Black&Proud
Artist • Twitch Streamer • Kaizo Player • Programmer
About Me
Hey there! I'm Black&Proud, but feel free to call me BnP. (Or Justin, if you really want.) I'm a young Gen Z from Ohio, whose passions revolve around digital gaming & creating stuff from scratch.
My main passion is digital art - I'm been doing it for about 5 years. Pretty much all of my skills were self-taught (and I've still got lots to learn) but my skills have only been improving!
Beyond that, I also dabble in content creation - mainly through Twitch streams. I started in early 2024 and have been thriving since. While my setup is pretty sub-par (the entire thing runs on a little 13-inch MacBook Air), that hasn't held me back yet! I like playing whatever I can get my hands on - from Steam games to kaizo hacks.
I'm also a member of the Super Mario World community - I found my way in in around 2023 and am thrilled to be a part of it. I've played through over 50 SMW hacks so far, and have even had the privilege of playtesting a few of them! While I still have yet to make a ROM hack of my own, it may be close to happening...
In my spare time, I enjoy jogging, tinkering with small projects, and spending time with my dog, Cocoa.
My Art
Digital art is one of my biggest hobbies. I've been making artwork since around 2021, and my passion for it has only skyrocketed since then.
I use Keynote, of all things, to make my art - if you don't know what that is, it's essentially Apple's version of PowerPoint. While a bit of an odd choice for art software, it has all of the tools that a standard vector editor would have - plus a load of features for animating my work!
Here's some examples of the work I've done, if you're interested...
(You can click on any of the images to see more info about it, if you want!)
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do these take you?
Depending on how complicated the piece it, it can take anywhere from a few hours to over a week.
On average, they take me around a day or two.Are there any major limitations?
There are a few limitations... the main one for me is animation; I can only really change the position, rotation, scale, or opacity of an object, and that's about it. While nothing deal-breaking, it makes it tricky to add effects like squishiness.
Gradients can also be tricky to get positioned with - especially rounded ones. I do have a few strategies for doing so, though.Why do you use this crayon-like border?
Honestly, it's just because I have the option to. Unless the request calls for a very specific art style (e.g. no visible outlines), I've been sticking with it. Think of it as a style choice.Wait... do you use AI to make these?
Absolutely not. I never have and never will use generative AI for my art in any form. All of my work is digitally hand-drawn.
My Projects
Occasionally, I've dipped my toe into programming. While I'm not the best at it, and my code can be a little sloppy/unoptimized, it hasn't tainted my passion for it!
Currently, I've only released some small python programs, as well as a setup or two for the Firebot program. I plan on making an actual downloadable app at some point (and I do in fact have ideas for it), so expect that some time in the future!
All of my work is publicly available for download on my Github - even if there isn't much to showcase at the moment.
SimpleTasks is exactly what it sounds like: a daily tasks system for your Twitch chat, run via Firebot. Every stream, you and your viewers can manage and add to a blank tasks list, and have it export as a nice, organized Discord message at the end of stream!Features:
• Add, edit, view, or delete individual tasks with a single command
• Easily mark tasks as complete or incomplete if needed
• Export tasks at the end of stream as a tidy little listCurrent Version: v1.0.0
Status: Unreleased
Socials
I'm active on quite a few platforms, whether that be posting my art pieces, livestreaming, or just making random shitposts.
You can find me at any of the places below:
Please note: these are the ONLY active socials I own under this username. If you see an account active on any other platform with my name and profile picture, it isn't me.