Howdy there, its that time again…only this time, it’s special :)
This month not only marks the 10 years years since I started writing and developing the Millennium Exile story, but it also marks 1 whole year on Patreon!

Before we get into all the celebratory stuff, I thought I’d update you on a few little setbacks that have affected me over the last week.

Last Wednesday, at 4am I woke up damn near screaming and clutching my left eye and any attempt to turn on a light in my house would see me doubled over in pain. My partner took me to the doctors and as the sun rose, I began acting like a freaking vampire, almost trying to crawl under the dashboard of the car. I was dressed like I had just stepped off the set of 8 Mile….sunglasses on and a hoodie pulled over my face I swear, I couldn’t have looked more suspicious if I tried hahaha. The doctor checked over me and sent me straight to the hospital to see the eye specialist.

After hours of pain and discomfort, I was diagnosed with Uveitis which is a serious and extremely painful eye infection.
My eye was inflamed to the point where the iris was being pressed up against the cornea (those aren’t supposed to touch btw)
Luckily however, it is easily treatable with medication and plenty of rest.
I have to take anti-inflammatory eye drops once an hour, every hour and another set of eye drops morning and night to forcefully dilate my eye. These are to keep the inflammation from pressing the parts of my eye that shouldn’t be touching. That however, blurs my vision horribly, almost as if one of my eyes has has Vaseline smeared over it….it’s really annoying and uncomfortable.
I was also told that I would be unable to work or drive for the next week.

Photo was taken in the mirror, thus the reversal.

This month we also celebrate the introduction of a new tier to Patreon!

Earlier, I was contacted by a good friend and fan of the project, Coyen Olsen who wanted to suggest there be a tier between $10 and $50. This was because Coyen wanted to contribute more, but also saw the need for something to bridge the gap.

This also meant having to come up with another reward, so I present to you…access to the initial character design sketches!

All Patrons $25 and up will have access to these sketches and they will be released every Monday.
The images will have a side-by-side comparison of what the initial design looked like to the finished product…drawn by one of the projects amazing artists!

https://www.patreon.com/millenniumexile

Lets talk about celebrating 10 years of MillEx and 1 year on Patreon!

Now, I don’t have much to offer - I’m not some big YouTube celebrity and I don’t have the connections or sponsorship’s to go giving away PS4’s and whatnot, but I did make a few goodies for both Patrons and the public.

First of all, I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who has donated, liked, shared and even followed the project. Millennium Exile has undergone MASSIVE changes since 2016 when things first started blowing up.
From having the demo reel professionally dubbed, to networking with fascinating individuals. I’ve met many amazingly awesome artists, and even presented the project at a few conventions….heck, some of you even asked for my autograph :P
I’ve been featured in both printed and online media, and been interviewed by several magazines. Thanks to Millennium Exile, I’ve been able to conduct and run Anime workshops across both primary and high-schools alike.

Guys seriously, thank you.
I couldn’t have done any of this without your love and support! :)

Now…on to the goodies!
It’s not much, but I made some wallpapers, one of each of our main characters.
Click on the image for a full size & download:

(Patrons will have access to the clean images without the logo)

Here’s a few gifs….

Recently I had the absolute pleasure of attending yet another school to run one of my Anime workshops.

As some of you may know, several schools from my state, often book me to come in and talk to the kids about Anime, Manga, their creation and distribution, along with some tips about creative writing & character design.

This all started because some fans of Millennium Exile, talked to their teachers at their school. The teachers reached out and booked me in for a what was initially a one-time presentation.
Turns out, the kids LOVE it!

From there I began to build up a reputation and I’ve been doing this seasonally for around 5 years now…honestly, its the best job ever. I wish I could do it full-time.

What’s even better is when you receive a follow-up email like the one below. I just love knowing that the kids are not only enjoying the class, but also learning more about the industry and their own creativity. I wish I had something like this when I was growing up.

I think it’s not only a testament to just how mainstream and popular Anime has become now, but also the absolute dedication and love these teachers have in order to facilitate further learning outside of the standard curriculum.

(The school faculty made this sign not me lol)

It’s been another crazy month for artwork…with even more character releases and even a feature piece!

ARTIST: Elmer Damaso

https://elmerdamaso.artstation.com/
https://twitter.com/iq40mail

Introducing Chase!
Chase is yet another former member of the royal guard for the late count Dracula. After his defeat, Chase now recognizes Kiba as the rightful successor to the throne and serves from within the Lineage Clan.

If you wish to know more about Chase, please check out his full biography at the link below:
https://www.millenniumexile.com/chase

Introducing Seiji!
Seiji previously disliked both Kiba and Nero, but always harbored a special hatred for the late Count.
Often referred to as a heretic, numerous attempts have been made on Seiji’s life at the behest of Dracula himself.

If you wish to know more about Seiji including his abilities, please check out his full biography at the link below:
https://www.millenniumexile.com/seiji

With almost all of the character releases completed, I needed to start commissioning some piece to finish off the art-book.
For this piece, I requested an image of Agito in his Vampiric form.

ARTIST: Hary Istiyoso

https://www.deviantart.com/the-hary
https://twitter.com/hary_istiyoso

Introducing Sai!
Sai is a lieutenant in the Lineage clan and serves as Kiba's right-hand man. Prior to Kiba forming the Lineage clan, Sai previously served as leader of the royal guard - serving directly under the late Count himself.

If you wish to know more about Sai, please check out his full biography at the link below:
https://www.millenniumexile.com/sai

Now , as another little way of giving back, I decided to give you guys another look at the development progress behind a piece of artwork.

1. Initial Sketches:
I contact Elmer, giving him all the details of the commission I’m wanting. In this case, I’m wanting a portrait image of Agito in his Vampire form. Elmer sends through his initial sketched for approval on some his ideas.

2. Modifications:
I peruse these sketches and take some time to think about it, sometimes I might even reach out to the Patrons to see which pose they like best. For this image, I actually loved the Gothic architecture from A but the pose from image B.
So I quickly jump into Photoshop, splice the two together and send it to Elmer.

3: Lineart:
After a few days, Elmer sends me the line-art work in progress (WIP) for final approval.
This is looking epic, so I give the green light.

4. Flat Colors:
Elmer sends through the flat colors to show how he is progressing with the piece.

5. Elmer’s Final Result:
Elmer sends through the final result.
I freaking LOVE this image, however my minds eye see’s opportunity for a few minor tweaks.

6. Ty’s Final Edits:
At this stage, I generally take the time to tune a few bits and piece such as colors, tone, lighting and effects. This is never meant as an insult to the artist or their work, however I find it easier to make these changes myself, thus freeing up the artist and allowing them to move on to their next commission…Remember, drawing is often their livelihood, the longer they stay on a single piece, the more money they could be making on another commission.