Recently, I’ve been experimenting with Clip Studio paint, testing out new brushes and features within the program. I have been pushing myself to create more compelling character designs with interesting silhouettes, and I hope to carry this forward as I grow as an artist. Accessories and clothing have been at the forefront of my focus, as I want to improve my abilities when it comes to making unique designs that help to tell a story about who the character is. Fantasy elements are my absolute favourite to incorporate into my pieces, it gives me the space to create just about anything. My goal moving forward is to continue to challenge myself to continuously improve and seek inspiration from the world around me when creating art.

I create a lot of art relating to cats, when it comes to character design it gives me a whole world of freedom to tap into. It gives me the ability to play around with unique features, patterns, and colours that humans do not provide. I draw a lot of inspiration from other animals when it comes to creating my designs, using horses, birds, and other mammals to craft unique patterns and palettes. I have always been a cat person from a young age, and that has carried on throughout my entire life. A lot of my work involving cats is heavily inspired by the book series Warriors, which follows the lives of feral cats separated into clans. While I missed out on reading it as a child when it was at the peak of its popularity, over the last few years I decided to finally begin reading the series. It has been very entertaining to get into and has graced me with a plethora of inspiration when it comes to the art that I create.

This piece, titled Sweet, Mourning Kid, delves into my struggles growing up in a catholic environment as a closeted queer person. I lived with a deep sense of guilt that seemed to root itself into every crevice of my being from a very young age. Growing up I was very sheltered and had no way of seeking help to understand the feelings within me, and this feeling of otherness always lingered when I was surrounded by my peers. I felt different, they could sense I was different like they could smell it on my skin. I attempted to drown myself in prayer. thinking that if I prayed hard enough, maybe God would hear me and fix this broken feeling within me and make me “normal” like those around me. I buried my true self deep within my body in order to attempt to fit this box that had been taught to me for all of those years. I decided on the depiction of a goat, since in the bible they are seen as those who neglect Jesus’s teachings. My existence as a whole was seen as wrong by my peers, I was neglecting what they saw as true and just by trying to live truly to myself. The praying pose is a callback to the moments in my childhood that spent trying to pray away the guilt and fear I felt deep within my soul.

The designs were created for a small personal project that I have been slowly workshopping. The creatures are called Avesapiens, which are genetically modified humans whose genes were spliced with bird DNA. They have lived their entire lives within a hidden facility known as the Sanctuary, where they are consistently monitored and tested to ensure that their development is on track with the goal set in place, to elevate the abilities of the human race. The main plotline follows the life of Adore, an Avesapien from the 8th batch of experiments rapidly approaching her 18th birthday. She learns that she is scheduled to have her wings clipped upon turning 18 through the hushed whispers of one of her caregivers as she is brought in for routine testing. According to the rushed conversation she had overheard, her flight related tests have been concluded, and there will be no use for their wings now that they are purely focusing on examining her lifespan and susceptibility to illness and disease. This kickstarts a whirlwind of panic, driving Adore to frantically seek any way of escaping the only world she has ever known. Upon breaching the security and breaking free of the Sanctuary, she stumbles upon a fugitive, Riptide, who had suffered a similar fate, a “failed” experiment who had escaped from the clutches of her handlers 10 years ago. I hope to continue expanding this story, as it has been extremely enjoyable to develop. Fully fleshing out the worldbuilding and side characters is my next step, it has been an absolute joy to work on!