The first Secret Santa-like event I ever joined, and this was the result. I stressed quite hard over getting this right and I put everything I could into it. I guess I like how it turned out. Waff’s pretty cute and fun to draw, too.
So, on a personal note:
A lifetime of anxiety-driven loneliness plus anxiety-driven repressing of my interests has led me to put far more weight on the thought of OC gift art than maybe the average person might. It’s one of those things that, if I were to come across it during my random browsing when I was younger, would bring up such strong feelings of envy and regret in me, because…
Gift art isn’t “just” a drawing; it’s a personal gesture. One willingly takes the time to consider another person. Pays attention to their likes, dislikes, personality, and character - traits and all. They make use of their hard-won skill to create something new and unique out of selflessness, as a token of appreciation, friendship, kinship, or whatever else it may be. A creative piece tailored just for you, to make you smile, or laugh, or… One really does open their heart to another when gifting something as personal as a drawing.
Personally, I thought that getting sent gift art was utterly impossible - so far beyond me that it was ludicrous to even think it. But then, one day…
A DM came out of nowhere, containing a drawing of a character from a little story I was trying to write at the time. Simple as it was in its composition and design, I’m not embarrassed to admit that the gesture brought me to tears for a good, long while.
A Secret Santa like this is an occasion to give these gifts from the heart to others who may also feel the same way about giving. And sure, here the recipient is out of your control and the gesture isn’t as purely voluntary as it would be in “normal” gift-giving. But considering the power that a gift can have, I try my best to give it my all when participating in these events. Personal feelings on my own skill aside, the person who I draw for deserves just as much care and attention on their piece as the one who is drawing for me is putting into theirs.