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March 21, 2025

thumbnails to inks

it's wizardry

My thesis is due in one (1) month and while I’m not panicking, I’m not exactly calm about it. So in lieu of a more substantial post, here’s a quick shot of levity for you: a selection of panels from the pitch package portion of my thesis, thumbnails side-by-side with the finished inks. In the final version they will also have colors and dialogue!

I LOVE seeing artists’ thumbnails, because more often than not, the thumbnails are — like mine — absolute garbage. It’s honestly kind of a miracle that they go from that original state of vile little scribble to like, an actually legible drawing.

So, with little to no context, and not in chronological order, here are some absolutely cursed thumbnails, and their corresponding un-cursed inks.

his weird flower-shaped hands in the thumbnail tho
the thumbnail has haunted muppet vibes
“how do you draw a crouch from this angle… is a problem for Future Maia”
this was a good glow-up
he’s so Shaped
Runa’s little arms!!!
she could light something on fire with that scowl in the thumbnail
honestly the energy is there in the stick figures
giver her the GOOD cookies, Finnur!!
Thumbnail eyebrows are really doing the heavy emotional lifting here

Hope you enjoyed this little behind-the-scenes. See ya on the other side of thesis! 😘

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