So. My Redesign of Amber is Nearly Finished. I know I know it took me Way Too Long. But as well as Life being Life and my Scattershot Focus at Times, I wanted to Feel like I’ve Substantially Improved as an Illustrator before I Released a Redesign of One of my Most Popular Pieces. And at this Point I Feel I Have.

Now. I’m Gonna Draw some Established Harpy Characters because Believe It or Not the Wings are what’s been Giving me the Most Trouble and I wanna Work On That. Been Frustrating as Hell not being able to Draw Her in a Satisfactory Way to me. I’ve Decided to give her more Traditional Harpy Wings instead of the Angelic Ones she had, though their Designs will largely be the Same. I may make another OC with those Type of Wings in the Future because despite me not doing it for a Good While now, I Love Drawing Wings. Maybe I should start Drawing Winged Animals more…Anyway.

I Still Need to Rewrite her Lore, and to Do That I gotta Find some Old Paperwork of mine. But I can Legitimately Say that ya’ll are Finally Gonna See Amber Again Soon.

And Once you do I Think it’ll have been Worth the Wait.

One Last Thing Before I Wrap Up Here: I’ve Got Some WIPs and Character Sheets for her. Would you guys rather Wait for her Release (Giggity) to see all of that or do ya wanna see it now? Personally I wanna wait but for as Long as I’ve Promised Her I Feel I Owe ya guys a Say in that Decision. So Let Me Know!

See ya soon, Shoto Signing Off.

So First Off I’m Going To List What Projects Of Mine Have My Focus At The Moment.

*A Redesign Of My OC

*Amber Redesign And Lore Restructure

*More Lewd, Violent, and/or Scary Art

*A Special WrittenProject Centered On Horror

And now for the Reexamination of my Time here. I Looked through All of my Art and was Pleased and Enlightened by the Results. You all really seem to like not only my Horror/Extreme Art, but a lot of my Character Pieces as well. I even got my First Fave not my own on my recent Sonic Art! Though it’s Clear that my Work slumped for a bit, and not Surprisingly it was during the Time where I felt the most Anxious and Disappointed with my Art. On Top of IRL Crisis after Bullshit after Crisis. But now it would seem that it’s Showing it’s Worth Once Again as I’m coming to Terms with Everything in my Life. And I’m Very Glad.

Now I’ve Starved you all Long Enough. I Promise to not Only Release Amber after all this Time, but try to make more of the Art you Gravitate Towards. That said I always Create what I want First and Foremost. So if I get the Impulse and Drive to Work on something I Find more Fulfilling I’ll Do It. But I do want to make Art People find Enjoyment and Intrigue In. So if anyone Reading This who Appreciates My Work. Please don’t Hesitate to give your Feedback. Hell Tear it Apart if you Wish, but I’ll Admit not seeing any Comments is a bit Irritating at Times. I’m Naturally Curious of the Perspectives of Others, and with all the Views they get I’d Really Like to Know people’s Thoughts on what they get outta my Art. It doesn’t have to be a Novella either, it can simply be “I like your Style on that character” and that’s Enough for me.

I’d just like to Hear your Honest Thoughts. Don’t Hold Back!

So. I’m still Working On everything Announced.

And not only because of that Stupid Inconvenience, Piece of Shit Glitch, but due to the Fact I need to start finding some Paid Work due to the Job Pool here being a bit Dry. By “Here” I mean where I Live not Newgrounds btw, but back to the point. I’m gonna be Hunkering Down and Focusing on Creative and Practical Work. And now that I got a Power Cable for my Switch again I’m gonna be Catching Up with that in my Free Time for a Good Bit.

On Top of That, I’m gonna Focus on my Studies Too. Especially more on the Practical Side like English Literacy to Refine my Writing, World History for Inspiration and Connection to Humanity, my Usual Media and Psychology Studies for the Same Reason, and Economics so I don’t get myself Screwed. Finances should be something Everyone gets Fluent in at least a little just to Survive. Speaking of Both Devils; Exercise/Martial Arts has been a Staple of my Routine I’m getting back on Track, and I’m looking at how People do their Commissions so once I get that Going I get my Time’s Worth without Ripping People Off. So to Wrap it up while I’m still going about it at a Relaxed Pace, my Daily Grind’s gonna Increase Again so I might be Scarce again but I’ll try to keep myself Available. And I’ll be Exploring Sites to Post My Writing so I don’t Fill the News Bulletin Up with it. Have a Good One Folks!

My Uploads will be Flipped for a While I Guess. Pisses me Off but not that much. If you wanna see Uploads with Proper Positioning you can find them on my Twitter.

So as you may have Noticed I’ve been decently Active, and even made that Nonsense News Feed about the UNFINISHED. I Think that getting the Kirby Myers Picture Done and getting back to New Work, as well as Interacting with people here and on Twitter has been Helping Me Feel Better. Been Hanging with Family too which always Helps. I’ve got some Cool Shit being Drawn too!

So I’ll just be Available when I’m Available, Release Work when it’s Finished and take this a bit more Casually for a bit. Not that I’m Abandoning a lot of the Ideas I’ve Announced. No I’ve got Tons of Ideas Planned. But I don’t wanna Burnout either. So yeah that’s where we’re at. Ray Out!

Nice.

Listen Up Fellas, This One’s Important.

First Off: No Changes In Plans. All the Projects I’ve Announced are happening still. It’s just been a Matter of Preparation and Honing my Skill to a Point I Feel it’s Ready. However my Methods and Priorities are Shifting.

It seems the Cost of how I’ve Performed in my Career is really bearing it’s Fangs. Some of you may know I’ve been Losing a few of my Animals these Past Few Years. Me and my Family have Rescued/Fostered many Animals. And they have all had Good Quality of Life. But having One who was Suffering from Seizures and Living Right Next to a Main Road in Redneck Country, it’s Bound to End in Tragedy at Times. That and Losing my Grandfather Last Year, my Hearts been Shredded. I’m Extremely Lucky to have such a Strong-Willed and Supportive Family in Times like this. and with the Damn Near Daily Tragedies you hear going down in the Art World; I Need Time to Live. I know my Fans so far have Demanded nothing from me, even when I Don’t Fufill a Promise. And I really Appreciate that despite how Little we seem to Interact. But I’ll have to Renegotiate a bit.

For about the Next Year, Expect Any Work of mine to just Release when it’s Ready. I Found my Lost Piece and have Nearly Finished It. I’ve got a few more Pieces just about Done Cooking too, I Never Half-Ass My Work. And like I said, Expect more Extreme/Erotic Art too (Once I’m Satisfied With My Abilities). But I’m gonna be Spending a lot more Time with Family/Friends IRL. I’m also gonna do another Analysis of my Time here, do a Detailed Rundown of how I Think I’m Doing. Also to Refamiliarize myself with all of You Guys: My Fans and Everyone Else I’ve Interacted with. It’s Hard to Recall Everything when I’m Learning a bunch of Shit, and Settling a lot of Other Shit. It’s like Life’s saying, “Hey Fuckface, if you’re gonna get Far in Life; I’m gonna Give you an Unending Flame to Temper yourself”.

The Time I’ve Spent Here has been So Fulfilling. I’ve gotten to Goals I thought would take me Decades in an Extraordinary Amount of Time, but it Cost me Time with Family. And that Duality Fuckin’ Burns. It Really Burns. But all the Time Spent has been Enriching, so I just gotta Appreciate It. Make more Memories and Motivation (Shout Out To Okumura And The Gang, Your Tracks Heal My Soul).

So as well as an Update to my Plans for Ya’ll to Read, consider this as a sort of Cautionary Tale. Take Time for You and Yours as you Strive for Success. It’ll be a Healthy Boon in both Areas when you can find Balance. Have a Good One.

(P.S: Unless I Feel The Need To Update You All Further This’ll Be My Last News Post Until The End Of Fall, If Not This Year. That’s The Primary Purpose Of These Posts. To Inform/Archive My Current Situation For Anyone Interested)

Ray the CyberneticShotokan Out.

So yeah, it's a Beautiful Tuesday Afternoon here on July 26 of 2022. And since I'm Busy with Projects and finding the Fuckin' Piece I was gonna Post soon (Be Careful With Physical Art Kids, Store It Properly And Safely), along with Realizing and Reflecting on the 3rd Anniversary a Week or so ago; I've been doing Exactly That: Continued Work and Reflection while Living my IRL Life in Tandem.

So with all that Said, here's some Plans and Thoughts that's been Brewing for a bit now. I'd Like to Ask that my Followers, and Anyone else who happens to Read This to let me Know your Opinion.

#1: Currently in the process of Finalizing the Redesign for my Harpy Character Amber. It's been a bit Tough since I've decided to Revert to a more Traditional Harpy Form, so I've been Teaching myself that and after a bit of Turmoil, I'm gettin' Hang of it. Expect Her in the Near Future: No More Teasing ;)

#2: Feel Free To Message Me, but Know it might take a while to Respond. I Like leaving the Comments/Quips, but I'd Love some actual Discussion. I've been trying to Cool It a tad so I'm not Constantly Appearing in the Bell Box, but I just Love Talkin'. About Art and just In General. And who knows, maybe I'll start Interacting More Directly in the Future through a Discord-Type Hub or in a Game. Maybe Stream. I've always have a Easier Time with more Personal Interaction opposed to Online, but even then I've been Improving in that Regard.

#3: Project-Palooza! Been Cooking Up a Whole Lot of New Stuff as I've Mentioned in the Past; but I've been Sorting and Storing Art from the past few Years, going back to 2016 (Six Years, Geez)! So not only do I have a lot of New Stuff to Share, I've been Itchin' to Revive some Older Concepts; and now that my Works gettin' Reorganized I can Efficiently Go Back and Get That Started. If you thought I've had a lot of Plans before, ya ain't seen Nothin' yet!

#4: And Lastly, on a more Serious Note. These Last 3 Years have been the Best and Worst of my Life. Been Gettin' a lot Done and a lot of Good Times in both my IRL and Creative Life, Bore Witness to just how Fucked my Country can be as well as the Industries and Communities I enjoy, had Great Times with Family and Friends while Losing some Very Loved Ones too, and had Great Little Talks with Artists on here and Twitter and YouTube while also gettin' a Taste of Internet Insanity. While it's been Absolutely Agonizing at points, while being my Best Life in others. And as Corny and Phony as this may sound: you guys have been a Huge Part of it. One of my Goals in Life is too Create Things/Situations that can Entertain and make ya Feel, that Real Art Shit. And I've Done in it Small but Meaningful Ways. As well as Talk to some Incredible Artists of All Kinds, even if I Need to be Reminded I Appreciated All the Interactions So Far. On Rare Occasions I even Re-Read all of them just to Remember I've made People Happy, Horny, Laughy, and even Comforted. I Barely Know Most of you, but that doesn't Change that I'm So Glad I've been able to Start these Small Little Connections. I've Made Mistakes. Been Too Dogged with my Enthusiasm, I Fear I May have Driven an Artist Away that I really Admired do to that Newbie Syndrome I Had Hardcore for a while. But I Love Listening to the Perspectives of different People, Especially Creatives. I Have Major Goals Of Course, but my Love of People, Fun and Creation is a Big Motivator to my Art and Writing. Don't get me Wrong, I have some Real Goddamn Problems with Peeps like Everybody does but I'd rather not get in a Text-Wall Beef War. I Love People but I Try not to let that Blind Me to how Shit we can be as a Species. I'd rather Make Love (Giggitty), Not War. And I want my Art to Facilitate that Shit. Ya'll Already Know My Tastes Range from Highly Innocent to Vastly Depraved, I'm a Man who Craves the Spice of Life: Variety. And Creativity is One of the Best Ways to Taste That.

To Wrap this all up; Thank You. Everyone who's Interacted with me. Beginning this Journey has been One of the Best Things I've Ever Decided to Work On. And I Hope to Do this as Long as I Physically Can. Keep Improving as an Artist and a Human in General while bringing Joy and Catharsis to any I can. I Need to Do More, but with Everything I've Done. I've made Every bit of Experience from my Life have some Tangible Impact on the Lives of others in a Positive Way with my Creativity. No matter how Small that Impact actually is, it's what I've Wanted my Entire Life. I have many People to Thank; from Family and Friends to those who've Inspired me. Teachers, Doctors, Strangers who've shared Fun Times, and the same goes to Everyone I've had a Chance to Talk Shop with in my Creative Career so far. Thank You.

And with that, Watch your Ass and Have a Good One.

P.S.: I just felt like Adding This because this Update kinda felt Incomplete to me. While all stated beforehand is True, I Do Feel it's a Little Sugar-Coated. I've been Very Grateful for my Small-scale Success with my Work and Words, and I'm Very Lucky to be in the Position I'm in. Truth be Told for any Aspiring Artist who may Read This: The Art World is an Industry of Whimsy and Creativity sure. But I'm Sure I don't need to be the One who Tells you that this can be a Hellish and Dangerous Career Choice. I Feel my First 3 Years are a Great Example of the Positives and Negatives both being an Active Artist in the Community can do. You can meet many New People from across the Globe, gain some Tangible Examples of your Artistic Endeavors Resonating with people, and even make a Positive Ripple (Whether Big Or Small) across the Web of Connections we all share. But. This Career Path can also be Hell for your Psyche. As an Independent Artist especially you MUST remain Vigilant and keep your Head On Straight, it's VERY EASY to get a Big Head when you get some Notoriety. But staying Confident without being Conceited is just the First Lesson to Internalized. The Second being The Art Industry and Community has some Deep-Seated Corruption, from the Big Time Corporate Scandals to Small Scale Treachery. You must Keep yourself aware of this without letting the Sheer Quantity of the Strife happening each day Destroy your Psyche. And to Wrap this all up in a Nice Conclusion: Stay Living, Stay Loving, but Remain Vigilant. Life can be Amazing, Terrible, and Random. And while it's only a Small Bit sometimes, you can always Influence it toward a Better Direction.

Ray Out.

So yeah basically been Sick for about a Week and a Half, Thankfully Not with COVID but still wasn't Fun. And during that Time I've been mulling over my Plans/Projects, and have decided to make some Changes here and there as to what I'll be Working On for the Time being.

So to get the Big One outta the way, since it's felt like the News Cycle hasn't ended since the Latest Movie's been announced/released and I'd like to get more Acquainted with the Genre; I've decided to Postpone my Retrospective of the Scream Franchise until the release of Scream 6 next year. Sorry to disappoint on that front, I was actually planning to have it out by April at the Latest but as I've been Working/Studying for the Project I felt it'd be better to release it when not in any Major News Cycle for the Series. That being said I haven't stopped Research at all, and have been coming to a lot of Interesting Conclusions. I'm really Excited to hear the Opinions of not only the Scream Fans, but the Horror Fandom in general. I feel like my Opinion lines up in some ways, and really Deviates in others. I can't wait for the potential Shitstorm this'll cause, because people got REAL Passionate over 5cream. And I'm the Type of Weirdo who ended up Hating that while Loving the likes of Halloween Kills.

In other Shotokan News, I'm going on a Art Supply run here pretty quick so expect a lot of New Art on here pretty soon. I've actually Finished the Line Art on a Newer Piece and I'm FUCKIN' PROUD AS FUCK of it. Like seriously I Love It, I'll be posting that Piece soon. I've got some Redesigns and Reintroductions of Characters that are Long Overdue. And I feel like I've been getting enough stuff done as of Late to feel Comfortable spending time leaving Comments/Appraisals on the Art of others on here again, so that'll be a Ton of Fun. Like I said before, Communicating with Fellow Artists has always been One of the Best Parts of my time as a Public Artist. I've Dearly Missed It. And have left little Crumbs of my Presence here and there across the Web. A lot of Bullshit's been going on in the Entertainment Industry as of Late, and it's been making me rather Depressed. But as long as I have my Family with me, and see the Good even in the Bigger Parts of the Industry I can be a Happy Artist. And after getting some Firsthand Experience with Prestigious Individuals at a recent Convention I attended, I can rest easier knowing how Down to Earth and Honest a lot of the Bigger Creatives can be. Really makes the Assholes out there stick out like a Sore Thumb. And Oddly enough, gettin' reminders of the Duality within the Creative/Entertainment Industry has been a Nice Reminder to remain Vigilant while still Opening your Heart to others.

So yeah in general, Plans have Changed Slightly but honestly not by Too Much and I've Recovered not only from Illness but from a Lack of Motivation. Hope to be Hearing from ya'll soon, Stay Safe out there and despite how Fucked a lot of Things still out there try to Hold On. You can do a lot more Good than you know, I Speak from Experience on that one.

Ray the Shotokan Out

Everything's Pretty Good on my end, but the Research for the Scream Project is taking a bit Longer than expected. But it's been going at a Steady Pace and I'm Feeling Good about the current version of the Script. As for Drawings, I'm a bit Busy atm in my Daily Life to find the Time. But I've still been Sharpening my Skills when I get the Chance. I'll try to Post something soon, but April and May are always Busy for me. I've been Cooking Up the Execution of the other Projects as well, so despite having a lot of Business IRL and doing other Shit I do in my Life I've been getting a lot of Background Work Done. I've also been Talking with different Peeps mostly on YouTube mainly because I'm on there a lot for Work, however even though I'd Really Like to continue the Exploration of Experiences I like to do by Chatting; especially the Convos that share some Insight on a particular Subject or Project I'm Interested In. Especially with the Scream Project; and talk to a lot of you guys on here (I Always Miss It And Appreciate That Convos), I'm going to take a break from Interacting Online to really Focus on stuff I need to get Done.

So In Short: Everything's Peachy, but I'm Busy As Hell. Plans are still in Place, but might take a bit Longer to be Materialized.

I'm Planning to get a lot Accomplished this Year, in my Personal Life and Artistic Endeavors alike. Expect at least a few Big Things coming from the Shotokan's Workshop, mostly on Newgrounds but in other places as well; as soon as I Find One that really Entrances Me with it's Capabilities. Newgrounds still seems like the Perfect Place for someone like me, especially 'cause I've known this Joint since I was a Kid. Expect something in the Future on here soon besides an Update, I'll let ya Ponder what it could be. Have a Good One, Stay Safe, and Do Whatever Good Ya Can In These Times. Love Ya Fuckers!

(Oh And One Last Thing. Haven't Started Nothing For 'Em Yet. But It's Time I Start Work On Revising and Reviving some Old Characters. And Introduce Some New Faces...)