though

Years ago, I sketched Gibby at work—pencil in hand, bold strokes alive with motion. I caught them from over the shoulder: just the back of their head, the soft curve of their face, and that focused arm bringing something into being. They were 9 or 10 then, already showing the spark of creativity and concentration that pointed toward who they’d become. Now in their mid-20s, Gibby is thoughtful, insightful—quick to listen, slow to speak, and wired to process the world with care. Their path has been remarkable: two degrees in 2.5 years, no debt. That didn’t happen by accident. It took grit, German immersion schooling, 16 college credits earned in high school, and testing out of 24 more once at university. That’s Gibby—quietly determined, resourceful, and steady. But their story isn’t just academic. Gibby’s always been gifted with their hands—drawn to set design, locksmithing, welding. Trades they wanted to pursue early on, and still feel pulled toward. They’re at a bike shop now. It’s not the dream, but it fits: their hands know how to build, repair, and reshape the world. There’s been frustration—maybe even anger—that we didn’t let them follow the trade route right away. I get that now. Life veers, and sometimes the path chosen isn't the one imagined. But Gibby’s resilience—their ability to adapt and press on—is what I admire most. They’ve embraced their journey with honesty, stepping into their identity as a they/them person, unafraid to define success in their own terms. That takes courage. I’m proud of them—not for a résumé, but for who they are. This old drawing isn’t just a memory—it’s a thread connecting past to present. A reminder that the creative spark, the steady hands, the deep soul I saw back then is still shining. So here’s to you, Gibby: the kid who sketched with fire and the adult who still shapes the world with quiet brilliance. Your value has never been about the path you’re on. It’s about the person you are. And I’ll be here, cheering you on—every step of the way.

I had so much fun drawing the concept art for the Liz Cat's crew, that I decided to make all the other Altitone animatronics (including a smaller Dellusion) as these more kid-friendly designs! They aren't quite canon, though, because the real Liz Cat's cast only had five animatronics: Elizabeth, Preistor, Altor, Lexibo, and Dexter. Drawn with FireAlpaca.

Sketchbook drawing. I thought it captured his pain.

As far as things that I can’t seem to shake off are concerned, it’s this fact that a place like Edinburgh where I live is akin to a village where everyone (artist folk in particular) seems to know everyone, and the patterns or quirks that emerge from this said thought process. In most collectives I’m a part of and/or are associated with, there’s what seems like an endless sense of crossover and overlap with fellow artists etc for lack of better words, which is lovely as it is insane... you know? All in all though, even if it drives me mad it does so in a strangely positive way and I’ve learned to live with that. So yeah, make of that what you will. :-)

sketch on tea bags glued together

"Looking up gives light, although at first it makes you dizzy." ~ Rumi

Mixed media, made with coffee stain, pen and Azure markers. Great for spring (although it's snowing outside at the moment, here... ugh).

I've already made stylized Jester, so I figured I'd make stylized Dellusion, too. This one is a full body. I did a full body because I need to develop more as an artist, and part of that is to start drawing things I'm not entirely sure of. Like, legs, or perspective, like how his claw is bigger than the rest of his body because it is closer to the viewpoint. I had a lot of fun with this, though, and I hardly ever draw something so exaggerated. Anyways, Dellusion is a private vessel for a specific soul, who works alongside Jester. They both run the pizzaria, but Dellusion is more of the co-owner. Only Jester and Dellusion are sentient, because they're both sort of possesed. Drawn with FireAlpaca.

Figured I’d try my hand at something fan art flavoured for this one… namely in the form of my favourite tiny fictional character, Kirby! I can’t ascertain when exactly I became a fan of the Kirby franchise, although playing Super Smash Bros as a young boy may have something to do with that. Whatever the case, I got hooked on the pink (or blue in some cases) puffball very quickly!

Patron Saint of Lost Keys and Small Things. Reminded me of this poem by Elizabeth Bishop. One Art The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn’t hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster. I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn’t hard to master. I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster. —Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Even though I drew these two with the other three of the Liz Cat's animatronics, they somehow ended up really bad. That's why I didn't put them on the stage with the first three. Nevertheless, they are still part of the 'first batch', which is what I'll call this first iteration of the Liz Cat's animatronics. Drawn with FireAlpaca.

If time cost flesh If life is boundless Then where will my hours take me I want with desires I wish like a liar Chasing the rabbit timidly When im asleep My dreams are whats deep I drown in seas of maybes How do i rise How do i reach skies When emotions and plans limit me I grovel an weep Cause i put dreams out of reach But i want to engage the maybes So instead of the plots And sitting on thoughts Its time to embrace the daydreams I wont cower to dreams I’ll capture a scheme And nurture the life of maybes -#embracingnightmares

The monochromatic weekly challenge inspired me to do an eye study. I've been having a bit of a composition block and thinking about starting to sell at art fairs, so my thoughts are preoccupied. I wanted to keep practicing tho. Lemme know what you think. I used pencils, smudges, and liquify in Rebelle 6. This is not AI nor is any part of this AI.

I think I've finally come up with a design for the Altitone crew that is actually appealing to children. All the previous designs had always looked like nightmares: no eyes, sharp teeth, faceplates, and most of all; they were all white --- and not all cats, rabbits, and bears are white. So, I needed to make them resemble animals a little more. And I did! I'm certainly going to keep revising these designs, though. But for now, I introduce you to the V1 Liz Cat's band! This restaurant chain will probably be the one that I'd make a FNaF fangame out of. Drawn with FireAlpaca.

"Unthought-of Frailties cheat us in the Wise." ~ Alexander Pope, Moral Essays (1731-35), Epistle To Temple, line 69. I really had to ponder this quote and figure out how to illustrate it. A spider came to mind...so tiny and fragile in comparison yet invokes so much fear. Then considered a daddy long leg.

It's Dave, from DSaF, wearing that one suit he wore while Henry was still around. The anatomy for him is kind of funky but that's because the style he was drawn in while wearing this suit made him kinda funky to begin with. Still Dave, though, so it's good enough for me.

Inspired by my friend, I was just doodling thought I would post it!

Today’s drawing gets it’s name from something I overheard someone declare at lunch yesterday afternoon. I’ve had kale often enough and yet, I’m not convinced it tastes *entirely* like grass... I could be wrong though. Thoughts?

Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) At 9:30, Tchaikovsky set to work—composing at the piano only after he had dealt with any proofs or his correspondence, chores that he disliked. “Before setting about the pleasant task,” his brother noted, “Pyotr Ilich always hastened to get rid of the unpleasant.” After lunch he went for a long walk, regardless of the weather. His brother writes, “Somewhere at sometime he had discovered that a man needs a two-hour walk for his health, and his observance of this rule was pedantic and superstitious, as though if he returned five minutes early he would fall ill, and unbelievable misfortunes of some sort would ensue.” - From Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey “Truly there would be reason to go mad were it not for music.” ― Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky “If you do not want to write, at least spit on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope, and send it to me. You are not taking any notice of me at all. God forgive you – all I wanted was a few words from you.” ― Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky #dailyrituals #inktober #PeterTchaikovsky @masoncurrey

Even though The Squid Game was released in the fall, it is still in the top 10 of Netflix! We think it’s well-deserved because this series has made a real breakthrough in Korean drama history.

Where is buddy hiding? The Inktober prompt word here was 'hide' and it was fun to illustrate kitty looking for buddy, although I realized I made kitty really large! Check out the rest of my completed Inktober posts on IG: @dittofunkysketch123 :D

I started sketching a scene and thought "I'm not that good at drawing trees", so rather than do an entire scene, I thought I'd have a go at a single tree as an exercise. In hindsight I used too thick a pen. Time to break out the 0.1 pens for future sketches.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Kind of the icon or logo of Jester's restaurant, "Ringmaster's Pizza Hall". Before it was known as such, we called it "Jester's Mini Jamboree". If you didn't know, Jester has a line of steel dividing his bottom left and bottom right faceplate, which forms one mouth. So, in order to eat (even though Jester CAN'T eat, because he's a robot), he'd need to open those faceplates so he can fit food through the mouth. Drawn with FireAlpaca.

I know I have not uploaded in a while, I’ve been busy, it’s a miked media kinda, water color colored pencils. Only some of it is watered though. I did this with my friend so it was a collab.

A creature that lurks in the unused halls of Ringmaster's Pizza Hall. You see, Ringmaster's used to be a school --- a very large school, at that. And only a very small area of that school is currently used for the public. Things lurk in the dark in the unused parts. I mean... but just look at this guy's HAIR, though. It's on fleek.

It is sort of strange how there have been 4 versions of Elizabeth, Preistor, etc., while there have only been 2 versions of Jester--- not anymore, though! A little bit of lore you you all, too ;)

I kind of lied when I said there were only 3 versions of the Altitone animatronics. There are technically four, and these were the first two. They're stored in Jester's workshop. Unlike the V3 and V2 animatronics, the first two sets have red cheeks on the side of their faces that pop out, and contain cameras, instead of the cameras being in their mouth. This was changed, of course. Prototype Elizabeth has one of those police lights in their tail. I thought that would look cool. Jester thought so too, I assume, because he implimented it into Elizabeth. I imagine these guys roaming around in Jester's workshop as he works on them, to keep them from locking up, and all. Also, that is a real cupcake. It is molding on the inside. Can't wait for somebody to make THAT mistake. Drawn with FireAlpaca.

(Gel Fineliner on A5 Paper) The central image is small because it is that small (about 4cm). It's the first of five which represents that point every artist gets to where they say to themselves: "I really CAN'T BE ARSED doing this!" and casually knock out anything. I thought it was apt for the "encouraging" nature of Inktober ;P

Okay, so, even though I was certainly not born in the times of Showbiz Pizza Place, I am still in love with it. My favorites are Billy Bob, Looney Bird, Rolfe Dewolfe, and Uncle Klunk (but saying that I have favorites makes it look like I don't love them all...). I really wish that Showbiz was able to stay around, just for one birthday... maybe my sweet 16, or something. I dunno. Drawn with FireAlpaca.