People keep doing this, so I guess I'll hop on the meme train.

Name: Sarah
Nickname: Sari
Location: Colorado
Age: 27
Height: 5'0"
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Pets: Atlantis (female cream schipperke), Kaylee (female white and brindle whippet), and Grimmorrow (male blue merle mini aussie)
Fun Fact: Uhhh...I almost died of a ruptured bowel in 2011? ...not really fun, but...yeah. XD

Identity, Sexuality & Personality
Gender Identity: Female
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Romantic Preference: Uhhh, men? *points up* XD
"Kinsey Scale" Score: Looked this up, and according to their scale, I'd probably put myself at 1, only because I tend to kiss my female friends when I'm drunk. XD
Relationship Status: Happily claimed!
Myers/Briggs Type: I dunno WTF this is, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now...so yeah.

Routine
Early Bird or Night Owl?: Definitely night owl. Thanks, insomnia.
Bath or Shower?: Showers
First thought in the morning: Just five more minutes...
Last thought before falling asleep at night: Uhhh probably something like "WTF; how is this even a bed?!"

School & Work
Do you work or are you a student?: I work full time, but I'm a student of liiife! XD
What do you do well?: Writing, considering I went to school for it and currently have a career as a tech writer, sooo...
Where do you see yourself in five years?: Alive, hopefully. XD

Habits (Do You...?)
Drink: Socially
Smoke: YUCH.
Do drugs: Double YUCH.
Exercise: Only my brain, but I really need to get back to the gym...
Have a go-to comfort food: Anything sugary. I have a serious sweet tooth...
Have a nervous habit: I'll chew my non-existent nails when I'm nervous, usually, just as something to keep myself occupied.

What is your favorite…?
Physical quality (in yourself): My eyes. If I put make up on, I can make them huuuge. XD Don't fall in!
Physical quality (in others): Smiles. I like seeing people smile. :3 I don't like grumpy or indifferent faces...
Mental/emotional quality (in yourself): Prooobably my sense of loyalty and ability to calmly stand my ground when I'm wrongfully accused of something.
Food: I love a good steak. 83
Drink: Iced tea. The more it tastes like dirt, the better! X3
Animal: I love so many! But my tops have to be owls, cats (domestic and wild), dogs, sharks, goats, moths, and pterodactyls! :D
Artist/Band/Group: My Chemical Romance
Author/Poet: Anthony Burgess
TV Show: Oh geez...I don't even wanna answer this; I watch too many that I love...Walking Dead, GoT, SAO, Dexter, Once Upon A Time, Avatar: LoK...yeah...it goes on and on.
Actor/Actress: ...again, I don't want to even answer this...but I think Hugh Jackman and RDJ tie for first. Followed by just a massive pool I'm going to call second place, which contains Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hiddleston, Martin Freeman, Matthew Morrison...favorite actress, hands down, is Idina Menzel. In a nutshell, if they can act AND sing, then they're most likely a favorite in my book.

...Guess that's all, then. Bai bai! X3

The one weekend I FINALLY have plenty of time to work on getting all my patient commissioners what they've been waiting for, we had a nasty and sudden rain and hail storm Saturday afternoon. Didn't think much about it, until my boyfriend went down into our basement to grab something...then called me to come down 'cuz there was some flooding. I didn't think much of it; assumed maybe a window well had leaked...well, I was right. A window well HAD leaked, but our entire carpeted 1500 square foot basement was SOAKED. Like, step on the carpet and SQUISH type soaked. THANKFULLY it didn't have time to reach the electronics (our basement is my boyfriend's theater room) before we noticed it, so we grabbed our shop vac and carpet cleaner and started sucking up as much water as we could. Again, THANKFULLY, my mom's boyfriend has his own carpet cleaning business, so he brought over his machine to help out, which did way more than our machines could do combined. But even with the help of my mom and her boyfriend, it took us over five hours to suck up all the water. @__@ And even then, the next day when my boyfriend went out and bought another fan to add to the three fans we already had running down there to circulate the airflow, we pulled up a corner of the carpet to find that the carpet padding was still so damp it would soak your palm if you pushed down on it...so Sunday was also dedicated to trying to dry things out further, throw out was was damaged, and try to salvage what we could from the boxes in the storage room that got wet.

Hopefully our insurance includes this kind of flooding. We're having an adjuster come out today to assess the damage, but we're both pretty certain we're going to have to replace all the carpeting and even some dry wall to avoid mold.

I was SO PISSED when this happened 'cuz it meant putting off a lot of work I owe people yet again, that I was totally snappy with everyone during the cleaning process. I was ready to make heads roll, if there were any heads to make roll since, ya know...this wasn't anyone's fault but Mother Nature's. Maybe I'll go chop down a tree to claim my vengeance.

Thankfully, yet again, I have such patient commissioners, but please remember that I'm always happy to give a full refund if you're tired of waiting or need the money. I will give it back in a heartbeat.

I'm not open yet, as I still have a queue to clear out, but I'm posting this now so people can see what prices I'll be offering for pre-orders and can budget and all that if they're interested.

Bust Badge - con price $30 --> preorder $20
Pudge Badge - con price $15 --> preorder $10
Dangle Badge - con price $25 --> preorder $18
Keychain Badge - con price $10 --> preorder $7
Couples Badge - con price $50 --> preorder $35
Heart Badge - LIMITED SUPPLY - preorder $30

Bust badges are pretty self-explanatory, Pudge badges are the really fat derpy ones, Dangle badges are the three-piece badges (available with or without name), keychain badges are basically really small badges (full body, derpy, no name), and couples badges are basically two interacting bust badges.

The heart badges are limited because I only have so many of the holographic hearts that I use left. They're the most expensive 'cuz of the supplies I use and they're 3D (your character pops off the badge); they will be available for preorder only!

Also, all badges come with a little charm of your choice (bells, stars, hearts, wings, letters, numbers, clocks...lots of options)!

Note: These prices only apply if you are going to RMFC, as I will not be doing any badge shipping before the con. You are welcome to order a badge, but it will be at full price and it will be put at the end of the line to be finished after the con is over. Also, these prices do not include shipping, so that will also need to be discussed if you are ordering outside of the con.

Does anyone have personal experience with using sewing machines with long pile fur?

I'm really looking for a sewing machine that doesn't cost two or three limbs but handles long pile fur. One big thing that's keeping me back from doing full suits for even myself is the fact that my machine can only sew long pile fur pieces at an extremely slow speed, and even then the fur fibers tend to get caught in the threads and jam the machine. This isn't so bad for sewing smaller pieces, like my hand paws for Kerfuffle...but even those with the clogging took like 15-20 minutes to sew 6 inches of fur. @__@ Soooo yeah...I can only imagine how many HOURS it would take me to make a body suit if the threads keep jamming...

I really don't have the funds to purchase an industrial-strength machine...but I figure doing just partials for now and putting away the profits from that will eventually get me enough for a more expensive machine...but that could take quite a while, especially since I only wanna charge about 10% for labor on partials until my skills are more up to par...

But if anyone knows of a smaller, less expensive machine that can handle full suits, I would be most grateful for any information on such a machine and the best place to purchase it.

The parts for my next suit (which will debut at RMFC) will be here by the end of the week, and I'm seriously considering making it a 3/4 suit (head, sleeves/handpaws, feetpaws/tail/digigrade legs) instead of just a partial and see how that goes...maybe even a full suit if I can find a machine in time to handle the workload and not frustrate the hell out of me.

The last thing I wanna do is sew an entire suit by hand... @__@ So, yes. Help.

Thanks!! :3

The Love Paw button design is now available in my Etsy shop! Six colors, discounted options on multiple button orders!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons
https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons
https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons
https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons
https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons
https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons
https://www.etsy.com/listing/194026.....inback-buttons

I'm going to have these at RMFC, as well, for $1.00, 3 for $2.50, or 6 for $5.00, as well. Also, all badge preorders for RMFC will receive one of these buttons FREE! :3 Just keep your eyes on my journal entries for when I open for preorders!

Ordered the white longpile faux fur I'll be using for my next suit (a partial, for now); guess I should get to patterning and all that jazz. But first, commission queue and patching up/finishing Kerfuffle. I accidentally dropped him the last day of the con last weekend, so his front horn is now loose and the nose now has a hairline fracture. Nothing a little glue, clay, and paint can't fix, really. But he also needs some cleanup work, since I really rushed finishing him for the convention. I would not ship him off to his buyer, if he belonged to someone else, until I fix the ears (one is horribly crooked, but was hard to tell with them flopping around all the time), patch up the seams between fur and resin (the hot glue and fur edges are very much visible), along with the finishing work for the inside (which I didn't worry about since no one was going to see that but me...but parts of my face did end up suffering because of it). Oh, and reattach his tongue. I seriously don't know how it just kinda...fell off when I dropped it. I thought that bad boy was in there pretty good and solid. This time around, I'll be using the silicone glue instead, and hot glue to hold it securely in place while it cures.

Starting to brainstorm how I can lower the tail (it's too high for my taste and doesn't drag enough) and widen the crotch area so it doesn't look so much like he's wearing a fur dress. I have some ideas, but it might be a while until I confidently approach that task. Other than that, he just needs his wings, and he'll be ready and complete for RMFC in six weeks! :3

Also gonna design some new buttons to debut at the con. Nothing fancy, just some fun little designs like my latest submission (the Love Paws). X3

And I'll probably open for those RMFC badge preorders four weeks out from RMFC, so keep your eyes peeled! Will have discounted preorder prices, so best to order them beforehand and have them as soon as the con starts than pay at-con prices and have to wait for me to finish them on-the-spot. :3~~~

Since my queue bucket is quickly diminishing, and I'm finding more free time again now that the DCC mad rush is over, I'll be opening for commissions once again.

RMFC is two months away, so I will be opening for badge preorders very soon. I'll only be taking a limited amount, though, and they will be for congoers only; sorry to those who won't be able to attend! I'll be opening for badges again after RMFC, so keep your eyes open on my journals.

Also, oddly enough, the parts for my second fursuit are already on their way from DVC, so I'll be working on that, as well, to wear alongside Kerfuffle at RMFC. I will be opening for ONE partial commission at RMFC, but those not attending are welcome to try and nab the spot, as well. I just want to open during RMFC so that people who are interested can come and see my work up close and decide if they would want to commission me or not.

This partial commission will be between $800-1000, all depending on the complexity of your character, how many materials I'll need to order, etc. etc. etc...but that price will include a moving jaw, follow me eyes (LED optional), quality faux furs (I can't stand Mongolian fur, so I go for the good stuff, but it will have to be Mongolian if your colors are not available in any other fur type), jawset, and silicone tongue (any horns or additions will be a bit extra); hand paws with silicone paw pads and plastic claws, if applicable (will add sleeves that you can attach with velcro for a little more); indoor feet paws (buyer will have to provide canvas shoes to guarantee a perfect fit) with plastic claws if applicable, and a matching tail with elastic belt loops to attach to a belt (belt not included).

Again, the price will fluctuate depending on details (since I'll have to sew in any markings as opposed to airbrushing, 'cuz I don't have an airbrush machine yet), but the price range above is about what I'll charge for the full partial with all the listed bells and whistles.

Once RMFC is over, I'll take on non-con commissions again...so be on the lookout for updates! :3

Yup yup. I wore Kerfuffle this weekend at Denver Comic Con. He got quite the positive reactions and lots of hugs.

I entered him into the Cosplay Shindig, the official costume contest of DCC. Again, really positive reaction to the skit I put together from the crowd, and plenty more pictures and hugs.

I really just entered the contest to entertain. So when they announced me as the runner up for presentation in the Novice class (which is what I signed up for, since I've never made a fursuit before nor have I ever performed in costume), I was quite surprised! Especially since there were SO many other awesome cosplays that I was really hoping would win, like a lifesize Chamberlain from The Dark Crystal (who won craftsmanship for the master division, thankfully!) and my absolute favorite, Monster Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (who sadly didn't place at all, but did still get an honorable mention award).

I also met some new furries at the con, some of them actually local to my city! So now that I know some more local furs, I can finally hang out with some more folks like myself. :3 I look forward to it, since I don't really have many friends locally; all my pals, not just furry, are out of state. ;__;

I've also gotten quite a few inquiries at my art table this weekend on opening up for suit commissions. I will admit, I did not make the body suit of Kerfuffle; I hired a local seamstress to do that for me since I was on a time crunch, and at the time I didn't know how to efficiently use a sewing machine. But now I do, and I was able to finish the feet paws (well, hooves), hand paws, sleeves, and head all on my own. Not too bad for my first suit attempt, I can honestly say.

So, because of the numerous inquiries, I'm going to probably open up for partial commissions once I clean out my queue and get settled again. Because I've only made one head, I'm going to offer really low prices (basically cover cost of materials and shipping) to anyone interested in basically being a "guinea pig" for my fursuit-making attempts. XD I won't offer full suits until I make my own body suit and am comfortable with offering slots for that and not disappointing people. So, yes. Just heads, tails, feet, and hands for now. The prices I'm thinking in my head are as follows:

Heads - $250-300 for a semi-realistic head on a resin blank, which includes an articulated jaw, jaw set, tongue, and follow-me eyes (any additional things like LED eyes, horns, etc. will add a bit extra to the cost), and up to three fur lengths/colors (any additional will increase the cost)

Handpaws - $30-50 for five fingers and up to three fur types/colors; any need for paw pads and/or claws will increase the cost a tad
Feetpaws - $50-75 for indoor feet, a little more if you want outdoor or need to add paw pads or claws; buyer will need to purchase slip-on canvas shoes and ship them to me so I have shoes for you that definitely fit!

Tails - $20-80, all depending on length and complexity

So I guess the cheapest price for a partial is about $350, and the highest BASE price will be about $500. Of course, it will increase with the more requirements you have, since I'll need to purchase/make those, as well.

So, in a nutshell, until I can build my skill set and guarantee my fursuit items are quality and durable, I'll only be charging prices that are about 90% materials costs and 10% labor costs. Also, you'll be doing me a favor, in a way, which is why I'm keeping prices down, because I'd rather not build myself more suits. That's just a disaster waiting to happen. XD I get too attached to original designs and, thus, don't want to sell them, haha!

The USPS has pissed me off for the last time.

Sadly, as a result, I'm going to make tracking a requirement for all shipments unless the buyer is absolutely okay with not having tracking. Fortunately, tracking only boosts the current prices up by a dollar, but I will state that I WILL NOT ISSUE REFUNDS OR ART AS COMPENSATION IF YOUR PACKAGE IS LOST. That's the risk you run if you don't wanna hand over that extra buck to know where your package is.

If a package is lost that contains materials I can't easily replace (i.e., pretty much anything I can't redraw), refunds will NOT be issued but you will be offered a commission in place of the lost goods up to the value of what you paid minus shipping; you will be required to pay shipping on the art piece, if applicable.

If a package is lost that contains an art piece I can easily recreate, you can choose to either be refunded 75% of what you paid for the art (the 25% I keep is to cover materials), or I can recreate the art piece at no extra cost, except that you will be required to pay shipping on the art piece again, if applicable.

If you choose to have the piece redrawn, I will NOT accept any requests for changes (i.e., a different character) unless it is a simple design modification (i.e., tongue is now purple, not pink). A full character change, or extreme modifications to the same character, will be considered a separate transaction.

I will add all of this to my TOS in the future.

EDIT: I will NOT do business with anyone who does not accept this part of my terms. I'm sorry, but I think the whole "seller is responsible for making sure the product gets to the buyer" is a bullshit blanket clause that should not include lost packages. How is it MY fault that USPS lost my package? The only way I can fully and undoubtedly ensure that a package gets to the buyer is if I fly or drive to the buyer's house myself and hand-deliver the item. Any problems that result from that, YES, that is MY responsibility. However, once I hand over the package to USPS or any shipping service, it's not MY fault that it was lost. I can fully understand this clause existing to try and deter scam artists, but a legitimate business owner should not lose profit because of another business' mistake.

So, this is why I've included the aforementioned shipping changes to my TOS. I am NOT a scam artist; there are plenty of people who can vouch for the fact that they got their orders from me in a timely manner. And on that subject, how do I know you aren't a scam artist yourself, if you deny tracking and then claim the package never arrived and you want a refund? We live in a shady world, unfortunately, and this is my response to that that I feel is more than fair to ensure that everyone gets their money's worth and is happy.

If you have an issue with my TOS, as rare as lost packages can be, especially with a tracking number, then you are more than welcome to do business elsewhere.

Yup, it's official. I've gotten the details.

I'm going to be speaking with teens aspiring to be artists in a relaxed environment. I'm all for motivating teens to follow their dreams, so this shouldn't be too bad.

I'm excited, but nervous at the same time...I'm really bad at public speaking, and I've been given only two days to prepare for this thing. But I'm going to take "relaxed environment" as a hint that it's just casual, to talk about my experience, my process, any tips and tricks...I might even do a little demo. *shrugs* We'll see.

Does anyone reading this journal right now have any suggestions on topics I should cover? Maybe some things you would have liked to have known as you grew as an artist?

I have just been notified that I have my own panel, of sorts, at DCC this weekend. From what I can gather, I've been randomly selected to present to kids and teens about art as a sort of guest speaker.

I'm really curious as to how and/or why they chose me. The other artists selected for this same sort of presentation at different days/times are all either published or fucking awesome...I feel very inferior and almost not qualified to speak on behalf of professional art. I think the fact that I have a super tiny fanbase, if you can even call it that, says it all.

Anyway, now I have THAT on my plate on top of finishing my costume for the contest, preparing my materials for on-the-spot commissions, packing everything I need, making my costume props, practicing the contest skit with my mom so we know our cues...

Does anyone have a gun? If so, I'd like to swallow it and choke to death, please.

This weekend is art weekend. Finishing up the last few commissions in my queue, then it's DRAW DRAW DRAW for DCC.

Anyone in Colorado going to DCC? Anyone out of state flying in for it? It's seriously a blast, and lots of awesome guests this year like Bruce Campbell, three of the original Power Rangers, the original Batman and Robin, six members of the cast of Star Trek: Next Generation (sadly, no Wil Wheaton, though...I may cry a little...), and William Shatner.

If you're gonna be there, make sure to stop by my table in Artist Valley, #F26! I'll probably give you a free goodie if you mention you're a fellow furry. ;)

I'll also be debuting my first fursuit. Yes, it's finally out in the open. I've been slowly working on my own fursuit for the last few months now, and he will be ready by DCC. He's even in the costume contest, so make sure you attend that, as well, if you're attending DCC!

Hope to meet some of you there!!!

I'll be getting the tablet that I've wanted for a long time now very soon, which means I can finally do digital art once again. So once I do get it in a few weeks, I can add ref sheets to my options again.

My question for you is, what do you think of offering reference books? I am a writer by profession, so I thought a neat idea would be to offer reference books to those who would be interested. Books will include a ref sheet, a few expressions and poses, as well as any bio information and a small "bio ref," in other words, a little creative piece of writing that provides useful information about the character. Cover art and other details can be discussed for extra. Everything will be drawing in Photoshop, and page designs will be done in Illustrator for a professional look.

These will then be printed professionally either as spiral bound or center stapled booklets, poooossibly hard cover with professional binding if I can find a decently priced option for it...

Anyway, wanted to see what people thought of this idea. I think it'd be a good way to combine my two strengths (writing and illustration) into one and making something really cool for people.

The process and book itself won't be cheap--I'm estimating around $100.00 just for the detailed ref sheet (front and back view with any details like eye color, markings, etc.) and a well-written bio ref (roughly three paragraphs) which you can get in PDF format from me to print yourself, but it'll cost a bit more if you want an actual book (i.e., cover art, any additional artwork/writing) and if you want me to make it into a book for you rather than just sending you a PDF that you can send to a printer of your choice.

Anyway, let me know what you think! If you have multiple characters that you just want to include in one book, I'm willing to offer discounted prices per character.

I'll probably test it out on myself with my characters first, to see how it goes.

Hopefully people don't just ignore this, but...

I could really use a vote on what people think of these prices for prints.

5x7 = $5.00 each
9x12 = $10.00 each
12x16 = $15.00 each

I'm reserving the 5x7 prints for simpler artwork, whereas the 9x12 prints and 12x16 prints will be for more detailed/involved pieces so that things don't get lost.

Would you pay these prices for prints that interest you? If not, then why? Have you purchased prints from other artists before; if so, what did you pay?

All feedback greatly appreciated! I'm always told I undervalue myself, so I want to make sure these prices sound fair to both myself as well as the buyer.

--> https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChaoStudios <--

--> https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChaoStudios <--

--> https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChaoStudios <--

My Etsy shop is now open for business! I only have my pinback buttons and a few stickers up at the moment, but I'll be adding more as I get photos together and uploaded.

To celebrate, I'm offering a free button/sticker for every two buttons/stickers that you purchase! Just pick three buttons/stickers from the shop, add them to your cart, then enter code BEGIN at checkout! Feel free to mix and match--three stickers; two stickers, one button; two buttons, one sticker; or three buttons! :3

I'm still learning this whole Etsy thing, so I'm not sure if you can add six buttons/stickers and apply the code twice or if you have to do separate transactions...feel free to test it for me. XD

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

---> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13563325/ <---

...I had to do seven or it'd bother me. /OCD

So, in my slow transition from doing personal artwork to professional pieces, I've finally decided to make the switch from Prismacolor to Copic markers.

I've used Prismas since the sixth grade; they are awesome for beginners or folks who don't want to make the investment in Copics (~$2.50/Prisma vs. ~$5.25/Copic).

I've got 73 Copics now, and the collection is growing! But given there are over 300 colors in the Copic collection, I need more to effectively color my art. So, I'm selling my Prismas for $1.50 EACH! I've got over 200 markers with the chisel tip and a handful of the brush tip markers. Buy in bulk and I'll most likely give you a deal for a couple free markers. :) Willing to work with you if you're interested!

So the really good news is that my workroom, after months of being practically barricaded by piles and piles of crap everywhere, is now CLEAN.

The even better news is that it's clean enough that I can readily access both table space and materials to work on commissions. I started last night, and plan to continue every night this week, until all commissions are finished.

Thanks to everyone who has been SO patient with me while I get my life (and workroom) in order. With my boss quitting and making my work duties far more demanding, moving from house A to house B, and my mother being in a car accident, things have been extremely chaotic and nearly unmanageable...until now.

I know that the furry community is more about purchasing original artwork rather than prints, but does anyone have a valid reasoning for pricing prints? I know that the cost of printing each print is factored in, as well as size and maaaaybe content...

Anyway, in your experience, what sort of prices have you seen for prints, and do you think they are justified? Or if you're unsure on prices you've seen, how much would you be willing to pay for a print that you thought was worth your money?

To be more specific, I'm curious about prices regarding 9x12 and 12x16 print sizes.