Sorry for being quieter than usual lately. I’ve been looking into a potential job opportunity, and it seems really promising. It would hopefully support me as much as my last job, while also allowing enough flexibility to continue making artwork.

The catch is that I need a reliable phone for the job, and the one I currently have is old and failing. So I’m asking for one last push for help. Help me get a new phone. If I can get working again, and get back on my feet, it would mean the absolute world to me.

Now, what does this mean for my artwork and commissions?
Hopefully, nothing there will change. My ultimate goal is to make a living on my artwork, so I’ll still take commissions. I just won’t have to beg for them each month if I have another source of income. In fact, I’m specifically pursuing this other job because of how flexible the hours are. My previous job kept me too busy and exhausted to keep making art most of the time.

I’m not entirely sure how much I’ll need, but I’m currently setting the goal at $200. Most of that will be to cover the monthly data plan, gas money, and extra bills until I start getting paid again.

As always, I’m happy to take commissions. The PWYW deal is still going through the end of the month, and every little bit helps. Or if you prefer to make a donation, I’ll be very grateful and humble to accept that as well.

Commission info here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/
Donations here: https://paypal.me/Strebiskunk

Edit: JUST TO MAKE THIS CRYSTAL CLEAR
I'm not one of those people addicted to using their phone all the time, and I really don't want it to sound like that's all this is about.
I normally don't give a second thought to my phone, just so long as it functions properly.
If this wasn't necessary for work, I wouldn't be asking.

I've been offering different ideas for YCH commissions, and it seems like people keep favoriting them each time, but I never get any takers. So I'm curious, are they too expensive at $30? Or do they not convey a good enough idea of what the final picture will look like? Please let me know how I can make these more appealing.

Buy my crap! Buy my crap! Buy my crap!
Here’s a quick reminder that Pay What You Want commissions are still available. If you’re short on cash but still want a commission, now’s the perfect time to get one. Just send me a Note to get started.

Commission info here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/

Actually, I've been on there for a while, but I'm just now starting to post stuff. With the recent purge, I'm mostly just reposting my sfw material, and maybe I'll use it for daily sketches and stuff. Enjoy!

https://strebiskunk.tumblr.com

Just for this weekend, I’m taking Pay-What-You-Want Commissions. Just like last time, send me a Note with your idea and what you’re willing to pay, and from there, we’ll negotiate the level of quality (lines, flats, shading…). I’m willing to be flexible, but more money gets you higher quality.

More commission info here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/

In case anyone might have been holding off on buying a commission out of concern for my well-being, let me assure you I am more than eager to start taking commissions again. Between various bills and with holidays right around the corner, any support is greatly appreciated.

Commission info here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/

Thank you to everyone who responded to the previous journal. Most offered feelings of sympathy, and some suggested that I take even more time off to feel better. All of it's greatly appreciated. And while I still feel a bit bleh, I've decided to get back to artwork sooner rather than later, for a few reasons:

1. It gives me something positive to focus on.

2. For some reason, the longer I stop drawing, the harder it is for me to get back into it. And I really want to keep the recent momentum that I've built up moving.

3. For better or worse, I'm currently relying on artwork for my income, and after taking time to be sad, I still have to take care of myself.

And so, expect to see some new artwork in the next day or two. Though I'm probably going to take it easy on mature content for a little bit (maybe a week or two). But otherwise, I look forward to making more silly, fun content, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Back in May, I posted that one of the dogs was having severe health issues, which we were able to stabilize after some trips to the vet and some special care.

But this morning, she passed away. I have no doubt that she felt loved. Personally, I'm still processing everything and going through a lot of emotions right now.

I'll try to get back to artwork later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, I apologize if I don't come across like my usual self.

Mostly I've just removed the Sketch option, since no one ever asked for that, and I've added another level to separate Simple Shading from Full Shading.

I've also created a visual guide, here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/29235802/

One final reminder, it's the last day for Pay What You Want Commissions.

Original post here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8918717/

Just a reminder, I'm taking Pay What You Want Commissions until the end of October. Just a few days left now.

Original journal here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8918717/

Just in time for Halloween, we get a Christmas special that serves to bookend Season 8 and close out 2018 for My Little Pony. When everyone (though especially Twilight) starts freaking out about getting prepared in time for Hearth's Warming, AJ suggests a Secret Santa set-up to cut down on everyone's shopping time. From there, most of the main characters have their own separate adventures (while Starlight hangs out with Trixie in the background).

Some of the set-ups seem a bit forced, like Rainbow not knowing what Fluttershy likes. These two literally grew up together and have been friends the longest. I understand Rainbow needing a bit of help, but having Fluttershy just say she likes everything feels lazy (besides that, EVERYONE forgets about Pinkie's filing system, including Pinkie herself). However, Discord's appearance was handled well. His mischief actually leads to a clever ending, and feels like an apology for A Matter of Principals. (to say nothing of the G.I. Joe reference; Discord as Snake Eyes and Rainbow Dash as Storm Shadow had me dying)

On Pinkie Pie's end, we begin with a long-awaited follow-up to Hearthbreakers, with the Pie family visiting Ponyville. Marble's reaction to Big Mac and Sugar Bell seriously made my heart hurt. And speaking of couples, Mudbriar also makes a cameo at the end (and by that point, Marble is looking REALLY salty). But anyway, Pinkie's set-up also feels weak, as she decides to go to the yaks for advice (she should know better; she's already seen firsthand that Prince Rutherford doesn't have a damn clue about anything). Though this eventually leads to her meeting three magical reindeer named Aurora, Bori, and Alice, who are color-coded like the Powerpuff Girls. I thought these characters were pretty neat, though the elderly reindeer looks a little too similar to Granny Smith.

AJ and Fluttershy have yet another run-in with Flim and Flam, though this one is handled MUCH better than Friendship University. This time, the brothers are creating false hype around cheap dolls, but when they get called out, they point out that this is a legitimate business practice, without the conflict of interest from the friendship school (though we STILL don't have an answer as to how they got Twilight's lesson plans). And AJ and Fluttershy ultimately foil them in a way that points out the flaw in their sales pitch and lets everyone else make up their own minds instead of just forcing them to close their business. Again, this feels a lot more balanced and fair. And AJ and Fluttershy don't get a free pass either, as they both end up with these terrible (and hilarious) dolls that they have to give as gifts.

Rarity's story begins with her talking to Derpy. And I don't know... I WANT to like this scene, but compared to Derpy's previous speaking parts, something seems off here. Something about the timing just feels wonky. Anyway, Rarity ordered a designer hat for AJ that ended up going to the wrong address. And here we meet the Acorn family, who I really liked. It turns out the family's son Pistachio is also into fashion, adores the hat, and is even star-struck at meeting Rarity. I also appreciate that Pistachio is played as a relatively even-tempered person who happens to love fashion as a hobby, rather than being over-the-top flamboyant like many other fashion ponies on the show (not hating, mind you, but it's good to get different characterization sometimes). Rarity connecting with Pistachio and encouraging him was really sweet.

Then there's Twilight (who's PUDDING revelation put me on the edge of thinking, "Go home, MLP, you're drunk"), who seems to have everything together until it gets ruined by Cadance's demon baby (damnit, I was really on my way to not hating Flurry Heart too). Though I really appreciate how Cadance and Shining Armor both get a chance to shine here. Hey, remember when Shining used to be a competent leader, before the fandom turned him into Cadance's bitch boy? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

And finally, there's Spike, who goes through so much effort to get matched up with Rarity, only to go completely blank on what to get her (hey, we've all been there, man). So, he ends up giving her a song at the end. I'm always apprehensive when Spike's about to sing, because it can really go either way. But thankfully, this was a really good song, and a great way to close the episode. Some of the visuals are a bit weird, though. We get a few shots from the characters involved in the episode (good), then a random shot of Mayor Mare at the town hall (umm, okay?), then a shot of Luna and Celestia (not in the episode, but still sweet), and then the changelings (Wait, what? Why? They had nothing to do with the episode AT ALL. So why don't we see the other species, like the griffons or the hippogryphs? And Ocellus is there, but we know she had to spend one Hearth's Warming at the school, so this is NEXT YEAR already! How old are all the characters by now?)

Despite stumbling in a couple of places, I thought this was a really good special overall, and I'm glad we could get one more positive note to remember Season 8 by.

Just over a week left, and I still need to make rent money, so I'm going to offer Pay What You Want Commissions until the end of October.
Here's how it works:
-Send me a Note with your idea and how much you want to pay. (keep in mind, more money = higher detail/coloring/shading/etc.)
-If there's a certain level of quality you'd prefer (coloring, shading) let me know, and we can negotiate if there's a huge difference between the pay and what you're asking.
(I'm willing to be flexible, but I'm not going to draw multiple characters colored and shaded for a dollar; try to keep it reasonable)
-From there, it's like any other commission.
You can find commission info here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/

Also, I'd appreciate any feedback to help serve you better.
Are my regular prices too high? Is there any part of my commission procedure that seems unfair? Is there anything else I can offer that would make commissions more appealing?
I try to make everything as straight-forward as possible, but please let me know.

And if you like everything just the way it is, even a small donation would be greatly appreciated here: https://paypal.me/Strebiskunk
Thanks again.

A. Cute pics

B. Funny pics

C. Sexy pics

Edit: if you had to pick one, which one do you like the most?

Okay, since my landlord STILL won't say anything to me (frankly, it's very weird and creepy), until something changes, here's my approach going forward:
Even assuming that I'm being given leniency/mercy/grace period for this month, it's safe to assume that I'll still need rent for next month. And one of the biggest criticisms I received before (which is perfectly valid) is that I didn't give enough notice when I made that first announcement.

So I'm going to announce right now that I need to make rent for November. Currently, I'm still at $80 from the October drive.
That gives me until November 1st to raise $420 (total of $500), with a stretch goal of $1000 to make up for this month's rent as well (again, assuming my landlord ever says anything about it).

If you would like to support me, commission info is here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/
There's currently an option for a SFW YCH commission here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/28963582/
And a NSFW YCH commission here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/28965072/
And if you'd just like to make a donation, you can go here: https://paypal.me/Strebiskunk

Also, if you have any suggestions or if there's anything you'd like to see, please feel free to let me know. Thank you.

For those just joining us, I'm currently taking commissions as well as personal donations to help pay my rent.
Currently, I've raised $80 of my $500 goal, and a big thank you to everyone who has helped so far.

I've explained the situation to my landlord, and it's kinda weird. I'm not sure where I stand right now.
I don't think he's going to kick me out right away, but he's clearly upset. But besides that, he hasn't said anything to me about it, so I have zero details about a final deadline or anything like that. I'm not even sure how much of my explanation he listened to.

Right now, my best plan is to just keep taking commissions to get that money as quickly as possible. As always, any help is greatly appreciated.
Commission info can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/
Personal donations can be made here: https://paypal.me/Strebiskunk

Thank you to those who have ordered commissions!
And thank you to Daniel for your generous donation! (don't know if you want to be identified, so I'm sticking with first name only)
All of you are awesome!

So far, I've reached $80 of my $500 goal, and I'm really touched to get that kind of support so quickly.
I'm having a bit of an issue with Paypal*
*EDIT: The Paypal issue has been resolved!

Once again, commission info is here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/
And personal donations can be made here: https://paypal.me/Strebiskunk

Thank you all again.

I hate to do this so suddenly, but my rent is due, and I need to come up with $500 fast. If you can help, please consider buying a commission. Information can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/

My commissions are priced very reasonably, starting at $5 for a single character sketch. I'm also working on YCH ideas for those who would prefer something like that.

Normally, I don't like to take personal donations, as I feel you deserve something in return for your money. However, due to current circumstances, any help is greatly appreciated. If you prefer to make a personal donation, that can be done here: https://paypal.me/Strebiskunk

I understand that not everyone is able to help, but again, if you can, it would mean a great deal. Not only in keeping a roof over my head, but more importantly, I'd be able to continue sharing fun content with everyone. Thank you.

Before I get into this, please note that I'm not trying to go after anyone in particular, as this is a general issue that keeps coming up every season. Though this year seems to be a bigger problem than usual, since about half the damn episodes this season got leaked early. Sometimes, I'll go ahead and watch something early, but most of the time, I decide to wait. Last year specifically, I remember some episodes being leaked early, but the leaks were poor quality, or in some cases weren't even finished (missing sound effects and background music). So when that happens, I think it's best to just wait for the official release. And in the meantime, I do my best to avoid spoilers.

However, there's always someone who's excited to talk about it early. And that's natural. Heck, sometimes I'm guilty of it myself. Sometimes they drop little hints or details in the middle of a conversation. Sometimes, they'll straight-up ask, "What do you think of X?" assuming that I saw the leak/animatic/whatever. And sometimes, I'll directly tell someone that I'm avoiding spoilers, and he or she will respond, "Oh, well here's what happens..."

So here's just a gentle reminder that not everyone enjoys spoilers. I know, everyone slips up once in a while. But please try to be considerate of others trying to enjoy your favorite show.

(I mean, jeez guys, I'm three seasons behind on Game of Thrones, and I don't even have this problem with that show)

I've noticed some people are able to set up a Paypal.me link and possibly invoices to only display a business name. I've been poking around at my settings, even changing between the different account types, but I can't figure out how to do it. I'm really curious, and if anyone could help clue me in, that would be awesome.

Just a heads up. Overall, prices are increasing just a teeny bit, but it should also be simpler and a lot easier to calculate now.

Send me a note if you'd like a commission, and be sure to check the info here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5058955/

I've noticed some artists I follow are starting to use Ko-Fi as an alternate method for people to make small donations. Any thoughts on this? Does anyone have experience using the service? Is it good? Any problems with it? It's something I'm considering since not everyone can afford commissions, and it also seems to be a bit more simple and straight-forward compared to Patreon.

After my last journal, the dog is doing much better today, though she'll need some special care for the next week or two. Apparently, she was showing signs of kidney failure and congestive heart failure, so this might still go either way, but hopefully we caught it in time. Currently, she's eating more, walking around, and reacting to things around her, all of which are good signs.

No, I won't be making any Star Wars puns. I apologize for the lack of updates this week. We've been dealing with a sick pet at home (short story: one of the dogs stopped eating or responding to anything; she's currently at the vet being treated for dehydration), and it's led to a severe lack of sleep for me, which has led to blurry eyesight and difficulty concentrating. For better or worse, I think once the situation with the dog gets resolved, it'll be easier for me to get back on track and be productive again. Sorry if that sounds messed up. It's been kind of a messed up week.

On a positive note, everything's just about set up so I can start taking commissions again. I'll make an announcement for that very soon. All the feedback from my recent work has been very uplifting, and I appreciate it so much. Also, the issue with my throat has mostly cleared up, so I look forward to making videos again soon as well. Thank you again to everyone, and I'll see you soon.