Custom Animal Crossing Portrait by Aries Arts

Hi guys! I hope each of your days' have been as awesome as you are ♥ The weather has been glorious (albeit far too humid) here in my corner of Lancashire, so I did some butterfly photography, a spot of reading in the shade, and nice weather meant garden work... so that was not so fun, haha! But it will be worth it when everything is done! Anyhow, you're not here to read me ramble on about the maintenance of my garden... you are here because you're one of my fabulous regular readers, or because you stumbled upon something Animal Crossing related and just had to click it! Either way, I hope you enjoy reading my post :) 

Back in mid-August, I entered a giveaway hosted by Aries Arts over on instagram, who had the loveliest pieces posted on their account! It was such a delightful surprise when I discovered I'd actually won!! Elizabeth, the artist behind Aries Arts, very kindly offered the choice of any one item from her store, as the giveaway was held in celebration for the opening of her Etsy, which you should all go and check out! There's something for everybody- nature, fantasy, cats and of course, a touch of nerdiness. 

Today's post is going to be one for gamers and those of you who are fellow lovers of all things kawaii, because after a struggle (seriously, there is so much pretty art on Aries Arts Etsy store, that it was a challenge to select just one thing!),  I opted for my very own Animal Crossing villager commission. It was so wonderful of Elizabeth to include this in the prize options, too. And I am super excited to show you all what she created for me!

Before that though, I wanted to show you guys this super sweet personalised note from Elizabeth. You're very kind! How pretty is that logo artwork, as well!? Not only does it feature a cat (which makes anything better, in my opinion), but check out those funky star earrings! The vibrancy of the colours is amazing and seeing this when I first opened my package made me even more excited to get a look at my prize! JUST LOOK AT IT...

Wow!! I honestly don't know how to describe how much I adore Elizabeth's creation! It's so stunning, right!!? Everything is perfect and I am over the moon with it. Thankyou so much Elizabeth for bringing to life exactly what I wanted and then some. You're super talented! 

So, when designing this beautiful commission, Elizabeth asked me to send over a photo of my Animal Crossing villager for a reference. However, unfortunately T_T, I am yet to play the latest game, New Horizons, as I don't own a Nintendo Switch. Some day! I have been a fan of the franchise since my teens though, from the days when Animal Crossing: Wild World was my favourite game to play on my Nintendo DS Lite. When I saw how amazing the character building was on the new game, it made me super jealous that I couldn't be playing along and putting together my dream AC persona. BUT, my wish has finally been granted and I've been able to create myself in AC villager form, with the help of Aries Art. She's a lot cuter than I am in real life, but let's pretend I look like that. Okay? :D 

As Elizabeth didn't have a visual reference to work off, she asked me questions about what I specifically had in mind. The clothing, the hair, the background, any additional items or detailing I wanted, were all covered. I also sent a couple of photos of some Animal Crossing hairstyles that resembled my own, but the rest she designed herself. And oh my gosh, what a purrrfect job she has done! (I can't help myself XD).

I asked for a black and white gingham dress with puffy sleeves, a sky blue background and some flowers. I was then asked what my favourite kinds were and after I'd answered with sweet peas and bluebells, Elizabeth opted for the sweet peas which I'm so happy about! I see a lot of artwork featuring bluebells, but barely any at all when it comes to sweet peas. Elizabeth's are so gorgeous, especially due to the ombre colouration on the petals. What a brilliant touch! The same goes for the colour of my characters hair, just so pretty! 

Another detail that I absolutely adore are my snakebites/lip piercings! Don't you think they look so adorable??! This wasn't something I asked for until last minute as I wasn't sure if they would look nice on an AC style face. I'm really glad now that I asked; Elizabeth was so sweet and offered to have a go and delete them if I didn't like how my character looked with them. But I adored them on my villager, so it was the best decision! What do you think about this feature?

I very much adore the cat ears that Elizabeth added for me. They are so cute!! Wouldn't you agree? As well as the dress! I wanted something very cottage-core-esque, whilst still emulating my alternative fashion sense. With the pretty dress Elizabeth designed, she's the cutest little sweet-pea lovin' goth girl in town... (or island). The sky blue background makes her stand out even more, which I really like!

I decided to go for a hairstyle that wouldn't distract away from the rest of the villager, if that makes sense. I mostly wear my hair down or in a high ponytail, and it's very long. I just didn't think these styles would suit... I was 'worried' they would take over the entire look. So, I decided to get a style as close to the hairstyle I had throughout my high school years and some of college :) I was known as Sarah with the plait, the plait that my friends couldn't seem to resist spinning around above my head like a helicopter, or using as a moustache. Fun times :D But these are all fond memories from a time that was pretty damn dark for me, with regards to my mental health, so it's nice to highlight the good stuff and each time I look at my new AC commission, I can reminisce. 

Overall, I am very impressed with the artwork that Elizabeth painted for me. The colours are beautiful, the paper has a lovely textured feel to it (the artwork is printed onto 312gsm Smooth Fine Art Production Paper), that reminds me of fancy cards in those little celebratory gift shops. Is that very specific or can you picture what I mean? Haha! Obviously, the icing on top of the cake is the outstanding attention to detail that has gone into the villager herself! There's nothing that I don't love or would change, which is fantastic! 

I'm sure you are all eager to get one of the custom Animal Crossing portraits for yourselves, or buy your loved ones their own for Christmas, etc., and so I thought I would let you know the prices and such. You can get a digital character commission for just £12.99, a physical print that will be mailed out to you for £14.99 (this option is only available to UK buyers, at the moment, as is the next...), and for just £24.99, you can get both. It's free shipping, too! What an amazing price!!

Before I finish up today's post, I just wanted to say a massive thankyou to Elizabeth for, first of all, hosting this excellent giveaway and also for creating something so wonderful for me! You were very easy to talk to, which is a big deal for someone who struggles with social anxiety disorder like myself. I really appreciate how lovely you were and how accommodating you were, too, making all the  little changes here and there that I asked for. You're super awesome!! 

Don't forget to go support Aries Arts by giving them a follow over on their instagram, as well as their facebook page. We need to show as much support as possible to small businesses and independent artists right now! If you want to buy yourself something from Elizabeth's Etsy store, I found a discount code for 10% off when you get two items or more. Use 10FOR2 at checkout :) So, that was my giveaway prize from the marvellous Aries Arts! I couldn't be happier with it, and I have really enjoyed telling you guys all about it. Wishing you an awesome week ahead! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

Are you a fan of Animal Crossing?

What's your favourite thing about your character/villager?  

Also, which is the best kind of fruit tree? 

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