I've been thinking about this for awhile but I've finally made the decision that I will no longer be offering colored works (mostly badges) to be completed at conventions. I still offer take-home color badges of all types, but my only at-con commissions from here on out will be sketchbooks, inked sketchbooks, and pencil/inked badges. I'll now be offering toony as well as my more realistic style, so as to fit budgets and stylistic choices, but doing colored work at conventions is super stressful for the following reasons:

1. It's difficult for me to talk and work
I love to talk to people but of course when I'm at a convention I'm there to sell when I'm behind my table, not necessarily socialize until its after hours. When I'm sitting behind my table not drawing, it's easier for me to engage with people and answer questions, but not drawing means I'm not selling. When I'm drawing sketchbooks, I don't have to deal with quickly drying marker I need to blend into the next color (a very time sensitive thing) and can more frequently peek up and say hello. If my head is down in my work, no one engages with me, and I lose sales and, in the past, have been referred to as "aloof" because of this (and then I feel really bad). I know, I know, people should know that I'm not blatantly ignoring them when I'm working, but let's face it, I STILL need to be able to talk with my customers even if its just a little bit, and colored work, for me anyways, is just far too time sensitive for me to take the casual breaks I need to even just say "Hello".

2. My supplies are bulky
I hate traveling with my coloring supplies, which are a mix of tria, copic, and prismacolor markers. I have a "tower" of 3 drawers worth of markers that I take with me to conventions. Some people can get by with less, but to produce the type of work that I do, I like to have this wide variety of colors and brands. When traveling by plane, the hassle grows exponentially, as I have before had TSA dig through my markers, leaving many of them uncapped, allowing them to dry out, costing me hundreds of dollars. After this experience and expensive replacement, I really don't want to risk it. I have done watercolor badges at a convention before as well, but if you want to talk about finicky drying times with marker, multiply that by 10 with watercolor. I applaud people who do this at cons, but it is just not for me.

*3. I am a quality control freak **
You're paying me for a service, wouldn't you want me to do my best? When I work on color badges at home, I have my own tailor-made ideal working environment that I create to make sure I can produce the best work I am capable of. In a convention, I have none of that, I'm hungry, sometimes cold, breaking frequently to speak with people, and the screaming din of the convention grates on my nerves which can impact my art. Sketches and inks I have absolutely no problem with, as they don't require the careful planning of color layer after color layer that the screaming and yelling of a dealer's den inhibits me from concentrating on, and ultimately by not offering colored work at conventions, I am trying to show you, my customer, that the work I *am producing at this con is work I stand behind and feel confident about.

But what if I want colored work?
I understand the need for instant gratification, so really there's two options:
-Commission me for a colored badge for take-home, which will be shipped to you immediately upon completion, for free (and it will be good, detailed work, I promise)
-Commission someone else who does colored work at a con. There are lots!

Does this mean you don't stand behind other colored badges you did at con?
I absolutely stand by them. If I didn't feel that I could create the work at the level of quality advertised, I wouldn't accept it (and I have said no in the past, if I was feeling "off" that day). I'm merely stating that, going forward, it's extremely stressful and I would prefer NOT to anymore. Ever notice I sell out of badge slots on Friday? That's no coincidence, it's me putting a physical capper to limit my stress levels. I would MUCH rather take 3 more sketchbooks than one of those colored badges in that case, so that's what I'm doing from here on out. It's for everyone's benefit, really. Like my work and want something at a convention? Consider a sketchbook commission! They're full body anyways ;)

How can I commission you for a badge for a convention if you're not taking them at-con?
All you have to do is ask! I am almost ALWAYS open for badges even if I'm "closed" for all other work. The only exception to this is if I need a break from the style (Lisa Frank, I'll take these again I just need a few months) or the con you need it for is too soon for me to complete it on time. Everything I upload to galleries and every journal I post is an opportunity for people to ask about my services. I will be happy to give you a quote or tell you of my availability. I have a sampling of badge types i offer and their prices, but since I offer so many different styles of artwork, the best way is to point to a piece in my gallery you like and ask if I can badge-ify it and for how much. The best way to get a hold of me though is through email at thornwolf.art@gmail.com

Examples of badges and prices:
http://fs8.formsite.com/Thornwolf/form2/index.html

So, tl;dr - I'm not doing colored badges for at-con completion anymore. Sketchbooks and inked sketchbooks will still be offered, and in some cases, b/w badges, but the only way to get a color badge from me is to commission me outside of a con or buy a take-home badge at-con.

Thanks for reading!