2022 And 2023 -- A Consideration

Stock Credits X and X.

 Art tends to be slow.  I don't fully understand why artistic endeavors tend to be slower than regular work but in a general way I think it tends to be the case.  One of the main reasons however is that for any given project we don't know how to do it until its done.  Of course we have some experience doing art already but it is never enough because a new art project always involves feeling ones way and finding a way to represent a vague idea that exists in the artists own head.  If we were merely trying to create content we could crank it out all day long on an assembly line, but since we have ideas of how we want it to turn out it usually takes a little longer and that's ok.  In fact its nice because the process of creating art is often enjoyable in and of itself and we'd miss it if it was over too quickly.

But why am I bringing up philosophical stuff that we probably know already?  Well its another year and I always like to start off the year with looking back at the old year and coming up with prognostications for how much I'm going to get done next year.  And its a lot easier to come up with predictions than it is to actually accomplish anything.  So first a look back at 2022.

2022.  In January I said I was going to share at least one short story on here and I still haven't finished any writing and I'm sorry.  Other than that I don't think I shot my mouth off too much.  I did get a fair amount done which is good.  I started sharing my art on Instagram and Truth Social so those are more ways for folks to find my artwork, which can't hurt.

2023.  I've been making progress on my coloring book which is great and I only have half a dozen more designs or so to go, not counting cover and layout and stuff before I finish it, so I hope to have it published sometime in 2023 or 2024.  I'm going to keep creating art and sharing it on social media as well.  I haven't given up on writing, its just a slippery medium and I can't make any promises.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you all have a good year and stay safe out there.

What I'm Planning On Working On, 2022 Edition

So what are my long term plans?

Of course I hope to continue to share new artwork.

Progress is also progressing on the next Celtic knotwork coloring book which I hope to publish in a few years.

I am also continuing to work on writing and illustrating a fantasy story about a gravedigger which will take a few more years beyond that of the coloring book.

In the years beyond that there will be yet more fantasy stories and other projects.

I'm also working on a serial story about a human ranger which I hope to share one chapter at a time on this website.  This is great because if I can get this to work I will be able to share stories and writing on here the way I share artwork!  I might start posting chapters this year.

Someday I might get another fancier website and maybe some more social media stuff too.  I'm sorta looking into that stuff but I probably won't get around to anything before 2023.

So what can you expect this year?

More artwork of course, and hopefully some fantasy stories as well.

November Update

Normally I do Inktober which is a drawing challenge in October and NaNoWriMo which is a writing challenge in November.  But this year I’m switching things up.  I already did a writing challenge last month so I’m doing my drawing challenge this November.

This month my goal is to do 15 fantasy sketches to illustrate some of the short stories I worked on last time.  I will try and share at least a couple with you along with a story or two.  Unfinished short stories and unfinished artwork are two things I’m very shy about sharing, but I think I better because when you see the stories along with the illustrations that go with them that will give you all a better glimpse of the kind of fantasy world I’m trying to create and the kind of stories I want to tell.

100 Short Stories Challenge - Update

 

 To summarize here is my previous post:

So I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year because they got all BLM and I don’t want to support the destruction of statues.

But of course I still wanted to do some sort of writing challenge, so I decided to do do a short story challenge a month early in October.  So that’s what I’m doing.  I call it the 100 Short Stories Challenge, and my goal is to work on 100 short stories and that’s what I’ve been doing.  These are short stories that I’d already started and had lying around on my computer and my secondary goal is to write an additional 25,000 words.

So that’s why I’ve been kind of absent and haven’t finished or posted much artwork lately.

Also I think coming up with and working on some kind of short story challenge is a great idea, whatever time of year you do it, because it can be a great way to help finish those loose short stories that you have lying around or to start new and better ones.

Aand here is the update:

I did work on all 100 of those short stories, so I achieved that goal!  Yay!

With my word count goal I only wrote 19840 words (not counting what I’d already written before),  leaving me 5160 words short.  Oh well.

Anyway I’m calling it done.  And of course I will continue working on the stories, just not as a monthly challenge.

I’m starting to really like monthly challenges, I’m finding them a great way to stay motivated and get more work done.

Aaand since I did my totes not NaNoWriMo challenge in October I’m going do do my totes not Inktober in November so stay tuned for that!

Just because 2020 is a dumpster fire doesn’t mean I can’t work on art!

Some sort of life update

 

So I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year because they got all BLM and I don’t want to support the destruction of statues.

But of course I still wanted to do some sort of writing challenge, so I decided to do do a short story challenge a month early in October.  So that’s what I’m doing.  I call it the 100 Short Stories Challenge, and my goal is to work on 100 short stories and that’s what I’ve been doing.  These are short stories that I’d already started and had lying around on my computer and my secondary goal is to write an additional 25,000 words.

So that’s why I’ve been kind of absent and haven’t finished or posted much artwork lately.

Also I think coming up with and working on some kind of short story challenge is a great idea, whatever time of year you do it, because it can be a great way to help finish those loose short stories that you have lying around or to start new and better ones.

February Update

Last month:

Last month I said I'd write one thousand words and finish one illustration.  And I did, I started a story about an old dwarven border fort, (maybe I'll share it here at some point on a chapter by chapter basis), and I finished that Celtic knot so that's my picture for the month.  I also said I'd work on the children's book, and I did that some as well.

This month:

This month I'll write another thousand words on my border fort story, and finish another picture, and hopefully do more drawing in general.  Also I'll continue doodling my children's book and writing Goblin Children.

Next month:

I think I'll discontinue these updates.  Its been a useful exercise for me but none of it is really newsworthy and and I can't imagine any of it is very interesting for you, the reader, (correct me in the comments if I'm wrong).  So I'm going to start a journal and keep notes of my progress on various projects, but I don't feel like I need to publish them here.

Video updates on the other hand, I think those would be great fun.  I'm going to get a new youtube channel going here pretty soon, (or some other kind of video channel, the fact that I really don't like youtube is what's been holding me back for a long time).  Get ready for all kinds of great video content from me at some vague point in the future, whenever I get around to it.

2010s Decade In Review

You know I got to thinking about it, at first I didn't think ten year increments were that important, but I was thinkin', you know I really got a lot done this last decade.  In 2012 I started a tumblr, that was my first experience with really doing internety stuff, and since then I've started a bunch of blogs and things, including this one.  In 2014 I wrote my first NaNoWriMo novel.  That was the first time I'd written an entire first draft of a novel, and now I've got a bunch of drafts of stories lying around.  And in 2016 I published a coloring book.  That was the first time I'd published a book, so yay.  All three of these things: social media; writing novels; and publishing books are achievements.  So I'm pretty happy about all that.

The 2010s were for me, a beginning.  I've raised the anchor, unfurled the sails, caught the wind and steered a course out of the harbor.  My nostrils are filled with the scent of adventure, and I can hardly wait to see what the new decade will bring.

At least as far as artwork and writing are concerned.

January 2020 Update

Well its the roaring '20s again!  That era of tough men, hot women, and roaring tommy guns!

Or something, I dunno...


December

I'm still working on the children's book with the brontosaurus.  I've got a name for him now.  His name is Herbert.  So now it is the story of Herbert the brontosaurus.

I also started yet another tumblr, this one is for children's books:

https://sit-he-oo.tumblr.com/

I'm having a lot of fun with it.  And, just for grins, here is a link to a post on there where I review a couple of books I got for Christmas:

https://sit-he-oo.tumblr.com/post/189872052840/new-books-i-got-for-christmas-the-foxbury-force#notes

Christmas was good.  I give it five stars, (or one big one).

January

I'm not promising to do more art in 2020, (except for Inktober), but I will do about as much, and hopefully more of it will be in color (again, except for Inktober).  My goal for January is to find a place that will print my outline drawings on watercolor paper so I can color them without losing the original and also worrying about messing it up.  This will also be important when I get around to illustrating the stories I have written.

Last month I said my goal for the new year was to set myself a writing goal as well as an art goal every month of the year, so this month's goal is, one thousand words of short fiction, and to finish one illustration, in addition to ongoing work on Herbert the Brontosaur.

February

I'd better see how this month pans out and leave February blank until I get there.

NaNoWriMo Winner!

I won NaNoWriMo again this year, on Thanksgiving, two days early with 50,181 words!

Just thought I'd let you know, and while I'm posting anyway:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  :)

November Update

Inktober:

Last month was Inktober and I only got four out of thirty-one drawings done, which you can find in my last article:

Inktober 2019!

Which isn't great but at least they're all reasonable quality, and I think I'll do a bunch of sketching and doodling and do a lot better next year.


NaNoWriMo:

This month I'm writing a story about a Gravedigger, and how he lives in the graveyard and every time undead rise up out of their graves he has to kill them with his magic shovel and put them to rest again.  He gradually amasses a band of street urchins, living statues and ghosts, who then set out to save the city from the street gangs and Imperials vying for power in the slums and the reptilian creatures that infest the sewers in a post apocalyptic empire.

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words so I won't have time for much else this month, but I'll tell you all about it in December.


December:

Well December of course is Christmas, and you might think that would be enough of a challenge for one month.  In addition, I will also have the rough draft to a 50,000 word novel, to contend with.  However, I'm also going to spend some time working on a children's book.  My sister and I came up with a really grand idea for one a couple of months ago and I think it will be great hilarious.  It features a brontosaurus and his mishaps involving a whole lot of poodles.  I think it will be a lot of fun to work on, and of course to read and I expect to get it done in about a year, which is way less time than any of my other projects are projected to take at this point.

October Update

I've decided to start giving monthly updates on my progress on literary and artistic ventures, and anything else I want to talk about.


Writing:

My goal is to write 3000 words this month, worth of miscellanious notes and outlines for my stories.  I'm finding that 3000 words, (that's just 100 words per day,) is an easily attainable word count goal that I can probably maintain from month to month, while juggling life's commitments, and still have time for drawing, and other art projects.

Drawing:

I've been doing a lot of writing lately but not so much drawing, so I found out that I'm completely unprepared for Inktober.  I'm still tackling it regardless and I'll put up a post of whatever artwork I've got done next month.

And of course I'm going to do NaNoWriMo next month.  Its a story about a gravedigger, I'll tell you more about it in November.


Misc:

That's about it.  Haven't had time for much painting or anything this month.

Shambling In The Dark

Here's a sonnet I wrote about shambling undead!  :)

The zombie horde that shambles in the dark,

And piles up like leaves outside our home

Seeks human flesh as dearly as the shark,

And in the dark we hear them wail and moan.

We cannot make the undead go away

They'll still be wailing, screeching with the dawn,

Unless we take the time to go and slay

These creatures, and to get them off our lawn.

So fill the chainsaws up with gasoline,

A resource that's so precious and so dear.

To hear us you might think we're very mean,

we slaughter them with jollity and cheer.

The city has already been consumed,

But if they tackle our house they'll be doomed.

2019?

My goals for 2019 are to survive and keep doing art and writing.

If you scroll down far enough you can find my broken promises for 2018.

I guess life never hands you enough free time to do what you want.

But I'm just gonna keep on keepin on regardless.


P.S.  If I'm given a choice between surviving and doing art and writing, I'm gonna go with art.

2018?

So apparently I did a ton of art last year.  This year I'm going to create more and better artwork.  But what does that even mean?

 Well here are the salient points:

1. My Celtic Knotwork Coloring Book has been doing really well, (thanks for buying it!), so of course I'm going to keep on coming out with coloring books.  So expect to see more coloring book pages in Celtic knotwork, acanthus ornament, and other elegant decorative styles.

2. I've been saying for years that I want to write and illustrate stories in my own medieval fantasy universe.  The stories I'm currently working on are about children who make friends with some goblin children and have lots of fun adventures even though the grown ups all want to kill each other.  So I'm sorry its taking so long, but I really think I'll be able to finish a short story or two to share with you this year.  I will upload them for your reading pleasure on this blog, and deviantart.

3. Miscellaneous artwork.  As always I will put up pictures of paintings and drawings I'm working on.  These are not always connected to a particular project but they help me grow as an artist, and hopefully you enjoy them.


4. You have a happy new year!  I'm glad that we finally finished the old year.

<3

:)

Something A Little Bit Different!

Love ya, hope you're all doing well.  Here's something I've been working on, I was shopping at Beverly's yesterday where my sister and brother work, and for some reason I just had to buy this fake rubber celery.  And today I got out my cordless drill and drilled a hole in it so I could put a pen in it, and now its an epic writing implement!  Needless to say I am now sharing this image of it with you with great celerity! xD

I call this my Om nom nom de plume!

Upon The Deep

Waves of woodlands snowy crested,

Water mountains shining foam,

Cloud fronts break upon the heavens,

Beneath a blue bejewelled dome.

Water kingdoms, inland islands,

Hand in hand are land and sea

And we adrift upon the waters

Dwell in dreams of ecstasy.

Depths of dungeon, endless ocean,

Looking out upon the deep

Drowning in unfathomed wonders.

We drift into euphoric sleep.

New Method For Punching Writers/Artists Block In The Face!

So I'm trying something different!  When I can't decide what projects to work on I roll for it.  This is a huge step forward for me because deciding what projects to work on decisively enough not to change my mind halfway through has always been the main problem that keeps from ever getting anything done.

Link List

Published Books

• Celtic Knotwork Coloring Book

Art Prints

• Society6
• Spoonflower

Social Media

• Amazon Author Page
• Deviantart
• Youtube Channel
• Godtube Channel
• Artist Tumblr
• Art Tumblr
• Main Tumblr
• Picture Book Tumblr

Deviantart Group

• Ornamentation

This is a group on deviantart that I sort of manage but the artwork is (almost) entirely by other people.

And there's lots of wonderful art there so go and check it out.

Writing

• Upon The Deep (Poetry)
• Questing (Poetry)