Frequently Asked Questions

Do you take commissions?

Okay...here's the deal. I would love to take commissions. But I'm a graduate student, and a teaching assistant, and I'm afraid that my free time is desperately lacking...I just don't think it's managable. I wish that this wasn't the case, but I'm an extremely slow artist, and heavily overworked, and I'd feel uncomfortable taking on a project for someone that might not be finished for ages and ages.

That said, I'm extremely poor and my funds are plummeting, so a large enough offer would probably sway me. But I literally subtract art time from sleep time, and I'm already down to an hour a night more often than is healthy, so it'll take a lot to convince me to give up that last precious hour. It never hurts to drop me a line and ask though.

But you could totally make lots of money!

*sigh* That's the other thing...I really don't think I could. Underselling art is a big problem most freelancers face, and at my abysmally slow production rate, it gets even worse. Think of it this way. If I spend 100 hours making a dragon, and sell it for $100...that means my time is valued at $1 an hour. Not even minimum wage. And that's not even taking into account the money I spend on materials, which can be fairly costly. In the end, I'd make more money devoting that time to a paying job and saving art time for myself (and while I enjoy my creative endeavors, let me tell you that doing art *is* work. I stab myself with needles, bruise myself with wire, and lay on thousands of scales in endless tedium. It is very much a labor of love).

Most people don't even have the hundred dollars to throw around on a tiny little thing (believe me, I'm poor too, I know how it is!). And at higher than that, people start to go, Wait a minute, but I can get a store-bought dragon for less, that's made even better! And it's true. You can get great dragon statues for cheaper, and they are better. But the only reason those can be sold at reasonable prices is that they are mass-produced...I can only make one-of-a-kinds. (And believe me, if any of those other dragons were one-of-a-kind, they'd go for phenomenal sums). But there's other artists on deviantart who sell for cheaper! you say. What, you think you're better than them? No. I think I'm slower than them (so really, I'm probably *worse* ^_~ ). Though I also think that their work is valued at more than what they sell it at.

I'd love to be able to sell things for super-cheap...but if I can't even cover the costs of my materials, or the money I would have made working a job instead, then I'll be even poorer than I already am. Maybe someday I'll learn how to make art at a reasonable pace and this won't be a problem anymore. But at the moment...that's the situation. If it ever changes, I will be sure to let you all know.

Where do you get your glass eyes?

I buy my glass eyes from here ( [link] ). They overcharge a bit on shipping but I like their selection. Most of my sculptures have the "Bird eye." I get wire-back for felted critters, wireless for clay ones. You can also find these kinds of eyes on ebay by doing a search for taxidermy eyes, teddy bear eyes, glass eyes, etc. (just be careful not to get anything plastic if you plan to bake). Also, don't be deterred by the taxidermy stuff--they're just regular glass craft eyes.

How do you do your scales?

I add my scales on one at a time using my hands, except for tiny or hard to reach scales, in which case I use simple clay tools. This isn't necessarily the best way to do it, it's just how I like to do it. It's mostly a matter of personal preference, and there are many fabulous artists who go the other route, carving out their scales. The thing to remember with scales is that they don't have to all be identical; take a look at some reptile references and you'll see lots of different scale shapes and patterns. Mixing it up a bit makes for a more interesting critter.

Do you use patterns?

No. I make things up as I go along, my only guidelines are the images in my head (and a good foundation in comparative anatomy!). A lot of people ask me this question about my felted critters, and I think it comes from a misconception about the nature of needle felting...despite the name, it doesn't involve sewing felt. I start with raw wool and a set of barbed needles, and by the time I'm done, it's felt. So there isn't really a way to make a "pattern" for that. Closest I get is idea sketches.

Are you going to do any tutorials?

Yes! I definately intend to do some tutorials; at the very least a basic felting tutorial, and then probably some more advanced ones on how I do particular things (wings, scales, etc). I just need to find the time. And I need to clear out some current projects so I can start from the beginning on one.

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Also, for those of you who are Sesshoumaru/Kagome fans, I just want to advertise the new quarterly awards that just started for that pairing. The Dokuga Awards go by popular vote, and are for celebrating well-loved Sess/Kag fanfiction and fanart. Nominations are open right now; the only rule is that work must be recent to be eligible (because it's a quarterly awards--there are other awards groups for honoring the classics). The elegibility date for this round is anything produced or updated between Oct. 6th '07 and Jan. 5th '08, so if you're interested, check it out! ( [link] ). And remember that it's just for fun. ^_^