Fanart Year In Review

[pennswoods]

I regret not having done this meme last year as it's such a cool way to catalog what one has (or has not) accomplished artwise over the past twelve months. It's also a really great way to document how one's work changes from year to year, and I think there's been a big change in my fanart over the past 2.5 years that I've been in the fandom.

So without further ado, let the meme begin. (Advanced warning, one or two of these are not safe for work, the faint of heart, or the underaged.)




Favorite Art this Year: My Soul

This is my favorite not because it's exceptionally well executed or anything but because it captures one of the moments in DH that will always stay with me - when Snape's vocalized what so many of us crazed Snapefen wonder, "What about Snape's soul?"









Best Art this Year: Rumours of My Demise

Doing this all in ink was an experiment for me, and something really clicked about it. The composition just seemed right, and I'm thrilled with Snape's little smirk. Also, he's not dead! :D








Most Under-Appreciated Art this Year: Watch What Happens to Longbottom's Toad

This is a really tricky category, since I believe it's supposed to be "Most Under-Appreciated by the Universe", but I think the universe has been pretty darn receptive to everything I've produced, so I'm changing the category to be "Most Under-Appreciated by Me", and this little canon piece is it. I received some pretty direct but helpful concrit on an anonymous fanart meme shortly after producing this piece which led me to experiment with slightly different paper and to force myself to try for a little depth. I also moved away from the format of framing all my art in black with a canon (or fanon) quote at the bottom. This is the last piece I did using this format and this type of paper (cheap inkjet paper and not art paper). As a result, I've sort of avoided looking at this picture and have missed out on what worked well here. The expressions, particularly Neville's and Hermione's are some of the best I've drawn this year. Shame on me for not appreciating this piece more.








Most Fun to Draw: A Ravenclaw & A Slytherin

When is it NOT fun to take a public celebrity and dress them up in Hogwarts robes? Plus I had a lot of fun with the (somewhat wonky) American flag in the background.








Sexiest Art this Year: Detention

Truthfully, I don't do enough smut, so I don't know where this came from. It must have been divine inspiration. I had an idea for doing a sequences of other pictures that go with this one, one before and one after, but I haven't gotten around to it. Perhaps this is just the thing to work on for humpday_smut.








Holy Crap! That's Wrong Even for You: Protegé

They were SO getting it on! This appears to be the only "canon-ish" pairing I drew this year. I produced it before the pr0n police started shutting down journals, and because Bella is depicted in school-girl attire (she's 7th year - I swear), I was kind of glad this didn't generate much attention at all.








Drawing that Shifted My Perception of the Characters: On the Train

I don't rightly remember what I called this one, and I never did get around to posting it to my journal, but it was drawn as part of the Paintbrush & Quill exchange sponsored by Phoenix Rising (such a cool experience). In any case, I'd just completed this after drawing a series of fairly smutty Lupin/Tonks scenes, so suddenly trying to envision and depict Lupin as a self-conscious 11-year-old (and not the well endowed and insatiable sex god that I'd become comfortable drawing) required a heck of a mental adjustment.








Biggest Surprise: Stocking Surprise

Because who wouldn't be surprised to find a TOAD in their xmas stocking! Awe, Trevor is so cute. *cuddles sweet little toad* This was my first attempt using primarily colored markers with colored pencils as backup, and I was pleasantly surprised by how vibrant it came out.








Hardest Artwork this Year: After the Shack

This was my Snarry Games entry, which I ended up submitting late because I really struggled with the prompts I picked. Unfortunately, the Snarry Games ended up coinciding with my move across country and the start of a new job, which found me particularly pressed for time when it came to fandom concerns. I used up a lot of eraser on this picture and really phoned in the coloring so I could get this done in time.








Biggest Disappointment: Snape's Worst Memory

This particular piece was quite slow in its execution. I started the lineart for it in March, and just barely completed coloring it in time to display at Prophecy. There are many things I like about this piece, but I've seen the same scene depicted so much better by a number of other fanartists that the flaws and inadequacies in my version really stand out in comparison. I also think that being the avid Snapefan that I am, I've built up this scene so much in my mind that I couldn't help but be disappointed by whatever I ended up producing. *sigh*








Artwork I'm Most Proud Of: Circle of Friends

I loved this moment in canon, and I'm rather pleased with how it turned out here. I think I'm also particularly proud of this because there's no Snape in it (and I'm actually shocked by just how much Snape-centric art I draw) as well as the fact that it's a canon scene that hasn't been depicted a lot just yet.





Total artwork drawn and uploaded (somewhere if not here) this year: 14

and finally..

Fanart Goals for Next Year
- Complete and upload at least 25 pieces of art.
- Experiment with different types of paper.
- Play around with pontillism.
- Explore ink and marker more.
- Work on making my work more dynamic.
- Practice with light and shadows.
- Broaden my scope of characters and/or pairings. (Maybe a little Harry/Draco?)
- Draw more smut.
- Explore commissions.
- Get my shit done on time.
- View and comment on MORE fanart!

Comments

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

That means so much to me. I feel like I'm struggling for a non-generic art identity, so it's so nice to hear that someone can recognize my style. :D

If every day in 2008 were like today, it would be a most excellent year!

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

I don't think you should worry too much about finding an artistic identity - I find your art to be both beautiful and distinctive. I don't know anyone else who draws quite like you.

That's so great! I am pleased you're having a good day! :)