An illustration released from the Patreon vault!

I created this back in early 2020 right around when *gestures* was first happening and my city was totally locked down and I wasn’t really able to leave the house.

I wanted something cute and happy and cheerful to draw for my patrons so I thought about taiyaki. Hard to be bummed in the face of a smiling waffle fish, you know? Once I had that little guy in mind I started crafting a dessert-themed scene around him.

I find myself thinking about this little smiling fish art a lot more than you’d think. It’s not the way I’d approach “happy taiyaki for troubled times” art these days, but there’s something very pure and sweet about his little face.