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larkinheather

Seeker of Artistic Challenges
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Store Open!

1 min read


STORE IS OPEN!! You can buy the Myst Vol 1 online at this link here: larkanimation.bigcartel.com/pr…

I’m finally pulling the trigger on this thing. I appreciate everyone who expressed an interest in buying a copy. I’ll be sending them out from my house. For a little extra, I’ll sign it and drawn in it for you. If you have any questions, let me know. 

Thanks guys! And a big warm thank you to all of you who already bought it at Mysterium! 

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I'm back

2 min read
Where Did U Go by larkinheather

Hey guys, 

I disappeared for a good long while and I’m sorry about that. The short version of my news is this: The printed version of Vol 1 of Myst graphic novel looks really good. I’m happy with the printing. SPX was great. I sold a bunch of books there. Thank you to anyone who bought one, or just stopped by to say hello! I haven’t set up the online store yet, but that’s on the agenda. I will let you know when I’m closer to that.

I’ve been going nutty not producing any new Myst pages for a while. Day job stuff is letting up a bit, so I’m slowly getting back in the saddle. I’ve finished two pages. I’ll post one today and Tues. I feel guilty because I said I would be back a while ago. That was what I wanted, but things came up, as they do. I’m really bad at knowing my limits sometimes.

I’ve started using a new piece of software: Manga Studio 5 EX. I’m REALLY excited about. I love the inking and painting tools. I’ll be posting some of my experiments with it later. I was attracted to it after hearing the great reviews from Frenden. Thanks man! And thanks to Fahim at SmithMicro for letting me know about a promotion deal so I could get it cheaper. And thanks Stephen for giving me HIS contact info. I’m really excited. I’ve never fallen in love with a piece of software so fast.

In other news, Cyan is putting out a new game?!?! What WHAT! www.inlander.com/spokane/artic…. Thanks Zachery for sending me the scoop! And then the Unwritten folks have launched their Kickstarter campaign and it’s doing really well! Way to go, guys. Things are kicking up in the Myst world!

That’s all I got for now. Back to work. Will post a new page in a bit. 
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BIG MYST UPDATE

4 min read

Hey guys,

I have lots of exciting things to tell you today.

First, I've been doing lots of preparation for the Myst Book of Atrus Comic Vol 1. I've just about settled on a local printer whose work I like. I'm planning on ordering 500 books. My goal is to have them in time to sell at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD on September 14-15. After that I'll need to figure out some online ordering system. I also plan to sell them at the CTN Expo in Burbank, California in November. 

I've done a rough layout of the whole book. As per request, I'm going to include some illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. There's going to be an introduction, and maybe a "making of" section (I'm still deciding). As for the cover, I've been all over the map in my thinking about it. I finally decided to go all the way and do a color painting that lies across the back and front covers. I did a rough block of a painting plus draft cover copy to get a sense of what it might look like. I think it looks pretty nifty so far :) 

myst Vol 1 cover draft by larkinheather

I was trying to think of ways to make this book super awesome and I just thought, what's cooler than more pages? So I decided to make 13 EXTRA comic pages that would beEXCLUSIVE to the printed version. So I won't post them online ever, you will see them for the first time when you get the printed copy. What is this content? Readers of the original book will know it as the "prologue", events alluded to in Chapter 5: The scene where Gehn's wife dies and he leaves the newly-born Atrus with Anna. Uber-dramatic stuff! I think it's going to be good. I had a great time thumbnailing it. I have a rough draft complete of the whole thing, now I just need to render the pages. I'll post some sketches in the days to come.

In order to finish all 13 pages (and the cover painting) before the book goes to print at the end of August, I worked out that I'll need to finish three pages a week for the next five weeks. I've been struggling to finish two Chapter 6 pages a week, so this is going to be tough. If it's going to happen, I'll need to take a break from Chapter 6 pages for the next five weeks. Oh no! I know. It's not ideal, but I hope you understand. This is my chance to make this book really awesome and I'd really like to do that. My goal is to continue producing the Myst The Book of Atrus comic and sharing it with you all, which is a big, time-consuming effort. Having a spiffy, printed copy that people can buy would provide me with funds to help keep this venture going. So please buy a book! :) In the meantime, I appreciate your patience while I get the book ready for print. 

What other news? Oh! Big news! Tony Fryman, president of Cyan and I finally signed a contract that gives me permission to legally sell the comic. I'm very excited. A lawyer friend of a friend helped me review the document. He's amazing and didn't charge me. I'm very happy with how it all worked out. It's all official now! I can sell the comic and Cyan will receive a percent. It's a dream come true. I can use my creative abilities to express my love for the Myst universe, share it with you all, while potentially making money to support my efforts and give something back to Cyan! It feels like my birthday! 

Actually, it was my birthday, yesterday. :) Thanks for everyone who sent me nice messages (and llamas)!! I really appreciate it. You guys are awesome. I had a wonderful day. 

I'm pumped trying to get this book ready for September 14th. I'll keep posting to let you know what's happening. Again, I'm sorry I don't have a page for your today. I appreciate your patience. Pages will resume again before you know it. And then hopefully there will be a rad new book waiting for you too! 

Heather

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I realized that I now have over 1500 followers here on DA! I’m so happy and honored that you guys are following me. I’d like to start posting more, though sometimes I find it hard, maybe because I feel like a stranger. So I thought I’d take a post to introduce myself. 

My name is Heather Larkin. I am 28 years old and I live in Washington DC. For my day job, I am a freelance animator and illustrator. I’d really like to work as a storyboard artist for TV or feature films. I’m trying to build up my storyboard portfolio and apply for storyboarding jobs.

Right now, I’m working on an online comic called “Myst The Book of Atrus” based on my favorite book EVER. You can read it online here: mystcomic.smackjeeves.com/.

Personality wise, I’m a huge nerd. I recently reorganized my bookshelves into categories, so I can tell you exactly what subjects I’m interested in: Central American natural history; Japanese language; medieval Europe social history and Old English; biology and animal behavior; film editing, directing, acting and storyboarding; story writing; art technique and human anatomy. 

I also get really excited about office supplies. 

Some random backstory: I was born in Queens NY. I went to Princeton University and majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The best outcome of that was that I got to study zebra behavior in Kenya. After I graduated, I entered the JET Programme and lived a year in Japan. I love Japanese.

Ta-da. So now you know a little something about me. 

Nice to meet you! よろしくおねがいします。

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Hey guys,

Almost exactly a year ago, I started posting the first pages of the Myst Comic. Today, I posted page 128, which marks the end of Chapter 5. It has taken a tremendous amount of time and effort. I'm very proud that I've made it this far. I couldn't have done it without all your supportive comments, likes, shares and tweets. :hug:

I am excited to announce that a new friend, Michaël, has taken the initiative to translate the comic into French! Myst: le livre d'Atrus! He's started posting the pages here: myst-livre-datrus.webcomics.fr…. The comic is now publicly available in three languages. The Russian translation, by Dagnarus, is still going strong here: a-comics.ru/comics/myst-book-o…. I'm so happy that so many people get a chance to read the story!

We've reached the end of Chapter 5. I'm pumped to start working on Chapter 6. Atrus and Gehn travel to D'ni! What will they encounter along the way? Is Gehn going to be angry-pants the whole time? I need to write and thumbnail the chapter before I can start producing and posting pages, which might take a few weeks (though hopefully not months, like last time).

In addition to working on Chapter 6, I'd like to work on a plan for publishing "Volume One: Chapters 1-5" of the Myst Comic in real-world, tactile, pulped-tree form. I am in contact with Cyan Worlds, Inc (copyright holders of the original Myst book) and we are working out the details about how to publish and sell the book. A portion of any profits will go to them.

At the moment, I'm exploring publishing options. What printer to use? Print on Demand? Take pre-orders, bulk order, and ship from my place with little goodies inside?

Many of you have recommended starting a Kickstarter campaign to produce the first batch and raise support for the project. I'm keen to give it a try, though, I understand running a campaign is not easy. One of the first things I'd have to do is make a budget and come up with a reasonable goal.

This is what I imagine a hypothetical Kickstarter campaign might look like: If I knew X number of people definitely wanted a book, and books were valued at $Y including shipping, then I could set the goal at minimum X times Y. I know Kickstarter is not just about purchasing products but more importantly about supporting projects you care about and getting unique prizes. For those willing to contribute less than a book price, there would be smaller prizes like a PDF of the whole book. For higher tiers, there would be other cool prizes. For example, two other talented Myst fans have said they would be willing to contribute prizes. More than anything, that last point makes me excited to do a Kickstarter campaign. How cool would that be? Creative Myst Fans Raise Money Together To Make Cool Things!

So the question for me is: how many people are interested in a copy of the Myst Comic: Volume 1? I've made a quick survey and if you fill it out, it would help me a lot with making a plan.

GO TO SURVEY: mystcomic.smackjeeves.com/surv…

I said a lot of words. Thanks again for reading guys. I'll keep you posted about progress on Chapter 6 and publishing Volume 1.

Best,

Heather
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Featured

Store Open! by larkinheather, journal

I'm back by larkinheather, journal

BIG MYST UPDATE by larkinheather, journal

Self Introduction by larkinheather, journal

Some Questions for Myst Comic Readers by larkinheather, journal