Update log - NSFW suggestions change, SFW OC inbox & January vacation

Hello all! Son here with a few thoughts as the end of the year approaches, and what’s coming up! (TL;DR at the end)

In late 2021 I completed the transition from being a fanart artist to doing exclusively original art with my own characters. It was a huge step in my artistic journey and I couldn’t have gotten here without the support I received on my silly horny guys :’) for that I’m extremely thankful!

Following 2022, I experimented a lot with sequential/narrative NSFW art — making short comics and illustrations within the same overarching story. I found this method to be very fulfilling to me and received very positive response!

However, receiving new prompts for new short comics monthly proved too big of a task to deliver within a month, or even a few months. In an attempt to de-escalate my growing queue, I proposed to go back to doing illustration sets instead of short comics — but my latest set proved even those take up a lot of time!

My works grew in complexity over time and so did my creative process. I’m more perfectionist over what I post, and I find myself escalating what should be quick, simple prompts into fully fledged comics. Since I can’t accelerate the process of creation, my queue of due art grows.

And as much as I love drawing my own characters based on Patreon prompts, I noticed that this year I barely drew any personal, spontaneous pieces, since my queue of due art is consistently full. I've been pulling my drive to create from a mindset of productivity, with less room for spontaneity, and this greatly impacted my effectiveness too.

So I decided I should take a step back in order to clear up my queue and shift my approach to art!

NSFW poll → NSFW sketch suggestions

Starting next month, I’ll put NSFW polls on hiatus. This is so I can work on the remaining past winning prompts without accumulating any more new prompts.

In the meantime, I’ll instead open NSFW sketch suggestions that will not be polled, but handpicked by me.

The suggestions will follow the same format you’re used to:

• Calico Kitty ($5) patrons can send a single prompt (with no specific character or ship attached).
• Special Calico Kitty ($10) patrons can send 2 suggestions and which characters they want involved.
• Inbox will be open during the first week of the month, starting on January 2023.
• I will handpick one of these prompts and draw it as a rough piece, delivered within the same month.
• Since I haven't yet received any suggestions on the December inbox, these guidelines are already valid for the current inbox, which will be open until the end of the month! I updated the post and form accordingly.

Doing these prompts as rougher pieces will take less time than a short comic or fully rendered illustration, allow myself to make messier, less strict work, and give me more room to make more spontaneous art.

Allowing myself to handpick the prompts would also give me more artistic freedom to interpret and explore the themes, which I feel will be a refreshing approach.

That said, this is experimental and I'm always open for suggestions and feedback on how I'm running things! I understand that many look forward to the monthly polls every month, but I don't feel it is fully accomplishing its purpose if I'm unable to deliver its winning prompts in due time. :') So until I catch up with the art you're all waiting for, this is an alternative that allows for patron interaction with a little more breathing room on my end.

SFW OC inbox

You might have noticed that I haven't posted SFW OC inbox answers in the past few months — and that's because I haven't been receiving enough accumulated prompts to actually compile them in a post, the minimum being five in a post.

So next month I'll experiment limiting the submission period to one week, and post a compilation within the same month. If there's still not enough demand within the next couple months I'll consider changing or removing this activity entirely, so please do send your submissions if you'd like me to keep the SFW OC inbox! It will be posted on January 1.

January vacations

Lastly, I'll be taking the first two weeks of January off from working on art to spend time with family and friends for the holidays.

I will schedule posts on Patreon in the meantime, and occasional updates on social media. The aforementioned NSFW sketch suggestions and SFW OC ask inbox will be posted on the 1st of January, and I'll get right into working on them when I'm back!

I am looking forward to experimenting and creating more art that I’m proud of in the next year! Thank you all so much for the support and hope the new year treats us all well.

TL;DR

• NSFW polls will be on hiatus while I work on due winner prompts; instead I'll be drawing handpicked NSFW prompts sent by patrons.
• Both NSFW suggestions and SFW OC inbox’s submission period will be first week of the month starting from January 2023.
• The December NSFW suggestions are still open and already following the new guidelines; I will handpick one of the received prompts and post it next month.
• I'll take the first two weeks of January off from working on art but keep Patreon and socials updated.