Oh, my mother mercy. What a week it's been. First I'm launching a brand new art collective, then I'm getting leg day every day, and on top of it all I still have to do my gallery. So, a few questions for you to consider. Do I have to update? Will the collective be a success? Is leg day really worth the hype? In short: yes, maybe, and yes.
The sign of the honourable artist is whether or not they fulfill their end of the deal. If I promise you an update every day, even if that promise is implied, then I better well update, because a man is only as good as the actions they do. We live in an age where talk is cheap and anybody can be anybody if they have but the creativity to lie. I'm not going to be somebody whose opinion is not backed by the sweat of my brow and the determination to do what he is expected on a daily basis. I earn my right to respect, unlike the majority of the world, and this gallery is how I'm earning it.
Secondly, though the Degenerates has high hopes, it is, at its heart, an experiment. It's an experiment to see if we can revive an artist's brotherhood in the modern age. It's an experiment in creating family and togetherness like no other group can. It's an experiment in seeing if we truly are stronger collectively than we are individually. It's an experiment in exclusivity, where we are bound by a code of honour and not by individual feelings. And like all experiments, it might fail. But we learn a lot along the way. If people don't want to join, if they feel it's too hard for them, that's fine. We don't cater to them. But for those who want to take the leap and be better than they ever thought they could be, then the door's wide open.
And third, leg day is brutal. On the upside, you can run for longer than anyone in your social group. It might be more "manly" to stand your ground and fight off an attacker, but there's nothing more practical than being able to run far away for a really long time.
So coming off these bends and into the arms of a lovely little seal is really a treat. It's experiences like this which made me make this gallery in the first place. Being able to come home and appreciate the effort that artists put into their work… it's special to me. Nobody can take that away from me. Nobody can take it away from you.
Excuse me for not getting to the point! It's almost like you were here to soullessly consume content as opposed to get in touch with and care about the author of this hard work. Meh. At least I give you the privilege to skip over sections. But really! Each word is a gift from me to you, so long as I'm not wasting your time. If I deserve to be read, then read me. If not, then skip me. Sounds like a fair deal.
So Brionne, Brionne, Brionne. Don't think of the name too pretentious; it's just a Pokemon, after all. Even though Nintendo has done truly wonderful things for this world by inspiring millions upon millions of kids and artists around the world, they're still a business. They don't give a shit about you — at least not when you can't pay. It's cynical, though true, which is really sad. It's sad because seeing artists with such talent be victim to a corporation is doing them a great injustice.
Even so, I do have some small infatuation with this stupid seal nerd. Maybe it's because of their stupid seal joy, and their stupid seal sincerity, along its stupid seal hearts and stupid seal details that bring respect to this stupid seal nerd. Maybe it isn't so stupid after all. Maybe I just really like it. Not just the species, but this work. After all, if I was posting things based entirely on the characters I like, it'd be all seals, all the time. Also mimigas. And yordles.
So in this sweet Brionne dream, I've come across this truly wonderful work by the truly wonderful artist… abc002310. I'm willing to bet the username is why they're aren't so popular. 1,200 watchers is a nice number, but after three years, and with work as consistent as this? It's such a shame. But what makes them great?
Like all good artists, take your pick. It's the way they inject sugar and spice into every piece they create, making a blissful garden full of life, where you know it's all artificial, and yet believe in the power of the curator to turn it into something just as natural. It's using the power of the line not as a constraint, but as an addition to a piece that at the same time is placed precisely, flows without effort, like a performance artist in a painting. It's where each piece is like candy — all the effort in the world put into them, and yet so easily digested by those who care so little for the craft. But it is sweet. So very, very, sweet.
Brionne here, even before I limited its palette, had colours so expertly applied that it's clear it comes from somebody with the experience and the courage to try new experiments in the arts. A worthy experiment, after all, with it producing many great things from this artist, sadly absent, but not so sad when it coincides with the New Year. It's clear the artist knows how to use their digital tools well, manipulating them to get exactly what they want. I could not imagine such geometric constructions coming out of traditional art this time of century.
The conveniences of digital art extends to the ability to make one sparkle and then copy and paste it across the painting, which isn't anything to be ashamed of. There is no reason whatsoever why somebody should have to put in more effort than necessary to get their work done. Certainly, sometimes the work is its own reward, such as perfecting a signature to make every signature look beautiful, or to practice drawing circles to make each circle free of the perfectionist constraints of digital art. But for something simple as sparkles? Just copy and paste. Your hand will thank you.
And about these sparkles. What do they add to the piece? Thematically, not much that isn't already conveyed by the bubblegum colours. Visually, it's noise for the sake of noise. I've always enjoyed the "less is more" philosophy, where perfection is obtained when there is nothing left to remove, but I wouldn't want these sparkles to be removed, even if their disappearance would not take anything away from the piece. Why does the artist add in sparkles to their work? Maybe it's because they really like sparkles. And so long as they find enjoyment in that, why take it away from them?
Incidentally, though the text is Japanese, the artist knows English. I will never understand how so many Chinese (or "Taiwanese") people appear to appropriate Japanese so effortlessly, even as they don't often use their own language. Of course English is so darn popular across both straits that it's understandable they know our corrupted little language, but Japanese? It must have the same effect as English people using French words. Because it looks cool. Personally I think German looks cooler; the German word for cyan is "hellblaut", which is metal as fuck.
I would like to give a final thanks to the artist for making work that is supremely easy to hack, to the point where I didn't even bother cleaning up the pixels. You're a friend to leisure everywhere!
Date: 2017–02–15. Size: 8,759 bytes. Colours: 10.
Upscaled Dimensions: 828×838. Original Dimensions: 414×419.