pennswoods | Fanart Year in Review (2009 Edition)

Previous Years
* 2008 - image heavy (possibly NSFW)
* 2007 - image heavy (definitely NSFW)

January	February	March	April
May (NSFW)	In which I foolishly spent my free time writing a paper instead of doing fanart! June	July (NSFW)	August
September	October	November (NSFW)	December

Fanart Drawn
28!!!! This is actually A LOT for me (more than twice as many as I finished last year) and was helped along by my discovery at Azkatraz that one does not have to use the whole sheet of paper. Since I've started cutting my art paper into half and quarter sizes (depending on what it is I want to draw), I've been able to complete so much more. Unfortunately, I fear that years in which I produce more fanart are also years in which I write fewer research articles...

High Points of the Year:

artzkatraz, definitely. That was by and far the absolute coolest fanart moment I've experienced since being in the fandom and I'm looking forward to whatever is planned at Infinitus!

Low Points: I'm not sure I can think of one. Fanartwise, I'm very sheltered and feel very supported.

What I'm looking forward to in 2010: MOAR RICHARD ARMITAGE INSPIRED ARTZ!

What I missed in 2009: Amazing fanartists who've drifted away from the fandom. But this is natural. I'm glad to have had them in my life in past years, and I'm thankful that many have archived their art online so we can continue to enjoy it. And their work still inspires me.

Best Art for the Year: I don't know if it's the best, but it's certainly my favorite - the SS/HG piece When I Kissed the Teacher that I completed in December after encountering North & South and my new Snapespiration, Richard Armitage.

Worst Art: Ugh! This one drawn for the Hermione Big Bang. (You need to verify that you're 18 first and then in the chapters, scroll down to the first piece of art by pennswoods.) Snape's face is too long, and I honestly think he looks like Burt (Sesame Street fame). This is what happens when one rushes, does not use a reference or beta.

Art Resolution for 2010: I have several:

- Get some of my work beta-ed. I've joined a fanart beta community and am looking forward to that. I really think this is the only way I can improve. It would also be nice if I find that I can give back as well.
- Comment more on artwork. I am a complete failure at this, especially during fests which tend to occur during the most hectic part of the academic year.
- Explore copic markers more. I have a few that I picked up and have begun to use, and

leochi kindly pointed me to some tutorials for them. I think this might actually help a great deal as one of the things I typically dread is covering huge swatches with colored pencil. This is incredibly time consuming and often doesn't achieve the effect I hope for.
- I am also determined to experiment with different skin tones. It took me a while to get the tones I typically use for white skin. But I am determined to expand my repertoire so I can do justice to more HP characters.
- Organize my fanart better. I've sort of got an archive page, which is pretty crap to read, and I'm loathe to purchase web-space since I'm already paying for my professional webpages. But I would like to do something more organized and professional looking.
- Try a different style of inking. I purchased the cutest little Eward Gorey postcard calendar and shall be studying it. It seems the perfect model.