mcamandaart

[mcamandaart]

I didn't want to draw anything specific tonight, so I just did a little rendering. #dailydrawing #doodle https://www.instagram.com/p/CnOJbFIMNpC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mcamandaart]

#dailydrawing #sloppydrawing Definitely rushed to finish this, would have finessed some proportions of I was drawing this on the computer. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8TwE6s2UO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mcamandaart]

#dailydrawing #pencilandpen https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm40c28v90-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mcamandaart]

I've been working towards revamping my artistic social media presence for a few months now and finally sat down to update my little self portrait caricature. The one thing that stayed the same? My Neverending To Do List. I've also updated almost all of my accounts from mcmanamanimation (cuz my last name is McManaman and I have a degree in Animation. Haha!) To McAmanda.Art Oh I also have a linktree here!: https://linktr.ee/mcamanda.art Drawn on the ipad with Procreate! #selfportrait #caricature #procreate #mcamandaart #procreate https://www.instagram.com/p/CcVkfa6L3D4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mcamandaart]

I'd like to thank everyone who came to Wicked West Comic Expo this last weekend. It was the first convention I've been at and sold artwork in about 2 and a half years. I couldn't have had a better time, and it was so wonderful connecting with friends, fans and other artists. I'm looking forward to more conventions in the future! #thankyou #mcmanafan #wickedwestcomicexpo #wickedwestcomicexpo2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb8ZABaFBEo/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

Part 3 of The Adventure Zone: Balance fan coffee mug series. Merle is such an interesting character. It was so fun to see the McElroy brothers introduce their dad to Dungeons & Dragons and what an overall good sport he was. I would love to do the same with my family someday. We really got a chance to see Merle's character shine later in the overall story arc. Without giving away spoilers, his interactions with the villain were epic! #theadventurezone #thezonecast #merlehighchurch #coffeemug #fanart #zoneoftruth #extremeteenbible https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQgX8gFHxn/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

Part 2 of The Adventure Zone fan coffee mug series! Another previous sketch had Railsplitter next to the mug too but I needed to simplify it in the end. I've heard cosplayers of Magnus will sometimes hand out wooden ducks to people and I would flip out of I was handed one. From the podcast and graphic novels The Adventure Zone: Balance. Highly recommend. #tazbalance #thezonecast #magnusburnsides #woodenduck #coffeemug #fanart #theadventurezone https://www.instagram.com/p/CbNuXdRlwm3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

I can't believe I never posted this once I finished it! Who else is a fan of the Adventure Zone: Balance? I absolutely LOVED the podcast and I'm adoring the graphic Novels. This is the first series that I just had to incorporate catchphrases and quotes onto the coffee fan mugs. Anyways, if you like podcasts featuring fun fantasy stories created by a family playing dungeons & dragons together, I highly recommend it. #tako #theadventurezone #coffeemug #fanart #balance #tazbalance #thezonecast #abracafuckyou #umbrastaff https://www.instagram.com/p/CbLZYCnFc__/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

A little fanart from my favorite game "Horizon: Zero Dawn" I'm so excited for the new one, I can't wait to see it on the PS5! @horrizonforbiddenwest #aloy #aloyfanart #horizonzerodawn #horizonforbiddenwest https://www.instagram.com/p/CYpxs2eMhRw/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

Patreon Hiatus Post

I deactivated my Patreon for the time being, and doing so deleted the post about the reasons why. Here is a copy of the post: 

NOV 10, 2021 AT 3:02 PM

HIATUS: Full Time Job + Mental Health + New Projects

This post has been a long time coming, and hopefully this is will be as temporary as possible. But this account will be going on a hiatus for an unknown amount of time.

For the last couple years, I have been struggling with time management and focus. Truth be told, I started working full time again at another company because I feel that contributing to my family's financial wellness and our future is the most important thing to me at this point in my life. But working full time, and also having a social life, while also being married, and keeping a house, and trying to do artwork as a hobby let alone a career--is absolutely exhausting. Once in a great while I feel like I really am starting to get the hang of it, only to turn around and have a really busy month with household projects that throws everything off course again. I have been unable to reach my personal goals in my artwork for a long time. Even when I set aside specific time for artwork during the week, I am unable to fully commit to any one project, and I end up having too many things that I want to work on and I'm never sure what to focus on.

Additionally, over the years I've tried many times to work on teams of creators. It's something that I felt I had really wanted, because making a comic by myself has been so incredibly stressful and lonely, and I miss that collaborative feeling from college. But many times this has backfired and I've lost a lot of trust in other creators and tons of time that I put into our work. That's not to say that I've given up, but I am very very picky about the people who I give my time to nowadays. I can honestly say that recent projects, like West of Oz, has restored most of my faith and I'm looking forward to working on my portfolio as a comic colorist for future collaborative projects.

Currently, I am working on trying to create artwork that's just for myself again, as in I don't want to worry about the sale or value or whether or not other people like it. This is easier said than done of course, especially after years and years of trying to make products that people might want to buy. I'm also struggling finishing commissions, which is very unsettling as well. And while this kind of work is great for a lot of people and some artists are very good at cranking out products very quickly, it's very draining to me and can be discouraging when I don't feel successful. I don't think that I'll be doing many conventions in the next year or so, but I'll make announcements on other social media sites when I do. I'm hoping that when I do make the decision to come back into the art scene, that it's with a fresh big bang, you know?

I want it to be known though that I still want to create comics, and I'm not giving up! Luckily I still have plenty of projects that I'm slowly working on. It just so happens that 'Stars Falling Down' is not my main priority like I had hoped it would be (but will be again someday). I hope to announce a launch date soon, but I'm working on a webcomic with another creator, Nick Winand. We've already worked well together on West of Oz and kind of just fell into writing this one together. It's been nice to trust someone again. It's called 'Bubble and Trouble' and we already have a few episodes done, and a lot of word building and long-term plotlines written out too.  AND I'm working on a comic with my friend Laurissa! When we first started working on comics in around 2011-ish, we both had similar goals of what we had wanted to do. Like, no one wanted to do the lettering but we both wanted to draw. Since then, we've both gained different strengths and values and we're excited to work on a beautiful short romance story together.

So please stay tuned! Nick and I might try to get a Patreon going once our webcomic launches, or maybe something like Buy Me a Coffee. We're still figuring out logistics of being an adult with a regular posting schedule. And Laurissa and I are going to attempt to pitch this idea to publishers! But in the meantime, I think emotional support is the only thing I need for now.

Being an adult can be hard and we also are living through a pandemic on top of everything else that has been thrown at the millennial generation. Circumstances demands that we all be nicer to ourselves and each other. But I will struggle with this decision for a long time, and regret that I couldn't keep this up at this time.

I cannot thank each and everyone of you enough for any kind of support you've given to me over the years. I wouldn't be here without you, and it's only with you in mind that I make the announcement that I'm quietly bowing out for a little while. I know I'll see you again soon.

Keep in touch and love yourself please!

[mcamandaart]

Finally finished a new cartoon self portrait. Inspired from the artwork from Outer Worlds, this is essentially me. #selfportrait #cartoon #diagram #millenialartist #parttimeartist #procreate My first draft was done with acrylic markers in a sketchbook, but I wanted to do a cleaned up version. I'm surprised by how much I like orange lately. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTlH97flhzK/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

A project I completely forgot to share after they were printed! I LOVE making coloring books. Here is the first collection of A Month of Coloring! Based off of sketches and #dailydrawing 's I've done over the years! Happy Coloring! #smallbusiness #coloringbook #artist https://www.instagram.com/p/CSLI8Zfs4rD/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mcamandaart]

I finally sat down to do Life Drawing hosted by Visual Arts Passage. It was fun and I was rusty. Because it's online, everyone works based off of pictures of fully clothed individuals. But I loved being able to set aside time to do it, and I'd love to do it more regularly. The ones I did in copic marker aren't posted. They're almost embarrassing, it's not my best medium. I'll practice with them more and hopefully do better in the future. It was also fun to chat with @whimsyink while we worked together. #collegevibes #illustrationisolation #graphite https://www.instagram.com/p/CO2734fFBdh/?igshid=1f55rkn4c5x0i

[mcamandaart]

My #dailydrawing for today! I thought I'd keep with the one color theme as yesterday, maybe I'll end up with a rainbow over the next week! #tombowdualbrushpens https://www.instagram.com/p/CNOhFhfF_6f/?igshid=x6fqfu6ao18u

[mcamandaart]

Yesterday's #dailydrawing #tombowdualbrushpens #red Laurissa picked out the color during our call. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNOMbrRlILE/?igshid=euyqppoc1r7y

[mcamandaart]

Slowly getting into artwork again and I would like to do #dailydrawing 's when I can. Life is crazy and I'm tired all the time, but finishing this doodle today made me happy. It has a wintery feel to it, I can't believe Spring is already here. So some spring colors are right around the corner. https://www.instagram.com/p/CM8anuuFf5I/?igshid=klqv85i0uqvo

[mcamandaart]

They are here!! 2021 Wall Calendars! Give the gift of a New Year to your loved ones, and yourself. 🎁🎉🎄 $10 each, plus $5 for shipping. All images are black and white and handdrawn. Each calendar features a section of prompts to help you list the things that you are grateful for, and other positive aspects throughout the year. My favorite is September's which reads 'Time to Learn Something New'. Smaller than your average wall calendar they are easy to place in smaller office spaces. Each is 7"x10" when opened. I'm trying something new and adding my Venmo info. Send me a Venmo with contact info so I can get an address. Keep in mind that shipping this holiday season is In.Sane. so I can't guarantee any delivery dates. But I want to get them in the mail asap. There are some of you that live closer to me, you know who you are, and we can arrange a drop off of some kind. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! #smallbusiness #2021calendar #2021wallcalendar #procreate #blackandwhite #inspirational https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6ILjeFF8h/?igshid=17y3ken3g7ic0