Regarding the cancellation of "Portal: The Art of Making Science"
Hey everyone,
I know this has been a long time since I updated this blog, but - after much deliberation - I decided to cancel the digital artbook/zine Portal: Art of Making Science.
To keep it short:
This was due to multiple factors both beyond my control and as a result of my position as a solo organiser (which in hindsight caused a lot of issues with communication and other aspects of managing a project like this).
Combined with getting caught up with an increasingly-more hectic schedule, other projects and personal matters, it meant I couldn’t find the motivation or incentive to continue working on this project.
To anyone who was looking forward to working on and/or seeing this project come to fruition:
I sincerely apologise for disappointing you all by getting too ambitious and starting a project during what ended up being a very busy and hectic year, and not exercising my due diligence to communicate with everyone sooner or more frequently.
Hope everyone still had an awesome Portal 2 anniversary, regardless of the cancellation of this project. 💙🧡
Thank you for understanding.
(Note: This blog will be kept up, if only for archival purposes.)
If you're seeing this update by the time it's posted, I have now closed contributor applications for the artbook!
I am super-grateful for everyone who has supported this project and have been incredibly patient with me so far, whether you were able to apply or whether you just spread the word. 🫂
Now, after an over 3 month-long application period: where to from here?
Well, for starters, I'll continue to do my assessments of the remaining submitted applications over the next week or so!
During this time (should I NOT forget and get too swept-up in my IRL and other creative priorities), all applicants will receive email communication on whether they'll be a contributor for this project or not.
From there, the final contributors will hopefully be able to start working on their illustrations - and I will (try to) keep in regular communication with them while working on a few designs for the artbook covers, promo art, and my own project contribution.
To the applicants reading this: PLEASE REGULARLY CHECK YOUR EMAILS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS!
I want to firstly apologise for the sparse updates as of late.
Reason: A lot has continued to happen in my personal life, followed by me getting sick during the second half of June.
Again, I appreciate your understanding.
However, I bare some very good news:
As of me writing, this we now have 29 applicants! That doesn’t sound like a lot to some, but it means so much as someone who’s organising a collab project for the first time (and solo, no less).
In light of the aforementioned reasons for the radio silence on this blog, I’ve decided to extend the deadline for applications by a week - the deadline will now be July 12th! This’ll not only give people more time to apply, but it’ll also give me more of a breather as I continue to sort out mounting IRL priorities and other creative projects.
Link to post with new deadline here:
💬 0 🔁 36 ❤️ 64 · Reblogging this with the new deadline! · Deadline for artist applications will now close on July 12th, not July 5th.
I w
However, this update does bring up one question:
Will this affect the time taken for applications to be reviewed and for the emails to be sent out?
While I have already reviewed most of your applications, there are a few I still need to look at.
So yes, the applicant emails may take a tiny bit longer than anticipated to be send out.
Hopefully, they’ll be a week after the applications close.
Thank you for your patience, and please don’t forget to spread the word! 🧡💙🤖🎨
(PLEASE READ BEFORE FILLING IN THE FORM BELOW)
Who are you?
Hello there, my name is Minami!
Some of you may know me for a lot of different
It has been a while since I made an update for the artist applications, as my personal life got hectic throughout the entire month of May.
While that sort of stuff was well out of my control and I needed time to dedicate it to that, I still apologise for delaying this update.
The only thing I can say about applications is the number is growing at a slow but steady rate!
However, I’d be incredibly grateful if more people can apply for it as the deadline is July 5th!
(PLEASE READ BEFORE FILLING IN THE FORM BELOW)
Who are you?
Hello there, my name is Minami!
Some of you may know me for a lot of different
Please continue to spread the word about this project too!
Before I leave, I also want to show my immense gratitude for the overwhelming support this project has gained so far!
I hope you all are looking forward to the evolution of this project!
Thank you for reading, and I hope to have one more update before applications close on July 5th and artist contributors are chosen and contacted over the days afterwards. 💙🧡
Here is the first update of many for the collab project!
Firstly, I want to quickly say a huge thank you to everyone on here for the overwhelmingly positive reception this project has received since its debut on Tumblr!
I plan to promote this project on my other platforms too (Insta and Cara), which I hope will be very soon…
Speaking of applications, here’s an update regarding those as a week has passed since they opened:
As of me writing this (morning of April 24th), 19 artists have applied, expressing their interest for contributing this project!
Reminder that applications are still open until July 5th!
(I may consider extending the deadline by a few days depending on the number of applicants, which I may address in a future update.)
(PLEASE READ BEFORE FILLING IN THE FORM BELOW)
Who are you?
Hello there, my name is Minami!
Some of you may know me for a lot of different
Now, to close this update, I thought I’d answer a question one of the applicants (on the off-chance you see this, I hope this answers your question).
“Is there a waitlist/backup slot[s]? So that on the off-chance a selected contributor/artist is unable to participate or is disqualified, there is another artist that can take their place?”
As stated previously, the number of artist contributors I wanted to work with was a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20.
A waitlist/back-up would definitely be something for me to consider, especially if I chose the minimum number (10).
However, I want to achieve somewhere in between - ideally 12-15 contributors - to not only make it easier for me to manage (after all, I am the sole organiser of my first collab/zine project), but also to (hopefully) avoid the potential problems addressed in the question.
Additionally, I want to try and accomodate for the needs/priorities of contributors as much as possible.
I appreciate the question, and I’ll definitely keep that in mind throughout the application process.
Thank you for reading, and as Cave Johnson would say, “Who is ready to make some science?” 💙🧡
A quick intro/run-down of The Art of Making Science: A Portal Fandom Collab...
Firstly, who are you?
Hello there, my name is Minami!
Some of you may know me for a lot of different things (fandom or otherwise) that I love making drawings and other creative projects about.
I'm currently on Insta, Tumblr, Cara and Vimeo if you want a peruse of my LinkTree:
Self-taught illustrator, lover of the creative arts and multidisciplinary nerd
I have been in the Portal fandom since 2020, creating fanart of some of the AUs and canon characters. I am also developing a biology-centric Portal AU of my own, Portal: Biologica, that I hope to share with the rest of the world very soon.
What is "The Art of Making Science"?
A collaboration project between several artists in the Portal fandom, including myself.
As a tribute to Portal 2's 15th anniversary next year (April 2026), it is an opportunity to celebrate both the canon games and how they inspired the AUs, reinterpretations, and fan-mods (e.g. Portal Stories: Mel) many know and love!
The project is intended to be accessible to all, and will therefore be a digital printable artbook that you can download for free from my LinkTree!
Why this collab project?
Since Portal 2's 15th Anniversary is in April 2026, I want to contribute a love letter of sorts to these games and their wonderfully-creative fandom.
Lately, I've also been feeling a bit sad over the current state of the fandom:
My fellow artists and friends distancing themselves from the fandom and/or their AU projects.
AU projects (that have long since concluded or been abandoned) falling into obscurity, with a few that were almost considered "lost media".
A few individuals being incredibly hostile towards other people's perspectives, using "canon" to discredit what fandoms are intended to be: places of community and creativity.
Therefore, I hope for this project to bring together members of the fandom, both past and present.
Regardless of whether you're participating in the project or you're just following its development, I hope you all enjoy the artbook, both in its creation and upon its public release!
Project Timeline (may be subject to change)
APPLICATIONS: April 19th-July 5th 12th 2025
FINALISING THE LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS AND COMMUNICATING TO APPLICANTS: July 6th-July 15th 2025
ARTISTS WORKING ON CONTRIBUTIONS (ESTIMATE): Mid July-Late November 2025
ME WORKING ON DESIGNING PROMO BIOS AND FINAL DIGITAL ARTBOOK (ESTIMATE): Early December 2025-Late February 2026
PUBLIC TUMBLR RELEASE OF PROMO BIOS FOR CONTRIBUTORS (ESTIMATE): Early March-Early April 2026 (TBC - will depend on the actual number of final contributors)
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE FOR ARTBOOK (TBC): 18th April 2026
