EDIT: New update on Cristina Penescu! She has sent me a picture of the piece in progress, we can all stop the internet drama now. If you wish, can you now switch the focus to once again telling her how great of an artist she is.

EDIT (Monday, 5:45pm EST): I have received a reply from Cristina. Please do not email her for the next 12 hours. We're trying the more-civil route first. EDIT, she has still sent me nothing. No proof of even having started on this commission. If you would like to email her again on my behalf, please do.

Thank you all for your help so far, I appreciate everyone being very polite about this. It is not my intent to threaten/scare her, just to get what I paid for, or a refund. You can see our email exchange on my tumblr. Also, I only agreed to ask you to stop the emails, please feel free to continue spreading the word on twitter, facebook, tumblr and especially DevART.

Dear What it Takes/War of Winds readers:

Last July, I came across this wonderful and super-talented artist on DevART, Cristina Penescu. She is a scratchboard artist. Cristina was offering a special deal on 5x7 scratchboards for $180. I had always wanted to get some art done of my faithful shuskamute Indy, and so I put $100 down, with the understanding the other $80 would be paid when the work was complete and ready for shipment.

Cristina has since not responded to a single email, note, or comment on her DevART. It has been 10 months. In fact, a very kind person on DA contacted ME to let me know she is somewhat known for taking money and never doing any work.

Well fuck that. For someone in my position to put $100 down when that represents the ENTIRE FOOD BUDGET for a month...that's a big deal. And as an artist who does commissions, I'm super pissed off. This woman has basically stolen my money. Paypal can't refund it (been too long), and DA is not the Commission Police.

I likely will never get my money back. I've accepted that. I have been patient. I have tried contacting her through many different ways. If anyone today is bored, angry, frustrated, or just wants to be a dick on someone else's behalf, I welcome you to join me in Operation: Biznatch. Here is how you can assist:

Got a DA account? Here is Cristina's. Please let her know that Kez wants her money back. Feel free to post my site and my paypal email address: warofwinds@gmail.com

How about HER email? EDIT, removed, see top edit on this post.

Here is her personal site. AND IT HAS A CONTACT FORM, LOOKIT THAT.

Please no hate-speech (don't slam people for their gender, or come to other conclusions about them when you've never met them, that's just douchey), try to keep the swearing to a minimum, don't send viruses/spam attacks/etc. I just want my money back. I don't want anyone else here getting banned or reported for abuse on my behalf.

Don't know what to send? Try this: "I'm sending you this message on behalf of Karen "KEZ" Howard, a student out of Syracuse who commissioned you for a 5x7 scratchboard on July 6, 2011. You have accepted her money and have since refused to answer any messages regarding the status of this commission. At this point, you are a thief. Kez wants a refund. Check your inbox for her multiple emails. These messages will stop when the money has been returned."

Since she has in fact responded to my emails, but now wants to buy more time AND is still refusing to send a refund, here's the new message:

"I’m sending you this message on behalf of Karen "KEZ" Howard, a student out of Syracuse who commissioned you for a 5x7 scratchboard on July 6, 2011. You have accepted her money and have since refused deliver a refund or even a picture of the work in progress. At this point, you are a thief. She wants a refund or the piece completed. Check your email. These messages will stop when you deliver either."

Have any other ideas? Let me know.

EDIT

Furthermore, I received this note on DevART about her (ID info taken out):

"Hi, sorry to bother you but I saw your comment on Cristina's page about a scratchboard. I would be VERY wary of commissioning her as she is a known scam artist, and has claimed thousands of dollars on artwork she never delivered. There are articles about her here: [link] & [link]

She has nice art, but her business practices are shocking, not to mention her careless attitude towards commissioners. This is just a courtesy note, of course it's up to you whether you commission her, but I thought I should warn you.

You may even know all this already. If so, then again, sorry to bother you."

I may not be a big time artist. I may not have connections or money or friends in high places. But I do have an artist's indignation at being taken advantage of, and I have you lovely readers to spread this news all over the internet.

Eight years of this comic today.

Mvmarcz has brilliantly summarized those 8 years in these seven panels. Why only seven? Because we know that the first 70 pages of this comic don't matter anyway! *cough hack cough*

Can't believe I started this thing in high school. Two degrees later and well on my to two more, still here. WTF is wrong with me.

And, because everyone always loves these, here's a look at then versus now, of characters who now have all finally reappeared in the story in some fashion.

Enjoy!

Mary drew this. She makes Avernyght, a comic you should be reading RIGHT THE HELL NOW.

I feel no shame in admitting this picture scares the bejeezus out of me.

This is Vrin. With Azaq in charge. Remember Azaq?

ZOMG nightmare fodder.

Come back tomorrow for another amazing image from Mary. She has summarized the entire story in like, 7 panels. Seven panels of AWSUM.

Tomorrow is also the 8th anniversary of this comic. Just FYI. Hope you all are still enjoying the ride!

Vote to see the next page early!

Really like how this page turned out. I have a new "process" I like to call "cheating," aka, take a picture of myself in the pose I need and shave HOURS of production time off. I will be continuing this. Looks better, happens faster. Only 3 more pages to this chapter after this page.

And oh yeah, this Thursday is the 8th anniversary of this comic, and I was going to do something for it, but I just don't have the time. Sorry, no extra update this week. Gonna be a boring birthday.

The SpiderForest comic of the week is Twilight Lady! And it has nothing to do with a fangirl of that horrid Twilight series! :D

Twilight Lady is the story of an ancient, vengeful spirit known (so far) as only "the Lady." Spirits who seek revenge, justice, or simply release all come to her for help, but there's just one problem--the Lady is STUCK in someone else's body, and only has control when poor Jen is asleep. Still, she must find a way to help a young boy get justice for his murder. Check it out! I'm only describing the most recent story, there is WAY more in the archives.