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#artistsofcohost

also: #ArtistsOnCohost, #artists of cohost, #artists on cohost, #The Cohost Global Feed (Artist)
ItsMeLilyV
@ItsMeLilyV
ItsMeLilyV
@ItsMeLilyV
ItsMeLilyV
@ItsMeLilyV

best of lily valeen 2023

a little ramble... i drew so much this year. i drew so much!! i haven't sat down and just *drawn* like this since like, 2016... and honestly, this is the first time i've had so much fun with it. back then, i was so obsessed with improvement that i was really harsh on myself. i was always too afraid of failure to try out new styles or mediums.

this year has been the total opposite! i still want to improve and i still want to learn a ton, of course. i want to get to the point where i feel comfortable and confident putting more of my own art in my games! but i'm genuinely having fun with the actual process of drawing, now, and making mistakes doesn't seem like such a terrible thing. i love it.

thank you so much to the folks who cheer me on, who create art so powerful i can't help but want to draw immediately, who make weird and beautiful zines, who draw yuri, who leave me kind comments, who show my work to their friends... thank you. i feel extremely lucky. i'm gonna keep at it!!

anyway, here are some of my favorites <3

Pencil sketch of a goblin girl. She's wearing a basic tunic tied with thick rope, and has claws and horns. She looks around suspiciously.
April: goblin girl. i like her expression.
A monochrome pen sketch of J.J. Macfield. She's got long hair, a headband, and is wearing a poncho over a blouse. She's got her head resting on her chin and her brow is furrowed. There's an inscription "Am I sweet enough for you to deny?"
May: J.J. Macfield. I've always drawn too small, so doing these full-size portraits was really fun. this game makes me cry
Monochrome pen sketch of Ramlethal Valentine, from Guilty Gear Strive. She's wearing a fluffy military cap, a cloak with "teeth" at the ends, over a crop top and short shorts. Her arm is wrapped in bandages as she reveals it from under her cloak, and she has a serious expression.
May: i love my shoeless daughter
Monochrome pen sketch of Fujiwara no Mokou, from Touhou 8. She's got long white hair and bangs, and a folded paper bow in her hair. She's wearing a collared button-up shirt and a tattoo choker, and she looks pissed. Little flames surround the air around her.
June: at some point i got really into putting tattoo chokers on everyone. looks especially good on mokou
Monochrome sketch of Marisa and Reimu from Touhou. Reimu is wearing a shrine maiden's outfit and hair bow, lying on the ground with her eyes closed, blushing and nervous. Marisa is wearing a black vest and white blouse, with a white apron around her waist. She's got long hair and a witch's hat. She's also blushing and nervous, as she's perched over Reimu, putting on Reimu's eyeliner.
July: perverts
4-color Pixel art of Reimu, Marisa, and Patchouli from Touhou, each in a separate frame. Reimu, in red, is looking at the camera and laughing, with yin-yang orbs around her. Marisa is grinning and is surrounded by stars. Patchouli is angry, her hand extended as she casts a spell from a book.
August: these were inspired by kadabura's demons. i did a lot of limited palette stuff this year! i like their creepy eyes quite a bit.
illustration of lady gray, from void stranger. Monochrome, four colors. A closeup of a woman's face, with short dark hair and a scarf. There is an inverted color pattern in the shape of a grid over her face.
September: surprise! it's void stranger. i finally learned how to use layer masks
pen drawing of bridget's victory pose from guilty gear strive, done in blue and yellow. She's got a blue hoodie like a nun's habit, and messy blonde hair. She's smiling widely as she extends her finger and poses for the camera.
October: surprise! it's bobcat. i really love making these little color pen sketches, they're very loose & fun
Pixel illustration of Marisa from Touhou. She's lost in a dark bamboo forest, and looks very nervous. She's got a black witch hat with a giant white bow on it. She has long, messy blonde hair with a single braid, and she's wearing a black vest over a white blouse.
November: i really had fun with this one. i did a bunch of smaller pixel art for bossgame, but learning how to draw higher resolution illustrations... i'm glad i gave it a shot, i really enjoy it! this ended up being the title screen for TOUHOU LONELY LOVELY BONFIRE
The nun, from Void Stranger. She looks up at the ceiling while she sits leaning back on her hands, one holding a smoking cigarette. Her legs dangle over a strangely square pit. She is wearing a nun's habit, with the hair cover, mantle, and long skirt. Sketched in purple and pink pen.
December: the nun from void stranger!! i've been trying to expand with new poses and angles... this was a wild one
illustration of a woman on a balcony, lit up by purple and pink lights, smoking. she's got a somewhat nervous expression and is staring out into the night sky. She's got bangs and a short bob, is wearing a choker and an unbuttoned top.
December: digital (not pixel) illustration is still so tricky to me, especially light and color... something to study more in the future!
Isometric view of a dark studio apartment. A woman kicks her door until it opens, and turns on the light. She takes off her jacket and sits down to flip through her phone while the disembodied head of a devil sits on her table and chats with her. The woman goes to cook dinner, chopping up food while the devil-head watches videos on her phone. The woman boils a pot of some food. She sits down and browses on her phone again while the devil-head eats dinner. The woman gets undressed and injects herself in the leg, twitching a bit as she does while the devil-head winces. She turns off the light and sits in bed, chatting more with the devil-head. They both curl up together under the covers. The knife disappears.
December: i wanted to try a mockup of a scene that might be part of library game... the original idea was to visualize different activities you might do in your apartment, but it ended up becoming this cute little animation. i stole this palette from void stranger...
pixel sketch of Anna and Sophie from Bossgame, in reds and greens. Anna is holding Sophie from behind and kissing her neck while Sophie smiles cutely
December: drew the bossgame girls on christmas as we watched movies... i'm amazed how well it turned out. the pixels are ludicrously messy, but as a whole it looks... really good?? i still feel so emotionally attached to these two, and it's been a little sad moving on... that's life. what a good way to end the year.
made with @nex3's grid generator
A selfie! I'm wearing a black button up and have bright pink hair in a messy bob. I'm making a peace sign and crouching.

thank you, again, to everyone who's helped me along the way ✨ new year ahoy!!

ItsMeLilyV
@ItsMeLilyV

art from 2024...

been drawing actively for a year and a half now, and cohost has been a really nice place to share it all. thanks for cheering me on so much :)