It's time for the annual art summary post! This is something I've been doing since 2013 or so, but here on this site, I'd like to make it an annual blog post where I talk about each piece that's featured for the month!
I'd also like to feature these art summaries on their own page in my gallery too- including the multi-year art improvement memes from back in the days on deviantART!
Here it isssss!!!! Despite being busy af this year, I'm still glad I found the time I sit down and draw. Interestingly, excluding comic pages, I noticed I had very little pieces that featured a detailed background! Nothing wrong with that of course, but something I happened to notice!
JANUARY
Here's the big one! I remember I was in a sort of art slump around this time since I kinda pushed myself to finish Star Quest chapter 2. Star Quest's first anniversary was coming and I really wanted to celebrate it in a special way. After trial and error- I set on a thumbnail and knocked it out in a few days. This is something I'd advise against doing since I don't like rushing things, especially art, but it's kinda amazing what I can complete in short notice without distraction haha
FEBRUARY
Was still kinda feeling the slump which is why Feb's piece is actually a comic page from SQ Chapter 3! I don't think I did much drawing this month either... Anyway! I still really like the sunlight shining through the leaves on this particular panel.
MARCH
Rankin and Lunyk! Two characters who were made to do things against their will. One thing I noticed is that I don't draw a lot of my other OCs outside of the Star Quest cast- even just for fun- I leave them gathering dust!! So I wanted to change that. I had been poking around with both Lunyk's story and Endaris Flare, and given that Rankin and Lunyk's situations were similar, I wanted to draw them together.
APRIL
More of Lunyk! There wasn't an illustrated piece this month around- not gonna lie, I feel like I was trudging through sludge around this time. I was pretty much doing comics and trying to shake off of all of the gloominess that came with winter.
Anyway I was really doodling for this piece and thought it'd pop if I coloured it. I didn't intend to render it either but I did, and it came out nice!
MAY
Lunyk, once again, but this time she has a new friend! Around this time I was doing more concepting for Lunyk's story (which- as of writing- is in development hell) and I was designing Uunoro: Lunyk's companion that follows her throughout her story. I sorta drew this to celebrate the design that I came up with for Uunoro.
JUNE
I think this was the moment I felt my spark come back after the drought that was the winter- dealing with dayjob stress and the mild burnout that came from rushing a webcomic chapter.
It's a big ol Star Quest illustration!! It was thumbnailed by my friend James back when I was talking about how I didn't have any ideas for an anniversary pic for Star Quest's first anniversary. This was one that he drew and while I didn't end up using it at the time, I still liked what he came up with so I finished it to announce Star Quest's return from its hiatus!
I still love how it came out. This actually might be my most favourite illustration of the year! Dark Energy looming in the shadows, Avaci keeping watch while also keeping the trio safe (who are also determined as well!) is a fun mix.
JULY
Art Fight this month!! I didn't end up drawing as much as I wanted to but I still liked what I drew! This was a revenge attack for crabbng!
AUGUST
This was where I was dabbling into merch making, but at home!! I actually have a blog post drafted for this learning experience, but this month's drawing is one of the photocard pieces I did! It's Kris during the time when he left home. I actually have a project on the backburner about this called "Explorer of the Stars": a series of short stories (maybe? possibly?) that tell Kris's adventures before the events of Star Quest! :]
SEPTEMBER
Not much to say about this one other than I was having fun with the coloured lines and paint splotches! Around this time I was fleshing a bit more out for Prismapaint's story. I had laid down the foundation for the worldbuilding (sorta..it still needs some work lol) and was moving ahead with the intro and part of the middle!
OCTOBER
More Prismapaint art!!! This one features Umbra and her OC that she created out of despair named Ambru. I was focusing on the villain of Prismapaint and their relation to Umbra and came up with this! I didn't plan to create a Halloween themed illustration for 2025 but this ended up becoming that illustration haha.
NOVEMBER
We got nothin here!
DECEMBER
At the end of the year already!!!! December's featured illustration was a mashup of Star Quest's villain, Dark Energy, and the character that half inspired them- Zero Two from Kirby 64. I've had this idea in my head for maybe a couple years (???) but didn't draw it until now. Simple, but I still love how it came out in the end.