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On Requests
4 min read
As I've been uploading more regularly to get up to speed with my output on other social media, I've noticed an uptick in the number of unsolicited requests in my inbox.
A few of these were sent with the understanding that art is, y'know, a service you need to exchange money for. This is fine. Those aren't the notes I'm responding to here.
I'm talking about the out-of-nowhere requests for an intensely specific depiction of a character or mix of characters, often completely out of line with what I normally draw, and almost always written in a tone that presupposes I've already said yes and they're thanking me in advance. And I get the feeling these are by no means unique to me... in fact, it feels almost like a deviantART rite of passage. That being said....
If you are thinking of sending me a note asking me to draw something for you for free, or for deviantART points, save yourself the time because the answer is no.
And if you care about this sort of thing, please be aware that throwing these random requests at artists you've just discovered comes across as super rude and borderline creepy. Like I said, there's often a weirdly presumptuous vibe with these, even putting aside the fact that asking an artist— especially one you don't know— to draw you something for free is like going into a bakery and asking for free cookies. The only time I might draw a request for free is if I put up a thread for a specific kind of request, at which point it's more like I'm asking for help brainstorming drawing ideas.
Here are a few things you can ask yourself before you PM an artist with a request:
1. Am I offering payment? (If no, do not expect a response.)
2. Do I have an established relationship with this artist? (most of the time when I get requests it's from somebody who just favorited one piece of mine, not from somebody with whom I have exchanged comments and such. Like, don't try to get to know an artist just to finagle free art from them— that's obviously pretty gross— but honestly if I don't recognize your name I'm going to assume you've just sent this exact same message to like 200 other artists; see point 4).
3. Am I requesting something the artist would conceivably draw without being asked? (This isn't always a disqualifier, as reaching beyond a comfort zone can be a great opportunity for us artists, but be aware that highly individualized and specific requests can come across as alienating, and may look extremely out of place in that artist's portfolio).
4. Is this a special request, or one of many? (If you're doing this with every artist you stumble across, you've crossed the line from being mildly annoying into being a menace. If your goal is essentially to collect as many art pieces of your OC or character fusion or whatever as possible, you are dehumanizing everyone involved in this process. I know the prospect of seeing your imagination come alive at the hands of a skilled artist is exciting, but the reality is that this takes time and effort, and you need to be ready to compensate that.)
The good news is that they say if people start approaching you for commission requests (or, for that matter, unpaid labor requests), you're ready to start selling commissions! So I will get to work on some guidelines for that and have those up here soon. I'll likely start on Twitter, though, so follow me there if you haven't already. 
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Annual Housekeeping
2 min read
Doing some batch-uploading, sorry for the inbox spam. Or maybe you're welcome for the inbox spam! Hey, it's up to you.
Some of the stuff in my gallery is REAL dusty. I had labored for a very long time under the notion that it's somehow dishonest to delete one's work, and it does a disservice to those who have favorited or otherwise commended it... but I've moved on from that. You gotta shed your skin as an artist, and while my work from 5+ years ago is maybe an interesting curiosity, most of it is clutter. I'm holding on to a few pieces that I think do still have value, but the rest is going in storage.
However! If I have gotten rid of a piece you really liked for one reason or another, I can link it to you via PM for personal use. I understand that it's a bummer to have the rug pulled out from under you in this way. I would just ask that you not repost it anywhere.
Hope you all understand. I anticipate that this will make me feel a lot better about my gallery. Thanks for the support, as always!
ETA: holy cats you guys, I finally cleaned up my "more from this artist" sections and I feel CLEANSED
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Uploading some art! Processing stuff in my notifications feed! Pow!
I think the main thing that turns me off, even if just subconsciously, from uploading here is having to type up HTML for the links in the submission boxes still. Get on Markdown, dA.
Anyway, I'm still very much active on Reddit, Twitter, and Tumblr, but I'm working through posting the stuff I haven't gotten over here yet. Thanks for bearing with me!
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New bloggos!
1 min read
I'm on Twitter now!
And I'm posting writing on a new Tumblr sideblog!
I'm sorry I've gotten a bit lax on uploading here. I do like it as an archival/curation tool, but the social aspect is not my favorite. I apologize to everyone who's gotten a reply to a months-old comment, but I do feel bad just tossing them.
And I'm posting writing on a new Tumblr sideblog!
I'm sorry I've gotten a bit lax on uploading here. I do like it as an archival/curation tool, but the social aspect is not my favorite. I apologize to everyone who's gotten a reply to a months-old comment, but I do feel bad just tossing them.
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Pageview spikes?
1 min read
I've been noticing seemingly-random spikes in my pageviews lately. Like today I got 200-something just out of nowhere. Has this happened to anyone else?
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