KaybeeArts

Artist and one of those weirdos

[kaybeearts]

Hi! I'm Kaylin, and I like to make comics and other artwork. Catch my comics on WEBTOON and Tapas!

Here are a few ways you can support me:

💛 I set up a Patreon!

💛 Visit my Shop on Ko-fi (Stickers and more!)

Any amount is greatly appreciated~ TY all!

🌸My Other Links🌸

For business inquiries, reach out to: [email protected]

[kaybeearts]

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I just wanted to make a short, fun post about figuring out my next hairstyle/cut, but I ended up spending more time on it until it became an actual comic. (Oops)

Yes I am still taking a break from mini-comics as a whole! But I felt like this doesn't really count because it's kind of an update. Or at least, it's essentially a question to my audience dressed up in a comic format.

I was going to come up with an outfit for that one pose, but I felt like it'd be funnier to leave it as a naked troll creature. It was a mixture of laziness and being like "eh, fuck it."

But in all seriousness, I'm not sure what style to get next. I will have to cut it, though. My hair's not actually meeting the floor, but it is getting ridiculous.

[kaybeearts]

Art Supplies I've Used and Recommend:

I was asked a really good question about artist-grade supplies during the QNA. If you're a new artist and unsure where to start, or are curious to try a new medium, here's a handy list!

A🌟 indicates my personal favorites.

Note: I'm not sponsored by any of these companies (though I wish I was!)

Sketchbooks: 🌟Talens Art Creation, Paperage, Handbook

Color Pencils: Prismacolor

Pens: 🌟Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens, MUJI, Gelly Roll, 🌟Uni-ball Signo, 🌟Platinum Preppy Fountain pen, 🌟Pentel brush pen

- Honorable Mention: BIC Round stic pens (cheap but I really like using them for sketching), Sharpies

Ink: Most brands of India Ink are pretty good, but you can't go wrong with Winsor & Newton

Markers: 🌟Tombow, Copic (some prefer Ohuhu), Posca paint markers

Oil paint: Winsor & Newton, Gamblin

Acrylic paint: Golden, Liquitex

Watercolor: Winsor & Newton, Sakura Koi

Pencil: Derwent, Kimberly Graphite, 🌟Prismacolor Col-Erase

[kaybeearts]

My afterschool art teacher: "You need to stop drawing so many animals."

Me: "No, I don't think I will."

Full gallery (21 images) on Patreon!

[kaybeearts]

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Hello- this was an older comic I kept away in my files. I didn't know if I should post it at all, but, eh, I don't care anymore.

I made it when I was feeling particularly upset with the state of the art/entertainment industry, at least here in the States. These are all things that I want to say to aspiring or current professional artists, especially those who have considered attending art school.

There are a lot of posts about "tips for becoming a successful pro artist," but I always felt like they weren't being completely, brutally honest. In hindsight, I think there was way too much optimism to the point of being unrealistic and phony.

Many are written by someone with the perspective/privilege of survivorship bias when, in truth, the vast majority of people will struggle and fail.

I guess you could argue that mine was written in the perspective of someone who's bitter, but I'd like to think that I'm writing as someone who genuinely believed in the dream, worked hard, tried, and failed. These are all lessons I had to learn the hard way.

[kaybeearts]

What's Next

Heya! This post is a combination of some news and a check-in.

I've been going through an artistic mental hang-up behind the scenes.

I've shared before that I struggled with severe depression from 2020 to early 2025. Not only did I have to work through my depression, I lost all motivation to make any kind of art.

I always carried around a sketchbook. I'd fill one out every year, sometimes two or three in a year. I don't want to get into it, but from early 2020-onward, I stopped drawing unless I had to for art school. And even then, I sometimes missed assignments.

Throughout those 4.5 years, I'd still save photos and references, but I kept putting off actually drawing in a sketchbook every time. Before I knew it, there was a big gap in time between the last sketchbook I worked on and the present day.

Keeping a sketchbook is important for artists in general, but to me, they also act as a time capsule and progress logs. I enjoy looking at my old sketchbooks and noting how I gradually improved year after year. Some of you already know that I tend to write blurbs and journal entries within my sketchbooks, so it's also interesting to read what past me wrote about.

When I finally got out of my depression, I felt incredibly guilty and shameful looking back on those years. All I could think about was how much art I could've done in that time, but didn't. I could have improved so much more as an artist, but I didn't do anything.

Even though I knew these were misconceptions about depression, I blamed myself for being lazy and not strong enough. I felt this overwhelming desire to somehow "make up for lost time," so I set out to complete 4-5 years of sketchbooks. I believed that if I accomplished that, my shame would go away. I'd feel like I didn't waste 4.5 years of my life because, look, I made up for it.

You could probably guess that trying to complete several sketchbooks in a considerably less amount of time is unhelpful and impractical. However, I was stubborn and believed I could do it. I often became burnt out trying to accomplish this, but I never fully quit because I was so determined to make up for that 4.5 year gap.

I did end up finishing 2 sketchbooks, but they don't make me feel proud or accomplished at all. I'm not even sure if they helped me improve as an artist; how much can I really learn when I essentially speedrun my practices?

It took me a lot longer than necessary to finally admit that this was a pointless endeavor. I think I was unwilling to give up because I was scared to acknowledge that I couldn't change or make up for the past. I'm still working on it, but I'm closer to accepting that being depressed for 4.5 years doesn't make me a failure. Just because I had that big gap in my artistic career doesn't mean I'm stunted forever as an artist.

A few weeks ago, I shelved all the unfinished sketchbooks that were part of this make up plan. It broke me a bit to set them aside forever since I hate wasting paper, but I know it was the healthiest choice. I won't be as tempted to go back on the boundary I set for myself.

I did make a small compromise with myself; the only make up sketchbook drawings I'll work on are some from 2025. After that, I'll start living and drawing in the present.

I didn't realize it until recently, but improving as an artist has nothing to do with how many drawings you can complete in given amount of time. You improve when you slow down and take the time to really analyze what it is you're working on. It's better to make 1 well-thought-out drawing than 100 mindless, fast-paced drawings.

So, expect to see some new sketchbook pages coming soon. There's enough that I'll be able to include a decent amount in a free preview. They'll be observational/travel stuff, but after that, I want to focus more on creative sketches and artwork. Thank you for reading!

[kaybeearts]

Changes

I think this is the second time I've talked about this, but I'm honestly so done with making mini-comics. I don't remember when I made the previous post, but back then, I still had a small, stubborn amount of optimism left. I desperately wanted to believe that I was just going through a slow patch, but things would pick up again eventually.

I started feeling like I was stagnating with the mini-comics, both as an artist and as a small business owner. I was always hesitant to stop working on them because my post insights clearly showed that most of my mini-comics did well on Reddit and Tiktok. And by doing so, that's how I'd get more customers, clients, and Patreon subscribers.

I experienced quite a lot of growth in the first year, and I assumed that if I kept doing what worked for me in the past, I would continue to grow. Well, that hasn't been the case.

I've long accepted that relying on Patreon for my livelihood is unsustainable and unpredictable. I doubt I'll ever make enough on Patreon to support myself, so I'm not counting on achieving those kinds of numbers. Still, it is concerning, on a business viewpoint, that I've been hovering between earning $250-$270 every month. For the past 7-8 months, I have not steadily maintained a monthly earning higher than $270. At this point, I was hoping to cross into the $300 territory.

I used to tell myself that I need to keep making mini-comics because that's how I get new viewers, and they're what my viewers are expecting to see. Well, I'm now at a point where it seems like they're actually detrimental to my growth. I've also started to notice that the mini-comics aren't performing as well as the ones from 2025. I don't know what the cause could be, but I'm willing to accept that maybe my 2026 comics just aren't as good.

My strongest theory is that I've attracted "all the audience members that I can," and this is my sign, more than ever, that I need to do new projects.

I'm not quitting; I just don't want to work on the mini-comics anymore. I want to actually stick with that decision this time. I don't want to repeat what happened before where I said I was taking a break, then just continued to make more mini-comics. I'm not entitled to anyone's money or viewership; I'm not shaming people for not financially supporting me. I'm just looking at the numbers and making changes that I think are appropriate. Clearly, I'm doing something wrong, and I'm not happy with my work.

If you're a paid patron, I will still include your usernames at the end of new comics. I just don't want to make more mini-comics, and I don't plan to for an indefinite amount of time. The other perks will also stay the same. Thank you all for understanding.

[kaybeearts]

Single > Bad Relationship

I received a fairly concerning reply the other day. The commenter expressed feeling reluctantly jealous whenever they hear other people talking about bad experiences with dating and relationships. The commenter stated that they had never had a relationship and reached a point where they believed having an abusive partner was better than being single.

This isn't the first time I've received a message or comment like that, and I wanted to speak more candidly about the topic in case I have readers who feel similarly.

So starting off, I think a statement like that is coming from a genuine place of hurt or loneliness, and I want to believe, deep down, that they don't actually feel that way. No one genuinely wants to be abused. They're just at a point in their life where they can't see anything hurt worse than being alone.

If that commenter, or others who feel a similar way, is reading this, I implore you to really think about what you're saying.

Being in an abusive relationship is not something to envy in the slightest. Believing that having a partner, even an abusive one, is better than being single, is not the right way takeaway. In fact, it's very dangerous. A lot of people find themselves in abusive relationships, or refuse to leave one, because they believe that having a bad partner is better than being alone.

I don't believe this was the intended message, but stating that you envy those who had abusive partners is offensive and potentially triggering towards former victims.

Some of my ex partners made me feel incredibly unsafe. I've had exes who made me feel like I was worth less than nothing and completely destroyed my self esteem.

I used to have a coworker who was in a much worse situation. She would show up to work with bruising on her arms. She confided several concerning incidents with me; the most horrifying was when her partner threatened to shoot her dog. I was always scared that I'd hear about her murder in the news.

The reason why I keep saying that this is nothing to envy is because I would not wish those experiences on anyone. No one should willingly accept that poor treatment. You should not be content with an abusive partner, or wish for one in any capacity.

When I come across a statement like, "I'd rather have an abusive relationship than be single," I feel like I'm being told, "I wish what you went through happened to me," or, "Being single is worse than what you/other victims went through."

Yes, I am writing this from a place of frustration and anger, but more than anything, I just have a lot of sadness and empathy for the people expressing those kinds of sentiments. It's something that I went through myself.

I struggled with feeling content with being single for the majority of my young adult life. I looked at relationships as a symbol of stability and success. If I was in a relationship, it demonstrated that I was a normal, functional, and successful human being.

I tied my self worth to my relationship status to an unhealthy degree. If I was broken up with, I believed it was clear proof that I was a failure and there was something wrong with me. I saw being single as deeply shameful.

I also did not feel happy, confident, or fulfilled in my life. I felt like the quickest or "easiest" way for me to feel those things was to get into a relationship. So, when a breakup happened, not only did I lose a partner, I believed I lost what gave me happiness and fulfilment in my life.

Having those mindsets caused me to overlook toxic behaviors and stay in abusive relationships. Even though I didn't recognize that I was being abused back then, I still knew, deep down, that the way I was being treated wasn't okay. And yet, I stayed because, above everything, I was scared to be alone.

It took me a long time to reach a point where I could feel content, even happy, with being single. I made my love life my entire focus, but when I started to find fulfillment in other aspects of my life, I gradually lost the need to fill that void in my soul with a relationship.

I unfortunately don't have a magic list of steps on how to find fulfillment in your life. I believe that journey is very unique and personal.

All I can really impart with you is that you should not do what I did. Do not chase after relationships because you believe that being with anyone is better than being single.

Do not go into a relationship because you believe that it'll bring you purpose or a sense of belonging. You should only seek out a relationship after you've learned how to be content on your own. I promise you that it's possible, and you will find a good partner if you do that.

I couldn't tell you the exact statistic, but I'm certain that if you ask anyone who had an abusive relationship, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't say that being single is so much better than having an abusive partner.

I don't know if my story resonates with some of you and your reasons for feeling this way, but I hope it can help you start self-reflecting.

[kaybeearts]

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This comic was inspired by a conversation about having strong boundaries. I don't know if I'd say that I have a lot of self respect, but I definitely don't feel as bad about shutting people down and cutting them out of my life as I used to.

I didn't take active steps to be more assertive. It sort of happened naturally over the course of many years of dealing with emotionally exhausting situations and people. I went through so many that my patience for BS was slowly sapped away until I was running on fumes.

"The more you're treated like shit, the more you'll realize that being treated like shit sucks," may not be an eloquent way of putting it, but I think it's the most direct.

[kaybeearts]

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Made a mini comic for y'all. Whoever correctly guesses my favorite JJK DILF will win 8 peanuts.

[kaybeearts]

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I basically sleep in a burrito every night. But seriously, I don't know why it feels like I'm constantly anxious these days.

Check out my Shop for stickers and other doodads. I'm still running a huge Spring sale; if you use code: SPRING20, you can get 20% off your entire order!

[kaybeearts]

Art Commission Scammers:

I made a detailed post last year about my experience with an art scam. (The signs, what I did wrong, etc.) I hope it can help other artists:

Post by @kaybeearts · 25 images

💬 2  🔁 0  ❤️ 5 · To Catch a Scammer · So, I just recently discovered that I had been speaking to a scammer who posed as a commission custome

[kaybeearts]

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I was very embarrassed that my mom would ask me to get all those details from the guy before the first date even happened. To be fair, none of them made a fuss about it and just gave me their details, but I did hide a lot of other first dates from my parents because I was so mortified. (And I was afraid of scaring off the guy.) I would make up lies that I was seeing a friend when I was actually on a date.

I suppose I also didn't take my mom's concerns so seriously because I felt like she was hyper-paranoid about my safety. She always seemed to be scared that I was going to get carjacked, robbed, or kidnapped no matter where I was, or what I was doing.

Looking back, though, I am glad that my mom insisted upon getting personal and identifying details from those guys. Saving all that info was helpful when I had to file a police report against one of my exes for stalking and harassment.

If I have kids, I 1000% will do this shit to them, too. I've met some really unstable and dangerous men while dating. You really don't know the kinds of people out there and what they're capable of, and that saved info may come in handy one day!

[kaybeearts]

Whenever I get a new sketchbook I've never used before, I like to test out my art materials on the paper. Normally, I just make little swatches or doodles using each medium, but for this sketchbook, I tried to get more creative with it. I ended up really liking this "illustration."

This is a Handbook watercolor journal, but I'm starting to like using other mediums on it too.

[kaybeearts]

A lil Calarts Rant

I'm far removed from my art school application days, but I've been wanting to get these feelings off my chest for a long time.

Putting a sketchbook together for the Calarts Character Animation app really screwed with my perception of what's deemed "good enough" to be in a sketchbook. I would always feel disheartened if a page wasn't aesthetically pleasing enough. I constantly fretted over wondering if other people would approve of them.

Honestly, to this day, I sometimes still hear that critical voice in the back of my head whenever I look at my sketchbook pages. I've just gotten better at ignoring it.

If it wasn't obvious, I was rejected by Calarts. At the time, it was a really hard blow to my self esteem because I had spent over a year and half working on my portfolio for the school.

To a certain extent, I understood and accepted that I wasn't good enough for Calarts and took it on the chin. I ended up attending Ringling for animation; then I found myself attending ArtCenter for illustration, which is where I eventually got my Bachelor's.

My art, perspectives, and personal values have changed so much over the years. I look back at everything I went through and the whole system, and I just think it's all bullshit. It really is. To some extent, I think it's designed to make you feel bad for not being "worthy" or a good enough artist.

I'm at a point in my life where I'm very disillusioned with the art/entertainment industry and decided to work on my own projects. I'm much happier for it.

These days, I treat my sketchbooks like a combination of an "every notebook" and an illustrated journal. Would I send them in as a Calarts application? Definitely not. But they're still my sketchbooks. Even if they're not "perfect," they're important to me, and they have a lot of sentimental value.

It took a long process of reformatting the way I thought about art in order to grow my confidence as an artist back up.

I had to keep reminding myself that a sketchbook is for the artist to experiment, make mistakes, and grow. Maybe most importantly, it's a space for the artist to just be themselves.

It's not to gain someone's approval. Having an application process where reviewers essentially tell you, "Your sketchbook isn't good enough," is SO toxic, especially to aspiring young artists.

I wish I had someone tell this to 18-22 year-old me. Maybe even that 16 year-old me who had all those ambitions to get into Calarts and spent practically every waking minute I had on the portfolio.

I hope this can help others who may have gone through similar feelings. Please do what makes you happy, and keep making art for yourself.

[kaybeearts]

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I made this a spur-of-the-moment comic for Easter. (True story btw.) I think it also symbolizes slowing down for the simple pleasures, even if your parents want you to fight to the death for those Albertson's coupons.

[kaybeearts]

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I initially wrote this as a vent post. I was thinking about feeling envious and dissatisfied with how my comics did compared to the ones that were all about doing the hanky panky. At the end of it, I'm just like "eh, fuck it." I have other shit I need to work on. Plus I don't want to risk another threat of an IP ban.

I don't know why I feel more creative when I have to draw myself crashing out. These days, my mini-comics have kind of been a place for me to just draw as stupidly as I want to Lol