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We're so back
Posted 6 months agoSorry about the spam, I just needed to catch up here
We'll be returning to your regularly scheduled Daily Doodles tonight
We'll be returning to your regularly scheduled Daily Doodles tonight
FA is down but the streak lives on~
Posted 7 months agoUnfortunately I can't upload my dailies here for the foreseeable future. Or do much else, really.
So if you're interested in keeping up, I'm still uploading them on >my Bluesky<
Once FA comes back up I'll be mass uploading them here, but if you're impatient the option is there.
So if you're interested in keeping up, I'm still uploading them on >my Bluesky<
Once FA comes back up I'll be mass uploading them here, but if you're impatient the option is there.
2025: Return of the Daily Doodle
Posted 11 months agoSo my big, crazy plan for 2025 is reviving the “1 drawing a day” challenge that I failed the last time I did it. I feel like the reason I failed was because I kept thinking I had to do full pieces, and fell into the hole of trying to do better and better things, eventually leading to burning myself out. So to give myself a (hopefully very good) chance, I’ve come up with some ground rules:
1. The Daily Doodle should take no longer than an hour, with an ideal time of 30 minutes or less.
2. The Daily Doodle doesn’t have to be the only thing I draw that day, but should be what I do first.
3. The only reason The Daily Doodle should take over an hour is if I come in with something specific in mind that I’m confident I can finish in one sitting.
Also, calling it “The Daily Doodle” puts a little less pressure on me to make something good, and focus on just making something. The whole point of this isn’t to routinely put out bangers, it’s to re-form a habit of drawing, and to build consistency. That’s the real goal here. Ultimately, if I end up building the habit and boosting my self confidence, maybe I’ll venture into new styles or techniques or something. We’ll see where the year takes us.
I'll probably end up doing a mix of digital and traditional stuff, with a focus on digital. Again, I don't really plan on pushing boundaries or anything until I'm more confident in what I can do. Keep things nice and in the comfort zone for now.
I plan on doing some other stuff throughout the year, and still plan on doing Art Fight (as is tradition). So keep an eye peeled for any announcements for stuff.
A nice, short update this year. Here's to a great 2025!
1. The Daily Doodle should take no longer than an hour, with an ideal time of 30 minutes or less.
2. The Daily Doodle doesn’t have to be the only thing I draw that day, but should be what I do first.
3. The only reason The Daily Doodle should take over an hour is if I come in with something specific in mind that I’m confident I can finish in one sitting.
Also, calling it “The Daily Doodle” puts a little less pressure on me to make something good, and focus on just making something. The whole point of this isn’t to routinely put out bangers, it’s to re-form a habit of drawing, and to build consistency. That’s the real goal here. Ultimately, if I end up building the habit and boosting my self confidence, maybe I’ll venture into new styles or techniques or something. We’ll see where the year takes us.
I'll probably end up doing a mix of digital and traditional stuff, with a focus on digital. Again, I don't really plan on pushing boundaries or anything until I'm more confident in what I can do. Keep things nice and in the comfort zone for now.
I plan on doing some other stuff throughout the year, and still plan on doing Art Fight (as is tradition). So keep an eye peeled for any announcements for stuff.
A nice, short update this year. Here's to a great 2025!
The Long Overdue Update (+vent)
Posted 2 years agoSo, it's been a bit. And there's a lot to talk about. A lot I need to get off my chest. So sit tight and excuse the wall of text because I'm going to go on about basically everything. I’ll spoiler most of it because, even though it gives a bit of context over exactly why I’m a bit… absent, it does get a bit vent-y and overshare-y, so you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. Besides, the more important stuff is after that.
If you clicked on this, thanks. First and foremost is what exactly I've been up to, and why I haven't been drawing. The answer to that is... a bit complex. You need to understand that art for me is just another hobby. Just like playing video games or watching videos or just consuming media in general. The issue is that it's less fulfilling and fun than the other options that I have. It's far more entertaining to me to go hunt some monsters in Monster Hunter, or play a few rounds of Splatoon, or watch a few episodes of whatever anime is trending at the time than it is to spend a few hours drawing something that I might end up disliking anyway and never finish. Art is literally on the bottom of the "things that I could be doing" list most of the time. And the reason for that is simple: My perfectionism has far more control over me than it should. I think I've mentioned it before but I don't think I've ever really gone into detail about it. At least, not here. I’ve set my own standards exceedingly high for myself, to the point where simple, quick drawings like what I used to do for Inktober now fail to reach those expectations. And I've gotten it into my own head that failing to meet those expectations is not an option. At all. I fail to meet those expectations, and the piece will rot in my art folder until the end of time. Art is no longer something that's consistently fun. Any enjoyment I may have once had has been replaced with an incredible, self-imposed burden of simply trying to do better than whatever I did before. And it's not a fun little “push yourself out of your comfort zone and try to do something different :)” self challenge; It's a necessity. For everything. And when I inevitably can't reach or exceed those heights it just further reinforces my own self-deprecating views of my own art. I’m in an actively losing battle with myself, convinced that I’m simply mediocre and forgettable at best, and at worst actively offensive to people who can actually draw. And those negative thoughts carry a far greater weight than any positive ones. So instead of drawing, I just go for the easier sources of dopamine hits. And avoid drawing entirely. Now, that's not to say that the spark has completely left; There are still plenty of times where I come up with ideas that I want to draw. The problem comes to execution, following through, and not giving up. Which is difficult when nearly every fiber of my being would rather do literally anything else than risk wasting my time on yet another disappointment. It’s gotten to the point where I wonder if it’s even possible for me to climb out of this, or if I’m just permanently stuck having crippling performance anxiety every time I pick up a pen. There’s some other intrapersonal stuff I could talk about, but I feel like we should move on before it gets even more depressing.
—
So, assuming I’ll be able to actually get myself to draw, what's next on the art agenda? Well, I'm not going to sit here and give you false hopes of projects that have a decreasingly unlikely chance of ever getting done, so I'll stick with things that I know for a “fact” that I will do at some point in 2024:
- Ref sheet - After literal years, I actually have a layout that I feel good with. The problem whenever I tried to make my own ref sheet is my obsession with having the anatomy look not ass. And as you just may have read, if it doesn't reach my own expectations (which it never did), it goes straight in the trash. This time, though, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about it. Mostly because I don’t have to worry so much about anatomy with what I have planned.
- A stupid 2 panel comic - A stupid comic with a stupid joke that's actually decently funny at least in my head. My motivation is literally just to see it done. Because it's funny. Felix is there. Trust.
- Art Fight - I love doing this, unironically. Maybe it's my competitiveness that takes over (most likely it’s this), or maybe it's just because I can go nuts and try new things with new characters, or maybe it could be that I have an excuse to draw things for artists that I like. All I know is that even when I'm in a rut I always show up and throw down. And this year will be different.
- Possibly finishing some unfinished projects, or fixing projects that were “finished” but weren’t good enough for various reasons to actually post. This one is not very likely but I’ll put it here just in case it’s something that actually happens
That's it. That's all I'm guaranteeing for this year in terms of art. Not a long list, but then again, I haven't been able to follow through on any other list I've ever made. I could be optimistic and add “Make a new icon since the last good one you made is literally 3 years old” or “Bring back AMApril” or even “Do a raffle of some sort for some reason”, but I’m trying to be a bit more realistic. Surely I can finish 2 projects (and Art Fight) in a year’s time, right?... Right???
As for everything else there's some stuff I've been meaning to do. For starters, I'm going to try to be a bit more sociable for real this time. I’ll try being more active in conversations and try not to lurk so much. Which is easier said than done, coming from a hopelessly socially anxious introvert. I'm also working on setting up a BlueSky at some point. I've got the account I just need to finish actually making it look less bland and start posting some art there. Which would require me making a banner of some sort, so we’ll see how that goes. It should be a somewhat decent way of getting my name out there without touching Twitter. I have also been… entertaining the idea of doing commissions at some point. There is absolutely nothing set in stone yet, and there are quite a few things I need to figure out on my end before I can even think about actually doing it, but know that I have been thinking about it. At least a little.
Anyways, I’ve rambled on for long enough, I think. Sorry for keeping you. And if you actually managed to read that whole thing, hopefully it sheds a bit of light on the internal workings of my silly little head.
Thanks for reading, and here’s to a not-disastrous 2024.
If you clicked on this, thanks. First and foremost is what exactly I've been up to, and why I haven't been drawing. The answer to that is... a bit complex. You need to understand that art for me is just another hobby. Just like playing video games or watching videos or just consuming media in general. The issue is that it's less fulfilling and fun than the other options that I have. It's far more entertaining to me to go hunt some monsters in Monster Hunter, or play a few rounds of Splatoon, or watch a few episodes of whatever anime is trending at the time than it is to spend a few hours drawing something that I might end up disliking anyway and never finish. Art is literally on the bottom of the "things that I could be doing" list most of the time. And the reason for that is simple: My perfectionism has far more control over me than it should. I think I've mentioned it before but I don't think I've ever really gone into detail about it. At least, not here. I’ve set my own standards exceedingly high for myself, to the point where simple, quick drawings like what I used to do for Inktober now fail to reach those expectations. And I've gotten it into my own head that failing to meet those expectations is not an option. At all. I fail to meet those expectations, and the piece will rot in my art folder until the end of time. Art is no longer something that's consistently fun. Any enjoyment I may have once had has been replaced with an incredible, self-imposed burden of simply trying to do better than whatever I did before. And it's not a fun little “push yourself out of your comfort zone and try to do something different :)” self challenge; It's a necessity. For everything. And when I inevitably can't reach or exceed those heights it just further reinforces my own self-deprecating views of my own art. I’m in an actively losing battle with myself, convinced that I’m simply mediocre and forgettable at best, and at worst actively offensive to people who can actually draw. And those negative thoughts carry a far greater weight than any positive ones. So instead of drawing, I just go for the easier sources of dopamine hits. And avoid drawing entirely. Now, that's not to say that the spark has completely left; There are still plenty of times where I come up with ideas that I want to draw. The problem comes to execution, following through, and not giving up. Which is difficult when nearly every fiber of my being would rather do literally anything else than risk wasting my time on yet another disappointment. It’s gotten to the point where I wonder if it’s even possible for me to climb out of this, or if I’m just permanently stuck having crippling performance anxiety every time I pick up a pen. There’s some other intrapersonal stuff I could talk about, but I feel like we should move on before it gets even more depressing.
—
So, assuming I’ll be able to actually get myself to draw, what's next on the art agenda? Well, I'm not going to sit here and give you false hopes of projects that have a decreasingly unlikely chance of ever getting done, so I'll stick with things that I know for a “fact” that I will do at some point in 2024:
- Ref sheet - After literal years, I actually have a layout that I feel good with. The problem whenever I tried to make my own ref sheet is my obsession with having the anatomy look not ass. And as you just may have read, if it doesn't reach my own expectations (which it never did), it goes straight in the trash. This time, though, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about it. Mostly because I don’t have to worry so much about anatomy with what I have planned.
- A stupid 2 panel comic - A stupid comic with a stupid joke that's actually decently funny at least in my head. My motivation is literally just to see it done. Because it's funny. Felix is there. Trust.
- Art Fight - I love doing this, unironically. Maybe it's my competitiveness that takes over (most likely it’s this), or maybe it's just because I can go nuts and try new things with new characters, or maybe it could be that I have an excuse to draw things for artists that I like. All I know is that even when I'm in a rut I always show up and throw down. And this year will be different.
- Possibly finishing some unfinished projects, or fixing projects that were “finished” but weren’t good enough for various reasons to actually post. This one is not very likely but I’ll put it here just in case it’s something that actually happens
That's it. That's all I'm guaranteeing for this year in terms of art. Not a long list, but then again, I haven't been able to follow through on any other list I've ever made. I could be optimistic and add “Make a new icon since the last good one you made is literally 3 years old” or “Bring back AMApril” or even “Do a raffle of some sort for some reason”, but I’m trying to be a bit more realistic. Surely I can finish 2 projects (and Art Fight) in a year’s time, right?... Right???
As for everything else there's some stuff I've been meaning to do. For starters, I'm going to try to be a bit more sociable for real this time. I’ll try being more active in conversations and try not to lurk so much. Which is easier said than done, coming from a hopelessly socially anxious introvert. I'm also working on setting up a BlueSky at some point. I've got the account I just need to finish actually making it look less bland and start posting some art there. Which would require me making a banner of some sort, so we’ll see how that goes. It should be a somewhat decent way of getting my name out there without touching Twitter. I have also been… entertaining the idea of doing commissions at some point. There is absolutely nothing set in stone yet, and there are quite a few things I need to figure out on my end before I can even think about actually doing it, but know that I have been thinking about it. At least a little.
Anyways, I’ve rambled on for long enough, I think. Sorry for keeping you. And if you actually managed to read that whole thing, hopefully it sheds a bit of light on the internal workings of my silly little head.
Thanks for reading, and here’s to a not-disastrous 2024.
TL;DR: Many thoughts, head full, art maybe. :)
So... What now?
Posted 3 years ago2022 has finally come to a close and boy was it sure... something. I can't say I'm gonna miss it. But with its passing brings a new year, and to be honest, I have no idea what to do next. There are a lot of things that I want to do, but the question is which things will actually end up getting done. I'll narrow it down to the things I want to do for sure:
-Draw at least one thing a week- This should be self-explanatory. Practice makes perfect, as they say, and I can't get better if I don't do anything. So my goal is to post something at least once a week, be it a silly little doodle or a longer-term project. There are a few projects I have in mind already, I just need to decide on which one to do first. And commit to it. Which is the hard part. lmao
-Ultimate Inktober- There's an idea I had a while ago concerning inktober. I thought it would be neat if, instead of creating a picture involving each of the prompts, I could write an entire picture-book-like story with each prompt being involved in each page somehow. I haven't decided if the prompt would just have to be a word included in the page or if the page's theme would have to revolve around the prompt in some way. Either way, the end result would look like a children's picture book, with each day being a page in the book. It would take a lot of pre-planning and a bit of imagination to make it work, but I feel like it could be done. lol nope
-Be less of a stranger- It's known that I'm a bit of an introvert. I don't really reply to comments or talk to anyone much, and it's not because I don't want to. I truly, genuinely appreciate every comment and like, and every kind word means the word to me. But every time I try to say anything my anxiety gets the better of me and I just... lock up. I’ve never been the kind of person that initiates conversation, and I far too often overthink/over-analyze what I’m going to say. But I’ll try to be better this year, and hey, maybe I’ll make a few friends along the way. Responses might be slow due to how busy my days can be sometimes, but I'll do my best.
-Finish the damn ref sheet- Yeah, it’s high time I actually made a proper ref for myself, since the old one is extremely and painfully outdated. The problem is that when I’m doing my own ref sheet I tend to try and make things as perfect as I possibly can; clean linework, proper anatomy, that sort of thing. And that eats up time and makes it an unfun experience, which makes me want to work on something else. I need to get it done though. It’s way overdue.
In addition to these, I’ll do my usual stuff I do every year:AMApril, ArtFight, maybe a raffle or something at some point. There are a few bigger projects that I want to work on too, so the year is looking pretty stacked in terms of stuff. Whether or not any of it actually gets done is a completely different story.
Hopefully I can keep up.
Here’s to a productive 2023~
-Be less of a stranger- It's known that I'm a bit of an introvert. I don't really reply to comments or talk to anyone much, and it's not because I don't want to. I truly, genuinely appreciate every comment and like, and every kind word means the word to me. But every time I try to say anything my anxiety gets the better of me and I just... lock up. I’ve never been the kind of person that initiates conversation, and I far too often overthink/over-analyze what I’m going to say. But I’ll try to be better this year, and hey, maybe I’ll make a few friends along the way. Responses might be slow due to how busy my days can be sometimes, but I'll do my best.
-Finish the damn ref sheet- Yeah, it’s high time I actually made a proper ref for myself, since the old one is extremely and painfully outdated. The problem is that when I’m doing my own ref sheet I tend to try and make things as perfect as I possibly can; clean linework, proper anatomy, that sort of thing. And that eats up time and makes it an unfun experience, which makes me want to work on something else. I need to get it done though. It’s way overdue.
In addition to these, I’ll do my usual stuff I do every year:
Hopefully I can keep up.
Here’s to a productive 2023~
Content (I'm not dead)
Posted 3 years agoYay, content
So it's been a minute, huh? I don't really have an excuse for my extended leave of absence other than general life stress andSplatoon 3 doing other things. It's not necessarily that I haven't been drawing, it's just that I haven't actually bothered to finish anything. A few doodles here and there, some sketches for future projects, but that's about it.
Probably more to come at some point
No promises, though
So it's been a minute, huh? I don't really have an excuse for my extended leave of absence other than general life stress and
Probably more to come at some point
August Update
Posted 3 years agoA short update this month.
There's a lot of life stuff happening this month, so I'm gonna be pretty busy helping out with that. Although my confidence and motivation is recovering, I'm still not quite where I was before.
Also I've been playing a bunch of Monster Hunter Rise so that's not helping the whole art thing.
As for planned art, I don't really have anything. A bunch of ideas as usual, and not enough time to do them. I'm just gonna take some time and relax I guess. I'm getting a bit of a break from work so maybe I'll be able to make something happen. Assuming I'm not hunting monsters.
There's a lot of life stuff happening this month, so I'm gonna be pretty busy helping out with that. Although my confidence and motivation is recovering, I'm still not quite where I was before.
Also I've been playing a bunch of Monster Hunter Rise so that's not helping the whole art thing.
As for planned art, I don't really have anything. A bunch of ideas as usual, and not enough time to do them. I'm just gonna take some time and relax I guess. I'm getting a bit of a break from work so maybe I'll be able to make something happen. Assuming I'm not hunting monsters.
Late June/July Update
Posted 3 years agoJak and not delivering on promises. Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait.
So let me lay down what happened over the last month. Multiple people at work quit, including the person that was effectively the assistant manager. Then the manager went on a 2 week vacation, leaving me with a skeleton crew and the expectation of somehow keeping everything running. I've been pulling ridiculous hours trying to keep the department afloat, all while not getting paid any more than what I have been. I worked damn near 70 hours last week. 70 fucking hours. And it could have been more if I could be bothered to come in on time. It's not like I wasn't going to spend the next 10+ hours working there anyway, so why bother, right? I'd like to think of myself as a patient guy, but the last two and a bit weeks have really pushed that. I should leave. I want to leave. But there's a big part of me that's convinced that no matter where I go or what I do I'll just end up in the same position of being overworked and underpaid, so quitting wouldn't change anything. Not to mention that since the assistant manager left, I'm now the guy with the most experience that has to do all of the things. And the best part? The day the boss came back, which was also supposed to be one of my days off, she texted me and asked me to come in. I just ignored it, because if I was able to keep shit running while she was gone, she should be able to as well. We handled it without her for 2 weeks, and she couldn't let me even have 2 days. Kinda goes to show which one is the more important one.
So yeah, I've kinda been stressed out, mentally and physically exhausted, and on the brink of having an emotional breakdown for the better part of a month. Which kinda threw a big ol' wrench in my plans. I still would like to get those pieces done at some point, but I'm in no place mentally to do that.
Which brings me to July's plans. Or at least, the plans I had for July. ArtFight was a thing that I might have considered doing or being more active on before all hell broke loose. There's also yet another character that's been knocking around in my head for a bit that I'd like to draw, in addition to those Pride pieces which, despite everything, I am determined to do since I said that they'd get done. But the reality is, I don't even know if I'm going to have the energy or the motivation to do any of it. It could very well be that nothing gets done. It'd be a miracle if I'm able to even finish one thing if the current pace of work keeps up. I just don't know any more. And I'm near the point of not caring, and giving up on art entirely.
So let me lay down what happened over the last month. Multiple people at work quit, including the person that was effectively the assistant manager. Then the manager went on a 2 week vacation, leaving me with a skeleton crew and the expectation of somehow keeping everything running. I've been pulling ridiculous hours trying to keep the department afloat, all while not getting paid any more than what I have been. I worked damn near 70 hours last week. 70 fucking hours. And it could have been more if I could be bothered to come in on time. It's not like I wasn't going to spend the next 10+ hours working there anyway, so why bother, right? I'd like to think of myself as a patient guy, but the last two and a bit weeks have really pushed that. I should leave. I want to leave. But there's a big part of me that's convinced that no matter where I go or what I do I'll just end up in the same position of being overworked and underpaid, so quitting wouldn't change anything. Not to mention that since the assistant manager left, I'm now the guy with the most experience that has to do all of the things. And the best part? The day the boss came back, which was also supposed to be one of my days off, she texted me and asked me to come in. I just ignored it, because if I was able to keep shit running while she was gone, she should be able to as well. We handled it without her for 2 weeks, and she couldn't let me even have 2 days. Kinda goes to show which one is the more important one.
So yeah, I've kinda been stressed out, mentally and physically exhausted, and on the brink of having an emotional breakdown for the better part of a month. Which kinda threw a big ol' wrench in my plans. I still would like to get those pieces done at some point, but I'm in no place mentally to do that.
Which brings me to July's plans. Or at least, the plans I had for July. ArtFight was a thing that I might have considered doing or being more active on before all hell broke loose. There's also yet another character that's been knocking around in my head for a bit that I'd like to draw, in addition to those Pride pieces which, despite everything, I am determined to do since I said that they'd get done. But the reality is, I don't even know if I'm going to have the energy or the motivation to do any of it. It could very well be that nothing gets done. It'd be a miracle if I'm able to even finish one thing if the current pace of work keeps up. I just don't know any more. And I'm near the point of not caring, and giving up on art entirely.
TL;DR: Work is breaking me and I don't know if it'll get any better any time soon. Don't look forward to anything because I'm not either.
June Update
Posted 3 years agoIt's that time of year again! Time to show your pride!
So to celebrate I plan on doing some pride-related pieces all month long. Ideally I'll be able to do all of my characters by the end of the month. They're probably going to be in a more sketchy style than the one I did for myself, and maybe not as dynamic, but everyone should get at least one.
There's also the matter of the new Pokemon, specifically the legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon, which I may or may not want to draw at some point. I'll put it on the back burner for now to focus on all the pride stuff, but once that's all done I'll probably do something with them. Or just Miraidon specifically.
Gonna be an interesting month for sure. Let;s hope I can keep up!
So to celebrate I plan on doing some pride-related pieces all month long. Ideally I'll be able to do all of my characters by the end of the month. They're probably going to be in a more sketchy style than the one I did for myself, and maybe not as dynamic, but everyone should get at least one.
There's also the matter of the new Pokemon, specifically the legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon, which I may or may not want to draw at some point. I'll put it on the back burner for now to focus on all the pride stuff, but once that's all done I'll probably do something with them. Or just Miraidon specifically.
Gonna be an interesting month for sure. Let;s hope I can keep up!
May Update
Posted 3 years agoFirst things first, there are a couple of projects that I want to get done this month. I know I say that all of the time, but this time for sure maybe. It honestly depends on what happens with work and how stressed and tired it leaves me at the end of the day. Sometimes (or most of the time) I just don't really have the motivation or energy to draw, so I end up putting it off until the next day, where the same thing happens. Hopefully though I'll be able to get those done soon. Or at least one of them.
Also, yeah, I know I said that there would be a raffle at the end of April, but where I am now with my motivation and energy level... I just want to be sure that I can make something that I'd be proud of, and not something that I just push through and make just because I should. It also doesn't help that my self-confidence is low enough that I feel like anything I make won't be good enough anyway. Idk, I just need to get my head on straight somehow. Ideally a raffle announcement will come before mid-May, but we'll see where I am by then.
Also, yeah, I know I said that there would be a raffle at the end of April, but where I am now with my motivation and energy level... I just want to be sure that I can make something that I'd be proud of, and not something that I just push through and make just because I should. It also doesn't help that my self-confidence is low enough that I feel like anything I make won't be good enough anyway. Idk, I just need to get my head on straight somehow. Ideally a raffle announcement will come before mid-May, but we'll see where I am by then.
AMApril is Back!
Posted 3 years agoThat's right, that stupid definitely not stupid or weird or dumb little thing that I like to do is back! The rules are the same as they always are: Ask me or my characters any one question you want, and I will answer one each day of April (or at least attempt to). Questions will be answered in the order in which they're asked until there all done (even if it goes beyond the end of April).
And in case you've missed the previous AMAprils, you can find all the previous questions here.
Oh, and I'll be on vacation of the first few days of April so the first one will be done on the 4th.
I'm looking forward to your questions~
And in case you've missed the previous AMAprils, you can find all the previous questions here.
Oh, and I'll be on vacation of the first few days of April so the first one will be done on the 4th.
I'm looking forward to your questions~
A return, an art dump, and a plan...?
Posted 3 years agoOkay so I'd say it's about time to give you all an update about life and art and stuff so let's get started, cause it's gonna take a bit. I don't really have a plan on what to say so It's gonna be a bit rambley.
Firstly, I would have ideally liked to have a new ref sheet ready for the return, but I've been caught up doing other things. Between work stressing me out and other ideas for other projects, I keep pushing it back. It'll be done eventually, I just need to figure out a good layout and basically everything else about it. Also the whole "I'm GoNnA wOrK oN mY ArT" thing didn't really work out. Although I can say that I've improved, I've definitely not improved as much as I would have liked, and probably not even that much at all. That could just be me talking though. It all comes down to the fact that I'd much rather be drawing for fun than for practice, and that makes any improvement slow. Having the attention span of an overcaffinated goldfish doesn't help either. Baby steps though. I'll figure something out eventually.
Another thing, over the summer I bought Clip Studio Paint and have been using that pretty much exclusively since I've got it. As of writing this I haven't gotten brave enough to really start using it to it's fullest potential, but that day may come eventually. One day I'll teach myself how to paint and properly shade so that my art might go from "kinda mediocre" to "actually pretty decent", but that's not for a while.
As for plans for the future, I'm gonna get back to doing normal stuff. AMApril is coming back this year, as is Inktober. June's gonna have some pride related stuff including but not limited to CariTio stuff and Felix because why not we need more Felix content. Maybe some random gift art here and there to spice things up. March is going to be dedicated to getting those projects done though, with the last week being for setting up AMApril. I'll give the announcement journal once the time comes.
As for the whole 100 followers thing, there will be a raffle, and it will be announced at the end of AMApril. The exact date will depend on how many questions get asked. It could be a week into April, or it might be up until the last day (although that's unlikely) I'll figure out the details at a later date, but know that that's coming too.
Alright, I think that's all I wanted to say. Let's hope the rest of this year is a good one!
Firstly, I would have ideally liked to have a new ref sheet ready for the return, but I've been caught up doing other things. Between work stressing me out and other ideas for other projects, I keep pushing it back. It'll be done eventually, I just need to figure out a good layout and basically everything else about it. Also the whole "I'm GoNnA wOrK oN mY ArT" thing didn't really work out. Although I can say that I've improved, I've definitely not improved as much as I would have liked, and probably not even that much at all. That could just be me talking though. It all comes down to the fact that I'd much rather be drawing for fun than for practice, and that makes any improvement slow. Having the attention span of an overcaffinated goldfish doesn't help either. Baby steps though. I'll figure something out eventually.
Another thing, over the summer I bought Clip Studio Paint and have been using that pretty much exclusively since I've got it. As of writing this I haven't gotten brave enough to really start using it to it's fullest potential, but that day may come eventually. One day I'll teach myself how to paint and properly shade so that my art might go from "kinda mediocre" to "actually pretty decent", but that's not for a while.
And since I'm returning, I'm gonna be posting a bunch of art I've done in the past year-ish, from finished projects to gifts to doodles, as well as some unfinished stuff that will likely not be finished maybe. So be ready for an art dump.
No, I'm not sorry and I'm not gonna apologize. I'm also in the process of drawing 2 bigish projects (neither of which are my ref sheet because why would they be). One is a gift for a friend (that is now very late) and the other is a continuation of the "Cari meets Tio" comic I did a bit ago, so look forward to those within the next month ideally.As for plans for the future, I'm gonna get back to doing normal stuff. AMApril is coming back this year, as is Inktober. June's gonna have some pride related stuff including but not limited to CariTio stuff and Felix because why not we need more Felix content. Maybe some random gift art here and there to spice things up. March is going to be dedicated to getting those projects done though, with the last week being for setting up AMApril. I'll give the announcement journal once the time comes.
As for the whole 100 followers thing, there will be a raffle, and it will be announced at the end of AMApril. The exact date will depend on how many questions get asked. It could be a week into April, or it might be up until the last day (although that's unlikely) I'll figure out the details at a later date, but know that that's coming too.
Alright, I think that's all I wanted to say. Let's hope the rest of this year is a good one!
2021, And the Beginning of the End...
Posted 5 years ago...or, the dawn of a new beginning.
Before I start, I would just like to say:
Thanks so much for the 100 followers!! <3
As some random guy that just draws for fun, having 100 people follow me and enjoy my stuff... it's a lot to take in, honestly. I mean, 100 people is a lot. I could barely even imagine how many people 50 was, but this is something else entirely. And it's not like I do commissions or lewds or anything. You're here to see me draw stuff that I want to draw. I genuinely, truly appreciate that, and I am grateful that you choose to make me a part of your day. But as much as I would like to hold a raffle or give out art to you guys, there is something a bit more pressing that I must do. It's something I've been thinking about for quite some time. I first considered it sometime late summer, and my conviction has only strengthened since then.Over the course of the next year (or longer), I will be finally taking this art thing a bit more seriously.
And in order to do that, I'm going to do something straight out of the Anime Protagonist Handbook and essentially disappear for the year. Call it a Training Arc, if you will. I want to focus on getting better, both in my fundamentals and my technique, as well as practicing styles. And in order to do that, I feel like it would be best if I removed the part of me that wants to make content and fully commit to my studies. If I feel like I have to put stuff out, I'll end up in a rut, sticking to the things I'm comfortable doing and not taking risks or learning new things. After all, I only have so much time in the day that I actually can draw.Why am I doing this, you ask? It's pretty simple, really. I want to be able to put all of these ideas and stories and characters in my head out into the world. Ultimately, I want to be drawing comics, and telling the stories of those characters. And hopefully making people love them as much as I do. I'm basically doing this for my own sake. Or maybe for my characters' sake.
How long will it take? I plan on only being gone for one year, starting the first day of 2021. If I feel like I still have some more growth to do or am not satisfied with where I am, I will extend it for however long it takes. I will tell you if I do end up extending it, though.
With that said, once the Training Arc is complete, things are going to start happening. I already have some projects that I want to work on once everything's said and done, one of which is an absolutely massive piece involving a sushi shop. But that's something for 2022. Also I may or may not switch accounts upon my return, but we'll see.
I won't be gone gone, though; I'll still be lurking around here and on Reddit. You just won’t see me. Probably.
Small December Update
Posted 5 years agoSo it's been an interesting few weeks, what with the three gift arts that I've done. But really, other than a piece for a Secret Santa thing for a Discord server, I don't really have anything planned. At least, not anything big. Maybe a doodle here or there. Or something about cookies when I start doing those. But yeah, no big projects for the rest of the year, I think.
So yeah. From this point forward I'm gonna be focusing on getting ready for the holidays, chilling with family, and making cookies at some point. And that'll take me to the end of this year.
After that...
Well, we'll just have to wait and see.
So yeah. From this point forward I'm gonna be focusing on getting ready for the holidays, chilling with family, and making cookies at some point. And that'll take me to the end of this year.
After that...
Well, we'll just have to wait and see.
November Update!
Posted 5 years agoFirst off, I'd like to say that Inktober was a complete success! Sure, it may have fallen apart a little bit by the end there, but I did finish, so I feel at least a little bit accomplished. And now I have a bunch of Carina pictures, which is nice. I felt like she was lacking in content anyway.
Over the course of Inktober, I pushed myself to do things that I wasn't comfortable doing or simply haven't done before. Most notably backgrounds. I feel a lot more confident doing those now than I was before. They're actually kinda fun. I would at some point like to revisit some of them, give them more polish and some actual color. But those are projects for later.
Out of curiosity, which of the Inktober pieces are your favorite(s)? There are definitely ones that I feel stand out, and others that fall flat. Just curious to see if what I like matches what you guys like.
As for November plans, I have a few things lined up that I'd like to finish. Some silly fan art stuff, a stupid comic, and maybe just some sketches/drawings of my own characters. I do plan on taking a bit of a break, since Inktober kind of took a bit out of me, but do plan on seeing more stuff soon!
I also have some big, Big announcements to make, but that will have to wait until I sort out all of the details. Probably by the end of this month.
There are some major changes on the horizon...
Over the course of Inktober, I pushed myself to do things that I wasn't comfortable doing or simply haven't done before. Most notably backgrounds. I feel a lot more confident doing those now than I was before. They're actually kinda fun. I would at some point like to revisit some of them, give them more polish and some actual color. But those are projects for later.
Out of curiosity, which of the Inktober pieces are your favorite(s)? There are definitely ones that I feel stand out, and others that fall flat. Just curious to see if what I like matches what you guys like.
As for November plans, I have a few things lined up that I'd like to finish. Some silly fan art stuff, a stupid comic, and maybe just some sketches/drawings of my own characters. I do plan on taking a bit of a break, since Inktober kind of took a bit out of me, but do plan on seeing more stuff soon!
I also have some big, Big announcements to make, but that will have to wait until I sort out all of the details. Probably by the end of this month.
There are some major changes on the horizon...
Inktober Update!
Posted 5 years agoGet ready, because October is finally here! The season of falling leaves, pumpkin pie, hoodies, and Spooks! Honestly one of my favorite times of the year.
But that not the important bit! The important thing is that it's finally Inktober! I've been looking forward to this since I missed last years, and I have big plans. Starting tomorrow, I will be streaming myself drawing these Inktober pieces hopefully every day until the end of October. The pieces will be all digital, but will be done in greyscale, if not entirely black and white. Expect watercolor sketch style drawings with minimal background unless it's important. And I came up with my own special theme:
Inktober will be entirely focused on Carina and her adventures throughout the galaxy. I'm super excited to get started on these, I've got a lot of good ideas that I hopefully can pull off.
First stream is tomorrow! https://picarto.tv/JakTheWanderer
Hope to see you there!~
But that not the important bit! The important thing is that it's finally Inktober! I've been looking forward to this since I missed last years, and I have big plans. Starting tomorrow, I will be streaming myself drawing these Inktober pieces hopefully every day until the end of October. The pieces will be all digital, but will be done in greyscale, if not entirely black and white. Expect watercolor sketch style drawings with minimal background unless it's important. And I came up with my own special theme:
Inktober will be entirely focused on Carina and her adventures throughout the galaxy. I'm super excited to get started on these, I've got a lot of good ideas that I hopefully can pull off.
First stream is tomorrow! https://picarto.tv/JakTheWanderer
Hope to see you there!~
(mid)September update
Posted 5 years agoOkay, so I put off doing this until I was done with all of the raffle prizes. But there isn't much so I'll just keep it brief.
The rest of this month will be fairly simple. I plan on working on some little comic projects that I partially finished a while ago, which hopefully won't take that long. But before that I'll be doing a little sketch involving the albino proto (as well as a name reveal). I may just finish it later tonight if I don't get hung up on something. It's entirely likely that I will be furiously shitposting for the rest of the month.
As for my plans in October, I will be doing Inktober this year, but digitally. So I'll only be using greyscale. Looking at the prompt list, it looks like it will be a lot of fun. And getting back on the sketch a day thing might be just what I need to get out of my funk that I'm kinda still working through.
That's about it until next month.
The rest of this month will be fairly simple. I plan on working on some little comic projects that I partially finished a while ago, which hopefully won't take that long. But before that I'll be doing a little sketch involving the albino proto (as well as a name reveal). I may just finish it later tonight if I don't get hung up on something. It's entirely likely that I will be furiously shitposting for the rest of the month.
As for my plans in October, I will be doing Inktober this year, but digitally. So I'll only be using greyscale. Looking at the prompt list, it looks like it will be a lot of fun. And getting back on the sketch a day thing might be just what I need to get out of my funk that I'm kinda still working through.
That's about it until next month.
RAFFLE WINNERS
Posted 5 years agoRNJESUS HAS DECIDED A WINNER
The 3 watercolor sketches go to:
sinamegapolis
lenondale
zackwhitefang
Just leave a comment below with a reference sheet of the character you want and I'll get right on it.
Kojondian
You can contact me either by DMing me here or on Discord at JakTheWanderer#0339
Small update: I need to prioritize stuff or I'm going to end up working on everything at once and burn myself out. With that said, here is the order in which the prizes will be done:
First will be the 3 watercolor sketches, since those don't take long. Like, max 2 sessions. So those, ideally, will be done by the end of the week. After that, it's time to tackle the Big Boy, and I do not plan on holding back. That one may take a bit of time with what I have planned, but hopefully I can finish it by the end of August.
Thanks to everyone for doing this and being here and really just existing. I wish I could draw something for all of you, but it would take me forever. Not that I'm against that...
Love you guys~
The 3 watercolor sketches go to:
sinamegapolis
lenondale
zackwhitefangJust leave a comment below with a reference sheet of the character you want and I'll get right on it.
AND THE GRAND PRIZE GOES TO:
KojondianYou can contact me either by DMing me here or on Discord at JakTheWanderer#0339
Small update: I need to prioritize stuff or I'm going to end up working on everything at once and burn myself out. With that said, here is the order in which the prizes will be done:
First will be the 3 watercolor sketches, since those don't take long. Like, max 2 sessions. So those, ideally, will be done by the end of the week. After that, it's time to tackle the Big Boy, and I do not plan on holding back. That one may take a bit of time with what I have planned, but hopefully I can finish it by the end of August.
Thanks to everyone for doing this and being here and really just existing. I wish I could draw something for all of you, but it would take me forever. Not that I'm against that...
Love you guys~
POWER'S ON BABY! +Updated prizes!!
Posted 5 years agoThey FINALLY fixed my power around 3 this afternoon. Which means the festivities begin at midnight tonight!!
As you all already know, one lucky person will be getting a free commission as a grand prize. HOWEVER I have decided to add 3 more prizes! These prizes will be watercolor sketches of a character of their choosing. All winners will be announced at midnight!
GET HYPE!!
As you all already know, one lucky person will be getting a free commission as a grand prize. HOWEVER I have decided to add 3 more prizes! These prizes will be watercolor sketches of a character of their choosing. All winners will be announced at midnight!
GET HYPE!!
Still no power....
Posted 5 years agoIt's been 5 days. At this rate I might have to delay the raffle. I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but here we are. Although there is still time before then, my optimism that the power will come back is all but gone. I apologize if I happen to ruin your Saturday night plans, on the off chance you were planning to stay up for the drawing.
I've been okay, though. I bring charging cables with me to work and charge what I need to there, and my mobile plan has unlimited data, which helps a lot. The basement at the house stays relatively cool, staying around 70, so thats where I sleep. We've mainly been eating out, since all of our refrigerated and frozen stuff is gone. It's hard, but doable. It's not the first time something like this has happened, and it won't be the last. (The timing couldn't have been worse, though.)
Anywho, if the power does happen to come back on, I'll let you guys know. If not, then assume the drawing is delayed until it is. Could be tomorrow, maybe Monday. Who knows at this point.
UPDATE: THE FUCKERS CHANGED THE TIME TO 11 PM TOMORROW LIKE THEYVE DONE FOR THE PAST 3 FUCKING DAYS IM ABOUT TO PUNCH A HOLE IN A WALL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA FUCK MY LIFE
I've been okay, though. I bring charging cables with me to work and charge what I need to there, and my mobile plan has unlimited data, which helps a lot. The basement at the house stays relatively cool, staying around 70, so thats where I sleep. We've mainly been eating out, since all of our refrigerated and frozen stuff is gone. It's hard, but doable. It's not the first time something like this has happened, and it won't be the last. (The timing couldn't have been worse, though.)
Anywho, if the power does happen to come back on, I'll let you guys know. If not, then assume the drawing is delayed until it is. Could be tomorrow, maybe Monday. Who knows at this point.
UPDATE: THE FUCKERS CHANGED THE TIME TO 11 PM TOMORROW LIKE THEYVE DONE FOR THE PAST 3 FUCKING DAYS IM ABOUT TO PUNCH A HOLE IN A WALL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA FUCK MY LIFE
Big Storm
Posted 5 years agoJust yesterday, a big storm came through and messed up my town. Trees are down, power lines are down, its just a mess. And I have no power. The power company has said I might be out until Friday afternoon, so I won't be able to finish the thing I was working on. Oops.
At least nothing was damaged this time.
Just a heads up, I guess. Hopefully they have everything up and running by the Big Day. I'll keep you guys updated
‐
8/12:
Now they say the power won't be back on until Saturday. Wonderful.
In fact, that seems to be the day they're telling everyone, even people 15 minutes away. I'm worried that that date is less of an actual prediction and more of something they're telling people just so everyone will stop bothering them. Which might mean they genuinely have no idea when the power will be back up.
I am growing more and more concerned...
‐‐
8/14
Everyone around our block sems to be getting their power back. I actually stayed at a friend's house last night since they got their power back and it's getting hot at home.
They say they'll have it back on at 11 tonight but I have zero faith in that number. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get powe back until Sunday or Monday.
The pessimism is starting to set in...
At least nothing was damaged this time.
Just a heads up, I guess. Hopefully they have everything up and running by the Big Day. I'll keep you guys updated
‐
8/12:
Now they say the power won't be back on until Saturday. Wonderful.
In fact, that seems to be the day they're telling everyone, even people 15 minutes away. I'm worried that that date is less of an actual prediction and more of something they're telling people just so everyone will stop bothering them. Which might mean they genuinely have no idea when the power will be back up.
I am growing more and more concerned...
‐‐
8/14
Everyone around our block sems to be getting their power back. I actually stayed at a friend's house last night since they got their power back and it's getting hot at home.
They say they'll have it back on at 11 tonight but I have zero faith in that number. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get powe back until Sunday or Monday.
The pessimism is starting to set in...
50 Watchers Art Raffle HYPE!!
Posted 5 years agoThe title is self explanatory.
The rules are simple:
1. Be a watcher (duh)
2. Let me know you're alive by leaving a comment
That's it. I'm basically treating this as a free commission, so the winner will have a picture of their choosing (within reason) drawn by me! A pretty unique opportunity if you ask me. The winner will be announced on August 15 at midnight (so technically the 16th, but it's not tomorrow until I wake up). From there, the winner with have their picture drawn LIVE on stream*! Even if it takes a few sessions, which it most likely will.
There may also be other prizes like icons or rough sketches as well. Those will be announced on the day of the draw.
*I'll try to do it every day, but sometimes I'm just too tired to draw
The rules are simple:
1. Be a watcher (duh)
2. Let me know you're alive by leaving a comment
That's it. I'm basically treating this as a free commission, so the winner will have a picture of their choosing (within reason) drawn by me! A pretty unique opportunity if you ask me. The winner will be announced on August 15 at midnight (so technically the 16th, but it's not tomorrow until I wake up). From there, the winner with have their picture drawn LIVE on stream*! Even if it takes a few sessions, which it most likely will.
There may also be other prizes like icons or rough sketches as well. Those will be announced on the day of the draw.
GET HYPE!!
*I'll try to do it every day, but sometimes I'm just too tired to draw
August Update
Posted 5 years agoSome big things to go over this month, but first let's talk about what happened last month.
In terms of productivity, I finished both the pieces that I said I would do (for the most part) and I had my first stream right at the end of July. I'm pretty sure this is like the first time I've actually finished the things I said I was going to finish in a month. So bonus points for finally following through. In addition, I posted my 200th picture, which is a lot. 200 is a big number for a guy that just does this thing for a hobby.
Anywho, onto the big news and the thing that August will mostly be about:
This is a pretty big deal, and I definitely plan on doing something, most likely a raffle of some sort. I'll get to the details once I figure them out, so look forward to that announcement in the next couple of days.
In the mean time, I have some other projects I would like to work on. (although I'm not exactly sure which one I want to work on). Most likely are a piece with the albino protogen I designed a bit ago and maybe a sketch or two.
But yeah, 50 followers. That's crazy man. Love you guys~
In terms of productivity, I finished both the pieces that I said I would do (for the most part) and I had my first stream right at the end of July. I'm pretty sure this is like the first time I've actually finished the things I said I was going to finish in a month. So bonus points for finally following through. In addition, I posted my 200th picture, which is a lot. 200 is a big number for a guy that just does this thing for a hobby.
Anywho, onto the big news and the thing that August will mostly be about:
50 WATCHERS HYPE!
This is a pretty big deal, and I definitely plan on doing something, most likely a raffle of some sort. I'll get to the details once I figure them out, so look forward to that announcement in the next couple of days.
In the mean time, I have some other projects I would like to work on. (although I'm not exactly sure which one I want to work on). Most likely are a piece with the albino protogen I designed a bit ago and maybe a sketch or two.
But yeah, 50 followers. That's crazy man. Love you guys~
July Update
Posted 5 years agoEvery month I say I'll do something, and I end up doing either some other thing or barely finishing the first thing. Oh well. I'm just gong to ramble on and jot down my thoughts as they come to me.
This month I have a couple of things I would like to get done that I'm fairly confident I'll be able to do. One is a dumb meme thing and another is a piece that I started a couple days ago that I need to finish. This piece will be the first time I've ever actually done any painting. It may turn out meh, but I'll do my best on it. I should probably look up a tutorial or two...
I just have a lot of ideas of things I want to draw and not nearly enough time to do them. But what else is new?
I also need to set up everything so I can stream at some point, which is another thing I say I'll do but never get to. I mean, I downloaded the software and everything, I just need to figure out how the thing works, and how to make it look nice. Probably another thing I need to look up tutorials for.
I've also been thinking about doing a redraw vote/poll thing, where I redraw an old piece voted on/suggested by the people. Or maybe just randomly selected form a list or something. I'll figure out the details if I decide to do it.
I've also also been thinking about getting a Twitter. I've held off on it for a while because the last thing I need is another form of social media to be addicted to. My productivity suffers enough from Reddit, YouTube, and here; adding another thing to that list would probably ruin me. But there are some artists that I would love to follow that only have/are most active on Twitter, and I hear it's a good place to make connections with other people. I dunno. I'll tell you when I make up my mind.if i ever do
I think I've just about covered everything I want to talk about.
This month I have a couple of things I would like to get done that I'm fairly confident I'll be able to do. One is a dumb meme thing and another is a piece that I started a couple days ago that I need to finish. This piece will be the first time I've ever actually done any painting. It may turn out meh, but I'll do my best on it. I should probably look up a tutorial or two...
I just have a lot of ideas of things I want to draw and not nearly enough time to do them. But what else is new?
I also need to set up everything so I can stream at some point, which is another thing I say I'll do but never get to. I mean, I downloaded the software and everything, I just need to figure out how the thing works, and how to make it look nice. Probably another thing I need to look up tutorials for.
I've also been thinking about doing a redraw vote/poll thing, where I redraw an old piece voted on/suggested by the people. Or maybe just randomly selected form a list or something. I'll figure out the details if I decide to do it.
I've also also been thinking about getting a Twitter. I've held off on it for a while because the last thing I need is another form of social media to be addicted to. My productivity suffers enough from Reddit, YouTube, and here; adding another thing to that list would probably ruin me. But there are some artists that I would love to follow that only have/are most active on Twitter, and I hear it's a good place to make connections with other people. I dunno. I'll tell you when I make up my mind.
I think I've just about covered everything I want to talk about.
June Update
Posted 5 years agoIt's that time of year again. That's right, it's
Which means I have to finish a pride related piece this month. Unlike last year. Where I sketched out at least 3 different things and finished none of them. This time for sure I'll do the thing. I already have something in mind, in fact. It'll take a bit, since it's comic-ish, but it'll be done. Probably.
In other news, I have decided to keep the albino proto character. Still kinda figuring out most of her story and personality, but I think I'm going in a good direction with it. Also a name is needed, but I'll get to that once she actually has a set personality.
I'm not worrying about too much else this month other than that pride piece. And maybe the other reference sheet. Maybe.
PRIDE MONTH
Which means I have to finish a pride related piece this month. Unlike last year. Where I sketched out at least 3 different things and finished none of them. This time for sure I'll do the thing. I already have something in mind, in fact. It'll take a bit, since it's comic-ish, but it'll be done. Probably.
In other news, I have decided to keep the albino proto character. Still kinda figuring out most of her story and personality, but I think I'm going in a good direction with it. Also a name is needed, but I'll get to that once she actually has a set personality.
I'm not worrying about too much else this month other than that pride piece. And maybe the other reference sheet. Maybe.
