Murielle's Library

This is the art blog. It is all my art here. If you want the random stuff and reblogs, that is elsewhere. ++ Murielle's Library ++ ++ muriellelibrary on bsky ++ ++ Murielle on DeviantArt ++ ++ muriellelibrary on twitter ++ ++ muriellelibrary on instagram ++

[muriellelibrary]

I was told to post this without context.

[muriellelibrary]

Just three of my fantasy OCs, in a modern AU doing that anime pose thing from a few years back. They are all idiots, your honor. Only one brain cell between them.

Also, I just really liked how the shading and the background turned out. It is funky and garish and not something I usually do.

[muriellelibrary]

WE 20VE KATAMARI

Hey everybody! In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the release of the original Katamari Damacy, some amazing folks have put together a digital zine! There's art and music and some written works too.... and one of them is by yours truly! Come and check out all the amazing work and feel the joy of twenty years rolling on by!

WE 20VE KATAMARI

On a personal note, since I have the space to do it here as opposed to some of the other socials... I'm gonna wax a little about my katamari memories:

I first played the game with some friends at college (so old, I know). It was weird and funky and absolutely delightful. The gameplay was simple but there was also a knack to it that kept things engaging even after playing many many hours over the last twenty years. I sadly can't say that I have played all the games, but every one I did was a delight (and a frustration. COWS). Like many fans, I think the quirky and joyful spirit of the games was what really made them such a treat, along with some of the best damn music from a video game. I have never stopped listening to the soundtracks, and I tell you what, while I was working on this piece I listened to it almost exclusively. It's perfect for art music, just keeps that energy high and exciting. Anyway, it's a game that I think everyone can enjoy and have fun with. Truly one of the greatest.

[muriellelibrary]

Well, here is me over a year later finally posting the full picture. >_>;; Please remember to check out all the amazing work in the full zine!

[muriellelibrary]

oh heavens it has been almost a year. A crazy kinda weird year. But I will try and post again. As a starter, a little gift I made for a gaming friend some time ago. Her drow druid could become a mouse and it was flipping cute and hilarious.

[muriellelibrary]

TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT

It's nearly Halloween and that means it's time for me to talk about the Teal Pumpkin Project again! This is an initiative to provide non-food based options for Trick-or-Treating. Primarily so those kids who have food-based allergies can participate, but I have found some kids would just rather have a toy (parents seemed keen on it too).

I've been handing out a few candy bits in these decorated bags for a while now (because it's fun to speed doodle these things and small brown bags are cheap) and folks seem to enjoy it. For the food-free ones I took a knife, a potato and some teal paint and stamped out some pumpkin shapes before I did my doodles. I fill them with activity zines I made, crayons, erasers and little toys. You can get them pretty cheap (especially after Halloween and save them for next year). The link up above has more info and a little map you can add your house to (anonymously, if you desire) so that families can find places to go. OR, you can use that map to find places in your area that have save treats for your kids! I usually have a little pumpkin I paint up with some teal designs, some folks buy teal buckets or balloons to identify the houses participating. Spread the word and join in some safe and spooky fun!

[muriellelibrary]

ARTISTS AT THE READY 6 DEADLINE EXTENSION

Hi tumblr..ers! I'm back and peddling for the OCT once again! The other judges and I have decided to extend the Audition Deadline!

AATR6 AUDITION DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 22ND

If you didn't catch wind of the OCT until later, and feel like you missed your chance, now you have time! Almost exactly the amount of time that would compromise a normal tournament round to get a comic and some refs in! Test your time management skills and your creative juices in a simulation of what competition will look like!

(image courtesy of my fellow judge, @lulzyrobot )

For more info join the discord or check out the deviantArt page, or the twitter/X page.

[muriellelibrary]

ARTISTS AT THE READY 6: an OCT

Hey tumblr. I'm here to spread some late stage love for something a group of us has put together. Or, well, continued together. I'm going to start with the absolute basics, since some folks might be new to it, so here we go.

ARTISTS AT THE READY 6 is open and taking auditions!

What is Artists at the Ready (AatR)? It's an OCT! What is an OCT? An Original Character Tournament! But what does that mean? It means a bunch of artists/writers get together and have a bit of friendly competition involving characters they made up! AatR particularly focuses on telling these stories as comics and uses a bracket tournament system (like... uh, sports ball?) where two contestants are pitted against each other and the judges pick a winner based on certain criteria. It's about using competition to practice your storytelling.

So then! AatR is currently looking to being a SIXTH tournament. The first happened in 2009, back during the OCT boom on deviantArt. Many of the old entries have been deleted, but there are still some up there if you want to take a gander. (We are still posting a little on there as well, for posterity.) The second was in 2011, which had so many entries there was an off-shoot tournament called Ready or Not. The third, fourth and fifth took place in 2013, 2015, and 2018 respectively. I personally participated in 3 previous ones.

What makes AatR different from other OCTs is the premise. Most OCT have you create/use characters and place them in a specific world or scenario with a specific theme and a handful of side characters provided by the judges/people running the tournament. AatR differs in that one of the characters you bring to the story is YOU! You, the artist! The premise is that you are invited to a mysterious world known as The Real and you, the artist, end up there... ready or not. There, you will meet other artists, and possibly the people running the tournament, the Judges. BUT. What made it fun was that you got to summon your own characters to have them join you on your journey! Everyone has a "tool" that brings out a set number of OCs. (It was originally 3, but now only 2 get summoned.) So you get to hang out with your creations and... well, probably fight for your life because story thrives on conflict but there never was a rule you had to actually "fight" your opponent, just interact with them and their characters. It's about who tells the better and more compelling story, really.

(It's a little like pokemon. You are the trainer and you have two pokemon to summon. They could fight for you, or maybe help you get around or go completely out of control and try to eat reality. The world is your oyster! Except instead of pokemon, it is your favorite homemade blorbos!) Every previous season has had a few provided locations, a few judges with characters, and messengers. Messengers are creatures/things that bring you your invitation. After that, they can be used in any way to help you tell your story. Or don't use them at all. Things are very open-ended and what we provide is totally optional. The previous stories from past seasons ARE VERY MUCH OPTIONAL. Use what you like, throw the rest away. This go around, the only location we have is the Deadline Bar. It has no specific place in time or space, and no specific layout/theme/interior. Make it what you will. Our messengers are equally undefined, inky animals of your choice.

Personally, I have made some of the best friends I have through OCTs and every time I have participated, it has helped me grow as an artist and storyteller. It can be a grueling experience if you try to tell a grandiose story, but time management is also an important skill for anyone to learn. I loved it and would love for others to love it too. If any of this intrigues you, or has you hopping up and down to throw artistic hands with other artists on the internet.... please come check us out. All the basic rules are on the deviantArt page, the twitter/X page, and far more in-depth material along with cool folks to chat with can be found on our discord. The deadline for the auditions is OCTOBER 11th, which gives you just about the same amount of time to make one as you would have for a round during the tournament. OR just hang out in the server, talk art and maybe participate in some of our Spectator side contests. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO COME JOIN US AND I BID YOU A WARM WELCOME TO THE REAL! ...just... watch that first step...

[muriellelibrary]

UPCOMING CONVENTION

Hey everyone! My convention season is starting up and my first convention is drawing near! I'll be at Karoshi-Con at NIU in Dekalb, IL. It's a Saturday only con on April 13th, a nice way to ease into selling for the year, and a perfect time to say howdy to my alma mater. I'm a little behind on my art this year, I've been remodeling and repainting my work space, but I will have a few new things on the table despite that! I'll have more on that in the next week, I just need to check in with my printer.

[muriellelibrary]

WE 20VE KATAMARI

Hey everybody! In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the release of the original Katamari Damacy, some amazing folks have put together a digital zine! There's art and music and some written works too.... and one of them is by yours truly! Come and check out all the amazing work and feel the joy of twenty years rolling on by!

WE 20VE KATAMARI

On a personal note, since I have the space to do it here as opposed to some of the other socials... I'm gonna wax a little about my katamari memories:

I first played the game with some friends at college (so old, I know). It was weird and funky and absolutely delightful. The gameplay was simple but there was also a knack to it that kept things engaging even after playing many many hours over the last twenty years. I sadly can't say that I have played all the games, but every one I did was a delight (and a frustration. COWS). Like many fans, I think the quirky and joyful spirit of the games was what really made them such a treat, along with some of the best damn music from a video game. I have never stopped listening to the soundtracks, and I tell you what, while I was working on this piece I listened to it almost exclusively. It's perfect for art music, just keeps that energy high and exciting. Anyway, it's a game that I think everyone can enjoy and have fun with. Truly one of the greatest.

[muriellelibrary]

Twenty Twenty Four

New Year, new pinned post. My Christmas decorations are still up. It is absolutely frigid. I can't finish painting the walls in my work room because there is no way in hell I am cracking a window in this weather, but what I got done is super cute and I will share it with y'all once it doesn't look like a train wreck in there. Got a few things on the table for the next convention season (I'll have a new post in a month or two with a 2024 convention schedule if I am lucky), and a zine piece that I am very excited to promote once it is ready to roll!

[muriellelibrary]

Artist Trading Cards 2022

Playing catch up a little with this post (when am I not). When I'm at conventions, I offer small, trading card sized commissions in either color or black&white/limited color. This block is a selection of them completed in 2022.

[muriellelibrary]

🎃HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃

I know I am a little early (or a little late at being a little early), but I want to talk about something that there is still time for folks to participate in should they choose to. It's called The Teal Pumpkin Project and it is about giving Trick-or-Treaters who may have allergies or food restrictions an alternative option to take home so that the kids can still have the fun of going trick-or-treating!

It's pretty easy to participate, all you have to do is offer something for them that is not a food! Maybe a comic book, or a little toy or crayons or anything kid friendly and maybe a little spooky! I personally hand out little activity zines I print out (I make them myself, and also sell them at cons, should you ever want to pick some up!) along with a little set of crayons, maybe an eraser or little toy. You can get that kinda stuff in party packs at your local party/craft stores for a decent deal.

This doesn't mean you can't still hand out candy! Just make sure that things are properly labeled or easily identified! I make up little baggies with teal pumpkins on the ones that do not have candy. You may have to explain a little at the door, but a lot of the parents appreciate it and I think the kids are interested too (sometimes. Candy has a strong allure.)

On the website there is a map that you can add your house to and describe the treats you have, although you do not have to identify yourself publicly. Then you just put out your teal pumpkin (or other identifying item) and hand out goodies as usual!

[muriellelibrary]

This print was for ANIME MIDWEST... yeah, I know I am only just posting it. This summer has been juggling knives and live chickens, and I just am getting back into the swing of posting. (If you think this is belated bad, wait until an upcoming post!)

I know everyone has been excited about Stampede, and I want to get into it, but Trigum Maximum is and will always be my fave. (because it has my sweet sweet Livio in it. And yeah, he is in Stampede but THAT IS NOT THE SAME MAN. YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT IS THE SAME BOI.) Folks at the con kept referring to this as "Trigun '98" which.... is not wrong... but... is that what we are officially going with for the original series??? I don't know why but it makes me feel so ooooold.

[muriellelibrary]

Murielle's Library Airship?

Got myself one of those bluesky things. I don't know how much I will be implementing it, but it got me squatted on my preferred name and if the Xbirdsite finally implodes... well anyhow, if you want to follow me on there, it's the same as this and twitter and insta:

muriellelibrary.bksy.social

[muriellelibrary]

Autumn Approaches

Conventions are done for 2023, so new pin post time.

Spooky season will be upon us soon. Time for the Preparations to begin. If you haven't heard of it, consider the Teal Pumpkin Project this year for Halloween. I have the usual candy bags, but also have goodie bags with little toys or activity zines I print out. It's easy to do, and gives alternative ways for kids to enjoy trick or treating.

Basic rules still apply: If you are a person and not a bot, please have something on your blog. Say hi. Reblog something. Otherwise I will assume and block you.

[muriellelibrary]

I have not had art in a physical gallery since my college days, but this year Oddball Art Labs are hosting a show through July about cryptids and monsters and such. I really wanted to participate. Get something on a wall. So I did. I hemmed and hawed over what to do. I didn't wanna go with a bigfoot or one of the many similar ones... I thought about Nessie, as that was my first cryptid love, but it wasn't speaking to me. Then I found this delightful creature: The Belled Buzzard. Took a bit of a liberty as turkey vultures* aren't great graspers so that bell would probably never happen but it is a special bird, despite just literally being a turkey vulture wearing a bell. (It is traditionally pictured with a cowbell/sleigh bell around it's neck.)

Anyhow, it spoke to me and I did it and I even went to the opening reception. Deets on the show are in the link, but the original will be showing through the month and is available for purchase. I will also have prints at upcoming conventions.

[Image Description: A turkey vulture in a semi-horaltic** pose, seen from the side. In one of its claws, there is a large, round, silver bell. Subtly reflected in the bell is a Grim Reaper. The background is confined in a more traditional bell shape, with a depiction of a tornado, storm clouds and three more distant vultures in flight. There is limited color, primarily sepia tones, except the bell which is in greys and the bare flesh of the bird's head which is red.]

*Some fun things about turkey vultures aka turkey buzzards! You see that little dot at the end of it's crooked smile? That's its EAR. ALSO, they have an amazing sense of smell! (Rare for birds) You see how it looks like their is a hole right through the skull? Those are the nostrils! They have no septum dividing them! There are lots of bird anatomy features you can observe on vultures because they have no feathers on their little wrinkly faces. (And yes, they have comparably small heads for a bird their size.)

**The horalitc pose is when a bird will partially or fully open it's wings to sun itself. Very common in vultures especially.

[muriellelibrary]

Here is a print I will be debuting this weekend at ANIME CENTRAL. I haven't had time to watch all the episodes yet, but the handful I have seen have been so gosh darn delightful. I love the colors, the vibrancy, the design, the music. I was rolling on the floor with glee over Beyonder. Laurence Fishburne, I swear! What FUN! It's a cute show that I totally recommend to anyone and everyone. And the theme song is the catchiest thing. I have been singing it constantly.

Now, I have to admit that the colors that you see here will not come out as vibrantly in the print version. If you know anything about RGB vs CMYK, you will understand (and if anyone is interested, I can give a crash course about it but I know there are much more learned folks than myself). I tried to correct as much as possible for the print version, but then when I uploaded it here, it came out with the original bold RGB. Personally I think it matches the show more, but lord if I could only get it to print like that. (I spoke with my usual printer.) Here's what I'm talking about btw. Look at how the exact same file looks on my screen (and more how the prints look) next to what is showing up in the preview. I don't know. I just don't diddly-dang know.