Hi everyone!

I know it’s been quiet from my side for a while, and many of you reached out worried that I might have abandoned the project. Don’t worry — I haven’t. In fact, I’ve been working on something really exciting behind the scenes.

As many of you know, I’ve always dreamed of creating a tool where you could easily build and customize personalized characters and portraits — without the back-and-forth, without manual edits, and without confusion about available options.

And now… it’s finally here.

I’ve created a mobile-friendly version of the editor designed for your customers.
You can already try some of my templates here:

https://app.svetlanakleine.com/m/129-505b02d8951cb8d7d702e

https://app.svetlanakleine.com/m/124-bd1d7b0809e4b4ee9ca307a

https://app.svetlanakleine.com/m/125-86dc95672e3dc4dcca955

This completely changes the experience.

Your customers can now fully customize their portraits on their own — choose hairstyles, outfits, details — everything. No more manual customization, no more explaining options, no more limitations. They see everything, adjust everything, and then simply purchase and download.

Right now, template publishing is only available to me internally.
The reason is simple — the current version of the app wasn’t originally built for this kind of system.

There are technical challenges (like mixed assets and hairstyle positioning), and for this to work properly, everything needs to stay perfectly aligned when switching elements. The old system just isn’t designed for that.

So here’s what I’m doing right now:

I’m rebuilding the editor from the ground up to support template publishing — so that in the future, you will be able to create and publish your own templates and completely move away from manual customization.

Yes, it will take some time.
But I truly believe it will be worth it.

Once this is ready, all my subscribers will get access to a powerful new tool that will:

eliminate repetitive manual work
allow you to create and launch products much faster
help you move from active work toward semi-passive income

And for those of you already using the app — don’t worry:

Your projects are completely safe. Nothing will be lost.
We’re only adding new features and improving the system.

When you’re ready, you’ll be able to transition to the new version smoothly.

I’ll keep you updated as things progress.

Thank you for being here
Wishing you great mood and amazing sales!

The post The Future of Personalized Portraits Is Here appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

I’d love to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!
May the coming 2026 year bring happiness, good health, inspiration, and many beautiful moments to you and your families

Since these are holiday days, I’ll keep this post short and share a few quick updates with you.

Today I added 20 new tops & bottoms for both male and female characters to the editor.
I promised to keep expanding this new section – and I always keep my word

For now, the selection is still relatively small, but this feature is incredibly exciting and adds much more flexibility and creative freedom to your portraits. Many of my character poses are quite complex, and not every top works perfectly with every bottom – so during these cozy New Year days, I’ll be actively working on expanding this section and giving you as many compatible options as possible.

And for now… I’ve added these lovely graduation girls

In addition to choosing tops and bottoms separately, don’t forget that every item is fully recolorable. This means you have virtually unlimited outfit combinations and styling options for your characters.

I’ve also added a few options for male characters – currently 6 bottoms and 5 tops.
And technically… you’re not limited at all – you could mix and match women’s and men’s clothing if you wanted
(Just kidding… or maybe not )

You may also notice that more characters are becoming available in the editor. This happens because I periodically add new ones or make existing characters free. I usually don’t create a separate post for these updates — so no worries if you suddenly see more options appear

And finally, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been with me for over 8 years, supporting my work and creativity — and to all the new faces who have recently joined this growing DIY creative space.
Your support, trust, and feedback truly make it possible for so many beautiful things to come to life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart

I wish you a wonderful holiday break and a joyful, inspiring start to 2026.
All the best and warm wishes

The post Merry Christmas! appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

You may have noticed a few changes on the website recently. I’ve also been a bit quiet for a while, so today I’d like to share a short update and let you know what’s been happening behind the scenes.

New Section — Journaling Kits

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m continuously exploring new tools and workflows to create illustrations faster, better, and more sustainably. In today’s market, adapting is simply a necessity.

Over the past six months, I’ve been creating new illustration collections for my Etsy shop, and the response has been incredibly positive. Many of you loved these sets, which is why I decided to create a dedicated new section on my website and make these collections available directly here.

Of course, purchasing on the website is more affordable thanks to the absence of platform fees and additional commissions. On top of that, you can enjoy an extra 50% discount when purchasing 10 or more items, which can be combined with sale discounts — resulting in total savings of up to 70–80%.

If you enjoy my illustration kits, this is a great opportunity to save significantly. All collections are now available on the site.

The new section is called Journaling Kits and features themed illustration collections created for:

• sticker designers
• junk journal creators
• scrapbookers
• invitation and card designers
• planner creators
• sublimation projects (apparel & products)
• and many other creative uses

About the Portrait Creator App

Over the past month, I’ve taken a fresh look at the app and how it’s currently structured.

At the moment, I don’t yet have enough resources to actively develop it in all the directions many of you would love to see. That said, I still find it very useful for quick character assembly and portrait creation.

However, I agree that the current subscription model can feel confusing — especially for new users — and it’s not always immediately clear what’s included and how everything works.

Because of this, I’m planning to rework the subscription system next month to make it clearer, simpler, and more accessible for everyone.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention — I’ve added over 60 Christmas characters from older collections to the free section.
So now all subscribers have access to at least 240+ characters, not including individual body parts and elements.

DIY Clipart Collections

I know that the introduction of a new section may have caused some concern, so I want to clarify this clearly:

This does not mean that I’m abandoning DIY clipart collections.

While I release new DIY kits less frequently than before, I still truly enjoy creating them and plan to continue doing so. New collections are already in progress and will be released soon.

That’s all for now — just a short update for those of you who follow my work and creative journey. I want to stay transparent and keep you informed about what’s happening.

Thank you for being here
I wish you a wonderful mood and a very Merry Christmas!

The post appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

Today I’ve released an update for the Start Package, featuring 10 brand-new collections — you can find them, as always, in the 7. Free Addons section.

I’ve also added a special bonus pack – “All Ages”, which I think many of you will find super helpful!
It includes lots of cute extras like hats, balloons, backgrounds, and hair accessories, plus several character sets — such as Pregnancy, Little Girls, Curvy Man, and more.

Hope you’ll love the new additions and have fun exploring them!

Here’s a list of what’s included in this update:

The post “Start Package” Free Update V5 appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who supports my little business – you are truly the best! Because of your support, so many wonderful things have already been created, and so many more are on the way. I’m endlessly grateful for that!

I know it’s been a while since I shared any updates about the app or new collections – and I’m so sorry for the silence. The truth is, while I was fully focused on the app, my main Etsy shop dropped in search rankings, and I had to quickly shift my attention to bringing it back to life.
Small tip for fellow Etsy sellers: always publish something at least once every 4 days, no matter what. I was so absorbed in making the app better that I forgot this simple rule – lesson learned!

Two weeks ago, I also tried to implement a new feature in the app – masks – but unfortunately, it didn’t work out just yet. Instead, I ended up with a lot of bugs so I had to pause the idea temporarily. But don’t worry – I haven’t given up on it, and I will definitely bring masks into the app in the future.

Another thing I’ve realized: the market has changed a lot. Hand-drawn illustrations are now in less demand because of their higher price, while AI-generated art is everywhere (if you browse Etsy, you’ll notice that over 70% of listings are AI-based now). I still do a lot of hand drawing because I want the best quality possible, but I also enjoy using AI textures and patterns – you may have noticed them appearing more often in my character clothing. In the end, AI is here to stay, and we all need to adapt.

To help save my Etsy shop, I created a lot of affordable AI-generated sets. I don’t plan to put them on my website, but I thought – why not share the best and most useful ones with you in the app? So now you’ll find plenty of new cliparts that can be a wonderful addition to your portraits.

Quick overview of what’s new and what’s coming

App – Free Characters

I’ve made several new character collections and decided to gift them to subscribers. These are available inside the app

for all subscribers

and Premium-only

App – New Elements

Since I generated so many extra assets for Etsy, I decided to share them with you too. You’ll now find lots of new additions – garlands, Christmas and Halloween decorations, frames, ornaments, and much more.
I especially love how the new clothing prints turned out – they look so fun on characters!

Over 800+ elements for your creativity

Halloween

Frames

Christmas

Pumpkins

Quotes

Dividers

And much more…

Character Builder – “Parts” Feature

Some of you told me you miss being able to mix and match body parts and outfits like in the old days. After a lot of thought, I came up with something exciting: character parts!
You’ll soon be able to mix upper and lower body parts more easily, without worrying about matching shoes or leg poses. On the character panel, you’ll notice a new filter called “Form” – There‘s only this girl there so far, but it’s ready to be filled with lots of content. This will give you more creative freedom and make the process much easier and more fun.

New Collections

The past two weeks were tough and most of my time went into Etsy and new product types, so I didn’t create many new collections. Still, I added two pre-made ones (cheaper versions of existing sets, already assembled for those who don’t want to build characters).
I also brought back an old forgotten set – the “Child at the Window” but in a winter version. For some reason, this one was everyone’s favorite .
And of course – my beloved “Mom on a Swing,” “Family on a Bench,” and “Family in Hoodies” are now free for subscribers too.

Subscriptions

Great news – subscription prices are now lower! I finally reached enough subscribers to cover at least part of the app’s costs, so I can give back by reducing the price for you.

What’s next

I’ll be taking a short family vacation for a week, so I won’t be updating the app during that time (just in case any bugs appear). After the break, I’ll get back to improvements as usual – I just need a little time to recharge.

Masks – still in the plan!
Upload your own files – one of my biggest dreams. Technically possible, but it requires major UI and architecture changes, so it will take time. But I will make it happen.
Sharing templates – also planned, but not very soon. Since most of your clients use smartphones, I’ll first need to think through a mobile version of the portrait builder before enabling template sharing.

That’s all for now!
Thank you so much if you made it to the end Wishing you a productive week and lots of creative inspiration!

The post News, Updates, Plans appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

I received a lot of feedback from you and found some issues and inconveniences in the editor. I focused on fixing the most critical ones first.

New Features in the Editor

1. Layer movement with buttons
Some users mentioned that drag-and-drop isn’t always convenient. Now you can also move layers up or down using two new icons in the layer’s context menu. Just select a layer on the canvas, and you’ll see the buttons appear.

2. New effect menu options
We’ve added three new tools to the effects dropdown:

• Clear – resets all effect settings
• Copy – saves current effect settings for a layer
• Paste – applies previously copied effect settings to the selected layer

Why this matters: Since we don’t yet support recoloring objects or uploading SVGs, effects are currently the main way to adjust colors. For example, if you uploaded a pink simple shape and want it green, you can use effects for that.

3. Fonts
We’re still working on the text panel and plan to add more advanced features (including uploading custom fonts). For now, you can:

• Favorite fonts by clicking the star icon. Favorited fonts will always appear at the top of the list.
• To remove a font from favorites, just click the star again.

4. Frame bug fix
We fixed a bug where text frames had the wrong size after loading templates or projects. Frames now display correctly.

5. Sorting improvements
Text templates, cliparts, and backgrounds are now sorted so that new items appear at the top instead of at the bottom. Many users didn’t notice recent updates because they were hidden at the end of the list. Now you’ll see new items right away.

6. New cliparts
We’ve added 250+ new elements to the Elements section, including a brand new Autumn category for your seasonal creations.

That’s it for now! I still have lots of ideas for improving the editor, and I’ll do my best to bring you more exciting updates next week.

The post New Updates, Features, Fixes appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has subscribed and already started creating their projects.
It makes me incredibly happy to see that you’re enjoying the app, and it truly motivates me to release more free updates for you.

And speaking of updates—just two hours ago, I released another one for the Character Builder:

1. Hairstyle Numbering (Styles & Colors)
Now every hairstyle style and color is numbered, and you can also download these previews for your listings.
The best part? Even when new hairstyles are added, they will always appear at the end of the list, so nothing will mess up the previews you’ve already made in the builder.
The numbering will always match exactly what you see inside the app—no more searching through folders to find the right file.
Just open the menu, and everything is already labeled.
If you’d prefer previews with hairstyles already on characters (instead of floating hair), I’ve got you covered—I plan to create a special template for subscribers that will use the same numbering for easy reference.

2. 12 New Female Hairstyles
We now have 201 styles for women’s hair!
I’m also preparing updates for children’s, men’s, baby hairstyles, and side-view poses.
As mentioned, all new hairstyles will appear last in the list, so you won’t need to redo any of your previous previews—your future products will simply have more variety to choose from.

3. 200 New Hair Accessories
While working on free wedding templates for subscribers, I noticed we didn’t have enough hair accessories—so today I added around 200 new ones!
They’re all available in the Accessories Panel for every subscriber.

I hope you’ll enjoy these new additions!

A quick note about maintenance:
I usually perform updates early Monday mornings at 5 AM New York time, while most of you are asleep.
During this time, the builder may be unavailable for about 5-10 minutes once a week.
I hope this won’t cause any inconvenience—it’s important to keep everything up-to-date and running smoothly.

Wishing you a wonderful day and happy creating!

The post App Update, Free Hairstyles, Preview, Accessories appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

A new update just dropped today — and it includes free characters for all subscribers!

Even if you haven’t purchased any character packs yet, you’ll now have access to a selection of basic characters included with your subscription:

70 characters for Basic subscribers

120 characters for Pro subscribers (70 basic + 50 pro characters)

180 characters for Premium subscribers (70 basic + 50 pro characters + 60 premium characters)

I’ve added characters in different poses and age groups, so you’ll have a solid starting point for your designs. This is just the beginning — the app is only a few weeks old, and so much has already been done! I’ll keep adding new free characters, as well as accessories, hairstyles, backgrounds, and clipart for you to use.

So if you notice something new in your editor — don’t worry, it’s just more free goodies!

Hope you enjoy the update!

The post App Update, Free Characters appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

Now, whenever you open the menu to choose clothing colors or accessories, you can instantly download a color sheet directly from the menu.
Just click the arrow icon (see screenshot), and after a few seconds — depending on how many items are in the set — a preview sheet with numbered options will automatically download.

These numbers match exactly what you see in the menu, so it’s perfect for client presentations or personal reference.

This is an example of the sheet that you get

No more manual layouts or screenshots — now it’s just one click to get a clean, organized list of all available styles!

Currently available for clothing and accessories only.
We’ve decided not to create option sheets for hairstyles or chibi faces — and here’s why:

• Hairstyles look best when shown on a character. They don’t translate well into grid layouts, and they’re not very convenient to choose this way.

• Faces often depend on skin tone and eye color, so presenting them in isolation just wouldn’t make sense.

Instead, I’ll be preparing a custom hairstyle presentation template right in the builder — so you can personalize it however you need

I hope you enjoy this update and that it makes your workflow smoother and your presentations even easier!

The post New Feature: Option Sheets Are Here! appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

Hi everyone!
It’s been a super productive week, and I’d love to share some updates with you!

Most of my time was spent working on the app — the project turned out to be much bigger and more complex than I initially expected. Many things still need polishing, but the core features are up and running. Some bugs remain, especially with session-related notifications — for example, if you see errors or nothing is loading, it’s most likely because your session has expired. Just refresh the page to log in again.

Despite a few rough edges, all the essential tools for working with illustrations and characters are ready to use!

So, what’s been done this week:

1. I finally added all the old collections to the app
(well, almost all — a few are still on the way).

This means any bundles you purchased before are now accessible again!
In total, I’ve added 2,389 characters and 562 collections.
That’s wild I nearly lost my mind organizing them — but I did it!

Some characters were updated. When I originally drew them, I had no idea I’d be building an app someday, so a few of them had unusual head angles — but only a handful of hairstyles worked for those poses. To avoid frustration (especially for those building portraits and wanting more hairstyle options), I’ve either updated or replaced characters with odd head positions and limited customization. Example below:

2. I added a few new text templates
A quick note about those — whenever I make collection presentations, I always get annoyed trying to find the right font, vignette, and layout. That’s why I’ve been dreaming of having pre-made editable text templates (like on Canva), but with some added flair. Now we have them! They make it super easy to drop in text without fussing over every detail.

3. I added around 300 new design elements
(Frames, florals, clipart, etc.)

No, I didn’t hand-draw them — I used AI, which is faster and honestly better at generating this kind of content. Still, they turned out really nice, and they’re free for all subscribers!

4. Added several new accessories
(bridal veils, baby strollers, benches — all available to subscribers).

A few words about what’s next:

I haven’t announced the project on social media yet — I’d like to wait until things are more polished. It’s still in beta, and there are a few bugs I want to fix before inviting the public. That said, I’m incredibly grateful to my early testers who’ve already joined and shared their feedback Thank you!

To be honest, I’m not expecting the app to go viral or become hugely popular — it’s a niche tool, built for a small but passionate group of people who already use my illustrations. I won’t make any big promises or try to oversell it. It’s not a replacement for Photoshop or Canva — it’s something unique, designed to simplify the portrait-making process for my community.

If you’re considering joining, I recommend starting with the Basic plan. It gives you everything you need, and if you ever need more space for your projects, you can always upgrade later.

Oh, and I almost forgot!
I’m also planning to create a set of characters that will be available exclusively to subscribers, even if you haven’t purchased any collections.
There are already a few available, but not nearly enough — so one of my goals for the upcoming week is to add more unique characters just for subscribers. Stay tuned!

As for new illustrations and collections:

I promise I’ll return to drawing as soon as the app is more stable. Hopefully by the end of next week I’ll finally be back at my drawing tablet — it’s been three whole months, and honestly, I’m scared I’ve forgotten how to draw

That’s all for now! I’ll keep you posted with more updates soon.
I really hope you’re enjoying the new app, even with its early-stage quirks.

Wishing you lots of creative energy and a great week ahead!

The post App, Updates, Plans appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.