Hey artists! Can we make a thread with all the monthly creative challenges? It’s a little late for January, but I wanted to try to fill my calendar for as much of the year as possible! The ones I’m eyeing so far are #Mayllennial (May) #Junicorn (June) #Artfight (July) #Yeehawgust (Aug) and #Arttober
Okay. okay. I can explain myself. This came from a combination of #mayllennial and a discussion with my peers talking about meeting people you haven't seen since high school and they are nearly unrecognizable adults.
I had a furby but I haven't seen it since I went off to university. There.
A digital drawing of a mermaid typing intently at a snail-shell designed computer, an orb light hanging in a small net above her. There's a decorative net hanging on one wall, and her desk is put together with large smooth stone slabs. The computer screen is facing the viewer with the girls' back turned to us, her long purple hair gently floating. Her long fin-like ears stand tall, and her tail is tucked around her as she sits. The screen shows a single chat window resembling an old messaging client MSN, and a few icons on her desktop and a simple shell background. The expression on her face is focused in on the conversation she's having.
& that's a wrap on #mermay #mayllennial shelze'25 edition!
thankyou @davis.social for this incredibly inspiring prompt list, I was transported back to my younger years.
#MSN was a big one for me
#mermaid #chat #digitalart #drawing #millennial #PC #messenger #art #illustration #nostalgia #IM
That's a wrap on this year's #Mayllennial!
I was less engaged this year, with lots of competing priorities, but that didn't stop people from participating and sharing their lovely nostalgic artwork.
Thank you to everyone who joined in and I'm looking forward to next year!! 💙
A 2-panel comic about school field trips. A professor devil stands in front of his group, “Okay kids, keep track of your walking buddies!” His wife who accompanies him shows off their clasped hands to tell the others to hold hands for safety. “Sure hope get to do fun stuff like this again soon,” a devil says to their walking buddy, “You said it,” he responds. Behind them two short devils are walking with a tall devil. “Heh heh, don’t be so dramatic! Time to go back,” one of the short devils says as she tries to pull the tall devil forward. “Noooo! Just leave me here, where there’s no work…” the tall devil says back, the third devil is behind her, playfully pushing her forward. “Sorry ma’am, duty calls!” In the second panel my namesake character, Surge, and his editor are shown. She looks at him with an unimpressed expression, his eyes are completely shadowed over. They have an exchange, the editor begins: “That it?” “Yup.” “Last year’s 31st was better.” “Sure was.”
#Mayllennial Day 31: School Field Trip
I wonder if my elementary school was underfunded, I remember we walked to our city’s children’s zoo because it was maybe 10 minutes away. Another time we walked to a pizza chain restaurant, we got to make our own pizzas. I thought the walking part was fun!
A 2-panel comic of 2 devils talking through AOL Instant Messenger. The two usernames are NUmanMETAL444 and AbeFreaklon. For the convenience of alt text, I will be spelling their shorthand properly and grouping multiple messages into to together where appropriate. Their exchange begins with AbeFreaklon messaging first: “Who warned you this time?” “I don’t know, laugh out loud.” “You need to chill, man, for real for real.” “No one likes my awesome jokes… HATERS.” “Yeah, that’s the reason. They ain’t tired of you yapping at all.” “You are my number one hater, bro. AS ALWAYS, SHAKING MY HEAD.” “Whatever, laugh out loud. Stop harassing people online.” “Well, good thing you are online now, so I have someone to give all my attention to. Winking face. So whatcha think about the mixtape? It got you thinkin’ about me all day?” An automated response is triggered because AbeFreaklon has set himself to away, the message reads, “Death came for us all, now get back to work, chop chop.” The user going by AbeFreaklon has turned away from his computer, embarrassed and annoyed that the other user has accurately called out his behavior so easily. “S-so what if I was, you big goofy lug…” he mutters to himself. On the other side of the conversation the user NUmanMETAL444 takes note of AbeFreaklon’s sudden status change. “Ohhhh. Well then,” he breathily says to himself as he stops eating potato chips.
#Mayllennial Day 30: AOL/MSN Messenger
I didn’t really use these messaging services because I didn’t start using the internet for communication until like 2006, and by then I was just using Myspace to talk to my pals. I remember instant messaging being a massive deal though!
This is the big thing that @lars.bsky.social and I have been working on for a couple of months, just in time for "School Field Trip" on the last day of #Mayllennial!
I have a public room up for anyone wanting to join my Sky Museum gallery, the game name is:
davis.social-museum
🔴last day for mermaids, but who's rule even is that I'll merm in to june just watch me idc
www.twitch.tv/shelzedoodles
#twitch #creative #livestream #digitalart #drawing #art #mermay #mayllennial
Day 31: School field trip
"When you see school children running out the school and getting on the bus,that means it's field trip time!"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #students #children #kids #nostalgia #memories #childhood #fun #schoolfieldtrip #life #elementaryschool #happiness #school @davis.social
Day 30: MSN messenger
"In the early days of the internet,your number one texting client was none other than MSN messenger"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #internet #texting #msnmessenger #client #nostalgia #message #online #social @davis.social
A 2-panel comic about 90’s anime and its influence on my art. My very first OC, Jack, strikes a pose with their massive sword. A group of unspecified voices comment on the character design. They go as such: “D’aww, it’s you again!” “Such a cheery feller!” “You know, your hair looks like Vash’s from Trigun.” “Except that one bang, looks like Super Saiyan 2 Gohan!” “You think that’s supposed to be Gut’s sword?” “Nah, he was too young to watch that.” Two voices have an exchange: “The bandanna, where’s it from?” “Gotta be Metal Gear Solid.” “Hey, that’s not anime!” “Isn’t it?” “Uh… no?” Jack, now a devil in a story that’s far removed from their origin, is flustered to be the subject of this year’s Mayllennial anime prompt. “W-why me again?! You bit anime for them too,” she says to me, the artist, directly while pointing at two devils at the other side of the panel. The short devil says, “He can’t name MY character to save his life!” Their long hair is a reference to some Gundam Wing character; they had a long ponytail and I thought that was cool. The large, stocky devil adds, “And I’m actually Chip Hazard!” Major Chip Hazard is the white-haired leader of the Commando Elite in Small Soldiers.
#Mayllennial Day 29: 90’s Cartoons / Anime
My first ever OC was a kitbash of anime and video games I saw parodies of on Newgrounds. They’ll always have a special place in my heart, right with Trigun and Dragon Ball 💙
#mayllennial Day 30: AOL/MSN Messenger
"what’s sleep compared to damp hands on a keyboard and the flop sweat of anticipation waiting for the moment You get the joke, notice the status, commend the wit."
elzyg.com/blog/2025-05...
A 2-panel comic of loss in the toy aisle. A lady devil leans forward as she points an accusatory finger, I knew I’d find you over here! Put those back! You have enough of those other toys in your office. And you can’t even look at them in that plastic jug, they’ll have no value as soon as you open them!” The view changes to the person she’s talking to, it’s her husband. He stands there with sad, pleading eyes as he carries six Bionicle figures in his arms. “That’s not going to help you today, sweetness,” she tells him as he tries to silently convince her to change her mind. A moment of silence goes by. And another. And yet another. “ONE,” she sternly tells him.
#Mayllennial Day 28: The Toy That Got Away
“Each set sold separately” became a phrase of disappointment and heartbreak the moment I saw Bionicle 😭
Please bring them back. I still don’t have the money to buy all the sets, but now I can take out credit cards and pretend I do!
So, uh, you're not gonna believe this but I made the list for #Mayllennial with exactly that in mind 😂
(Release date is the 31st :) )
#mayllennial Day 29: 90s cartoons/anime
"While we admire your commitment to historical accuracy, the Board wonders if hiring the entire Medieval and Renaissance Studies department from the University of Glasgow to advise on the castle exhibit was a prudent use of funds."
elzyg.com/blog/2025-05...
A devil sits at his desk waiting for his computer to connect to the internet via dial up. He listens to the initiation process reacts to it: first uninterested, then curious about all the unique sounds, surprised by the wall of white noise/static, then finally unenthused by the comically timed, “Welcome! You’ve got mail!”
#Mayllennial Day 27: Dial-Up Internet
When I started using the internet dial-up was almost out the door. I remember seeing piles of AOL discs with minutes on them, they made me think Xbox Live worked like that at first. Like you paid for a month’s worth of minutes, not unlimited use for a month.
Doremi looks at herself in the mirror within her house and staring back at her inside that reflection is her wearing her pink witchling attire.
Day 29: 90s anime
"witchling in the mirror"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #OjamajoDoremi #MagicalDoReMi #DoremiHarukaze #fantasy #comedy #adventure #witch #Toeianimation #magicalgirl #mahoshoujo #pink #japanese #anime #children #kids #mirror #reflection #childhood #nostalgia #memories @davis.social
Day 28: The toy that got away
"Justin tried to buy either a Mario kart 64 game or a hot wheels car in the toy shop,but they were sold out due to popularity. How unlucky little Justin was"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #thetoythatgotaway #hotwheels #toys #videgoame #Mariokart64 #soldout @davis.social
Day 27: Dial up internet
"When stuff like technology and internet were only new, Dial up internet was like the only way to connect online. In short, it is like phones and computers working together"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #dialupinternet #technology #online #internet #phone @davis.social
Day 26: Digital pets
"before there was Punirunes,there was Tamagotchi"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #digitalpets #technology #gaming #fun #tamagotchi #bandai #japanese #japan #tokyo #punirunes #fanart #drawing #art #pet @davis.social
A 3 panel comic featuring a 1990s computer desk setup with a 56k modem, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and tower. The modem is making noises and the monitor and tower look annoyed. The modem takes a breath and the other look relieved. The modem begins shrieking louder.
#mayllennial day 27: dial-up internet
A 2-panel comic about digital pets. A devil looks at the Tamagotchi he was left in charge of, there is a blinking skull that signifies the digital pet had died. “What- IT DIED?! In looked away for five minutes…” Behind him a menacing presence is felt. It’s his partner, the owner of the pet. “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY BOY?”
#Mayllennial Day 26: Digital Pets
I actually had a Digimon Tamagotchi-like pet before! I didn’t know what to do and it died like right away. It sparked my love for Digimon though!
Sorry for the tardy post, I ran out of art mojo and had to recharge yesterday.
A mock-up from a MUD, a multi-user dungeon, which is essentially a text-based MMORPG. It is titled The Clearing and shows a map with 4 directions the player can go. The description reads: "You step into a bright clearing as the canopy of trees opens up above you. The grass here is long, soft, and inviting, although sparse in places and flattened in others. Is this a common campsite, or do larger creatures nest here? The trees are thick all around you, but you do see a few ways you could go if you feel like braving the verdant tangle of foliage. A wider, but not wide, path to the south leads back toward civilization." It lists exits to the north, east, south, and west. It also indicates a goblin scout is hiding in the bushes. Input is awaited by the player, who has typed "k scout"
I've been struggling with ideas for #Mayllennial with the past few prompts, so I took some time off. But I had to come back for Day 27: Dial-Up Internet. The worst was doing a corpse run in my favorite MUD and then mom gets a phone call. 😭
A digital artwork of the Powerpuff Girls designed as mermaids. Bubbles is on the left with her blond pigtails tied up with pearls, winking cutely and her tail loosely folded underneath her, which has an orca design to it with a light blue "underbelly". Her features are very blue, and she's wearing a short pearl necklace and an off-shoulder top rimmed with more pearls. Her tail is single split and translucent, and her ears are short and pointy. Blossom is in the middle, a confident smile on her face and posing with a hand behind her head and her other arm resting at her side. Her features are very pink and her tail has soft vertical stripes, with a translucent billowy tailfin and tall pointy ears with translucent lobefins. She's wearing her iconic large red hairbow along with a bow-tied tube top. Buttercup is on the right, facing off to the side and looking unapproachable, but the back of her head is pressed up to her sister's head, implying a warmth and closeness between them regardless of her attitude. She's looking towards her sisters but facing away, arms tightly crossed and blowing some bubbles. Her mermaid tail is speckled with lighter greens against the darker seafoam green, with an elegant translucent tailfin, with pointy ears parallel with her eyeline. She has a sporty black top with crisscross noodle straps, and she's wearing a thick green choker with a black stripe. The girls are swimming just below the waters surface, the waterline very near the edge of the canvas but still allowing the sky to be visible showing yellow and pink. The colours blue pink and green bleed from the sunrays of the waters surface, and reach a more neutral sea blue at the bottom.
#mermay strikes Townsville!
The Professor added too much salt water in this theoretical mix, created water daughters.
#90stvshow #mayllennial #powerpuffgirls #PPG #cuteaf #cartoon #90scartoon #millennial #drawing #digitalart #fanart #art #illustration #mermaid #sisters #blossom #bubbles #buttercup
Day 25: Book fair
"Bella loves books and literature so much she attends the annual book fair since 1992"
#Mayllennial #books #literature #novel #stories #1990s #90s #bookfair #girl #kids #children #happiness @davis.social
Day 24: School lunch
"During class break,children had their school lunch"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #school #student #food #eating #lunch #lunchtime #boys #kid #children @davis.social
Day 23: The mall
"teenagers loved to go shopping for various things"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #mall #shoppingcentre #america #bestfriends #teenagers #children #kids #friendship #happiness #shopping #shop #growingup #life @davis.social
Day 22: School supplies
"Trapper keeper purses were the norm for many school children in the 90s"
#Mayllennial #1990s #90s #trapperkeepers #purse #school #education #teaching #colourful #purple #pink @davis.social
Day 21: 2000s internet
"It's hard to believe that Youtube began 20 years ago"
#Mayllennial #2000s #nostalgia #childhood #memories #Youtube #internet #online #videos @davis.social
A 2-panel comic about a book fair. A devil stands behind a table with an assortment of books on display.”Step right up, take a peek inside a few!” He is excited to introduce people to reading as a hobby, “The world of literature is a wonderful one to get lost in!” A female devil, his wife, has a few questions. “Husband, ain’t you a college professor? What’s up with the kid books?” The husband turns to the reader of this comic and says, “Please don’t tell my wife about the literacy levels in this comic’s artist’s home country…”
#Mayllennial Day 25: Book Fair
Some of the book fairs at school would have manga, I remember looking through volume 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh. I want to believe that I didn’t actually see Berserk at one, but it’s pretty funny to think such a violent and edgy story was accidentally put in front of children 😂
