In light of recent events, I am going to endeavour to use FA more frequently. My apologies for being away so long.

Its been a rough few years, and making costuming my career meant chasing where the money was, which in retrospect- I would've had an easier time just staying here.

Anyways. Other social media is way too hostile and volatile for me to enjoy, and I've felt myself getting resentful towards other people because of it. Hopefully FA is the refreshing re-introduction to the furry community that I've been missing.

I missed you guys. Sorry for being gone.

I have a very unhappy duty to perform tomorrow, and I could use a hand making sure this prayer isn't shit.

Normally our friend, who was a lifelong preacher, would do our prayer, but he was taken from us, and so it falls to me, and it's a really hard thing to do.

Also hello people who I haven't seen in ages <3

If you didn't see my neat-o gallery post about it, http://www.furaffinity.net/view/30709896/ , these slots will be for 2020 completion. I have 15 slots available this round, and they typically fill very quickly.

I know it seems I'm inactive here, unfortunately I have spent most of my time posting on twitter(trying to move with the times, I hate it, I just want to live in a log cabin in the woods and make animals, damnit!), although I do post my completed stuff here. I'll be trying to be more active on FA, just because this is my original base is here and I love you guys(Even if I haven't been as active as I should be to show it). I'll be checking to see if I've left anything out from twitter here(I wish there was a crossposting tool for twitter/FA, damn) and probably expect a deluge of posts. If you haven't joined me on twitter, I am artslavefursuit , assuming its easier for you to watch me there.

If you are interested in possibly commissioning me, please e-mail me: artslavebiz[at]gmail.com

Looking forewards to talking with you all!

http://www.tinyurl.com/Artslavequote

Now there's a fullsuit option, which I think will fix the astronomical numbers some people were seeing with the head+body+paws+tail+feet list the last version was giving.

Have been informed there's some issues with the self-pricing tool, so I'm going through and attempting to fix it now. Also added a fullsuit option that will give more accurate fullsuit prices, rather than buying each piece individually, which was getting weird math for some reason.

Alright, fixed it looks like. However, I removed the 'submit' button, because giving quotes without references is harder than it seems! But this is still a useful tool for window shoppers- please email me at artslavebiz[at]gmail.com directly for quotes if you are genuinely interested in commissioning me!

Streaming work on a feline head: https://www.twitch.tv/art_slave

Just some basics so I could test out some editing software. Definitely going to be using it more in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Ws8NLQiiQ

Hey guys, so it's been ridiculous maintaining seperate upload schedules. Anyone who knwos me, knows that I hate paperwork, and maintining multiple schedules is basically doubling my paperwork. So, to decrease my stress levels and get everything back on track, I've decided to remove the paywall on content for my patreon channel. Nothing really important was paywalled- everything was uploaded here or on twitter; it was mostly educational content, and walkabouts of the workroom.

I'm not going to stop doing the extra work, because I really enjoy sharing what I do, but I miss the wider outreach and feedback/interactions with the community.

Now, most of these were in video format, which don't translate well to my gallery here, so I've made a youtube channel where I'm hoping to do regular uploads of more fursuit-related WIP fun and talking about both artistic process and fabrication tools, etc.

The other patreon bonuses will remain intact, and viewable here: https://www.patreon.com/Artslave

But now all my videos will be viewable here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW.....An9u2zEW6OKGDw

I will be keeping most workshop walkthroughs patreon-only, and patrons will help me decide what video content they'd like to see.

Hopefully this move won't shoot me in the foot monetarily, but I think its better for my sanity long-term. And if you like what I do and want to support me, awesome! If you can't afford it, or don't want to, thats fine, too. I'd like everyone can enjoy what I'm producing here.

I am opening for the 2018 year on August first. These will be first come, first served. To be begun January. I know some people have asked about suits for MFF, of which I will be taking one, with applicable rush fees. Please foreward any quote inquiries to: artslavebiz[at]gmail.com

I may still have one or two unanswered quotes in my inbox, which I will be getting to today.

So I've been working super hard on this- its a self-pricing tool you can use to estimate a cost of a fursuit. The estimates can be high or low, but are generally in the neighborhood(Give or take 300ish) of where you'd be looking at. I'm going to add in some graphics of fursuit pieces to kind of illustrate what some of the options are, and if you select some things it will grey out selections for the sake of price-bundling(I can't figure out how to make them vanish altogether), but I'm pretty pleased with this, I think.

I'm going to continue to work on it later on this week, but if anyone is curious at taking a look at it in its current state: https://form.jotform.com/70656090525153

TLDR: THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, YOUR PRICE FOR WHOLE SUITS WILL BE OVER WHAT IT WOULD NORMALLY BE!

Hey guys, I know its been a while, I've been working on a -big- project for the past five months that has eaten up all my time. I just wanted to let you know I'm still here, and very soon we'll all get to bask in the glory of this finished project. I'm pretty excited to show it to you(And to get back to being more active in the community!)

Miss you all, thanks for bearing with me!

After 10+ years, I finally have a website, lol. http://artslave.me/contact/

Time to update business cards.

Sorry I've been quiet of late, guys. I'm working on (literally) the most complex fursuit/largest project I've ever had. It's going to look killer when it's done, but I've been ass-deep in project :3 I'm also working on figuring out time-lapse videos for fursuit heads/feet.

If we were conversing about a commission and I haven't gotten back to you, please re-email me. Gmail APPARENTLY doesnt let you open multiple tabs
and Chrome APPARENTLY wont let me reopen gmail without crashing
*Screaming forever*
I lost probably 6 inquiries and can't find them in my sea of read mail X.X

Today(Friday) at 8pm, I'll be hosting my quarterly Q+A panel in livestream. Questions go to patrons first, but will be opened up to the general public later on.

http://www.livestream.com/fursuitmaking

This will be fairly informal.

https://www.patreon.com/Artslave

Hey guys, finishing a due-date commission right now so have ignored my email for like a week and just looked and saw theres over 40 emails I have to respond to, so I'm going to do 3-5 a day while I finish this up. If you havent heard from me in a week or so don't panic, I'll get to you shortly!

So it's come to my attention that some folks are pretty busy these days, and I don't mind washing suits so much. (And it can be a pretty daunting challenge to maintain your own suit!). And someone asked if I would launder suits I've made, and I don't see any problem doing it. I like my suits to make a good impression, so if you're okay parting with some cash to have someone else maintain it, thats fine by me!


So if you'd rather leave it to the professionals, box it up and send it here! I'm happy to clean your suit and make minor repairs for a nominal fee.

RULES:

-NO fuck-suits, PLEASE. I WILL burn it. Do not even think of sending it here. What you do on your own time is your own business, but I am a germophobe and the thought of.. ugh. NOPE NOPE NOPE.

-No SPHs. I can't stress this enough.

-No bodily fluids. Except sweat. And spit. Those are fine. And pretty non-germy.

-No storage. It'll take between a week to two weeks turnaround to get your suit back, and I can't hold onto it. I don't have the space.

-Initial payment will be up front. Any additional services deemed necessary(Touching up stitching when I turn it inside out, for example) will be billed to your paypal account.


SERVICES:
-these will get more expensive the more complex the suit. Like if you are fleece with nothing on it, thats cheap and easy. If you are a muscle suit with wings and a huge tail it will be more.

-Washing and drying: $40+

-Airbrushing touch-ups: $5+

-Minor repairs(Stitching, foot bottom re-adhesion): Varies

I hear a lot of people complaining about how poor the overall level of client services are among fursuit makers(Things like, "I only got 6 WIPs" or "It took them almost a week to repond to my email, etc". I think this is purely based on dealings with ONLY fursuit makers and heresay, because having just concluded a custom job with an FX house(I commissioned THEM for a custom piece)- let me tell you just how great fursuit customer service is. This isn't the first time I've gotten work done from an FX house, nor will it be the last I suspect. I paid them 100% up front(~a grand) as it typical(Sometimes you owe more than agreed at the end, depending on time allotted), pointed to the model I wanted and said "This one, but with X, Y, Z alterations, in this colour scheme(Which I provided)". I contacted them on 5 seperate occasions begging to spend my money to buy this thing- I finally CALL and they respond to my email. They estimated a 4-8 week turnaround. So now it is about 10 weeks later, I haven't seen ANY work in progress photos, I have had NO contact with the studio, they haven't answered any emails. Saturday I got a curt email saying 'it is done, here is your tracking #'.

This is about the usual level of customer service for professional FX houses. So anyone telling you that 'furry customer service won't fly in the REAL world' has no clue whatsoever. I have dropped more money on myself than I have probably spent altogether in my whole life for something I've wanted for several years now- I have no idea what the modifications look like, no idea if the paint job is right. No idea if it will even LOOK good. And I am still excited as FUCK.

Compare this with typical fursuit customer service-
-Regular Email contact
-WIPS regularly, or on request
-Streams(Sometimes, depends on the artist!)
-Alterations done to your taste

And yet we charge under half of what the professionals do. From here, it seems like compared to the 'real world' fursuit customer service is above and beyond even WETA(One of the best FX houses in the world).

Just wanted to jot down my comparison before all the details fade from my mind! This isn't slamming anyone or anything, its just one of those things furries like to generically bitch about, and coming out of this real world experience with a costume studio, it seems like furries just really want other furries to be happy, and do their best damned job at servicing them(Insert gross joke here)!

STORY OF MY LIFE: FUCKTARD FUCKS UP AN ANIMAL, IT BECOMES MY PROBLEM.

Cute guy ran away from the kitten/puppy mill up the road. Owned by county-wide renowned animal abusers and murderers(Literally every fall when the corn drops their corn field(which they never harvest..) has dozens of suspicious mounds roughly the size of dogs, and kids find dog skulls over there every year). Not to mention all the animals are crammed into a fucking barn and aren't ever allowed inside even in winter(No, the barn ISNT heated, its got huge open slats in the sides). And before you say 'why didnt you call the police?' I do. EVERY FALL. But these guys are an 'old family' and predate the town so they're in good with the local sheriff >.> So not a lot I can do since theres no humane association cops or something like that around here. Our police force doesnt take cruelty charges seriously.

He's very friendly, white/black pibald. Just loves attention. ~9mo-1yr. The crazy bitch who runs the place is looking for him, so I'd like to home him ASAP. The woman is NUTS, and is probably going to break his neck for running away. Like, that kind of horror movie "I love your novels" brand of nuts.

He's unaltered, no shots, no anything because of course not why woudl a mill do any of that. So I'll get all that taken care of at the local clinic if you want to take him.

PS: His name is "The articulate lady ballsacks in service to her majesty"

EDIT: UPDATE: The mill owner came sniffing around asking about the cat, I told her he'd already gone to the vets for everything but neutering and she could pick him up when she reimbursed me. She left immediately, in a huff. I guess $300 is too much for an animal when you think they're disposable? Fuck that woman.

Just so its not a surprise to anyone, I recently added a new clause to my ToS involving untaped duct tape dummies! If a DTD is recieved untaped, it will encur a $50 convinience charge. Normally it's not a huge problem, but it does take up a lot of time during con-crunches(Sometimes it can take upwards of 2 days depending on how poorly its taped >.>'), so hopefully this will help encourage folks to tape their own dummies up to save us both some time! :D

Hey guys, sorry it's been 2 months since I posted anything. I've been out with a bout of (probably Pertussis- THANKS ANTI VAXXERS >:[) something.. just wanted to post and let you guys know I'm still working, I've been busily house-hunting for our first home that isn't a 2x2 apartment box(Very excited), and been busy prepping for Furthemore, which is this upcoming weekend in Tysons corner, VA. I'll be staffing, say hi(And.. let me know who you are if I dont know you lol), I'm usually pretty busy but I'm friendly!

Will be sending out patreon packages and updating the gallery this week with just a mess of stuff.

I am almost cleared out, just have 2 heads + 2 suits left in queue(and a pair of feets!) so I am opening for slots beginning in April/May. Some of these will be for anthrocon, although that date isn't guaranteed in case something comes up, but things running smoothly as they have been the past few months, this should be no problem.


-Mordecai (Cat) partial
-Tiger Shark full
-Art Lib Cougar suit (Full)
-Colby
-Komus

That sounds pretty awful.. I was going through my emails this morning sending out duct tape dummy reminders, etc, and my correspondence with this guy who paid 100% up front for a blue/gray wolf suit seems to have gone missing. I know he was in the military and was overseas in germany(he sent me a cuckoo clock for christmas <3), so if you are said dude please email me! So I can.. email you a reminder about measurements/duct tape dummies X3 I want to get started!

I will be opening February 1st for 2 full suits and a partial- this is probably going to be one of the last opportunities to get a suit in time for AC without paying through the nose for rush fees. Make sure to have your deposit ready! I'm always open for quotes, so feel free to email me anytime: artslavebiz[at]gmail.com and if you don't ehar from me promtly, note me!

Current queue:
-Lizard head
-Werewolf head
-Bat head
-Panther feet(March due date)
-Sergal
-White lion
-Patreon stuff

Moved a lot of WIPs and not-fursuit stuff to SCRAPS(Which I use extensively!). Should make perusing my gallery much easier, just finished stuff or stuff that looked too cool to move away.