What a month! September 2024

Welcome to the new “What a month!” – my monthly digest where I share my successes, failures, plans, and hopes. It’s the best way to peek inside my mind 😊 

A special welcome to all the newcomers – we have 13 new patrons! I’m so happy to have you here 😍 Let’s dive into September’s digest!

Artwork of the month

September was just as fruitful as August (not to mention the flood of commissions alongside my regular artwork). Maybe it’s all the unexpected artist-trades and prepping for the October challenges 😅 But I’m thrilled with how much I managed to finish this month, especially compared to the slower summer.

Shibari Mermaid Pins

This is the biggest highlight of the month because… drumroll I finally made my first enamel pins! 🎉 I’m over the moon with how they turned out – the glitter, the shape, the metal color – all exactly how I envisioned them.

However, since I’m more of an artist than a businessperson, I made a lot of (yes, plural) mistakes with pricing and ended up paying extra at nearly every step 😅 So now, the pin price is higher than expected, just so I don’t lose money on every sale. I’m barely making anything from the collection, even with the current pricing. But hey, at least lots of people now have my wearable art in their hands! I’m eagerly waiting for the first photos from pin owners to share in my stories.

Lesson learned! For the next pin collection, I’ll handle things much differently, and the price will be more affordable. But for this first collection, the price will remain at $30 in my shop and $25 on my newly updated Patreon tier, “I want a pin!” Even though the price is high, this collection will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s my very first 🧜‍♀️✨

⚠️ A quick reminder to my lovely patrons on the $15 “I want a pin!” tier – you’re completely free to switch to a cheaper tier or cancel your subscription if you don’t want to keep paying this amount next month. No pressure! But of course, I’d be overjoyed if you stay with me in any way you choose 😘

Stickers and printing

This month, I got myself a new color printer and started experimenting with printing stickers! 🎨 After playing around with different ideas for how I want them to look and feel, I realized UV printing is definitely the way to go. There’s so much to learn, but the good news is, I found a local place that does UV printing, so all my ideas are totally doable. Here’s a little sneak peek of one of the designs 🙂

The card project

Slow and steady, but still moving forward! I didn’t manage to complete any new artwork for the project this month, but the search for production partners is looking promising—I found a few good factories that can get the job done. Plus, I’ve realized (yes, only now, when a third of the deck is already done, haha 😅) that the card size is too small for such detailed art. So, moving forward, I’ll tone down the details. I’ll also need to redo some of the finished pieces, but don’t worry—the originals will go straight to my store as signed prints!

Watercolor pinup

My experiments with live drawing sketches have finally evolved into something exciting—my first attempt at watercolor pinup art! I started with the Shibari Mermaid, and while it’s a work in progress, I’m excited to see where it leads. It’s just the beginning, but you have to start somewhere, right?

My birthday

And as a perfect birthday present, I sold a bunch of my watercolor drawings from live sessions to one of my awesome Patrons 😘

And another birthday surprise, I received an incredible portrait of me from my dear friend Albo! 😍 Check out his amazing work on Patreon and Instagram—he’s in my recommendations! 🎨💖

Interview for Cuban Instagram-Magazine "Hijos Del Maltrato"

Also, I had a short interview for an Instagram account that features artists and photographers. The questions were pretty interesting, so be sure to check it out! 🎤🎨

And a little about future plans

In November, I’ll be participating in a collective exhibition with the theme “Feelings” here in Yerevan, Armenia. I’ve got a cool concept in mind, but I’m panicking a little about whether I’ll have enough time to pull it all together. So much stress 😫, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end.

Also, October is here, which means Inktober, Pinuptober, and now Hardtober too! Three different challenges with their own themes. I’ll do my best, but I’m already feeling like I won’t be able to finish all of them 😅

Whoah, this is the end of the digest, guys, see you all next month!