Dated 23/10/2019

So if you don't follow me on Twitter, this could take some explaining...

Basically I've been in a big artistic rut lately. My last submission here on FA was in June, and although I've been working pretty regularly on a number of projects in that time, I've struggled to make any meaningful progress with them. Add to that a number of illnesses, injuries and family issues, and my enthusiasm for spending weeks and weeks agonising over my art has completely worn me down.

Then last week, something funny happened. I was out walking when I overheard a couple of guys talking, one of whom told a conversation-based joke I'd never encountered before. Although I wasn't able to hear every word, I heard enough to get the essence of it:

"My friend told me he got trampled by a snail."
"What?! How do you get trampled by a snail??"

...

"Really slowly."



Personally I thought this was a genius joke. And because it involved a trampling theme, my brain was soon conjuring up silly (and yet somehow slightly sexy) images. In any case, I had to share the joke on Twitter later that day, joking that somebody would need to draw it.

My Twitter followers may also be aware that I recently started doing occasional sketches on my phone (Sony Sketch for Android, if you're wondering). Just for a laugh, the day after hearing that joke, I decided to have a go at scribbling one of the images it had put in my head - namely of an anthropomorphic snail stamping on someone. It won't surprise you to hear I've never drawn an anthrosnail before, so I just came up with something inspired by various snail-like cartoon characters I've seen down the years and other characters with shells (TMNT, Bowser etc...)

As this was just something silly I was sketching on my phone (with my finger at that, as I don't have a stylus), it became an enjoyable exercise of 'no pressure' art. And with all the problems I'd been having with my art over recent months, frankly this was a welcome breath of fresh air. I drew it in a few hours, threw some simple colours on it, and boom - first picture of any kind that I've finished since midsummer. And the most fun I've had with art in ages.

I shared this on Twitter last Wednesday, but I thought I might as well upload it here too. It's only a silly quick one really, so I'll move it into my Scraps soon. But if you've ever enjoyed themes like anthro-bugs or getting stomped by traditionally tiny creatures, maybe this might just float your boat a little bit.



In case you're wondering, I am still working on any number of other art and animation projects at present, but I'm still struggling with those projects that were holding me up this summer, and sadly they were the closest things I had to completion, so it could be some time. Keep on watching anyway, and hopefully I will have at least one or two more things done before the end of 2019.

RRRex