What the Future Holds…

I guess I better get to the 2015 round of resolutions I cannot possibly keep while we’re still in the afterglow of a new year’s dawning.

Collection Goals

15 trades- I think I got close enough to my goal of a dozen last year not be entirely disappointed in myself, so let’s up the ante.  I already have two that are slowly coming together, one with longtime frequent trading partner Shot Not Taken and another with Baseball Card Breakdown.  I’ve also pulled out some odds & ends for a few other bloggers, and I’ll start sending out emails to the lucky(?) perspective trading partners soon.  I also reserve the right to add the two I got in just under the gun in 2014 if they get me over the hump at the end of the year, since their actual arrivals did and/or will take place in 2015. 😛

Finish the following Single Page Sensations- I am over halfway done on almost all of the following, so I’d like to finish as many as possible.

Cubs: Albert Almora (5/9), Javier Baez (8/9), Kris Bryant (7/9), Tyler Colvin (6/9), Ron Santo (6/9)

Other Baseball: Dick Allen (6/9), Roberto Alomar (7/9), Albert Bell (7/9), Carlos Santana (6/9)

Bears: Charles Tillman (6/9)

Basketball: Luol Deng (7/9)

Wrestling: Victoria/Tara (7/9)

BenchWarmer: BenchWarmer model (none over 3/9)

Baseball Sets: 2011 Topps Legend Variations (6/9), 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary Legend Variations (8/9), 2012 Topps Museum Collection “Canvas Collection” Baseball (8/9), 2014 Topps Museum Collection “Canvas Collection” Baseball (6/9 if I keep Strasburg)

Football Sets: 2013 Topps Museum Collection “Canvas Collection” Football (8/9)

Add 2 new licensed and 5 new personal Raven sketch cards- The former are crazy expensive for a B-list team character and there just aren’t a whole lot of either to go around.  I think these are pretty reasonable numbers to strive for though.

Finish both the licensed and PSC DC Comics miscellaneous Single Page Sensations- I am starting the year at 4/9 licensed and 3/9 PSC.

Complete any other sketch card Single Page Sensation- Lots to choose from, but I’m over halfway done on but a very few.

Blog Goals

Write 80 new posts- Again, we’ll up the ante a juuuust a smidge from 2014.  I did a good job of posting with a fair degree of regularity when I was actually here and posting in the year gone by, so I think I can average a little better than 1.5 posts per week in the year to come.  I’m not going to make any requirements on the number of non #collect-focused things this time though.  I feel that was a small contributor in falling off the map so early last year.  I’m stupid (not true, but I am very, very lazy), so I’m going to keep it simple.

Art Goals

Complete 50 new sketch cards- I managed 38/50 last year (1 side of that weird Marvel two card puzzle was completed).  That was close enough to not feel too much shame, especially in light of how much I managed to draw in total.  Still, this isn’t close enough to up the ante, so I will give the same number a good go again in 2015.  Paul Molitor (repurposed) and Boromir of Gondor (artist tile) are the first two in the queue.

100 total new works- I’m pretty sure I coasted past this number last year, and if you consider the multiple pictures on single pages as individual works, then I did even better.  Everything was unofficial, however.

Finish 30 old sketch cards- I barely finished any old cards in 2014, and I don’t feel like I did a very good job on what I did do, so I’m making this a point of emphasis in the new year.  I’m off to a good start, having already finished seven oldies on January 2nd (also colored most of two others).  I’m also happy to report my coloring seems to be back to nearly as strong as it was at the height of my powers a couple years ago.

You can keep track of my 2015 art progress HERE.

Writing Goals

Finish a first draft of any novel idea- I barely got anywhere on anything last year, and while I’d like to say a more stable computer situation would have helped, I’m not so sure…  There can be no excuses this year though.  I just bought the one I’m currently writing from a month ago, and I hope to have a laptop, and the additional mobility that entails, to go with it by spring.

Meryl Davis Autograph!

Here is your reward for sticking around to the bitter end: Please enjoy my best pull of 2014, a Meryl Davis autograph! ♥

Aaaand that’s all for this post I guess.  There are plenty of other things I’d like to accomplish in 2015, but these are the most pressing and/or well-defined.  A bit simpler than last year, and I’m sure I’ve probably broken a couple resolutions already, but thanks for stopping by!

Until our next…

My Nerdiest Thing…

Lynna Sage from something I'm writing, currently under the working title Nexus Eternum..

Lynna Sage from something I’m writing, currently under the working title Nexus Eternum..

…is my art.

Sketch cards of Big E and AJ Lee..

Sketch cards of Big E and AJ Lee..

Drawing is probably the one thing I enjoy above all else.

Musician Dia Frampton..

Musician Dia Frampton..

Deciding to draw again may have even saved my life when I was at my lowest point.

Thing and Wonder Woman..

Thing and Wonder Woman sketch cards..

In the here-and-now, drawing relaxes me and is all-around helpful to my emotional wellbeing.

@Heinekenrana..

@Heinekenrana..

I don’t think there’s anything more essential to me.

Derek Jeter sketch card..

Derek Jeter sketch card..

Losing anything else, it may hurt forever, but I’ll deal.

Evie Wonder Woman sketch cover..

International indie wrestling star Evie on Wonder Woman sketch cover..

But even if I’m a laughably mediocre artist (and in many aspects I am), my art makes me more whole than I’ve ever been.

Stephen Strasburg sketch card..

Stephen Strasburg sketch card..

If anything I do ever becomes a thing, my art will still be important to me.

Indy wrestling star Hania..

Indy wrestling star Hania..

It centers me…

Lex Luthor, Starfire, and Green Lantern Arisia sketch cards..

Lex Luthor, Starfire, and Green Lantern Arisia sketch cards..

It heals me…

Fitness competitor/model Chie Terui..

Fitness competitor/model Chie Terui..

It completes me…

Dejah Thoris (Edited) sketch..

Dejah Thoris (Edited) sketch..

When I draw, it’s as close to deeply passionate about something as I ever get.

Sketch card of rising international wrestling star Evie..

Sketch card of international wrestling star Evie..

That passion is why I have to consider it my ultimate nerdy thing.

Expos Legend Tim Raines and Yankees prospect Luis Torrens repurposed sketch cards..

Expos Legend Tim Raines and Yankees prospect Luis Torrens repurposed sketch cards..

Thank you for stopping by.

Under the Broken Moon, from my big idea for a BSG-esque Thundarr revival..

Thundarr/Under the Broken Moon concept art..

Until our next…

Card-Sketch-Cards

When it’s nice out, I walk to the mall to draw in center court every once in a great while.  Since I don’t have a computer with me when I do this, I have to buy a pack of cards and use a good player for reference.  Here’s the couple I have side-by-side views of the sketch card and the regular card of…

First up, Stephen Strasburg..

First up, Stephen Strasburg..

It was a good thing I pulled this card, because it was probably the only one in the pack that was worthy of being drawn.

Tulo, with background color..

Tulo, with background color..

The watercolor pencils gave it a nice touch.  I suppose I should do the other four like that one of these days.  Speaking of which, here are the three I didn’t to get side-by-side scans with.

Albert Pujols..

Albert Pujols..

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Evan Gattis..

Evan Gattis..

The latter trio came from series two.  Pujols got a weird ding on the back from me carrying them around in my arting backpack a bunch.  It also occurs to me I’m missing the Jurickson Profar I did based off his U&H card… It doesn’t look like I ever scanned it.  Weird.  It is in the box with all the rest, so I will try to remember to scan it and post it whenever I have another batch of art to post up.

But anyway, I will close by saying these are all available for sale or trade.  Do keep them out of harm’s way if you are interested though.  I do not have fixative, nor do I really know how to use it.  Erasers and direct sunlight are big no-no’s.

That’s all I got.  Hit me up if interested.  Stroking my ego with compliments on my otherworldly skillz is also nice. 😛

And now to watch an episode or two of Fairy Tail (the anime resolution is going well thanks to this and the glorious insanity that is Space Dandy) and then hit the hay.  Stay tuned next time for my first trade post in just short of for forever.  Thanks for stopping by!

Me make pretty…