That's a LOT of art

 Right. This week of February somehow felt longer and busier than all of January combined. And January had already been pretty long and busy.

I mean, I'm always busy? Busy drawing, and busy keeping my mental and emotional health on top as I mender through daily chores and routines? But I somehow made 5 pictures with a background this week. One for every day of the week; except Friday. But on Friday I decided "I've drawn so much, I need to take a break".  So I cleaned up 1500 words of fanfiction instead.

Like I said. I've been busy.

Yup. I drew all of that this week. 5 days.
Normally I'm lucky if I have the energy to make one impressive thing per week. So this has been a surprise for all of us.

I'd love to get used to this type of productivity, but I have the feeling my ADD has been fueling my desire and ability to create, and the other half was God's blessing. Definitely couldn't have made any of this off my own back, that's for sure.

And also I wanted to make sure my twin had something nice to look forward to at the end of each day.
Yeah, that's right. I miss you and love you very much, and need to make sure you know I was doing my best and working hard <3

... these 13 weeks are going to be very long, aren't they? XD WHELP, if this week was anything to go by, I'm gonna be drawing a lot of stuff so bring it on!

Let's see what the next seven days will take us!

Snowy Mountain Ninjas

 ..........

*Hand motion to the ninja dorks I'm still obsessed with*

 I mean??? can you blame me? If Jay had the powers to effortlessly lift the heaviest guy in the squad, and if Cole had actually stuck with dance classes because disappointing his dad is a fate worse than death, until it wasn't then of course he's gonna let his best friend carry him around like a graceful sack of potatoes! It's a novel experience for both of them.
So of course I have to draw them. My hand was tied, your honor! Had to do it! Had to!

Grief, Ice!Cole and Earth!Jay are so much fun to think about.

Compact Strength

News flash! ... or, whatever the opposite of a news flash is. Old news? Continued news that surprises no one? Whatever. I'm still obsessed with the candy colored ninjas of Spinjitsu. And that probably won't change for a little bit.
But I'm leaning heavily towards the AU me and my twin created a few weeks ago. *shrug* what can I say? Swapping elemental powers is always a fun way to explore characters and test the bounds of creativity. These dorks are no exception.

Words cannot describe how much I love the short weak one of the gang getting the powers to control the earth and lift mountains (or all his friends at once). He'd love it like a dachshund loves standing on something to make it feel taller.
It's endearing and stupid and I love him for it.

Do I say more? I could, but I don't feel like it today.
Enjoy your weekend and see you again next time folks! And just like the news (even if it's old news) I'll be back next week. Take care <3

Skatin'

 Another long week of January bites the dust and I still can't believe it's not March or May or something equally far off into the future
Must've been all the long nights of insomnia I've been having. Or it's just the time blindness; either is a real possibility, and I can't judge what the real answer is right now

But anyway! I got....... a little obsessed with an idea earlier this week, and as a result I made a lot of figure drawings based on ice skating.

This man is fabulous. I love him a little more than a normal amount, and I will continue to think about him until I stop.
That is all you need to know right now.

I bid thee folks adieu until next week. *proceeds to slide backwards and out the door into the night* FAREWELL BRAVE SOUL

Pour, Pour on Me

 Make me forget the dark
Hide me in your falling shelter
As I drown
Let it quench my thirst
And make me remember
That not all moments need to be bright
or sweet, or painless
And all moments
dark, heavy, and painful
only last a moment
before the next one comes

There is comfort in your storm
Cause every drop reminds me of your blessings

Pour it all on me
Spare not your life
and renew me daily
So I can dance in your storm

Master of Ice, Slicing and Dicing

Wow. That was the longest first week of a new year I think I've ever experienced. Feels like 2 months should've passed, so you can imagine my incredulity at finding out it's only been seven days. ONLY seven days.
Time blindness is truly a magical experience.

Like, take this picture! I was not aware I drew this on Sunday. Completely and totally forgot I made this a few days ago (instead of ages go like I emotionally believed) and I'm not quite sure what to do with this information except internally scream because wHAT do you MEAN I made this on Sunday-!?

ANYWAY. The Ninjago obsession is still going strong, and it's gaining speed.
Don't ask me when I'm going to be free. No one knows that information. Not even me.

And thus ends the first seven days of 2023. With me being mildly alarmed and doing what I do most; make art with no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going. And the next week will likely be similar, but only one way to find out!!
See you guys until then! PEACE!

Why am I here again, and why can't I find the door to get out?

 Not gonna lie, out of all the things I expected to do on the last week of 2022, becoming obsessed about an old tv show about bright-coloured spinning ninjas made of lego was not one of them. AND YET, here I am! Doing just that! And I love it hate every second I am stuck in this hole that I jumped in by myself

SO YEAH. That's what I've been doing this week!
ADHD is a magical experience that takes you for a ride, that's for certain.

 I'm just hoping this Ninjago phase doesn't last for 6 months (like the Hamtaro obsession I had earlier this year) but if it does you bet I'm going to make the most of it and try to get as much comic experience out of this as possible!
I've already successfully made a short sketch comic about Zane and Kai within 3 days. That bodes. But honestly, everything is always unpredictable and I'll play it by ear.
Who knows what's going to happen in 2023 after all!

... literally anything, and that scares me. But it always does, so it changes nothing. I'll keep doing my best and take it one day at a time.

I don't have anything much to say, but I can say 2022 was a year that I'm glad happened, despite all the crazy things that I had to live through.
Sure, I didn't make that portfolio that I said I'd try to do at the start of this year (and in all honesty I completed forgot I was meaning to do that XD) but I looked back at all the things I posted on Instagram and I was like "Cool! Look at all this stuff I did! How'd I do any of this??" so that must mean I did good! :3 And I'm content, so what more do I want right now?

And despite my anxiety, I did a lot of new things that I've never done before, AND I survived a few bad spells without giving into the inner darkness and turmoil. So that's cool too!

Anyway! I've got things to do, and only 4 hours until the new year, so I'm going to go and enjoy myself.
I'll see you all next year! I hope all of you guys survived 2022, and may 2023 be full of good things and good people for all of you <3 Take care!

The magic of Sun and Rain

 It's the Eve before Christmas, and yet I am stuck still thinking it's November and feeling like it's October.
What else is new, though?

 Intellectually I am aware it is Christmas Eve, but emotionally? Well, I'm not quite there yet.
Maybe it's because it's been a lovely and cool summer so far, and because it's not hot enough to melt my skin I've been stuck thinking "Oh, it's not Christmas yet. Gotta wait a little bit longer" and it still hasn't happened yet.

And maybe it's because I've been thinking about other things lately. I haven't had any interest in the holiday spirit or even listening to Christmas music. This is fine; Christmas is a state of mind anyway, and once January or February rolls around I'll probably let all my festivities out in then. I'm not bound by any mortal or law to celebrate holidays at the traditional months or weeks.
For now, I'm content with resting and drawing my brain kiddies a little more.

Been drawing Sadness a lot this week because I needed to look after her, but now I feel like I can trust Joy to look after her for me.
It's been a nice, dark and rainy Christmas Eve today. Even if I don't feel any holiday spark, I at least felt these two getting along and working together to create memories I'll cherish (or forget) for next year.
Who knows what's going to happen next year. But at least this year is almost over and I'm still here, so that's a good start.

Still can't believe I drew a little comic about these two last year to be honest XD I don't know how I did that.
But anyway! I hope you guys have happy holidays and I'll see you all again next week to sound off the old year. Hope you're all doing okay too <3

Little Emotions

Behold! Little tiny Emotions, to brighten your day and mine!

 They're small and full of big feelings, and I am here for it

Sweet Sadness

 How're you doing, folks? Having a good day? Yes? No? Maybe?
Well, having a little Sadness in your day is bound to make it better. I know mine did when I drew her! <3

 So if you're not having a good day, accept the inevitability of needing a few minutes of quiet time and let yourself be absorbed by the loving embrace of someone who knows exactly what you're going through right now.
You don't even have to thank her- she does it because she loves you and wants a few minutes of quietness too.

Go to her.
... or don't. You don't have to right now. She'll be there all the same until you need her.
It's all cool. XD

Sitches and Stars

 My head is empty. There is not a thought in my head except of pokemon and anxious wrecks trying to please everyone and having no idea how to do it without having a breakdown.

But there is this thing I drew a few days ago, and I think it's pretty neat! So why not. Let me share with you good folks.

I've been thinking about drawing stitches like constellations for a while. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.
You may go about your day again. I shan't disrupt you again until we meet again briefly next week <3

The Pokemon obsession is Real, folks

Take a wild, random stab in the dark and guess what I've been doing this week.
Uh-huh. Playing Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.

And I might've gotten a little.... invested on the way.

 

 I am honestly shocked how quickly I became obsessed with this game, considering I was intensely indifferent to it's announcement, video game trailers, and eventual release into the wide world. Yet I have been consumed in my new adventures with my little singing fire crocodile and have woken up early and gone to bed late almost every night because I've been playing this game so much.
I need to sleep for a thousand years, but that can wait until I've finished the game. XD

"What do you mean tomatoes aren't supposed to stab you like this"

Howdy everyone! Nice to see you all here again this week.
I could talk about  a few things I did during the last few days, but honestly the most interesting thing I did was finding out I've been allergic to tomatoes for most of my life and didn't realize it until someone said "and if you ever eat something that makes your mouth numb or tingly, it's probably an allergic reaction!" XD

Okay, so 'allergy' is probably an overreaction XD I don't get sick when I eat tomatoes, and the worst thing that happens to me is my tongue feels like a pincushion, but I'm still amused that it took me this long to figure out I had an allergy to one of my favorite savory fruits

And to make things even better, I made a quick comic about this truly riveting and exciting discovery (and I'm not even being sarcastic about it! XD)

I'm now hyper aware of this new thing that's in my life, but I expect the novelty will wear off after a little while.
Until then I'm still chuckling at myself because good grief it's very funny learning this kind of thing about yourself, and it WOULD take me this long to figure out something so obvious and I love it

Baltering

 *Deep and intense sigh of relief* glad that week I had was better than the last one. Still feeling anxiety and tiredness, but the anxiety is the normal cycle I'm used to and the tiredness is deserved because I've been drawing a lot (and enjoying every second of it too)

Joy's doing better too.
Can't believe they were falling apart not even 2 weeks ago... memory is fickle, but good thing I've made records, so maybe I can use my new experiences as fun anecdotes one day.

 

Anyway!  Even if these are just sketches, they made me really happy to draw and I'm actually proud of how fluid they feel to me.
The simple colors and shading pleases me a lot too- low effort, but I kinda dig it honestly <3

Hope you guys are doing well on whatever end your on. I'll see you again next week, and I wish you the best on whatever quest and trivial trials you're on.

Assuaging the Unyielding

 Cool. That was a week I just went through.
Somehow I got through it all though, and I'm... actually kinda glad all of the bad stuff happened to me. Well, not bad per se. Just super uncomfortable and I wanted it to stop. But there was a lot of good things that came from the uncomfortable feelings, and I'm grateful for them all.
okay, maybe not all of them, but hey! Character development is character development, amiright? I can't be fussy how I grow as a person XD

 Or, I guess I should say I shouldn't be fussy how my Joy gets character development. But it's more or less the same thing in the long run.
My stubbornness to be cheerful and look at everything in the best possible light can be admirable, but when I'm ignoring reality and pretending I'm not dying on the inside it becomes a destructive habit I don't have the strength to break. Or something like that, anyway.
This isn't a new problem for me, but it's one I think I'm finally coming to terms with.

I'll watch with interest and see how I (and my emotions) keep developing.

Christmas Beetle Nostalgia

 Once again I am tired, but it's a different flavor of tired and I approve of the variety.
At least I'm starting to draw without feeling like death again. That's a good start.
Hopefully when November hits I'll feel more better, but we'll see. <3

..... oH NO I just realized it's almost November!! OCTOBER!!! You have betrayed me by ending so soon! What am I going to do now it's getting warmer with longer days?
Grin and bear it, I guess XD Like I do every year.

 But one thing I'm actually looking forward to about summer is the hope of these lil' guys coming out again- Christmas beetles!
I didn't see many last year, and I'm a little afraid they might not come back this year.. but it'd be neat if they did <3 I miss these cute buggers a lot.

Rest

 A week later and I'm still thinking about my Inside Out emotions.
It's just nice knowing they're in the background of my mind and they're doing a lot better than they were last year.

Even if I'm too mentally tired to think about the hard stuff, it's good to have them in times when rest is needed. Rest means it's time to wait, and waiting means safety. Safety is good.

"You can feel the 70s crawling up your back, and it's very colorful"

 Ahh.. I've been thinking about giving my Inside Out emotions tie dye shirts to wear for a while, but I guess this week was the perfect time to do it.

 I am still mentally tired, but I am happy how these turned out.

Lots of squid kid sketches (and one octo lad)

*Me, looking at the weeks of hints and obvious signs my body has been giving me about needing a real rest and the chance to recover from another burnout phase* "Is this laziness?" XD

Nah but seriously, I've had a nice week. I was of course a little frustrated I couldn't draw or study art like was hoping, but I made it out alive and I don't feel too bad right now. Splatoon3 came at a good time because it's given my brain something more interesting to do than look sadly at my cintiq tablet and wish I could draw without feeling like death. So that's a thing I'm really thankful for.

 

 I've also been revisiting all my splatoon characters and being delighted I have more ideas about them now. :3 When I get more energy I really want to draw them some more.... but for now all those stories will have to stay in my head. Boo! XD

I wish you guys the best and I hope your surviving despite everything life is throwing at you. Catch y'all next time! <3 (hopefully with more energy)

Dark sky, Bright rain

 Hm. Despite my scrupulous savings, I am still short on change this weekend.
No, I don't mean money. I mean mental energy. Haha, been one of those weeks where every actions seems so expensive to do, and I've been avoiding anything 'unnecessary' for the last few days now. Also my perfectionism habits are creeping back in, and I don't like that. XD

But anyway! It's been a good week, and I'm glad it's almost over now. And now enters a new month full of new surprises and trials! ..... But I'll deal with that nonsense tomorrow. When I've got the spoons for it.

 Not much to say about this artwork. :3 I start sketching it a few weeks ago, and then CPS crashed on me and I thought I had lost it forever. Then I discovered (a few days later, still a few weeks ago) that some of it was spared from being lost to the ether! Much rejoicing was had!
And then after I had finished sketching it and colored it, I forgot about it for a week like the ADD person I am XD And then I added shading and special effects a few days ago. A wild ride for a picture I didn't think would be so much trouble, and yet here we are <3

Yeah. I'm just gonna.. go now before I run out of cash for the rest of the night. That cool with you guys? Cool!
See you lads next week! Hope you have a good one until then <3