I have a new FA profile! I'll leave my current account active for now, but eventually I will delete it. This is your heads up to save any files you wish before they're gone as most won't be re-uploaded. Feel free to follow me on my new account if you wish to continue your adventure with a nekkid mustelid lass!

https://www.furaffinity.net/user/illusorycoast/

**Update: Thank you all for your support and reminders of love. Each of you have brought me some warmth. I will definitely share when I end up making the new account. ❤️ **

A lot of the memories on this account are associated with a negative and honestly traumatizing period of my life. Some of my gallery has folks who proved themselves to be false friends/loved ones when the time to show love arose - that will never be forgiven. I don't have any spark to liven up this account or draw my character. That died with the past few years of my life. I will likely deactivate this account and start a new account at a later time. Probably with an overhaul of Aleutia. I want to make more furry art, but that is hard to do and share here, pretending like every day of my life right now isn't clawing my way out of this emotional hole to really thrive where I'm meant to be, surrounded by folks who genuinely care.

Do not worry about me, I am surrounded by love and support right now, just struggling to allow myself to feel genuine joy and trust again. I will get there. I need to find peace in some parts of my life first.

For those involved in giving or passively allowing the trauma I suffer with to this day, do better. You know who you are. Or will likely know in time. If need arises, I will not stay quiet.

For the two and a half of you who read this, thanks, I might post when I make my new account.

It has been a quiet year with much happening behind the scenes. A lot has changed in my world and I am thriving. I moved states and left a long-term relationship at the end of last year. Since then, I have grown my art career, focused on doing the things that have been on the back burner, and grown with someone who has been my anchor and love. I even have an international artist residency lined up for 2026! And diving into the world of exotics and arachnids - it's a slippery slope! There is also a lot emotionally I'm working through and towards and it is pushing me to be my best self. For the first time, I'm really feeling like I'm being honest with myself and discovering what drives me and brings me fulfilment.

I entered this FWA on the heels of sudden and intense panic attacks, which are thankfully on the mend. But it put a damper on how much I could catch up and enjoy great company. Due to some of the changes in my world, there are some people who would love nothing to do with me, which instinctively distressed me. Throughout the weekend, I conquered my panic and refocused onto the dear folks who have shown me nothing but love, compassion and patience. My highlight was enjoying an evening of cocktails and cigars at a local speakeasy, surrounded by comforting faces and fierce friends, chatting on and on about a myriad of subjects. That made it all worth it, the panic just faded into nothing, even if just for a night. It reminded me that not everyone will understand or care to know and that's not my concern. My friends have been fiercely loyal and they make everything around me make sense. I love them.

I have anger and I am making it work for me to become my best self.

If you're reading this, thanks for a moment of your time. There is furry art waiting to be shared, just bear with me. Bare?

Hey y'all!

I'm planning to be at Anthrocon next month. Let me know if you're planning to be there! Planning to bring my sketchbook in case of any art jam opportunities :)

I have been so absent on FA and hope everyone here is doing well! Life has been rather stressful on a personal level, a lot on my plate that I would rather not delve into. But me and the fox  kalahari have been working to stabilize life and find our normal again. Furry art has taken a hit because of this, you may have noticed a lack of posting in either of our galleries. This is not for lack of desire to create and you can certainly expect more to come! We both sincerely appreciate your patience and hope to see some familiar faces soon :) Now, back to the studio!

Hey all! Just posting a couple of things of potential interest! I will be at AC with my fox and Zac! Looking forward to meeting up with friends :) If anyone is still in need of a room, contact , he has one spot left! And even better, he's amazing company. With amazing art.


Also, I rarely post auction spotlights, but seriously, has some talent. He's auctioning off some original graphite drawings...even trying for one myself. I recommend taking a look if you're into beautifully textured traditional art!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27440010/


Let me know your Summer plans! Would love to hear from you all. Much love to you fuzzies.

The countdown is on for FWA! I will be arriving Thursday evening (a first for me) and will be staying with a pair of lovely individuals (fox and Zac!). I'm anticipating this to be a more social con than I usually experience just in terms of how I'm making a better effort to reach out to the people I care about and meeting new friends!

I'm also in the process of finishing a bunch of con badge commissions for people, though I'm happy to take one more for con pick-up or an unlimited amount for shipping after the con! I won't be bringing supplies to the con, it's one for socializing and enjoyment :) (Though, I do enjoy drawing badges!)

Are YOU going?

Hey all!

Is anyone going to TFF next month? I just confirmed recently that I'll be assisting my friend at a dealers table. Would love to see some familiar faces!

Tomorrow evening, I'll be flying out with for my first visit to South Africa! Well, first visit to the continent as a whole :D We will be staying between Johannesburg and Richard's Bay, taking many early morning and dusk safari rides. You bet I will have my sketchbook and paints with me! I want to have artistic and journal documentation of my experiences. We will be gone for 10 days, but I promise art when I return!

Until then, stay happy and artsy, people! <3

Aleutia

It's been a busy time here, but there has been lots of art going on behind the scenes! Most of it has been in preparation for my show in the new year and for my Redwall Inktober project this month, but I hope to have some more furry art coming along! I have some fun ideas I want to try out, so that will hopefully get started once things settle down a bit. If you'd like a commission, let me know and I can arrange that.

How is everyone's Fall going? Any fun Halloween plans? I had a wonderful pumpkin carving+Spooky Movie+pumpkin pie night this weekend with , , and ...so much fun!

The AC weekend was such an enjoyable time filled with good people and beautiful art! Since I road tripped to Pittsburgh with and , we had some good opportunities to chat and enjoy the ride. We hit some heavy traffic on our way, delaying our arrival, but we soon made up for it! (can I give a shout out to all the good driving skill that went down??) Once we arrived, it was non-stop socializing and art! My favorite part was meeting up with people :)









My favorite memory was our little art party Saturday night, sharing art collections and chatting till the wee hours of the morning! This fandom has some quality individuals, let me say.

I had the chance to add some new art to my collection from:










The fun didn't stop after the con, Zac treated me and Kal to some big booms for the Fourth! Fun times :D


Thanks to everyone who helped make this con so enjoyable and worth the long-anticipated wait! <3

This weasel is all settled in back home with some great memories behind her! Both of my classes went very well and I have some great portfolios from the trip. I took a watercolor and a photography course with my good friend Katy, which were both great for the setting. Most of my time was spent on campus, near the cloud forest. We stayed in bungalows and ate so much fruit and gallo pinto (rice and beans)! Some excursions were made to places like the actual cloud forest, a volcano, the beach, zip lining, a local home stay, and various towns. I was able to use my Spanish to communicate...and it even helped me find a couple geocaches! Everyday seemed to have a new animal, but my favorites were the coatis, two-toed sloths, blue-crowned motmots, tarantulas, and the side-striped palm pit viper. The animal dork in me went wild and I hung out with the resident naturalists for most of my free time.

They even played Zootopia on the flight back home. The plane was full of chuckles :3

I created an entire collection of wildlife paintings during the trip, which will be scanned and turned into an art book in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled for that! To see a selection of the paintings, check out my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redwall151/


I can't wait to show all that has been made and catch up with all of the wonderful artwork awaiting my inbox! I hope Summer has been treating everyone very well :)

Phew, it's been a crazy past few weeks! The end of the school year always brings with it some crazy mixture of hell and happiness. Luckily more happiness in my case. For starters, the end is here and I start final exams and critiques tomorrow. (Last art history exam EVER). I have a literal pile of work to hang on the walls for critiques, some of which I hope to scan and post soon. Next year will be my final year before graduation, which is all fun and games until it comes to scheduling. For some reason, my university has decided to make 'Figure Drawing' tricky to sign onto, but I need it to graduate. Thank god for a couple good advisers who will get me enrolled. Other than that, exciting plans for next year! I will need to begin thinking about my exit show and what I wish to create for that. In other good news, this past weekend me and some friends hosted a pop-up gallery! It was a great success and we had a nice turn out :) I even sold a couple furry pieces, which I was not expecting.

I play a strong and hefty barbarian weasel in my Pathfinder campaign...and I felt like her this past week! I helped move into his new place and it is always a test of strength to see how efficiently you can move an entire household :) I will be doing it again later this Summer for myself as I move into a new apartment for the year.

In just under 2 weeks, I will be flying out with my friend Katy to a study abroad trip in Costa Rica! We will be staying most of the time in the cloud forest and part of the time in a homestay. I better brush up on my Spanish. Espero que comunicara con mi familia temporal :D If anyone is a Spanish speaker, I'd love to chat and build back my chops! I want to be pretty self-sufficient in communicating during my trip, even if it is not required. Personal goals ;) There will be lots of art made based on the environment and wildlife I see. The campus in the cloud forest will have an internet connection, but I highly doubt the homestay will. So I will be in and out of posting any updates :)

Other than that, I have been arting away! I'm looking forward to a Summer full of art and travels. Gonna build back some much needed sanity!

Please share any exciting Summer plans!




Stay floofed,

~Aleutia

This was my second furry con and a great one at that! Even more than last year, I got to meet people I either know or knew of online. Those kinds of experiences are little gems to me and make me feel even more like part of the community :) I attended many more panels than expected, some of the highlights were:

> panel on geocaching
> panel on putting more effort and thought into commissions
> and panel on digital coloring

I roomed with Kal and and we wandered around the artist alley, dealer's den, and panels, looking at some art and seeing who we may run into! made a couple appearances, even meeting another civet! http://sta.sh/01qe5jkro51p

We met up with quite a few people during the con, including and a few others! I even managed to find some nice prints for my collection :)

Thanks for making this a special con! I have some good memories from this year :) Time to get back to art and life.

Where are you staying?
Marriott

What day are you getting there? How long are you going?
I'll get there Thursday evening and head out Sunday

How are you traveling?
Car!

Who will you be rooming with?
My buds! <3

How is the best way to find you? Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Just go to any art, I'll be there :) I plan on attending a couple panels, but mainly I'll be in the artist alley or dealer's den. If I know you, message me and I can give you my number to text.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Just come up to me and say hi, I'm a really friendly person! You can call me 'Liz' or Aleutia'

Do you have an artist table?
Nope! Though I'll have art supplies with me in case I run into any artists who want to do a sketch trade or something fun.

Are there any panels you might be attending?
One in particular -- Kal is doing a panel on geocaching!

What do you look like? What is your gender?
I'm a blonde girl, often wearing plaid. I'll have my weasel tail on and one of an assortment of 'Aleutia' badges on!

Are you nice?
Is the sky blue?

Will you be suiting?
Just my weasel tail c:

Do you do free art?
I may do a trade or two with artist friends, but otherwise no.

Can I talk to you?
Yes! This is part of the reason to go to cons, to meet people.

Can I touch you?
Oh my.

Can I visit your room?
Room is reserved for invites only.

Can I buy you drinks?
I don't see why not!

Can I give you stuff?
I love art, but I prefer free art in a trade scenario.

Can I take your picture?
I love photos. Just don't be creepy about it!

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
No snuggle. Hug sure!

Will you be going to parties?
Likely not.

Will you be performing?
"Is mayonnaise an instrument?"

What/where will you be eating?
You can't actually think I've gotten this far in planning, can you?

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
More than likely yep :)

Can I look in your sketchbook?
Hell yeah! I plan to bring my binders of collected and my own art to show.

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
We can arrange a sketch trade :)

What's your favorite animal to draw?
I like weasels. Weasels are our friends. c:

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Talk art with people. Seriously, it really is my favorite subject to converse about and I love hearing other opinions on different art topics. I would like to enjoy old friendships and meet new people, you know.


Hope to see some of you there!

It's rare that I really get into a game and Terraria is my newest "hobby". Hours have slipped away, I've explored cool places, been to Hell and back (by means of a convenient staircase!), and have a badass house. Check it out: http://sta.sh/01kfn4vhxwts

Thanks for getting me addicted :D


Does anyone else play?

Come join me tomorrow at 6 PM EST for my first stream! There will be a post with info tomorrow. I'll be coloring a new piece with markers and chatting with anyone who stops by. Hope to see you there! :D

So, the next couple weeks will be pretty much go-go-go...but in a very exciting way! I'll be heading home to visit mom and my old friends today, which honestly doesn't happen as much as it should. Some major catching up is in place. (The downside is carrying six gerbils in the car ride there. Sorry, little fellas!) I'll be flying out to Seattle in a few days to visit the WA side of the family. It sounds like a visit to Pike Place Market and also the house/farm I grew up on is in place! I always get my burst of nostalgia getting to walk the rocky beach shores that I visited so much when I was little. Maybe I'll luck out and see some cool wildlife.

For new years, I'll be joining up with and for some explosive fun in Virginia :D Can't wait!

I won't be very active on here, but I'll be around throughout the trips :) I hope everyone has safe and jolly holiday celebrations! <3 Is anyone up to anything fun?

Hello you lovely, fuzzy beings!

A big topic on my mind has been about furries and how many non-furry people in their lives know about their fandom involvement.

In the past, it was easy to balance my normal life with my furry life, meaning activities, friends, and all else in between. I've grown to have two groups of friends: my more recent group of furry friends...and then my old group of school friends. Each group holds its own special place in my heart. Before, I could easily hang out with furry friends and my old friends on separate occasions and have no second thoughts! Recently, it's been getting difficult on myself to have two separate personas and lives. I want to be able to treat both aspects of my lives equally and not worry about censoring. It's been a crazy ride to learn how to meld the two lives in some middle ground of harmony :D

Having the friends I do, a good majority of them are genuinely curious about what I'm up to if we're separated by schools/distance. Most of my furry friends I keep up with regularly and have the means to hang out more often that my old school friends. That being said, most of what I do is related to furry or my furry friends (I'm not complaining!). That also means that more questions about my life come from school friends. Even in the beginning, I was hesitant to share too many details on furry with the important people in my life who are furry 'muggles'. Just to avoid any prying questions or judgement. Slowly and carefully, I've started to slowly reveal very small bits of information to important people in my non-furry life. For instance, my sister knows about the fuzzy tail hanging in my room. She has seen some of the art I have made...and a bit of art from friends of mine. She recently agreed to do a photoshoot of a good friend's fursuit as a favor :D (She's a photography major and does a great job at these sorts of things!). I've mentioned furry conventions to my best non-furry friend and my mom...each has their own limited knowledge of furry/conventions, but at least they're aware.

I know that I will never desire to explain to my family/non-furry friends what furry means to me or as a whole. I'm okay with them knowing about it in a general sense and that I'm interested, but there is something romantic about having this little world I can escape to...and know that I have some of my best friends right next to me. Everyone involved understands the beauty behind the fandom that not every person in the world will ever understand it.

Simply put, I won't ever lie if asked questions. Or withhold proud, tame pieces of art. I will just keep the most personal aspects to myself and to my close friends involved :)


How about you? Do you prefer to stay more secretive about the fandom to non-furries or share more about your involvement?



Stay warm and cozy,

~Liz

Hello all!

I'm sure all, if not most, of you appreciate art to some extent. You're here on FA! I've started to become more aware of the art collecting world. From my experience in art school, not many students have a drive to own art from other artists. Perhaps the main reason is they think money is the only way to own art and assume all art costs half a soul. Not all art costs as much as you think, just depends on the artist! You also grow to appreciate the art and respect the price. There are other ways to own art, one of which is trading. Most students will fawn over pieces and give their compliments and move on, which is the extent I have seen. I have mentioned art trades to some fellow students and almost all of them have never done one (but no one has ever been opposed to the idea). Part of me really enjoys exposing classmates to new areas of the art world they won't typically be shown in school...one of which is making a network with other artists and creating friendships through trades.


My experience in the furry fandom is that there are many people willing to buy or trade for many traditional and digital pieces! There is a strong sense of support for the artist in the fandom. And for the people who have the right living conditions (away from prying eyes), they even display a lot of the art! I absolutely love the idea of that network of support.


Personally, I'm a bit of an art addict. I'd far rather use spare cash to commission a nice illustration than go to the mall and buy a new outfit. Back in 2012 I was first introduced to the idea of art trading when I did a sculpture trade with a good Norwegian friend. After, I began to delve into ACEO trades and full art trades. Once I had a more steady income, I used the extra spending money to support the artists I love. The same has been done for me and I know that glowing feeling inside when you realize someone appreciates your art that much! I blame my mom for rubbing off on me the interest in buying art.


As an artist, I also have to balance my collecting life with my selling/commissioned life. A big part of going though school to go into the professional art world is learning to handle commissions more professionally. An artist needs to stand up for themselves, their prices, and their different themes of interest. To me, seeing the interaction from both different viewpoints has helped me realize how to better handle various situations...good and bad!


Out of curiosity, where do you stand: Do you purchase original art (already made)? Commission digital or traditional art? Appreciate from the sidelines?


For the artists out there, how do you balance purchasing/trading/creating art?


This thought has been on my mind for a while and I'm curious how other people treat it! Have a great Monday :D

Hey guys! I don't get to chat with you all often enough. What have you been up to over the Summer? Or throughout the year? Life has given me a lot of traveling and socializing with good friends recently. Plenty has happened, both good and bad, most of which has left me with a smile on my face :) It's nice to have a break from school!

Oh, and here, take a stunning animated short film I was shown today (~20 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnz3crMRcs

Stay cool,

~Liz

Hey there!

Since the semester is winding down here, I thought it was about time to give a bit of an update. As of tomorrow morning, I'll be finished with classes for this semester. Final exams have been drawn out for me to the last day, but it has given me plenty more time to study for art history!

This weekend I will fly out for a 2-week trip with to Norway! This is a big trip for me as I'll finally get to meet up and stay with a good friend of mine (Han-wik over on DA). This trip has been on the horizon for a while now and it's exciting to have it finally arrive. Later in our trip, we plan on meeting up with and to explore some cities and go geocaching! As of now, our trip consists of various amounts of time in Oslo, Horten, Tromsø, and a small jump over to Lapland, Finland. Give me a shout if you'll be around any of these areas for the next couple weeks!

As for art, I hope for uploads to pick up as the Summer progresses. I have some plans of various pieces and look forward to making them happen!

As always, take care and enjoy the week!
~Liz

Holy cow, how is it that I haven't posted a single journal on this account? I need to change that :) I recently registered for FWA 2015, it will be my first official con. The bling I'll wear is getting close to finished and it will be exciting to finally experience the convention! Is anyone planning on going to FWA this year? New faces (and old!) are always a joy :)