Hey guys, some of you may have seen that I've been posting several raffles for free these past few weeks or months.

I had been planning on completing a prize before posting a new raffle, but every week unexpected things took precedent in my life outside of FA and I would get too eager and just post "one more". I've become overwhelmed again like the ambitious little human that I am.

I've got several prizes to complete so I won't be making any new raffles until those are done and handed over to the winners (they may not be uploaded right away but I'll Skype/email/dropbox the final prizes when they are done.

I'm grateful that some people have shown some interest in my raffles, it is a start. I really hope that I'll be able to attract more and more people. I've been getting pretty discouraged. I'd have hoped the raffles would generate some more activity within my page and gallery. Its free art, who wouldn't want that?

Sadly it doesn't seem to be so. This could be for many possible reasons, like I'm not reaching my audience (if I even have one). Or people are simply not interested in what I have to offer. Its also possible that I'm not liked to in some peoples eyes: not good enough to draw their precious characters.

I was told once by a Dragon that I hugely and respectfully admire that he didn't want me to botch his sona design because he was a deeply personal part of the creator. An expression of self and soul. It would be insulting to ruin something so well thought out and meaningful to a person.

It was a realization for me that yes, I'm not the most talented drawer ever (not that I've ever been so arrogant to think or claim so) but also that I'm not even an "okay" artist; and I can in fact be unwanted. It's shockingly jarring what the words of your "idols/heroes" can do to your spirit. I took it really personally, and I also understood for the first time that not everyone makes characters for the sake of playing and drawing, but that they actually live themselves through their characters and sonas. Of course I wouldn't want to disrespect the personal passion of someone's creation. I even know what its like to have my own character drawn in a bad way, so I get that feeling of "you wrecked my character". The thing is what is the line between character/owner respect and individual artist style? All of this is to say that's where I am at in my drawing career I guess. I have the friends who have allowed me full reign to gift art them and their characters and mine in situations together, and even then I worry if I'll get it right.

It's important to read profiles to see if drawing characters is allowed, and even to ask is enough, because then you know. I've always been a huge surprise fan, part of the reason I love gifts so much, that joy is better than any emotion. Love may be a close second.

[b]what I need from you [/b] is help. I want to be worth drawing your characters. Please enter my future raffles. Or share them around. I've seen so may "help a buddy out" journals from caring friends of struggling artists, and I can understand those because they usually have to do with a desperate financial situation. I guess when its free it doesn't really matter, perhaps the fear of losing makes people not enter. Or is it because its from me?

[i]I want to do better. What kinds of raffles do YOU like? What would you want to enter to win? What would make you want art from me?[/I]

Please? Help a hurt lonely human out?