Green Bean

Art blog for SweetAgnostis. All art, all the time. Well, all art, not all of the time. All art, when I get around to it.

[artsyagnostis]

So for Christmas I have a friend whose favorite movie is Howl's Moving Castle, so I decided to sew him a drawstring bag based on Calcifer.

Aside from occasional mending I haven't sewn anything except one very simple drawstring bag from elementary school, but for some reason I wanted to take on this project anyway, and I actually really like how it turned out???

I was so excited during the process I took a bunch of photos - the first one was a mock-up I cut from paper to help visualize before actually cutting the fabrics. So uhhh, here's the process!

(Unfortunately I think I may have mucked around with my camera settings, the bag is pretty vibrant in color, and not as faded as the yellow in particular looks.)

The biggest set-back I came across was I had bought a nice leather cord to use for the drawstring that I could not rope through for love or money so I had to use embroidery thread for the drawstring instead. But besides that I'm pretty happy with the result, especially for a beginner!

I used embroidery thread around the eyes and mouth because I felt the black outlines was actually a crucial part in Calcifer's character design. And used it around the flame as well but that's more because the yellow fabric is a cheaper fabric and I didn't want it to start fraying. 😅And I didn't take a photo but it's two layers and the interior fabric matches the mouth.

It's hardly professional looking but despite its imperfections I think it's honestly pretty darn cute! I really hope my friend likes it, or at least finds the effort endearing. Personally I might have to make a second one for myself - it was always intended as a gift but I'm actually gonna be sad to see it go!

[pixergirl]

❤️ 💙 💜 💖 💗 💘

[artsyagnostis]

I'm sorry for taking so long to look at this but AHHHHHH this is so cool!! You did such a great job! I'm genuinely so impressed, like yours looks way better than mine TBH, haha. I'm glad I could inspire you and I hope your friend loved it! :D

[artsyagnostis]

This is actually an older painting from 2022 or 2023.

This is based on a ballet performance actually, from a work titled Until the Mermaid Drags You Under by Norbert De La Cruz III. Unfortunately it's so hard to capture a ballet in an image or talk about it, but oh my gosh, it's one of my all-time favorite ballet performances if not my favorite. Very unfortunately it was performed when peak COVID restrictions were in place so it was to a very small audience for one night only, which is an absolute shame because I have never seen a performance like it. This gorgeous dramatic dark fantasy with a surprisingly hopeful ending, I was enchanted the whole time.

One duet was performed by a same-sex pair of dancers, a merman and a sailor—the sailor starting disoriented and confused, but eventually turning into this intricate, passionate, duet. It was one of my favorite parts of the piece, and one of the dancers posted rehearsal footage so I used it as a reference for this painting, leaning into the dark fantasy. Will the merman help the sailor return to the surface, or drag him deeper into the depths?

Why did I wait til 2025 to post this? Well, I was so inspired by the video that I painted the entire image, and then panicked about the ethics of using real-world references you very much know in real life without telling them, and can I post it when many people who know the dancers in question follow me on Instagram where I also post my art. So I figured "I can never post this" and sat on it for the past 2-3 years, didn't even want to post it here without a blessing. But I've gradually become good friends with one of the involved dancers (the sailor in this) and finally worked up the nerve today to show him this painting—he ABSOLUTELY loved it and asked me to post it, haha.

It's been a few years, and part of me still wants to redo this in traditional medium (my stronger medium), but also I do feel it's my best 100% digital painting.

Anyway, check out modern ballet works, there are some fantastic ones out there! That's my soapbox.

[artsyagnostis]

This is actually an older painting from 2022 or 2023.

This is based on a ballet performance actually, from a work titled Until the Mermaid Drags You Under by Norbert De La Cruz III. Unfortunately it's so hard to capture a ballet in an image or talk about it, but oh my gosh, it's one of my all-time favorite ballet performances if not my favorite. Very unfortunately it was performed when peak COVID restrictions were in place so it was to a very small audience for one night only, which is an absolute shame because I have never seen a performance like it. This gorgeous dramatic dark fantasy with a surprisingly hopeful ending, I was enchanted the whole time.

One duet was performed by a same-sex pair of dancers, a merman and a sailor—the sailor starting disoriented and confused, but eventually turning into this intricate, passionate, duet. It was one of my favorite parts of the piece, and one of the dancers posted rehearsal footage so I used it as a reference for this painting, leaning into the dark fantasy. Will the merman help the sailor return to the surface, or drag him deeper into the depths?

Why did I wait til 2025 to post this? Well, I was so inspired by the video that I painted the entire image, and then panicked about the ethics of using real-world references you very much know in real life without telling them, and can I post it when many people who know the dancers in question follow me on Instagram where I also post my art. So I figured "I can never post this" and sat on it for the past 2-3 years, didn't even want to post it here without a blessing. But I've gradually become good friends with one of the involved dancers (the sailor in this) and finally worked up the nerve today to show him this painting—he ABSOLUTELY loved it and asked me to post it, haha.

It's been a few years, and part of me still wants to redo this in traditional medium (my stronger medium), but also I do feel it's my best 100% digital painting.

Anyway, check out modern ballet works, there are some fantastic ones out there! That's my soapbox.

[artsyagnostis]

So for Christmas I have a friend whose favorite movie is Howl's Moving Castle, so I decided to sew him a drawstring bag based on Calcifer.

Aside from occasional mending I haven't sewn anything except one very simple drawstring bag from elementary school, but for some reason I wanted to take on this project anyway, and I actually really like how it turned out???

I was so excited during the process I took a bunch of photos - the first one was a mock-up I cut from paper to help visualize before actually cutting the fabrics. So uhhh, here's the process!

(Unfortunately I think I may have mucked around with my camera settings, the bag is pretty vibrant in color, and not as faded as the yellow in particular looks.)

The biggest set-back I came across was I had bought a nice leather cord to use for the drawstring that I could not rope through for love or money so I had to use embroidery thread for the drawstring instead. But besides that I'm pretty happy with the result, especially for a beginner!

I used embroidery thread around the eyes and mouth because I felt the black outlines was actually a crucial part in Calcifer's character design. And used it around the flame as well but that's more because the yellow fabric is a cheaper fabric and I didn't want it to start fraying. 😅And I didn't take a photo but it's two layers and the interior fabric matches the mouth.

It's hardly professional looking but despite its imperfections I think it's honestly pretty darn cute! I really hope my friend likes it, or at least finds the effort endearing. Personally I might have to make a second one for myself - it was always intended as a gift but I'm actually gonna be sad to see it go!

[artsyagnostis]

My first traditional painting in 5 years! 🎉 Mostly watercolor but some marker and acrylic mixed in.

A re-do of this digital drawing from a couple of years ago which I always liked the concept of but could've come out better.

I finally got around to organizing my art supplies and looking through my old works reminded me I really am a much better traditional artist (or traditional/digital blend) than purely digital artist, there were watercolor and ink works I actually enjoyed seeing again. It's more effort, but I feel like (for me in particular) the final result is far better. And I enjoy doing traditional art more too—honestly got a bit emotional getting my easel set up.

Hopefully I'll keep at it but I have such a hard time juggling artistic hobbies! And like, my job of course. But I've been playing and writing music a lot over recent years which I think contributes to me drawing less, because unfortunately my brain is a finite space that can juggle only so many creative projects at once. But we'll see!

Song Inspiration: Make Me Real - She 🎵

[artsyagnostis]

New icon for my main blog maybe? Still deciding if this works as an icon or not.

I was vaguely thinking about what my main blog name "sweet agnostis" might look like. Technically I define my blog name as "finding beauty in the unknown" but also that's hard to draw so I made this instead.

Not exactly how I thought the finished drawing would look like, kinda got away from me a bit, but I like what it became - I kind of like the kind of childish rainbow stars mixed in.

[artsyagnostis]

A somewhat venty drawing on my mixed emotions regarding romance and dating, but I guess ended up possibly a bit more optimistically than where it started, with new life growing around an old shattered heart.

Going to try to make it a goal to draw more this year. Will it work, despite that I still want time to work on my other hobbies and I’ve just picked up a freelancing project? No idea! But my goal is one completed drawing a month.

[artsyagnostis]

Make me real.

[artsyagnostis]

A gentle galaxy goddess.

[artsyagnostis]

Self portrait time. My hair is purple(ish) now. :D

[artsyagnostis]

What started as a nostalgic drawing of an old character turned into a delightfully messy brush experiment, haha. Fantastical Frankie, now with extra rainbows!

[artsyagnostis]

Starting the new year off with a drawing! Inspired by The Birthday Massacre’s latest single, Dreams of You.

[artsyagnostis]

Am I drawing again? Who knows!

But I was looking through some old drawings and decided I wanted to get back to my traditional medium roots, and pulled out my colored pencils. So here’s a mermaid inspired by a Mandarin Fish.

[artsyagnostis]

Apparently it is International Asexuality Day, so happy day to my fellow aces! Amazingly it is also “Kells, for the love of God, will you finish a drawing” day, so I made a drawing featuring my favorite Nintendo romantic asexual couple headcanon.

[artsyagnostis]

Meant to draw a simple reference of my D&D character, then my stupid brain was like “yeah, but what if she were standing in a church, bathed in light, in sight of a stained glass window?” But yeah, this is Kathra, a Dwarven cleric of the forge. An oddball balance of being the one of the more heroic characters of the party (or at least the only character that can maintain a lawful good alignment), exasperated mom friend, and a goof who doesn’t want to admit she really only skimmed her religious readings and shut up, of course the quote goes like that. 

[artsyagnostis]

Made this for a NaNoWriMo group I’m in, and I am thrilled to announce that I have set a new record for the cutest drawing that I, personally, have ever made.

[artsyagnostis]

Replaying Super Paper Mario and made an indulgent little drawing. Based on the thought of how it would've been nice if Tippi and Luigi had a bonding moment, like, "oh hey, you've lost a not insignificant chunk of your memory and have a growing suspicion that you really aren't gonna like it if/when those memories come back? OMG, me too!"

Setting is the Overthere solely for aesthetic purposes and definitely not because I was stuck there for way too long looking for that damn blue orb. >:c