Anyway...
Hello! My name is Chessia and I am an illustrator and DJ living in Columbus Ohio! I have my BFA in Illustration from the Columbus College of Art and Design and have been spinning turntables for nearly 7 years now (time sure does fly!!). I also love cats and anime/gaming conventions.
After college, it took me a couple of years to figure out just exactly how to combine my two loves together. Then it hit me at a rave, when I saw the slip mats on the tables were just simple Pac Man ghosts (not hating on pac man I swear!!). I thought "Why doesn't anyone have fine art on their slipmats?" When I got home and saw my own basic mats, I decided that this was what I was meant to do.
A lot of vinyl DJs take pride in their rig, and slipmats are usually just an added expense. But why not have slipmats that you can take pride it? Slipmats that were made locally and printed on good material? Slipmats that not only serve purpose, but can be displayed as a piece of art? And for the CDJ lovers, why not have cog wheel plates that reflect other interests outside of the party? And for the ravers, why not have an awesome decal on your party van?
My designs are all done traditionally, but pen and ink works may contain digital coloring. I already have five places that are interested in carrying my slipmats and cog wheel stickers, two of which have guaranteed my place in their shops! All I need is the start up funds to send my designs to the printer after I get the prototypes. Being a DJ, I will be very meticulous on the quality. If the project takes off, I hope that it will lead to other opportunities such as Vinyl/CD covers and mixer skins!
Also, all of the work, and I mean ALL of it, will be done here in the US!
I thank you all so much for taking the time to visit my little page. Thank you cards will also be sent out when the project is over no matter what the donation
What permits me from starting up the business right now are my massive student loan payments. I actually meant to order the first batch by January 1st, but the student loans got in the way. ;^; I have been taking commissions, but there are long periods where nobody seeks out art, and with how much time I take with every piece due to working a full time job and physical therapy for a spine injury, it's hard to keep up with the costs of supplies and the like. My favorite mediums are pen & ink, cut paper, and watercolor, so as you can imagine the material costs are a bit much.
My other projects that I want to do are mixer decals, car decals, gallery shows and pretty much anything that involves getting myself out there as both an illustrator and a DJ. I will eventually give a go at producing, but that's not anytime soon.
My ideal goal is to be able to do this for a living.
KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1000925273/chessia-tricks-slipmat-shoppe
WEBSITE: http://www.chessiatrick.com