#first rendered piece of 2025... that i started in 2024 lol

[morskisir]

redraw of a 5 year old OC illustration

[naumin]

2024 retrospective and 2025 goals

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hi :)

i'm really happy with everything i achieved in 2024. it was my first year illustrating full time, meaning no school and no salaried job on the side (believe me i tried to get one) and i'm happy to report i did not die! fuck yes. i even illustrated for 7 (i think) art books, designed merch for 2 and organised my first collab fanbook.

from top left clockwise: michael deforge, anna haifisch, Michel Esselbrügge, CLAMP, saul bass, jon whitcomb, rene gruau, paul rand, molly fairhurst

at the beginning of 2024 i made this moodboard for influences i wanted to incorporate into my work more, they are pretty much the same faves ive had for years but i just wanted to have them in front of me and start deliberately choosing elements to ape.

i'd say i basically want to incorporate more 2D cartoon graphic elements combined with detailed, realistic, delicately rendered characters, more theatric background design and props... features like borders etc. the thing about a moodboard is unless you print it out and put it up by your desk it will sort of slide to the back of your mind which is what i think happened w mine LOL. cuz looking at this now im like well i didnt really hit all these ideas but i did inch closer.

the first pic here is sth i drew immediately after making the board and i like it but it does feel like a slightly clumsy attempt at mashing stuff together... i wouldn't say that it shows i dont understand whats appealing about the work i was referencing (even though thats how it looks), its more like the picture goes in an unexpected direction while making it LOL. but that's part of the fun. whereas in my mind the 2nd pic spiritually embodies the ideas of the ppl i'm trying to copy. even tho visually it's still a ways off. its probably my favourite thing i drew all year? :) though that's hard to say bcus i'm so pleased w so many other pieces especially those u can see on my summary pic!!!

i have a few more artists i wanna add to my board and then i will definitely print it this time so i can look at it every day instead of just twice a year LOL.

another thing im really pleased about is the number of comics i drew in 2024. i have this odd relationship with comics where i do draw them and have for years and im more or less decent at them but i act like drawing them mortally wounds me. like im so dramatic... i do partially believe the only way ill ever be able to complete a longform comic is through abusing stimulants but you know ill also never find out if i keep crawling off to die after inking a page. i see a lot of illustrators suffering when approaching comics from the illustration mindset of making beautiful pictures instead of the comics mindset of making finished pictures, but u know, im extremely slapdash as an illustrator and im also proud enough to believe im a guy that can do both, so its really time i act like it... basically just shut up and draw. i want to apply this especially to perspective drawing/panel backgrounds, which im, like, fine at. honestly fine at. i do think i trip myself up because i want to be the next dostoevsky or beyonce or whatever, i want to be great, but have to remember the most anyone can do is aspire to express something from your inner world. everything else is secondary.

one thing i learned the hard way is how hard it is to have work life balance when you work from your bedroom and 'monestise your hobby'... you know, the thing everyone has been warning each other about for years. turns out its real. its super confusing when so many elements of your work bleed into your social life, physical health, leisure time etc -- like i go online for fun, and also to promote myself. so wheres the distinction? i watch movies for entertainment but also for research... ive definitely felt like ive been working around the clock or my job has consumed my life at points. but i think being stricter with my work hours is the way forward. it truly is shaytan at the wheel when u answer an email at 3AM... no more of this!

and tied into this is being realistic about what i can achieve in a day and not feeling ashamed or that i need to do more... i get stuck in this silly loop that's like... 'i believe everyone should work 4 hours a day, but because other people are stuck working 40 hours a week i should also be making myself do that' and then i work myself into a flare up and wreck my work ethic and enjoyment. u can laugh... i know it doesnt make sense. well i wont do it any more. because i CANT... because i will DIE... some days i work 4 hours. some days i work 6. some days i work half an hour... it doesnt matter as long as stuff gets done.. and it does.

also want to talk about my chronic pain and hypermobility... after a year of lifting weights i am stunned to let u know ive actually improved. unfortunately i dont look anything like the rock and i still cant do a real push up but im stronger and have more stamina and suffer from way less zaps and aches and numbness, which was unthinkable before. i only really noticed after taking a trip and doing different activities (painting walls) that i can physically do a lot more than i usually do at home. but also my house is fucking cold so its hard to do anything for anyone. hoping for warmer days and big muscles to come.

some of my other art goals are to work more on paper whenever i can. i used to have a huge stack of newsprint on my drawing board underneath my ipad and id doodle and test ideas on that paper before drawing it digitally. i wanna do that again. many people find its easier to 'think' on paper and im the same. whenever i have an idea i wanna go 'what would this look like on paper?' and then find out.

i want to be thinking about composition and storytelling more in my illustrations, as in, think cinematic, movie posters, communicating big ideas. even if that idea is only as big as 'this blue looks great with this orange'... i want to make more stuff that looks like promotional material for my stories. of course behind every movie poster is 100,000 thumbnails and sketches and half-finished ideas. i want to remember that and not be hard on myself for drawing girl in profile #997.

i want to draw more autobio comics, just to be drawing more comics and also to look back on and know what i was doing that day. nothing fancy. a lot of people are doing that gentle comics habit this year and i fear my competitive nature may get me into it too.

i have more books i wanna create which ive talked about at length in my last diary entry and for now i think that's enough goals thank you very much. thank you for reading this far and for all your support. happy new year! love you x

[jupitercl0uds-art]

anyway 2024 art summary!!!

14th january - surgamy hug (there are 3 versions but tumblr doesnt like when i put them all together for some reason, so here's the most normal one)

oh surgamy,,, ohhhhh,,, surgamy,,,,,,,,, surge,,,, and amy,,,,, ohhhhh

5th february - pov silver comes out to you

honestly i think silver looks really weird here but it was kinda the point. shame about the rainbow because everything else is really nice

22nd march - espilver dekuyama redraw

in retrospect the apple looks really goofy in proportion to everything else but whatever i had fun with it. i love my silver gijinka so much ughhhhhh

24th april - chaotix coloured sketch

goddddd i love the chaotix... this is one of my favourite drawings of them ive ever done and alas this was prior to becoming a can user vector truther

18th may - glitch the rat's one true love

from my glitch the rat daily blog, the first full illustration i did with my dip pen!!! glitch im so sorry i messed up. my darling creation i will hopefully try again in 2025 and likely fail because im pretty sure i have mocks around your birthday. also i love this because if i made this now the textures would have vastly improved now that im more comfortable with my dip pen

17th june - team chaotix doodles

they're detectives you want on your side! once again UGH i love these... i think this was 3 days after i finished high school for good. i was so happy and i'd basically just draw all the time cause i didnt have to do anything. thankfully sixth form holidays start earlier than high school holidays so i get this again for the next 2 years!!!

5th july - visions

there was SO MUCH art from july that it was kinda difficult to pick but i think this is one of the hardest pieces ive ever made (tbf it was my twitter pfp for several months). i love drawing in this slightly flatter art style because i actually finish my pieces

10th august - glitch ps2

there's loads of art from august that i just didnt post because well. i did A LOT of art in august and i was also on the move a lot so it was inconvenient. the funny thing about this is its off model. i forgot its sleeves :( but hey i still love this one

23rd september - tiger and moonlight w/ water soluble fineliner

september was the complete opposite. i didnt quite burn out, i DID do a lot of art, but a lot of that was for a level (which i cant post online yet) and i was just exhausted. like i would literally fall over from walking too much and i redeveloped my athsma. thankfully im back into the swing of things now lol. ANYWAY!!! tiger and moonlight are so beloved to me... im always shy to enter poll brackets and this was my first one so i was extra shy but god i wouldnt have it any other way... whole entire canon of an au edited because i love someone else's fankid so much. in that sense i feel kinda bad that i didnt really do much for blake because she was really cool but alas.

6th october - murders

effectively this was my first time making a composition after actually learning about what makes a good composition and. oh wow. i was so right. i do think i rendered amy a bit weird but at the same time i kinda like it that way??? and i dont care because the framing and colours... just too good. also yeah this piece is called murders in my files because it was based on the miracle musical song i just never called it that online (which was really annoying when looking for it)

3rd november - but we stay silly

incredibly personal piece despite the fact it doesn't look like it. for anyone who cant be bothered to find out (or can't remember if you actually did see it) this was about overcoming trauma relating to my sexual assault, hence the reason they're in school uniform and silver's hair is cut. also hence the panromantic pride pin despite the fact i think silver is gay

5th december - 'tis the season

1,000,000/10. my magnum opus. incredible. amazing.

thanks to everyone who's been here this year!!! i think, once again, ive really grown as an artist after how stagnant late 2021-mid 2023 was. im really starting to get Serious with it now, seeing as im in my a level years and will (hopefully) be going to art school soon. hopefully 2025 will be even better!