XP
This site is just too confusing for me to use, especially on mobile. Which is sad because all the other art sites I've seen can't even compare to this. (Terrible organization or just have an awful userbase.) Besides not having much material, that's really why it's so hard to come back, even though I really want to.
Anyway, some time in early September, I started working on a more "proper" drawing where I have put way too much thought and care into whatever it is I'm trying to do. I'm still working on it and I'm amazed that I managed to keep up the motivation for it. But that's because it's a mix of so many things that I've been wanting to do for years and was either too scared or too paranoid. But since I think the activity in this site (at least in my sphere) has died down, I feel safe to do as I wish. However, I do have one obstacle that I wish to overcome.
The obstacle in question is the algorithm this site now seems to have. My previous upload, back in July 2021, somehow got 1k views in a span of a few days, but no comments. So it freaked me out and practically discouraged me from posting other things if I can't make my account completely private. (Sta. sh is terrible for this because it has a size limit.) But I didn't quite give up and have been trying to study this algorithm in order to reduce views and secure my privacy. I have come to the conclusion that it judges things on the title and how the image looks. So I hope the way I have colored this drawing so far, it will be safe, even though its subject matter is clearly something that would draw too much attention. (I could always shove it into storage and never take it out again.) But we'll see.
Eclipse is hideous.
I still pop in once in a while to check even though I can't make proper drawings anymore because work is draining. But hey, I'm getting paid so it's a trade-off. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm more active on AO3 but I'm not sure what I write is to anyone's tastes. It feels like such a niche interest for me to be fixed on. XD
Birthday
A Decade
In the meantime, I've been writing more but I post my work on AO3 because it's lengthy and convoluted. I also go by LaEmperatrizMariana on there. While I have been active there since December of 2015, I don't think any of my stories are relevant to your tastes, so that's why I don't bother linking or talking about it. Although I admit, my focus did shift to writing more than drawing because I had a now-former friend tell me, while I was going through a hard time, "I wish you'd draw more instead of write. :/" I found writing easier since I didn't have to worry about figuring out how to draw comic panels (I still don't know how) to write a story like that.
I've also been experimenting with 3DCoat (the demo) that I got on Steam. I've been interested in 3D painting for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to post my results here once I finish with whatever I'm trying to do. Not sure if I should try modelling again. Tried with Blender and won't bother again until I'm in a more cheerful mood. Sculptris is super easy but everything comes out so lumpy. XD
Trip Photos
I also thought I was going to be able to draw during my trip, but no. I was too busy doing other things, like helping my grandma, my aunt and cousins.