🏳️‍⚧️ Unknown Emtity 🏳️‍🌈

Oh, hey, no worries! I honestly didn't think anything bad of it.

The two are often pictured together, and get mixed up a lot!

I think the only reason I know the difference is because of the story of Loki and Bladur.

It's definitely an easy mixup, especially when big companies do it all the time.

In case anyone is confused/curious:

Holly is the red-berry plant with two or three sharp leaves.

Mistletoe is white berries and soft, rounded leaves!

So if anyone were to not participate, it would be a misunderstanding based on plant! /info /lh /j

I thought it was cute/funny in a sweet way.

(This is intended in a light-hearted manner - clarifying to ideally avoid misunderstandings)

Tbf... that appears to be Holly. X3

Was coming here to say this - it's a prefix meaning "animal". A "Utopia of Animals" is the implication I always got.

This is another reminder that our "failures" are often the experiences that provide us the most information, help us grow the most, and allow us to learn.

Looking back on older pieces allows me to examine them to see what I could do better, and what changes I might make if I remade them today.

"The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."

- Carl Sandberg, 1916

Going back through the archives and found this little piece today.

This is one I might revisit and redesign at some point - a nod to Sandberg's "Fog". It was a sketchbook piece, but honestly lacked the depth I was originally planning on.

Still, the notion appeals to me.

But commissions are a one time accrual for your work - it's an active exchange of labor for money, so you can't make more money off of the creation once you've made it (passive income), and it should be priced accordingly.

TL/DR: Yes, $8/ea is too low.

Then there's the fact that selling digitally, you're exposed to possible sales globally, which means what a person will pay may vary wildly.

For example, someone paying in Czk may be less willing to pay the aforementioned costs than someone paying in USD.

Also keep in mind there's a psychological aspect to pricing as well - if you price too low, folks may actually be less inclined to purchase than at a higher price. Finding the sweet spot of cost where you still retain enough demand to live comfortably is your ideal price, in theory.

Alternately, pick a moderate-to-high hourly wage based on your field, then calculate cost based on time spent on the project. Overhead costs will simply come out of your hourly wage at that point.

A good rule of thumb is to take labor time and multiply by an hourly wage, then multiply by anywhere between 2 and 4 to add an overhead buffer. This way, even if you're giving yourself minimum wage, you have that buffer for any business expenses that you might accrue.

Current pricing is a steal - almost criminally so.

Going off US pricing, without knowing the time you put in, I'd say $24 for one, 4 for $80.

If that feels too rich for your blood, somewhere in-between might be something you feel more comfortable with.

That is a full reference to the God-Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40k - most definitely not someone to aspire to be.

A reminder that it is the season for SAD (for those in the Northern Hemisphere), and that it's important to be gentle with yourself if you find yourself experiencing mental or physical health symptoms as a result.

Without you, the output means nothing - you are more important, always.

An artistic nude in reductive charcoal from years back, during my figure drawing course days.

I'm not super thrilled with the saturation in parts of this, but I think that's one of the perks of looking back at old pieces - and a benefit for folks who know how to merge traditional and digital art.

A mixed media piece I did for a friend a few years back.

There are some aspects I would modify at this point if I had an opportunity, but overall I'm pleased with the results.

IIRC, it was a birthday gift for another friend of theirs.

It was a fun little project to work on at the time. :)

I is one of several characters I have created and run whose names were based on a singular letter.

K and U are very different in nature, though - albeit bizarrely relevant to one another in some ways.

Perhaps we will meet them another day.

I ran all elements of I past Mika prior to the campaign.

She is not a character I treated lightly in crafting, and it was largely a commentary on the sociopolitical atmosphere within the Tephra world. Her story was one aimed toward survival first and foremost, with rescue and revenge as secondary and tertiary motivators.

She tamed a Dire Rat in one of the first encounters, and then bit a dude's ear and grappled him into submission shortly thereafter. She also regularly served as recon due to a broken racial ability that allowed her to walk on ANY surface - given the book did not specify, Mika allowed the ceiling.

She left behind family and friends, and was determined to one day return to wipe out the trade that kept them as chattel - in the meantime she was specialized in rogue-like abilities, had Luck and Animal Handling, and on more than one occasion got into some wacky shit with her crew.

I beat her captor into signing the legal documentation to free her, as well as to sign over a horse, and she left the encampment without looking back. She chose the name "I" specifically for the liberty and to avoid connection to anything they could use to easily trace her.

A character I ran for a Tephra campaign that @mikalana.bsky.social GM'd once upon a time.

Half Mountain-Goat, half standard goat Satyr - "I" was born and raised under less than savory circumstances, used as a messenger, and then fought her way to legal freedom.

Just a sketch I did a few years back featuring an Egyptian Mau-man.

It's always a privilege to look back and see where there have been improvements, and to see where improvements could still be made.

Apologies for the poor image quality.

Many thanks to @mikalana.bsky.social for posing assistance.

I still have the most important phone numbers in my life memorized or written down in my wallet in case of an emergency. >.>"

Don't judge yourself by the metrics of others. Don't compare yourself to the past or the future. Just tend to yourself, now.

You deserve that kindness and support.

Turn your light inward when needed. You'll shine when you're able and not before. That's more than enough.

Please be gentle with yourselves and prioritize your well-being! You'll be more productive in the long run than if you try to power through and burn yourself out in the process.

It's okay to need to take a break, too.

Rest is its own kind repair and fuel. It's necessary maintenance.

Just a quick note to all our chronic pain and illness friends - for those in the Northern hemisphere, the October Slide is here. That means extra symptom triggers and a need for more kindness toward yourself. You are valuable because you exist; your output is not the measure of your worth. You are.

Abbadon black was the primer (spray), with white scar brushed over for highlights under the colors.

Then everything else was layered in the way you would do an oil painting - with colors overlapping to achieve desired results.

I may play around more with hues for shades and tones, but...