Hey I'm in the process of reorganizing my online info and such.

Nothing fancy, I'll be going to BLFC this year so if you want to say hi and/or hang out hit me up on twitter!

I've 8 more open slots for Tiki Mugs, please see my commission info in my gallery.

I'm finally confident enough to offer commissions for tiki mugs and I'm glad I'm finally at this point. Each mug is thrown on the wheel, then sculpted to be a one of a kind work of art you can drink out of. I took ceramic classes at CSUF (Fresno State) and at this point I have 9 years of experience making drinkware and sculptures. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments, I love talking about pottery.

TO COMMISSION:
1. Send me a note with your reference, and your email. I'll send you paypal invoice of half the cost ($125) to secure your spot.

2. Full payment as well as shipping and handling will be due upon completion of your Tiki mug. My profile links to my TOS if you have any questions and would like to see more info.

3. Once I have your reference I will draw a mock up of what I'll be doing to give you an idea of the finished product.

4. Before firing I will show you the mug so you can ask for any adjustments.

5. After firing, I will glaze your mug and color match to the best of my ability, however pottery is unpredictable by nature and I cannot guarantee it will match your character exactly.

6. Lastly I will send you your completed Tiki mug in the mail for you to enjoy!

Estimated completion time for mugs will be 1 month, depending on firing schedules. Rest assured I will give my all to get mugs out by the end of the month. (February)

For all those interested in commissioning me, see my trello for where I'm at with my queue and waitlist. I'll be updating it in the evenings every day as I work through projects. Once I'm ready I'll post that I'm taking commissions, and we all can go from there. I'm getting on it. >:3

Heya folks! So it looks like people like the mugs I make, and I'll be needing to offer commissions for them very soon. This is very unexpected for me but a pleasant surprise, so I'll take tomorrow to get a price sheet together or something.

Things I want to do:
-Vendor at more furry conventions. I make a lot of stuff besides custom work, and I want to peddle my wares.
-Create press-molds or 2 part slipcasting molds. If I can create a template form, I can improve turnaround time and make doing art full time more feasible.
-Update my info, price sheets, products. Pretty much people will ask me, "Can you make x?" and I'll be like, "I can try." and then I do those things. That's the tiki mugs for me! I'm learning what people want, what I want to make, what I can make, and then I make stuff.

I'm going to dedicate tomorrow to finalize some commissions so I can begin some waitlisted stuff. Also update info. And get used to my twitter follower count doubling in a single day. I'm feeling emotions here!!!

Hey, I'm going to be selling my pottery and various art at Pawcon, so I'm offering a badge sale for folks to pick up at the convention! I'll be tabling as Katherine De Soto Art, right now my table is #13.

Get a badge from me!
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/44324282/

Hey folks, I'm here at BLFC if anyone wants to hang or draw or whatnot. I'm not much of a party dragon, so I'm finding the quieter spots to lurk. Look for Kena!

Hello, I am here I am making things, I am preparing.

This past half a year I've been making a lot of progress and seeing a lot of growth in my art business abilities. The big thing on my mind right now is PAWCon, which I will be vendoring at this year under the name Katherine De Soto Art. 2019 was a big success for me, and I've been working so hard to make this year twice as successful. I've tested out doing sculpture commissions, learned a lot from that, tested out new products, learned a lot from that, tried new digital art techniques, learned a lot from that, talked with other artists, learned a lot from them. I have merged my interest in furry art with my love of ceramics into a somewhat cohesive business so I can show more of the furry side of my biz to furries, and more of the pottery, nature, and fantasy to my mundane audience. Speaking of PAWCon though, I will be bringing cups, mugs, shot glasses, bowls, figurines, and things in-between as well as new sticker designs and fun animal paintings. Pictures and info to come soon.

My mental health is still suffering, due to medication shenanigans, personal life issues, worrying about work and making a go at being an artist. I do have a phychiatrist again that I am pleased with, and this week I'll be looking into getting a therapist to help me deal with my issues. I've also picked up walking/jogging and exercise again which makes me feel better. It's just so hard to leave the house, I'm afraid. It helps me to ask others to work out with me, because then we both must do something. Reaching out and talking to anyone is very difficult for me right now, but I am trying. I still don't know what I want to do with my life and I feel like I'm in a rut even though I am doing things according to my plan and I'm perfectly fine. Anxiety is running wild in me as you can see. Here's a t-shirt idea: WIP!

Hello, time for me to talk about what I'm up to.

So it's been a while, on account I moved twice; once to my boyfriend's place, then together with him and our animals to a newly built house. It's been a huge adjustment period for me in every aspect of my life. Getting FOUR cats to coexist happily in a new setting, having family visit for an extended period, getting used to living with my partner, dealing with my own emotions, anxiety, depression, and learning how to communicate more effectively has been quite a time. I had been working temp jobs for a while, but stopped for several weeks now as I work on domestic stuff and figure out what I am able to do.

Speaking of work things, I've learned a lot more about what I am able to do and what my limitations are. I can not work stressful jobs that deal with people a lot, I'm too worn out from people and have accepted that barely managing and having panic attacks is NOT a way to live. So no office jobs for me, I found factory work to be much more to my liking because I am strong and good with my hands, and it allows me to zone out and give my brain a break from sustained attention. There are limits to what my body can handle though, so I have quit a job that was too hot and fast paced for my health. It feels like I've been wasting time, but I remind myself that no, I'm learning what works for me and I've gained from all these experiences. I'm still waiting to get back with USPS, which was a good job with a good future if I can handle it long term.

On the other end, there's my art career I've been working on. I have this fear and self-sabotage tendency to shut myself down and not even try to take commissions, because I'll think "oh, I could get called for USPS any day, better not make any plans!" and then get nothing done. I'm afraid of getting overwhelmed, or being unable to finish artwork. But little by little I have taken commissions, entertained branching out with what I make, and being active in my local pottery guild to get more potters online.

I have taken this time to figure out where I can work on art, either in my studio space in the early morning to beat the heat or in my dining room where I can do detailed work and not sweat my skin off. I also have tested out streaming my pottery on Picarto, so I want to make that a goal for this month, just streaming pottery on a regular basis. I'm PRODUCING lots of cups and mugs for Pawcon, because potters know time flies by. In true traditional artist fashion I painted a wooden sign to hang at my table because I can. I'm also waiting for my business stickers to come in, so I can promote my stuff.

Overall I've learned a lot, have adjusted to big changes, and am fighting on to become better overall. I have so much more work to do, and will stay humble and open to learning.

Back at it again.

On the 8th of this month I had a local pottery sale with my pottery group here in the San Joaquin valley, and I did better than I've ever done at any sale! I think it's due to a few factors, one being everyone not getting to buy pottery for a while, but I also think it's due to my skills improving and my lovely, supportive, family and friends. I'm just a lucky person, and I'm so grateful for all the good things in my life.

I'm moving into a brand new house with my boyfriend later this month, the wait is agony. Our cumulative cats are getting along so far, and it's nice having all my loved ones in one place, even if it is in a half packed up house. It's an illuminating experience for both me and my boyfriend, and I'd say it is overwhelmingly positive. We kinda bring out the best in each other, and that feels very nice.

Back to art stuff, now that my BIG ART SALE is over, I'm getting back to commissions and streaming and the like. Because we get the keys to the new place on the 21st, I'm just going to continue doing art and school in the meantime, so while it's going to be hectic, life will always happen so I need to work with things. I want to post the pottery I've made here, as I want to sell it at conventions even though it isn't furry related, most of it at least. I just need to keep making.

So the stuff I want to do is
1. Do commissions
2. Make more pottery
3. Prep for Pawcon
4. Stream
5. Homework

Yes hello it is me.

So I've begun offering commissions for ceramic sculptures, and I'm REALLY excited about them. I've had very positive feedback and responses to them, and I've been doing that part time. I am also making mugs, pots, and such as well because I want to have a local sale for pottery. I've been keeping active on my instagram, katherinedesotoart as well as on twitter kena_katherine but my biggest hurdle/endeavor at the moment is to establish myself somewhere to livestream my pottery and sculpture shenanigans. I've streamed on instagram, with a few folks watching, I've streamed on Facebook which has a lot of my friends and family interested, but I want to see where would be best for a more furry audience, as I want to market towards furries.

My thoughts are pointing me towards a few spots, like Picarto which I already have, and Twitch which I would need to get established in. There's also the possibility of a Patreon, but I feel I need to become more consistent and produce more content to make that a viable option. There's also the kind of streams I want to do, such as more informative, talking through my process, more interactive, and the no speaking, ASMR type of just working for those who like to relax and enjoy satisfying videos. THEN there's the teacher in me wanting to do online workshops, where I can help other new potters discover their talents with clay.

In the future I will table at conventions to peddle my wares, and I also want to host ceramic panels! I don't think teaching in a public school setting was for me, but I still have the urge to teach art. I've been so lucky to have fantastic friends who support me and a sweet boyfriend in my life who also sees my skills. So looking back on last month, it seems I've made a big chunk of progress! I'm very pleased with that. Time to continue the work.

Hello it is I, the frenchiest fry.

So an update on what I'm doing...

Currently unemployed, looking for a government job for stability and long term career stuff. I've really been working on figuring out what best suits me, career wise. I had a panic attack after I started this one job as an executive assistant, and I'm learning how to accept myself as I am, and not feel the need to push past what I am comfortable with. There are some things that don't serve me, and so I am looking for what does benefit my mental health. I don't want to feel horrible at a job, I need to do more than survive each day.

As for art, I am taking these past few weeks of unemployment to really work on commissions. I'm making busts of characters and I want to really promote that. I vendored at PawCon in 2019 and I loved it, and my pottery was well received. I want to continue selling at conventions and getting my work out there. If I could be a full time artist I would be SOOOO happy!

I have also bought some monster clay and a bust, so I can make a Kena mask 2.0 (more like 3.0). My goal with this is to learn how to make molds so I can make resin masks. And I'm not talking about fursuit head bases, I'm talking close fitting masks. I want to make more realistic options for costumes because I want that for myself. I love how there's so much for toony fursuits, and I feel like that is far more developed than realism. We will see how it goes. I still dream of teaming up with another artist to make stuff together, or being part of a furry company.

So for now I'll continue looking for a job, making pottery, and learning how to make masks. <3

I'm around, doing stuff, causing trouble as usual.

I have been working on a Kena mask (and costume!) which I want to start posting the progress and development of. It's my big Covid-19 project. I'll go into depth on that in another journal or submission. It's so intense that I want to do it justice. It has been an incredible learning journey for me and I want to explain what I was doing, how I did it, my thoughts on it, and to hopefully gather advice from others on what I can do better. I have my roommate Orion to thank for being so encouraging and positive as I have worked on it. He's a real gem!

I've been making pottery again, and even though there's no conventions going on I'm planning on posting my pottery here more and going to try selling my pottery online. I had a great response at the last Pawcon and that made me realize the furry community really appreciates unique artforms like ceramics. Really, the best part for me about that is getting to share how damned passionate I am about pottery with others who can see what I see in it. Selling pottery merely funds my passion and I thank every person from the bottom of my heart for supporting me. <3

I'm currently more than halfway through a medical coding program I've been doing through Careerstep because I am planning on starting a career in the medical field. It will be a paperwork/ information part of the industry, as I learned quite painfully I'm not a strong people-person. It has been going alright, probably better than I think I've been doing but I also have high standards for myself. All I know is I want to make The Big Bucks so I can live how I want, support my fellow artists, and put my cats through tradeschool.

I've been dating Alistair aka Aiwaz for quite a while now and he's such a kind and supportive person I don't know what to do with him half the time. I honestly think we make each other better people and life has been very nice as of late. I dunno how much he wants me to talk about him though, so I'll quit while I'm ahead.

So yeah, I'm moving forward with my life, trying things that I want to, being more open and honest about who I am as a person and doing so without fear of what others think. It's growth baby.

It's been over a year since I've last posted. Let's jump to the convention stuff!

It was 11 years since my last convention, back in 08 I went to FurCon with my buddies at the tender age of 19. Now I'm a 31 year old dragoness who had a rather nice time dipping my toes back into furry conventions. I got a lot of interest and had a lot of conversations with different furries about my artwork and it felt so good to have others appreciate my work. I like connecting with others about shared values, I think that's a less vain way to frame it. All I know is I want to vendor again and enjoy making the type of pottery I love.

I'm going to become more active out in the internet, I think I should be more of an active artist. It helps to have goals.

So my boyfriend of 7.5 years broke things off with me last Sunday. At the time it was a shock, but after thinking about it for the past week I can see why he wanted out and that I wasn't as happy as I wanted to be either. It was practically a marriage and I'm trying to put my life back together.

I moved out and into my parent's house temporarily, I need to figure out my health insurance this upcoming week, my car needs repairs and I'm living out of boxes.

ALSO my two sweet kitties are at his house until I can get a big enough place of my own for them, which won't be for a very long time. Life is really shitty for me right now.

I also miss the affection and intimacy we shared, it's just so much right now.

At least I have my friends, family, a job, and hope for the future.

This is a kind of follow up to my holiday rant I posted about 10 months ago.

To refresh on that, my cat Bob was very sick with kidney/bladder issues. One morning his bladder was blocked and unable to go so I took him to my vet for an emergency operation. This operation was going to be 2k which I didn't have, so I surrendered Bob to the vet so he could get his surgery. It was a huge blow to me and my husband and we took a long time to heal from the loss of our cat. In the meantime we bonded more with our remaining cat, Bunny.

Now to two weeks ago. Apparently the person who adopted Bob (We were not allowed to have any contact or know anything about what happened to Bob after his surrender) had lost him and he was found by a woman in Merced. Even though I surrendered my cat, his microchip is still registered to my name, so last week I was very surprised to get an e-mail saying my cat was found!!!

This blew my mind in a few ways: First, the fact that I got the e-mail in the first place. I had mourned this cat and accepted that I would never hear about him again. I dreamed about getting reunited with him, but knew that those thoughts were only dreams and wishful thinking. Second, that he was ALIVE and somehow survived getting separated from whatever person who owned him after me. It wasn't a mysterey now, I knew he survived the surgery and was living doing who knows what for 10 months. How was his new owner? When did he run away? How long was he living on the streets? Was he hurt, scared? Was Bob the same sweet cat I knew?

My sweet husband made all the calls and got it so that I could take Bob home. Not only was he found, alive and sort of well, but we could take him home again. I moved on from his surrender and now I was going to get him back. I still need to ask my husband how he managed to work that out, what with the contracts I signed and all that. I'll spare you from those details.

Yesterday I drove from Fresno to Merced to get my cat back. Now the lady who found Bob, I didn't realize that she got attached to him as well. When she called me to arrange his pickup, I didn't notice she was sniffling. She was under the impression she could keep this sweet kind boy that turned up on her doorstep and now I was coming to take him away from her. I felt so many things when I took him back.

I know how horrid it feels to give up a pet, and now I was doing it to this kind human being who willingly allowed me to take back my cat. I did that to her, yet I missed Bob for so long, even my husband who is very stoic was crying when he got the news that we could get him back. I talked with the lady about Bob's story, and it crushed me and it still feels terrible to take him from her. She told me that she didn't realize how much she needed Bob until she found him. God, this feels so bad to think about. She truly has a kind and compassionate soul, I'm forever grateful to her for what she did for Bob. I thanked her, and we both decided to keep in touch and update her about how Bob is doing. I so hope she gets a cat of her own, she deserves a companion.

I drove home, and set up the living room to take care of him. He's jaundiced, matted, underweight, and who knows what else. It's been hard to see him like this and I feel to blame. If only I scrounged up the money in the first place for his surgery. But I made the decision which I thought was best at the time. I'm not perfect, but I am going to do my best to do right by Bob. I have a full time job now and no more college to pay for, so vet bills shouldn't be an issue anymore.

I am exhausted right now. Emotionally and physically. My husband is out of town for work so it's been me all alone for this. Luckily I have friends and family to rely on for help and to talk to. Also, I can get it all out here. Funny how FurAffinity is my safe place.

Hello it's been a while since I've made a journal.

This is what I've been up to in the past few months. In May I got my teaching credential to teach Art at the high school level. I also got a job teaching at a local high school, which happens to be inner-city. As soon as I accepted the the position I felt a sense of dread. I know all the art teachers there, and they looked forward for me joining the team. As it got closer to the beginning of the school year I just got more and more nervous, depressed, but I pushed those feelings aside. I know I have anxiety and severe depression and I'm on medications for it. I knew I wasn't feeling well for quite some time, but it wasn't enough for me to think "hey, I need to do something about this". I've been told it's normal for teachers to cry, I've heard the jokes about teachers drinking a lot, about how half of new teachers quit within the first 5 years. I thought what I was going through and what I was feeling was normal for a new teacher! I did my best to be strong and keep a stiff upper lip.

When it came time to start, I had an emotional break down and ended up being hospitalized for 72 hours. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to react the way I did. I truly felt I was okay, that my fears weren't that bad! I was released, my family took me home, and I met with the admin of the school to try again. I made it through 2 days with extreme anxiety and exhaustion. The third day the students were overwhelming me, I couldn't control the classroom, and I broke down again. I realized last week I could not teach, not yet.

I still have my personal issues to work through before I am strong and healthy enough to teach in a traditional high school classroom. It's not fair to myself, being tired all the time, working 50-60 hours a week just trying to make it through each day without crying. It's not fair to the students who need a reliable teacher, students who want to learn about art and who need someone who can do the best for them. It's not fair to my co-workers who go out of their way to help me succeed. I resigned and am working on helping myself.

I am very sad I am unable to do what I trained to do right now. A whole new career and I've given it up. For now. Right now I am researching jobs and hopefully careers I am able to do, that isn't too much for me to handle. I am a sensitive person, stronger than I once was, but still needing less human interaction and conflict than usual. I will look into alternative teaching situations such as teaching those with special needs, summer and after school programs, anything that combines my love of art with sharing that love with others.

Right now I am back to taking commissions and odd jobs as I find out what I want to do and who I want to be.

Whoo I'm on Art Fight now.

https://artfight.net/~KenaDragon

Team Tea ftw. Come fight Kena and Olivia!

I've been going through a lot these days. I want someone to talk to about it, but for some reason I don't feel like I can talk to anyone about it, at least not as much as I want to. I figure my journal here is a safe place to rant and to vent.

So the Monday before Thanksgiving I had to surrender my cat Baldr. He had been having bladder issues brought about by stress. He's a ragdoll mix and needs a lot of affection and attention. Since beginning the credential program I haven't been around as much as I used to be, and that must have stressed him out. So he's been peeing on everything, stressing us out, stressing him out because we can't let him on our bed to sleep. He will just pee on everything. I changed his diet, added another litter box, he has two new water fountains that filter the water for him. Still has issues, he can't go as much. One day I see him and he just skirts around me, and he strains like he's in pain.

I take him to the vet who confirms his bladder is as hard as a rock and it's good we caught it early, even though it was still an emergency. I pay for the blood tests and all that, $500 which I can afford. But then the vet tells me it will cost around $2000 to operate to help him, and I need to decide now what to do because again, it's an emergency.

I don't have that kind of money. I have only so much saved up and it's for my last semester at college. I can't afford to help him, or help him again in case he gets blocked up again. I think I have to put him down. I call my husband who comes over to discuss our options. Already I'm crying for my cat and I feel so helpless. When he shows up we talk about what would need to happen to keep him healthy. Prozac, the same changes we have been making, but there is always the chance he will get blocked up again. My husband works, I will be even busier next semester, I can't be there with him to take care of him or nurse him after his surgery. The vet gives us the option to surrender him and that is what I do. It's better than putting my baby down, but it's still a terrible feeling. Baldr is hurting so much and I won't be there for him.

We see him one last time, both of us crying and petting his soft long fur. Poor Bob is in pain, he needs to go and have his surgery. We say good bye, and it just hurts so much. This cat has been there by my side constantly for the past 4 years. He needs me as much as I need him. I held him constantly, he has a basket right by my desk, and would crawl into my lap constantly. When I came home from work he would greet me with his tiny meows that belong to a much smaller cat, not a 14 pounder who is not at all overweight.

We won't be contacted if he gets adopted, or anything else about him from now on. Not knowing and not being allowed to know hurts so much. I just hope he's okay, that he gets a new home that can give him the attention that he needs. I hope he isn't missing me or in pain in any way. This feels like a nightmare. We still have our girl cat who is very healthy thank goodness, which helps some but I miss my little boy. I see cats everywhere and it reminds me of him all the time. He was such a big part of my life and now there's a huge gap. His basket by my desk is empty.

I feel ashamed I could not take care of him the way he needed. I won't adopt another pet, at least not until I can afford to take care of one financially and emotionally. I didn't realize he could get this serious problem with his bladder. For now, my husband and I will give our girl cat plenty of attention and make sure she's as healthy as can be.

So I'm going through the teaching credential program and things are going okay so far. I can feel the work beginning to crest and about to crash over me like a wave. Still, I did my first ceramic demo in the high school I'm student teaching in and my master teacher thought I did just fine, so he will have me do more instruction for the class. What really make me happy is that some of the students prefer me to stick around while they work in case they have questions. Feels so good to be wanted!

Recently my cat Bob has had bladder problems so I took him to the vet and he has some crystals forming, so he gets to go on a new diet and medicine. Poor thing has been in pain and peed on so much stuff, me and my fiance have had to sleep on an air mattress. The bed has been cleaned and soon the couch will too be sanitary so that's looking up. I'm just SO GRATEFUL my cat did not have calcium stones because that would have meant surgery for him. I could barely cover the vet bill! I'll be so glad to be done with college so I can spend my cash on the stuff that matters to me like my kitties.

As for art, my ceramic claw https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23688912/ won first in Fantasy at a local gallery which is awesome! I still haven't sold it, but I'm hoping to. Because I'm so busy working, student teaching, taking care of cats, cleaning, and trying to take care of my own mental health I'll only be doing bigger commission projects or just working on my own stuff for the time being. I think that's the best way for me to go about things anyhow.

I'm going to begin drawing the YCH this sunday and I will link to my picarto when I am streaming my progress on it. There are still some spots open but if they aren't claimed then I will simply not include those in the picture.

https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23474813/

https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23474813/

I'm saving up for a late birthday present to myself, which will remain a secret for now. Help a dragon out!

Keep me from joining gangs, commission art from me. ;3

Check the commission info tab for my TOS and all that jazz.

Saturday, April 15th I'll be selling my artwork locally at the Trans Day of Visibility event. It's an issue close to my heart as I have many friends who are Trans and friends who are LGBTQ+. In the past I've donated artwork to help raise money for their cause and to honor those who died due to violence. I really like making art for the Trans community because it is a worthy cause, something meaningful to do with my art and not just pretty pictures.

Clay commissions I'm working on:
1. Custom mug for Lord Sethanas on Twitch.
2. 4 custom cups for a local craft artist. They are going to be dragon themed.

Also I plan on making some goblets as a few local furries have hinted at wanting some.

Now for the YCH and digital art!

Here is my latest auction piece, it's a higher price because of the incredible detail of the background. I'm pushing myself to draw more epic scenes.
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23125359/

Also I still have 3 slots for my burlesque YCH, only one has been claimed so far.
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22481137/

I'm also open for other commissions, Stickers, Portraits, what have you. I'm trying very hard to save up for my next semester at college. I'm planning on teaching art in the next year or so.

So I have a few suggestive YCH poses for sale! If you're not about that life, keep in mind I'm also currently open for sfw commissions as well.

Feel sexy with this YCH! ***4 Poses Available***

The Details:
-Clothed or unclothed OK
-Choose your burlesque outfit or let me design one for you
-Body types can be altered to an extent. (chubbier, more muscles, thinner, more masculine/feminine, ect)
-Any species
-Plantigrade preferred

$15 for simple painterly style EXAMPLE https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22480113/
$25 for detailed painterly style EXAMPLE https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22341257/
+$5 for a simple background

*Claim 2 or more poses and get free simple backgrounds!*

-Claim a number in the comments here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/22481137/
-Payment required within 24 hours of claiming.
-Failure to pay may result in blacklisting from future YCHS
-Paypal Only

This YCH sale will stay open until all slots are taken.