evalieena

[evalieena]

various layton doodles i haven't posted yet

[evalieena]

[evalieena]

Layton Quacking in 6 Languages 🦆 Link to YouTube

[evalieena]

*chucks new content at you* TAKE IT

[evalieena]

Celebration Meme LETS GOOOO DESCOLE WON

[evalieena]

i do this to u

[evalieena]

Desmond being implied to embezzle money from scientific institutions for his Descole stuff is fucking hilarious but even better is it if Layton blackmails him over it for mundane stuff post AL. Layton is the teasing sibling because let’s be real Desmond has no teasing rights left after trying to kill Layton & friends multiple times

Shoutout to my friend who never played Layton who came up with this joke (additional context under the cut)

Afficher davantage

[evalieena]

with adhd/autism it's funny like. people will call you weird all your life, people will bully you for your "outlandish" behaviour, people will criticize literally everything you do as "not normal", BUT THE SECOND YOU GET DIAGNOSED (or suggest you might have it) they're like "huh what but you're so normal, you're literally the most normal person I've ever seen, you're literally so normal and absolutely nothing is wrong with you? why would you have that now all of a sudden???"

[evalieena]

No one's to blame / 'Cause we called all the angels to save us / Called them by name / But I guess they got lost / Star-crossed

Portrait inspired by Kacey’s beautiful new album ❤️‍🔥

[evalieena]

cain instinct

[evalieena]

Do you ever think about the fact that Future London is a projection of Clive’s seriously distorted vision of reality

And that in his mind the worst thing that could ever happen is Hershel becoming just as devoured by hatred as he is

Because I think about it a lot

[evalieena]

"some strange angel" with Hershel Layton?

i have to go now

[evalieena]

professor layton games take place in such a delightfully short timeframe. this strange top hatted man rolls into town on a friday upends everyones entire lives forever and rolls out on sunday

[evalieena]

[evalieena]

Something I just noticed, but there’s something interesting about Professor Sycamore’s design. Namely, the fact that he doesn’t seem his age.

Now yes, we don’t know specifically how old he is, but what we do know is that he’s older than Layton, and at the time of Azran Legacy, Layton is 36. Desmond’s likely a older by a few years, the general consensus I’ve seen being 3-5 years. For the sake of argument, let’s say he’s 4 years older, making him 40.

Now, look at Professor Sycamore. Tell me, does he look like he’s around 40?

No; if I had to guess just by looking at him (though to be fair I’m pretty bad at guesstimating ages), I’d say he’s in his late 20s to early 30s, not 40.

And it’s not just his appearance either, I’ve also noticed in the scant voiced lines he has (as Sycamore), he doesn’t really sound his age either, it’s a bit too high pitched. Of course, that could just be me, but he definitely doesn’t sound older than Layton, that much I can say.

So, what’s up with this? Well, there’s something else I feel I should bring up too. We know his wife and daughter to be dead, and in a later scene (I believe it was one of those extra episodes, but unfortunately all I could find was a clip of the conversation on YouTube) he says that it was that day they died that Desmond Sycamore died too.

Now we don’t know how long ago that was, all we know is that his daughter would have been (I assume based on Umid) in her early teens by this point and that it’s likely been some years between then and now, but interestingly, that could very well be the same difference between Sycamore’s perceived age and his actual age.

What if the reason behind this discrepancy is because this is an imitation of the Sycamore from that time, still stuck in the past? Like he says, Desmond Sycamore died years ago, so there’d be no change from then to now; still the same as he was years ago, never allowed to change because all Sycamore is is an empty husk, Descole is the only one left.

Because Descole definitely seems his age, he’s the one who’s been here all those years since.

Maybe that’s why in that final scene of him, when he chooses to find a new path in life, we see him put on his mask as Descole. Because Sycamore’s gone, he’s been gone a long time and now he’s just a shadow of the past. It’s only by letting go of his past that he can truly move forward in his life.

#wow #now that's a great analysis #I totally stand by this #professor layton spoilers

[evalieena]

Tips for taking & pricing commissions

I very frequently give the same advice in the discords that I'm in so I thought I'd just go ahead and write a post collecting it all!

Pricing commissions

It's very difficult to look at your art and try and determine some arbitrary value and end up with a price that is not only fair but also something you can live off of. You could try asking others to arbitrarily value your art, but they're going to struggle just as much.

So let me detail a much more practical method for determining your prices. First, answer these questions:

Will this be your primary source of income?

Are you a bill payer?

Option 1 - You don't pay bills:

Look up the living wage in your area, multiply it by 2, and that will be your hourly rate.

If your area doesn't have an established living wage, look up the average living costs of your area and go to option 3.

Why do I say to double it? Because the living wage is calculated based on an 8 hour work day, and studies show that a 4 hour work day is more efficient and practical and that there is nothing to be gained from working beyond that. So, twice the rate, half the hours.

I say living wage over minimum wage because, really, the living wage should be the minimum. You should be earning enough money to live off of.

Taking commissions means you're setting your own rates and hours. While you specifically may not currently be paying bills, you will be one day & the prices you set have an influence on what prices will be considered normal for everyone. Take that opportunity to improve the industry for us all by setting an example on fair pricing!

Option 2 - You do pay bills, but this is not your primary source of income:

Then any commissioned work you do is you working overtime. Take the living wage x2 or your current wage (whichever is higher), and then multiply that by 1.5x to give yourself an overtime wage, and this will be your hourly rate.

If you're taking commissions because your job is not enough to cover your bills, take the amount you're short on each month plus some extra to cover one off things you might need to buy and save up for, then decide how many hours you can spare to work on commissions each month, and divide that total by those hours.

E.g. lets say you could do with an extra £100 each month and can spare an hour a week for commission work, that'd give you an hourly rate of £25. Compare that to the overtime wage we calculated before, and take whichever is higher.

Option 3 - You do pay bills, and this will be your primary source of income:

Calculate your living costs for a month, plus some extra for anything you might need to buy and save up, and divide that by 80 to get your hourly rate. Compare it to the living wage x2, and take whichever is higher.

Do some tests and time yourself while you work

Use the work timer tool that can be found here:

and calculate how long it takes you on average to finish pieces.

Then, add at least 2 hours onto that time to account for correspondence, research, and getting familiar with unfamiliar designs (add more if you think this will take you more time, you know yourself. This is all work, and therefore should be included in the price)

Once you have your times, multiply them by your hourly rate, and you have your base prices.

For example, the living wage for me is £9.90. For the sake of simplicity, I will round that up (don't ever round down) then double it, giving me an hourly rate of £20. If it takes me 2-3 hours with correspondence to finish a character bust, I should then charge £40 - £60 for it.

On discounted rates for multiple characters:

Don't do this.

For one, it makes it confusing for the client in terms of figuring out at a glance how much something will cost them. And for two, you are doing more work for less. It's not worth it!

Avoid making your clients having to do percentage calculations when figuring out how much it's going to cost them, in general.

While it might seem like it would make multi-character commissions more appealing, making it easier to calculate prices is what will actually make that more appealing!

Charge extra for complicated designs & requests

Make a note in your terms & info that these are a base estimate price, and that more complicated designs and pieces may cost more. Also note that multiple revisions may incur additional charges.

Sometimes you might get a client who asks you to redraw things repeatedly, even after giving the go ahead with the sketch... If this happens, charge them for it. You deserve to be paid for the extra hours they are making you work.

Taking Commissions

I recommend taking your commissions through a google form or similar:

It allows you to ask all the questions you need answers to in order to determine if this is a commission you're willing and able to take on, without having to go through some awkward small talk as you try and get this information out of your potential client.

It also makes the process easier for your client, as they can simply fill out your form to tell you about the commission you want without having to cold message you about it and try and figure out what details are important to tell you and what aren't.

Additionally, when using google forms, you can get the advanced form notifications forms addon to automatically email your potential clients after they've filled out the form. (Just be aware that if, like me, you're using firefox the settings do not currently work on FF, you'll need to manage those through another browser but it should only be a one time setup anyway).

I have the advanced form notifications set up to send a confirmation email to my clients that I will then reply to when I reach them on my list, and also an email sent to myself to let me know that I've recieved a new submission.

I use gmail, so I also have it set up to automatically label the confirmation email with an "incomplete" label so I can view all pending commissions in one place.

Optional, but I also have my form linked to a spreadsheet. You can mirror the contents of the response sheet onto another sheet using an array formula, allowing you to style it and by using conditional formatting and checkboxes, you can do stuff like this:

---

The way I have my google form set up is the first section reiterates my terms and conditions and requires that the potential client accepts these terms before proceeding onto the next page.

Speaking of, a very important part of taking commissions is your terms. Here are some base terms I would recommend:

I reserve the right to refuse any commission for any reason without question. [This protects you from any kind of client or commission that makes you uncomfortable.]

Clients are not permitted, under any circumstances, to use any part of their commissioned artwork for non fungible tokens. Use of the artwork for any advertising or profits associated with non fungible tokens or cryptocurrency is strictly prohibted. [Self explanatory, but sadly important to include now]

I reserve the right to display the commissioned piece on my website(s), online galleries, and in my portfolios. (If the character is an original character, you will be credited accordingly) [This just lets you post your work on your social media and the like.]

You may use the commissioned work for personal use only (this includes avatars, signatures, wallpapers, etc.), but credit must be given.

I reserve the rights of to the artwork, so you may not use the commissioned work for any projects (commercial or nonprofit) without express permission, nor redistribute the artwork as your own. [This protects you from people commissioning you and then profiting off of your work. Commercial commissions should be handled differently with a proper contract & you should charge 3x your base price for it at minimum.]

Accepting payments

I recommend using PayPal invoices to manage your payments. You can set up an invoice template and then and create an itemised list of all your charges, require a minimum of 50% payment upfront, and allow for tips.

You'll then have a record of your commission payments for tax purposes, and you'll be protected from fraudulent clients and chargebacks. Just make sure you disable shipping if you're not sending them a physical piece!

Accepting payments

I recommend using PayPal invoices to manage your payments.

On your commission info or in your terms, make it clear that you require 50% of the payment upfront before you will begin working on the commission.

This protects you from scams where a "client" will make you complete a commission and then never pay for it, but also gives your clients the security that you won't take all the money and run, either.

Here is an example of what to write irt your payment and process from my own info:

Note the explanation of the payment processor I will be using, expectations on what may influence the price, when to expect to hear from me, and that multiple revisions may incur additional fees.

As a note, should you require to charge additional fees after you've already begun and been paid, you should create a new invoice with the additional fees for the revisions and not continue until the fee has been paid.

--

And that's all my advice, I think! Best of luck to anyone taking commissions, I hope this is helpful.

[evalieena]

Story Time: Get a load of what happened to me at Starbucks today.

There’s a running joke among people who know me personally that I unwittingly go out in public with a sign on my forehead stating “I Am Non-Threatening. Come Talk To Me.” Because if there’s a chance a bizarre conversation with a total stranger is going to happen, I’m typically the person it happens to.

Some context: I have been pretty darn sick this week. (It’s not Coronavirus, don’t worry.) Since the work in my queue for my day job is comprised entirely of audio narration right now, and I currently sound like a waterlogged Demi Moore, I haven’t been able to work these last couple of days. As a result, I’ve been using my down time to knock out as much of Manu’s redesign as possible. Today, to ensure I didn’t spend the day languishing in sinus misery, I medicated the crap out of myself and took Manu to the Starbucks down the block from my son’s day care.

I hit the bathroom, then picked an empty table, but as soon as I sat down with my venti Comfort Tea and started tweaking the inks on my iPad, I felt the eyes of the man next to me looking over my shoulder.

When I looked up, he had his phone out. “I’m sorry,” he said (in a thick accent I couldn’t place geographically), “I don’t want to disturb. I notice you art. You are artist!”

I tried to smile. “Yes, I’m... Well, I’m trying to be,” I croaked.

He leaned in, like he was sharing a secret.

“I am artist, too.”

He stuck out his hand.

I gently took it, grateful for the bathroom trip I just took in which I washed the scourge off of my fingers.

“Can I?” he asked, holding his phone up.

“Take a picture? Uh... sure,” I said. It’s not like he would be able to steal Manu out from under me or anything, I figured. The panel I was tweaking was magnified out to Guam.

“I am artist. Architect and Designer,” he clarified while he steadied his phone over my iPad. “I am Ilker. What is your name?”

“I’m Venessa” I said, trying to be polite. This, I thought warily, is precisely how I get myself into trouble. I’m too damn nice.

“You know, I come to America twenty years ago from Turkey...”

I put down my stylus. This was going to be a while.

“I like Turkey,” he explained. “I like the country and I like the people. But I am artist. I am not... religious man.”

I nodded.

“I told my wife I was going to go to America and she said, “what are you going to do? You don’t have job! You don’t have money! No Visa!” And I said, “I am artist and architect. I will paint and sell my paintings.

“So I come to America alone. To New York City. I sit outside, and I paint. And people, they liked my paintings. They bought them. This one for $30, that one for $50.

“One day, a man comes over to me and he say, “I like your painting. I see you are also architect.” And he gives me his number and asks me to go to meeting at his office. Because he wants to offer me a job. He starts to talk about a building contract.

“I tell him I don’t know anything about contracts. I have no Visa. I am not American citizen. But he says, “That’s okay. I will take care of everything. You will have nothing to worry about.” And this man, he gave me a job. $173,000 a year. And my wife, he gave her a job too. She was project assistant. I bring her and my two daughters over from Turkey.”

“Wow,” I said, not fully believing the veracity of what sounded like a full-on immigration fairy tale.

“Here,” said Ilker, unlocking his phone and opening up his Facebook app. “I show you my work.” He paused and looked up at me. “I am interrupting. You don’t mind?”

At this point, I was invested. I had to see. Because whatever he was about to show me would either prove or disprove this yarn he was spinning. “Please,” I said, gesturing for him to go ahead.

He opened his photos and my jaw dropped. His work... was UNREAL.

“This is building I designed on Madison Ave.... And this one in Chelsea...”

Holy crap. I had just been to Chelsea with my sister last month on a trip to see a broadway show. I had crossed the intersection of the building he was, at this moment, telling me he designed.

He flipped through more buildings. These, he’d designed in Washington, DC. In Bethesda. In Arlington. All beautiful, streamlined, modern structures I had visited and parked my car in front of. He told me he did much of his concept work freehand. That he worked exclusively in natural media. His preferred media was pen, ink, watercolors, and chalks.

Between photos of his wife and daughters, he went on to show me photos from the RUSSIAN EXHIBITION OF HIS ARCHITECTURE ARTWORK.

Y’all, I was stunned. I couldn’t believe the talent I was sitting next to. Scattered among these gloriously rendered images of some of the most beautiful building concepts I’d ever seen were paintings of scenes in Central Park, the National Mall, and nudes from a life-drawing session he attends from time to time.

When he was done flipping through his phone, he looked at me and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind that I interrupt you. I show you all this because what you are doing is very good. And you should be encouraged. To draw is to make beauty.”

I nodded, a lump in my throat. “Thank you,” I managed. “Your work is astonishing. I don’t even know what to say. What is your name again?”

He held out his hand once more. “Ilker Kocahan,” he said. “I am getting more coffee. Can I get you one?”

I looked at my still-full venti cup. “No thank you. But here, please take my card.”

He held my dinky business card like I’d handed him a treasure and thanked me.

Then Ilker got his coffee, and left the coffee shop.

At some point in his ramblings he talked about America as a place of dreams. How he credits this country with helping him rise to the top of his field where he is now able to sell his paintings for $800-$1000 a piece now that he’s retired. My heart ached to hear him talk about that, knowing how our leadership’s positions on immigrants have taken such a dark and horrifying turn.

Imagine the buildings and museums and public places that would never have been if a business man in the park hadn’t lifted up a Turkish painter who spoke little English.

And now that painter was paying it forward on me.

I still feel pretty darn sick. I’ve still got body aches and a nose that has taken the rest of my face hostage.

But today was a really good day. And I just wanted to share it with you in case you are looking for reasons to keep drawing/painting/dancing/writing. It all counts and it is all good.

If you would like to see Ilker Kocohan’s work, please click here.