TWAB: Mid-Year Reflection Part 1

Continuing this month's retrospection (as is custom every 6 months)...

I previously mentioned that I have been slowly losing money over the last two years, so I need to make some kind of change or face the reality that I need to give up. While this is still true, I appreciate the support of the few new patrons who decided to jump on this month.

--

Female Link Friday

I have managed to consistently produce weekly illustrations of Female Link in 2025. This "event" has been well-received on social media (mostly when sexy), but has not resulted in any notable patron growth or income. This was one of your (collectively) most anticipated projects according to the 2024 Feedback Polls.

Technique Experimentation

A notable aspect of the last few months was the introduction of a new technique - largely the result of experimenting with a new brush. While the general approach is quite similar to my recognizable "watercolor" approach, the quirks of the brushes result in deviations to my use of colour, shape, and texture. It's another tool in my "natural-looking" digital art toolbox.

This style does not seem to perform inherently better on social media, but is novel. I have also used this brush in monochrome works, but value control is much harder in black & white.

Unfulfilled Interests

In regards to the 2024 Feedback Polls...

Although we agreed to only focus on one guaranteed artwork per week (Female Link Friday), there were other interests that have not yet been tapped into. Other notable interests among patrons were: Elayne Beaumont content & artwork that contains story / world-building.

These particular interests are unlikely to perform well on social media, but they are among the most natural directions to consider moving towards.

----------------------------------------------

Upcoming Works

I began work on some images in June that I've not yet finished, but here's a sneak preview of what you can expect to see sometime in July. Both are NSFW to some degree.

Upcoming Comic (Slow)

I've been secretly working on something during my free time this month - another pay-comic. Although it contains erotic images, it compromises between the pornographic aspects of my last comic, "The Mimic's Trap", and the somber mood of "The Wet Woman" comic. It has taken a bit of a back seat as I'm busy with other things, however.

Due to the nature of this work, it is not funded by Patreon and will not be shared directly on Patreon. It is included in this post purely for the sake of transparency.

----------------------------------------------

Weekly Event Format

The general success of Female Link Friday (for both viewers and myself) prompts me to believe this is a good format for distributing content; a reliable subject on a reliable date. It may be worthwhile to create another weekly event like it...

Perhaps a Sexy Saturday or Morning Sunday or something along those lines.

The new event should possibly be low stakes (like Female Link Friday); quick to consume without necessarily having seen the previous post in the series, while also allowing me to quickly create it on the day of release if necessary. If it were a comic, that means it may be better suited to a weekly comic strip format, like the "sunday comics."

Comics are more demanding than a weekly pinup, however. I don't want to take on too much responsibility that I screw myself over right away. Remember, sustainability is key.

Event Ideas

• Sexy Saturday:

Artwork designed to prey on the weak, selfish minds of consumers, featuring characters from popular culture. I do not naturally gravitate towards drawing art of popular subjects, so I don't know if I'd want this every week or every other week. Honestly, it's just hard to care about popular things I have no interest in. But this is among the most effective ways to provide value to viewers on the internet.

Part of me thinks this would be a good way to reintroduce patron suggestions again, but that may lead to stress for everyone here, so I'm unsure about that.

• Elayne Beaumont Comics:

Although most patrons prefer Dark Fantasy "Adult Elayne" comics, I think they are less likely to be well received online compared to the lighter "Young Elayne" comics. As the former is not designed to be enjoyable or approachable to consumers in conceivable way.

The latter is also easier to have one-and-done weekly images, whereas a proper Adult Elayne comic would absolutely require long-term investment (unless they're comedy strips) and becomes harder to keep track of on social media.

So I'm still unsure about this one, but I am still giving thought to how to better include Elayne Beaumont into our rotation.

----------------------------------------------

Don't forget to eat & sleep.