Let's start with a character you've already seen around the site, my persona Reva! She's a collection of my favorite colors and interests; cats and aliens among them!
Her species isn't one that exists, unless you count the idea of aliens as a whole, so it was a lot of fun to combine different traits into this happy little camper. Reva loves any new experiences. She's extremely curious as any cat would be, but it's heightened by the differences in worlds she visits!
Mercy the Devilclaw is a story I've stopped development on, but means a lot to me nonetheless. Mercy is a white kitten found by a clowder of cats when she's dropped by a hawk. Her injuries heal into rough, almost black spines, leading many to believe she's a demon despite being only a kitten when it starts.
I've scrapped this story since it would've been a more macabre tale of poor Mercy getting caught in the middle of a feuding family with scary beliefs. However, I'm currently thinking on ways to adapt the story to be a more lighthearted take on being different than your peers!
A few of my favorite interests - the Muppets, Pokemon, and Demon Slayer!
The Electric Mayhem are among my favorite Muppet sub-groups. The chaos and humor that comes from them alone makes me want to make my own puppet crafts and characters, but along with the diversity of personality and interests in the rest of the Muppets, these guys are so inspiring as a creative!
Pokemon is probably the first thing to spark my interest in character design when I was young. There was something so addicting about the color and personality in the old pixel-based sprites that led me down a more animal and nature focused path rather than your typical human centered media.
Lastly, my favorite media of all time, Demon Slayer! For the longest time I didn't think I would be interested in the show, but today, I'd say it perfectly encapsulates everything I love about storytelling. Every character has an in-depth history that shaped them into who they are today. Many stories those reasons, but somehow, any human or demon in this show feels like they exist in moments not even shown on screen. I absolutely love a media that creates the illusion of life on top of beautiful animation and worldbuilding.
The above image is the only piece on here I didn't create, but I felt it necessary to add my experience with the Paper Demon Art RPG!
This site was created by BogusRed with the growth of artists in mind. You can create your own character and send them on a journey by drawing based off of prompts to collect in-game currency and items. The premise is that, through the site's prompts, you're able to practice character design, writing, background art, and more! There's even an emphasis on interacting with the site's community, strengthening the more social aspects of art as well.
Some of the characters I've been developing there are Pounce Bellweaver, a high-energy clown who lives to have fun and entertain, and Anya Risendawn, an intimidating wolf who is actually a gentle giant running from her past.
These characters have been so fun to explore. In the above image, Pounce is performing a fire spinning show based on a fire-centered holiday prompt the site provided. All of the characters in the audience are other player's characters who offered to be a part of the piece when I was new to the site!
I've been able to explore settings and ideas in my art that I never would have considered thanks to the Paper Demon ARPG. It's so satisfying to be able to practice art in a way that doesn't feel like time wasted. I'm especially grateful to the site for giving me a reason to work on my background art, which is a skill I've been wanting to expand for a while now.
I highly recommend this site to other artists who want to practice art, but don't have a clear plan on how to do it. The community is kind and helpful, the prompts are both unique and vague enough that you can get really creative with your answers to them, and there's no pressure to force it into your schedule, giving you time for personal and financial work! I'm happy to see my art improve with help from such a fun art game.
