EDIT: I’ve updated this post with all the questions that have been discussed thus far during the AMAs, including ones still in the queue. Want to ask a question not found in this archive? Feel free to leave a comment!
Every month as a perk for fans and Patrons, I do a Studio Hangout with an AMA segment answering 3 questions at the end! I love to talk to you all about art, geekery, and life, so lay your questions on me. This is usually a livestreamed event, but will sometimes be pre-recorded instead.
Either way, if you miss the segment, recordings are always available onmy YouTube channel!
Patreon Patrons will be prioritized in the question queue, but everyone including Free Members and non-members are welcome to leave their asks. This archive post will collect all of your questions by topic.
Got a question not on this list? Feel free to leave a comment or drop a message in the dedicated AMA channel over on my Discord!
Art Fight has concluded and what a glorious battle it was! This year, I used the event as a way to practice drawing simplified emoticon portraits with the hope that one day soon I can make some of my own emotes for my Discord and Twitch. Watch the video above for the run down or scroll through this article for the rundown at your own pace!
(Paid Members are getting this vid a few days early before everyone else as a little treat for your support! <3)
However, this proved more difficult than I anticipated! Drawing emotes to visually express an archetypal emotion requires picking up on a strong defining emotion, which requires knowing something of the defining personality of a character. This is easier said than done if a reference sheet provides neutral expressions, I don’t know the character personally, or there aren’t any visual references hinting at the character’s personality.
Luckily, most of my guessing at character types proved correct or at least amusing to their creators!
The next challenge was also taming my own inability to keep art simple because emotes are very small and must portray the character silhouette and emotion extremely clearly and minimally. I got better at doing this as the event went on.
STRAP IN because this is a LONG post with a LOT of artwork embedded. My apologies to those of you on slower networks!
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Attacks by Me
Here’s a closer peek at all the cool characters that inspired me this year, plus the emote I made for each of them.
My first Attack was of Hesper, who is an acrobat who enjoys collecting knowledge. She seemed very quiet and thoughtful to me so I tried to make a more subtle emote. I love Hesper’s soft lavenders and red. She helped me explore and define what kind of style I wanted to use for the rest of the event.
Glittering Blade is a flamboyant swordsman whose expression came in loud and clear when I was trying to think of a strong, defining emotion for this character. His flirty emote ended up being my favorite one from this event! I think I nailed the balance of expressiveness and simplicity the best in this particular emote as well.
I adore all of Toshiaki’s interesting costume details and glamourous personality and have been wanting to draw him since I saw him during the Exalted Art Challenge event. I drew him throwing shade and sparkling with charm all in one emote.
This one stumped me at the start because I am not too familiar with avian anatomy, much less how to chibi-fy avian anatomy. Thankfully, Yorigasu showed through at the end, no doubt looking down at one of her failed charges with embarrassment at how sorry a warrior they are and how she must guide them to their destiny, regardless.
I’ve admired Kuro’s art for a long time and had to do something for this Art Fight! I chose this character because I was intrigued by her story of returning from the Grave to uncover some sort of mystery. I have a soft spot for my death-positive Grave Domain folks. I also highly identify with this character’s amount of eye bags!
Next, I had to do something for Lumaris because I love their art. Here’s Lumaris’ Caeilin, who looked like a kind sort of emotional support knight. I thought a reassuring wink suited him!
Falloren caught my attention for being multiple things I love. Witchy, purple-haired, and mischievous. I loved your expressive reference art of her doting on her gnome champion, Kakkobeast!
I admittedly wanted to draw this character purely because I love moth antennae and his design is absolutely gorgeous! I apologize for giving him such a silly face, but that’s what came through to me because I admittedly missed that there was reference link offsite until after I already submitted the attack and now upon checking info for this video, I know that he might not make this. He seems much nicer than I drew him haha! Sorry about that!
Rania caught my attention with her amazing design and cool backstory. She is a ruthless, discerning crimelord who also makes wood figurines for her crew and has two adopted kids. I enjoyed this juxtaposition! It also seems the crankier the character, the more fun it is to turn them into a chibi.
Finally, we have Sprite dela Cruz by Creativeidiote. I loved this character’s hair and freckles and really enjoyed coloring the hair. Probably the most adorable emote of the bunch! I also identify with this amount of nervous sweatdrops.
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Attacks On Me by Other Artists
Here are the attacks/art I received of my characters this year for the event. My sad boys, Nils and Mask of Golden Lies, were very popular this year! To be fair, Mask of Golden Lies was also the featured character this month over at the Forge of Wonders, so participants were encouraged to double-dip on Art Fight as well. You can see all the cool Golden Lies art over at The Uncrucified’s blog soon.
An adorable chibi version of Lies! He’s dressed for colder weather and stole The Lover’s hat from 2e, which I’ve always had beef with that hat. He rocks it better than she did imo.
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“Forbidden Fruit” (Mask of Golden Lies x Grave Goods Gardener) by ShiftingPath
This one comes with a fun story explanation you guys should check out here.
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Thanks for the Fight!
Not going to lie, this year has been extremely difficult and July has been a new emotional low for me as I’ve been coping with some existential shifts in my life and career. Receiving cool art of my characters brought me some much-needed happiness!
I look forward to this event every year. Did you participate? What was your fave piece that you made this year? Feel free to link in the comments!
Which of my emotes is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! ;-*
Friends, it’s been several years since I appeared at a convention and I am now rising once more from my years-long slumber to take over the wor– I mean appear at a convention again! This will be my first appearance as an official Guest Author, meaning I’ll be on tracks giving panels at the con! Catch me on the Art track (exact schedule coming closer to October when the event happens).
You can also find me and my Booth Beau (husband), Kevin, at a table in the Artist Alley where you’ll be able to pick up signed books, art, etc.
It’s such an honor to be an official Guest and to finally return to conventions after so many years away! I have missed meeting all my kindred bookish creative spirits and geeking out with you all.
About Multiverse Con
The Multiverse Convention is an event much like DragonCon which features all things geekery, Fantasy, Horror, gaming, and more! It’ll be happening October 17-19 in Peachtree City, GA. It’s a nexus of artists, authors, makers, and more coming together to celebrate these passions.
My final illustration for the giveaway prizes! This one’s for Psycheen on BlueSky of their character, Cassius, a Solarpunk necromancer who can give Death with their left hand and Life with their right. I got to once again run wild with cool jewelry and hair!
I had to go with the concept of a ‘sealed left hand’ which came to mind after hearing about Cassius’ ‘left hand of DEATH” and reading how this character unintentionally killed their older brother to save another by transferring the lifeforce from them to an injured person.
(I do love a good tragic backstory, courtesy of Psycheen!)
[The mood board for Cassius with Psycheen’s art of them on the right]
[The final version painted in Procreate on the ipad]
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Hopefully, in the future I can re-open for commissions like this once medical things aren’t looming on the horizon and I’ve balanced my schedule for IT studies.
For now, Sam’s Dahlia and Psycheen’s Cassius were great practice for when that finally happens. Congrats to the winners on their prizes!
My art queue is now finally down to the BIG ambitious illustration of the faux book cover and interior illustrations for Cassiel’s Servant, which has proven a challenge, as I’m having to invent much of the anatomy and poses. Sometimes, it’s just hard to find reference when your characters and camera angles are unusual!
I am also pondering experimenting with black, white, and red graphite for the interior illustrations, which should go faster than full color. Hopefully not famous last words!
Wish me luck!
More art soooon, barring any other catastrophes or family needs,
Have a look at all the happenings and posts you might have missed in June, plus the monthly Ask Me Anything segment where I answer questions from fans and Patrons! Watch the video above or read the TL;DR summary below. The video includes captions with the transcript attached to this post.
Personal Updates
We were dropped AGAIN by health insurance after finding a new plan. But only after I spent weeks calling offices and the insurance company where nobody knew whether we were covered by our doctors or not and their own system said we were covered. It was a very frustrating process which ate up so much of my time this month! Meanwhile, we’re still bracing ourselves for multiple surgical procedures for Kev on the horizon, which have been stalled by this whole insurance coverage uncertainty.
The Silver Lining! The hubby MIGHT be starting a new job with new health insurance, which will help us with most of our current challenges! Even if that doesn’t work out, we are thankfully able to change our current problematic plan within 30 days. Phew! Please redirect all spare luck and good fortune to Kev as the interview process continues!
Considering a career pivot? After doing the math, I’ve decided not to reopen for small private commissions. Better to focus my energies on studying for entry level IT helpdesk which I can also do remotely, as it promises better pay than what I can currently bring in with art. (I’ve actually started studying in May, while also balancing my current obligations).
Our current life challenges combined with the past few years of an imploding illustration industry thanks to AI, shrinking freelance opportunities, and impossible convention table rates /competition, something has to give and that’s unfortunately been my own mental health and our stability.
If/when this career pivot happens, I’ll need to reconsider how this Patreon is structured. If our situation changes in the meanwhile, awesome! But I want to be prepared in case things don’t work out the way we want.
I’m never going to abandon creating art, but the amount of time I have for it may change depending on how life plays out! We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…
New Art in June
I finished the first of the two commission prizes for the winners this month! Sadly, I won’t be continuing to take commissions as I focus on studying for my IT certification, but I didn’t want to leave these winners hanging!
A peek at a few other pieces in-progress this month, mostly for casual fun events related to tabletop gaming. Watch this month’s Studio Hangout vid above where I talk a little more about the story behind each piece.
[Character art in the bottom left by Psycheen, which is a sneak peek of the character I’ll be drawing for the final giveaway winner next!]
Announcements
Review of Fourthwall Samples – I’m vetting this shop platform for my own side projects. Have any questions about them? Drop a comment! Find the quickie review and a video overview here.
Introducing my new YouTube channel – I’ve decided to break my more gallery-minded art videos off from my main channel so my geeky tabletop art doesn’t clash too badly with galleries scouting my paintings for display. Find out more about my new Fine Art channel here!
Ask Me Anything Archive Coming Soon! – I’ve gotten enough AMA questions now to merit creating an archive which will be categorized by topic. Look for it here when it’s complete!
Q: [Also from Psycheen] What character do you hate in media lately?
A: Answered here.
July Goals
Hopping into Art Fight 2025 – I’ll be participating in this art trading event with some simple art! Find my profile here. I don’t have a lot of time to participate, but I need SOME HAPPINESS in my life and this event brings pure joy!
Clearing out my Art queue – I’m wrapping up as many of my in-progress images as I can so I can pivot my focus to studying for entry level helpdesk certification.
[My Art Fight card for 2025. Go, Team Crystals!]
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My eternal thanks to those of you who keep supporting here even when things have slowed to a crawl because of our IRL challenges. I’m remaining hopeful for a kinder turn of fortune in store for us in July!
Art has been a little slow of late, but I’m still hanging in there after a family emergency last month where I’ve sadly had to cancel my commission launch. I still won’t be taking commissions for awhile yet while focusing on family, but I still wanted to finish the giveaway prizes that folks won during the launch event just because I hate to get people’s hopes up and then have them get nothing!
To start off with, we have the lovely Dahlia for Sam Hogg, a deceptively gorgeous and deadly courtesan from her The Whaler Girl storyverse.
I had a grand time drawing all of Dahlia’s amazing details, from her wardrobe to her hair. All my love also for being able to draw curvy gals as well! The Fantasy genre is too often relegated to a certain body type, so it’s refreshing to see some variation. I had some excellent reference from Grafit that helped me figure this pose and body type out.
I simply MUST feature more art of Dahlia by Sam because she’s SO FRIGGIN COOL and the art for her The Whaler Girl is amazing. I recommend exploring Sam’s site to immerse yourself in her thrilling and beautiful Fantasy world!
Next up, I’ll have another prize winner’s art with subject matter also in a similar vein of tattooed and lovely.
There is a chance I may have to fall off the planet again randomly when my husband undergoes surgery so I can care for him during recovery, but the timeline isn’t set while we sort out all the details, so I’m trying to get as much art done as I can in the meanwhile.
Video has increasingely become the standard for experiencing art in this modern age and that’s why I’ve been teaching myself how to edit and share in a video format, as well as how to livestream via Twitch. It allows me another level of connection with you all being able to talk directly to you on stream or being able to talk about my process via video tutorials.
@AngelaSasserArt has been the place I’ve shared my art for so long that it’s gathered art from all of my different 2D projects over the years. However, as time has gone on, my bawdy Dungeons & Dragons comics and casual video game streams are beginning to clash with my more serious Fine Art Gallery work.
Fantasy VS Fine Art
And that’s why I’ve decided that in order to make my channel more approachable to Fine Art Gallery representation that I’m breaking off my Fine Art work (the Birthstone Goddesses and other gallery-aimed work) and moving it all over to @AngelicShadesArt, which leaves @AngelaSasserArt free to unabashedly share all of my geekery, video game streaming, fan art, and more.
The Short Version
My @AngelaSasserArt channel will be for:
My Fan Art, Fantasy Art, Comics, Digital Art and related Tutorials
Storytelling and my own Fantasy Novel projects
Artistically inspiring Video Game Streams
Art Streams related to Fan Art, Fantasy Art, Character Art, Storytelling, etc.
Unboxing art books related to geekery, fandoms, & fantasy art
Ask Me Anything and Studio Hangouts
My @AngelicShadesArt channel will be for:
Fine Art and related Traditional Art tutorials
Gallery inspiration
Museum inspiration trips
Art Streams related to traditional drawing, life drawing practice, etc.
Unboxing art books related to Fine Art/gallery work
Looking forward to keeping up with you all across the interwebs!
The end of the month has come and with it the monthly Studio Hangout update that wraps up all the happenings and posts you might have missed! Watch the video above or read the TL;DR summary below. The video includes captions and the transcript is attached to this post.
Personal Updates
Medical Woes – My husband had serious medical complications this month, which means I haven’t been around much for streaming or art while I’ve focused on family. See this post for the longer story.
Announcements
Commission Launch Delayed – Until we know what the immediate future will be like for treatment plans, I am delaying taking commissions until further notice. My apologies to everyone who sent inquiries! Please keep me in mind for later once I have a better idea of my availability.
New Art
Once again, the Forge of Wonders server pulled me out of my art block to create this single silly piece of art for the Character of the Month event. Behold Dr. Zaius’ Clouseau-inspired brilliant, yet bumbling Detective Claw Zu.
Not usually the kind of character I draw, but I appreciate being pushed out of my comfort zone with such a fun concept!
I took a break from Banishers to sample the gorgeous game, Clair Obscur, with Kev as my commentator this month (just before things hit the fan). I’ll be taking a break from streaming until we know more about what the immediate future is going to be like for us.
[VIDEO] Game Night: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Watch this beautifully French work of art in video game form! I have been buzzing about this game ever since its first trailer in which a giant eldritch artist painted people out of existence, while the populace bravely defies her by sending a small, but determined group of soldiers.
I’m pleased to see this game has gotten so much critical acclaim recently! Join Kev and I as we bask in its loveliness and rock out to the music. Just ignore how much I fail at parrying.
AMA (Ask Me Anything)
The links should lead you to the timestamps that have the answers. I’ve included the timestamps just in case the links don’t work.
Q (from Lindowyn): How does an artist identify their audience?
A: Watch the answer here. 05:34
Q: (from Jim D AKA Overlord Jim of Apotheosis Adventures): What info does an artist need to draw a character?
A: Watch the answer here. 08:48
Q: (also from Overlord Jim): What info should a client have prepared to commission an artist?
A: Watch the answer here. 12:00
June Goals
Everything is going to be dependent on my availability while I prioritize family, but I hope to aim for the following.
Finishing the Cassiel’s Servant faux book cover. I’m likely switching to working digitally, as it will now take too long to learn acrylics as I originally planned with everything going on. Despite the digital medium, however, I plan to offer hand-gilded limited edition prints so they still have a touch of the artist’s hand in them.
Returning to commission portraits later on in the month. (Husband’s health willing!) I’m going to see if I can still get the commission giveaway winners done at the very least!
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I hope I have better news and more fun things to share soon, but I may also fall off the planet depending on how things go. Either way, thanks for reading and for your support, both via Patreon and via your kind words.
Gorgeous sketch work by Ekaterina. There’s so much energy and life in these with intriguing details packed with character personality. The balance between line and form is so well done!
Well, friends, it’s been the week from hell and I’m now sure my husband, Kevin, was born above an ancient burial ground which cursed him with bad luck. Long story short (shared with Kev’s permission), he’s been in and out of the ER after a medical condition we were monitoring finally decided to pop, which has resulted in him being catheterized and fairly immobile.
Add the drama of an insurance company that decided to drop us without notice during the middle of this crisis. This sudden drop in coverage caused the medications he needs to live to be about $1200 and his desperately needed urgent specialist visit to not be covered. Thankfully, we were able to sort out new coverage that let us use co-pay coupons for the meds at least.
(UHC was the culprit who dropped us. We should’ve known better than to trust them considering how they’ve been in the news lately for being The Literal Worst. Good riddance to this trash company!)
Now, we’re just taking it one day at a time waiting on tests. Hoping for the best (which is likely surgery to alleviate his medical issues) or the worst (possibly prostate cancer).
If you’ve requested or are considering a character commission from me, I ask for your patience while we deal with our situation. Depending on how things go, I may have to stop accepting commissions altogether to focus on Kev’s health if we must take a second journey with cancer to remind it who is boss. I’m praying our outcome will be the better of these situations, but we’re planning for the worst and hoping for the best.
Friends have asked us if there are ways to help and, while we’re not in dire need, we won’t say no to extra help to make life easier during a tough time.
Ways to Help
Many of you are already supporting my Patreon, which I’m so thankful for. Here are some other ways you can help us out:
Please don’t put yourselves out, however! We know times are tough all around.
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Now, the most important question to ask you all. What tv shows are you watching? We could use some suggestions to watch during the wait between appointments. So far, we’ve been watching Parasyte: The Grey and Dragonball DAIMA.
