#WithDraw2020 Day 2: Wash

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. LCBO and Beer Stores are open for business. #priorities
Things are becoming more expensive. Even Super Saver yarn is being sold online for double the price you pay in-store. I have enough to finish my latest plush, it would still be nice to have enough yarn to keep occupied. I will make my way to the local crafts store before they shut down as well.
Which reminds me: stores are closing! Restaurants are offering takeout only, and even clothing retailers are closing up shop until further notice. I worry for employees at grocery stores and restaurants, who are being called in to work regardless.
Starting tomorrow, my school will be restricted to limited access. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home, though not all my friends and classmates are so lucky. Yesterday was spent switching between group chats, making sure everyone’s okay and offering alternative software solutions.

It’s okay to be afraid, and to stay home. It’s also okay to take advantage of this temporary free time. Go outside and get some fresh air, just remember to practice physical distancing. Outside is safe; this isn’t the movie Bird Box!

Now, on to the drawing prompt: Wash.

Kenny doesn’t remember anything before coming to the orphanage. He remembers playing with his big sister, Kiri, and spending weeks in the infirmary during the spring months. Kiri taught him to wash his hands and brush his teeth, two things that were necessary when he was quarantined away from the other children. Kenny’s last memory of the orphanage was kneeling with his sister by a river bank. She was frantically scrubbing his hands and looking panicked. She scrubbed so hard that his arm went numb, and then…black.

Click image for original source

The above is the image I used for reference. It’s been a bit of a day today… No-Face has lost hair from the backs of both ears, and they have developed some gross crust around the inner edges. Applying his medicine while Sootsprite tries to swat his tail, has been a bit of a struggle. But hopefully if we follow the vet’s instructions, No-Face will be rid of whatever this condition is. I’ll be in Wonderland for a bit longer than anticipated, to make sure Nofie is okay, and to give Hatter some human contact during his work from home.

From here on, I expect to update Instagram way more often than this blog, or even Facebook. I have been working on a new plush, and expect to post about some of my in-progress animation work. Let’s all keep busy during this quarantine, and continue making the world plush as best we can.

Pika, so happy~

#WITHDRAW2020 Day 1: Home

*knock knock*
Who’s there?
COVID-19.
COVID-19 who?

Hopefully soon, the punchline will be, “Exactly!”

We’re all aware of the current state of the world. Mass panic, not a person to be seen in the streets, nor toilet paper rolls in the stores.

After taking the past several months to concentrate on finishing my final year of college, the publicly-funded school closures have forced me to take a break. So hello again. I’m Pika in a Bag, and we’re doing the WithDraw 2020 art challenge. My goal to be an animator, and create my own series, will not be stopped just because there’s an outbreak. If anything, this situation has only strengthened my resolve. Now I can work on my own things! It feels like forever since I got this chance.

This challenge was created by Simcha Fisher, over at simchafisher.com. I don’t know her personally, but we do have a few mutual friends. She’s definitely a clever person, to have thought of this challenge when literally the entire world will be bored at home. So hello Simcha! Challenge accepted!

Today’s prompt is Home. I drew a concept sketch of my main character’s room, in her home.

Sammi is a high school senior living in Ru Meilieu, Herota. Her only plan after graduation is to find the island of Larimar: an island that only exists in stories. But Sammi knows the island is real. It has to be, how else could someone like her exist? She wants answers, and someone — or something — is determined to keep her from finding them.

Sammi can often be found hunched at her desk, studying her world history books or scribbling secret letters to her friends. She will then roll up the latter, attach it to her faithful pet owl Hibou, and send him off to the recipient. She drew the mountains and trees on the wall when she was little, after reading that Larimar had beautiful mountains amid a vast forests. Papa wasn’t happy about it.

I was going to add one of those hanging lamps above her bed, with a pull-cord. That way Sammi could read in bed late at night. Also, scatter some papers and books on the desk. Because “tidy desks are for people with tidy lives.”

For the full challenge, and to see more of Ms. Simcha Fisher, you can follow her links:
simchafisher.com
Facebook

And that’s day 1 of the challenge. Tune in next time for the next day!

Pika, so happy~