The Raffle Winner
Thank you, everyone, who took part in my raffle! It had a way bigger turnout than I'd expected. It's really flattering to see so many people take an interest in my work. The random winner was selected last night, and it was  moondevourer! If you didn't get it this time, don't sweat it; this definitely won't be the only one that I'll do. But before I can do another raffle--

Opening for Commissions
--I need to take a new batch of commissions! I'm on the end of current queue. MFF is super close, and while I've been planning on attending, money is super tight right now. The only way I can make it is if I marathon my way through commissions.

I'm offering a variety of styles at a spectrum of prices! I'm flexible, so if you're curious about getting something specific or working within a particular budget, let me know! If you have any questions or would like to secure a slot, you can comment here, note me, or send me a DM on Twitter.

Click here to see my commission guide with price estimates and examples!

Thank you!

Happy weekend, furries! Just wanted to remind you that my free commission raffle is ending tonight! I'll be using Tweetdraw to pick a random winner this evening, so get in it now if you haven't already.

Click here to enter the raffle!

Hey, furries! I recently broke into the four figure mark of watchers here. To celebrate, I'm giving away a free portrait commission! All that's needed to enter is a follow and a retweet on my art Twitter. (I'd also appreciate it if you'd follow me here too, if you don't already, and plan on entering.) Either way, the winner will be chosen via a random number generator on Sunday evening.

To see portrait examples and enter the giveaway, click here!

I've really been loving the support and feedback that I've been getting on my work lately. Thank you all so much!

When I decided to come back to FA and start freelancing again, one of my goals was to catch up to my friends' numbers of watchers. I really fell behind from a combination of being distracted with army stuff and being off FA. Pragmatically, the goal was to expand my clientele, so that I could actually afford to eat and keep the lights on while make the switch back to civilian life. That's still a challenge, but I've been optimistic because it's been continuously getting better.

Beyond finances, i feel that my work has shot way up in quality since I started doing this again. That's due, in part, to the people here who have commissioned me, giving me cool characters to draw in challenging ways. I've really been enjoying the work that I've been getting, and I'm grateful for it!

It means a lot to me that people have been so receptive of my work. I feel really happy, especially since, today, I surpassed my first milestone of 1000 followers! I also passed 100 on my art Twitter recently. It's unreal that so many people would be interested in my art. Thank you, everyone!

I'll be doing a giveaway as soon as I clear my current commission queue in celebration. In the mean time, check out this related pic!

It's my birthday! I'm thirty today!

My twenties were a wild ride. I certainly grew up a lot. I went through love and heartbreak, college, traveled to Europe, visited the US numerous times, saw both coasts of Canada, went to the Canadian Arctic, got to study art under some of the masters of the industry, attended several furcons, made tons of friends, served in the Canadian Army, got on the radio, practiced parkour, began gamedev, learned to dance, started a YouTube show-- I did a lot. I only wish I could have traveled more, and further improved my art! That's still in progress though; I'm studying and practicing all the time, and I've got MFF coming up soon (if everything works out financially).

Thanks, everyone, who made it a great decade.

On another note, I'm still accepting commissions! Click here to see the deets.

Unexpected Expenses
Hey, furries! I want to thank everyone who's watching my work on here, leaving comments, and retweeting my art and stream notifications on Twitter. That last one, especially, means a lot to me, since it actually helps expand my audience. It makes things easier for me as an independent artist. I'm nearing the thousand mark here, and I'm gonna do a giveaway to celebrate when that happens.

I've had some unexpected expenses lately, so I need to kick up my productivity another notch. A few nights ago, my cat had hematemesis, which necessitated a midnight trip to the vet. He's getting better, thankfully, but that demolished my bank account. My phone also broke, so I've been without that for a couple of weeks. I've been a lot happier since transitioning away from my other job, except that my income has lessened; I've been nickel-pinching (since Canadians no longer have pennies to pinch), and sudden expenses like that can be really challenging. I'm confident that things will gradually get better though! This mean time is just tricky.

Commission Info
I'm opening five commission slots; I'm doing character portraits -- partial bodies, minimalist backgrounds. I'm offering monochromatic sketches for $40, and fully coloured and shaded digital paintings for $100. (Prices are in USD and through PayPal.)

Click here to see the style examples!

If you want to claim a slot, please leave a comment here or note me, and then we can discuss details. Otherwise, if you think someone else might like my style, I'd love a retweet. Thanks!

Slots
1.  thesiggy Completed!
2.  bigdcstile
3. Unclaimed
4. Unclaimed
5. Unclaimed

The Giveaway Results
Thanks, everyone, who showed off their character sheets on here and on Twitter! You all have such diverse and cool fursonas. It wasn't an easy pick, but Banryu and I selected four people to fill those positions: Bomba, Pocket, Mentova, and Bailey! Thank you for filling in; it's always nice to get the community involved when there's an opportunity, instead of just drawing some generic placeholder character.

The Next Giveaway
If your character didn't get selected this time, please don't fret! There were a lot of cool characters that I would love to feature, but I just didn't have the room in this piece. I'm confident that there will be other paintings that could use extra characters to help complete the scene, so I'll definitely keep you all posted when those are coming up. If you didn't get in on this one, it'll just increase your chances for the next!

Additionally, I'm 24 followers away from my first giveaway on my art Twitter, and 121 for here on FA. I'm excited to do those!

My New Kitten Needs a Name!
A few days ago, my brother and sister brought home a stray kitten! He was found under some stranger's car hood, riding on the suspension next to an engine that had been driving. I've never heard of a cat doing that in the middle of summer before! I'm amazed and thankful that he wasn't killed.

He's still skittish, but has definitely warmed up to all of us since getting here. We haven't decided on a name for him yet though. I just keep calling him "new baby," haha.

Our kneejerk reaction was to name him Otto (a play on "Auto") or Axle, but our cousin actually has two cats with those exact names.

I have photos and videos of him on my non-art Twitter. You can see what he looks like here and here!

Thank You
Hey, friends! First of all, thanks for the warm welcome-back. It's great to converse with you and get tangible feedback. I really appreciate the commission inquiries too! They've been really uplifting.

The Microfurry Giveaway
On that note, I'm working on a digital painting right now that includes five microfurries underneath a looming wolf. The design of one of the characters is set, but there are four that are open! Want to get painted? It's pretty simple.

1. Click here to check out the sketch on my Twitter to decide if you want in.
2. Follow my Twitter and retweet that pic to help spread the word and so that I know that you actually saw it.
3. Reply here or on that tweet with your character reference (visual refs only).

The catch is that this isn't first-come-first-serve, nor is it random. I'll be choosing designs that appeal I feel will suit the picture. Note that all characters in the pic are going to be unclothed, but no genitals will be visible. Adults only; nobody 17 or younger will be allowed to participate in this one.

Future Giveaways
I'm going to be giving away more art when I hit follower milestones here and on Twitter. As of writing this, I'm only 124 away here on FA, and 51 on Twitter. They're going to be separate giveaways, so keep an eye on both!

I'm Back, But Why?
Albeit reluctantly, I am returning to FurAffinity. I've been gone two-and-a-half years, instead choosing to be active on Weasyl, Twitter, Tumblr, and recently Furry Network. I still have issues with this site, so why come back now? Because of the userbase. I'm transitioning away from my job, and breaking into full-time art. I could get by with less of a spotlight before, but that's no longer the case.

I am an optimist, still! On the positive side, it will be nice to see some old, familiar faces. I love meeting new people too.

What's New
I'm bringing a whole new tier of art skill to the table, compared to when I left. I've had a couple of years of practice and study, including military exercises and operations as a production artist, and not one but two bouts of the Illustration Master Class! My graphic design skill has improved, my illustration has gotten a hell of a lot better, and I'm working damn hard to become a great fine artist. I've even learned how to oil paint, and have been producing promotional art for Anthro New England.

The Plan
I will still be posting to my other galleries, especially since FA is well-known to be insecure and unreliable. Whatever I put there will end up here too, and vise-versa.

Without my job, I'm producing art more frequently. Expect to see a lot.

Commissions, Streams, & Art Giveaways
First and foremost, I'll be taking a lot of commissions. General art, mature art, graphic design, fine art, illustration, digital art, graphite, oil paintings, portraits, character design, macro/micro, furries, animals, humans — I'm open to a lot of stuff in various media! Realism is my forte in drawing, and I've also made logos for various people and companies. If you're interested in something — even if you don't see it listed here — note me and I'd be happy to talk about it.

Keep an eye on here and Twitter; I'll be streaming on Picarto. Expect to see commissions being painted, as well as personal work.

On a tight budget and looking for something for free? I'm planning art giveaways! Time permitting, I intend to give away a sketch to a lucky follower during each stream. Looking for something bigger or more elaborate? You'll see that on follower milestones. When I reach a certain number of followers in each of my galleries, including Twitter, I'll be giving away a more valuable prize. I'm not far off here: I'll be doing that at 1000 followers on FA. If you have Twitter, when I hit 100 on my new art one, I'll be doing a giveaway there too.

Contact
Thanks for reading this. If you have any questions or commentary, please go ahead; I try to reply to everything that I get. You can also shoot me a message any time on my personal, non-art-specific Twitter; I'm on there pretty much all of the time.

Yo, furries! My good friend and giant panda extraordinaire,  neive, and I are teaming up for a collaborative commission! Like Battletoads & Double Dragon, we make a pretty fun team. She'll skillfully be crafting adorable line art, and I'll be tossing some colour onto it with digital painting! Like a pair of super villains, we're combining our powers and offering them to the highest bidder.

We're willing to draw almost anything — even porn, if you want it, and you know that's a rare offer from me! The collab offer is only good until Sunday, January 5th, at 1900 PST.

Click here for the auction!

 jenorafeuer wins!

Yo, gamers! In case you haven't heard already, Valve is giving away Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam until 10 p.m. tonight, PST. Go get it while the getting is good!

Scratch that — it's back to $9.99.

:D

In my last journal, I posted my own Christmas wish list.  likeshine is trying to get more people to post their own, and I think it's interesting to see what other people want, particularly for the chance of fulfilling somebody's wish.

Tell me what you've got your eye on this holiday, and if you have a wish list, link it here! I wanna see. :D

December is here! Holiday cheer: ENGAGED.

I actually managed to get my Christmas decorations up on time this year, right on December first! November feels too early for my liking. I always look forward to the Christmas holidays. I get all the same food as Thanksgiving, plus I get to exchange cards and gifts too! While the music in stores can get annoying, I do like the lights a lot.

To celebrate, I'm gonna make some festive drinks and watch all of the Awesome Video Games Christmas episodes with friends. There are twenty-three Christmas episodes! Those guys love Christmas and video games, and so do I. Home Alone is definitely on the must-watch list too.

Also, Tukky's Christmas is getting another playthough. Remember that from a couple of years ago? It's a cute Christmas and furry-themed platformer in the style of Adventure Island/Wonderboy!

I even made a wish list to send to my family. I've really got art on the mind! There are also a handful of things that would make life easier for me on duty. Still, I don't expect to receive much, but it's useful to have an organized and accessible list.

Tell me about your holiday schemes!

Edit: Just as I posted this, I walked into my kitchen to see that the Christmas lights have burned out! So much for that, haha.

Yo, fuzzbutts! Do you ever worry that your furries may come off looking less like they're actually covered in fur, and more just wearing a colourful rubber outfit? (Rubber kink people, you don't count for this.) In the same vein as those last videos I linked, check out this short Proko video on how to draw hair! Give your characters that fine touch that makes 'em look their fuzziest.

Enjoy!

Do you have fun drawing macros and micros, but feel that your characters aren't quite being portrayed with that sense of awesomeness that they really ought to have? If you wanna give your drawings and characters the oomph they deserve, check out these lessons on depth! I stumbled across these short lessons, and realized while they're essential lessons for any artist, the macro/micro artists here could especially and immediately benefit from these fundamental principles. You guys who draw the especially large ones will love the aerial perspective principle.

The Illusion of Depth - Contrast, Aerial Perspective, and Form

The Illusion of Depth - Perspective, Details, and Overlapping Forms

The Illusion of Depth - Edge, Line, Cast Shadow and Paint Thickness

Now get drawing!

With Halloween out of the way, now's a good time to post this.

 sofia.exe is holding another survey, this time about Your Character Here commissions and Adoptables. Click here to share your thoughts!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours. ;D

I will rock you. ô3ô

Now lemme see your costume!

RAAAWR ('''(ºwº)''')

Scared you, didn't I?

Happy Halloween, ghouls and ghostettes! I hope you rock some way-spoopy costumes and score loads of candy. I had trouble finding all of the pieces I needed for mine, but I think I came pretty close. I'll try to share a picture later, if it turns out well!

In the spirit of the holiday, check out this Haunted Video Games playlist!

Get into an awesomely-frightening mood while Ace and Chet take on the "Sultan of Slash," then go head-to-head with not only Satan, but the devil too! Try to guess what their costumes will be, then stick around for protips on maximum candy collectage!

Happy Halloween!

I mostly want to push that birthday journal off my front page, haha. So hey, check out these rad pictures I got featuring Zen!

Zen singing by  ritts

Heartfelt Song by  undyingsong

I'm always happy to have more artwork of her, particularly while she's singing and dancing.

Check out what I got for my birthday: this super-rad bookmark by my number-one Newfie,  d6016! He always does a great job drawing Zen. Can't wait to blow through my books with it, after it's shipped.

Also, I think it may be a life-size rendition of Zen, haha.

Hey, everyone! Yesterday was my twenty-seventh birthday. Despite FA being read-only and my being unable to post a journal about it, I still got tons of people messaging and texting me.

Thank you for remembering my birthday; with so many people contacting me, it made me feel really appreciated. <3

[Current Music|BT - 13 Angels On My Broken Windowsill]

My birthday is in three weeks! What do I do? D:

Seriously, I'm feeling stumped over it. I'll be turning twenty-seven; I think I'll officially be in my late twenties! Not only was my last birthday was spent in the field, I injured my eye on that day. This year, I want to do something more fun than that. I want to celebrate, but I don't know how! It's falling on a Friday, which is a good party night, but I'd like to do something more than just that.

I considered skydiving, but it's pretty pricey. I'd go if there were enough people with me, but I doubt people would put in the money for that. Kitten suggested that I visit England again, which would be awesome, but that's waaaay expensive to fly from Canada. That money could go a lot further here at home.

The Canadian Fighting Championship will be having an event here in Winnipeg on September 13th, so there's one option. Though I'm not the biggest fan, I watch it online or at bars sometimes; I've never been to MMA live.

Alternatively, there's paintball. I did that once before, a while back, and it was a lot of fun! It'd be interesting to give it another go, now with a few more years of infantry experience.

Or I could try my luck at one of the casinos in town. I did that when I turned eighteen, and actually made a little profit. It might be fun to give it another go, now that I have a bigger budget to blow!

I don't want this one to slip by in mediocrity. Whatever I end up doing, I'll probably follow it with a good dinner and a party at my house with lots of liquor and lots of video games. I'm sure there are cool ideas that I'm not considering. What's a rad celebration that you've been to, or heard schemed? I'm open to suggestions!

My friend  sofia.exe is conducting a survey regarding the pricing habits of furry artists. If you sell commissions, it could use your input. It'll only take a minute or two; it's quite brief!

Click here for the survey and full details.

You might have noticed that my fursona is an American shorthair silver mackerel tabby cat (kind of a mouthful, eh?). Lately I've been making dedicated efforts to learn how to draw that specific breed and coat pattern better, to improve future submissions of my own character—especially a reference sheet. Google has been pretty handy, as usual, except for one thing: I can't seem to find a decent reference image of that particular type of coat from behind. I want to study its back in detail. I can't find anything but shots from the front or the side.

Do you both have a pet silver mackerel tabby cat, and would be willing to hook me up with a few good photos from various angles? It doesn't have to be American shorthair, but it's gotta be a silver mackerel pattern. Mackerel is lots of thin striping as opposed to the thick swirls of marble, or the spots of … spotted.