HAPPY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!
Super important update below!!! TLDR: Show's over folks! Go home! Also I'm doing a giveaway raffle!!
Before I start monologuing- wondering who everyone is? Check out this video!
Okay anyway hopefully that headline got your attention.
Life update: still above ground
I’m gonna be honest it freaks me out just a little bit to think about how much time has passed since I first started this blog. And of course I can’t help but reflect on where I was 10 years ago, what I wanted, what I had planned...and how things have gone. 2025 has been a really challenging year for me. When I started writing this in July I hoped things would turn around by now, but my career is not going great. I'm...really not where I hoped I’d be, but I doubt many people are where they thought they’d be when they’re 17, 10 years later.
Anyway, I wanted to announce I'm officially semi retiring from this series and TTTE in general. Which is just a fancy way of saying I am officially, finally, giving myself very official permission to stop feeling obligated to keep drawing asks, or holiday pictures, etc. And before a smarty pants tries to say, hehe, I would have thought you already were! I know I'm not very active on here, like I said it's been a hard year and I have other things pulling at me, but the feeling is always there. The feeling of “Hm I’d like to try making this thing that will be time and labour intensive...no no I should really draw more asks” and then I don’t do either! You see the issue? Maybe I wanna lock in on an animated film idea for a month, but I don’t because I feel like I'm not allowed to do anything else until I do something for this. I mean a perfect example is how I've wanted to try new things but I also wanted to do something nice for the 10 years. This has absolutely dominated my free time for the last 5 months. If anyone's wondering, my total recorded drawing hours amounted to about 80 hours. I'd say maybe 10-15 more weren't recorded by mistake, or were final edits and compositional stuff.
Here's a process gif. More in depth WIPs and process videos are on my Patreon! I've also updated/simplified my Patreon so that one tier gets you everything for $5
Just want to say thought that that obligation comes entirely from myself, you guys have always been amazing to me which is part of why I wanted to do something really big for the 10 year mark.
Part of why I'm officially retiring this blog is that, as much as I love doing it out of passion, it doesn't make me any money. Even when I was at what I'd call the "peak" of my fandom popularity, I barely made any money from this. I have to renew my visa next February and that is a HUGE expense. I need- and WANT- to find sustainable employment, and I wish it were art related, but trains just aren’t gonna get me there. I've actually decided to take a break from pursuing an art career for the time being and am currently studying to be a driving instructor, so we'll see how that turns out. But this is niche within a niche, and my art's just never really been something people want to pay money for. That, and/or a lot of my audience are young people with little to no disposable income. Not that I don’t appreciate all the love and support I’ve gotten over the years, it really has meant so much to me. Please don't think for a moment that money is why I ever started this project or what I most care about. But at the end of the day you do need money to live in this world.
This isn’t to say I’m, like, ~leaving the fandom~ though. Distancing myself from the Twitter side, maybe, because I still get a pit in my stomach logging on there from all the crap I've had to deal with over the years. But this ain't about them. I still like Thomas but I’m releasing myself from the feeling that I have to center it around this blog and any asks I get. I’ve had a really clear vision for a humanized storyboard version of Duck in the Water for years but just haven’t gotten around to actually doing it. Maybe I'll work on that. Or hey maybe I wanna draw a horse AU on a whim and never touch it again. Of course, if I get an ask that really catches my attention I might draw something for that too. But also, I may never draw anything Thomas-related ever again. And that would be okay! I probably will but I'm giving myself permission not to.
I’d also like to focus more on my original story, Blot, and these little guys
It would make me so, so happy if anyone who’s a fan of my Thomas work ended up invested in it. I hope you’ll give it a chance some day. At the moment I mainly post about them on my Patreon but I've made a new side blog for them now too @blotstory. It'll probably be quiet for the time being but keep an eye out for posts sometime. The, er, very rough animatic "pilot" is on my YouTube channel- it's pretty outdated now but it should still give you a sense of what it's about.
In any case. I didn't want this blog to go out with something mid or just fade into irrelevance so I drew EVERY SINGLE CANON CHARACTER I'VE EVER DRAWN. Plus a few choice OC's! Even if I never posted them (Gordon's express coaches) or only drew them once on a post-it that I couldn't even find for reference (Harvey). Here's the video where I go over who everyone is because i know there's people you won't recognize. Some of them have gotten some serious glow-ups! I also realized, isn't this sorta..just...one really huge banner? We're really ending how we started huh.
LET'S GO OUT WITH A BANG!!!
ENTRY FORM
I'm doing a raffle!! Giveaway! Whatever!!
One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will get a SIGNED 10x15" print!
Two secondary winners will get SIGNED 8x12" print!
Three runner-ups will get a SIGNED 4x6" print!
Each signed print is matte and comes with an Ask the Famous 8! pin, a pen, and some stickers.
All prizes will be FREE!!! You don't have to pay shipping!
For everyone else, the poster and pin will be available to purchase for yourself on my Redbubble after the giveaway ends :)
To officially enter, please fill out this google form, like/reblog this post, and reblog (or reply to) this post with your favorite AtF8-related memory. Could be heartfelt or just something that made you laugh once! Maybe you've met me in person and it was hopefully a nice experience? Anything related to me or my art is valid!
Full terms are on the form but you can get additional entries by doing the following:
• Liking and sharing the OFFICIAL 10 year posts on social media - ONE ENTRY PER PLATFORM • Commenting on the OFFICIAL 10 year post with your favorite AtF8 memory - ONE ENTRY PER PLATFORM • Following me on Instagram @BriBonArt - ONE ENTRY PER PERSON • Subscribing to me on Youtube @sleepyhenryYT • Submitting fanart directly to the blog, OR posting it and @'ing me - ONE ENTRY PER FANART (NOT PER SUBMISSION/PLATFORM) • Join my Patreon (FREE MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE) - ONE ENTRY PER PRESON
Make sure to submit screenshots of your entries to the Google form!!
The deadline to enter is MIDNIGHT GMT ON DECEMBER 8TH, 2025!!!
The winners will be announced by December 12th of the same week. Please note if you win but don't respond to me within 7 days I'll have to pick someone else.
Good luck and thank you so much everyone for the last 10 years of support!
