deviantART: by:alaitallon

Quick question about badges!

=alaitallon — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:07:27 PST

For the 100 Animal Art Challenge, click here: [link]
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Quick question!

Situation: I'm interested in trying my hand at making some digital con badges. My skill at real media still really sucks, so I'd almost feel bad charging any money for those. Thus, I'd prefer to stick to digital, if possible.

Problem: I would like to be able to print these badges and mail them along with their badge holder to the people who commission them. However, my printer sucks even more than my real media skills. Therefore, I would like to print them using some sort of service. However, none that I've found will specifically print them in 3x4", the size my badges will be. How do I solve this?

Do I print them out with a lot of white around them and try to cut them down to the right size? Is there a place that can print things for me at the exact size I need (I've looked and had trouble finding any)? Should I just do the badges and expect the commissioner to figure out how to get them printed (I'm too nice, though. )? Should I resort to just using my fugly real media skills? What should I do, those of you who have experience with this?

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A little heads up

=alaitallon — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:48:32 PST

For the 100 Animal Art Challenge, click go here: [link]
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Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven't updated here in a while. ;__; I've been very busy with work lately. Just haven't had the time or energy for art these past several months.

Regardless, I just wanted to let people know I'm considering migrating some of my character references from TLKFAA over to here instead. I would be putting them in my Scraps folder, so no one would have to see them unless they have it selected that my Scraps show up on your DevWatch. You are free to remove me from that part of your DevWatch if you have no interest in seeing reference pictures like these: [link] [link] If you do wish to see my character designs, though, I definitely appreciate the feedback and support.

The way you do this is go here: [link]
Scroll down until you see the name alaitallon, then go over to the box in the Scraps column and deselect it (that is, if it's already selected and you don't want to see refs in your DevWatch; if you DO want to see them, then leave it selected).

So yeah, I wanted to give people a warning in the chance they wanted to avoid seeing this! I know some people have complained about it being kinda spammy/repetitive before, so I wanted to avoid that if at all possible. If anyone has any additional feedback/suggestions, that is certainly welcome as well!

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open, see here: [link]

Another commission up for auction!

=alaitallon — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:57:26 PDT

For the 100 Animal Art Challenge, click go here: [link]
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Now that I've finally finished with college for now, I thought I'd take a commission again and see how it goes! I've posted an auction over on Furbid and the winner can choose any rating between G-XXX. [link]

Thanks and happy bidding! I could use the funds! XD

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open, see here: [link]

Furry/anthro/animal art challenge!

=alaitallon — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:03:51 PST

There have been a lot of various art challenges going around, but I thought it might be a fun idea to start one that may inject some creativity and new interest into the furry/anthro art community. Far too often, we see the community saturated with wolves, foxes, big cats, rabbits, and occasionally an equine. It's time for some variety! So I thought it would be an interesting challenge to not just push myself personally, but to see if the rest of the community would like to do the same. Therefore, I've created this list of animals that have seen not nearly enough love in the fandom. While some of these may be canines, felines, etc., I tried to pick a few that are relatively unseen in the furry community.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Draw each and every one of the animals on this list. There is no time limit. It doesn't have to be in order, it doesn't even have to be anthro/humanoid. It doesn't even really have to be fully colored, it can be a pencil sketch if you'd prefer. Just give them a try. Not only will you push yourself in the process, you will learn about more of the amazing and exciting animals this world has to offer! Feel free to post this in your journal or webpage to show your progress, share it with friends, or simply use for inspiration. Some of these WILL be difficult, but you can do it! I tried not to make any of these so obscure that they wouldn't have much information or pictures of them. Some of these are also extinct, but all of them have artistic interpretations and pictures of their skeletons available on the internet or in books.

001. Giant Pangolin (Manis gigantea)
002. Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
003. European Lobster (Homarus gammarus)
004. Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
005. Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus)
006. Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus)
007. White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)
008. Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)
009. Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
010. Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)
011. Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus)
012. Dimetrodon
013. Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
014. Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans)
015. Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
016. Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)
017. Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)
018. Wolverine (Gulo gulo)
019. Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)
020. Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus)
021. Styracosaurus
022. Common Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)
023. Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
024. Quagga (Equus quagga quagga)
025. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
026. Manta Ray (Manta birostris)
027. Black-footed Cat (Felis nigripes)
028. Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus)
029. Mexican Redknee Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi)
030. Checkered Sengi (Rhynchocyon cirnei)
031. Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)
032. Pteranodon
033. Common Genet (Genetta genetta)
034. Elasmosaurus
035. Indian Cobra (Naja naja)
036. Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
037. Porcupinefish (Diodon nicthemerus)
038. Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides)
039. Yellow-bellied Sea Snake (Pelamis platurus)
040. Common Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)
041. Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules)
042. Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
043. Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
044. Betta Fish (Betta splendens)
045. Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
046. Parasaurolophus
047. Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
048. Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
049. Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobatidae)
050. Ankylosaurus
051. Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
052. Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)
053. Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii)
054. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
055. Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda laticauda)
056. Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa)
057. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
058. Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)
059. Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica)
060. Oviraptor
061. American Bison (Bison bison)
062. Zebra Moray (Gymnomuraena zebra)
063. Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)
064. Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)
065. European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
066. Coelophysis
067. Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
068. Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)
069. Stegosaurus
070. Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
071. Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
072. Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum)
073. Glyptodon
074. Oriental Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis)
075. Ring-tailed Coati (Nasua nasua)
076. Ceratosaurus
077. Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
078. Goffin's Cockatoo (Cacatua goffiniana)
079. Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
080. American Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
081. Wes...

Clearing a few things up!

=alaitallon — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:04:30 PST

Because I've noticed lately that several people are unclear on a few things about my art, I wanted to clarify them here, so hopefully they won't come up again. Please let me know if you have any additional questions and I'll add them here.

1) I am not only open to critique, I welcome it.
It's understandable why many people lately would be reluctant to offer constructive criticism, given how often it is met with reactions like "OMG WTF HOW DARE YOU BASH MY ART!!!!!" Please note, however, that I am not like that. Perhaps I may have been touchy many years ago when I was younger and considerably less experienced with how to maturely handle criticism, but I believe I have grown past that by quite a bit. So please, if you see something that's off in my art, even if it's a finished piece, TELL ME. I'd certainly prefer that you be polite about it and elaborate if you can (comments like "Wow, that leg is fucked up" don't really tell or help me much), but aside from that, I'm open for it. While I love all comments, I would much rather get concrit on some of my pieces than just "Kawaii!" or "Cool!" all the time.

2) I do not use dodge/burn. Ever.
Several people mentioned this lately and it really puzzled me. I will freely admit that in my earlier years I took the shortcut of using the lighten/darken tool (dodge/burn's younger brother) in Paint Shop Pro, but pretty much one of the last times I used it was on this picture, back in 2003: [link] Since then, I've been using varying shades of my base colors to shade and highlight my pictures.

3) I know I need to draw more from life.
I have been struggling for several years to get out of the TLK style. It's a lot harder to do than I ever realized it would be. A word from experience to all beginning artists: Never ever ever learn by copying a style from somewhere. Ever. Because when you do, it will be nigh impossible to later teach yourself to stop using someone else's shortcuts instead of developing your own. As I've heard many times before in the art world and feel should be repeated, "You have to learn the rules before you can break them." In other words, learn how to draw things as they actually are before you start going off in your own direction with them. I just wish I'd learned that seven years ago.

So again, let me know if there's anything else unclear that I can clarify. Thanks.

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open, see here: [link]

A few commission auctions posted!

=alaitallon — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:00:16 PDT

Just in case anyone was interested in commissioning me, especially since I have a bit of free-time, I've posted two auctions over on Furbid.

One General Audience: [link]
One Mature: [link]

I'm open to drawing a lot of different things except for some of the more "hardcore" fetishes (I WON'T do cub, scat, or watersports, for example . . .) Just let me know if you have any questions! Thanks and I look forward to working with some of you guys!

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open, see here: [link]

Commissions!

=alaitallon — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:43:42 PDT

I know, long time, no update . . .

But I am in need of commissions! Not only to make money to help my boyfriend keep his apartment (neither of our jobs are big money makers, unfortunately, and this month has been particularly bad), but also to give me more practice that I need! Please see this entry for details! [link]

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open, see here: [link]

New website!

=alaitallon — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 22:19:03 PST

I know I mentioned this in my latest piece, but I'm really happy about this! Today I've finally unveiled my brand new site design! I've re-vamped the whole thing and made it a LOT better and prettier. So go check it out and let me know what you think! [link]

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open

A good friend needs help!

=alaitallon — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 20:51:12 PST

Hey guys!

A buddy of mine, who is also a fellow Georgian and a great artist, needs your help.

or
[link]

He's having some bad financial issues right now and needs funds, so he's taking commissions: [link]

They're pretty awesome prices, if I do say so, and he does some particularly lovely inkwork (in fact, if I remember correctly, he's doing a panel on inking at Furry Weekend Atlanta). So help a fellow artist and please give him a hand. I know I'll definitely be commissioning him myself because he's such a nice guy (and also because his art kicks butt). He doesn't draw just reptiles, either! So don't be afraid to drop him a note and "help a brotha out"!

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open

Updated commission status

=alaitallon — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 16:27:21 PST

Now, so it's easier for you guys, you can find my updated price chart here! [link]

I've also added the option of designing a character for you (for those who enjoy my character designs and want a design of your own) as well as added fur detailing, such as you see here: [link] and here: [link]

Just send me a note or e-mail if you're interested! Christmas is coming up and I REALLY could use the extra money to help buy Christmas gifts for people!

What I am comfortable doing:
- Zoomorphic animals. Basically, if it walks on four legs, I'll probably be comfortable with it. Check out my regular art to see what I mean.
- Felines.
- Canines.
- Equines, on occassion.

What I'm not exactly comfortable with but will try:
- Anthros (two legged furries).
- Any other non-humanoid mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish.

What I'm quite uncomfortable with but will try if you really want me to plus an extra $5 per instance of it:
- Insects, bugs, arachnids, creepy crawlies, crustaceans
- Mechanical things like robots, cars, machinery, spaceships, guns, etc.
- Elaborate jewelry (I'm fine with earrings and regular necklaces, lockets, arm bands, but things with lots of jewels and bling-bling are difficult)
- Humans.

What I will NOT do:
- Copyrighted characters such as Balto, Spirit, Simba, etc. I may draw them in fan-art, but it is not legal for me to charge money for them. Also, I will only draw for you it it's YOUR character or you have the permission of the owner.
- Excessive violence, gore, blood, etc. A little blood is fine. Impaling, disemboweling, decapitation, amputation, exploding eyes, etc. are not.
- Obcene, derogatory, racist, drug-related, or hate filled art. Period.

I am somewhat open to the idea of pieces of a more adult nature, but those would be likely to cost extra. I also will not sell them (more adult pieces, that is) to anyone under the legal age in their country/state and I absolutely WILL NOT do any that depict minors/underage characters. I also cannot accept any commission for adult art over Paypal due to Paypal's recent ban concerning it.

I'm most willing to accept any other payment by Paypal, but I can accept payment by mail as well. Paypal is definitely preferred, though.

If you have anymore questions, let me know!

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Commission status: VERY open

Commissions!

=alaitallon — Mon, 30 May 2005 20:21:48 PDT

Hey, just for those who don't know for one reason or another, I AM very open for commissions. Here's the info. Feel free to ask any questions.

UPDATED COMMISSION PRICES
Pencil (shaded and such) Example (though not with this many drawings on it . . .): [link]
One character (head shot) . . . . . . $5
One character (full body) . . . . . . $10
Two characters (head shot) . . . . . . $6
Two characters (full body) . . . . . . $12
Extra dollar for every additional character

Ink (non-shaded) No example yet
One character (head shot) . . . . . . $8
One character (full body) . . . . . . $13
Two characters (head shot) . . . . . . $9
Two characters (full body) . . . . . . $15
Extra $2 for every additional character

Computer Colored (no background)
Examples (not great examples): [link]
[link]
One character (head shot) . . . . . . $10
One character (full body) . . . . . . $15
Two characters (head shot) . . . . . . $15
Two characters (full body) . . . . . . $25
Extra $5 for every additional character

Computer Colored (gradient background or solid colors) Example: [link]
[link]
[link] (though probably not with all the extra fur texture . . . I may add it to headshots, though, for an extra $5.)
One character (head shot) . . . . . . $15
One character (full body) . . . . . . $25
Two characters (head shot) . . . . . . $27
Two characters (full body) . . . . . . $38
Extra $7 for every additional character

Computer Colored (full background)
Examples:
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
One character (head shot) . . . . . . $20
One character (full body) . . . . . . $30
Two characters (head shot) . . . . . . $35
Two characters (full body) . . . . . . $50
Extra $10 for every additional character

What I am comfortable doing:
- Zoomorphic animals. Basically, if it walks on four legs, I'll probably be comfortable with it. Check out my regular art to see what I mean.
- Felines.
- Canines.
- Equines, on occassion.

What I'm not exactly comfortable with but will try:
- Anthros (two legged furries).
- Any other non-humanoid mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish.
- Humans (sometimes).

What I'm quite uncomfortable with but will try if you really want me to plus an extra $5 per instance of it:
- Insects, bugs, arachnids, creepy crawlies, crustaceans
- Mechanical things like robots, cars, machinery, spaceships, guns, etc.
- Elaborate jewelry (I'm fine with earrings and regular necklaces, lockets, arm bands, but things with lots of jewels and bling-bling are difficult)

What I will NOT do:
- Anything of a sexual nature. I can do tasteful nudity (but not of underage characters, please), but no yiff or poses specifically meant to be sexually provocative. If you can show it to your grandma without offending her, it's probably okay.
- Copyrighted characters such as Balto, Spirit, Simba, etc. I may draw them in fan-art, but it is not legal for me to charge money for them. Also, I will only draw for you it it's YOUR character or you have the permission of the owner.
- Excessive violence, gore, blood, etc. A little blood is fine. Impaling, disemboweling, decapitation, amputation, exploding eyes, etc. are not.
- Obcene, derogatory, racist, drug-related, or hate filled art. Period.

I'm most willing to accept payment by Paypal, but I can accept payment by mail as well. Paypal is definitely preferred, though.

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Art trade status: Closed for now
Request status: Closed forever
Comission status: VERY open

Woot!

=alaitallon — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 06:41:35 PDT

I totally got selected for a week of free DevArt Subscription! Yes! This will probably make me want to buy it permanently. o_O;;;; *laughs* This is fun, though. Gonna test out some fun new features . . .

Rhodri Day Contest Winners!

=alaitallon — Wed, 05 May 2004 15:35:37 PDT

I made a page for it that also showcases the entries. [link]

However, for those who just want to know who won:
1st place: Pegasuss
2nd place: Kelt
3rd place: Tamarii
Runners-up: TabbyKatt, KrystleTears, WolfySilver, Megan F, and Kazamidori! Thanks everyone for the WONDERFUL entries. I've already got a rather nice story line I'm currently working on that they'll help tons with. ^_^

Rhodri Day Contest!

=alaitallon — Sat, 17 Apr 2004 13:09:08 PDT

What: Rhodri Day Contest

When: April 9th - April 23 (extended a little more)

How: The aim of the contest is to design the best/most appealing Rhodri(s) for use in the Aisling novels Kelt and I are currently at work on. I have provided some templates down below to make things easier (the size of them is large (not in KB but dimensions) so you'll have to scroll to see them) that you can edit for the use of this contest only. I will offer tips on how to use the templates in a moment.

Prizes:
1st place - One Rhodri character that I will design for you, one Kyonshi that I will design for you, and three full-color requests.
2nd place - One Kyonshi that I will design for you and two full-color requests.
3rd place - One full-color request.
Runners-up (not sure how many) - One smaller request (possibly a head-shot or one without a background).
All who enter - I may have a surprise for all who enter, but I'm not absolutely sure yet.

Rules:
Regardless of whether you win the contest or not, you may not keep the Rhodri that you design due to the fact that the first place winner will recieve a Rhodri that I will custom-design for you (and what would be the point of winning if you got a Rhodri out of it anyway?). I will keep the designs, but in return I am doing art for you and possibly giving you characters in return (so it's almost like a character or art trade, except even better if you're one of the winners).

You do not have to use the templates, but if you choose not to, please keep the Rhodri on model.
Shading is not recquired but color IS.
The templates are ONLY for use in this contest. Please do not use them for your own characters.
The Rhodri does not need to be named.
Rhodri reference sheet found here: [link]

Templates:
Remember, these are large, so you possibly will have to scroll to see them. If you need a smaller version, please let me know. All of these have horns, Elven ears, and chest manes that can be edited out according to gender and subspecies. Add whatever markings and mane styles you think work. It is highly recommended that you change these from 256 colors to a higher color count and change them into JPGs when coloring. They were saved as gifs to cut down on file size. Note: Female Rhodris and Elven Rhodris do not have horns.
Rhodri without wings: [link]
Rhodri with bat wings: [link]
Rhodri with furry wings: [link]

Devious Journal Entry

=alaitallon — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 21:14:07 PDT

Back from Valdosta finally . . . I miss it already. *sighs*

Hey, you guys need to sign this: [link]

The reason I especially feel this needs to be signed is that people keep bringing their Neopets art to archives where they don't particularly belong (such as [link] . . .) so if they have an archive of their own, then hopefully they'll finally have a home . . .

Devious Journal Entry

=alaitallon — Tue, 24 Jun 2003 14:03:52 PDT

Sorry I haven't updated in my gallery in a while . . . Just been at GHP in Valdosta. O_O Won't be back until July 26, so the art may be a little slow coming. *laughs*