I thought about skipping this one, but I still enjoy annual checkpoints for these practices. They're nice spots on the hiking trail to sling the backpack off the shoulders and take in the view.

Paintings

It's safe to say that I've improved, which is always nice to see! I've noticed that when it comes to programming, progress demonstrates itself in handling greater complexity or handling simpler tasks more quickly. I'm happy to see a bit of both in my paintings. The bigger pieces are bigger. And the smaller pieces are quicker to move through. There were a few from this year where I distinctly remember exporting the file and thinking to myself, "Wow, this would have taken me a week before, and I just finished this in an hour or two."

Part of what's nice about that carrying capacity for complexity is starting to see some semblance of a process emerge. Find references, sketch an outline, pick a color palette, block in colors, paint depth, refine details, and color balance. Throw in getting stuck and changing direction midway through a piece, and that about sums it up! Whereas before, a piece coming together largely felt random and luck-based. Admittedly, it still feels like that mostly. But, at least, there are breadcrumbs that can help move me towards the finish line.

Easily the one I sat the most with was Dallas House. A major perspective-driven structural focal point, keeping the greens in the tree engaging, balancing the color palette. Definitely a big one for me. Extra pleased that it's also been printed and gifted to the owner!

I owe much to Loish's fantastic Patreon. I thought I was pretty efficient with my workflow until I watched a few of her tutorials and process videos!

Blender

I loved the detour I took through 3D. It's definitely a very different process, though I found it very mentally engaging and satisfying.

While I've enjoyed learning the process and I have a great admiration for 3D artists, it's ultimately something I decided to step back from for now. It essentially felt like I was using the same part of the brain as my day job in programming. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt I would be happier long-term mixing things up.

I'm sure I'll come back to it. I loved firing on all cylinders to bring forth the Donut Tubing piece.

A few months ago, I discovered the Blender MCP server, essentially giving an AI interface for working with the software. I haven't given it a spin yet. There's a whole separate conversation we could have on it. For now, I'll say it seems promising if used a certain way — as a replacement for googling "How to do X in Blender." But, I don't know that I would enjoy it if I were having it do the design work for me.

Sketching

I've mostly avoided posting these online. It's good to have a stage to perform on. But it requires having a space to experiment and relax as well.

I've continually enjoyed simple figure drawing and good ol' cartooning. Both have been nice places to rest when I don't have an idea for a digital piece. I still just think it's fun to move a real pencil across the page. The sound, the texture... aaah.

I'm hoping to do more of this. Which brings me to...

Any Changes?

Slowing the pace, mainly. I've stuck to a somewhat-weekly schedule of sharing a piece online. Deadlines are a great tool, though there have been tradeoffs:

• Pieces are only so in-depth. It forces simplicity. That helps loosen up, but can be a barrier at other times.
• It limits my time for exploration (and making bad pictures, which is how we learn)
• When the well runs dry, it's more beneficial to take a break from making finished pieces rather than push on.

The quiet deadline has served me well, now it's time to open things up. I'm aiming for a marathon here, not a spring.

This applies to the blog at large. Time for a reprieve. To go on other, irl adventures.

Oh, also I'm going to keep sharing to the blog and leave behind the socials. Pick a few think pieces out there on the harm of social media and imagine that I reworked them here for my situation.

Art & Fear

One thing that hasn't really changed is that I get pretty nervous leading up to sitting down to do a piece. I'm assured by the book Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland that I ought to buckle up; so long as the work reaches greater authenticity, that fear doesn't entirely go away.

I should be remembering this from music. So long as the boundary is being pushed, there will be that sense of either "I can't pull it off" or "Is this even worth pulling off?"

I'm taking all of this as a sign that I'm on the right path! Clearly, I'm invested in the process and outcome if I'm nervous.

The advice "Do something every day that scares you" has perhaps become a cliche, but sayings become clichés because of their timeless truth. What a convenience, then, that I can rely on my "something every day" always being painting — a nice routine!