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eiseryn · 4 months

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2023 Art Summary

I can't believe 2023 is almost over and it's been a whole year! These past few months have passed by in a blur and so I feel like I'm barely holding on 😭 I had a lot of time to draw in the beginning of last year but considerably less time now...

But overall, I'm really proud of my progress as an artist this year! I had more time to draw than usual so I honed some skills and worked on some things this year! You can tell from the first Lei and the last Lei I drew XD I learned how to use filters XD to blend the character into the background!

You can also see that I started the year with Nova (Feb-Apr) and then it became Lei in my fave pieces after LMAOOO. Seriously, the last 4 months just being Vail and Lei alternates is so funny to me XD. This year was truly the year of Lei. I suspect 2024 will also be the year of Lei with vis novel development XD

Going through the months:

January: First illustration of Lei back when the campaign first started. She was supposed to be a cold b*tch but uh... that did not happen. She turned out to be a soft and sweet girl, which also reflects in my later art of her. I still want to revisit girlboss Lei though cuz the shots she took in the campaign were like 😳😳😳

February: Pink Valentines Nova~ Nova is a blue girl but soft pink Nova hits differently. I think this art was cute and I love all the heart elements I put in! (Like in her eyes~)

March: Bubble tea Nova! This was my business card for the first art market I sold stickers at! <-- artist feat of the year? Otherwise didn't draw much art this month XD I was stressed out about my first art market. SOMEONE AT THE MARKET SAW THIS ART, ASKED IF IT WAS MY VTUBER MODEL, AND THEN TOLD ME I SHOULD BECOME A VTUBER. The best compliment I got about this art XD I will remember it forever.

April: Idol Nova… technically I drew it in May but shhh the sketch was done in April. I did this because I did some bday karaoke and this was the piece I got inspired to make after having so much fun there! Here is where I started learning how to use filters to help blend the character into the background!

May: Mermaid Merrow for Mermay! This is the only Mermay piece I did but it remains one of my top art pieces this year… just all the colours are so gorgeous in this one + the BG I'm proud of! I did not post it on tumblr cuz I started posting on tumblr in Aug... LOL. But anyways it's gorgeous and took me like 2-3 days.

June: Bad art month… it was between this and the Leticia sketch I made. I ended up with this one even though I don't like it as much as the sketch because it was at least a fully rendered piece with a background and everything... I don't like the face in it, but I worked hard on the hands! (One of my weaknesses) so there's that! Sometimes it's the little things you're proud of.

July: I really like this outfit I drew for Lei! It's the one I use for refs for her now XD I'm also particularly proud of this one cuz it's a fullbody and it's hard to draw fullbody pieces... But also I just think her outfit looks really good here! And I love how dead and tired her eyes look XD which is her mood by the time she got this outfit during the campaign.

August: It was really hard to pick for August because I had two really good pieces... (actually 3 it turns out) but I picked this one in the end because I think the artist composition was just really good. There are parts I don't like about it anymore, but the lighting was good! And I'm proud I drew all her friends in this too XD the pieces of her heart -- as this art piece is called.

September: Made a GIF of disappearing Vail! Not my first GIF I've made but I like how it turned out + I'm especially proud of the background XD It's not great but I put some effort into it. I could have worked on his pose a little more... but I don't have many good Sept pieces 😭

October: Spent too much effort on a meme. But really proud of the hand and lighting. Especially drawing the cyberpunk lighting cuz that's hard... Also yeah I think I spent close to an hour sketching the hand/ making the hand look decent XD So of course this piece is the one I choose. I also worked on making the BG look decent... and Vail's backview was hard... man... I spent a long time on this piece XD

November: Yandere Vail 😳😳😳 One of the hottest Vail pieces I've drawn and it's for a mafia AU Vail LMAO. I used a reference for this XD which is why the pose looks good.

December: Most recent piece! Had to finish the year with Lei cuz we started with Lei~ This one is a modern AU Lei so it can't quite compare to Lei's canon cyberpunk universe but still~ You can definitely see improvement in my art! Or so I'd like to think. I used a reference for the pose (kind of) and also used a picture for the BG. I'm going to do that a lot next year LMAO just take pics and use them as BGs XD Work smart not hard, right?

Runner-Ups

They're all from Aug + Dec LOL… my most productive art months this year XD

Aug 2: Flash piece! I didn't post this on tumblr either... but it is my former best boy from the campaign (Former b/c Vail took his place LMAO he's too sketchy now). I used a reference for his pose so it turned out pretty good in my opinion? I also like the lighting I did for him! I forgot his earrings though... and his necklace... oops... I'll fix that for the vis novel (cope) -- I do want this to be a CG you get from the vis novel XD cuz I think it looks good XD

Aug 14: Pink Neon Nights - First Vail x Lei piece 🥺😳🥺😳 I gotta admit the hand looks hella funky for Lei BUTTTT I am in love with Vail's smile here 🥺🥺🥺 His fangs and I like how I designed his hoodie~ Plus I like the pink neon lighting from the bar they're at~

Dec 21: Nova's birthday piece~ I hadn't drawn a full illustration for her since August so this piece turned out super good. For some reason her hair became more and more grey as the years passed in the way I drew her XD She's supposed to have white hair with grey tips (oxidation???) But UHMMM I think it's hard to do highlights on white hair so I've been making her hair more and more grey as time passes XD but her hair is white, guys.

Dec 22: Lei's Happy Holidays Card - TBH I don't like how her face turned out here, BUT I like her pose and the way I did her clothing folds XD and I put effort into the BG so there's lots of other elements on this piece I like~

And of course, my most popular piece this year was worm on a string Nova.

A classic TBH. She is still so sad and gorgeous in this piece XD I made it into a sticker to put on my laptop! :)

To more years of art and art improvement! ✨ To a 2024 filled with more self-indulgent OC art ✨ Happy New Year!

#my art #my oc #oc art #original character #art summary #2023 art summary #digital art #artists on tumblr #eiseryn #eiserynn #long post #2023 #year end review #to more years of art #happy new year

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sassyshoulderangel319 · 6 years

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IT’S MERMAY! (Original Photo this was Inspired From HERE) (Thanks @steverogersnotebook!)

I stole down to the docks a few hours before dawn. Please be here. Please be here, I thought as I rushed to the end of one dock and looked out over the dark water. The town behind me cast a slight glimmer on the surface of the ocean. I sucked in a deep breath, smelling the salty sea air I never tired of.

“And here I was thinking you weren’t going to show up,” a voice remarked from just behind me on the dock.

I whirled around.

Arms braced against the soft old wood and chin resting on top of hands was him. The merman. There were gills on his cheekbones just below his temples and a sleek red, orange, and yellow tail streaked with black drifted through the saltwater aimlessly, the fluke sticking out like a stock photo model lying on their stomach on a picnic blanket with their feet in the air. He had sharp, icy blue eyes and dark brown hair. There was a placid look on his face, matching the deadpan tone of his remark.

“You could at least look happy to see me,” I said sarcastically, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

“I could.”

I rolled my eyes. “Glad to see your attitude is still intact.”

“I have a reputation to maintain, sweetheart.”

“Not with me. I have no preconceived notions about who you are when you’re with your... community.” Was there a scientific word for a group of merfolk? Like... a school? Or a pod?

He smiled. “I suppose you have a point.” He relaxed. “Why don’t you come with me, hmm? We could have a lot of fun together. In the sea.”

I snorted. “I’m not an idiot, you know. Merfolk are, like, designed to entice humans into the water to drown them.”

He seemed to think for a moment. “True. That is true. But look me in the eye and tell me you don’t hear the ocean calling to you. Hmm? That’s what drew you to me in the first place, darling, wasn’t it? The call of the ocean. The pull of the tides drawing you irrevocably in. That desire---that longing---is why you moved from the land-locked city you grew up in to this podunk, forsaken town. To be near the water. Isn’t it?”

I sighed. “Yeah. Though I don’t think I sounded that poetic when I told you all that.”

“Must you cheapen the moment?” he asked.

“No but I must be honest.” I paused. “I can’t go with you and you know why. I’d drown. And even if I wouldn’t, I have a life here. Friends. Family. I can’t go with someone whose name I don’t even know.”

“Hmm,” he grunted thoughtfully.

There was a moment of silence before he hauled himself out of the water and sat on the dock next to me, fiery tail glinting, scales reflecting the stars.

“I suppose you’re right,” he said. “You seem to often be right.”

I blinked. I wasn’t used to people telling me I was right. I was used to fighting for people to realize I knew what I was talking about. I stared at his icy blue eyes while he stared back at me unblinkingly---which was a tad bit unnerving. He took a deep breath.

“My name is---”

RUFF! RUFF! RUFF! A dog started barking from up the dock and a flashlight beam shone on the sea mist in the air. “Who’s down there?!” the voice of Mr. Crane---the town grouch---shouted from just up the hill.

I gasped through my nose. “I am so dead,” I whispered.

The merman took my hand. “Come with me. Into the water. Now!” he hissed.

“You’ll drag me under! I’m sorry. I like you but I don’t trust you at all.”

“Sweetheart, we don’t have time for this. C’mon!” Holding my arm firmly with one hand and my own hand in his other, he tugged me to the edge of the dock. I was grateful I left my phone at home. “On three, okay?” he asked, searching my face with an almost desperate expression. “One---”

He shoved me in.

I’d grown up swimming in pools. I knew how to swim and how to dive. I pointed my toes and brought my arms against my chest to plunge into the water as soundlessly as possible. That didn’t stop the water from being freezing though.

The merman slithered into the water after me. I heard him more than I saw him since it was dark, the water was murky, and I had my eyes closed. I started kicking for the surface.

A strong arm wrapped around my shoulders.

On instinct, I screamed.

A hand closed over my mouth. Shhh! I heard in my head. Do you want to be found?! It was his voice. I stopped.

My head broke the surface. I took a deep breath through my open nose and peeled my eyes open.

The merman and I were under the dock, peering up in silent fear. He held me to his chest and slowly released my mouth. I opened it wider and breathed slowly and silently through it so my nose wouldn’t whistle.

Crane stomped down the dock, his massive mastiff---that he called Odin---still barking at us. Crane couldn’t see us. He peered around, his flashlight beam swinging wildly back and forth over the water around the dock. The merman squeezed me tighter to his chest after it got a little close for either of our likings. His face was really close to mine over my left shoulder. I peeked at it.

He looked terrified.

Ever so slowly, so as not to drip, he pointed down into the water. I nodded.

He eased under first, pulling me down with him.

I can only communicate like this underwater, his voice in my head said. Listen, I don’t know how long he’s going to hang around waiting for something to happen and dawn isn’t that far off. Meaning he’ll probably find us when the sun comes up. I need you to trust me, doll. Okay?

I shook my head, feeling my hair drift around in the water. I don’t trust you, I thought. You’re, like, programmed to drown me.

I don’t know what programmed means, he said.

I rolled my eyes behind closed lids, my head bobbing slowly back up to the surface so I could take a breath. Crane was still there, stomping back and forth along the dock, searching the sea for any sign of an intruder. A bit overkill if you ask me. If I saw nothing was there I would have gone back to bed.

The merman tugged me back under, keeping my entrance as silent as possible.

Listen, I just need you to trust me for... five seconds, at most. Okay? I swear to you I will not attempt to drown you. But you have to trust me for five seconds underwater. Can you do that?

I wanted to snort skeptically out my nose but I didn’t want bubbles to alert Crane to our presence. So I screwed up my face to show him I was displeased.

Tell me your name and I’ll trust you for five seconds, I thought.

I could feel him smile. My name is Bucky.

Okay. Nice to meet you, Bucky.

Nice to meet you too. Again. For the three-hundredth time.

You’re not actually keeping track are you? I thought.

No. Just exaggerating for dramatic effect. Take a breath again. Then trust me for five seconds.

I emerged under the dock to Odin still barking his head off and Crane grumbling to himself about intruders. Odin freaked out when I came up for air. I took another deep breath and let Bucky pull me under again.

You have five seconds, Bucky.

That’s all I need, darling.

He pulled me down even deeper in the water. It got a tad colder.

His lips pressed against mine in a kiss far more tender than I would have expected, his fingers sliding into my hair. His tail, slowly sliding through the ocean to keep him where he wanted to be, brushed against my bare feet. It was slippery and felt a little freaky.

The burning desire for air receded. I felt fine. Not like I could breathe underwater but more like I didn’t need to breathe at all.

Open your eyes, his voice echoed in my head.

I hated opening my eyes underwater without goggles, but I did anyway.

Everything was crystal clear. The murk of the water seemed to have vanished. Bucky’s grin was inches from my face, his fingers still lingering in my hair. Better? he thought at me.

I smiled and nodded. Much. Why? How?

A kiss from a merperson can keep a human from drowning. It’s one of our magical abilities. Whaddaya say we swim deep, get away from this guy, and come back once he’s gone?

Uh... okay.

Bucky’s smile widened. Great. Let’s go.

He held my hand and guided me deeper. The fluke of his tail propelled him much faster through the water than my legs could for me so I kind of just let him drag me along. I did my best to keep my worry in check. Being in the ocean always made me nervous---mostly just because I didn’t want to get bitten by something.

So why didn’t you tell me before that you could just kiss me and suddenly I wouldn’t be able to drown? I thought.

I don’t know. Normally I would have just done that to anyone else. But you’re different to me. I know you. And you’re suspicious. Other humans would have just been like, “Oh. Okay. Yeah. I’ll go swimming with you!” and jumped in without a second thought. Perfect drowning victims. But you know the folklore. You know more about merfolk than a lot of average humans do. So I wanted you to trust me. And I do want you to come away with me. Not forever. Maybe just join me on adventures, you know? he asked.

Mm, I thought. I probably mumbled it out loud too.

I heard him chuckle in my mind.

We swam a good distance away from the docks before resurfacing. I took a deep, gasping breath when my head broke the surface. “So do you have to kiss me again if I want to actually join you underwater on our next adventure?” I asked.

Bucky grinned. “No. It’s more of a ‘Lasts forever’ kind of thing.”

Feeling impulsive, and a little flirty, I grunted, “Mm. That’s a shame.”

Bucky snickered. “Well, maybe I’ll do it again just to... reapply the magic. Does that sound like a good idea?”

“I think so. Better to be safe than sorry.”

We both started laughing, turning our gazes up to the shimmering stars.

The sky started to lighten and I realized how long we’d been swimming underwater. “Whoa. It’s almost dawn. I should... I should get back,” I said.

Bucky took my hand. “I’ll pull you back faster than you could swim on your own,” he said.

“Better reapply that no drowning magic, don’t you think?” I teased.

He chuckled. “If you insist.” He pulled me underwater and planted a kiss on my mouth. Any desire to head back to the surface immediately for air vanished. I opened my eyes and smiled at him. He grinned back, held onto me, and whizzed back through the water.

By the time we got back to the docks, Crane and Odin were nowhere in sight and the sky was turning pink and yellow.

I climbed up a lowered ladder and onto one of the docks. Bucky resumed his position from the beginning of our little adventure---arms braced against the wood and chin resting on his hands. His gills gave a little flap as he converted to breathing through his mouth and nose like a mammal and he gave me another impassive expression.

“So, when can I expect you back here?” he asked. “To come away with me into the ocean on an adventure?”

I wrung out my hair---as well as stripped off my shirt and wrung it out too before reluctantly dragging it back onto my skin. “Welp, I have a date tonight that I’m fairly certain I’m not going to enjoy so tomorrow, maybe?”

He smiled. “I’ll be here,” he said.

“Me too.” I glanced over my shoulder as the lights in the houses started to turn on. The town was waking up. “I should go. See you soon, Bucky.”

“See you soon, beautiful.”

I smiled and ran up the docks, my shoes and socks squishing uncomfortably. I left behind a trail of dripping water but even Crane wouldn’t notice or care. No one was outside yet so I managed to get back to the small house I shared with my roommate undetected.

“You smell like seawater. Where have you been?” she demanded through a mouthful of cereal.

“Went for a walk and fell in. Slipped,” I lied before going to the bathroom to shower. Tomorrow night I was going on an undersea adventure with a merman who had a red-orange-and-yellow tail streaked with black who was insanely handsome and a step past flirty. This was going to be interesting. Maybe the call of the ocean I’d felt my whole life was really... the call of merpeople. Drawing me in. Leading me to him.

#I'm going happy-go-lucky Bucky from before WWII #and by h-g-l I mean 'not burdened by a ton of crap'#Bucky Barnes #MerMay #steverogersnotebook #mermaid

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