Three years.

I've been doing art as a career for three years. In that span of time I've gained and lost friends, moved three times, and wrenched control of my channel squarely within my grasp. In that span of time I went from allowing certain behaviors to persist to iron fistedly cracking down on trouble makers and trolls.

My tolerance for people to treat me with anything but respect lowered considerably since I first started this. I am not the Overlord Fox. I am a live-drawing furry artist who happens to command respect from the people who enter my stream. If you can't be respectful of me and mine, you learn quick just how welcome you are.

People have grown spoiled on mine and Gen's streams because we don't put up with people being disrespectful of anyone. And if someone decides to be disrespectful we're all to willing to show them the door.

I have fought three long years to support myself on artwork. So much so that I'm in the process (oh god real estate) of buying a place of my very own with the income based entirely off of artwork.

It gives me deep satisfaction, actually. That everyone in my life told me "Art is a hobby, you'll have to decide what you want to do for a real job." "You've got talent but you'll never make a career out of this" "that's pretty and all but what is your professional ambitions?"

Here's my professional ambitions. I found a niche and I filled it. I carved it out of nothing in a community I love with a subject matter I love even more. I love my job, I love the people in it, the ones I've fostered from my work and my Livestream with no small credit to Gen who helped me in so many ways.

If you love something you must fight for it. I love my Job, every day I fight for it. Every day I work, or I starve. It's that simple.

More recently I've learned to love the respect I have from the people I work for. And I will continue to fight for that respect.

I was not handed this life on a silver platter. I fought a crazy mother for my Freedom. I fought a broken heart for my self forgiveness, and I fought the odds for my career and my life. I fought former friends for my respect. I have fought for everything I own.

I love you guys, Every day you give me a reason to fight for that. To fight for this. MY readers, my watchers, my friends. You give me a reason beyond just me, to keep fighting. And I will always fight for it because it's a neverending battle somedays harder than others. But I can feel myself getting stronger every day and that makes it worth it.

Thanks for those of you who make the fight worthwhile.

Thanks to the amazing efforts of this week's donators We are infact getting overlord Week! Starting tomorrow through thursday. (and possibly saturday we'll see) I will be working on overlord related stuff and rewarding people with raffles throughout the week.

 genesisw will also be joining me this week as my co-host and working on art and stuff. Go check her out and sign up for a commission!

I'll be posting this week's scedule tomorrow to inform people that this week's been paid for however I'm also aware some people want commissions this week so I'll be working on those in my off-time. If you would like a commission this week and trust me to do it offline, simply note me and i'll work out when I can get it done for you.

For all of you guys' help yesterday. I appreciate it and as time goes on I will feel better. I'm sorry lately that it just seems like one thing after another. I can't wait for everything to be settled and over. I think part of the reason I'm so emotionally unhinged right now is because life just keeps firehosing me with this or that. Saying that if i wasn't around awesome good friends I'd probably be in really really bad shape. All this crap lately has happened when I've been in the presence of good awesome friends and real life people i can hug and in some cases cry on.

Life doesn't suck so much as it's been difficult and I feel really blessed to have friends both off and online that make it easier for me. I honestly feel the worst thing for me right now could have been feeling alone. Being truely alone. Had I stayed in that blasted apartment I would have been alone, isolated and it would have really gotten to me.

So I repeat the mantra I've been saying alot lately. "Everything is going to be fine."

So uh... we're kind of making way above printing costs for book 2 (which is awesome!) Im going to hold back and kind of see how the cover for book three goes. essentially carrying over the extra funding unless that makes print-goal too. (which I have no doubt it probably will) The extra money that I make over via the YCHs will probably go toward some extra copies of book 1. Checking my inventory I have <25 books left and I'd rather not run out at a con and would prefer to have a healthy inventory. I'm also preemptively printing a few more of book 2 and the potential book 3. (55 copies each probably instead of 50) to account for preorders. But this is all really speculative right now. I'll be printing everythig about a month before megaplex so i'll have a better idea of the numbers then but that's what I'm looking at right now.

About when I'm ready to get prints sent out, i'll put out a bid for "preorders for people who can't make it to megaplex" and get a list of names and round up the extras to print over the normal 50 print run. After the con I will send these copies out to thier respective orders.

Again i'll see how it goes Im super happy that the book is selling pretty well given it's content.

Also books are $15 each or $20 each with sketches inside plus shipping if you aren't picking them up at megaplex. Books will probably be sent Mediamail to keep shipping costs down

There's something strangely surreal about buying a home with my current income and coming to the realization that I earned it by drawing art for people exclusively.

I see people rake artists for their prices all the time. Every time I post an updated price sheet I inwardly cringe because I just brace myself for the people who just happen to stumble upon it on the front page and might launch into a 2 page tirade about how Dare I charge that much.

People remind me when I feel guilty about my prices, it's not just the work they're buying. It's the quick turnaround time, it's the personable experience, it's the kind community that it fosters around it. How many artists can you go to 6 nights of the week and go "Hey I need art today and I want it to be super awesome and pretty and lovely!" The number is growing every day as streaming becomes more popular but still, art-on-demand is a fledgling concept outside of Conventions.

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support i've received the last couple weeks. It's been a rocky stupid time and not in any small part thanks to me rushing to get out of my old place and settled in a new life. This week is going to be fun and special, I'm getting home inspections done with and i'll be talking to my lender tomorrow.

I'm really hoping that I can get all that fun stuff that needs done together and hopefully start moving in in the next week or so. Gen is a wonderful host and I can't thank her enough for her hospitality but I'll feel much better once things settle for me and theres next to nothing pressing on my scedule that involves moving and upheavals and travel and junk like that.

And I come back to just how freaking surreal it is that I've done all this exclusively on Art as an Income.

It took me some time but it's awesome to live your dreams.

Many of you who frequent my streams know of my beloved, albiet spoiled and cantankerous, cat Tigger. A little over a month ago my parents found a black kitten in their garden. She was lean and malnourished but otherwise nothing seemed terribly wrong with her. Seeing as they had three cats already and I only had one, I gleefuly decided to take her in.

This decision was not well met by my resident old man, Tigger. From the moment Luna set paw in my apartment Tigger has slowly given up ground to her and hid from her to avoid her very playful pouncing. It got so bad at one point he wouldn't even enter my bedroom because she would gaurd the hallway.

After weeks of trying to help in that behaviour and getting them to find a good kind of symbiosis, I have finally managed to get tigger back into my room. After nearly a month of missing him being cuddled up by my back as I slept, my big tubby kitty is once again content to snuggle up at my side.

I didn't replace you, lardball, you're my baby.

For those of you who don't know I have a patreon now. I figured I should also take a few minutes to explain all the cool stuff the perks can get you too.

http://www.patreon.com/islaaukate

For one thing I'd like to explain "early access". For $10 or more a month you get acess to unpublished comic pages. Every other saturday I draw comics for the overlord story. So everyother sunday morning I usually have 10-14 pages of comic that gets lettered and slowly posted, once a day untill the the next comic stream starts up. $10 or more will get you access to those pages before anyone else gets to read them. The only caveat is that I would ask you politely not to spoil those pages for non-patreons.

Still, Pretty sweet deal for $10 or more. Not to mention all the other tier perks out there. I'm sure also that as popularity grows I'll be able to include even more awesome stuff for donators so please give it a look if you're so inclined.

I'm ramping up production on little Chirr plushies for adoptables.

Right now going though my lavender fabric. But somthing occurred to me that I could do which would be a nice touch for a little extra as an option. I wanted you guys to know what you thought.

Chirrs by nature are empathic pheromone producing cuddle critters. As such the pheromone they create is used to calm people down in stressful situations or flood their brains with dopamine when they're upset.

My thought then for about $5 extra on chirr plushies I could include a pocket with a scent pad in thier tummy, it could come blank or with a tiny bottle of scented oil of your choosing. Whatever scent it is that helps you relax, you'd just pull out the scent pad, drop a few drops on it, slip it back in the pocket and voila you have an authentic chirr for you to perch on your shoulder or hold gently while your comforted by a tiny little fluff in your hand giving off your favorite smell. Just a thought and I would be limited by oils I had, I'd more likely sell blanks or include multiple blank pads long with your chirr. A quick run to bed bath and beyond, GNC or Earthbound trading company would have more variety of fragrancies that you personally could allow yourself than I could provide.

So thoughts?

Now the Curtain is going down
On the Entertainer, the master
the pro.

He was put on this earth
to bring us laughter and mirth.

The Entertainer, the star of the show.

Rest in Peace Robin.

Firstly I want to state THE DONATION STREAMS ARE INDEPENDENT OF THE PATREON!

The Patreon is for people who want to be an official sponsor of the comic on a monthly basis, reap the perks and get access to special patron-only streams.

The Donation streams are to keep my income the same despite doing comic streams instead of commission streams.

There IS a donation tier listed in the Patreon to get a third Comic-night added each month as schedule permits. (Gen may or may not dual with me on the extra day, that is up to her, I may have other guests however.)

Onward to fun news!

There is now an option (independent of patreon) to buy-out a scheduled comic night, ($200) specifically this coming Saturday. The reward for such is that you will sponsor the first ten pages produced that night, You will also receive a Chirr plushie, a drawing of the chirr the plushie represents, (pictures pending i need to make the little scamp :p) And a certificate of birth and adoption coming with it.

(for international sponsors, please include an additional $10 since unfortunately shipping to most countries outside the US is absolutely insane right now)

Also for those who want to sponsor the comic on a monthly basis feel free to sign up for the Patreon!

http://www.patreon.com/islaaukate

I swear i will update it, but it will probably be sunday or monday after Megaplex. Thank you for your patience people it will be a multiple-page day when i do update it to make up for the deficit. My apologies it's a bit busy here at the con i'll make it up to you guys.

Tomorrow morning is my flight to orlando. Those of you who are coming to megaplex, sweet! I'll see you there I'll be in the dealers den so please come by my table! I'll have 10 chirrs, Candy to give out with purchases, and 50 books for the overlord comic. Not to mention I'll be offering badges, commissions and other fun stuff.

You will most likely find me next to  genesisw's table.

For those of you who aren't coming to megaplex. If you want to see me at a con Megaplex is the best place to find me c: Next year promises to be just as much of a blast.

Tonight Monday july 21, is my last stream untill August. I'll be at megaplex untill then. So if you have a commission you want before then thats time sensitive tonight's the night to nab it. I start streaming at 8:00 PM EDT. Will probably stream untill about midnight unless my exhaustion gets the better of me.

9 out of 10 chirrs are finished wee, i was able to frankenstien some parts off of an earlier chirr body so I don't have to fuss with anymore resin. now its just the tedium of hand-drilling the holes the thread goes through. (my dremel is too large unfortunately for the teeny drillbit im using so im essentially holding the tiny bit in my fingers and doing it myself bleh. on the bright side no more casting so i can clean up the spectacular mess that my apartment has become over the last week. So I just have to assemble the last chirr, bag the last of the candy and pack. My plane leaves Wednesday at 9am i got this.

Stolen from  merrihop eh why not

Arrival and Departure:
At the con, Thursday evening to Monday morning. Any additional time before and after I have is spoken for.

Staying at:
The Marriott

How are you getting there?
Flying and riding with friends.

Room Share:
Rooming with ma gurls Gen and Merri. We're full up sorry :p

Major Plans at the Con:
Working the table and maybe killing it at some kareoke, we'll see.

Who Will I be with?
Gen, And Merri mostly

Where are you most likely to be found?
behind my table in the Dealers den.

Drink:
Orange cream soda, grape crush or ice water. Maybe a redbull if i'm feeling laggy.


Hugs:
Uh...... please don't touch me unless I initiate it first, or politely ask. No offense really I have severe social anxiety and touch sometimes makes me nervous.

Art:
Traditional fun stuff, comic books... charms possibly tiny plushies. We'll see :p (oh and candy :p)

Do you do trades?
It REAAALLLLLLY depends on what's being offered. I like pony stuff and cute charms and stuff and maybe key-ring tails. I only do 1 or 2 trades per con if that.

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
Only if they're closed container and remain so. No offense but again It's just safer that way.

Can I give you lots of money?
Please do! I have lots of stuff for sale so by all means snap it up c:Art and cons are my only income so you also get the added bonus of knowing you're helping me out and allows me to continue working doing something I love and Coming to cons that are profitable.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
....no.

How tall are you?
Average, really. 5' 5 1/2"

Are you nice?
I try to be, so long as you're not passive agressive or a jerk to me we'll get along fine. I am not a pushover though so if you do act like a jerk or try to push me I will try to politely tell you to go away. this shouldn't be a problem :p And I do like to chat just be sure to chat with me off to the side of my table so I can still talk to customers. Please don't be offended if I break of conversation to address people coming to buy things at my table. This is still work for me after all.

Are you cliquey?
Not really I do tend to stay close to my friends in unfamiliar social situations but I won't be adverse to talking to other people.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
"Hey Fox!" works also putting yourself in my line of vision and waving is perfect. Sneaking up behind me and touching me in anyway will unfortunately scare the crap out of me. Remember I have social Anxiety so I'm already scared by default even if it doesn't show. Coming up behind me and screaming or sneaking up on me in general is not a good idea and I probably won't talk to you for the rest of the con if you do that.

Do you do free art?
Nope sorry. This is my income so I really can't give away precious con-time for free.

Will you take commissions?
Heck yeah!.

What is your age?
I'm 29.

What is your gender?
Feeeeemaaaaalllee Chicky chick chick, I'm a guuurrl.

Can I share or make conversations with you?
SURE! again just be sure to talk to me off to the side of my table and don't be offended if I have to talk to customers.

Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?
Um... I'm not looking for anyone no.

What other cons are you going to?
None at the moment.

Can I take pictures with you?
Uhhh sure.

So looking forward to MP!

I will be taking the weekend off to enjoy the company of a friend coming in from out of town, So if you want commissions from me at all this week tonight is the night to nab them as I will be largely unreachable until monday. I will still post the comic when I can each day but that's probably going to be the extent of my online presence.

tonight ponies and cute things is the theme yaaay poni. (mostly needed to get the last journal off the page as it were)

Had a bit of a panic attack earlier today and then had my night booked for the remainder of the evening for a private project, i shall return to public streaming tomorrow evening Sorry guys! see you tomorrow.

We're coming up an a very very fun plot point as it stands the climax of which will hit on Friday. However you all know how to get that to happen sooner. The pages are ready and lettered. Will Silver's comeuppance be as juicy as you all hope for? Stay tuned.

Want it to happen sooner donate here: http://bit.ly/overlordcomic as i am being charitable I will release a new page for every $25 donated. Ergo, if someone donates $10 and someone else donated $15, you'll get a new page.

I just finished formatting all the pages into Tiffs not including the bonus pages which i've finished 6 of those already i'm aiming for 8 or 10 for the final for a bonus arc at the end of the book.

All thats left is:

Finsih the bonus story.
Finishing touches to the cover
Title page
Credits page.

that's it

after that I'm done.

I guestimate its maybe a few hours work at best, I'll probably knock out whats left of it tonight and tomorrow.
SO EXITED to have this nearly finished, its been a rocky freaking ride one i couldn't have done without  merrihop as my editor.

posting this here as well since some people look at journals more often than submissions and to give a few finer details.

Auction can be found here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/13610588/


This YCH will be different from others in that it will be seen quite a bit more than your average YCH, its proceeds are also going toward funding the book.

To print 50 copies of the book at 210 pages is going to run me a little under $400 So thats the goal, to print 100 copies it will run me about 700.

So the goal really is to make a sizable dent OR make goal so that the printing costs are 100% covered.

and hey you get your character on the cover of a book that will be sold at cons. YAAAY!

So i finally broke down and cancelled my Cable. my internet is still sky-high for the upload speed i need to stream, but between paying for netflix and now hulu I decided to cancel my cable that I never use anyway.

ALSO as a sailor moon fiend I'd rather be able to watch my favorite show and other shows on demand without worry that i have to watch them live. My only real regret is not being able to contribute ratings to MLP FIM but simply watching it on the hubnetwork's website should be good enough anyway.

The main reason I even got cable to begin with was to watch the history channel, A&E, Discovery and National geographic and the Hub. Most of which have degenerated into reality TV and pseudo-science and pesudo-history. None of which i find remarkably educational. If i want to watch anything that i might actually learn me something, I'll watch John Green's Youtube channel on World history.

I'm basically saving $30 that even with hulu and Netflix combined i'm not paying nearly that much per month for barely used entertainment services. ~$16 compared to $30 makes me pretty darn happy actually :p

So i finally got some new business cards printed. my Yahoo email address has been all but abandoned. (before you ask i have two, the paypal address is used just for paypal not correspondence) So i updated it with my more active Email account, one that isn't heavily bogged down with SPAM.

I also cleaned out said gmail account today, i had over 1000 undread messages, mostly junk and other things. So nice to see it cleeaaan again.

I got more Casting putty yesterday, I've been a fiend with Resin lately, its just too much fun to play with.

Tonight I'll be streaming with Jonas so he can finish up his chibis and i'll be finishing up some overdue commissions and finishing the YCH auction peice, maybe taking commissions, we'll see.

This is something that's come up in passing the last few weeks and I rather thought it interesting to think about.

I'm an on-demand artist. People come to me, 95% of the time, in my stream, get work drawn from me and leave with thier purchase in a mere few hours at most. My turnaround is literally a few hours. However there are instances where commissioners cannot come and watch me draw their pieces and I'm therefor nudged into making the compromise of elongating their wait time to a mere few hours to a couple of days while i get approval sketches to go forward.

This doesn't bother me in the slightest mind you, but it also has urged me to come up with some kind of system to accommodate people who cannot attend my streams. So i have a question for those of you whose scedules actively prevent you from attending the nightly streams. If i had a (very limited) number of slots per week. (one or two, no more than five slots) to get "offline" work done. Would you?

You'd get approval sketches, and payment in full would have to be tendered at the time the sketch was approved to go forward with line art and color (if it so required) The model would be a little different from what I have now but the turnaround time would be a no more than a few days to a week.

Today I'll be streaming with  genesisw doing Overlord comics while she does her awesome magic art thing with Megaplex preorder badges and other awesome traditional stuffs.

I'll be working for Donations to keep the comic going, while Gen will be taking donations to drink absynthe while she works on commissions. Won't that be fun and a half hehehe

We will also be joined by  merrihop and her delightful commentary.

looking forward to seeing you there!