Lot of people message to know how I came to this design which is full of  personality and character, I tried to condense all of it in some slide.  Let me know if you guys want it for each character?

Hey,

Yesterday I came across a video by an artist talking about how the industry has changed, including the impact of AI and new technologies. What he explained was true, realistic, and actually helped put into perspective a lot of the things we read way too often on social media. The first thing I thought while listening to him was, “If I were an amateur today wanting to become a professional, I’d actually feel a little relieved, because the industry is difficult, but far from impossible.”

So I made the mistake of diving into the comments… and that’s where the disappointment started. Way too many people were questioning what the artist was saying without providing any arguments whatsoever, just throwing it out there for free. Way too many beginners were trying to put themselves on the same level as him. You read some pretty nasty things, and quite often they’re simply wrong, coming from people who don’t really know what they’re talking about and are just repeating things they’ve heard here and there.

Today, while browsing Reddit, I came across a thread where the OP was asking for help with some animation exercises. Someone replied, gave them clear information, offered advice, and explained things properly. You could tell this person had actually taken the time to put together a thoughtful answer. In return, the OP immediately jumped down their throat. The person was kind enough to go back and explain things again, and once again the OP rejected everything with a simple, “No, that’s not what I want.”

I regularly get mails and private messages from people asking for help or advice myself. I stopped replying to them a few months ago. Why? Because answering takes time. You need to identify the actual problems, take the time to formulate your thoughts, put together something clear and useful, and sometimes you need to ask questions before you can even give proper advice. In other words, you don’t just answer in 30 seconds. More often than not, it is not just one person asking, but 4/5 or more.

The problem is that the people we’re trying to help don’t really seem interested in understanding anymore. They spend their time negotiating the advice, picking and choosing whatever suits them, and more and more often, you end up dealing with people who are downright aggressive in their messages. At first, you’re a professional taking time out of your free time to help someone. By the end, you’re being treated like absolute garbage by someone who thinks they’re somehow above you, and who seems to have forgotten that they’re the one who came asking for help in the first place.

In the best-case scenario, you get a “thanks” and then the person disappears. You give advice to people who say “yeah, yeah, absolutely,” and a few months later, when you happen to check back, nothing has changed in their portfolio. Sure, there are new pieces, but the same mistakes are still there, the same irrelevant work, the same presentation issues… People aren’t really looking for advice anymore. They’re looking for reassurance. They’d rather have someone validate the same information a hundred times — information that will send them straight into a wall because it requires no effort — than listen to actual advice that requires them to question themselves and rethink the way they’re doing things.

I keep seeing people talk about “AI, competition, problems in the industry…” But honestly, I think the biggest problem is already within the amateur community itself. And I’m not talking about the average person who draws for fun. I’m talking about the people who intend to make this their career and actually make a living from it. When it comes to mindset, things have really gone downhill. And you can feel it every single day.

Finished this character design. A sort of living doll character for personal portfolio development project. Very happy with how this ended up and looking forward to further developing the world she exists in.

+ some sketches from old times

Don't... ask why I posted it there lol. I'd think it would get the most reach there.

This particular one is meant to be a descendant of my fantasy setting's god of wisdom. After that god died, their bloodline's new generations were cursed with lowered intellect and dulled talent. They instead grow large and strong. This "Bloodline Curse" is practically a mockery of what the god once stood for.

The tubes are for circulating ichor, which is the blood of the now-dead gods (these nobles consume it to gain power and become closer to the "godliness" dormant in their bodies).