The 2022 Publishing Schedule
Here we go, it’s a new year and new books are on the way!
2020 and 2021 was the longest decade ever with the whole ongoing pandemic thing, but I don’t want to talk about everything bad that happened (there was definitely enough to fill a million blogs, but that’s not what this blog is for!) Tragedy and illness aside, let’s talk ponies.
I released 2 books in 2020 and one lonely book in 2021. In 2022, my goal is to publish at least four books.
Yes, four!
Here’s the projected schedule:
March 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: 2021 Buybacks
April 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: Stallions of Assateague
Summer/Fall 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: A Misty Family Tree
Fall/Winter 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: 2022 Buybacks
Keeping track of progress on 2021 Buybacks
March 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: 2021 Buybacks
I’ve been really committed for about a week now to keeping track of my progress, not pushing myself too hard to avoid burnout, sketching and inking when I want to, and using my new iPad. The iPad in particular has been an absolute game changer; not being stuck in one position for hours on my cintiq tablet has let my progress move very quickly. So quickly in fact, I decided to plan out more books! And that’s why we have the publishing schedule you see up there. Thanks, Procreate and iPad!
Keeping track of progress on Stallions of Assateague
April 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: Stallions of Assateague
This one I’m cruising along on while working on 2021 Buybacks. In this book, the stallions on Assateague Island will get the spotlight. Just the Virginia side, for now.
Summer/Fall 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: A Misty Family Tree
This one has been in my head for a while, but pretty self-explanatory! Misty of Chincoteague has (obviously) been a huge inspiration and had a major impact on my life, so I really want to pay homage to that. I think a coloring book full of Misty and her family would be a good way to do it.
Winter 2022 - Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: 2022 Buybacks
With this book, I’m challenging myself to actually publish a buyback coloring book on the year they’re named!
Future Books…
Maybe shorebirds or a mare-focused book? We’ll see!
what’s this?
Keeping track of my progress??
Have a sneak peek of a pony page from 2021 Buybacks!
If you followed me on instagram, you would have already seen this 👀 (hint, hint).
If you can guess who these ponies are, send me a message on Instagram and you’ll get free copies of both Buybacks 2020 and Buybacks 2021 when it is published!
2020 Buybacks is now published!
Many missed deadline goals, three state moves, and finally, it’s here! 2020 Buybacks took much longer than intended but I’m so happy to say this book is complete…
Almost 2 years and a whole global pandemic later…
Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: 2020 Buybacks
Many missed deadline goals, three state moves, and finally, it’s here! 2020 Buybacks took much longer than intended but I’m so happy to say this book is complete.
Below you can see a little peek inside at my favorite pages. (Of course they’re the pages with the most ponies on them.)
Tornado’s Legacy, CLG Magic Moment, Mz Peg, & Clara’s Glory
Don Leonard Stud II & Amari’s Journey
The Best Pony Resources on the Internet
Can’t get enough Chincoteague Ponies in your life? Hey, me too.
It’s a genuine problem. I’d love nothing more than to be standing in some buggy marsh staring at a bunch of fuzzy feral ponies. Unfortunately, I’m not knee-deep in swamp water as a living. This was a genuine mistake on my part and one I frequently think about fixing on most typical workdays.
Anyway, ponies on the internet.
Some very amazing people have come together to create the best spots on the Internet for sharing the love for Chincoteague and its famous ponies. I’ve already written two blogs on the best spaces for pony people on Facebook, which you can read here and here. This one is about the internet at large! Here are a few I like to visit and you might like them, too!
DSC Photography
In addition to being the foremost on-the-ground pony experts and expert photographers, Steve and Darcy Cole share snippets of the horses’ lives the rest of us can only dream up. They are also super active on their Facebook pages and in private Chincoteague Pony groups dedicated to documenting the lives of the ponies. Bands of the Wild Chincoteague Pony Herds is a great place to start.
Make sure to check out their photography site and buy a mug featuring your favorite pony!
The Chincoteague Pony Pedigree Database
Ever wonder who your favorite pony might be related to? Or how many babies Misty had in her life? This is the site for you!
According to their site information, “the goal of the CPPD is to collect and preserve as many Chincoteague Pony pedigrees as possible. The hope is to one day be able to offer a picture of the breed past, present, and future through the collected data.” The site also hopes to be able to connect Chincoteague Ponies with identities or parentage that had been lost.
You can definitely get lost tracing back your favorite pony’s pedigree!
The Colorful Chincoteague
How many palomino paints ponies are on the island? How about solid black ponies? Did you smokey black is a color?? There’s so much to learn!
The Colorful Chincoteague documents and researches the colors found in the Chincoteague Pony. Started in 2007, this site is the first to try and document the rainbow of color present in the Chincoteague Ponies.
According to their site, “Chincoteague color research is ongoing, as is equine color genetics in general, so this site is ever-changing.”
The website’s author even has a book! The Colorful Chincoteague: Chincoteague Pony Colors and Patterns is available on Amazon and Kindle. Check it out here!
happy anniversary!
Time sure does fly when you’re living in a global pandemic ❤️
It’s been one whole year since Chincoteague Ponies Coloring Book: 2019 Buybacks was released! To celebrate, you can find an updated cover available on Amazon to match the upcoming 2020 Buybacks book, releasing soon.
Very, very soon.
(May 15 is the new deadline.)
That’s four deadlines now!
In my defense, 2020 was a rough year and it definitely glombed over into 2021. April in particular was not a creative month! Maybe some astrology people can tell me why, but I know I felt very blocked.
Anyway, back to the 2020 book.
Here’s the cover again! There might be a way to buy this coloring book without giving Amazon more money. 👀Things are working behind the scenes, like researching local printers. Always willing to find ways to not prop up Amazon and give support to local vendors and businesses.
Only 6 more pages to go! (plus the inside cover illustration, oof)
More of the best Chincoteague Pony spaces on the internet*
*the only reason to go on Facebook.
In a previous blog, I shared a few of my favorite Facebook groups to bask in the best Chincoteague pony vibes. Well, after reviewing all the groups I participate in, I found a few more.
I don’t have a problem, I can stop whenever I feel like it. I just don’t want to.
Anyway, request to join these lovely communities if you need help filling that pony-shaped void while ignoring the conspiracy posts from extended family on your feed.
Here’s a group for all things Chincoteague Pony. If you just need a catch-all for your Chincoteague fix, this is the group for you. With 6,000 members you will definitely find someone to talk to about your favorite Marguerite Henry book (we all know it’s Misty).
A very sweet and smaller group, this one is dedicated to the ponies who have passed. Life in the wild is hard, even as a pretty managed feral pony on Assateague Island. Members honor their ponies by sharing stories and photos in the group. This group also welcomes posts about both the Maryland and Virginia herds.
If your favorite foal wasn’t chosen as a buyback, this is the group for you. Off-island ponies from around the country are featured by their new owners as they settle in to their lives. It’s a great way to keep up with your favorites and watch them grow.
The best pony spaces on the internet
…or at least on Facebook.
I was sitting at my desk, trying to come up with a topic for today’s blog (I really need to get a content calendar going..) and I found myself thinking of all the groups on Facebook I frequent. About 98% all of them are Chincoteague Pony or mustang related and honestly, it’s the only thing that keeps me from deactivating my Facebook and effectively removing my personal presence from the internet. My elderly relatives would never see another react from me again.
So if you have to be on Facebook, at least fill it with ponies, because there are a surprising number of dedicated groups. Keep in mind these are all private groups and to participate you’ll want to request access. Here are a few favorites:
This Facebook group is founded and moderated by photography superstars Steve and Darcy Cole of DSC Photography. The group serves as their journal as they spend their days hiking dozens of miles around Assateague Island capturing moments of the ponies the rest of us can only dream of. You’ll find amazing photographs of the bands as well as identification, band members, and even stories of events that happen while observing the ponies.
It’s spring and that means foal season!
If you need baby horses frolicking in salt marshes on your feed, this is the group for you. Another group by Steve and Darcy Cole, this group focuses on documenting the foals born during 2021. You’ll see many, MANY pictures of adorable foals, it’s amazing.
This group is special because they take an active part in the annual auction and, as a group, have several ponies on island!
From their group description: “The Chincoteague Legacy Group (CLG) is made up of people who love Chincoteague ponies and are interested in becoming part of purchasing buyback foals at the Chincoteague pony auction each year. Donations are voluntary and can be any amount.” Members are not required to donate to be part of the group but to have any say in the naming process only donating members can take part.
If you see a pony with “CLG” in its name, you can thank this group of dedicated pony fans!
One page down!
Only 8 more pages to go!
Today I finished inking Riptide and Fancy Pants’ page. This book has taken about a thousand years to get through, so I’m celebrating every tiny milestone. 🥲 Here’s the sketch next to the finished page.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at a few remaining pages left for me to finish.
One of these days I might do a coloring book walkthrough… 🤔
Stay tuned for the 2020 Buybacks Coloring Book! (thinking before the end of April)
In the meantime, follow my art account megjestic.art on Instagram, there are ponies sometimes.
A sneak peek…
Want to see the final cover of the soon-to-be-published 2020 Buyback coloring book?
If you follow us on Instagram, you probably saw a draft version.
(and if you don’t follow us yet, click right here)
Ready?
Okay…
Ta-da!
If you know who the three off-island ponies on the cover are, send me a message on Instagram and you’ll get a free 2020 Buybacks coloring book! ✨
The babies are here!
Thanks to superstar photographer team DSC Photography, the first batch of new Chincoteague foals have been spotted toddling through the marshy grasses of Assateague Island on their gangly little legs. There are three already!
courtesy of Darcy Cole: Dreamer's Gift, Ken, Foal #3 and Kimmee-Sue
You won’t find photos of the foals on their website just yet; for first-look access as the babies are spotted, I suggest requesting to join the 2021 Foals of the Wild Chincoteague Pony Herds group on Facebook.
Yes, Facebook is a crumbling dumpster fire of misinformation, but if you have to be on there, you might as well fill your feed with adorable feral ponies.
And while you’re at it, you should definitely join the other yearly classes. Off-island pony families will post updates and photos of their Chincoteague foals as they grow up! Here are a few to join:
2020 Foals of the Wild Chincoteague Pony Herds
2019 Foals of the Wild Chincoteague Pony Herds
2018 Foals of the Wild Chincoteague Pony Herds
2020 Coloring Book Update:
Only 9 more pages left to ink! I know we’re three (almost four…!!!!) months into 2021, but we can all agree 2020 was difficult. So here we are.🥲Ponies will be incoming, so stay tuned!(probably mid-april) ✌️