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Xagnel95

Ars Gratia Artis
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Today I celebrate 10 years of being a DeviantArt memeber! This has been such a humbling and inspirational journey for me as an artist of both traditional and digital mediums. I've learned a lot and I don't plan on stopping now; there's so much more to see and do and I can't wait to show it to all of you.

It was a snowy November afternoon way back in 2009 here in southern Alberta where I found myself sitting in my junior high computer lab learning the basics of digital art and image manipulation using a software program called GIMP. It had been two months since I was first introduced to it, and now I was encouraged to explore this program's features because it was just so fun to create new things with it.

The previous day, I created an image called the Periodic Table of Transformers (which you can see and updated version of in my gallery) in GIMP. It was an endeavour that took me nearly two weeks to create. I printed it out, and the very next day I showed it to my friends in that computer lab.

"That looks awesome!" my friend said to me.
"Thanks," I replied, feeling excited. My teacher came around to see. "What's that," he said.
"He made it," my friend said, "using GIMP."
My teacher raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wow. That's probably the coolest thing I've seen in this class," he said.
At this point, a small group was beginning to crowd around me and my binder. I felt like a celebrity, everyone eager to see my work. Class was about to begin, so we took our seats at the workstations.
"Hey, you should post that online," my workstation partner said. "Do you know a website called 'DeviantArt'?"
"DeviantArt?" I said. "I've heard of it."
"It looks like this," she said, pulling up a search engine. The screen turned green and a plethora of images adorned the page. "I have an account. You should make one."
"That's cool," I said. "I think I will."
"When you do, tell me, and I'll send you a friend request."

─ Friday, November 13, 2009.

I just want to take this extremely significant moment to thank all those who have ever visited my profile, commented on an image, favourited a couple of them, and just being a friendly, enthusiastic, creative source of encouragement and creativity. It's been a long way since I first started back in junior high, and all I see are the stars ahead. This website and this community has helped me fight my anxieties, climb obstacles, and accept my individuality as an amateur artist and art enthusiast. This past 10 years is a testament to perseverance and represents a will to accomplish anything you put your mind to. Your enthusiasm fuels my drive to learn and try new things, and it has made me into who I am today.

So from the bottom of my heart, Thank You all. Thank You for helping me. Thank You for being such kind and wonderful friends and followers.
Thank You for being Awesome! God bless you and everyone you meet. Take care and have fun.!

Yours truly,
Xagnel95
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Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing fine.
Well, it's almost here. The official start of autumn is just around the corner and things are starting to get back to the same old routine. But that doesn't mean there's nothing new.
I've spent the whole summer practicing sketching and making new digital artwork and I can't wait to share it with you. So here's to a brand new (cold) season of uploads.
Thank you and Stay Awesome!

--Xagnel95
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Time flies

2 min read
Wow, it's been six months already?
But of course, time is meaningless if you don't spend it wisely, which is what I've been struggling to do since this year began. I've been wanting to do more for this humble profile of mine but it seems that the daily responsibilities of adulthood are readily stacking up against me. Don't get me wrong, I love making art and this profile has my full attention and commitment, but lately I've been so busy that I tend to not sign on and check on things for fortnights at a time and I kick myself every time I acknowledge these forced bouts of absences (which I must admit are sometimes caused by procrastination). Perhaps that may be why my follower count hasn't broken 100 ever since I joined DA 10 years ago. I know that sounds incredibly self-centred and whiny, so I want to clear it up right now that I am not that kind of person. I don't beg for followers. I want my success to be determined by the impact I leave on fellow burgeoning artists, to encourage them to keep practicing, not give up, and find inspiration in this fascinating world we all share, and not by the number of page-views or how many times something is favourited.
(But really though, can we get to 100 followers by the end of the year? thx : ) I love you all. Thank you for your support.)
All in all, I make art just because it's fun. That's why my profile's motto is "Ars Gratia Artis" (art for the sake of art). And I hope I can continue to live by that principle for another 10 years.

Anyway, that's my midyear reflection. Hope you all have a great summer. Be Good and Stay Awesome :D

─ Xagnel95

Oh, and Happy Birthday America! Best wishes from Canada.
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Happy New Year!

2 min read
Welcome back, everyone! Hope you had a fantastic holiday!

I have a few announcements for the new year for this profile:

1) More Sketches!
Remember last year I made it my resolution to start practicing sketching? Well, I've been practicing a lot and now I can't wait to show you what I have scribbled all over my sketchbook. Drawing and sketching a few times a week has definitely bolstered my confidence in my skills, and I have a whole year's worth of art to share. Expect more sketches to appear in my "Sketches" folder beginning in February.

2) Cleaning up my Gallery
As I prepare to celebrate 10 years on DeviantArt (whaaaaat!? I know right?), I want to clean things up on my profile a bit to make way for new original content. This means that I'll be putting some of my older works into archived storage. This won't mean I'll be permanently deleting them, however they will no longer be seen in any of my galleries. Expect this change at the end of March.

3) Creatively Common Photography (consideration)
Photography is one of my favourite hobbies whenever I'm out and abroad. The world is a fascinating place and any invitation to capture a tiny sliver of it on a camera is just as exhilarating as the experience of actually being there. I have a ton of these images just sitting around on flash-drives, and I think it's just about time that they be seen by someone other than myself. I'm planning on opening a folder devoted to showcasing photographs of my adventures, and these images shall be completely free of charge, and free to be downloaded and manipulated for any use (except for commercial purposes, as per usual). I'm still only considering this change, but I did set a deadline for sometime this summer if I will ultimately choose to follow through with this plan. So stay tuned...


Here's to the new year!
Stay Awesome :D
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This will be my last full week of uploads for 2018 before I take a break for the Christmas season. I plan on completely overhauling my profile for the new year which will include more original art, sketches, and graphic designs. As with any redesign, this will take some time.

I shall return to my regular uploading schedule on Wednesday, January 9, 2019.

From my family to yours, we wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Stay Awesome :)

─ Xagnel95
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Featured

10 Years of Thanks and Creativity by Xagnel95, journal

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Time flies by Xagnel95, journal

Happy New Year! by Xagnel95, journal

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