This will probably wind up being an update I add to my Yume Nikki shrine, but YNFGs have been on my mind even more than usual lately, outside of the one I'm working on. So I thought I'd reflect on my favorites, even if only briefly
- Ultra Violet has been my pick for a favorite classic YNFG, that's been left behind compared to the most popular ones. I think most of it could be explained that Ultra Violet hasn't been packed with as much content, and to this day isn't finished still. But I still love it, and there's so many moments that have stuck in my mind
- Yume Tsushin game I randomly encountered while searching through YNFG fan art, coming out a few weeks before I had played it. I'm really charmed by how customized it is, along with it's own language. Wormikko is also just my favorite protag design to have come out, she's so cute. And the game includes 3 different lolita outfits, and it's made me into the happiest shrimp ever (I know, I'm easy to please). When the update came out, I think it only made me fall in love with the game more as the dev fills up more of the empty worlds with places to explore
- Quilt is a game that I started playing the day after it released, and it really stuns me how beautiful it is right off the bat, just from how detailed the animation work was. The color choices are also pretty striking!! One thing I didn't quite expect was to only be able to carry around 2 effects at a time, currently there's only one I'm really attached to but I'm kind of interested to see how much that'll change how I approach the game in the future (really REALLY hope there'll be updates). It's not often that I'll put something this new as a favorite, but it makes me feel different from opening it than other YNFG have in a long time
There's some other ones that I really enjoy that can potentially become my favorites (She Awaits, Withers, and Ephemreal, Daughter, Etcetera), but I think I need to return to them to see if they'll stick in my mind some more. But you should also check them out regardless ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
And ofc, the original Yume Nikki game I think is still irreplaceable. There's a reason why I still come back to wander around at random even after all the years I've known of it (It's been 13 years since I first heard of it!! How crazy!), but it also makes me all the more excited to see how much other devs will put their touch on the YNFG world
2025 has been a very interesting year art-wise so far for me, I think. I've picked up 3d modeling for the first time, I've returned to painting for the first time in years. Just generally, I've been doing physical mediums a lot more than previously... I'd really like to improve how I draw people without needing to do guidelines LOL
The thing that ended up changing the most was that I was experiencing constant pain for months on end, and digital art would end up triggering it the worse unfortunately. So I'm trying to live healthier and find more outlets away from my desk, while still improving on my skills in other ways (been drawing more animals lately, though. they're still sea animals, so maybe that's considered my usual work [even if i don't show many people them])
But I still really adore drawing on my computer and I have games to make, so...I won't be away from them forever
Putting my hands together I'll be able to release the next build of radio_wishers to my playtesters next year, but I'll be patient with myself if I can't
And I'm looking forward to making more paintings and 3D models. And I want to pick up sewing more often. One thing I've added on my bucket list is to try to sell some of my work in a local artist market one day. So I want to make sure my physical work is up to par since I've love to sell more than prints and keychains @_@
Money isn't my top priority for my art, but I've always wondered about more ways to make profit off my work, since regular work is tough... But opening public commissions is kinda of scary to me. Maybe if I like artist markets, that could be one way. And I've wanted to sell some digital art books, but I imagine that won't take me too far lol (still gonna try)
One of the projects I was planning this year was a zine for myself and my friends where we just drew our ocs. That kind of fell through organization because I spent so much time in pain. But it's still something I hope to do one day too!
I'm still looking forward to seeing how my art will turn out by the end of this year, I'm really proud of myself for everything despite how awful this year has been to me the first half
For the majority of the year, I've been working on games. I love making games very much, but I didn't realize how much I missed just making illustrations for myself. The majority of the time, it's either been game assets, zine illustrations, or sketches. And it kind of put me in a rut with how I thought my art looked (not in like any serious way, but noticeable enough for me), so it feels like some joy was sparked in me.
I've been getting a lot better with my colors, but until a few days ago, I feel like I haven't been able to show it off too much. So it's always really cool when I get to put my newer stuff next to my older art and feel like it's changed significantly!
I think despite how I feel with that, I've branched out a lot with types of things I drew, even with the context of it being through game art. I hope the next few months and year, I'll keep being more comfortable with drawing new things. I'd really like to push myself to being better at drawing more complicated perspectives and making interesting environments. And I've love to show off some more oc interactions.
Maybe I should return to comics at some point, aha.
I'll be back to my games in December, but I'm sure I'll be excited for my next break, whenever I'll make that be. Even though I'm relaxing from it, I'm still craving to work on the next builds for them.
Idea from smobs
RULES:
Pick one option per question if possible - even the smallest preference counts. If not possible, explain your answer!
Digital art OR traditional art?
Digital! I still do traditional art for sketches or simple doodles, but digital is just nicer to my hands
Original concepts/characters OR fanart/canon characters?
Original characters, I have drawn fanart more often over the years, but most of the time I don't really have any ideas or interests in fanart.
Original fiction OR fanfiction?
Original fiction. Don't really care abt writing or reading fanfics
Sketch OR lineart?
sketch, i hate doing lineart lol
Coloring OR shading?
Shading, picking out colors is fun, but the actual coloring process isn't as satisfying as shading
Handwritten signature OR text signature?
handwritten bc i usually forget i can just type it out
Shrink canvas OR add a filter before posting?
Neither...?
Messy art OR clean art?
Messy art, I'm really impressed with artists who can do clean art though.
Bright colors OR muted colors?
I really like both, but bright colors for my own art usually wins out.
Warm colors OR cold colors?
Really like both, but if I have to pick one, I think I just gravitate to using cold colors more
Graphics tablet with screen OR no screen?
No screen, I used to like screen tablets, but they really ruined my posture and contributed to my repetitive strain injury, so I no longer use one
Humans OR nonhumans?
JEALOUS of people who are good at drawing nonhumans. Most of my characters are still humanoid, so I don't think it counts as nonhuman, and they're definitely easier for me to draw and design, so yeah
Fur OR scales?
Fur... so fun to draw
Edgy characters OR wholesome characters?
I think characters are at their best when they have a mix of both.
High-poly models OR low-poly models?
Low poly!! I wish I could model characters tbh... blocky models are so cute
Music OR podcasts while drawing?
Music, podcasts are really understimulating for me and usually I spend more time trying to figure out what someone is saying for podcasts. Watching videos trumps both though teehee