BLOG: An update on life, work, and commissions

You may recall a blog post I wrote almost 3 years ago, titled “Why My Artist Alley Days Are Over (For Now)”. The years after COVID made me re-think how I wanted to run my business, and at that time, conventions no longer fit into my schedule. I felt burnt out from them, the associated stress and work when preparing and attending conventions. However, I always kept an eye on the scene and had many fond memories of the good times with my friends, colleagues and fans.

Talking about your work in person, exchanging experiences with colleagues, making sales and seeing faces light up when they see you and your work – my current lifestyle of drawing like a hermit at home, hiding my work behind paywalls and from most of the people in my life – it just doesn’t compare.

I feel that a few years later, I’m in a spot where I want to have another go at tabling at artist alleys. It will take some prep work – I have admin things to take care of, a budget to plan out, and of course, lots of artwork to make if I want to get started with conventions again.

I want my work to have a distinct vibe and style, which will take some soul searching – I’ve been doing that for a while now, but I haven’t really put it to the test yet! Here comes the fun part of experimentation, trial and error…

And yes, this also means I want to get back to developing and re-drawing my comic FRANTIC LIVE at some point. Maybe after tackling some shorter comics while Chase and I figure out the revised story beats for FL.

What this means for my commissions

For the foreseeable future, I’m going to reduce the amount of commissions I take on. I will not stop offering them, however I want to re-connect with the local/regional community more and prepare artwork to sell, which means I need to free up some time to work on my own projects.

What kind of commissions I’ll offer may vary – right now I’m leaning towards 1 big commission at a time. Think full color, 1-2 characters, and a full background. These would have a longer turn-around time, so I can work on them at my own pace while taking care of all the prep work that needs to be done. This is assuming that no emergencies or other big expenses require me to open additional slots on short notice.

A wait list will be opened for anyone interested in a slot, on a first-come-first-contacted basis. Be aware that you might have to wait a few months until you hear from me – at which point you will be able to make your final decision whether you’d still like to get a commission, and communicate your final idea/details.

I’m going to update my ToS and prices accordingly in the near future, and will send a newsletter once I’m ready to take on a commission and open the wait list.