My Cuphead Persona

 I've never played the Cuphead video game, but I'm amazed by the retro style they used to create the characters (my boomer ass still remembers the time when these so-called "rubber hose" cartoons were popular on TV). 😄 So when I found out there was going to be a Netflix show inspired by that game, I knew I had to watch it and create my Cuphead persona!

At first I planned to draw just my OC avatar in this style, carrying a drawing tablet and a stylus and wearing a T-shirt with my logo, but then I added the main antagonist of the show, the Devil. In the cartoon he is claiming Cuphead's soul, but in my version he's reminding me of some harsh realities every artist faces from time to time.

To be honest, there were supposed to be three things on his list: job, algorithm and art block, but I decided to keep it simple - this kind of statement would be too much for this silly illustration (let's leave it for a more serious post). But yes, I planned to write about my job that doesn't leave me enough time for my hobbies, as well as about that eyebrow-raising IG rule where you won't be relevant if you don't film unnecessary reels or whatever, but... let's just call it art block, even if it's not really that - because there have been so many stupid things lately that keep pissing me off and blocking me from enjoying my hobbies such as drawing. 🙄

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#digitalart #drawing #cuphead #thecupheadshow #netflix #cupheadpersona #cupheadsona #cupsona #grdilicious #grdi

Black Krrsantan

When it comes to Star Wars fans, I know this week's top fanart is reserved for Cad Bane and I'm still two weeks behind with Black Krrsantan. In my defense, I started drawing him as soon as he appeared on The Book Of Boba Fett, but meanwhile life happened and I got to finish my drawing just today.

I don't know what's your opinion on TBOBF, but I'm still hooked on that nostalgia ride. It may not be as interesting as The Mandalorian (and God knows the colourful Vespa gang from Chapter III didn't help either) but there are still very interesting characters I didn't know before (I haven't seen any other shows than official movies), so Black Krrsantan was a refreshing new discovery for me.

As I said, it took me a lot longer to finish the drawing, but not only because of some work related obligations, but also because of the decision how to colour it. The pose was easy, it was inspired by a piece of artwork seen during the end credits, but I had to explore the comics because - interestingly enough - drawing dark fur depends on using lighter colours, so I had my ups and downs during figuring that process out. But I'm happy with how it finally turned out and this time I added some kind of a background - just some random items and scenery that can be seen on Tatooine.

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#digitalart #drawing #starwars #thebookofbobafett #themandalorian #blackkrrsantan #disneyplus #grdilicious #grdi

Creatuanary 2022

Just like last time, I chose only one drawing for this year's Creatuanary challenge. And again, it's my new version of the creature I created four years ago and then redesigned it last year.

As you can see, it didn't change at all since the last upgrade - it's still inspired by a pangolin and Sandslash (Pokémon), with horns, a tapir's snout and a T-Rex body. And I still don't have a name for it! 🤔

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#digitalart #drawing #characterdesign #creature #creatureart #creaturedesign #redraw #creatuanary #creatuanary2022 #grdilicious #grdi

Weird face masks

These last two years that we've been living in this crazy new world, what's the weirdest safety face mask you've seen so far? Here are some of my examples.

I guess many manufacturers are trying to adapt to this situation and make profit, but some of the products or concepts just look surreal and ridiculous. 🤣 But let's be honest - since we don't know how long this all will actually last, I believe they're trying to modernize them and even target different audiences such as models, influencers etc.

It was also a useful drawing practice for me because I had the opportunity to design some new characters in my cartoony style. I know wearing a mask is a serious issue, but drawing these silly versions was fun. 😄

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#digitalart #drawing #facemasks #safetymasks #grdilicious #grdi

Resolutions 2022

It's become painfully obvious that I'm not able to make New Year's resolutions and stick to them, so this illustration is just for fun, although a lot of issues from "the digital realm" that have been bothering me for some time are real and serious: online (mis)communication, rude and petty comments, deliberate spoilers, modern conspiracy theories, toxic people, ghost followers or lurkers - will I be able to do something about these problems this year? Can I at least try to avoid negative content (and people!) and stay away from comments under some posts on accounts I usually follow? 🤔 Let's wait till next year and see. 😄

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#digitalart #drawing #newyearsresolutions #resolutions2022 #grdilicious #grdi

My Art Collage 2021

Just like last year, instead of the ARTvsARTIST challenge I decided to make a collage of most of my works from 2021. As usual, I've been trying to follow the rules by drawing something widely popular or fashionable at the moment, but I've also been drawing more stuff that I find interesting so you probably won't be able to recognize all characters. I also made a banner for my other social media.

As for the number of my Instagram followers and likes, 2021 wasn't so generous. After I reached 500 followers last year, I've been struggling with 50 new followers who have been subscribing and unsubscribing and dancing around the "magical" number of 550 for more than a year, which was surprising and hard to explain. Was it the new algorithm or did my drawings drop in quality? Many recent posts barely got 15 likes and it's still confusing. Anyway, it looks like this:

My first post: Sep 3, 2016

100 followers - sometime in 2017

200 followers Feb 13, 2018

300 followers Nov 18, 2018

400 followers Dec 12, 2019

500 followers Aug 26, 2020

+/- 550 throughout 2021

This may seem like I'm complaining, but I'm actually confused because I'm not sure how this works anymore. There's this quote "It's not just about numbers, it's about content, trust, interest and engagement" and I guess I'm doing something wrong. I want to believe I'm doing my best, although constant poor reception of some of my proudest works doesn't make much sense. True, I have my regular job that often interferes with my drawing plans, so this is just a hobby that doesn't bring me any financial profit at all. I shouldn't be concerned or even write about this issue, but I follow several artists who earn money this way and they also have similar problems.

Whatever all that means, it won't stop me from doing what I've been doing all this time. I feel thankful for all your support, comments, likes, reposts etc. and I hope to continue keeping your interest in my future works.

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#digitalart #drawing #artvsartist #artvsartist2021 #artchallenge #collage #grdilicious #grdi

Spidersona (Xmas 2021)

Merry Christmas, happy holidays! 🎄🎅🎁

My obsession with Spider-Man and creating my perfect Spidersona continues, so this is my Xmas greeting card for this year!🕸🤘 Yep, that's my Spider-Man-esque OC doing Santa's work. Or at least trying to help. 😄

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#digitalart #drawing #spiderman #spidersona #christmas #merrychristmas #happynewyear #happyholidays #seasonsgreetings #grdilicious #grdi