my art corner

Natalia | 30+ | she/her | Freelance Illustrator | Germany Reblogs: @nataliacollects | Fanart: @petitpotato Inprnt | Ko-Fi

[nataliadrawing]

I'd like to say one day I'll have a better sleep schedule, but who am I kidding…?

[nataliadrawing]

My Digital Artbook is out now 🎉 You can get it in my Ko-Fi shop It‘s mostly unposted art from the past 4 years. The book has 104 pages and features 140+ illustrations and little comics as well as a little bit of writing on what I‘ve been up to art-wise. Eventually, I plan to post all of these pieces publicly. However, considering my social media and genAI fatigue, that might take a very long time. For now, a digital book is the safest and most genuine way for me to share this work with you.

[nataliadrawing]

2024 and 2025 go together for me. Both very tough years that had me fight for every step. I'm glad it all payed off though. While 2024 was mostly a huge downward spiral, 2025 was about rebuilding. Now I'm exhausted, but in a good way.

I mostly stayed off social media in 2025 because life has been overwhelming but now I'm once again cautiously peeking into the apps.

[nataliadrawing]

2024 was a year with very little art. I didn't finish my yearly sketchbook and at some point stopped doing personal art altogether. It's ok though, because I finished something much more important! Making this little human was the most difficult thing I've done in my entire life - mentally and physically. They're still a very new part of our family but it feels like I've known them all my life ♥️

[nataliadrawing]

Oooh, treasure ✨ The bear is not too happy about having to carry all of that though.

[nataliadrawing]

I like drawing, except for that stressful part where I suddenly start noticing all the mistakes. Often enough it escalates into hours of frantically trying different things, hoping one of them might randomly work

[nataliadrawing]

I was thinking about making some picture book illustrations for my portfolio. Despite really liking this cover I quickly abandoned the project though.

[nataliadrawing]

Doggos!

[petitpotato]

I liked the One Piece Live Action so much, I started to reread the manga. Last time I did a proper reread of One Piece was around 2008 and it took me forever then, so I'm already sweating, thinking about how long it will take me now...

[nataliadrawing]

Every time I improve at drawing something, I get confused because where did the hours of aimlessly trying to fix something I don't know how to fix go?? How am I already finished??

[nataliadrawing]

This one was my first drawing of 2022 and it was one of my early attempts at focusing more on architecture in this particular style. There is so much I would do differently today but I also like to aknowledge where I'm coming from and it's still a nice drawing in its own way!

[nataliadrawing]

Of course he's going to buy the doll, just give him a moment.

[petitpotato]

I've been playing Baldurs Gate 3 for a few months now and finally finished my first playthrough. I messed up quite a bit but I liked my character so much that I'm going to just play him again with better decisions, now that I know the story.

He's a Mephistopheles Tiefling and a Cleric/Fighter who tries to keep everyone safe. He and Karlach were both my tanks at the very front of each fight and I love how their friendship developed throughout the story!

[nataliadrawing]

My 2023 ink sketchbook PDFs are now available!

KO-FI SHOP

My 2023 ink sketchbook PDFs are now available! There's one main ink sketchbook with all kinds of doodles and studies and a small architecture book I drew from Street View screenshots. This time it's Barcelona!

[nataliadrawing]

This one is from late 2021. I remember learning a lot from making this drawing and while I'd draw it differently today, the sense of accomplishment I felt back then is still very real

[nataliadrawing]

I don’t really regret the sacrifices I made for art but there are times when things just aren't great and I start wondering if it’s been worth it. Especially considering the sad state of the creative industry in recent years.

Sometimes it’s stuff like not hanging out with friends more before all of us moved away or not spending time with my grandparents while I still could. Or not travelling with friends while we were still unburdened by responsibilities. Sometimes it’s stuff like sacrificing financial stability and giving up the chance to ever buy my own home and have a decent retirement plan. Which is getting scarier the older I get. I was always hoping that if I try hard enough, one day my art skills would make up for all the sacrifices. I’m not terribly unhappy with where I am now and I know that I still have time to achieve some things but when life gets tough, it’s easy to get frustrated.

[nataliadrawing]

They're having a well earned dinner after guard duty! Yes, the bear is a guard too 🐻