Cleaning up these two, the Pearl Swan and the Cerise Swan, as I wanted to start selling these at markets. They were mascots at my Patreon until I have started teaching again and have paused my Patreon for the time being. When I reopen I want to start up with new tier mascots for everyone!

I picked up my memorial items ordered for Seti yesterday which was mostly fine. I walked to get soft serve at this local place I love and thought it would be a good idea to look at his little paw print impression I asked them to make outside and then cried into my sky high matcha soft serve cone

My post about being nice to service workers blew up and I have to say that people will always find a way to make these posts about something so left of the field of what I brought up which is: how so many people treat people in service roles like they aren't really human, and/or are beneath them

My old person hill to die on is you need to say “hello” and “thank you” to people working in any service industry. Treat people like people, you have to

Next up is a Woolly Mammoth for the Nucleus Portland Salut! 11 coaster show Whenever people ask what time you’d want to go to in the past I have long wished to be able to see a true Woolly Mammoth traveling through the North American plains. Imagine that sight

The one thing that would bring peace to my life is also the thing that will be my undoing: the ability to play the original Zoo Tycoon

In lighter news, here is my first real art of this year! It is nice in a way to have had the distraction of illustration lately. Focusing on large extinct animals for the Nucleus Portland Salut! 11 coaster show Here we have my take on a Phorusrhacid or, a Terror Bird

Thank you for all of the condolences regarding Seti‘s passing. The outreach has been so heartening. He clearly touched a lot of lives, whether he met people in real life or not and whether I knew someone in real life or not Please know that all comments have been seen and appreciated🧡

I had to let go of Seti last week. He was surrounded by love and care until his final breath He was born in spring, and he returned to it. I picked a sunny day because I thought that he would like that best. His favorite thing in the world besides food and attention was to lay in the sun

Having my last week of teaching and needing to turn in grades, doing my first tabling event of the season, having editorial work to jump back into, and wrapping up a group gallery show set of pieces all at the same time my cat is so sick has been truly terrible timing

Final update for now: he’s home, he is weirdly happy. They said it could pass on its own, it may have already been when we went in. Wish his medical dramas were a little less dramatic The torture really came from seeing an exceptionally happy cat in so much pain, so if he feels good then I’m good

God on the way home from taking my cat to the vet I stopped in a grocery store to grab a snack and a man asked what my ethnicity was, where I was from, and complimented my outfit because it “showed off my curves” (it is a track suit btw) I ran off and he chased me outside to ask me out

And we’re back! The reality is he is 16 and has been medically fragile for a while. Everything I made tabling this weekend is going into just trying to figure out what’s going on and trying to make the right choices for him If you’re feeling generous I do have a sale at samanthamash.etsy.com

Tabling is always an experience, it is mostly good. Yesterday however, I was asked if I knew my swan series was “from Pinterest” which was new

Okay I made it after a horrible morning and wildly expensive Lyft! Staring down the barrel of some expensive times at the vet to come so feel free to drop by and say hi (to me or Ona) cause I (and she) need the pep in my life

So! I’m supposed to be tabling at the St Johns Bizarre today, but my very senior cat is having very weird issues and I called it to go in and get him seen at the emergency vet My friend and yours Ona will be tabling for me today so please go visit her! I will need to make back however much I spend

Saw a cybertruck with a bunch Sonny Angels on the dash and wanted to bust open the window and free them like a dog in a hot car

Well my fear finally happened, a dog bit my foot while I was out walking. I’ve had random dogs nip me in the past while on walks, but this dog really tried to cause damage (no skin broke) I’m not fearful of dogs, and normally they love me! But Portland dog owners are notoriously lax with training

Psssttt! I'm have a 20% off everything sale at my Etsy in honor of wrapping up teaching this semester and starting tabling in a week. Since so many don't live in Portland, this gives you a chance to bring something fun home🧡 samanthamash.etsy.com

There are artists who love to do crafts and other art projects as hobbies and there are artists who don’t and need to turn off that world when they aren’t making I am a turn off anything craft related when not working type and I have made peace with that

A guy just honked his car horn at me and when I looked over he blew a kiss, so I’m not going outside ever again

I am about to start my last week of the semester. This return to teaching after being away for a few years has been hectic, and rewarding! Lots of quick changes as things ebbed and flowed and lots of amazing work made by students. It has been a joy and I look forward to returning in the Fall🧡

Okay my mom being cancer free for the moment is great! But now I have to dive back into my last week of teaching, grading after that, work on my gallery pieces, do a long form editorial job, and start tabling the literal day after my last day of school My husk of a body will rest in June I guess!

I don't talk a lot about this, but my mom has dealt with skin cancer a lot of times. It has been pretty serious twice, in which she had surgery and then another because they didn't take enough tissue out. I've been stressed because we thought it was reoccurring, but today we found out she is fine!

Transferred my digital sketches to the coasters! Now I just need to render and paint them👍

Trying to strike the balance with encouraging the creation of community and treating other artists as your peers, not your competition… and teaching my Seniors that there are people who social climb and will try to suck all the information out of you before they throw away your husk

Its finally here @samanthamash.bsky.social 🥰

And signed up for another street fair, this summer is going to be busy! I know everyone loves a good con or craft fair, but the best bang for your buck as an artist selling their work in my opinion is summer street fairs Low barrier to entry, folks with all sorts of interests, and high energy

I have no time for anything, but these coaster designs have to get done all the same! Settled on extinct giants of the past. These sketches took forever, and then I put down these cleaner lines so I can print them and transfer them onto paper and start in on the gouache and poscas!

I can feel my brain healing piece by piece because there is sun☀️

Just found out I’m included on this giant anti-AI blocklist It is truly an honor🫡

I'm not a paleo artist so in many ways I feel weird drawing a woolly mammoth, but also it just means I can do whatever I want with my particular rendition

Every so often you get a freelance offer that is so reasonable with good pay that your brain sorta has to shut down and restart (This has become so rare)

Hey artists, if you see this, post a dog (Drawing long dogs until I can adopt a long dog)

Still hard at teaching, but updating a few older pieces for some markets this summer including these two swans! If you aren't going to be at any markets this summer, no worries! You can buy them at my Inprnt and soon (though not yet) my Etsy, link in my bio 🦢

Because I still can't take on much new work due to teaching I just want to remind folks that I have a Faire and just updated sizing and prices! You are also free to contact me one on one through my email to do wholesale/consignment (that's how I do most stocking agreements) samanthamash.faire.com

Having a person in a cool outfit, compliment me on my outfit may be the glue holding me together at this point

My recession indicator in that the baristas in my area are suspiciously starting to have old timey boxer mustaches and dressing like 1920s barkeeps and I haven’t seen that out and about since the last one

The idea that every company in panic says it will be an AI aligned or focused company while not truly knowing what to do with it (because it is increasingly unwanted and unprofitable) would be comical if we haven’t seen multiple tech bubbles like this burst in the exact same way (it’s still comical)

It is #portfolioday again! I'm Samantha and I specialize in editorials, publishing (mostly book covers), and branding! I also sell my work at the links below ✉️[email protected] 🧡samanthamash.com 🧡samanthamash.etsy.com 🧡inprnt.com/gallery/samanthamash 🧡patreon.com/samanthamash

There is a Maltese dog in my neighborhood who’s owners get her fur/ears groomed in a way that makes it look like she has a human style bob haircut and it kills me It looks like Anna Wintour

Cleaning up these two, the Pearl Swan and the Cerise Swan, as I wanted to start selling these at markets. They were mascots at my Patreon until I have started teaching again and have paused my Patreon for the time being. When I reopen I want to start up with new tier mascots for everyone!

Lovely day yesterday to have a zoo trip with my class. Went to draw the animals, stayed for the wonderfully sunny weather It is one of my favorite days to be an instructor. You get to see some fun creatures and lots of growth in the student work while out in the field

Got asked if I let my students ever ask to use AI, and the answer is no! I think a lot of folks got convinced young people are obsessed with it and they just aren’t I literally make print outs for some classes to fill out by hand, it isn’t a big deal. I’m surprised that people are surprised

They killed nearly 200 children on the first day of this war and no one of authority suffered a single consequence. That’s how we got here.

We are terrorizing an entire country. www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Made a tutorial on drawing animals, using horses as the example for my Sophomore-level class. Here is one of the many steps getting to a somewhat nice, functional pony

Officially doing my first tabling event of the year the day after I finish my first semester back at teaching, I'm sure that won't be stressful or overwhelming (please stop by and give me coffee that day haha)

The thing that may launch me over the edge today is seeing a cybertruck with a license plate design meant that when purchased and used funds and supports marine mammal conservation and research The cognitive dissonance or whatever else is happening here is beyond me

Was going through my unused editorial sketches folder from the last few years, found some stuff that I wish had been used. Always a reminder that your favs likely won't be chosen, but that's the name of the freelance game! Hoping to make some new art soon🧡