#do you know how few refs there are for those angles

[theradicalace]

stills from a kagerou days+htf crossover that i’m never going to actually make

(shots i referenced under the cut ^_^)

[wombywoo]

Ok! I've finally decided to put together a (somewhat) comprehensive tutorial on my latest art~

Please enjoy this little step-by-step 💁‍♀️

First things first--references!

Now I'm not saying you have to go overboard, but I always find that this is a crucial starting point in any art piece I intend on making. Especially if you're a detail freak like me and want to make it as realistic as possible 🙃

As such, your web browser should look like this at any given point:

Since this is a historical piece, it means hours upon hours of meaningless research just to see what color the socks are, but...again. that isn't, strictly, necessary 😅

Once I've compiled all my lovely ref pics, I usually dump them into a big-ass collage ⬇️

(I will end up not using half of these, alas :'D)

Another reference search for background material, and getting to showcase our models of choice for this occasion~

When picking a reference for an actor or model, the main thing I keep in mind (besides prettiness 🤭) is lighting and orientation. Because I already kinda know what pose I'm gonna go with for this piece, I can look for specific angles that might fit the criteria. I should mention that I am a reference hound, and my current COD actor ref folder looks like this:

Also keep in mind, if you're using a ref that you need to flip, make sure you adjust accordingly. This especially applies to clothing, as certain things like pants zippers and belt buckles can be quite specific ☝️

Now that we've spent countless hours googling, it's time to start with a rough sketch:

It doesn't have to be pretty, folks, just a basic guideline of where you want the figures to be.

The next step is to define it more, and I know this looks like that 'how to draw an owl' meme, but I promise--getting from the loose sketch above to below is not that difficult.

Things to keep in mind are--don't go too in-depth with the details, because things are still subject to change at this point. In terms of making a suitable anatomically-correct sketch, I would suggest lots of studying. This doesn't even have to be things like figure drawing, I genuinely look at people around me for inspiration all the time. Familiarize yourself with the human form, and things like weight, proportions, posing will seem a little more feasible.

It's also important at this stage to consider your composition. Remember to flip the canvas frequently to make sure you're not leaning to one side too often. I'm sure something can be said for the spiral fibonacci stuff, which I don't really try to do on purpose, but I think keeping things like symmetry and balance in mind is a good start ✌️

Next step is just blocking in the figures. Standard. No fuss 👍

Now onto the background!

It's frankly hilarious how many people thought I was *hand-drawing* these maps and stuff 😂😂 I cannot even begin to comprehend how insanely difficult that would be. So yeah, we're just taking the lazy copy and paste way out 🤙

I almost always prepare my backgrounds first, and this is mostly to get a general color scheme off the bat. For collage work, it's really just a matter of trial and error, sticking this here, slapping this there, etc. I like to futz around with different overlay options until I've found a nice arrangement. Advice for this is just--go nuts 🤷‍♀️

Next, I add a few color adjustments. I tend to make at least 2 colors pop in an art piece, and low and behold, they usually tend to be red and blue ❤️💙There's something about warm/cool vibes, idk man..

Now we move on to coloring the figures. This is just a basic block and fill, not really defining any of the details yet.

Next, we add some cursory values. Sloppy airbrush works fine, it'll look better soon I promise 🙏

And now--rendering!

I know a lot of beginner artists are intimidated by rendering, and I can totally understand why. It's just one of those things you have to commit to 💪

I've decided to show a brief process of rendering our dear Johnny's face here:

Starting off, I usually rely on the trusty airbrush just to get some color values going. Note--I've kept my sketch layer on top, but feel free to turn it on and off as you work, so as to not be too bound to the sketch. For now, it's just a guideline.

This next stage may look like a huge jump, but it's really just adding more to the foundation. I try to think of it like putting on make-up in a way~ Adding contours, accentuating highlights. This is also where I start adding in more saturation, especially around areas such as ears, nose and lips. Still a bit fuzzy at this point, but that's why we keep adding to it 💪

A boy has appeared! See--now I've removed most of the line layer, and it holds up on its own. I'll admit that in order to achieve this realistic style, you'll need lots and lots of practice and skill, which shouldn't be discouraging! Just motivate yourself with the prospect of getting to look at pretty men for countless hours 🙆‍♀️

I'll probably do a more in-depth explanation about rendering at some point, but let's keep this rolling~

Moving forward is just a process of adding to the figures bit by bit. I do lean towards filling in each section from top to bottom, but you can feel free to pop around to certain parts that appeal to you more. I almost always do the faces first though, because if they end up sucking, I feel less guilty about scrapping it 😂 But no--I think he's pretty enough to proceed 😚

They're coming together now 🙆‍♀️ Another helpful tip--make sure you reuse color. By that, I mean--try to incorporate various colors throughout your piece, using the eyedropper tool to keep a consistent palette. I try to put in bits of red and blue where I can

Here they are fully rendered! Notice I've made a few subtle changes from the sketch, like adjusting the belt buckles because I made a mistake 😬 Hence why you shouldn't put too much stock in your initial sketch~

The next step is more of a stylistic choice, but I usually go over everything with an outline, typically in a bright color like green. Occasionally, I can just use my initial line layer, but for this, I've made a brand new, cleaner line 👍

And the final step is adjusting the color and adding some text:

Tada!! It's done!

All in all, this took me the better part of a week, but I have a lot of free time, so yeah ✌️

I hope you appreciated that little walkthrough~ I know people have been asking me how I do my art, but the truth is--I usually have no clue how to explain myself 😅 So have this half-assed tutorial~

As a bonus, here is a cute (cursed) image of Johnny without his mustache:

A baby, a literal infant child !!! who put this wee bairn on the front lines ??! 😭

Anyway! peace out ✌️

[rocketbirdie]

Have you ever drawn Sephiroth? Also my favorite post of urs is Cloud and Zack chained together and getting caught by a poll XD ALSO ALSO how do u find an art style?? I've been asking this question to a lot of ppl but never get anything that helps me- my "art style" is always inconsistent and I'm trying to do something that expression how I feel as a person while drawing a character (but maybe it's because as a person I'm all over the place and I can't pinpoint how to express myself) I can give a little ref for a few of my drawing to show how inconsistent they are😓 though some things stay the same a lot of other things change (people say I'm hard on myself but I feel like it needs to look a certain way for me to like it ig also also also the 2nd drawing was a fixed version of the og because it was well elongated.. can you tell im no good at anatomy-?)

ANYWAYS SORRY FOR THE RANT!! 😓

HI NO WORRIES FOR THE RANT!! Regretfully I have not drawn a whole lot of Sephiroth... perhaps that shall change someday? 🤔

Hmm I think I know what most people's advice would be, like "oh don't worry about art style just do whatever you like!" and yes, that's kinda true, but it's not really helpful. So here's my thoughts on the matter:

I find that the best approach to finding a style that fits you is to start by identifying your own tastes in art. Instead of worrying about consistency, focus on finding brushes/tools that feel good to use, colors and lines that appeal to you, and then play around with those. You'll find it a lot easier to make art that you like if you let yourself have fun with it, as opposed to subjecting it to pass/fail criteria.

For example, it's probably not surprising to hear that I love vibrant, colorful geometric art. I struggled for so long trying to use fancy brushes and weighted paintstrokes to make more realistic portraits, and it frustrated me because even if other people said it looked great, nothing I made looked right to me. Turns out it was my toolkit hiding my own art style from me. The moment I switched to solid colors and the goofy default pen setting, BOOM. Suddenly I was on a roll.

As for anatomy, you're already doing great!! My trick for anatomy (and for anything at all, really) is to break it down into simple 3d shapes. Fun fact, almost everything with the human body is just varying cylinders. Your neck? Cylinder. Hand? 5 cylinders attached to a cylinder that's been slightly squished. Torso? That's cylinder, babe! Arms? Legs? You guessed it, cylinders.

Challenge yourself HARD, EARLY. Don't wait until you think you're "good enough" to do a big intimidating project, or else you'll be waiting forever. Draw those difficult angles, perspectives, and compositions NOW, not later! It'll make the things that you're already good at feel ridiculously easy, and make those things come naturally to you, enabling you to focus your efforts into the stuff you do want to get better at.

[chaotic-minds-think-alike]

Can you please talk about how you 3D model? I love your style and as an aspiring 3d modeller myself the dragon models you make are just so satisfying!! love the khepra (they can do no wrong)

Thank you!! I’d love to talk about it ,,

So I learned how to 3D model by following a roblox game studio called Sonar Studios a few years ago. The lead developer makes speedModeling videos on youtube if you'd like to reference those. Back then I could only learn by visuals and trying to figure out what they were doing but eventually after self teaching myself, I was able to become a trial dev for them and learn with them!! So what I’ll be talking about closely reflects their style of modeling.

First, I have this old Google slides I made of the basics of blender (program I use)(you can ignore the parts about roblox)

But before that, I want to share how my models started out (after a bit of eyeballing)

This guy looks good visually UNTIL you look at his wireframe... oh boy... Some issues I can name here are: modifiers not applied, unoptimized, seems kinda lazily done

BUT! I wanted to continue modeling due to the idea of having "digital action figures of my designs" which is super fun lol. So I practiced here and there and now I'm pretty comfortable where I'm at but I wont pass up the opportunity to learn new things about blender!

(wings hidden for convenience) You can see now, this guy is MUCH cleaner looking compared to that model from 2021. I want to say though, the only modifier I don't apply unless I'm going to rig the model is the Mirror modifier.

OPTIMIZATION. IS. IMPORTANT! (and so is making sure your model looks clean on the wireframe level)

Look at the stats of both these models! The left is the model from 2021 while the right is the model from 2024... huge difference! That's because I learned how to optimize! Detail of your model plays a huge part in this too but you can see that visually, both appear to be just as detailed. (Lower numbers usually means better BUT do not over-optimize because it can make your model look lower quality. Clean up your model the best you can while retaining as much original quality as possible! it is OK to cut out some design elements, for example if you have a really complex splotch pattern, depending on how detailed, it's ok to get rid of smaller and less important patterns as long as you keep close to the original shape to preserve quality.)

Some things of note before I move on:

The way I apply materials in the google slides is outdated (in my style) and now I follow this tutorial (I also change my model ref sheets to include gradient palettes if I need them)

I DO THIS AS A HOBBY! Not everything I do is perfect and that's okay!

I ALWAYS simplify my ref sheets to make them easier to model (it is OK to have a super detailed design as long as there's no super tiny details you wont notice)(additionally, if your design is detailed and your numbers start to go up, don't worry)

I have a natural eye for 3D shapes which is why modeling comes easy to me but if you struggle with only a side view of your subject then draw/reference more angles!

Also... you didn't ask but I want to touch back on the idea of "digital action figures" with the basics of rigging your model

I follow this tutorial but specifically the section on "rigid rigging" because weight painting is still a mystery to me. I know it's important.. but because I don't use my models besides personal use, my rigging abilities are super messy lol. I don't name my bones unless it's for symmetry reasons. Something also of note is when I'm ready to rig my model, I split it. Basically meaning I turn it from a figure to an action figure by giving it ball joints! (this part is probably the most tedious and boring)

In this style of modeling, your joints may never be perfect but it doesn't matter, you learn to love it.

[juhihuji]

Hey bestie! I just wanna say I really love your art style, you and a few others inspired me to do my own art with the naruto characters. I'd like to know where you find your reference images or how you're able to create those dynamic poses? Sometimes I struggle to find the specific pose I'm looking for. I hope to see more great stuff from you 🔥❤️ :')

WAAA you're so sweet thank you!! 😭ah I don't know if I can help much lmao hmmm...for dynamic poses specifically I just do it from my imagination based on whatever I'm inspired by atm...like if I read a fighting manga I'll have fighting poses on the mind but idk if the forms are correct LMAO...Or I'll draw from imagination then use videos of the actions I'm trying to capture to help adjust them to make them look more accurate? The only time I use close references is for more complex character interactions (like naked hugging :)) cuz they can get quite tangled up so I'll look at...those types of photos/videos and even 3D models if it's a very specific pose/angle I want :•O I guess I'd say I've done gesture drawings for practice which might have improved my drawing from imagination I like this Youtube channel for practice and warming up! It's just the usual trying to capture the gesture or feeling of the pose quickly, maybe exaggerate it a little bit...I think it's best to practice gestures, construction, and anatomy in combination to be able to do dynamic poses from your head cuz you can probably imagine something way more dynamic and cool than most refs you can find lol I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful OTL

[finalset]

hii how did u start drawing, how old were u, do u have any tips for beginners, etc

helloo. tbh I’ve been into drawing for as long as I could remember, I used to always draw in any notebook or piece of paper lying around really, which ik sounds cliche lol but making things with my hands has always been so satisfying to me. I had a few different points where I was like “oh I like drawing more than others” once was when I was probably like 7 or 8 and then in middle school I was like I guess I should call myself an artist @ this point ! lmao. as for tips (it got long so I’m putting under a read more)

what’s been most effective and efficient for me is using real life references alwaysss. I steer clear from tutorials that break down let’s say anatomy into line and shapes tbh though or those sheets that show a body part at all angles, bc I feel like they keep you stuck only knowing how to draw smth in very specific positions yk. I like to understand more how what im drawing works and thinking about it in a 3D sense if I can’t get it right looking @ my ref just flat if that makes sense. drawing frequently is best and drawing things you like will help keep you drawing a lot, so do ur fanarts, get into a subject for a lil while, have no shame!! draw from real life, draw from photos, either you find or take yourself. A lot of the skill comes from observation imo or at least for me, thinking about how lighting works, how my subject is structured etc. when you start to understand the Nature of things/your subject then you can really get into bending and stylizing. Though I will say I don’t think you need to master realism perfectly before you get into stylizing your art, but it is very helpful to get good a good grip on proportions and lighting/shading before fully jumping into a style you’re leaning toward

[rikomoriyama01]

do you have any allison hcs? with ref to your recent allison posts, id love to know your thoughts!

I don't go deep into any other character than Riko but I love idea of Mtf Allison. Exy is co ed sport and considering her background she would have the resources for transition as well as the big deal of family drama that would go with this. I'm very attached to the idea of Allison leaving her family and choosing to play exy as a woman especially since testosterone is seen as extra benefit for most sports. I have some headcannons I suppose but nobody going to like them as they mostly connect to hear eating disorders - she has some fake teeth as she did loose few due to purging - she has stretch marks possibly got them lasered - she does exercise purgers still when foxes indulge into too much alcohol or fun food. - her weight fluctuates - personally I think she enjoys wearing sport clothes and layering to hide her body a bit, its a bit of a struggle for her, on some days she needs to be covered to feel comfortable but on others her gender dysphoria wins and she feels the need to indulge in hyper feminine fashion to feel more passing It would mean for me personally a lot if if ideas as such were read as they are intended - me trying to normalize the less glamorous parts of ed/recovery on top of the dysphoria train its hard for her to balance trying to look feminine and playing sports- testosterone or estrogen she still gains bit of muscle mass playing exy and i can see this being another part of her struggles with body image so far not good considering everything i write just runs around her looks and her body image but it's angle i don't see presented too often at leats not form those specific angles. if we go with the idea of allison being non white then 100% she would have the most fancy blonde wig money can buy I used to be very displeased with the idea of allison not ending as pro exy athlete but in the end she is not neil just because the book is about sport does not mean this is how all characters gotta end up, sports carry a lot of strain on body and mind i can see exy causing as much damage to ones health as football does. I like the idea of her and renee experimenting together a lot but not ending in established relationship for renee is exploration of sexuality outside of male attraction only and for allison its a tiny bit of gender envy about renee's body, she wouldn't want to grow resentful of a friend form the time and so they decide to cut it short but yeah I'm not interested in character work that is just "she is pretty and rich"

[filmprojectguenolerainbird]

Better Safe Than Sorry – Shoot

Test shoot notes

We had a meeting with the group to review the test shoot. A few points were raised: the out-of-focus shot just before the window opening either lasts too long or doesn’t hold enough visual interest. Alix suggested using a lens flare for this moment as to introduce some sort of extra visual interest while still conveying the feeling of sensory overload. We also talked about how the film was too noisy at some points and the shadows too murky, especially for down the stairs, which meant I both didn’t have enough light on the camera sensor and was using a too high ISO setting.

Moreover, I find out a few days after the test shoot that I had been using the worst possible ISO level. The Sony FX6 has a special feature called Dual Base ISO, which means it has two optimal ISO levels — ISO 800 for bright environments and ISO 12,800 for low light. Using either gives you a cleaner image with minimal noise. Not knowing this, I pushed the ISO to 10,000, just short of the second base ISO. This resulted in unnecessarily noisy footage; had I gone slightly higher, I would have had a brighter and cleaner image.

I also met with Isaac for additional location recces to get a clear sense of the shots he wanted. Based on those, I completed the shot list and floor plans, which I then used to work with Saif on a shooting schedule. I also completed an equipment list of what I thought would be needed for the shoot and forwarded it to Becca.

I hadn't done the tramlines for the script as I was waiting for someone to break it into 8th, but this never occurred. So we had no tramlines except for the one I requested from Issac for the final scene.

Equipment & Pre-Shoot Setup

The lighting equipment was very bare, consisting only of a flag and a couple of reflectors. We mostly used the flag when shooting the Room CU and tries emulating the sun quality from the previous day (it was much brighter by the time we got to the CUs). Most of the shoot was done with sunlight in mind, and so my job was entirely focused on camera placement and camera settings.

Unfortunately, the Sony FX6 wasn’t available for our shoot dates—which defeats the purpose of having assigned dates if the equipment isn’t available regardless. Doing a test shoot with a different camera nullified some of the things I learned during the test shoot. I picked out the Sony FS7 II as a substitute, as it seemed the closest alternative.

On equipment pick up day, I set up the camera settings and tested the camera. I quickly realised its autofocus was very different from the FX6, I wish I knew this beforehand as it became a major inconvenience for the shoot – beyond the FX6, I don’t know if the film store has any other cameras that would have done for the shoot. Moreover, I found out the camera didn’t have bars and therefore the follow focus wasn’t compatible with it and so couldn’t rely on a 1st AC to help with the focus. Regardless, I just had to work with it, but a lot more of the footage than I wished is out of focus—I had to pull focus myself or zoom out to regain sharpness.

Shoot Days

General technical notes

Day one felt very rushed, I feel we didn’t do a good job – I put some light down the stairs and did a few takes, but although bright enough, the lights didn’t look very good and we later took them off and did reshoots for these initial slates. Therefore, I wasted at least an hour doing takes that would be entirely scrapped. This happened for three of the shots where the editor (Ben) found out they weren't good enough once he got to see them on his PC. Although we did camera rehearsals before most takes, I felt it took me at least three takes for most shots before I could do the take half decently. I feel the shooting of this film was more about a performance of coordination with the camera than standard playing around with lights.

I did manage to change the settings to let more light in while not introducing noise through the ISO. I halved the shutter speed for some shots, which I hope will not look too different or introduce too much motion blur. I had to make a lot of adjustments with the camera as the light conditions varied a lot throughout the shoot—I’m unsure I managed to keep sufficient levels of consistency throughout. For a reason I wasn’t able to figure out, I also couldn’t control the white balance—changes in settings weren’t reflected in the image—so we’ll need to correct colour in post.

We shot the same action as the test shoot, but I feel the test shoot footage is overall better than what I managed to get here. The FX6 was clearly superior for this kind of shoot.

Things were better on the following days, but we still lacked standard set procedures — for example, we skipped crew shows and probably didn’t have a scripts on set. Although the film has no dialogue, this led to continuity issues in performance and movement. The director would often explain only the current shot he had in mind to the actress rather than the whole scene, leading to inconsistencies of action across slates — e.g. the crossroad sequence, the camera was tracking the actress from the front, but because the director had in mind to have the actress raise her hands in the reverse shot (i.e. tracking back of actress), he didn’t brief her about raising her hands in this slate, so as the two cops run past her, she’s not raising her hands like in the other shots covering the same action.

The director likes Saftie brothers close-ups, and was always asking to zoom in and get closer to the actress — I think this ends up making all the shots look a bit the same.

Location & crowd issues

I think the tunnel and crossroad location should have been changed, from our recces, we could see they were very crowded. We wasted a lot of time waiting or trying to clear people. I then had to shoot quickly, with minimal rehearsal or confidence, and struggled to maintain focus. I don’t think I nailed any of the shots. The crew seemed happy with some of them, but I find the shots too messy in a way that doesn’t come across as stylistic, but just a mistake.

I had trouble with the sun, because I messed up some of the shots from the early days and they clearly weren’t going to cut it in the edit, we had to reshoot so shots, but the outdoor light quality doesn’t always match. I have no idea how this is going to edit.

Performance

This is not my department, but acting-wise, I think Aliyah was a better fit for the character. I feel the actress, although capable, is miscast. I think her overal energy was hitting the wrong note, especially for the first scene. The actress can cry on command, but for me the character is not being emotional, she’s activated her computer brain mode and is entirely focused on finding a way out of here—no time to process her immediate emotions. I don’t know if it’s in the directing, the actress, or overall lack of preparation, but she was also less responsive to direction. She seemed to forget or not apply some of the notes given to her. Aliyah was much more natural in implementing directions too, I’d ask her to be running slower or faster at different points in the take and she would find performance justifications for the changes of speed (e.g. the character checking her surroundings, pacing to get her breath back), the actress was a lot more robotic in the way she modulates her running speed.

That said, she was lovely to work with and contributed positively to the on-set atmosphere. I don’t mean to say there were bad vibes on set, quite the opposit, the energy was positive for everyone on all four shoot days. This isn’t a comment on her professionalism or as a person, but a specific critique of her performance fit for the role.

I did direct her during a reshoots and managed to have the reaction Ben wanted for the edit: in the test shoot Aliyah had a very quick head turn just before the car ‘hit’ her. We’d been trying to replicate this, but the actress kept overreacting to it, bracing herself fully, or mimicking being actually hit. I just explained to her what her character had time to do, that it was a reflex rather than a reaction, the her character didn’t even had time to understand what was coming, only be startled by the sound and thing in the corner of her eye and it was already too late.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I think the shoot is far from a disaster, but also falls quite short of where I want it to be. I wasn’t managing to properly execute some of the camera movements and focus. I think test shoot remains stronger in key areas — particularly technical quality — and switching from the FX6 to the FS7 II undermined some of what I’d learned and planned for.

[valentine-cafe]

. ˚◞♡ 𝒛𝒉𝒂𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒚𝒖 9948 𝒆 — the artful reaper◞ ₊˚

⊹ ۪ ࣪ ᥫ᭡ “ i swear to you, you have my heart, my eyes, my mind, my very soul. so will you please allow me to keep you safe instead of watching you jump out into danger so recklessly — please ” ꒱

. ˚◞꒰verse꒱ 9948e

. ˚◞꒰face claim refs꒱ ( x ) ( x ) ( x )

. ˚◞꒰species꒱ reaper

. ˚◞꒰ethnicity꒱ chinese

. ˚◞꒰age꒱ 26

. ˚◞꒰gender꒱ male

. ˚◞꒰mbti꒱ enfp

. ˚◞꒰aliases꒱ looming darkness, midnight orchid, filth-blood ( by the heavens ), pest orchid ( by his father ).

. ˚◞꒰appearance꒱

𖹭. long, straight black hair that extends down to his midback 

𖹭. dioxazine purple eyes with slitted pupils. has a vertical piercing on his left brow 

𖹭. round decorative glasses with silver chains 

𖹭. pale skin, a mix of masculine and androgynous features from certain angles 

𖹭. standing at 6’8” (207cm) height and fit build comprised of lean muscles 

𖹭. dark talons extending from his fingers that don silver rings 

𖹭. silver snake bite piercings on his lips

𖹭. two standard lobe and the stacked helix piercings on both ears along with the industrial on his right

𖹭. punk gothic and vintage aesthetic, both in makeup and clothing, can also switch to dark and elegant hanfus 

𖹭. silver midline tongue piercing 

𖹭. nipple piercings and a frenum piercing 

. ˚◞꒰personality꒱

𖹭. chaos incarnate — if it was not for his habit of cussing out the gods, you would think he would descend to the underworld and become the new god of it. this man is *everywhere* everything all at once and is not afraid to show it.

𖹭. though to most he is not close to, hàoyú displays a calm, quiet and almost shy facade — to both shield himself from potential ulterior motives against him and also for the reason he is just. . . unsure about new people.

𖹭.  is a very artistic and poetic individual, often taking great pleasure in sitting himself down after a long day and doing some sketching or poetry. sometimes full-blown illustrations depending on how he is feeling.

𖹭. but beneath all those layers, the reaper is energetic in nature and loves running around laughing loudly, while teasing his friends and siblings.

𖹭. has habits of throwing around jokes in situations where he feels like they’re in need of some light, trying to cheer up the people around him, because the truth is. he hates when things get gloomy. it makes him feel dead.

𖹭. though that is not to say he cannot be mature and serious, because he can, and trust us when we say, for the most part he keeps himself collected.

𖹭. not one to snap when things get frustrating or jumbled up — though usually, one finds him still dashing out a few jokes into the conversation. his humoristic behavior is one of his coping mechanisms

𖹭. it is something to keep him sane, from all of the overwhelming emotions that come crashing down on him when his world is silence and reality hits him.

𖹭. he has already experienced enough times where he was crying and screaming to the point he lost his voice, and instead of dwelling, he decided to turn the pain into humor, to cope and laugh instead of cry.

𖹭. he is an extremely empathetic and sympathetic man, deeply caring with the people that surround him.

𖹭. despite his chaotic demeanor, he is quite soft-spoken, whether it is because of his line of work as a university librarian or it is because of his missions around the society of shades — this caused him to pick up on quiet mannerisms, to maintain stealth and deceptiveness.

𖹭. can be quite intimidating when he wants to be and will not hesitate to shut someone down when they open a smart mouth and give him insults. he knows how to throw down people verbally and physically if he needs to.

𖹭. hàoyú overall, is a confident, loyal, honest and hardworking reaper. do not let his facades get to you, they may just be your downfall.

. ˚◞꒰with a lover꒱

𖹭. incredibly affectionate both physically and verbally

𖹭. prides himself on taking care of his lover. always presents a shoulder to cry on and is a very good listener. loves listening to you ramble and gets lost in your voice 

𖹭. power knows no bounds and he can be quite the touchy lover — he’s especially touch-starved 

𖹭. can be very teasing, always enjoying the idea of flustering you with words and actions.  he’ll throw you off with little teases and flirts only to snatch you by the waist and turn your head to him when you try to hide from embarrassment

𖹭. always has his hands on you, whether they are on the swell of your hips, your waist, your thighs and sometimes even randomly bites you during the day 

𖹭. can be quite clingy. this can also bleed into possessiveness which can become a bit more than he wants it to be. while it never turns toxic, he usually always feels terrible after

𖹭. spoils you rotten, affectionately or financially, in whatever way he possibly can 

𖹭. dances you around the garden and whispers sweet nothings to your ear

𖹭. writes poems and songs for you, loves reciting and playing them for you

𖹭. can be quite chaotic around you but calms down if it is not something that you fancy

𖹭. very careful with you, not wishing to cross your boundaries or drive you away

 . ˚◞꒰strengths꒱

𖹭. soul-reaping: he has the ability to reap more than 100 souls and carry them on his scythe until he can send them away to the afterlife.

𖹭. vapour teleportation: can shift his physical form into a dark vapour and can move at high speeds towards a different location.

𖹭. dark vapor production: produces a dark vapour from his back and shoulders that can blind and disorientate enemies greatly.

𖹭. acrobatic fighting: very flexible and graceful in general, he is able to move his body in a fluid motions and exert his physical form a bit more than others.

𖹭. illusionary trickery: spells that he has taught himself, the ability to cast certain illusions.

𖹭. dark magic: the ability to cast spells and incantations using dark magic, this branches out into various fields

𖹭. skilled martial artist: trained from a young age in various martial arts and uses a combination of these in combat.

𖹭. can see souls/ghosts: as a reaper haoyu has the ability to see ghosts, spirits, wraiths, etc. along with the souls of both living and dead.

𖹭. increased bodily function: advanced strength, speed, agility and durability.

𖹭.  heightened senses: advanced sight, smell, hearing, taste and awareness of surroundings.

𖹭. healing factor: a dull healing factor that heals his injuries far quicker than an average human

 . ˚◞꒰weaknesses꒱

𖹭. peaches: has a very bad allergy to peaches and can be hospitalized due to it.

𖹭. attachment issues: has severe attachment issues that can trigger him to severe episodes of despair. he cannot stay very long without the ones that he loves.

𖹭. daylight: as a nocturnal reaper, daylight and other bright sources of light can weaken his senses of sight as he is used to the darkness of the night.

𖹭. d’akar: an anti-magic material that can greatly weaken him if he comes into contact with it.

𖹭. extreme emotional attachment: while reapers may remind one of humans, they are not. they are beings with very empathetic instincts and have souls bigger than the average mortal being — a thing that has been with them since their creation. they become extremely attached to things they love and it may cause them to become erratic if enough they love is taken away from them.

𖹭. fading: occurs when a reaper goes through immense hurt and pain. their physical form quite literally begins to disappear, making them appear transparent. it can be a very painful process, both emotionally and physically. until their physical form eventually fades away and their soul moves on to the afterlife

  . ˚◞꒰story꒱

the second oldest reaper son of two well known reaper families, with a mission and a goal to put down the corrupt government of his city. . . and something way beyond that.

meddling with the gods he does, he loves to *taunt* them, pulling at their strings to get all of their sour sides out — the more gods he can piss off the more he can show just how corrupt they are. he is tired of the injustice they put upon the world, his family — *the people he loves the most*.

working as a librarian at the elritea university library at day while working at the society of shades at night to investigate more on it’s leaders together with his younger brother haitao. the second oldest reaper son of the zhào family is well on his path to becoming a high reaper.

and after he has achieved that goal? well, you’d like to know, wouldn’t you.

. ˚◞꒰relationships꒱

𖹭. zhào talisen: older brother, irish twin, from another universe ( verse 781)

𖹭. zhào jìngyì: older brother, irish twin, deceased.

𖹭. zhào haitāo: younger brother

𖹭. zhào xīyáng: younger brother

𖹭. zhào yizé: younger brother

𖹭. zhào yŭ xī: younger brother/sister/sibling

𖹭. zhào mùchén: deadbeat father

𖹭. yuè mèng yáo: mother

𖹭. lorenzo agresta arias: younger brotherly figure, friend

𖹭. alessio agresta arias: ex-best friend.

𖹭. alessio arias 781: best friend, from another universe ( verse 781)

𖹭. rishen aryielus: rishen’s bullying victim, friend

𖹭. rishen hererra 781: haoyu’s bullying victim, friend, from another universe ( verse 781)

𖹭. shalika vaishya: best friend. . . complicated

𖹭. shimada takara: friend.

𖹭. xú yíngtái: the one fatherly figure in his life

. ˚◞꒰extra꒱

𖹭. he speaks chinese ( mandarin ) and a little bit of spanish ( castilian )

𖹭. he knows csl and asl

𖹭. he is an exceptional song writer and musician, he plays bass

𖹭. he writes poetry and is an artist

𖹭. he has a pet bunny named essio

[choshasan]

To "expand" a bit more on this,

If I ever open my commissions, I would have to set some extremely strict boundaries (imo), such as;

Payment upfront (upon commission being accepted)

No time limitations (meaning I could not accept a commission with the condition of "I would need it by [x] date")

No cashback for any reason (dissatisfaction, etc..)

Credit for art remains mine (and yes, I would make sure to put my signature on every piece of art.)

I also, like most artist, would have to set boundaries on what I do make and do not make, but I feel mine are fairly basic and average for that

No NSFW (I'm not uncomfortable with it, I'm just not good at drawing naked people honestly)

No furry art (I simply don't know how to draw in a furry artstyle) (this would not include things like requesting fanart of anime/manga like Beastars or BNA, for the simple fact I can find refs to draw from for those, I don't have anything to figure out, just do as I always do and base myself off of a refs)

No fanart of Vtubers, Youtubers, Streamers, Influencers or celebrities as a whole (while I do draw celebrities at times, I'm the one accepting to associate my name and art to someone that may turn out to be a bad person in the future, but even for money, I would not take that risk, because while I do not mind taking down my own posts if it turns out I made fanart of a problematic person, I would not be comfortable asking someone else to take down their post/pfp/wherever they may be using my art if they payed for it)

I would retain the right to deny any and all commission I do not want to do for any reason I may feel

I would retain the right to deny any text being put on a piece of art (e.g. text in a language I do not speak, for I have no way of being 100% certain that there are no douple meanings, that it is not hate speech, or goes against my values as a person, etc.)

No religious symbolisms of any kinds **unless already present in the original character design, e.g. Tokyo Revenger's use of the Manji on uniforms.** (I personally am very open to the fact I am non religious and non spiritual, and I simply do not want my art to be associated with religion with the current climate around the world towards different religions, and I also would feel very uncomfortable having to say no to certain people (e.g. requesting a Manji symbol) because certain people in the world cannot differenciate between a symbol of peace and harmony, and a symbol of hate that rips it off by simply turning it to a 45° angle..., but then saying yes to another religious symbol like a cross, and so on)

I would *NOT* make fanart of a character and change aspects of their designs, such as; changing ethnicity/nationality, adding/taking away disabilities, etc.

Now for things I would accept

I would allow requests for specific artstyles, but cannot guarantee 100% accuracy (studying a piece of media's art style can only get me so far)

I would gladly accept gore, though boundaries of what is "too much" would have to be discussed, because as a lover of media like SAW and MADK, there simply is no such thing as "too much gore" in my eye, but I do not want to make the person who recieves the art uncomfortable, therefore, I would have to be certain of what they feel is too much/too far.

I would 100% accept to do fanart for pieces of media I am familiar with (a few examples: BNHA, Monster, Haikyuu, Hunter × Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Beastars, Genshin Impact, Sousou No Frieren, Baldur's Gate, Sally Face, and more.)

I would gladly do art of your OCs, but I would most likely require *some* detail on them (again, simply to protect myself and make sure I am not associating myself with something I don't stand for/believe in)

**if** you have reference pictures, and a lot of detail of what you are looking for, I would be glad to make OC designs, DND OC designs, Vtuber Designs (reference art, I am incapable of rigging a model or producing art to rig your model from)

I would gladly make profile pictures, (And I would consider banners but I am not 100% comfortable with those kinds of canvas dimentions in general, it just.. feels awkward to draw on for me)

Anything else would have to be discussed, but that's what I can think of right now.

If you've made it to the bottom of the post, thank you for reading my ranting, and this is a simple reminder; My commissions are, in fact, still closed, this was just a rant post.

commissions

I've gotten this question a couple times now, so I figured I'd pin a post to answer it;

No, My commissions are not open,

Both for personal reasons, and because I simply don't have the time at the moment in my life to be working on commissions,

I apologise to anyone who wishes to commission artworks from me, perhaps someday in the future, but not currently 🙇🏻‍♂️

[bugborgs]

I am learning to draw and I am enamoured by the way you draw these charecters, do you have any tips or suggestions to help a newbie :)

aww thank you so much, that's very kind of you! :')))

this is a bit of a boring answer but truly the best way is to just draw them a LOT! the more you draw them, the more you'll learn how to draw and then simplify their (very often excessively complicated lol) outfits and design details. i'm a little rusty since this blog was inactive for some time, but there was definitely a point in time where i had basically memorized nebula's vol2 outfit just because i drew her so often haha

as far as character specific tips, references are your best friend!! i would try to search around for anything like, in-character photoshoots or set photos and the like. get an hd rip of the movies and just trawl through and screencap any different angles and such you can find. (same applies if you're going for comic designs, just trawl through the panels for what you need!). also, those very intricate Hot Toys sixth scale figures are REALLY good references! I have the Nebula one that came out a few years ago and it has truly been an invaluable reference for her complicated-ass outfit lmao

i know they're a bit of a splurge though so if you can find like, photos of the figures that works too, you're just limited to whatever angles they take for the photoshoot. but when the nebula figure was up for pre-order i used the photo references of the figure that sideshow had on the pre-order page for refs and they worked really well.

i would also suggest not stressing about getting every single little detail right, because doing so is impossible and frankly a pain in the ass. if you look at nebula's actual design vs how i draw her, depending on the art and how detailed i feel like being, i tend to simplify things quite a bit and cut out little details.

looking at how other artists draw a character can also be helpful! there have been times i've only noticed new details in a character's design after i've seen someone else draw it, haha.

i'm not sure if you're a newbie to art in general, or just to drawing these characters, but if the former then just as a general tip study anatomy and use life references! it's a boring answer but it's also the most helpful one, truly. i've gotten a lot of use out of the Morpho series of books by Michel Lauricella! There's several in the series so far and each book focuses on something different (for example there's one on musculature and one on simplified forms) and has some helpful advice on how to break down anatomy and learning to draw the human figure.

also, finally, just get really REALLY obsessed with one or more characters and draw them all the fucking time if i didn't spend several years obsessively drawing bugborg all the time my human anatomy probably wouldn't be at the point it is now tbh LOL

[elliotoille]

Do you have any advice for understanding hands better? I’ve been practicing them for years but feel like compared to other aspects of anatomy it’s the one thing I haven’t seen much improvement in. I draw both from life and images and draw nearly everyday but nothing I’m doing seems to help

I personally get by mostly from remembering poses that I’ve already practiced a ton, like I figure out how to draw it once and am able to file that away in my brain and use it again later, and tweak bits of the pose or the level of simplification to suit what I’m drawing. 

I’ve paid special attention to drawing hands for like.... most of my life so I have a LOT of poses I’m easy comfy with now, but when I need to figure out something complicated or new, I can usually work it out by breaking a hand down into shapes, remembering a few key points/”rules” from what I’ve learned about hands in order to help me break it down in a way that makes sense. And if that’s not enough either, then I take photo refs. 

^^^ here is a pose I use a ton. I have a quick way of drawing it from various angles. the first time I had to draw a pose like this, I had to think and figure it out, but in drawing it a bunch of times and having to use various angles like this, I’ve eventually come up with a quick, reliable way to draw it from a few of the most common angles that fits the style I like to draw in. I’m blessed with a good memory for observations, so when I see a beautifully posed hand, I can usually really quickly analyze what I like about that pose and why, and that helps me absorb it so I can recreate my saved impression later. But I know not everyone thinks the same way. it might benefit you to quickly scribble down a study in a sketchbook when you see a pose you find beautiful and want to learn from for later.

^^^ here are some poses I had to stop and spend time figuring out, calling up the “rules” for how hands are built to kind of logic-out how they should look from angles I’m less familiar with. results can be mixed, but... if I end up with something expressive that fits the style of the rest of the drawing, I’m usually really forgiving of fudged anatomy or slightly wonky proportions. as long as the thumb is on the right side and there aren’t too many fingers, that’s a great start lol.

^^^ and here are ones I had to take reference-selfies for. I try to use this as a last resort because 1) it’s a lot of trouble 2) interrupts my drawing and 3) if I’m not careful I stick too close to the reference, and the drawing ends up with the hand looking referenced and the rest of the pose not, which is jarring to me. not to mention I have tiny manlet wrists that without fail, look horrific and emaciated in photos, and the lens distortion makes my fingers look scary too... ugh, photo reference has definite flaws. I actually don’t like the look of drawings for which I can Really Tell the artist drew from photo reference, because most often that means they’re taking the ref too much at face value and incorporating ugly lens distortions into their drawing. so I have to think extra hard not only about interpreting the ref, but also might have to make multiple passes just to get the hand to look normal, AND match the style of the rest of the drawing.

Anyway, here are some of the ““rules””” I mentioned earlier that I fall back on to help me figure out more complicated poses:

1. probably seen this before, but basic proportions. the palm is usually half the total height of the hand. obviously you can mess with this purposefully. 

2. I think of joints as like, ball joints or hinges. I find that easier than trying to remember bones & muscles. here’s a drawing of the wrist as a hinge. note that when you’re thinking of it this way, it’s a shortcut, but a shortcut is only good if you use it with precision. notice the pin for the wrist hinge is not just halfway, it’s closer to the top of the hand. being precise about that is what allows this shortcut to work. the heel of the palm juts out, while the top of the hand transitions into the wrist quite smoothly.

3. simplified planes. planes are important yo. in super simple terms: top is flat, bottom is round. this works on the fingers too, actually. the tops are bony and tendony, and the bottom is where the fat is, so it’s rounder and soft

thinking of the hand as abstract shapes REALLY helps simplify the task of drawing hands, and is just as helpful even if you are drawing from reference. I can say “the palm is a box” and obviously the palm is not really as simple as a box, but if I think of the palm, wrist, and each finger joint as various shapes of box, then all of a sudden, psychologically, my task is SO much easier. I’m not drawing a Hand, which is hard, I’m drawing boxes, which is easy.

4. that prominent knob some people have on their wrist? that’s on the pinky side.

1. the knuckles aren’t really a flat row on top. the hand is like a cup right, so your palm can hold water and things. so we can think of the hand as a box to make figuring out the pose easier, but when it comes down to it, you’ll want to make it more of a curve. this curve is why you can see multiple fingers in a side view

2. when curled up, the fingers nestle together. the fingernails also turn slightly toward the center. even if I’m simplifying the hands significantly, I usually still draw the fingernails because they are SO useful for communicating the pose of the hand effectively.

3. lots of people suggest to think of the hand as a mitten, grouping the pinky/ring/middle fingers and singling out the index finger. this works great, the index finger is more independent from the other three. on the flip side, those three are really stuck together; if you’re drawing the pinky curled up all the way, then you better not draw the ring finger sticking straight up, cause that would HURT. anyway, singling out the index finger leads to more interesting poses in my experience.

1. this is another illustration of top = flat and bottom = curved. this is a really easy way to organize your line quality. straight lines and sharper angles where there is bone, and soft gentle lines where there is muscle and fat. your drawing as a whole will read very clearly if you find some guidelines like that to stick to, as it means all your lines are intentional and thoughtful.

2. this one’s about overlaps. when forms overlap, it makes a crease, and when you draw that crease you’re communicating which form is in front of the other. in the second drawing I reversed all the creases, and it looks.... messed up. think about how pieces connect.

so when you’re trying to make up a pose without using specific reference, I think it’s good to think about the.... flow of energy through the pose. honestly, I know it’s really abstract, but if I have an ability to make interesting poses that communicate weight and movement, the things that make people say your character feels ALIVE, like they really EXIST in a space... it’s because I started to think of poses this way. imagining streams of energy bouncing through the body, flowing down the limbs and out through the fingers. this is why hands are so important to me, cause they’re where the kinetic energy of the pose ultimately ends up. I talk about it when drawing the torso and arms and legs, but an interesting drawing has a bounce back and forth between opposites: for every curve, an opposing straight line, alternating back and forth down the entire body. if you’re sensitive to the energy of the pose, then even very simple poses will be interesting to look at.

anyway, with regards to hands, I imagine the energy getting sort of cinched in as it passes through the wrist, and then emanating out through the fingertips. I hope my drawing at least SORT of communicates this imagery. it makes sense because that’s BASically how the bones in the hand are anyway. and then the right side of the image above is just demonstrating some highly simplified gestures. see how the fingers fan out and curl in, rarely parallel to eachother. when you’re figuring out the pose, using a line to stand in for the row of knuckles is super valuable.

aaand finally, here’s two hands where I intentionally neglected correct anatomy and proportion because I felt it worked better for the style of the whole drawing. Left side: since this is a really simple and cartoonish style, I was thinking back to kids’ and shoujo manga I have read where the style was very solid and distinctive, but definitely NOT overly concerned with correct anatomy, or even really drawing hands, uh, “well” at all. to me, that sort of approach has a Look that I like to invoke sometimes, since for years I felt like I learned a bunch of anatomy and proportion and drawing from life actually in detriment to the liveliness and appealness of my drawings. this hand is mushy and makes very little sense, but it turned out as intended. Right side: sometimes I like to pretend fingers only have 2 bones in them, cause i am a Queen and i do what i want

and there you go. I hope that helped, like, at all? Look at real hands and photos of hands and hands in motion, but also look at drawn hands as well. find what you like, and work towards expressing that yourself. and remember the hand is part of the whole drawing. not only in the art style like I’d been talking about, but because the angle and placement of the hand is reflected in the angles of the arm, which in turn reflects on the angles of the shoulder, which affects the whole torso, etc etc etc. and the techniques you can use to understand and draw the rest of the body, works on hands too. as you improve everything else, your hands will improve as well.

DISCLAIMER: I whipped up these diagrams quickly, they’re not meant to be good drawings or accurate refs, just diagrams to illustrate my thought process lol

[shingia]

Hii!! Can i request hcs for kuroo, sakusa, osamu and atsumu with a mma fighter s/o?🌚❤

𝐌𝐌𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐂𝐒 𝐩𝐭.𝟏

ok you’re a literal life saver i was having a breakdown bc i wanted to write hcs but my inbox was emptyyyy so thank you ! <33

⤷ kuroo, sakusa, osamu, atsumu

pt.2 | pt.3

✰ 𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐨

• he shows you O F F 

• but he might be a bit vexed if your thighs are bigger than his

• kuroo genuinely thinks you’re the best fighter ever. he’s so fascinated whenever he watches you fight that he has persuaded himself that you could win the olympic gold medal easily

• during your matches, you can bet your ass that he’s sat in the front row. he also makes sure that everyone within a 30ft radius knows he’s your boyfriend

• and if someone has the auDACITY to walk in front of him when he’s watching you fight, oh dear god. he’ll throw the first thing he gets his hand on, even if it’s a chair (forgive him, it’s just the heat of the moment)

• and if you ever lose a fight ? he’ll curse the ref all the way back home. because “you did amazing, the match was rigged it’s fucking scandalous” (he’s a karen i’m sorry)

• also, he just had to measure against you at least once. you guys were innocently messing with each other on his couch when he told you to go all out on him. just to see what you were capable of

• and he got his ass handed to him. big time.

• lowkey turned him on

• one of his favorite things to do when you guys are on a date is to randomly point at strangers and try to guess if you could beat them in a fight

• (he might overestimate you)

• overall he has a profound respect for everything you manage to pull off during your fights, and you’re a huge source of inspiration for him, both as an athlete and as a person

✰ 𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐬𝐚

• will probably be like « oh, cool », acting all unbothered when you tell him. but after seeing you fight for the first time ? complete change of heart

• he’s ecstatic because he loves that you both are really involved in your sport (it reassures him because he was afraid that his passion for volleyball might not be understood by his s/o)

• he loves to workout with you and you guys would be the biggest power couple at the gym, the type of couple that everybody’s jealous of

• well, actually you’re a power couple 24/7. it’s like you command respect without even trying

• even though he has faith in your skills, he can’t help but freak out during every one of your matches. and i mean freak out

• he’s actually happy to be wearing a mask because it means nobody can see him biting his lips like a maniac whenever he fears you might take a hit

• he would love to cheer you up more from the side of the ring but he’s honestly too panicked to say anything

• as much as he’d love to, he can’t watch your trainings because he’s already too busy with volleyball BUt he always asks about it afterwards

• on the other hand, he does his absolute best to be here for your matches as often as possible

• never ever fails to tell you how proud he is after every match, won or lost

✰ 𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐮

• probably the most interested in the sport itself?

• he’s actually so interested that he even asks you to teach him a few things

• and he’s a very good student (atsumu better start running)

• tries to cook healthy and high-protein meals for the both of you as often as he can, and he’ll gladly teach you a few recipes

• knowing that you can fight actually reassures him, especially when he knows you’re going out at night

• ok so i said before that kuroo is super mega proud when he watches your matches. samu is proud too, but his cheering is just on. another. level. 

• nothing can make him lose his focus when you’re on the ring, he’s 100% into it (one day he was so excited that he cried, but never let you know about this)

• but him being so intense during the match balances the fact that he’s an absolute softie afterwards

• he’ll pamper you like crazy for the rest of the day. massages ? a bath ? cuddles ? a nap ? ask and you shall receive

• most definitely takes pictures with you after your matches and always posts it on his story because that’s just how proud he is

✰ 𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐮

• literal worshipper. he could spend days talking about how impressive you are when you fight

• like kuroo, atsumu has already challenged you to a fight, but he stopped it after five seconds (but if anyone asks, it was ten minutes)

• he will gladly help you train if you ask him to, and he won’t go easy on you

• remember when i said samu asked you to teach him some stuff ? yeah well atsumu straight up sends you to fight his brother for him. it might sound like he’s talking to a pokemon sometimes

• “y/n, go beat this kid up” “for the fourth time tsumu, i won’t fight your brother”

• after sakusa, he’s probably the most freaked out during your matches. sometimes he forgets that fighting is literally the essence of the sport and he’ll get mad at the ref for allowing your opponent to hit you

• also, his eyes are wide form the beginning to the end. he literally admires each and every one of your movement

• if the match ends with you winning, his cheering will be louder than anyone else’s. mostly because he’s relieved that you’re still alive (he can be kind of dramatic)

• when you cuddle after a match, he won’t shut up about the things you did in the ring

• he’s also developed an obsession for your hands ever since he saw the punches you could throw. he’ll look at them from every angle, smirk and say “damn… the things those hands can do”

[calocera]

Hi! I just wanted to say I absolutely love your art. Can I ask how/where you find references and how you use them when you draw? I have a hard time finding reference pics and then knowing how to actually use them? I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense lol

np at all! depends on the ref really, for drawing things ive never drawn before i just google drawing tutorials lol; sometimes you cant find any that fit your style so then you just kinda wing it? for other things like bodies and such i usually just pose myself and use that as a ref pic! even if you dont have the same build as the person you are drawing you can still use yourself as a base for the flow of the human form and such. if that still isnt working right for me ill just find refs on google, i know if you want to be very careful about using correctly sourced refs there are sites specifically for royalty free images, you can even change your google search results to be specifically free images.

people can be very weird about how to “correctly” use refs but its really as simple as “use refs how ever you want, but if you are directly tracing from the ref, or lifting unique design elements from the ref (ESP if its someone elses original design) then credit the OP of the ref and do not sell the work.” like ive seen discourse over things like “pose theft” or “color pallet theft” and like thats not a thing i promise. meanwhile if you are tracing/lifting from your own original photos it literally doesnt matter, you can do whatever the fuck you want with those. id actually recommend tracing as a warmup/way to study!

personally the way i use reference images either goes:

A: i pull up the image on my canvas/ next to my canvas and just look back and fourth as i draw

B: i do a sketch over/ silhouette of/ skeleton trace over the ref, and then use just the sketch as a ref (this is a lot more useful to me when im trying to reference a pose or general weight and flow of a body rather than specific tangible features) its actually very helpful to not have the original ref distracting you in this case

heres a few examples of refs i used and their finished products, i really have no advice besides like...if you are worried about being too similar to a ref use multiple refs/ change up prominent features? as far as im concerned your finished product shouldnt look exactly like your ref anyways unless its a study

^^ using my own hands

^^ using faces moreso for an understanding of the angle, lighting, and form rather than copying the peoples exact features

i dont do it because im cheap and lazy, but id also recommend looking into programs that offer assets specifically for tracing over/ referencing! i know most professional art programs utilize them in some way, things like backgrounds in comics or animation are usually either traced over a 3d model or just straight up copy+pasted premade vectors

[tayvenluciveros]

Title: Blake's Wish

Continuation of Yang's Fantasy

Have you ever feel ike you were in the right place but everything felt so wrong at the same time? Have you ever felt that kind of warmth that's burning you from the inside out? Have you ever feel like everything's gonna crush you down once you opened your eyes only to be met with steel grey eyes?

If you didn't, Blake did. For the past three years those feelings are the only things she can feel. The rest are just there sometimes just because of a little joke,a wide grin and a big hug. The rest felt empty.

Blake felt the bed shifted and Ruby's arms wrapped around her torsos. She looked down at her sleeping fiancee and tried to unwrap the shorter yet stronger arms around her. It's already morning and they need to prepare their breakfast as soon as they can be.

"Buuut Blakeyy. I want to cuddle more." Ruby buried her face on Blake's chest. The older woman giggled. There it is again,the bitter happiness.

There goes Ruby again, reminding her of Yang subconciously,calling her name's that Yang used to call her and doing the things that Yang once did with her. Blake giggled, Ruby was acting cute again. But it wasn't the reason. It's because she remembers Yang again. Blake let out a sigh and she was finally able to slide out of Ruby's arms. "I'm gonna make the dough and heat up the water ,but please do the rest. " Blake smiled and Ruby just nodded,cuddling into the blankets.

The faunus walked to the mirror,brushed her hair and walked her way towards the kitchen. Yang was there already,sitting on a chair while looking out of the window. The teapot was already prepared and being heated up on the stove. Blake bit her lip, she hates moments like this.

She hates it because Yang was there bathing in the morning sunlight looking like a Greek goddess. Yang was there, looking like a princess from a fairytale even with her messy mane. Yang was there,not even greeting her the way she used to before.

Back when they're still together,Yang was always the first one to wake up. Blake will search for her in the bedroom and then the soft alluring smoke of the tea and coffee will lead her here. In the conjoint kitchen and dining room. Yang was waiting,on the same table,and once she hears Blake's footstep,she will immediately turn her head,face Blake and greet her with a big smile, walk towards her and shower her face with good morning kisses. Blake wishes she can bring back the old days. But it will be wrong in many ways.

She pretended to check the teapot and walked to the counter after. She started making the dough so Ruby will only have to bake it once she's fully awake. It already became a habit for her to do it for Ruby since she and Ruby stays up all night long reading and exchanging books. Blake takes naps in the afternoons so she still gets enough sleep to wake up this early.

After making the dough,Ruby hasn't still come yet to the kitchen so Blake looked around to see any possible tasks,and she sees the ref. Maybe she should slice some apple?

Blake nodded to herself and goes to the freezer,she grabbed some apple and cleaned it witch running water. She placed them on a chopping board and grabbed a knife.

She sliced them in half at first. The redness reminds her of Ruby but its yellow insides remind her of Yang and about yesterday.. The way Yang stared at her. The way Yang locked gazes with her for a few seconds, The way she, herself, can't stop her own eyes from staring at Yang with love as if she's the only thing she can see in the room. But Ruby's arm wrapped around her instantly,possessively. It kind of reminded her of someone. Of Adam.

Chops There goes the stinging pain.

Blake let out a yelp and dropped the knife on the counter. She accidentally chopped off her skin unconciuously. She wonders why. Why can't her own aura protect her.

"Blake!" Before the owner could turn her head and face the owner of the familiar voice,Yang was already on her side,holding her hand gently while avoiding the wounded part.

Blake blinked and she couldn't speak. All she can see was Yang's golden mane, all she can feel was Yang's soft yet cool blows on the bleeding skin and just because of that Blake feels like she was healed again, physically,mentally and emotionally.

Yang's warm hands on hers, Yang's cool breath against the painful wound, Yang's body closed to hers. If Blake would be selfish she'll just hug Yang right now and kiss her repeatedly until she's out of breath. But she can't,In a month she'll be marrying her younger sister.

Blake was broken out of trance when she felt the running water against the wound. She winced in pain but Yang's other hand moved to her back to gently pat it. To comfort her the way she wished she did 3 years ago.

"Geez, what were you doing? Now your own aura can't even help you." Yang chuckled but the way her voice shakes gives Blake a sign that the blonde was worried. Blake giggled,this time,it was real because it was Yang who caused it.

"I swear I was just cutting off the apple!" Blake's voice was a little high pitched, she sounds so happy despite of the pain on her finger.

"Oh sure,you do?~ Cause I thought I just heard you snapped your own finger." Yang said in between laughs as she turns off the faucet,waiting for the water to dry and trickle off the wounded finger.

Blake rolled her eyes but she smirked at the end. "It was the apple that I chopped."

Here they are again,laughing and teasing each other just like the old days like it was the most natural thing in this chaotic world. Playful little banters ,stolen glances once one of them looks away to laugh and the other just stares. It feels like it's so right,but they both know how wrong was that..

"Oh come on! You should be more ca--" Blake was giggling as Yang jokes about her wounded finger when someone from behind them suddenly coughed. It was Ruby. Her fiancee,soon to be legal wife and soon she'll spend her married life with her.

"--More careful for Ruby.." Yang's hands left her back and let go of her wrist as Ruby walks towards them almost menacingly. Yang backs away and gave her younger sister space. "What happened here?" She asked ,sounding so uncharacteristically stern. Blake shivered. "I just accidentally chopped my skin and Yang helped me clean the wound.." She explained.

Ruby was wrapping a bandage around her wounded finger and Blake took it as a chance to stare at Yang who was also staring at her as she exits the dining room. Her lilac eyes was longing for her,her eyebrows are narrowed in a worried angle and all Blake can do in return was give her an apologetic smile and a longing look.

After wrapping the bandage around her finger, Ruby wrapped an arm on her back and placed a comforting hand on her back just like Yang did earlier,her other hand was holding Blake's hand as she reminds her,gives her a lesson and while asking her to be more careful. But Blake can't hear them as her own heartbeat blocks her own ears.

She just hopes that it was Yang's gentle but strong hand instead of Ruby's smaller ones that was rubbing her back. They have the same blood but not the same warmth. She hopes that it was Yang's jokes she was hearing right now instead of Ruby's lectures. She just want to imagine that it was Yang who was holding her right now.

But all she can do was watch as the golden mane disappears into the living room and bury every thoughts she have,separate them from reality , Because it's just Blake's wish.

[jabberwockjamboree]

Hi🥰! Sorry for the random ask and for likes/rbs spam😅 but i just wanted to say that your artstyle is literally THE BEST??? Like, im in LOVE??? HELP??? So inspiring🥺 (im a begginer artist). I was wondering if u had any tips on drawing Naruto/Naruto characters? Or drawing in general? But feel free to ignore this and either way, have an awesome day/night💜!

dont apologize for your ask! i warmly welcome any and all questions!!! first of all you are so sweet!!! 💖💖💖 i am heckin delighted with any spam likes/reblogs so dont sweat it. i've never been asked for art tips before so i'll do my best!

kinda long post so

i've only watched og naruto so i'm only familiar with most of the characters in part 1 (design wise i think they all peaked too soon). what's helped me a lot is looking through screenshots of characters and using a character/reference sheet that can be found with google. reference is your best friend but i tend to get too nitty gritty about my piece looking exactly like my ref so use it as a guide for costume/accessories (i.e. can i see the tail ends of the headband with the angle i'll be using? is this a skirt or pants and how can i make it look like the fabric is flowing in the wind? )

of course practice drawing the characters you like often. as you draw you'll develop your style so experiment with faces, shapes, colors, and what have you. i don't know what your style is like so i can only be vague in these tips.

as for general art tips, TAKE BREAKS!!! i still struggle with going for hours non stop drawing and it's unhealthy 0/10 would not recommend! breaks can be anywhere between a few hours between drawing sessions to days or weeks without drawing. this is especially true with art block. and it is okay.

another tip i have is for when your drawing just isn't going the way you want. just get rid of it. you don't have to actually trash it or anything, just try again. you'll grow from doing multiple iterations of a piece and eventually you land somewhere that feels right. many of those naruto pieces i did were made after 5-10 or even more sketches that sucked. you gotta get all the bad art out and maybe something decent will come out of it. thats just how art is baby. but know that i believe in you. 👍

tl; dr

naruto characters tip: use reference and experiment baby

general art tips: take breaks and delete your art when it's not working out, just keep trying until something does

i hope any of this is helpful if not things you've already heard. anyway thanks again for your kind words 😙😙😙 you also have a great day/night💕!