Secret Niche Art Santa 2024 (signups closed!)

[Modiano]

1. Comment below if you'd like to a be a Secret Santa and recipient. With this comment, include a picture of the nicheling you'd like drawn, as well as any info you can give about them (genes, personality, hobbies, differences from photo etc). If you are giving a picture not from the game, please include their official niche genes.
2. Signups end the 20th of December!
3. I will use a random generator to pair participants. (I will not be a participant)
4. I will pm everyone with their recipient's name, nicheling and info.
5. Everyone makes their art. It can be traditional, digital, pixel, a sculpture, whatever you want; animation, gif, plain, anything! Please try your best with this. The quality of your art style is not to be judged, but please make it just as good or even better than your usual art! Do not sign your art or post it on any platform, including the forums.
6. Everyone PMs their art to me as soon as they are finished. Art is due by 31st of December If you do not send in your art in time, I will request art from an Emergency Santa to fill the place. You may only post your art AFTER the rest of the art is released on
7. On or slightly after 2nd of January, I will post the finished art with the recipient's name (I will not reveal the Santas myself). Everyone may make their guess on who was their Secret Santa. Secret Santas may confirm or deny these guesses. Please wait for your recipient to guess you and then confirm the guess rather than announce that you were so-and-so's santa. If it's been a while and you're not sure who your SS and you made a guess without confirmation, PM me and I'll confirm it for you.
8. If your recipient has made a correct guess and you confirmed, you may post your art to other places (DeviantArt, Fanart section etc). You may also sign the art. (If you'd like your signed art used instead of the unsigned version if posted elsewhere by other people, just say so.)

Like the last few years, we will have Emergency Santas (ESs). ESs will make art for anyone whose Secret Santa did not finish or submit their art by the 15th. ESs need to be able to quickly make art. This Emergency Art (EA) does not need to be of the same quality of the official art; EA is just so everyone can receive something at the same time. ESs can also be a regular Santa at the same time but are not required to be.

Just ask if you'd like to be an Emergency Santa. They're documented below.

Emergency Santas:

@Modiano @Peanutpup77 @jaxpsylla @PincerClaw420 @lizardcake

TIPS

-Try out a new style or a style you haven't revealed before. It will be harder to guess the Secret Santas.
-Don't start a big project if you're not 100% you can finish it. Go with something simple to give yourself time to finish and not be rushed.

OTHER

-This is the 7th annual Secret Niche Art Santa!!!
-Check out previous Signups here: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
-Check out previous Art here: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

REMEMBER THIS

- Sign up below by December 20th.
-Send in your nicheling submissions by December 20th.
-Start your art as soon as possible once I PM the info.
-Send in our art no later than December 31st.
-If you do not submit your art by then, a volunteer will make art in its place. Save your late art for Jan 2nd or later.
-On or near Jan 2nd, the art will be released. Make your guesses and make sure to confirm or deny if they're directed to you!
-MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL

Yippee second time hosting this! Once again if you think anything should be changed I am listening

[Stranger]

OMG YES IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS THANK YOU MOD!!!!!

(time to go find a nicheling lmao)

[Stranger]

4 minutes ago, Stranger said:

OMG YES IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS THANK YOU MOD!!!!!

(time to go find a nicheling lmao)

Yeah nvm this was quick

This is Emi, they're inquisitive, caring and super excited about everything! They find something interesting no matter where they are. If you can't tell, they have red gems, black eyes and nimble fingers. Also fishing tail. They are nonbinary as well, if that matters.

[BirbMonster]

It was hard to pick a nicheling, because I tend to jump between new saves a lot and I never get attatched to anyone... but here's a memorable one! Aki, a nicheling from a playthrough in late 2021! 

She's the last nicheling, and also immortal. So she's just wandering the world doing completley useless things until the end of time. Crossing stuff off a perpetually expanding bucket list (probably just like 'hey I wonder what would happen if I (insert impossible and dangerous stunt here)' by this point)

I love niche art secret santa (one of the highlights of the festive season)  especially happy for this one because I think I've improved a lot since a year ago!

[Peanutpup77]

Also struggled to chose a nicheling - I have a ridiculous amount of screenshots - but finally found one!

 

Here's Willow - 

She's very regal and sophisticated. Doesn't really goof around and is always concerned about others.

 

Also, I'm willing to be an Emergency Santa.

[Andromeda_]

I don’t think I’ll be joining this time around since I won’t be able to find the time to draw and it would probably turn out really ugly 😭

[jaxpsylla]

LETS GO WERE BACK ITS SECRET SANTA TIME!!!

my critter for this year is my dearly beloved Vek!! (pic below)

(heres her technical genes, but please follow the ref in terms of pattern/colors/gem colors pls)

Vek is very headstrong, stubborn, and impulsive. She has no respect for authorities and will go out of her own way - and anyone else's - to assist someone weaker or less powerful (both physically, and in rank) than her. She's actually very nice when you get to know her, but don't get in her way. She's also HUGE, like, bigger than a big bodied nicheling, if you intend to draw her next to anyone lol. She's also a goddess so if you do want to draw her with any of her friends/family, you can find them here!

I'd also like to sign up as an emergency santa if that's alright, if you need any. I'm pretty fast at drawing!

[BirbMonster]

I hope more people join please don't let this site start dying 🙏

[jaxpsylla]

1 hour ago, BirbMonster said:

I hope more people join please don't let this site start dying 🙏

its ok we got like 2 weeks im sure some more ogs will arrive soon,,,,

[Stranger]

2 hours ago, jaxpsylla said:

its ok we got like 2 weeks im sure some more ogs will arrive soon,,,,

They better, birb is right pls don't let this die 😔🙏

[PincerClaw420]

I was just checking the forums a few days ago, looking for this thread! Haven't improved much, but I can't NOT apply, as a Secret Santa AND Emergency Santa this time around.

Here's Rokir again from last time, an unfortunate victim of my tendency to delete save files. I'd love it if he were drawn with any kind of cute winter (holiday) accessory or garment, preferably not something like a coat he'd skewer with his spikes, but that's up to whoever ends up drawing him.

Quote

I can't believe it's time of year again! Here's my nicheling, Rokir. (In advance, I'm sorry to whoever ends up drawing him) He comes from a tribe of prickly berry-pickers and was born after the death of a bearyena that his parents (and other tribemates) killed. He's considered a bit unusual since he looks so different from his grandparents, the founders, and doesn't really communicate with his family members much aside from his father, and that's just because of his mole-hunting skills. Rokir lives for the hunt and is interested in killing a bearyena for the glory and respect it will bring him, even though no one else treats the original bearyena killers differently and his peers already respect him for contributing to the food supply, but haven't had the chance to show it because he never talks to them. (I think that's the second gilled nicheling I've had who really likes hunting...)

[lizardcake]

uhhhhhhh. here

koko! my child who was literally born (created) yesterday

quiet, introverted, to the point where you could forget she's there. that doesn't mean she isn't a valuable member of her tribe, though; she is a very skilled hunter.

genes: short snout, medium ears, antlers, big body, digging paw, runners leg, normal hind legs, m peacock tail

also, i can be an emergency santa as well!

[jaxpsylla]

5 hours ago, lizardcake said:

uhhhhhhh. here

koko! my child who was literally born (created) yesterday

quiet, introverted, to the point where you could forget she's there. that doesn't mean she isn't a valuable member of her tribe, though; she is a very skilled hunter.

genes: short snout, medium ears, antlers, big body, digging paw, runners leg, normal hind legs, m peacock tail

also, i can be an emergency santa as well!

pause this design is so cute the colors?? grrr i love peacock tail

[takoyamaaaS]

On 12/6/2024 at 12:37 PM, BirbMonster said:

I hope more people join please don't let this site start dying 🙏

bad news /hj stray fawn forums are dying as god intended

but ill sign up for the bit yay yay

heres my girl :3 kind of old art but we stay silly

iirc her genes are deformed paw (left), nimble fingers (right), normal tail, normal hind legs, heat body, ram horns, normal ears, big snout i just draw normal hind legs kind of like rabbit feet

the pink markings on her nose and eyelids are markings and not makeup or anything

[Lilytuft]

Phew this is still open

For a second I was so scared I'd accidentally missed my favorite event of the entire year

This may not be a smart decision on my part (already overwhelmed enough to have forgotten about this event lol), buuuut as always I'll sign up to be an emergency santa as well.

As for a character... It's been so long since I've played niche, I think I'll go for a classic!  Either one of these beloveds is fine!

SLARM (slightly less annoying rogue male) has lean body, deformed paws, normal hindlegs, derpsnout, medium tail, shortsighted eyes and antlers. His colors aren't quite game-accurate, but if it helps, his eye-, horn- and mane colors are part of the default MS paint palette (also yes you can have his teeth showing. I usually draw him with a few poking out but somehow none of the images here have them)

Bearyena is, well, a bearyena. Her colors are also not game accurate, but other than that you can just draw her like you normally draw bearyenas

And in case anyone here is unaware, they're happily married

[pepper_]

omg i freaked out when i saw this because i thought i missed the deadline PHEWWW

i havent played niche in a while so im gonna go for an old character

hes a silly little guy who likes to do things before thinking them through but we love him. if my memory serves me correctly i think he was a leader of sorts i cannot really remember though its been years BUT yeah hes just the silly lowkey

[TundraKitsune]

you know what, why not I'll join in too

behold, bat

[takoyamaaaS]

17 hours ago, pepper_ said:

omg i freaked out when i saw this because i thought i missed the deadline PHEWWW

i havent played niche in a while so im gonna go for an old character

hes a silly little guy who likes to do things before thinking them through but we love him. if my memory serves me correctly i think he was a leader of sorts i cannot really remember though its been years BUT yeah hes just the silly lowkey

wow ok raanaphobic 

[pepper_]

2 hours ago, takoyamaaaS said:

wow ok raanaphobic 

my girl just needs a break