What is SketchFest?

On the weekend of the 11th/12th/13th of December 2009 I set out just to earn a bit of extra cash to balance my bank account and to start to fix up my debts. I spent the entire weekend... literally two and a half days straight, sketching for $5 a sketch.

But I came to realise by the end of it that I was having more fun doing the sketches then earning the cash. So it's something I want to continue a) for the smiles I caused, b) for the fun that we all had, and c) to get my art up to something I can call a respectable level.

I found out that it takes me approximately an hour to do each sketch, and I want to get that down to about 20 minutes but keep the quality the same. I also want to broaden my horizons in terms of what sort of art I do, what limits I have, and the types of characters that I draw. Hence why I say that I have no limits and mean it.

How much does it cost?

All images start at $10, extra characters and larger picture sizes cost $5 more, and it grows from there. The more you pay the more time and effort I will put into adding details, colors, shading, etc... I'm more then willing to negotiate any commissions thrown my way on SketchFest weekends, as I said it's not so much about the money as it is the art and the happiness.

If you would like to see the full price list it's right up the top there. I apologise to anyone that may have a problem with that, but if you search the help forums on FAF for "how much should I charge" one of the things that has to be taken into consideration is the time and effort put into each image.

How can I be involved?

I also stream each image at http://livestream.com/sketchfest so that you can see your image being made and correct me as I go along if you so wish. I actually love this instantaneous feedback, which is one of the reasons I want to keep this up. I'll let you know when there's another stream coming up, and if there's a list of leftovers from last stream I will announce them at that time. Please don't be put off if my list is too long, if I don't get to it at the time then I will most definitely get to it the following weekend (this hasn't happened too often though).

Each image is made in the order that it's received and paid for.... I do not expect payment at the time the image is asked for, but I will not draw it until it is. That's just common logic, I'm not trying to be rude. I have a list of commissions; paid, unpaid and complete. As soon as I receive your request it's placed on the unpaid list, and then as soon as it's paid for it's moved to the next slot on the paid list and becomes part of my working queue. If someone requests after you, but pays before you, then their image is done first. This is the way I'm going to work and nothing's going to change that.

Who runs SketchFest?

Mea'eshana PhoenixFire, aka MeaKitty (or Mea for short): For those that need to know... I'm female, I'm 29, I live in Australia (so all costs are in Australian Dollars - AUD)... I'm in an open relationship, I'm bi-sexual, and I have a ton of kinks that I'm not going to list in text. I've been asked, and I'll happily answer ANYTHING you wanna know stream, or via my Formspring.me page.

 

When's the next stream/How do I find out about the next stream?

Sketchfest is always held on the first weekend of every month, so from Friday night to Monday night (Australian Central Standard Time) and it's very rare that this changes. There are Event listings on the Livestream Page, and Monthly Events are created on Facebook to remind you when the next stream is.

Or even easier you can just open that calender next to you, find the first weekend of the next coming month, and then mark that down as a Sketchfest weekend. Chances are you'll be right.

Can I get a commission/sketch myself?

Of course you can, that's the whole point of this weekend after all.

Please keep in mind that I do have a life outside of FA; I actually work full time and I'm gone most of the day during the week because of it. This is why I ask that you EMAIL your requests to me: each one is date and time stamped, and I can't ignore it because I get notifications on my computer and my phone. I will not accept requests via comments, notes, or replies to my twitter, etc. It HAS to be emailed to me.

My paypal is also that email account (sketchfest at weirddreamsink dot com)... and in case you're wondering Weird Dreams Ink is my Web Design/Graphic Arts business. I do websites like the one you're looking at for real life money, though I'm not looking for clients... that said, I won't say no if you're interested. WDi has it's own FA as well as seen on my userpage.

 

Can I get a commission/sketch for a friend?

Of course you can, but you'll need to make sure that you have permission from them to use their character. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, or have complaints made against me, so please just ask the person if it's okay for you to get a gift commission of their character. Also put in your email that you've got said permission to use 'character name' by 'owner's name' and perhaps a link to their account somewhere so I can verify it for myself. Or better yet, drag them along to Sketchfest so they can watch their character being drawn... that would be the nicest thing to do.

Does it cost me to watch you stream even if I don't get a sketch from you?

Not at all, I use livestream which is a free service dedicated to streaming free user channels. There's no cost to me, and no cost to anyone to watch. However, there are limitations... the biggest one being that, seeing as some of my artwork is 'mature' I have to have the content filter on, so more then likely if you haven't got an account you might have difficulties watching what I'm drawing. Signing up for a livestream account won't cost you anything at all though, it's completely free and it just reserves your name so that no one else can register it.

When the filter is off I do leave it open for random people to join and comment, but you're just going to end up with the username randomly generated by livestream. That makes it difficult for me to know who asked what question and who to credit for a random sketch idea... or to know if the image I'm drawing at the time belongs to someone currently watching me. Again, it's not necessary, it's just nice... and it's all free!

The Do, and Do Not Want, List

I do NOT do trades or full commissions on this account. I have a seperate account and that's not what Sketchfest is for. However, if you would like to see what a few days can do for your sketch please visit my other account at http://www.furaffinity.net/user/meakitty

I do NOT do gift art, ever. HOWEVER, I will occassionally hold the odd contest or give away prize art for people that are most helpful to me. This includes advertising me either throughout FA or via Twitter or even by tagging me/sketchfest on Facebook. I don't do this very often but if you would like to do so without the incentive of prize art then by all means do it anyway. People that are polite and helpful get rewarded in the end.

Be warned: If you watch my stream you'll probably hear me singing. More then one person has said randomly that I sound like Amy Lee from Evanescence. I take this as an awesome compliment, but when I'm drawing the music's playing, and I can't help but sing. Lol. You'll get used to it.

I also don't mind if you ask me questions or interact with me while I stream. In fact, it's encouraged. Like I said, part of this is about causing smiles and if you want to know something then you'll probably be surprised by my response. Somewhere in my head I do have a sense of humor, it just shows itself randomly.

I have a question that's not answered here/want more information on something you haven't explained in this uber long and rather rambly first journal post.

Then by all means send me a note/pm/email and ask your question, or come and watch me stream one weekend and let me know what you want to know. If you mention you've read this all the way through and can't find the answer here when you really wanted to know, then I'll happily answer it when I'm streaming and update the same info here for everyone else.