2023 & January Updates (Patreon)

Normally, this is the place where I would wax (un)poetic about how it's a new month, a new year, and all that, but I reckon  most of you are probably sick of that by now, eh? Regardless, please know that my not gushing about that here by no means that I don't hope for the new year to bring you joy, health, and wellness.

Before we get to the blather, a huge WELCOME and THANK YOU to all you glorious new patrons. 🥹 You have no idea what it means to me (or maybe you do) that you have decided my art and creations to be worth supporting. It's been almost a year since I launched this Patreon, and while the middle months during the MegaDepresso™ were inactive, it still feels like the "anniversary" is some kind of monumental time. So...perhaps there will be a special patrons-only anniversary celebration for you lovely folks?! (But that's more of a February update so 🤫)

And now, we now return to our regularly scheduled monthly blather! ⬇️

This was a Bob Ross paint-along that I did on the final Twitch stream of 2022. (And in case you wanna skip the stream recording, here's the playback of just the painting.) It's something I've been meaning to try for a while, and even though it was challenging to be able to pick the right colours and brushes, it was a lot of fun and surprisingly I only really had to pause the video (S13E10 if you're wondering) a couple of times. Surely most of you are already familiar with Bob Ross, but if you've not actually tried painting along with one of the videos before, I highly recommend giving it a try! His mindset and attitude toward painting as a form of relaxation and enjoyment is something that I aspire toward every day.

While I'm not exactly planning to do more of these or anything, it did give me some new ideas of things that I want to try art-wise in the coming year! Almost certainly there WILL be a few more Blob Ross paint-alongs (as I call it lol), but maybe also some paint alongs together that are more interactive over on the Discord! We've already had several Paint Chat sessions that were really fun so maybe more of those as well. Regardless, if there anything specific that you would like to see, please do shout! I'm always open for suggestions from you lovely friends.

A small update regarding merch. You may know that the stickers and postcards that I send to the Mail Tier friends are manufactured by a third-party, because I actually don't own a printer/scanner. I know, I know, what kind of self-purported artist doesn't at least have a scanner?! This numpty, that's who. 😬 But rest assured, I am in the process of looking to acquire one, so that I make more limited-run prints and stickers much more quickly and cheaply, but also so that I can actually get around to scanning a bunch of my old sketches and stuff that I have been meaning to digitize. However, due to my phone having suddenly decided that 2 years is too old to function, I will have to budget that first for the time being. :( But as I said, printer/scanner is definitely next on the list, and I am really looking forward to this since it means more goodies for you all!

There aren't many things on the calendar for this month as of yet (a couple things that I've yet to confirm) but here are some things to look out for! I'll send reminders as well, never fear.

• Shop Talk! Patreon, Ko-Fi, and more!  
  📅 12 Jan 11:00PM UTC (6:00PM EST / 3:00PM PST)
  Join the unparalleled Art In Jest and MAKERBUG (and me, I guess) over on the Art In Jest Discord as we answer questions about having a Patreon and/or Ko-fi! Curious about the behind the scenes, sending goodies, having a subscription service? Let's talk shop!
• Lunar New Year Celebration!
  📅 22 Jan (Time TBD)
  It's the year of the Rabbit -- which means YOU KNOW I GET TO DO ALL THINGS BUNNEH. Maybe we'll also do some fun celebrations?! WE SHALL SEE.
• MOAR PaintChats/Colouring & Chill!
  Please make sure to check out the Discord if you're not already in there! There are lots of events, movie nights, and more going on there, and all Patrons are in a sekrit Patrons-only channel! Make sure to connect your Discord account to Patreon for access.

May the year bring you much joy and things to be grateful for. I am certainly grateful for all of you. 💖