It's been a rough year.

A few months ago I had some medical issues that interfered with my ability to draw, hence my long absence. But slowly, things are starting to improve.

I really miss FA and art, and hopefully I will slowly be coming back. I'd like to switch my name, however -- feel free to follow me over to my new account, if you'd like. I'll be posting art there shortly. (:

Well, my husband and I are finally settled in to our new place in America! It's taken a lot longer than I expected -- and I misjudged the fact that I would be without a pc for a while, and thus unable to work on art. We were going to ship our computers after us, but that ended up being more hassle (and money) than it would be worth -- so eventually we just ended up buying a cheap little desktop pc here, and now I'm back to work!

And speaking of work -- I ended up finding a part time job as a dog groomer! I start later this week, and I'm pretty excited. Sadly though, it does indeed look like the commissions I'm working on now will be the last for a while, so I can continue getting settled into my new home and job.

At any rate, I wanted to apologize to those who've been waiting patiently on art, and let the rest of you know what's been going on with me lately! Expect to see updates soon! C:

Hope everyone has a wonderful, warm and cozy holiday season! <3

Updates!

Yesterday my husband and I went to the US embassy in Amsterdam for his final interview for a Visa, and... he was approved!! :D This means our move is officially underway! Bags are being packed, tickets are being booked... I'm so excited! We celebrated by getting drunk off our faces.

Unfortunately, this means a few things are going to change... I won't be taking as many commissions in the future, because I'll be picking up on the career I left behind in America, and won't have as much time for selling art, anymore.

I'll still be making art and accepting occasional commissions, but I'll probably doing more personal art than anything, now. It's going to be nice going back to making art for myself, but I do love working on commissions and I'm sure I'm going to miss that.

In similar news, a few of you know that I've been having financial troubles recently. Well, yesterday, we had a miracle. We got a letter from the government in the mail... because we got married last May, we suddenly qualify for tax returns. $1500 of them, to be exact. This is such a load off our shoulders! I can't even... express how happy this makes me! :D

Somewhat because of this, I had my first taste of Blue Label Whiskey. Oh god that stuff is like heaven.

So yes, good news all around from over here. <3

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Questions?

Now, I kinda always wanted to do this, but I've been too shy -- but about a month ago I posed a question for all of my watchers, and I got some really great answers... now I want to turn the tables. c:

If you have any questions for me, feel free to send them to me! You can either PM me or comment here. If I get enough, I'll post the best ones in another journal (kept anonymous, if PM'd).

I'll answer pretty much anything, except possibly really weird personal questions. So ask away, if you have anything to ask! <3


- Eske

I've actually been wondering about this, and I figured I might as well ask you guys since it's your opinion I'm curious about! :3

What kind of art would you like to see in my gallery?

Would you guys prefer if I uploaded art more often, uploading things like speedpaints, portraits, line-arts, etc? Or are once-a-month full-blown paintings good enough?

What about content in general? More pin-ups? More clean art? Fantasy? Modern? Specific species you wish I drew more of? Etc...?

I'd really like to hear what you guys have to say. <3

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Annnnd, just for the record, I've still got commission slots available. :3
See here for info: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1439960/ -- Full up for a few days at least. Thanks, guys! (:

Hey there everyone! Just a few updates for you. <3

Commissions

I currently have one (only one!) commission slot available (any type).

My prices and information!

Please PM me if you're interested. (:

The slot's been filled. Thank you! <3


Felisfire work
I'm still working on artwork for Felisfire.com -- now not only do I get to create new breeds for the game, but I've also been given the opportunity to revamp the game's items! It's a huge task (there are 300+ items to be redrawn ASAP), but the little pixel work is actually a really nice break from bigger projects. :3 As usual, I'll upload my Felisfire work on my deviantart account (Pepokish) once the new art has been implemented into the game.


Married, and relocating!
As of May 16th, 2011 -- I'm officially married. :3 I feel old. My husband and I (I don't think I'll ever get used to saying that) will be moving back to America in an estimated 6 months. I'm pretty excited for that. I might even finally be able to attend the bigger cons like Anthrocon and Rainfurrest! I'll be sad to leave Europe, but the cost of living here is just way too high for dirt-poor newlyweds like us.

So, anyone in the Washington/Oregon/California area?


Missing Correspondence?
I'd also like to apologize for how inactive I've been. I have been just so busy with the wedding, and now with preparations to move, that I didn't really have time for much else. ): I had a flood of PM's in my inbox a few weeks back, and I'm still not sure that I've gotten to all of them; so if you're waiting on a response from me for something, please feel free to re-send your PM! I won't be offended, I promise. It may well be that I accidentally missed you, going through such a huge influx (I'm always afraid of that happening).


That's all for now! <3
- Eske

Well, my boyfriend and I finally decided to get married (or something like that) on May 16th, 2011! :D My birthday is also in two days (March 19th), so I have been super busy making plans, getting ready, and all that fun stuff -- but I promise, I'm still around!

In other news, I received my first real contract work, via Felisfire.com (under my non-furry alias, pepokish)! Felisfire is an up-and-coming sci-fi/fantasy-style adoptable pet site where you can breed and care for various winged felines. I'll be creating new adoptable pets for the site. The site's currently in open Beta, so feel free to head on over and sign up if you want to see some of my artwork there!

I'm also working on a new portfolio website, since a lot of my work is separated (furry on fA and non-furry on dA/CA), and I think it would be good to have a professional-looking place to show off both sides of my art. Stay tuned for that! :3

Love,
Eske

Well, my boyfriend received a new computer for his birthday, which means that my PC troubles are officially over! I inherited his old computer, which has been fixed up a bit for me (new graphics card, mainly). Sure it's a hand-me-down, but compared to my poor old laptop, this thing is a godsend!

I'm so happy -- I've only had this PC for a few days, and it already feels amazing to be making so much progress after such a long time. It's great to make a stroke with my pen on my tablet and not have to wait thirty seconds for the stroke to register in PS. :P I've already whipped through my Iron Artist list, and I am finally nearing completion on my big commission projects! It's very exciting.

That said, hopefully new commission slots will be available very soon (I want to clear my to-do list completely, first). Stay tuned!


<3
Eske

(Terribly sorry for the re-post, watchers!)

100 slots are now available for Lineart, Speedpaints or Headshot Icons! I'm also giving a bit of a discount to help encourage takers a bit. c:

* * As with my normal commissions, please no adult/porn requests! (Mature is perfectly fine)
Not sure if it qualifies? Please feel free to ask! c:

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LINEART -- $15 each!

example

Smooth black and white line art, with occasional splashes of colour (at my discretion). Up to two characters per image -- no background.

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SPEEDPAINTS -- $15 each!

example

Fast and loose unrefined full-colour paintings. Up to two characters per image -- backgrounds are at my own discretion, and probably won't be anything brilliant. :P

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ICONS -- $5 each!

example

A lovely headshot image of your character (sized at 250 x 250 and 100 x 100). c: I can also do matching couple icons, for $10 total!

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WANT ONE (or five)?

Send me a Note on FA, titled something like "Iron Artist Challenge" or so, so I can keep everything organized! c: Just let me know what type you want (speedpaint, lineart, or icon) and make sure to include any refs!

** Payments should be sent to: eske_paw[at]hotmail.com on paypal!
It would be great if you could make a note with your FA username, when sending a payment. c: This makes it so much easier for me!

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SLOTS
1-43. DONE
44.  FlurryCat
45.
...

(57 slots left!)

Questions, comments, etc, are of course always welcome! I don't bite (unless requested).

Thanks so much!
- Eske

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NOTE - as mentioned in my last journal, I'm have some computer problems which means that I may be a bit slow to get through Iron Artist slots. Current wait time is roughly 1-2 weeks -- let me know if it needs to be done sooner, and I'll try to put a rush on it. (:

Hi all!

Well, I'm not usually the type to put my personal troubles out there into the public eye, but I feel like I need to write this up and let my watchers and commissioners know what's going on, because this is getting a bit more out of control than I'd imagined.

I have already been moving horribly slowly on commissions, as of late -- and this is actually because my boyfriend, who supplied our sole income, lost his job. At first, this just meant that our shared computer was now being used a lot more than it was before (with him scouting for new jobs and taking time to relax via gaming etc), but I kind of let it slide because I was still able to get some work done.

The computer we share is pretty crappy and old, and we've been saving up for a new one for a while, hoping that we could get it in time before this one broke down for good. However... this morning, it broke down for the final time, and there's no way we can afford a new one at this point.

So, this is just a little note for all of you guys, if you've been wondering why on earth I'm so absent/slow to make progress, this is why! I didn't want to say anything because I thought it would be a small speed bump, but it's turning out to be a rather blatant road block. ):

I *will* be finishing the commissions I currently have on my little laptop (bless the poor thing, it'll probably fry from exhaustion by the end of the week, haha!) and I *will* be trying my best to keep up with Iron Artist stuff, as well. Luckily I have all of my current work saved on an 8 GB USB stick, and archives kept on a 1 TB external hard drive, so no data's been lost at all.

But unfortunately I just won't be able to take on any more large commissions for a while, until we can gather the funds for a new PC. I'm also not so sure that I will be able to get my little art compilation stuff together in time (I wanted to have it out by Dec 20th).

But Iron artist spots are still available, and my current commissioners need not fear that their artwork will not be completed -- I will get them done, no matter what. (:

But.. okay. That's all for now.

Sorry, loves. <3

- Eske

Update: Commissions are full up, again. c:

I'm very sorry to those who missed the chance -- I will try to open up slots again as soon as I can!

Thank you! <3

As the year draws to a close, I've been considering throwing together a big .zip file full of my 2010 artwork. It would include large versions of completed artwork, unseen sketches & WIPs, .PSD's, etc. I also have a few Adult-rated WIP's that will otherwise not see the light of day... Would anyone be interested in purchasing that for maybe a few measly dollars on Inkbunny?

Let me know if that sounds like a good idea, and I'll start putting it together. c:

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Edit: Well, looks like I will definitely be trying this. c: I should have it up for grabs around December 20th. Meanwhile, I'll be busy putting it together for you guys, as well as coming up with a few tutorials etc to include with it.

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I'm planning on having separate clean and adult versions for sale. c:

Just wanted to make a quick note here to say that I'll be unavailable until Oct 26th. I'll be out of town, and won't have internet access where I'm staying. C:

<3
- Eske

Commission slots went unbelievably fast!

I am completely full up for full illustrations, but if you're interested in commissioning me for something smaller (i.e., an icon or speedpaint), feel free to send me a note, as I am still accepting these types of commissions. c:


On a related note, my poor tablet has finally given out. I can borrow my boyfriend's PC/tablet for now, but only intermittently, so I will not be able to make much progress on art in the next 2 days. Hopefully in 1-2 days I will have a nice new USB cable for my tablet, and I'll be right back on track. c: So, it's not too bad of a delay, but I wanted to let you guys know that I'll be a bit absent for just a bit.

I... seem to have fixed it. The cord is fixed, at least, but now there seem to be some hellish driver issues. Pressure sensitivity is great until you open Photoshop -- then it may or may not drop all pressure sensitivity capabilities until I reinstall the drivers and/or reboot the computer. Lovely.

So basically, it works when it feels like it. :I

But, haha, at least it works somewhat, now, and I can make a bit of progress on art. <3


Anyway, that's all for now! <3

- Eske

So I found my theme song.
My life is complete. :3

I can't stop listening.
lol.


Anyway, a few updates!

Commission status
I've been slowly working my way through my commission list, and hopefully commissions will open up again, soon! <3 I've still got about 15+ items on my list at the moment (thankfully most are just sketches), and more on reserve -- I'm overwhelmed! But I am definitely still working! c:


Raffle status
The fundraiser raffle is still going! I'm doing sketches for those who purchase tickets, so be sure to grab a few tickets while you still can (and request me as your sketcher, if you'd like)! c:


That's all for now!

- Eske

A friend of mine on FA is in desperate need of some financial assistance, so a few of us have pulled together to organize a fundraiser!

We're going to be holding a raffle! You can buy as many tickets as you'd like, and we will draw winners later on this month.




PRIZES!
The winner(s) will receive a grab bag of art from the following artists:


1st Place winner will be the proud owner of free art from all of the artists listed above, as well as a beautiful 3" dreamcatcher keychain from  Elessara!

2nd and 3rd Place winners will be the proud owner of free art from most of the artists listed above!

Everyone who buys a ticket will automatically receive a custom sketch of their character! c: Everyone wins!




PRICES
1 Ticket costs $5!

If you buy two tickets at once, the cost is only $8, and every ticket after that costs just $1!




TO ENTER
If you'd like to purchase tickets, please contact  Voidrunners via note with the amount of tickets you'd like to purchase, and your email address (or alertpay account if you have one).

You may also include a ref sheet and details regarding what you'd like for your free sketch(es)!



For more information and ticket sale updates, check out the forum thread!

If you'd like to be one of the contributing artists, please let us know! Everyone is welcome to join in and help any way they can.


Thanks for reading! C:

And we have winners! I drew the names from an actual hat, and these were the results! :D

1. xXRadioactiveXx
2. Usarise
3. Koronikov

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I've never done a raffle before, so I thought it might be fun to have a raffle for free avatars. c:


Winners will receive a large 250-pixel headshot painting of their character, along with 2 re-sizes (100px and 150px)!

Sound good? Head on over to my thread in the FA forums, to enter! :D

Entries will close at 08:00 AM EST tomorrow (25 August), and I'll draw 3 winning names to receive free art. That way, everyone has an equal chance. (:

Just one entry each, please. <3
Good luck, guys! c:

MOD? Molly-obsessive-disorder.


For the last few days, I've gotten almost nothing done, thanks to a sweet little heart-faced wonder named Molly.

http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox

This is live camera feed of a wild Barn Owl (Molly) and her clutch, located in California USA. c:

She and her mate McGee have already successfully raised 3 little owlettes in this nest box, earlier this year. Now they've returned with four new eggs. At this moment, only two have hatched, but a third hatching should occur any day now.

Go check it out! C:

So, I suppose I should write a journal or something. c:



I'm back, after a two-year break. I've been drawing like mad, moved in with my European boyfriend (ahur hur), and I am officially going to make art my job.

No really, art is going to be my job.

Long story short, I need a job to stay here in the Netherlands with my boyfriend. But since I can't be employed here until my Dutch is up to par, I'm applying for a license to sell art, since I have no other skills enjoy it and should hopefully be able to make a bit of money with it.

So it's not like I'm going all "I'm an awesome artist so pay me now lolz", it's just that art commissions are literally all that's keeping me a legal resident in this country. Annnd also the only way I can make money.

I mean, prostitution's legal here, but that's going a bit too far.

So anyway, guys, if any of you enjoy my art and would like to commission me for anything, please don't hesitate! c: I'm still working on figuring out a way to laminate badges (help please?), but everything else is fully available. Large prints, digital work, ref sheets, icons, chibis... let your imaginations run wild, my children~! :D

More information will be posted soon, as I sort through setting everything up.



Also, requests are still open! I don't know for how much longer, but right now I'm really trying to build up my portfolio. So check out my forum thread, and feel free to post your character details there (or you can PM me if you're too shy or don't have a forum account).

ilu guys. <3



- Eske