Sta.sh
Theme
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this journal 
Total prizes reach 1000 
But of course there are always the rules......
Please please please fave the journal!
Make another journal about this giveaway and provide a link of that journal in the comments (this will help spread the word about this giveaway)
Wow! Art trades are closed
Commissions are closed
For all my new underwater drawings, check out my separate account:
[link] "Forever 16", the comic formerly known as "Maxwell Silver Hammer"
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That "2009 Art Review" meme going around right now looks like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, thanks to my naughty, naughty computer (I could just pinch it!), art submission is not really something I'm capable of right now. So instead, let's use my journal to look back at what I did in 2009! Never let it be said that I'm not resourceful.
January
I began the year with a tribute piece, professing my undying fondness for the Japanese version of "Pokémon". I also did a few more "Maxwell Silver Hammer" book covers and produced two of my most popular deviations; "Wardrobe Malfunction" (a concept suggested by a friend of mine on the Toonzone forums that somehow became a Daily Deviation) and "Just Like That Time When..." (my not-so-subtle poke at "Family Guy").
February
A busy month for "Maxwell Silver Hammer", which occupied seven consecutive slots in my gallery. I sought to improve my character construction, but all the characters' faces still looked pretty much the same. This month also gave us "Who Catches the Catchmen", my first piece of Watchmen fan art...which I drew before I'd finished reading the book. Ultimately, I decided Pokémon and Watchmen don't mix too well...
March
This was when I began assembling stuff for a portfolio I sent to Pixar Studios, and thus I began thinking about how my characters might translate into a feature film. It brought a bit more depth to the Maxwell kids, that's for sure. I also collaborated with
on several humorous commissions, found a new design for 
's Monica (courtesy of 
), and finally found the perfect Watchmen parody source - the Looney Tunes!April
Only after I got that Pixar portfolio sent out did I realize that all my characters still looked too much alike in the faces. The first character I redesigned was Michelle, but it took me a while to settle on her look. After some more toying around with drawing out the distinct features of a face, I uncovered one of my old drawing pads - and discovered that yeah, I really have improved quite a bit in ten years!
May
Success! I finally settled on new character designs for all the "Maxwell Silver Hammer" characters. And I was so excited about it that I wanted to start drawing some strips to test them out, and decided to try it on a daily basis like a real comic strip. At the last minute, I changed the name to "Forever 16" - I just thought it fit better. Also, I found myself flummoxed by FOX's then-forthcoming "The Cleveland Show" and thought about which "Family Guy" character really deserved their own show...
June
Things started to slow down this month. Drawing "Forever 16" on a daily basis was largely responsible for that, but I also contracted a nasty computer virus that shut down my computer for a while and sent me into a depressing anti-creativity period. I realized that doing a daily strip was too much work when I already had a day job, so I had to stop. On the plus side, though, I did rework Maxine Mink's character design, and I'm of the opinion that she's never looked hotter.
July
A second wind! I submitted an unbelievable 22 deviations this month. That's due in large part to the Great American Sketchdump of '09, in which I unearthed a ton of unfinished drawings and posted them for all to see. Oh, and I drew one of my personal favorite deviations, "I Can Dream, Can't I?", depicting the four animated ladies whom I admire the most.
August
A lot of neat stuff happened this month. I had a windfall of "Forever 16" ideas again, I became a humongous "Kim Possible" fan, and I drew what I still think is my best underwater drawing ever, "Deep Blue Punk". Also, towards the end of the month, I began experimenting with more mature themes in my artwork - sophisticated nudity. Reviews were mixed, to say the least.
September
A new job with longer hours put a shackle on my free time this month, but I didn't let it stand in my way. My mature movement continued, and by drawing influence from the work of
, I produced my favorite Michelle drawing ever, "Ay Caramba". However, all was not merriment - 
announced his departure from DeviantArt this month, and I decided to follow suit out of support for him. It would have happened sooner, were it not for what happened the following month...October
Another virus sucker-punched my computer, this one much MUCH worse than the last one - I was without Internet access for over a week, unable to even turn my computer on. And when my computer gets sick, I lose my motivation to work. As such, I only produced four drawings this month, half of them being long overdue commissions, and another being a work in progress that I still haven't been able to complete.
November
After getting things up and running again, I decided to work on a "Pokémon" comic project I began in 2008, in an effort to get my creative juices flowing again. And for a while, it worked...until, wouldn't you know it, I contracted a THIRD computer virus, one that won't let me scan or color my artwork. How bad was it? Well...
December
...
I haven't uploaded anything this month. I've been drawing like crazy, but I can't scan anything.
This was the last straw, and I'm dumping my PC for a Mac very soon (as many of you already know). But in summary, 2009 was not my most productive year. Creatively, I did just fine, but in terms of productivity, I only put up 103 drawings this year, as opposed to the 138 I posted in 2008. Once I get my new computer, though, you better believe the floodgates are going to open. Here's to a more blissful and productive 2010!
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:thumb58672060:
Supporter of King-Cheetah: DA's most underappreciated genius
And if you support
and 
, go read "Cantrip the Magic Rabbit": [link] . What are you waiting for? Do it now! Go ahead, I'll wait for you to get back.Do you miss MDetector5? I know I do! So visit his blog and get your much-needed Bee fix: [link]
Cheers for going the distance with your art, balancing the incompatable, and generally sticking with split attentions!
-
I wouldn't go Mac even if one 'fell off the back of a truck' right in front of me.
"A li'l. It's also why I gave him a cat named Tom Servo."
How subtle of you.
-Ahem-Seriously, though, I think your best drawing this year was "My Name is Mud". I don't think I can really elaborate why, it's just the way the whole drawing reads out is very aesthetically pleasing (I still can't draw "crowd shots" or "Group of characters together" sort of thing. It always looks like just several drawings pasted together, if that makes any sense.)
And another year of which I have yet to see Jenny! -Sniff-How DO I put up with such things?
I'll admit I've been jealous of your creative drive. I wish mine was as productive as it used to be or like yours. Can't wait to see what you'll dish out for '10
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"I love comic books and I love anime. It’s kind of like being in a crack house with no money.”- Samuel L. Jackson
"And I'm a PC - I cant do crap."