#brenspeaks

[nebulousbren]

Caught up with Witch Hat! What a magical (pun very intended) manga! The fairy-tail/woodblock-esque art work, the intricate detail, the imaginative panel layouts, the way witchcraft is a metaphor for art as a whole (and no way the flags at the festival aren't representative of online audiences, right? just me?) I could. go. ON.

[lysolstrider]

so i really want to draw my fakemon box legendary ocs from this post but i dont actually have names for them? i know the duality between them is that one dragon represents knowledge and the other represents art. aka not a real dichotomy that nintendo would ever explore but one is white/grey like the lightbulb realization after a stroke of genius, the other is golden like the comfort of a warm summer poem. they have one another on their bodies bc duh art and knowledge are secretly besties and not enemies aka STEM majors and art majors kissing sloppy style. thats literally it idk they may as well be called boopmon and poopmon for all i know.

[nebulousbren]

My oldest living ocs are a pair of twin vampire brothers (cuz I was your typical 14 year old in the mid 00's) named Zak and Jak. Zak started as the brooding main character for the self-insert to pine over, and Jak was the evil twin, both their own brand of edgy twink. Today, Jak has shifted to the main character who is trying to make up with Zak after getting both of them turned into vampires during the 1920's. He basically started from "Welcome to my twisted mind" and morphed into an Icarus who flew too close to the sun. He's definitely the character who has changed the most over the years.

what’s the biggest change your oc’s gone through since you made them? 

[nebulousbren]

The internet cometh

[nebulousbren]

Asked on Bluesky but suppose I could drop it here too: what are y’all’s thoughts on sponsoring personal art? Similar to a commission but you’re paying the artist to do something they like instead of something you like. If you’ve seen this post on Bluesky you know what I’m talking about

I’m mulling over whether or not to do something like this for a short comic or stuff about ocs. Would there even be any interest for that?

[nebulousbren]

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my darling boy, Kody. He was with me for 15 1/2 years and the best, most precious of boys. He passed at home in my arms, surrounded by family at 18 years old. I miss him so much, there will never be another like him.

[nebulousbren]

I did a big ol' blog post on Ko-fi musing about how 2024 has been going for me. A Lot™ has happened so I hope it's not too depressing but I did my best to end on a high note.

[nebulousbren]

It's Octover

[nebulousbren]

Mental health is shot rn so I'm gonna unplug for the month. Got plenty in my queue so things won't be completely dead, hoping to come back with some newfound motivation. See you then ✌🏻

[nebulousbren]

One of my favorite things about ToTK that I haven't seen anyone really talk about is the fact that the living trees are actually the Yiga in disguise. Like they're all just hiding in a forest or along the side of the road waiting to pop out of the ground on the off-chance the hero of Hyrule crosses their path, and I think that's hilarious.

[lysolstrider]

i dont think i’ll ever be able to make a living from my art, BUT art makes life beautiful and i can’t imagine ever stopping. i’ve always always appreciated the people who take the leap to full-time art. i wish i could. without full time artists what would be the point of a day off? to go to the farmer’s market/craft fair and fill my days with joy after a sludge of a week. to see my little keychain at work and be reminded of the breeze on that day? to see art that i see myself through their eyes. full time artists keep doing what u do please!!!! love!!!!! kisses!!!!

[nebulousbren]

Hi

Just an update to say I'm not dead, been working on some things that just aren't post-ready yet. My grandma moved in with us last week, which has been its own adjustment, plus I have a trip to San Fran next week for an art show held by my school! It's also a big networking opportunity which isn't making me nervous whatsoever :)

Anyway, yeah... just a combo of things going on that have prevented me from posting much art yet. I got a lil one page bg3 comic to finish, plus an original thing of mine, also brainstorming ideas for coloring pages. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to get some pages done by the end of the month for the merman short story I'm developing, buuuut that was kind of optimistic from the start ^^;;; but still working on it on the side. Whatever gets finished first will get posted first

[nebulousbren]

I think the one thing that could make BG3 better for me is for Tav to get their own customizable tent that you can decorate with things you pick up along the way. Found a pretty music box you want to place at camp? Send it to your tent. A painting you stole from an aristocrat? Hang that up! The fungified severed head of a certain drow? Set it on a chair as a warning to your enemies. I want a tent that visually reflects my item hoarding in all its glory, please.

[nebulousbren]

Steven Universe is so good actually

[nebulousbren]

Posted this on my ko-fi but I'll put it here, too. Ramblings about where my mind has been at lately under the cut.

A problem I've had with sharing my art online is building up expectations in my head of what I should be producing rather than what I actually want to produce. I've been in that headspace for so long that when I try to think about it, I don't even really know what I like in my art. Recently I went through all my files and picked out stuff I still like, even if it's almost 10 years old, to really figure out what it is I like about it and what I am happiest making. Here are my conclusions (so far):

1. My strongest work comes from sticking with simple shapes and a rounded feel.

2. There is still such a thing as having unique shape language without pushing those shapes to extremes.

3. I enjoy drawing more when I'm not trying to copy what I'm looking at. 

4. Loose gestures are more expressive when I focus on the pose as a whole rather than the parts that make it up.

5. Capturing the likeness/character is more important than matching realistic proportions. This applies to objects as much as people.

6. Simplification is key. The more I simplify shapes, the easier it is to stay dynamic and expressive, even in a static pose. It also helps me fill an environment with more detail without overwhelming my brain.

Understanding these things has helped me better pin down what actually makes my art style consistent, meaning I better recognize when something feels off about a drawing and can fix it. Already I'm more confident about my work than before.

My next step is figuring out subject matter outside of fanart. What vibes do I like to produce from my art? What feelings do I want to invoke? What stories do I want to tell? What do I like best about the things I consume (anime/video games/etc.) and how is that expressed in my fanart? How would I apply those feelings to original creations? I'm going to spend some time working on answering those questions and maybe write a follow up to this post.

I felt like sharing this little journey I've been taking to provide insight to where I'm at right now as I enter a new chapter of my art career. There are so many directions open to me right now that it's making my head spin, so this is my attempt to remind myself of my strengths and lean into them, as well as avoid pidgeon-holing myself with expectations. Focus on what makes me happy and let it speak through my work.

Thanks for reading! 💜