…I’m Asking for Help

I know I said I would be ok. That I didn’t need anything. That if you had the energy and funds to spare, share that with other artists in need. (Which, if you have helped other artists, thank you.) But now, I’m asking for help.

scarlet the black long haired cat

This is Scarlet. She and Bree-Bree are keeping me company during this weird time we’re all in. Both of the girls will be 14 years old on May 16. Which is impressive for cats!

Scarlet is a fussy princess. She knows she’s pretty. She’s VERY mouthy. You can have full conversations with this cat. She’s appeared quite a few times in livestreams over the past month, because she wants people to give her attention…on her terms.

scarlet the black long haired cat looking at the camera

I am her human. She doesn’t really tolerate much of anybody else. She will sniff you, and she will meow at you. But you pet her on HER time. When she does want love, though, she can be incredibly sweet.

Sadly, she’s been losing weight and vomiting. I took her to the vet this past Tuesday for a physical, and the vet said there’s muscle deterioration around her hips. The vet was unable to get a blood sample, so they told me to bring Scarlet back in for a round of testing today. They think there may be some hyperthyroid issues.

Now, financially, I prepared for a lot of things… but I did not prepare for vet bills like I should have. That’s on me. Moving forward I will do better.

But right now, IF YOU CAN, I’m asking for your help. I have half of the costs covered, but if you can help with the other half, that would be HUGE.

For the next two weeks, I’m running a sale on commissions if you are so interested. I’m offering these discounted rates if you’d like to jump in on this sale:

  • $15 $10 Head and shoulders in black and white
  • $30 $25 Full-body black and white
  • $40 $30 head and shoulders in color
  • $65 $60 full-color full-body

These prices are PER character (or person, or animal if you wanted a pet portrait). More info on the Get a Commission page if you’d like to get a commission.

If this is a bit much, I have an online store with comics, buttons, stickers, and original art.

Need something more unique? Well, you can also support me on Ko-Fi if you would like…

  • $5 for a social media icon
  • $3 for a blog post tacking a question you have for me
  • $3 for a poem
  • $10 for a short story of 1500 words or less

Or you can just give a donation through Ko-Fi with no strings attached.

I accept PayPal (just specify that it’s a gift to friends to avoid extra charges). And I also accept Venmo ($KelciDCrawford) and the Cash App.

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY, DO NOT BUY.

I don’t want you stressing out just because I planned poorly. Just share this post with folks whom you think could help. Shares help a LOT.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your help, however you give it.

You. Are. Awesome.

Ko-Fi and Patreon: How Am I Using BOTH?

tiny painting of princess rosetta with art tools framing the photo

As far as platforms go, Ko-Fi and Patreon have similar goals: make it easy for fans to support creatives. I get the impression that some folks use one but not the other. I DARE to use both. So how do I do it?

Well, let’s cover the similarities and differences first:

Ko-Fi (I think it’s pronounced ‘coffee,’ and you’ll see why) is a platform that lets you donate the price equivalent of a cup of coffee (get it?) to your favorite creative person. By giving, you support the creative, AND you get access to some supporter-exclusive posts.

Patreon lets fans subscribe to their favorite creatives by pledging a specific amount of money, to give either each month, or for each project. You get rewards in exchange for how much you give. The more you give, the more rewards you get.

Ko-Fi also has an option to let folks subscribe to their favorite creatives with a monthly donation, but this option is only available if the creative pays for a Ko-Fi Gold plan. Otherwise, it’s just one-time donations.

Patreon grandfathered me into a particular package deal, because I had been on the platform for so long.

As of this writing, Patreon has 3 plans, depending on how big your team is. If it’s just you, you get a simple button and you don’t break down your rewards like tiers (like KickStarter does). If you’re a handful of people, but not a huge team, you can get on the Founder Level, which is what I have. This allows patrons to select their level of patronage from the options you provide just like you would with KickStarter. Patreon also has a level above Founder, but that’s intended for creative teams that are 10+ people, or folks who run a business with subscription boxes that ship.

In the indie comics verse, I’ve seen some folks use one platform, but not the other. More often, I see both. I decided to be kooky and use both platforms, as well.

So how am I using them?

Admittedly, I sought out using Ko-Fi to fund a side project. Then the side-project fell through. So then I thought, “Maybe I’ll offer this as an alternative to Patreon! I’ve seen some people’s eyes roll at the mention of Patreon. Maybe they just need an option that’s different.”

But after having received a few donations through Ko-Fi, and after having been on Patreon for many years, I’ve discovered this in my experience:

The support I get from Patreon is for my art. The gifts I’ve received from Ko-Fi come with notes thanking me for my blog.

So – I’ve decided that Patreon will fund my art…and Ko-Fi will fund my writing.

Yes, I DO write. I’ve done the National Novel Writing Month Challenge two years in a row, and I’m hoping that this year will be my third.

And obviously I write blog posts. And, curiously, I’ve had patrons on Patreon ask me to make poetry for them.

So that’s the plan moving forward!

If you would like to support the art-side, check out Patreon. Heads up – I will be revamping the reward tiers and promotional art soon.

If you would like to support the blog, check out the Ko-Fi. I have new rewards available that are writing-specific. You can give once OR give monthly (I opted for the Ko-Fi Gold).

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

Sailor Mercury: A Sketch

sailor mercury fanart sketch made with brush pen and copic marker

I didn’t grow up watching Sailor Moon – unlike apparently 99% of other Millenials. I knew it existed, but I didn’t watch it regularly.

But when I DID watch it, I watched it for Sailor Mercury.

Mostly I watched for her because Mercury (the planet) rules Virgo, and that happens to be my astrological sign.

But also she’s smart. I REALLY liked smart girls in my cartoons who were also cute as heck. Surprisingly, not many girls on TV at the time were smart AND cute. You were one or the other. But Sailor Mercury dared to be BOTH.

So yeah. I drew her.

She’s available as a hi-res download now, too, on Ko-Fi and Patreon for just $1.

The original sketch will be listed on Storenvy soon.

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

Woman of the Woods – A Sketch

The Woman of the Woods is a character I created for Rosetta and the Swan, my retelling of Swan Lake. (The version I’m working on is set around a fictional equivalent of the Baltic Sea. Also it’s the prince who is turned into a swan).

In my retelling of the story, the Woman of the Woods is one of many countless wise women who reside in The Woods. The Woods themselves are enormous and ancient. The people who live in Rosetta’s kingdom know of ONE Woman of the Woods – the one pictured above. She is hardly ever seen in her human form. Usually she is only spotted as a bear.

However, this particular Woman of the Woods has close ties to the royal family. And it’s she who blesses Rosetta with the ability to talk to animals.

All of this is to say…she’s available as a hi-resolution download. Check it out either on Patreon or Ko-Fi (she’s available for download on both platforms).

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

Charlie, The Fashion Icon

This here is Charlie, from my three-part comic series The Charlie & Clow adventures.

Recently I flipped though a LOT of old sketchbooks (the oldest one dated back to 2011 during my junior year of college). And I saw Charlie pop up quite a bit in those old books.

Her story changed, but one thing stayed constant: her goth-punk aesthetic.

I originally created her to be one of the starring members of a punk rock band. Over time, she became more of an interesting main character than the one I originally wrote. So I rewrote the story to make her be the focus.

Through the rewrites, though, she always stayed a punk/goth girl.

Part of it is because of her personality.

But also I really like drawing punk and goth fashion.

So who knows? You may see more of Charlie being a fashion model on Instagram.

In the meantime, this original sketch IS available as a hi-resolution download for Ko-Fi backers and Patreon patrons. The sketch itself will be listed for sale on Storenvy soon. If you want to know when it drops, get on that email newsletter. It’s the best place to find new shop listings.

ALSO! I will be at the New Dimension Comics in Saint Clairsville, OH on March 7. It’s Free Graphic Novel Day! To celebrate, I will have free grab bags, as well as some original sketches marked down for sale.

(All proceeds from the sale of the original art pieces will go towards helping with the cost of moving. Because I will be moving to a new apartment May 1 this year).

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

P.S. I’m not joking – watch my Instagram for future pics of Charlie being a fashionista.