2025: Dreams of the Roadrunner While this isn't the first time a comic I've made has been published physically, this is my first time with a dedicated comics writing group. Even better, this group is local and we meet about monthly. As wonderful as my experience with the people I've met online has been, having a group of artists in person is so fulfilling as well. I wouldn't want one to replace the other. All of them have given me the inspiration I need to flourish, and I only hope I can do the same for them. Honorable Mentions: Lumi and the Great Big Galaxy Pilot, Knights of Guinevere Pilot

Pencimber Day 31:

More about this comic I made in the alt text.

And with that Pencimber 2025 is complete!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day31 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #roadrunner #comicbooks #anthology #7000bc

2024: Sam Hex & the End of Magic Remember the artist that hosted the two Rayman animations that I mentioned earlier? Last year she made her own film about an adorable cat witch and her elfin protege trying to maintain their artistic originality amid the automation of the creative process. It's a poignant little film with a lot of heart. The artist, Rambleprism, is one I know from back in the deviantART days. It's been so lovely to watch all her creative endeavors come together, this film among them. Honorable Mentions: First 24-Hour Comic Day, Art ‘n Davey

Pencimber Day 30: Sam Hex and the End of Magic

More about this short film in the alt text!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day30 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #samhex #animation #rambleprism

2023: The Amazing Digital Circus At a time when giant studios seem too afraid to fund new IPs despite their wealth, it is lovely to see projects like this take off. I don't have the confidence to be a fulltime artist just yet, but I do have the means to support other artists in ways I would want to be supported. Although this show wasn’t necessarily funded as such, it seems to have inspired other creators to try to greenlight their projects, which I appreciate. The show itself is a great look into a situation where different people react to what is essentially an unchanging situation. The character designs are fun and simple, hiding their complexities within. Honorable Mentions: Joined Bluesky, Atomicon, “With Faith” Webcomic

Pencimber Day 29: The Amazing Digital Circus

More about this show in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day29 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #theamazingdigitalcircus #TADC #indieanimation

2022: Lauren Ipsum I first found out about Charles Brubaker through his series “Ask a Cat,” and later found out that we were on a common Discord server. His ongoing series “Lauren Ipsum” featuring a librarian/fanfiction writer and friends has struck a chord with me and many other readers with its wit and clever know-how of fandom spaces. Charles himself is also super active not just with his own work, but in supporting the art community at large. It's admirable that he's made a name for himself in the comic world, which is something I aspire to do. I got the chance to meet him in person earlier this year at a convention and it was great! Honorable Mentions: Sonic Frontiers, Scoop Kick!, Splatoon 3

Pencimber Day 28: Lauren Ipsum

More about this comic in the alt text!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day28 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #laurenipsum #comicstrip #bakertoons

2021: Kid Cosmic This is the first Craig McKraken show I got to catch around the time it was airing (I eventually watched Wander over Yonder later). I loved the turning of the superhero team trope on its head, having the main character dealing with the reality of handling a slew of new powers. It was also neat to have the setting be in a place near to the one I live in. Like Spiderverse, it's an animation that feels like a comic book, which again works in favor of the subject matter. As short as the show's run was, I'm glad McKraken got to tell the story he wanted to tell. Honorable Mentions: First Hourly Comics Day, CentaurWorld, GenderQueer, Star Wars: Visions, Thirsty Mermaids

Pencimber Day 27: Kid Cosmic

More about this show in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day27 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #kidcosmic #craigmckraken #animation #superheroes

2020: Rayman TV Reanimated This is the second animated project I had worked on with the project's leader. While the first one was a short, 30 second video game teaser, this project was a re-animation of a full 15-minute TV episode, where I was one of about 90 animators! Though it was a bit of a speedy turnaround, everyone got their scenes complete in only a matter of months. I've joined other animation projects since then, but never had this level of success. I still follow and hang out with many of those artists I collaborated with to this day. Honorable Mentions: First Major Working from Home Experience

Pencimber Day 26: Rayman TV Reanimated

More about this in the alt text!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day26 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #rayman #raymantv #reanimation #collab #collaboration

2019: Cloudies Created I don't care if it makes me sound like a boring old fogey: I love clouds. The peaceful chaos of shifting through shapes and colors is a meteorological phenomenon worth witnessing. It was only a matter of time before I made a group of characters based on different cloud types. No clue whether other people like them, but I enjoy drawing them anyways. They are comfort characters if there ever were any, a bit of a break of my usual fantastical, action focused drawings. Honorable Mentions: 1st Rayman Reanimated Project, Superliminal, Infinity Train, “Black Leopard, Red Wolf”

Pencimber Day 25: Cloudies created

More about them in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day25 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #clouds #cloudies #originalcharacters #cute

2018: Into the Spiderverse As impressive as it is to render something in a realistic style, there's something to be said for stylization where a medium allows it. This was “Into the Spiderverse” for me. Turning comic heroes into “believable” people with live-action is fine, but to do that year after year gets tiring. Why not use the medium you drew from as the art direction, and make it animated? (I know I just praised Doctor Strange, but that film and the other MCU films are basically all CGI anyways, however I digress) I'm happy to see the success of this film, and I hope future animated films take notes (without outright copying and respecting their animators hard work and talents, of course). Honorable Mentions: Joined Twitter, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Pencimber Day 24: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

More about this movie in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day24 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #spiderman #intothespiderverse #marvel #sony #comicbooks

2017: Kouka & Bibi Another film I didn't watch until the last couple years or so, but one I feel is worth including. There's not a single hint of dialogue in this film, but the expressive nature of Kouka and Bibi lends itself to some great visual gags. I'd say all of Dan Variano's animations are like this, and his comics as well, with the inclusion of dialogue never impeding (and sometimes enhancing) the visual humor. As unique as all of Dan's characters are, they are cartoons first and foremost, limited only by his storytelling ingenuity. Dan himself is a fun guy to hang out and chat with while drawing together. Honorable Mentions: Cuphead, Logan

Pencimber Day 23: Kouka & Bibi

More about these two in the alt text!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day23 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #koukaandbibi #danvariano #cartoon #animation #webcomics

2016: Doctor Strange It seems strange (heh) now to include an MCU movie on this list, because I’m getting weary of the MCU content. But at the time of its release, I was pursuing classes in 3D animation and I was impressed by how visually insane this movie is. This movie makes great use of fractals and spatial folding which is something I’m super interested in. And to its credit, the message of death giving life meaning does resonate with me. I never did get as far as I wanted to with my animation studies (classes weren’t available), but I would still love to learn more about it. Honorable Mentions: Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kubo and the Two Strings

Pencimber Day 22: Dr. Strange

More about this film in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day22 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #doctorstrange #drstrange #marvel #mcu #movies #comics

2015: Undertale It's impressive to see this game be as successful as it is. Although it's one I've never played, I've absorbed a lot of the surrounding media, from the music and characters to fanart and other fan content. It also gave me insight into game development, both in how the game itself functions and for the creative processes for other independent developers as well. I had dabbled with Game Maker in the past, but I never thought I could make much of it. Plus the memes were top notch. Honorable Mentions: Inside Out, Splatoon, Started Drawing Comics for my College Newspaper

Pencimber Day 21: Undertale

More about this game in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day21 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #undertale #deltarune #independentgames #frisk #sans

2014: “Dreams vs. Reality” This was an animated film I made as a sort of capstone project in my senior year of high school. The characters and premise are simple, but it took all of five weeks to animate and compose music for this nearly nine minute film. It was an exhilarating and frantic experience, drawing and creating during every waking moment of those weeks. Part of me yearns to have an opportunity like that again, even though I may never have it, and another part of me wants to keep it that way. And though the film's moral smacks of naivety to the creative experience, I would love to revisit this film someday. Honorable Mentions: Torch OCs created, Los Angeles Field Trip, Graphic Novel college course

Pencimber Day 20: “Dreams vs. Reality”

An animation I made years ago. More about in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day20 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #animation #animatedfilm #studentfilm #dreamsvsreality #highschool

2013: Steven Universe This show came about at a pivotal moment in my life, where I was starting to discover and accept a more open worldview. I know, I know, “Steven Universe made me woke, blah blah blah,” but in a way it's kinda true. The themes of growth and acceptance were a breath of fresh air at a time where I was feeling a bit lost with how to accept myself. Plus the sweet songs and interstellar adventures kept me captivated. Every new fusion or new ability had me coming back for more. Honorable Mentions: Bee and Puppycat, Wander over Yonder, Stanley Parable

Pencimber Day 19: Steven Universe

More about this show in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day19 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #stevenuniverse #su #gems #crystalgems

2012: Gravity Falls This was a show I didn't get into until a bit later in its lifespan. Not because I didn't like it, just the aforementioned lack of cable access. But after later finding a way to watch the entire series, it's become one of my favorites. The quick humor and the intrigue of the supernatural keep me coming back for a rewatch. Plus seeing the evolving family dynamic in the Pines is endearing, at the least. Honorable Mentions: Game Grumps, Markiplier

Pencimber Day 18: Gravity Falls

More about this show in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day18 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #gravityfalls #dipperpines #mabelpines #billcipher #disneyxd

2011: ISAS Art Festival During my freshman year of high school, my campus hosted this multi-school art event that traveled between campuses in nearby states. There were galleries, live performances, and all sorts of film showings. It was essentially a week off from class solely dedicated to creativity. Seeing so many other art-inclined peers was so very motivating. And it was only the start of my high school adventures. Honorable Mentions: Kirby: Return to Dreamland, Leviathan Wakes

Pencimber Day 17: ISAS Arts Festival

More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day17 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #highschool #isas #artsfestival

2010: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie Aside from the madcap hilarity and the video game references, this movie still holds a special place in my heart. This marked a new foray into graphic novels, some further outside of what I was used to at the time. I would read through the series and later through Bryan Lee O'Malley's later book Seconds. This movie was also part of a bonding experience I had with my high school artist friends. They're some of the most creative people I've met in person. Honorable Mentions: Sonic Colors, How to Train Your Dragon, Adventure Time, Inception

Pencimber Day 16: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

More about this movie in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day16 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #scottpilgrim #graphicnovel #bryanleeomalley

2009: Joined deviantART Possibly the most bittersweet entry on this list, for a plethora of reasons. This was the first online account I made anywhere, under the username shadowmarx (I changed it to my current username around 2014/2015). I spent many years making art, making friends, and growing as an artist as I navigated my teenage years. That being said, the site lost my interest around 2018, and I absolutely despise what it's become in the last couple of years. I've thought about deleting my account but I can't bring myself to do it. Honorable Mentions: Coraline, Summer Wars, Minecraft

Pencimber Day 15: Joined deviantART

More about this site in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day15 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #deviantart #kirbymarx #fella #socialmedia

2008: Kirby: Super Star Ultra Through this game, I was introduced to the pink puffball, and I can't think of a better way to do it. Kirby was a bright spot in a relatively lower part of my life, a bit of cutesy softness to mellow out my edgy demeanor. Of course, there's plenty of deep worlds and nightmarish beings within Kirby's universe that I also thoroughly enjoyed. It's that contrast between a simple interior and a deep interior that keeps me interested in what this series has to offer. One of the villains, Marx, even inspired a character I made for tomorrow’s entry. Honorable Mentions: WALL-E, De Blob

Pencimber Day 14: Kirby Superstar Ultra

More about this game in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day14 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #kirby #kssu #kirbysuperstarultra #galacticnova #hallaboratories #nintendo

2007: The Orange Box This one is here not so much for the games themselves, as I've never played any of them. It's more for the content they inspired, especially the animations made in Garry's Mod. For some reason, the most absurd, fast-paced, surreal little videos came from this program, and I loved them. Those and YouTube Poops. Probably explains my weird sense of humor. Honorable Mentions: Meet the Robinsons, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario

Pencimber Day 13: The Orange Box

More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day13 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #orangebox #valve #tf2 #portal #gmod #youtube

2006: Super Mario Bros. Z As the Internet became a larger part of my media consumption, my friends and I would gather around a computer to watch Flash animations on various websites. Of all the ones I’ve seen, this one stands out the most, being a bridge between sprite animation and anime fight sequences, all things my friend group enjoyed. Perhaps it bit off more than it could chew in the end, but the ambition is something I appreciate. In a way, this seeded the idea of making content for an online audience. A new avenue was revealing itself to me, though I wasn’t quite ready to take it. Honorable Mentions: Flushed Away, Fun Home

Pencimber Day 12: Super Mario Bros Z

More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day12 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #supermariobrosz #mario #sonic #mechasonic #spriteanimation

2005: BONE (Scholastic print) This series was life-changing for me. Before this, comics were just three-panel gags or episodic, staple-bound pulps. It hadn't occurred to me that this medium could be used for longer, more intricate stories. To this day, BONE is the inspiration for me to someday make my own graphic novels. Plus the heartfelt moments and fun characters in this series are fun to read. Honorable Mentions: Psychonauts, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Robots (Movie)

Pencimber Day 11: BONE (Scholastic Print)

More about these three in the alt text!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day11 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #bone #bonegraphicnovel #fonebone #phoneybone #smileybone

2004: Sonic Advance 3 This game was my introduction to the Sonic franchise (a friend gave me his cartridge). While I'm more on the periphery with this fandom, I do still appreciate all the media that came with it. Plus, the characters were fun and easy to draw. It wouldn't be long until I started making my own fan characters, which would evolve into the anthropomorphic characters I draw today. Even the games still hold a certain charm for me (even the bad ones). Honorable Mentions: Super Mario 64 DS, The Incredibles, Scott Pilgrim Series, Tiny Plaid Ninjas

Pencimber Day 10: Sonic Advance 3

My intro to the Sonic fandom! More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day10 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #sonic #sonicthehedgehog #tails #milesprower #gemerl

2003: Night of the Living Dead Janitors My parents used to have books of comic strip collections that I would constantly read through. This was my first attempt at making my own comics in that style, with 3-4 panel strips and occasional longer “Sunday” strips. These were all drawn on many sheets of copy paper stapled together and presented as a book. It’s funny to think that I had enough of a grasp of pacing and humor that I figured I could make an entire volume. As far as I remember, no actual living dead janitors appear in any of the strips. Honorable Mentions: Cyberchase, Mario Kart Double Dash

Pencimber Day 9: Night of the Living Dead Janitors

More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day9 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #comics #comicbooks #zombies #janitor

2002: Super Mario Sunshine My first home console was a Gamecube and this was the first game I ever got for it. I had played 2D Mario games before, so I was familiar with the plumber, but this was new territory for me. This game is a bit of a pariah to many, and I can agree that the collisions and movement can work against it. But I love the summery vibe and creative takes on classic Mario enemies at a time when Nintendo was still okay with that. It’s one of the few games I’ve played to 100% completion. Honorable Mentions: The Legend of Zelda: Wind-Waker, Treasure Planet

Pencimber Day 8: Super Mario Sunshine

Bit of a summery hot take. More in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day8 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #supermariosunshine #mario #sunshine #nintendo

2001: BIONICLE If there was a single franchise that’s defined and stuck with me through my life, it would definitely be BIONICLE. Little kid me was absolutely captivated by all these toys had to offer: Brightly colored robots with functional action figures, a continuing storyline through books, comics, and games, and so many characters and creatures across the different locations in their universe. Summer waves would come out near my birthday, winter waves would come out around Christmas. The Dream was absolutely my childhood (if you know, you know) . Even today, I still hang out in BIONICLE communities, making fanart and building MOCs, as my collection stands upon my shelves. Honorable Mentions: Super Mario Advance 2, Sonic Advance

Pencimber Day 7: BIONICLE

If you know me, you saw this coming. More in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day7 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #lego #bionicle #toa #matoran #kanohi

2000: The Emperor’s New Groove I don’t think Disney is ever gonna make another film like this, and that’s okay. This film messes with tropes while still having a good story and hilarious characters. I laughed at the jokes as a kid, and I still laugh at the jokes as an adult. My family even recites quotes to each other to this day. We especially make use of belting out “IT’S… DINNERTIME!” Honorable Mentions: Chicken Run, Jet Set Radio

Pencimber Day 6: Emperor's New Groove

More in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day6 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #emperorsnewgroove #kuzco #pacha #yzma #kronk

1999: Fantasia 2000 (actually moreso the OG Fantasia) Okay, so I’m cheating a little with this one. Even though I love Fantasia 2000 and all its sequences, it’s really the original Fantasia from 1940 that has a place deep in my heart. Both my love for orchestral music and animation stem from this film, and the two together is just pure artistry. If I ever get the time, I would love to animate a sequence to a piece of music in the style Fantasia. It’s still my favorite film of all time. Honorable Mentions: Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy, Spongebob Squarepants

Pencimber Day 5: Fantasia Series

More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day5 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #fantasia #fantasia2000 #animation #orchestra

1998: Starcraft I never played this game, but this game is one of my dad’s favorites. I often watched him play it on the family computer (while waiting for a turn to play my own games probably). Maybe not an ideal game for little me, but I loved the designs of the different factions. It likely got me primed to become a fan of science-fiction and robots in general. And of course, it reminds me of my father. Honorable Mentions: Cowboy Bebop, Mulan

Pencimber Day 4: Starcraft

Check the alt text for the description.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day4 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #starcraft #terran #zerg #protoss #videogames

As a kid, these books were right up my alley! The goofy writing, gross topics, and the fourth-wall breaking gags: all were so fun! And of course, George and Harold made comics (and Flip-o-ramas!), which is what I did with a friend of mine at the time. Of course, I grew out of the series, but I’m glad to see Dave Pilkey’s still making stuff. Seems like the Dogman series is doing pretty well.

Pencimber Day 3: Captain Underpants

Read the alt text for the description!

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day3 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #captainunderpants #davepilkey

1996: Arthur Growing up, I didn’t have access to cable channels like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network, except in brief instances at friends’ homes or hotels. The only cartoons I regularly watched were whatever was on after school on public broadcast. One of those shows was “Arthur.” I liked the humor, the life lessons and just how different each character was. They all had their own lives and stories and they were all so interesting. Honorable Mentions: Super Mario 64

Pencimber Day 2: Arthur

Here's Arthur Read for today's entry. More about this in the alt text.

#pencimber #pencimber2025 #day2 #art #artchallenge #pencildrawing #artinspiration #arthur #aardvark #pbs