Let’s kick things off with a big ol’ congrats for making it through 2020! We’ll just ignore that 2021 seems to be asking someone to hold a Monster Energy Drink™ in the meantime and take victory in the small things. New year, new blog, more art! That’s something to celebrate for sure so let’s not beat around the bush. There’s community content to check out!

CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

Is it really a new year if there wasn’t some kind of celebration somewhere? Wait. It’s a pandemic, don’t answer that. I’m just going to enjoy the adorable whimsy of @dagger6art‘s celebratory toot toots of New Year’s Eve. Look how precious it is!

SNACK BREAK

I’m incredibly excited for this rendition of the Halo theme. Some of you have already seen/found a snip of this from @harpistkt‘s TikTok channel but she has graciously uploaded a full version to her YouTube channel. The harp is not an easy instrument to play but it is absolutely lovely and I am so glad to see Kristan Toczko lend her talents to our favorite franchise. You should definitely check out her other videos, especially if you also enjoy Final Fantasy music!

SNICKER’S DOODLES

Act I is queued up and ready to rock so let’s roll!

Pelican Landing, @VictorSantos_3DRaiding Party, @DerGruneMannOperation: SPEARBREAKER, @JohnWarixMark VII Hydrion Prototype, @im_dart1Believe, @PunishedDeltaColony, /u/BlueGhost_7Halo Infinite, @hierogriff

Low Poly Halo, /u/chrisdaniel0812

RONIN, @Jafet_MezaChibi Spartans, @PrometheanMikePlasma Repeater, Remi KristiansenSkate: Halo Edition, @pixelflaregfxHalo: A Little Bit Lucky, @justin_grosjean

I actually had a lot of options to choose from, page-wise, and settled on this. Be sure to check out the entire comic for yourself!UNSC Armory, @LastnameSilver

Gauss Pistol, Chris StoneHoly Guardian, @WanderingRonin3The Scenic Route, @WaveCommotion

Magnum 6C, @TalonGrijalva

HOMEMADE

A hodgepodge of fantastic arts, crafts, and sketches. You know the drill by now so let’s check them out!

Legendary Halo Ornaments, @ninjaKarmaODSTs in New Mombasa, @VGC117How It Started, How It’s Going, @Mooreshots1

While I have him here, I’d like to take a quick detour:

If you are interested in toy photography, I highly recommend you reach out to Mooreshots. He’s working on building a network/community of toy photographers and I can confidently say they are some of the most welcoming, friendly, and enthusiastic fans. They will happily share tips, tricks, helpful hints, you name it. If Instagram is your platform of choice, you can find him there too: @Mooreshots_!Don’t Make A Girl A Promise You Can’t Keep, @evedmrsPainted Cruiser, @GeekToyLoveMaster Chief, /u/Masonthemasonmason
^{(Say that 5 times fast)}Huragok, /u/LexaMaridiaWooden Halo Toys, made by @FLESHPWND for @ItsaMeFernandoProtector, @daina360 Believe, @wishhful

3D Printed Pelican, @ArrisonLouzada

EYE CANDY

A new year means a new reminder that some of you take fandom to a whole ‘nother level with tattoos and I am constantly in awe. One day maybe I won’t be a big chicken but today is not that day. Tomorrow is not looking so great either. But you know what is? The cosplay. It’s awesome!

Master Chief, @Dan_EstepMaster Chief, @Ceruleon117 Feet First Into Hell, /u/IMightBeMeshua Halo Infinite Master Chief, @CaptainSlayer

SWEET ROLLS

Some of you prefer your art in audio/visual format which means this section is for you! Pass the popcorn and settle in.

If you’ve ever wondered how a game’s music composer works, you’ll want to catch @TravellingHalo‘s interview with our very own Curtis Schweitzer. It’s also a fun way to get to know a bit more about one of the people working on our soundtrack!

We’ve seen him once before but I am never not amazed seeing the incredible artwork people like @doginthesleep are able to turn out using spray paint. If I were to try this, well, it’d just be some blob of paint, not the Ark.

For those of you looking for some cosplay help, @Ranger6398 has a video on how he made his Halo: Reach gauntlets. It doubles as a tutorial so if you want some inspiration, not a bad place to start! Did I mention it’s a whole series?

The crew over at @DivineMindau ran a pretty neat “60 Second Montage” competition and they compiled all that here! I enjoyed seeing all the players and the editing. There’s some pretty nifty gameplay to watch. I enjoyed it so hopefully you will too! Caveat: One of the songs in the middle has a slight language warning but that’s it.

PETITS FOURS

As always, some snacks for the road!

Ancient Cliffs
Chief is takin' a stroll – where's he going?
Style inspired by the two wise gentleman Mr. @muttconcept and Mr. @Rythayze #Halo #HaloCE #digitalart #digitalpainting pic.twitter.com/yxlQCpqXBm
— Wizards0nly (@Wizards0nly) January 6, 2021

When you actually land that banked sticky in @Halo 5. 💥😆 #HaloSpotlight pic.twitter.com/YLPKXKWTGO
— Moto 🏳️‍🌈 (@MotoStreams) January 14, 2021

Was experimenting with UE4 radiosity rendering today so I put the latest update of my Warthog model in the scene for testing. This gives me far better shadowing than what I posted the other day.#Halo #Warthog pic.twitter.com/UgACMbOPrI
— Marcus Lehto (@game_fabricator) January 6, 2021

Master chief from the package with the Halo wars Mark IV Helm as requested by @edboyIRL. https://t.co/2ihVg4Vt4H pic.twitter.com/Rxb64FN0nv
— Lamb (@Lambdafallout12) January 8, 2021

Feels like I'm always doing the same post but I've started this thing 6 month ago. I've made so much progress yet I'm still so far from the end. Making these little compariring gif makes me appreciate the progress and motivates me to continue pic.twitter.com/JGnTwhYoHh
— Buzboz (@GerardsJulien) January 2, 2021

Some art I did for da @SicknessGame game pic.twitter.com/oy9GFJ8N7r
— Rythaze ✊🏿 (@Rythayze) December 28, 2020

Merr Christmas, from The Arbiter y'all. Hope you have a good one 🎄#HaloSpotlight #Christmas2020 #HaloInfinite #Halo pic.twitter.com/FIhb5FyjzL
— SSG. Spall (@SpallSpartan) December 24, 2020

Zócalo CDMX!. It is done for you guys ! Thanks for all the support !. Plaza de la constitución is the main square of Mexico city. #HaloSpotlight @JoshBruce0086 @HaloCustomMaps @ItsaMeFernando @HaloCreation @Halo @Halo_Spotlight @halo5

Map by: ricardootino

Love you all guys! pic.twitter.com/kCVFfUij8c
— Ricardo (@ricardootino) January 14, 2021

A Quick doodle of Halo reimagined as a Children’s Book 😂#HaloSpotlight #MasterChief pic.twitter.com/jJ21yu64YU
— Kirsty4 HaloInfinite (@Kirsty4Halo) January 14, 2021

"Puzzling. You brought such ineffective weapons to combat the Flood, despite the containment protocols."#Halo #HaloInfinite #HaloSpotlight #SFM pic.twitter.com/CckGYqcDpH
— SkeleyOne (@SkeleySauce) January 14, 2021

In game screenshot#HaloSpotlight @Halo_Spotlight #divinemindau @DivineMindau pic.twitter.com/BBaEWV36Hb
— Didact AD (@DidactAD) January 13, 2021

Did my own take on the Master Chief, Little bit of Reach, Mod, and Legends. #Halo #HaloInfinite #HaloSpotlight #digitalart pic.twitter.com/a7LXAqaQUl
— Dredgen Carmine (@goodguywooper) January 13, 2021

DOODLE’S SNICKERS

I know this is usually reserved for something that made me laugh, but this week I’m going with something that made me smile. I didn’t think a Brute War Chief could make me smile and then I saw @RiteshKMondal‘s Escharum and here we are.

FIN

With that, we have reached the end of the first, but not last, Halo Community Spotlight for the year. For those unfamiliar with the process, if your art/content has been featured in this blog, you will receive some really awesome Fire Unicorn rewards for Halo 5 and MCC if you fill out the redemption form. If you don’t fill out the form, I don’t know who you are and I can’t give you your in-game goodies so please give me your information so you can show off your awesome new AR skin and nameplate to your friends!

Before I sign off, I wanted to give you all a heads up about future Spotlights. Historically, we have been on a cadence of every other week. This year, with Halo Infinite on the horizon, we’ll be shifting these to be monthly. My goal is still the same: highlight artists from around the community, especially newer ones, and share the love, passion, and talent with everyone. It’ll be the same Halo Community Spotlight, just a little less frequent. I’m looking forward to seeing all the exciting Halo Infinite art I know is coming so bring it on!

Ciao xx
—Sam

Spotlight: January 14, 2021