I’ve added several new Christmas girls — some available to all subscribers, and some exclusive to Pro and Premium members.
You can find them in the app — both as complete characters and as separate parts. As promised, I’m now working on collections that allow you to mix and match the upper and lower body parts.

I haven’t yet had time to organize these sets into full collections for purchase on the website (for those without a subscription), but I’ll make sure to do that soon.
I’m also planning to let subscribers not only access free collections inside the app but also download them directly. From now on, all subscribers will receive email links to free sets as soon as they’re released.

I’m truly grateful for your continued support. Hopefully, things will settle down soon, and I’ll be able to create something truly special for you.

Wishing you all a great mood and a productive week!

The post App Update, Free Characters, News 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.

So, what’s new this week:

1. Fixes

• Layers panel – previously, if you selected multiple layers and tried to drag them, only one would actually move. Now you can move several layers at once, making layer management much easier.
• Group visibility bug – when you opened a group, all layers inside were showing up, even those that were hidden before. That wasn’t great, so I quickly fixed it.

2. Updates

Effects

The effects panel got a big update. I had to rebuild a lot so the new blending modes could work properly. Sorry if some of your old effect settings got reset – this won’t happen again.
Because I added more flexibility and new effects, the old dropdown menu became way too big, so I turned it into a separate panel. I tested it on small laptops too – everything works fine!

New effects:

1. Posterize – reduces the number of colors, turning your image into a poster-style look. Handy for specific tasks.
2. Enhance – super useful! You can sharpen or soften the image. Many of you asked for smoother, less sharp hairstyles – now it takes just a second: select a hairstyle, slide a little left, and the transitions become softer.
3. HSV – gives precise control of hue, saturation, etc. (may not work in very old browsers).
4. RGB – lets you boost or reduce separate color channels (red, green, blue). Also may not work in older browsers.

Each effect now has a little “eye” icon so you can toggle it on or off without resetting the settings. For example, if you don’t like how one effect looks, you can just hide it instead of redoing everything.

Why effects matter – many of your clients need specific custom colors, and effects make that super easy to achieve.

Blending Modes

Oh, how I love them! They’re useful not only for overlays (like removing black or white backgrounds), but also for many creative tricks.

New modes added:

• Color Dodge
• Color Burn
• Hard Light
• Soft Light
• Difference
• Exclusion
• Hue
• Saturation
• Color
• Luminosity

I’ll share later how I personally use them and why they’re so powerful.

Elements

Added 272 new cliparts on various themes: Halloween, Christmas, Easter, celestial magic, brushstrokes, and more.

Backgrounds

Added 250 new backgrounds, mostly nature and winter-themed, but also other beautiful categories.

Characters

And now for the most exciting part – I promised you a surprise!
I added 73 kids characters. And this is not even all I planned – I created so many outfits and poses that I couldn’t finish them all for this update. But still – 73 boys and girls in different clothes and poses, perfect for winter, summer, autumn, school portraits, and much more.

These characters are exclusive – you won’t find them on the website or anywhere else yet. Some of them will go into a new collection soon, but for now they’re available only here in the app. I’m sure you’ll love them!

I’m also planning to add free adult characters later – stay tuned

Oh, and I also added fun Christmas portrait templates with stockings and a fireplace! Both can be customized, they’re large and suitable for different formats. Enjoy!

By the way, throughout the week I also add new text templates and portrait templates. I don’t always mention it, but recently someone asked me: “Can I customize your templates and sell portraits based on them?”
The answer is: yes, you can!

I create templates for you so that you can:

1. See different ways to work with the app and create certain effects.
2. Get inspiration for your own projects.
3. Actually use them in your work.

You can always open any template, save it as your own project, and then make any changes you need.

That’s a pretty big update, right?
I hope you’ll love everything. Next week should be just as productive – I really want to add cropping so you can trim characters or backgrounds. And of course, there are many more exciting ideas on the way.

Have a wonderful day and happy creating!

With best wishes,
Svetlana

The post Free Characters, New Effects, Fixes – Weekly Update! appeared first on Svetlana Kleine.

Let me quickly share what happened last week and what’s been done since.

So, last week I ran into a pretty big issue with syncing users who own a huge number of purchases. Honestly, we never expected someone to have 1000+ characters in their account (but you did it! ), and our system just wasn’t ready for it. We had to jump in and urgently fix this so those of you with mega-libraries could log in without any problems. Sorry again that we had to briefly switch the app into maintenance mode for a few hours to get this sorted out.

Now, onto the fun part — the actual updates!

First, I’ve added 300 new backgrounds for you! Lots of cozy autumn vibes, spooky Halloween ones, and even a few winter themes are already waiting for you. I think you’ll love them.

Second, I reworked the design of the background/element/overlay panels. I noticed that when there are too many categories and only text labels, it becomes harder to navigate. So now, each folder comes with a little preview — this way you can instantly see what’s inside before opening it. Hopefully, it’ll make browsing smoother and more fun. But if you preferred the old way, let me know — I’m always open to feedback

Third, I’ve added around 80 new elements — mostly autumn-themed and interior-inspired. Oh, yeas, and nw dogs!

Fourth, some new accessories have landed too: suitcases, new hats, and hijabs are now available for all subscribers.

And here’s something extra-special: I’ve been working on a big “Mother of the Bride” set — 30 elegant outfits for a wedding, all in one cohesive color palette (perfect for presentations). It’s not officially released yet, but… I made a little freebie version just for you Instead of 30 characters, you’ll see 2 new characters in your panel (they’ll show up automatically for all subscribers). Each of them comes with multiple layers: 6 skirts and 7 tops, which means you can mix and match to create different dress shapes and lengths. Super fun and flexible! Scroll down to see a few outfit combos you can make.

Hope you enjoy this little gift from me

That said, I didn’t manage to finish everything I planned for this week. But next week I’ll try to surprise you with more free characters. I won’t spoil what kind just yet — but I think you’ll like the ideas brewing

So, don’t forget to check in every Monday for the latest updates and goodies!

Wishing you a great week and lots of creative energy

The post Free Characters, Panels, Backgrounds – Weekly Update! 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.

Yesterday, I added 9 new collections. From now on, every collection that appears on the website will also be instantly available in the builder, so once you purchase it, it’s right there in your editor.
Some of them are free for subscribers, some are unlocked in Basic, others in Pro and Premium—so that everyone gets something nice I’ll also keep adding more free collections for you.

Now for today’s update: around 190 new cliparts were added to the Elements section, mostly Halloween- and Christmas-themed. At the moment, our library of extra assets is still small (about 3,000 elements), and I really want to grow it, so my plan is to keep adding as many diverse cliparts as possible to make your portraits more fun and customizable.

I also added 100 autumn backgrounds, which you can find under Backgrounds → Autumn (plus a few scattered across categories like Sky, Summer, etc.).

Actually, my goal is to release new backgrounds and cliparts every week—and of course, these will be free for all subscribers.

Now here’s an idea I’ve been thinking about. I tested the app with different subscription levels and purchased sets, and I realized something:
Most of my illustrations were designed for quick and easy character creation, so the bodies are usually whole (without separate arms, legs, or heads). This makes it tricky to change a character’s pose if you need to.

So I thought—it’s time to add separate body parts and some basic clothing into the editor. That way, you’ll be able to create characters in different poses with customizable arms, legs, and more.
At first, I wanted to launch a whole new section for this, but since that might take a while to develop, I’ll probably place them in the Accessories section—or create a few universal characters where different arm positions are hidden in layers, so you can simply toggle them on and off.

For those of you who miss the old “manual assembly” style of building characters, this will be exciting news—you’ll soon be able to mix outfits and poses much more freely!

I’ll try to roll this out next week. For now, of course, you can still mix and match outfits by ungrouping characters and moving elements around manually—no problem at all.

That’s all the news for today. I’ll keep you updated!
Wishing you a wonderful day and lots of good vibes

The post Halloween is coming! App Updates 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.