2020 Summary of Art and Year review!

I never quite know how to go about these things.
I always feel super overwhelmed and thankful for all the support you have all given me every year. It overwhelms me the most this year. The community and friends we have built all across patreon, IG, FB and our discord. All the friends we have shared experiences with, given mental and emotional support, offered jokes and played games together. All of it has really kept me on track and helped me cope with everything that was this year. It's been such a privilege and a true journey to share with you. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE

🌿✨Color Art summary!
I thought it would be fun for me to combo my visual art and my business/art accomplishments in one post so I hope this is a neat mix.

This year is the VERY FIRST year I have been able to slap together a fully colored template. I have always, and basically up to this point, have been a very monochrome artist. I always stayed away from color because I never really learned how to use it. Older professors said I used to paint with mud and dirt. It's so surreal for me to be able to sit here now with a fully colored roster of art.

Looking back, that's what most of 2020 was for me, It was churning out fully finished works, establishing a palette that I was comfortable with, and giving myself a base to start really learning and growing and playing with. There is a clear bit of growth and confidence in these pieces as I attempted to find my voice. I can't wait to push into further in 2021.

🌿✨ Greyscale Art summary!

As mentioned above, my comfort is with monochrome and character works. In 2019, I worked a terrible 40+ hour a week desk job that drained the creativity from my bones. The entire year, I maybe completed a total of 5 color pieces. I even think that estimate is a bit skewed as most of them were probably for commissions. With that said, even though I did more color this year, I wanted to highlight my roots, and make a second Summary for the greys from 2020.

I keep forgetting I did polished greyscale work all of October. ahahahaha Ah well.

🌿✨Good vibe Buisness/Art accomplishments in 2020:

✦ Completed my first year as a full time illustrator! And with that, I also made enough money to attempt to complete my second year as a full time illustrator! ahahaha
✦ Launched my very first patreon page, publishing over 205 posts and way more illustrations/art dumps! and with that, curating a community of over 35+ people here and on discord!
✦ Started streaming art on twitch more, and started using twitter!
✦ Outsourced my first two designs of dotted art journals!
✦ Awarded two Artist Grants from local organizations
✦ Gave a virtual artist talk to digital art students
✦ Reached the patreon goal to start creating custom works for you all and sending out my very first rounds of physical rewards!
✦ Had artworks published in 4 differing scifi and fantasty magazines and books this year
✦ Started bullet journaling and got way more organized ahaha.
✦ Became the lead artist for the Fox Feet Comic! Completing multiple concept works, development, and completing four full-color pages. Thus extending and being published on Tapas and Webtoons!
✦ Redesigned my website at least twice 🤣
✦ Properly launched my website shop and started offering exclusive print on demand items!
✦ Collaborated with Jon Sideriadis to create 35 traditional monograms to be used and printed in his very first book Astromythos, as well as design his enamel pin for the summer kickstarter that raised over $45,000 during the campaign.
✦ Helped donate work to the Bail Out Gallery to raise over $7k for BLM bail out funds during the peak of the summer protests
✦ Collaborated with Found Familiar Coffee three times and are now a prominent artist with their brand and good friends with the owners!
✦ Put out an 85+ page PDF art book (physical copies planed for 2021)
✦ Completed the Fantasy Girlfriends art series, ran a successful preorder, resulting in my very first self published book!
✦ Did a TON of visual development for The Kingdom of None (fantasy cowboy comic)
✦ Offered a position  as a Digital Illustration Professor at the University of New Haven for spring 2021!
✦ Started Up Goblin Forge! Where I started making my first handmade resin dice sets!
✦ Hosted my very first IG give away!
✦ Made too much new art for my portfolio, I had to cut out and really curate the pieces
✦ Worked on and completed over 50 commercial and gift commissions this year! (thats a ton of custom art!)
✦ Stepped up my branding, graphic design and packaging. 

And more importantly, I found my voice and really honed my skills, and allowed myself to be kinder and take breaks along the way.

I didn't have any set goals for this year, because it all fell apart so quickly, but I have done so much more than I could ever have thought. I have the one year anniversary of my patreon on January 4th, and plan to share some of the on deck projects I have for 2021, as well as share some of the ideas and special gifts I will be including in the next quarter's rewards.

I am thus leaving you with another one of my rambly essays. 🤣I hope it gives you a nice wholesome roundup of the year, and of the art that you helped support me creating during these times. Here's to another year of art and the hustle! 🎉✨
- Z