Something I've been needing to do for awhile ...

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Q: How do you make your avatars?

A: MS Paint, Irfanview and/or GIMP, and lots of practice. I think the most common misconception that people seem to be under is that, because the main tool is MS Paint, which is a simple program, that pixel art must be simple and easy to do. You couldn't be farther from the truth! In a lot of ways, pixel art is harder than traditional digital art.

Q: Will you make me an avatar?

A: Of course! My prices are as follows:

$5 for non-animated
$10 for animated (up to 15 frames)
+$1 per frame after 15

All prices are in USD, and I accept Paypal.

Q: Woah, wait. I don't want to pay! Can you just make me one anyway? *puppy dog eyes*

A: No. I put a lot of time and effort into my avatars, and I'm not going to make one for just anyone who happens to ask. That might sound greedy to you, but I do have a family, and a job, and a life outside of art/Internet, plus other forms of art I enjoy making. My "avatar time" is very limited. It's only fair that, if I'm going to then turn around and spend that time on a total stranger, I should be compensated. And my prices are more than fair.

However, I do art trades every so often, and I might be willing to do one in return for an avatar. Note me if interested.

Q: Can't I just use one of your avatars that you've already made?

A: It depends. I've relaxed my restrictions on avatars A LOT recently. The vast majority are available to be used by anyone. The only ones I ask people don't use are the ones I've made for other people, or that I'm currently using myself.

Q: What if I just use a restricted avatar anyway?

A: Then I contact you asking you to take it down. I then wait a week (and I WILL remember). If you haven't removed the avatar after that week, I report you to deviantART for art theft, and you more than likely get your account suspended or even banned. You have been warned.

Q: What about tutorials?

A: I actually have one large tutorial in the works. It should be available soon.

Q: Can you send me =silver303's tutorial?

A: This is something I've been getting a lot recently. After I mentioned in the comments of my first real avatar that I used a tutorial by =silver303, and she ended up taking it down off her account, people have been asking me to link them to it, or even send it to them. I cannot do this. For one thing, I am in no way affiliated with =silver303. We are not buddies, we don't know each other, I have about as much access to her as you do. That means I do not have access to that tutorial! I didn't save it to my computer, and I don't know of some secret part of her gallery or website that it's still available on. And I won't insult her by asking her for it when she so obviously wants it gone. Even if I did have it, to send it to a third party would be violating her copyright, not to mention just plain mean. Do not ask, your answer will be a link here.

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I believe I covered everything. If you have a question not answered here, feel free to note me! I promise, I'm a completely reasonable person, and won't be upset or anything. I don't bite!

In case it hasn't been blatantly obvious, I'm returning to deviantART. I've missed my time away, and the encouragement you all give me. Thank you, and I hope that you enjoy future art, as well as the new directions it's taking -- there are a few tutorials in the works, and even a realistic digital piece ...

Alright, I've had a few requests for them, so I'm going to start selling customized versions of my Pixeled Wolf, seen here:

Click here to see what I'm talking about!

Sooooo ... basically, it'll be a recolored version of that pose, with whatever colors you want. Prices are as follows:

Wolf

$10 - up to three coat colors
+$2 per color after that

I'm also still selling avatars!

$5 for non-animated
$10 for animated (up to 15 frames)
+$1 per frame after 15

All prices are in US dollars, obviously. I accept Paypal, check, or money order. Please send any orders to:

nukapei85 at hotmail dot com

Spaced out to protect against creepy crawlies. Send as much info as you can. Pics help a lot.

My subscription ran out a couple of months ago, and I don't really see the need to update it. Anyone who's been watching my gallery for awhile will have noticed my lack of updates recently. That's because I've just gotten so tired of the deviantART scene.

My reasons, in list form (because I love lists):

1) The people. I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older. But it seems like the average age of users on dA just seems to get lower and lower every year. I swear that half the people I run into don't speak English at all, they speak some sort of strange, twisted pseudo-English composed in written form of hieroglyphics and symbols whose meaning aren't readily discerned. And I swear, if I have to witness one more hissy-fit ...

2) The system. deviantART used to be so cool. Before the ads. And the prints. And the subscription thing. And all kinds of other things that I can't even remember right now. More in more, it seems like dA isn't about the art anymore; it's about the money. And they're looking for more and more ways to bleed you dry.

3) The thefts. This is a new one for me. But several times now, I've had my art stolen and used by other people. And it's always been my avatars. I started making those as sort of a hobby. Now, it seems like every time I log onto my account here, someone else has taken one of the avatars that took hours to make and slapped them up as their own work, without so much as a hint that it wasn't even made by them, much less who the real artist is. And that's so not right. The latest one even edited the avatar to suit their needs, removing my name and putting up their own. They're usually pretty nice when confronted, and take it down ... but it makes me wonder just how many people haven't been caught yet.

So, although I'm not leaving deviantART or anything like that, I'm just making my pseudo-hiatus official. I've already cut way down on the people I watch here, to the bare essentials -- and I'll probably cut down even farther later. And if it takes me several days, or even weeks, to answer, I'm sorry. But ... deviantART just isn't for me anymore.

I saw this on someone else's journal, and I like the idea. So I'm giving away free art to the first ten people who respond to this journal. One character, from the waist up, but I'll color it and the whole deal. Or an icon, since they seem to be popular.

Slots Left: 9

Queue:

~ finished [link]

Rules: "The first 10 people who comment on this journal will get a free sketch by me. But in order to participate and get the sketch, you must copy and paste this text on your journal, and give 10 free pics to whoever asks as well. "