Winning Wasn’t the Goal

I want to say congratulations to the winners of the Arteza Awards. Please check out Arteza’s Instagram to see who the winners are and to congratulate them too! As you can tell, I did not place in the winners’ circle. But to be honest, I am not bothered by it. I am just so glad that I actually put myself and my work out there. I have been so afraid of rejection that I don’t push myself out of my comfort zone. I am so glad that I have grown so much that I do feel like I matter and my work needs to be seen. I am currently searching for other contests/competitions to enter. I want to keep pushing myself. I want to show the world I am here and I am not going away any time soon. This is my adventure. This is my ship and I plan to keep on course to greatness. Thank you for joining me on this journey. On to the next contest and the next journey!

Above is a little video I put together to show some of the process that went into making the final pieces.

Above are the final pieces that I submitted for the contest. I am super proud of how everything turned out. The flowers are: balloon flower (purple), daffodil (white), lupine (pink), and the sunflower. I really love these little bees that are popping up in my work. #SavetheBees

Rejected Ideas and photos

Above are the rejected ideas and rejected final photos. My favorite is the cloud tree. It feels very whimsical and soft. The other bee piece in has a coneflower, if you were wondering.

Just so we are clear, yes there are going to be more contests to enter and another chance to be seen on a bigger scale. I hope you guys enjoyed my pieces. Don’t forget to check out my IG on Friday for another #BlackoutFridays! Come back Saturday to see the next Sign in the series. This Sign is sure a spit-fire. Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙

Hey Crew!

Welcome back! How are you doing? Hopefully nothing too crazy has happened lately. I think we all need a vacation and a peace of mind. The world just seems to become a bigger and bigger dumpster fire everyday it seems. I have been listening to music that I loved when I was younger. A good dose of nostalgia is comforting. What was in your playlist back when life was simpler for you? I’ll be posting my list over on Pirate Games later today. Maybe we can compare notes?

My Dreams of the Moon

“I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice! On behalf of the Moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you!”
Sailor Moon

Speaking of nostalgia, I’d like to introduce you to the very first obsession and love, Sailor Moon. If you have no idea what I am talking about… //cricket cricket//… I suggest you take a moment and go educate yourself. I can’t… can’t even. Anyway. for those who know, you know the feels I am talking about. I grew up with the 90s Sailor Moon and boy did that have an impact on my life. I always have dreamed to become a Sailor Scout and protect peace and love and the moon. Usagi always felt real to me, you know? She was the first character that hit a level of realness that I can’t even begin to explain. As corny as it sounds, I could see myself in her. I think that that is the magic of character design and connection that the viewer and artist makes. So it just seemed fitting to make my next Fan-Art piece about Sailor Moon.

For this I used Princess Serenity as my model. I wanted to challenge myself and push my knowledge of the Art Deco style. I took pointers from the illustrator Erté. In this first image that you are seeing, these were the main reference material that I used to create my piece. “You are only as good as your references are.” Professor Barclay. I obviously looked at many pieces of Erté’s work to get a feel for what I should do for the outfit and details. But I was mostly captivated by “The Queen of the Night” illustration he did. I thought it was very fitting for Sailor Moon.

I am so very proud about how this turned out. Like it is so clean and well polished. This mixture of Art Deco and Sailor Moon turned out so smooth. This is by far my most favorite illustration I have ever done. I think I am figuring my artistic style. What do you guys think? I am still blown away.

That concludes this story time. I can’t even get over how well I did. Like I am super critical about my own work, but I can’t see anything wrong with it. //Mind blown// Things can get keep going up from here, right? Check in tomorrow for a peek behind the scenes. Things are going to be looking a bit different around here soon. So stick around awhile! Remember to stay safe and to stay sane.

Until next time,

Suzanna 🌙