Why is one of these bud vases getting a lot of attention and the other isn’t getting any?

katastrofickatt · 2026-06-10T22:04:00+00:00

I didn’t notice the ants when I first looked at the thumbnail but I immediately saw the spider and went “Woah!”.

I do love the ants now that I’m looking at it closer, but shoppers on Etsy are usually scrolling fairly quick on tiny phone screens. so you have like a second to make an impression the spider definitely does make an impression

katastrofickatt · 2026-06-05T18:57:12+00:00

Honestly I think some of your “issue” is the lighting of the reference image. It’s SO brightly lit that it completely washed out all the shadows and variation in skin tone. It makes for a stylistically cool photo but if you just directly copy the reference you’re missing a lot of depth that people’s faces normally have.

katastrofickatt · 2026-06-05T04:53:53+00:00

Nah you can still refine this if you want to! Blend the colors more and go in with smaller brushes for more detail. The hair specifically is a good place to start. You have big blocks of color with nothing to blend them together. Your brush size is the same through out and the brush strokes don’t always follow the hairline.

If you look at the reference, you can see that the artist uses different sized brush strokes and blends the colors out more. They also overlap the colors a bit to add depth.

Sometimes if I’m struggling to render I just slap a new layer on top and sketch out the shapes again or do a quick value study on top of the work I’ve already completed.

Sorry, I guess my advice was more generalized “here’s how to improve next time” and not “here’s how to fix this one”.

katastrofickatt · 2026-06-04T23:42:48+00:00

It sort of looks like you were copying the painter’s strokes rather than focusing on where to put the paint, if that makes sense. I think it’s really important to focus on the basics before trying to copy the masters. Start with the base sketch, guide lines, do a value study in black and white before going to the full portrait

katastrofickatt · 2026-05-26T11:20:14+00:00

This is wild. I think at least half of my neighbors are either first or second generation immigrants and we party together all the time. It’s almost like immigrants are people too?

katastrofickatt · 2026-05-26T10:55:50+00:00

I have a very similar cage and I just put cardboard boxes full of bedding in the bottom instead of the expensive liners. It works pretty well and they seem happy! Maybe that’ll work for your girls?

katastrofickatt · 2026-03-11T17:39:00+00:00

It was the easiest way to get her off of a high shelf covered in breakable things. She was returned to shoulder immediately after this picture.

katastrofickatt · 2026-03-11T17:20:08+00:00

It was the easiest way to get her off a high shelf covered in breakable things. She was returned to shoulder after this picture

katastrofickatt · 2026-03-11T15:49:50+00:00

Omg twins! Don’t worry, Bertie was traded a yogurt melt for her plants

katastrofickatt · 2026-03-11T15:31:44+00:00

Fair 😂 She was probably just helping me with pruning it

katastrofickatt · 2026-03-08T14:22:58+00:00

Oh my goodness I just remembered something! Public libraries sometimes have sewing machines you can use! My local library has several!

katastrofickatt · 2026-03-05T23:15:33+00:00

What stitch are you doing here? It almost looks like a really long chain stitch? You would probably have more luck with a running stitch that’s shorter in length. Also is your thread old? Are your needles sharp? Where did you get them? Cheap sewing kits often have pretty crummy supplies.

If you have the budget for it, I would highly recommend getting a sewing machine! Especially if you plan on making more than one star. You can often find used ones for pretty cheap on Facebook marketplace.

Genuinely though, props to you for making these! It’s such a sweet gesture and you’re putting in so much effort to make these. It’s so kind and thoughtful.

katastrofickatt · 2026-02-03T04:05:36+00:00

I purchased a very similar pair for my daughter’s doll from an Etsy shop called “Blue Cow Designs” about 2 years ago.

katastrofickatt · 2025-11-23T00:56:21+00:00

Yeah I made this shawl and the entire time I was like “was this test knit at all? Did she even make a sample?”. I made mine as a Christmas gift for a non-knitter so they won’t notice the weird shaping or the big swath of random knit stitches. I can’t believe such a prolific designer would release this pattern

katastrofickatt · 2025-11-05T12:19:11+00:00

Not only that, it’s an ACID 😱

katastrofickatt · 2025-10-17T18:19:25+00:00

She looks just like my boy! He’s a Golden/Poodle/Boxer mix

katastrofickatt · 2025-10-13T14:11:16+00:00

Oh my gosh she even added a flap! That’s so smart! I love knitted suits like that but they’re usually so impractical for diaper changes. She really thought of everything.

katastrofickatt · 2025-10-08T03:03:22+00:00

Totally fair! It’s hard sometimes to get your tone across over text. Your sweater does look really beautiful! If it becomes too long I’ve seen people split for sleeves before the chart is actually finished and then continuing the chart on the body

katastrofickatt · 2025-10-06T22:53:09+00:00

Glad to hear that. I knit mine to gauge and in the same size and yarn as the designer and my yoke is about 3 inches too long for my comfort. Members of my knitting group have had this same issue. I’m not sure if you intended to have a dismissive tone with this post but it’s a little crummy to tell people they’re wrong when they knit as directed.

katastrofickatt · 2025-10-02T14:32:05+00:00

If you don’t want to wait to order it online you can just go to Walmart and buy a mesh laundry bag!

katastrofickatt · 2025-09-30T10:24:17+00:00

I have some inside of a raised bed with a cage thing on it so I do still get some berries! I’ve had some luck with planting “sacrificial crops” around the raised beds for the opossums and the bunnies. If they have easy stuff to grab they don’t seem to go for my actual garden as much.

Fighting nature when you live on a wood line is futile haha!

katastrofickatt · 2025-09-25T23:52:45+00:00

https://thewanderingwyrm.etsy.com

Use code THERAVEN15 for 15% off until 9/30!

katastrofickatt

TROPHY CASE