Art Summary 2011

I'm making it a tradition that I make one of these every year, with at least one drawing per month to fill it out. As the final deviation of the year, let’s take a look back at some of my highlights of 2011. This was certainly the year of gift art, as nearly everything here was made for someone. Hopefully all this will boost my good karma, and good things will start happening to me.

January: Sailor Una.

’s gorgeous OC was planned to be drawn for a while, but this month finally gave me enough time to work on it, and it was very well received by her creator. I used one of her drawings to match the scepter she’s holding, as well as matching all her features. Una is a very beautiful character, and you should check out her creator's amazing pictures.

February: The Princess of Hearts.

I haven’t done very many photo manipulations this year. Probably due to lack of inspiration and I had other drawings to work on. This is dressed as a character she created. She looked beautiful in that costume, and I had to do something with it. This manipulation was inspired by the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland.

March: Brooke’s Fairy

When I started at my new job, I met a girl named Brooke, who had a love for fairies. I decided to draw her one, giving her a dress made from a rose. Little did I know that this picture would open the floodgates for her friends, who all proceeded to ask for fairies or mermaids of their own. Despite the MASSIVE number I made for them, I am most proud of this one. The detail on her rose dress pushed me to my limits, and I made sure this fairy was perfect before I gave it to her. She loved this fairy, and it’s hanging up in her room next to her mirror. I just hope she doesn’t get her reflection and the fairy confused with one another.

April: Princess Zelda

A coworker wanted a drawing, but to my surprise, she wanted a drawing of Zelda instead of a fairy or mermaid. And since the Zelda series was celebrating its 25th anniversary, I wanted to do my part in joining the celebration. I used the amazing for reference. She’s among the best Zelda cosplayers around! And Zelda herself is my favorite princess in video games.

May: Ashley’s Fairy

I am also proud of this one because I managed to perfectly capture Ashley’s beautiful expression. After she received this fairy, we’ve become close friends. To my knowledge she has this picture framed in her bedroom!

June: Candace’s Fairy

I was also proud of making this fairy, mostly because the color pink was not very prominent, and I was most proud of the color scheme Candace picked out for her fairy. She also wore a flower in her hair when I first met her, and this was recreated in her fairy.

July: Jaycee’s Angel

No case of children gone missing can be told without mention of Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted and not returned to her family until 18 long years had passed. Two years after her rescue, she told the world what she endured during that time, and I was horrified. At the same time, I was also inspired to draw her an angel, hoping that she will help other lost children come home. My coworkers saw this picture in all its developmental stages (original sketch, inked, colored, and given its background), and loved the final result. And since it was a special occasion, I also added a background. It’s very rare that any of my pictures receive backgrounds. And it matters not if she sees her angel or not. I’m happy to have made this picture for her.

August: Chantelle

herself reincarnated as her own mermaid OC. I love her artwork, and I always look forward to what she has to say whenever I post something. I’m still trying to get the hang of her tail fin designs, although the skirt most of her mermaids wear isn’t that much of a challenge. I could still use more practice, and who better than one of my strongest supporters!

September: Terra Branford

My favorite character in the entire Final Fantasy series is Terra Branford of the sixth installment. After clearing the VC release and getting her at maximum power, I decided to draw her, listening to every remix I had of her gorgeous theme music the entire time. I used two amazing cosplayers to help me out (from cosplay.com), who based their costumes on her sprite rather than her concept art, which is much easier to draw because of fewer details. I also gave her the most powerful sword in the game, and a fire spell to hold. Just be thankful she isn’t casting Ultima. Although that could be Meltdown…

October: Pretty Little Liars

I didn’t think I’d get into this show, but the mystery of who “A” is intrigued me so much that I decided to follow the series, hoping to catch a glimpse of “A”. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will soon. The beautiful girls in the main cast didn’t hurt the show’s appeal either. The show is also popular where I work, as about eight people are fans, and they were all excited I was making artwork. What you’re seeing here is actually a work in progress, where I’ve painted over the main characters in Photoshop. I’m still working on the background. My friends loved the fanart, and they are excited about the finished group photo! It would be nice if the actresses themselves saw these!

November: Jessica’s Mermaid

Of all the mermaid artwork I made for my friends, this one I am most proud of. I matched her smile perfectly, as well as recreating her signature curly hair. Her “mermaid” hair really is that long. I also took a different approach at her design, giving her a different style tail fin and the crossed bikini straps. Jessica lit up when she got this, which made it all worthwhile. Her hugging me didn’t hurt either!

December: Think Pink VI

Overcoming breast cancer once can be a daunting task. Overcoming breast cancer TWICE is worthy of knighthood, and is downright awesome. This was made for ’s Think Pink VI contest. My results on the contest mean nothing to me. I did my part in personifying Jen as a paladin, holding her sword above her head in a victory stance, wearing pink ribbons and paladin’s armor, and a shield with two crossed ribbons painted on it. Put this picture to your ear, and you can hear the victory music, and the audience cheering.

Provided we don't blow up in 2012, I'm going to make another one of these next year!

Happy New Year!