#redbubble just got too expensive to be worth it

[little-nutmeg]

I've got a book fair/pride event that I'm selling my art at on Saturday and I just finished submitting my last print order. I'm excited but nervous and mostly just hoping anyone shows up.

Anyway enjoy a peek of one of the stickers I'm hoping will be delivered before the event 🌈📚🤠

[salchat]

Today I decided I was going to do whatever the hell I liked, because it's chemo day tomorrow (again). But then I ended up doing lots of useful stuff. Huh. So I needed a reward, and drawing this cute little Dean seemed like a great reward!

I decided to use my neocolor crayons. They look like Crayola, but they're a bit bigger and much softer.

They blend and layer really well and they're also water-soluble, but I didn't use that feature here. They don't erase, obviously, although once you've got a few layers on the paper, you can scratch them off with a knife. Anyway, erasing isn't an issue, usually - you just go over the top. So you don't have to get all over-careful and 'Oh, no! What if I go wrong!'

Here's my rough first stage:

I chose the blue at random, out of my little tub of lots of colours. Not that I haven't looked at colour theory - I have. But I prefer to go with a childlike, 'ooh, pretty colour!' approach.

Here's stage two:

I put some shadows in and attempted to get his mouth in the right place. Dean’s mouth is always the hardest bit!

Next:

I find if I go over the whole lot in a flesh colour I can get more of a sense of what's working and what's not. I used a salmon pink, but any of the pale pinks would have done.

It's getting there, isn’t it? Looking a bit more Dean-like. His mouth still needs a lot of work. Typical...

So, yes, there's way too much highlighting around his mouth, but I've got the shape and position better. And his eyes are looking reasonable.

Oh. Whoops. Sorry! I got a bit carried away and forgot to do more progress shots!

Anyway, here he is, corrected as far as I can so you can see the actual colours. The paper's a lovely rich orange and the dark blue is juicy and bright and luminous.

I'm pretty pleased with him. In fact I love him. (Even though I can tell his eyes are just the tiniest bit squinty for some reason - probably because I didn't actually do the boring measuring-of-proportions stage that I really should definitely do, but don't because it's boring. Silly me.) I used the tiniest bit of white Sennelier oil pastel for the highlights. And if you're drawing in crayon or oil pastel, but can't afford Sennelier (which are stupidly expensive), just buy the white. It's well worth it.

Here's a close-up:

I might put him on my Redbubble, ArtBySalchat, if I remember.

Happy arting, fan artists!

[queka-store]

Omg, I can't believe how a journey that started with an AI art addiction led me to discover a community I feel so comfortable with! 💖✨

It all began when I got heavily addicted to AI generating and made hundreds of pictures, day and night just not to feel, just not to collapse... But as much as I loved creating, it led me straight and deeply into a financial crisis 💸 I turned to Claude AI for help, and it suggested selling my best AI creations on Redbubble. I figured, why not? I'm really proud of some of them, and even though I felt a bit ashamed for using AI for therapy and my dark and painful sides I never had the caurage to show before... It was too expensive (it is still cheaper than a professional listener), I decided to give it a shot... Hoping to gain back a bit of money to hold my head above the water. Redbubble suggested sharing my art here

and that's when I stumbled upon the most incredible platform, filled with people I can relate to on so many levels. 🥰 Even though I haven't sold anything on Redbubble in 3 months (maybe I never will, and that's okay - just another cool mistake in my life journey 😅), I feel happiness. The wonderful people in the private chat brighten my day and make it all worth it.

Through this journey, I am meeting here new friends, discovering fascinating perspectives, and connecting to a supportive community that I never knew I needed. 🙌 So even if I'm at the rock bottom of my life right now, I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have you.

Thank you for existing, everyone! You've made this wild ride better for me. 😊💫

[belladonnix]

I've been making my boyfriend a custom jacket for Christmas and it's finally Finished!

I'm so hyped to finally be able to share this. He doesn't use Tumblr anymore so there's no risk of him seeing it but I've been working on this present for MONTHS! It cost me about £180 for all the materials for this jacket and I will never ever tell him - I don't want him to feel like he owes me anything or that this was about money at all. Luckily I have enough of some of the materials, like fabric ink and photopolymer, to use on dozens of other projects so it's not a huge loss of money.

The jacket itself cost me £10 second hand and I didn't anticipate spending so much on it but the more I fell in love with him the more I decided he deserved something he would love and treasure and hopefully that would remind him of how much I love him when he wears it.

So here it goes;

#1 - The Jacket

Got this faux fur removable collar, 100% denim jacket for about £10 second hand on eBay! Absolute bargain. I bought it before we got serious, probably in July or August, and was only gonna distress the denim a little originally. Maybe buy a few cheap band patches if I could find them. But as time went on and I fell in love with him, I decided it should be a lot more meaningful than that.

#2 - The Patches

It took me M O N T H S to accumulate the patches I wanted. I made a detailed list of all of his favourite bands and got to work. I was only able to secure 4 patches from the bands he loved - one of them being catfish and the bottlemen. This gave me a little trouble since Catfish haven't been active since the middle of last year and the patches on their merch shop hadn't restocked, but I was deadset on getting that patch. I found it on a redbubble clone and ordered it from overseas - the biggest issue was it came printed rather than embroidered, which is what I wanted for an authentic look, but it's on the smaller side so I figured it didn't matter too much and went ahead.

There was something missing though. A back patch, yeah, of course! I wanted to find the perfect back patch, something that would scream "HIM" as loud as possible. I'd already been playing with the idea of what I wanted but I went ahead and looked for a back patch of The Fool Tarot Card. Unfortunately, like catfish, all the patches I found of it were printed. For such a big patch it was important to me that it was as authentic as possible, so I reached out to someone and had my dream patch custom embroidered just for this project! It was the most expensive piece and without it the jacket would have been less than £100 worth of materials but alas, when it came I was starstruck. The level of detail he'd been able to attain was not unnoticed and I was proud to be able to put this on a present for someone I love.

Then there was the layout. I messed around with it a couple of times until I got it right but I was beyond happy with the composition and my absolutely flawless, somehow for once, sewing skills.

But there was something missing.. his favourite band of all time, I couldn't find any actually up-to-date or stylish patches for it but it was a must. I wanted to show him I truly pay attention, and there was one perfect solution for including it...

#3 - Screen Printing

That's right. I taught myself to SCREEN PRINT FROM SCRATCH FOR THIS! I learned how to make a frame, what materials to use, bought a good photopolymer and fabric ink (of which I have TONS left over) and took my sweet time making it. For transferring the design onto the screen I troubleshot a few different ideas; I couldn't find any plastic to print the design on, so I decided to just use the glass that came with the photo frame I used! We're resourceful in this house. Next getting the design onto the glass, I tried tracing with Sharpie and paint but I'm so impatient it just wasn't working for me. So I got the brilliant idea to painstakingly cut out the intricate design and PVA glue it onto the glass, since it dries clear it wouldn't affect the photopolymer! And it worked!

Oh what band was this for you ask? What band was so important to him that I spent hours stretching chiffon, cutting a design, curing polymer and scrubbing out the screen for?

My Chemical Romance, baby

After the screen finally dried from rinsing I did some test prints on an old pair of jeans, and it went so well I was ready to try it on the jacket!

Didn't go so well. There was a button I hadn't accounted for that made it impossible to print it on the pocket where I wanted it, so I tried just lower and it was a complete bust. I spent 15 minutes cleaning the ink out before retrying on the sleeve. The sleeve went a lot better, not exactly what I wanted but it's clear, visible and opaque.

Perfect. Now we just needed some final touches and it would be ready just in time for Christmas.

#4 - Final Touches

We're talkin' lil bits and bobs here. Nothing too extravagant but small embellishments that really make the piece what it is.

I'll start with pins. I only have 2 so far, maybe planning on getting him more for his birthday next year to add to the jacket, but these have just as much sentimental value as the rest.

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, the pin was on sale and it's another one of his favourite bands! It was a must. The goose, goofy and silly but perfect as we'd played Untitled Goose Game together earlier this year as a sort-of date.

Adding a personal touch; the jacket was originally an ASOS piece, but I didn't like how the label looked in the back so I removed it, only to feel like it was too bare after. So I painted him a custom brand label using that fabric ink from earlier and scrap black cotton from my fabrics; sewed it in place and it was finally coming together.

Fixing up any damage; I found on the removable collar, while I was sewing the patches, that one of the elastic loops that held it in place had almost snapped and was hanging on by a thread, so I repaired that! I know it might never be noticed, but that's the funny thing about love isn't it? We do things that our loved ones might never notice just to make their lives a little better, a little easier.

I'm considering roughing up the edges of the seams with a scalpel, just to give it a more worn look. But knowing my Kyle, it'll have that look no problem by the middle of summer.

Conclusions

This was absolutely a journey. There was a lot of stress, but equally there was a lot of time, effort and love poured into this project. I can't imagine him not loving it based on that alone, not even considering the inclusion of his favourite things. If this gets a good reception I'll post a reaction when I give it to him on Tuesday.

I love this man so much, and I think I already know I've created something he will adore and cherish for years to come. And in years to come, assuming I'm still around, I'll be there to patch it, paint it and fix it however he wants, however our lives evolve together as inspiration. I'm as proud to have put work into this as I am to have put work into our relationship. All the tenderness, and care, and patience will be worth it.

And before you ask; Yes, my love language IS acts of service.

[the-punk-innovator]

Hiya, I really like your clothes so I have a fashion question. I’m tall and very fat and I wanted to dress punk but I could never find clothes. Not only can I not find normie clothes but I can’t find punk clothes. I’m trying to have queer vibes while looking feminine in the face and masculine in the body. How would you go at this? (I’m so sorry if this question sounds confusing. I type and talk like this often. 🤕😔

lol I got u homie, dont fret <3 Now in my last post about queer fat fems I linked this article and I’m gonna include it again in case anyone hasn’t seen it because it name drops real queer fat punks, fems, and mascs to follow. They talk a lot about shopping at ASOS, forever 21, Uniqlo , thrift stores, DXL, Zara, Torrid, and even redbubble. Those are all mostly normie type shops but with a keen eye, you can build your basics from there and I’m gonna talk about how you can easily modify that stuff to be punk. From a quick google search I also found this site that does Alt clothing up to size 5XL. Can’t vouch for it but it looks amazing. 

But your question was more specifically about how to do a fem face and masc body with the fat tall queer punk in mind.  The way I do all my punk looks are diy which is how the punk aesthetic was created. So if you can find a jacket and some jeans from those stores listed above then we’re in punk business babeeeyyy.

Here’s my Patch/pin jacket and my patch pants. My jacket was just some denim thing I found at target. My patch pants were just some old jeans that were pre ripped And normal ripped from years of wear and tear (there’s a secret patch on the thighs cuz that’s where pants actually get worn out woo). Here’s my favorite cheap diy patch shop. It’s where I got my trans is beautiful patch and the skull on my knee. The rest of the stuff on my jacket were gifts from fellow creators or pins I got from anime cons. To me this punk aesthetic has a very masc/non binary feel so I would start with making a patch jacket you can trick out with as much queer things as you please. If you can’t sew then safety pins are extremely punk (I think learning how to sew a patch stitch is easy af but there’s also fabric glue). Get some jeans, rip them up yourself. For shoes I would first choose some kind of faux doc martin cuz they make Docs much cheaper than they used to and it’s not worth the $150 investment imo. My boots are NPSs which is made by the factory that created the original doc martin. Those are expensive as hell tho so in the mean time I love converse or vans for when I’m in the pit at a punk/hardcore show. I have also thrifted some worn out leather boots for $20. The patch look pictured here can be referred to as Crust punk.  Another masc type look I love to rock is called army brat and it’s under the punk umbrella.

It’s just a tank top, thrifted leather boots, and army pants which are usually sold at army surplus stores (also the OG place to shop punk haha. Docs were accessible to punks because they were Uncomfortable to break in and cheaper at army surplus stores). I got mine off of amazon and because it’s a men’s wear item they have a larger size range for these bad boys. 

I customized it to be more trans punk by lining the tank top with an X stitch which is Super easy to do, I self taught myself that one off of youtube. I also taught myself how to make a diy stencil from tracing a design I loved, covering the paper in clear packaging tape, and using an exacto knife to cut the design out. Then I taped the design onto the tank top and painted it on with a sponge brush (a normal paint brush works too). OH also leather vests and jackets with spikes are a thing in punk. I’ve added spikes to my clothes before from buying screw spikes from a craft store like Michael’s. Leather goods can be harder to find in larger sizes unfortunately though. Here’s mine that I thrifted for $1 and added more patches mwahaha. Remember kids, nazi punks can FUCK OFF!!!!

So those are my masc punk body tips.Onto the fem face! 

photo credit 

Gosh where do I even begin. Make up is not really my forte.

Fem punk is about really big statements with your hair, eye liner, and lipstick.This can mean pink braids with a septum piercing and clear pink glasses or a mohawk, dark red lipstick, and a smokey eye. 

My typical punk make up look is really THICK eyeliner around the whole eye, no wings cuz I suck at doing them, eye shadow that matches my outfit,I fill in my eyebrows with black eyeshadow, and use a really dramatic lipstick. In this photo I have red lipstick on cuz I just dyed my hair red but usually I do black. I’ve seen other punks go REALLY ham on the liquid eyeliner and making a ton of spikes with the liner. Throwing some glitter on your cheek bones is super queer punk too.

And that’s my fashion tips for a tall fat queer punk aesthetic. Hope these helped in some way ( I know I’m skinny but I’m doing my best aaaa :v !!) and if you have anymore questions feel free to hmu~! and if you’re a fat punk fashion blogger please comment on this post so I can boost your work!!

[channelmono]

ANNOUNCEMENT! HIATUS AND EXCITING NEW PLANS

Greetings from the moon, my friends! If you haven’t already watched my last video, I’ll be going on break again from daily content (this is an important distinction), this time for an unknown length of time. Don’t worry, regular daily content WILL resume at some point, and I already have many plans of stuff I wanna work on ready to go! But I’ve realized: I need a break really badly, for a few reasons.

Let’s start with the logistics: filming has been an increasingly uphill battle. I’ve been doing this for a little over a year now, and in the process, I’ve continuously strived for improvement, both to make things more fun for you, the audience, and also to freshen things up and keep things fun for myself. Better editing, better filmmaking equipment, more costumes, more props, more intricate video ideas, and just generally trying to up my quality in all regards.

Recently, however, I feel like I’ve reached a peak where the quality of my work has started to negatively impact the enjoyment of it to a substantial degree. I can persevere through the hard work because I enjoy it, but something they don’t always tell you is that “hard work” is a constantly-changing standard that you must re-evaluate for yourself on a regular basis. What is a good day’s worth of work to you? Are the standards you put on yourself too much for any given time? Are you TOO hard on yourself?

As of the last few weeks as I was filming this continuous narrative arc, for the first time, I felt myself burning out because I was giving myself increasing workload to a standard of daily releases that was not made for it. I wish I was able to bring myself to gain more actual footage of my conversation with the moon in [Contact], but I couldn’t as I became so drained of creativity that I couldn’t figure out how to visually film that, and was just exhausted by previous filming sessions (it’s been really hot lately, and that kimono outfit is surprisingly really hard to get into, lol).

Speaking of difficulties in visually filming things, I’ve also struggled in resources and budget. As you could imagine, pandemic life has made it significantly slower to get better filmmaking equipment, more costumes, more props, and thus film more intricate videos, and also my ability to afford them has gone down dramatically. Finding work is also a pain, so I don’t exactly have as much financial freedom here.

Here’s a couple hard truths about what I do that I had to take into consideration: 1) filming content regularly in a way that’s fresh, exciting, continuously-improving is a monetarily expensive pursuit. 2) In this year-plus that I’ve been doing this project, it has NEVER been anywhere close to profitable. While I have a Patreon and Redbubble, they are very low-activity and I only make couple dozen bucks per month, which further decreases my options (I also can’t monetize my Youtube uploads, not that they get much viewership there anyway haha). I do this channel out of love and entertainment, but even I have a certain limit within realism that I have to work within.

So, what’s the plan for now?

Well, good news! While I will be holding back on mentally/financially intensive works for now, I will still be pursuing other projects aligned with NO SIGNAL STUDIO, and providing much-needed foundation for Channel Mono when it relaunches!

Within the next week, we plan to at long last have the NSS site up (we got the “nosignal.studio” domain!) to host our work, including Channel Mono. This will not only link our content onto an easily-accessible hub more sophisticated than linktr.ee, it will also also act as a blog/news outlet so we can make long announcement/update posts rather than crammed social media posts like these.

In addition, I’m pushing for more Patreon incentives, including a new set of perks I’m excited to try: CUSTOM MONO VIDS!

Starting from $25, you can send me a script every month for a short, simple video (dialogue skits, personal messages, video threats, etc.), and I’ll record it for you! There will be further tiers for additional complex features (different costumes, increased length, elaborate post-production, etc.), and depending on how it goes, I may pursue this even more!

I’ll also be opening more patron goals. Once I get past a certain budget threshold, I plan on holding monthly polls to decide what new outfits to get. Fun!

As for the future, the general trajectory for daily content will be more of a return to lower maintenance, less narrative-based skits, refreshing my work ethic and hopefully being less strenuous for me. I want to hit the ground running, but I don’t wanna quickly exhaust myself again haha.

This is only a respite for now. Once I recuperate and get my other endeavors finished, I should be returning to daily content soon. Thank you for understanding, my lovely monitors! 🖤🖤🖤

[wheeloffortune-design]

I need art advice! (if you would be so kind as to help me :)). So people have been asking me for merch and stuff. And I'm kinda broke so some money would be nice. The thing is, I don't know where to begin with setting that up? Like how do you price commissions? What's a good site to sell merch? How doi monetize this hobby in general?? (Sorry to bother you, you don't have to answer if it's too much)

al-RIGHT let’s monetize that talent

FIRST- Get a Redbubble or a Society-6 account. NO INITIAL INVESTMENT NEEDED. I love these coz you upload your art, and they take care of the rest, and then you get a paypal transfer every month. I’ve had one for years and I don’t even publicise it and I still get 20 to 30$ every month, which is always nice. Warning: Copyrights- my experience with RB is that they remove your fanart when they find is and they find it even faster if you tag it. They DO have partnerships with some shows now, like Rick and Morty and Steven Universe so check it out!

Patreon: Is nice, but you always have to be uploading something just for them and it’s kinda stressful for me? I mean, I got a handful of amazing Patrons, and a monthly 30$ is still good, but like, half of it are my parents. Anyway, I think it works better with an ongoing project, like a comic or a podcast. 

YOUR OWN MERCH- If you want to invest a bit and deal with everything yourself, you can always do it, but it’s always a bit daunting in the beginning. 

Prints- Get a photo printer and good paper and ink. My printer is a Canon Pixma that I got on sale for huh 100 Canadian dollars at La Source - Circuit City, it prints magnificent colors and no margins. The paper I use it “brochure and flyer paper” glossy, which is less expensive than photo paper and is like light cardboard. For the ink, sadly, that’s expensive, and I cheat a bit coz my cousin’s husband works for a company and gets me super cheap cartridges. 

Buttons: I use https://www.sixcentpress.com  they’re efficient and good quality.

Stickers: I use https://www.stickermule.com/ but then again I got a voucher that considerably reduces the price, if you want to go looking for that. 

Tshirts: I DO NOT RECOMMEND leave it to the prints-on-demand sites..

With all that you can either (or both) sell in on your won website (Wordpress has a good and easy ecom platform and I use it for my shop and calendars, you can check it out on talhidesign.com). You can also go the convention route, it’s a lot of effort and investment but it’s so much fun. 

COMMISSIONS: are a pain in the ass to price?? But you must get into your mind that ART IS A LUXURY, SO THEY SHOULD PAY A LUXURY. There are a lot of mathematical ways to calculate your rate, depending on your time and art experience, etc etc. I go with my gut feeling? I mean, ok, generally I charge an hourly rate for my graphic work, may it be illustration, graphic design, photo retouch, etc. I used to charge 20$CA/hour but then my friend who was in graphic design with me said I should charge more and said her rate was 30$/hour and I was like whaaaaat you can do that? Huh yes, professionals do that. 

All that to explain that it’s normal to feel weird when you price your art because art and women work and fandom work is generally seen as lesser and not real work and not worth money (since we are an exchange based economy)- so people will make you feel that you ask for too much. Those people need to shut up. Your inner voice needs to shut up. Art is a luxury. Price it. 

I found a good ressource for my original work, it’s the Illustrator’s Survival Guide that has a lot of nice pricing ressources, but it’s written for and by Quebec people. If you are american, these prices may vary. Also, canadian money. 

For the internet, you may be temped to charge less, which I feel ya, I mean, your fans are not companies. Don’t go too low, though, I mean, if a sketch takes an hour, don’t charge less than minimum wage. Actually, you’re a professional, and it’s a luxury item, so I encourage you to AT LEAST CHARGE DOUBLE THE HOURLY MINIMUM WAGE. And from there, up tour prices every year, coz you’re gaining experience and drawing faster. 

So calculate how long it takes you to make the sketch of a bust, or a full grown character, how long it takes to color, to shade it, how long does a simple background or a detailed background, and then math this with the hourly rate you picked, and voilà! Pricing grid! 

So, overall, being an artist and making money out of it are a long and tiring thing, and if you want to do it, awesome! But you never stop learning how things work, like right now I’ve been binge watching a ton of youtube vids on how to promote your art on instagram because apparently it’s the shit. 

I wish you, and whoever wants to monetise their talent and hard work, the best of luck, and remember that Auntie Talhí is always there to help. 

[mysticsparklewings]

$50 vs $4 Watercolors

This my Sparklers is the product of two of my favorite things; eagle-eyed art shopping and the lust for artistic experimentation. A little while ago I was scavaging the clearance section at my local Michaels, and I stumbled upon some 5 ml. Winsor & Newton Professional watercolor tubes for a little over $1 each. Upon double-checking the stickers and noticing the cheapest one was originally priced at $9.99 (the most expensive was originally priced $14.99!), I knew they were coming home with me! (And for the record I got all four unique colors they had; if there had been more I certainly would've grabbed them too!) Once I had them home and swatched out, I, of course, wanted to put them to the test to see as I'm sure many of my fellow tight-pocketed artists do, are these tiny tubes really any better than the cheaper mid-range stuff? So I color matched as closely as I could with the watercolors I had, and naturally, since it was the biggest set, the Arteza set of 60 watercolors ended up being my best bet. Technically, at least right now, you can't buy the Arteza tubes individually, so I did the math and even leaned on the high end to place them at about $1 per tube. But even if I'd paid the $40 price Amazon puts on the set, that would still have been cheaper than these four tubes, and it certainly would've been cheaper than a larger set (12, 24, etc.) of most any "professional" quality paints. Unfortunately, I could only match by color similarity, as I did check and none of the pigments match between the Arteza paints and the four Winsor & Newton ones I had. The closest "match" was that the pigment for the yellow in the Arteza set that I picked out is often used as a substitute for the pigment in the yellow Winsor & Newton paint. So I acknowledge you can't really judge the comparison based on color alone here, but then again I figured even if I could match pigments the colors may still turn out differently based on formula or manufacturing process. Still, I tried to create both paintings as similarly as possible, but we'll talk more about that in a second. Now, before I go on I want you to really take a look at the two Polaroids and decide for yourself which side you think was made with the more expensive paints. Really consider what it is about each one that makes you think it's one or the other. Got your choice? Good! Moment of truth; the painting on the left was made with the Arteza watercolors; the one on the right with Winsor & Newton! It was odd though; maybe I'm just used to the cheaper stuff, but I felt like I had an easier time painting the Arteza one than the W&N one. To be fair, the yellowish-green color from W&N (Green Gold, if anyone cares) did lean more on the yellow side than the match I picked from Arteza, which didn't help. (I really could have benefitted from some sort of cool color in that palette.) The W&N paints were definitely more transparent, and yet it took more to water down the color when/if I needed to, which I have mixed feelings about. But again, maybe I'm just used to cheaper stuff and so I'm not used to the traditional properties of more expensive paint. Something I noticed about the W&N paints that I found interesting though, was that they did seem to dry more slowly than the Arteza paints. Drying time with watercolors usually depends on the paper; 100% cotton in particular usually dries more slowly and absorbs the paint more evenly. The thing is that I used the same cellulose paper for both of these; Canson XL watercolor paper. And So my conclusion is that, for whatever reason, the W&N formula just dries more slowly. This makes sense if you consider the drying "issues" I mentioned when I did my Review/First Impression piece on the Arteza paints. To summarize: when the Arteza paints dry on a palette, they dry pretty extremely so. This makes me wonder if you were to mix some glycerin and/or honey into them if they would also dry more slowly on the paper. Whatever the case, I did notice the W&N paints also seemed to layer nicely with thicker concentrations of paint, but the layers underneath wanted to reactivate almost too easily with more watery layers on top, and you can probably spot some instances of that. This was, however, very useful when I decided I wanted to add another layer of yellow to the sky to darken it up. No harsh water lines! The sun/glare spot on both I made by placing an old circular sticker where I wanted it, so I can't comment on the lifting abilities of either brand of paints, but because of how the grass/plants lead into the spot, as well as some other areas, I will say that both kinds blend pretty nicely and similarly. The W&N paints just have the added benefit of drying more slowly, which allows for more blending time. Ultimately, I have to say both paints have their pros and cons, at least as far as I can tell. But my question going into this was more so if I felt like the professional quality paints were really worth all the extra money (when you don't find them for very good clearance prices). And I'll be honest, my answer is no. Now, granted, professional-quality paints--not just watercolor--due tend to be more lightfast/long-lasting, and if you're not like me and not used to using the cheaper stuff that end of the day just behaves differently no matter how you slice it, there's nothing wrong with using the more expensive stuff if you can afford to and that's what you like. There are benefits there. It's just for me, at this point in my artist career, I'm just as happy with more amateur level supplies that, in my experience, work just as well for what I like to do with them. Of course, every case is different. Arteza has more or less made a name for themselves at this point for being less expensive but still decent quality. Not all other options will work out as nicely by comparison. And just as well, even among different professional quality brands, you may have a preference based on your own personal taste. That's just the way things are. So in conclusion: The Winsor and Newton watercolors are definitely nice, but I'm not convinced these four tiny tubes would've been worth $50+ if I'd had to pay full retail price for them. For that kind of money, I'm just as happy with 60 colors from Arteza and a little leftover for something else. What about you, dear reader? Based on the artwork, do you think the paints used on the right are worth over $50? Next up, I plan on revisiting another supply that I recently expanded my collection of also thanks to some shelf-clearing clearance prices at Michaels, and I'm also working on a couple of particularly special/exciting projects that I'm eager to share, so stay tuned for all that.   Oh, and of course we are officially in Inktober-Prep Season, so there may be some things coming up later this month in regards to that. I have to say, I'm practically chomping at the bit for Inktober this year based on my plans so far. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[abyssanthus]

I'm officially unemployed.

I worked a merchandising job together with a team. Team members have changed constantly over the years, but for the past few months we had six people altogether. Although there were six people, three of us were constantly fixing and cleaning up after the other three. And most people had to leave early to start work at other jobs and school. Which, at the end of the day, left me fixing up and cleaning up after everyone else. I would come home EXHAUSTED. I would usually pass out immediately after I ordered out food (which I did more and more frequently as the days passed because I was too tired to cook.) I had the *audacity* to send an email to my supervisor about the fact that the workers they sent to our team aren't pulling their weight, and that I considered my time valuable ($hint hint$). I also mentioned at the end of the email that the way the work is structured was unfair- they typically overload us with work at the beginning of the year and have us scraping for work by the end of it. (If we don't work our seven hours, we have to do menial labor for the store, which can be in violation of the stores labor union.) I told him I knew that that wasn't his responsibility- but it was worth mentioning because I feel that its unethical and something should be done about it. He told me that “I was being paid for the time I'm working”, that he doesn't create the planograms (the layouts for the sections we work in), that we technically had one extra person on our team, and that he gets 20-25 applications a week. Listen. I don't get insurance. I don't even get paid enough to even pay rent. I live in one of the most expensive cities in the country. I have to live with my fiancees family, and if I didn't live with them I'd be living with my parents.

Upon receiving this unusually prompt email, I broke down. He doesn't give a fuck about the fact that NO ONE is getting paid enough for this job. Everyone on that team either lives in the projects or with their families. Even if they work two jobs!! No one at this corporation is going to give a fuck about giving me a raise just because I bust my ass more than everyone else. They don't care about how they oppress their workers, and here's this dude I'm emailing who swings by every once in a while and tells us he got a brand new house on the shore.

I don't want to be miserable waking up every day. I don't want to be so tired and irritable after work that I snap at everyone who talks to me and fall asleep while I do things. It's not worth it. You can't trust a corporation to take care of its workers. This is the time when a lot of people are betting on themselves, and I think that's the way to go now.  I will now have more time to work on my artwork, maybe write thought pieces or reviews, or make videos. But it will also be a hard time financially. I'm going to look for work out of necessity, but I really want to be able to live off of my art. I hope those of you who have found success in your life will support me and others like me because CORPORATIONS DON'T DESERVE IT. Its all about us as individuals.

My website is http://www.abyssanthus.com, you can peruse my artwork there, I have a shop link up with a couple of items for sale via RedBubble for now. You can share my artwork, commission me, donate to my Ko-Fi/Paypal, or support me monthly via my Patreon. With this free time I'm going to beat out my depression and work on art and other things for you to enjoy so watch out! 2019 is the year for positive change!

[chasing-rabbits]

I’m feeling like I wanna do something productive but idk what right now. Plus it’s already 9pm and I should probably go make dinner and just relax because tomorrow i’ve got some more cleaning up to do in the flat.  Also until I get my replacement Apple Pencil which I just ordered and ugh god that was expensive but until I get that I can’t really do too much uploading of art to my redbubble stores I tried doing it without the pencil but it was not a good experience it took way to long to do and honestly just not worth it.

I don’t have any of my physical art supplies here yet either so can’t really sit and make some jewellery or anything yet either. Eh I will probably just eat food and find something to watch instead, my body could use the rest anyways i’m so achy my legs especially so. 

[theibgirls]

CAS is an essential part of the IB programme, but coming up with ideas for it can be very challenging, especially if money is tight. Therefore, I present to you 99 Free (or at the very least, inexpensive) CAS ideas!

Please like/reblog if this helped you, and so that it can help others! ❤︎

Creativity

1. Learn a new language: Free apps or websites like Duolingo or Mondly can help you learn a variety of languages. Here is a post about the language availability on various apps. You can even practice by manually translating song lyrics, which really is just an excuse to listen to Bollywood hits, K-pop, or even Shakira- there’s no reason to not have a little fun with it! If you do just 10 minutes a day you’ll get over an hour of CAS done every week. If you do 20 minutes a day, you’ll get over 2 hours a week, and by spending a little more than 20 minutes on one or two days you can easily get 2 and a half hours of CAS a week. 10 weeks of this and you’ll have 50% of your creativity hours done, and all while having fun listening to songs, and not having to spend a penny!

2. Making gifs or edits: You’re already on tumblr, why not use it as an opportunity for CAS? Making original content takes time, and will quickly fill up those 50 hours! If you don’t want your CAS supervisor see which fandoms you’re a part of, make school related content, for example making subject moodboards (self spon), edits of your required reading (maybe typography for your favourite quotes?), or giffing your favourite historical figures. If you’re experienced you can mass produce content, and if you’re a beginner you can check that “new skills” box! GIMP is free, and Photoshop has a free trial. After that you can either pay for it, or perhaps scour the internet for alternative ways to keep it (though you didn’t hear it from me). If you fulfill requests then it counts as service as well.

3. Art: You can either create digital art using the programs listed in the previous suggestion, or you can do it the old fashioned. While art supplies tend to cost a lot, there is no shame in making sketches or comics using good ol’ ink and lead pencils that you already have in your pencil case, and doing it in a notebook. If you’re willing to splurge, there are tons of ways to go with your art!

4. Photography: While a good camera is expensive, you probably already have a camera in your phone. The quality won’t be ideal, but you can easily practice photographing different motifs in different styles. You can also retouch and enhance the photos with GIMP and Photoshop, as mentioned above.

5. Join or create a low maintenance club: Baking and music may be fun, but ingredients cost money, and so do instruments. A debate club or film club won’t cost anything, except maybe if you buy popcorn! Regular meetings will ensure regular CAS hours.

6. Write poetry: Writing a good poem can take many, many hours, which in the context of CAS is a good thing! Take a stroll in the forest or by the seaside and feel those creative juices flowing!

7. Write a book: You know that idea for a novel you’ve had for ages? Write it down. It may feel awkward to show to your writing to your supervisor, but think of it as a free editor or focus group. This is a great excuse to fulfill your dream of becoming an author. Who knows? Maybe the final product is good enough to send to a publisher, or to self-publish on amazon so you can make some money!

8. Make Redbubble designs: A spin-off of the digital art suggestion. Whether it’s simple text or intricate fanart, Redbubble is a great place to display your creativity, and can even make you some money if you’re lucky!

9. Join a choir: Privately owned choirs may cost to join, but your local church will probably let you in for free.

10. Play an instrument: If you don’t already own an instrument, this isn’t a great option on a budget. However, some of you will already own a keyboard or a guitar, and may even already be taking lessons. If you are, then there is no reason not to use it for CAS. And if you own an instrument but don’t go to classes, simply practice on our own or watch tutorials on YouTube.

11. Dungeons and Dragons: Shocking, I know, but it is actually quite easy to justify D&D as creativity. A friend of mine succeeded in doing this, stating that it involved team work, initiative, commitment and problem solving. It goes to show that most things can be justified as CAS if you word everything well enough.

12. Makeup, nail art, or body paint: I highly doubt that applying mascara in the morning counts, but there are certainly many ways to express yourself with makeup. SFX, intricate patterns and new techniques certainly require creativity.

13. Dance: Dance will be expanded on in the Action section, but dance is not only exercise, but a form of expression which requires passion and creativity.

14. Learn coding: Coding has become a valuable skill in the recent years. There’s an endless amount of sources online, many of them free. Not only is it an interesting skill, but it’s an impressive skill to see on a résumé.

15. Make a game or an app: Game development is certainly not easy, but that just means that there will be plenty of hours for you to log! It also has the potential to make you money, which of course is a plus!

16. Start a YouTube channel: Buying a microphone and camera is expensive, but unless you’re aiming to become a YouTube star there’s no reason to spend money on equipment. CAS doesn’t discriminate between a $500 camera and a built in webcam, or between Adobe Premiere and Windows Movie Maker, so utilize what you have.

17. Join the school newspaper: The school newspaper is a great way to ensure regular hours, and can even count as service. There are many different types of articles, so you can get some variety in it too.

18. Send in articles to a newspaper: If you think the school newspaper is aiming too low, you can always submit articles to local newspapers or online magazines such as Buzzfeed. Your submissions may not always be published, but it’s worth a try, and the hours will count anyway!

19. Make a PSA video: There are tonnes of important causes you can promote, and a PSA video is a great way to do it. Furthermore, the service aspect will count for service hours, and if you do it with a friend it can count as a CAS project.

20. Acting: There are plenty of auditions around, whether it be to a school play or primetime TV. You don’t even need to get a role, simply auditioning is enough as you’ve been a risk taker (your coordinator will appreciate you using the IB learner profile in your reflections), and been creative.

21. Making a short film: Combining he last two points, making a video and acting, take this chance to make a short film (or a full length one depending on your ambition) and Kenneth Branagh’ it as producer, director, writer and lead.

22. Learn animation: Self-explanatory, and a very impressive skill to have.

23. Free online courses: Whether it be public speaking or anthropology, there are many free courses online which can be justified as creativity. Some courses may even look good on your résumé.

24. Make a board game: Board games are a lot of fun, but harder to make than they seem. Your creation might not be the next Monopoly, but it may provide some entertainment when you’re meeting your friends, and wouldn’t playing games with your friend be a great way to get CAS hours?

25. Gardening: A beautiful garden is a challenge to create, but challenges are a part of CAS! From a terrarium to a full scale English garden, there are many options for gardening. Here are some cheap ideas.

26. Make a podcast: Podcasts have become quite popular in the last few years, so try it out for yourself! There are many different topics you could cover, some which could count as service. Discussing one of those topics with a friend could be a great idea for a CAS project.

27. Make a website: This one is quite self-explanatory. Like the podcast, you could easily add a service aspect into it, and working with a friend could make it a CAS project.

28. Translating transcripts of spoken word poem: this one comes from @kahvia, who says “I found the transcripts of the poems on the Internet (some are hard to get, so once I just messaged the author on Facebook) and translated into my native language. It's hard and time consuming, but can be done on the go, so you can do CAS when commuting.”

29. Calligraphy: I must confess that I don’t know a lot about calligraphy, but I assume that amazing tools can cost quite a bit. But remember, CAS isn’t about quality, it’s about quantity, so screw expensive tools and just go for it!

30. Create your own font: Like with most things in life, wikihow has got your back.

31. Make an interactive story: Cool and largely uncharted territory, and definitely a unique experience. This will help you out.

32. Learn origami: Origami is beautiful, and the possibilities are endless. Although origami paper is preferred, it is possible to use regular paper too, which will save you some bucks. Google and YouTube have a million tutorials, so they got you covered.

33.  Make a Studyblr: Do you have any idea how many hours I’m getting just by making this list?

Action

1. Go jogging: Perhaps the most obvious free exercise is jogging. All you need is a pair of sneakers and you’re good to go (jogging)!

2. Play Pokémon Go: If you are still one of the few people playing Pokémon Go, walk until your eggs hatch. You could simply walk, but games make it a bit more interesting. On your CAS worksheet you can simply say you plan on walking 2km a day, but in your head and your heart it’s an epic quest for Pikachu.

3. Yoga: Yoga has numerous health benefits and is a great choice for those who don’t like exercise. Power yoga is an option for those who prefer a challenge, but beginner’s yoga isn’t too strenuous and can easily be done at home. Although a yoga mat is preferable, a lot of the moves can be done on the bed or just the floor. YouTube and the app store have thousands of free options, so there’s plenty to choose from, from 10 minutes to an hour. Half an hour before bed each day will have you finishing up your activity hours in no time!

4. Swimming in a public pool, lake or ocean: There are some public pools, but many pools require an entrance fee. The ocean does not. It’s not as easy to swim laps as in a pool, but it will do in a pinch.

5. A 30 day exercise challenge: The internet is full of 30 day exercise plans. Although they’re usually not an ideal fitness plan it will challenge your commitment, and you can get a month worth of CAS.

6.  Biking: Assuming you already have a bike, biking is a very cheap method of exercise, but very efficient. Biking to and from school will count, and if takes about 20 minutes back and forth a day, you’ll get 100 minutes in a school week. It’s regular exercise, and therefore it’s regular CAS.

7. Free apps: There’s an almost unlimited amount of exercise apps in the app store, and many of them are free. Try them out! Even a 7 minute exercise app can be useful. 49 minutes every week can be rounded up to 50 minutes, which is a great place to start if you’re new to CAS.

8. Dog walking: If you have your own dog, good for you! Take the adorable little pupper out for a walk. And if not, ask a neighbour if you can steal their dog take their dog for walks. Another case of regular exercise resulting in regular CAS hours.

9. Dance: Not all dancing has to be taught in class. Online you will find numerous tutorials for various dance styles, from belly dancing to hip hop. And if you choose to learn a dance style from another culture, like India’s kathak or the Latin samba you get to learn about other cultures and therefore be a global citizen (as the IBO likes to tell us to be).

10. Dance apps or games: This activity isn’t as focused on independent learning as the previous dance suggestion, but it works nonetheless. Games like DDR or Just Dance are found in many households, so you might already have access to them at home. Just Dance includes an exercise mode, so give it a go! And if you don’t have them, there’s always the free Just Dance app, which should do the trick, memes aside.

11. PlayStation or Wii games: Certainly not a cheap option if you don’t already have the consoles or games, but if you have Wii Sports or PlayStation 3 Sports Champions you have a great way to exercise without leaving your living room.

12. Self-defense: When you can’t afford to go to a self-defense class, we have the internet. Learning proper self-defense is sadly very important, but since it’s important to learn, why not learn it for CAS? Practice with a friend until you’re a ninja, or until you have 15 hours of activity completed.

13. Celebrity workout tape: You know the ones. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Jane Fonda tape from the 80s which you recreate in a leotard, but then again, why not? You could use a random person’s workout tape, but I think Jane Fonda can be trusted (I mean she’s 80 and have you seen how good she looks?). Cheesy as celebrity workout tapes are, especially the ones from the 80s, there’s something special about them. Many of them can be found online, so give them a go, leotard or no!

14. Jump rope: Chances are you still have a jump rope lying around the house from when you were a kid. Rope jumping is actually very good exercise, so try to find your old toy again- it will come in handy!

15. Chair workouts: Fulfill your dream of becoming Britney Spears with some chair exercises. There’s no need to buy fancy equipment when you can just go to your kitchen instead.

16. Basketball: No need to join a team as long as you have a hoop at home. Many people still have a hoop over the garage door from when they were children, why not utilize them?

17. Join a school club: Of course, any club works, but most clubs will require an entry fee. School owned ones are unlikely to ask for one.

18. Hiking: Fresh air, breath-taking views, and all that crap.

19. Running competitions: 5k runs are frequently put on, why not join one?

20. Walk home: Is it cheating? Probably. But walking is activity, so why shouldn’t you take advantage of it? You don’t need to specify that you’re walking home, you can simply say a daily walk of x minutes.

21. Basic gymnastics or acrobatics: When I say basic, I mean basic. Somersaults, cartwheels, the works. It’s technically exercise, and you can say you’re doing acrobatics without going into further details.

22. Tree climbing: An alternative to rock climbing, only it’s free.

23. Use stockings as resistance bands: I honestly don’t know how well this works, but google said it works so it must be true.

24. Water gymnastics: Once again, doing things properly is overrated. Go to a pool and try to figure it out yourself, or with a friend. It may look ridiculous, but you’ll be trying. Another option is to do it some meters away from an ongoing class, because stealing exercise kinda works according to an episode of Will and Grace.

25. Badminton: When I say badminton, I don’t mean fancy professional badminton, I mean “get a gas station badminton racket and play in the park or your lawn”.

26. Foraging: Go look for mushrooms in a forest and keep track of how long you’ve been out and how long you’ve walked.

27. Orienteering: Although I personally despise orienteering with a violent passion, I have many friends who enjoy it, one who even does it for fun. Orienteering can be planned with friends, and can take place in a forest or a city.

28. Treasure hunt: Almost an extension of orienteering, you can plan a treasure hunt in a city or a forest. With the added element of the treasure hunt, there’s a case for creativity, and doing it in a group can work as a CAS project.

29. Frisbee: Frisbees are cheap and can be bought at a gas station, and work as a fun group activity.

30. Help the elderly: As you will see in the Service section, elderly neighbours might need some help cutting grass or shoveling snow. And as anyone who has ever shoveled snow knows, it’s a surprisingly efficient exercise.

31. Gym trial: Many gyms offer a free trial for a day or a week, or even a month, which is easy to take advantage of. Use the free days to their full extent, and if that isn’t enough, go to another gym chain and use their trial. Obviously this won’t be a long term thing, but if you work long, and not necessarily hard, 15 hours should be manageable.

32. Pilates: An alternative to yoga that works as well at home as at a gym.

33. PARKOUR: … don’t die.

 Service

1. Join Amnesty: Amnesty is an organization that raises awareness for a number of important issues, and often collect signatures for their causes. Be the one who hunts for signatures and watch the service hours roll in.

2. Join the Red Cross, or any other charitable organization: The Red Cross needs no introduction. It is perhaps the most famous charity in the world, and does a lot of good. However, there have been controversies surrounding it in the past, so if you want to support another charity instead, go for it! Find a charity that is important to you and the service hours will feel even sweeter.

3. Blood donation, or spreading awareness for it: Donating blood will often get you a small payment, and you can’t do it often, so it isn’t ideal for service. However, going to your local donation center and asking for pamphlets and sign up forms to bring to school or a stand at the mall is a great way to raise awareness and encourage other people to go donate blood. It’s one of those things people talk about doing but always put off, so be the person that changes their mind-set!

4. Helping out at school events: School discos, bake sales, or bazaars always need volunteers, and it’s a great way to get many hours done at once. Contact the PTA at your school or other schools in the area and see when upcoming events are taking place and you’ll easily get at least 15 hours of service done. If you really phrase things well you might even be able to get some creativity hours.

5. Dog walking: Expanding on the point in Action, you can walk other people’s dogs as service. Ask a neighbour if they need help, or post an ad at the grocery store. Service hours and spending time with dogs, what more could you want?

6. Volunteer at an animal shelter: Like the previous point, this really is just a great excuse to hang out with animals. Check the local shelter to see if they need any helpers!

7. Volunteering at a senior center: Senior centers are always in need of more hands. Whether it’s cleaning the resident’s rooms, walking with them or just making sure they have some company, there will always be something the center will need help with.

8. Volunteering at a hospital: Not all hospitals allow untrained volunteers, but some hospitals do. If you volunteer at a hospital you will not perform the duties of a nurse, but instead simply provide some company for the people staying there.

9. Homeless shelter: Homeless shelters always need more volunteers. There’s a variety of roles you can fill, from handing out food to collecting donations. No matter what it is you do, it will have a great impact on the people who rely on the shelters.

10. Make a PSA video: As mentioned in the Creativity section, making a PSA video is a great idea for a CAS project as it combines creativity and service, and results in lots of hours.

11. Bake sales: Baking yourself will obviously cost a bit, but most ingredients can probably already be found in your home. Set up a stand in the school corridor, and find a charity to donate the profits to.

12. Volunteer at a library: Most libraries have a variety of volunteer opportunities, from tutoring children to teaching seniors how to use technology. Go to your local library and see what volunteer programs they have!

13. Shoveling snow: Winter doesn’t treat people who live in cold places well. In case of snow you might have several neighbours struggling to clear the snow from their lot. Offer them a hand and feel the CAS hours piling up!

14. Cutting grass: Like shoveling snow, cutting grass is something people need to get done, but it’s backbreaking and time consuming. Go around the neighbourhood and see if anyone needs any help with it!

15. Assisting elderly neighbours: If you have any elderly neighbours, offer to do chores for them, like cleaning and cooking. They’ll be sure to appreciate it, and it can get you semi regular CAS hours.

16. Car washing: No, this does not have to include a red bikini, but it does give you two options: either offer to wash cars for free as service, or to set a price so you can give the profits to charity. All you need is a sponge and some water, so get scrubbing!

17. Scouts: Most scout groups require a member fee, so it’s not ideal to become a scout if you aren’t one. However, if you’re already a member, being a scout leader will get you many, many hours, so take advantage of it!

18. Student union: Student unions work hard, and can therefore get you many hours. There will be a wide range of activities to organize and participate in, so you’ll have some much needed variety.

19. Prom committee: If you’re not interested in joining the student union, there may be some committees that are separate from the union. Prom committees, graduation committees, etc., are all great options that can get you plenty of hours.

20. Babysitting: Give your neighbours a night off by offering to babysit for free. Remember, it doesn’t count as service if you get paid, so make sure the only money you get is to pay for dinner.

21. Tutoring: Some schools have study halls, or a homework club, aka after school homework help for the younger kids. And if your school doesn’t offer it already, ask if you can start it. It’ll be a chance for you to tutor younger kids, and if nobody shows up and wants your help, so what? You offered the service, and even if no one came, the hours count.

22. Start a club: Being a member of a club will get you creativity hours, starting one will get you both. Do it with a friend and you’ve got a CAS project.

23. Join a big brother/big sister organization: There are several of these organizations going around, and a popular one in the US is bbbs.org, which states that their mission is to “Provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.” A noble cause for sure, and one which your CAS coordinator will adore. It will tick most outcome boxes, and you will gain something from it too.

24. Volunteer in a political campaign: If there are any elections happening in your country soon, get involved for the good of your community, and your CAS hours!

25. Volunteer at a hotline: Many countries have crisis hotlines that often need more volunteers, why not help out?

26. Start Kiva team: kiva.org is a great website that revolves around microloans. It has the option to make or join teams of lenders. Make a team and try to gain members, spread awareness and get donations to lend money to people in need around the world. As they are loans, you get money back in kiva credit which you can then donate to someone new, thus creating a circle of good. Team meetings to decide which individuals, countries or field partners to donate to next will get you many CAS hours.

27. Plan an athletic event for charity: Whether it be a 5k, orienteering, a treasure hunt (all as mentioned in the activity section), or anything else you can think of, it’s a great way to involve a community, and any entrance fee can be donated to charity. By participating yourself, you can tick all three CAS boxes, and doing it with one or more people makes it a great CAS project.

28. Writing letters to soldiers: This may not be an option everywhere, but some countries have organizations where you can write letters to the soldiers overseas who don’t have anyone writing to them, which is sure to be a morale booster.

29. Host a free workshop: Workshops are a great way to learn new skills, or to teach your skills. Maybe you can teach something you learned from/for your creativity hours!

30. Neighbourhood watch: Neighbourhood watches are a great way to help ensure safety in your local area, so either join one or start one.

31. Volunteer to help immigrants and/or refugees: There are many organizations that work to help immigrants and refugees become integrated in society, whether it be activities for children or events to help newly arrived people learn the local language. Look up any local organizations and see if they’re looking for volunteers!

32. Park maintenance: Many parks need help with a lot of maintenance, from cleaning to repainting benches. Contact whoever is in charge and see if they need any volunteers.

33. Studyblr: Coming up with 99 free CAS ideas is surprisingly time consuming, and so is everything else about a studyblr, so give it a go and get those hours!

[villainanders]

Okay guys what do you want me to do for this upcoming follower milestone? Options I’m considering right now are:

some kind of give away of the merch I have? Would probably be of this redbubble trc tote bag I have and a piece of FMA official art, which maybe feels too sparse for a giveaway

book buying give away? this is kind of what i was leaning towards but i’m antsy about it because it would probably be expensive to do right. basically i would buy $X (depending on what place you got) worth of books (including audio and ebooks and manga) for three winners

fic giveaway? not sure if people want my writing enough for that lol

moodboard requests

fancasts

maybe just a big rabb.it stream? idk what of though

This is a big milestone for me and I want to do something special for it! Let me know what sounds good and if you have any other ideas!

[lilithczarrising]

This is random but it REALLY needs to be said.

As someone who's tried selling their own designs on merchandise w a separate manufacturer, I can give u some insight into Westtower Warrior, Saint & Savage, and maybe even NTIO's prices.

I used redbubble. They've got TONS of neat products u can put ur art on, but let me tell u. If u wanna be affordable AND get what u think ure art is worth, ure gonna have a real hard fuckin time. This is due to the manufacturer having a base price for manufacturing the goods, and u set the markup. Imo redbubble was jacking off to its own ego to the point where products were already too damn expensive for someone reasonable to buy from INDEPENDENT, UNKNOWN ARTISTS. This resulted in me getting $5 or less from each sale I made. If memory serves, I made over $120 in sales, and got only fucking $20. Yep.

And keep in mind that u can't customize products ANY further than just slapping artwork on them.

Now onto Westtower Warrior. They've got some wild pricing from some of the blandest fucking "designer" clothing I've EVER seen. However, Andy, being the extra ass bitch he is, probably found the HIGHEST quality manufacturer he could find in the US that would allow him to rip holes into his jeans. Knowing what u just learned abt redbubble, a company that's supposed to "help the little guy," let's think abt how much his manufacturer probably charges bottomline, AND how personalized his clothing is w the rips and zippers and lil logos in odd places. I have an Avelina De Mora handbag that she highly personalized w studs and faux leather and vegan cashmere that came out to be just over $105 USD bc of her manufacturer. U see what I'm getting at?

It's not the designers' fault that their products are so much when it's often bc of the manufacturer. Andy's not gonna go and build himself a factory so he can pay his workers w/e he wants so he can price his products lower. As for Saint & Savage and their wildly expensive leather jackets, u KNOW Juliet the animal lover went out and found a lil farm that raised its cows well and killed them humanely, not to mention the manufacturing of the leather to make it into a high quality jacket. EVERYBODY involved needs to get paid. The designer, manufacturer(s), and seller. Which isn't cheap when u want everyone involved to be paid fairly. Take NTIO. I don't know how their jewelry is produced, but given that their products are in high demand considering how small of a company they are, that they have to pay their featured artists, designers, wholesalers, and whoever strings all the pieces together into a final product, I think their prices are more than fair.

That is all.

[angelsaxis]

God I love how ass-backwards this is. Just take $100 out of your money that you need for BILLS and put it into a savings accounts (which can’t be easily liquidated, so if you’re ever in an emergency fuck you). Living paycheck to paycheck means you have no extra money left over for investing in assets rather than liabilities.

And you don’t trade “creativity for money” any and ALL work you do for monetary gain is labor. All work that you get paid for is labor and trying to separate it between “labor” and “creativity” is absolutely pointless because the end results ends up being the same. 

I find it funny that you think that it’s that easy to make money off of art you’ve made. Let me tell you something--the total price set for sites like RedBubble, Society6, etc where you could potentially make the products you are talking about does not represent the amount you get paid.

S6 will set the price at 19.99 base price (for instance; depends on the specific item) meaning that you then have to add on the amount of money you would like to make. You can do 3, 4, 5, etc extra dollars, but the higher the markup, the less likely you are to have people buy your art because it then becomes too expensive for the potential customer to afford (simple supply and demand, my friend). 

So you markup the thing to 22.99. Congrats! You’ve made three whole dollars. it goes into your paypal account, which then goes into your credit card--but NOT until PayPal/your bank has subtracted a fee for transferring the money over.

Congrats! You’ve made less than three dollars on hours’ work of worth.

How do I know this? Because I sell digital art. Let me tell you that I advertise my ko-fi, and my Society6, and I have commissions set up on another site, and I tell people that I have prints of my art available. I have over 1000 followers and am lucky to get 40 reblogs on my art. The like/reblog ratio destroys artists and it shows just how little you know about trying to make a living off of digital art since you think a tiny 250 followers, 70 pics, and some “please buy my art! uwu” tag lines will be the source of a steady income that helps lift people off the “paycheck to paycheck” lifestyle they’re currently suffering under.

I’m not saying that there aren’t people that ever make nice amounts of money off of commissions. But you have to consider that commissions take hours of work for seconds of consumption and often an imbalance of compensation.

People that live paycheck to paycheck often just lack the time and resources to thrive off of commissions alone. If rent is $1000, do you realize how much you would need to start selling commissions for? The amount of work you would need to do? How many buyers you would need, how much art you would have to make MONTHLY, and how much you would have to markup the price by? Your weird obsession with “Think positive uwu THEN you’ll make money” (and then arbitrarily paying yourself first when you’ve still got bills to pay) just doesn’t address the reality of living paycheck to paycheck.

[rhursday]

Shippensburg University on-campus resident must have’s

 I wanted to give blog post/studyblr writing a shot, so here we go. This is Shippensburg specific for the most part, but I guess it could also apply to similar campuses. 

 1.     Sneakers – You will be walking a lot no matter where on campus you live. You’ll have to go up some stairs just about every day. Invest in a good pair of sneakers or walking shoes to have. Campus is pretty big, and if you want to take short cuts across grass you’ll want to have sneakers on.

 2.     Raincoat/raingear – Since you will be walking a lot outside, you need to be prepared for the rain. It rains fairly often here at Ship and if you’ve got some distance to go, make sure you’re prepared. Materials made for the rain are better, because once your hoodie gets soaked in rain, you’ll have to wash it.

 3.     Water Bottle – Buying water bottles can get expensive and eat up all your flex. Using your own is a good choice if you aren’t willing to spend the extra cash on water bottles. I’m sometimes weary of the water fountains, so if you can, use the ones that are meant for bottles. However, beware, the sinks in the dorms cannot fit large water bottles under the sink.

 4.     Back up text book buying options – Sometimes the campus bookstore gets backordered, and your textbook won’t come in for a while. Or sometimes they only have used options when you need a new one, or vice versa. Amazon prime is good for this.

5.     Bedside caddy/side table – If you’re like me and have glasses or have to keep your phone near your side when you sleep, you’ll need one of these. Dorms don’t come with end tables/night stands. If you want, you could probably move your desk next to your bed for this purpose (if you’re not in a B-suite/D-suite). A bedside caddy was a good choice for me. You can also put things like chapstick, books, water bottles, jewelry or other small items depending on the one you buy.

6.     Lamp (with outlet/USB port) – Dorms have built in overhead lights, but they’re bright and harsh. If you just want a small light in your corner of the room, get a lamp. I keep mine on the window sill by my bed. The outlets are especially helpful because I plug my phone in there (there aren’t outlets that are very accessible to your bed, that you don’t have to share). The window sill is close enough that I can keep my phone plugged in and use it in bed or put it in my caddy. My lamp also has small compartments that I put my earrings/rings in.

 7.     (Not so much an item) Two of important things – For me this was headphones, USB lightning cables for phone, phone cases, glasses, feminine products and pillows. It’s pretty much guaranteed that something will break/get lost and you won’t be able to get a new one for a while, so just have one already prepared. In emergencies you can get headphones/phone chargers in the bookstore. However, things like glasses, not so much. Other things like pillows, phone cases, blankets, towels, sheets etc are good to have just to change things up or in case they get dirty and you don’t have time to wash them. Clean sheets and towels are an amazing mood booster. My roommate likes to have two backpacks (one for MWF and one for TR, so she can just grab the right one. I personally don’t do this.) It is also a good idea to have several jackets/slip-on shoes in case something happens to one of them.

8.     Portable phone charger – This wasn’t necessary for my spring semester, but I used it all the time during my fall semester. If you’re out all day (or just use your phone all the time) it’s good to have this. You should always have your phone with sufficient battery, especially if you’re going out or are out on campus at night in case you need to make a phone call or let someone know where you are. It’s also helpful to have this so you can charge your phone in class.

9.     Notebooks – I was a little surprised when some professors didn’t want you to take notes on a laptop. Some professors will let you use laptops, but if one person goofs off on theirs and the professor notices, it gets ruined for everyone. And sometimes, you can’t just take the right kind of notes on a laptop. Have plenty of notebooks, I usually use one for each class every semester, but for one or two classes I have used two notebooks. It’s even better if your notebook has pockets. I don’t use folders (more stuff to keep track of) so I just tend to keep handouts in my notebook for easy access.

10.  Common medications – My first semester I brought minimal OTC medication (ibuprofen/antacids), because I rarely got sick at home. At school, you’re living with a bunch of people (some of whose cleaning habits are atrocious) so you’re bound to get sick. There’s always Wal-Mart and the self-help room at Etter Health Center, but it’s more convenient to have it right in your dorm if you feel too badly to make either trip.

Suggestions for items:

 Water bottle (#3) – I got mine at Target. It’s a great water bottle, I clip it onto my backpack. 

 Bedside Caddy (#5) – I also got this at Target. I got a matching bathroom caddy for soap/shampoo/razors/other small toiletries. I’m not sure the one that I got is available anymore, but this one is similar from Amazon (plus more storage than mine) They’re not hard to find. Also known as bedside buddy.  

Lamp with outlets (#6) – Also from target. Mine is white, but it’s the same thing. 

 Double items (#7) – I get my phone cases from RedBubble,they have good options for the picture on the case and they’re tough. A little on the expensive side, but soooo worth it (plus supporting small artists). My roommate likes LookHuman. My phone charger cables/headphones are usually from drug stores. They don’t last as long, but they’re cheap enough to replace. A while ago I bought this cable and it lasted me about a year of intense use before finally not charging (including bending) and it still sometimes works depending on the angle you hold it at. I’ve gotten sheets at both target and Walmart, and they’re all good. Make sure you get ones that fit your bed. 

 Portable charger (#8) – My preference for these are the ones that are candy bar sized. They can easily fit in a purse or pocket (not girl pockets though). They don’t charge your device fully as many times as a larger power bank however. I can get about 2 full charges when my phone is ~50 percent or one full charge at >35 percent. 

 OTC meds (#10) – You can get these at any drug store (or in some cases even the dollar store). Generic ones are just as fine.

 *Basic

-ibuprofen

-cramp medicine (my preference is midol complete)

-allergy (optional: day and night)

-sinus (optional: day and night, linked is daytime)

-cold and flu (optional: day and night)

-cough medicine (I prefer a cough suppressant so I can get sleep, but you might want just like a phlegm loosener, linked is suppressant)

-antacid (calcium carbonate)

-lotion/chapstick (not a medicine)

 *Optional, but could be important

-yeast infection/bacterial infection/UTI tests and medications (yeast infection medication linked, UTI test linked) 

-contraception – plan b, condoms

[simoncfrk966-blog]

How to Buy Canvas Prints

You may really like the notion of having walls covered with enticing other types of wall art and canvas prints, if you're an art lover.

There.

I have a friend that has a beautiful canvas painting hanging in her guest room. It's bright colorful and cheery. And I want it.

But, quality art paintings and prints are costly! Unless you are living with a budget that allows for hundreds or thousands of dollars per month in discretionary income, you may be unable to justify spending tons of money on an art collection.

Fortunately, there are ways without spending a fortune that you can purchase canvas prints.

How to Buy Canvas Prints

One of the difficulties with canvas prints is that they can be expensive, as I mentioned previously. It's not unusual to find canvas prints that cost hundreds of dollars apiece.

I guess if you've got an unlimited budget, that is fine. For most of us spending several hundred dollars is not an option.

Luckily, spending a month's worth of grocery money isn't your only choice.

Here's a list of several sites that sell canvas prints for much cheaper than you might think. There are two types of canvas prints you can get for your home.

And I'll attempt to share as much as I can about what every company charges for transport, etc. as well.

The DIY canvas prints can be a excellent way to add personalization to your art collection.

Or, you can create one which shows a picture of a character scene in your place or in your yard.

Whatever home décor style or your art style prefers, there are affordable canvas prints out there for you. Here are some of the greatest websites to check out to purchase those prints.

1. Canvas on the Cheap

Canvas on the Affordable specializes in DIY canvas prints.

As you can see, the size choice can fit any décor style. You can see it, Once you upload the photo.

So that you can see how the edges of the print will appear you can tilt the picture in ways. This is a feature of the site which I found helpful.

Bonus: you could include extras such as a wall hanging system, a wall mount or framing. You may request quality wrapping for extra protection.

Shipping with the company will vary based on the size of the photograph you choose to order. When I made an 11×14 photograph, it cost $14.08 for the photo and $14.80 for standard shipping. You can even choose to expedite shipping but it will cost you more money.

I have actually ordered from this business personally. I chose a wonderful photo of my four children to have converted into a 16×20 canvas print. The company did a excellent job, along with the print came.

Bonus: my print came in a box which helped ensure it was free from shipping damage. I've got the print hanging on a wall in my living room, and I get compliments on it.

People are always shocked when I tell them how the print was supposed to get done. These DIY prints will make a excellent gift for grandparents and others.

1. Virtosu Fine Art

The team in Virtosu Art Gallery offers museum quality framed canvas prints.

Virtosuart.com prints are more expensive than some of the other places we have mentioned, but the company says the museum quality of these prints makes them worth the price.

Bonus: they were offering a discount or free shipping When I checked the website for this article! Virtosuart.com is your place for art collectors and corporate art customers.

2. Paint Your Life

Paint Your Life is a company that will turn your picture to a masterpiece that is painted. Bonus: they charge a LOT less than most artists or companies do for painted portraits.

And, they come with a 100% money back guarantee. The process for getting your picture turned into a painted canvas portrait is easy.

You begin choosing the medium you want the painting

oil

acrylic

charcoal

watercolor

pastel

pencil

You can choose the artist that you would like to create your portrait. The site has bios for every artist you may browse. Next, you include any directions for the artist and upload your photo.

You can have them remove items, combine photos or make other changes. The artist uses your instructions to create a digitally enhanced photo. Once you've approved the photo that is enhanced, they get to work making it in the medium you selected.

You'll get updates along the way and you can requests as many revisions as you like. Your artist will keep working until you're content with the final product.

In addition, you simply have to put 10% down to start, and they have interest-free financing alternatives for selections over $99.

3. Redbubble

Perhaps you have heard of Redbubble? Redbubble is another website where artists are invited to upload their artwork. Redbubble then does the work of turning the custom art into goods for sale.

Their art will be turned by many of the artists into t-shirts, pillows, mugs -- and yes, canvas prints. The prices here are more expensive than you'd find at Canvas on the Cheap or Dresslily. However, they're still inexpensive.

I found 12×8 prints for sale starting at the $48 range. You'll pay shipping and handling too depending on the size and weight of what you purchase. Bonus hardware is included with printing orders.

This is a superb place if you're craving creativity and/or quirkiness to search for canvas prints.

4. Easy Canvas Prints

Easy Canvas Prints works to Canvas on the Cheap. By uploading your photo, you begin.

Easy Canvas Prints offers sizes from 8 the way up to 30×40. Or, you can request a custom size and receive an immediate quote.

They will show you what it will look like, after you upload the photo you would like printed on canvas. When you're happy with the results your approval is given by you, and Easy Canvas Prints has to work.

Pricing for 8×8 prints start out as little as $4.29, and include your choice of wall mount or wall hanging system.

Another great feature: you can get your canvas print that is finished .

5. Canvas People

Museum quality photo canvas prints are offered by the team at Canvas People. Up to now, they've sold over 1.4 million prints worldwide.

Canvas prints here are more expensive than a number but the company says they are made by that the museum quality of the prints .

Besides quality canvas prints, Canvas People offers enhancement choices . You can get your prints done buy framed canvas prints in a Sepia enhancement, black and white or other choice.

Bonus: When I checked the site they were offering free shipping and a discount! People promises speedy delivery too -- a great benefit when you're ordering a present.

6. Art.com

Art.com sells all kinds of varying art, and they'll do DIY canvas prints also. You can pick from unframed canvas, canvas or canvas sets. Canvas sets are sets of more or two prints which make up one picture or a group of pictures.

You can choose from a variety of prints that are pre-designed. They had lots of Impressionism and watercolor prints, prints made from photos and other styles of art .

The prices here were a bit higher than Canvas on the Cheap. As an example, a 10×8 DIY canvas printing started at a sale price of $26.39. Most prints started at around $50.

Shipping and handling charges varied depending how quickly you would like to receive it and on what type of print you are ordering.

7. DeviantArt

DeviantArt is a website where artists can showcase and sell their artwork. If you are an artist, you can upload and showcase your art just for fun or for the exposure. Or, you can opt to offer your art to discerning customers.

What does this mean for the art aficionado who wants a group of thought-provoking art? Simply that this is a great site for finding original canvas prints.

Prices will be different, but I found artists' costs to be reasonable.

DeviantArt doesn't sell the DIY prints where you can upload your photo and convert it. However, they do have an expansive selection of art you won't find on other art websites.

There if you purchase one of these prints for your home or office. You receive a massive choice of hidden canvas because you're shopping from artists that are largely unknown.

Bonus: you get to support up-and-coming artists working to turn their craft.

8. Minted

Minted is a website that sells a fun mixture including canvas prints, of stationery, wedding invitations and house décor.

They do have a large choice of ideas for turning your photographs that are personalized into other or framed creations. Minted doesn't appear to sell DIY canvas prints, but they do have canvas prints.

You can get many 5×7 pre-designed canvas prints starting at about $20. For an extra cost you can opt to have your print framed.

When I checked the website's shipping page, it said that all unframed art ships for $3.95 for the first item. Additional unframed items are thought to ship at no charge.

However, canvas and other prints start at $4.95 for shipping depending on the size you purchase. Canvas prints will cost you shipping fees.

9. Dresslily

Dresslily sells many different items including home décor and accessories, clothing, shoes, and handbags. Their pre-made canvas prints are some of the most inexpensive I've seen.

You'll see a good deal of different options for canvas prints, when you check on their site. From landscape, to flowers to travel, they have got a wide selection available. And it's not uncommon to find prints there for before tax or shipping under $15.

However, on a number of the prints (but not all) there's a disclaimer that reads"Product photography is for example purposes only. Customers should carefully consider this before buy."

Note that when you find canvas prints (or anything else) at a much lower price than other websites, quality may be an issue. Before you buy, keep this in mind.

10. Etsy

Etsy, the famous DIY artists' site, sells canvas prints. I found many alternatives on the site for pre-designed canvas prints. From film scenes to landscape scenes, they had an expansive selection of canvas prints.

So I could have missed it, the website is big, but I could not find artists that would turn your photo into a mechanically produced canvas print.

But, I did find other fun choices, including an artist who paint it and would take your favorite photo. I found a couple of artists that print it and will take your saying.

All these options were available in varying sizes. The prices varied depending upon the artist. As could be expected for a custom painting Evidently, the photo canvases were somewhat on the side.

The pre-designed canvas prints along with the custom were mostly reasonably priced. There is a lot to choose from on Etsy, and a lot of canvases you won't find at your local big box store.

You'll pay whatever the artist determines on their website, So far as handling and shipping goes. When charging shipping and handling prices, most artists attempt to be fair.

11. Society 6

Society 6 works kind of like Redbubble because they assist artists sell their works. Artist designs can be bought by you on a variety of products such as yes, comforters, phone cases and tapestries .

The designs I found on Society 6 were entertaining and fun. This site offered prints in addition to photos made from paintings.

Prices were a bit higher on this sitethe majority of canvas prints started in the $85 range. This isn't a bad price when you're talking art.

1 artist sold canvas prints of famous actors' heads on the bodies of famous historical personalities.

As with other sites, if you're looking for canvas prints that are unique, this might be a excellent site to check out.

Shipping and handling costs vary depending on your order.