2023 art summary

Suddenly, mostly Metroid! Which is to say, still mostly birbs, because both Samus and Ridley qualify.

New interests tend to bring new inspiration, and for most of this year I've found myself happy to create both numerous and increasingly elaborate drawings on the subject, wanting to draw Everything I like about it. Also some things I've noticed enjoying more again are traditional/mixed media and dramatic shading, which had kind of fallen out of focus for me with my dinosaur drawings that have a different aesthetic to them. Perhaps a bit too set aesthetic - high time to experiment more?

I finished the raptor figure sculpting I was working on at the end of last year. It took me a lot longer than I'd anticipated, but I'm really happy with the results, and it's the most elaborate sculpting project I've worked on so far, Skye especially being pretty much made of detail. I never expected to be capable of something like it when I decided to try sculpting things with slightly altering juvie Tumult's figure four years ago, and now look at me making whole new figures with articulation! :)

Blank template for the graphic is by yorunaka at deviantart

A runway

They're back! A dinosaur simulation story

Long time no raptorsim. But I did recently finish drawing pictures that I quite like of all the Indigo kids, so to celebrate that, a few new screenshots of Pleasantview's least official residents.

Starlight would like to file a complaint about this being the first thing she sees in the morning.

Birbstrolls

Some more raptorpark pictures. Scaly Velos taking walks in pairs, and some more nesting floofs:

Tree candles

Powdered

Treecam shot

:)

Sneaky raptorlets

More raptornest screenshots from raptorpark.

A well-supervised meal.

Lisänipistelyä

Bird mountains

Pakkanen nipistelee

Juoksentelisimmekohan

Some more screenshots of the nesting raptors at raptorpark.

Just the parents, traversing a field of flowers.

Now with babies frolicking around them.

Family groupchat.

And at the pond. Can you spot all three little ones?

JW nestcam?

More screenshots from the raptorpark, which has some new residents! But first a look at the older ones.

Princess hanging out with the Spinoraptors over drinks. I havent mentioned it before, I think, but their names are Selkie, Ariel, and Narwhal (from closest to farthest in the picture).

Tallon makes a splash.

Nuzzles u

Some pretty shots from the scaly Velociraptor paddock at raptorpark.

And these two had a cute little moment.

Rusehtava

Pink and gold clouds

Fish-ish

I love when accidentally unfocused photos turn out aesthetically pleasing in a different way from intended, like abstract art.
This is taken at an aquarium.

Pink pareidolia

This is a creature with spaniel ears.

Raptor rooftop pool

Some more JWE raptorpark screenshots.

I made another enclosure with a hill, on the other side of the monorail station seen from the Troodon paddock. To this one I moved the all-scaly Velociraptor pack, as I didn't like how much the terrain in their previous one left the paddock in shadow during sunsets and sunrises.

On the hill is their pond. For birb baths, drinks, looking picturesque, etc.

Climbing up the hill, note the shadows in the background.

I really like how it looks with the buildings. :)

Bonus pretty boy at the Velomix paddock.

And a peek in the hybrid paddock, but only a quick one.

"Is this photographer bothering you, Miss?"

Stenonychosaurus hill

More raptors for my raptorpark. A little Troodon pack, ft. this mod. (And a bit of editing to glowify their eyes more.)

Their enclosure has a hill in the middle that's high enough to be at about the viewing towers' level. Not only can the humans look into the enclosure at the dinos, the dinos are also watching the humans, and whatever scenery they find interesting.

More interactions

Raptorpark things. (Mods featured: feathered, scaly)

Deinonychus gang ready to cause trouble!

So far they're only causing trouble among themselves. "Quit biting my tail!" "Then quit slapping us is the face with your tails!"

When you walk over a hill and get startled by there suddenly being an Indoraptor in front of you! But you're a Spinoraptor so you just say "Oops, didn't see you there".

Watercooler talk with Tallon and Zebes.

Shiny, squirmy bird.

Pretty pink boys Polkagris and Caramel Apple taking a stroll together, complete with some smooches.

I've also remade the all-scaly Velo pack, this screenshot being from their move-in day. She's just doing the "throw and catch snack" thing at the feeder, but it looks quite dramatic, doesn't it. :D

Black and gold

Camo and camaraderie

Remade the hybrid paddock at the raptorpark. Here's some cute Indos being joined at the hip.

Hanging out with friends.

A princess in disguise.

"I, too, am in disguise!" "No you're not, you're just hiding under my tail again. You're camoflaged to your surroundings because your surroundings is me and we're already both dark."