Hey, everyone. I wanted to talk with you about my work and career going forward. There are several reasons why.

First, MAKER ART DO CRIME is still in progress. I have about 2/3 of the art done, and some of the writing. This will be completed and delivered in PDF as soon as it's ready. Art will be shipped at that time. The printing and shipping of the physical book will take a while longer as I gather funds to do it.

Second, working on the Strip drawing caricatures is getting to be too much wear and tear on my body to do long term, so I need to create new works to support me, especially as my aidcare now that I'm on my own is more than my rent each month. I have to survive, and art  and storytelling are all I have as useful skills. My delay on this project is not that I got bored or flaked out - my co-creator died and I had to use the funds to survive. 

Third, with the current state of things in the US, my existence as a disabled person is far more tenuous than ever. I need to survive and make a living.

All of that said, here is my proposal: Any future projects I launch, you will get for free. I will price in printing and shipping for any of you who want a copy, and will NOT ask you to pledge for it. Maybe it's not your thing, which I understand, but this offer will stand on every one of my future works until you have received content equal to your pledge on MADC. 

Future projects will not be as Larime Taylor. No, not because I'm trying to hide the fact that I couldn't fulfill this project on time - if that were true, I wouldn't be writing this update. Anything Sylv and I made together will remain by Larime and Sylv Taylor, like if I do more with A VOICE IN THE DARK, or KEEP STARING. You never know!

All work made by me after Sylv's passing will be made by Lenore Soleil. Hi. I'm trans. I've always been trans, as was Sylv, but it wasn't until I was alone that I realized so much of me passed when Sylv did. There's a reason all of my leads are women. 

Future works will not be put out for crowdfunding until everything is at LEAST 75% complete, and the last 25% will be finished by the time the crowdfund ends. I've never had the luxury of completing a work before soliciting it for funding because I've needed my art to pay our bills. I still do. So what's changed?

How I work has changed. I'm using DAZ3D Studio to make my comics, with line art and various after-work done to make it more comic book in feel instead of plastic looking renders. Yes, I'm still drawing, it's not just pushing 'render' and it's done. There's way more to it than that, but it is SO much faster. All the characters are completely designed by me, taking generic male and female models and shaping the hell out of them. I often retexture outfits, background elements, and put a lot into camera work and lighting. Doing things this way, I can make as many as 5 finished pages over 24 hours. I average 3. My average before this, the old way, was 1 every two days. 

I'm working the Strip for one last year to support me while I get new content ready. The first, called HEXED, is about half-way done in 2 months. It'll be finished by the end of March. You can actually go see it in webcomic form right now at hexed.thecomicseries.com. It's a queer romantasy set at a college for magik. Yes, it's fluffier than my previous stuff, but have you seen the world we live in? In dark times, lighter fare does best. Readers get enough grim/dark in daily life, enough struggle and adversity, and look for escape. It's also much better for my mental health to be making something fun and ultimately uplifting right now. My daily existence as a crip trans femme is fraught enough. It's about a young woman on the spectrum with pure empathy trying to navigate college life in a magical world. Her best friends are a blind woman of color and a trans man of color. It celebrates ALL bodies, all types of beauty and love. It even has a minotaur instructor that, I've found, many are surprisingly thirsty for. 

Maybe it's not your thing! I get it. Maybe what I do next will be. At any rate, you can have anything I make going forward for free. If I get to a place where I'm comfortable financially, I'll offer refunds on this project for those who want. I'm doing the very best I can to do right by you and still support myself. 

I'm open to feedback, and won't flip out if I don't like everything I hear. I'm trying. I appreciate you.