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Tablet recommendations?
Posted a year agoI have a question for all my digital artist friends out there. In your opinion, what is the best affordable tablet for someone who wants to get (back) into drawing again? I'm a complete novice as far as the programs, but would really love a tablet you can draw on the screen directly (had Wacom in the past and wasn't really able to use it well). I'm leaning heavily towards Procreate as they seem to be against AI (as am I). Willing to spend a few hundred, but not four digits. Doesn't have to be a new tablet, either.
Leaning towards a 2022 iPad Air with the M1 chip, 256GB storage, but will seriously consider other recommendations. (I have other Apple products) Thoughts, please?
Leaning towards a 2022 iPad Air with the M1 chip, 256GB storage, but will seriously consider other recommendations. (I have other Apple products) Thoughts, please?
Furry Careers?
Posted 2 years agoHi there! Just trying to get some inspiration, but I was wondering how people saw furries in different jobs/careers? Like, the obvious-to-me Dalmation Firefighter, or an Otter Lifeguard or something. Anyone had a species/job combination that just seems to fit? I'd love suggestions! Thanks in advance!
Watty Awards
Posted 3 years agoI did it. I submitted "Fallout 4: AR" to the 2022 Watty Awards! Wish me luck!
Guess I need to update more often
Posted 3 years agoHey! I'm still alive. Still working, making art, playing way too many video games. "Fallout 4: AR" is complete and up on several fanfiction sites. Ummm, not much else to say. Hi?
Fallout 4: AR
Posted 5 years agoWell, I'm in the home stretch for NaNoWriMo, but my novel is going to be a bit longer. My characters keep insisting on doing stuff, yanno?
Um, if any of you are Fallout fans, or just want to see what the hell I've been doing for the last month, you can find it here - https://www.wattpad.com/user/Tyrrlin (which allows for pics, yay!) or here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/137447.....1/Fallout-4-AR
I would love feedback and constructive commentary. Please be aware it is mostly a first draft, so I may go back and make changes later. Thank you in advance!
Um, if any of you are Fallout fans, or just want to see what the hell I've been doing for the last month, you can find it here - https://www.wattpad.com/user/Tyrrlin (which allows for pics, yay!) or here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/137447.....1/Fallout-4-AR
I would love feedback and constructive commentary. Please be aware it is mostly a first draft, so I may go back and make changes later. Thank you in advance!
NaNoWriMo
Posted 5 years agoI'm crazy. Yep. But I'm also nearly 4000 words into "Fallout 4: AR", a terrible self-insertion fanfic. Wish me luck, and if anyone is interested in my scribblings, you can check 'em out on
DeviantArt
https://www.deviantart.com/tyrrlin
Fanfiction.net
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1248430/Tyrrlin
WattPad
https://www.wattpad.com/user/Tyrrlin
Comments and feedback are always appreciated!
DeviantArt
https://www.deviantart.com/tyrrlin
Fanfiction.net
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1248430/Tyrrlin
WattPad
https://www.wattpad.com/user/Tyrrlin
Comments and feedback are always appreciated!
Hi, I'm Tyrrlin, and I have a MacCready problem...
Posted 5 years agoThis is bad? I don't know, but I'm completely enamored with MacCready from Fallout 4. I mean, to the point where my fanfic muse came out of a decade's long hiding to torment me with stories, problem. So, uhh, yes.... I AM FIVE YEARS LATE to the party. My old computer was not up to the challenge of FO4 when it came out, and I only recently got a new one. I focused on MacCready since I have since discovered Critical Role and Matt Mercer (Mac's voice actor) and adore both. Bethesda made MacCready romanceable, for goodness sakes! C'mon, what's a girl to do here?
Soo, do I need help, or should I just revel in the loveliness?
Soo, do I need help, or should I just revel in the loveliness?
Anthrocon!
Posted 6 years agoSo, our situation has changed, and Darkclaw and I will be attending Anthrocon this year! Due to the short notice of the change, I wasn't able to get my art show request submitted in time for a guaranteed slot, and am not sure if any table space will open up. However, it will be wonderful to see you all again!
(Oh, and I'm working on a couple of upgrades to my 'suit, too!)
(Oh, and I'm working on a couple of upgrades to my 'suit, too!)
Ten Years Ago: LJ Pricing post
Posted 6 years agoLiveJournal (remember them before the Russians took over?) did a "ten years later" reminder email, and sent me the one and only post I wrote for this month ten years ago. I was in repair school, and we had just taken a class on shop rates. I think the topic bears reposting. Mind you, it's just an overview, so take it with a grain of salt, but it's definitely worth a read for those of you who are self-employed-
Quoted from my LiveJournal, Jan 18th 2009
Since I didn't bring my notes home with me, please forgive my less-than accurate rambling on this topic. However, I think it's FASCINATING for someone who is/wants to be/will be self-employed... and that includes artists. (So I hope this post will be helpful to all my artist friends out there!)
One of my classes this semester (and I'm doing these backwards a bit, so the info is really more pertinent to those of my classmates who are planning to graduate this May) is called "Shop Management Practices." Basically, it's "how to run an instrument repair shop" and deals with everything from MSDS sheets to basic accounting.
Anyhoo...
On Friday we discussed the idea of figuring out what your "hourly shop rate" needs to be. In Band Instrument Repair an hourly shop rate of $40.00 is considered about average, based on location. Ahhh, but how does one figure this out?
It's a very simple basic formula: Total expenses / Hours worked = Hourly Shop Rate
Let's take a look...
First and foremost, figure out YOUR ANNUAL SALARY (as in, a reasonable salary to keep your lifestyle). Let's say $36,000 per year. That divides up quite neatly. So, per month, you need $3,000.
On a sheet of paper, list your *monthly* expenses. This includes (but is not limited to):
- salary (mentioned above)
- rent (if you have a shop, as opposed to working from home)
- utilities
- cost of supplies (not JUST art supplies, but also things like staplers, printer ink, mailing envelopes, stamps, etc. Don't be stingy with this list as your supplies are the basic core of your revolving expenses.)
- taxes (sales tax, business tax, etc. Check with your local rep. to see what applies to you)
- vehicle expenses (Gov't rate is $0.42 per mile, which is pretty accurate to include fuel, basic maintenance, etc. Calculate how many miles per month you think you'll drive that's business related, and that includes supply runs!)
- insurance (especially if you're working with expensive items)
- legal (a very good idea if you might be dealing with art theft and copyright violation)
- advertising (this includes attending cons and keeping a website, not JUST your traditional advertising mediums)
- investments and expansion (Ooh, I know I'll need to buy this really expensive airbrush if I want to start doing -insert art style here-.)
I'm sure there's more, but I honestly can't remember it all. We had an amazing checklist in class.
Okay, once you figure out your monthly expenses, look at how many hours you will devote to working. Your basic 9 to 5 job is considered 40 hours per week. Multiply that by 4 to get 160 working hours per month. Now, I'm going to pull a monthly "total expenses" number out of thin air to demonstrate. Let's say $4200.
You divide $4200 by 160 and get $26.25. THIS is what you *should* be earning per hour of work.
So we're done, right? Noooo..... How do you KNOW this is what you're earning? Let's take a look. (I have NO idea what you guys really make, so please don't kill me for my made-up numbers, okay?)
Let's say "Artguru" has her own business and primarily does commissions. For the month of January, she takes in $400 in week 1 with pre-con badge orders. Week 2 sees an additional $520 with one or two large commissions. Week 3 is the con and she does well, bringing in $1200. Week 4 dips down to a rather sad $380. "Artguru" is very good about setting work hours and averages 40 hours per week. (Again, I'm just using these numbers as an example!)
So, 400+520+1200+380 = $2500 With monthly expenses at $4200, she's not making enough to support her business. Her "shop efficiency" is at about 60% which means she's making a little less than $16 per hour. (actual / proposed or 2500 / 4200). Most shops can survive at 75-80%. 100% is theoretical... ya gotta go to the bathroom sometime!
What can we do? Well, if "Artguru" wants to support herself, she can do one of two things. She can work longer hours to make up for the lack of income, OR she can charge more on commissions and prints. If she were to work longer hours, she would have to work (theoretically) 40% more to make up the difference. That means, her 8-hour day just became an 11+ hour day. Yikes!
Might be better to charge more. How do we figure that? Well, right now she's making about $16 per hour when she needs to make $26 (yes, I pulled out the fractions, don't kill me. XD )
This is where I become hazy in my remembering.... so I'm going to *realllly* compress things. I'm also going to "dumb it down" a bit so my brain doesn't explode from math overload!
Let's take a look at commissions. "Artguru" has several levels of commission. The most popular are her con badges which she currently charges $20 for a full-color badge. On average, she can crank out six badges per work day. This means it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes per badge on average. To keep her business afloat, she needs to charge around $34 per badge, keeping her $26/hour workrate. Larger, more time-intensive commissions will also need to be progressively more expensive. However, as she works on commission (no pun intended) and doesn't see the full amount until completion for the larger works, how does she stay afloat?
Simple. (Kind of) Keep a rotating roster of quick and time-intensive jobs so that you can balance out your payments as well as keeping your mind fresh with new material. Build this rotation into your "finish date" on your contracts so that you're not rushing to complete a HUGE job at the last minute. If it takes 50 hours to paint a large piece and you know you need to do 3 con badges a day to keep money circulating, then factor in that you can reasonably expect to put only 4 hours a working day into that large commission... meaning it would take nearly three weeks to complete.
By including your salary into the equation of expenses, you should be able to keep a reasonable supply of cash in your personal account to tide you through lean times. Mind you, your shop rate is an INTERNAL number, and is NOT the customer's business to know.
This is just a basic intro to shop practices. I have not factored in things like reputation or location, so also please bear this in mind. I hope it helps! Comments are encouraged.
EDIT: You're welcome to point to this entry if you think others might be interested in it. If you do, please let me know!
Quoted from my LiveJournal, Jan 18th 2009
Since I didn't bring my notes home with me, please forgive my less-than accurate rambling on this topic. However, I think it's FASCINATING for someone who is/wants to be/will be self-employed... and that includes artists. (So I hope this post will be helpful to all my artist friends out there!)
One of my classes this semester (and I'm doing these backwards a bit, so the info is really more pertinent to those of my classmates who are planning to graduate this May) is called "Shop Management Practices." Basically, it's "how to run an instrument repair shop" and deals with everything from MSDS sheets to basic accounting.
Anyhoo...
On Friday we discussed the idea of figuring out what your "hourly shop rate" needs to be. In Band Instrument Repair an hourly shop rate of $40.00 is considered about average, based on location. Ahhh, but how does one figure this out?
It's a very simple basic formula: Total expenses / Hours worked = Hourly Shop Rate
Let's take a look...
First and foremost, figure out YOUR ANNUAL SALARY (as in, a reasonable salary to keep your lifestyle). Let's say $36,000 per year. That divides up quite neatly. So, per month, you need $3,000.
On a sheet of paper, list your *monthly* expenses. This includes (but is not limited to):
- salary (mentioned above)
- rent (if you have a shop, as opposed to working from home)
- utilities
- cost of supplies (not JUST art supplies, but also things like staplers, printer ink, mailing envelopes, stamps, etc. Don't be stingy with this list as your supplies are the basic core of your revolving expenses.)
- taxes (sales tax, business tax, etc. Check with your local rep. to see what applies to you)
- vehicle expenses (Gov't rate is $0.42 per mile, which is pretty accurate to include fuel, basic maintenance, etc. Calculate how many miles per month you think you'll drive that's business related, and that includes supply runs!)
- insurance (especially if you're working with expensive items)
- legal (a very good idea if you might be dealing with art theft and copyright violation)
- advertising (this includes attending cons and keeping a website, not JUST your traditional advertising mediums)
- investments and expansion (Ooh, I know I'll need to buy this really expensive airbrush if I want to start doing -insert art style here-.)
I'm sure there's more, but I honestly can't remember it all. We had an amazing checklist in class.
Okay, once you figure out your monthly expenses, look at how many hours you will devote to working. Your basic 9 to 5 job is considered 40 hours per week. Multiply that by 4 to get 160 working hours per month. Now, I'm going to pull a monthly "total expenses" number out of thin air to demonstrate. Let's say $4200.
You divide $4200 by 160 and get $26.25. THIS is what you *should* be earning per hour of work.
So we're done, right? Noooo..... How do you KNOW this is what you're earning? Let's take a look. (I have NO idea what you guys really make, so please don't kill me for my made-up numbers, okay?)
Let's say "Artguru" has her own business and primarily does commissions. For the month of January, she takes in $400 in week 1 with pre-con badge orders. Week 2 sees an additional $520 with one or two large commissions. Week 3 is the con and she does well, bringing in $1200. Week 4 dips down to a rather sad $380. "Artguru" is very good about setting work hours and averages 40 hours per week. (Again, I'm just using these numbers as an example!)
So, 400+520+1200+380 = $2500 With monthly expenses at $4200, she's not making enough to support her business. Her "shop efficiency" is at about 60% which means she's making a little less than $16 per hour. (actual / proposed or 2500 / 4200). Most shops can survive at 75-80%. 100% is theoretical... ya gotta go to the bathroom sometime!
What can we do? Well, if "Artguru" wants to support herself, she can do one of two things. She can work longer hours to make up for the lack of income, OR she can charge more on commissions and prints. If she were to work longer hours, she would have to work (theoretically) 40% more to make up the difference. That means, her 8-hour day just became an 11+ hour day. Yikes!
Might be better to charge more. How do we figure that? Well, right now she's making about $16 per hour when she needs to make $26 (yes, I pulled out the fractions, don't kill me. XD )
This is where I become hazy in my remembering.... so I'm going to *realllly* compress things. I'm also going to "dumb it down" a bit so my brain doesn't explode from math overload!
Let's take a look at commissions. "Artguru" has several levels of commission. The most popular are her con badges which she currently charges $20 for a full-color badge. On average, she can crank out six badges per work day. This means it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes per badge on average. To keep her business afloat, she needs to charge around $34 per badge, keeping her $26/hour workrate. Larger, more time-intensive commissions will also need to be progressively more expensive. However, as she works on commission (no pun intended) and doesn't see the full amount until completion for the larger works, how does she stay afloat?
Simple. (Kind of) Keep a rotating roster of quick and time-intensive jobs so that you can balance out your payments as well as keeping your mind fresh with new material. Build this rotation into your "finish date" on your contracts so that you're not rushing to complete a HUGE job at the last minute. If it takes 50 hours to paint a large piece and you know you need to do 3 con badges a day to keep money circulating, then factor in that you can reasonably expect to put only 4 hours a working day into that large commission... meaning it would take nearly three weeks to complete.
By including your salary into the equation of expenses, you should be able to keep a reasonable supply of cash in your personal account to tide you through lean times. Mind you, your shop rate is an INTERNAL number, and is NOT the customer's business to know.
This is just a basic intro to shop practices. I have not factored in things like reputation or location, so also please bear this in mind. I hope it helps! Comments are encouraged.
EDIT: You're welcome to point to this entry if you think others might be interested in it. If you do, please let me know!
Custom orders on Etsy
Posted 7 years agoIf you ever wanted a custom-made Moni-Taur or Lindwurm, now's your chance!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
(I'm still tweaking the custom Art Doll listing.... it's on the way!)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
(I'm still tweaking the custom Art Doll listing.... it's on the way!)
Amazing Anthrocon
Posted 7 years agoWe're home from another successful Anthrocon! Thanks and much love to everyone I saw, everyone who said something about my Art Show entries, and everyone who bid or won one of the pieces in the Show.
Now it's time to cross my fingers for P.O. approval for my summer repairs (only one school, but it's a good start!) and building up my Etsy offerings.
Much fun. Many fursuits. Very WOW!
<3 <3 <3
Now it's time to cross my fingers for P.O. approval for my summer repairs (only one school, but it's a good start!) and building up my Etsy offerings.
Much fun. Many fursuits. Very WOW!
<3 <3 <3
Art Dolls and AC prep
Posted 7 years agoSo, I've actually started AC prep early this year, as I'm juggling sculpting with running my repair shop. I did have three other sculpts, two instrument statues and a large Lindwurm, already made, but they were entered in my local VA Creative Arts Competition, and respectively placed first in their divisions. What this means is they are going to be judged on the national level, and I may not get the originals back in time for AC.
So... making other stuff. My Art Dolls usually sell, but the Moni-Taurs are a hit and miss, about a 50% sell rate. The Burds I make have only sold once. Is there something I'm missing? I'd really like to make creatures that people will like, but must be shooting wide of the mark. If anyone has any constructive criticism or suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear it. Thank you!
So... making other stuff. My Art Dolls usually sell, but the Moni-Taurs are a hit and miss, about a 50% sell rate. The Burds I make have only sold once. Is there something I'm missing? I'd really like to make creatures that people will like, but must be shooting wide of the mark. If anyone has any constructive criticism or suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear it. Thank you!
Japanese yodeling chicken video
Posted 8 years agoYes, it's as strange as it sounds, but oddly compelling.
Cyber Monday Sale!
Posted 9 years agohttps://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
Moni-Taurs, Burds, Crocheted necklaces, and a fully poseable Art Doll! I reduced all my prices this morning, so if you're looking for that perfect, handmade gift, check it out!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
Signal-boosting is very greatly appreciated. ^.^
Moni-Taurs, Burds, Crocheted necklaces, and a fully poseable Art Doll! I reduced all my prices this morning, so if you're looking for that perfect, handmade gift, check it out!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
Signal-boosting is very greatly appreciated. ^.^
Anthrocon? Anthrocon!
Posted 9 years agoAnyone else in a last minute art frenzy?
I have fluff all OVER my craft room.
I have fluff all OVER my craft room.
Sad news
Posted 10 years agoMy mom called this morning- my 95 year-old grandmother, my last living grandparent, passed away last night. She had been having heart troubles and I guess it was her time. Hubby and I always made sure to visit her when we drove up to my parents' place. We saw her at Christmas, and she was still chipper. Rest in peace, grandma. You are missed.
Cyber Monday sale!
Posted 10 years agohttps://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
Got some cool stuffs and nice holiday gifts for sale! Check it out.
Got some cool stuffs and nice holiday gifts for sale! Check it out.
Goodbye, Sarge
Posted 10 years agoYesterday, I had to say goodbye to Sarge, my kitty companion of 15 years. He had hemangiosarcoma, and there was no other decision we could make. I am completely crushed. The cancer came out of the blue, and we had no idea until he started bleeding all over his favorite chair.
Goodbye, my sweet, funny, fuzzy boy. You took care of me these past 15 years. I hope I did the same.
Goodbye, my sweet, funny, fuzzy boy. You took care of me these past 15 years. I hope I did the same.
Etsy!
Posted 10 years agoMissing pics?
Posted 10 years agoI'm not sure what happened, but ALL picture files are just small blank outlines for me. Is anyone else having this problem?
New submission, watch list, my own gallery, others' galleries.... no pics, nothing. HALP!
EDIT: My watch list doesn't show links. If I click on a broken image icon, it gives me a description. I can't even visit the page of the artwork!
EDIT2: Hmmm, in IE, FA is working, but NOT Chrome.
EDIT3: Hubby to the rescue! He reset... something... and things are working again. Whew!
New submission, watch list, my own gallery, others' galleries.... no pics, nothing. HALP!
EDIT: My watch list doesn't show links. If I click on a broken image icon, it gives me a description. I can't even visit the page of the artwork!
EDIT2: Hmmm, in IE, FA is working, but NOT Chrome.
EDIT3: Hubby to the rescue! He reset... something... and things are working again. Whew!
Panicccc!
Posted 10 years agoAnthrocon is less than two weeks away!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
*flails*
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
*flails*
Buried in fluff
Posted 10 years agoWhyyyyy did I choose to make art dolls from super-soft fur? Whyyy?
I'm breathing fluff, sneezing fluff, blinking fluff, and my bonus/sewing room is a danger zone of loose fluff.
But the over 3-foot long dragon is coming along nicely.
FLUFFFF.....
I'm breathing fluff, sneezing fluff, blinking fluff, and my bonus/sewing room is a danger zone of loose fluff.
But the over 3-foot long dragon is coming along nicely.
FLUFFFF.....
Owie
Posted 10 years agoFire is hot, mmmkay?
Caught my finger with the propane flame torch at work yesterday. Owie. Deep blister and numb fingertip. Fun times.
EDIT: Just looked it up. The flame I hit myself with burns between 2,000-3,500 degrees Farenheit. Yikes.
Caught my finger with the propane flame torch at work yesterday. Owie. Deep blister and numb fingertip. Fun times.
EDIT: Just looked it up. The flame I hit myself with burns between 2,000-3,500 degrees Farenheit. Yikes.
Etsy
Posted 11 years agoI finally got prodded into actually opening a shop. Wish me luck!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TyrrlinArt
Signal Boost for an artist in need!
Posted 11 years agoVicky Wyman (she of the Xanadu comic) is dealing with some really, really heavy financial difficulties right now. If you can send a little donation her way to help her, that would be great! Please help out one of our own!
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:41771782
Latest Journal entry with PayPal info.
Thanks!
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:41771782
Latest Journal entry with PayPal info.
Thanks!
