In true Kat fashion, doing a drawing and posting it at midnight. Some things absolutely never change.
I haven't really gotten to sit down and carve out time to draw in almost a year. Over a year? Hm. Life has been just kinda... a lot. I've been actively fighting burnout on top of that!! I'm trying. The guilt is KILLING me.
I am still calibrating my tablet to the new PC, so it can handle my light handedness, so I figured I'd do a low stakes painting tonight, something simple, to see if I even remember how to draw.
Becca and I have been rewatching School Spirits, so... a Maddie Nears on this Friday the 13th, seemed really fitting.
I'm updating like twenty social medias [that's hyperbolic, but it feels like it lmao] so - I wasn't the best updating people WHERE I VANISHED TO, because it gets depressing/anxiety inducing/exhausting posting multiple places why your life is kinda in A State™
HI! I'M BACK!
WHERE WAS I, YOU MAY ASK IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW MY MAIN OR MY BLUESKY?
December - I took on commissions because of surgery costs - had my left ovary removed!
January - I was still recovering, and we had to take Hannibal to the vet SEVERAL times because dumbass' KNEE and consults.
February - I lost my job with the IRS because the stupid executive orders [thank you shithole American gov't]
March - Hannibal had his first surgery to remove a tumor from his armpit [it was jellybean sized, so that's not a huge ordeal just... weeks of healing time :T]
April - My mom died of stage 3 uterine cancer that kinda blindsided us all [she wouldn't get tested at the hospital when they brought it up, and I've been on my mom for 15 years about her uterus issues like STILL HAVING BLEEDING.] It was a really rough week, and it's still very surreal.
April - ALSO had Hannibal's double surgery at the end of the month. He had the femoral head removed on his OTHER leg, and had knee surgery because his kneecap was sliding in and out of place.
April - ALSO saw me getting a new job with an insurance company! [the fucking NO JOB and NO WAY/SPACE TO BE CREATIVE WAS A NIGHTMARE BTW LOL... NO OUTLET~!!!]
May-July - Just been dealing a lot with my own health issues, and Hannibal's checkups, so a lot of NOTHING to update on because it was just a big waiting game on his recovery :/ and my spiraling mental state/guilt.
July - I usually have a lot of trouble dealing with July because a LOT of traumatic stuff has happened to me in that month, but this year was good and I started to kinda... I don't know. Take back my life? Have hard conversations with people they needed to hear, and started to just... figure out how to get back to living my life versus riding it out? I've reconnected with family, and have been making mental moves to accept my need to cut others off. It's hard, but I need to do it.
August - We had a really good post-op check in with our orthopedic vet for Hannibal and basically got the OKAY stamp of approval to let him back out into the house/cat tree etc full time [we'd been letting him out when we were HOME and could monitor him for a month or two by now, but we were keeping activity to ground or STEP UPS no higher than 12" ;;]
August - I also finally reached the goal post for this rough ass year. My buddy and I had gotten tickets to see NIN in Chicago [that's my BOYS] and I had lost my job shortly after [thanks universe] so when life kept throwing ONE THING after ANOTHER at me I just kept being like "we gotta make it to August, you gotta make it girly. holy FUCK."
Had a wonderful weekend roadtrip [for the most part, my physical anxiety kinda kicked in HARD for some reason??] and the concert was really great. Also had the most amazing grilled cheese of my life after the show LMAO but I came home feeling more myself than I have in YEARS.
It's been a rough fucking year. So riding that high, I came home and started to clean my office top to bottom, getting all the dander and cat litter dust out of here so I don't get sick [since I'm allergic to litter and stuff more than my cat's dander thankfully lol BUT WILLIAM I AM ALLERGIC TO?? cats are WEIRD.]
I Marie Kondo'd the whole office, I have two boxes of stuff to donate, and a GIANT box of figures to sell/donate. As well as I threw out a lot of boxes I didn't NEED to be keeping because I'm never going to SELL those figures, and the boxes aren't... needed.
Redid my desk layout to make things better for ME physically and mentally. And just in general I feel my mental state has leveled to a pleasant buzz ;; I feel like myself in a lot of ways I haven't in ages.
I'm at my desk, running diagnostics and cleaning and updating, while my scanner goes and - I've got a lot of Bucky Barnes to clean and post because I read a LOT of comics while I was away lmao...
But - hopefully I'm excited about art and dive back into it like I'm feeling right now.
This year was rough as hell, but it's.... almost over, and I'm over the hurdle. Now to just keep on, keeping on, pay down my debt and save for my PC upgrade because Vakarian is trucking along but I can tell - it's rough out here for my guy.
HI I HOPE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WELL!! Sorry I disappeared so hard ;;
Gives you a Bucky Barnes in these trying times - I haven't been able to do much work at my desk this past few weeks because Hannibal so I had a warmup today.
Unfortunately it's 2025 and my heart remembers it loves a boy unu
Hello, friends! My name is Kat and I'm currently trying to raise funds towar… Katherine Snyder needs your support for Help Hannibal Get the
Crawls up here - okay so job hunting? Not going well. I am persisting though, something has to give. I am also still taking commissions if a donation ain't your thing.
In the mean time uh, Hannibal has a mass on his arm that recently got bigger which was the CALL to get it removed. That's like a $900 surgery.
ON TOP OF THAT; the issue with his hip, now has the issue of his KNEE added to it. So I know like $5k is OBSCENE sounding but it's because all the things are hitting the fan at once.
I hate asking for help, I really do, I'm a suffer through and find a way type but uh, the past year has kind of been a lot apparently. I feel bad I've reached out to the community so much.
This is my little guy though. My little gremlin and resident cheese snob. He's done a lot for me.
So even $1 or something helps, and even if you can't spare that - because I GET IT with the state of the world right now, sharing is just as helpful. Boosting is helpful.
Any assistance means something if it can get some help somewhere, you know? My reach has SIGNIFICANTLY lessened over the years but like - I'm still trying I guess lol. Thanks for your time guys ;;
Blows kisses to you all, happy Valentine’s Day, enjoy a polished piece I liked enough to keep on!
I’ve been relearning my digital methods lately, and doing some super self indulgent work, and this is the one I kept with to relearn everything, as well as some new methods!
With the cold fronts going on I keep thinking of cute little things like this. I think Loki, despite being a frost giant, probably still feels the chill now and then - one adapts to your surroundings afterall.
What better way to flirt with your crush when it's cold out!
Was trying so hard to wrap this boy up before my surgery but, ya'know how that kinda thing goes.
Really loved working on this one though! Lots of fun surfaces and textures to fiddle with ahhh looking forward to possibly doing the other piece we discussed in the future ;w;!!!
Akash has such a fun and clean design, man. LOVE HIM.
Feeling some kinda way this afternoon in regards to my art I guess.
I just did this back in 2020, but I find it funny how my opinion on what my favorite piece for a few years SHIFTED really hard actually because of overall colors and composition.
I gotta remind myself if I do at LEAST one or two pieces a year that I'm REALLY excited to still see years later, that means something. Right?
But god damn I gotta say, I really wish I knew how I did Ren's skin so perfect because he's ALWAYS going to be my favorite piece of 2020. Like holy SHIT I love how the washes came out, and the layering and face and eVERYTHIN' IS PERFECT. That's my boy. There he IS!!!
I constantly think of redoing some pieces but like, fart noises. I wanna redo some because I have better understanding of value muddying up and making things indecipherable now :T
God I've been doing this meme for so long... I think next year I'm gonna change my format/layout. NEW TEMPLATE FOR MYSELF.
2024 was a... rough year in general. I had a lot of self conscious moments about my art, a lot of self loathing about my art, a lot of shyness about my art in general. Actually debating just.... not posting anymore honestly. I'm tired of chasing 'attention'
Rough.
On top of that I just had MONTHS I barely drew more than a handful of sketches. With most of those being "PLEASE, RUDY, JUST DRAW SOMETHIN'" screeching in my head from Chalk Zone.
I did a lot of traditional inking this year, found my pen I like doing it with and just getting myself to loosen up a lot more. I have like five things I was working on before uh surgery, that I don't wanna scan so DECEMBER IS JUST THE DHVARRIS COUPLE. I like how dad came out anyway so whatever.
I have a lot of... not so pleasant thoughts about this year unfortunately. January to April I was really enjoying traditional stuff, I was enjoying a lot of what I was doing for AU jokes and I still have a hell of a lot of Lokius stuff I wanna finish.
April to June I was playing video games and trying to fight depression over art and also chipping away at big stuff I wanna do - but my PC is FIGHTING these days for that. I really adore the piece I did for July, I did a value study for once and really like how the colors came out in the end. Like perfect atmosphere for Nightmare Syndicate finally. August is a BIG WIP I wanna finish god damnit ;;
September I finished a long standing commission and got myself to really finally remember what I love about digital art and coloring, and started to fix some part of my brain there lol
From then on out I'm on a Baldur's Gate kick, and a lot of my shit has been studys on like Astarion's hair or face, my own bb girl Ophira's horms and markings, or just doodles I don't feel are 'amazing' :T
October is making me so annoyed that's like ONE OF TWO DRAWINGS I DID THAT MONTH OUTSIDE DOODLES AND POST ITS I SENT MY GIRLFRIEND... but whatever. Yells.
Idk. When I get recovered I'm gonna be hopefully blazing through commissions, and personal stuff of Ophira and the gang because I just.... wanna do clean sketches of events I've written for unu so
WE'LL SEE. I say it every year but JFC here's hoping next year is BETTER and I can get my anxiety and bad vibes under control ;;
Taking your drunk girlfriend on a walk because she was getting too loud, and weirdly competitive at her parent's anniversary party. Also kept hitting and petting you with her tail??
Mark had requested Ophira in a dress [because she's not a dress girly] and we got to talking about occasions she'd wear one.
Which was originally the spark for the anniversary scene I feel I keep referencing.
Also the joke that she slits all her dresses herself because TACTICAL ADVANTAGE. njkfgh Her girls would smack the shit out of her if they were there...
Taking your drunk girlfriend on a walk because she was getting too loud, and weirdly competitive at her parent's anniversary party. Also kept hitting and petting you with her tail??
Mark had requested Ophira in a dress [because she's not a dress girly] and we got to talking about occasions she'd wear one.
Which was originally the spark for the anniversary scene I feel I keep referencing.
Also the joke that she slits all her dresses herself because TACTICAL ADVANTAGE. njkfgh Her girls would smack the shit out of her if they were there...
I wanted to pin down Ophira's life before the events of BG3, and kinda after a bit. And that kinda ties into Zerxie too since they're childhood besties/exes. Kind of a fun visual thing for myself tbh!!
Explanation under the cut :D
Can't just be normal.
They have a 4 year age gap. They meet at Bloomridge park where he's studying his magic but also reading about swarm keeper stuff, and she's studying fungi and flowers because of her mom.
Both are from non adventurer backgrounds, but he's studying magic because he has sorcerer blood. But he tells her about his ambition to be a swarm keeper ranger. She's like THAT'S SO COOL... what if we were rangers together.
By 13, she's taken to archery with a passion and learning how to track things. He's still trying to get in tune with how to take advantage of his sorc gifts.
By 18/19 he starts getting into ranger training - he's more into martial weapons [swords/knives] and by 20 he's bonded to a fae shapeshifter swarm.
By I think 20/24 they've decided to try dating and it goes okay. Mostly. He's over protective at times, and she's bullheaded - so they tend to fight a lot about that. Otherwise they're both nerds and bond over found literature and the like a lot :0
By 27/31 they've both kind of got…what would you call it… factions they work for? ASSOCIATES? She does a lot of tracking/escort work, and he sometimes tags along. There's a mission she gets really hurt on and after it he is like hey, what if we like SETTLE DOWN? Which is not something she wants.
So they end up breaking up there and diving into work for different reasons. Her with zeal, and him with THE SADS™ by 27 she's really leaned into the gloomstalker ranger type, doing a lot of like upper city work in BG for sad wife types lol and he's traveling a lot and doing arcane work.
Which wraps up in the during and post BG3 events, she probably got swooped up while minding her business or on downtime between association work/contracts whatever and he would have been out in Waterdeep I think we decided on business. Haven't seen eachother much since 27/31. BUT YEAH. THERE'S THEM.
Now he has a kid [Nerissa, who is like 2/3 by the time they meet again] and is working from the mansion where people come see him, probably really embracing things like alchemy and his sorc gifts, and she's off hunting treasure and chasing stories from journals and books she finds with Astarion. 👍👍
But they keep in touch after they see eachother again!
Given a whole story thing I have about an abandoned wizard tower she finds I gotta think how her style changes over the years, and decades following too but WE'LL CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN I COME TO IT!!!!
