behind the scenes

devon

I actually meant to post this around… two months ago? Unfortunately some other factors caused a massive delay, but it’s time to finish this finally. Some pieces from Art Fight I wanted to talk about because I feel they are worth talking about.

• Happenings

working to take a break from work

fiveducks

Went on a vacation, learned HTML and built a site.

• Happenings

fun with markers

devon

Turns out that I actually like alcohol markers, after all.

• Happenings

art roundup: october! (the fear of being known)

fiveducks

Whoops, I haven’t actually posted anything here since August despite saying I’d be active-ish. I’ve been busy, I promise.

• Happenings

Habby Halloween

caby

Spooky pumpkins for a spooky Halloween!

• Happenings

Plushie Archaeology: Finding a New Old Friend

mariteaux

I’m pretty sure everyone in the group likes plushies. Stuffed animals, whatever you call ’em. There’s a plushie channel in the server, and it’s constantly busy with us linking to plushies we find online, posting pictures of our own, and just generally being obsessed like we’re so good at.

This post is gonna be for a plushie closer to my heart. This is the story of how a snowman boy I’ve had from the day I was born was loved to death, rediscovered online, and rebought without a clue as to a brand or even an origin. I normally have a policy of not posting to the blog twice in a row, but this one’s more important than that. I might get a little personal.

• Happenings

Protecting and Surviving Against the AI Art Menace

mariteaux

It’s a controversial topic. AI-generated art, “this does not exist” sites, and the possibility that robots with the ability to “draw” will make artists obsolete, or at least, ruin the market for gigging artists who need that attention to live and pay bills.

Thankfully, I see it more optimistically than most. It is a menace, and you should take action if it affects you–but don’t let it discourage you. If you’re browsing around DeviantART or suchlike, here’s how to spot it and how to combat it.

Since I’m mostly involved in character design and character art, that’s what I’ll be focusing on. Apply to your medium of landscapes or photography or suchlike as applicable.

• Happenings

The Somnolescent Calendar

bulb

We’re a festive sort here at Somnolescent. We love our Halloweens and Christmases and even our Easters (it’s the cute bunny, but enough about my girlfriend). Holidays are great! It sets the mood for the whole month, it breaks up the monotony.

We devoted the entirety of August 2019 to Pennyverse, and it got me thinking about giving that devotion to the rest of our worlds and building up a Somnolescent calendar for the whole year. Always something to celebrate around here!

• Cult Activity

And A Page Turns

sushi

to reveal a new canvas to doodle on.

• Happenings

surprise caby blog post

caby

I’m sat right now at my laptop, in my bedroom, with the window open. It’s about 11pm, it’s a little cold, and I can smell the last few embers of a barbecue my neighbours had earlier this evening. And I’m feeling… normal. It feels like early-mid September, it makes me think of the upcoming spooky season, makes me think about heading into college in the crisper, cooler air, makes me think of Christmas and New Years. I feel normal.

• Retrospectives