#maybe i should just try to redraw it from memory... .. .

[unnamed-atlas]

Remembering a sketch I never finished from highschool of Zeph and EX and desperately wishing I had access to that computer just for the chance to retrieve that file and see that image again

[enbypotat53]

(SPOILERS FOR TNM6!)

Holy fucking shit. Two years of waiting was so worth it. I'm not even kidding I have been sobbing and shaking for the past half an hour.

I have way too many screenshots so I'll try to condense it but FIRST OFF LOOK AT THESE CUTIE PATOOTIES??? Oh my god realising that this was a year onward from the murders was like a knife to the chest; seeing Tophat and Sketchpad living together and ACTUALLY HAPPY FOR ONCE?? AUGHHH I LOVE THEM 💔

I'm not joking when I say I went back and screenshotted almost every scene GPS was in, but I'll include this one when talking about the memories because GPS hiding behind the couch is SO damn cute 💙

And. Oh. Oh my god. My fucking heart. They care SO much about Tophat and Folder, and the new song?? PEAK. Average TNM W. Seeing all of the adorable moments of these three together?? Heals the soul, but it's SO bittersweet knowing they'll never see eachother again. I'm ABSOLUTELY redrawing some of these, they're too cute not to :,3

Okay but THEY ARE SO IN LOVE?? THEY. AJDJFJFJFJ THEY ARE SO IN LOVE. I. WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS. HOW IN LOVE THEY ARE. GOD. PLEASE ALLEN JUST. LET THEM BE HAPPY FOR ONCE. P L E A S E.

"You just.. wouldn't get the full picture. It's the same with memories for me. Would it still be me.. even if I was missing a few bad ones?"

This is.. genuinely such a fantastic line. GPS has always been my favourite character, but.. damn. The idea that even bad memories hold value because they're still memories; still a part of you, and still might contain the people you love most? They're genuinely such a well-written character, and it's plain to see just how much they care for their friends. And they have a point! Memories shape you, good and bad. As much as the bad ones hurt, it can also help to learn from them in order to make more good ones in the future. And it seems Sketchpad and Tophat did just that.

God. Codey's betrayal was definitely forseeable, but it still hurts. The "I'm just following my programming" line gives me similar vibes to Speech Bubble and Spraypaint in a way; everyone has their part to play, even if (in Codey and Binary's case) it's a harmful one. I'm glad they did the right thing in the end, though. And Binary for SURE gives me Airy vibes, I both adore and despise them and to be honest that's EXACTLY what I could've hoped for in an antagonist. They're GREAT.

Wait a sec..

Binary..

OH I GET THE JOKE IT'S BECAUSE GPS IS NONBI-

Oh.

OH.

Hear that sound? That's the sound of me wailing in agony as my heart shatters into a million pieces.

"This is.. really it.. huh?" THEY SOUND SO SCARED?? God this entire episode I wanted to give them a huge hug and a slice of cake and to tell them that everything would be okay, my hEART. This entire scene broke me, the fear in their eyes and voice hurt so much to hear, my BABY HE'S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH 💔

And just. This. Entire scene. I cannot tell you how fucking PERFECT of an ending this was. The fact that Tophat was the last thing GPS thought of before he died? The happiest moment they could think of was their high school prom dance, spending it with the person they love most? One final memory to end it all, and it was the most important one in their life. I've said this before but god. They're so in love. It's genuinely gutwrenching watching this scene; they're so happy yet this moment is so fleeting. Knowing how temporary it was and how everything ended makes it worse. Tophat moved on, maybe not fully but at least he's happier. GPS on the other hand? They're stuck reliving memories of people they can NEVER see again; people they hurt.

It's bittersweet as hell, and honestly kind of a perfect juxtaposition to the puzzle scene. Then, they relived bad memories, yet still seemed happy. Now, they're re-experiencing a moment that should fill them with joy, and yet...

Nothing lasts forever.

The ending song being a response to Imaginary Friend, too? Perfection. 💙

Thank you, Nightly Manor. Thank you, Allen. This series was fucking phenominal, and the wait was worth every second. My heart is in tatters but good lord I wouldn't have it any other way. Now it's time to redraw some scenes and try not to cry any harder than I already am! :,D 👍💙

[wackyandgoofy]

might be makin a few deltarune posts cus i finished it and i really like it AND YOU SHOULD PLAY IT IF U HAVEN'T!!! I'll try to add a spoiler thing cus it's new, but just be wary.

if you want to see a vision that came to me late at night i drew it below the cut. SPOILER BTW

ok so theres a scene where spamton hops out of ur pocket and talks to tenna so i thought maybe we could use him as a pokemon or something. btw everyone is from memory and also its like really late. might redraw it later idk

[gaybae1021]

Day 12: Is this love?

Aka, a Garrance lore dump!

Garroth was assigned to help Laurance get acquainted with Phoenix Drop during his recovery from the nether. Aph thought it would be good for Laurance to have someone else to talk to aside from her and Zoey, and thought him and Garroth would get along due to their shared guard experience.

Laurance is pretty down during their first few meetings, but he starts to perk up as his health improves, and he grows more trusting of Garroth guiding him through the village. It doesn’t take long for Laurance to start flirting with him, though Garroth writes it off as him just being friendly, even as he’s lowkey reciprocating the advances.

During one of their “totally platonic outings” Laurance opens up about his past: He was born in O’Khasis, and had no memories of his birth parents because they were arrested when he was a baby. He spent a few years in an O’Khasis orphanage, but quickly transitioned to living on the streets, experiencing first-hand the struggles and cruelty O’Khasis hid from the rest of the region. It’s why he’s so slow to trust; after having no one to rely on but himself for so many years, it’s difficult to be so reliant on others while he adjusts to blindness.

Garroth, while not revealing everything (for obvious reasons), also opens up; he had run away from home because he didn’t like the person his family was pushing him to be, and he’s still struggling to be his own person.

When Garroth drops him back off at his home, Laurance kisses him on the cheek before going inside.

(Old art, didn’t feel like redrawing the scene)

Garroth.exe has stopped working.

Garroth avoids Laurance the next few days. He feels awful about it, but he can’t pin down how he’s feeling, and he feels talking to Laurance would just make it more confusing. Eventually, he gets frustrated enough to go and talk with Aphra:

G: I need to ask you a question.

A: Sure? Go for it.

G: Hypothetically, if someone kissed you, and afterwards you felt like you were gonna throw up, what does that mean?

A: …like throw up from disgust, anxiety, or butterflies?

Garroth shrugs.

A: Irene help us. Come inside.

It takes a long conversation with some input from Zoey (Aroace Aph is somewhat limited in the advice she can give), but they eventually get to the root of the issue:

G: I didn’t have a say in anything growing up. Everyone just told me what to do, told me what I wanted, and I went along with it. I thought I was finally getting better, but it’s like I’m still waiting for an approval that doesn’t exist anymore! I’m so confused, I can’t even tell what I want.

A: Well, that might be a good thing to tell Laurance. It’s okay to be confused, but it’s not okay to just ignore him while you work through this. You should let him know how you’re feeling, even if you’re not sure the feelings match.

Garroth goes home to think a bit more before leaving to find Laurance. When he opens his door, Laurance is already standing there, about to knock.

L: I just wanted to say sorry for the other day. I feel like I crossed a boundary, I should have asked before trying that.

He talks faster, clearly flustered.

L: I thought we were on the same page, but I guess I’ve never done this without being able to see so maybe I misjudged how comfortable you were, and either way I’ve really liked talking to you and I don’t want things to be awkward so if you just want to pretend it never happened I’d be fine with that-

…

G: Please? For real? I need to know.

[benchextender]

Trying

You need to have something. You are not enough.

Something calls to me. For the sake of my sanity I usually resist; I know how this ends. Tonight, though, I listen.

The sketchbook is open. Familiar scribbles fill out the pages. Some have dates attached, drawing a picture of scattered, frustrated efforts across several years. Many drawings are crossed out, some accompanied with notes of anger. I have very little memories of these pages, but the feelings they portray are all too familiar.

Before long, I reach the most weathered page. A mirror of my former self. An actual drawing. Good proportions, cute style, a solid result.

It's perfect.

I should be proud, but I'm not. The smoky aura of eraser residue brings back memories of a destructive process. I spent hours across several days perfecting it, obsessing over the smallest details, erasing and redrawing the same features over and over until I was finally satisfied. It's perfect... but it's not mine. I wasn't happy with it until it didn't look like I made it at all. Any slight variation from the style I was going for was a mistake, and had to be corrected.

Keep going.

I leaf through only a few more pages until they go blank. The most intimidating sight. I tell myself not to worry, that everyone learns at their own pace, that I can't expect to be at the level of someone with years of experience.

I just have to try.

It doesn't take long for the familiar feelings to set in. Once again I find myself only able to draw simple shapes and attempt to string them together into something coherent. Anything more advanced is so alien to me, worlds apart from my ability. Images flood my brain. I surround myself with so many talented artists, thousands of beautiful works to admire and aspire towards but all it does now is drag me down.

You need to have something.

Years of inaction and hiding are doing me no favors.

You are not enough.

The mask I live through wears heavy on my face.

This was never going to work.

Is this all I will ever be? Am I doomed to repeat this cycle forever?

What did you think would happen?

Irrational thoughts cloud my mind. I want to tear it to shreds, to throw it all away, explode into a tearful mess and destroy everything in sight, to-

I open my eyes.

Right. It's late. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll just sleep it off, as usual. Maybe I'll get motivated again tomorrow.

Months pass. Nothing changes. The void inside me grows. I hear the call again, coming from somewhere else.

A different medium. Any attempt to use the more advanced tools yields similar results, but there is something I can do here. A rare flash of inspiration hits me. A simple level for a game. Nothing special, but it's mine.

A much smoother process. The design shifts from my original intent but I don't mind. I make sure it plays perfectly, that none of the visuals are out of place, that everything flows naturally. Is this what creating something is supposed to feel like? It's nice. I feel like I'm in control. If only it were always like this.

I finish my level and upload it online. It's refreshing to make something and share it with the world, even if only a few people see it. A respite from the otherwise constant emptiness.

It's not enough.

Before I know it, I'm back to a blank canvas. The most intimidating sight. No matter how many times I do this, it never gets easier to start something new.

You're not cut out for this. Remember how good it felt to finish something? Why don't you play it again?

It really was fun. How did I do that? Why isn't it always like this?

You know why. Just play it again.

Maybe I'll find the answers here. I was happy here.

This is the only way you'll recapture that feeling. Play it again.

I love this part. It came together well.

Play it again.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to replay an old favorite. That can't hurt me.

Play it again.

Maybe this is for the best.

Play it again.

I'm safe here.

Play it again.

A cacophony of color and sound swallows me whole.

Play it again.

I collapse into myself like a dying star.

Play it again.

Months pass.

[crescentpaws]

Any art tips for aspiring artists?

practice!!! i know that’s what everyone says but that’s bc it’s true… practice is the best way to get better (as is true for a lot of things). a lot of the time i end up improving without even realizing it which is crazy

other tips that can help with practicing:

- use references! ppl who say using references is cheating are lying to you. even experienced artists use references all the time. plus, the more you practice this way the easier it will be to draw without references later on :) (i used to have to use references for every single hand i drew but now most of the hands you see in my art were drawn without references). also sometimes i just like looking up references when i need pose ideas or whatever (though if you heavily reference another artist’s work it’s best to give credit, especially if the resemblance is noticeable. at the same time, pose theft and color theft are not real. that is not a thing. but i’d still be careful with heavy referencing actual art vs things/pictures that were made to be used as references) you can also take pictures of yourself if you need a specific reference photo but can’t find one you’re looking for. i’ve definitely done this with hand poses a few times

- look at/watch tutorials! whenever i see a tutorial on instagram that seems like it might be useful i save it for later 👍 keep in mind that a lot of them are stylistic preferences but they can still help a lot if you’re unsure where to start

- tracing! controversial maybe but tracing can actually help a lot (it can help with practicing hand movements/improving muscle memory, proportion/anatomy study, and just overall figuring out how to draw things :)) DISCLAIMER: this should only be used for practicing purposes, not for sharing or posting. i do not condone tracing another person’s work and then sharing it online as your own. that is a form of theft <3 (even if you do give credit, most artists do not like having their work traced. you’d think that most people would know this but…)

- don’t be afraid to take inspiration from other artists! this isn’t really the same as referencing imo, especially if you’re only taking inspiration from a specific part of someone’s style. this is how i’ve developed my style over the years! if i like how a certain artist draws noses, i might try that out! if i like how they draw hair, i might take some inspiration from that! same with shading and coloring processes:) this is a good place to start imo because even if you start by referencing these things they will eventually develop into your own unique style over time

- this one might be a bit obvious but: draw what you want! art is so much more fun when you’re actually… you know.. enjoying it. if there’s a fandom/show/anything you’re interested in, draw things from that! i’ve improved a lot because of various hyperfixations i’ve had LMAO. also, draw because you enjoy it, rather than for the sole purpose of sharing it online and getting likes/comments/etc. if you’re just drawing as a hobby, have fun with the process and don’t worry too much about the result :) i like sharing my art because i want other people to enjoy it as much as i do!

- at the same time, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! (admittedly i have trouble doing this sometimes lol…) also, don’t be discouraged if your art looks ‘bad.’ everyone has to start somewhere, and without the bad art there will never be a chance for the good! i’d also recommend not throwing away/deleting old art, because it’s fun to look back and see how much you’ve improved :) i personally really like doing redraws of older pieces as well

hmmm this was longer than i planned on it being but whatever!

[mafufuu]

hihi arte! 3, 17, 19, & 24 for the artist ask game?

hihihi ruya webe been on a call which is silly but i hope youre doing well rn !!

3. your favorite piece(s)?

as of now, my most favorite piece, off the top my head, is the greyscale thing i drew of lucia from tmk. i was messing around with brushes i had saved but never really used and the textures came out nice. i like the work i did on that canvas in general, i felt i got a good hold on her character. i tend to be happy with full body colored stuff i do of characters as of recent. most things i crank up the warmness on for a character and then slap a square bg on i tend to be more than satisfied with. same goes with playing around with brushes. fuuta trash and trash was a fun dabble in trying to recreate another style, and la maine de gloire i like for similar reasons. i hold a fondness for my deep cover william wisp redraw and we outta lightbulbs though that may just stem from a lot of attention on a pice that took a lot of effort

17. what is something youre confident about in your art?

uhhhhhhhhhhhhh i suppose my color choices and stylization. i like toning up the warmness + saturation and lowering the brightness of my art for a cozier feel and i like how it turns out. whenever i do contrast checks (literally just turning a piece to black and white to see if my values are good) the results are pretty good. i think most of the reason why im confident in my stylization is i just kinda like how it looks. some amount of the time i just do doodles that are just linework so i feel like ive gotten comfortable in how i translate things and i also tend to work from references. also ive been told my art style is quite unique and i feel that is the root of it

19. where do you find inspiration?

inspiration! this one is fun! at least for some amount of how i do(/did) eyes and how i color i draw from lavendertowne! her art is very cozy and nice looking, its cartoony but you can see anime influences in it. i think that's probably my main one. i also look up to drawing wiff waffles, she was the first artist i ever really became a fan of! whenever i do pick up alcohol markers (not much nowadays) i make sure to use a colored pencil for sketching. she's prolly also the reason i make sure to carry a kneaded eraser for traditional art. i like watching scott christian sava's videos. being an older artist with more life experience makes him sorta feel like the most mentor-y to me. also he's very nice and some amount active here. yunayuispink is who i mainly use for tutorials. their art style is simple but that is not to say its bad! the colors are nice and the linework is nice. i also like marikyuun's art. her use of linewidth and colored lines makes her work very merchandise-esque as she says. i own a couple studio ghibli art books that i should probably be busting out more for references. their films are very pretty. i also like to take bits and bobs from my moots' art styles that i think are cool. for instance, i think the main reason i tend to gravitate toward thin messy lineart is @/not scorb on here. though i think mine tends to lean messier (or maybe moreso them doing it gave me the confidence to post art like that.) i also take influences from other anime/manga, vaguely, often to the point where i just kinda forget the names. there's probably more but this list is very long already so ill stop

24. whats a compliment about your art that has always stuck with you?

hm. im not really sure. it might be from my bad memory in all honesty but i feel like most of the compliments ive gotten recently just tend to be a "great work!" which i dont mind or take for granted but its not really that descriptive, yknow? actually i remembered one. one time i drew different characters from a thing in chairs i thought suited them (lore rise) sitting based upon their character and i remember someone told me i was talented from the way i portrayed my personalities from how they sit. it really stuck for some reason, i dont know why actually. also being told my art is unique when i was asking my sib to describe my art style bcuz i didnt really know how. it just felt nice to know it was really something that felt like mine !

thank you for the ask !! have a nice rest of your whatever

[cringeandfailofthecentury]

hhhhnn doodles

[tomatoart]

mwah your art is good and nice :>

can I ask for some advice? no worries if u don't want to answer.

do you have any tips on how exactly to practice art? everytime I ask for art advice everyone always says "practice" but idk what to practice first! do you have any strategies for learning how to draw something? do you do excercises? and if so how do they work?and are there any beginner mistakes I should look out for and change specifically?

thank you so much!! have a wonderful week :>

thank you so much! im ok w answering! i dont want to speak as if i am an expert on how to draw things in general as i am learning as well and definitely am not completely learned, so i might not be the best person to ask since im not very professional w my art as I do it as a hobby (and I can only speak on mostly digital cartoon matters) but i reallly hope to try and help u out even a lil ! im really happy that you’re eager to draw :] I wish you so much luck muwah muwah

i also hated when ppl told me “just practice” and i dont wanna inflict tht on u EITHER LOL but also thats just what i ended up doing for awhile but i tried to find some things to help ^_^

tips for practice: My number one rule is that practices should be challenging but still fun, I know it can get frustrating trying to redraw a pose over and over trying to get it perfect. And over time it rlly is all about muscle memory, the longer you draw the more your eyes will pick out specific shapes in everyday life and convert them into its own vision of them! or at least its good to look at life that way, try to pin point key shapes and stress less on details in practices. after you look at key points, THEN you can go over what you have and draw in and over it to make it more “complete.” To stop practices from getting too stressful I recommend starting out drawing what you want a little more simple looking than ur desired finished product. This helps eliminate the pressure of everything not looking “perfect” and keeps your art more loose and fun. Doing this a few times is gonna get ur brain to recognize patterns in art and how things look/flow in anatomy and such. dont get stuck in ur own head abt perfecting everything to the point you either 1) give up bc ur not at a level capable of it being 100% “perfect” or 2) focus so much on making it perfect that you end up saying the work looks “wonky” or stale in dynamics, So while I do think studies help, don’t get too lost in them. I always practice with media I enjoy too, whether it’s characters or fashion I enjoy.

Strategies learning to draw something: people get mad abt this one but I think tracing reference photos is great. its been awhile but When I tried learning to draw hands better at first I would trace them then put the traced image to the side of the canvas, then try and replicate what my mind saw as its most important angles and aspects. Same for clothing folds/hair/etc! I think it’s maybe not the best idea to trace the ref and use the tracings as is, because you learn more from tracing it then trying to replicate and simplify what u learned into the style you’re working in. Find what shapes you like from them and don’t over detail it. you may have to go by eye and think “what parts of this ref photo should i simplify to fit my style” and for me, its usually adjusting the length of the torso and then the limbs by associations. i dont recommend feeling like u need a reference for every art you make though, its ok to let ur own head try out its own sometimes too while trying to learn this, see if it remembers any call bad from the past referenced sketches! over time ull remember where everything goes more, these days i rarely kick myself to use refs but im sure they still would help to use, but figure drawing simple blobby figure in a bunch of random poses was a big thing i used to do as well to get better at full body art + overall dynamics (still does this). also paying attention to silhouettes is great 

Exercises and how they work: I WANNA HELP U SO BAD BUT to be honest, all the works on my blog ARE exercises! i rarely actually do finished pieces, if u scroll thru my posts ull notice most r sketches. i usually just fill up a page and call it “warm ups” then i get attached to some of them, take a few, and just line them up pleasingly on a smaller page, then color them in (or sometimes fix the lines to be more clean too). im not rlly a person who “exercises” to practice, it more so happens from just me drawing a lot for fun as a hobby! but i really should. i will tell u this has humbled me a lil i need to start practicing too 😭 LOL but a good exercise is to look at what ur inspirations do, and study it. Make a collage and write out what you like most abt their styles/what u want to gain from them. For ref Here’s a page I did awhile ago when someone asked me abt my insps:

i also look at fashion magazines and as well as anime figures and take insps from that sometimes with learning cool poses and compositions to convert into my own things

Beginner mistakes to look out for: its hard for me to pin point “mistakes” beginners make, as sometimes we cant avoid all of them or even notice them, progress comes from growing out of old ways. some mistakes are even the foundation of ur future amazing cool style! but i think some things to look out for could be these, from my own old art experiences

Hands were the first thing I learned bc i liked drawing them. I don’t know if that is the best way to go but I think it is smart to practice sooner than later, here is a lil guide thingggyyy wingyyy from awhle ago

i see beginners shy away from drawing signs of age in people, sometimes adding too much detail on an older person in cartoon art makes it look weird, so i try and hit the key markings on ppls faces of age.

Too thin of lines. sometimes its a stylistic choice to use thin lineart, and it can look amazing ! but sometimes it can flatten an image if ur not familiar with its flow. im not saying use thick line art, but more so to keep in mind the weight of ur strokes, adding depth with a thick thin combo of line art can do SO much for the simplest of pieces. heres a visual from a while back when i talked abt my brush + more abt lines:

but if ur desired style is thin lineart that is cool too! tbh it was just harder for me as a beginner

sometimes artists think they need to do full lineart for everything and then hate how it looks compared to the sketch, do not fear i will introduce u to my bff: painting over a sketch, extractinging the lines, then calling it line art. i only do this sometimes but its a fun exercise-ish thing to do in a pinch. example:

finding what shading fits ur art. sometimes ill see ppl starting out who have a style thats very simple, but they use a very detailed rendering process on it. this is not something id ever police of course, art is each persons own choice! And it CAN work. It can be so cute! but sometimes mixing two very contrasting mediums of art can throw off the “put together” look of it. i use to abuse the airbrush tool thinking it made my simple style look super cool and detailed, but looking back on it now those pieces looked a little off, having such a simple style have somewhat more realistic shading. dont get me wrong the ability i see ppl use rendering like that is so insanely talented! but i found cellshading to be a good match for cartoony art like my own. a tip i learned way too late abt that is rather than shading each layer by color picking a darker color, instead use a clipping mask over the entire art (above line art too as I color my lineart) and lasso tool the areas u want shaded + fill it w a saturated purple then set to multiply + lower opacity. also, sometimes coloring can come out chalky looking when u meant for it to be smooth and transitional, i think this comes from overshading and overlighting pieces without reason. pay attention to where the light source is, and focus on making the shaded and lighter areas nice shapes that cover the necessary areas, then u can add additional shading to the smaller details of what should have a casted shadow/light  

its good to spice up ur art now rather than later, focusing making ur art pop more w backgrounds will help ur coloring skills look better too! i dont mean detailed huge backgrounds, a small lil color pallet and design rather than a blank white bg. like this will make u feel better abt it or at least it helped me *sweats* yeah:

beginners tend to draw blank faces like “:)” but I think a good thing to do is try and get silly with expressions early on. It’s okay if the mouth hangs off the face cartoonishly with joy or shock, it’s ok if the eyebrows are super high in surprise.

tracing and pasting it as is (already said this but I’ve seen ppl do it a lot with hair styles and it makes it look alienated from the rest of the style) (final fantasy fans found critically injured) n if need a ref for a pose, using a real humans anatomy as-is doesn’t look quite right on a cartoonyish drawing. Shortening torso and legs usually comes out of this for me!

flip ur canvas i promise u it’ll be less embarrassing over time!

using guidelines for perspective and foreshortening is GREAT. Do it stylistically rather than realistically to add some groove to it...yay. Having silly perspective in art can make it look like a 10 so easily opposed to a normal front facing sketch. Look at cool poses from fashion magazines! Don’t be scared to draw something you don’t feel confident in conveying perfectly, this is why progress redraws exist :)

Drawing the hairline b4 u draw the hair is great, it helps u understand where their hair flows from, where it starts and stops, AND prepares u for drawing bald ppl. Also don’t make the head too big, the skull IS bigger up top, but sometimes I see an alien head affect.

Anatomy is an interesting mistake that beginners make a lot, but it’s one they find harder to notice! When I started out, all my art would be SO wonky, but I didn’t even realize it! It still happens today too! specifically though I see beginners struggle with the arms in this department. My advice is to try and measure them out and make sure they don’t go past the knees, and are the same length as each other when Unfolded. asking for criticism is hard but it helped me realize when i would make something bigger/longer than it should have been in my art, and stuck with me being able to go “oh... i see it LOL” 

clothing wrinkles- do not over do it! Too many wrinkles and shading can look unpleasant and wirey- like a plastic table cloth all bunched up which isn’t exactly what ppl wear. pay attention to gravity too

I hope this helped even a lil im sorry tht I’m not very good at explaining or didn’t have much to sayyy! If u have any troubles no guarantee I’ll have the answer, but ur always free to ask!

[chocolatequeennk]

Forever Timeless, 14/23

Summary: Two months after the Dalek Crucible, the Doctor and Rose are getting used to having the biggest family on Earth. As they visit Leadworth in 1996, Victorian England, a mysterious desert planet, and Elizabethan England, those family and friends often help in unexpected ways. But no matter where they go or who they’re with, it’s always the Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler–just as it should be.

Ten x Rose, Donna x Lee

Betaed by @rudennotgingr, @pellaaearien, and @jabber-who-key

Tagging @doctorroseprompts 

Part 7 of Being to Timelessness

AO3 | FF.NET | TSP

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10 | Ch 11 | Ch 12 | Ch 13

Chapter 14: The More Things Change...

“I think you’ll like where we’ve landed,” the Doctor said as he swung his coat around and put it on. 

Rose smiled and took his hand. “Where are we? A dazzling alien city? Or maybe Earth in the far distant future?”

The Doctor squeezed her hand as they walked out of the TARDIS and closed the door. “It’s someplace you wanted to see once, but…” He gestured at the planet, then watched Rose. 

She turned slowly, and he could feel her trying to place it. “We’ve been here before,” she murmured. 

“It was raining,” he said, giving her a hint.

Rose swung around and stared at him, her eyes wide. “Pluvon?”

The Doctor nodded. “Do you remember why you wanted to see Pluvon?”

Rose shook her head. “Was that my idea? I guess I sort of remember that, but everything else kinda wiped the details from my mind.”

The Doctor flinched and tightened his hold on Rose’s hand for a moment. The memory of that “everything else” wasn’t one of his favourites—Pluvon had been the catalyst for possibly their worst fight ever, and certainly the worst since they’d bonded.

Despite himself, the Doctor felt his mood slip from contemplative to pensive as they crossed the bridge to enter the city. Rose was equally quiet, but he could tell her thoughts weren’t quite as melancholy as his.

“I think we needed that fight,” Rose said quietly as they strolled down a broad boulevard. 

The Doctor stopped and stared down at her. “What? Why?”

“We were playing it so safe, do you remember?” 

He nodded. 

“If we hadn’t been here for a monsoon… I don’t think I would have told you about how he taunted me. It just would have been there between us, like your fear of losing me, waiting to explode in our faces. We needed that fight,” she repeated. 

The Doctor shoved his hands into his coat pockets as he tried to find the flaw in Rose’s logic. Being here, he could fully remember his fear when he watched Rose dive into the raging river. The idea that they’d needed to be here…

But then… He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the TARDIS. He had very specifically set the coordinates for a sunny day. The TARDIS had steered them off course, which meant…

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, then smiled at Rose. “Here we are, finally,” he said,  pointing at the imposing building ahead of them. 

Rose tilted her head back to look at it, then studied the elegant stone sign. “Oh! The art museum!” she exclaimed. 

“The Brindisi Gallery, as requested,” he confirmed. 

Rose’s wide smile was all the thanks he needed, and he laughed and followed her into the museum. 

Rose was enchanted by all the different kinds of art the museum had. There was a whole room devoted to water art, where coloured water was artfully arranged into pictures. The pictures were so ephemeral, moving and changing as the water flowed, but the artists always managed to create new magic after one painting disappeared. 

They wandered together through a gallery of installation art, walking in between the displays. She loved seeing the artwork from different angles, watching the meaning change as you studied an individual piece, as a set, or stepping back to view the whole.

It was the room of empathic art that sparked a question in Rose. She watched the painting in front of her redraw as it sensed what she was feeling. The bluish green hues of the painting echoed her curiosity, and the mauve streaks mirrored her hesitation.

“What is it, Rose?” 

She bit her lip, then asked without looking away from the stunning artwork. “Was there a special kind of art on Gallifrey?” 

The Doctor sucked in a breath. Rose’s contemplation had been obvious to him, but he hadn’t realised the direction her thoughts had taken her. But of course she’d wonder about Gallifreyan artwork, when surrounded by gallery after gallery of art from other planets.

“Yes.” 

He wanted to tell her, but it was always hard for him to start stories about Gallifrey.

Rose held his hand and led him to a nearby bench. “Tell me about it,” she requested softly.

The Doctor leaned back against the bench and wrapped his arm around Rose’s shoulders. “Well, remember—we were called Time Lords.”

He felt Rose consider the words, and then the spark of realisation. “Did you use time to make art somehow? But how?” 

He nodded. “Time Lord art—it was a slice of real time, a moment preserved in a three dimensional painting. It looked real enough to walk into.” He tilted his head, pondering for a moment. “Come to think of it, I don’t actually know that it wasn’t possible.” 

He abandoned that line of thinking to answer her second question. “They were made using something called a stasis cube—just a little box that you would use to telepathically capture that moment in time.”

“Makes sense,” Rose said. “You’re holding a moment in stasis, so calling it a stasis cube…” 

“Yeah.” 

The Doctor tried to remember the last time he’d seen a work of art rendered by a stasis cube so he could describe it for Rose, but the memory was hazy. The harder he tried to latch onto it, the more determined it was to slip away. 

Unaware of his struggle, Rose sighed and then stood up. “Come on then, Doctor. We’ve had a day at the museum. I think it’s time we visited the little shop.” 

“And maybe had chips for dinner,” he said knowingly. 

Rose shrugged. “I might have noticed there was a cafe selling chips down in the lobby, yeah. We’ve been here a while, surely it’s time to have a meal.” 

He laughed and stood up. “I suppose I can allow it, since your birthday is tomorrow.”

Rose blinked. “My birthday?” she parroted. 

It was the second time that day that he’d managed to surprise her, and he patted himself on the back. “How do you always lose track of your birthday, but manage to remember mine?”

They started down the broad marble staircase and reached the first landing before Rose spoke. “Birthdays… I never really cared about my birthday when I was a kid. It was just another day.” 

The Doctor waited, casting a sidelong glance at Rose when she paused. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and she swallowed before continuing.

“Mum tried to make it special, but she was always working or tired from working. And we didn’t have money for big parties or lots of presents, like I saw some of my schoolmates get.” 

The Doctor squeezed her hand when she paused this time. “Birthdays were a reminder of what you didn’t have.”

Rose nodded, then shook her head to dispel the melancholy memories. The Doctor had fallen quiet, and she leaned into him as they walked past the information booth in the gallery’s atrium.

“So I love that you always make a big deal of it, even if it always catches me by surprise. I never had that feeling before, the ‘oh, it’s my birthday so let’s do…’ like everyone else.” 

The Doctor tugged on his ear, his neck turning pink. Rose chuckled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Truly, Doctor. I love it.” 

He hummed happily. “Well I love making a big deal of it, so that works out well for both of us.” He glanced at the little shop as they walked past it, but didn’t suggest stopping. “I thought you might want to visit your mum tomorrow.” 

 Rose brightened as they entered the cafe and got in line. “Definitely. I haven’t spent my birthday with her in years.” 

They ordered their food at the counter, then Rose found a seat while the Doctor waited for their baskets of the Pluvon version of fish and chips. The polished wood of the table reflected back the bright lights as she sent her mum a text. 

Jackie’s answer was quick in coming, which wasn’t a surprise. The answer itself was though, and Rose was still staring at her phone when the Doctor joined her. 

“What’s wrong?” 

She blinked and looked up at him. “Nothing. It’s just… she’s planning a party.” 

She couldn’t put into words why that left her unsettled, but the Doctor nodded. “Her life has changed just as much as yours. She probably wanted to have a party for you when you were a kid, and now she can.” 

Rose sprinkled vinegar on her food and started eating. “I guess,” she said. “Anyway, it’s only March there, which is why she hadn’t told us yet.” 

“Still keeping two timelines going,” the Doctor observed. “We haven’t synced with the Cardiff group yet.” 

Rose shook her head. “So when we jump ahead to my party tomorrow, it’ll be the first time we’ve been on the same day.” 

She turned the words over in her mind. There was something in them, something they’d talked about before…

The Doctor stared at Rose when she dropped a chip uneaten onto her plate. “Rose? What’s wrong? I know the chips are a little different, but—”

She took a deep breath and looked at him. “Timelines. We have to do time differently, now that we have human passengers.” 

“What do you mean, do time differently?”

“Do you remember our plan before? Back before Canary Wharf, we talked and decided that we’d let longer go between visits on our end than on Mum’s, so I could stretch out the years we had together.” 

The Doctor nodded. He remembered, and he’d been planning to do the same thing.

“We can’t,” she said, without him saying it out loud. “Not when we have human companions all the time.” 

“What do you…” He stopped and stared up at the ceiling. “Oh, I see. Their families would actually lose time with them, wouldn’t they?”

Rose nodded. “It wouldn’t be fair to Wilf, or for Martha’s family. We’ll have to take the slow path, even if we can travel through all of time and space.” 

For the second time that day, the Doctor’s mind worked furiously as he tried to find a way around Rose’s logic. She would lose Jackie eventually, but he was determined to give them as much time as possible. 

“Oh! But that’s only when we have humans on board!” he said finally. “I agree that if we’ve got Donna and Lee or Mickey and Martha with us, we’ll have to try to drop them off so approximately the same amount of time has passed on Earth as it did for us. But if it’s just the two of us, or maybe the two of us and Jenny, we can jump around all we want.” 

He leaned forward and looked Rose in the eye. “We can still give you decades or even centuries with Jackie, Rose. I promise.” 

She stared at him for a moment, then she picked up the chip and ate it with relish. 

oOoOo

Jackie was already running out of the house when Rose opened the TARDIS doors. “Oh, you two!” she hollered. “Six weeks without a word! You complained about Jenny. How do you think we felt?” 

Rose sighed. She should have known this would be the trade-off to syncing their timeline to her mum’s. “Come on, let’s go inside. We can tell you everything we’ve been up to.” Her mum huffed, but let go of her and led the way back into the house. 

They’d barely gotten through the front door before Jackie turned and held up her hand. “I don’t want to hear about any adventures you’ve been having on the planet Martoc,” she said harshly. “I heard all about that one planet you went to, where Jenny had to come rescue you. That’s enough adventures for me, ta.” 

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Where in the bloody hell have you been? I haven’t heard from you for weeks!” 

“Mum, just leave it all right?” Rose said. “It’s my birthday. I promise, I’ll explain it all to you. Just later.” 

Rose saw the mutinous look in her mother’s eye and braced herself, but Pete stepped into the entryway and rested his hand on Jackie’s shoulder. “Come on, Jacks. You’ve been planning this party for weeks. Let’s enjoy it.” 

Some of the tension left Jackie’s body, and she nodded. 

Jenny met them as they entered the living room. “Hi Dad, hi Mum!” she said, giving them each a hug. “I figured you’d be right on time for this.” 

Behind them, Jackie hmphed, but Rose ignored it. It’s just going to be one of those days, she thought, letting out a sigh. 

A miniature blond cyclone whirled into them next. “Rose, Rose! Look at what I got!” 

Rose bent down to peer at the toy dinosaur Tony held up. “Oh wow, Tony! Is that a triceratops?” she asked, purposely getting it wrong.

“Nooooo! It’s a stegosaurus!” He shook his head at Rose. “Triceratops have three horns, Rosie.”

Rose managed not to smile. “Oh, that’s right. We need to have you with us the next time we see dinosaurs. It’ll take a real expert to tell them all apart.” 

“And maybe he’ll come back for his tenth birthday?” Jackie muttered.

Rose winced; she’d opened herself up for that one. 

“I’ll have you know I can tell apart all the dinosaurs,” the Doctor said. 

“Are you jealous of a four-year-old, Spaceman?” 

Rose looked past the people crowding in the middle of the room and smiled at Donna. “He always has to be best at everything,” she confided. 

Donna rolled her eyes. “That sounds like him. Come on, the table is set and I think the cook is ready to serve dinner.” 

Rose stopped at the entry to the dining room and counted the chairs. “Who’s not coming?” she asked, when she only counted ten chairs along with one child’s seat. 

Pete helped Tony into his chair and pushed it in. “Mickey and Martha were called away on a mission for UNIT this morning,” he told her. “They said to apologise for them, and promise they’ll get in touch with you as soon as they can.” 

The Doctor was fairly certain that Rose was too far into the room to hear Jackie’s next comment, but he picked it up. 

“Too bad they didn’t have their own fancy time travelling dealie, so they could just pop back and join us.”

He and Pete exchanged a glance, and the Doctor shook his head. Rose was still intent on ignoring Jackie, and he wouldn’t ruin her birthday party for her. 

But I might have to talk to Jackie later…

By the end of dinner, Rose was barely holding onto her temper. Her mum’s comments had been relentless, and it didn’t matter how much everyone else tried to redirect the conversation—she always managed to find a way to bring it up again.

She took a deep breath and carefully set her knife down on her mostly empty plate. Then she turned to Pete. “So Pete, Jenny told us last week that you had a bit of an adventure recently with the Rift.”

“Oh, at least someone is capable of making regular calls to their parents,” Jackie interjected. “Mind, I suppose I should be glad it wasn’t a year this time.” 

“Mum, would you give it a rest!” Rose finally burst out. She saw the nanny sneak in and take Tony out of the room, and she flushed for a moment, thinking about what he might have heard if he’d stayed. 

“I will not!” Jackie exclaimed. “First Pete and Jenny come home and say they had to rescue you off some planet or something because you managed to get stranded without the TARDIS. And where are your rescue buttons, I’d like to know. You texted me a few weeks later to ask if you could visit for your birthday, and that’s the last I heard from you!”

Rose took a deep breath and tried to take hold of her temper. “That was just yesterday for us,” she said, her voice tight. “We’ve been running a bit ahead, and I wanted to spend my birthday with you—my actual birthday, in our timeline.” 

Jackie sniffed, looking slightly mollified. “I wish I understood all your zooming around through time and space,” she muttered. “But I’m happy you wanted to spend your birthday with us.”

Then her jaw set, and she wagged her finger at Rose and the Doctor. “Now, I want the two of you to listen to me. I understand why you skipped time this time, but in the future, I expect you to keep yourselves linear to Cardiff time. I don’t want to wonder what kind of nonsense you’re getting yourselves into.”

Rose pushed back from the table and stood up. “You are never gonna get it, are you? We do go zooming around through time and space. That’s our life—it’s my life now, and it has been for eight years. I won’t tie myself to any one timeline just because it makes you feel better!”

She spun around and stalked out of the house, slamming the door behind her as she left. The TARDIS hummed in welcome, and Rose went home without a second thought.

Jack, Donna, and Lee all exchanged glances, then pushed back from the table and left the dining room.

The Doctor leaned on the table and stared at his mother-in-law. “Was there a reason you thought you had to ruin Rose’s birthday?” 

Jackie crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t ruin it,” she countered. “It was already ruined before you got here. How come you can’t stay in our timeline?”

The Doctor hesitated; on one hand, this was mostly Rose’s story to share. On the other, he knew she’d already told Jackie once, so this was really just reminding her of what she’d forgotten in the last five years of her life. 

Oh, and isn’t it ironic that the amount of time she was in Pete’s World wasn’t equal to the amount of time that passed here?

But Jackie wasn’t done. “You can’t understand what it’s like, Doctor—watching your only kid slip into her own world, literally a different world with different time.” Jackie sniffed. “I just want some part of Rose to hold onto.”

The Doctor sighed and set his cup down. “Jackie, Rose hasn’t slipped away. She is doing everything she can to keep this part of her life with you going. But you have to be willing to make some allowances for the changes in her own life.”

Jackie scowled. “Changes like flying around through time and space, you mean,” she said, her voice flat.

The Doctor pressed his lips together and counted to ten. When he thought he could talk without snapping at her, he tried explaining, one more time. 

“Do you remember what Rose told you, before Canary Wharf?”

Jackie’s forehead furrowed as she tried to remember. Finally, she shook her head. “That was a long time ago.” 

“Rose…” The Doctor took a deep breath, then pushed it all out in one long sentence, so she wouldn’t be able to argue. “Rose’s lifespan is a lot longer than a human’s. She’s going to outlive you by several years—far more than people normally do—so she wants to stretch out her time with you as much as possible so it doesn’t happen so quickly for her.” 

He waited for Jackie’s response. She was quiet for so long that he felt like he was in some kind of alternate reality. He hadn’t known it was possible for Jackie Tyler to be quiet for this long.

“Do you mean…” Her voice was sad and quiet. “You mean she’s gonna live for decades after I’m gone?”

The Doctor nodded. “I’ve lost people I love, and it hurts, Jackie. It hurts to outlive the most important people in your life. I can’t protect Rose from that completely, but I would like to be able to at least give her a little bit longer with you.” He stared into her eyes. “If you’ll let me.” 

Jackie’s jaw trembled and she wiped a tear from her eye. “Yeah. Yeah… I’ll talk to her tomorrow, tell her I understand.”

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, in the direction of the TARDIS. “I’ll let her know you want to apologise,” he said. Pete shook his head behind Jackie, and the Doctor held back the second part of his thought—he couldn’t promise Rose would be willing to listen.

“I think I’d better go back to the TARDIS now. I’ll let you know what our plans are for breakfast.” 

Rose’s anger had been simmering hotter and hotter as dinner went on, but the wave of fury the Doctor got when he pushed open the TARDIS door still took him by surprise. He sucked in a breath, then resolutely set out to find her.

He found Rose in her studio, mixing paints together aggressively. “You didn’t need to do that,” she said.

The Doctor watched her warily. “Would you rather I hadn’t?” 

The thought honestly hadn’t occurred to him. He’d wanted Jackie to understand, for his own sake as much as for Rose’s. Well, almost as much. Well, at least partly for his own sake.

Rose looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. “Really, for your own sake?” she said sarcastically.

The Doctor shrugged. “Well, it is annoying listening to her complain about my driving all the time. And it would be nice if she just… understood.”

Rose snorted and folded some pink into the colour she was creating. “Never gonna happen, Doctor,” she said. “You have to want to understand first.” 

She glared up at him. “And I don’t need you to explain me to my own mother.”  

The Doctor blinked; he had never thought of it like that. “Rose…” 

“I don’t need you to protect me, either, or try to make everything better for me. I can take care of myself.” 

The Doctor felt like he’d traveled back in time to the aftermath of their first visit to Pluvon, and Rose’s fears about being seen as weak. 

“I know you can,” he said, keeping his voice even. “And if you had still been in the room, I would have let you keep leading the conversation. But you left—I don’t blame you at all, for the record—and she sat there making ridiculous demands and lobbing accusations at us. You know as well as I do that if I’d just let her keep going, she would have been even more irrational in the morning.” 

Rose rubbed her hands over her face, getting a streak of forest green on her nose. “I know,” she mumbled. “I know. I’m sorry.” 

The Doctor relaxed slightly when her anger faded to frustration. Taking a chance, he smiled at her and pointed to his nose. “You’ve got something just there,” he teased.

Rose finally smiled. “Occupational hazard,” she said as she reached for a towel. 

She wiped at her face and looked at him, and he shook his head. “I think you’re going to need a mirror to get it all,” he told her. “Why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll get some treats together for us?” 

Rose nodded and put her towel down, then tilted her head. “What are we doing for the rest of the evening?” 

He stepped back from the door to let her by. “You decide, and I’ll trust the TARDIS to take me where I need to be.” 

The lights in the corridor flashed, and Rose patted the wall. Thanks, Dear.

When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she started laughing. The small smear of paint she’d felt earlier had only been spread around when she’d tried to wipe it off. Instead of just being a daub on her nose, now it was brushed up her cheekbone like blush.

How did you keep from laughing when you saw this? she asked the Doctor as she carefully wiped it off her face. 

It took all the restraint I’ve learned in my long life.

Rose mentally stuck her tongue out at him, and the laughter that came back over the bond swept away the last of her poor mood. Her mother was who she was, and that would probably never change. 

But with the Doctor’s presence warm in her mind, she remembered something else that wouldn’t change—how much she loved him. 

“A much better thing to focus on,” she murmured as she finished cleaning up. 

oOoOo

The next morning, Rose almost stayed in the TARDIS for breakfast, but she refused to hide from her own mother. “Let me go over first,” she requested when the Doctor started getting ready along with her. “I want to clear some things up, just the two of us.” 

He nodded, and the obvious faith in her ability gave her a little bit more confidence as she walked across the garden to the kitchen door. 

She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should knock or just go in. Before she could make up her mind, the door opened for her. 

“Morning, sweetheart.” 

Rose studied her mum for a moment. Pink dressing gown, slippers, her hair pulled back in a messy bun… The clothes might have been nicer than anything they’d had on the Estate, but otherwise it was an image straight from her childhood. Nothing changes, she thought, feeling a hint of amusement at the thought today.

“Morning, Mum,” she said. 

“Did the Doctor talk to you last night?” 

Rose blinked. He hadn’t needed to tell her the gist of their conversation, because his intent—to explain, to smooth things over—had been evident over the bond. 

Maybe I should have asked what they actually talked about.

“No.” Rose didn’t add that she’d been too upset to listen to any of the details. 

“Oh.” Jackie picked at her cuticles. “Well… He told us that you’re gonna outlive all of us by a long time.” 

Rose raised an eyebrow. “I told you that years ago,” she reminded her mother. 

“I forgot, or didn’t really understand, I guess. It’s been a long time since Canary Wharf, Rose.” 

Rose doubted she would have remembered the conversation the next day. As she’d pointed out to the Doctor the night before, you have to want to understand in order to be able to grasp concepts. The same was true with remembering them. 

Still, this was the most conciliatory her mother had ever appeared, and she didn’t want to ruin it. “I guess.” 

“So, I guess the time travelling thing is a good thing, sort of. If it means you—I—” Jackie shrugged helplessly. 

“I thought so,” Rose said noncommittally. “But you wanted us to promise that we’d keep our timeline synced with yours, I thought.” 

“That was before I understood.”

Rose still felt like there were things her mother refused to grasp about her life. Yes, the “time travelling thing” did have some side benefits, like getting to stretch out the amount of time she had left with her human family and friends. But it was also an integral part of her life. She wasn’t the Rose Jackie remembered, and she didn’t live the life they’d shared. 

For a moment, she considered pushing the issue. There was so much more than just little benefits to traveling in time. But again, she caught the uncertainty on Jackie’s face and realised this truly was the most contrite she’d ever been. 

“Thanks, Mum. I promise, we’ll stay in touch as much as possible. This time it just wasn’t, since we had to skip those weeks in your timeline in order to get us synced up.” 

Jackie smiled. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

Rose hugged her, then moved over to the counter and filled the kettle. “Now come on, fill me in on everything I’ve missed.” 

oOoOo

After breakfast and one final promise to pick Jenny up in two weeks when her internship ended, the Doctor and Rose walked hand in hand back to the TARDIS. The Doctor tossed his coat over a strut, then spun around the console, adjusting controls in rapid succession. 

“Where are we off to, then?” Rose asked. 

He looked at her across the console, his nearly giddy grin stretching across his face. “That, Rose Tyler, is a surprise. But I think you should go change while I get us to our destination.” 

Rose raised an eyebrow, but she nodded and walked down the corridor to their room. As expected, there was an outfit lying out on the bed for her. She put on the shorts and t-shirt, then grabbed a lightweight jacket before returning to the console room. 

“Well?” She held her arms out and twirled in a circle. “Am I ready for your secret adventure?” 

“Absolutely.” He grabbed his coat, then jogged up the ramp and waited at the door.

The Doctor’s quiet anticipation echoed over the bond and quickened Rose’s steps. He smiled down at her when she reached him, then pushed the door open.

Rose squinted into the night, trying to place where they were. The fresh tang of salt wafted into the TARDIS on a warm breeze. She’d just started going over a list of all the beaches they’d been to when she noticed the sand, sparkling and glowing in the moonlight.

“Welcome back to Ekbrilon, love.” The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and spread his coat out like a blanket. 

Rose shook her head in wonder and sat down with him. “This is perfect,” she whispered. The quiet, the solitude… The peacefulness was exactly what she needed after the last sixteen hours. The soft light spilling out of the console room added to the shimmer in the air.

The Doctor hummed and wrapped an arm around her waist, encouraging her to lean back into him. “And this is an untouched stretch of beach,” he told her. “No tourists, no marine biologists, no fishermen. Just you and me.” 

He shifted slightly, then held something out in front of her. “I haven’t gotten to give you your gift yet.” 

Rose took the gift, then turned to look at him. “You didn’t need to give me anything,” she protested. “I thought the trip back to Pluvon was my gift.” 

The Doctor scoffed, rolling his eyes and gently poking her in the ribs. “I believe we established earlier this week that I enjoy making a big deal out of your birthday. So go on, open it!” 

Rose slid her finger under the seam of the paper and carefully peeled back the wrapping paper, revealing a wooden box. Something about it tickled her memory, and she waited for it to surface.

“You gave me a box like this before,” she said, trying to put her finger on it. “Or…” The answer came to her. “First I saw it in your coat pocket, and then later you gave it to me.” 

The box was a little larger than the box that had held her wedding ring, but it was unmistakably of the same design.

“And as I believe I asked you that time, are you going to actually open it?”

Rose tapped her finger against her chin. “I dunno. It’s an awfully nice box. Maybe that’s the gift.”

He rolled his eyes, and just like last time, he took the box from her and opened it himself. Rose’s smirk disappeared when he carefully pulled out a small work of stained glass.

She took it from him and held it up in the faint light. “Is that…” She touched the centre of the pane gently, unable to say anything else.

The Doctor’s finger joined hers, tracing over the figure of the artist standing in front of an easel. “It reminded me of you.” After another moment of silence, he added, “I thought you could hang it in the library, where the firelight would shine through it.” 

Rose picked up the box and carefully placed the glass ornament inside. Then she moved closer to the Doctor, wrapping her arms tight around him. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears. After the debacle with her mother, it was such a relief to be with someone who knew her so well.

The Doctor sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. No matter what, I will always know you and love you.

[hannerslikes]

hey, dude! ✌ hope this finds you well. i'm gonna answer with two separate 'focus points', and i hope that's cool? i'll try to keep it short (i'm a long-winded freak) but feel free to shoot me a question or whatever on my main blog should you want me to elaborate further or... yes.

disclaimer that the art journey is endless; you will always be learning and growing and improving, the trick is resisting the urge to beat yourself up whenever you face The Gap™. i faced my first real gap in college and, in many ways, am still closing it and learning to be kind to myself. be kind to yourself.

first focus point: if you're aiming to draw the boys in a style that mimics their iteration (rise, 2012, 2003, mutant mayhem, etc), maybe because you WANT to mimic the iteration and look as '''authentic''' as possible or maybe so it's easier for other fans to tell which iteration you're drawing for, then here's the forbidden fruit: get a bunch of references or screencaps or official art or whatever (try to find a wide variety of angles/movements/expressions/etc), slap that shit in a canvas, put a low opacity white layer on top of it, and trace it. but you're not going to do this mindlessly, you're going to pay attention and do it with intent, maybe take notes on the side as you go. and before anyone comes for my throat, i'm emphasizing this is for STUDY. this practice is sometimes called doing 'master copies'. you do it so your brain starts to notice shapes, forms, and, in the case of stylized cartoons, the specific stylistic choices that make them recognizable and cohesive. pay attention to where they use rounded lines. what edges are sharp. break the character down into the most basic shapes you can (rectangles, triangles, circles) to understand how to rebuild them later. note the flow of the pose, what features are exaggerated and what are played down. what GESTURES are exaggerated and what are played down. after you've done a couple dozen studies (because remember, you are doing this actively, not passively), try sketching a few from memory. pay attention to what sticks, where you feel a bit more confident and where you don't. return again, but this time instead of tracing, only use the screenshot as a visual reference and reminder, and try to redraw it on your own. eventually, break away from redrawing it and try to draw the character in your own poses.

generally, i don't think folks post their master copies (for obvious reasons and sometimes it's also nice to just not post everything you make; allow yourself some creative privacy), but if you want to in order to look for more guidance or input or support, it's good practice to have where your signature might be that "this is a master copy of [original source/artist] for study". it's also cool and fun to leave any of the notes/observations you might have scribbled down on the paper, too. never know what further input you might get if someone can expand on something (or you could help them notice something they hadn't considered!).

second focus point: don't feel constrained to the style of the series you're drawing for even if you originally set out to mirror that style. yes, mimicking it is a good starting point for beginners, definitely, but don't feel like you're stuck with it. when i first started drawing for '03 again, my drawings were clumsy but were definitely more in line with the '03 style with hints of 'my style' sprinkled in. however, as i got more comfortable drawing the turtles--and continued drawing them more frequently--my own style began to emerge. i like to give them nostrils because it helps me map out their faces better, and i think it can be more expressive. i like to give them scales and nails, a connection between the plastron and shell, a more textured shell, different protective padding, etc etc. there are some elements my brain hasn't completely settled on, and that's okay! experiment! take elements you might've noticed artists you admire using (for me, giving them nostrils!) and test run it a few times--see how it feels. this isn't limited to tmnt-specific artists, either; notice what elements of art you like by artists from any fandom or no particular fandom at all. if you find you really like the element, keep it and make it your own. if not, ask yourself why--learn what pieces of the puzzle make your brain happy and excited to draw, and which don't. this will also just help toward the creation of ✨your own style✨. a lot of artists are eager to find ✨their style✨ and are prone to getting bummed out when they don't feel like they've got one. but i think your style is something that you carve out the more art you're exposed to and that it evolves with you, because you're finding those things you like and putting them all in a cauldron like a big soup until your own creation emerges. so, if having ✨a style✨ is important to you, don't feel discouraged if it takes a good long time to come together! and if it's not important to you, fricken sweet! go forth and conquer in whatever style or lackthereof you want.

i'm gonna stop myself there because, again: long-winded freak. but i hope this at least kicks off some ideas, a bit of eagerness to explore and practice and learn, aaaaaand i hope i didn't overwhelm you. i'm gonna shut up, now, and crawl back into my spider crevice.

HAVE FUN, TAKE CHANCES, MAKE MISTAKES AND GET MESSY. ☝😊✨

This question is for all the awesome artists who love tmnt on tumblr.

I'm an aspiring artist and I love tmnt of any year. I've been drawing them for a while now, but I always have room for improvement. So now my question, does anyone have a tip / tips for drawing my favorite turtles?

So that my drawings become better.

[squidproquoclarice]

Yeehawgust Day 21: Desert Paintbrush

March 1912

Paradise Run, New Caledonia

They’d gotten the assignment to draw something for class, and chores done for the day, she finally turned towards it.  Put it off in favor of assignments that felt easier, and that even included math.  But math was simple enough.  It was or it wasn’t, matter of fact.  Draw something.  Sounded easy, but it wasn’t.  So many possibilities out there, and all of them running through her mind, ideas examined and picked over, and nothing seemed right.  Looking out the window of the farmhouse, seeing the endless sea of white snow under a heavy leaden grey sky, Bea had to think the long, long winters here on the edge of the Canadian prairies didn’t help either.  Nothing much to see until you went into the forest, and there was a beauty to that, but she didn’t want to draw that either.

Sitting by the fireplace, hearing the wind roaring outside and rattling the frost-dusted windowpanes, she found herself picking up the pencil and starting to draw what felt like the furthest thing from.  

She’d been born all the way down in Nuevo Paraiso.  Gone from Mexican desert to Canadian prairie, and that seemed like one heck of a jump to her.  Didn’t remember much about Chuparosa, because they’d left that house when she was only two, gone on the move with the circus for the next few years, before settling down here.

All the same, there were wisps of images in her mind, and something in her wanted to try to put them on paper before maybe even they faded.  So she sketched, sitting there with her hot cocoa, and ended up with a sweeping rock formation on her page, a hole in its underside, turning it into an arch.  Cactuses and the like dotting the landscape, she imagined.  They must have been there.  She started to draw one, not remembering them too clearly.  She looked at it and hated it, seeing it looked more like the winter-bare maple tree in their front yard than anything, and moved to erase it.  But redrawing it, trying to make it stockier, just made it look like a shapeless blotch of nothing.

“There’s a face,” Dad said, passing through the parlor, and obviously having glanced her way.  “You’re looking at that page like you want to cuss it out, just about.”

“I’m drawing,” she said, scowling at the stupid tree-cactus-thing.  “But it ain’t working.  I don’t see it clearly enough and it just looks stupid.”

Coming over, he leaned over, gave a low whistle.  “Ojo del Diablo,” he said.  “No, you got that right, pretty well.  You remember that, huh?”

“A little.  Just got a picture of it in my head.  Not sure why, but it’s there.”

He smiled at that.  “Your momma and me used to take you out there for picnics sometimes if the weather weren’t too bad, and we had a day off from whatever work we was doing at that point.  Took both you and Mattie after he came along.  Guess you remember a bit of that for it to have stuck.”

That made sense of it, and when he said it, she felt like there was a flicker of memory too, of Mom sitting on a blanket, laughing and reaching up to take Bea in her arms.  “Don’t remember what them plants in the desert looked like,” she admitted.  “And so my cactus just looks dumb.  And there should probably be other things there and I ain’t…”

He gave her a quick pat on the shoulder, and gestured for her to hand over the pad of paper and the pencil.  Headed over to his chair near the fire and flipped to the next page of the paper, sat there, one booted foot crossed over the other knee, pencil scratching in quick, confident strokes she could only envy.  She knew he drew some too, had seen little doodles and the like that he made, and wished she could get something to look like that.

Sitting there sipping her cocoa, she could only wait, wanting to go and peek, a bit fascinated at seeing the look of intent focus on his face, caught up in whatever he was seeing in his own head.  After a good while, he handed it back.

He’d drawn a whole page of plants for her, a few strokes somehow giving the look of them in a way she could almost see them in her mind, alive and real.  Labeling them too in his neat handwriting.  Cactuses, trees, even flowers–she hadn’t thought about there being flowers in the desert, but there had been.

Barrel cactus

Desert paintbrush

Chuparosa

Desert sage

Saguaro cactus

Desert chicory

Ironwood

Nuevo Paraiso thistle

Buckhorn cholla

Prickly pear

Mesquite  

She looked up at him, unable to help a grin.  “Those are real fine.”

“Well, I had more years than you to study plants in the desert,” he said teasingly, reaching out and tapping the tip of her nose with his finger.  “Sadie had even more than me, growing up in New Austin as she did, but unfortunately you’re stuck with me as the one scratching out drawings.  But maybe that helps, all the same.”

It helped.  It helped more than she could say, and it made her eager to get back to the drawing now.  “Thank you, Daddy,” she said, already studying the buckhorn cholla intently.  

Heard a low chuckle from him in reply as he headed out to whatever he’d been on his way to do before.  “Welcome, Beanstalk.”

[biolizardboils]

Crumpled Up Pages: Old Captain Underpants WIPs #1-4

The First Epic Movie turned 5 earlier this month, and I dug through some old folders to write this post about it. In the process, I found some fanfic ideas I’d written down, fleshed out a little, and then forgot about for years. So while hyperfixation still has its grip on me (and while there’s still some extra activity in the tag), I figured I’d finally set these dust bunnies free!

A few ground rules before this deep dive descends:

When I say “fleshed out a little,” I’m putting major emphasis on the “little.” Some of these docs contain detailed notes and snippets of dialogue, but others are just a title and a vague one-sentence summary. I’ll be transparent about what each one contains, and try to fill in the bigger gaps by memory.

If you were around for the CU Fandom Renaissance of 2017, some of the ideas here might sound familiar, ‘cus I refitted them into fanart and headcanon dumps that actually got posted. I’ll link to those where they’re relevant.

These were all written and abandoned months before a CU show was even announced, so there’s no Epic Tales content or characters in here. Sorry if you were expecting any!

I’m splitting this into two posts cus it was getting and taking too long. This first part will cover the 4 simplest, fluffiest WIPs; the second one will tackle the 6 sadder, more character-heavy ones. And with character-heavy stuff comes spoilers for the movie and books — especially the books. If you haven’t read all 12, you’re probably wondering why anyone would care about Captain Underpants spoilers. First off, your loss; second off, BEWARE!

And finally: if you write fanfiction and feel inspired to use any of these ideas? You have my permission to do so! Seriously, steal anything here and put your own spin on them! I don’t care much for credit, but if these old things help fuel someone else’s creativity, I’d love to know!

That’s enough prep, probably. Plug your nose!

WIP #1: Inspiration

It can come from even the worst of places. ...And people, in this case. [Book!Verse, pre-Book 1.]

This document contains a long script, but no context; I can remember the gist though, so I’ll insert that in-between dialogue. Basically it’s third grade, and George and Harold are in detention again. They cheat to fill up the blackboards like usual, but they’re too bummed out to start a comic afterwards. George sits around stewing in his frustration while Harold angry-scribbles Mr. Krupp yelling.

“...Why does he hate us so much, George?”

“I dunno. Maybe ‘cause he can’t handle our coolness? …Nice drawing, by the way.”

“Thanks. …It’s making me sad just lookin’ at it, though.”

“Yeah, me too. …I wonder what he’d look like if he smiled.”

“...?”

“...I mean, like, a real smile, not an I’ve-got-you-now smile.”

“Oh. Hmmm…”

Harold erases Krupp’s wide yelling mouth and draws a goofy smile in its place.

“Aw, man, now it’s just creepy.”

“Darn.”

The boys keep editing the drawing until it stops being creepy and starts being funny. George erases Krupp’s toupee, remembering the time they stole it and the teachers couldn’t take him seriously without it. Harold draws one of his office curtains around his neck, adding more color and kinetic energy. Soon they’re struggling not to laugh out loud, but they manage to calm down… until George gets an idea that takes the sketch from great to legendary.

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. Remember what my pop said about Superman yesterday?”

“That he looks like… DUDE. Duuuuuude.”

Harold redraws Krupp’s entire lower body so he’s only wearing underwear. Then with a flourish, he adds the finishing touch – two dots on his chest – and they both lose it. All their laughter finally prompts the real Krupp to check on them, and predictably, he rips up the drawing. It upsets the boys in the moment, but they’re still in much higher spirits than before, and brainstorm a new comic about their new creation as they skateboard home.

“You think we should make his origin issue first?”

“Naw, let’s get right to the action! His outfit’s already the perfect hook – finally, a superhero who actually does fly around in his underwear!”

“Yeah, and he could fight with Wedgie Power!”

God, rediscovering this gave me the most uncontrollable grin. From the date it was last opened, I think this fic was meant for September 1st, 2017 (Book 1’s 20th anniversary), and I gave up after missing it. For shame, 2017!me. For shame.

——————————————————————————————————

WIP #2: Untitled Boomer One-shot

Harold won’t admit it, but he’d slay a dragon for his little sister. [Book!Verse but only cus this scene was deleted and is thus dubiously canon]

This doc’s nothing but notes, so I’ll paraphrase the plot: Ms. Hutchins takes Heidi and Harold to Boomer the Purple Dragon: Live! Harold was gonna stay with the Beards but they cancelled last minute, and he’s grumpy about it the whole time. When the show ends, kids gather in front of the stage to meet Boomer; Ms. Hutchins suddenly gets an important call, and makes Harold walk Heidi up there. 

But the dragon’s mascot suit is big up close for a 6-year-old, and Heidi gets so scared she starts crying. She’s rooted to the spot and waves her arms in panic, but “Boomer” thinks she wants a hug and waddles closer and closer... until Harold kicks him in the groin. Their mom understandably grounds him for it, but Heidi is grateful and calls him her hero :)

This one was based on the classic “kid hits mascot in the weak spot” genre of AFV, but also on an early memory of mine! My sister and I loved Arthur as babies, so our mom took us to see this thing. The characters suddenly being real (and huge) was so upsetting that we scream-cried until she took us home early. (Speaking of Arthur, it’s a shame Heidi’s never really done anything in canon, I can see her having big DW energy.)

——————————————————————————————————

WIP #3: When Worlds Collide

It was less “love at first sight” and more “love at first squawk.” [Book!Verse, Book 7.]

A quick refresher: George told Harold to take Crackers back to dinosaur times, but he left her in the treehouse with Sulu instead. Later in the book, they’re shown snuggling in their sleep 🥺🥺 Anyway, this fic was about what they got up to in between! It’s actually the most complete of the lot, but only because it’s so short and simple.

It opens with Harold introducing them to each other, leaving out some treats for them (hamster food for Sulu, crackers for Crackers), then telling them to play nice until he comes back. They do not. Crackers pulls a Thunderclap the moment Harold leaves, Sulu karate-chops her throat until she spits him out, and they wreck half the treehouse in the ensuing chase.

Eventually they settle for standing in opposite corners and hissing at each other. Then Sulu… *squints* …records Crackers’ hisses with his bionic ears and plays them back so they can communicate? …Yeah, okay, why not. The outline ends after this sudden development; I’m guessing they talk things out and start to catch feels, before settling in to sleep. Anyway here’s the few sentences I actually wrote out:

Harold opened the door, Sulu got on the floor, and in walked the curious dinosaur.

[…] As predator and prey faced off, a little boy and his mother happened to be walking down Vine Street. “Mommy,” said the little boy, “I can hear a bionic hamster and a pterodactyl fighting in that treehouse!”

“Oh, please,” his mother scoffed. “How do you even know what that would sound like?”

The boy considered pointing out the CHOMPs, SQUEAKs, and SQUAAAWKs emanating from the tree in big blocky letters, but decided it wasn’t quite worth the trouble.

The doc ends with a reminder to not refer to Crackers with any pronouns until the two pets can understand each other. Also I was gonna title this after a Tony Orlando and Dawn song as foreshadowing, but I couldn’t choose one, so instead I went with this Spongebob song lol.

——————————————————————————————————

WIP #4: Untitled Tommy One-shot

The school’s been near bully-free ever since Treehouse Comix Inc. was formed. Tommy reflects on this from the safety of his locker. [Movie!Verse with a hint of Book 9. CW: discussion of bullying.]

A Kid I Never Named knocks on Tommy’s locker and offers to trade Pilkeymon. They have to be sneaky, because it’s the 90′s and they have to slip a Link Cable through the locker vents without being spotted.

As they trade, the other kid asks Tommy why he hides all the time. He explains that it’s a habit from when Kipper Krupp terrorized the halls. But Kipper left four years ago, and the legend of Wedgie Magee has kept other bullies at bay ever since; the other kid points this out and asks why he still hides. This led into “a somber discussion on adverse school experiences and the long-lasting coping mechanisms they cause” (exact words from the doc). Unfortunately 2017!me never wrote any dialogue, and I’m mad at her for that.

Trivia drop! I used the Pilkeymon joke a few times at @treehouseblogsinc, but it’s way older than that, and also not mine: Pilkey.com used to have a coloring game named Pilkeymon’s Paintbox. It even had art of Dav’s old spiky-haired avatar with Pikachu ears! There’s no trace of it on the Internet anymore, but I swear I’m not making this up.

I left a note here to add that Tommy has glow-in-the-dark stickers in his locker, which ended up in this headcanon dump. There’s also a list of last names I came up with for him but never chose between: Chambers, Lakatos (which I shared once here), and Lockenspiel. Right now I’m leaning towards the last one, it rolls nicely off the tongue.

——————————————————————————————————

That’s it for now! Not gonna lie, I’m still nervous about posting the other 6 WIPs. Most of them deal with Book 12, and all the tough subjects that that entails. But hey, I made this bed, and by God am I gonna lie in it. Thanks for reading so far!

[1863-project]

Comic anon again,. I’m, not sure how to say this or even if I should but, Please don’t put yourself down like that.

I understand if you feel you don’t have any advice but “other amazing artists” makes it sound like you don’t consider yourself one. Maybe I’m just over-thinking it, but.

I ask you because your blog makes me happy. I ask you because you’re a kind and informative person behind all the submas work. Because I trust you and your opinions and I know you better than some of the other artists here,, I just feel better able to connect with you. I feel understood.

So I hope you don’t think of yourself as less of an artist than others,, that breaks my heart. And thank you for showing me your references tag, sometimes a good collection like that helps a lot.

Oh, geez, anon, thank you so much! I'm sorry if you thought I was putting myself down - I was more confused because I haven't actually done longer-form comics with Submas, and I haven't drawn a proper comic in ages! I used to do it more often, but I've gotten so busy that the most I have time for is the short sequential things I post on my art blog. In general, my real-life job as an archivist keeps me busy so I don't get to work on comics the way I did when I was younger because I'm full-time now!

So in that case, here's some stuff I learned when doing webcomics when I was younger and had something resembling spare time:

Starting small is important to get the hang of things. I didn't do longer stories at first - just things that would only take a few panels to tell, so I could get the hang of things. Four-panel gag comics are great to learn from for this.

Always warm up before you draw anything! It'll keep your hand and arm from cramping. Also, make sure you stay hydrated and move every so often!

Somewhere in my references tag that I linked you to are some tutorials on designing panels, framing the characters (rule of threes is super important), and things like that.

Sometimes when I'm trying to get the hang of drawing a new character I do entire pages of just different facial expressions for them. It's fun, it's good practice, and sometimes that can give you ideas to work from, too!

For one-shot comics, the best source for ideas has always been my actual life. Library patron says something weird to me? Now a passenger has said something bizarre to Conductor on the train and he's trying to tell his co-workers about the weird conversation afterwards and wheezing with laughter over it. Strange experience in NYC? Redraw it with Unova characters.

If you're stuck, it's okay to practice by tracing things so you can get an idea of how to move your hands - just don't steal someone else's art, obviously, but for practice this helps you get some muscle memory! And of course, references are your friends! The majority of my selfies are actually me trying to pose and get facial expressions right so I can draw them.

I hope this is a better answer, anon, and I really appreciate that you care about me and don't want me selling myself short! That means a lot, thank you!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Quick outline of the changes in Golden Kamuy Vol 24

Here is a general outline of the more relevant changes that take place in Vol 24 compared to the magazine. Note that as usual I won’t dig into minor changes or redraws unless they seem to be relevant for the plot or characterization (or I really like them).

So now let’s start.

WARNING: I hadn’t had the chance to check dialogues yet. I’ll probably do it during Christmas holidays. If there are changes in them that are relevant I’ll update this post as soon as I can.

We spend a moment on the cover, which, like the previous, shows us a character who has never appeared on a cover before and who’s also one of my fave, our charming Roger... I mean Kikuta Mokutarou.

It’s an action scene in which he’s making good use of his beloved Nagant while wearing Toni’s scarf... and he’s not alone on this cover.

Ariko is also with him, ready to fire at his opponent. The background is Sapporo as we can recognize the building as appearing in chap 232 when the characters are in Sapporo.

Really, I love this cover and I was hoping so bad to have a Kikuta cover...

Anyway this is our updated list of covers.

Noda please, give us a Boutarou cover as well!

We then move to the colour page.

It’s the image with Tsukishima and Koito that was used as a cover for chap 251. It’s a fitting image considering this volume starts with the chapter in which the cooperation between Tsukishima and Koito began.

A colour cover that was in the chapters included in this volume and that instead isn’t shown is the one of chap 234.

Maybe Noda will use it later.

No summaries for this volume. Pity.

This volume counts 9 chapters only and changes are pretty tame but, as usual there are additions of extra pages and panels to expand scenes that already were in the magazine version so we can better understand what’s going on and of scenes that are redrawn, either to improve their quality, correct mistakes or add to the plot.

Note I’m not going to add them all but only those which are plot relevant (or that I particularly like). Also no scanlations this time as the changes aren’t so characterization or plot relevant you’ll need to read a scanlation to get what’s going on. I’ll add a dialogue explanation though. Keep in mind I might be wrong.

Let’s start with chap 232.

We start with a new opening page for the chapter in which the box says we’re at Asirpa’s grandmother’s house near Otaru and we’re shown that Tanigaki is next to Inkarmat.

As many already know Noda has enlarged Tanigaki’s neck as he watched Osoma and changed a little his expression so, although I know Sensei pays a lot of attention in improving Tanigaki, I won’t show you that.

A line is added to Tsukishima’s dialogue. Now in addition to saying that it might be that Tsurumi doesn’t have a true goal he adds that it might be a lie that Tsurumi is acting for the sake of the dead comrades and for the prosperity of Japan.

Tsukishima’s memory of Tsurumi having finger bones now is enlarged and that shows clearly Tsurumi’s naked feet.

Naked feet had been used to foreshadow the death of a character so is this meant to hint at how Tsurumi too will die?

As everyone knows I’m partial for Ogata I’ll show him adjusting his bandages. I wonder, does he have the glass eye already and he’s trying to get adjusted to it?

Asirpa and Boutarou’ hair had been redrawn, which makes them better but it’s nothing big.

We move to chap 233.

After Ueji manages to disappear noda added more dialogue between Sugimoto, Shiraishi and Asirpa.

Sugimoto asks for confirmation that the boss they met was called Wakayama and Shiraishi asks Asirpa if she’s certain that guy said they would never be able to find the gold. Asirpa says that’s what it sounded like and Shiraishi asks what they will do now, wondering if they should go after the candy seller or continue to pursue the pirate. Sugimoto thinks he should have stripped the candy seller and Asirpa wonders if maybe she heard wrong.

Noda also expanded the scene with Boutarou and the old Ainu. Now Boutarou is no more heavily shaded at the start and his men are more active.

Pirate Boutarou’s main henchman (子分 ‘Kobun’) now has a name, Gontō Kōjirō (權堂 公二郎は) and he’s better drawn. 

The old Ainu says Boutarou won’t find the gold because his sons also went looking for it but it wasn’t anywhere.

Those are very good improvements, if you ask me.

Chap 234...

...continues the tradition of better drawing Boutarou’s hair (which are also often drawn longer than previously) and also gives him a better pose.

The postman also has a name now he is Nozawa Niheiji (野沢 仁平治).

Shiraishi is definitely more worried when he meets Boutarou.

...but Boutarou looks even happier to meet him, while his reaction catches the captain’s attention.

The sailors are better drawn and there’s even a new small panel of a sailor trying to catch Sugimoto’s rifle.

Sugimoto gets an extra page in which he’s shown throwing the sailor off the boat...

...and then some more panels as he fights the other sailor as well.

Really Noda is so good at drawing fighting scenes...

He also expanded the scene of Boutarou talking to Shiraishi about Sugimoto.

...and redrew Gontou with the other henchmen, who’re shown wet because they too had previously ended up in the water.

Really, a lot of additions for this chapter and I love how Noda tried giving the henchmen some characterization now, despite them being merely plot devices.

We continue with chap 235.

I’ll say in the cover Noda better drew the water. It’s not terribly relevant though, so I’m not showing it, i just love the man for the care in this details.

Better image of best boy Shiraishi...

...but there are also a lot of images that are better drawn.

The order of the panels is switched a little as in the magazine the bandits would knock at the door, then we would see Shiraishi praying the boat would hurry then we’ll go back to Asirpa and the postman.

In the volume first we see Shiraishi and Sugimoto praying the boat would hurry then we go to the bandits knocking and then to Asirpa and the postman, with the scene mostly redrawn.

Noda actually put a lot of care in redrawing the postman who now to me look even more like Clint Eastwood.

The shooting fight also gets better drawn and so the boat crashing against it. But my fave redrawn is the one of Boutarou and Shiraishi cheering, which now shows a much more happier Shiraishi and a childishly cheering Boutarou. I love those two!

Noda then proceeds to show how Boutarou is very angry at the idea 3 of his men were shoot... which better explains why he took an anchor and attacked without regard for the people. Similarly to Sugimoto, when he’s furious he’s dangerous... and it’s possible he grew so angry because he was fond of those men.

We then see Boutarou take matters (and an anchor) in his hands...

Another redrawn is in the Boutarou/Sugimoto confrontation.

And with this to chap 236 we go.

Again, some scenes or expressions are drawn better here.

Plus we get some redrawing when Boutarou explains things.

We’ve a new panel of Sugimoto turning down Boutarou’s idea.

Then we get more interaction between Boutarou and Sugimoto as Sugimoto’s reveal of his past now involves more Shiraishi and Asirpa.

And we better dig into Boutarou’s connection with Sugi.

Sugimoto’s expression after he pet the cat is much more dramatic...

...his eyes losing their light.

Chap 237 continues expanding things.

We get a flashback in which Boutarou remembers the cigarette case was Heita’s.

The volume shows us the gold is a lot more than the one we see in the magazine version.

The scene about Botarou trying to kill Sugimoto and Shiraishi is expanded.

Boutarou seems genuinely shocked when Gontou is hit by the spinning wheel, stretching is hand as if he were wishing to bring him aid.

Differently from teh magazine he won’t be smiling when he tries to drwon Sugimoto...

...and the two will fight a lot more. Sugimoto tries to kick Boutarou a lot and Boutarou uses his long hair to tie Sugimoto’s foot and pull him down.

It’s beautiful and definitely worth buying the manga.

We are at Chap 238.

A small panel about Asirpa explaining Sugimoto about Heita.

We’ve then more interaction between Boutarou and Asirpa.

I find interesting how again we’re show Sugimoto saying hinna but not Asirpa.

And so we reach chap 239.

Jack/Ostrog’s face is still kept in the dark at first, but his clothes are much more visible. The battle between him and Usami is expanded and sorry, no, I’m not going to show it. Still Noda is more comfortable showing him, his face partially visible (and Kikuta too as his eyes were back in the magazine).

And it’s when Kikuta see him we’ve the big reveal and it makes A LOT MORE SENSE having it here than as late as it happened in the manga. And honestly that lateness feels it was due to Noda not having chosen yet how to characterize him.

We can also see that on his genitals there’s a birthmark... which explains why Kikuta comments on getting a look on his face and member, because now he can recognize him either by looking at his face or by looking at... something else.

So yeah, Ostrog/Jack stops being a dark silouette.

Noda let us hear his thoughts after he killed those two women.

We’ve a flashback from Kikuta, showing Jack/Ostrog’s face and how he had a birthmark in a... peculiar area, which is why Kikuta remarked it was relevant he saw it.

And now we move to the last chap of the volume chap 240.

Ostrog is now clearly visible where before he was just a dark shadow.

A new panel showing how Kirawus... well, he didn’t quite disguise himself, albeith he did something, he tried to sell fireworks.

Another new panel showing how Kadokura in his disguise, can’t pick up coins.

When Ishikawa explains about Jack the Ripper Noda added people walking in the image of the city he drew and also showed a nespaper talking of Jack. The writing on the newspaper explains how in Japan the case became a hot topic in 1888 and how in 1900 they started to call the killer ‘Kirisaki Jack' (切り裂きジャック “Jack the ripper”).

We’ve another image of Ostrog/Jack when Ishikawa talks about him.

And we finish with the last page which shows the faces of Ostrog and Ueji.

And that’s all.

Well, actually no. The one thanking the editor is...  I’ll let you see for yourself.

And that’s all for this volume. While there’s nothing drastic in terms of new content, it better flashed out the relationship between Boutarou and his underlings, giving a name to the main one of them, better showed how Boutarou fought underwater and handled Ostrog/Jack WAAAYYY better than the magazine version where it seems Noda remained undecided on his character design for a much longer time and that’s why he obscured his face, making the reveal pretty anticlimatic as nothing big justifying it happened.

Here instead it’s just perfect so really, I recommend you to buy this new volume of Golden Kamuy, either in Japanese or as soon as it comes out in your country!

[nephrosoupp]

Is it ever okay to redraw someone else’s art as practice? If you do, is it wrong to put it on your wall? And last question, is it okay to try an adopt someone else’s style?

Oh yes yes! of course it’s alright to redraw, it’s regular practice I think :^D masters studies are great for, studying the hmm, the direction, application, weight of brushstrokes on canvas, or pencil shading (hatching, crosshatching, strippling, other fancy terms for scribble-till-vague-shadows-form-to-create-illusion-of-dimension) of artists before you, to determine what you’d like to use in future or or eliminate paths you don’t like

But, I think, and I don’t want to say anything for certain , but I think you should aim to learn and incorporate the art techniques you see in other artists’ works, into your own endlessly-developing style mixture instead of copying the former ‘style’ stroke for stroke aa I’m not sure I’m making sense

I think what I did was I pinpointed the elements of other artworks I enjoyed and experimented by combining them with the style base-structure I already had assembled, perhaps the impasto technique lined up with whatever it was I wanted to express, or maybe blended colours intertwined and subtle was more suitable, or or maybe you’re partial to going dadaist and Marcel Duchamp-ing your work,, the truth is whatever art piece you like, go ahead and try the method you observe for yourself, because, can’t really claim copyright on inspiration amiright (that is if there’s no regurgitation of art by tracing / rebranding it as your own, art theft is :)) : ) inconveniencing ) N-nothing is original in the art community anymore as they say ; w ;

and oh! I found this, from when I repainted Van Gogh’s wheatfield with crows from awful memory, just for fun. It gave me ideas for other paintings I wanted to start on

hmm wait I think I saw something on this a while ago I’ll find it :”D you’ve probably heard this ‘steal like an artist’ mumbo jumbo before, I know I did and it bored me out of my skull but I rather think it mighT be 96% true now hh—

and no it’s not wrong to put on your wall, im sure you’d enjoy it displayed and it shows your appreciation for the original artist, what with ‘imitation being the highest form of appreciation’ it’s what my mum always quotes anyway—

the point is I suppose, don’t let imitation become impersonation, because unless they figure out cloning soon, we’re all separate artists and it’s the deviations between our forms of expression that makes them worthwhile and meaningful :”D