The Other Side

(For the Artist Asks Game back in March)

It's not a single comment, but every now and then, this post of old sketches of the Stan Twins dancing the tango gets liked/reblogged.

And almost every time, I'm treated to such delightful praise from people saying how much seeing these doodles of Stanley and Stanford made them happy, finding them sweet and wholesome. They're just tiny little doodles, but people really respond well to seeing characters interacting together! As a bonus, there are those same sketches in a higher res, with little coins for size comparison!

(For the Artist Asks Game back in March)

Someone once told me that I draw really gentle eyes on the characters I draw sometimes. Thinking about that makes me feel warm and want to keep going. And thank you! I'm glad that my little dragon fellas are appreciated.

(For the Artist Ask Game back in March) Here's some free samples of other characters I adore! Junkrat and Roadhog, back when I used to play a ton of Overwatch. As far as I can remember, I adore the OW cast as a whole, but these two are among my top favorites (I was a Junkrat main because I can't aim to save my life). And yes, I ship these trashy boys together.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede. I haven't drawn this set of characters as much as I would've liked (nor have I played the games yet, aside from Kirby Fighters 2), but they're a lot of fun to think about! I've also enjoyed more Metadede fanfics than I'd like to admit.

Kris and Susie from Deltarune. I also ship these two, in part due to the personal associations made with someone I was very close to once. One sketchbook has a back section dedicated to pages of these characters. Maybe someday I'll post those old drawings, if and whenever Deltarune gets a big update in the future.

Aizawa and Fatgum from My Hero Academia. Also another ship, and I'm so not sorry. I haven't kept up with the anime lately, but it makes me happy thinking about a stinky, sleepy stoic in the arms of a big, warm teddy bear of a man.

I don't know what kind of personality of mine you can infer from these characters, but I'd like to hear your thoughts!

If I wasn't so keen on maintaining a polished and consistent look for my art blog (which, let's be honest, I've done a terrible job with), I'd be posting more fandom art alongside personal projects and solemn art of sad/angry dragons.

(For the Artist Asks Game back in March) 3. Least favourite things to draw?

I answered this in a previous ask, but I'll go a bit further in detail.

The human head/face at different angles. This is my artistic Achilles heel, moreso than hands and feet. Something about the way the jawline and neck looks when a character is looking up throws me off. Any figure drawing practice I do these days is focused on trying to get this right. 4. Favourite things to draw?

Animals in general, including anthros/furries, but I've got a soft spot for birds and their feathered wings.

Mythological creatures make up the majority of subjects in my sketchbooks. Dragons, minotaurs, and guardian lions are my typical favorites. If I could get into a better habit of finishing my illustrations, I'd be sharing more art of biblically accurate angels.

Thank you, I love them too!

8. What do you like most about your own work?

What I like most about my own work is that I've had other people tell me that they felt seen and understood. That it made them happy or touch them in a way that inspires them to make art for themselves. The amount of art I've been able to create or even share lately has been abysmal to the say the least, but my love for a subject matter really knows no bounds once I can really get the ball rolling. I can and will draw a character I love hundreds of times and not get tired of seeing their face. And I will embed a piece of myself in each drawing every time.

I think this fella I recently drew encapsulates what I'm all about.

Endless amounts of rote learning via drawing. It's the most boring ass advice, but that's really how you can improve your skills and get comfortable with drawing particularly challenging things. If you've got a dragon's hoard of sketchbooks, I'd pick one you like the least and dedicate that as your study sketchbook for all things anatomy-related. In both our cases, we could have a sketchbook just for drawing heads/faces in different angles. And whether or not you make drawing a daily practice is up to you and the level of commitment you want to put in. Just be intentional with practicing each time sit down and draw some faces. If you feel like you're strapped for time, you may as well put your all into your next drawing of your OC and try drawing their face in an angle you find difficult. Don't even worry if it's not perfect. Try again with the same pose or different angle. Years and hundreds of drawings later, you'll be proud that you did your best at the time and didn't give up. I hope this helps ya!

13. Show your favourite drawing from last year This was commissioned by @mousseketeerz last year and I remember being really happy with how those poppy flowers looked. And thinking to myself "Damn... I never really lost my edge with drawing Eyeball." Drawing this character for years during my 'Steven Universe' days paid off in being able to draw them by muscle memory.

As for a piece from another year, back in 2018, I remember being quite fond of this one so much that I had a print of it on my wall.

I was really on something to have drawn an insane amount of art for Eyeball, who was a minor antagonist at best in the show's canon. Spiritual iconography and all that.

Multiple questions are fine! 3. Least favourite things to draw? Heads at different angles, necks, shoulders... just that area of the body in general mystifies me (particularly in humans/humanoids). I find drawing hands to be a much more relaxing time to the point where messing up fingers doesn't trip me up the way drawing someone with their chin up does.

17. What inspires you?

These days, I find inspiration through other works of art. In my free time, I've been reading fanfiction for a movie I love and it's been urging me to draw fanart out of appreciation for the rollercoaster of emotions it's been putting me through. I'm a sucker for excellent writing. 21. Weirdest thing you’ve ever drawn?

I thought of posting an old weird drawing on Valentine's Day (it was a Valentines-themed fanart for a cartoon I loved) but ultimately decided against it. 14-year old me would've thought nothing of it and hoped you would print and pass it out as cards for your friends and loved ones though. Maybe someday, it'll see the light of day again.

(Even though I already answered this in a previous ask, I'll simply give a different answer!) I've wanting to draw actual dragon characters that have been floating around in my head or, at best, existing as concepts in my sketchbooks. In the past, I kept putting out detailed pen sketches of random, nameless dragons and I'm getting pretty bored of it. A dragon-themed story is something I've been wanting to do for years now. I'm getting to the threshold of throwing my doubts to the wayside and just commit to a project and finally see where it takes me.

6. Which artists inspire you right now?

I absolutely love what @canisalbus is doing with their gay Italian dog people characters, Machete and Vasco. What I wouldn't give to own an art book of this intense Catholic guilt-ridden man and his handsome and charming boyfriend. Their art speaks for itself. Please go check it out (cw: blood/gore). Every piece they put out with these characters is gorgeous and visceral in ways I can hardly describe. Even the silly doodles they draw are so pretty, I swear. The narrative they tell through the more serious pieces have me enthralled, especially the ones that depict such never-ending longing for someone you love. I've been a long time fan of their work, but last year I think, they've been doing so much art of their characters and it's been a delight. So much so that it just makes me want to grab an empty sketchbook from my bookshelf and start filling it with my own characters hugging and kissing like there's no tomorrow. Really, I just want to make art that is just as beautiful and touching.

5. Anything you haven’t drawn yet but want to?

God, so many things... the choice paralysis is real when you want to start (and complete) every project and drawing idea that seizes your mind, but you've only got so much energy in the day to execute them well. I'd say fanart for 'Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom' is way up there for stuff I've been wanting to draw for about a year now. Some Pokemon Scarlet stuff too, especially Koraidon. Probably my favorite box legendary since Lugia. I've also been wanting to draw some Kirby art since I got into the franchise a couple years ago, and 'Inside Out' stuff, especially since the sequel movie is gonna be a thing this summer and I'm really excited for it!