Since it looks like I'm actually going to use it on a regular basis, I figured I should share that I am on Mastodon!

You can find me here: https://furries.club/@fressulf

I boost, I like, I use alt text and CWs more or less appropriately.
I didn't know there was a fatfur specific instance until after the fact, of course. That's OK, since I'm mostly using this for general content, like babbling about emulators and gardening and whatnot. I like the Fediverse a lot more than traditional social media, super sorry. Twitter left me feeling... well, a little spooked. It's nice to be in an internet space which feels like the real internet (ie, not a US rage fest bubble). Seems easier to avoid trolls in the Fediverse too (well, provided your instance blocks bad instances, for example, and doesn't tolerate bigotry etc).

Anyway, I hope to see some of you there!

So, it's been a few years, whoops. I wanted to post that I haven't fallen off the Earth or anything like that. I appreciate the well-wishes very much.

There have been a number of changes in my life since I went on hiatus. I don't deign to get into most of that, but suffice to say we moved from Atlanta to Pittsburgh, we lost two cats (cancer, one right after the other. The third and surviving cat had a narrow miss -- I found a melanoma on her as well as a suspicious mass, but we were able to get those removed and she's doing fine. Well, and she had to have almost all her bottom teeth removed. She will be 15 at the end of April! Which, by the by -- animals can get skin cancer under their fur. Her melanoma was on her side and I only managed to notice it because of how often I pet her. She basically lived in sunny windows while in Georgia, so I blame Georgia), and yeah. Oh, I also turned 40, which I guess people still consider a milestone. I have exactly one silver hair in my beard and three on my shoulder. I suspect I shouldn't have mentioned, for I will be certainly sent to Carousel reviled as a greymuzzle. :V

I still do not want to take commissions again. That is something I'd continued to give thought. I got into taking commissions way back in 2003 or thereabouts, with my first convention (Ohayocon). For what amounts to an awful lot of work for not even close to appropriate compensation, almost 20 years is too long. Since I did not depend primarily on commissions for income, I have no problems dropping commissions from my list of things to-do. I felt that, over those years, my creativity became more and more weak and blocked as well. I don't think it helped me to approach art primarily as a business instead of a purely personal, creative activity. I want to work on getting back into the habit of making art, but for the reasons I originally ever made art at all -- personal expression. I don't want it to be anything more than that. I'm happy that other people enjoy looking at my art, or that I can provoke feelings in others through my art (haha, because it makes y'all horny, in other words. It's porn, so it should!), and I don't want the extra pressure of worrying about meeting or exceeding brand standards, idioms, whatever.

I do hope to try posting art online again, soon. I still don't have a scanner, and most of what I've done lately is in traditional media (and rarely finished), and not always fat, and not always furry. I want to try being more social, but I will retreat into my tomb from time to time. Sometimes I'm just going to be a pair of lights glittering ominously in a dark shadow, and sometimes I'm perfectly loquacious. We don't plan on weekending AC any time soon, but we might show up for the day to look at the dealer's den (I missed a sweet dragon t-shirt last year, many regrets, need to try again). I just hope people still use this site, heh. I'm not big on most social media -- I will not use X/twitter, I don't do furry on facebook (just dracula shit there. Now, if you happen to be a dracula... [to be less obtuse, we're talking GVC, OVC -- Houses and ankhs and that sort of thing]), etc.

Again, I really appreciate people who checked in on me or otherwise wished me well, even though I remained silent because I wasn't on the site.

tl;dr: I'm not dead, I'm actually getting better, I think I might be up for a walk, etc.

I am going on hiatus or extended sabbatical for at least a year. I'm exhausted, like most people, from the past few years, and particularly 2020. I need a very long break and I am going to take it.

Tschüss

As usual, commissions are open, HOWEVER, I have finally got round to making a form you can fill out! I hope this is helpful by streamlining the process a little bit (you'll be asked for basic details, description, and you can upload references too), plus it includes my standard terms but in one document you can read through instead of kinda all over the place. :V V: Never really thought about the utility before since disputes and miscommunication tend to be rare. And I wasn't sure how to host it.

You can go here for the form. It should email you and me a copy of the information, and permits me to email you in response so we can continue the discussion. This is also helpful because if you're not first in the queue, I can tell you but at least I already know what kind of image, details, etc. to expect once I get to yours.

Hopefully it only takes five orders at a time, if I set it up correctly. Please let me know if there are any bugs!

From now on I prefer to take orders via that form, which is also linked to in the journal footers and at the top of my FA page. At some point I will get the link onto my twitter profile as well. If one attempts to order outside the form, I'll link that one to it. Again, it should be better and more organized with the form.

As for personal news, yeah, my partner did finally get laid off the other day but we aren't in dire straights or anything. Just gotta figure things out one thing at a time.

I didn't realize this needed to be said, but suffice it to say that I will not do business with those I learn are:
- Advocates of hate speech, groups, ideology etc.
- Participants and promulgators of the above

Generally speaking, I will begin researching anyone who contacts me for a commission prior to responding. Obviously the above mentioned qualities are not permitted on this website, therefore I know to look you up outside of FA. I am glad that FA does not condone nor accept hateful behavior, in order to facilitate a website which is safe for use as well as enjoyable.

Please do not mistake a lack of chatter for pregnant silence on current events and social justice.

I realized it would be better if I pushed the last journal off my page since it's wildly inapplicable right now-- commissions are closed and also there is no FWA to attend this year since they announced cancellation some time ago due to COVID-19 preparation and safety.

I'm still well and so is my partner, and we're doing fine and aren't in need of any assistance as yet. So far he still has his job but there is a lot of anxiety, because positions below his are going to be getting fired soon (which really pisses both of us off due to how fucked up that is, on multiple points) and it's not known whether positions such as his will end up furloughed soon (unpaid time off). We will have to wait and see, I guess.

Commissions are currently closed while I work on a private job which is fairly large. When that is nearing completion, I will reopen commissions. We may very much need the revenue at that point!

ALSO we have been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and that has been a much welcomed diversion. Right now I only want to trade friend codes with people I personally know. But anyway, yes, I am familiar with the game and its characters XD I really like being able to place furniture outside my home, and creating little spaces of interest in which to hang out. As I get more stuff it will be cool to make more elaborate spaces.
Haha, we realized we had a couple eShop cards that hadn't been added to either account yet AND one of us still had money in their account for some reason so we were able to get the game pretty cheap and totally digital, without leaving the apartment. Hooray!

So yeah, that's me at the moment. Any changes I will try to post as necessary.

First off, I know this is a couple days early, but while I'm here-- Happy Lunar New Year! Hopefully Metal Rat treats me better. Nothing terrible happened, but it's been a stressful year to be sure.

Commissions have been open, but I haven't done much to advertise since I ended up having a very busy year past the halfway point. Oy! Now things have calmed down, I am here to tell you that I am still taking commissions. Another point which is quite pertinent is that while I will plan to attend FWA this year as usual, I will not be in the artist alley this year. It's gotten to be a shitshow and I would rather just relax over the weekend and see my friends. That being said, if you want to get badges and the like, order them before the convention and I can either mail them to you or meet up at the convention to get you your badge or whatnot. If you really want to make sure you have your new badge on when you line up for registration, that is not a problem, because I live in Atlanta so I can drop by the hotel or the Peachtree Center food court and get it to you. Or anywhere else along the train line, really.

Also, I have been experimenting with new painting techniques in order to improve painted commissions. I believe I have that figured out now. Please bear in mind that for now, digital paintings will not look the same as the current examples in my gallery. I hope you are all as pleased with my new technique as I am. It does change the workflow though-- the paintings go from a rougher sketch than previous straight into painting and don't get inked until the very end.

I have five slots open. I will work on each client's piece, one at a time. I only accept payment when I am ready to begin your piece. I prefer full payment at that time.

BADGES -- $40 USD
It never hurts to order a badge prior to your next convention! All badges come laminated and with a clip. Badges can be done in markers and UV reactive paint is also an option.
Example: Normal badge for TaK'om
UV badge for Anuhea

REFERENCE SHEETS $70-200 USD
If you need a reference to use when commissioning artists, I can make that for you! Please let me know at the start if you wish to print your image and what resolution and dimensions you prefer. Clean or pornographic, either is fine!
Reference sheets can have 1-3 views of the character's body (or more if there is compelling reason), as well as detail pips for little details like eyes, piercings, tattoos or what not, and views of just larger items, such as wings or impressive tails. Of course the more that needs to be on the sheet the more it's going to cost. Coloring is flat, except where details demand otherwise.
Example: Reference sheet of my new character, Andreas.

DIGITAL SIMPLE COLOR -- $40-80 USD
Digital drawings, "ink" and flat or hard shaded. Can have up to two characters, simple settings or backgrounds, that kind of thing.
Example: a simple digital image I did which is a fine example of the higher end of this type of commission.

DETAILED DIGITAL PAINTINGS -- $100-400 USD
The biggest of the lot! Can have up to two characters, detailed backgrounds and settings, moody lighting and whatever else.
Example:An example would be this commission I did for Kazan.


As ever, you can contact me via note here on FA, message on telegram (@fressulf) or email ( fressulf[at]protonmail.com ). Email is my preferred method of communication.

NOTICE
Please note that I will begin charging for revisions if they are excessive. I assume every piece will require revisions and I am certainly not opposed to doing them! However, I require that revision requests be compiled into one correspondence when I ask for them, and if a given revision is very complicated it will need to cost extra. Further, any new revisions after the first reply, per stage, will cost extra. As usual, I am always open to questions, and there's never secrets when I work on your image, because I consider communication and negotiation very important.

Well, I have had a bit of a break so I figure it's a good time to open commissions back up.

Here's the run down like usual:
I have five slots open. I will work on each client's piece, one at a time. I only accept payment when I am ready to begin your piece. I prefer full payment at that time.

BADGES -- $40 USD
It never hurts to order a badge prior to your next convention! All badges come laminated and with a clip. Badges can be done in markers and UV reactive paint is also an option.
Example: Normal badge for TaK'om
UV badge for Anuhea

REFERENCE SHEETS NEW!!! $70-200 USD
If you need a reference to use when commissioning artists, I can make that for you! Please let me know at the start if you wish to print your image and what resolution and dimensions you prefer. Clean or pornographic, either is fine!
Reference sheets can have 1-3 views of the character's body (or more if there is compelling reason), as well as detail pips for little details like eyes, piercings, tattoos or what not, and views of just larger items, such as wings or impressive tails. Of course the more that needs to be on the sheet the more it's going to cost. Coloring is flat, except where details demand otherwise.
Example: Reference sheet of my new character, Andreas.

DIGITAL SIMPLE COLOR -- $40-80 USD
Digital drawings, "ink" and flat or hard shaded. Can have up to two characters, simple settings or backgrounds, that kind of thing.
Example: a simple digital image I did which is a fine example of the higher end of this type of commission.

DETAILED DIGITAL PAINTINGS -- $100-400 USD
The biggest of the lot! Can have up to two characters, detailed backgrounds and settings, moody lighting and whatever else.
Example:An example would be this commission I did for Kazan.


As ever, you can contact me via note here on FA, message on telegram (@fressulf) or email ( fressulf[at]protonmail.com ). Email is my preferred method of communication.

NOTICE
Please note that I will begin charging for revisions if they are excessive. I assume every piece will require revisions and I am certainly not opposed to doing them! But some revisions can't be done (I will not redraw linework after the inking stage, add extra characters, change a character, etc) and in some cases it's simply more work being added on after the fact.

I will ask you if revisions are needed at two points-- when I've done the sketch, and when I've done the color. You can ask for any revisions, however many, you want at that time in ONE message. Any more messages with revisions after that point will be charged extra for those revisions, depending on the complexity.

But only just barely. I actually caught con crud for the first time, which then proceeded to become a bad sinus infection (not colloquially, but in actuality). Yuck. Starting to feel better for the first time in a while!

I've managed to figure out where the settings for footers and headers were so now I can post journals and still keep the current commissions queue in view. Hooray!

I will also be posting badge photos from FWA tonight. Alas I will not share the sketches for the most part (the digital one is fine) because of the quality. I am glad I was able to document work while at the convention, but that means for the full size images there's shadows, bad angle, etc. The photos were good for showing people a snapshot of their commission when I let them know it was ready to be picked up but they are not good for posting on FA. They are on twitter however. I also do not have photos of all the UV badges because for some reason I did not think to photograph them under my flashlight, and in one instance the photo isn't very good so I will be omitting it. It is difficult to get a good UV photo in a well lit room lol. I also didn't want to be obnoxious about the light when I'd already had it on while painting in the UV paint. If anyone has taken better photos at home of their UV badge, I would love to link to it!

If you want to keep up more immediately with me and my art, by the by, my twitter ( https://twitter.com/fressulf ) is a good way to do that. I try to post things to FA first with finished work so I can include the link in my twitter post, but sometimes I post things just to twitter. Of course with the convention I posted images to twitter ages ago due to obvious convenience.

That's all for now, until tonight when I post things. :V I need to go back to drinking lots of water and trying to rest up.

EDIT: ALSO I opted into the tipping system and I have no idea how that works. :V But it's somewhere around here if you want to tip me just for existing, and I'd greatly appreciate it naturally.

Although that was a few days ago. Still, better late than never.
Anyway, I need to post a current commissions queue! Commissions are still open, but there is a wait. I am gladly taking commissions as I prepare for FWA-- please bear in mind that I am also going to try to do personal art during commissions because I need to update my portfolio (oh, well, you know, most of it is art from 2014 for some reason. I haven't done as much with paper in the last few years. Not furry art anyway). I am also trying to get on top of various household improvements that got put off for too long which will also afford me the time and energy to work on art lol. It's easier, for example, to work when you don't keep anxiously looking up at the fucked up curtain wire post (which I have now more or less fixed, hurrah). Now I don't have to worry about it falling down and destroying things lol.

The current rubric (unfortunately I am going to have to raise prices soon in order to keep up with rising costs of living) is:
Pencil Sketches are $20-$40 USD and can include one or two characters with little to no background.
Example: a pencil sketch I did for Tobymanic

Digital Sketches/Icons are $25-$40 USD and can include only one character and the slightest of backgrounds if any; this is ideal for icons, profile pics, that sort of thing.
Example: a digital sketch I did of Fressulf

Digital Simple Color images are $40-$80 USD and can include one or two characters and simple backgrounds if you like. This is a new offering intended to bridge the gap between simple images and complex ones.
Example: a simple digital image I did which is a fine example of the higher end of this type of commission.

Traditional Ink Drawings are $40-$120 USD and can be quite complex. These are done with dip and brush pens over pencil sketches. Occasionally I add light toning with grey markers as well.
Example: an ink drawing I did a few years ago which is insanely detailed and obviously of the high end of things.

Detailed Digital Paintings are $60-$300 USD and can be quite complex. These can be done start to finish digitally, or begin their lives as pencil sketches which are then inked (digitally or traditionally, with dip pens and brush), and then colored on my tablet. An example would be this commission I did for Kazan.

My preferred form of contact is email although I am not opposed to notes. My email is fressulf[at]protonmail.com . My paypal is an entirely different email and will be imparted at the start of a commission, as I only take payment when I am set to begin.

Without much further ado--
COMMISSIONS QUEUE
1. Hugefatfat
2. RapidsofTime
2. Soban

In a few days, anyway.

But yeah, I hope the holidays are going well for folks and that next year turns out well. I have NOT been busy on art in the background lol, except for commissions which were not for posting. I will get back on the horse once the holidays are through. It's been a busy couple of months. I'll probably focus on beading and other items for a bit (I finally got myself a bead spinner, which is good when you enjoy braiding multiple strings of tiny beads together and are tired of having to carefully string each of a few hundred wee beads by hand with a shitty beading needle and a pair of tweezers).

I will post a new commissions journal sometime in January, but commissions are still open if one wants to place an order-- Note me, email me (fressulf@protonmail.com) etc.

A bad man (a cat) is grabbing me so I will go and clip his nails because seriously, he's got long claws right now and he's using them to his advantage to pull on my shirt.

IMPORTANT: It's been drawn to my attention that I am not receiving emails! I am not ignoring anyone! Please note me for the time being until I can figure this out. I know not everyone has had issues as some folks seemed to email me just fine, but it does seem to be an issue. You can also email my protonmail account, which is fressulf @ protonmail . com in case this is a gmail problem. Please type things in exactly, without spaces, in the hopes it's bad links (FA sometimes does not link properly to outside sites). I am super sorry about this and I hope no one has felt badly and ignored. :(

It's been a few months, so guess what? A new commissions queue as I emptied the last.

This time around there are some amendments: I CANNOT take large scale commissions at this time because I will not have the time for them. I am also somewhat burned out and would really rather take smaller jobs at the moment. I realize that my paintings tend to be more popular, alas I cannot devote the time and energy they deserve right now.

So without further ado, here is the brief commission info first (please see the commissions tab for full info) then the queue:

Pencil Sketches are $20-$40 USD and can include one or two characters with little to no background.
Example: a pencil sketch I did for Tobymanic

Digital Sketches/Icons are $25-$40 USD and can include only one character and the slightest of backgrounds if any; this is ideal for icons, profile pics, that sort of thing.
Example: a digital sketch I did of Fressulf

Digital Simple Color images are $40-$80 USD and can include one or two characters and simple backgrounds if you like. This is a new offering intended to bridge the gap between simple images and complex ones.
Example: a simple digital image I did which is a fine example of the higher end of this type of commission.

Traditional Ink Drawings are $40-$120 USD and can be quite complex. These are done with dip and brush pens over pencil sketches. Occasionally I add light toning with grey markers as well.
Example: an ink drawing I did a few years ago which is insanely detailed and obviously of the high end of things.

My preferred method of contact is EMAIL: fressulf @ protonmail . com
Notes are also acceptable, although we must be mindful of how often FA loses notes.
I will not discuss commissions over Discord or other chat/messaging applications. I need to keep commission notes and discussions organized and to the point and messaging apps do not facilitate this in the slightest, at least not for me.
I take paypal, and the email for this is different from the contact email.

Rules for Payment
- I prefer payment upfront when your commission comes up in the queue. I will not begin the work until I am paid: you can split payments, but mind that if you cannot make subsequent payments, I will cease work on the image until you are able to make that payment. The schedule is usually decided based on stages of work, e.g. for full paintings, you can pay before I sketch, then again before I begin coloring.

- I will not split payments more than once: two payments is the maximum I'll allow. If you cannot afford it, I ask you scale back what you want. I am extremely uncomfortable with doing commissions far outside of one's price point and would prefer you reserve that money for necessities.

- In the event of a missed payment, if you cannot pay within 3 weeks, I will move on to the next commission/re-open commissions, etc. If you are able to pay later and do so, I will pick your commission back up provided the queue is open. If not, you will wait until it is. This is NOT done out of spite: it is simply practicality. I fully understand that shit happens, and I will not be angry with you. I really prefer you cover your necessities before you purchase art.

- If more than six months has passed since the payment was due I will consider the commission to be canceled and will not pick it back up. This is primarily because it won't be the same quality image as it would have been originally: I will not really have the drive to imagine it and create it anymore. Usually I say, "I have no idea what I was doing here." This is a new caveat-- I realized this would be an issue so I am posting it now for reference. I will not contact you. If you contact me, I will let you know of this status. But otherwise dropped is dropped. You can always order a new commission of course.

---

QUEUE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

This will be updated as necessary. Again, only offering sketches and simple digital color as well as inks however you want them, I prefer notes or email ( fressulf[at]protonmail.com ) as contact, I take payment when I am set to begin your work. No paintings!!! I will die, sorry. D:

Whoops, when I was cleaning up journals for relevancy, I didn't notice that the date on the last blank commissions list was a year ago! That looks odd lol. So here's a new journal so the dates don't seem goofy:

COMMISSIONS LIST -- Numbered slots which are empty denote openings. See below how to reserve yours!
1.   dontgetmewrong -- Digital Painting
2.
3.
4.
5.

Edit: Totally forgot contact info, sheesh.
You can note/PM me here, OR you can email me at fressulf[at]gmail.com
Comments are OK too but it'll have to get moved to notes or email so it's better just to go with those. Further, if you want something more than a sketch then you'll probably want to email me anyway so I can show you WIPs and the like.

Typically I only take five at a time. There are some restrictions-- if I have three digital paintings to do that is a hard limit and I won't take more (although I may consider sketches). Please disregard the queues in the commissions tab as I prefer to do things this way (a standard limit on all with exceptions for certain mediums). Clients are added to the list in a first resolved first added manner: When we complete negotiations for the image and set the price, I add you to the list.

Payment is expected upfront. You are not expected to pay until your turn comes up in the queue, and I will not begin work on a piece until I am paid.

Please also note that the payment rubric (as shown in the commissions tab or below) is a general set of pricing. Sometimes an image falls between categories or goes beyond what I naïvely expected. Well, you know, it's better to build it based on experience.

Pricing Schedule (all prices in USD):
Pencil Sketches are usually $20-40
Digital Sketches are usually $25 (one character only for now)
Inked Drawings are usually $40-120
Watercolor Paintings are usually $60-200
Digital Paintings are usually $60-300

Price depends on image complexity, and some images have restrictions (I can do more complex images in digital than I can with watercolor, as watercolor does not lend itself well to busy images. There is also less I can do overall in watercolor than in digital). Digital Sketches are restricted in order to keep them as an affordable option. More complex digital images, whether done on iPad or on computer + wacom fall under Digital Paintings.

The queue is cleared and I have a bit of time so that means COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN:

- You may note me or email me (fressulf (at) gmail (dot) com), please make sure the word Commission is somewhere in the subject

You may order:
- Badges (traditional media only) - $35
- Digital Quick Works - $25
- Ink Drawings - $40-120
- Digital Paintings - $60-200

Please refer to the Commissions Info tab for more details-- some media types include restrictions, and I suppose you may wish to check examples.

Again, notes here or emails (see above) are the best way to reach me.

Updating the commissions list as of July 6th 2017:

1. Janky -- Twitter header
2.
3.
4.
5.

There are four slots open for: DIGITAL SKETCHES/ICONS, INK DRAWINGS or BADGES. If you would like a commission, please either NOTE me or EMAIL (fressulf AT gmail DOT com) me and include something about a commission in the subject line so I give it proper attention! Please allow at least 48 hours for me to respond to your email or note as well, since sometimes I am kept away from the computer by errands.

OK! Actually I went home (that whole terrible 4 miles lol) from the con yesterday afternoon because I'd basically gone into space at that point ha ha, but anyway, I had a really good weekend and was very glad to meet everyone that I did. It was probably the most positive response I've gotten at a convention in some years! So hooray, and I'm really glad everyone was happy with their commissions from me!

On that note, regular commissions are still open and the queue will be below, to be completed in order. Today I am not working on anything except resting. If anyone is interested in the remaining slots, please let me know either by:
1. Note here on FA
2. Email (fressulf (at) gmail (dot) com)

Obviously email is more reliable and secure (you know, it's not going to magically disappear on account of site failure or update or something lol). Not that I don't immediately copy notes over to files on my own computer because of the unreliability of FA notes. Email is easier because I don't have to do that. :V

Please make sure the subject line says something about a commission so I know what it is and can give it priority.
I'll try to update the gallery tonight when I've gotten things a bit cleaned up in the apartment, as well as updating the commissions page with better examples and new categories (for which there will now be examples. One category is still going to be missing for a little while longer).

---

Queue:
1. Kazan (Digital color)
2. Jäger Wolf (sketch)
3.
4.
5.

Alrighty kids, here we go!

I will sort of try to hit up the artist alley tonight (Thursday) with minimal kit (I'm not dragging everything around with me through registration and all) in case anyone wants to get sketches or put in orders to pick up on Friday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I do plan on getting into the Artist Alley and I am not shy about coming in very early to make sure I get a spot.

I'll be offering pencil sketches, inks and badges all weekend, plus you can place orders for full scale commissions to be done after the convention. The queue will be listed below and on a journal I should make after the convention to update. Obviously space is limited. Please remember that if you miss the cut off, you can always contact me later online!
I may consider opening a wait-list if demand is high, but it's not strictly likely (it would be unfair to anyone who wanted a commission when things opened up later, further the wait could end up being quite long if all the pieces are highly involved).

Because I'm commuting I will not be that available at the convention apart from my time in the artist alley. It'll be a little surreal but it means I don't have to pay money I ain't got for a hotel room and there's still someone to sorta watch the cats (they are going to be very angry).

Let's enjoy the nice weather brought by the recent storms and have a great weekend! Please stop by my table and consider ordering a commission! If you've come by my page due to looking me up somehow, welcome!
Just look for the bearded fellow with obnoxious plugs/hanging designs (crooks or snakes). I might remember to post a picture on Twitter (@fressulf).

________
Current Queue:
1. Digital color for Kazan
2.
3.
4.
5.

Alright, first, sorry about being MIA for a while. There was a lot of stuff going on and the apartment me and my room mate had been in was making us ill (not just from the stress of constantly being on management to fix this and that serious problem, but because it clearly had mold and mildew inside due to the terrible AC and equally terrible maintenance). We've more or less been able to settle into a new apartment and I've got my art area figured out for the most part, so I feel comfortable opening commissions.

You can see details for commissions here, but the short shrift of it follows:
- I can currently do either ink drawings or quick digital sketches (for like icons, profile images, etc)
- Inks start at $40 (USD), but can go up to $120 if very complex
- Digital sketches are $20 and must be kept simple.
- Because of circumstances listed below, I would actually prefer to take simpler images at this time (e.g. ink drawings with like one or two characters and minimal backgrounds).

If you're interested, you can drop me a note here, OR you can email me: fressulf (at) gmail (dot) com.

I may be able to make it to FWA, so if anyone is going that would like to pick up an ink drawing there, this may be arranged.
HOWEVER
The one big caveat is that I do need to undergo some medical procedure stuff on the 9th which will put me out of commission for a few weeks. I am told that I should be well enough to attend FWA in April, but I won't be doing the alley whole-hog (I'll be commuting as well since I live in Atlanta proper). I have until next Thursday so I should be able to do a couple things before then (it'll help with the anxiety!), but otherwise things will be put down until after the convention.

Still, the thing is this: even a couple commissions taken before the procedure will give me the money to attend FWA more comfortably, since while I'm sure I'll be well enough I might not be happy with spending the money, both on badge as well as on extra rides for the train. Going back and forth all weekend is going to use up what I normally put on the breezecard for the month. Nope, I don't have enough disposable income to drop the money for a monthly unlimited pass.

If you're going to FWA, cool! Drop by my table and look at my folders of way, way more shit than I've put up on FA. I can also advise you on tasty eats around town (although it won't usually be close to the convention. I mean, is a couple miles close? Yes. In Atlanta? No, traffic is terrible, why do you think I use the train?).

I'll probably wait until things settle down a bit more just in case there's any issues. There's only three images to put back up, I think? As ever, only once a day anyway. I'm not about to flood y'all.

Well, I guess I'm going to be doing the whole online gallery thing again. I used to do this-- had been online as an artist for many, many years in fact-- but it became quite burdensome. The other trouble was I was way too diffuse in my interests and subjects so I was a difficult person to follow online.

I can take commissions, but I will wait before listing the attendant information here because I need to fill the gallery out first. Obviously one may wish to see enough examples before ordering a piece of their own. :V

Well, I suppose I need to rework the ol' rubric too.

Another helpful thing I've done is drastically changing how I work, the tools I use, etc. No more layering 4 micron pens to get varying line weight-- I only need a brush pen and a fine line pen for that. Much more fluid. Much more expedient. Actually stopped drawing flat on the table and keep things propped up. Wow! Stupid basic shit. Oh yes, and holding the stylus correctly so I'm not in pain. And hey-- it's not because I'm left handed either, because I have seen right handed people who hold their pencil in a terrible claw.

I also do amateur photography which has had the side effect of getting much, much better at preparing scanned images-- I'll be posting some older images here and there as I fix them. Hurrah!

In the clear opposite of what many people say, taking a break from art and receding from the internet can be super helpful.

So I guess I'm going to take this slow and see where it goes.