The client, let's call him Tony, sent me an email with an unusual request. At first I thought he was joking. But I sent my payment details anyway...and Tony actually paid. He sent reference photos of himself, his supposed wife, and his supposed lover, so I drew exactly what he asked for. I sent over the file and Tony loved it. Then came the next request. This time he wanted to be in the ring too. Getting beaten up. By both of them. At the same time. A pattern was forming. I should have stopped there. I didn't. That's when things took a turn... Tony must have found my personal profile because suddenly he's complimenting me. Then casually drops that he lives in New Jersey too. Says I should come visit him. I didn't respond. Instead I did some digging. One Facebook search was all it took... there he was. Smiling. Wife by his side. Two kids. Old enough to be my dad. Location: New Jersey. I put my phone down. Waited. A few hours of silence go by and then I hear a ding. I stare at the notification before opening it. And there it is...Tony's latest message. His latest request. He wanted me to draw myself in the ring. Beating up his wife. His lover. And himself. This man...with a wife, two kids, and just a town over...had just inserted me into his fantasy. Some artists find their muse. I found Tony.

Say less.

Sure, pet portraits are super common. And nearly half the pet requests I get are for those that recently passed. So when a woman reached out about her sweet Lenny, I thought, “No problem.” She sent me reference photos. At first, they seemed normal enough: different angles, different backgrounds, good lighting. But then I noticed something strange... In every single photo, Lenny's pose was exactly the same. Zooming in, the cat's face was identical every time...a blank, glassy stare. I have two cats. I know how weird they can be. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. So I asked if she had any other pictures of Lenny in a different pose. That's when she told me she didn't. She only had the one pose. Because Lenny was taxidermied.