Greetings!
If you follow me on my Instagram you’ve already seen my newest announcement: I joined a creator platform called Ko-Fi! Previously, in order to commission me, you had to reach out directly and describe the project you wanted. NOW you can simply go to Ko-Fi and click “Buy” on a specific commission you’d like. Plus, I will be offering digital ONLY commissions which are 1) Faster to create and 2) cheaper to purchase.
I am creating some cute pet portraits through my Ko-Fi page, so I also created a Youtube video that goes through my process utilizing Adobe Fresco as well as my thoughts on design (and a few hardy har jokes thrown in there as well.)
More about Ko-Fi
The benefit of using this platform, Ko-Fi, is that it gives my patrons a much simpler way of supporting me. Ko-Fi is free for me to use and has a simple interface for my patrons. In addition, I can offer physical products for sale via Ko-Fi (prints and stickers are IN THE WORKS!! Follow me on IG to get the most up to date information). Ko-Fi got it’s name from the idea of purchasing a creator a coffee in exchange for enjoying their work. It is very similar to Patreon (and one can even enable monthly reward tiers and memberships if desired) but fans are able to go and donate only as much as they’d like.
Currently I have 1 type of commission available – a fun, stylized digital pet portrait. My turnaround on these is way faster than any traditional media, plus purchasers have the freedom to use their artwork in any non-commercial way they’d like. I provide a version that makes an adorable phone wallpaper as well as a version that is awesome for profile pictures/social icons. I even provide a high quality PDF that can be printed on whatever you’d like. I personally think this one would be AMAZING on a block canvas or even as coasters!
Determining the visual style of the digital portraits was a challenge
When I sat down to figure out a way to make digital pet portraits, I found myself questioning working based on an image. We live in an era where AI can create filters that will turn your pet’s photo into an artistic portrait in literal seconds. I needed to brainstorm a way of creating memorable artworks that depicted the pet friend without purely copying a picture. The style for these portraits was influenced by paper cutouts. I really wanted to utilize texture and brushes that look traditional. I also wanted to practice simplifying shapes and creating more simplistic yet dynamic designs.
I started this process by creating free artworks based off of images submitted to r/RedditGetsDrawn. I had a super fun time creating those, and I got good feedback on social media regarding the style.
I am offering these pieces at an insane price of $25 for the first 10 commissioners. As of the time of writing, I have 7 slots left at this price!
If you’re curious about my process, or maybe just want to chill out while I ramble about art things, I am pleased to announce I have a Youtube Channel! My first video came with a LOT of learning, but I still think it’s enjoyable to watch. You can see more of my process in Adobe Fresco and my thoughts when designing/drawing!
Watch my very first video down below I am super excited to make more longform content. It has always been a bit of a dream of mine to make youtube videos so I am pretty excited to at least try it out for a few months. Leave a comment saying you got to the video from my website and I will send you something for free <3.