Good morning party people!

This month has been both busy and annoying! I won’t get into everything that held me up, because I have been continuing to make progress here and there since my last update, despite everything that’s happened this month.

Update 1:
New Commission Order Form and Ko-Fi are A-Go!!

Check it out here!

I spent a lot of time this month trying to explore the website’s functionality and try to get commissions set up, and it wasn’t working out.
I decided to take a break from that and get my Ko-Fi account set up as an alternative way for people to subscribe to the VIP Funpass.

While I was doing that, however, I started to realize that Ko-Fi is basically THE EXACT commission shop I was trying to put together here on the website.
So what does that mean?

Well, as of today, the Commissions page now has a link right at the top of the page that redirects you out of the website and to the Commission Order Form on Ko-Fi.

What all of this means is that now you have a super streamlined way of both subscribing to the VIP Funpass AND ordering commissions. No more need for you to DM me and hae a lengthy conversation breaking down prices and options- instead you can just select which commission tier you want, choose your add-ons for that tier, and order right there on the platform.

On top of this, with the VIP Funpass integration, when you subscribe via Ko-Fi, it automatically adds you to the Discord server with the VIP role, and applies the commission discount to your tier!
Unfortunately, it has no way of tracking or letting you redeem your VIP Funpass Commission Credits, so to do that you will still need to go directly through me!

Update 2:
New VIP Funpass Mebership Tier and Updates!!

The VIP Funpass page had an entire overhaul on around the 15th of the month.
I created a new $100 tier, as well as custom graphics to represent the Funpass as well as each separate tier. The prices for the first four tiers are still the same at $5, $10, $25 and $50.
However I’ve removed the “Newsletter” reward because as much as I would LOVE to get you all that, it will be awhile before I have enough time and freedom to actually start creating the Something Strange Web-Zine.
The Zine IS in progress and WILL be a reward eventually, however I need to have the time to plan it out properly create a few months worth of it so I have a backlog in case I can’t create an issue one month.
The Funpass tiers have also had a minor update- instead of being a single raffle entry across the board regardless of your tier, you now get one, two, three, four or five entries per month- these entries accumulate, and you can use as many or few of them as you see fit.
One other addition I’ve made to the Raffle Entries, is that one entry now also counts as an “Entry” for $5 sketch events- and you can use them for $10 sketch events as well, but these events will require two entries per Sketch.
And finally, I added wording into the VIP Funpass to clarify that your Commission Credits and Raffle Entries do not expire with your subscription if you ever have to stop- however you still cannot access the Tier Commission Discount or the VIP Discord channels after your subsciption expires.

NEW FEATURE:
As stated in Update 1, the VIP Funpass can now be accessed directly through Ko-Fi, along with the commission discount being automatically applied to commissions ordered through Ko-Fi when you subscribe through that platform!
I’m considering a “VIP Discount Code” method for members subscribed through the website, but I’ll have to figure out how best to do that to prevent abuse of the codes.

FEATURE COMING SOON:
Now that I have a handle on the VIP Funpass, and was able to get it set up via Ko-Fi, I’m currently working out a plan to release it on both Patreon and Subscribestar (If possible) as well!
That’s right! I’m likely going to be starting up my Patreon again!

And for now, that’s everything to do with Commissions and the VIP Funpass.

Update 3:
MOAR website updates!

After changing a few things on May 1 about the website, I finally sat down and managed to get a LOT of the changes I wanted to get started, laid in. They aren’t all DONE yet, but I’m getting there. Here are the major changes:

A) New graphics and overall look.

While it may not seem like a huge change, the pages all have a new header image, as well as added graphics to certain pages, to reflect the new 2025-2026 branding I had started making in January. This new look has also been migrated onto all of my socials!

B) New and Updated Pages!

The header links have been changed to have the following pages:
Home, About, Blog, Portfolio, VIP Funpass, Commissions, Tip/Donate, Contact and FAQ.

Home:
The home page is relatively unchanged, although I did modify the template a bit so there isn’t a weird gap between the header image and the top of the page anymore, and the header image finally fills out the space like I’ve wanted to have it do since I made the site.

About:
This page is currently a WIP and requires some further modifications before it’s done. Namely, I deleted ALL of the prior images from the website, and I haven’t chosen a portrait of myself or which artwork I want to put back onto the page yet. The About Me section and the Artist’s Statement are unchanged as I’m happy with them still.

Blog:
This page has existed for ages, but it wasn’t being utilized. I have added it to the main menu to act as an archive for anyone who wants to more readily browse all blog posts I’ve made.

Portfolio:
This links to a brand new portfolio page that now has the title and a desciption of each artwork. I currently only have a handful of pieces up, and will be expanding it over the next few weeks as I have time to, but the base template looks how I want it to now.
Part of what’staking me so long is that I’m now incorporating Alt Text for accessibility into each image for the portfolio, and only using images that have my new 2025 watermark- I do have a lot more images ready to put into the portfolio page, it’s just a matter of taking the time to do it!

VIP Funpass:
Mostly just all the changes to the VIP Funpass I mentioned above are now shown on this page!

Commissions:
This page now has a redirect button at the top to take you to the new commission order form hosted on Ko-Fi, and an excerpt from the FAQ apecific to commissions which I’ll be building on later!

Tip/Donate:
This page has had the “Pay for Commissions” section removed from it, as there is no longer any need, with the Ko-Fi order form.
Instead the Tip menu has been expanded and now includes links to all my other paysites as well as the Tip form itself.
Wording on the tip form has been changed to clarify that tips do not get you access to the VIP Funpass benefits.

Contact:
I have added a new Contact page for people to use if they have any questions. You can now either use this page or email me at info@ashsomething.art for any questions, concerns, or support!

FAQ:
That’s right! Ya Boi finally put together an FAQ page. This page is currently being built up slowly, as I think of questions people have either asked me regularly or questions that just help explain my intent behind things!

Now, that’s all for the basic site layout, but there’ve been a LOT of other changes to the site this month, that need to be addressed separately because of how big they are.

Update 4:
Terms Of Service Update!

I have completely scrapped my prior TOS and changed pretty much everything about it.
The TOS can still be found at the same web address: https://ashsomething.art/terms-of-service/

The link to the TOS is now positioned at the bottom of the web pages, similarly to every other website in existence. I’m also working on a privacy policy- as yet I have not been able to get that drafted though, so the link doesn’t work.

There are really too many changes to the TOS to really break them all down here- and there are a couple addendums I still need to put in there (For example the Terms for the VIP Funpass are still missing), but here are the core changes:

1) Simplified a lot of the wording and separated the whole TOS out into sections with bullet points.
2) Introduction now details the entirety of the services and products offered by me via Ash Something Art.
3) Added a Disclaimers section
4) Added a section clarifying Your rights as a client, and and legal statements that you retain rights to any IP you submit to Ash Somethign Art to work from for your commission.
5) Added asection clarifying My rights as an artist and the rights granted to me to works I create under US Copyright Law
6) Added sections for the Copyright and Usage policy for art that you commission, and the art I create for myself, as well as a section explaining and clarifying the Licenses I offer; Added shortform terms for the licenses i.e. “ASA-NC” to represent the “Ash Something Art Noncommercial License.”
7) Added a clear Anti-AI and Anti-NFT policy
8) Simplified and expanded on the section regarding Prices, Payments and Fees.
9) Added sections detailing Your Obligations as a client, as well as my process and work schedule.
10) Simplified and expanded on my Cancellations and Refunds policy.
11) Added a section outlining what you recieve with your commission, including a breakdown of what you recieve additionally based on the license you purchase or recieve with the commission.
12) Added an Agreement to Terms section clarifying that by purchasing from Ash Something Art, you are agreeing to the terms- and clarifying the sections of the terms that are legally enforcable without your agreement.

Update 5:
Miscellaneous Pages Updates!

The following misc pages have been added or updated:

–My Model Release and Submission form for volunteer models to submit their photos to Ash Something Art as references. This page has been updated to include additional TOS that clarify what rights you keep over content you submit and what rights you are giving to Ash Something Art when you submit your content.
–The Model Opt-Out form for volunteers who no longer wish for their media/content to be used in my work to remove themselves frm the above program, is now live.
–A page to show what the actual official online channels for Ash Something Art are, so you can be sure you’re on a real page or platform for Ash Something Art.
–The Testimonial Submissions page is now live.
–The TOS Addendum: Disallowed Content page is now live.
–A Glossary of Terms page aimed at clarifying how I use the terms I use, or what uncommon art terms that are used throughout the website mean, in my own words and therefore as they pertain to the services I offer.

Pages In Progress:

–About The Artist is in progress and coming soon
–Portfolio Gallery is live, but in progress and more additions are coming soon.
-A new 18+ Gallery page now has a link on the Portfolio Gallery page (Behind a VIP Funpass paywall, in place of age verification), which will be filled with any uncensored and NSFW works that I’ve done over th years, as well as future projects that are similar.
-The Special Thanks page is now being rebuilt, and will be added to the Home Menu once it’s done

Planned Pages:

-An Affiliates Page to showcase friends and small/independent creators that I’m affiliated with, and to help them get the wrd out about their small businesses
-A central “Portfolio Page” that will link to five Portfolio sub-pages, as well as the four remaining Portfolio Sub-Pages. The current Portfolio Gallery page will be the first of these five pages, showcasing my best works. The remaining pages will be Character and Concept Art, Pinups and Fine Art, Graphic and Logo Design, and Published Works; The same categories I had before, but cleaner and filled with descriptions of each work in the portfolio.
-I will be creating two new websites, one for The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove and one for Hof Lokabrenna, along with a page on the Ash Something Art site dedicated to linking to them.

Deleted Pages:

-The prior Commission Submission Form has been deleted as Ko-Fi has taken its place.
-The prior Portfolio page as well as the portfolio sub-pages for Published Works, Graphic Design, Character Design, and Fine Art Illustration, have been deleted as the new Portfolio Page is being built up to take their place, with similar Sub-Pages that are better arranged to come soon.

Update 6:
Ash Something’s Art Lovers, Discord Server Updates!

Another large change that occured this month was the discord server- and I almost forgot to add it here.
Similar to the TOS there’s too much to really say about this so I recommend just going to check it out, or joining if you aren’t already a member!

Here’s the synopsis of changes copied from the server’s announcements:
Posted on 5/14/25 at 10:14 AM by Yours Truly-

“Alright Party People!
It’s been a LONG night, but I’m basically as done with editing the Discord Server as I can be. I apologize for those of you waking up to random tags and @ messages from the ⁠ticket-booth, but I needed to edit the message and wanted to actually tag the role you’d be getting for clicking an emote. But now, on to business:

• THE WHOLE SERVER HAS CHANGED I revamped everything from the ground up. I corrected permissions based on roles and made sure they all work: Before, a LOT of roles didn’t have access to channels they should have (And I thought they did but no one pointed it out so I just found out last night as I was working, entirely by chance).
• Super sorry to anyone who didn’t have access like they were supposed to, that is entirely my bad.
• Now, you can all go to the ⁠#get-channel-permission channel to see how to get access to channels you don’t CURRENTLY have access to and when you claim your ticket over in the ⁠ticket-booth, ALL of the react roles there will open up the full server.
• UPDATES TO PERMISSIONS AND ROLES The ⁠ticket-booth roles have also been updated to include the new @Art Model role as well as the @Politics roll (Which gives you access to ⁠#the-dumping-ground political chat channel. I had to clear the reacts from the message, so many of you probably lost your roles- go ahead and choose your roles again by clicking an emoji. I have granted new permissions to the @Circusgoer role- previously none of the channels outside of the “Ash Something’s Home Base” and “Admissions” categories were visible to them- now, Circusgoers can SEE all of the SFW channels but not interact with them. I have also granted the @Lurker role the permission to chat in the general access channels.
• I’ve also changed the Role colors, overall, so that it’s easier to distinguish between them.

• CHANNEL UPDATES This is where the MEAT is, but I don’t have to tell you every little change I made. Instead, head over to the ⁠#directory to see an updated and full breakdown of ALL of the channels and categories in the server.
• NEW CHANNELS: ⁠
  • #get-channel-permission – To tell you how to get VIP Access, 18+ Access, and General Access. ⁠
  • #age-verification-requests – To request an Age Verification
  • The previously titled “Public Stream” voice channel has been renamed to ⁠”Ash’s Stream” and moved to the Ash Something’s Home Base category.
  • The “Ash Something’s Shops” category has been added, and includes three channels. “Official Merch Drops” has been moved here and renamed to ⁠#ash-something-print-drops. I will be posting links to purchase my prints and new prints as I make them, here.
  • The new #merch-theubiquitousdrstrangelove channel – All “Ash Something Official Merch” is being rebranded under my Clown name, The UbiquitousDr Strangelove, and I will be dropping the updated merch designs and all future clown themed merch designs here. ⁠
  • The new #merch-hof-lokabrenna channel – As I decided to take up my role as an ordained Priest/Vitki of Loki and am working on founding Hof Lokabrenna as a Lokean order, I will be putting all official Lokean/Pagan works here along with all Hof Lokabrenna official merch
  • New Category: “The Community Center™“
  • Moved channels from “The Big Top“ that didn’t really have anything to do with clowning, circus, carney stuff, etc. They are now located in the Community Center category, which includes a variety of general chat and image channels and without a specific theme.
  • Edited Category “VIP Funpass Membership.”
    This used to be the “Backstage Passholders” category. Edited it to be on theme and added the public ⁠#about-the-vip-funpass-membership channel to let you know how to gain VIP access in the server.
  • New Category: “The Advertisement Board“ along with a new ⁠#self-promo channel. The #⁠swap-meet and ⁠#red-light-district channels have been moved here.
• And finally: There is no longer a single 18+/NSFW channel Category. Instead, you will find the 18+ channels under the category that seems to suit them best. For example, the NSFW #freakshow channel is under “The Big Top“ while #Saucey Selfieshare is now under “The Community Center™““

And that concludes the updates to the Discord server that occured this month-

So now finally:

Update 6:
New 2025 Commission List and Queue!

The commission Queue has long been a thorn in my side, and hasn’t really worked how I needed it to. The new 2025 version is updated- and while this is mostly a Back-End thing that you all don’t really need to know about, it was a heavy effort to scrap the original andget the new one set up, because I have replaced the prior list with a full database that has multiple spreadsheets and categories including new commission orders for the month, a separate sheet for the full waitlist, and it’s set up to track everything from lead intake to my taxes.

The new list has multiple sections with color coding on everything to make sure all of the info I need is tracked, and despite hor complex it looks- it’s FAR more simplified than it used to be and the functionality difference is just worlds apart.

This new database also led to me finally trying to figure out a new Queue list that I can show anyone waiting for their commission!
Unlike the database, however, the new Queue will be tracked right in my iPad via the Reminders app, and it currently looks like this:

This new queue will help me simplify the workflow process as well as make it much easier to track what commissions are upcoming/waiting and which projects I need to work on.
This particular screenshot is a few days old, and a couple of the names have been cleard off of it as I’ve finished their projects!

AS YOU CAN SEE!
This month has been busy as all hell.

But I got a MASSIVE chunk of my to-do list done, and even put together a plan of action to start working down my commission queue while also completing a few commissions!
Now that these majo changes are done, I’m going to be taking a few weeks to just grind out as many commissions as possible before the next update.

Until next time!
And thank you all so much for your continued support!