Category: Blog Posts

Catching Up! & The “Cursed” October Art Auction

It’s been too long of a gap since my last update! Life has been tumultuous for a few reasons, including the successful funding (and current ongoing fulfillment) of my “Sworn Servant” crowdfunding project, a commissioned cover painting I’m excited to reveal soon, and prep for Multiverse 2026 coming up this Friday, where I look forward to being a Guest (find me at my table in the dealer’s hall or in the Creative Track panels!).

I’m also so excited to report that after 2+ years of struggle for my husband and myself on the job hunt, Kev has finally landed a new job in the IT field he loves so much! We’re so relieved after such a long period of struggle. The job market has been an extreme challenge, to say the very least, so we’re glad to be getting back to some normalcy around here!

What that means for this Patreon and my own professional efforts, I’m still pondering on as we pick up the pieces and rebuild. More on that soon!

The “Cursed” Art Auction

In other news, I’ve got a plethorra of lovelies in the Changeling Art Collective’s October art auction, from original art to masks to a signed print! This month’s auction features haunting and spooky work from myself and many of my talented peers in the Collective. Even if you don’t bid on anything, go enjoy the lovely online gallery of works, as this image shows only a selection of mine!

Auction cover art by Kit Steele.

You’ll notice also that yes, indeed, I have included a new mask in this collection! I’ve finally returned to leathercrafting after being afraid I might harm my shoulder after my shoulder surgery back in 2022 and the long process of healing and physical therapy after. Thankfully, it looks like my shoulder is holding up with far less pain than I used to have (knock on wood!).

Leathercrafting was always my hobby away from my art, so I’m so happy to be reclaiming this hobby for myself after so long away from it!

(For the curious, I house my leathercrafted creations at Angelic Artisan which has its own social accounts and Etsy shop.)

To Bid

If these items don’t go during the auction, they’ll be added to my Etsy shops at their list price, which is higher than their starting bids in the auction, so now’s the best time to collect!

  • Bid at the auction album on FB in increments of $5 (further instructions in the description of the Auction Album).

  • Don’t want to use FB? Email me at angela(at)angelasasser.com to arrange private and/or proxy bidding.

  • Auction ends this Friday, October 16th, so get your bids in soon!

Up for Auction

This Collective is artist-ran, so your support makes a big difference for us! You can help us spread the word by boosting us on the socials via BlueSky, Facebook ,and IG.

After Multiverse, I’m looking forward to taking a breather, then hopping to sharing more of the art and future plans I’ve been brewing on for a long while.

Till then!

♥ Ang

[New Art] Cassiel’s Servant – Grayscale & Gold Edition + Print Launch & Upcoming Patreon Rewards

After MUCH toil, I can finally share this piece that I have been working on for so very long!

Happy 25th anniversary to Kushiel’s Legacy, one of my fave book series! You’ve seen WIP snippets of this piece on and off for the past couple of years while we’ve been really struggling with Life Happenings (TM).

I almost gave up on painting this with all the skill challenges it threw at me on top of those troubles. I never gave up on it though, even when the muse has been fleeting. Thanks to everyone who cheered me on while doing this and supported me here in the meanwhile!

I’m grateful also to this book series because it helped shape my passion for elegant, mature fantasy and quiet strength in both my writing and art.

A warrior wearing daggers at his waist and a longsword on his back crosses his forearms in a salute. His eyes are closed in a pensive pose as he stands resolute in his duty. Behind him, the woman he has sworn to protect, walks a path of broken glass into a golden window of thorny rose vines. The black tribal tattoo on her back marks her as a chosen of Kushiel. Pinpricks of red mark its blossoms. The painting is rendered in grayscale with gold accents dotting the dust motes, floating feathers, and rose designs.

Detail shots for your enjoyment:

A detail of the painting showing the delicate tattoo work on Phedre's back and her flowing hair as well as the layers and texture of Joscelin's chainmail armor and bracers.

[Below] A short art timelapse compressing hours of work down to 1 min.

A peek at all the concept and thumbnail sketches I did to prepare for this cover. Get a closer look over in the Cassiel’s Servant Art Archive.

Cassiel’s Servant Limited Edition Print Pre-Orders Launch

I also hope to celebrate this momentous occasion with a limited edition series gold foil print launch of this grayscale & gold painting! The print will have metallic etched gold accents with a lovely satin finish.

However, only 100 of these prints will be made and I will need the fandom’s help to be able to make this happen! The planned pre-order listing will go live in early August and I will run it until we sell the minimum amount needed to print the series, 1 month passes, or we sell out of the 100 prints.

If you’re interested in the print launch, sign up for a reminder here (I’ll also be sure to remind folks here with a blog post poke as well).

What’s Next?

There are still a few things I’d like to do before I wrap up this painting! Here’s the plan for those who want to make sure they are pledged at the proper tiers to get access to the goods.

TL;DR Those pledging at $5 will get most of the goods, except for the digital compilation sketchbook, which is coming later for the $10+ tiers! NOTE that you can pledge at any time after the digital Rewards are posted for access since they are digital and therefore hosted here on Patreon and persistently available as long as you are pledging to the proper tier.

Patreon Rewards Happening in July:

  • Secret Sketchbook Entry – 1 of 2 more Patrons-Only Secret Sketchbook entries (available to all paid tiers) discussing final problem-solving for the grayscale & gold painting.

  • Digital Wallpaper Pack (Grayscale & Gold Ed.) – The grayscale & gold painting for your desktop computers, tablets, and phones available for free for my $2+ Patrons (& available without a subscription committment in my Patreon Shop.
    (This pack will also be offered free to anyone pre-ordering the Limited Edition print when it goes live.)

  • PSD File (Grayscale & Gold) – $5+ Patrons will also receive the grayscale & gold PSD file for personal use & study

Patreon Rewards Planned for August:

  • Secret Sketchbook Entry – 2 of 2 more Patrons-Only Secret Sketchbook entries (available to all paid tiers) discussing the process of converting from grayscale to color.

  • Digital Wallpaper Pack (Color Edition) – A wallpaper pack for my $2+ Patrons & my Secret Shop

  • PSD File (Color Edition) – $5+ Patrons will also receive the full color PSD file for personal use & study

  • Cassiel’s Servant Digital Sketchbook – Compiling all the sketches and Secret Sketchbook posts together into a PDF Sketchbook (will be available for free for $10+ Premier Patrons) & offered in my Patreon & Fantasy Art shops

Other Plans:

  • Stickers – I’m looking into possibly making stickers of these Cassiel’s Servant themed emblems, but they require some cleaning up. (Is there enough interest in possible pins or patches of these designs too?)

  • Grayscale & Gold Foil Print – Launching in early August via a pre-order listing! This limited print series will only be made if there are enough pre-orders. (Sign up here for reminders).

As we get closer to August, I’ll re-confirm this Rewards schedule and what’s ready to go. There’s lots to do and this rollout of merch and art is somewhat experimental for me.

Let me know what you’re most interested and excited about!

For now, it’s time for me to get to work.

Wishing you all inspiration!

♥ Ang

[Auction Now Live!] Art Auction Head’s Up! Lady of September’s Original Painting & Collectible VISAGE Print

EDIT: The Stardust Auction has arrived! Check below the images in this post for direct links to where to bid on each piece. Also see “Help Share Our Auction” at the bottom of this post for ways to help our small artists-ran Collective spread the word. It makes a big difference for us!

If you’ve had your eye on my Lady of September’s original painting, now’s the time to prepare yourself! She’ll be in the “Stardust Auction” coming to the Changeling Artist Collective on June 15th at a starting bid beginning at half the price of the usual $2400 list price of the original painting. My originals rarely go on sale, making this a special opportunity!

This painting has been framed in an ornate antique gold frame under non-glare UV resistent acrylic glass for ultimate preservation and viewability of the watercolor. She was lovingly and painstakingly hand-painted in ink and watercolor (which you can see a 1 min peek at the creation here).

Bid Now – Starting Bid $1200

A Collectible Matted Print

In addition to Lady of September’s original framed painting, there will also be a collectible signed and double-matted print of September’s matching VISAGE print, also available at a starting bid that begins at half the list price of this item. These prints are usually available directly from me as the artist via in-person events or directly via my Etsy shop at intervals when I have the materials to prepare them on hand.

See a 1 min peek of the inking & coloring of the original of this piece here. (This original is already sold. This signed double-matted print is the next best thing.)

Bid now! Starting Bid – $20

How do I bid?

Bid on Facebook – This auction will be taking place on Facebook where bidders will make comments on each individual piece they are interested in with their price within the dedicated auction album that the Changeling Artist Collective will be sharing on their page June 15th at noon EST.

Don’t use Facebook? I can place a bid for you and act as your proxy. PM me here on Patreon if you are interested in doing this or email me at angela(at)angelicshades(dot)com.

Think you’ll miss the auction, but are still interested in this original, or any of my other work? I’m open to payment plans! Drop me a PM here or email me at angela(at)angelicshades(dot)com

Sign up to be notified about the auction’s launch at my mailing list. You’ll also recieve a free coloring page!

Help Share Our Auction

The Changeling Artist Collective is an artist-ran Collective! Just commenting and sharing our posts on socials helps make a big difference for us. Please like/share/etc the following:

Questions about this auction process, original, or anything else? Drop them in the comments or PM me! I’m always happy to help.

– Ang

Exhibition Appearance: ART OF TAROT at the Ghost Gallery in Seattle, WA

I’m so excited to share that my Temperance painting from the Woven Path Tarot deck will be making an appearance at the Art of Tarot exhibit opening today, from May 8th to June 7th. If you’re in the neighborhood, drop in and take a look at this piece in-person, alongside so many other lovely and inspired tarot-themed paintings and card decks!

  • Ghost Gallery has an online preview of the Art of Tarot exhibit here.

  • Find out more about visiting the Ghost Gallery here.

[Above: The Woven Path Tarot deck with gilded edge cards and included guidebook. While it unfortunately won’t be available at the gallery directly, you can still find this deck available here.]

My original painting includes shining details in gold mica paint that stand out so much better in-person! I hope some of you will be able to make it to experience the effect. The painting will also be on offer during the exhibit, with the gallery fielding sales and a payment plan, if you would like to add it to your collection.

[Below: A peek at the interior of the Ghost Gallery. The space itself looks so full of inspiration. I wish I could magic myself there!]

Enjoy your visit, friends! Let me know how you like it, if you do drop in.

♥ Ang

April 2026 – Setbacks & Successes

April has been the longest month of mixed blessings, so it’s time for a big update! While there’s going to be a bit of bad news in this post, there is some glimmer of hope at the end, so hang in there!

The Setbacks

To begin with the worst of it, my husband and I face the reality of him once again being laid off from his job yet again (this was an interim job after being laid off from his job in IT 2 years ago).

Once more, we find ourselves trying to find a place we can fit in the world. Both of our professions in Illustration and Tech have been hit hard by AI displacement and COVID overhiring that it feels so impossible to find available work right now. Even trying to find temporary work in alternate fields has been tricky, while everyone feels the strain with world events at the moment.

But rather than go insane while we wait for job callbacks, we’re trying to keep it moving doing what we can to stay positive and hope that change is in the wind as long as we keep up hope and keep putting ourselves out there!

The Successes

But it’s not all doom and gloom. I have been blessed with a full queue of private art commissions for very amazing and patient clients in the meanwhile! I’ve been able to draw some unique and inspiring topics in the TTRPG arena that I love, in particular.

[Above: A detail of a character illustration for a private commission of Ganjo the Blade Beast of Steel Forest.]

While I’m keeping busy, I’m still working slowly, but surely on the Cassiel’s Servant cover and hope to complete it in time for the 25th anniversary of Kushiel’s Legacy coming in June. I’ve put a Patrons-only sneak over in the Patrons-only area of my Discord, for those who want to see how the cover’s going (teasing with a small sliver here with more shown over on Discord).

Trying to work on anything right now has felt like painting during a hurricane with the high stress of our situation and the ongoing DOOM that is the world right now, but I hope to keep pushing to get this done by June as much as I can work on it between other paying work!

Upcoming Appearances

In other positive news, I’m also very excited to be returning to Multiversecon in 2026 as a guest in October! This was such a charming and welcoming small con right on my doorstep. I hope to be in the vendor hall again this year and to meet Martha Wells, one of the Guests of Honor, and tell her how much I loved Murderbot.

I’m also thrilled to have work appearing in a very lovely gallery in downtown Seattle, Washington called The Ghost Gallery.

[Above: A shot of Ghost Gallery’s install for 2025’s mini art exhibit.]

You’ll specifically be able to see my “Temperance of the Woven Path” piece beautifully framed and on display at the Ghost Gallery’s “Art of Tarot” exhibit featuring oracle, tarot, and other related artworks and card decks from May 8th to June 7th. If you’re in the neighborhood, drop in and take a look! It’s promising to be a gorgeous show.

I’m honored to be included in such a busy gallery area in such a cool themed show! I only wish I could attend in person myself, but maybe it’s for the best so I’m not tempted to buy all of the pretty card decks they might have on display.

I hope you all are able to keep your chins up during these tough times as well! Thanks to all of you for your continued support here, as that little bit of income goes a long way and the encouragement I get here always brightens my day.

Till next time!

<3 Ang

Posts You Might Have Missed in April