something nice. something happy.

hey all, just posting here to let you know that i've been down in the dumps lately and have not been working on more Aggravated Aggregator posts, nor artist spotlights. been dealing with some home life stuff and family life stuff, but i haven't forgotten. i want to make another post sometime soon for the month of april and ideally get back to updating my ko-fi and subscribestar.

in the meantime, how is everyone's spring doing?

Hey all, I wanted to reach out to you and ask you to send me some of your favorite art and artists that feature furry specific clothing such as paw shoes, pants with tail access/accessories, tail bags, hats with ear holes or ear shapes, masks with muzzle room, and the like. I love that stuff! Please recommend me artwork with zoomorphic clothing!

Hello all! I thought to separate my two subscription and support sites for relatively obvious reasons, the main one being I want to offer NSFW (SubscribeStar) and SFW (Ko-fi) artwork in different places, and the other being the method of financial support.

I have a Ko-fi page! You can view it here. I will be uploading artwork there with a relatively small buffer of 1 month. I also use it to support myself during art streaming, where you can see what I will be working on sooner in real-time. I will be uploading illustrations, writing, music, and eventually videos.

My current Ko-fi support operates like this:
You can pay me a minimum of $3 USD as a tip to appreciate and send your support to me, and pay for commissions as well. All of this goes directly to my personal life finances, and it truly makes a difference.

I look forward to spending more time dedicating myself to creating artwork, writing, and music, and I hope you enjoy!

Hey all, quick update: I will be dusting off my Subscribestar to upload my more saucy artwork (sex and kink stuff) and I will be uploading it there until further notice! It will be an exclusive place for my adult work until further notice. If it gains enough popularity, I will start uploading it here with a delay of at least 2 months. I want to make it an early access for my work, yet I also need to have it be a place of financial support, especially since that kind of artwork is much more challenging, personal, and to be honest I want it to be high-quality.

My current tiers of support are:
[$1/month]: Access to my transformation and non-sexual kink artwork.
[$5/month]: Access to my sexual artwork of all kinds.
[$10/month]: Monthly Commission Club - you get a sketch commission of your choice every month you subscribe!

Please send me your support over on SubscribeStar!

My prices will increase based on demand, but that will be down the road in the future.

Look out for updates in my journals here, as well as on my social media accounts! I will cross-link them with my journals so you can all stay informed.

I will still upload trades and commissions here as well as more general furry artwork, do not fear.

Hey all, here's an update on how things have been with me lately.

Been browsing for day jobs to keep rent over my head (have an interview on Thursday!), but in the mean time I'm applying for grad school. It took a couple weeks, but I've been in communication with various people and I've decided on a place (even if it's online study) and a major. It's hopefully going to be invigorating and ideally it will help me take the next step in my personal and professional art careers. For now, it's barista boy or line cook or whatever I can get in the mean time.

I'm going for a MBA and want to focus on art production and direction. Running a studio is more than creating the art, it's full-time management. I've seen so many different creator's experiences over the years with their own private business art practices, and seen plenty of successes and horror stories. Many a great skill has been lost to the mire of marketing mishaps. Many self-employed artists mix their private with their public when promoting their personal work (hey I've been there) and it's not a good strategy. So much pressure to buy goods and services to keep people afloat, too much insight into personal problems, and little to no separation from the emotional responsibilities of artist and client. A client must have the choice to investigate or be involved in the personal matters of their chosen artist, or to take a step back and disconnect. Those creators that last commercially and continue to improve their practice are those that have a business-focus at least equal to their artistic focus. Either that, or the person creating the work has a manager or gallery director that assists them in production and distribution of their goods as well as communication management. I want to run a studio with my own work as well as host and curate the work of others. I'm excited to go back to school, I miss the learning, I miss being challenged by professors, and I miss the academic environment. I want to really key-in on getting myself up these next steps.

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I was on a family related trip recently to be a part of my grandfather's scholastic memorial in Southern California, and while I was there I had to visit Vroman's, one of the oldest independent book stores in CA if not the US. While I was there I bought books as gifts for my friends, partner, and for myself! One of them was art studio focused, another one history focused, but the treat for me was a comic book titled "I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup". <-- SPOILERS ON THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE! I love gender bending stories ever since I was an egg and the title immediately got my eye. A quick flip-thru showed a pleasant and detailed art style with some cute comedic moments, so I decided to buy it. It's a collected edition of Vol. 1 & 2 put together.

It's GOOD. It cuts to the chase and progresses the story right away, with later chapters doing a callback in the timeline of the characters. It feels great to read a story that doesn't waste time with a "will-they, won't-they" "secret keeping shenanigan" timeline. The meat of the story is in how it all plays out, not the tension! Sometimes when the drama is funny it can work, but most of the time I find the drawn-out suspense to be less engaging than the actual situational fallout. I recommend it for anyone eager to read about gender non conformity in comics, or who just likes reading about friend groups growing closer together. Also cute girls without obnoxious sexism. Hooray!

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I've been trying to write more. Turns out, writing fiction is hard and often ridiculously convoluted for me. Sometimes just writing about what I see works better, and forming it into an entertaining story with poetry is a slog. Don't get me wrong I love the craft of guiding the reader's mind into places and viewpoints and building characters through interactions, but I've been stuck thinking that all the writing I have to do has to be fiction. I love writing ABOUT art, and ABOUT people, and I enjoy showcasing the work and accomplishments of those around me. So often we don't take time to contemplate what we see or hear or feel, especially in the social media era. Slowing down to write it out, and even more slowing down to read about it can make a small moment of time into a larger more celebratory awareness. Scrolling good art is not as impactful as taking the time to honor it with a few words. Artists always love comments and treasure them over likes or views. I remember the first comment that stuck with me over a decade ago on an illustration I posted online. The commenter wrote just a couple sentences with some heart emojis and I printed that comment out and put it on my wall. I was so jazzed! I could actually tell how my art had made someone feel. The private experiences of creating art and viewing art became a shared public event, even if for an ephemeral moment on a digital platform buried in now millions of submissions, posts, and other data. I don't know where the comment is now, and I don't know what it said in detail, but I will always remember it.

All that said, I need to spend more work and time writing my comic and my novella. They're waiting for me.

Welcome to an Early March FA Artist Spotlight. Artist spotlights are where I showcase an artist and talk a little bit about their past works and current uploads to share with you all.

This is a spotlight of an artist that includes NSFW content and descriptions.

--~* Binxxy *~--

At 29 years old, the South California artist has been working a long time on their furry art and have developed into a very skilled artist with the ability to render gorgeous characters in wonderful and sensual situations. About 8 years ago or so, Binxxy moved from their old account RaveBinx to their new account on FA. Tracing back through their old account's scraps, this artist has been drawing and posting on FA for about 13 years. From young sparkledog raver origins, this artist now makes some of the tightest renders of wonderful fantasy anthro, furry, and feral art. A frequent uploader, their work is always a treat!

Their old work is still available to see in their scrap folder on RaveBinx, and their artistic progression is truly wonderful to see. Many of us artists have started with mspaint-style and good old sketchbook colored pencil feral character art, colorful sparkledog pictures sent between friends, and home made furusits with complicated color patterns. The raver gear appreciation is wonderful, and the technicolor designs continue to show their influence. I would call this a classic furry style sensibility, some may call it deviant-art furry, but I think it transcends any one website.

Around 9 years ago it looks like their work became more refined, with more full-rendered images and cleaner tighter linework. The visible trend of geometric shapes behind character portraits starts to become more frequent. They moved accounts right around this time, and after their account move we immediately start to see more full-backgrounds rendered in larger, fuller pieces. This illustration of Atarashi, a YCH commission, shows a rainbow stitched snow leopard character, fully rendered in color and light, floating peacefully in an expansive sea complete with a cut-away horizon showing their figure partially below water. The sun rays shooting through the sea and surface wave detail along with a beautiful pin-up character pose demonstrate a new depth of detail and composition in their work developed from earlier pieces.

Moving forward we see continuous refinement over the next few years, with increasing paint and shading skills, full-background rendering, and more unique character poses. More frequent are the wonderful sex scenes they create, with detailed characters connecting with each other through deep pleasure. Whether in the middle of intercourse or standing alone on display, their sensual work is portrayed with loving care. One of my favorite pin-ups of all time is a flat color commission for FemtoAmpere of their wolf character, a transwoman, displaying her gorgeous body for us to see. The scenes Bixxy renders traverse straight, gay, trans, pan, and soft-kink territories which always depict a delicious heated joy between participating characters. By soft kink I mean bondage, chastity, lingere, paws, breeding, public sex, and with this latest piece uploaded, goo.

Across their art history they continue to release increasing amounts of character reference sheets, with unique color palette graphics that match the style and personality of the character they accompany. It is clear they are a character-focused artist. This reference sheet style development has been present across all their work, and their skill has become very refined in these continuing years. Commissioners who receive a character reference from the artist are lucky indeed, there are few artists out there who pay such attention to unique detail and design.

~ Let's highlight some of their most recent work! ~

--

New Sensations - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/60089736/

The blue goo dragon features again in their most recent upload, a see-through melty figure but the character still retains their shapes. Great horn rendering and streamlined snout and muzzles.

Categorized as a sketch, this work is in full color and rendered with a good amount of detail. My favorite things about it are the melting character, the hand of their seated partner sinking into their thigh, and the facial expressions. It is such an overall horny mood, the two characters are intensely feeling each other.

--

Goo Dragon - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/60088266/

The blue goo dragon, recently uploaded in the last 18 hours, instantly caught me eye. I love the delicate rendering of the melting goo and soft shading. The character looks gummy-like and the texture comes across as firmly squishy yet sweating with drips.

Categorized as a sketch, this is a quick full color rendering with clear anatomy and design. The expression shines through with a sneaky hooded-eye smirk, implying an intention and self awareness of their physical attractiveness. They know they're hot, and they want to see what you're going to do about it. The tail lift and weight is incredible, plus the feetclaws are highlighted in an upturned and attractive pose.

--

Needy Boy - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59400957/

Jericho the Felkin testing out his new breeding mount, a hungry grin on his face as a gentle light pours through the open stable door.

I am not too familiar with the artist's Felkin species, but this creature is gorgeous with a coat pattern of handsome grey, white, and warm black stripe patterns, cute fluffy pointed ears, red mane and pale red pawpads. His nose ring is cute, giving him a little personal style. His head is graced with a handsome fanged chompy muzzle and square snout.

Categorized as a shaded render, this work is full of clean and crisp details that are satisfying to trace. Not to mention the swinging balls and slashing claws as he works himself out. The tail lift with big thick tailbase is especially attractive. He's going strong and showing off all his goods.

--

Introducing - Elzi NSFW - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/58743324/

The character Elzi is shown with fine line detail and a subdued yet colorful coat pattern with a delicate four pointed star on the back. Robo-lovers will appreciate the cybernetic left arm details, and paw lovers will enjoy the wonderfully rendered fluffy rabbit beans (no pawpads!). Bonus points for the cute collar and anklet combo.

Categorized as a ref sheet for a rabbit character, this work was uploaded 4 months ago. The illustration shows off the artists graphic design sensibilities with the cyber border details, font design, and color palette control.

--

Sunbathing - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/57844063/

Posted 6 months ago, this female Night Stalker is a hybrid of a coyote and rattlesnake from the Fallout series given, now incredible anthropomorphism in a wonderfully sensual pin-up rendering in an outdoor desert patio lounge setting. Her coat is sandy orange with white belly and black stripes that evoke either tiger or thycaline. The snout is a wonderful hybrid between coyote triangle and round snake nose, complete with heat pores and cheek fluffs.

Her winking eye is a sultry tease, and her hands over her knee are propping her up as she turns to the viewer to say hello. A tasteful nude, her tail curls from underneath her and over the back of the couch in a comfortable resting pose. She's cute! She's attractive! She may even bite if you come too close!

--

Binxxy is currently CLOSED for commissions per their profile page information, and does trade and collaboration work with friends or mutuals only. Their last journal for Wing-it commission slots was posted 6 months ago and all slots were picked up. They often post art for their partner or themselves. However, they do sell adoptable characters through their Ko-fi and Toyhou.se pages, which are linked on their profile page and in their most recent journals.

To see their most current updates and schedules, join their Discord server "Binxxy's Den", which is currently active with well categorized chat rooms, an artist alley section, and stream announcements as recent as Feb 28.

You can support their work financially through their Ko-fi page here.

--

Thank you for reading the Early March Artist Spotlight!

hey all, i'm keeping busy after paperwork with some indulgent digital art streaming. join me for some chill tunes, chatting, and art!

dwagons

http://www.twitch.tv/mikamonsterlive

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5:41 - still streaming!
8:20 - still streaming, now streaming games!

Stream over, thank you for visiting Vranil! And thank you for your support on Ko-fi! I really appreciate it!

"business reasons." nothing to do with my performance, and yet again, my job let me go just last week. and now. uh. i hate to say that i'm used to it, but i am. since 2022, i've had a variety of many day jobs that every single time let me go before a full year has passed. it's been difficult to accrue experience but combined across all of them, i've gained a lot of skills and have learned to do so many things. i've also learned how low the bar is for excellence at many many places and how little is actually required of you.

all this means is i have to shoot higher, build my ambition, and probably. go back to school. it's been almost ten years and i can't afford to keep playing in to this cycle of barely enough. this time around, however, i have better support on my side, and better self-awareness. i've learned a lot, i've seen a lot, i've experienced a lot. and despite the literal fall of the federal institutions that support my country, i'm still sober. by gods that has helped so much.

so eh... i suppose this means student loans. private loans, federal loans, we'll see. i need to consult people on this and learn from their experience. i have a couple schools picked out and need to explore which programs would be a good fit for me. probably still need to work a job in the mean time. in my country, unemployment requires a job search in order to receive any benefits, and one of the requirements is that i search for 3 jobs a week until one offers me a position; if i turn it down, i lose unemployment. i've never made money above the poverty line since graduating college. so a master's degree in communications or business management it is.

i have no clue if i will be able to swing illustration or comic commissions, or even generate interest in them. i'll do some exploring in my art with this downtime. i would have to adjust my pricing and parameters, probably adjust my ToS as well.

hey all, starting the year trying to do at least a monthly journal if i can. to stay in contact, while there is contact to be had. any journey is fruitful if seeded and nurtured.

life is still here. i've made some pretty good changes. i've quit cannabis, and focused my priorities on supporting my fiance and the household and my friends. despite hardships and illness and the passing of an elder, my family is so strong and can come together to help eachother. the people directly touching me, my fiance and roomates and friends need me just as i need them. we all chip in, and we all have eachother.

\\\\\

i've been playing some sweet videogames to wind down from work each night:
- Frostpunk 2 -- complicated but not too complicated. direct sequel to Frostpunk, which i enjoyed in the beginning of the pandemic. hex-tile city build/maintainer with a survivalist/parliamentary balancing system
- Carcassone -- the board game but virtual, so the rules and shit are automatically counted
- Backpack Hero -- beautiful pixel furry rogue-like dungeon crawler using your inventory management as the main battle stage. watch out for copycats/imposters on the market!!! support the original creators!
- Balatro -- ohohohh if you haven't heard of/seen it already, it's one-man poker against the house with.... cards that adjust the rules. more rules more modifiers more fun. which joker do you favor???
- Webfishing -- when i feel like just chilling especially with my fiance it's nice to just sit back and chat and relax

i've been trying to write and practice music but it's going slowly. i have a song i've sort of sketched out, but it needs some secondary accompaniment and further bass line refinement. it's all on guitar for now. need me a rhythm section to bounce stuff off of. seperate from that, i know i have a pile of paper with some lyrics of songs scrawled out. now, i think i don't have any more time to be embarassed about creating things from the heart. it's not AI, it's from a human. therefore, it's worth it.

i've been uh... NOT WRITING and i need to. i have a project i still need to transcribe the audio into text. i have my sci-fi novella i must continue. and i gotta flesh out my fantasy comic to the point where i can do some actual thumbnailing and story mapping. afjsdklalkjfgskj. the gist is there, but the details escape me still.

i've not been making a lot of visual art, drawing, or illustrating in general. but i DID get to go to a live model drawing session the other week and have a couple things i need to scan and upload from that. too bad my printer/scanner software seems to be specifically incompatible with windows. :c i'll see what i can do.

i've been getting into monitoring the weather! through various sources but also teaching myself how to read geographical information, tuning in to weather radio stations, and staying up-to-date on forecasts from people more trained than i in the interpretation of weather data. i've been following >> Max Velocity on YouTube << since he seems to have a no-nonsense attitude and clear reporting on the US weather each week. it feels good to know about my environment and stay aware of the world around me. not to mention to put my learning from college to use (the Coriolis effect, arctic jet stream, general ocean physics, etc.) and to re-establish my connection with the natural world in a time where humans are at a serious friction with the climate.

/////

most of my time is spent at my day job as a custodian, and when i get home i have quiet desk time while everyone else is asleep. it's good for clear thoughts, but not the best for socializing. i still get weekends off tho! and i've been to a couple concerts/shows and visited distant friends and it's been good. probably need to hunker down for a few weeks and not spend too much money.

i have no idea if i will continue livestreaming at all. i'm not sure about consistency of hours or days of the week, or even what the content would be. most likely artwork, and most likely comic work or commissions. i need a good workflow for comic work, gotta experiment with using CSP and all it has to offer. i've been using it for years now and still have not found a solid workflow... any recommendations or advice on that would be greatly appreciated! i have one comic that is a strip comic, another one that is a full-page comic.

i have no idea if i will be opening or taking commissions in the near future, but i would like to. i miss giving people art. i KNOW i would have to drastically change my workflow, as well as my prices. inflation is up, costs are up, and i have legitimate need for a personal safety net. but i can guarantee you that you would be supporting a queer trans artist who believes in a better world for all.

Happy February!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i'm still here. holding down custodian job, holding down night shift sleep schedule. encountering overwhelming life circumstances but keeping my job through it all.

i have so many things i like doing that now it has become its own organization game:

music (bass, piano, guitar, production)
illustration (poster series, character art, fursona reference, life drawing)
comics (writing, thumbnailing, pencil, ink, digital toning)
animation (pencil tests, inking, pipeline necromancy)
videography (let's plays, video editing)
writing (scifi novel, tf stories)
outdoorsmanship (hiking, camping, backpacking, bouldering, birding, hunting)
crafting (sewing, fursuit making)

like where am i supposed to put these in my schedule? it's ridiculous. i should finish at least one of these so i can focus on the others (yeah right). i've tried theming my days of the week, i've tried scheduling work time.... i'm not sure what i'm doing but it's inefficient for getting any of this stuff out there. and the specific project-by-project approach, well... it would work if i only had one project at a time (but nooo). why the hell am i doing so much? what is it for? i feel so spread out it's ridiculous. hmm.

i don't quite know what to post to FA anymore (besides obvious furry stuff). when i make art i almost immediately post it and don't sit on it. this creates a spur-of-the-moment situation which is anathema to any planning i may wish to do. i have to work on my poster series, comic strip teasers, tf stories, maybe my music??? if i want to post anything...

this is the grungiest place i can think of to post artwork [positive] and i gotta let that be its thing.

i wipe the tables and i dust the corners and lights and i take the trash out! it's simple!

however due to a recent health concern i now have muscle relaxers to help my neck not lock up. and i must say.

wandering the marble-lined halls of a building alone overnight for hours with headphones, good wifi, the keys to most rooms, a kenwood radio, sturdy boots, naproxen sodium, gabapentin (rx), and muscle relaxers is a tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime.

coasting.

here:

-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8eUheS9GaU <-

i wanted to share this video with uh. i guess anyone who wants to watch someone interviewing people in DC during the vote count crossing over during election night.

i think it's very insightful. there are lots of particulars that come up that i feel are worth listening to.

it also has some really good coverage of history in it, for a fairly quick refresher.

tell me what you think.

I got a job after months out of work! the consistency is key. the hours won't change, and i don't interact with customers on the job site. it's so relieving.

it's night shift so i'll be up and awake past 1am all the way until 5 or 6 or so. perfect for east coast mornings and west coast lurkers.

already it's freeing up anxiety. the last drop won't leave until the bag is in the hand.

STREAM IS LIVE - https://www.picarto.tv/mikamonster

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Agenda:
* ink practice
* reference sheet
* character sketches
* comic thumbnails

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Come say hi and hangout!

STREAM IS LIVE - https://www.picarto.tv/mikamonster

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I am CLOSED for stream-only commissions.

Agenda:
* reference sheet
* character sketches
* comic thumbnails

-

Come say hi and hangout!

I’ve returned!

It’s been about 25 days out on the road but I am finally home. I traveled across 7 states and many different ecological boundaries in a journey to visit strangers, friends, and family. I did manage to find artists to interview for my oral history ethnography project, and while I wished I could have done more I realized I needed to focus on my family while I was there in the flesh. For someone whose only experience is volunteer radio, communications studies, and extreme conversationalist, I thought I did pretty well on a self-organized project like this. Of course there will be some obvious mistakes and hidden tricks I’ll stumble over during the process. I still have recordings to go over, paperwork to sign, more paperwork to send, emails to send, and follow-ups to do. Don’t worry, I have not forgotten.

During the trip, I slid into a mental state of mind where I was letting myself linger with the people who mattered to me, prioritizing listening without intention over recording. Deciding whether to let a thought be without holding on to it or to pursue it further, I mused to myself instead of rigorously journaling and documenting my thought process. I had tried and experimented many attempts at harnessing my inner writer, so telling myself it was fine to let go, that this was a casual trip, was profound for me. I got to create my own pressure for my own needs and desires and practiced telling myself things were important to me simply because I felt that way, no justification needed. It was time spent away from home and it was worth it; lingering one or two days longer than planned at family you rarely see is a beautiful excuse for simple pleasures, especially during a car camping road trip.
I realized I had not seen my family out of state in many many years, and I needed to visit them. Why not? I took a lazy coastline down Oregon and played around with not using my map for a while. I spent a night in the Tillamook forest at a dispersed campsite all to myself where I ended up re-parking further into the woods to get even cozier.

This was the part of the trip where I got to spend a couple nights and 1 whole day naked in the woods with nobody around, just reading books, drawing, walking, eating, and sleeping. This comes highly recommended. Do not overlook an opportunity to spend a day doing nothing in any trip planning you may do. I knew I was going to fill my time with meeting people, listening to them, and having heartfelt experiences, so I let my proverbial hair down. Continuing south, the next night was spent up on some logging roads on a 3-way dirt interchange next to some locked gates, which was nice and out of the way for some decent sleep. Eventually I made it to one of the many Riverside towns and convinced an RV park to sell me a spot for the night in my “pop-out camper”.

After a few days of anxiety building I was relieved at having a secure place to sleep, even if I was bummed out about it. Camping with tents is now suspicious because people think you are homeless unless you look like a perfect suburban family, a rich outdoor enthusiast, or have a trailer. I’m all ready to go camping c.2010, before the pandemic, before cryptocurrency, before apps outranked websites. The melancholy I have about it is unresolvable right now.
My grandfather is in northern California, now quite old, and living with Parkinson's. One of the most intelligent and accomplished people in his time, he lives his days trying not to sleep too much in his chair while his caretakers do their thing. Linda manages all she can, and keeps a fire advocating for his comfort and health. Uncle Bruce is up helping every other week, staying overnight for weeks at a time to assist, doing more than what many people I know would do for their own parents. As I normally do, I wandered around the grounds and closets and buildings looking at all the projects and collections, asking about their stories. We had wonderful dinners, days of taking it easy (as easy as you can when you’ve got Parkinson’s), and time catching up with the last few years. For all the wonderful baths I took and walks on which I strolled, I was reminded about my own human trajectory, about how natural it is to both be growing and falling apart at the same time, about who would be with me when either one of us suddenly changed into someone who could no longer take care of ourselves. It snowed right as I got to the address, and it only let up on the final day or so. I had never seen snow in those mountains, we had always come to visit in summer. After visiting grandpa, I followed Bruce on a 9 hour drive through the state back to his and Leo’s house down south. Gas is so expensive in California yet people drive like it burns holes in their pockets.

The time spent with my aunt and uncle was relieving and energizing, giving us space to be ourselves after caring for our older generation. Of course the weather turns cold when I visit, but cold for south California was warm for me. Hanging out in the garage while Bruce works on a project, reading books recommended by Leo, I spent my time sitting in the back with the lemon tree and sun chairs and hummingbirds. Together we caught up by bitching to each other about work, bitching to each other about politics, sharing music, and recounting tales. There are always things to catch up on, things to learn, and unknown perspectives with family visits that contrast with the complicated feeling of “being out-of-touch” I have. We need more family movie nights, because I am terrible at picking movies but will watch them over dinner. I miss you already! Pet Felix for me! After a few days and in a sad response to constant “you can stay for as long as you like” reminders, I left towards Colorado to visit my sister.

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For pictures, read on my personal website journal entry: https://mikamonsterstudio.wordpress.....om-roadtrip-1/

TERMS OF SERVICE
By purchasing a commission from me (the artist) you agree to be purchasing my services only. If you have a problem with
any of the below conditions, then I have the right to refuse business. If you have any questions please inquire.

GENERAL TERMS
● All drawings will include a signature and date that you may not remove.
● Prices may be subject to change; however, any commission started before a price change will remain
at the original quoted price.
● I have the right to reject any order that I do not feel comfortable drawing for any reason.
● Must be 18+ to commission, if you are underage you will require a parent or guardian to commission me
in your stead.
● By transferring funds it is understood that you have read, and agreed to the terms of service (TOS).
● I communicate through email for all commission information:
monster.commissions[at]gmail.com

✔ Will do:
● Humans
● Fantasy Creatures
● Anthros
● Animals
● A portrait of you and your loved ones
● Fanart
● Original characters
● Artistic nudes
● NSFW

✘ Will not do:
● Hate speech
● Anime-specific style requests

PAYMENT
● The currency accepted is USD and can be paid through online payment invoices:
○ PayPal
○ Venmo
○ Cashapp
● Please DO NOT send any payment before I have agreed to start the commission and requested
payment.

PROCESS AND DELIVERY
● Before the commission is started I require visual references. I DO NOT work solely off descriptions.
Examples of accepted visual references: photos, ref sheets, 3D rendering, clothing, and mood boards)
● I will only start a commission once it has been confirmed and paid in full. Note: at this time I am limiting
the number of commissions that I am taking. If you would like to be placed on a queue please ask.
● I will notify you when I have started your commission. Once the commission has been started there are
NO REFUNDS.
● If for any reason I must cancel your commission after payment (i.e. health, unforeseen circumstances),
you will get a refund in full.
● While I'm working on your piece I will make multiple reviews with you.
● The amount of reviews depends on the complexity of the commission.
● The time it takes to finish your commission varies 1 week - 3 weeks depending on factors such as
health, and the complexity. The work may be completed sooner.
● If anything comes up that will slow the progress of the initially estimated delivery time I will let you know
asap.
● Once the piece is finished you will receive the full-resolution image along with a web-friendly size.
Sketches and inks are all done traditionally. Depending on where you live, we can arrange to mail your
artwork for a fee. Local commissioners are free to pick up their piece in person. Please inquire!
● Client’s who elect to have their commission mailed to them may receive additional draft work along with
the commission.

REVISIONS
● You get a minimum of 2 opportunities to make changes on the commissioned piece included in the
price. You get a maximum of 10 opportunities to make changes, and after each stage (sketch, ink,
color) of work is completed you cannot request modification.
● Once a piece has been inked it can be altered digitally for a fee, or re-rendered for the originally quoted
price.

COPYRIGHT / USAGE POLICY
I, Michaela Foote (the artist), claim the rights to the produced drawing, not the buyer. Therefore I am
allowed to use the copyrighted artwork to:
● Promote myself with it.
● Publish books with it (artbooks, etc.).
● Display it anywhere to my liking (twitter, instagram, etc.).
● Post it wherever I want.

The buyer is allowed to:
● Use the commissioned piece for personal use unless agreed otherwise (you can upload it on all your
social media profiles, forums, etc.).
● Print the artwork and claim the character(s) as their own, but not the artwork itself.
● Use the artwork to promote themselves. You are required to give me credit when you post it.
● If the client requests a traditional piece to be shipped, they retain the right to resell the original.

The following is considered copyright infringement:
● Reproducing/using the copyrighted artwork commercially - making money off it in any way (with the
exception of reselling the physical copy of a sketch or ink drawing).
● Claiming the artwork as your own.
● Removing my signature from the artwork.
● Altering the artwork without my consent.
● I reserve the full rights to the image and its use/distribution unless otherwise agreed upon.
REFUND / CANCELLATION POLICY
● The buyer CANNOT be issued a refund once I start working on the commission.
● If for any reason I am unable to start your commission you will receive a full refund.
● If you cancel your order before it is started, you can get a full refund.
● If you are getting a refund, do not request a Paypal chargeback. I will transfer the money back to you
myself.

If the buyer breaks any of the points stated above they will lose all the aforementioned rights to the artwork commissioned by me, Michaela Foote (the artist), and I will have the right to profit further from the commissioned artwork in any way I see fit. If you have any questions or problems with any of these statements, they may be discussed with me prior to paying your commissioned piece.
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5/13/2024

thank you for watching!

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https://www.picarto.tv/mikamonster

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agenda:

* reference sheet

* comic thumbnails

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i am OPEN for Pay What You Want commissions during stream only. come say hi, watch, and maybe grab a sketch!

STREAM IS --DONE-- - https://www.picarto.tv/mikamonster

agenda:
- pricing sheet PDFs forgor i need different program for this one
- ink warmups done
- Leonyara reference sheet
- comic thumbnails oops didn't get to these yet

i am OPEN for Pay What You Want commissions during stream only. come say hi, watch, and maybe grab a sketch!

---

stream has ended! wow i got a lot done and finally figured out how to use Picarto!

I’ve returned!

It’s been about 25 days out on the road but I am finally home. I traveled across 7 states and many different ecological boundaries in a journey to visit strangers, friends, and family. I did manage to find artists to interview for my oral history ethnography project, and while I wished I could have done more I realized I needed to focus on my family while I was there in the flesh. For someone whose only experience is volunteer radio, communications studies, and extreme conversationalist, I thought I did pretty well on a self-organized project like this. Of course there will be some obvious mistakes and hidden tricks I’ll stumble over during the process. I still have recordings to go over, paperwork to sign, more paperwork to send, emails to send, and follow-ups to do. Don’t worry, I have not forgotten.
During the trip, I slid into a mental state of mind where I was letting myself linger with the people who mattered to me, prioritizing listening without intention over recording. Deciding whether to let a thought be without holding on to it or to pursue it further, I mused to myself instead of rigorously journaling and documenting my thought process. I had tried and experimented many attempts at harnessing my inner writer, so telling myself it was fine to let go, that this was a casual trip, was profound for me. I got to create my own pressure for my own needs and desires and practiced telling myself things were important to me simply because I felt that way, no justification needed. It was time spent away from home and it was worth it; lingering one or two days longer than planned at family you rarely see is a beautiful excuse for simple pleasures, especially during a car camping road trip.

hey there! art stream at 1:30 pm today!

agenda:
- pricing sheet PDFs forgor i need different program for this one
- ink warmups done
- reference sheet
- comic thumbnails

i will also be OPEN for Pay What You Want commissions during stream only. come say hi, watch, and maybe grab a sketch!

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going live at https://www.picarto.tv/mikamonster !!!)

ART STREAM OVER
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hello! http://www.twitch.tv/monstercommissions come say hi.
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livestreaming some pencil art and sketchbook desk time.
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i couldn't get picarto.tv to work. if anyone has any recommendations about getting the server or DNS connection to work that would be great.

hey! i'm back. i'll say more as i unpack and process my trip. i;ve been away for about a month! give or take.

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it was mostly visiting family, and i got to interview artists along the way.
many of them were furries and i'm glad i got to start this project off with something fun. but now... i have to get back to work...

Hey! It's been a bit, and I'm cutting a new path. This last job? The latest of like, the 4 from last year? Laid off again. None of this is working and I'm taking a different approach. I'm going on a road trip. Small one, south along the west coast to San Diego, up to Fort Collins Colorado, then back to WA. I'm taking some time to be by myself, and to travel and see the coastal environment.

I'm going to interview artists and creative queers that I'm interested in or whom I appreciate. I want to hear what people think about living nowadays, their struggles, their goals, and what they think about human identity, art and technology. So far, I have a handful of people who I am already planning to interview, but I need more people from Oregon and California, and if possible someone from Colorado. Please, if you know any artist/writer/musician furry or a queer artist who you would like to see interviewed, send them my way. Or if yourself are interested in being interviewed as an artist, let me know!

Here is the current draft of my Artist Statement:
This work is an audio story collection of documentary interviews, accompanying illustrations, and written transcriptions of conversations. These interviews and illustrations seek to capture the experience of living as queer/an ally in the Western United States during 2024, a time of economic downturn, political polarization, social atrophy, generational distress, housing crisis, and ecological upheaval. The interviewees are artists who are queer, identifying as LGBTQ+, or straight and cisgender allies. The majority of representation is intended to showcase and record the thoughts, feelings, and stories of queer and allied people in the zeitgeist. Interviews are recorded, edited, and published with the consent of the interviewee. The illustrated works of art capture the landscape during the travel between and around interviewee’s neighborhoods, as well as some portraiture and narrative storyboards involving the stories and people involved. The works are gathered into a series of audio episodes with additional images ready for hosting in libraries, galleries, and archives. The idea of a podcast has been introduced to streamline publishing and allow for as least censorship as possible.

I really do believe that queer stories need to be heard and that art journalism can allow us to engage with art beyond a consumerist norm. Uplifting the lives of creatives and creating better working conditions starts with exposing the stories of the people struggling right now.

If this sounds like something you would like to listen to, consider supporting me by reaching out and helping me along my way. I'll try to leave updates about the process in as many places as I can. Not sure if I want to open up a subscription or tip jar support for this yet... I'll think about it.