Woo, Friday's done! Had a good day in the alley, and I'll be back in the same spot tomorrow and Sunday. I'm a room mod, so I'm in the same place each day. Second room on the left when you're walking in from the escalators, red tablecloth right inside the door. :) if you're at the con, feel free to stop by my table, say hi, flip through my books (and maybe buy my art). =-P

Hey guys!

I know I asked this once before, but I'm posting another reminder since I've been pretty active this year. I AM UPDATING MY PRINT BOOKS!


IF YOU HAVE COMMISSIONED ME IN THE PAST YEAR AND DO ***NOT*** WANT YOUR COMMISSION INCLUDED IN THE IMAGES I MAY MAKE AND SELL PRINTS OF, PLEASE TELL ME NOW!!!!


Specifically, I will be updating my ADULT print book before MFF this weekend. I know this can be a touchy subject for people because commissions can be very personal things. I do not make prints from every piece I draw, and my print runs are very small (usually about 3 prints of each piece I choose). While I reserve the right to make prints from my drawings, I have always given commissioners the chance to decline the possibility. General audience commission work does get added to the digital slideshow I let play at cons, but no adult work ever goes into that.

If you have any questions or concerns whatsoever, please speak up or note or email me! I MUST make prints before Thursday when we head to the con. You've got until then to let me know!

I'm about to head out the door to the post office with things for:

 geb
 powhatan
 narawerewulf
 nikaro
 caramelrose
 jaded_lynxx
 marcusstarkiller
 adtuna1192
 blaez
 tempestuous
 taurenmoo

Hey guys,

I'm recovered from my earlier illness, but got kind of discombobulated from the holiday weekend. I was planning to stream Friday and today, but husband and I went Black Friday shopping (which I'd never done before) and wore me out. We've spent the rest of the weekend on a massive house cleaning project, so I've been moving boxes and sorting junk instead of drawing. I'll see if I can get on a little later this evening, but it depends on how much we get done now. I stole a couple minutes on my iPad to post this while the husband's terminating some wires. If I can get away to stream, I'll post a notice as usual.

Hey guys,

I'm doing better today, but still not feeling 100%, so I'm gonna bow out on streaming tonight. I'll try and pop one up tomorrow to make up for it. Needless to say, I also got delayed on getting things in the mail today, so I'll do my best to get things out tomorrow.

As  nikaro pointed out, only I could get con crud from an entirely online convention. Actually, pretty sure the husband gave me his bug. Some small consolation is it should pass fairly quickly. u.u Today's been un-fun.

Tigerdile's HomeCon is over and done with. I had a blast, and I hope you guys did, too! I've got just about everything scanned and posted. The last thing left on my list right now is  zendai's color upgrade. :) I'll see if I can get that done between cleaning house tomorrow. If all goes according to plan, I should have everything that needs mailing sent off either Monday or Tuesday. I think I have most of the addresses.  abraxis if you see this and would like your original, just let me know and note or email me your mailing address! I know I don't have yours.

My buddy  nyil does some seriously epic (and uber cute) work! He's got a couple commission slots open, so you guys should totally go check out his stuff and commission him. =)







Hey folks!

This weekend is HomeCon over on Tigerdile!

That means I'll be trying to stream as much as I can over the course of the weekend. I'll be doing existing commission work, as well as open for slots just like I would be while working a convention dealer's table. =) The plus side here is I get to do it in my pajamas with my kitchen right around the corner, so no stressing over finding food and such. There will be kitty time! (there is always kitty time) And if you'd like to use this weekend to pre-order art or a conbadge to pick up from me at MFF, now would be a great time, AND you get to watch me work on it in stream if you want. Otherwise I will be open for streamed commissions all weekend, with the goal of finishing everything before HomeCon ends on Sunday. =D I may sneak a few more pugacorn drawings in there, too. Anything I make from streamed commissions I'll be saving to pay down the expected bill for my upcoming surgery Dec. 9th.

Given that FA is planning to be down on Friday, make sure you save your refs someplace off-site just in case it takes longer than expected to come back up! I think I've got everything for my current commissioners saved to my desktop, so you guys are good. If you need to get in touch with me while FA is down, here's how:

email: zannah[at]rainbowsaber.com
AIM: zannyarts
Skype: zannyvixen
Twitter: asholohan
AfterDark (adult) Twitter: ZannyVix
Tumblr: http://zannyvix.tumblr.com
G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ZannahL/posts
Tigerdile: https://www.tigerdile.com/stream/zannah/

You guys are awesome! Hope you swing by my streams to hang out and chat at the very least. =) I enjoy the company while I work. As long as FA is up, I'll be posting notices here (and elsewhere) when I start streaming each day.

Surgery scheduled to remove the ovarian cysts and fibroids! The ultrasound showed that while the big cyst HAS shrunk, it's very much still there. There are also a mess of little ones, and there's a big endometrioma tangled into the whole thing. Basically my insides are spaghetti, which is why it hurts all the time.

I'm scheduled for pre-op on Dec. 1st, and the surgery itself is Dec. 9th, the Tuesday immediately following Midwest FurFest. Right now we're just talking about removing the stuff that isn't supposed to be there, though the left ovary may have to go, too, if it's being problematic. Doc wants to give me another shot afterwards to dry up the suckers for good, and then I'll probably have to go on a birth control hormone to keep things under control. As long as it stops hurting afterward, I'm happy.

Not a lot new to report at the moment, but I go see my doctor for another ultrasound tomorrow. Given that the spot where the cyst is located still hurts, and has been hurting off and on for months, I'm going to bet the hormone shots didn't work and the damn thing is still there. Won't know for sure what's going on until he actually takes a look, though.

If that's the case, then I have to convince my doctor that I don't want another shot, and try to get him to yank my damn ovaries out at the very least. I'm tired of feeling lousy, having horrible periods, and being in low level pain all the freaking time. I'm tired of the irritability and the weight gain. I'm also concerned he's going to argue for leaving me as "intact" as possible just in case I might change my mind and want to try and have babies one day.

No. Fuck no.

I am thirty-one years old. My husband has been fixed for a good five years now, at least half our marriage. We do. Not. Want. Biological. Children. I'm past my fertility peak and have no desire to get pregnant or have babies. That isn't going to change. I've read too many stories of women who've had multiple surgeries to remove ovarian cysts, because the damn things will grow right back. I'm not ever going to use these bits for their intended purpose and they're just causing me pain. As it stands, when the current shot wears off I'll likely be right back to horrible periods because birth control didn't do shit to fix it before and I have no reason to believe that's going to change. I just want it all to stop. u.u

Sorry, mostly just venting.

TLDR: being female sucks when your bits malfunction. I'll post an update after my appointment tomorrow when I have a better idea what's going on.

Yes, I will be there!

I'll be staffing a table in the artist's alley like I have in pervious years, so that's where you'll find me during the bulk of convention hours (I work it open to close). If you're interested in preordering a conbadge or artwork to pick up from me at the con, now's the time!

There were three people who commissioned art from me last year whom I didn't have addresses for (Gummi G Green, Kilani, and Taylona), and who never got in touch with me after the convention. The art's long been finished, and I'll be bringing it with me. Hopefully I can get those to you guys at the con. :-/

Sorry to say I'm not very exciting at cons. I don't drink, don't party, and haven't danced in years. When I'm not working the alley, typically I'm holed up doing art. Please do feel free to come by and say hello while I'm at my table, though! I don't mind chatting, and I'm okay with non-creepy hugs. =P Also, if I met you previously and don't remember you, I apologize in advance. I'm really bad with names and faces (though I have a pretty good memory for badge art) and it's hard to concentrate when I'm working.

Hey guys!

I want to participate in Homecon on Tigerdile, provided there aren't any unforeseen issues that would prevent me from streaming those days. What I'd like to know is if you guys have any suggestions for what you'd like to see from me during that time. Specials? Sales? Themed stuff? It's gotta be within reason, but I'm open to ideas!

Mailed off pieces for:

 nikaro
 alyxvixen
 adtuna1192
 tree-san
 hafoc
 fatinuyasha

Copied from my Tumblr, written mostly in response to watching someone whom I *know* has large outstanding commissions open for new slots over and over without working on what they've already been paid for. u.u Might I offer a bit of advice from my own years of navigating this crazy business:


1. KEEP A PUBLICLY VIEWABLE LIST OF THE ART YOU OWE.

It has a tendency to make your customers anxious when they don’t know where they stand on your to-do list. A public queue will at least let people know you’re acknowledging you owe them work. MAKE IT EASY TO FIND! Also, keep it up to date.


2. DO NOT OPEN YOUR QUEUE FOR NEW WORK WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE OUTSTANDING PAID COMMISSIONS LANGUISHING.

It is a HUGE no-no in professional-artist terms to owe people a backlog of commissioned, PAID work, and then ignore those people in favor of constant quickie slots. That’s like running a restaurant where you’ll make someone wait three hours for a steak so you can pop out half a dozen burger orders that came in after they did. You MUST learn to balance your workload or you’ll gain a reputation as unreliable at best, or a scammer who runs off with people’s money at worst.


3. DO NOT TAKE ON MORE WORK THAN YOU ARE CAPABLE OF FINISHING IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.

Speaking of balancing your workload, always take care to limit how much work you take on so you don’t end up falling into the trap of no. 2. It’s easy to go “Oh, I needed cash for an emergency, so I can just do quick stuff. I’ll totally get around to it,” and then get overwhelmed and never follow through. This makes people angry at you, which feeds into stress and depression, which in turn makes it harder to be creative. You want to avoid this trap! Resist the temptation to take on more and more work if you can’t finish it.


4. IF YOUR WORKLOAD IS OVERWHELMING YOU, YOU ARE NOT CHARGING ENOUGH.

Yes, if you’ve got too much on your plate, the money’s gone so you couldn’t refund it even if you wanted to, and you’re completely overwhelmed, you didn’t charge enough for your work in the first place. Suck it up, learn your lesson, and hike your rates to something resembling reasonable compensation (AFTER you finish what you already took on, you still owe those commissioners their art, even if you undercharged them for it) for the next time you’re ready to do new work.


5. ALWAYS KEEP LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN!!!!

Lastly, it is extremely unprofessional to ignore commissioner emails, or to make yourself difficult to contact. If someone pings you, respond as quickly as is feasible. Even a simple “Thanks for asking, I haven’t got to yours yet,” is better than dead silence. Doesn’t matter if it’s Tumblr, Twitter, IM, or email. Be. Accessible. Reply when customers ask questions or need status updates. Be polite, courteous, and respectful, and you’ll generally get the same in return. C’mon, guys, this isn’t rocket surgery. Take a little time to get yourself organized so you don’t end up joining the ranks of deadbeat internet artists, always open for commissions and never delivering what they’re paid for.

Yeah, yeah, bandwagon, ho! I know. =P

So after a lot of thought and debate, and reading over rules and ToS stuff, I decided to try out this Patreon thing. I know at least a few of you have been enjoying the ongoing "Night to Remember" story and image posts I've been making, and a couple of you have hinted that you'd like to see more, posted more frequently. Much as I'd love to do that, I've been struggling with devoting time to what feels like a large personal project rather than working on paid commissions. I'm really glad you all enjoy it, but I feel guilty as hell taking time out to work on it. c.c

So to that end, I figured I'd try using Patreon as kind of a carrot to give myself a little more motivation to work on it, and also give something back to the folks who decide they want to contribute.


http://www.patreon.com/zannah
http://www.patreon.com/zannah
http://www.patreon.com/zannah


Right now I have things set up PER PIECE, not per month, so if you do want to support it, make sure you set up your budgeting accordingly. I doubt I'm going to turn into a speed demon producing tons of pics (and if I did, I'd switch it over to monthly instead) but it's certainly possible I might end up making more than one pic and chapter release per month. My goal with this isn't to pay the rent (nice as that might be), but just to make it feel like the time I spend on it is really justified. The driving idea behind "A Night to Remember" has always been to explore and educate where BDSM is concerned, in a somewhat more realistic sense than is usually seen in fiction. It's supposed to be sexy and fun while also covering things like trust, personal safety, using protection, negotiation, communication, etc. All the stuff that's important in building working relationships with play partners. It does contain content that is NSFW, so you must be 18+ to subscribe.

I WILL NOT BE PUTTING CONTENT PERMANENTLY BEHIND A PAY WALL

Everything I make via the Patreon will also be posted here, uncensored, for free. You'll just have to wait a little longer to see it than the folks who're backing the project, that's all. I'm also not going to stop taking commissions or posting other art here for free, so no worries. I'm not going anywhere. I think this might work okay for my single side project, provided there's any interest. And if there isn't, well I'm no worse off than I was before I put the page together. If you DO enjoy the "Night to Remember" project and want to see more of it from me, faster, please do consider pledging a couple bucks. =)

So I know the internet is basically of two camps when it comes to Patreon. Whatever. I was playing around with it today, and thinking of setting up a per-piece campaign to see if there was any interest in funding more of the "Night to Remember" story and illustrations I've been posting sporadically. Just kind of like a carrot to keep me moving on it so folks get to see new chapters more often.

I built the whole page, and uploaded a bunch of starter content to reflect what's already been done... and then while searching for the payment info, I found this in their faq:

What is not allowed?
Pornography is not allowed on Patreon. “Pornography” is defined as material designed with the sole intention of eliciting sexual arousal. Specifically, Patreon does not allow:
-Close up depictions of intercourse, masturbation, or genitalia
-Depictions of sexual bodily fluids
-Any sexual content depicting underage subjects
-Anything we forgot to put on this list but makes our users uncomfortable


Argh. u.u

So much for that idea. I'm not so much mad at them as I am at myself for all the time I lost putting the damn page together to find out I'd be violating their ToS if I actually use it. The story I'd like to fund is very specifically adult in nature, as are many of the images for it. So yeah, if anyone happens to know of a service that functions along similar lines, but, y'know, doesn't freak out if the content happens to have bits and fluids, I'd be all for it. Ugh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ADDENDUM:

On further reading of the rules, it looks like most of the restrictions presented at Patreon are focused on publicly viewable content, or in other words, don't have dicks and boobs all over your main page where kids might stumble across them. So long as your profile is set to private, and NSFW content is marked for patrons only and not public, it should be okay. So it looks like I might be able to do this after all!

That would be really nice. I'm not looking to pay my rent with the thing, but a few bucks would certainly help as an incentive to getting out more pics and chapters for public consumption.

I'm back from Rising Star, and I'm tired but happy. The con went well (and the local newspaper used a quote from me in their article about it c.c;;;) I ended up being the only artist on the artist roundtable panel, but I had a bunch of kids come ask me questions and listen to me blather for an hour, so that was fun. =) Met up with  rrchaser617 on my way back home, and then stopped in Indianapolis for the night. I got home around noon today, just in time to watch the plumbers finish filling in the hole in the yard and make sure the pipes are all cleared.

And there was a THIRD set of Copics waiting for me (thank you, Pez =P ) when I got here, so I just finished reorganizing everything. Now I'm sitting here petting my shinies. Don't mind me. ^_^;

Hey folks!

 ifus is trying to sell off some tickets to the Rob Zombie haunted house event in Villa Park. I'd be interested myself, but I won't be in town this weekend. This is the event: http://greatamericannightmare.com/index3.html

If you're in the Chicago area or thereabouts and looking to go, contact  ifus She has two tickets available for sale!

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6198961/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6198961/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6198961/

No, the two aren't related.

We're finally getting the sewer line fixed! Unfortunately, when the guys dug up my yard this morning, they determined that the clay pipes are broken up all the way to the sidewalk, so they have to trench out most of the yard. Ugh. The long and short of it is they need to fix the pipes, so it's gotta be done. Landlord had me sign off on it, since he can't get here, and they told me I'd be able to use the water again before they leave. Unfortunately, the village can't get an inspector here until Monday, so it's going to be an open trench until then. We're also losing a bush, and possibly a tree. Ah well. It's gotta get done.

In other news, I'll be at Rising Star in Bluefield, West Virginia this weekend! I offer a discounted commission price list at this convention ONLY, because I've got a special deal going with them. I've been a convention guest for them for years now. =) It's a small con, but very fun! I know there aren't many of you who can probably make it out there, but I'll be at a table all Friday evening and Saturday. I'm still trying to convince  nyil to come with me so I have a table buddy.

Hey guys!

I know folks sometimes have trouble reading through and finding things on these wordy pages, but just wanted to remind everybody that I do keep a publicly viewable queue of art I'm working on, and I try to keep it up to date. So if you're one of my commissioners and you want to know where your art stands, you can always take a look. It's also included in the links at the top of my profile page, so you don't have to worry about finding this journal again. =)


http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1727899/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1727899/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1727899/


It's currently up to date, to the best of my knowledge. If there's anything wrong or missing, feel free to let me know! I try to respond pretty quickly to notes, or you can drop me an email at zannah[at]rainbowsaber.com if you've got questions and don't like FA notes.

The big monitor I've been using for extra screen real-estate is refusing to power on this morning. :( I can run a stream without it, but I'd have to reconfigure everything so it's not all smushed together. *spoiled*

From what I've looked up, it should be theoretically possible to fix my big monitor, but I have to badger the husband into taking things apart and finding and correcting the problem (which isn't always a swift fix, as he has his own projects, too). I may end up swapping it out for the little flatscreen TV I was using before, just so I have a second monitor to put stuff on. Ugh. First world problems. :-/

Pieces go out in the mail today for:

 blaez
 tempestuous
 nicholai
 ellintrakattears
 gabriel-fawkes
 adtuna1192
 vanst
 akibo
 zucca


Sorry about the wait, guys! You should have your stuff shortly. If you're not on this list and expecting something from me, either I don't have your address, I'm still working on your piece, or I'm building a multiple piece art stash envelope for you. =)

Okay, okay. I've been tagged by both  jaffah and  nyil, so I figured I should do this.

A disclaimer that these are written as if Zannah was answering, not me personally.

RULES :
1. Pick one of your OCs.
2. Fill in the interview as if you were your OC.
3. Tag four people to do this meme!
4. Tell people that they been tagged with a link from your journal

OC picked: Zannah

1. What is your name?
My name is Zannah.

2. Do you know why you were named that?
Technically, it's a nickname, but my full name is a mouthful and I don't care much for it.

3. Single or taken?
Depends on who's asking.

4. Have any abilities or powers?
None I care to admit to. Standing out tends to make one into a target, and I prefer to keep a low profile if I can.

5. Stop being a Mary Sue!
Uhh. I don't know what you mean.

6. What's your eye color?
They're brown.

7. How about hair color?
It's black.

8. Have you any family members?
I do, yes.

9. Oh? How about pets?
I had pets when I was a child. Now I have apprentices. It amounts to the same thing.

10. That's cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don't like.
I don't care for darksiders. They have a way of ruining one's day.

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?
I enjoy music, and practicing my katas. I like to cook, but I'm not very good at it.

12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?
Yes.

13. Ever… killed anyone before?
I have.

14. What kind of animal are you?
Animal? I'm not an animal. I'm a Lemorian.

15. Name your worst habits.
I've never been much for cleaning.

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?
Most of the people I looked to as mentors are long dead and gone.

17. Are you gay, straight, or bisexual?
My sexual orientation has no bearing on anything.

18. Do you go to school?
I completed my schooling some years ago.

19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?
That was a goal of mine once, in my younger years. Now, I'm not so sure.

20. Do you have fangirls/fanboys?
What do you mean?

21. What are you most afraid of?
That I might lose myself to the dark side of the Force.

22. What do you usually wear?
Shipsuits in blue or black, spacer's boots, and a belt to hold my blaster and lightsaber.

23. What's one food that tempts you?
I quite like roast gornt.

24. Am I annoying you?
I am not sure what you mean.

25. Well, it's still not over!
That is a statement, not a question.

26. What class are you (low class, middle class, high class)?
I was born into the Aristo class of my homeworld, but I've spent most of my life living in far simpler circumstances.

27. How many friends do you have?
Enough.

28. What are your thoughts on pie?
I like eating.

30. Favorite drink?
I don't mind a good lomin ale from time to time.

31. What's your favorite place?
My starship.

32. Are you interested in anyone~?
I've had my dalliances.

33. That was a stupid question.
Indeed.

34. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?
I have no preference, but I come from a world without oceans.

35. What's your type?
Type?

36. Any fetishes?
Some things are best not spoken of in public.

37. Seme or uke?
I don't know what that means.

38. Camping or indoors?
Whatever the situation demands.

39. Tag People!
No, I don't think I will.

Hey folks!

My friend is offering up ginormous movie poster themed commission slots! She does really amazing work, and you guys should totally check her out. =) These posters are HUGE and such a deal at the rate she's offering, considering what you get (you should all check out her awesome leather masks, too!). Go look!


http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6153854/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6153854/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6153854/