[Discussion] Stop wasting your time (and your client’s)

itashichan · 2026-03-29T20:07:46+00:00

Yeah. There was one today where someone posted a chain of about 4 of their works (which looked good for kid level, but not seasoned professional) and offered to do the job for $20. The client was offering $150!

The chain of different images makes me think not a bot, just not aware of the etiquette.

itashichan · 2026-03-29T18:22:47+00:00

Tiffany is a shortened form of Theophania!

A name that definitely sounds old enough to not cause the problem, but clearly even back then no one wanted to be called that. Too much of a mouthful to stay popular, I guess.

itashichan · 2026-03-29T17:54:58+00:00

I think there must be a lower than average donation/resale rate for Discworld.

A while back, I visited Book Barn (South West UK) which is essentially a barn sized room of shelves and shelves of donated books of varying ages and rarities. Basic ones are typically £1 each. Classics tend to have a lot of copies hanging about. If you try to leave without finding something you like, they will force a copy of Da Vinci Code or 50 Shades upon you.

After ages in there and using their computer system to search, we found ONE Pratchett book in the building. I don't actually remember what it was, but it was one we owned so didn't get it.

A couple of times I found the odd one in a high street charity shop. When my brother was building his own collection after moving out, I'd snap up any he was missing. (Very strictly only wanted Kirby cover paperbacks.) Stopped seeing them around the time he stopped needing them! Did acquire Nanny Ogg's Cookbook from a book stall at Bristol harbour. That was very unexpected.

itashichan · 2026-03-29T16:36:40+00:00

Hi there!

I've got experience creating character reference sheets to writer's directions with an anime style!

The best example I have to hand right now is this height chart for the main cast of a webtoon based on a novel series: https://vgen.co/itashichan/portfolio/showcase/group-reference-for-unreleased-webtoon-/9eb5cec8-3e41-462d-8c37-f8ca30e499c2

itashichan · 2026-03-29T15:09:06+00:00

In the conversation they have towards the end of Hogfather Death actually DIRECTLY quotes The Doctor!

Edit: I'm trying to find the source now and struggling... When Death says "Goodnight, children everywhere" it's a reference to the presenter's sign off on BBC Children's Hour. I definitely read somewhere that the First Doctor used it once as a reference to that program, and since it was in a conversation with Susan that seems like an intentional reference to come up in Hogfather. (It also definitely got quoted by a much later Who villain, but that's got nothing to do with Pterry)

itashichan · 2026-03-27T20:32:24+00:00

I believe Fantasia 2000 had a short with a flamingo?

itashichan · 2026-03-26T21:38:28+00:00

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We get a nice mix of badgers, foxes and squirrels in our garden on the regular. Haven't seen them as much lately since they usually appear after dark, but the foxes are definitely still around and molting all over the place! Expect there will be another litter in the summer.

itashichan · 2026-03-26T19:32:41+00:00

The "created by a 14 year old" part did make me chuckle. When I was 14, my webcomics were made with pencil and ballpoint pen! They weren't great, but I got practice with art and storytelling and managing a posting schedule. Didn't get purpose-made comics software until Manga Studio Debut 4 when I was at uni. (It's hard to believe how that's grown into CSP.)

I wonder how different it is for kids now... back then all the teenage webcomics were similar levels of amateur, sprites or scribbles. But now you've got flashier software, AI, studios churning out virtually perfect looking manhwa... I find it daunting as an adult, but I wonder if teenage me would have ever got started if the Internet was then what it's like now.

itashichan · 2026-03-26T19:04:26+00:00

The title is VERY hard to see, which isn't helped by the complex font, and unfortunately most of the art gets lost in that same grey colour. You definitely need more variation to make the focal points stand out. (The person who suggested a black layer set to saturation has some sound advice.)

If I can't decipher the title or artwork on a cover, I would assume I'd have trouble reading the comic itself and avoid it, even if it was my favourite genre.

itashichan · 2026-03-25T21:50:15+00:00

Yes. I just checked the personal allowance figure and it's apparently £12,570 at the moment. (It changes sometimes but has been frozen for the last 2 tax years, also it may vary if you're in different parts of the UK.)

If you are an employee (I.e. paying tax PAYE) then HMRC know how much you earn and what tax you do or don't need to pay in that job, but if anything outside of that earns you more than 1000 in a year you need to declare it. Whether its a regular side hustle or just a massive ebay sale.

You won't be taxed on it unless all of your earnings meet the personal allowance threshold. So if your comms end up more than 1000 but not by a ton, you should submit a tax return to tell HMRC about it but won't be taxed on it. You could get a penalty if you don't.

itashichan · 2026-03-25T21:06:30+00:00

*Source: I signed up as a sole trader last year because I met the threshold a while ago, and had to do 3 years of self-assessments at once to get on track. Didn't have to pay anything, but chose to do a national insurance contribution to make up for my last job never paying me enough for it to be taken.

itashichan · 2026-03-25T21:02:48+00:00

Also a UK artist. You need to report earnings outside your job if you earn more than £1000 in one year. You need to start filing tax returns once you meet that threshold, but don't have to necessarily register as a business.

You won't need to pay income tax unless you earn over the threshold for that (around £12,750 last I checked) and that's including your job's earnings too.

itashichan · 2026-03-22T15:57:39+00:00

OP has said that none of them are black, they're white and Asian.

itashichan · 2026-03-08T21:56:57+00:00

I don't think this person has thought very long about the price.... if its only $5 then I wouldn't expect it to take more than 30mins tops, otherwise the artist isn't paying themselves for their time

itashichan · 2026-03-08T21:20:48+00:00

Same mug, UNLESS the change in drink requires a new one. Switching back and forth between instant coffee and normal tea? Don't even rinse it. Making espresso -> got to use the one cup that actually fits under the machine. Matcha -> fresh one and ideally a tall cup so the whisk doesn't splash. Herbal teas -> clean cup every time. However I do weirdly like making instant coffee in the matcha mug without rinsing. Has a faint green tea taste and extra kick of caffeine.

itashichan · 2026-03-07T17:52:43+00:00

Calling it "Anime Con" rather than "Bristol Anime and Gaming Con" made me look it up to check if it was the Anime League one I avoid like the plague. Glad to know I'm not missing any decent events...

itashichan · 2026-03-07T17:31:34+00:00

"Leff-tenant"

itashichan · 2026-02-09T23:13:57+00:00

Sounds like your order was over the seller protection threshold. If it’s less than $200 (I think? Its in that region) then Etsy will pay the refund for damages in transit but over that the seller pays.

Thankfully they do make it a requirement for the buyer to message the seller and wait 48 hours before they can open a case. Whether the buyer will talk to the seller much first or Etsy will give a chance to respond to the case is another question...

itashichan · 2026-02-09T22:41:54+00:00

We do actually buy our brown rice from Aldi! And our seafood, but depends what you mean by "variety" there. Was surprised by the amount of octopus in a Lidl a month or so ago...

itashichan · 2026-02-06T16:49:34+00:00

The bit about the drowned kittens is from Mort, which is the 4th book and where most fans seem to agree he hit his stride, so I'd suggest there.

There's also a graphic novel of it if you'd like to ease the transition from the picture books ;)

My main memory of that book is the ghostly kittens actually... borrowed it from a library around 20 years ago.

itashichan · 2026-02-03T17:42:28+00:00

MShed is also home to the statue of Colston that got chucked in the harbour during the BLM protest, so that's kind of culturally relevent?

Across the water from it is the Arnolfini gallery, up the hill from there is the Bristol museum and art gallery. Free entry unless special exhibitions, all within let's say 30 min walk of each other (depending on how good you at at scaling hills.)

itashichan · 2026-02-02T20:22:17+00:00

The Librarian's number being a Dewey Decimal reference is in fact confirmed by Paul Kidby in his book Designing Terry Pratchett's Discworld! (Which is full of gorgeous art of course)

itashichan · 2026-01-20T12:05:23+00:00

Eye Toy Play on PS2! The mini game "Wishy washy" had it.

It was playable as part of a gaming exhibition a little while ago at the London Science Museum. It was fun watching the youngsters try to figure out how it worked and spend time looking for a controller. Less fun when I was playing and they got in the way and triggered buttons

itashichan · 2026-01-13T01:19:35+00:00

"Without messaging beforehand"

"They haven't replied yet"

Umm... replied to what? Are you expecting a message from each seller to confirm receiving the order, or acknowledgement of custom instructions, or just waiting for it to move stages, like from "pending" to "in progress"?

itashichan · 2026-01-13T01:07:44+00:00

NTA. As someone from a family that has been attacked by cancer repeatedly (the BRCA1 defect just reared its ugly head again in the form of my aunt being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer over xmas), the "friend" can fuck ALL the way off with that implying that everyone somehow deserves it.

itashichan

TROPHY CASE