It is a new year, a new me, or something like that. This year I have set a fairly ambitious goal of completing a majority of my sketches from last year. I want to take what I was already working on and finally dig in to see what I can accomplish as I move through my wide range of sketch designs. There are many new monsters I want to expand the lore for, along with original character designs that I have been wanting to explore for some time. Some of these are even tied directly into the Veil of Entheos lore.

Making new friends feels impossible sometimes, especially when you don’t get out much. As I’ve gotten older, it has become harder to connect or even stay connected with the people around me. It is as if we no longer share the same interests, as if I do not relate to them anymore. And yet, I try. I ask questions. I listen. I genuinely want to get to know people. I feel like I am good at listening, perhaps even too good, because often it feels like all I do is listen.

Have you ever had the privilege of camping under the night sky, a fire roaring beside you, laughing with friends or family as the stars twinkle above in their near eternal cosmic beauty? Did you ever look up and feel a new dream forming in your chest? Something that would make your life feel full, something that made your heart race with possibility? Did you ever make a dream, only to realize that no one believed you could accomplish it, and maybe you doubted yourself too?What if you stopped doubting yourself?

If you've been following my blog, you might have noticed that I've been on a bit of a sketching spree lately. I've made it my goal to sketch out everything I'll be finishing over the next year. I know it might seem a bit extreme to not finish any art pieces for months, but I have a plan. These sketches will serve as the foundation for a mix of things that I’m really excited about. One of the main projects I’m working on is selling character and monster adoptables through my DeviantArt page.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about character design tropes. I know I tend to fall into certain patterns, some popular, others not so much. One of the biggest ones I keep noticing is the anthro tiger design, and how so many of them look almost identical. The usual formula seems to be: the more tiger, the better. Muscular build, aggressive or brooding poses, sharp expressions that are less emotional but heavy on the mood and edge. I know there are not outliers, but I’ve seen more tiger designs than I care to admit, and they all seem to echo the same ideas over and over again.

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with characters that have extra limbs or mechanical prosthetics, whether as a result of some kind of lab creation storyline or as a response to a disability where the character uses weaponized prosthetics. It’s been a fun challenge, but also a delicate one. I want to explore these concepts without misrepresenting anyone or coming across as insensitive, but I also don’t want to shy away from them. I know this kind of thing isn’t uncommon in monster or character art, especially with some of the more edgy designs out there, but I’m trying to be more thoughtful about it.

For this piece, I was imagining a goblin prince on a quest to find a rare flower in a land mostly stripped of life. His goal is to gift this flower to the one he desires. While the sketch is quite simple, to me, it conveys that basic idea of the journey, though of course the viewer might not immediately understand why the flower is so significant. But that’s one of the things I love about creating art: sometimes, what looks like just a pretty picture to others has a deeper meaning for me.

Lately, I’ve been focusing more on refining my stylization and exploring different art styles. I still tend to draw the way I always have, but I’m really trying to preserve that fun, lighthearted feel in my work. It’s something I’m genuinely happy with. I don’t know too many artists who draw or sketch like I do, but I know they’re out there somewhere. That doesn’t mean my style is incredibly unique, but it does tend to avoid mainstream trends, and that’s perfectly fine with me. I understand that my art isn’t always as visually striking or “on point” as some might expect.

For the past few months, I’ve been deeply focused on planning the next year of my art business. At times, it’s been grueling, and I’ve felt on the edge of burnout. But despite those tough moments, I’ve never been more determined about the future. There are days when I wish I wasn’t so driven to pursue something that others might view as a waste of time. But honestly, this isn’t a waste of time to me. Not really. We live only once, so why should I shy away from creativity? Sure, it might not make me rich, but money isn’t the only reason we work.

Do you ever dream that if you look at the stars long enough, they will somehow reach out and whisper to you? Is there something special about noticing the flicker of the stars, the changing of the night sky? Is it special to you? Does it keep you up at night? Does it make you restless during the day, wondering how the night sky will look in the coming hours, in the coming years? Do you cry to yourself that light pollution is stealing something precious from you? Do you even realize that the fact you can look up and see the stars so clearly is a gift?