SADC: The Final 2012 Drawing

Wow.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

I did it.  365 drawings in 365 days.  One drawing per day for an entire  year.  Every single day.  Not a day missed.  I'm still a little in shock!  Some of them weren't the best.  Some of them weren't the most understandable.  Some of them weren't the most exciting.  But they were.

I've tried to do this challenge for three years in a row.  2010 I made it till March.  2011 I...again...made it till March.  This year, despite two hospital visits, moving, a death in the family, Comic Con, holidays, terrifying tragedies, trips out of state...I finally did it.  I made it a whole year.

I want to thank everyone for their support.  For reading my blog, commenting on the updates, offering requests, encouragement, everything.  I know a lot of my friends lurk on my blog and, although they don't say anything, your presence is appreciated.  Thank you all, so much, for taking a look.

What have I learned from this?  I guess that I have determination, willpower, devotion, dedication...that I like to draw people a lot...but I knew this.  There's so much I've learned and so much to learn.  However, I think my FAVORITE part of this challenge is how much it inspired OTHERS.  I had a number of people tell me that my taking on THIS challenge helped them take on challenges of their own.  Exercising, drawing, recording, writing, reading, etc. every single day.  Even if their challenges didn't make it as far or had a break in them or were just starting--I am so happy to be a spark for another's creative energy, no matter how long or short it goes.  The fact that I could inspire someone in any way, is incredibly powerful to me.  I am really grateful for that.

So, what's next?  I intend to keep drawing and posting...though the challenge isn't so demanding to me now.  If I miss a day, I'll miss a day, but I'll continue to keep the chain going, regardless.  I am so proud of myself for finishing this and so happy to have had the chance to do it. 

So, for me, I have drawn a very proud, successful, triumphant character celebrating the end of the Sketch-a-Day Challenge.  Thanks again, everyone, for your support.

I DID IT!!! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

SADC: Ross and Daphne Have Feels

Ross is all, "Who, me?" and Daphne is all, "Uh, yeah. Duh." She's so supportive.

Home stretch.  Tomorrow is the last day.  BE PREPARED FOR A WALL OF TEXT ENTRY!  WAHOO!!!!

SADC: Same Ol' Same Ol'

I said I would not do busts or just faces for a very long time...and I didn't...until now. I didn't realize I had done this until it was too late. D'oh. More faces. Whoops!

SADC: Jump Fly

Haven't drawn her in a long time. Wheeee!

SADC: Tarder Sauce

One of my favorite internet memes. I love this cat so much. So very adorable.  I wish I owned this beast. 

SADC: Jack Frost

It's...pretty hard to get back into the swing of just drawing WHATEVER I WANT. I kindof sat there, staring at the page going, "I could draw anything...ANYTHING". It was, almost, a little overwhelming.

 So, what do I do?

 I think of a conversation I had with my dear friend, Jessy and decided to draw Jack Frost from "Rise of the Guardians" for her.

Ha! Though it's not REALLY a request,  I guess I'm still not out of request mode yet, entirely...

SADC: Request! Happy Birthmas?

Stephanie requested I do a picture of this Birthday/Christmas celebration. Needless to say, it's...not much of a celebration. At least he has company! Sort of.

 Merry...birthday? Happy...Christmas? Oh, well. :\

This marks the END of the request segment of my Sketch-a-Day Challenge.  I have to be honest and say that I am SO glad to be done with it.  It's not that I didn't like it, but 25 days proved to be WAY too long to request requests!  I ran out of requests pretty quick and had to ask for more!  I did just about every request suggested to me, and for that, I'm very proud. I think, if I ever do requests again, it will definitely be a shorter period of time. 

There were days I just wanted to draw whatever I wanted, but didn't have the chance because it was the request segment.  It was a LITTLE creatively stifling in THAT regard, but otherwise, it was REALLY an interesting challenge.  This exercise forced me to try things I'd never done before, use reference, and consider all kinds of different aspects.  It was really a GREAT challenge (within the challenge...yo dawg...).  I really learned a lot.

Thanks, SO MUCH to EVERYONE who requested a drawing.  I'm so glad I got to give these little sketches as gifts to you, and I hope you enjoyed them.  I have only 6 days left, 6 drawings until I successfully finish the challenge.  From here on out, it's whatever I want to draw.  I can't wait to see if I make it to the new year.  I'm very excited and SO GLAD that many of you helped me get this far with your unique and challenging requests.  Thank you so much. 

And of course, thanks for this final request, Steph!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

SADC: Request! Whimsy and SkyBolt's Christmas

My sister gets her SECOND REQUEST IN A ROW. What is this madness?! I guess spending the holidays with my family made me want to give them a few extra gifts. Well, my sis, anyway.

 She wanted to see us in our pony forms (I'm Whimsy and she's SkyBolt) doing something festive. I decided to make them decorating a tree together...as that's just adorable.

Thanks for the request, sis!

SADC: Request! Kids

My sister knows how much I like to draw kids, especially a certain group of them! She requested that I draw my favorite kids plus a couple extra in some activity. So, I chose Capture the Flag, since it's likely they would participate in such fun and games.

 Honestly, it did not come out as I had hoped. It barely came out at all. But, it was fun to sketch and give it a shot. Yay!

Thanks for the request, sis!

SADC: Request! My Cousin Vinny

The original request was from my friend, Ryan, who asked for, "...some characters from My Cousin Vinny: the Judge (on the bench looking irate), Vinny (looking tired and sullen in the red suit), Mona Lisa Vitto (doing the "biological clock is ticking like this" gesture), and Mr. Trotter (the prosecuting lawyer)."

Unfortunately, I did not leave enough space for "Mr. Trotter", but I managed to fit the other three on the page.

Ryan's been waiting awhile for this one, but since there were so many characters in such specific poses all based off of real life people, I wanted to give a little time to it to make sure they came out looking as requested. So, I appreciate your patience! Sorry I couldn't get to Mr. Trotter.

Thanks for the request, Ryan!

SADC: Request! Sir Didymus and Ambrosius

Honestly. Who can resist a sketch request that was originally proposed as "...that dog riding the other dog in Labyrinth?" CLASSIC. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. In Joanne's defense, she totally got their names right later, "Sir Didymus and Ambrosius".

 I have never drawn either of these characters before but they came out REALLY easily for me. I was quite surprised. I absolutely LOVE the Muppets and anything Muppet-related, so this was an absolute treat for me.  Maybe my unsuppressed love of Muppets seeped through, and that's why it was so easy.  Hmmmmm. 

Thanks for the request, Joanne!

SADC: Request! Best Buds Mikey and Tim

 "... I've always dreamed of hanging out with Michaelangelo from the 1989 Ninja Turtles cartoon, but alas i am not in 2-D and they are not in 3-D (at least not that version). That would be my ultimate to see."

Well, Tim, you get your wish. Here's you and Michaelangelo, chillin' out, and eating pizza. COWABUNGA, DUDE!

 Thanks for the request, Tim

SADC: Request! A Miniature Me Riding My Cat into Battle

YES. SOMEONE REQUESTED THIS. NO. THAT SOMEONE WASN'T ME.

Amanda gets her THIRD request from me...as I am running out of requests to choose from. As of right now, I have only two more posted requests to my Facebook and one verbal request to complete. I have till next Tuesday, so I need at least 3 more.

Despite the fact that she looks a little derpy and weird, this is the best drawing I've ever done of my cat...because she does look derpy and weird.

Yes, her tail curls.

Thanks for the request, Amanda!  

SADC: Request! Freddie Mercury with a Microphone Sword

My friend Jon strikes again with another, rather unique, request. "Freddie Mercury with a microphone sword". I have never drawn either of those subject before. Jon really enjoys challenging me...and making magical subjects have violence-themed accoutrements (unicorn with boxing gloves, Freddie Mercury with a sword...sensing a pattern here, buddy).

Thanks for the request, Jon!

Reference

SADC: Request! Kittens

There are some days...you cannot draw. You cannot draw and, what's worse, you have set yourself up for drawing REQUESTS. So, you know that you're going to have to draw SOMEONE something NOT GREAT. And you try REALLY HARD to draw something a little more challenging--take a request of something unfamiliar. FIGHT THROUGH THE TERRIBLE DRAWING DAY. And you do. For about two hours. And then it's getting late and you have work in the morning and you have erased EVERYTHING YOU'VE CREATED.

And then you end up with kittens.

And you thank, LeVanna, for giving you the option of something familiar on a day when your pencil and paper are having a marital dispute.

Thanks for the day-saving request, LeVanna!

SADC: Request! Dragon's First Flight

My friend, Jessica, requested, "...a dragon trying to spread its wings for the first time. Or a Pegasus. or a fairy. Some mythical creature with wings lol".

 I decided to combine things a little bit and make it a baby dragon getting some help from some fairies in order to spread its wings to fly for the first time. I think this baby dragon is afraid of heights. Oh, no! Looks like those fairies have their work cut out for them.

Thanks for the request, Jessica!

SADC: Request! Valkyrie

Today's request comes from my friend, Tim, who has offered, "A valkyrie contemplating the final fate of a fallen warrior. :D"

 I was really interested and excited to do the piece because it gave me a chance to make a bit of a story with it. There was a basic direction but my choice as to the overall feel. I was REALLY inspired to try it out, and I'm actually fairly pleased with it.

 I referenced a LOT of Steven E. Gordon's work for this. For some reason valkyries and SEG just seemed to go hand-in-hand for me.

Thanks for the request, Tim!

Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3
Style Reference (Steve E. Gordon)

SADC: Request! Mudkip and Trainer

 so...i herd u liek mudkips....

CONGRATULATIONS, Amanda Turnage on SUCCESSFULLY finishing your final! As "reward" (though your awesome grades and hard work is plenty rewarding) you get your requested mudkip...and you as the trainer. GOOD JOB! You're rockin' that education stuff! You should be proud.

Thanks for the request, Amanda!

SADC: Request! A Gorgon

Stephanie got into my request cue again with a simple request for a gorgon. Though...to be honest...I'm not sure if she meant just ANY gorgon or her gorgon CHARACTER.   I defaulted to a gorgon and drew the below.  DON'T LOOK INTO HER EYES!  You'll be turned to stone.

For reals.

...annnnnd now you're stone.....

 Thanks for the request, Stephanie!

Referenced

SADC: Request! 100 Duck-Sized Horses vs 1 Horse-Sized Duck

My friend, Joey, requested a Reddit AMA favorite suggestion of, "a horse sized duck fighting 100 duck sized horses." So, a bit of a cop-out as I did not draw 100 horses. Ah, well. He suggested we submit the sketch to Reddit buuuut I would like to clean this up and work with it more. But, for now, here is a horse-sized duck fighting SEVERAL duck-sized horses.

Thanks for the request, Joey!

SADC: Transformer in Space

I have been trying to do a different friend's request every day, but Matt had such a CHALLENGING request for me, I could not resist. I'm not the biggest fan of robots OR space, but it was something to get me out of my comfort zone of organic shapes into something I'm VERY unfamiliar with. I really enjoyed the challenge...though it did take a LONG time (especially with my cat draping herself over my drawing arm almost they WHOLE TIME).

Thanks for the request, Matt!

 

Reference

SADC: Request! Unicorn with Boxing Gloves

My friend, Jon, requested a unicorn with boxing gloves a while back. He wanted it in some kind of Mucha-esque style. Since I had no other pressing requests, I thought I would comply.

Would be SO FUN to color this.

Hope the image is joy-inducing for you, Jon!

SADC: Request! Pauper, Honey, Urchin

My sister requested that I draw, "...cute, cartoony versions of Urchin, Honey, and Pauper" who are cats.

I wish I had done a better job on these guys, but I do like the personalities of the beasts coming through. They have a lot of personality. Urchin was, by far, the hardest to draw. I might take a crack at this lot at another point in the future.

 All my requesters are so inspiring to me! Every time I draw for them I want to try it again or do something similar in the future or color the sketch. Keep 'em coming!

Thanks for the request, sis!

SADC: Request! It Doesn't Cost Much....

My best friend in the whole wide world Stephanie is having a bit of a rough weekend. Even in her tough time, she still managed to offer me a request suggestion.

I've never drawn Ursula before, so I jumped at the chance. I wanted to include my friend in it as the sorrowful mermaid. She needs cheering up and I think Ursula MAY have a solutions...or maybe just cause more problems.

 Thanks for the request, Stephanie! Love you!

What's the matter, my dear?

SADC: Request! Bunny

My dear friend Tricia's bunny just recovered from an illness, so when she requested a bunny for my SADC, I HAD to comply!   I drew a couple of bunnies; my favorite is the one I've shaded in dark in honor of the darling, newly healthy Mal!  So glad he's well again (probably because he has such attentive and awesome owners ;) ). 

Thanks for the request, Tricia!

SADC: Request! Stocks and Stalks

Seems like the story-like requests have been popular suggestions for the past two days!  Tim decided to make his request a little bit of a play on words and challenged me to draw, "...a Christmas stocking stalking live stock through corn stalks".

 Yo dawg, I heard you liked stocks. So I drew a Christmas stocking stalking livestock through corn stalks while they take stock of their vegetable stock stock.

Thanks for the request, Tim!

SADC: Request! Narwhal, Kittens, Dragon

I knew I would be getting a random request at SOME POINT. And who better than Matt to provide it for me? The request was "a narwhal rescuing a basket of kittens from a dragon". Honestly, who could say NO to that?! I really had fun making everything really cute and simple. I might even color this one at some point.

Thanks for the request, Matt!

SADC: Request! Slimer

I GREW UP with the Real Ghostbusters.  So, what a blast from the past it was when my friend, David Koenig requested Slimer. I really enjoyed the cartoony-ness and downright UGLINESS of the character. I've never drawn him before either, so this was really interesting to try.

Thanks for the request, Dave!

Reference 1 Reference 2

SADC: Request! Cthulhu

This was a fascinating request that INSTANTLY grabbed me! I've never drawn Cthulhu before, so the opportunity that my friend, Randy, gave me was too good to pass up. I really enjoyed trying my hand at it...maybe because I love monsters.  At any rate, I think I would love to draw him again in the future. Too fun.

Thanks for the request, Randy!

SADC: Request! Blocky, Lego-Like People

Today's request comes from my friend LeVanna who requested "blocky, Lego-like people". An interesting request and fun to work with! It was interesting to watch my own progression from strictly squares and rectangles to more FLEXIBLE interpretations.

 Thanks for the request, LeVanna!

SADC: Request! Sailor Moon

Thanks to Amanda Turnage for giving me my first request of the month! My FAVORITE childhood hero--and a big inspiration in my art and drawings--Sailor Moon! I would've drawn the more CHALLENGING aspects of her request, but I ran out of time today.  It was a GREAT opportunity to draw her in my style (my kid!self is still INSISTING I shoulda copied the style.  OH, KID!ME)

Thanks so much for this request Amanda!!!

SADC: Some of My Favorite Characters

Finishing off November with drawing some of him FAVORITE characters. Why? No, not because I'm uncreative and uninspired (ha, ha, ha Iwillcutyou o.o), but because today is the LAST DAY I may get to draw them in the Sketch Challenge for awhile.

Tomorrow I am starting a NEW idea for finishing out the Sketch-a-Day Challenge! In a nutshell: from December 1st - December 25th, I will be taking requests as to what to draw! It's a way of expanding my subject matter from my usual fare and giving something back to my readers/viewers.  If you have something you've always wanted to see me draw or a fun idea, I'm open for it! Remember, these aren't COMMISSION drawings, so they will be SKETCHES and subject to my interpretation (especially on composition, tone, positions, etc.). Every suggestion made on that night's drawing will be an option for the NEXT day's SADC. So whatever you suggest TONIGHT, I will draw TOMORROW. 

I won't draw EVERYTHING suggested (obviously, I will include nothing over PG-13 for my blog) but requests are open. So, send me a message here or on my Facebook page!

 Let the season of giving begin!

SADC: Length-wise

What is this...I don't even....

SADC: Adventure!

I have...no idea what she's doing...she doesn't even have an arrow.

And the two gentlemen are off on another adventure! Maybe one a little more reluctantly than the other for once....

Thanks to Senshi Stock for Merida's pose reference.

SADC: No More Busts After Today...

Seriously. I need more variety up in here! I have a plan for December regarding variety. We'll see how it goes....

SADC: Brunettes

Yup. I sure do love me some brunettes.

SADC: Club-Going

...if only she had a club....

SADC: Males of Various Ages

Older man, baby boy, and--Ross! Didn't you have enough drawings done on your birthday?

SADC: Ross's Birthday

This is the birthday I gave to my character Ross. Happy birthday, Ross!

SADC: Thanksgiving Day Doodles

I've never made it to Thanksgiving! I'm grateful for having made it this far. So thankful for that! :)

(I threw a little cooked turkey drawing in there to represent the day. )

SADC: Just a Daphne Head

Daphne's head. A common theme for me.

SADC: Laundry Day Randomness

Drew this on top of a washer on laundry day. Stuff.

SADC: Just a Terrible Job

Hmmmmm...SOME people need to try a LITTLE harder. -.O

SADC: Disapproval

Really? You've had all day to draw and this is the most you've done? Can't say I'm impressed.

SADC: Old Young Woman

Saw this person today. She was a young woman with an OLD WOMAN'S FACE. I had to sketch her.

SADC: People and a Bear

People...people who need people...and bears...yeah.

SADC: Anthropomorphic Food

Suggestions from children. I have no idea what I'm doing.

SADC: You Heard Me Wrong

What I said was "I'll get the BEARDS".

SADC: Cinema, Liar, and Falling Lady

Down, down the rabbit hole.

SADC: Figure-ing it Out

Figures, hands, stuff. Enjoying some more full body sketches.  Looking into working with more motion, more fluidity.