Frequently asked questions.
| STORE | ART | PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS | ADVICE |
| SPITFIRE | MONSTER POP! | MUSIC | ABOUT
STORE
How do I find out when skirts and other merch will be available?
My store has a mailing list! Subscribe to receive email updates about new products, restocks, preorders, sales and absolutely nothing else! I also update the store blog with this info.
Will you make shirts?
My first ever button up shirts are have already launched! Check the store to see if they’re in stock. I’m also working on a faux wrap crop top, among other things. You can join the store mailing list to get email updates.
Will skirt preorders ever return?
Yes!! Now that things are worked out with our new manufacturer, we’re hoping to run skirt preorders again in the future, tho it likely will only be once or twice a year to supplement normal skirt restocks. Keep an eye on the store mailing list for updates about this!
Have you considered making other apparel items like pants/dresses/etc.?
Yes, and I really want to do that! But being indie makes this sort of thing much harder/slower to pursue, especially if you (like me) want to offer a wide range of sizing! It costs a LOT of money, it takes a lot of space to store, and sometimes the materials for extended sizes for certain products just aren’t available to indie creators without making something completely custom, which is insanely expensive (we’re talking at least double what it would cost an indie creator to make a standard garment, which is already way more than it costs a large company).
My wife and I are only two people and we only have so much time, space, and money. We don’t have anywhere near the resources that a large retailer has.
Do you print your art on fabric to sell?
No, sadly I don’t feel comfortable putting my patterns on Spoonflower or similar services; I’ve seen patterns listed there end up in sewn work that other people sell, which I’m personally not comfortable with outside of specific licensing agreements I make on a case to case basis.
We have looked into bulk printing a couple of my pattern designs, but so far we’ve only found reputable sellers that have a minimum order of 500 meters per design (which is way more than we want) and purchasing a direct to garment printer starts around $10-15k. It’s just not feasible for us.
Can I see a page of every single skirt design you’ve ever made?
Can I buy prints of your art?
Yes, I have prints of certain pieces available in my store!
Where do you get your art prints printed?
Who are the models in your skirt photos!
The thin model is my wife Devin; the fat model is me; the mid-sized model is our friend Ariel!
Is the underskirt in some of the skirt photos included with the skirt itself?
No, that is a petticoat, which are coming soon to our store.
Will you ever sell lined journals in your store?
Maybe, but probably not! Our journal manufacturer requires a very high minimum order per paper type and products that are classified as school supplies (including journals with lined or graph paper) are subject to tariffs and extra inspection, which is both expensive and slow.
Do you have plans to sell maxi skirts?
I occasionally work with my friends over at Fresh Hot Flavors to bring y’all a limited range of maxi skirts a couple times a year!
When will miniskirts return?
Miniskirts are back!
Will collab designs be included in restocks from the new manufacturer?
Yes! Some of the designs are already ready to go and are in our roster for upcoming print batches, but many of the collab designs need to be scaled up in order to work with our new manu’s higher DPI fabric printer.
Do you have plans to offer your printed skirts in natural fabrics like cotton or linen?
When it comes to custom printed skirts—unfortunately, no. I would love to be able to do that, but it is not feasible for our business.
Our skirts are printed using sublimation, which is a technique that requires synthetic material to work. In the case of our synthetic fiber skirts, this works just fine, but in the case of natural fiber cloth, the manufacturer has to use a polyester spray in order to bind the ink to the natural fiber, which sort of defeats the purpose of going natural to begin with.
Additionally, this is extremely expensive and is out of budget both for us as a company, and also for most of our customers.
We are working on a natural fiber option for our skirts, but the skirts will be dyed in a single color and not custom printed the way our synthetic fiber skirts are.
At the end of the day, we prioritize ethical labor and the certification of all our materials/processes as safe and non-hazardous over offering natural fiber.
What apparel plans do you have right now?
If you’re not already subscribed to the store mailing list, unfortunately there’s no way to go back and see old emails, but I do my best to make the same updates on my Patreon news tag, though sometimes I forget (and yes, the posts are public).
For even more detailed and up-to-date information, I have a skirt design tracker, a store blog as well as a skirt plans and shirt plans tags on my Tumblr.
I have a more specific question about your store!
Please check out my store’s FAQ, which is quite comprehensive when it comes to store things!
ART
What program do you draw in? What kind of tablet do you use?
I oscillate between Photoshop CC on my desktop with a 22HD Cintiq from 2014 (these are probably only sold on Ebay these days as the modern ones are quite different) and Procreate for iPad. I choose my tools based on my needs: for large files like patterns I need the processing power of my desktop and the specialized tools that Photoshop offers; for simpler/smaller works, Procreate and iPad are great for being able to create without being tied to a desk.
What brushes do you use?
In Procreate, my primary brushes are the JingSketch and JingPaint brushes! I also use these somewhat in Photoshop, as well as a bunch of sketch and oil pastel and oil painting brushes from Kyle Webster (which come free with your CC subscription). For more information, watch this video.
How can I commission you?
Sorry, but I do not frequently take commissions! I will post on social media whenever I decide to take them, but client work is very stressful for me, so I do not do it very often.
Do you have any art tutorials?
I don’t make them frequently, but I do have a few scattered across my Youtube and Tiktok and my Tumblr tutorial tag.
Can I get a tattoo of your art?
I handle tattoo inquiries on a case by case basis and charge a small tattoo fee for the use of my work. You can send inquiries to mayakern.help@gmail.com
Can I use your art as my social media icon/etc.?
Yes, as long as you credit me somewhere visible and it’s not for profit or self promotion (i.e. do not use my work to promote a paid service without express permission from me)!
Do not print my work without my express permission. Absolutely do not use my work for profit (i.e. YouTube videos, corporate accounts, etc.) without an express written agreement between us.
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
Where did you get your desk/desk organizers?
Here is the desk, here are the marker organizers I use for my Copics, as well as these two desk organizers for other miscellaneous items. I also got this light for illuminating my work space and it is SO good!
What is that glove you wear while drawing?
It’s a drawing glove!
Where did you get the crop top/shirt you wear in your skirt photos?
We have made our own, improved faux wrap crop tops, which will be available in the store starting September 28th, 2023. They are not available in all the same colors shown in previous photo shoots, but if the wrap tops are successful we will continue to make them and expand the color range.
What sort of petticoat do you recommend?
Over all, I would recommend our petticoats as they match our printed midi skirts exactly, are lightweight, breathable, friendly to sensory issues and are made with high quality materials and ethical labor, but if you can’t afford those here are my suggestions:
I have bought and wear these and find them super comfortable and flouncy! The size range is not accurately listed and the skirts stretch much larger than the size chart describes (their largest petticoat stretches to about 70”). If you prefer a fuller/poofier petticoat, I also love these, though the size range isn’t as large because their sizing is actually accurate. Both styles of petticoat have been worn in skirt photoshoots
What are those purple oxford shoes some of the models wear?
They’re these.
What sort of tights/shorts do you recommend to wear under skirts?
For me personally, my go to for tights or chub rub shorts is always Snagtights.
What do you use to record your TikTok art process videos?
I use my phone, plus a bendy gooseneck desk tripod and this little doodad for remotely starting/stopping recording
What sort of mailing supplies do y’all use?
Most of our mailing supplies come from Eco Enclose, but when we’re in a time pinch (or they’re backed up), we use these mailers and these boxes.
How do you store your inventory?
OH BOY, there are a lot of different things! First off, we have a few of these little clear organizers, these stackable storage bins and this portable organizer (great for conventions) for enamel pins and other small items, we have a couple of these stackable cabinets for general organization, plus a few of these heavy duty open shelves for apparel
ADVICE
How do I get better at drawing fat/plus size bodies?
There is no short answer to this! This best way to learn is by practice and observation and lots of hard work. But here are some tips/resources:
Use reference. Here are a few: this reference pack, this book, and this online archive!
I made a brief Twitter thread about my thought process when drawing fat bodies.
Find good fat art that you like and figure out what you like about it and try to incorporate elements of it into your art!
Examine yourself and your own anti-fat biases. Having anti-fat bias isn’t bad as long as you’re willing to do the work to recognize and reverse it. I highly suggest following yrfatfriend on Twitter.
You may have some biases and thoughts that are negatively effecting how you perceive fat people and, therefore, how you draw fat people. I resisted drawing double chins for years because I hated mine so much I didn’t think I could ever draw one appealingly. I’ve done a lot of work trying to accept and love mine and other people’s and a big part of that has been learning to draw them in a loving and charming way.
How do you get started putting your art on clothing? Should I work with a print on demand service or find a factory?
Unless you are able to gather significant capital yourself, you probably want to do print on demand. my favorite POD service is Threadless since they have transparent pricing, no listing fees, and good quality printing. They will also generally suggest a profit margin for you, which I think is helpful when you’re starting out.
Profit margins for POD services are entirely different from if you’re working with a manufacturer directly and buying the pieces yourself. With POD, you’re likely to make a profit of 10% or less (depending on the item), with non-POD general rule of thumb for retail cost is 2.2-2.5x your cost to manufacture that item. That being said, if you work with a manufacturer directly you have to spend time and money finding a factory that can do what you need at a scale and price you can afford and you have to do your due diligence sussing out how they treat their workers and the quality of their craftsmanship.
Doing non-POD is much more expensive up front (thousands of dollars vs. free), but the potential long term profit is also much larger. However, that also comes with an amount of risk, Since non-POD services will expect you to buy a minimum number of pieces (usually in the hundreds) and you can’t make a profit if you don’t sell the pieces. As a rule of thumb, if you are just starting out making products and don’t have an established customer base, you probably shouldn’t put up money you can’t afford to lose.
Do you have any art tutorials?
I don’t make them frequently, but I do have a few scattered across my Youtube and Tiktok and my Tumblr tutorial tag.
How do you get popular on social media? How do you build an audience for your work?
Sadly there is no simple answer for this. It takes a lot of consistent work and activity, a certain amount of skill, an amount of appeal in your work (and appeal does not necessarily mean making it generic/cute), and a LOT of luck. I’m always surprised when my work takes off anew. I’m never expecting it — I just do what I always do and sometimes the stars align and it zooms off into the stratosphere. You cannot control your own popularity and it is unhealthy to try.
That being said, whatever you do, make sure it’s genuine. Draw things you like and draw consistently and other people who like the same things that you like will find you. Make friends around your skill level and help and encourage each other. Be genuine. Let yourself make the things you like, no matter how niche.
How do you make a webcomic?
I have a video about that right here!
Do you have any tips for putting together an artist portfolio for work or school?
I am not the best person to ask about this, as I stopped accepting most client work after 2016 and have not made a portfolio in literal years. But regardless, here is my advice:
Remember that your portfolio is going to continually change. Put in your strongest work and not work that brings down the quality of the portfolio. Don’t try to create a bunch of new work just to fill your portfolio, chances are you’ll end up with too little time and too much stress. You’ll be better off with work you’ve done before.
Don’t make apologies and do your best to present your work in a clean and efficient way. Some people like using tablets to show their work, I’d say only do that if the gallery or however you’re viewing it is really high quality, easy to navigate, etc. If you’re going for print, get good quality prints, consider formatting, etc.
Keep in mind that everyone looking at your portfolio is looking for something different. Some people won’t like your work, some people will. You won’t be suited for everything, it’s okay. At the end of the day all you can do is make a portfolio that reflects your work as best as possible and hope your work shows through.
How do you fill your shapes quickly in Photoshop?
I made an autofill action script!
How do I find work as a professional artist?
This is not my area of expertise; I have not taken on client work for a few years now. I highly recommend reading through the Dear Art Director and following the social media of artists who are currently working in the field you want to work in — and not just the ones with huge followings. Find the smaller creators who are still making a living doing what you want to do; they will frequently share advice and resources.
And make sure you make your art and contact information easy to find. A lot of people looking to hire artists are looking at social media. The more clicks they have to do to find your work/info, the more likely they are to give up and move on.
How do you make a portfolio or webcomic site?
Again, this is not my area of expertise, please try YouTube!
Where should I sell my work online?
That’s entirely up to you! There are a lot of options (Etsy, Woocommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, BigCartel, Storenvy, etc.) and each has its pros and cons. There are a TON of videos on YouTube about this, but it all comes down to knowing what YOU need.
Short answer, if you are a small artist without your own customer base to drive sales, you will want a site that has a marketplace (like Etsy or Storenvy) to help customers find you. These will offer less customization and will come with more fees, but you are paying for access to a large, existing customer space.
If you already have your own customer base then the world is your oyster!
What merchendise would you recommend for someone just beginning to sell their work online?
Start small. I started out doing prints, buttons, bookmarks, my books, and commissions. Merchandise is a lot of work and requires a lot of money to make. The artists you look up to with a fully stocked store have been doing this long enough to build up inventory and funds to buy that inventory. They’ve been doing this for years, don’t compare yourself to them.
A lot of small artists want to start out with enamel pins because they are cute and small and popular and seem easy. I would not recommend this. A reputable, good quality enamel pin seller will usually require a 100 MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). That means that at minimum you will need to order 100 pins per design. Selling 100 units of something you yourself designed, from your own store, is not a thing everyone can do and it is easy to lose money if you start with items with a considerable MOQ like this.
Where do you get your art prints printed?
Can I cosplay something you’ve drawn?
Yes, totally! And if you do, I’d love to see it!
How do you find your art style?
An art style is nothing more than problem solving! It will naturally evolve as you encounter problems in your work and figure out how you want to handle them.
My art style is constantly evolving based on what I am working on — my Monster Pop! work does not look anything like my Spitfire work, and so on, but it is all mine and it is all my problem solving, so people will always see some sort of common thread when looking at my work even if I don’t see it.
How do I get in contact with you/another artist I admire?
If you approach working professionals/people you admire for help, demonstrate off the bat that you are familiar with them/their work and keep your email/message brief and be polite. Well-known/popular artists get a lot of emails/messages from all sorts of people, and most frequently from people who just see a follower count or a popular post or something and cold email them without any care or specificity to them as a creator. These sorts of emails usually get dismissed out of hand.
If you are looking to someone for help, be sure there is something specific about them that resonates with you that’s more than just “I see you are popular or successful and I also want that.” No one really likes getting those emails/messages because it feels like they could go to anyone as long as they had a high enough follower count or worked at X company. Instead, look at their work or accomplishments and go “this aspect of this person’s work speaks to me, they work this job that interests me, I want to learn, etc.”
SPECIFICITY IS KEY. General questions are very hard to answer without investing a significant portion of time that most of us do not have to give.
AND AGAIN: KEEP IT BRIEF. it’s really tempting to want to perfectly explain yourself/your situation, but you are a stranger and most people working in art are pretty busy, and you are not the only person sending them this kind of inquiry.
SPITFIRE
What is Spitfire and where do I read it?
Spitfire is my queer, polyamorous dragon shifter romance novel. It contains dragons, monsters, blood magic, magical bonds, romance, violence, and people who are very bad at dealing with their emotions. You can buy it on Amazon!
It contains explicit content, so please take a look content warnings in the book’s front matter before reading and please do not read if you are under 18.
I am currently writing the sequel, Firebrand, and posting chapters serially on AO3.
I post chapters early for my $1+ patrons
Can I buy Spitfire somewhere other than Amazon?
I currently sell Spitfire exclusively though Amazon in order to get a better royalty rate and to be able to have Spitfire on Kindle Unlimited.
And if you’d like more information on this and to read about how this might change in the future, go here!
When will Firebrand update again?
I’m currently working with my editor and agent to edit Spitfire so we can submit it to publishers, so unfortunately I have had to pause writing Firebrand because I cannot do both at the same time while also doing my normal job.
What is changing with the Spitfire edits?
The biggest change is that Spitfire will be split into two books. I’m also planning to do the same with Firebrand, so that will mean the Spitfire books will become four instead of two. Additionally, we are doing an amount of structural revision that will help clarify character motivations and world building, among other things. I’m also writing two new Lysithea POV chapters.
When will the updated version of Spitfire be ready?
I don’t know yet! Unfortunately, even once the editing is done, publishing is its own whole beast. Going on submission takes time, receiving offers and/or rejections takes time, and if an offer is made and accepted, publishing also takes time.
Will there be a Spitfire audiobook?
Eventually, yes! If Spitfire gets picked up by a publisher, they’ll handle that, and if it doesn’t my agent and I are planning to look for an audiobook only publisher.
What is the endgame romance in Spitfire? Is Spitfire going to be a polyamorous romance?
Spoiler warning! Only click this link if you want to be spoiled!
How did you make Spitfire’s map?
I am not a mapmaker! This was my first time making a map like this, but here is a rough breakdown of my process.
Where can I listen to the Spitfire playlist?
I have it up on Apple Music and Spotify! And I have Firebrand’s playlist up on Apple Music!
MONSTER POP!
Is Monster Pop! really over?
Yes! You can read the comic on my site (with music) or on Tapas (without) and you can read the script for the end of Monster Pop! here.
Sadly, after seven years of work I had to throw in the towel and stop making MP! before the story reached its conclusion because even though I loved it, I just don’t love drawing comics anymore and it was negatively effecting my mental and physical health.
What are you going to be making next?
For the time being, I am done making comics! Maybe forever! However, I cam currently writing a queer fantasy romance novel called Spitfire.
Is Percy trans?
Yes!
How many snakes are in Marina’s hair?
As many as I feel like drawing.
Where can I find a certain song from Monster Pop!?
All of the Monster Pop! songs are up on Bandcamp!
MUSIC
Did you have a song on Welcome to Night Vale?
Yes! WtNV featured my song Haunted.
Did you have a song in Homestuck?
Yes, I created the Squiddle Song (now let us never speak of this again).
Where can I listen to your music?
On Bandcamp!
Is your music on Apple Music/Spotify?
Nope! Music is entirely a hobby for me and I don’t have the time or willpower to figure out how to put my music on other services.
Besides, I love Bandcamp! They allow me to offer free streaming, they take a very small revenue share of sales, they consistently support their artists by waiving their revenue fee during difficult times (i.e. COVID), and they have highlighted trans artists and donated to charities that advocate for trans rights.
ABOUT
What is your day job?
This is it! My wife and I both work full time together on our store! We are the co-owners and sole employees of our company (Maya Kern LLC; by the time we decided to work together my brand recognition was already my real name and it felt too late to rebrand lol).
I personally am in charge of creating all the artwork and product design and managing my/our social media. I also manage our finances and schedule. Devin handles most other things, including interfacing with manufacturers, managing our store, fulfilling orders, building/maintaining our sites, and product chain management.
In general, either of us may have an idea of what sort of product we want to make next, but this is Devin’s expertise and so they have final say (which is a good thing, they are way better at it than I am).
Do you have any pets?
Yes, my wife and I came into our relationship with one cat each and we adopted Annie (border collie/aussie mix) in 2018 and Rodeo (shiba) in 2021. Annie was retired from service work at the ripe old age of 3 and Rodeo has never worked a goddamn day in his life.
