Heading out to Florida for Megaplex in a few hours. First con I will be going to that isn't FWA in... wow, too many years! It is my first time there so I can only hope for the best and have fun down there in the sun.

Last week as the winter warmed up, my moped was taken from my home before I had to go to work.

I'm starting a Gofundme to help with the loss of my moped. I really don't expect to try and make up the cost of my only vehicle but I'm humbly asking for any help in this painful matter.


https://www.gofundme.com/island-kit.....s-stolen-moped

I never imagined I'd get such support from friends and strangers in the community. The response for help on my moped loss was overwhelming.

Thank you all. I am happy and proud to be a furry. I am destroyed by the amazing generosity of my dearest friends who responded and shared my request for help. I made my goal tonight, never expecting this so quickly. I'm still holding back tears.
Thank you so much.

Which is that I will NOT be there this year. Right now with the job, asking for the time off during our busy season is impossible for me. Hell, I got my time off request for a previous convention pulled because of that same reason. Secondly, I'm slowly moving my art in a different directions that I'm kinda showing in a few of my recent posts. Lastly, the costs of a trip is out of the question for me. I need to save up for moving out of the hood, pay off debts and visit my mother and sister in their new residence.

Life is changing for me in many ways and currently I sadly cannot take the luxury for a trip this year. Have fun for me to ALL of my friends going this year!

Which is that I will NOT be there this year. Right now with the job, asking for the time off during our busy season is impossible for me. Hell, I got my time off request for a previous convention pulled because of that same reason. Secondly, I'm slowly moving my art in a different directions that I'm kinda showing in a few of my recent posts. Lastly, the costs of a trip is out of the question for me. I need to save up for moving out of the hood, pay off debts and visit my mother and sister in their new residence.

Life is changing for me in many ways and currently I sadly cannot take the luxury for a trip this year. Have fun for me to ALL of my friends going this year!

I am looking into having a stream, the first one in a long time to show the icons/badges I am testing out right now. Most of my work is traditional and sadly my desk arrangement doesn't properly allow a camera a good overhead view. With these icons already inked, at least I can show them being coloured and grab anyone interested in having their own character as a Nightvale citizen!

I really hate myself for saying this, lately I've been okay just busy keeping the roof over my head, just paid rent and already too broke buy like food for example. I'm happily completing a commission and ready to ink another one but I'm using tonight's stream as a sort of food fund raiser. The ones I've inked were quicker than I expected and colouring will probably be just as fast.

Here's an example of the ones I will be colouring tonight: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12880090/

I hope I can generate some interest for this tonight around 9:30pm EST when I come home from work. I'll be on www.livestream.com/caribbeanink for now as I've seen too many artists switch over to other sites. Something I may need to do if I stream more often after tonight.

Please, let me know what you think. It has been a while for me but with everything going on, I need to try all of my options right now.

Working on some remaining art work for people, hoping to finish them this week as they have really waited too long for them. I thank you all for your patience with me as I work hard (maybe too much) on everyone's images and everything else.

Life in general is up and down at the moment, I was hoping for a better year in 2014 but so farI'm going to keep skeptical as we near the end of the month. For now, I just want to work hard and enjoy life, drawing more and different things that's going to be not common with my gallery. My only fear is losing followers or interest in the change but I'll take that risk.

I do also want to open up for requests or commissions really soon. Colour sketches and fun roughs, something that won't take too long or take away what little time I have left in my days (or nights).

For now off to work for me, later!

Tonight I learnt a close friend, mother and wife passed away today. I will be in limited contact as I bear with the grief and mostly worry about her family and their loss of a wonderful woman. I cannot say when I will finish the con commissions I owe but I will get to them as soon as I can for those waiting.

Rest in peace my dear.

Been a bit busier than I expected in April but I'm making some headway.

I've knocked away half of my take homes from Furry Weekend Atlanta in between days of work. Back to school has come and gone with the art institutes and I'm no longer being exhausted by huge lists that these teachers give kids. Next week I want to work on the remaining that I have before returning to owed commissions and personal (hopefully fun!) projects. I still wish for time in the day though...

Aside from random life stuff, exercising, going out when I can and tending to local events, like an arts festival tomorrow, I've just.. been busy! Hardly have the time to be online regularly now. When I do want to sit by the computer, at those times I just want play a game to have fun again. Hell, I'm thinking of saving up for Titanfall just because it looks fun once I know enough friends on whichever platform to join.

Spring is here and I'm taking everyday I can to bathe in the warm sun and new inspirations that come with it.

Been a bit busier than I expected in April but I'm making some headway.

I've knocked away half of my take homes from Furry Weekend Atlanta in between days of work. Back to school has come and gone with the art institutes and I'm no longer being exhausted by huge lists that these teachers give kids. Next week I want to work on the remaining that I have before returning to owed commissions and personal (hopefully fun!) projects. I still wish for time in the day though...

Aside from random life stuff, exercising, going out when I can and tending to local events, like an arts festival tomorrow, I've just.. been busy! Hardly have the time to be online regularly now. When I do want to sit by the computer, at those times I just want play a game to have fun again. Hell, I'm thinking of saving up for Titanfall just because it looks fun once I know enough friends on whichever platform to join.

Spring is here and I'm taking everyday I can to bathe in the warm sun and new inspirations that come with it.

It was awesome, glad to have attended this year to see new faces and catch up with friends. Had a great time in general aspects and thoroughly inspired to do more artwork as soon as I can. I have a few take homes that I will be contacting people to let them know I'll be working on their projects. After that I'll resume a couple commissions I left on pause in time for the convention.

After this con, I've decided to take a break from attending furry conventions for the rest of the year. The only reason I will say publicly is I want to focus on producing more of my personal ideas and comics that I've let go. I want to really push on posting more art online and having a larger collection of my interests, sci-fi, fantasy, noir, etc. Plus, I really need to get out of retail, it drains the life out of you if you're not careful!

To ALL of my friends that I got to see, it was a pleasure and it really wasn't enough time to catch up but such is the nature of a con. Seriously need to have like a Chill FurCon, where everyone just comes and hang out, talk junk, eat food and relax.

That's all from me for now, see you!

Trying to repost some of my thoughts on twitter over here for those who read my journal.

I've been working on some illustrations idea but they won't be done in time for FWA with my new badge order now. Ah well, I'll 'save' them for another con. For now, I need to rework my price list for this year as I am thinking of some price reductions and such. I'm just juggling ideas I have in my head at the moment that I'll be tossing at friends during the con for their input.

Right, back to some work as the con is coming up soon.

Trying to repost some of my thoughts on twitter over here for those who read my journal.

I've been working on some illustrations idea but they won't be done in time for FWA with my new badge order now. Ah well, I'll 'save' them for another con. For now, I need to rework my price list for this year as I am thinking of some price reductions and such. I'm just juggling ideas I have in my head at the moment that I'll be tossing at friends during the con for their input.

Right, back to some work as the con is coming up soon.

Where are you staying?
At the Westin!

What day are you getting there?
I'm already here! No seriously, it's like 5 minute train trip for me and I can see the area from my apt.

How are you traveling?
Again! Via train, it's a bit easier that way.

Who will you be rooming with?
Rooming with some locals and staff!

How is the best way to find you?
I'll be in the Artist Alley this year again with the rest of zoo of artists! Working on having new stuff at my table so come by and say hi! Afterhurs, I'm easily found if I'm poked on my twitter: tommicat

Are there any panels you might be attending?
Meh, I dunno. If I see one maybe. Again, I'm just chilling in the Alley for these days.

What do you look like?
Short, bald, glasses, brown. Usually either wearing something blue or a fashionable golden robe lined with fur with maidens FANNING ME! But yeah, usually a blue shirt.

Will you be suiting?
I'll wear a nice shirt and pants, maybe a tie! Does that count?

Do you do art?
Yuuuup.

Do you do badges?
Oh yeah! Tons of them!

What is your gender?
Brosef

How tall are you?
Midget and a half.

Can I talk to you?
Why? What you want? I didn't do it!

Can I touch you?
OHGOD! It's homeland security!

How can I find you?
Artist Alley... Dummy.

Can I visit your room?
Now you're just really nosy.

Can I give you stuff?
I accept cash, PayPal, all major credit cards, pretty ladies, pretty dudes and a box of lunch.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
I'll do a hug if you're nice but a snuggle is gonna cost yah bub. Pay up!

Are you nice?
Mostly! Except for that one time. Poor pooor Johnnie. We never talk about Johnnie since the factory explosion.

How long are you going?
All of the days!

Do you have an artist table?
Yes, I think I need to show you how to ask questions...

Will you be going to parties?
Party! Party! Party!

Will you be performing?
Not since the accident at sea in '79.... o.o

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
You need to have an appointment then you must wear the darkest of robes with a rum offering....
Or come say hi, but I'm serious about the rum. GOOD RUM!

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Motherf--

What/where will you be eating?
Whatever I can get downtown. Why? You askin' for a date?

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
I dunno... You cute?

Can I take your picture?
Nope.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Sell more art than last year, do much more badges even though I have no samples.

January was a busy month for me, too much to go into detail but mostly pertaining to work and schedule changes at my job along with trying to socialize more. Unfortunately I've been posting more to my twitter and tumblr any kind of updates and artwork lately. I've really gotten used to using my mobile phone but I try to post what I can here as well. So far mostly sketches but I'm working on are traditional work and ideas before I tackle some commissions and FWA prep.

Furry Weekend Atlanta is coming up and I'm getting some neat ideas I really want to try for the art show and my artist alley table. Working at an art store really have give me some fun inspirations to try out.

Happy Holidays, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice to everyone out there. Be good to each other and rest well!

So at my new job we had an event where we hosted a wide variety of art supply vendors, almost of every kind! It was crazy, the whole store was rearranged to fit in all of these sales people and to bring in their products as well. It was a heck of a challenge as we expected a storm of people of arrive this weekend.

What we got was tsunamis and a hurricane that devastated all of the staff and their energy. Yet we survived and loved it, somewhat anyway.

It was great learning process to gather though, as much as I enjoy digital media and digital art, it was a complete joy to be among the real media paints an tools. By the end of the weekend, some of us came home with swag bags, like me to play and know more of the new products. So here's hoping I will be using some of them for any furry ideas.

For now I'll be practicing or sketching with some of the new materials now and see what I can do with them. Wish me luck!

I recently left my old job and started a new one a week later than I promised to leave that job but nonetheless I am so relieved to be out of the food business. The new job is still retail and pays only a tad bit more but hey, so far less stress on my head so it's all good. I'm working at an art store now and helping people put so I'm doing what I'm good at and yet feel like a kid ina candy store with all of the art stuffs!

Also, after talking it over with a friend and seriously considering the options, I am stepping back from attending MWFF this year sadly. After the setback I've allowed this job to do to me on my art life, I need to catch up and focus more on my work and portfolio. the second reason is I rather use that travel money to fly back to my family around Xmas season if I can. I miss being 'home' and the festive feelings there, plus I need to play with my baby nephew before he gets any bigger!

Whilst I'm reorganising myself to the new job and scheduling my art time with it, I may have to reconsider certain personal projects to be either cancelled or placed on the backburner for another time. It sucks to do so but I made a simple resolution to keep to my priorities this year and I'm learning that sacrifices have to be made. :/

That's it for now, working on a commission that's bringing back some old skills that I'm fond of doing. Take care!

Just an update on life and what is going on with me currently. Sometimes I really think about just condensing my thoughts and make comic strip like posts of what has been going on with me.

Anyway, slowly chugging through commissions that I have in between the random-time-consuming-job-schedules for the past weeks. It's been a juggling act that I really should have mastered by now, regardless of what life throws at me. I will keep at it though to finish these commissions, especially with the chance of switching jobs (still praying for it) so I may snag more time to do what I LOVE to do. Draw and Write.

Whilst I do commissions, there are some other projects I'm involved in but I can't say at the moment what they are just yet. Trying to be more engaged with the community here and there aside from my own personal arts. I really really hope to talk about them soon with you all but for now I try to distract with other works of art.

Speaking of other kinds of art, after discussing with a friend, I really need to do more art that are not full body portraits or scenes only. My usual excuse was always 'I don't have time!' but life is short so I need to make time in order to make cute lil stuffs. Especially if I want to save up to: 1) attend Midwest FurFest and 2) purchase a portable pc tablet (ThinkPad2) to draw on.

That's it for now, tons to do, little time and sleep to do it!

Since I'm working double all weekend, I decided to try and write this on the way to work so please excuse any misspelling in this post.

Basically Anthro Con was a blast, too many names to call out but I was very happy to see every one of my friends even for a brief moment. I mostly worked at the Artist Alley, which had some major hiccups , still managed to run ... fairly well, to put it nicely. I prepped for this con pretty last minute so I'm just happy I did 'okay' this time.

The con is over and I'm back to work at my crappy job, considering attending MFF next. Right now, I am unsure as I already plan to quit said job this month and find another ASAP. I don't know for sure yet, my main concern is paying rent and tons of bills like any boring person. :)

Only other con I will be at is Dragon Con for a day or two because it's local for me and I bought the registration last year.

Aside from cons, I still have a small queue of commissions I want to return to this weekend. I completed a couple of surprise artwork for a customer hence why I was a bit dormant for a month. Hopefully I can show it soon but until then I will post what I can here.

Right this is my stop, thank you for reading and for the support!

Anthro Con was great, I was amazed by seeing so many friends, old and new.

No con report from me for now, I'm still recovering as you furries wear me out! Thanks again for everything and hoping to make it again for next year!

I'm currently working on samples to upload but work has been KILLING me this week. So hopefully around this weekend maybe? Work is being crazy so it's hard to gauge at the moment but I am planning to have a new setup for Anthro Con. Sadly nothing fancy or shiny as I would like but this is last minute crunch time. Maybe next year I can guarantee going to AC earlier so I can be ready!

This was a very bright moment for me to find out I scored all three days at the alley for Anthro Con! That's right, so I'll be there all day everyday, from Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Maybe even Monday when the entire convention is closed! (Okay, maybe not.) I am very excited about this, so much so that I'm nervous. So little time to prep, so much to do!

I think I will just be in a state of panic and fright as I crank out more work and prep for the con until July.

Where are you staying?
The Westin.

What day are you getting there?
Thursday through Monday.

Who will you be rooming with?
With a very kind lady named Jess, who will have Micro Mascots in the Dealers Room, her boyfriend and some other dude.

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
A bunch of crazy and nice people hopefully but I'll hardly have the brain to keep track.

What is the best way to find you?
On my Pirate ship! That or in the Artist Alley with my artwork.

Are there any panels you might be attending?
Doubt it!

What do you look like?
A black dwarf that all of his beard and hair shaved off with a cup of coffee.

Will you be suiting?
Nope!

Do you do free art?
Do you give free money?

Do you do trades?
Hardly. I'm pretty picky to be honest.

Do you do badges/commissions?
Yes I do! I'm working on new displays and work to offer!

What is your gender?
Grumpy face man.

How tall are you?
5'4", so you tall people better step out of my way!

Are you in a relationship?
No, rude of you to ask!

Can I talk to you?
Yes, just be careful I may have garlic breath.

Can I touch you?
Only if your hands are sanitized, I've got a crappy job to go back to and I rather prefer to be healthy please.

Can I visit your room?
No. Sorry, I'll be both busy and tired to entertain guests.

Can I buy you drinks?
Yes, I would be quite happy if you did. Oh get me a hoagie while you're at it, please. Thanks!

Can I give you stuff?
Sure! No strings attached right?

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Not unless I know you.

Are you nice?
I am a professional douche internet troll but I'm not afraid to speak my mind. Politely. Alo I'm sometimes full of shit.

How long are you going?
Most of the con? I'll only be there from Thursday to Sunday.

Do you have an artist table?
I hope so! This Artist Alley Raffle thing is nerve racking.

Will you be going to parties?
I'm busy!

Will you be performing?
Do I look like a monkey to you? Oh just cause I'm brown skinned I'm a monkey now is it? You want me to clap my hands and dance in a funny hat? That's it!

Do you have prints/CDs?
Maaaybe....

Will you have art in the Art Show? General or Adult sections?
Nah. Not this year sadly.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
First, you will kneel in front of me and address me as 'Mi Lord,' and make note of my family clan. (I have started watching Game of Thrones...)

Can I look in your sketchbook?
Sure!

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
No, I have a guest sketchbook for that.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Sure, but I tend to walk everywhere and skip the escalators.

Can I take your picture?
Ehhhh.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
To meet other well respected artists and to make a decent profit of commissions! Tons of commissions.

It's still up in the air for me really. I'd have to figure out the three key features first in this order:

Ride
Room
Register

If I work out the first two main things, I'll think I can give my guarantee. Untill then, I'm hoping to bounce back from the head cold that laid me down the past week so I I can draw more again. While I have been drawing, they are nothing worth to be happy about or work on when your head spins every time you look at the paper. Soon, I hope to post some updates, what little I have from FWA2013 at least.

FWA this year was bigger and better in so many ways this year that even the con staff was surprised at how well it turned out!


For me, I enjoyed meeting up with friends that were able to come,  syrae-universe was a nice surprise as she managed to get to the con last minute. There is really too many people for me to try and remember and then list according to the events. Just know I was very happy to see you and wish I had more than half a brain at the con to catch up on old times. As much as I really do try, even with pre planning, I'm still mentally/physically tired during a con.

I had a blast at Matt's concert, although it was a bit smaller of a turn out than last year. The element of storytelling The Lives of Dexter Peterson was engaging and the audience was hooked on this concept as well. Matt was great to chat with before and after the show and fortunate to meet his lion, Tsaro as well!

Spent most of my time in the Artist Alley, really liked how they ran it this year even if it was comfy warm for only me and not for anyone else. I have a few nitpicks about the Alley but that cannot be helped. Always want more room in the alley, etc. Somehow on the last day sadly someone or ones were responsible in the breakdown in both lamination machines, I was very sad to hear that.

This was also my first year in the art show, where I submitted my lil four pieces and I was very happy to hear that two of them sold. Seems the Koi Fish was one of the favourites among my collection.

There were many surprises that I didn't expect at all from this con that I won't explain here for now. Just certain things I need to consider or rethink for the future. For now, I need to try and work through this cold meds and get better.