These are the images I think I had the biggest breakthroughs of the year. I’d love to see what you have to share!

These are based on my own challenges with my art and the many limitations I feel I have.

1. First drawing in my challenge to draw at least 5 days a week for the year, a good baseline of my skills as they were for about a decade with little progress.

2. Just drawing without a plan, or an idea. Just putting digital ink to paper and see where it goes. This is the first thing I’ve drawn in a decade I felt really proud of.

3. I’ve always loved super detailed texture in art but was never able to do it. I decided to give it a go, I used references for the first time since high school. I used an old penny for the colors and photos of metal for the patterns and went at it.

4. I really felt confident that I could actually use a photo as a reference for the first time in my life. It’s a photo my wife and I took on a trip to Yellowstone. I’m still impressed with how it turned out, I had no idea I could do this.

5. Used a photo my Mom took as the reference, and challenged myself to only use brushes I’ve never used before. Up to this point I only used the basic brushes and I was positive this would be trash. To my shock it looks like the photograph (with a robotic inclusion).

6. My last breakthrough, using the brushes that intimidated me the most. The oil brushes seem so cool and freak me the hell out. But it turned out pretty good. Also used a reference as I can’t draw people realistically without them.