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Solar-Paragon

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Solar-Paragon

I miss my mom

2 min read

My mom passed away on the 22nd of last month after losing her ongoing battle with COPD-caused respiratory failure, just three days before Christmas. She was the bright spot in my life and my only parent; always she'd been the one to encourage my work as an artist, even with my recent joint problems, and without her by my side I'm lost and alone.


I apologize to those who have been trying to get in contact with me, my absence has not been intentional. For those I still owe any sort of refund to, please contact me via Note with your original Paypal address and the amount, and I will make good with you as soon as possible. If I owe you any files, please Note me as well and I'll ensure they're delivered.


Please don't expect much from me in the following months. Though I have written little on my personal life in the decade I've run this account, know that my mom was the main driving force behind my artwork- so much so she herself helped with the vast majority of the pieces and designs in my gallery- and now that she's no longer here I don't have the heart to continue illustrating fulltime. I love drawing and I always will, but everything feels monotonous and grey without her. I will do my best to post occasionally so as to not let my longtime friends and design fans down, but I can't promise much else.


I pray that all of you are faring far better than I,


Sincerely, Sol

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Solar-Paragon

Update

2 min read

Hello everyone! Greetings from the abyss! [That's right, I'm actually alive, haha.]


I wanted to apologize for not having had any activity on here in quite some time. I developed a serious health issue last June that required medical intervention to prevent paralysis in my extremities. I've been in very poor shape, and though I'm still not at 100%, I've been trying to get back into the swing of drawing.

I've missed being able to pick up a pen and doodle whenever I pleased- up until last month my hands have felt like they're full of sand and glass- but I'm more-or-less back for now thanks to some intense physical therapy and medication, so I'm going to try and pick up where I left off.


Before I went on hiatus, I did try to take care of the last few folks I owed art to; however, I do believe I still have a handful of folks waiting on some finished files from me, who I'll be reaching out to soon with either the finished pieces or compensation. [Or, if you'd like, please reach out to me instead! I haven't been on here in quite some time so I'm rather disoriented on what to do next. I do thank you for your patience on the matter, falling ill was not something I had ever anticipated, and I've been pretty much waylaid from online activity until now.]


For the moment, however, I'm going to be putting up some practice designs to help me refresh my skills. Nothing fancy or major, but just something to get some activity on my page.


Anyway, I hope you all have been doing well!

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Solar-Paragon

Merry Christmas y'all!

2 min read
Hope everyone's holiday season has been going well! '7'

Wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and new year!!

I'm doing pretty good; busy as ever, to no surprise! Hoping to have a lot of artwork finished up after the holiday!
Starting January I'm finally going to be able to switch over to a slotted queue instead of a rolling queue, so I'm excited for that!!
I'll be able to focus more on premade designs, which'll give me a better chance to show off my illustration skills- something I've really been missing doing.

My mom's health hasn't been the best, unfortunately. My mom quit her industrial job years ago, but that didn't stop her from developing COPD later on. Her cough's been really bad lately, made worse by a recent fight with pneumonia, so I've been trying to help her out as much as I can. [She's on the mend, but I'm always a nervous nellie about her- my apologies if I've been a bit slow to respond because of the distraction.]

She's been enjoying making designs for y'all, though!! She doesn't comment too much directly, but she wants me to tell y'all she loves all the comments and things she gets on the designs she's worked on, and she hopes the folks who picked them up are having fun with their characters! [ I'm super glad my old sketches have given her a fun hobby to work on- she's the one responsible for teaching me how to draw in the first place, and it's been great having her working with me on digital art!]

Anyway!
Merry Christmas everybody! I hope y'all are having a wonderful time 'v'

-Sol
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A somber salute...

3 min read
...to my paternal grandfather, United States Air Force Major Donald C.
He passed away yesterday morning at around 11 AM, a victim of colon cancer. He was a spitfire of a man, and one of the people who first inspired me to become an author and artist, having written several books himself in his lifetime.

His death was expected, which is sad in some ways but a mulled relief in others, only so far as he's no longer in agony.

Over the past several months I've watched the cancer eat away at his body, whittling him down from a 200+lb burly buck of a man to a frail 70lb ghost of himself.

My last visit with him was two days ago; he'd been borderline comatose for close to a week, unable to speak or eat the soup the hospital provided him. Much to my surprise, when I walked in that day I found him sitting up, chatting with my step-uncle and his son. He seemed happy, free of pain for a short while, even having appetite enough to ask for a chocolate shake [which was provided after his palliative care doctor approved of it.]

For those of you who haven't witnessed the loss of a loved one to a terminal disease, there is often a short time before they pass where they feel better, almost as if they were rid of their condition. This is referred to as a second wind. Though I wish it would have, this period does not last long.

I would like to say he died with the dignity he deserved, but, cancer, in its infinite greed for the living, killed him violently and without remorse.

Remember to hug your loved ones, and get screened for any testable cancers that run in your family. A cheap $15 dollar test could have saved my grandfather's life and let him live another decade or two, but that window of opportunity had long passed by the time they'd discovered the disease infesting him.

I visited with him as often as I was able to, in hopes of giving him some form of familial comfort, and that is part of why I've been sparse in my online activity since January. I may be sparse for a few more days as of writing this in order to help my grandmother make arrangements for herself, but I will return by the end of the week and get back to my regular work schedule. My sincerest apologies for anyone still waiting on a note from me; This was something that I was forced to attend to in my life and I do hope I have not caused anyone any stress. [If it's of any consolation, I've been here for about a decade and don't plan on going anywhere, so I'm always gonna be here until dA goes up in flames, baha.]

(While I have been sparse on here, I haven't been sparse in my work! I'll be posting a WiP quite soon with sketches have have been approved by my commissioners, and sending out some more sketches as I complete them.)

Thank you to those who read this, and again, go hug your family. [And your pets!] Because you'll never know when you'll have the last chance to. On January 4th my dog and best friend passed away, and on February 4th my grandfather passed; I'm starting to not like 4ths very much.
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A thank you.

2 min read
To everyone who commented on my previous journal, I'm incredibly grateful for all your words and condolences. My heart was hurting desperately, but reading some of the stories that were shared on here and on my other account helped ease the ache knowing I'm not the only one out there. My heart is still heavy, and it's difficult to reply to everyone individually, but my thanks is sincere.

I know she wouldn't want me to be sad after her passing, so I'm going to put an optimistic face on and continue. Now that she's no longer suffering, I'll be able to focus better on my work, which brings me some ease since it's something I enjoy doing.

I'll be completing the remainder of my 2018 orders, including the final two advent designs, and getting back on track with my artwork. I'm looking forward to bringing people joy with my illustrations and designs, and I hope to make 2019 a positive year.

For those who contacted me in December about a commission order who I haven't yet written to, please feel free to note me again with your information! The end of December was quite hectic for me, so I would greatly appreciate a nudge from anyone who's waiting on a response from me. Anyone who contacted me in 2018 will be queued before I re-open using my 2019 price sheet.

Thank you again, everyone!
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Merry Christmas y'all! by Solar-Paragon, journal

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