Decaying Wonderland - Oldhammer meets Secession

[AranaszarSzuur]

Drew this back in 20120830 and coloured it f, just before I had to drop out of Computer Science college due to being broke.

It was one of the first works I created with intention of selling. It was heavily inspired by my original Nightmare series which later turned into Nightmare 3000, except that prettified.

It was titled Decaying Wonderland I. It also had a slogan: “Gold, has rotten, Platinum has rusted and in Gems… in Gems, there are worms!”

It was somewhat inspired by music of a local band called Furia which had strong themes of decay.

This was the peak of my 2016 Reesitsu and one of the best drawings I’ve ever drawn. Drawn it back in 20160611. I was super-motivated because I received a 50$ donation which made me optimistic about the possibility of starting an art career. And also during earlier that year and before I managed to sell several prints. So I thought I could find an audience and sell more prints and receive more donations and start an online art career.

It was the crowning achievement of the 2nd age of Reesitsu and from then things could only get worse.

So, I never got the audience to start a Patreon or print buyers and as things got worse financially, I just couldn’t keep up this level of work. Especially that my 0.05 Sakura Pigma Micron pens tended to run out quickly.

20220110

“Everything decays…”

I was suddenly inspired to draw something. Back on 20120830 - just before I had to drop out of college due to being broke, I thought about doing something inspired aesthetically by Oldhammer and my Nightmare series but with more I don’t know, art nouveau twist?

It was Decaying Wonderland I.

On 20120421 I have borrowed Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. I have returned it on 20120423. I remember reading the whole book. (What? I have read a novel in 3 days, just like that? And that was during school year in College? I remember reading a post where I wrote I read 4-6 novels a month. Wow it was really true.).

I think the name of the series was inspired by the novel.

So I wanted to draw a variation on that theme again.

These were when I was grinding art trying to survive back in the beginning of 2022:
20220111

Everything decays… even the sun decays.
Decaying Wonderland

20220111

Sometimes you just have to pick some flowers of evil.

Decaying Wonderland

20220222

A page or composition sketches. Or is it?

Wanted to do composition sketches but since the four sketches itself are repetition of one scheme, perhaps it’s just one drawing?

Starts on the top-right field and progresses clockwise. As the drawing process it becomes more abstract, as the exhausting submersion in the world of senses turns out to be unsustainable, one naturally goes to the world of intuition.

I’m reading Composition by Arthur W. Dow in order to improve my composition skills.

20220301

Everything decays…
The gold has rotten!
Platinum has rusted!
And the sun! Even the sun decays!

The final, fifth drawing from yesterday. I drew another variation on the old Decaying Wonderland I composition. It’s almost 10 years old now.

Drew the first one when I wanted to start selling art back in 20120830 just before I had to drop out of CS college due to lack of money. I wanted to do something inspired by oldhammer stuff from Nightmare 3000 series but with less… err… niche appeal.

Gel pens on 90gsm Fabriano paper.

Please consider donating to help unemployable disabled artist survive:
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare

 

[twisted moon]

i like your use of colour.

 

[symphonicpoet]

Your decaying wonderland series is generally fun. It's neat to see something occasionally almost hopeful done in that Oldhammer line drawing style. Keep it up.

 

[Loose Loser]

That last one should be sketch for painting. It was coloured as first image but I think impact would be greater on canvas as you got very chaotic drawing style.

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

i like your use of colour.

Thanks, IIRC I was using a few GIMP palettes, mainly with muted/pastel colours. I'm quite fond of flat colouring in comics. Damn, reminds me of how I bought a few tomes of Sandman a few years ago and it turned out it has the new colouring and I hated it and returned all the unopened ones and sold one that I opened. I hate when they do that with re-released comics.

Your decaying wonderland series is generally fun. It's neat to see something occasionally almost hopeful done in that Oldhammer line drawing style. Keep it up.

Thanks. I think it's going to be the series I'll put most effort into. Like, I sort of feel that it's worth most effort because it's almost aspirational. I mean, who doesn't want to wander through a decaying surreal world, collecting flowers and gems and stuff while wearing powered armour? I guess seeing rotting gold, rusting platinum and decaying sun could be somewhat unsettling.

That last one should be sketch for painting. It was coloured as first image but I think impact would be greater on canvas as you got very chaotic drawing style.

I have an art block from hell when it comes to painting anything. Also for sculpting too. That's why I still haven't painted any of the 100 Laserburn miniatures I bought mid-2021 and generally wasn't participating in the miniature part of the hobby.

 

[symphonicpoet]

I had no idea your drawings were that small. That does make everything seem a bit different. Have you thought about laying out one of your drawings on a larger canvas?

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

I had no idea your drawings were that small. That does make everything seem a bit different. Have you thought about laying out one of your drawings on a larger canvas?

I normally draw artworks on A5 format (the first two ones were on A4 format - back then I was somewhat experimenting with formats before settling for A5 in late 2016.). A5 is the format I feel most comfortable with.
Amateur drawings are usually done on 1/4 of an A5 page, 4 per page.

 

[symphonicpoet]

I like the balance of void and solid, of light and darkness in "Fancy." I think pictures sometimes don't parse well when they don't have that balance, but Fancy is nice and clear, even if it is quite small. Keep it up!

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

I like the balance of void and solid, of light and darkness in "Fancy." I think pictures sometimes don't parse well when they don't have that balance, but Fancy is nice and clear, even if it is quite small. Keep it up!

As in they look better without backgrounds XD ?

 

[symphonicpoet]

^No, but I think more contrast helps make the images parse better: some areas with lots of cross hatch, and some with little or none. I know the future is supposed to be all grim-dark, but an eye that works with light can only read so much. I have to think developing the sort of style you're working on is probably really tricky. Anyway, I like where you're going with it, so keep it up.

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

So, things started going pretty bad so I went back to grinding artworks.

20220916.

New Decaying Wonderland artwork!

This time done with technical pens!

Took me 3h21m of grinding in sum. Mostly using 0.1mm pen for hatching and mostly 0.2mm pen for outlines. I posted its story in on of my previous posts. Got pocket money after all so I finished it. Thanks for everyone who donated. Mainly 75% to my mother.

Please consider donating to fund more artworks.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare

Decaying Wonderland

Everything decays…

The gold has rotten!

Platinum has rusted!

And the sun! Even the sun decays!

IMPORTANT:
I won't be able to continue creating and posting art if I will be dead. Once money for food and meds runs out, it's over.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

From 20221125
I have spent 1h28m working on it. Currently I have 8h41m left in work budget. Thanks to all who donated and made this possible.

For this one I wanted a bit different perspective with composition with three gardeners/explorers.

Due to mystery country's governments deliberate and genocidal policy of starving disabled and unneeded people I need community's help to buy food and medicines, if you're opposed to genocide, please help.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare

 

[symphonicpoet]

That's a particularly nice one. It's fun to watch your technique grow and to see your art develop!

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

That's a particularly nice one. It's fun to watch your technique grow and to see your art develop!

Thanks. I'm making a progress since I'm getting some support from a few people lately. It's nothing in comparision to what could have been if people would be supporting my work since 2020 when I made the breakthrough. Like I posted about my ko-fi multiple times back in 2020 and got zero donations. So, most of the progress I did back then was lost. Like I think on average I could have done about 2 really good works per month and technical pen work every few months, so if people were supporting my work back then, there would be a lot of it and everything would be more advanced.

20221130

I managed to do another of my Oldhammer meets Secession artworks.

I have spent 41m working on it. (currently) I have 2h51m left in work budget. Thanks to all who donated and made this possible.

Due to mystery country's governments deliberate and genocidal policy of starving disabled and unneeded people I need community's help to buy food and medicines, if you're opposed to genocide, please help.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

20221208

I managed to do another of my Oldhammer meets Secession artworks.

I have spent 50m working on it. (currently) I have 32m left in work budget. Thanks to all who donated and made this possible.

An explorer/gardener in the world of Decay.

Decaying Wonderland
Everything decays…
The gold has rotten!
Platinum has rusted!
And the sun! Even the sun decays!

Due to mystery country's governments deliberate and genocidal policy of starving disabled and unneeded people I need community's help to buy food and medicines, if you're opposed to genocide, please help.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare

I have recently done some calculations and overall, about 4 hours of work drawing and grinding exercises produces one good category artwork and about 17 hours produces 1 best category artwork.
So, if goal would be reached about 10 good category and 2-3 best category artworks would be produced per month.

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

20230108

A new artwork. Took me 24m of work to draw. Currently 58m left in work budget.

A sort of an almost self-portrait. Wanted to do something more expressing my natural introverted intuitive state. Reclining in a chair and detaching from environment.

20230122

A new artwork. Took me 48m of work to draw. Currently 58m left in work budget.

Was in quite bad mood and felt uninspired. Didn’t know what would be the subject of today’s artwork. Decided to draw something darker but not combat related.

Due to mystery country's governments deliberate and genocidal policy of starving disabled and unneeded people I need community's help to buy food and medicines, if you're opposed to genocide, please help. Only you can stop the evil.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare
Also, I'm running out of work budget.

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

20230122

A new artwork. Took me 48m of work to draw. Out of work budget.

Was in quite bad mood and felt uninspired. Didn’t know what would be the subject of today’s artwork. Decided to draw something darker but not combat related.

Decaying Wonderland
Everything decays…
The gold has rotten!
Platinum has rusted!
And the sun! Even the sun decays!

Due to mystery country's governments deliberate and genocidal policy of starving disabled and unneeded people I need community's help to buy food and medicines, if you're opposed to genocide, please help. Only you can stop the evil.
https://ko-fi.com/illuminationsofeternalwarfare
Also, I'm out of work budget since three days. Now the community is missing out on new artworks and progress.

 

[AranaszarSzuur]

I see. Everyone wants me dead. If it won't change I will have to delete all my work.

 

[Fimm McCool]

I think that's likely not true. Don't confuse a lack of response with a lack of care or even of interest, especially online where who knows who sees what or has time to engage.
I'm sorry that things are tough for you.

 

[symphonicpoet]

I think quite a lot of us are sympathetic. I try to help out when I can. But we don't always have money/energy to spare from our own bills/troubles.