Category: Blog Posts

Commission Gallery – Ganjo the Blade Beast of Steel Forest for Malusthe16th

I can finally unveil this commission I’ve been working on for awhile now! My client, Malusthe16th, commissioned me to design and illustrate a beloved NPC from their long-running Exalted TTRPG campaign. This is the first of several commissions I have in the TTRPG vein, which is an exciting step forward for me, as I have been doing more Fine Art focused work for the past few years.

Tabletop RPG games and the Fantasy genre were some of my first loves that got me interested in drawing in the first place, so being able to take a step in this direction with my art was invigorating!

My paid members here on PAtreon at all levels have access to a Secret Sketchbook deep dive into the process behind designing and illustrating Ganjo, the Blade Beast. Be sure to check it out for an in-depth discussion on research, design, and planning this intricate character and illustration.

Read on at Secret Sketchbook: Ganjo the Blade Beast – Part 1 – Character Design & Thumbnailing.

Watch a silent 1 min timelapse of Ganjo’s design from start to finish here:

I have more TTRPG-related art in my commission queue, which is exciting! I also haven’t forgotten about my Cassiel’s Servant fan cover, which I hope to finish in time for the Kushiel’s Legacy series’ 25th anniversary in June.

More art to come soon!

<3 Ang

Reminder that I’m currently accepting commissions like Ganjo’s! Here’s my quick sheet showing price rates for simpler character portraits and design, while more complex illustrations and cover art will require more complex price quotes.

I’m currently booked till approximately Mid-May and happy to book more clients! Find my full commission details and FAQ here.

March 2026 – My Attempts at Adapting as an Artist in Impossible Times

It’s been awhile since I posted a more personal update, but I wanted to give a sign of life! It’s been quiet around here while I’ve been shaking up the formula with how I do things as an artist and working on commissions for private clients.

A collage of art featuring various character portraits, including a young man holding an oni mask, April and Casey from TMNT, and an insectoid warrior holding a lotus.

[Above: A peek at some of my recent private commission work.]

I have taken on as much private work as I can without overloading myself to help us stay afloat, but it’s been tough, meticulous work and I haven’t had as much free time as I’d like to work on the passion projects, like my fan cover for Cassiel’s Servant I’ve been documenting here on Patreon.

A gal’s got to eat, so hopefully Joscelin can be patient just a little longer! Here’s a little peek to tide us over. Hello, gorgeous! I have been trapped rendering and re-rendering the face trying to get it perfect, I admit.

[Above: A peek at a work-in-progress of finalizing Joscelin’s facial features.]

Thinking Outside Conventions

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been about pivoting! I cannot run Kickstarters (my biggest money-makers) while tariffs make planning expenses unpredictable. Meanwhile, my Etsy sales have crashed even further due to being overrun with generated AI slop making it that much harder to be found and seen on the marketplace.

Social media website algorithms remain hostile to creatives unless you make videos and rage bait. Convention table and booth prices have majorly increased while everyone vies for these marketplaces that have mostly banned AI, making the chances of getting into conventions lower than they used to be, just as the hostility of social media also drives people to seek in-person venues, also upping competition for these spaces.

So what’s an artist to do?

I honestly, I thought about giving up this year, or at least temporarily shuttering everything on the art biz side of my life. However, as the ‘real day job’ opportunities aren’t calling me back either, somehow, Art has become the only option I have. (The irony!)

The answer thus far has been turning back to my local community where we can meet face to face and support one another. I’ve been looking at the galleries and markets in my town to see if focusing down on them might be a better path to reach people. You may spot me in local fairs, markets, etc. if you’re down south of ATL!

[Above: Me doing my best try at human socialization after working from home for a very long time! From my Meet the Artist event at the Staffords Arts &Craft Gallery in Fayetteville, GA.]

The Grand Return to the Art Scene (Take Two)

While last year’s attemps to work the convention circuit were a bust, I worked my first Art Fair in over 10 years! I had done this briefly before, but decided to focus on indoor shows instead because Georgia weather can be brutal. Now, I’m greeting the sun once more and not bursting into flames!

My old tent had a small hole in it and we forgot everything about how to set it up. One of my tables and a sticker display is already broken after just two events, but so far, so good! I’ve been able to make a small profit I hope to grow as I get better and faster at this.

I feel a bit like a sore thumb at these markets right now because my work is more fantastical and strange, but perhaps this will help me stand out in a good way? Time will tell! I’ve also spied a comic book shop’s market that I hope will help me meet my nerdy kind of people who might like my sword & sorcery/TTRPG work!

Returning to the Changeling Artist Collective

You may have also noticed I’ve also been taking part in the Changeling Artist Collective’s monthly auctions when I can! The Collective was on hiatus for awhile, but we’ve been back since December with monthly thematic creations for auction. We hope that people are seeking connections with real artists, enjoying an online exhibition of themed work each month, while also knowing their support is a salve for these hard-working creators who are all combining their forces to fight the algorithm.

I’ve sold two masks and a limited edition print in this month’s auction and I’m so thankful for that! Definitely follow the Collective on Facebook, Instagram, and our email newsletter if you don’t want to miss out on seeing our art and perchance supporting any of our talented member artists.

[Above: A collage of my original and limited edition art from this month’s Changeling auction.]

Hang in There!

I know times are tough all around and things are uncertain right now. Make moves where you can and remember what the light feels like. Fellow artists/creatives, stay tough! Art brings people solace in dark times and nurtures the soul in unseen ways, even if the world would try to trick us into thinking otherwise.

See you around, maybe?

♥ Ang

[WIP] The Blade Beast of the Steel Forest – Thumbnail Sketches & Design Sneak Peek

I’ve been busy working on an intense and extremely fun commission for a client, Malus the 16th, of their demigod character, Ganjo, the Blade Beast of the Steel Forest, from the Exalted tabletop RPG from Onyx Path Publishing. I’m designing this character from the ground up with the final goal to draw an illustration of a scene featuring a resplendent moment for Ganjo after an intense battle.

I hope to do a Patrons-only Secret Sketchbook post to collect my extensive notes and process for this one once I’m finished, but I wanted to drop a few teases of all the neat stuff coming from this commission in the meanwhile.

This has been an exciting project for me because I get to fully dive into the wonderful and weird Epic Fantasy of a tabletop setting after spending many years in a completely different Art Nouveau mode.

From graceful goddesses to bug demigods, I love where art takes me!

In the meanwhile, feel free to play my fave art game – guess which thumbnail we ended up going with!

More soon~

– Ang

[Art] Commission Gallery – Vamps & Vigilantes

I’ve been a little quiet around here while I’ve had my head to the desk working through a few private commissions to help catch up with all our medical bills from our tumultuous 2025. I thought you guys might enjoy seeing a couple I’m allowed to share!

Echo for Aquatica1000

You may have spotted this tragically handsome vamp in my Year in Art post. I’m always giddy to get more Exalted TTRPG characters into the queue. This was a small headshot, but even with these smaller pieces meant to be in a simple flat style, I always try to work in the DRAMA, which I achieved with subtle gradients and dramatic desaturated color choices that pushed the saturated elements, like Echo’s soulsteel eyes and branded caste mark.

Enjoy a quick 1 min timelapse with my text narration of the process and decision-making:

Even for these small pieces, I like to workup a few thumbnails! We had a lot of fun variations for Echo. I really liked 4 to show off the dimensionality of the mask, but we ended up choosing 6 as both the client and I felt it showed Echo’s reluctant nature. He’s technically working for a big bad evil, but he’s not morally on board with his boss’ evil tactics and will one day rebel to follow his own better nature. (But 4 really would have looked cool, too!)

Splintered Fate April & Casey

A commission for a good friend inspired by their favorite characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! In which I studied many trash cans and enjoyed the many varying character designs of April O’Neil throughout time during my reference research.

This is quite the departure from my usual Fantasy fair, but it felt good to get back to my own artistic roots in 90s comics and my own nostalgic love for the world of TMNT. The graffiti turtles on the right are a nod to how I used to draw the turtles as a kid, as they were some of the first subjects of my early budding art skills!

A timelapse to appreciate how much I fiddled with the graffiti:

And now the thumbnails! There were no bad options here, as each one showed a different facet of these two characters. We had some cool ‘super model’ poses for an aesthetic approach, some more action-oriented comic posing, and finally the thumbnail I went with, which was actually the first one I drew.

The client and I agreed that the casual glance between the two just before they hop into a fray with The Foot was the fun vibe to shoot for!

Side Adventure: During research into graffiti art for this image, I stumbled upon a news story about a mysterious Pizza Graffiti Bandit who has been tagging pizzerias in New York with their unique pizza tag.

In my mind, of course this had to be Mikey on his own vigilante crusade to mark the pizzerias under his protection! I HAD to include an homage to that in the image somehow.

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If you have characters you’d love to see me draw (be they yours or fan art you want to see in the world), definitely check out my private commission info and commission FAQ. I have limited slots for private comms you can view here,

Onwards to the next images in my queue!

<3 Ang

Ang’s 2025 Year in Art

EDIT: I’ve added a video about my Year in Art 2025 summary to the top of this post, for those who enjoy listening instead of reading. I’ve also made sure the video includes proper subtitles and links in its description on YouTube. Enjoy and let me know what your fave piece of mine from this year was! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Was it the same as my personal pick?

I wanted to do a video as I normally do for the yearly art review, but flu hit our household hard, so I’ve lost my voice! I hope you’ll enjoy a tour of my featured art for this past year. While I did more than was featured, these were the pieces that stood out.

January – “The Boy With the Seven Word Name”

Ever since I joined in on the Exalted Secret Santa gift exchange hosted by ShiftingPath over on tumblr, my first art of any year is usually a gift for a fellow artist in the TTRPG community! I had a blast practicing a Hades-inspired style for my gift recipient’s character with the epic name.

Watch a timelapse and see my mini-tutorial on drawing in the Hades style here.

February – “The Empress’ Secret Library”

The Exalted TTRPG fan community also hosted a matchmaking challenge which tempted me this past year where two characters of ours were sent on a date. I chose a secret heretical library full of risque literature and artifacts.

Watch a timelapse of this image and learn more about the characters involved in this romp here.

March – “Exalted Character of the Month: Yorigasu”

The Exalted pattern continued as I also participated in the Exalted Character of the Month event where the Discord community gathers to draw each a chosen character each month. I always enjoy doing these to practice my skills and try new things!

Read more about Yorigasu here.

April – “Artorias Collbrande”

This portrait marked my return to doing private commissions and a level up in my skills and style goals. I’ve been trying to push my art towards painterly semi-realism with an intent to draw more story-driven art. As most people comment that Arty has a very self-satisified punchable face, I consider this a job well done!

For more about Artorias, read on here. You can also get a deep dive into his process in his Secret Sketchbook posts.

May – “Detective Claw Zu”

Another Exalted Character of the Month entry! This Pink Panther-inspired detective character presented a fun challenge for me of a character type I don’t draw too often.

June – “Dahlia”

A lovely character by Sam Hogg from her Whaler Girl universe. She was one of my commission giveaway winners where I got to practice a simpler flat color style.

For a timelapse and process pics of Dahlia, read on here.

July – “Cassius, Life and Death Necromancer”

Another giveaway winner, this time featuring a character by my friend, Zan.

For a timelapse and more story behind Cassius, read on here.

August – “Art Fight Emotes”

I technically started these in July, but there was too much art to fit in just that month’s slot. Art Fight is another yearly event where artists gather to draw each other’s characters while tallying points for their teams. This year, I wanted to teach myself how to do simplistic emote portraits in hopes of later designing my own for Discord and Twitch. I think I got a good start!

Watch timelapses for each character here.

September – “The Lingering Smile”

My Favorite Pick of the Year! I consider equipment, weapons, & FX a huge weakness for me, but this image pushed me in untested ways. I’m pleased with the results & how much fun I had along the way!

Read more about the story behind this sword concept here.

October – “The First Eclipse Meetup”

Another group activity with the Exalted TTRPG fan creators discord. With all of our health challenges this year, I’m not sure I would have drawn as much if I didn’t have the constant enthusiasm, encouragement, and inspiration from this community. This was my first time drawing a YCH (Your Character Here) template, where we all got together and drew our characters based on this pose template. That’s my happy drunk gal, Kalara, there at the end toasting with a mug. Featuring other characters from the fan community.

Featuring art and characters from left to right: Basileios (Jen), The Mournful Chorus of Shattered Heavens (Tuskface), Suriya (Epee102), Kalara (me) Serpent Twined Graveflower (shiftingpath), Shame (Neev), Ashen Heavens (Dr. Gelic), Forsaken Bride of Crimson Vows (ToxinFox), and Edan (Kess).

November – “The Twin Suns”

For November, I like to do a bit of writing, which I spent some time developing the rest of the cast of characters for The Uncrucified, a story I’ve been working on for a long while. These twins represent new characters on the cast I’m developing as divine twin heirs exiled from their kingdom because of their choosing by The Unconquered Sun.

They may end up changing in the future, but it felt good to get them down on paper after they’ve been living in my head for a long while now!

December – “Echo for Aquatica1000”

A commission which played to my strengths in goth vampire loveliness, which was a great way to close out my year!

Watch a timelpase of Echo’s creation here.

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What was your fave piece of mine from this year? Let me know in the comments!

I feel like Exalted really snuck in big time and I hope to listen to that urge more as we move into the future and I wrap up other projects.

Here’s to another year where I hope to keep pushing my storytelling, fundamentals, and personal stories!

<3 Ang

Birthday Musings, Art vs Artist 2025, & Help Save My Studio Closet!

The hubby is recovering well after surgery, while I’m happy to report I’ve finally been able to return to a normal human sleep schedule! The past few weeks have been a flurry of post-con recovery, at-home nurse duty, Halloween, birthday celebration, and adjusting back to the normal grind again. It was a quiet bday this year enjoying a viewing of Del Toro’s Frankenstein with a small group of friends and some cake. It’s the simple things!

Frankenstein is hands down my favorite gothic novel/figure so I’m always happy to see when adaptations get closer to the source material. This version wasn’t a one to one, definitely being more skewed towards the Creature being inherently good when he was far more ambigious in nature in the original novel.

However, Del Toro’s adaptation gave us his usual sumptuous set design, as well as a moment of tenderness between the Creature and the Blind Man that made me cry at its simple heartfelt human connection.

All in all, worth a watch! Pan’s Labyrinth and Crimson Peak are still my Del Toro faves, but I still appreciate any take on the Creature that portrays his elegance and intelligence, in spite of his monstrous origin.

Art VS Artist

I always take a selfie around my birthday to document the years gone by, so I thought I’d turn this year’s selfie into my latest Art VS Artist collage! Alas, only one of the pieces in this collage are from this year, but that just goes to show you the kind of year it’s been…

Reflecting on what I want to do with my next year of life, I’ve found some comfort in the acceptance that it’s ok to slow down on the plans I’ve had to stall because of all of our medical and financial drama. Survival comes first, even if that means I have to temporarily slow down my serious efforts to continue my art career and personal writing/art projects.

So many things, AI, the economy, the quiet mass layoffs in the tech industry, medical bills, etc. are making life harder than ever and I can continue to rage at it, or just buckle up till the ride’s over. I’m afraid sometimes I’m too old and tired too succeed, that AI has especially made artists obsolete, but now, more than ever, we must find our own voices, keep ourselves healthy, and find balance to weather the storm of change.

Save My Studio Closet! 40% Off My Coloring Books

In other news, I’m hoping that when tariffs, shipping costs, etc. all die down that I might be able to rev up future crowdfunding projects I had in store (more coloring books, Art Nouveau amulets, etc.) that I had to put off because of this hostile economy for small businesses. While things stabilize, this is a good time for me to create some space for future projects!

By space, I mean physical space! My studio closet is still half full of book boxes from the last Kickstarter.

Angela in front of the full closet of books.Buried in books. Send help!

Snag a Book

And so it’s time for a book clearout. Help me get this closet empty! I’ve marked the Birthstone Goddesses Coloring Books 40% off till Dec 13th. This includes the pencil case bundle as well, which would make for great gifting for the season (but hurry I only have 7 pencil bags in stock as of this writing). No code required. Snag a book here!

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Here’s to keeping it moving even when life gets us down, here’s to filmmakers like Del Toro keeping the flag of hand-crafted media flying, and here’s to remembering that our creative sparks won’t die, no matter how old we get, as long as we remember to carry and protect it.

♥ Ang

The Changeling Artist Collective has Returned! My Original Art On Auction

EDIT: Thanks to everyone who shared this! It really meant a lot to me. The auction is over and these paintings are now available at their post-auction prices over on my Etsy:

http://angelicshades.etsy.com/

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I’m so excited to see that my fellows at the Changeling Artist Collective have returned for their monthly auctions! It’s always nice to be involved with the magic that is collaborating with other kindred spirits and seeing what we all create around the monthly themes.

I wanted to give my inner circle here a head’s up about it because these auctions are a great way to collect my originals, as I often set the starting bid at about half off the original price.

Find the auction here, where you can bid on any pieces you like by commenting your bid on the image within this album:

Visit the Auction Album

About Each Piece

“Angel of January”, 16×20 in., Digital painting in a hand-embellished mat.

This piece was created as an exploration of what would eventually become the Birthstone Goddesses. I eventually moved away from angels and digital in favor of a traditional approach, but I still appreciate what this series would have been like with elegant wings in the mix.

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“Lady of January”, 10×20 in., watercolor, ink, and silver leaf. Framed under UV resistant non-glare glass in a beautiful ornate metallic silver frame.

Created for my Birthstone Goddesses, January represents the Garnet birthstone for January and the pink carnations birth flower of the month. She channels the pale wintry presence of Persephone with her regal flower crown and veil.

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“Guide My Blade”, 6×8 in., watercolor.

Created for my Angelic Visions howto book*, she represents a quiet, protective angelic spirit. (*Using this book link earns me a little kickback!)

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“Temperance of the Woven Path”, 11×14 in., watercolor, ink, & mica paints. Framed under UV resistant non-glare glass in a lovely wood frame with subtle gold metallic patina.

Created for the collaborative project where the Changeling Artist Collective combined their artistic talents to create a beautiful gilded tarot deck called The Woven Path Tarot. I had the honor of creating this card for the Major Arcana.

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To be quite honest, being able to give even one of these originals a new home would help my husband and myself out immensely as our combined medical bills have been a lot to handle this year. It’d make a real difference in our lives!

Even if you cannot collect a piece, just helping me boost the auction helps a small artist like me out, as so much of the Algorithm on social media these days actively works to bury the work of artists.

Here are some ways to help me out by sharing:

Thanks to anyone who helps give a boost! It means a lot to me.

<3 Ang

Visit the Auction Album

Personal Update: Surgery Hiatus (Actually Good News?)

I’ve not shared a lot of art around here, nor been able to get back to any regular streaming and Monthly Hangout activities in a long while, so I wanted to give you guys an update to let you know what’s up.

No sooner did my husband and myself return from Multiverse did we get a fateful phone call from the doc office. A surgery he has desperately needed since May, that we had been fighting insurance for, a surgery that had been postponed till the end of December had a cancellation. The catch? THE SURGERY WAS HAPPENING NEXT DAY!

This was actually amazing news, as every day Kev didn’t have this surgery was a day we could end up in the ER if his body decided to stop working correctly as it did during our May medical drama.

I’ve been taking time off to take care of the hubby. Beyond that, life has been A LOT and I’ve been slowed down by the mental overwhelm of it all (IE. job rejections, fighting health insurance, doc office phone calls, doc appointments for the both of us, and the constant unending stress of uncertainty).

We’re both just trying to focus on survival right now, which may lead to some changes to this Patreon in the future, as I may have less time for the investment it takes to read novels for creating book-related illustrations while I try to find more non-art related side work to help us get by.

I have no cons for the rest of the year, so I’ll be focusing on Kev’s recovery and wrapping up my planned art for Cassiel’s Servant, then brainstorming for how I can do something more swift, engaging, and fun with this Patreon that’s easier for me to manage!

For now, I must re-iterate how grateful I am to everyone who’s stuck with me thus far despite my slug pace of art releases. The bit of support I recieve here goes a long way and has provided succor during a hard time for my husband and myself.

Take care in these trying times, friends!

<3 Ang