a twin XL, which frees up the bedroom space ENORMOUSLY, and makes the room so much more gorgeous. Hopefully it will mean fewer barked shins, as well.

There was gaming and art on Sunday, which I haven't scanned yet.

It's a sulky, rainy day today, and we're watching movies while I do some Facebook promo and jot notes on my not-a-book. (Earlier, we had a balloon party and drew in Guppy's workbooks together).

Don't forget about the Amazon clearance: http://ellenmillion.dreamwidth.org/1609672.html

And the next Sketch Fest is the 21st! Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/144259459467548

And I promised artwork this week! I am the featured artist at Color On! Magazine. I did five exclusive pieces for them (back in April!), and you can buy print or digital issues. One of them is Butterflies at Solstice, posted a few weeks ago. One of them is this piece:


Under the Rose Bush - Fairy Wedding. The original is available, inquire!

You can read the interview they did here: https://coloronmag.com/issue/july-2017/

(And then there was food poisoning. Better now, but not up to bellydancing tonight.)

Originally posted at Dreamwidth: http://ellenmillion.dreamwidth.org/1609942.html

Who stole June? Seriously, wasn't it JUST here?

We worked on the woodshed this weekend, and got it braced and all the purlins on. The only things left are roofing and siding. (We also found out that someone stole a bunch of stuff from my yurt, which was less wonderful. :/)

The three of us also braved the fourth of July madness at Pioneer Park (Alaskaland!), and that was a very mixed bag. We went to hear the 1812 Overture, which is Guppy's very favorite song, and the band was not bad. While they were playing Sousa, there was a bald eagle cruising around overhead, which was pretty epic. We had ice cream cones first, and then of course, Guppy did not want to sit still, and later there were tears because we went hunting for a balloon after they had given them all away. It was a billion degrees and there were so many people it made my skin itch.

Lots of art things to share over the next week or two! So many! Let's start with the all-#junicorn round-up:


(Photo updated to show sold cards, and also the four that were on my scanner bed still...)

Many originals are still available, plus bookmarks, magnets, and signed prints! For a larger look at each image, and pricing, the landing page is here: http://ellenmillion.dreamwidth.org/1604777.html Just let me know what you'd like via email or PM, and I'll send you an invoice which you can pay by Paypal or credit card. I'd also take a check, if you want to mail one.

Originally posted at Dreamwidth: http://ellenmillion.dreamwidth.org/1609300.html

Aging pets are hard. Just, hard.

A few nights ago, Norway tried to get up the front steps and failed. There are only two, and they aren't that steep, but he was having a bad back legs day. We put out the truck ramps for him, but they are metal, and although strong, sort of rattly. He looked at them, he looked at me, and said nope. I did finally get him up them with a firm hand on his collar, but it wasn't much fun. The next day, he ignored them and hopped down the steps. That night he got up the steps with effort. The following night, he walked right up them. It's so variable!

He's not the only one having issues with steps. Velcro's catbox and bed are on the main floor of our house, and her food and second waterdish are upstairs, where Norway can't help himself. I've pondered moving her food down because she clearly doesn't enjoy the stairs anymore, but figured it was the only exercise she was getting at this point. Yesterday, however, I watched her fall down them twice, and that's the end of that. The first time was just a few steps as she was going up. She picked herself up and powered up them, so I figured it was just one of those ungraceful cat moments they pretend you don't witness. But shortly after, she came down them and sort of got away from herself and ended up upside down at the bottom rocking in shock with her little extra toes in the air. She mewed at me in a very disappointed way when I came to help her up and spent the rest of the day sulking in her bed.

She's been missing the catbox more regularly lately, too. Oh, she tries! There are no accidents around the house, but sometimes she just barely gets into the catbox and the important parts aren't there yet. I've got puppy pads down, so cleanup isn't bad.

Poor old lady cat. Poor old man dog.

It seems like a lot of friends lately are losing beloved fur family members; Facebook seems to show me a few each week lately. I suspect it's just that I'm hyper-aware of them right now, because I know that my time with my own fur friends is not going to be a lot longer.

Have some art!

I recently did this for Portrait Adoption:


This one started life as a Sketch Fest sketch, in very rough form, and got refined at a gaming session.

A little over 800 words yesterday, slogging onward. The not-a-book is about 16k. I do not anticipate getting writing time today, as we have a playdate over quiet time. I've also got two more #junicorn pieces done (but not scanned), and am 1 behind (not counting today).

In less thrilling news, I finished the laundry, cleaned out the toaster with the air compresser, vacuumed upstairs (downstairs, too, but that's daily), and Guppy helped me measure and cut wood blocks for the woodshed.



And when I say helped, I don't even mean that with air-quotes! She fetched the blocks and drew the lines while I held the square. (She's wearing gloves because it's splintery treated lumber, not because it's cold.)

We made GREAT progress on the shed over the weekend, and we had our neighbors over for dinner, which was simply delightful, and we got a date night to go watch Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and have sushi. There have definitely been good times.

I'm growing on my bangs, and the irritation level is about a 6 right now. I've promised to try it until September.

Originally posted at Dreamwidth: http://ellenmillion.dreamwidth.org/1605607.html

The weather has been glorious, and after this rainy, soggy summer, we deserve it.

Jake and I uncovered all the firewood so it could dry out a little in the sun, and tackled the disaster area of our downhill 'yard.' We consolidated the remaining woodpiles on this side of the house, which meant pulling up about seven pallets and several very deep stakes, and then moved the truck cap up behind the garage and picked up just a whole lot of general stuff that had accumulated over the past ten or fifteen years. I got to use my awesome garden clippers, and took out a whole forest of tree sprouts, some of them more than two inches in diameter. The view of our forest is much more gorgeous now, and far less hill billy. We just have the snow machine to figure out how to move - it needs to go up by the garage so we can get it running this winter.

The difference is astounding. I wish I'd taken before and after photos.

My arms and legs and back and knees are feeling the work, though. Ow.

I've been getting up before 6 AM every day to work on writing lately, since that seems to be my only chance. It's slow going, but if I write 500 words a day (doable!), I will be done by the end of the month - I'm over 14k now, and liking the story again.

I'm also crawling forward on an art project. "Let's draw lace!" my brain told me. "It will be fun!" THANKS, BRAIN.

I only got to 21 or 22 on Smaugust (and still need to scan them), but it was fun. I'll be refining sketches this month and getting ready for INKTOBER! Because I love Inktober. I am skipping Sketchtember, because I'm not crazy. Much.

Gotta get writing before childmonster rises... going now!

It was a state holiday, so the husband distracted the child for a few spells and I got Actual Work done. Among the things accomplished, I have Trying on Treasure available at Etsy now: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ellenmillion You can take 15% off anything on Etsy using: SPRING15.

We also have an actual, real bathroom sink! One in which water turns on with a faucet, and flows down a drain! For REALS! I am super excited about this.

I also redid the coloring book page in a pretty major way: http://www.ellenmilliongraphics.com/coloringbooks.php

There are still some improvements I'd like to make, but those were more involved yet, and I figured this was a good first stopping point. You may note that several titles have Out of Print next to them. I did a rough tally on sales of some of them, and these were the most dire. Stock of some is quite low, so if you would like them, grab them now. (Or tell me to hold them for you, if you plan on backing the Kickstarter!) Several others are at risk; the Kickstarter will dictate whether they are archived, or put back into print.

That's the other thing I worked on this weekend: the Kickstarter! I am super excited about this one, and I've got most of the framework in place. I still need to make pretty and write some more content, but since I still need to do covers for the books I plan on doing, that's going to be put off a little bit. I'm planning to film some bits of the video on Thursday. (But I need a superhero shirt and cape before then!)

I also worked a little on this!



I hope everyone had a wonderful, happy Easter weekend.

I think I started last Monday's entry talking about how I was recovering. This time, I REALLY mean it. I have heaps more energy than I have in at least a week, and although my voice is still rough, and I have a cough, there is no more pain in my chest, throat or sinuses. (And no more fever, yay!)

I was well enough over the weekend to do some more artwork without risking snotmarks, so I finished the mermaid (to be released later!), and refined this piece:



We also got the lights in the kitchen fixed - they've been on the fritz since Christmas, and this weekend we replaced the ballasts and put in new bulbs. BAM. My kitchen is well-lit again. Last week, we also replaced the fixtures above the dining room table, and my drawing space is GORGEOUSLY lit now. And we even put one in the entryway, too, which is a lovely spot of light where there used to be a dark hole. I'm wishing we'd done this months ago during the very dank dark.

A Guppy is climbing on me asking for lunch now, so I'm off to make some. Otherwise, she is threatening to eat toys.

My little Guppy just missed being a leap year baby, by about 12 hours. I was just as happy she decided not to wait.

I remembered to take bear photos yesterday!



This weekend was very busy and almost entirely wonderful. On Saturday, we worked in the bathroom, getting the hooks for towels up.

We also unexpectedly got a phonecall letting me know that my worktables were ready for pickup - I figured it would be another 2 weeks at least, and hadn't cleared off my current tables yet! This took very little time, actually, thanks to the massive purge I'd done a few months back. I dismantled the tables - one went directly to the transfer station, and vacuumed the impressive dustbunnies from the corners, and we assembled massive, heavy new tables to work on. I meant to take before and after photos, but forgot to. So here's a halfway through photo (imagine a second, sagging folding table across the left):



And the new tables set up:



My back felt quite strained after all the lifting and constructing, so I took a pain pill. I think it was as much impending illness as it was backstrain, on retrospect, because I woke up partway through the night with fever chills, which interspersed the next day with hot spells and horrible lung pain with occasional (very painful) coughing fits. A cold pill knocked most of the symptoms down so that I had a good birthday with Guppy. (With a few naps!) I was even able to help Jake finish the shelf in the bathroom, and it all looks SO good. Like a real, classy bathroom. Stylish, even. It's a little crazy.

I'm feeling mostly recovered this morning - some lung and coughing pain, but no fever, and the coughs feel effective and less horrible spasm-y. Two nights in a row of excellent sleep helped a lot; I have energy again, and cleaned up the house, paid bills, and took a shower without feeling like I needed to lie down again. (I have parent aide again tomorrow, and I'm thinking I'll be fine for that...)

My not-a-book is still doing awesome, and someday I will stop refreshing my stats and gabbing endlessly about. I had planned to write this weekend, but that just didn't happen... (see above).

I've got a second load of laundry to go move around and fold, so I should do that. There may be art, later, and maybe some words. There will definitely be a tea party in the blanket fort.

Yesterday turned into Paint the Goddamn Bathroom Day. We taped and plasticked, and while the husband was Guppy-wrangling and handing me tools and refreshing my book stats because my hands were covered in paint, I did two coats of primer and a coat of white sand paint and the bathroom is PAINTED. We even have covers over the electrical outlets. It loos like a room, not just a scary box of doom. Now we can shelvinate, and put in a sink. AT LAST! AT LAST!

It goes a lot faster when you aren't trying to wrangle a 3-year-old at the same time. Protip: Trying to get your preschooler involved in bathroom painting is not efficient or good for your blood pressure. We did get half a wall a coat of primer up a week earlier, but I decided I wasn't going to do that again. EVER. Teaching life skills may be important, but I need to keep my hair.

At one point yesterday, I had the husband hand me a knife to cut through some paint to remove some tape. He watched me make a clumsy start and offered, "Do you want me to do that?"

"I don't know how to take that," I said suspiciously.

"I saw that you didn't know how to take it," he answered. "But then realized you were holding a knife and decided to go quietly into the kitchen and make food instead."

Between painting and the swimming I did on Friday (Guppy had lessons, I did some laps and sat in the hot tub), my arms and shoulders feel all rubbery and abused.

Have a photo of Guppy hugging a giant knit squid:




I told her that she had a birthday in a week, and that she'd be four, and she just about threw a fit. "I don't want any more numbers!! I'm THREE. I'm not going to be four. NO."

Also, just this week, she has turned into 'why' girl. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is met with "Why?"

My reply is to explain why, so things like "Why is the fan cold?" gets an answer of "It's not actually cold, it just feels cold because it increases your convective heat loss."

"Oh, Okay," she replies. "I get it!"

I'm not sure which of us you should feel sorry for.

Happy solstice! It really matters up here - we're down to less than 4 hours of sun (and functionally NONE on this side of the hill), and I am more than ready to get some more of that back.

I feel back on the horse, health-wise, but as many times as that's gone quickly sideways on me this fall, I'm making sure to stay hydrated and rested.

I have been working on artwork I can't share yet, for 78Tarot, and the perk for the subscription Kickstarter. But here's a piece leftover from Inktober. This is the last one, I think:


(Original available, $15 includes US shipping) on hold

This weekend I redid some of the bathroom work we did over the week - we'd accidentally buried some electricity for the lights behind finish work, and it needed to be dug out. And after Guppy got up from her nap on Saturday, I impulsively said, 'It's time to give away some things!' and we spent about three hours doing a MASSIVE room purge. She was remarkably compliant with the idea that we were giving away piles of her toys to 'girls who don't have any' and we also took the opportunity to put up some of the toys she either didn't play with yet or didn't play... er... correctly with. Puzzles, for example, were all dismantled into pieces and carried around in tote bags with crayons, cards, stamps, play jewelry, lincoln logs, and Duplos. We sorted bags and bags and bags of these miscellaneous things, and put up all the Lincoln logs and Duplos, sorted the stamps into their boxes (put up), put all the art supplies together (left down), separated out the cards (also left down, and not sorted into their games - it's just a giant stack of playing and flash cards), and her room looks marvelously clean and uncluttered. Her training potty was given away, and her diaper genie and the stroller and booster seat and all the things she doesn't use anymore. The basement looks better, too. It was followed by a necessary flurry of vacuuming, and everything is much less 'I've been busy lying on the couch praying for death' and more 'a house I wouldn't be ashamed to show people'.

I have two more gifts I'd like to get mailed (already late, of course) before the season is officially over, and a few small family things to wrap. Otherwise, I'm ready for Christmas to be here! It's supposed to get COLD over the next few days (-30!), and I'm actually really excited for that, too. As soon as Guppy is up from her nap (soon!), we'll be going outside to stock up on wood inside and I'll start a fire.

I still need to do my November roundup! This may be the lastest monthly wrapup I've ever done... but I was sick most of that month, so it probably won't be worth the wait. :P