Tag: art memes

[Video] Ang’s Year In Art 2024 | Annual Art Tour + 2025 Art Goals

It’s that time of year again to take stock of all the inspiration 2024 has brought! I always enjoy doing this because it’s easy to get caught up in the ‘guilt’ of not creating enough. This year was an important one for me because I finally escaped the long grasp of long-term projects and started on a grand new adventure drawing more of the Geek-stuff, Fantasy novels, and TTRPG art that I enjoy!

Check out the video for the full month-by-month tour of what I worked on this year. It was impossible to fit every piece of art I made in 2024 into this format, especially for busy months like October where I created multiple pieces, so I’ve chosen my favorites. I’ve also included subtitles on the file for those who need them.

For those who just want to scroll through the art at their own pace, check out the rest of this entry for a quick rundown of each piece featured for each month of the year!

My Year in Art

There was lots of Exalted TTRPG and Cassiel’s Servant art this year! It’s been my happy place to explore all these wonderful Fantasy worlds and get involved with more narrative, character-driven art.

JAN – The Marrionette Dancing on Bloody Sinew

This character belongs to Paint-Lady.

FEB – The Cultivar of Bloody Sunsets

This character belongs to Kessinder.

MAR – Stained Glass Tarot – X of Swords

This is a detail of the larger piece I can’t share just yet! It will be fully revealed once we’re closer to the release of the Stained Glass Tarot project, which you can follow here.

APR – Blue Eye Meets Silver Devil

Featuring Mizu from Blue Eye Samurai, an amazing show you all need to watch! Crossing over with Koh, my character, Kalara, in disguise.

MAY – Shame

Shame belongs to therestlesshands.

JUN – Swan Ledaal

Swan belongs to annacory-blog.

JUL – Elua – Your Heaven is Bloodless

Inspired by Cassiel’s Servant, the novel by Jacqueline Carey. See more about this piece and the narrated video I created for it here.

AUG – Joscelin Costume Concepts

Also inspired by Cassiel’s Servant, I created several more sheets for this character you can see here.

SEP – Spice War Comic

This is actually a work-in-progress that I’ll return to later. Anjali and Rachna (on the right) belong to the Exalted comic by irregularcircle, while Kalara and Night Locust on the left are mine and my husband’s Exalted characters..

OCT – Kalara 3e Cover

Part of the Exalted Art Challenge from this year’s event, which you can see the full entries for here.

NOV – Cassiel’s Servant Cover Sketches

A selection of the thumbnail sketches for the Cassiel’s Servant cover I’ve been working on. See more here.

DEC – Reference Sheet: Kalara Vadras

This is only one of two in-progress sheets created for Kalara. See both sheets, plus a whole additional character not shown here.

My Fave Piece from 2024

Shame’s piece from May was my fave piece of this year! Drawing this piece was the first step in a new tarot-inspired style I want to nurture for my art moving forward. It captures the perfect blend of graphic and painterly.

My Art Goals for 2025

  • Do more traditional art.  I’d like to teach myself how to use acrylics and experiment with acrylic x color pencil pieces, as inspired by the gorgeous work of Tran Nguyen.

  • Improve my cover illustration portfolio.  Part of the whole reason I’ve been working on Fantasy novel inspired art here is to have new work for my cover illustration portfolio. This Patreon is all a part of the plan to support me during this endeavor!

  • Push my visual storytelling with new formats.  I’ve had so much fun doing comics and interactive media this year! I want to keep going with experimental formats like comics, animatics, and more for narrative expression in 2025.

What was your favorite piece of mine from this year? What do you want to see more of from me in 2025? Do you have any ambitious creative goals for 2025? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Here’s to another year of inspiration and remembering our great art loves!

Ang

Artist Asks Questionnaire – Part 2

Continuing on from Part 1, here’s the 2nd part of my Artist Ask questionnaire!  Discussing my preferred mediums, what I’d like to improve on, and more!

You can see the full thread with animated GIFs for maximum impact here.

15. How long does an avg piece take you to complete?  

It depends! My extremely detailed intense ink & watercolor Birthstone Goddesses took about a month a piece, while others might only take 1-2 weeks. I’m an intensely research & detail-oriented person, so I usually take longer.

16. Do you draw more than you did in the past or less?

I’ve actually drawn less, which makes me sad! Once art became my job, there was suddenly this pressure that EVERYthing must be good/monetizeable, which made me too obsessed with perfectionism. I’m trying to have fun again!

I’ve also gotten really lax about doing studies and practice as I rush from one project goal to the next. I need to learn to slow down and get back to my fundamentals again! It’s going to help my quality (and my career) in the long run.

17. Do you think you’re justified giving art advice?

I believe so! I share what I know always with the caveat that I speak from MY individual experience and I am a fallible human. If I don’t know an answer, I’m always keen to learn more, find out, and discuss.

18. What are you currently trying to improve on?  

My fundamentals! I want to be more ambitious with my anatomy, color, perspective, & light. I’ve lined up classes for myself, including Proko’s portrait & anatomy courses. I’m currently reading through Renderwave’s Colorpedia to brush up on my color theory.

19. What is the most difficult thing for you to draw?  

Architecture, cars, guns, basically anything inorganic that doesn’t let me fudge the details!

20. What is the easiest thing for you to draw?  

Long hair! It’s so soothing, flowy, & fun. I can use it to fill up pesky BGs or to lead compositional flow.

21. Do you like to challenge yourself?  

It’s exciting to challenge myself! I enjoy it, even if it’s scary & frustrating at times. IE. Clothing was one of my biggest weaknesses, but I took on my Birthstone Goddesses series in part to improve on that weakness. It’s been a blast!

22. Are you confident that you’re improving steadily?  

I’ve slowed down a bit because I’ve been so focused on my Birthstone Goddesses project, where I made small improvements because of the formulaic nature of them. I’m hopeful changing things up will get me back on course!

23. Do you do more fanart or original art?  

Funny enough, I created more fan art as a young artist, esp for DBZ & FF7. I also sometimes make TTRPG art based on my OCs for Shadowrun, Exalted, & D&D.  Nowadays, I do mainly original work, but it’d be fun to take some fan art breaks!

24. Do you feel jealous or inspired by other artists?  

Both! Most times, I love discovering new art, but sometimes it’s SO good I want to quit because I get overwhelmed by the thought I have a lot of work to do to improve. That’s when it’s time to turn off the internet and re-center!

This is lately compounded by the fact that I’m nearing 40 & feel very behind in my development. I should be further than I am, but life took another path!  I know that’s anxiety-brain speaking. I’m my worst critic & social media gives us such a skewed view of everyone’s reality.

25. Do you like to draw in silence or with music?  

Def with music! I’m a stickler for making playlists to match the mood. I even have character-specific playlists.  But here’s a good general playlist of stuff that gets my muse going & keeps me focused.

26. What programs do you use?  

I mainly paint & arrange comps in Photoshop, with Clip Studio Paint for comic work, though I’ve been painting more often in Procreate as I learn to use it better.  CSP’s panel functions work like a dream & Procreate has some of the best FX brushes!

I have plans to take a course on CSP, as I feel like its 3D models could help speed up my workflow and there are so many quality of life functions meant specifically for artists which it has over Photoshop. I’m looking forward to exploring it more soon!

27. How many layers do your digital pieces have?  

I’ve regularly gone beyond 40+ layers in a single piece because I like to be able to edit each part individually if I change my mind. I always forget to label some too. I do not recommend my bad layer habits!

28. What traditional media do you like most?  

I’m a fan of mixing watercolor & color pencil. Watercolor lets you bring such surreal textures & blends, while the color pencil lets you bring in sharp details with a rich texture & depth of its own.

29. How do you start a big trad piece?  

I usually plan my pieces with rough thumbnailing on toned paper, then refining the rough drawing in Photoshop, then transferring a printout with a lightpad onto paper. Then FINALLY painting can begin!  It’s all rather tedious, but worth it.

30. What inspires you to not just make art, but to be a better artist?  

For me, it’s being able to put the kinds of tales & stories out in the world that I want to see, to expand people’s ability to imagine what’s possible, to bring a voice to the unheard.

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I hope folks have found something useful & inspiring from my Artist Asks journey.  Did I miss a question you all are dying to know the answer to?  Feel free to ask me in the comments!

♥ Ang

Artist Asks Questionnaire – Part 1

Back in September, this survey was a nice distraction and an informative journey for my Twitter followers. Now, I’ve compiled it here on my blog so it can be easily read all in one place.  Enjoy this list of answers to some of the most frequently asked questions!  

Meanwhile, you can read this list with the original gif accompaniment here.

1. Do you prefer digital or traditional?  

Both! I prefer to paint color digitally & line art traditionally. I feel like I have better motor control & work faster with trad tools! It also depends on what mood I’m in. Sometimes I’ll draw my lines by hand & scan to paint digitally.

2. How long have you been drawing?  

Since I could hold a pencil! I loved writing & illustrating my own horror & unicorn stories as a kid. I distinctly remember when I was around 8 that I wanted to be like Trina Schart Hyman, who illustrated my fave fairy tale books.

NOTE: By horror & unicorn stories, I mean entirely different unrelated stories & not stories about horror unicorns.  I had my Last Unicorn phase 1st followed closely by my Scariest Stories Ever Told phase.  Though now I wonder what actual Unicorn Horror stories might be like!

3. How many classes have you taken?  

I’ve taken college art classes (BA in Studio Art & MA in Arts Admin), but have also kept my learning going with:

And more.  I’m always up for learning & experimenting!

4. Do you have a Devart, site, or blog?  

I’m not as active on DA as I used to be as I spend more time on ArtStation now. I share articles about my process & happenings on my blog.  

Bonus links to where I spend most of my time lately:  

I’m also around a few community Discord servers for Drawn+Drafted, D&D Fantasy Art, Forge of Wonders (an Exalted server where I’m a mod) etc.

5. What’s your fave thing to draw?  

Anything elegant & dark. I love capable &/or mysterious female characters and intricate costumes. Give me mystical moods & scrumptious intriguing narrative details to chew on!  Detail of my Priestess of the Keeper piece which is def my aesthetic.

6. What’s your least fave thing to draw?  

Not a fan of architecture, cars, or machinery! I have trouble wrapping my brain around the intricacy and perspective planes and don’t find them as fun to draw as more organic subjects.

7. How often do you use reference?  

Very often! My brain only has so much room to store all the knowledge of human anatomy. I don’t consider it cheating, but essential to maintaining realism.  I also share my pose ref photos over at my art resources project, The Muses Library, if you need inspiration!

8. Do you draw professionally or just for fun?  

I am a full-time professional working on indie projects, but sometimes I actually miss doing art purely for fun!  It’s a bad habit now to automatically monetize what I’m drawing or needing every.single.thing to be masterfully done.

9. How long do you spend drawing on an average day?  

I split my time between answering emails, writing articles, managing sites, updating shops, managing orders, and ACTUAL art-making, so my ratio is usually 4-6 hours of art. Maybe more if I’m lucky and/or there’s a tight deadline!

10. Are you confident about your art?  

Some days more than others! I try to be realistic about my art skills. Many of my fundamentals still need work, but I’m proud of my sense of narrative details, composition, & posing. Just need to keep on working on color, light, & anatomy!

I like to do inspiration maps & evals about once a year to get a sense of where I’m going with my art, stylistically & emotionally, & to be more aware of what skills I should be working on. Portfolio reviews also help immensely! 

Full art sources here.

11. How many art blogs do you follow?  

I keep up with the industry via FB groups but also: –

Any others I should check out?  Let me know in the comments!

12. Is it ok if people ask you about your process?  

As long as folks don’t mind that it takes me awhile to reply, I’m happy to share what I know!  I also discuss my mixed media watercolor, color pencil, and ink techniques in my howto book, Angelic Visions.

My Patrons also get an in-depth glimpse into my techniques & product development via my Premium Tutorials & Patron-only posts.  Additionally, I share -free- tuts & info via my YouTube channel.  I’m very sporadic about updating, but there’s good stuff there!

Finally, here’s a comprehensive list of my fave tools & materials for watercolor painting!

13. Do you prefer to keep your art personal or work for others?  

I prefer my own projects! It’s fun to occasionally explore other people’s topics, but after starting my career doing freelance work that didn’t really grow my portfolio much, I switched focus to my own projects.

14. Do you ever collaborate with others?  

I’m contributing to The Changeling Artist Collective’s The Woven Path Tarot & have also contributed to their Olde Fae (Old Maid) card game.  I’ve also worked with Sam Hogg on a lovely Special Ed gold foil print of my Lady of Eternity!

(My Rose Fae set for the Olde Fae game)

(My “Temperance” card for the Woven Path Tarot)

(A gold foil print made with Sam Hogg and available exclusively through my Patreon Secret Shop.)

I’ve even designed jewelry in the past, which was a rare, but exciting opportunity! Though the final design hasn’t been released yet, to my knowledge.  I’d love to collaborate on more topics that interest me, including TTRPGs, feminine empowerment, folklore,& dark elegant horror.

15. How long does an avg piece take you to complete?  

It depends! My extremely detailed intense ink & watercolor Birthstone Goddesses took about a month a piece, while others might only take 1-2 weeks. I’m an intensely research & detail-oriented person, so I usually take longer.

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This entry’s getting a bit long, so  I’m going to save the next 15 questions for the part tune.  Stay tuned!

(Part 2 Coming Soon!)

A Year In Art Summary + Happy New Year!

It’s always therapeutic to put together my year in art collages. The year began with wrapping up the creation of my Birthstone Goddesses enamel pins and ended with learning a new art program (Clip Studio Paint).  I can’t believe that I finished my pin series this year.  It feels like it was 20 years ago, at this point!

I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked and spent a lot of time just trying to stay sane with random fun art memes.  By the same token, it was also a therapeutic year of escaping that intense focus on biz concerns to indulge in my own well-being and personal fun art. Doing so helped me to survive and to refresh those creative wells that have been feeling empty for a long time!

Now that I’ve started to accept my new normal and have given myself the chance to rest and indulge in the personal work, I’m looking forward to getting back in the swing of things with the Birthstone Goddesses in 2021!  I have ambitious plans, as ever, and I can’t wait to share them. (More on that in a future post!)

Have you been setting goals and aspirations for the new year?  I’d love to hear about them!  Artists, did you also make a Year in Art summary? Feel free to link them, as I’d love to see!

Here’s to the last day of 2020.  Happy New Year, everyone!

♥ Ang

6 Fanarts Challenge – Part 2 + Video Compilation Sneak Peek!

Check out Six Fanarts Part 1 for the first three images in this collection!  The video above collects all of the time lapses I created of these pieces in a sneak peek I’m sharing early just for Patrons.  Much of this post is a transcription of what was said in the video.

My journey with this challenge continued last week between prepping Kickstarter things!  What a fun ride it’s been after I’ve gone so long without doing much painting in this style. I hope you enjoy the last few portraits in this set!

Azula from Avatar the the Last Airbender

Next, we have Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender, one of my all-time favorite shows. Azula was one of my most requested subjects and I was happy to oblige! This cold, calculating villainess is one of many of the amazingly realized characters from Avatar.

For this portrait, I learned that Procreate’s Lightpen brush is amazing for lightning effects! I think 80% of the time spent on this was perfecting Azula’s smiling glare.

Out of all the portraits, I was happiest with Azula’s for the challenging facial expression and pushed lighting. Do you agree with my favorite pick? Leave a comment and let me know after you get to see all of the portraits!

2B from Nier Automata

For the 5th portrait and the most requested from fans, I present 2B from Nier Automata. You can’t beat the gorgeous aesthetic of Nier or the amazing twisting narrative which asks deep questions on the nature of humanity. Plus, blindfolded swordgals are definitely my aesthetic!

I had more fun exploring some of the texture brushes in Procreate to simulate a suede texture with this piece.

Joker from Persona 5

And now we reach the final portrait for my Six Fanarts Challenge!  I surprised my husband with a last minute swap out of Alucard from Castlevania with Joker from Persona 5, since this is one of his favorite video games. Persona is just one of those indescribable games. High schoolers? Demons? Part-time jobs? All you need to understand is that Joker is a boss with an amazingly stylish character design that made him a joy to paint!

I got to play with even more of Procreate’s texture brushes for this piece with splatters. I’m finding I lean on the Gouache brush pretty heavily for most of my painting purposes! The subtle texture in it works so well and preserves the nature of your natural brushstroke. It’s perfect for a more natural look to my digital painting!

If you’d still like to see me draw Alucard sometime, show your vampire love in the comments!

And now THE FULL SET REVEAL!  Which one is your favorite? Let me know in comments!

—

I had SO MUCH fun taking a break from my usual meticulous watercolor and ink work to take a break with painterly art and try something new! I had such a blast with Procreate and plan to experiment more, which I hope to share here.

My adventures with art memes aren’t over, however, as I’ll be doing the 6 Outfits Challenge for my Dungeons & Dragons character next!  3 of the outfits were chosen by Patrons so I’m excited to get going on them.  I’ll also have a pack of coloring pages for the Goddesses of Spring coming for $5+ Patrons next post!

Stay tuned!

♥ Ang

Six Fanarts Challenge – Part 1

My May art vacation continues with May Sketch A Day and the Six Fanarts Challenge!  I reserved the first 3 slots for my own personal picks, while the next 3 are going to be picked from the suggestions given on social media.

I’ve been enjoying taking a break to curl up with the iPad Pro, chill out with some of my fave movies, and paint some portraits for fun!  It’s nice to know after years of working in a line-heavy traditional style that I can still paint digitally with strong lighting and painterly edges.

Portrait 1 – Aaravos from Netflix’s The Dragon Prince

I’ve been in love with this character’s design from the first moment he showed up in The Dragon Prince!  With starts twinkling in purple skin, he’s just gorgeous and his mysterious agenda in Dragon Prince intrigues me even more.  I highly recommend this show for the wonderful writing (from the head writer of Avatar the Last Airbender) and cool characters.

I used Photoshop for iPad for this piece, but eventually switched to Procreate for its ease of navigation and time lapse recording.

Portrait 2 – Deathface Ginny from Pretty Deadly

If you’ve been wronged, sing the song of vengeance. Deathface Ginny will ride on the wind to answer the call!

Meet Deathface Ginny from the graphic novel Pretty Deadly, a wonderful surreal fusion of mythology and the Wild West featuring this gal, the Reaper of Vengeance. I highly recommend this hidden gem of a comic if you like strange and beautiful things!

This is my first finished piece in Procreate and I was impressed with the results!  Painting this image allowed me to familiarize myself with Procreate’s highly streamlined UI.  It too me way too long to figure out how to switch the Layer blending mode!

Watch a time lapse here!

Portrait 3 – Dabi from My Hero Academia

I’ve been wanting to draw this man ever since he showed up! His look is so creepy and unique and I’ve always found subdued color palettes with bright accents to be visually stunning.

This portrait helped teach me how to use the selection and color fill features.  I also learned that the Flame brush in the Elements brush set works really well for fire affects!

 Watch a time lapse here! 

Next up, I’ll be trying my hand at the crowd picks of Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender, 2B from Nier Automata, and Alucard from Castlevania!

If you could see a fandom character in my style, who would it be?  Maybe I’ll take on this challenge again sometime!

Next post, I’ll be sharing a Patreon Reward of a wallpaper set of the Ink & Gold Goddesses of Spring then sharing the rest of these portraits when I can (hopefully) finish them over the course of the week.

 ♥  Ang

MSAD – Week 1 – Face Mask Designs + 6 Outfits Suggestions Needed!

My Art Vacation has began in earnest with sketching every day for the first short week in May for May Sketch A Day!  I’ll be sharing weekly compilations of this event here so I don’t overwhelm you guys with daily posting.

Day 1 – Calavera Face Masks

I wasn’t planning to sketch face masks until I saw that Art of Where announced they would be offering masks we can print art on soon!  These masks will have an adjustable nose piece, a pocket for a filter, and adjustable lining, which sounds swankier than many of the other custom printed art masks being offered by Redbubble and Artscow. 

So of course I needed to make one for myself and Kev!  He is medically vulnerable as a heart and cancer patient, so we’re doing our best to stay safe and wear masks when we go out. Our handmade masks are going through the ringer being washed often, so it’d be nice to have an extra set!

My first attempt at a design was inspired by my Lady of November with her butterflies, marigolds, and underworld themes.

Day 2 – Akali Samurai Masks

My mask design exploration continued with exploring different shapes inspired by Akali’s mask from the KDA music video.  I designed the oni look for myself and the samurai for Kev (because we’re giant anime nerds), but ironically we ended up liking each other’s designs instead.  I realized I made a head croquis years ago that ended up being perfect for this!

A glimpse at Akali’s neon mask which inspired the look. So cool!

Art by Michelangelo Lanuza.

Day 3 – Persephone Moon Masks

MOAR masks!  I’m still searching out the design that feels like ‘me’.  Stories of moon goddesses and Persephone have always been some of my favorites.  I wanted to play with moons and pomegranates as symbols!  I think I’ve gotten closer with the Persephone inspired design, the round shape where the mouth is looks a bit odd like a gas mask or a gag, so I may find another way to arrange these symbols.

Next week, I hope to finish up the 6 Fanarts meme that I got suggestions for on Twitter!  In the meanwhile, I need YOUR help to pick 6 outfits for my kind-hearted Tiefling gal, Anko!  I’ll be working on them after I finish up 6 Fanarts.

I’ll be saving 3 of these outfits JUST for my Patrons to suggest, so leave your suggestions on this Twitter post OR comment on this entry if you don’t have a Twitter account.  Be sure to mention you’re a Patron if you comment on Twitter!

Are you guys doing May Sketch A Day?  Link me yours!  I’d love to see.

More art coming soon!

♥ Ang

A Year in Review + Updated Art List

No doubt, it’s been one of the most challenging and epic years here on Patreon!  You guys have helped me through a very difficult personal time with the medical challenges my husband and I have faced.  I’ve also been able to complete the monumental task of finishing my very first physical coloring book!  I took part in another successful card game Kickstarter and have grown so much this year with the work I’ve been doing (just look at that montage above!).

But even that work didn’t feel like enough when I found myself crippled by stress and anxiety over our medical woes and unable to focus as much as I would’ve liked.  The words of encouragement you left us and the fact that many of you have stuck around to support this Patreon has really kept me going this year!  Your kindness goes a very long way.  Here are some of the things you all helped me do in 2018:

  • Pay our utility bills once medical bills became too much for us.
  • Pay for ads to help boost my art biz.
  • Invest in new product inventory for conventions.
  • Successfully Kickstart my first coloring book, which I couldn’t have done without your signal boosting and support!

After the difficult year that was 2018, things are looking up and my husband’s health has continued to improve.  Without that stress hanging over us, I’m hoping I can focus on making a comeback in 2019 with some very ambitious goals!  Here’s what I want to roll out to you here on Patreon this year:

  • More Behind the Scenes videos.
  • More live art streams.
  • The Artist FAQ Video Series.
  • Early Access to Commission Slots for Patrons

With the main series of paintings completed for the Ladies of the Months, I’m hyped to begin building up to the Art Book I want to make happen next, plus some of the other art merch I’m planning!  Here’s a look at the creations I’m hoping to make this year:

  • The Ladies of the Months Wall Calendar (FINALLY!)
  • Sticker Sets of the Little Ladies of the Months
  • Enamel Pins of each of the Ladies of the Months ( + gem-encrusted deluxe versions!)
  • Alternate Lady Paintings for the Ladies of the Months Art Book
  • Cosplay Charts for each Lady
  • New Premium Tutorial Videos (ie. painting walkthroughs of each Lady & her mask)
  • Standalone Paintings of each Lady’s Window Design

Can I make all of this happen this year?  We shall see!  As ever, I look forward to sharing each step of the way with you, my lovely Patrons!  I couldn’t do half of what I have done without being able to focus on what I love thanks to your encouragement and support.

Do you have any crazy ambitions for 2018?  What are you looking forward to the most from this Patreon?  What would you like to see more of from this Patreon in 2019?  Share in comments!

Now let’s start making this year amazing!

Ang’s 2018 Summary of Art

The end of the year and the beginning of a new year is always an introspective time for me.  It’s that time where I look back and take stock of where I’ve gone and look forward to where I’m going!  I wanted to take you all on a tour of this year’s greatest hits.  It’s been a pretty prolific year for me, artistically!

JANUARY – Anko’s Determination

Anko, my Warlock Tiefling who loves to bake, came onto the scene a few years ago for my husband’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign and I’ve loved watching her grow from meek young girl to a strong capable mage.  This image represented a pivotal moment in her development where she and the party faced off with an enemy that had no regard for innocent lives.  Anko learned to fight for what she thought was right and that she was more capable than she realized!  The resulting drawing of this moment flowed out of my pencil without much effort and remains my favorite drawing of Anko.

FEBRUARY – Lady of October Thumbnail Sketches

The next few months were consumed with research and study for the Lady of October, starting with her thumbnail sketches. This Lady was a bit different from her sisters in that she was much more mystical.  I agonized for a long time making a composition that was different enough from Lady of November, who also had a similar holiday theme in the Day of the Dead, while this Lady is more Samhain.

MARCH – Lady of October Fashion Design

More Lady of October! She was a unique challenge with her billowing sheer outfit and I deliberated a long time trying to nail down her look.

APRIL – Lady of October

The Lady of October finally arrived!  I experimented with gray inks for the first time with this piece trying to find a way to create mist and subtlety with pen and ink.  She also marked the completion of the Ladies of the Months main series of paintings, one of my major accomplishments for this year!

MAY – Ladies of the Months Headers

May was a prolific month!  I Kickstarted the Ladies of the Months coloring book while feverishly creating all twelve header images to boost the campaign.  It felt good to take the completed designs for the Ladies that I had agonized over for years and just have good fun with them!  Lady of December’s header was my favorite from the bunch, but you can see all twelve here.

JUNE – The Lady of Slaughter

Created for a Patreon request, this sketch allowed me to draw on an old love for Egyptian mythology that I had never really expressed in art before.  It felt good to return to these beloved stories from my childhood and indulge in that old love!  

JULY – The One Who is Above

The Egyptian sketch requests from my Patreon Patron continued resulting in some of my unexpected favorites from this year!  You can see the whole triptych of Egyptian gods here.

AUGUST – The Rose Seelie

This month saw the creation of the Rose Faeries, my pair of cards for the Olde Fae card game based on Old Maid.  It also marked a glorious return to creating more fantastical images, which I had been sorely missing!

SEPTEMBER – Fury of the River Goddess

Sometimes those quick sketches just work out!  This request for a Patreon Patron’s river goddess made me realize this is the kind of thing I want more of in my RPG/Game portfolio and also showed me what strong shapes and contrast can do in a composition.  The rest of this month was spent converting the Ladies headers from the previous month into line art for the coloring books extra pages.

OCTOBER – The Little Ladies of the Months

October was another flurry of productivity creating extra art for the coloring book!  Lady of September here was my favorite of the bunch as I felt had the best balance of a dynamic pose and filling up the space of the medallion in an interesting way.  You can see the whole set of twelve Little Ladies I created during this month here.

NOVEMBER – Anko’s Determination (Colored)

I realized during this month that I had fallen into a slump.  I was really burnt out after working on so much material for the book and it had been a very long  stressful year with my husband’s cancer diagnosis in August and hospitalization for heart problems in February.  Whenever my morale is low, I turn to games and original characters who always lift my mood.  After spending several months ignored, Anko finally got her first ever colored portrait!

DECEMBER – Exalted Secret Santa

The burnout slump continued and I’ve been trying to take it easy this month to enjoy life and family!  Doing the Exalted Secret Santa every year has been such a fun way to connect with one of my favorite fan communities and cool tabletop universes. It’s always exciting to see how my partner interprets my characters, as well!  You can see what my Secret Santa partner did for me here.

Finally, here we have a montage of nearly all the art I created in 2018!

What’s Next?

It’s funny that while I was very productive this year, I still feel like I didn’t do enough!  There were a lot of days spent forcing myself past those mental slumps feeling like everything was a disaster because it was supposed to be easier or finished long before it was or I wasn’t ‘strong’ enough to work past my mental blocks and tiredness to make more than I did. 

I have to remind myself that I am not a machine and that sometimes life is going to get you down.  It’s ok to spend your time with loved ones instead or work on a personal piece to make yourself feel better.  In the end, well-being is more precious!  A hard lesson for this workaholic who was always taught that my self-worth lies in my productivity levels.

Next year, I’m very much looking forward to exploring the more conceptual paintings I have planned for the Ladies and diving deep into that fantastical element I’ve been hankering for in my work!  I also want to get back to studying more, as I feel I’ve really let my fundamental skills languish.

I have a lot of exciting art goals for 2019, but I’m going to save those for a New Years post!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of this year’s work!  What was your favorite piece of mine this year?  Did you create any favorite pieces of your own?  Let me know in comments!

Much love and inspiration!

– Ang