I hope you’re doing okay. Praying for you ❤️💙

Thank you for the thought and I'm sorry if I'm giving the impression that I'm suffering a whole lot due to my art block. I know it happens to every artist and it's just something that we have to deal with and overcome in our various ways. This one is persistent, but I'm picking away at it.

I've never been very good at expressing myself during hard times or talking about my art and that's what I attempted to do here (probably my safest space online since no one irl follows me here) to try to work through my frustrations. But I also have a weird anxiety when it comes to posting and interacting online, which makes for a flakey, inconsistent online presence. So sorry if I've been sounding overdramatic. :)

I am doing okay, though, and I appreciate your thinking of me.

thank you for participating in zk week this year with your artblock <3

your art is incredible I loved the first day so much and I'm completely obsessed with the third one the way you painted the colors and put them together??? insane very talented happy zk week

Thank you so much!! Zutara Week is definitely worth fighting art block for and I'm so glad you enjoy what I made, it really means a lot! <3 <3

@zutaraweek Day 3: Union

It's been a minute since I drew something with more spice than fluff, so I took this opportunity to play with the prompt. :) Usually, I draw aged-up Zuko with long hair, but I just felt like keeping his Book 3 hair cuz I like that too and didn't feel like going too deep with it. <3

Anyway, this is my last contribution to this year's ZK Week. I want to thank the mods for making this special week available for everyone to enjoy. I look forward to it every year and I know I'm not the only one. You're doing a great job and I appreciate you!

omg i misses ur zk art so much!!! i love ur style... Will you post on Twitter too? I would love to RT it!

Thank you!! I'm so glad you get enjoyment from what I make, it really means a lot!

I've been going back and forth about sharing any more art on Twitter since the app really isn't what it used to be and I wasn't very active on there in the first place. But I decided to share this year's comic and I'll share my other piece (for Day 3) there as well. Thank you for that extra push to share! <3

@zutaraweek Day 1: Home

Happy Zutara Week 2023, Everyone!!

(I'm still in the midst of a stubborn art block, but I didn't want to let that stop me from participating in the most beloved of fan weeks. I fought myself a lot in making this comic and I'm not sure I won, (I swear it was cooler in my head) but I'm tired of staring at it and at this point, I'd rather have it done than perfect. (making it perfect would involve starting over, so.))

I hope you all enjoy the fluffiness and have a wonderful Zutara Week filled with glorious fics and art and general bliss! <3

A question for my fellow creatives out there! Have any of you ever gotten a creative block so aggressive that you decide it's just best to give up the art?

I've been pretty low in the past where I've considered it, but also knew it as the lie it was. My current art block is kicking my butt so bad that I've gone the last couple of months barely drawing anything. And this was coming after half a year of being able to keep to a pretty consistent, though apparently unrealistic, drawing streak. So it's not been fun lately.

The other day I told myself that it's okay to just give up. I'm obviously not made to make things consistently enough to tell stories like I really want and I'm too introverted, unconfident, and social media shy to make a real business from art.

So I decided to relieve myself of the pressures of using my creative mind and live like a non-artist. Still depressing, but others can do it somehow and be happy, so I figure I can too. Right? Only not even five minutes later I caught myself studying the manga I was reading, trying to figure out how I could recreate their linework with CSP.

Long story short, I realize I'm not the best or most prolific artist around, but I don't know how to view the world as a non-artist. I actually have no idea what that looks like. So I'm stuck making art and yes, obviously I shouldn't make big decisions when I'm depressed and hate the world and capitalism.

I believe that everyone is a potential artist of some kind, but somehow life seems more simple for those who don't feel the need for a creative outlet. Or maybe I'm just putting too much pressure on myself. :/

Anyway, I was able to draw this random angsty girl tonight (because apparently that's my go-to?) and thought I'd feel better if I actually shared it somewhere.

Thanks for reading this far and do feel free to share your own thoughts and experiences with this kind of situation. I can't be the only one, right??

heyy, now that the zk week prompts are out, are you gonna participate? i love your art so much!!

Hi! Yes, I do plan on participating in this year's Zutara Week! So far I have half an idea formed for one of the prompts and I'm still letting the others incubate in my inspiration pool. I'm just getting over a bit of an art block, so I'm excited to work on something that always makes me happy. But I have no idea how many of the prompts I'll end up doing.

Thank you so much for the support!! It especially means a lot when I've been so down on my art this past month. <3 <3

I drew this in support of Pride Month, but also because even though it's 2023 I still, for some unknown reason, enjoy the hell out of the Klance ship.

These boys make me so happy sometimes it's stupid.

Hey People!

I've recently started an art channel on Youtube where I make speed drawing videos and I decided to make one for my Zutara Month drawing. (Because Zutara deserves a speed paint!) And since I enjoy watching the process of people drawing I thought maybe other Zutara fans do as well. :)

So here it is if anyone's interested. I’m still new to the video making process, so feel free to let me know what you think and if you have any thoughts on how I can improve my videos! <3

And Happy Zutara Month 2023!!! (again!)

Happy Zutara Month 2023!!!

Here's my drawing for Day 7: Touch Starved!

I imagine Katara just came back from a long diplomatic trip and she's so tired, but they also missed each other too much, so catching up involves mostly snuggles. Mostly. :)

I recently had the great pleasure of getting commissioned by @zedb1939 to draw this Zutara fanart!

The scenario provided was something along the lines of Katara breaking her arm from a bad battle or something dangerous like that and Zuko coming to offer some (much appreciated) comfort.

Zedb1939 knew pretty much what they wanted in terms of pose, mood, and location but I had some freedom to explore the background elements. For some reason, I saw them surrounded by yellow trees very early on in the process and I was glad it worked out for the piece overall. :)

Thanks again, Zedb1939 for choosing me to draw out your vision, I had a lot of fun with this one!

Hey, happy 2023 everyone!

With any luck (and lots of dedicated work) my many goals for this year will become a reality. I'm going to try to be better about using this space to share more than just Zutara art, though I'm sure that's what the majority of anyone reading this cares about. So, stay tuned for more Zutara art plus other art and maybe even some ramblings. Who knows what I'll throw into the Tumblr Void!

I hope you all have a peaceful and fulfilling 2023! <3

Zutara Week 2022 Day 6: Closeness

She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Yes, she wanted to stay by the fire after everyone else went to bed and she’s willing to admit it was because he intended to stay up as well. But that was only because she was tired of fighting the pull that had been tugging at her these past weeks. Ever since they’d gotten back from their journey together she’d been trying to ignore it. The near constant desire to be closer to him. She didn’t even know what she wanted to do once there, but she wanted it just the same. 

Their group was small and everyone tended to stay within a small radius of each other wherever they camped, so it wasn’t like she was ever really that far away from Zuko at any given point, but that didn’t mean she was close enough to him either. Because when they were close, she felt it. She felt the initial speeding of her heart as he offered to help prepare dinner, felt the comforting playfulness that washed over her when they inevitably started their teasing banter. She felt the tension, foreign yet not unpleasant when they tried not to share shy glances. She would try so hard not to look at him yet she always knew exactly where he was, how close, and how far he stood. 

It’s not like she meant for it to happen. They all were in the middle of a war and she obviously had more important things to think about than Zuko and how strong he looked with his shirt off when training Aang. Or how absurd it was that he could be a confident and demanding instructor one moment and a socially awkward teammate the next. She tried to keep a friendly distance, made sure she spent the same amount of time with everyone else as she always had. But she always wanted him there. 

And late at night, she’d think about how good it felt to be alone with him as they returned from hunting her mother’s murderer. Her grieving had felt raw, like a wound that had never quite scabbed over, but he knew what she needed. He knew when to stay silent, when to distract with travel logistics, when to take charge and make her sleep. What surprised her the most is when he knew she needed comfort. The quiet, easy comfort of scooting closer to her and allowing her to find her way into a soft embrace. She likely would have found comfort with anyone else in their group had they done the same. But he was the only one who had supported her quest and so was the only one there. And it just felt different with him. It felt safe in a way that was unfamiliar and yet felt so natural. 

So yes, she purposefully stayed up last night to spend time with Zuko. Because she wasn’t a complete idiot. She knew what the tugging meant and it was clear he felt it too. And yes, they were fighting a war. But did that really mean they had to fight this constant pull to be closer as well? They could spend one late night talking and for all she knew that could be enough to put an end to this feeling.

Except it didn’t. Instead, the night got later and later and they sat closer and closer. And the next thing she knew she was waking up to the pre-dawn stillness of day, tucked in close in Zuko’s arms. The ground was just as firm as always, but somehow she was too comfortable to move. She was reminded of the coldest of winter mornings when getting up and out of the perfect warmth of her bed and blankets felt like the most difficult task on earth. It had to be done. The others would be waking up soon and then there was the whole potential for embarrassing awkwardness with Zuko. But maybe…

“Um. Good morning?” Zuko’s voice is hushed and sleep rough. Katara sighs internally and makes herself sit up, moving out of the circle of his arms to look at him. The sun is just coming up behind him, making a soft halo from his mussed-up hair, and is bright enough to highlight his growing blush as he offers a lopsided smile. And nope. Katara is done pretending this pull between them is anything other than what it clearly is. She’s willing to let it take its time, to simmer on the side while more important things are dealt with, but the tugging can’t actually be fought against. Not anymore. And it feels so good to give in.

---------------------------

Happy @zutaraweek again!

So this ficlet wasn't supposed to be that long, but it just sort of ended up that way. I hope you enjoyed it! Honestly, I didn't plan on doing a second prompt this week just because the first one took longer than planned and my health has been a bit iffy, but then I had the sudden inspiration for this prompt and I just didn't want to let the week pass without trying. And I made it in time! Woot! (I may go back and tweak the image if I can pinpoint what's off about it, but woot all the same!)

Anyways, I wanted to give a shout out to the official Zutara Week mods for keeping this event going. I don't care what time of year it happens, I'm just thankful that Zutara Week is still a thing. It has become something joyous I look forward to each year and I know I'm not the only one who values the beautiful creations and the sense of community it brings. So thank you! <3

@zutaraweek

Happy Zutara Week 2022, everyone!!

Here's my drawing for Day 3: Hands.

I love how expressive hands can be and all that a well-drawn hand can add to an image, but they are not always easy to draw! Of course, for Zutara, it is always worth the effort, yeah? <3

Anyway, hope you all enjoy! :)

My drawing for this year's Zutara Big Bang (@zkbigbang) is for the fic The Forest of Lights!

After reading the description, I knew I wanted to make cover art for this story and was very happy to be assigned to it. The amazing author and betas have worked hard to make this fic as wonderful as it is, so do yourself a favor and give it a read and don't forget to leave them a comment! :)

Also, you should definitely check out @risemaclay 's art made for this fic. It's gorgeous!!

I remember there was a zutara lemon comic you made? I know it got taken down by tumblr’s new rules but I was wondering if it’s available elsewhere?

Nope! Tumblr is sort of my safe space away from family members who like to follow my art journey, so it's the only place I felt comfortable sharing that comic. The file lives on my hard drive in storage in the States and I'm not sure when I'll have access to it again.

If I ever do decide to repost it somewhere, I'll be giving it a very big makeover. I'm more embarrassed about the quality of my work than anything NSFW.

Earlier this year I was commissioned to draw this fun piece by a guy who wanted to cheer up his sister. She had just broken up from a long-term relationship and he figured a fanart of her favorite characters all ice skating with her would be bound to make her smile. That's her teaching Totoro how to skate! (She enjoyed it so much that she had it printed on canvas to hang on her wall! <3 )

I especially had fun drawing Yuri and Victor for the first time!