Category: Holiday Drawings

Art!, Holiday Drawings, Original Characters, The Gryphon's Solace, Writing Journey

EXCITEMENT and things to look forward to

z.m. celestaire

With record speed, I got CFTM set up for publication. I pushed back the release for seemingly no reason, but the way that I look at it, this gives me more bandwidth to focus on promoting a highly successful book launch.

I think there has to be something I’m doing wrong with social media still as I just don’t get a lot of traction, but I’m going to focus on paying attention to what sort of posts DO work and how people build momentum for stories people don’t yet know.

When I was stuck in the mud finishing up with Quinton’s edits and decided to push out the release by a month, I spontaneously decided to follow the vague vision I had to make a new book cover.

I had just been feeling that the Lux-only cover didn’t have enough oomph, and felt lifeless. I really wanted Leigh and Nico on the cover.

I was fortunate to be able to get a lot of design help from CJ and Al to help all the elements come together. With this cover, I also designed it with ease of measurements in mind, with generous margins and a contained design.

The most exciting part is that I handwrote the title! Wtf? Yep, I said, I want to take credit for all the bits and bobs this time around.

I’m also really pleased with Ackerleigh’s shirt haha. It’s so pretty and flowy and detailed.

Here’s this year’s holiday picture. It’s so soft and delicate.

And the year in review! You can tell when all my energy shifted from Heartwood to gryphonwip lol.

Art!, Holiday Drawings, MicahxAndrew, Original Characters, The Heartwood Trilogy

holidays 2023

z.m. celestaire

Kind of like with the Emotia drawings, I’m going to start this as a Christmas master post.

I think I’m going to add a few finishing touches for this but there’s something freeing about posting on my blog where I know nobody will see it. It’s been a pretty “curated” art year for me which is fine to an extent but definitely adds pressure. This Christmas drawing literally came about because I told myself I was going to have all week to see if I could come up with a good one, thus relieving the pressure of making the perfect drawing, so I ended up making the perfect drawing haha.

Looking at that 2020 drawing though with the whole cast in the house kinda makes me want to do another one like that though. It’s always been one of my favorites.

SO IS THIS THOUGH COME ON

Micah’s gauges? His snowflakes? HIS NAILS? Andrew looking DAINTY AF? come onnnnnnnnn

Also I pulled this up on my iPad and realized the only finishing touch I actually need for sure is my signature lol. I kind of want to add a border or something but idk

Through the years we all will be together.

2009
2010
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Holiday Drawings, Original Characters, Redefining Evil, Sun-Walking, The Heartwood Trilogy

love day

z.m. celestaire

I knew I wanted to make a Valentine’s Day picture. It finally occurred to me reading someone’s post on Instagram that I hate Valentine’s Day as a corporate greed and performative holiday that make coupled people feel pressure and single people feel miserable, but it’s always so tempting because I love pink, hearts, and kisses.

Surprisingly, I decided to make a smooch between Lucienne and Ingrid rather than Andrew and Micah. I was actually working on a concurrent kiss but not Valentine’s picture of the boys, but I knew I wasn’t going to get that finished in time. Thinking about it on my drive to work, I think I’m going to have to make a version of this with some line art, but I finished this at 10:30 very specifically to have it done on Valentine’s Day, so without further ado.

I was going to stop at a sketch for this and I actually think the sketch turned out really pretty too. The angle of Lucienne’s face was a bit better in the sketch.

I had some smooches in mind with them and other partners they’ve had in the past thinking I had several more that were done on Valentine’s Day, but I think this Lucy one from Sun-Walking was the only one.

Circa 2012 I believe
I kept picturing this one until I realized it was a Christmas picture. Circa 2007.
I thought this was a Valentine’s Day picture but that’s not when it says I uploaded it to this blog, so I’m confused and scared. Anyway, it’s got a bloody heart and a smooch about to happen. And Ingrid. Which gave me the idea, I’ll record here, that since I killed off Erik I can turn him into a faerie challenging Ingrid for the throne in the Redwoods, so now I want to write that ahahha.
A spicy 2008 shot that makes Ingrid look like a harlot but I think that was the point
I was immensely proud of this braid crown, and I was immensely proud of the braid crown for the one I finished yesterday, so I had to post this one. Funnily enough it’s actually from the same scene as that purple one, but this was from my rewrite of Wind-Running. And yes, their ten year age difference DID end up feeling yucky. lol.
Holiday Drawings, MicahxAndrew, Original Characters, The Heartwood Trilogy

Happy Holidays 2022

z.m. celestaire

Good morning and happy holidays!

It’s been a vast and varied holiday season in my house, so it should come as no surprise that I ended up with several drafted Christmas illustrations before ending up with one I was happy with.

So that means you get lots of bonuses – the finished one I’m very happy with; IT’S SO COZY – and the drafts for the other versions.

<3
I really liked this one and everything, but it was too much the same tone as the Halloween one, with Lucienne being a goblin. I also got freaked out with how similar Andrew and Ingrid looked ahahha.
Art!, Holiday Drawings

closing thoughts for 2020

z.m. celestaire

Ok but also I posted this on the 1st because I was very resistant to working on it sooner for whatever reason haha. But Ronan is obsessed with my office in the attic (it’s like 90% because of the moon tapestry I have that he’s obsessed with even though he can’t say moon, so he just goes …bhhhhhhhhhhhhhBA really emphatically) so I’ve been up here being creative more often.

Anyway here’s all the things I meant to do to wrap up the year.

  • 2020 | begin
    2020 | begin
  • 2020 | end
    2020 | end
Ingrid at the start of the year, fresh and dewy and bright, vs the end of the year, bloodied and grim haha.
  • 2020 | beginning girl, boobs and school uniform
    2020 | beginning girl, boobs and school uniform
  • apparently mint colored hair is ma gical
    apparently mint colored hair is ma gical
  • 2020 | end
    2020 | end
Whoever this green haired magical girl is I came back to her to finish up the year. I’d like to say I like the girl at the end of the year a lot better but I actually find her supremely awkward looking…
Micah my dear, looking dope with sketchy lines and airbrush colors, like a character sheet from Saga haha.

Ok so the idea of kintsugi kept hanging in my head for this year not only because of all the insanity in the world but because of what happened to my back this fall. Physical therapy hasn’t been the miracle pill I was kind of hoping it would be and I think it’s going to be quite a journey back to a healthy strong body.

Anyway this was my first draft of the kintsugi idea

And it’s fine and everything= and her titties and lil back roll look real good but it didn’t really feel sophisticated or anything, so I pivoted and did a self portrait and was like YEp

So…no artistic goals for 2021, just going to see where the year takes me. 🙂