12 Years

 It's that time of year again, folks! My imaginary kids are getting older and I'm getting wiser.

Or if not wiser, at least more skilled in art, which is something infinitely more practical I think. 

Originally I was planning to make two pieces for today, almost as mirrors to each other and to express that even if my characters change shape and get put into a different world, they're still the same at the core.

But then after drawing this I realized "Wait. I don't want to redraw these five characters again. NEVERMIND, this is good enough!" but at least I got the important version of my idea onto paper! XD

Just look at these idiots go. The OG terrible trio with my other favorites on either side. Y'know, thinking about it now, if Reginald and Harland had been there while this was still an AJ plushie blog, it would've been so fun to have bought a big wolf plushie and just stuck it next to the long noodle-boy that was Midnight's plush. Would've been very funny in my opinion. XD

 But anyway! Cheers, you funky lil animal weirdos that still haunt my brain to this day. Can't wait to see how you infiltrate through my other stories and grow into new exciting flavors of yourselves!

Old Core Memory back from the dead

 First time in about a month I've been home on a Saturday! Still exhausted, but at least it's nice to be home for a while before whatever is about to happen... happens again. XD

But while the horrors outside my head might persist for a little longer, I've at least got some horrors inside my head to entertain me too. 

Probably not orthodox, but getting back into my zombie obsession from my tweenhood-teenhood has been a good way to deal with burnout and exhaustion. Not sure how long this is going to keep me interested, but for now it's all I could need.
Would be cool if I ever wrote a proper story about this trope though, because I know I'd have a lot of fun with it.

Attained: Memories of Gold Coast

 *Dramatic swig of apple juice before thunking it down on a wooden table*

So.

It's been a long, very long, long and rough couple of weeks lately. Pretty much every weekend since my last blog update we've been traveling back and forth across states. Which is obviously very tiring, and between that and not having access to my drawing tablet on the days where I'd usually be drawing the most, that means I haven't had the energy to post on my blog lately.

Which is fine! Some times of life will be like that, and I'm glad I'm not obsessive enough to think not posting my weekly artwork means I'm a bad person.  But still! For the first time in a while, I've had the spoons to think about doing this, so let's do this and do this in style:

Normally I'm the kind of person who doesn't take pictures of anything, preferring to let my memory and emotions do the work of photos. But after that one experiment I did a few months ago, I've been on the lookout for opportunities to do something like that again. And I figured "why not this?" as a way to make sure I had some positive memories mixed with all the exhausting ones. And a fun creative project too, of course! XD

And even if today has been the first real Sabbath that we've gotten to slow down and relax in (despite still being in the Gold Coast) I'm hoping next week will go smoother than the last few weeks. But only one way to find out, I guess! 

Who needs the sun when you could stand next to someone with a really bright disposition?

 Considered not making a post this week because I was tired and figured I hadn't drawn anything really interesting. Then remembered this blog is as much a record of my shenanigans outside of drawing, even if it's primarily a visual reference for how much my skills have improved over the years.

Anyway! I'm far from home this weekend, and despite all attempts upon my sanity I am still kicking. Wooh! 

It's not everyday you take a drive to a different state to spend time with your mother at a different public hospital, that's for sure XD

"Any brighter than that and you could see it from space-"

 *stares into the void, sipping an apple cider through a long twisting straw*

Well!

Wasn't expecting to get hyper-fixated on a new OG idea, but then again... am I ever? 

I've had a long week, but at least we got glowing vampires showing their new travel partner what happens when a bunch of people are scared of the dark and decide that best way to fix that problem was to build the biggest eyesore for miles around XD

Breaktime

 Okay!

NOW ArtFight is over! Now I can put down my pen, fall backwards and give myself a well deserved rest after a month's long grind to balance quantity with quality.

It was a good fight! But I'm completely done now, so here. Take this sketch and let me go back to bed-

-where I'm going to brainstorm some new ideas and make some concept art for it.

I'll also play video games too, don't worry! But what else was I gonna do on a Saturday night? XD 

Vision restored! Rejoice!

 *Radio crackle* WE INTERRUPT YOUR USUAL WEEKLY BLOG UPDATE WITH A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

VISION HAS BEEN RESTORED! I REPEAT, VISION HAS BEEN RESTORED!!! 

Seriously tho, it's nice to have a new pair of glasses that helps me see beyond my immediate vicinity XD And pair that with my new pen (for my drawing tablet) I can now see better and draw without fighting for control every second or third stroke!

So now all I have left to do is draw two more attacks, and then I can officially collapse and retire from ArtFight! Here's hoping my crash landing is at least a little more graceful than last year! XD  

Dawn (Bringer) and Ray(bies)

 *claps hands together* OKAY

Final stretch of ArtFight, here we come!  Still haven't crashed and burned yet, so I'm hoping that now that the finish line is in sight I'll be able to get my second wind and cover all the ground I want before the month ends.

My goal is to make 8 more attacks before ArtFight is over. So if I can do 1.5 attacks a day, I should be able to do just fine. Maybe! XD

Til then, I'm pouring all my time into making attacks, but here's something I made the week before: 

Some OCs I was thinking about for about a day. But only one day, because I needed something new to play with that I could put back in the box very easily. And these two girls fit that bill perfectly XD 

Maybe later I'll come back and play with them properly, but for now they exist and that is all they need to do. 

Inside Out sketches

 Right! Halfway through the month, and I've made 16 attacks on ArtFight so far. My goal is to make 30 attacks this year, but even if I don't quite make it, I'm pretty pleased with all of the stuff I've drawn so far.

I've had to take a few days off to make sure I didn't burn out (too badly), but I'm hoping to get the momentum to make more art next week :3 

Gotta make sure to give myself time to draw personal stuff, too. Need to give myself treats too! At least a few times during the week! XD

Making stupid little flower crowns for stupid little friends who are too stupid to understand that you don't hate their stupud little heads

 Now with ArtFight truly kicked off, and me only having to deal with another power outage to make me restless for an afternoon, I think I'm starting to get into my groove for this month! Already made 10 attacks, which on the one hand? Maybe not as impressive as what some other people manage, but I'm personally happy with the pace I'm setting for myself, and I hope I can successfully draw another 20 before the month is over.

Although me having enough time and energy to draw personal stuff is going to be rare, it won't be impossible! As this week proved to me XD 

Made about four pages of concept comic pages for Bristly and Lapis, which still gives us big feelings if the fact me and my big sister still haven't gotten over this development for these idiots' relationship XD

We'll see what the next week offers us! And regardless, I'm going to look forward to what I'm about to draw next! :3 

Bored out of our minds

 Well! First few day of ArtFight has gone well for me! Started with a scheduled power outage that meant I couldn't use my tablet for the half the day, and then on Friday I got a flu shot so meant my body had some fun things to deal with while I desperately tried to finish my first attack.

You know! Just typical starting line stuff hurdles. XD

Jokes aside tho, I'm pretty happy with how my first drawing went, and I think it's one of the biggest pieces I've ever made for ArtFight (so far) 

 A collection of Ennui's! There's been a small surge of people adding their Inside Out sonas onto ArtFight, and since that timed perfectly with my own IO obsession coming back, I figured I might as well do something with it.

We'll see what else I draw during the month, but I'd say I am pretty excited to see what I do next! 

Eyes of the Beholder (I believe I'm a monster. So what does that make you?)

 Right! June is almost over. The official countdown to ArtFight has begun, and with it any last preparations I needed to make have been done. Now all that's left for me is to bide my time until the whistle blows and I can throw the first punch at whatever unsuspecting passerby that catches my interest first.

But until then! I'm pouring out all of my creative juice into a project I can easily put back down again once July hits America! 

I can't lie, there's a good chance the first attack I'll make in ArtFight this year is going be against a mermaid character. I'm having so much fun with mine, it'd be a shame if I don't share the love a little more XD

Useless fighter vs. Defenseless coward

Taking things slow and steady. Just rebuilding whatever motivation and endurance I'm going to need for ArtFight in a few weeks.

I guess being bored and not having anything specific to be hyperfixated on is a good thing right now. Means when I am supposed to pour my heart and soul into July, I'll be biting at the bit and ready to go.

Til then, making little sketches about all the RK things me and my sister have been talking about has been good. 

Nothing like watching an entire room getting slaughtered by your Knight and political rival, only to face down someone who (for some reason) thinks you're still the most dangerous thing in the room.

Briar's been having a weird week, to say the least.  

The White Sheep of the family

Right! Now that I've properly gotten over being sick, it's now just a matter of getting the momentum to draw like I usually do. And sure, I've had some days that I've had to spend face-down on the floor, but for the most part I've been pretty content with what my hands have been finding to do.

Especially all the Rose Knight stuff I've been making: 

Congratulations, Morgan! We now have a clearer idea what your parents are like, and now I can't imagine the story without them.
I am so sorry tho, you're now related to Tara. But no helping that, I suppose XD

The place where we played

 Okay, so this week didn't pan out how I expected it to. But once I realized that I wasn't having a really bad case of anxiety but instead having a minor anxiety attack WHILE being sick, I cheered up significantly and readjusted my expectations for what I could do in accordance to that.

I've spent most of my week being either too tired and sick to play games, and then being too tired and sick to draw (but enjoying video games, thankfully) and yesterday I stared into space like "I want to draw. I don't want to play video games for 4-5 hours in the afternoon anymore. But I'm still not feeling good enough to 'make' anything new..."

But I found something to keep my hand busy and to get my confidence back, even if it was a little unorthodox. :3

Before we moved to our new house, I was doing some kind of... arty-3-month online uni course or something. I remember it stressing me to hell and back, because I had never done anything like this before and I was unused to the idea of working with a LOT of things I had never tried before (like making paper collages and working with charcoal and paint and stuff) but one of the things I remember having to do was take some pictures for "inspiration" for the assignments we were given.

Long story short, I collected as many of those pictures I took for my uni assignments and just... thought it would be fun to draw over the top of one of them, in an effort to recreate some childhood vibes.
I played on that brick wall a lot. I banged rocks into dust under the shade and made games with chalk on the driveway and scratched shapes onto the wall and watched ants go about their anty business.

I wish I had taken more pictures of the house. But at least I have this one to keep close to myself now. 

Panic! And Boredom! At the Disco!

 Once again getting inspired by a song and using it as a springboard for some good old fashioned creativity! Because as if ONCE wasn't enough this week. XD

Social anxiety has never sounded so boppy before XD 

"I'm trying to accurately depict an anxiety attack and you're not helping"

Funny thing happened on the way to getting up on an average Tuesday morning and having no idea what I was going to draw, but knowing I wanted it to engage me on at least two different vectors.

Also funny thing happened when I was browsing through what kind of song to listen to while I warmed up my hand for drawing said nebulous and engaging thing.

Turns out one triggered the other and I haven't been able to stop drawing about a comic about Anxiety's average day, but to the lyrics of a song I already liked but it'll be imprinted in my brain forevermore after it's over!

Such is the way of inspiration, as always. XD

Sleeping on the job

Okay

So maybe saying to myself "you know what I should do this week? Rewrite 9 character bios for ArtFight within a week, AND write up 8 brief descriptions for the relationship every character has with EVERYBODY ELSE" was maybe a little ambitious.

And maybe I should've have been surprised when I felt like death before the week was out. XD

But all things considered, I'm happy with the progress I've made so far! And I've done more than half the work, so with any luck I'll get the rest finished well before July hits! 

In the meantime tho, I'm following Ennui's lead and I'm going to crash out. With any luck I won't wake up until a thousand years has passed XD

Hanging out at the Sniper's nest

 Howdy, folks! Spent most of my week writing again. Writing and sleeping, actually! Been going through a weird time when my brain needs more rest, I think. Or at least more rest during the times when I want to be awake XD

Despite that though, I think I've managed to mitigate most of the damage and whatever else I needed. Still going to take it easy, but I'm happy to be poking my big SWH2 fanfic project with a stick this much. 

Nice to be back in a small SWH2 mood, too! Haven't fallen in that deep yet, but the ground is soft and anything could happen.  

Seas, Skies, and the Shattered World

 Right! Out of all the things I expected to happen this week, getting invested in writing and drawing SteamWorld Heist shenanigans was not one of them. But this has been a welcome distraction from everything else! Nice to get back into the robot stuff again.

 Was pretty proud of the colors for this came out. Definitely want an excuse to play with more tropical colors again!