Creatures, art, and stories from the realms of my mind

Hello!  I'm Katie, most of you know me by my online moniker, Eskiworks.  I've been a full time freelance illustrator since I graduated from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2009, and before that part time since 2003.  I spend the vast majority of my time and creative energy making art for others, bringing their stories to life with my artistic skills.  My brain is BURSTING with ideas of my own, and I very rarely get the time to work on them because I'm so focused on my freelance work.  I currently support 2 people (my boyfriend of 11 years and myself) and one (cranky princess) cat with my art here in Colorado, and finding time to make personal work is very difficult. So I created this Patreon page to help fund the creation of personal work without me having to worry about the expense of doing so.   Here is a sampling of projects I have in mind!

TeaFeathers
TeaFeathers is a world building project I've dabbled in for a few years now, featuring the crafty winged canine species I've dubbed Alecani.  Most of my stories in this world surround the adventurous Nym; a rusty colored Alecani gal with a gift for plant based magic and a dedication to her family and friends.  The cast of this story continues to expand and stories deepen, with Nym's family, friends, nemeses, and an entire world and history for her to explore.  I've been posting assorted concept art and stories in my TeaFeathers tumblr for a while now, but progress is very slow.  The final format for TeaFeathers would be a full color illustrated novel (or perhaps several), chronicling Nym's journey from a young adult who lives in the family home, to an experienced and powerful magic user with a great many unusual friends.  I don't want to give too much away, but I do have a lot planned for her!

Eskie - A True Story
When I was 7 my mom got me a puppy for Christmas; a little American Eskimo dog I named Wolfy.  Wolfy was my best friend growing up, through hell and high water he stuck with me.  Wolfy passed away at the ripe old age of 16, many years ago. So strong was the impact he made on my life, that my current studio name is an homage to his breed (Eskiworks).  He had a wonderful and unusual life for a dog, running wild in the Colorado rockies by my side.  I've always wanted to tell his stories in a comic format, to honor him and keep his memories.  Back in college I started this comic as a class project, but as post-grad responsibilities mounted, I stopped.  I wish to revisit this project with a fresh style, and all my current experience as an illustrator, and finally tell the world Wolfy's amazing story.

Tea, Trees, Cats, and the Cosmos
I surround myself with images of the things that make me happy and inspire me, yet rarely get to create images of my own to express my passions.  I would be thrilled to be able to create series of images specifically for print, that would showcase my interests!  The lore and traditions behind tea, the sheer variety of beautiful trees in this world, the staggering and vast beauty of the universe, and the comfort of a cat's purr.  These are some of the things I would like to explore in a series of personal paintings.  I would finally be able to create a body of work that represents me.

What are your goal amounts based off of?
Goals are based off my current hourly rate for freelance illustration.  The idea is to buy time to do it all, just like clients buy my time to create work for them.  This way I can be flexible in what I do with the purchased time; writing or illustration for TeaFeathers, story boarding for the Eskie comic, concept sketches for the next print series? There's lots to do!  Every time I do Patreon goal related work, I will stream it live for all to see.  I find it wonderful to have the audience to interact with, and a way to validate my work hours.

Why are most of your pledge rewards physical items?
I like to be forthcoming with my work, posting everything publicly while still protecting the assets crucial to my art as a business (i.e. high resolution files).  Yet I still want you who choose to support me to get something real in return.  Since I personally enjoy printed art and originals to display in my home, I wish to share in that with everyone who enjoys my work.  I want each person who pledges at those level to feel like they're getting a care package just for them every month.  <3  I have lots of plans for new pledge rewards as I go too!

When will I get my rewards each month?
I will mail out rewards after your pledge is processed each month.

Thank you so much for your support!  Without you, I could not pursue my personal vision for my artwork.

If you wish to follow me in other places online, here is where you can find me.
Deviantart
Tumblr
Twitter
Etsy