Happy New Year (Patreon)

Another year has come and gone, and has left me with mixed feelings. I know it's been hard for the whole world, really, but personally 2021 was especially tough, for a lot of reasons I won't go into. But it's also left me with some MKU thoughts :)  I have the usual resolutions for the new year; eat better, lose weight, read more, etc. I have some genre resolutions, too. :) 

I've been experimenting with some aspects of the digital realm I've been ignoring for years, ones that mimic actual filmmaking techniques, like camera movement and variable depths of field, etc. That stuff can get pretty nerdy pretty quick, but the end result is that the renders can end up looking more "realistic," for one. Any change to the basic setup slows down the render process though, so I've been figuring out how to have the computer working even while I'm not working on something, when I'm asleep, or often when I'm not even home. So, slower renders, but better looking ones. You should be seeing the results in the next batch of videos to come. My main rendering computer is still pretty serious, but the drives are filling up and it's slowly slowing down, especially during editing, so replacing this year is probably in the cards. (yikes. $$$$)

Second, I'm going to suck it up and try to properly learn Photoshop, so I can finally start releasing some comic book pages like I've been planning. I have plenty of rendered images, I just have to figure out how to do things like blurring to imitate motion, etc. I HATE Photoshop, but for you guys, I'll learn it. :) 

Resolution #3: I'm going to pay more attention to the tier system on the Patreon page with some more reliable rewards for the upper tier members. You folks are the superstars that truly make this work possible, and this year I'm going to see that you're properly rewarded for it. THANK YOU -- and I mean it. 

and finally, #4: Assuming the virus thing recedes to a manageable level (which I expect it will, mid-year or so), 2022 will be the year the MKU finally adds a live action portion to its lineup. I had one almost ready to go right before the pandemic hit. Let's just say I have the gear ready to go, and I've initiated contact with a genre superstar who personifies everything the MKU aspires to be. It won't be easy, and it won't be cheap, but it's (almost) time we make a movie. More on this as we get closer to it. 

So, once again, thanks to all of you for sticking with me in this silly little internet genre/hobby for so long. It seems like more and more of the old-school, classic genre fiction and artwork authors have grown quiet, which makes me feel old. (It's a young man's game, I guess, and I've officially entered "middle age"). But I'm still here, and don't see myself going anywhere. From an artistic and technical aspect, I'm a little reinvigorated and inspired for the MKU, actually (my enthusiasm and creativity for this stuff seems to come in waves, for some reason).

So those are my goals for the year. Big things ahead, hopefully. I hope each of you have a year that is far, far better than the one we just finished. 

What are your own goals for 2022? Feel free to share them below - let's inspire each other!