#dangancember art challenge 2022

[goshdangronpa]

Finished this one at 2:40 AM, so I just skipped the shading altogether. All worth it to keep my streak going and celebrate a fun character's birthday (... a day later (... technically two days)).

Day 9, 12/15/22: Gundham Tanaka!

I darn near cried when I looked at his Kingdom Hearts-ass boots

Chūnibyōs are usually unexceptional people who weave elaborate fantasy lives as compensation. Gundham's own projections are compelling in part because he's already interesting. He dubs himself the Supreme Overlord of Ice as if he's not content with the title that Japan's most prestigious school bestowed upon him. But at what point does what you do become who you are? It's the memory of Gundham, as everyone knew him, that guides Sonia and the rest away from despair and toward the future.

[goshdangronpa]

Seeing them all together makes a difference. Not sure how, but it does

[goshdangronpa]

As I get more into shading, the character drawings in my Dangancember Art Challenge keep taking longer to complete. I think the daily practice is doing me good, though. Somehow, my least favorite character has given me my best drawing yet.

Day 7, 12/13/22: Teruteru Hanamura!

He somehow turned out nearly as tall as Gonta

Teruteru tests my belief that every Danganronpa character can be compelling. I've never been keen on fictional people who boast "perverted" as their main personality trait, and this guy is no exception. Even tantalizing details like his resistance to accepting hard truths and his cosmopolitan facade just aren't enough. Maybe there's a suitably intriguing fan fiction out there that puts him in a new light?

[goshdangronpa]

While working on this absurdly tough drawing for my Dangancember Art Challenge, I thought, why am I doing sprite redraws instead of just depicting each character in my own style? I reasoned that mimicking official art may actually be the best way to learn how to draw these characters. Copy first, remix later - at least after I've learned some fundamentals. Doesn't make it any easier to spend about two hours on a huge and detailed model ...

Day 6, 12/12/22: Gonta Gokuhara!

His head came out so tiny ...

Gonta's design is a curious contradiction, combining the wild and the refined. It makes sense on paper - he was literally raised by wolves and strives to be a gentleman. But wouldn't taming his hair and acquiring dapper footwear be among the first things he'd do? Of course, it's not about looks (nice suit!) so much as demeanor. For all Gonta's lamentations when he falls short in etiquette, no man is gentler.

[goshdangronpa]

Had my first rough day with this Dangancember Art Challenge. I tried two other characters and only got as far as the faces before giving up out of frustration! Fortunately, I pushed through and found a muse in a musician.

Day 4, 12/10/22: Sayaka Maizono!

I did so much shading and it doesn't even show up in the photo ...

Sayaka is trapped in a vicious cycle. She's done bad things to achieve her dream of pop superstardom. If she stops doing everything necessary, all those actions will be in vain. They haunt her, which is why her last act in life is to vindicate the person she tried to frame. Tragically, cruelty often begets cruelty. The killing game might have gone differently, and better, had she not been so desperate.

[goshdangronpa]

Three consistent days of Dangancember Art Challenge? I gotta tell ya, I didn't think I'd make it this far. It helps that this is actually pretty fun

Day 3, 12/9/22: Hiyoko Saionji!

Definitely one of the best sets of facial expressions among all DR characters, choosing one was tough!

Hiyoko plays a vital role in SDR2: the asshole. The heel. The one you love to hate. Really, if everyone in the cast was amiable and likable, it wouldn't be nearly as fun. It helps that when she isn't recycling the same insults for Mikan, she can be hilarious. Admit it: you actually enjoy this immature brat.

[goshdangronpa]

I thought going through this Dangancember Art Challenge one game at a time would bore me, so here's a V3 fave!

Day 2, 12/8/22: Ryoma Hoshi!

Glad I managed to get the size comparison with my Makoto, though I think I actually made him taller than usual here

His short stature and cartoony face belie a ridiculously deep voice, which got a belly laugh out of me when I first heard it. Yet the humorousness of that very contradiction belie a depressed soul with a nigh-Hitchcockian origin story. Unlike certain early victims in this series, he might have been almost too compelling to live for long.

[goshdangronpa]

Let's try something: Dangancember Art Challenge! One Killing Game contestant a day, because daily practice is how you get good at art or so I hear! Maybe write a little something about each character while I'm at it.

Day 1, 12/7/22: Makoto Naegi

He's a little guy~

In a cast of Ultimates, Makoto represents the average person in all his quiet dignity. The biggest normie in the whole bunch, besides maybe his sister. Maybe it's exactly that quality which makes him so adept at cutting through bullshit - just not wasting time on the hang-ups of the huge personalities around him. (Doesn’t stop him from being a lil awkward)

[goshdangronpa]

Back in the saddle! The only space left on this page was a horizontal block, and I worried that even drawing a character sideways wouldn't fill it. Gosh was I wrong.

Day 11, 12/17/22 | Character #10: Kaito Momota!

No shading this time either, not even any coloring in of darker textures and stuff

As expected from a wannabe astronaut, Kaito has a real main character complex. Shuichi solves all the mysteries, but Kaito still considers him the Watson to his Holmes. Maki knows he's a brash fool, but he still thaws the assassin's heart through sheer will and undeniable charm. Maybe it's his way of coping with a terminal illness set to cut his dreaming short. Or maybe that confidence, that illusion of control in an uncontrollable situation, is his way of lifting up the people around him.

[goshdangronpa]

And I hit my first, hopefully only, day in the Dangancember Art Challenge where I didn't draw anything. I'd give an excuse, but nah. I had time, I just used it to chill instead

Day 10, 12/16/22: Nothing :<

[goshdangronpa]

Yesterday, I drew a girl with wild blue locks and a dark side fur the Dangancember Art Challenge. I guess I've just been in the mood for that cuz I did the same thing today.

Day 5, 12/11/22: Tsumugi Shirogane!

This may be the first time I've ever drawn ankles

The mastermind was hiding in plain sight! I feel silly for not suspecting her at all while playing V3. Danganronpa is all about huge personalities, and her utter lack of interesting qualities should make her stick out. Even her design, though it's as busy as any other character, is bland.