Hamster Lads

 I have no idea what happened to me this week, but I'm going to take an educated guess and assume I'm suffering from either burnout or too much stress. Maybe a little of both. (which is a shame because I really wanted to get back into my art lessons seriously again)
Either way, didn't draw a lot, but I did watch a lot of wholesome hamsters have adventures! So I think I had a good week anyway.

 I remember as a kid watching Howdy and Dexter do their thing and not being able to compute a word either of them said (I understood all the words individually, but all in the one sentence? HMM nope XD) but now that I'm an adult I can appreciate how much poetry Dexter spews out and I FINALLY get the terrible jokes and rhymes Howdy says in his ridiculous American accent. (he thinks he's the funniest man in the world and I dig it)
The poetry dork and the comedic mathematician- truly, no better rivalry has ever existed before or since, and I love them.

50's Rock&Roll with a Hotdog sheep and a Country Zebra

 Howdy all! Heh, didn't realized I was pushing myself so hard until I stopped suddenly at the beginning of this week. Trying to do too many things too quickly. Didn't prioritize too great. Got stressed and fell flat on the floor for a hot second. Same old story.

But because I caught myself before my engines overheated, I think I'm okay. A little irritated and frustrated that I didn't do anything I wanted to do, but it be like that some weeks.
I'll have to pick up my art lessons seriously again afterwards... but not before I rest for a few more days.

Played Pokemon Arceus Legends a lot (obviously) but I also played Animal Crossing a few times this week. I find I enjoy ACNH the most when I'm stressed, because it's like "Head empty, no thoughts. Only cute animals and easy jobs to do." And I got reminded of how much I needed this game way back in 2020. And the ideas and stories I had for our villagers was fun to think about again too.

So I drew some gals just for old time's sake.

 Frita is an OG villager- she came with us when we first started to tame our wild tropical island, and Savannah was our first new neighbor after we had civilized Sanctuary enough for more people to move in.
Both of these girls have completely different vibes - one's a loud big sister type who's into rock&roll, and the other's a sweet country bumpkin - but both of them have the singing hobby, so that always makes me happy when I see them next to a jukebox or radio together singing their little hearts out.
They're quirky neighbors. But oddly fitting too. I think they have a beautiful friendship.

Anyway. Between the Animal Crossing stuff I've been doing and the one 50's song I blasted all day on Thursday, that's the reason why I drew this piece.

I'm thinking of drawing our other 8 villagers, all with a fun music theme or something. Ah, but I'll go with the vibes, If I draw something, I'll share it. If I don't, then that's okay too. (I really want to draw Buzz and Peggy together with some sort of modern pop song; Buzz would have no idea how do react and Peggy's just all energy and smiles. That sounds amusing) 

Hopefully I'll be back in business next week, but even if I don't I reckon I'll be fine.
I'll see you guys next week. Same time, same place. Have a good one.

Random Splatoon Panels

 Head empty. No thoughts. Not much art either, now that I think about it. Haven't done anything interesting all week except draw random comic panels for my cousin.
I have absolutely no idea where this is going, but I'm just here to enjoy the ride.
Feels nice drawing some good squid and octo kids again.

 I'm getting some decent background and perspective practice from this. I think everyone would agree that I definitely need that. XD

"Say Cheese!"

 Ahahahaa... well, that was certainly a week I just had!
My town experienced the worst flood it's ever had on record, and drowned almost a third of all the shops, buildings, houses.. everything. And it did it within a day.
Literally no one was prepared for that. We KNEW we would flood, but... not this badly.

I'm personally fine and dry, but I'm sorta looking at everything and going "Oh, this is going to take us a while to recover."
So! I've been stressed? But in that weird way where it's like "This is justified." so it doesn't feel as bad as it usually does.

But ANYWAY!
Have some more pokemon fanart!

I've been slowly trying to teach myself perspective, and gotta say I think those lessons and studies are paying off!
I am proud of how the building in the background came out, and even if I feel like I could've done more for the colors and shading, I'm content and glad I decided to do this project.
Even if it it took me a week longer than I thought it would... XD

Add this sparkly boy to the list of all the shinies I've caught so far

 Haha, it had to happen sooner or later! I found my first shiny for Arceus Legends yesterday morning XD
I think I have my best shiny luck when I'm completing the pokedex or grinding; my shiny goldeen, audino, and pollywag are testaments to that theory. But that doesn't make them any less loved!

 It's a pity that mega evolution isn't a thing in AL, but gengars are still cool, so I'm not bothered by it.

I almost never add any shinies I catch to my permanent rotation team, but I think Bane here is going to be an exception; if only because I need someone who can learn a grass type, and shockingly enough this spooky boy is literally the only one who could. *shrug* Who knew haunters could be so versatile!

Cold Comfort

 Aight. So I might be a little obsessed with drawing snow lately.
Not a lot. But I almost drew three art pieces inspired by an idea I had this week, and I couldn't stop myself. Believe me, I tried for one day. Didn't make that mistake again. XD

Started with me catching a very tall lucario in Pokemon Arceus Legends, and it ended with me fleshing out an entire story that was much more dramatic than reality. Like you do.
Gunther is a good lad and he knows when someone has been touched by a deity when he sees it. (So of course I was inspired!)

 

Normally when I draw special effects I forget two days later and have to reinvent the wheel again. This time was no exception, but I did learn a lot, so I think the next time I draw snow I wont have to look at so many tutorials. :)

Pokemon! Pokemon! Pokemon!

 Whelp! I've now finished the 'Main Plot' to Pokemon Arceus Legends.. now I just gotta get through the post-game shenanigans with Volo and complete the pokedex! :D

Ah, but I'm having a lot of fun with it! Definitely one of the best Pokemon games I've played in literally years. It's good.

 These were some of the things I've drawn of my Pokemon team. They're all grown up now, obviously, but they're still valid and worthy of affection in their younger stages. :)

An Otter called Dragon (and other friends!)

 I have literally done nothing but play the new Pokemon Arceus Legends since the moment I arrived home on Wednesday.
I might be a little obsessed. But that's good. My imagination has been thirsting for something new to think over, and THIS is giving me it in such quantities I might actually have to write some of it down. Maybe. :)

But because I've been doing nothing but play that new video game, I haven't drawn much. But that's okay! I had time this afternoon, and I'm pretty happy how some of them came out.

I love my Dragon boy so much. He's a little sassy otter lad who just wants to fight, and I adore him!
He grew up so handsome. Haha, I wasn't expecting him to have a Hisui form, but I was delighted to see it! And he gained my favorite typing ever, so of COURSE I was excited! XD
If I can pry myself away from the game for long enough, I should definitely doodle all my pokemon children. Among other things. Ah, but that's something to do another time.

You're doing great, Fear sweetheart!

Well. I think this is the first time I've visited my Grandparent's house in over a year. I think the last time was in winter 2020.. I'm not sure.
It's good to be back, though. Nice and familiar, even if it feels a little emptier than normal.

Made this sketch on Tuesday, and was 100% meaning to do a counterpart for this sketch, but alas! Driving down to visit family and then being busy throughout the rest of the week disrupted those plans.
That's okay, though. I can do it later. :)

Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire

Hello! I wish I could say I had the energy to talk, but alas! I do not. My head is empty and I want to do other things tonight.
That's okay though. Some days be like that.

 I drew my Sapphy girl in both her classic color-scheme and her Reverse one this week.
I need to draw some other UV cast in their opposite colors one day..
Eh. Future plans.

Team Amateurs

 Spent most of my week resting and filling up my creative tank (again), but I'm happy to report I haven't been punishing myself for taking it easy.
A good start to the new year if there ever was one. I CAN be taught! :)

Played a little bit of video games and read a bit. Mostly just hung in the bedroom listening to Tally Hall. Did manage to create this before sunset yesterday, though.

My current Pokemon protagonist (Apple the Chimchar) with her partner (Stormie the Oshawott). Really love the fire/water combo. Plus their personalities are almost the opposite, so it makes it a lot of fun when they get into trouble.
Forgot how much I loved Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, to be honest. Really needed to play it again. <3

Sun and Shade

 Haha, accidentally burnt my self out with my latest drawing obsession this week, so I was out of commission for a few days.
Read lots about Hematology and had plenty of discussions with my siblings and friends, so all in all I still think it was a good week.

Also an incredibly long one?? When I was told it had only been a week since New Years I was stumped.
Feels like a month already tbh.

Anyway!
I found a pile of concept thumbnails for potential drawings that I made months ago, so I used one of them as inspiration for tonight's piece.

 Yes, it's one of those cool 'flip them upside down and it still looks good' paintings!
I love drawing those so much.

Characters are based off my Inside Out emotions, but honestly they're starting to take a life of their own in their little CottageCore world and I'm not quite sure what to do with that.
Let them run free and see if I can use any of their shenanigans as inspiration, I guess! It's what I always do. :)

A Duo of old Ladies with their Older Vampire friend

2022 may be upon us, but I'm personally apathetic to the new year. I don't have any grand plans or ambitions in mind, for I am still tired from barely completing my last resolutions.. (which was hard enough)
But I am thinking about making a portfolio.
I've proven I can stick to a comic project - and no doubt I'll have more this year - but I reckon I need to dust off my rendering skills and try to make a few impressive art pieces. The kind where it takes a week to complete. Maybe once a month...
But we'll see. That's future me problems, and I am tired.

I'm perfectly content just sketching inconsequential things for now.

 

I had a song on repeat for about 2 days, which inspired my tangerine vampire gal. But she looked like she'd have a colorful social life, so I gave her some friends in the form of a buttercup witch and a snake charmer.

No doubt they've all been friends since they were teenagers, but one of them doesn't age properly, and one used witchcraft to make herself immortal.
The last one probably just has a naturally long life or something.

I'm not going to do anything with them, but that's not the point. They were a fun way to spend an hour. :)

A Christmas Miracle in the form of a Competely Finished Comic from AppleStorm

At the end of 2020, one of my New Year's resolutions was to draw and complete one long-term comic project before January 2022.
Beginning as a side-gig (just something I did in the background while I tried to brainstorm my Purity comic... cuz my brain needs variety) this ended up becoming my full-time focus when I realized I wanted experience and endurance before I put my whole heart into the thing I really wanted to look good.

And I took the advice of other comic artists to start off with something that was 20 pages or less.
This was 20 pages exactly.
And Purity was going to be over 20. Maybe even over 40 or 50.

So yeah.

Began drawing the thumbnails in mid June. Kicked and screamed and cried through the challenges until December 24. Then promptly praised God for blessing me and for giving me strength and courage for seeing this through to the very end. Despite everything.

Is it perfect? I wish it was. It is not.
But would I do it all over again? Absolutely.
I learnt A LOT about perspective, anatomy, paneling, writing, perseverance, patience, and self-discipline. Amongst other things.

 And overall I am pretty content.
I'm looking forward to doing it aaaaall over again when I next have the energy to spare. XD

And now whenever I go back to look at my old art, I shall probably cringe and hastily scroll past and pretend I never drew any of this. XD
Ah. Such is the life of an artist.

But in all seriousness, this was probably the hardest thing I had to do all year. And 100% self-imposed to boot.

The last time I completed a comic completely was in 2016. Five years ago.
I've tried and failed drawing comics dozens of times since then, so the fact that I am here now - despite ALL the temptations to give up and the burnouts - surprises me a lot.

Man. What a good Christmas gift for myself. And what a way to end the year!
Never going to top this, that's for sure.

Anyway. That's all from me for now.
I've got some shenanigans to do with my family now, so I'll see you dudes in 2022.

*raises glass of apple&mango juice*
Here's to this year finally being over, and let's hope the next year will be a little better than we dare hope!
Or in the very least not quite as bad.

Cheers. And a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all. And thanks for reading.
*Drinks up*

Rainbow Misery

Ah. Should've supposed that this week couldn't possibly have been as good as the last.
Still good. But it had it's down sides, too.

Such it is. :)

 My laptop crashed yesterday and I lost a good half hour of drawing progress on a big art piece I was working on.
That didn't phase me, actually.
I mostly shrugged my shoulders and went 'Ay. Could've been worse. Could've lost the entire hour of work. That's fine. I'll just have to do the work I lost again later this afternoon; but better!"

And then my laptop crashed again and it took literally the entire afternoon to restart itself.
Yeah. That completely killed the mood for me. So I was rather frustrated, and sulked for a good hour or something while I tried to process my feelings.

Then I grew bored and decided I was going to draw anyway, but for fun.
Something sparkly and rainbow sounded good.
So anyway. That's the story behind this drawing.

Pretty experimental? But I think it's okay. I had fun. Even if I was still a little miffed.

Scottsmen, Snacks and Space Spiders

WOW. This week was good!
I did a stupid amount of comic work (sketched all the backgrounds I had been neglecting for 4 months, colored 2 pages and redrew a bad page from scratch.. AND inked and colored it!) did a whole buncha light and shadow study work, and even had time to draw for fun in the form of my Interstellar Institute kids! (AKA my sci-fi found-family space adventure)

So yeah!
Despite how tired and nauseous I am, I feel great.
God's been good to me.

Tried putting that shading theory into practice here.. dunno how correct the shadows are, but boy I had fun with the colors. <3

Kinda sunrise-y, kinda homey. Which is what I was going for, cuz this is Hamish's last day on planet earth. He won't be coming back until 10-15 years later; when he's over 30 or something.
Being a part of a massive social experiment takes time, okay?? XD Ah, but in all seriousness, he's super stoked to be getting the chance to visit literally hundreds of planets and to help further the connections between alien species.

A bit naive atm, but he'll grow. :)

"Howdya get here without a boat, old dude?"

 3 more weeks until Christmas, an only four til New Years.
I do not like this information. It alarms me.
Last I checked we still had ages til 2022.

On an unrelated note, I'm still playing LoZ Phantom Hourglass. And I've become invested enough to create my own fake screenshots.
Make of that what you will.

 I've gotten the last sea chart a few days ago. Kinda cheated by looking up how to bypass all the rooms with minimal damage, but I didn't feel like I needed that extra stress, so I don't feel guilty.
Kinda sad my adventure is coming to a close, but that's what replaying the entire thing is for I guess. :)

Mistakes were Made in the Temple of the Ocean King

 I found my brother's old LoZ Phantom Hourglass cartridge this week.
Uh...
Might've inspired me a lil bit?

Maybe?

 It's been WAY too long since I've played a new video game, and I am loving the experience that is sailing on a ship with a wonderful AWFUL captain, solving really fun interactive puzzles with boomerangs and shovels, and almost dying in old temple dungeons to terrifying knights of pure darkness.

It stresses me out at times, but it is so satisfying when I solve a problem by myself. And it makes me laugh at how goofy it is at times, and I love it for it.

Don't think I've ever managed to play a Zelda game past the tutorial town before, either.
I mean... I had lots of fun jumping off towers with chickens and vibing to music in Twilight Princess, but I don't think that counts as 'playing the game'. (To be fair, I was 10 or something. Would've gotten slaughtered if I had gone further than that IMO XD)

Anyway. That's what I've been doing in between drawing and doing house chores.
It's good.

I'll probably be drawing Zelda stuff over the next few days. Least until I stop fixating on it. :)

Lil' Sketch

 Ha. Coulda sworn I would've done something before Saturday. Alas, my brain got derailed, so I don't have anything that interesting to share.

Maybe next week. If I don't get so anxious I can't hold a pen properly, anyway.

 *wanders off and tries to find something to distract bucket of nerves that is my brain*

Sleepy Devil and Casual Karate Kid

 Another week bites the dust. Still trying to be kind to myself, but also immerse myself back into my routine of comic making, art lessons, and general shenanigans. It's a tricky balance, but I've been keeping myself in check alright so far.

Not much to say apart from that. But I think that's good news.

I think my Moshi Monster fixation is slowing coming to a close. The ideas are getting smaller. The urges and prompts give me less dopamine reward.
But it has been really neat drawing the kids that are basically the reason I got into online MMORPG games in the first place. And to what I think helped push me to get better at drawing.
Moshi Monster gave me an opportunity to share my art online for the first time in my small, young life... which led me to Club Penguin, which eventually evolved into me finding Animal Jam, and that inspired me to create a silly blog about Vampire kangaroos that were allergic to cinnamon.
The rest is history.
It's a long, weird path... but it is still relevant.