MrsDrPepper

two days til my birthday and a week until a scheduled trip to california then to texas to see my family, and there are some financial issues looming over what is supposed to be a fun and relaxing weekend. i was already a little tight for cash myself as usual, but things are looking a lot tighter than expected for both me and my girlfriend suddenly and i would like us to not have to worry so much while we’re out there

long story short, my gf has had plenty in her savings to keep us comfy for should anything happen, but yesterday the entire steering assembly on her car went kaput which equals pretty much her entire savings to get it fully replaced. her sister has offered to help her out with a loan, but most of her savings are gonna be pretty much owed at this point cutting way back on our security for the trip and in general for a while. we're almost guaranteed transportation costs for a while since the car is out of commission until they replace the steering. my birthday wish is to not have to worry about the impact of those costs and potential unexpected costs that could crop up while we're out of state, because without the cushion of those savings anything can happen and basically we are two tightly-wound balls of anxiety jhfdgffsddsfdssgfgsg

basically between worrying about this, and my cat luca passing away the day before yesterday, i'm NOT having the best birthday week. dunno if it's the worse i've ever had, but it's.. pretty bad!!

i would be beyond appreciative if any of my friends and followers wanted to help me out a few buck's worth, consider it as a birthday gift; i have a i have a ko-fi account , and a donations button on my blog here (bottom of the description in browser mode) for a more specific amount ;;

offering headshots like these!
up just $5 from my $25 sketchy busts, this is some of the cleanest colored art i've offered in a while! i love the look and feel of lineless

i am taking animal+furry characters only this go around
these clean $30 headshots will feature some simple shading and a transparent background

i accept payment exclusively via paypal (invoices). first come, first served!

comment or note me to request a slot and i'll get back to you soon as i can

SLOT 1 - closed, completed
SLOT 2 - closed, completed

additionally, if anyone is interested, i will offer a single slot for a (sfw) full-body in this style for $70
 like this submission,
but with a layer of cel shading. i won't push for this slot if no one wants it, but i thought i would offer it if anyone wants more than a headshot!
$70 FULL-BODY SLOT - closed, completed



EDIT: i've taken on a larger project and have to close headshot commissions for the time being until that project is complete! /EDIT

..that i can (picarto) stream or record speedpaints! from either computer!

i knew my laptop had the power, but it's prone to crashing several times a day. but i was able to make OBS work ok wimpy desktop pc with just a tiny bit of fiddling with settings, meaning i can stream using the cintiq. i imagine if i ever do so i'll use my laptop on the side to keep up with chat, because the other computer is not the best multitasker and is only single-display and i don't want to sacrifice screen space or pull up a chat mid-draw

still pretty neat info! i think knowing me i would he more likely to aim for recording speedpaints, but knowing i CAN stream is good to mentally prepare myself for the possibility. EMPOWERING!

i been back there for a little while and dont think i announced it here!
whoever has furaffinity, you can watch me there too if you like

for your furry needs

at times, some commissions and adoptables i offer are exclusive to there (as there are also ones that are exclusive to here as well). if you're into furry/anthro and you have been looking to commission or adopt from me, you may consider following me there too!

aaahhh so we finally got to put the finishing touches on our art desk setup today. our (HUGE?) cintiq arrived wednesday, and the tower pc i ordered specifically for it arrived yesterday. after making it more like home and setting up our art programs last night, we finally have a computer that is a dedicated art machine and our main workstation, that isn't our personal laptops full of distractions. just our necessary art programs installed and an external hard drive plugged in to keep all our art backed up in one safe place. it feels really, REALLY nice !!

i can't really express how much of a relief it is to have our new workstation so easily accessible, too. for example, when we wanted to draw before, we would have to carry our laptop(s) to our desk, fiddle around behind the desk to plug it in so it doesn't die in 20 minutes, and get our previous tablet all plugged in and comfortable. which in theory isn't too bad and isn't much work, right? but it becomes a huge obstacle when you're in that depressive fog that keeps you from being able to jump even the small hurdles that get you from point A to point B. when you even feel so motivated for the drawing part, but not motivated to do the things to reach that point, so nothing happens. that is the worst feeling

with our new setup we just have to wake up the art computer and the cintiq (the art computer's independent monitor unless we plug in another for extension) is up and ready to go. no fidgeting with any cords or crawling under any desks. just the literal touch of a button

today we even hand modded our desk with some wood panel scraps to have little cubbyholes for our keyboard and mouse and a few other accessories, specifically outside of our leg space so we can be comfortable as possible while we work/sit however we like without having to lower our chair. tbh as someone who needs PLENTY of leg room and the ability to have my chair all the way up to see my display as close as possible, it's a game changer for me

speaking of game changers, of course the cintiq 22hd is AMAZING. it will take a little getting used to like all new equipment does but it feels really really nice so far and i'm optimistic about the future of our productivity with our new setup. some art dreams really came true this month man

that's where i've been

accepting a few of these p clean colored sketches for $25! i was originally gonna be taking commissions to slowly build up to help buy a tablet, but suddenly my gf bought it all at once, so now i need money to pay my gf back half (or buy all the groceries until i break even etc etc)

so due to changed purposes, ignore the caption thing on the upper right my examples sheet (tho i definitely still accept tips!)


 
details:
-payments are accepted through paypal invoices only
-i won't start your slot until the invoice is paid upfront. slots left unpaid won't be held for long (a day) before opening back up, in which case you'll have to try again next time!
-single character per image, per slot
-you can grab up to two slots at a time for yourself

-visual reference, and (optional) a couple words to sum up their personality best is all i will need! for visual, if you have a full ref sheet that would be perfect! if not, i will need one to two ref pics that will show anything i may need to see from the chest/shoulders up (arms or hand ref can be helpful too since they show up in these sometimes)
-you can either tell me how to make your character expressing or give me free reign based on what is given to me

comment and i'll note ya! first come, first served

SLOT STATUS:

slot 1: CLOSED, complete!
slot 2: CLOSED, complete!
slot 3: CLOSED, complete!
slot 4: CLOSED, complete!

thanks all!!

i found a SWEET deal on a barely used and practically brand new cintiq 22hd and showed my gf..

and we WENT FOR IT. she bought it right away with money she's been saving for the day we'd either have enough or find a good deal. we didn't know it would be so soon?

im cryin tho dreams do come true

we're gonna keep our artisul d13 installed on both our laptops for more casual use/when the other person is drawing with the Big Boy, and have the cintiq up on our new desk (WHICH we found on the side of the road for free this past weekend and is in great shape) with another computer. omg we were just happy to finally have a drawing desk at all, and now we'll have our dream tablet sitting on it, SO SOON

also lemme just take the opportunity while i'm on the subject to say one more time, that i still super recommend the artisul d13 to folks who want an hd interactive display that's not too big, not too pricy compared to its wacom counterparts, and doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. well it's not "cheap" anyhow, it's in the medium range of price, but i think the price of quality makes it worth going for if you don't want to drop $800+ for any tablet in the cintiq family. and the freestyle stand for it is better than the cintiq 13hd's limited-level stand! people even go buy artisul stands by themselves from the website to use for their smaller wacom tablets, because its quality and versatility. we looove our artisul. we do worry about the future of the artisul drivers/compatibility with future operating systems if the company should later fail. they haven't released a driver update since sometime last year which is troubling so bear that in mind! but really it's also just good proof that the brand NEEDS support and more people talking about it

when we decided we wanted a second tablet monitor so we can draw simultaneously we Considered getting another 13 inch model, but in the end i think we just couldn't justify buying another smaller one when we knew one day we'd want a larger, more industry-standard tablet for our serious projects and commissions anyway. if we got a 13 inch now and bigger tablet later, then we would have...3 tablets...which is more than we can use at one time. so spend now, not have to worry about spending more later, i think was the best way to go about it!

anyways...tablets

DREAM TABLETS

tfw you gotta redesign your fursona, again

i haven't made any MAJOR changes to scout's design in a while, just tweaks here and there. they are one of my characters who has stayed very recognizable for a few years now despite the tweaks, but now i'm considering putting them through a species change. we'll see where that goes. i haven't made a proper ref for scout since early 2014 soooo yea i guess scout is overdue for at least a little more work

probably going to keep some of their more iconic features, like palette and eyes since i can't really part with that and call them the same character and i feel personally connected to that set of colors. but i want to pull scout back down to earth and have them be something less vague than 'alien canid body with a slime living in its head' lol. i have my personal battles with identity to thank for that aspect of scout's character, and while i don't DISLIKE it and it has been a fun and silly concept making light of something more serious within myself, i just want to try to properly ground scout (as well as myself). peace of mind reasons mostly

on a related subject, as someone who struggles with identity, i end up developing TOO many sonas and none of them are too alike? so it's like 'which one IS actually me? this one? this one? or all of them???' it becomes more confusing as they pile up over time. scout is (or has developed into something) more aggressive than i actually ever could be. my anthropomorphic chili pepper character i see as more or less a silent character, shy and intelligent and almost opposites to scout, and while i connect to a few parts of her personality i struggle with connecting her design to my inner self or outward appearance the way i can connect scout to it. my chili pepper dragonsona is more soft and timid than i am and since she is based on the chili Pepper, she suffers from similar design disconnects (though boyyy i really do love the bright analogous color schemes of the dragon and chili pepper). these are just a few of my current mascots or sonas, not counting my gemsonas or pokesonas

this isn't to say i don't love all of my mascots and self-characters. and i know that when creating a fursona or any type of sona, there's not really a limit, and you can go all out making it things that you feel like you would be if you could be Anything (like ripped for example, or cooler and more outgoing, or more cute and smol, or higher sexual prowess, anything) and you can live vicariously through an idealized character. i love that and i do that all the time with my sona characters as well. i just wonder why i struggle so much with making just ONE that more closely resembles what i am like in my everyday life in more than just one or two small ways. my personal goal is to strike a balance and it's BOY is it tough for me

for selling nerdy designs?

i see a lot of great stuff on there that makes me inspired to design tshirts and stickers and the like, but if it is a different experience than other online shops i'd like to know
i was recommended submitting to teefury which i'm sure gets a little more traffic than theyetee, but TF's $1 profit is a little low. and i would like to sell more than just tshirts! 

what i REALLY want to do is print off my own stickers and charms and the like and send them out from an online shop all my own, but at the moment i really don't have the money or equipment for any of that. so i'm resorting to the help of other hosts, for now

if y'all have any recommendations let me know!

my tablet monitor hdmi cord almost bit the dust today

i had found the small end of the cord that goes into the side of tablet at a startling angle this morning, sticking out of the port all crooked as if it were jerked aside or bumped by mistake (we have the horrible habit of storing it with the power and video cords plugged into the tablet instead of unplugging it all from the sides but like. don't do that. we're not going to anymore. bad things can happen if the cord bases are bumped accidentally). when i tried to gently pull the cord out to correct it, the black rubber end that has the teeeny tiny metal pins inside just. slipped clean apart from the metal tip that was still snug inside the tablet.



i had to take the dismembered metal end out of the port by hand and i am very lucky there was enough slack to do so and that the port and metal tip were all safely straight in place, meaning the only thing that had been hurt was the cord whenever the damaging pressure happened

the 20 or so exposed pins sticking out of the main bit of the cord were crooked and a little frayed but after like 20 minutes of veeeery carefully coaxing them, i managed to get them back into the proper holes in the tip. then i literally had to superglue the top of the metal tip back into the slot in the black rubber end so it wouldn't pull out anymore. i was really doubtful it would help but it ACTUALLY WORKED?? everything is apparently back in place and the cord works fine. i dunno how long the fix will work but hopefully longer than the visibly awful soldering job that was supposed to be holding it together inside to begin with



guys when your electronics aren't being used, it's best to unplug them from all ends if you can. if the base of the cord gets messed up by getting accidentally bumped or jerked by mistake and can't be repaired, you may have to spend $40+ for a new cord depending on the device. and if the port of the device itself gets messed up from the cord getting jammed into it or pulled at a funny angle (which happens all the time with tablets with USB cords that get enough pressure in one direction, i know it caused connection trouble on my old bamboo after a while), the whole thing may be toast depending on the damage and/or your warranty. the weak metals holding this stuff together can't be trusted with the possibility of these kinds of accidents in the equation

i was suuuper lucky what i did worked. i consider it a lesson on how Not to store our tablet for sure. but i do feel pretty awesome from performing emergency surgery on the cord and it actually working! i just won't count on it to work a second time if anything else happens to it

.........is anyone feeling generous this holiday season ;w;..
i really miss the perks of a premium membership

i would be Eternally Grateful if anyone wanted to help out

MY

GODDDDDDDDD

SHE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!



PUBLIC CALLOUT ON NoxxPlush FOR BEING A PLUSH WIZARD AND ALSO TELEPORTING HER HERE AT THE SPEED OF SOUND. the beautiful pictures you posted didn't do the real thing JUSTICE. YOUR MASTERY AND LOVE OF THIS ART SHOWS IN EVERY STITCH!!!
SHE IS BEYOND PERFECT 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I WILL NEVER STOP SNUGGLING HER. SHE'S SO BIG AND BLUE AND SOFT AND LOVELY AND EVERY DETAIL IS JUST. UUUUGH MY PERFECT GLISTENING BABBBBYYYYYYYYY
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH I WILL NEVER BE DONE THANKING YOU!!!!!

*SITS AT THE DOOR WAITING LIKE A PUPPY* *LOOKS OUT THE PEEPHOLE EVERY TIME I HEAR A NOISE ON THE PORCH*

I HAVE SO MUCH CHILL TODAY YALL

MY BABY

I'M SO LUCKY

i never win anything !? and i guess all those non-wins and missed opportunities have added up to give me this HUUUUGE WIN. I'M STILL TRYING TO DIGEST IT

yesterday i APPARENTLY WON NOXX'S PLUSH GIVEAWAY THAT I POSTED A JOURNAL ABOUT A COUPLE MONTHS BACK....OUT OF ALMOST 1.5K ENTRIES. THAT BLOWS MY FREAKING MIND
it's probably hard to win again after something huge as this, but after such a good win i don't think anything could top this anyway so i am SATISFIED UNTIL THE END OF TIME

i woke up and when i was still in my not-thinking-yet hazy phase this morning, my gf stopped getting ready for work to hop in bed and whisper 'HEY REMEMBER HOW YOU WON THE PLUSH? I DO!!' and it woke me up so fast to be reminded that it was REAL!!!! asjdlkasjdglsd we're both dying of excitement
i can't wait to hug a real life balbina............ my first roo and my sweet baby. she's going to be so beautiful!!!

i don't usually enter giveaways even when there is no harm in trying, but on my first entry ever (aside from a couple of little giveaways i tried to help others win on tumblr by reblogging posts), luck was like 'heyo, take this win for being brave.' as someone who doesn't usually step out of comfort zones, it seems like a reward for trying something despite my shyness for once in my life. i also recently stepped out of a lot of comfort zones to become employed up here in a new state and town, went to a local bank earlier yesterday and opened an account without the help of my mother, and generally have done a lot of things around here that had my anxiety SCREAMING. it feels like the universe has rewarded me for taking efforts for once and not avoiding opportunities for fear of rejection or messing up. because for me..these little efforts are a big deal

thanks for all the new watches and congratses following the winners announcement journal yesterday!

AND THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN NoxxPlush FOR HAVING THE GIVEAWAY!!!
anyone here who hasn't heard of noxx's work, now's a good time to check out an amazing artist and plushmaker! she is having more giveaways in the future, but one guaranteed way to get some of her beautiful work for your own is commissioning her!

i am so tired guys RIP

this is the most work i could have expected from what is supposed to be a part-time job. but when your store is huge, busy from open to close, understaffed, and the management is a mess because the general manager quit and the little managers are in charge, what can ya do?

anyways i'm happy i can finally rest my feet for a while and draw

ps i wanna thank yall for your responses and advice on my previous journal, and also for buying my designs from me. it means a hecklot and it all got me much closer to where i need to be for rent! i'm still not going to quite make it this month (mostly the fault of how my first biweekly paycheck worked out with the time frame of the payperiod only getting me a week's worth of pay this time), but my gf is going to help me out for what is hopefully the last time i need it

have a good week everyone!

--

here are my only remaining open designs:

the end of the month is coming up fast and my anxiety levels are shooting up as they always do around this time. i finally nabbed a part time job, but they only just got me to train, and i will be getting a single paycheck this upcoming week, my only one this month. that not going to be nearly enough to make rent on the 1st

guys, i am really struggling with selling my art lately. and not only does it bite where my confidence is concerned, when drawing up character designs with personality is something i actually have a passion for, but it's seriously hurting me where my REAL life and rent is concerned too. when trying to catch up on funds for my rent and bill even a little at a time, i spend time on setting up sales for designs, but they just won't sell so i've wasted time i could have been spending doing something that might WORK (whatever that is), and instead remain empty-pocketed. it's not okay when i depend so much on my art to help me meet deadlines for things as important as rent and food and i can't meet those deadlines!

i sooo much love and appreciate the few of you who has bought or are trying to buy designs from me. it makes me a special kind of proud of my design babies that people like them enough to want them. sadly though, you're so few and far in between

dA, i need your help

am i doing something wrong? do i just not have the right following to sell designs well anymore? i know i have a decently-sized following on this website, and i used to sell designs really successfully (particularly on my adoptables account)! but nowadays, even with having more confidence in my art and being closer to a place i want to be in style, i struggle to sell designs. i can't imagine it is that i am pricing too highly, because i see some designs go for several hundreds of dollars at a time within a few hours of posting. i'm not bold and confident enough to price my designs that highly, and i am smart enough to know i just don't have a following that is THAT interested in the particular kinds of designs i sell, since they are not highly coveted CS

am i just not asking enough questions as to what people would like to see from me? i know my pokemon designs were extremely popular on my adopts account, but revisiting that concept isn't really working out for me anymore (even though people still claim to be interested in buying pokemon designs from me, more than anything else!)

are pre-made designs just not as interesting as custom designs when they aren't CS? or are people only looking for certain species of non-CS premade designs? or just from certain artists?

i'm at a loss and i need feedback. i need help getting back on selling my art again. because with my retail job being part-time, i am going to continue to depend on my art to make ends meet. i put a lot of faith in my art when moving up to massachusetts to be with my girlfriend. i knew it was going to have to be part of my income, i believed in it. and yes that is risky. artists are told from a young age that art will NOT pay the bills. but i have seen the contrary on deviantART and other artist communities so much, that thanks to the internet artists can FLOURISH in ways they couldn't in the past, and that gave me hope that i could make it work for me too, as long as i had a little retail job on as stable and steady support on the side (because month to month art sales might not be totally stable for any artist, so the retail job is a way to make sure i don't fall too short once in a while). but again, that job is supposed to SUPPORT my being an artist, not pay my bills and rent in full

if you read this far, thank you so much. i'd love feedback as to how i can improve character sales, if you have any ideas or suggestions that aren't "lower your prices" or "offer designs for points/trades" (because that does not help with my money deadlines and not to mention is just disrespectful to my art)

if you just want to do something to help me out a little, maybe you can spread the word about one or more of my adoptable designs by telling a friend or featuring them in a journal if you have the time

here are some OPEN designs i would love to see sold:




and i would love for my current pokemon auction succeed
because i put a lot of love into the designs and concept!:
 
if you would like to help out by just RTing or RBing my auction on twitter or tumblr to bring people here, i would appreciate it SO MUCH
(i don't really have enough followers on twitter to get a single RT on it by myself)

thanks so much for any measure of help guys

how many of you remember the eevee special auction i had in 2013??
i've been working on another one!

this time around, all four eevees will have their own poses and body styles instead of basing
rules will be the same though:

you bid on the eevee(s) you like most for the chance to choose what evolution it will become (with the unique markings and traits)

same as last time, there will be 1 shiny in there as well

i'm almost finished and i want to post this up in a few hours! the auction will probably run for about 48 hours

if this sounds like something you'd like to participate in, keep an eye out!

CHARACTER SKETCH COMMISSIONS

Thanks for browsing my commissions! If you're interested in buying art from me, please carefully review this journal first!

• BUST: $15 USD per character (uncolored)
  
• HALF-BODY: $30 USD per character (uncolored)
  
• FULL-BODY: $40 USD per character (uncolored)
  

+$10 USD to any price to have flat colors on the image

(Limit 2 interacting characters per image. The charge-full-price-per-character rule is negotiable depending on the detail of the additional character - for example, I may ask for less if it is just a small pet, etc)

• YES!: anthro/furry, animals, human(oid), fan art, monsters, nudity/mild nsfw
  
• NO!: mecha, cars, detailed weaponry or machinery, porn/sex-centric art, non-con situations, fetishy art, heavy gore
  
• I reserve the right to refuse to draw any commission I am uncomfortable with for any reason
• I may charge more for heavily detailed characters
• For OC's: full ref sheets are perfect for visual reference. If you don't have one, at least 2 descriptive images of the character are to be linked
  
• I'd prefer less than a paragraph of written information. Just very a short, informative blurb about their personality or anything else you think is vital to the commission is perfect! If I have further questions, I will ask you myself
• I may want to post a completed commission in my gallery/blog at some point or use it as an example for future commission posts. If you are against me posting your commission on my sites or would prefer to keep it totally private, or would like to discuss whether or not you want your username shared in junction with the commission, please include that information in our initial discussion, or tell me after you've approved the completed drawing

BUSTS: $15, +$10 for colors; limit 2 characters per image

HALF-BODY: $30, +$10 for colors; limit 2 characters per image

  

FULL-BODY: $40, +$10 for colors; limit 2 characters per image

   

NOTES: My sketch style is often experimental and I may occasionally change up my preferred brush sizes or textures.
Most uncolored commissions have a minimal amount of grayscale tones added for shading or values. If you specifically want the uncolored commission to be untoned/solid white, let me know

Comment this journal to request a slot or note me, and I will note you to discuss the commission! The upfront payment will be via PayPal (invoice) only! First come+discussed, first served. The next available slot will be filled in your name AFTER the commission and payment is discussed via notes. I do not put holds on/reserve slots, so please keep this in mind and don't comment requesting the slot until you are ready to discuss the commission with me and then pay upon agreement.

Thanks for reading all that, and I look forward to working with you!

~

SLOT STATUS:

so i usually don't bother with too much with giveaways or anything..like that (i am a shy baby) but i saw this CUSTOM plush giveaway by my friend NoxxPlush and i implore you all to check it out too because holy m o l y. if you aren't familiar with her plush work DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND CHECK THEM OUT BECAUSE SHE'S AMAZING AND THEY'RE A TREAT TO THE EYES. there are great examples in the journal but please do not miss out on her whole gallery while you're at it because there is so much to admire

HERE'S THE JOURNAL:
NOXX'S CUSTOM PLUSH GIVEAWAY! [CLOSED]Noxx's Plush Giveaway 2016
Hey guys! It's summertime, so that means it's time for an event! In the past I've done both contests and giveaways. This time I've decided to go with a giveaway, but one with a much bigger prize with more options for whoever wins!
THE GOODS
The winner of this giveaway will win one LARGE CREATURE or PONY plush!
Shipping is free, worldwide.
This could include things I have a pattern for; Pony, Giraffaroo, Mantibab, General quadruped species (sitting or standing).

Or any other species that you have with mostly animal features. (Other closed/open species, pokemon, ACNL etc)
I will not be doing any human/ humanoid plushies at the moment.
This prize has a $300-$600+ value!
HOW TO ENTER
Anyone can enter, regardless of if the