#I'll be using this project to experiment with digital art

[root-clan]

Rootclan. Moon: 0. Prologue.

[thedrawnherbarium]

sketch dump alert!

TW mild? violence (Lim-0's condition immediately after the fire & fusion) under cut

[keeps-ache]

'aside from all these things, i'm going to need a new helmet'

[traditional sketch below]

[mortalityplays]

You need more free art.

I quit my job yesterday. Well, actually I quit my job eight weeks ago, but they finally released me yesterday for good behaviour. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do - but I do it for the wrong reasons. Working for major charities, you learn very fast that 'I want to make the world a better place' is a phrase you use to ask people for money, not to give them things. I was an ass-backwards fit for that world.

You need more free art. I need more free art. Everyone has felt the shift in our media landscape over the last ten years, away from access and towards nickel-and-diming the human experience. That lack of access is making life and culture worse for all of us, across the board. Paywalled news sites leave us less informed, attacks on the Internet Archive leave us less capable of research. Algorithmic social feeds and streaming walled gardens trap us inside smaller and smaller demographic bubbles, where we are increasingly only likely to encounter ideas that have been curated for us by marketing departments. Hasty efforts to resist AI commodification have only led to more artists locking their work away and calling for even more onerous systems of copyright law. This is not good for us.

We all need more free art.

So what am I going to do about it?

This is a question I have been asking myself for years. It's easy to sit here feeilng frustrated and thinking 'boy I hope SOMEONE does SOMETHING'. It's harder to take action in a world where I still have rent to pay. But hard doesn't mean impossible. Sometimes hard just means time-consuming, frustrating and slow. And sometimes it's worth doing something time-consuming, frustrating and slow because...I want to make the world a better place.

I'm going to do this:

1. From April 1st, I am relaunching as a freelance writer and editor.

This is the one that will (hopefully) help to pay the bills. I am a very good and experienced editor. I've worked on hollywood movies, I'm a member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders, I have clients who have been coming to me exclusively for more than 10 years.

Alongside bigger contract jobs, I am going to refocus on offering my services to small-press creators at a reduced rate. That means you, graphic novelists. That means you, itch and amazon writers. I want to help you develop your work, the same way I help large organisations. You can learn more about what an editor even does and what kind of pricing you can expect here.

2. I'm also going to start giving shit away. Like, constantly.

Next week I'm going to launch a new free shop. If you're unfamiliar, a free shop, giveaway shop, swap shop, etc. is an anarchist tradition of setting up a storefront where anyone can take what they like for no cost. Offline, this often means second-hand clothes, tools, furniture, food etc. Online, I am going to be giving away digital art. Copyright-free, no strings attached. It will (eventually) feature everything from print-res posters to zines, poems, tattoo flash, t-shirt designs and anything else we come up with.

Yes, I said 'we' - while this is a curated collection, it will feature work from a variety of credited and anonymous artists and activists, all of whom have agreed to give their work away to the public domain. Some of it will be practical, some of it will be political, but a lot of it will be decorative or personal. This is, in part, a response to recent difficulty I had finding somewhere that would print a one-off joke poster for a friend that featured the word 'faggot'. Enough. No middlemen - no explaining ourselves. Just print our shit and enjoy it.

I'm very, very excited about this project. I'll have more to say about it closer to the launch, but you can expect it to go live on March 27th.

2.2 I forgot to mention the ACTUAL LAUNCH GIVEAWAY

To celebrate my launch, I am going to be giving away a ton of physical prints. When I went looking for my old stock to see if it was worth setting a new (paid) storefront up, I realised I had way more old work in storage than I thought. This will be announced in its own right on Monday, but this is why I've been hinting you should go follow my Patreon.

On April 1st, I will pick 8 random patrons (from across all tiers including non-paying followers!) and mail them a bundle of assorted prints and postcards. The prize pool includes A3 and A4 posters, packs of A6 postcards, and printed minicomics that I've previously sold for up to £12 each.

You don't have to be a paying subscriber to enter - this is strictly no-purchase necessary. It is purely and entirely a celebration of the concept of GIVING ART AWAY FOR FREE.

3. PORN, YOU PERVERTS

Because I still have to pay to stay alive, I am going to be subsidising all this free art with the introduction of Fuck You Fridays. Starting from March 29th, I will drop a new 18+ short story on the last Friday of every month, over on itch.io (yes I know my page is desolate right now, don't worry I'll get there).

The first edition, Go Fuck Yourself, is about, well - telling your boss where to stick it. Julia has had it with her millionaire man-child manager, and is just about ready to let him know what she really thinks. It's a short and steamy 5k words, with a gorgeous cover illustration by @taylor-titmouse, and you can pick it up for $3 starting from March 29th.

4. ANOTHER BIG SURPRISE

I'm keeping this one under wraps for now, but April 1st will also play host to one more (FREE) launch. If you've been following me for a long time, you might remember the other significance of this date (no not April Fool's day, though that is certainly thematically relevant to this entire effort). That's all I'll say right now. Watch this space.

tl;dr: I'm sick of paywalls and career ladders. I'm literally putting my money where my mouth is. More free art for everyone and I'm not kidding around!!!

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 18

Creating Healthy Boundaries

Hey Goddesses! Do you ever feel like you’re running on empty because everyone seems to want a piece of you? Work, family, friends, obligations, they all add up, and before you know it, you’re left with no time, energy, or space for yourself.

If that sounds familiar, trust me, you’re not alone. Most of us weren’t taught how to set boundaries, and even when we know we need them, it can feel so hard to say, “No, this doesn’t work for me.”

Just like clearing out our physical space makes room for what matters, setting healthy boundaries helps us make space for the right people and experiences in our lives. And honestly? It's one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves and others, even if it feels a bit scary at first!

Setting Boundaries 101

Think of boundaries like the walls of your house, they show where you end and others begin:

Your time and energy are precious resources

"No" is a complete sentence

You're allowed to change your mind

Your feelings are valid guides

Your needs matter as much as others

Signs You Need Better Boundaries

Let's get real about some common situations:

Feeling resentful after saying yes

Apologizing for things that aren't your fault

Always being available for others

Feeling drained after social interactions

Taking on other people's problems

Struggling to speak up for yourself

Some simple ways to start:

Begin with these simple steps:

Take a pause before saying yes

Use "I" statements: "I need time to think about it"

Start with easier situations and people

Practice saying no to small things

Give yourself permission to have limits

Practice phrases like "I'd love to, but that doesn't work for me right now"

Turn off app notifications during your personal time

The Art of Saying No

Try these gentle but firm responses:

"That doesn't work for me"

"I'll need to check my calendar"

"I can't commit to that right now"

"I have other priorities at the moment"

"Thanks for thinking of me, but I'll pass"

Setting Work Boundaries

Protect your peace at work:

Define your work hours clearly

Take your lunch break away from your desk

Don't check emails after hours

Learn to say no to extra projects

Communicate your limits professionally

Digital Boundaries

Create healthy limits with technology:

Set specific times for checking messages

Remove notifications that stress you out

Don't feel obligated to respond immediately

Mute or leave overwhelming group chats

Take social media breaks

Relationship Boundaries

Nurture healthy connections:

Express your needs clearly

Respect others limits

Share what feels comfortable for you

Take space when you need it

Don't compromise your values

Self-Care Boundaries

Protect your relationship with yourself:

Schedule non-negotiable me-time

Honor your emotional needs

Listen to your body's signals

Protect your energy

Make time for what fills you up

Setting boundaries isn't selfish It's actually about:

Teaching others how to treat you

Maintaining your mental health

Having more to give from a full cup

Building authentic relationships

Creating space for what truly matters

The Challenge for Today

Identify ONE area where you need stronger boundaries

Practice ONE new way to say no

Set ONE small boundary today

What's one boundary you're proud of setting? Or what's one boundary you want to work on? Share below, I’d love to hear from you!

See you tomorrow for Day 19! Remember, every time you set a healthy boundary, you're showing yourself and others that your wellbeing matters. And it absolutely does!

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[this-is-z-art-blog]

Introducing: Jewfirmative Action

Hello lovely phandom! Starting today, August 4th 2024, I'm launching a standing offer that if you make something that nods at Sam Manson's Jewishness, I'll make you a simple drawing or sketch request.

Sam and her family are canonically Jewish in Danny Phantom! I think a lot of us forget this, or maybe never realized in the first place, and I want to encourage us to recognize and celebrate this aspect of her character more. It can be anything as in depth as the whole family celebrating a holiday together or as simple as giving Sam a Star of David necklace.

There is no minimum requirement beyond 'clearly present', any good faith effort is welcome!

All mediums and experience levels welcome! Digital or traditional art, writing or fabric crafts, sticker or multimedia projects! Member of the phandom for years or your very first piece, lifelong artist or a newcomer!

This is not a commission, it is something I am doing for free, so I am not guaranteeing speed (it took me a few months to finish all the prizes for last year's Eight Ecto Nights, but I did finish!), and reserve the right to refuse things and talk over what idea you'd like instead

I am not seeking things out in the wild, if you'd like me to make something, you have to reach out to me!

You of course do not NEED to participate in this project to create Jewish Sam content; I'm not an arbiter of if you've done it or not. It's just really, really lovely to see folks including and celebrating her Jewishness, so I'd like to recognize when folks try, and to say thank you (check out my tag for shouting out folks' Jewish Sam work here)

As always, if you have a question about respectfully including Sam's Judaism in your work, I am here to help! I love talking about this kind of thing and know research can be daunting, so feel free to come and chat

[ryanbarnesart]

Finished Art Academy (Nintendo 3DS) Introductory Course Lessons

In between projects, I've been doing some research for a video I want to produce on my YouTube Channel. Recently I have rediscovered my New Nintendo 3DS (yes, "New" was actually part of the name in the last line of 3DSes), fell in love with it, and wanted to experiment with Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone.

The thing that attracted me to Art Academy was that it was a game that promised to teach real world art techniques for beginners and experts to enjoy. Though my video idea is still in a valuable state, I want to see how well they translate over but, rather than jump in blind, I needed to do basic research and experience some of the lessons myself to help guide how I would do this. I'll probably speak more on this when production actually starts but for now, this is where I am at.

I wanted to share some of the pieces I created within the Art Academy game, following along with the lessons, and what I have found. The most difficult part for me was not so much the rather small screen size but how the screen is NOT pressure sensitive and I would have to stop myself from literally stabbing the stylus into the screen to make the brush stroked bigger/bolder.

That said, I am actually impressed with not only the lessons but how well the game performs as a digital art software. It is no Photoshop or Procreate but, in many ways, I almost prefer it over those programs. Rebelle 7 is probably the closest app to how Art Academy's drawing program functions. While in both Rebelle 7 and Art Academy you paint in a very real world way to get the color you want, Art academy allows you to add water directly to the paint where Rebelle 7 only allows you to increase or decrease the amount of water if using the watercolor brush tool. If there is a way to add water to paint using the Acrylic / Oil brushes, I haven't found how to yet.

[gomzdrawfr]

just saw your patreon tax post, but what is bad about kofi membership? I got confuse after seeing comments arguining about which platform is better, and you also talked about kofi a bit...

I wish I can make a patreon but I got nothing but my writings, which barely get any attention

[context]

Okay I should've phrased it correctly, it's less about which platform is better than the other, but rather which platform is more suited for you. I know you're more on writing, but I'll offer a general view since I've used both sites + others has asked me about this. Disclaimer, these are all from my personal experience, it can be different to the rest.

What both of them can do:

Offer tier membership, you can offer free or paid and list down the benefits of joining your membership, you can also limit how many members you want.

Basic build in functions such as posting photo and poll.

Digital and physical benefits.

Analytics and tracking management.

Discord integration.

Financial payouts such as PayPal, Stripe or Cards.

Ko-fi membership

The Good

Generalized service for smaller scale projects, such as a tipping site and paywalled subscription service for fewer fees than patreon (ko-fi takes 5%).

Good for beginners because there are a lot of things that can be performed with a simple button, with comprehensive FAQ lists. Extremely straightforward with zero hastle.

Payment goes directly into your digital (PayPal/Stripe) or physical (card) wallet, no waiting for payout days.

The Bad

No NSFW content, if you try to go around this rule high chance to get penalized and your account goes bye bye. I've seen artists who offer nsfw art commissions in a hush hush way, but guess what? Ko-fi monitors your dms apparently, so if you sent nsfw related content through DMs or Posts, you're very likely going to get banned (happened to a friend).

There's no mobile app, might be a hastle if you want to post and handle things, every notification or changes you'll have to do it on web or desktop/laptop.

No direct video uploads, you'll have to use a link (a disadvantage if you're offering timelapse videos or podcasts)

For discord integration, it's finicky, half the time it doesn't work. This is due to pledger needing to connect their discord to their profile first before joining yours.

Sales tax are not automated. I may be incorrect here so better refer the FAQ, but from what I am understanding is that kofi doesn't automatically calculate, collect and remit sales/VAT/GST tax based on the buyer's location, content sold and local tax laws. You need to manually add them yourself. If you're charging $10, the buyer pays exactly $10, you receive <$10. If your country requires you to collect VAT or other sales tax, you're responsible for calculating how much should go to taxes, reporting and possibly remitting that amount manually or issuing any tax-compliant invoices if required. Uhhh so far I have not seen any cases regarding taxes, so I'm basing this off their FAQ page, posts online and youtube.

No group dms, so if you're someone who prefers to have more engagements with your supporters such as wanting to update things through chats, asking feedbacks, or simply just vibing with them, it might feel limited on Ko-fi. This is why most people have a separate discord group for better handling and posting in general.

Limited management. There are lesser details on post views, membership management, tracking payment or managing your posts. Every post you share in Ko-fi goes directly in your gallery which, in my opinion, kinda sucks because it's cluttery and messy. You will just have a tab of payment, like who joined, who has outstanding payment and who left.

Patreon

The Good

Bigger popularity and attention since it has been a thing for years. Also famously known as "pay so you can see art of dicks, tits and balls" site. Although throughout the years they've been trying to suppress NSFW posting for some reason (it is still allowed, just with some bullshit rules to deal with).

Mobile apps available, simple to use and comfortable to handle everything anywhere any time.

You can upload videos directly. You can also do polls, audio, link and livestreams.

Detailed analytics. Posts impressions/views, membership earnings, surveys (what your patreon members are joining your membership for), traffic (total visit of your patreon page and where they're coming from). This is especially useful when you have a massive following and want to have insights and control over your performance (or if you just wanna be nosy like me KAJSDKF).

Buttload of other functions that I myself have not learn much, such as automated promotions, discounts and product selling.

Built-in Discord integration. Uhm idk if Patreon works better than Ko-fi cuz when I transition to Patreon I didnt set up a discord group like before (I don't have the commitment to run and maintain them)

(Again as previously mentioned, fact check on their official page instead because I'm not sure about this) Sales tax automatically calculated and added. Patreon automatically adds VAT or applicable taxes on top of what supporter pays. If you're charging $5, a supporter from EU is charged $5.60, you get $5 in patreon and 0.60 goes to tax authorities, final money you're getting is <5$. They also handle tax collection, filling and remitting to country and provide tax reports for your records.

There are group dms (called Community tab). You can update processes and notify them directly there. It may not be as versatile as your regular communication apps like discord (eg, you can only send one image at a time to the group) but it's enough to keep some form of engagement. There is also Moderation hub to assign moderators or reported content stuff (I personally have not use this thing).

The Bad

Personally, starting patreon page was daunting to me cuz *points at FAQ and setup pages* THAT'S A LOT OF WORDS. It is not as straightforward as Ko-fi, so if you're struggling with management or suck at English like me, it can be terrifying to do the first few steps, it is a bit more advance. However, since Patreon is widely use you can ask people that has em and they'll be happy to help out, not to mention videos and tutorials out there that simplify the process. (Thank you Bressy and Shiba for helping out my initial phases)

The random ban for no reason, I've seen people who got their accounts banned when they created their patreon page, idk the full story as to why or how but, yeah it happens. Customer service varies between countries, some good some bad.

Higher charging fees, patreon takes 8% instead of 5%, if you're on premium plan then they'll take 12%. They are however, changing this and just charge 10% for ALL new blog that starts after August 4th. If you have a blog before August 4th, you'll be the 8% group still. Payment processing fees varies by region and method, typically is 2.9% + $0.40. These fees could add up quickly and offer losses over gain if you're running small tiers or have a large fan base. I also heard generated tax bookkeeping files are slightly confusing to count if you're not familiar with these business stuff.

Payout delays. Initial funs will take 5-10 days (or longer if you're unlucky) after the first pledge (like when you get a first patreon). They stay in patreon and you'll either set up automatic payout or manually withdraw them, compare to Ko-fi's instant withdrawals.

I don't know much about this but I think the Shops option differ to Ko-fi and I've heard people saying Patreon Shop setup is more finicky, so yeah that.

okay that's a lot of words so which one should I choose????

If you want simplicity, something on the side just to earn some extra income, with no thoughts about expanding it beyond a comfortable numbers of supporters (such as 10-12 members), then Ko-Fi is great. There are many memberships out there who offer benefits besides art! Such as writing, photography, editing, even algebra classes. It just really comes down to what you can offer with your skills and capabilities.

If you want to build a community, you want to continue expanding to a certain goal, you want more control over financial management, systems and tools, then Patreon is the way to go. This is especially preferred if you have content-driven mindset and if you have audiences to reach.

The reason why I am suggesting to make your patreon post now is obviously the tax increment stuff, but also if you already have that thought to have a page in the future. I understand the concern of "but i'm not ready" or "i ain't got stuff to offer", but you can always have a blank state with free memberships only. If you truly want to offer something, I believe a few passage of your current wip about your fics, or if you're an artist a simple doodle every month should probably keep your page afloat (and I mean you can ask your friends to join for free and do the engagement sillays like liking and commenting if you want extra security). Idk if patreon allows blank pages though so uhm, don't say I didn't warn you if something did happen lmao xD

I read other comments that talked abou 10% is not that high, which is fair since everyone has a different financial status and background. I'm not out here forcing anyone to start a patreon right away, I am just simply suggesting.

I wish I can make a patreon but I got nothing but my writings, which barely get any attention

I'm going to be very blunt about this and you might dislike what I am going to say, but if you have a goal you'll have to put in that effort to research, learn, experience the loss and failure, fall hard and step up again. I too, was once an account with 1 follower, and it's from Tumblr official page. My doodles were not the greatest, it's not rendered God-like, nor does it have any coherency. While I didn't think about starting memberships very early on, once I had that thought I started pushing myself to be better. Being a creative-based person online can be challenging, because if you want some financial gain from this, you'll have to put in the work to earn it. Studying what algorithm wants, what the audiences like, how other users alike are utilizing their skills to pull in the people. It's a long process that involves a lot of trial and errors, and it gets incredibly frustrating and tiring with a lot of burntout and giving up. Because you usually have to do something that you yourself may not like, but the vast majority do. You have 2 options with this kind of dilemma, stay true to yourself and do whatever you want, create and write what you want to be authentic, and find the real ones who would support you along the way, this one will be a longer road and lesser moments of "shit man, why the hell do i still write alien fucking if it throws me off." The other is okay, you figure out the people want, so time to improve and start working on that thing and slowly gain a steady amount of followers, and when you finally feel like it? start creating things you actually prefer. If they leave, they leave, if they stay, then they stay, you win some you lose some. I personally chose the second path, and yes I've lost a lot of people and support along the way, but I am happy with my progress. It took me about a year + before I launched ko-fi membership for 6 months, and then transition to Patreon now if you want a picture of my growth.

I don't think I'm there yet, even with my followings, even with patreon set up. There are many times where I still felt like what I do is inadequate and I'm ripping off their wallet with my creations and benefits. That is why I am still working my darn hardest to improve and to keep moving forward, but also to stop and reflect on my progress, to understand that these people are supporting me because they wanted to and they've been extremely kind and supportive along the way.

Well what I'm trying to say is, every foundation is hard to build, every beginning feels like torture, because it's foreign and it's tiring to even think about it, but if you want, or in other cases, need this growth and expansion, you'll have to endure it. Just like learning how to ride a bike, ya gonna fall and ya gonna bleed at times, but once you're comfortable with the handles, the rest of the ride will be easier, not smooth sailing, just easier! because there are still some bumpy road and blockage ahead, it's an ever learning curve.

Since I come from art concept, I cannot offer much advice with writings. The best way for me to improve is by looking up at what others are doing, so a good start is always connecting with others. Do you like an author's work? then read up about them like how you're putting that blorbo under a microscope and analyze the shit outta them. How do they post? What words do they use often? What prompts or premise is usually popular with their posts? What time do they post? How do they communicate with others? How do they communicate to you? How do they tag their post to reach 2k notes? How do they respond to questions about their memberships if they have one? What benefits are they offering in their pages? etc etc

idk maybe this all sounds way too much work to earn 10 pledgers in patreon, maybe all these are just way too elaborated but, at the end of the day it really depends what you want, how much are you willing to achieve the goal and how comfortable you are with these online content monthly producing responsibilities, stuff. Yeah.

Either way, I wish you all the best in your endeavors!

[fernandamaya]

Dreams of wandering sea and breeze - 2025 . Sorry for not being around with new personal work. Past few months have been rocky -when are they not right, lol- and I've been more motivated to do some embroidery over personal digital artworks. But I recognized it was stemming from a "work is burning me out so I will separate from the concept of digital stuff" and I've been trying to slowly introduce my body into the concept of enjoying painting digitally without feeling like it's being tortured trying to stay focused on such a task. Lots of deconditioning to do, funny how those machines up in our skulls work.

I also somewhat willingly have gone back to full freelance without a soft cushion to land on if something goes array, but I won't act like I regret it because I definitely do not. Most of my professional life has been spent on two jobs that have completely deprived me of my peace and sanity (and one of them didn't even pay me well enough to balance out the sanity I was losing! Ugh). I want to invest in the kind of projects that give spark to my soul and continue building bridges with the kind of companies that I'm more than happy to work with. Sooo idk we'll see how that works, wish me luck pretty please ♥

I don't play genshin anymore, but I'll always keep the characters from it that I learned to love very close to my heart. Kazuha is definitely in my top 3 of genshin characters that I love beyond measure and I finally got around to draw him as a birthday present for a friend :') It is truly wonderful to be able to experience love in this life and be able to express it and transmute it into pieces of art that others can maybe see and feel touched by. So if I've ever managed to do that for someone, I'm more than satisfied. . Sorry for the yapping lol, I do hope from now on I'll post more regularly, I just tend to have lots of WIPs at the same time instead of working on a single piece at a time Will soon post at INPRNT Comms are open, you can dm me thru here but preferably write me at fernandawassermoth@gmail.com Find me at instagram too If you managed to read all that, thank you for using your time to listen to a rambling brain lmao

[voidheartkisses]

Okay hello hi hello,

First off you're amazing and a gift to the world, I wish I had even half your talent. Your last piece blew my mind and I just HAD to ask,

How long have you been drawing/painting for? I imagine forever but I'm always curious how long it takes before artists reach these sorts of levels where it evolves into full-scale projects as opposed to smaller hobbyist crafts. There are so many beautiful art pieces on this platform as a whole and I'm constantly baffled by it all

Sorry if my excitement is off-putting that piece is heavenly and my mind is blown. Hope you're doing well!

Hi and thank you! That's a good question

So I've been drawing since I was born, but I've been drawing digitally for 8 years. I think in the very beginning most artists should just focus on having fun, you'll basically improve by default

after a while you will want to improve. It will be slow, but this is the stage where you'll recognize what you need work on

I'd say the turning point is when you've finally gotten far enough into your art journey without any sort of formal training (ie, a lot of artists dont learn the basics/fundamentals first, which is fine since most of us start as hobbyists) But I think learning them really did help me a lot. You start to think more about how light and shadow lays, depth, 3D objects, and more.

I highly recommend watching this video about levels of art, it's been really helpful and motivating to me throughout the years

This part is going to be long so you don't have to read it but I just wanna give my personal journey and how I got to now if anyone thinks it'll be helpful:

(2017) With digital art, I started off on ms paint and occasionally ibis paint x. Mostly using anime deviantart bases (EMBARRASSING), but after a while I developed my own style based on the people I was inspired by at the time, I was just happy to draw and didn't care much about improving at this time

(2019) The people you look up to artistically will naturally change over time (and thats okay), after a while I decided to switch to firealpaca, where I guess I got more invested on how light and shadows work, as well as making my characters look a bit more natural and develop my own style, your preference in aesthetic may also change over time which is noticeable here

(2021) Eventually, I began to lean more into semirealism (which isn't everyones preference and thats okay! realism shouldn't be the ultimate end goal of art) but I really enjoyed making stylized characters look 3D and in natural looking environments, since I felt it spoke to my own experiences, a lot of artists draw from real life experiences. I focused more on anatomy at this time as well as textures and environments, composition also became a big deal for me at this time, as well as wanting to use different colors

(2024) The change from LINEART to DIGITAL PAINTING in 2022 was the hardest for me once I switched to clip studio paint, it was basically like starting all over and I was so lost. I had a lot to figure out on my own but I knew it was a transition I had to make to draw the kind of art I wanted. But I began to study and take more things into consideration, I didn't like my art so I simply kept going "I can do better", learning from my previous mistakes and slowly making something I would be more satisfied with. At this point art felt more like "projects" then anything, because I wanted to make pieces that were of quality and had time and care put into each of them, sure it meant there was no longer much quantity. but hey that's what my smaller Cult of the Lamb lineart drawings are for!! 💙

I'm still growing and I definitely have a long way to go, but I am very proud of my progress this year, and I'll continue to grow until I'm satisfied (haha im stubborn) I also want to develop my secondary lineart style that I do when I'm not painting, since I feel that is important too

in short; time, practice, dedication, and passion are the most important, draw what you love above all else because it will be your drive to keep going, staying motivated was the most important for me

Sorry for the long post 😭

[wisteriaiswriting]

Hello there! I wanna try and see who I can I possibly get for Cookie Run Kingdom Matchup! ✨️

I'll refer myself as "Velvet", I go by They/Them but I don't mind He/Him pronouns at all especially I sometimes encourage it. I am a Non-binary Pansexual person. Been drawing for a decade now as I dabble in other mediums like traditional, digital, sculpture and etc. I am average height, short hair with an undercut and I occassionally wear glasses (only if am outdoors). I am kinda average but have a small chub that I am sometimes insecure about (cause My own relatives say I was way too thin and now I am fat which made me confuse and angry 😭)

Don't have a specific style to wear as I just dress for comfort but I am trying my best to try and dress in a more androgynous style and get out there more in an attempt to boost up my confidence.

I am friendly but I am mostly shy at first meetings as I tend to get worried what people think of me even if they haven't know me entirely and I am bad at approaching people or start a conversation. Though the more I talk to the person I open up more and show my true colors where I can be silly and share my ideas. A bit embarrassing but I can have a temper at times but it's because of my insecurities getting the best of me as my own fears becomes a reality that I'll end up not being okay emotionally, I am also a bit emotional that it's hard to control.

I do not have the best self-confidence as It's the complete opposite that I doubt myself entirely, I may joke around that i am the terrible but in actuality that's how I think about myself even if people around me says otherwise It's hard to kinda lift yourself up.

Sucker for love language especially words of affirmation as last thing I want is to face another break up or get cheated on cause I wasn't good enough for the person which is another thing I hate is being someone expecting me to level up to their standards especially if it's a HIGH one. I just can't nor I will ever be this perfect individual they want me to be. I am willing to understand and love my partner in everyway and appreciate who they are. I am a bit touch starve in a way but I won't openly invade someone's personal space though sometimes I just hug the person I am closest to cause I am bad at expressing words at times.

That got sad- LET'S MOVE ON! My hobbies as stated already at the beginning, I draw ALOT that I cannot be seen without my bag that contains my drawing equipment on it as I draw when I really wanted to whenever I go to places. Though I am fascinated to learn more like animal anatomy for reference purposes especially they have horns as I think they are neat to use in character designing! The theming for my drawings is not set as I kinda dabble for experimental purposes like horror since doing body horror and whatnot kinda challenges me to get out of my comfort zone but I hope to study animals more since I wanna explore more to the fantasy side!

I have a love for cute and weird things as it connects to my love for axolotls as they are both weird looking in a cute way! Even have a squishmallow plush name "Axel" the axolorl and other squishmallow friends, A manta ray (Lux) and basilisk (Cian)! Any trinkets that caught my interest I will be tempted to get and collect cause I am just easily amused by things even if it isn't a big deal to most!

And I think that's it- I ran out things to say- Sorry if this is SO long, Hope you have a good day!

I match you with...

Royal Margarine!

This man is in love with everything you make, always peeking over your shoulder to see your current project. If you do painting he will hang at least one of them on his wall. When you experiment with body horror, he is not hanging around, look he loves you and your art but he cannot and will not deal with that. Tries to make sure you have your bag with you, sometimes he does forget and feels bad every time.

He does not care what you wear, as long as you're comfortable with it then he’s fine with the. If you do want his advice with newer clothing then he won’t say no.

Tries to be by your side whenever you meet someone new, if you want to leave then he’ll find a way.

He isn’t always the brightest, in general and when it comes to other people. So he might not pick up on your true feelings for a while, although he doesn’t let you make those jokes without attempting to cheer you up.

When he learns your love language he makes sure to use it, tries to say something at least once every time he sees you.

Doesn’t expect you to be perfect, that would be hypocritical. But as long as you don’t do something major to turn him away then you can do whatever. He’s so relieved that you’ll actually love him for who he is, not some fabricated version of himself everyone thinks he is.

Is always open for some affection, tries to initiate often but sometimes you beat him to it. When you hug him he’ll either turn fully and engulf you in his arms or just place his arm over your shoulder.

While he doesn’t fully understand the whole collecting that many trinkets and might question you every now and then, it doesn’t stop him from bringing you some everytime he sees you.

[its-short-for-jackalope]

🎶 that's what Herschel found up there 🎶

I was listening to TGMH one day and that two guys pointing meme was just beamed into my head when I heard this part, so I thought it'd be fun to use that silly idea as a springboard for some digital art experiments. This is the first time I've attempted digital painting, and I'm probably gonna shop around for different painting methods until I find one I really like, but I learned a lot from this, and I think it turned out pretty neat. :)

click for quality!

(+ process pics under the cut!)

unfortunately this is another project with a case of Looks Better As A Sketch disease, lol... when I practice & get better at rendering hopefully I'll be able to retain more of the flow & energy of the sketches?? still pretty happy with this, overall!

[goldnhourwrites]

HEARTSTEEL COLLEGE AU HEADCANONS

This phrase seized me yesterday and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. Who knows, maybe I'll write a fic :)

inspired by my experiences as a college student in the US!

Yone

Pre-med student with a minor in psychology

Does peer tutoring and notetaking for his biology classes

always doing work. being a pre-med student is so much Work All The Time. this is why Yone is always seen with coffee and dark circles under his eyes.

He manages fairly well for someone with so much on his plate - he keeps an impressively functional sleep schedule (goes to bed at 10pm every night, wakes up at 8am every morning)

Is an RA (resident advisor) for his dorm floor and tries to be a good resource for freshmen

Bikes everywhere, enjoys taking walks/getting outdoors for a break from studying

Likes to make and listen to music in his free time (which is not a lot)

Sett

Majoring in athletic training to be a sports coach

Student athlete on the wrestling team - spends a lot of time training and traveling to meets off-campus, so he's not around much until the off-season

Hangs out with the boxing club when he's not doing wrestling

Part of an all-men a capella group and enjoys singing/rapping

Joined a fraternity in his sophomore year because most of the wrestling team was on it and enjoys chilling with his friends in it

Casually bakes things in his free time and brings them to the wrestling team/his classmates/office hours/his frat brothers

K'Sante

Anthropology major, education minor - interested in becoming a teacher/professor and enjoys working with kids

Also a student athlete, on the powerlifting team

Part of a hip-hop dance group on campus and likes to choreograph

Involved in campus queer life and helps organize/run events

Takes voice lessons - used to play trumpet, but didn't have time for both in his schedule

Also part of a fraternity, enjoys the sense of community it offers and plays an active part in organizing/managing their social events

Seems like he's constantly busy, but always makes time for his friends and enjoys the feeling of being on-the-go

Ezreal

History major with a minor in classics (studies Latin/ancient Greek literature and languages)

Acts with a theater club in his spare time - loves musical theater and plays, especially Shakespeare

Hung out in the history/special collections section of the library so much he got a student job there

Loves wandering around campus to find cool, obscure places that he's probably not supposed to be in

Joined a debate team in his freshman year (Kayn was on it) (they hated each other)

Big on going to parties but can't handle alcohol so instead of getting drunk he goes back to his dorm and falls asleep at like 11pm

Aphelios

Computer science major with a minor in graphic design

Does digital art and traditional art; enjoys taking studio art classes when his schedule isn't full

Occasionally does game design and similar coding projects

In the orchestra and plays the violin!

Enjoys physically making things every once in a while - jewelry, paintings, etc. and often doodles in a sketchbook absentmindedly

Sometimes publishes his art and poetry in a student magazine under a pseudonym

Kayn

Political science or government major with a minor in studio art

Spends a lot of time in the woodworking/metalworking studios, partially for art classes and partially because he just likes hands-on projects

Plays electric guitar and was part of a student band for a while (the one he got kicked out of)

Likes parkour and rock climbing, regularly shows off his ability to climb up things that he definitely should not be climbing on

Member of a fraternity (but it's the kind that throws a bunch of parties and probably has illegal drugs)

Goes out to party every weekend and doesn't wake up until 1pm the next day

Skateboards everywhere and knows a bunch of cool tricks

Alune

Film production major with a minor in biology

Part of a fashion design club and does photoshoots for/with them

Does a capella and loves performing! Does musical theater every once in a while

Active in political causes on campus

Works as a barista in one of the campus cafés

Likes to roller skate around

i have a couple combined/group headcanons that i'll post tomorrow if i have time :3 this AU has grabbed me and is currently shaking me by the shoulders and won't let go

[scroll-of-thought]

https://www.tumblr.com/scroll-of-thought/772711201071398912/good-things-will-happen-things-that-are-meant-to?source=share

did it work?

Honestly, I think it's fuckin working? Nothing I expected to happen has happened, but I've found myself in a really interesting and positive position. It's a weird one, but I've got a story to tell, and some stuff to show off at the end.

So out of the blue, about a month ago, my friend and business partner found a random card game posted on a random tiny facebook group that he's not even part of. He doesn't even go on facebook often, really only to check on his family, but as he scrolled to see his parent's recent post he saw it. Who knows what arcane algorithms the ol' Zuck is working with, but it looked neat and found the right audience, so he told me and we tried it out. Really fun strategy/roleplaying card game with a digimon-esk vibe.

From there were joined the discord to ask some questions on rules we didn't really understand, see if there was more content coming out, just hang out and see what's what.

Long story short, we've become fast friends with the solo dev of the game. He's a really cool guy, just making the game he wished existed, and putting 110% of his time and work into it. I have stayed up until sunrise just chatting with him about all kinds of junk, game design included.

So far he's commissioned me once to do a quick 3d model design of the interior of a building, which he's going to use as a perspective guide for illustrations in the game, and wants more when he has the funds. He also wants to commission my SO, Silver, to illustrate cards and other stuff for the game once he has funds, and even license some of the fanart she made for fun, so it'll be in the games rulebook.

I won the first official tournament of the game, which was a blast, and the prize was some art of one of my OCs as a character in his games world, and it came out awesome. So now I have art of a character I've been writing in my novel for years and that's awesome.

The community is really small, but passionate and full of cool people making and doing cool stuff. One of the fans does a weekly "pirate radio" show that covers upcoming events and content, 100% in character as if it were in world. I've been helping him with that where I can, having a lot of experience in audio editing and a huge library of sounds and music to pull from. Today the radio host realized he used to watch my youtube channel like 8 years ago, and that was an awesome small world kinda moment.

So generally, yeah I think it's working. I've made very peculiar connections with some cool people, earned a little money helping a cool project come to life, and found a fun game to play, all from a spur of the moment decision to try a game a friend saw a post that found him totally by chance.

Time to pay it forward! If a digimon meets punk skater RPG/card game sounds cool to you, check out CybrFate. Really fun game, awesome art, cool little community, I'm personally having a blast. Games free on Tabletop Simulator right now. Physical copies exist and are being printed and sold in batches as a presale thing. There's probably going to be a kickstarter soonish, once the guy making the game finishes prepping the massive expansion he wants to launch with it. I've seen him online at 8am working on it, the man does not sleep. And if it grows I'll probably get more commissions from him too, so win win. If it does really well he might hire me and my business partner to make a digital version of the game, or maybe some other game in the world, which would be a lot of fun.

Alright, below I'm posting art from the game.

Top picture is my OC, Robin. She's from the novel I've been working on for a couple years. You can read the first couple chapters here. Man, she came out so good. I'm super happy I won that.

First picture in the next row is my favorite starter, Buglit. After that we've just got an assortment of other cards and characters. Tons more on his instagram https://www.instagram.com/panlee37/

Robin's Buglit is named Keiri, and I did some work in blender to make her. I describe her as a Sticker Disaster 4 Year Old with a Taser. She calls herself the Princess of Stickers.

So yeah, that wraps up this update. Some weird stuff seems to be falling into place. If anything, this may be a good example of how weird the path magic takes can be. Like, didn't see any of the past month happening. Hope that all answers your question!

[d3zydration]

"Nerissa, Initial Concepts" by Dezy Delaceur Digital Art on Clip Studio Paint, 2024

In little moments between packing, moving, unpacking, working, and the general holiday hustle and bustle, I've been playing/reading The Arcana. I've fallen hopelessly in love with this little story, the lore surrounding it, and the playable character I've crafted in my head. As a result, I've used my warm-up time recently to do a little drawing of her. Meet my amnesiac apprentice, Nerissa Helias. 💚

Her design is inspired by Megara from Disney's Hercules, and here are several fun facts about her that I've come up with as I've played:

Nerissa's favorite ice cream flavor is cafe anise.

Nerissa's favorite fruits are pomegranates.

Nerissa's favorite season is autumn.

Nerissa's favorite color is a jewel tone purple.

Her birthday is December 24th, and her MBTI is INFJ-T.

She had taken classes on traditional Vesuvian belly dance.

Besides divination, she is also skilled with painting and gardening.

She is optimistic and lives perpetually with rose-tinted glasses.

She is deeply romantic and submerges herself fully in experiences.

Community and hospitality are very important to her.

Her grace diminishes greatly with heightened emotions.

She is quick to tear up (or sob) over just about anything.

Her familiar is a violet-backed starling named Eros.

Her patroness is The Fool, but her favorite card is the VI of Cups.

Though native to Vesuvia, her parents are nomadic and write often.

She began falling for Julian's smile dedication during the Plague.

(Though, at the time, she had been in a relationship with Asra.)

Currently, she aspires to become a respected local alchemist.

I have this mental room full of characters I've created that hold an extremely special place in my heart - such as Ravani, Olwyn, Miasre, and others that you will see very soon around here - and Nerissa has been quick to join them. I love love love her. Sharing her here also gives me an opportunity to continue optimizing my social media workflow, as I keep ending up with duplicate posts. 😑

If you like my art, stories, and/or concepts, please consider visiting my creative projects website. Also of note: Artwork & writing commissions as well as my art shop are both open at this time. I'll be making a few updates on my website very soon to optimize everything for mobile, fill out my galleries (and likely move away from DeviantArt again), and share some of my fiction work. Expect a year of nonstop creation ahead. I have so much in store for everyone. 👻

[muchinternalscreaming]

A Not Particularly Comprehensive Recount of my experience painting me first digital art piece

Created an ao3 account to gift writers fanart, Created a tumblr account to gift writers fanart,

Turns out this trend ✨️has yet to end✨️

Delved into the world of digital art to - once again - make fanart and gift it to writers.

Also I am making this post to procastinate on WIPs and coursework.

This piece of fanart was inspired by a throw away line (the one about Sam in a suit, Danny in dress) in the lovely fic :

Also available on tumblr @jaewritesfic , though the ao3 link is the one that updates

I: The Beginning, A Sketch.

Ignore the figure on the left, the half-done (quarter-done?) Figure on the right is the subject of interest.

II: Lineart

Hell yeah, you can correct any anatomical mistakes on a totally anatomically correct body (eraser, my beloved).

III: Colouring (My Beloathed)

Ew.

Had to take a few hours away from this puece to recover from the psychic damage, watched approximately 2.5 colouring tutorials, absorbed 0% of the information shared, then proceeded under the modus operandi ✨️fuck around, find out✨️. Anddddddd

It paid off :D!!

But value-wise, the it was v boring. (fixed it l8ter)

IV: Details are the Devils

Pain. Also involved way too many layers (is what I thought at this stage, only to exceed that amount by over 50% 15 mins later) (gave up labelling and my memory is somewhat akin to swiss cheese so for the duration of this journey I worshipped the visibility button)

Anyway, time to fix the boring range of values, simply by mighting the light lighter and the shadows more shadow-y (very technical, such jargon, i know. Plz don't use this as a guide for digital art, I only knew about 0.37% of what I was doing at any time)

not enough shadow, kind of boring. Also need to clean up the areas where the paint overlapped the lineart but that is a problem for future me.

Better!! (At least to me) Also, would probably have to redo the hair b/c it is def stylistically different from the rest of the piece (I did not do that for one very good reason; 'M lazy :) )

If I decide to go w/ this version, I'll probably have to put some shadow on his teeth.

V: Conclusion

What did I learn? Colouring takes way too long (even excluding the time spent procastinating on it), I am sticking to simple colouring for the nxt few pieces. (The full art piece will b posted with those)