Didn’t find the answer to your question below? Send me an email or use the contact page, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

Where are you based?

Just south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

I’d like to work with you, but you’re so far away!

No problem! Unless you need a piece of artwork that requires me travelling to your location – eg a mural – I can work with you no matter where you are. The only difference is that you might have to pay a little bit for shipping once the artwork is completed, if you want the original and not just a digital file. Of course, if you’re willing to pay for my time and travel expenses, I’ll gladly come to your location to work on your project.

What’s with the “Embie”? I mean, is that even a word?

Aha! You noticed! The inspiration behind the naming of this studio is of such inconceivable genius the mind boggles at the sheer stupendousness of it all. Now pay close attention:

My name is Michaela Blassnig. This, naturally, means that my initials are M and B.

“EmbiE” originated as my MSN username waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1998 when my school friends were telling me I had to have a super awesome fantastic internet username and my real name just wouldn’t do. I stared at the keyboard and in a moment of pure inspired clarity, punched in the phonetic spelling of my itnitals. The fact that I was too lazy to actually change it to something more interesting made it stick, and the rest is history!

Love your work! Can I use it?

The answer is: It depends on what you want to use it for. Licensing and royalty fees will apply to any commercial uses, and appropriate credit must be given. If you’d like to learn more, send me an email with info on what you’d like to use the image(s) for, and we can discuss terms.

If you’d just like to place an image on your blog, 99% of the time I’m quite sure I won’t mind, provided you ask permission first and give the appropriate credit (usually just a visible link back to my site). Please bear in mind that I reserve all rights to my artwork, and I expect those rights to be respected should I ask you to take down the image.

Can you draw something for me?

Of course! Creating custom art is what this studio is all about – Contact me to request a quote for your project.

How about for free?

Are you a charity or not-for-profit organization looking to raise funds for a good cause? If it’s a cause I can personally get behind and I have the time to contribute, I might be willing to help. The best thing to do is send me an email with what you have in mind, and if I’m interested and able, we can discuss it further.

If you’re not, and are just looking for free artwork, well, no. It takes time and effort to create an image, and to hand it out free to whoever asks devalues both my work and my skills.

OMG I have this fantastic idea for a book/t-shirt/product! I can’t pay you right now, but once the product is made and sells for millions of dollars, I’ll be able to pay you LOADS of money!

That’s nice. But no. If your idea is really fantastic, then it’s worth investing in properly to get it off the ground. I am willing to set up a payment plan so that work on larger projects is more affordable, but  you must sign a contract where the terms of payment are clearly defined and pay off the full cost of the project.

How much does illustration cost? How do you work out your pricing?

There’s a lot of things to take into account when figuring out how to price an image. Time taken, materials used, complexity, style, end purpose etc. As a result, two images that are the same size may be very different in price – a single character on a plain background takes much less time than a group of characters walking down a detailed city street, for example. A cartoon is easier and less time-consuming than a realistic portrait. And so on.

You can find a rough breakdown of my standard illustration pricing here.

I’d like to talk to you about my project, but I’m worried you’ll steal it if I say too much!

Copyright and Intellectual Property Laws are something that I take VERY seriously as an artist – your ideas are yours, and while I’m happy to help you develop them, I would never steal them or use them without your permission.

If you require additional assurance, I’m happy to sign a reasonable non-disclosure agreement before we get into detailed discussions of your project.

I also do a quick run-down of the boring legal stuff on this page, if you have any additional questions about copyright, contracts and so on.

I’m an Artist – can I work with you?

EmbiE Studio isn’t hiring artists at the moment, but I’m always on the lookout for new talent to work with in the future or outsource work to when needed. If you have a strong portfolio and would like to find out more, send me an email or use the contact page. Add in a link to your portfolio as well as a short description of your skills and the areas you love to work in, and I’ll get back to you!

You’re weird.

And lovin’ it! But that’s not really a question, now, is it?