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About Acrylic Commissions
Posted 8 years agoSo, I had a lot of fun doing this picture here, I like the style and the result, and I'd kind of like to try some more. I'm thinking of taking on a couple of commissions of that type, or even opening them up as a standard option, but they take much longer than my watercolour commissions that I'd have to ask for more for it to be worth it. Not much point in doing pictures that take twice as long for the same amount of money when I could just stick to watercolours, y'know?
So I'd be curious to know if anyone would be interested in such a thing, despite the higher price tag. I'm thinking maybe 100 per character, and backgrounds... that'd depend on complexity. Certainly no more than the price of another character, likely quite a bit less.
That ain't chump change though so I totally get it if nobody's into it. If y'all think I should just stick with the cheaper watercolours then maybe that'd be for the best for now, 'scool. That said, if anybody is interested in a commission done in that style at those prices, maybe leave a comment or drop me a note with your refs/ideas and I'll pick a couple that pique my interest, see how it goes.
So I'd be curious to know if anyone would be interested in such a thing, despite the higher price tag. I'm thinking maybe 100 per character, and backgrounds... that'd depend on complexity. Certainly no more than the price of another character, likely quite a bit less.
That ain't chump change though so I totally get it if nobody's into it. If y'all think I should just stick with the cheaper watercolours then maybe that'd be for the best for now, 'scool. That said, if anybody is interested in a commission done in that style at those prices, maybe leave a comment or drop me a note with your refs/ideas and I'll pick a couple that pique my interest, see how it goes.
Taking Commissions! [FULL]
Posted 8 years agoSo, instead of just going down my waiting list in order, I look for people on the waiting list and interested in a picture, but are also ready to go. If that sounds like you, leave a comment below!
The list in question: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5499391/ so you can check if you're on it!
Don't feel discouraged from trying even if you're quite low down the list- people well over 400 places down have been regularly getting commissions.
If you're not on the list, you're still welcome to leave a comment here, just in case I can't find a full set of people from the list. But just be aware, anybody from the list gets priority, since they signed up probably years ago. :P
All the usual rules 'n such- prices are 70 to start, 40 for additional characters, 50 for backgrounds. Shipping is 8 to 12, depending on location. All in CAD. Paypal is the payment method. I'll be taking 10 spots, and seeing who got in on Monday, the 6th. You'll be expected to pay by the following Friday, if you don't I'll move onto someone else!
So yeah, if you're interested, leave a comment below. :3
Taking Commissions (spots full, thanks)
Posted 8 years agoAll spots have been taken, thanks guys!
This list here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5499391/ If you aren't on it, I'm afraid you can't get in this time around. Sorry!
For those of you that are, I hope you're familiar with how things work- leave a comment if you're currently interested in getting a picture, and of the interested people I will choose the 10 who've been waiting the longest. Speaking of waiting, it's been far too long since I took a set of these... again. Sorry. I've been a bad opossum. D:
Prices will be the usual- 70 to start, 40 for additional characters, 50 for backgrounds. All in CAD. Also worth noting, unless for some reason you are vehemently against it, these will be done in watercolours- I just kinda feel like going back to those for a bit!
On Monday I'll go through and notify whoever got the spots.
Hrm... yup, I think that covers it. If interested, comment away!
For those of you that are, I hope you're familiar with how things work- leave a comment if you're currently interested in getting a picture, and of the interested people I will choose the 10 who've been waiting the longest. Speaking of waiting, it's been far too long since I took a set of these... again. Sorry. I've been a bad opossum. D:
Prices will be the usual- 70 to start, 40 for additional characters, 50 for backgrounds. All in CAD. Also worth noting, unless for some reason you are vehemently against it, these will be done in watercolours- I just kinda feel like going back to those for a bit!
On Monday I'll go through and notify whoever got the spots.
Hrm... yup, I think that covers it. If interested, comment away!
Show me ya face
Posted 9 years agoI'm thinking of doing some quick headshots for practice, à la my latest submission. Leave a ref here (must be an image, in colour) and I might mash your face onto some paper. :D Will pick who gets drawn based on some combination of randomness and whimsy.
If you feel like being the subject of my practice doodles, comment away!
If you feel like being the subject of my practice doodles, comment away!
Shut up, nerd.
Posted 9 years agoShut up, nerd.
That Ru guy, what a sellout.
Posted 9 years agoIf you've been following me for long, you've (hopefully) likely noticed that I try to keep things very casual 'round here. I try to be as easy going as I can and advertise myself as little as possible- a journal when I'm ready to take pictures, and that's about it.
I like it that way- the professional scene just ain't my bag, man. That said, if I want to keep doing this long-term, I'm going to have to not be afraid to put myself out there a little bit from time to time. So with that in mind... I did a thing!
patreon
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
patreon
Yeah, I'm a sellout now. :(
But I want to make a few things clear right away. First and foremost, None of my completed paintings will ever be put behind a paywall. There may be a few minor sketches and practice doodles that don't show up anywhere else, and a monthly pinup that patrons will get to see a bit early, but every finished picture is still going to be right here on FA free to see. This has always been important to me and I never plan on changing it.
Secondly, I've often heard complaints about Patreon, people saying that "it's basically paying artists to practice". My response to that is... pretty much, yeah! Freeing up some time that would otherwise have to go into work will allow further study and practice, and improvement where before there couldn't have been any. By tossing a few bucks my way once a month you're allowing exactly that to happen, which will hopefully let me amp up the study a bit more and make even better things even sooner.
However, if that's not your kind of deal, that's fine with me! The rewards are pretty small things, and this is largely aimed at people who just want to help support me a lil' tiny bit. Maybe you wanna see me improve, maybe just a way to say thanks, maybe you like the fact that I never plan to paywall, whatever. I'll be super appreciative if you decide to do so, and hopefully you'll enjoy the little bonuses I toss in, but I completely understand if you're not the type, so no worries!
That's pretty much it. Thanks for your attention folks, and please forgive me for going the way of the sellout. :P
I like it that way- the professional scene just ain't my bag, man. That said, if I want to keep doing this long-term, I'm going to have to not be afraid to put myself out there a little bit from time to time. So with that in mind... I did a thing!
patreonhttps://patreon.com/ruaidri
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
https://patreon.com/ruaidri
patreonYeah, I'm a sellout now. :(
But I want to make a few things clear right away. First and foremost, None of my completed paintings will ever be put behind a paywall. There may be a few minor sketches and practice doodles that don't show up anywhere else, and a monthly pinup that patrons will get to see a bit early, but every finished picture is still going to be right here on FA free to see. This has always been important to me and I never plan on changing it.
Secondly, I've often heard complaints about Patreon, people saying that "it's basically paying artists to practice". My response to that is... pretty much, yeah! Freeing up some time that would otherwise have to go into work will allow further study and practice, and improvement where before there couldn't have been any. By tossing a few bucks my way once a month you're allowing exactly that to happen, which will hopefully let me amp up the study a bit more and make even better things even sooner.
However, if that's not your kind of deal, that's fine with me! The rewards are pretty small things, and this is largely aimed at people who just want to help support me a lil' tiny bit. Maybe you wanna see me improve, maybe just a way to say thanks, maybe you like the fact that I never plan to paywall, whatever. I'll be super appreciative if you decide to do so, and hopefully you'll enjoy the little bonuses I toss in, but I completely understand if you're not the type, so no worries!
That's pretty much it. Thanks for your attention folks, and please forgive me for going the way of the sellout. :P
Getting Started with Watercolours
Posted 9 years agoI was very recently asked by someone what materials I use to do my work, since someone they knew was looking to focus more on traditional art. I gave a quick breakdown of the materials I use and why, and after I sent the note off I realized that the info could be useful to others, so I decided to share it here as well. If you've been thinking that watercolours look interesting, the info in this journal may be useful! It's a direct copy paste from the note so the wording may seem a bit odd, but the info is all there.
"I'll give you a quick breakdown on what I use, and he can take a look at it and see if it interests him. I'll be honest, the startup costs will be a bit high if you've got nothing already, but then again a good digital tablet ain't cheap either so I suppose that's just life, heh. Once you get your good base of supplies, it's pretty cheap to keep going.
I'm actually a watercolour painter. I use a variety of different brands of paint, I can recommend "Winsor and Newton" brand, or "Holbein" brand. Though honestly if he's just getting started, this is one area you can cheap out on. Walmart brand watercolour paints might not be as vivid or go as far, but they're super cheap and function more or less the same, so great for a started to see if they like using them.
You'll need a few decent watercolour brushes. You won't want to cheap out here, and quality brushes can be a little pricey, but the good news is you only need two or three for the vast majority if your work. I use these: http://www.dickblick.com/products/s.....elvet-brushes/
The "Round 10", "Round 4" and "Oval wash, size 3/4" are what I use, and that'll be all you ever need for pretty much every scenario. There are lots of good brands of watercolour brush though, so you guys may want to read around and research, you don't have to just use what I do. Whatever you do, must make sure you get actual watercolour brushes. If you're looking at a brush or a pack of brushes and it claims it can be used for "Oil, Acrylic and Watercolour", don't even touch it. You need a very soft brush that can hold a lot of water for watercolour, and you need stiff brushes for oil and acrylic, so they're lying basically, hah. Make sure to get brushes specifically suited to watercolour. If you're looking at something and you're not sure, feel free to run it by me first and I'll let you know if it looks suitable!
Finally, you'll need some paper. This is one area you absolutely cannot cheap out on. As long as a brush is made with watercolours in mind, you can get by with a pretty cheap brush, and any cheap watercolour paint will do for a stater, but the paper has to be good quality. Cheap paper simply doesn't work the same way good paper does.
I use "Fabriano Artistico" hot press watercolour paper. I've also used "Arches" watercolour paper. Both are very good, but Fabriano is a bit cheaper so I've been running with that lately. The "hot press" I mentioned is a measure of how smooth the paper surface is. From smoothest to roughest there's Hot press, Cold press, and Rough paper. Smoother paper can give a smoother look which I personally like, but it also makes the painting a bit harder to work with as wet paint will dry faster giving you less time to work. I'd recommend he starts with "cold" press paper and gets used to that before deciding if he wants to try the other kinds.
I personally buy large 22 x 30 inch sheets of watercolour paper 40 at a time and cut out individual painting sized pieces from that, but I do this for a living so it makes sense for me to buy in bulk. For someone getting started, I'd recommend something like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/f.....rcolor-blocks/
A watercolour "block". This is basically a pad of paper, but all of it's edges are glued together which keeps the paper held down, which is handy because loose watercolour paper can buckle a bit if you don't stretch it out first. With a block, that's pretty much taken care of for you. I'd go with the 9 x 12 inch size, that's around what I paint at, but he can adjust that up or down depending on what he wants.
So, you're looking at at a pad of paper- on the site I linked you, around 22 bucks for for the 9 x 12 size.
The three brushes I mentioned will run you around 40
And some paint- let's say something like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/r.....tercolor-sets/ The 10 tube set costs around 12 bucks.
Oh, I just remembered you'll also need a palette! Something like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/r.....color-palette/ seems to be 3 dollars. Basically any white, plastic palette with small areas for your paint and large, flat areas for mixing.
As for lining? Any ol' black pen will do. I've used a "sharpie pen" for some time, but if you want artist quality, Micron pens are good and not too expensive. If he wants to do the lines first and the paint over them, just make sure whatever it is is waterproof- but I find that tends to fade the outline a bit so I like to ink after painting. In this case, any old black pen will do. I personally prefer felt tip pens, but he can use whatever he finds comfy.
So, that's a quick rundown on what I use and what it'll cost to get started. You're looking at less than 100 bucks, which is about the best you could hope for starting out with digital too, so hopefully that's not too scary. If you've got any other questions, feel free to send 'em my way!"
"I'll give you a quick breakdown on what I use, and he can take a look at it and see if it interests him. I'll be honest, the startup costs will be a bit high if you've got nothing already, but then again a good digital tablet ain't cheap either so I suppose that's just life, heh. Once you get your good base of supplies, it's pretty cheap to keep going.
I'm actually a watercolour painter. I use a variety of different brands of paint, I can recommend "Winsor and Newton" brand, or "Holbein" brand. Though honestly if he's just getting started, this is one area you can cheap out on. Walmart brand watercolour paints might not be as vivid or go as far, but they're super cheap and function more or less the same, so great for a started to see if they like using them.
You'll need a few decent watercolour brushes. You won't want to cheap out here, and quality brushes can be a little pricey, but the good news is you only need two or three for the vast majority if your work. I use these: http://www.dickblick.com/products/s.....elvet-brushes/
The "Round 10", "Round 4" and "Oval wash, size 3/4" are what I use, and that'll be all you ever need for pretty much every scenario. There are lots of good brands of watercolour brush though, so you guys may want to read around and research, you don't have to just use what I do. Whatever you do, must make sure you get actual watercolour brushes. If you're looking at a brush or a pack of brushes and it claims it can be used for "Oil, Acrylic and Watercolour", don't even touch it. You need a very soft brush that can hold a lot of water for watercolour, and you need stiff brushes for oil and acrylic, so they're lying basically, hah. Make sure to get brushes specifically suited to watercolour. If you're looking at something and you're not sure, feel free to run it by me first and I'll let you know if it looks suitable!
Finally, you'll need some paper. This is one area you absolutely cannot cheap out on. As long as a brush is made with watercolours in mind, you can get by with a pretty cheap brush, and any cheap watercolour paint will do for a stater, but the paper has to be good quality. Cheap paper simply doesn't work the same way good paper does.
I use "Fabriano Artistico" hot press watercolour paper. I've also used "Arches" watercolour paper. Both are very good, but Fabriano is a bit cheaper so I've been running with that lately. The "hot press" I mentioned is a measure of how smooth the paper surface is. From smoothest to roughest there's Hot press, Cold press, and Rough paper. Smoother paper can give a smoother look which I personally like, but it also makes the painting a bit harder to work with as wet paint will dry faster giving you less time to work. I'd recommend he starts with "cold" press paper and gets used to that before deciding if he wants to try the other kinds.
I personally buy large 22 x 30 inch sheets of watercolour paper 40 at a time and cut out individual painting sized pieces from that, but I do this for a living so it makes sense for me to buy in bulk. For someone getting started, I'd recommend something like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/f.....rcolor-blocks/
A watercolour "block". This is basically a pad of paper, but all of it's edges are glued together which keeps the paper held down, which is handy because loose watercolour paper can buckle a bit if you don't stretch it out first. With a block, that's pretty much taken care of for you. I'd go with the 9 x 12 inch size, that's around what I paint at, but he can adjust that up or down depending on what he wants.
So, you're looking at at a pad of paper- on the site I linked you, around 22 bucks for for the 9 x 12 size.
The three brushes I mentioned will run you around 40
And some paint- let's say something like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/r.....tercolor-sets/ The 10 tube set costs around 12 bucks.
Oh, I just remembered you'll also need a palette! Something like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/r.....color-palette/ seems to be 3 dollars. Basically any white, plastic palette with small areas for your paint and large, flat areas for mixing.
As for lining? Any ol' black pen will do. I've used a "sharpie pen" for some time, but if you want artist quality, Micron pens are good and not too expensive. If he wants to do the lines first and the paint over them, just make sure whatever it is is waterproof- but I find that tends to fade the outline a bit so I like to ink after painting. In this case, any old black pen will do. I personally prefer felt tip pens, but he can use whatever he finds comfy.
So, that's a quick rundown on what I use and what it'll cost to get started. You're looking at less than 100 bucks, which is about the best you could hope for starting out with digital too, so hopefully that's not too scary. If you've got any other questions, feel free to send 'em my way!"
Bottomless Pinup Commissions!
Posted 9 years agoI've been wanting to practice clothing for a little while now, but I've never been good about just straight up studying- I need to make it interesting for myself. Since there's no more appealing outfit than a shirt and nothing else, it seemed like a good place to start! I'll figure out drawing pants later, heh.
These will be standard coloured commissions, no background. Just your character in a sexy pose with a top of some sort on, and not much else. Standard price, 70 CAD + shipping if you want it.
If you're interested in such a thing, leave a comment below with a ref of your character, and either a picture or description of the top you want them to be wearing. If you have no preference, I can pick something for you! I'll be taking these in small batches of 2-3 at a time, so I'll be picking them out over the next few days or maybe a week or two, don't be surprised if you don't hear from me right away. I'll also be picking these out myself, not first come first serve, and of course I always get more interest than I can actually fulfill so don't take it personally if I don't get to yours! Female characters will be preferred, but I'll be tossing in a few males too so don't be afraid to throw your name in the hat even if you've got a y-chromosome.
I think that's everything! To recap-Comment with character ref, picture or description of shirt/top. Get sexy picture. Yay.
These will be standard coloured commissions, no background. Just your character in a sexy pose with a top of some sort on, and not much else. Standard price, 70 CAD + shipping if you want it.
If you're interested in such a thing, leave a comment below with a ref of your character, and either a picture or description of the top you want them to be wearing. If you have no preference, I can pick something for you! I'll be taking these in small batches of 2-3 at a time, so I'll be picking them out over the next few days or maybe a week or two, don't be surprised if you don't hear from me right away. I'll also be picking these out myself, not first come first serve, and of course I always get more interest than I can actually fulfill so don't take it personally if I don't get to yours! Female characters will be preferred, but I'll be tossing in a few males too so don't be afraid to throw your name in the hat even if you've got a y-chromosome.
I think that's everything! To recap-Comment with character ref, picture or description of shirt/top. Get sexy picture. Yay.
List of Characters
Posted 9 years agoEDIT: Hijacking an old journal for this purpose, ignore comments! A list of my characters. Some are more established than others, but if they're here I have some fondness for their design.
Ladies---
Syandene:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/30152096/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/31357865/
Vanilla:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/28325288/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26175860/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27359679/
Cinnamon:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27362684/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26593177/
Tui:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/10029487/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/8200050/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/8426284/
Hummingbird:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/21059294/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/21091826/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/21131415/
Feline thing:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/28732232/
GatorGal:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/18627670/
LizardSlave:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26696091/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26752076/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/31250522/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26724944/
Fellas----
Gale:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/11416514/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/4473706/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23782109/
Blue: (Don't think I've drawn him by himself. He's the blue one, surprisingly:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27740422/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/5139436/
Currently Unnamed dude:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26529000/
Ladies---
Syandene:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/30152096/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/31357865/
Vanilla:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/28325288/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26175860/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27359679/
Cinnamon:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27362684/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26593177/
Tui:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/10029487/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/8200050/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/8426284/
Hummingbird:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/21059294/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/21091826/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/21131415/
Feline thing:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/28732232/
GatorGal:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/18627670/
LizardSlave:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26696091/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26752076/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/31250522/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26724944/
Fellas----
Gale:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/11416514/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/4473706/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23782109/
Blue: (Don't think I've drawn him by himself. He's the blue one, surprisingly:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27740422/
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/5139436/
Currently Unnamed dude:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/26529000/
Commission Priority List [FULL]
Posted 11 years agoI'm going to be shutting this list down for a bit while I think about my commission methods. I'll still be working from the list, but no new sign-ups for a little bit, thanks!
Commissioning a Ru- What to Expect
Posted 12 years agoThis is important stuff to know if you ever plan on commissioning me! If you're not the type you need not read on.
I've been thinking about writing this up for some time. While I generally try to be as honest as possible, I feel that sometimes people come to me without fully understanding what they're getting into when they commission me. I'm going to attempt to lay things out as clearly as possible so that there's no misunderstandings- and hopefully no disappointment- when somebody comes to me for a commission.
We'll start with the physical stuff. I paint in watercolours, on fairly lightweight watercolour paper. Pictures are all sized 8.5 by 11 inches. While I work on paper I keep it flattened by stapling extra paper outside the drawing area down to a board, and cutting it off once the picture is done. This keeps the painting fairly flat while working on it, but you can expect some very slight curling or warping in the final picture. This is often very minor and would be unnoticeable once the picture is put in any kind of album or storage. However, the picture must be cut free to scan it, so if you request any major changes to the picture you can expect there to be somewhat higher levels of warping on the paper.
As you can tell by reading this far, I am a traditional artist. This has a few implications. I have to scan the image in, which very rarely shows a fully accurate scan of the painting. Even if I do get it as close as possible on my monitor, your monitor may have different settings I can't compensate for. So expect the picture you get in the mail to vary from the image you see online. I try to get fairly close, but you can expect some difference in colour and contrast that I can't really avoid.
Also, as a traditional artist, I can only really work with the colours I've got. I can mix down to most colours fairly well, but there's no way to mix bright primary colours- you either have them or you don't, so don't expect colours to be as accurate as a digital artist could make them. Blues and Purples are particularly effected, but reds and pinks may also be slightly different hues. I also can't always adjust a colour once it's on, and it's rather normal for paintings to be slightly different from references I think. Again, I usually get fairly close, but if you need exact duplication you may need to head elsewhere!
I work best when given a fair amount of freedom to play with. I'll always try to make a picture that you're happy with, but the picture almost always turns out best when I can adjust the pose or idea to help overcome spots I'm having trouble with. If you're super picky you're welcome to give me a shot, but don't be surprised if I can't pull off exactly what you're after. I'm not the greatest with heavily detailed characters either. As a general rule of thumb, I work best and make the best pictures when I can play around and adjust things a bit. If you've got an extremely specific idea in your mind and no slight variation is acceptable, you may need to head elsewhere. Also, I draw in a very stylized fashion- realism is not one of my goals. I try to make species recognizable as what they are, but don't look for realism with me, I change the shape of the head and muzzle and the position/shape of the eyes for most species to make them more appealing to my eyes.
Once a picture is finished, I can ship it out to you if you like, shipping is pretty cheap - 8 dollars to the US or Canada, 12 anywhere else. Be aware when commissioning me, however, that I can be -very- slow to get things sent out, and depending on when you commission me and what's going on it could be quite a long time before I can get your picture to you. This is especially true if you're near the top of my commission list and get your picture drawn first, or if you somehow convince me to draw for you at a time when I'm not normally taking commissions. They do always get sent out eventually, though. I ship pictures out in a plain yellow envelope, with a piece of cardboard for rigidity. The painting faces the cardboard so that nobody could possibly see what's inside without opening it. I ship using standard letter mail. If you want something safer you can request it, but it will make it cost quite a bit more to ship, and I may hate you a little. ;P However, I very, very rarely have issues with standard mail. The only downside to this is that if your picture does somehow go missing, there's nothing much I can do about it, but I can't even think of an example right now where the picture didn't show up eventually, even if it took longer than expected.
I think that's everything, more may be added as I think of it so check back before commissioning me so you always know what to expect. This journal may turn a few people away from commissioning me in the future, and if that's the case I don't mind- I always say, I'd much rather disappoint somebody before they pay me than afterword. That's not a fun experience for anybody.
If you have any questions about anything related to commissioning me, feel free to ask!
I've been thinking about writing this up for some time. While I generally try to be as honest as possible, I feel that sometimes people come to me without fully understanding what they're getting into when they commission me. I'm going to attempt to lay things out as clearly as possible so that there's no misunderstandings- and hopefully no disappointment- when somebody comes to me for a commission.
We'll start with the physical stuff. I paint in watercolours, on fairly lightweight watercolour paper. Pictures are all sized 8.5 by 11 inches. While I work on paper I keep it flattened by stapling extra paper outside the drawing area down to a board, and cutting it off once the picture is done. This keeps the painting fairly flat while working on it, but you can expect some very slight curling or warping in the final picture. This is often very minor and would be unnoticeable once the picture is put in any kind of album or storage. However, the picture must be cut free to scan it, so if you request any major changes to the picture you can expect there to be somewhat higher levels of warping on the paper.
As you can tell by reading this far, I am a traditional artist. This has a few implications. I have to scan the image in, which very rarely shows a fully accurate scan of the painting. Even if I do get it as close as possible on my monitor, your monitor may have different settings I can't compensate for. So expect the picture you get in the mail to vary from the image you see online. I try to get fairly close, but you can expect some difference in colour and contrast that I can't really avoid.
Also, as a traditional artist, I can only really work with the colours I've got. I can mix down to most colours fairly well, but there's no way to mix bright primary colours- you either have them or you don't, so don't expect colours to be as accurate as a digital artist could make them. Blues and Purples are particularly effected, but reds and pinks may also be slightly different hues. I also can't always adjust a colour once it's on, and it's rather normal for paintings to be slightly different from references I think. Again, I usually get fairly close, but if you need exact duplication you may need to head elsewhere!
I work best when given a fair amount of freedom to play with. I'll always try to make a picture that you're happy with, but the picture almost always turns out best when I can adjust the pose or idea to help overcome spots I'm having trouble with. If you're super picky you're welcome to give me a shot, but don't be surprised if I can't pull off exactly what you're after. I'm not the greatest with heavily detailed characters either. As a general rule of thumb, I work best and make the best pictures when I can play around and adjust things a bit. If you've got an extremely specific idea in your mind and no slight variation is acceptable, you may need to head elsewhere. Also, I draw in a very stylized fashion- realism is not one of my goals. I try to make species recognizable as what they are, but don't look for realism with me, I change the shape of the head and muzzle and the position/shape of the eyes for most species to make them more appealing to my eyes.
Once a picture is finished, I can ship it out to you if you like, shipping is pretty cheap - 8 dollars to the US or Canada, 12 anywhere else. Be aware when commissioning me, however, that I can be -very- slow to get things sent out, and depending on when you commission me and what's going on it could be quite a long time before I can get your picture to you. This is especially true if you're near the top of my commission list and get your picture drawn first, or if you somehow convince me to draw for you at a time when I'm not normally taking commissions. They do always get sent out eventually, though. I ship pictures out in a plain yellow envelope, with a piece of cardboard for rigidity. The painting faces the cardboard so that nobody could possibly see what's inside without opening it. I ship using standard letter mail. If you want something safer you can request it, but it will make it cost quite a bit more to ship, and I may hate you a little. ;P However, I very, very rarely have issues with standard mail. The only downside to this is that if your picture does somehow go missing, there's nothing much I can do about it, but I can't even think of an example right now where the picture didn't show up eventually, even if it took longer than expected.
I think that's everything, more may be added as I think of it so check back before commissioning me so you always know what to expect. This journal may turn a few people away from commissioning me in the future, and if that's the case I don't mind- I always say, I'd much rather disappoint somebody before they pay me than afterword. That's not a fun experience for anybody.
If you have any questions about anything related to commissioning me, feel free to ask!
Repository of Cool Critters
Posted 12 years agoI'm starting a journal to gather up neat animals from 'round the world. I've done things like this before, but those were more for single time practice. This is going to be a persistent list of neat creatures, I'll keep a link to it on my homepage so I can always check it over and other people can always find it to add to it.
It's rather simple- if you ever see an animal and think "That would look pretty neat as an anthro" then stick it in this journal! I make no promises, but I may one day pass by and decide to draw it up.
There are really no rules at all. If you think something looks neat and might make for a cool anthro character, put 'er here and there's a chance it may happen. Just a nice way for people to say "Hey, you should draw this thing!"
That is all, thanks for your time!
It's rather simple- if you ever see an animal and think "That would look pretty neat as an anthro" then stick it in this journal! I make no promises, but I may one day pass by and decide to draw it up.
There are really no rules at all. If you think something looks neat and might make for a cool anthro character, put 'er here and there's a chance it may happen. Just a nice way for people to say "Hey, you should draw this thing!"
That is all, thanks for your time!
No fly list, shipping method/info
Posted 18 years agoThis is a list of things I won't draw for commissions or otherwise. Simply to streamline commission journals. I'll be updating it as I think of new things.
Ignore the strange comments below- I hijacked an old journal so nobody would have to see a new post about this stuff.
What I won't do
-Firstly, I will not draw private pictures, no exceptions. I have absolutely no problem with delaying publicly posting a picture for a while to surprise someone with it, but I will not draw a private picture that never gets posted. I like to share!
-Obviously, the big ones- scat, watersports, excessive gore- basically anything that comes out of the body except for spoo, and maybe a little tiny bit of blood in certain situations.
-No cubs.
-Fat. Chubby and other flavours of not super-thin I can do, but very large or excessively heavy characters I can't. You can ask if you're not sure which side of the line your character falls on, but don't be offended if I turn it down- it's just not my thang is all!
-No commercial characters. Sorry folks, I have no real reason for not doing this other than it makes me uncomfortable. That means no digimon, pokemon, WoW characters, no yoshi, no sonic or krystal wannabe characters, no movie or game characters in general. I apologize for this but it's just how I am!
-Pregnancy of any kind, or anything relating to it happening or unhappening.
-This includes oviposition and all other egg related activities.
-Muscles. If your character is just well defined or in shape, that's fine, but if you've got a tank-like muscle creature, I'm not the best artist for that job.
-Vore.
-Excessive Hyper. To be honest, I don't mind a tiny bit of hyper, but I don't like to go too overboard. Don't be surprised if it's a no, but feel free to ask.
-Ferals, taurs, humans, other non-anthro things. (Feral dragons/grypons are sometimes an exception, depends on the situation. Ask away!) Just keep in mind I'm generally an anthro artist.
-Multi-anatomy. This is things like multiple arms, excessive multi-boobs, things like that... though there is a lot of room for adjustment here. I don't mind some things, so check with me if you're curious and I'll let you know.
Traditionally male bodies with female genitalia. The only gender/combo that I'm not really into. Not sure why, but I'd rather not draw them in adult situations. Note that this only applies to adult situations- obviously if you can't see the genitals then they don't really matter at all here.
Diapers.
A general rule of thumb, though, is don't be afraid to ask. There's a lot I don't like and a lot I -do- like, and a whole bunch more I just don't care about. But, I won't mock you or think down on anyone just for having an interest I'm not into. So if you're not sure or have something you want that seems maybe close to something here but isn't entirely, don't be afraid to ask! The worst you're gonna hear is me apologize and say I can't.
SHIPPING METHOD AND INFO
For traditional art, all pictures are shipped in a rigid photo mailer envelope. The envelope is thick and opaque so that the only possible way to see what's in the envelope is to actually open it up, meaning you should be the only one who ever has any idea of it's contents.
Shipping costs $8.00 dollars to the US or CAN, $12.00 dollars anywhere else in the world.
Ignore the strange comments below- I hijacked an old journal so nobody would have to see a new post about this stuff.
What I won't do
-Firstly, I will not draw private pictures, no exceptions. I have absolutely no problem with delaying publicly posting a picture for a while to surprise someone with it, but I will not draw a private picture that never gets posted. I like to share!
-Obviously, the big ones- scat, watersports, excessive gore- basically anything that comes out of the body except for spoo, and maybe a little tiny bit of blood in certain situations.
-No cubs.
-Fat. Chubby and other flavours of not super-thin I can do, but very large or excessively heavy characters I can't. You can ask if you're not sure which side of the line your character falls on, but don't be offended if I turn it down- it's just not my thang is all!
-No commercial characters. Sorry folks, I have no real reason for not doing this other than it makes me uncomfortable. That means no digimon, pokemon, WoW characters, no yoshi, no sonic or krystal wannabe characters, no movie or game characters in general. I apologize for this but it's just how I am!
-Pregnancy of any kind, or anything relating to it happening or unhappening.
-This includes oviposition and all other egg related activities.
-Muscles. If your character is just well defined or in shape, that's fine, but if you've got a tank-like muscle creature, I'm not the best artist for that job.
-Vore.
-Excessive Hyper. To be honest, I don't mind a tiny bit of hyper, but I don't like to go too overboard. Don't be surprised if it's a no, but feel free to ask.
-Ferals, taurs, humans, other non-anthro things. (Feral dragons/grypons are sometimes an exception, depends on the situation. Ask away!) Just keep in mind I'm generally an anthro artist.
-Multi-anatomy. This is things like multiple arms, excessive multi-boobs, things like that... though there is a lot of room for adjustment here. I don't mind some things, so check with me if you're curious and I'll let you know.
Traditionally male bodies with female genitalia. The only gender/combo that I'm not really into. Not sure why, but I'd rather not draw them in adult situations. Note that this only applies to adult situations- obviously if you can't see the genitals then they don't really matter at all here.
Diapers.
A general rule of thumb, though, is don't be afraid to ask. There's a lot I don't like and a lot I -do- like, and a whole bunch more I just don't care about. But, I won't mock you or think down on anyone just for having an interest I'm not into. So if you're not sure or have something you want that seems maybe close to something here but isn't entirely, don't be afraid to ask! The worst you're gonna hear is me apologize and say I can't.
SHIPPING METHOD AND INFO
For traditional art, all pictures are shipped in a rigid photo mailer envelope. The envelope is thick and opaque so that the only possible way to see what's in the envelope is to actually open it up, meaning you should be the only one who ever has any idea of it's contents.
Shipping costs $8.00 dollars to the US or CAN, $12.00 dollars anywhere else in the world.
25 journals skipped
