#when i have motivation to be consistent i want to draw all my designs for the strawberry shortcake bitbc gang

[hikiclawd]

A little hucklebread doodle before valentines/sweetie pies day,,...

[tawnysoup]

I ADORE your art and how well you match the ISAT artstyle. I've been being alot of studies to try replicate the style and draw characters 3d but stylised. Are there any tutorials that have helped you, studies you do, or things you keep in mind whilst drawing to make the characters look so 3d?

Oooaaahh thank you!!! This is a really good question. I say that because I feel like I "2D cheat" ISAT art a lot. It's very comfy to draw bc my normal art is like that too, with angles that shouldn't be able to exist but look right bc it's 2D so your brain forgives it. Design of the art > accuracy of the anatomy, y'kno?

The hair kind of gives it away in most cases. It's meant to be such a specific shape, it kind of stops looking like the character if it gets too 3D? But drawing it more 3D has huge utility too, especially for animation n stuff. It's just something I've noticed about the style! It's very designed for 2D. It's very "the shape of the lines" > "the shape of the 3D object"

It's helpful to remember that ISAT characters are all made up of really simple shapes. Like Siffrin's head is just a ball from nearly any angle but the side. Their body is a cylinder but one end is wider than the other. Odile's face is a ball but the bottom is long, like an oval. Isa's is a ball but his chin is square, it has soft corners. Even Bonnie's face is a ball you just add a cheek bump. Etc etc.

^Notice how i can't simplify the hat down into a consistent 3D shape bc otherwise it just. kind of. doesn't look like Siffrin's hat LOL

If you have the simple 3D shapes down then the rest of it is all 2D cheating and focussing on details! Having character refs nearby at all times especially when ur tryna figure out how to draw the character is KEY so you can keep looking at it and comparing. Try to pay attention to the little quirks of the art style that differ from yours and try to mimic them. But don't be afraid to let your style infect it a bit if it helps you to create something more dynamic looking.

It helps that i've been drawing for ages. I know 'practice' is the age old advice but here's my spin on it: just draw, keep drawing what u want no matter if it looks bad or if some professional artist tells you you're doing it wrong. So long as you keep drawing you are learning. Indulge and draw what you want so you get to keep all the motivation and keep going.

oh and PUSH YOUR POSES/EXPRESSIONS!!! By this I mean, draw it once, and then lower the opacity and draw it again on top but pushing everything a little bit further. If a pose feels stiff this tends to fix it.

uhmmm i rambled on for ages but i hoped it helped u Tea (or anyone else reading)! thank u for the excuse to draw a bunch of funny isat doodlies :D keep going you have GOT THIS!!! THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO MAKE OR ENJOY ART! YAY

[alnair-jpg]

Olympics AU Info dump!

First, I am blown away by how much love the series is getting, thank you all so much! I do really enjoy all the comments and reactions in the tags. Know that they all delight me and the only reason I don’t reply to everything is because there are so many! But I read them all 💕

General questions:

Can you draw the designs or concepts? Write fanfic in this AU?

Yes of course! I’d love for you to tag me if you post them so I can see

Do they all know each other?

At first, I would say no- with the exception of Nico and Will (they’re developing a whole backstory in my head that I cannot and will not stop.). But they all meet in the Olympic Village after the opening ceremonies and quickly become friends. They all try their best to attend each other’s events. (Someone please tell me how Percabeth becomes a thing. Please. 🙏 )

Why didn’t Percy win gold?

Percy was an Olympic medalist in swimming before moving to diving. After competing in several swimming events and feeling like they were all just small variations of the same thing, he wanted more of a challenge. He chose diving to stay rooted in to the water, but to add a new dimension to his bodily awareness and control.

What’s Annabeth and Luke’s rivalry?

They most definitely trained together, and it was Luke’s skill that motivated Annabeth to aim for the Olympics. But, she wanted to compete for her home country, Greece, which Luke thought was just a shortcut since there was a clearer path to an Olympic team in a smaller country. Annabeth is constantly trying to prove to him that she would have made it to the top of the sport either way.

Also, apologies to the IRL fencers out there for the inconsistency. I know fencing is a gendered sport, and Annabeth’s gear/style are inconsistent, please forgive the oversight ☺️🫶

Volleyball?

The whole Hunters of Artemis are a volleyball team (that apparently has no country 😅). Thalia ends up the captain. When Reyna moves on from tennis they welcome her with open arms.

Rejected sports

Will as a runner. Canonically, he’s super fast, but just having him as a sprinter didn’t fit with his personality.

Will as a pole vaulter. Specifically the guy that lost because he was ‘blessed a little too much’ and knocked down the bar. I will not explain further.

Will as a gymnast. He was this || close to being a gymnast essentially modeled after Steven Nedoroscik, I had the sketch and everything. (I shared it here!) But when an anyonomous ask clued me into the sick medical team uniforms it all fell into place from there. (Thank you no-longer-anon @helyeahmangocheese !)

Percy in anything equestrian related. I see him not having the patience for all the formality of it all, but he definitely crashes Hazel’s shows and chats up all the competition (the horses.)

Annabeth on a sailing team. Also, related to that, Reyna on a sailing team. It was a fun idea, especially for Reyna and her history with pirates but ultimately it was really hard to capture in a few illustrations.

Nico in several winter sports. For consistency mostly. He could fit for a lot of winter sports - ice skating and snowboarding are my personal favorites.

Leo as a shooter. He would most definitely build his own gear and make tweaks to his weapon. Which would get him immediately disqualified.

Jason in discus. Jason as a basketball player. Golf is just… fitting. 😂

Other Characters I’ve been thinking about

(that may have art in the works… and may not actually be athletes!)

Clarisse

Meg

Grover

Rachel

Lester / Apollo

Mr. D

Chiron

[sorenphelps]

ink-redible artistry on display

i drew this scene of post-coital bliss for the sole purpose of listing Sirius' tattoos and giving James a chance to memorise all of them, because it will have some plot relevance later! Tagging @goldenlionprince, @neverenoughmarauders, @lovelymasks & @diamondmeadow as usual!

The Bodyguard AU has started out as fanarts for Maddie's fic Kiss me tonight, so I mostly kept the tattoo designs I did for that version of Sirius (and those ones are also recycled from previous fanarts for Maddie's version of Sirius' tattoos). But as the AU evolved into its own universe, I've made some changes, his tattoos are not completely consistent on all of my artwork. For example, the bone was a wrench, and he has the phases of the moon on some pieces. The dinosaurs are also a later addition, and his phoenix tattoo is sometimes colourful, sometimes not - it depends on how lazy i am when I draw it. I am also generally very bad at actually drawing tattoos, so I wanted to come up with a simple enough design for all of them, so I don't go crazy drawing them over and over again 😅 Anyways, withouth further ado, have the reference sheet with all of Sirius' tattoos and the backstory/meaning of them below!

1) Stars: He has multiple 4-pointed stars on his body, his first tattoo was the little star on the side of his right wrist. He has 2 larger black stars on his neck, and some more on his left bicep. They represent motivation and goals that are difficult to achieve. The stars also mean that one must endure great difficulties in order to attain divine height, as they're a symbol of good luck in your career. These tatooes symbolize the light in the darkness, hope, truth and eternity, embodying the idea of ​​spiritual revelation. And they are obviously a reference to his name.

2) Astrology signs: He has the symbol of Scorpio on his right ringfinger, the symbol of the Sun on his left bicep, the symbol of Pluto on his left arm and the symbol of the moon on his right shoulder. Additionally, he also has the full moon on his left arm.

3) Runes: He has multiple runes on his body. The biggest one is the rune of transformation (Hagal) on his right arm, which brings disruption and destruction from outside forces beyond his control. It is also connected to his birthday. He has a rune on his left elbow, and multiple under his pecks, most of their meanings are related to protection and motivation. (And they are a reference to his movie tattoos.)

4) Lines: He has four lines on his left arm, and three on his right bicep, representing his time spent in the military (12 years total).

5) Celtic band: He has a Centic band around his right bicep, which stands as a symbol of unity, strength, courage, protection and resiliency. The knots have no beginning or end, reflecting the cyclical nature of life and how life and death are always connected.  He got this tattoo when he enrolled in the military as this design is also a symbol of armor which keeps the person wearing it safe.

6) Norse Compass: The Vegvisir symbolizes the pursuit of discovering one's true path and serves as a tangible reminder of one's inner strength, resilience, and the inherent human capacity to face and surmount challenges, providing guidance. The symbol is also considered to create a protective barrier, warding off negativity, sickness, and various forms of harm. Sirius also has wings around the compass, which represents his independent nature and longing to break free from limitations.

7) Phoenix: A quite literal visual representation of his ability to be reborn from the flames and ashes. It was one of his last tattoos he got (so far!), as a way of processing what happened to him during his last mission which resulted in him having to burn his old identity. It is on his chest and it is the largest tattoo he has.

8) Broken arrow: He has a single broken arrow on his left arm, which he got not long after he left the forces, again as a quite literal symbol of what happened to him, as a broken arrow represents the idea of burying the hatchet, or putting aside a quarrel for the greater good (representing his reconciliation with Remus). It's also a military code phrase meaning that a unit on the ground is facing imminent destruction from enemy attack and all available air forces within range should provide air support immediately (representing his unit being massacred).

9) Other things: He has a bone on his left bicep, which represents his initial childhood dream of becoming a paleontologist, and also how he's nicknamed 'the omen of death'. He also has the outline of four dinosaurs on his left arm, which he got as a gift from Remus, who booked the appointment and gave hints to the artist. He has a cog on his left bicep too, which represents the Royal Engineers, the military unit he would have joined if he was not selected to be a part of the secret covert operation instead.

He will eventually get a tattoo to represent James... The question is, what should it be and where he should have it? 😉

[rwtimejuncture]

small update (so yall know im not dead)

hi hello!

i know it’s been a while since i’ve posted anything here. it’s only been music every now and then and not much in the way of actual updates. so here’s what i got on the itinerary:

- i still need to do the final ask from the AMA. whoever that was, im sorry i havent answered it, i just have some extreme executive dysfunction when it comes to doing that and i could definitely bang that out some afternoon soon lol

- gourmand’s theme is in the works! soon after that it’s survivor and monk. planning this to be an animated series is really fun because i get to flex my musical muscles and make a soundtrack for something i love and i know many others are gonna love too. seeing the nice comments on the songs i’ve made for this AU has been pretty motivating, the only challenge is inspiration. music’s a lot of moving parts and i gotta make sure to balance them all. but i have a pretty good idea for how i want it all to sound, so… get ready for gourmand jazz in the near future.

- i’m in the process of writing what will be the first canon animated material of the series. the story centers around spearmaster and what they were doing before they got warped to the future. it’s part of a prelude project i have in mind for all the non-survivor and monk slugcats, and i’ve been doing quite a bit of mental planning for it all.

- i might do one final redesign/redraw of the ref sheet for all the slugcats. not so much as a design change thing, but more to find a method of being able to draw these characters consistently, because (and you can easily see this from the AMA) i haven’t been able to do that very well! and it helps if i have a ref that more matches my current drawing style, which is why i’ve redone my refs multiple times.

anyways, that’s all! thought you all deserved some sort of update after all this radio silence. TL;DR im working on it!

[linderosse]

Cannot wait to see your new design for Echourora. I keep refreshing hoping to see you drop the design and comic.

On a proper question, what do you do with the Priestess/Shrine Maidens/Sage descendants from LttP for Wisdomverse? What's their relationship to the actual Sages of ALBW?

Hahaha I can’t wait to share it! I keep thinking of more things to draw around this little Echo|Aurora concept of mine. I’ve been working on a bunch of them in parallel so I can release them as I finish :).

I’m actually nearly done with the first bit! So many ideas, so little time to draw. I’ve been traveling a lot this week and last week, and it’s hard to draw in a moving car :)

But I can still type in a moving car, so hey, here’s an answer to your question!

I personally am merging all the characters from ALBW into their ALttP counterparts, and that includes the sages. Essentially, you can imagine that the sages from ALBW were the ones trapped in the jewels in ALttP— except one of them was replaced by Fable, because Fable is one of the sages in ALttP, but not in ALBW.

Dot in FSA gets a set of color-coded maidens of her own, so Fable doesn’t need one as well. And using the ALBW sages for ALttP is also much more consistent with the sages from OoT. Here’s a nice graphic that someone made online (not mine; I downloaded this ages ago as a drawing reference).

So, in ALttP: the sages get kidnapped/sacrificed at the start, just like the maidens were. At the end, they all come together to break Ganon’s barrier, with Fable (Zelda) as their leader.

That leads to the question: which of the ALBW sages is replaced by Zelda for ALttP, and then gets to be a sage again in ALBW? My vote goes to Seres, the priestess in blue at the end of the line— though I’m still giving her a role to play in ALttP.

In fact, I’m gonna trace where all of them could have been in ALttP. There’s a lot of fun contradictions to merge :).

Osfala

He’s Sahasrahla’s disciple/grandson, just like in ALBW, and gets kidnapped with the rest of them. This has the added benefit of giving Sahasrahla a personal motive to want to help Link at the start of the game (though of course he’s already down to help). Let’s say you can rescue/recruit Osfala in the Dark Palace in ALttP, because it’s the first Dark World dungeon and it’s near where he and Sahasrahla live in the Light World.

Rosso

I don’t think he has a counterpart in ALttP? If he does, I’ve forgotten. Guess he just gets kidnapped and rescued like the others. He can have the Ice Palace, because although I do like Rosso, I hate the Ice Palace and have to give it to someone. It’s a nice ironic choice for a Fire-aligned guy like him (since Turtle Rock is off the table—it’s Fire-aligned, but it’s the last dungeon and therefore has to be where you rescue Fable)

Gulley

Gulley is the blacksmith’s son and one of the sages in ALBW, and the counterpart of the Ocarina Kid in ALttP. In this merged version, he gets rescued from the Skull Woods dungeon, but he’s too young to hold himself together properly in the Dark World, and gives his ocarina to Legend and then dies when they reach that stump in the forest like the ocarina kid does in ALttP canon. Let’s keep that trauma for Legend.

(Note that a lot of people die in ALttP. It’s fine, dw, they’re all canonically revived at the end of the game)

But then the gang is missing one sage! How will they break the barrier, which requires seven sages total? Fear not, they have a plan. We’ll get to that later though. For now…

Oren

Oren gets to be the adult daughter of the aging King River Zora in ALttP who gives Link the flippers. This has the added benefit of giving the King Zora a reason to help Link despite the fact that his people are constantly trying to kill you. Oren gets rescued from the Swamp Palace, just like in ALBW. Water theme go brrrr.

Impa

Impa is Impa. Rescued from Misery Mire, because why not. Nothing special here.

Maple/Irene

Ah, Maple. She’s the granddaughter of Granny Syrup, the potionmaker from ALttP. Maple was added only in the GBA remake of ALttP as a reference to her appearance in the Oracle games. Her kidnapping would give Syrup an added personal motive for helping Link out.

I’m giving Maple the Thieves’ Town dungeon in ALttP because Thieves’ Town is special. Folks who have played ALttP, or who are familiar with The Secrets We Keep, may remember the dungeon boss Blind the Bandit. Blind masquerades as the captive from this dungeon and follows you— until you lead him to a special room and the light turns him back to his monstrous form.

I love the thought of a fake Maple following Legend around, pleading that she’s real, and to trust her— but Legend sees through the lies. When Legend rescues the real Maple, her dry cynicism is a breath of fresh air, and a distinct reminder that she’s the real version. It gives Legend a connection to Maple that he gets to build on more in the Oracle games.

Legend will also proceed to be traumatized by Blind twice more in the future (including TSWK), but that’s a story for another day :).

Seres

Finally, Seres is the daughter of the Priest in ALBW. In ALttP, the Priest hides Zelda in his church for the first half of the game, and dies valiantly trying to protect Zelda when Agahnim comes for her again. In this merged version, Seres was there too, and can’t do anything to save her father. This has the added bonus of giving the Priest a personal motive to want to help Link in the first half of the game (his daughter is in danger), and giving Seres a personal motive to help set the world to rights again in the second half of the game (she wants her father back).

In this merged version, Seres takes Gulley’s place in the final scene where Fable and the gang blast through Ganon’s barrier, so they still have seven sages. There aren’t really any elemental roles in ALttP and ALBW like there are in OoT, but if you consider the elements to still exist, you can think of Fable as a wildcard sage who can fill Gulley’s role, like Lullaby/Requiem does in OoT as the “Seventh Sage.”

Tl;dr:

And there you go! The ALBW seven, if they were in ALttP.

Did I overthink this? Yes. Will I change details of this later? Maybe. Was this fun to contemplate anyways? Hell yeah!

Thanks for the amazing question. I love these; keep ‘em coming, folks!

Masterpost

[woodbrook-wanderer]

🦆 Lurching To Spring : A Post-A Day to Rite Of Spring 🦆 [11/30]

This is gonna be a different, perhaps more personal post about a headcanon and a thought I've had about Beneath The Trees for a while.

I'm not sure how else to begin this than to say Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees could be categorized as a piece of media that autistic people would gravitate to for several reasons. This opinion sparked as a joke at first from friebds when I was initially shocked IDW also serializes IPs like MLP, TMNT, Transformers, and more importantly for this discussion- Sonic The Hedgehog. Reservations about IDW's Sonic aside, as time passed I realized why BTTWNS stuck to me as an autistic person and why it clicked all the right buttons to become a special interest.

Character Design & Art

I went into BTTWNS for the art and particularly Sam's design. I have the softest spot in my heart for furry designs that aren't too stylized but aren't too realistic either. BTTWNS' take on the furverse is a perfect middle ground between conventional furry art and BoJack Horseman anthro art. The way the textures are drawn and painted, the funny proportions, and the expressionwork you can do with a realistic animal head was so endearing to me.

Linear Storytelling and Lore

BTTWNS has the benefit of being a series that's strictly a comic which at the time I got into it just ended the first arc and was about to launch Praludium. I didn't feel intimidated to get into it because it was just a 6 issue run and I maybe wouldn't have mind if I skipped Praludium since it was a side story + it was con exclusive. But! BTTWNS is written in a way where it is an interesting world and premise that you'd want to know More about which is why I reread it very often to keep tabs on the lore of Woodbrook and the characters. Everyone and everything was just so fascinating and I wanted to pick it all apart. Visual symbolism, the time period, scenes lining up to real events, cultures, stories, and myths even if unintentional makes me extremely excited to just research it all. My first breakdown post was how Sam's dream in Issue 4 is a mirror to the Bhuta Yadjna. I'm excited to do more breakdowns like that here and I'm grateful people entertain such analysis here!

Sam as a protagonist

Most interestingly, I feel like having Sam be the way she is, speak the way she does, and her mannerisms draw people to her character. I think her narration coming in the form of journal entries and being (reasonably) simple but condensed with information and emotion (or the lack thereof) makes it so that her speech patterns are easily replicable to an autistic person. These journal entries reveal so much more about Sam's personality and feelings than her own actions sometimes which resonates very well to autistic people who find it hard to categorize their emotions or lack empathy.

I mentioned Sonic earlier which is a hallmark of autism media that share the same traits as BTTWNS as a story. They are vastly different mediums and Sonic has seen many iterations and interpretations whereas Sam is only pinned in one ongoing comic. Sonic should stay consistent for canon but Rite Of Spring hints that she'll go through some major changes in the arc or we'll see her in different perspectives. But the core canon of Sonic's personality, themes, and motivations- his carefree attitude, going through life at his own pace, doing as he pleases, and fighting for freedom - heavily codes him as an autistic person. His personality resonates with a lot of autistic individuals and as an autistic person myself, this pattern could be seen with Sam's character if you pay closer attention.

Autistic!Sam headcanon

I am not a professional psychiatrist. I do not have the extensive knowledge about the full scope of the autism spectrum. I am just basing my knowledge on my lived experiences and insight from my therapist over the years.

Horvath confirmed in the BTTWNS AMA that Sam has ASPD. This is a canon that was speculated in the past by other fans and is widely accepted. I personally also abide by this, but @theslackercorner55 has talked to me about the overlap of autistic traits with ASPD traits, and after hearing out her suggestions on Sam being autistic, a lot more of her actions and mannerisms make better sense than what I would frankly consider Horvath's hasty generalization and an ableist portrayal of people with Cluster B disorders. Given what canon has shown us, I've gleaned her most common autistic traits as these:

🥩 Difficulty Forming Relationships and Socializing:

Although she may not care as intensely for the people in her life as much as they care for her, feel less intensely about the other person, or just not care, it is clear she does want to seek community and belonging in Woodbrook. She does not have many friends, only being close to Lola and Charlie's family. She knows the value of friendship, social interactions, and love intellectually but won't be able to fully understand it- or at least how neurotypical people see it.

🥩 Routine and Rituals:

Sam relies on a routine to keep her life structured. This keeps her day monotonous and straightforward which although boring to most would be comforting to her because in a town like Woodbrook, there wouldn't be any sudden, abrupt changes that could sour her entire day or disrupt the familiarity she seeks. Even scheduling her hunting trips as needed, she marks it at the end of each month or every two months. Her process of killing is also routined- shutting down their nervous system, draining out their blood, then cutting them up neatly.

🥩 Heightened Sensitivity To Change:

This is basically the crux of the story of the first arc. She scrambles to solve the mystery first before any MAJOR changes in HER routine happen. The opening monologue of Issue 4 explains this best. By the end of book 1, Sam assumes that her schedule and life will smoothly transition back to normal. This might be true for the next few months, maybe a year, but things have evidently changed by the time we get to Rite Of Spring. She notes that trips are harder to schedule and now she can't go to Centerville or the same city twice. She feels that it'd be easier to slip up now ever since her mental health had taken that nosedive.

🥩 Monotonous Speech and Facial Expressions:

Some autistic people lack facial or speech awareness to convey their thoughts emotionally or as expressively as neurotypical folk. They might have a flat voice or an "empty" stare or smile. They might even overcompensate to blend in- exaggerating perceived "correct" emotional expressions.

🥩 Lack of empathy/disproportionate emotional response:

Alright, this one is tricky to pin down because we have to remember that Sam Is a bad person and does not feel any remorse for her murders, crimes, or sabotaging relationships with people for her own peace. But at the same time her not fully/completely understanding the value of relationships or love to other people is a result of a ton of factors (upbringing, culture..) one of which being her mental disorders in this case autism. I think back to this page in Issue 3 as a perfect example of this lack of empathy not being totally out of malice (as she's already found what she's been curious about, now just fascinated and impressed but not understanding why Melody would do that). This demonstrates both her lack of social cues and empathy for Melody's situation and ultimately agrees to keep her secret hidden.

🥩 Narrowed Interests:

This is once again part of the nuance we can glean through to speculate. Autistic people have what they cite as special interest(s) which are topics, ideas, medias they focus, study, research, or invest more time, money, or energy into consuming. We could assume throughout the story that Sam's special interest would be somewhere along the lines of medicine and biology with an emphasis on anatomy and botany.

[silverlining-ships]

I'm deeply curious! You understand and analyse Jasper very well. Where did you start with this? I'm wanting to understand the characters of my f/os on a deeper level as well so I can be confident writing and drawing them, but it feels daunting when there's so much to cover and consider! Arcs, themes, motivations, connections to other characters, how they change... Is it just a matter of time/paying prolonged attention?

this is SUCH a fun ask, thank you for giving me the opportunity to go into this a bit!! character analysis is SO much fun to me, even outside of self shipping, so I'm so grateful for this!!

so disclaimer. I have engaged with steven universe specifically since it aired, which is probably too many years. this world and its mechanics are incredibly familiar to me just from how long I've played in this world. so it sometimes is partially a matter of time! but character analysis doesn't always need time, sometimes it just needs a bit of playing around! some of the things I do are:

wiki hopping:

this is SO much fun to me. I'll read a characters wiki until I hit something that makes me think wait... why is that? fandom wiki is always imperfect so no matter the character there are normally inconsistencies or things that just seem thrown in there

an example with Jasper is I was reading her wiki and reread the piece where it says she's implied to know how to pilot a Roaming Eye (piece of surveillance spacecraft) and was like. . . wait. I know she is a Quartz soldier, which are like ground level front line muscle in the caste system. so WHY would she know how to pilot SPACECRAFT?

so that's my question, and I'll hop around the wiki overall to try and find an answer! in this instance I refreshed a lot of my memory on the caste system, some of the other Jaspers, the spacecraft in the show.

sometimes I won't be able to find an answer - which is where I can use headcanons to fill in the gaps! I could go on and on about the conclusions I've reached with Jasper, but overall I feel as though she is a specially designed soldier made when the war was at a low point, and with her ground expertise and stellar record they pulled her into other necessary tasks during the war - like piloting!

essay writing:

no I'm not kidding and everyone who's reading this knows that. I LOVE building essays. no it doesn't have to be perfect grammatically sound text, but it can be so fun to start a text post posing a question/commenting on something you noticed from a character, and just. elaborating on it!

like for example, I have a text post somewhere where I pose the question that - if Jasper is so against fusion, and fusion is taboo in Homeworld, how did she know its functionality enough to initiate fusion with an entirely different Gem? and I just went through stuff. considering different scenes I've seen her in, the wiki, of course. it's a lot of rambling! but I feel the rambling helps draw you to a conclusion

engaging with the media itself:

one, our source media is always fun to come back to, so now you have another excuse!

two. . . you will always notice something new when you re-engage with the media. maybe the character reacted to a conflict in a way that you didn't really think about that much before. maybe you notice the character's physical expressions or the way they gesture.

engaging with the media also gives you a chance to really feel out a character arc as well. you can read the wiki all you want, but really diving into the source material helps you feel the pace that it was intended to go at.

other things to consider:

really when you're doing char analysis for fun you want to focus on what interests YOU specifically. for Jasper, I am consistently so so fascinated with who she was behind the screen and trying to figure out her history from the very little the show gave us, so I tend to analyze those things specifically and try and figure them out. always start with what YOU want to learn first and just. . . build it up from there!

"Arcs, themes, motivations, connections to other characters, how they change…" - these are all SUCH fun ways to explore a character, but which ones fascinate you the most? what do you love about your f/o, and then. . . why are they like that? why do they DO that thing you really like?

I hope this wasn't too rambly I love talking about char analysis hahaha

[moonsofmachinery]

So this isnt a pride req but you still don't have to answer!! But how do you draw so quickly?? I swear you draw like 2-4 times a day? I wanna get on a really good schedule about that so I can keep up with a art blog but idk how to draw fast! How'd you do it?

I hope it helps If I go over my entire process here because I've been wanting to showcase my process for awhile anyways :}

Haha! Yeah, i usually try and draw ~4 things min a day. Now, let me clarify, to run an art blog you don't have to draw fast! I do try and take breaks if I need them!!! But a lot of my speed has to do with the fact I've just been in a very art-inclined mood as of late :} It's a lot easier to draw if you WANT to draw! and knowing people like my stuff is a huge motivator.

Long post below where I explain my process and some of the shortcuts I take!! :]

For more skill-based tips though, my method definitely helps. Drawing lineless and paying attention to my stabilizer helps a lot. I'm definitely not a perfectionist when it comes to my art and I do tend to reuse poses I KNOW im comfortable with if I'm not in the mood to go all out.

I sketch freely with loose stabilizer using a pencil-like pen that allows me to get a good idea of the details I want down... Ex:

I have a very good grasp on the way i draw slugcats and how their bodies are shaped! Depending on the characters you're drawing, you should try drawing them a TON to get to a point where you can sketch them without even looking at a ref of any kind. My designs tend to stay consistent as I have a solid idea of each slugcat in my mind! It helps me pace myself as I generally don't need refs! :}

Next, I blot out my main body shape. I then, using a clip layer, add in lines and line in limbs! Generally I do this all in the same colour, get the main shapes down before you add detail and all that...

I blot out different regions of my character in different colours and section off areas to ensure I can later select these and go over them! Doing lineless helps me a ton as I don't use a lot of layers! it's just the style im more used to :}

Lastly, I add in my colours and adjust places where I can adding in all markings and details and recolouring where I need to! I use the selection wand to help me and I also use clip layers.

The details are relatively easy for me, most of the time its just getting to doodle whatever I want to make the colour combo look the best I can!!! :} The final result of this one will be posted on its own, but I just use CSP tools to add an outline-- I'm not sure if you use Clip Studio Paint, but if you do, you can use the effect feature!

Its just a little thing I add to make my drawing pop against the background!!!! :D

Anddd thats how I pump out art at an inhuman rate! Drawing is one of the few things I can do without my chronic pain kicking my ass so a lot of my day is spent at my computer cozy n' arting! Drawing for too long does cause fatigue in anyone though! I reccomend listening to something engaging in the background (if your attention can take it) and taking regular breaks every ~15-30 minutes.

This piece took me 30 minutes?? maybe a little more! I hope this gave you what you were lookin for :D!!!!! I wish u well in ur art blog n' make sure not to stress urself!!!!!

[lordshroom]

Happy One Year Anniversary to 2012 Good Genes! WOOOOO

I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported the comic! Whether it's writing a comment, leaving a like when a new chapter drops (or spamming likes as you binge it), or just reading it. Thank you <3

Hard to believe I've managed to semi-consistently update a comic for a whole ass year. When I started this comic, it was a means to force myself to learn how to draw the turtles and just force myself outside my comfort zone: dynamic posing, perspective, shivers backgrounds.

I thought I would run with this idea for a few months, get bored, then move on to something else. A fate that has unfortunately fell many of my previous projects.

But then I started recognizing the same few blogs liking the new updates. I got a few followers. I got a few comments. Every note felt like something special, a sign that people actually wanted to read this story.

So I kept making the comic. One of the biggest shifts in mindset came from when I met Gavin Smith, an artist for the IDW series, I asked him how long it took him to draw a page. He said, "It changes depending on the page. Sometimes it takes three hours sometimes it takes three days." My priorities shifted from "Get the comic done as soon as possible before I get bored" to "make the comic you want to make". The comic went from this to this. I missed coloring, so I started coloring. But I always liked inking more than coloring, so I started inking the comic pretty soon after.

This does mean the comic takes longer to get out, and that bums me out. But I don't mind taking some extra time to give the pages some zest because, well, you guys. If you're going to take the time out of your day to read the pages, I'm going to take some extra time to work on them.

My dream job has always been to be a writer. I've fluctuated between writing books, movie scripts, comic scripts, and a bunch of other stuff.

When I was little, I would imagine elaborate 2012 fan fiction. I never wrote any of this down since I was deeply embarrassed by my fascination with TMNT. It was a boy's show, and I was a girl. On top of that, 2012 became my lifelong hyperfixation. I didn't even seek out an online community for 2012, the closest I ever got was the forums for the show on the Nick site I watched the episodes on.

In high school, I realized who the hell cares and started entering the online community. I watched Rise and 2003, bought the IDW hardcovers, and started getting the figures.

Then in college, I said, "screw it," and started writing a fan fiction on AO3. It did not perform well. I tried to tell myself that I should write for myself, but it was hard to find the motivation to continue so I moved on.

Last summer, I started working on my original story and considered making it a webcomic. I watched a bunch of videos about making comics and wanted to try it out. Now, all the advice for making your first comic is to "make it small so you actually finish it!"

I did not take that advice.

The idea for 2012 Good Genes was old, like, fan-fiction-I-made-in-my-head-in-high-school old. It was different from the current comic. That old version took place post-season 5 with a bunch of OCs and Donnie being mutated into something more bug-like. I went with a retelling of "Vengence is Mine" so I wouldn't have to worry about designing any new characters/ environments, and I those handful of episodes as a blueprint.

2012 Good Genes was supposed to be a learning exercise and became something so much more with your support. That support got me to work on another fanfiction on AO3, which got so much more love than I was expecting. It was so touching that people liked my writing enough to read it without any silly pictures.

So I'm going to say it again, thank you. Thank you so much for a fantastic year. I would not be where I am today without your support.

And if you managed to get through all my rambling, here's an update!

"The Invasion!" will have four more pages which I'm still drawing. After that is an original episode that I want to take time to write a script and design a character before I start posting updates, so in the meantime I will be working on drawing some stuff for my asks and working on the next chapter for "Perfect Son".

[inkpot909]

Hii I saw matchups were open, I hope it's okay that I ask for onee I hoope its okay that I get a canonically adult character n noo aged up stuff cuz. I’m grown.. Hi. I like men too ^_^ my pronouns are he/she andd I’m a virgo becuz i thinks u wanted zodiac included. 

I think I’m prettay chill for the most part, mayybee a little weird or awkward when first talking but I warm up quickly. A lot of my conversations consist of a lot of jokes and stuff like making up bits and going back and forth banter.  I can come off as pretty “ditzy”, sarcasm and things of that nature really fly over my head tbh, if you’re talking to me you’ll hear me go “huh?” about a hundreddd times. I have the tendency to be painfully petty, I'll hold a mean grudge and a little bittt of a temper but won't do much beyond talking shit or complaining to my friends. I love shit talkingg sooo much I talk a lot of shit about people I can't lie it's kind of bad. If I'm dating you, you need to be cool with shit talking.

 I don’t think I’m affectionate, the farthest I go is saying I LOVE YOUU or giving stupid nicknames likee ur my booboobaby okk... I don’t think I’m a big fan of hugs or hand holding. That being said I'm very touchy though, not in a weird way…ok. I mean like whenever I'm laughing I'll slap or grab whoever I'm closest to, or even if I'm shocked I'd grab onto whoever… 

My biggest hobby is drawing, my whole life I’ve drawn so yay :) I especially like drawing gifts for friends or loved ones, it's probably more motivating than drawing stuff for myself.  I work at a bakery so I guess it’s kind of natural that I’m a fan of baking, though I do like cooking just a bit more. I like smoking too.. Yay heart. I luv luv luuv listening to music, I don’t think I have a specific genre I like most but I guess it’d be alternative stuff ^_^ 

I hope thats goood! Thank you, love u have a good dayy yaaayy 😻💙

I am Matching You With…

Joseph Joestar

First thing’s first, you want someone who will happily shit talk with you? Joseph’s your man.

He will sit and listen to you vent for as long as you need; along with interjecting his own opinion constantly. Whether or not his enabling ramps up your mood, best believe your passion will rub off on him. If you’re fired up, he’s right there with you.

Not to mention he greatly respects you keeping that sort of talk between friends (even if he doesn’t follow your example when he feels like ranting).

Your ditziness is what initially gained his attention, finding it wildly charming. He considers it a fun avenue for banter, granted you’re alright with him poking fun. Outwardly, he might have seemed a tad bit frustrated with you always asking him to repeat himself at first. But deep down, he found it too endearing to keep up the act.

Not only that, but your initial awkwardness didn’t phase him at the beginning either.

Sure, he might tease you a little over it, but everything he does is designed to get you talking. Since he’s interested, he’ll want to hear your voice all the time often.

And when you do open up to him… your natural preference for jokes and banter gets him easily laughing with you.

And it’s those jokes, along with gladly hearing you out, that he expresses his how he cares for you. Like you, Joseph isn’t the most overtly affectionate guy, but it’s through that quality time you spend together that he shows just how much he values you.

There’s no doubt your instinctive, casual touch assures him of your own devotion too.

Hell, he’ll start latching himself to you in return. He won’t even have to think about it beforehand. Especially in any jarring or tense situations, he’ll be reaching for your shoulders.

Since you’re an artist, expect him to boast about it.

He’s got a talented special someone, of course he’s going to talk about it with anyone willing to listen. Joseph cannot draw to save his life, so he won’t have the most well-informed idea of the composition of your work, but that doesn’t mean he’s not your biggest fan. Try hiding any of your drawings from him and he’s whining about it constantly.

Give him a drawing or two as a gift and he’s hanging them up somewhere in his little flat. Most likely, on his bedroom wall right above his bedside nightstand.

Plus you’re a baker? That’s just an extension of your artistic abilities, as far as he’s concerned.

Though, Joseph will actually like to involve himself in baking if you let him. He’s a disaster in the kitchen, but as long as you don’t mind wasted hours and a messy space, the two of you are laughing an afternoon away.

Lastly, Joseph is a libra. Virgo and libra signs can be known to bud heads at times; you two are no exceptions given your tempers. Yet, that spirit is a great fuel to a strong and loyal connection. The difference between an air and earth sign can create a good balance- positively influencing both your lives.

Despite the potential hiccups that you both may face, it’s a relationship built on a trust. Given that fact, Joseph is in it for the long haul.

[pencilnewt]

I dont think I have seen somebody draw as beautifully as you have, really.

The colors you use to draw make the photograph, as does the shadowing. And your ideas? Genius.

How did you learn all this great technique? Was that something you have always done or did you just start drawing?

I hope I could just tell you how amazing your art is to me (and many others)✨

thank you so much omfg!!

it’s definitely taken a lot of time and practice, i didn’t just wake up one day and know how to draw the way i do rn!! and im still learning all the time, im very self-taught!! gonna fish thru my instagram for a min and grab some screenshots of old art to demonstrate this in a sort of timeline but it feels very self-indulgent (which i try not to be too often haha) so it’s under the cut if anyone wants to see :3

i feel like im able to create something approaching the art i see in my head for the first time in my life and im SO grateful for any and all support people have given me while im doing that in a way i literally cannot express like i read EVERY SINGLE tag people leave on my art on here and it makes me want to fucking cry <3

quickly first of all i use CSP version 1 these days but over the past 9 years i’ve used nearly every free drawing program available - krita, 🏴‍☠️photoshop, firealpaca, autodesk sketchbook, ibis paint, medibang…

anyway some sketchbook drawings circa 2016/age 13 (earliest i have photos of, but i have one earlier sketchbook somewhere) at which point human anatomy was still an utter mystery to me:

got my first drawing tablet in 2017 - a little wacom intuos draw, which i don’t think they make anymore, but i still used it until about a year and a bit ago when i bought my xp-pen display tablet w my first paycheck. i think this was literally the first thing i drew on there:

a bit of a jump to 2019 (this is where i got my love for fuzzy chalky textures i think):

i try not to think about the dsmp era too much but that’s where i made some big strides (especially in my colouring) because i felt a lot of consistent motivation to draw!

& then spent a LOT of time doodling my dnd character over the past year & doing some other little reference studies when i could find the time between writing my undergrad dissertation etc. this helped me nail down drawing faces better than b4.

i’d doodled some hockey stuff on and of for the past couple of years but only started properly drawing or posting anything at the end of september!! gotta say a big THANK YOU to everyone who reblogged pens snoopy when i first posted him bc without the support from people on here i don’t think id have initially been so motivated to keep making this art that i’ve loved drawing so so much. and i’ve made friends & mutuals that i’m even more grateful for :3 1st vs most recent:

i have lots of things i wanna keep working on, here are some:

more detailed backgrounds & lighting (biggest barrier here is terrible Can’t Be Bothered syndrome)

recognisably simplifying/stylising people more!! i can do this a bit but my strength is defo semi-realism i feel

improving my composition/making it more intentional. this is the biggest reason behind making those stamp designs actually (could go into much more detail in another post about what’s behind lots of the hockey pieces i’ve made, if anyone would like to hear about that. there’s semi-often something im trying to specifically work on or practice)

more movement & dynamism!!

this is probably so obvious but i’m like. passively learning from looking at other artists’ work all the time as well as practicing. if i really like a piece of art i see online i’ll try and identify exactly WHY i like it so i can think about how i might improve my own art.

if you read this far i’m in love w you <3

[sarah-hell-pit]

well, I am back to reading the Exestential Crisis manga. Perhaps I should read it some other time that isn’t my birthday, but it’s a tradition at this point. After all, I am an artist. And not the professional kind. Which is what I went to school for.

Blue period is a very good manga. There’s a lot of research that went into it, but you can also tell how much of the author’s own feelings go into the manga. I will probably write a review on it at some point. This one is a bit harder for me to process than some others, because of the story’s subject matter. I will say that the thing I miss most about reading it is the way it describes the process of making art, and the revelations of the main character regarding the nature of art.

I have a feeling that Blue Period may play a large role in my life. I’m not sure yet. I know that it will change me, somehow. Every story changes me a little. Eventually, I think, the more one reads, even manga, the better one becomes able to understand the nature of the world around them.

What do you really want? It’s a question that many people are asked, and very few know the answer to. For the main character of Blue Period, what he wants is to satisfy his curiosity— he wants to know- what is art, really? His advantage is that it’s his sole motivator, and he has no pride in his work, only a ceaseless drive to unravel that answer.

Maybe that was my mistake, going into art school with a very set, predefined notion of what “art” meant and was, one very different from everyone around me.

There’s no one or easy answer to the question of what art is. What people consider to be art varies widely from person to person, from country to country. And yet there remains a few defining parameters consistent across cultures. Art is a human creative endeavor, one that seeks to convey an idea or meaning; not something purely decorative (which falls into the realm of design, or illustration.) Art is fundamentally a means of communication. I think this is where I first became confused in art school. For me, the meaning behind art had always been secondary to its appearance. Art was a practice in intense reproduction from my mind’s eye; a practice of generating imagery from nothing in particular, something that had many details and could provoke thought, a wide array of thought that fell mostly into the realm of fantastical. Art was about generating ideas. Art was about all of the leaping off points, not necessarily about a unified and set message.

Art has no “practical” purpose. Instead, it serves an ideological one, telling you what the author believes about the world, maybe how it is, maybe how it should be, or how it has been. But it always has a central theme that, if not immediately discernible, can be recognized through the text in the artist’s description or statement. Art is about reflecting society, and reflecting ourselves.

Maybe it’s no secret why I have had such a love hate relationship with art. Unlike Yaguchi, I was not curious about what art could be. I thought I knew. And as my fundamental drawing professor taught me, when you think that you know how something looks, you will always draw it inaccurately.

And yet, art does interest me. When I can pick the questions that it asks, on my own terms. It’s difficult to justify art to oneself. It shouldn’t be. Creating art is a fundamental tenant of human self expression. Art is who we are.

I’m rambling and it’s late. I guess my point is, you can’t understand something unless you are willing to be curious about it, and really open to receiving answers in the form of information that you really didn’t expect. You have to be openminded.

You have to be willing to see art in unexpected places; in places where it wasn’t intended, where there was no human controlling the setup. The things that you personally recognize as art, which serve no artistic purpose originally, define your perspective and define you as a person. This is what you, as an individual, can utilize to make art.

art belongs to everyone. But it can only belong to the people brave enough to reach out and grab it. It belongs to those who want it, who need it. So it belongs to those who don’t create it, too. But the only art that you can claim as your own is the art that comes from your unique perspective; something built off of self reflection and in direct communication with the world around you.

And art is not about creating something; it’s about trying to get at something else, and creating something in the process.

I guess I never understood that before.

The scene where Yatora draws himself naked, and then learns that he sees his body, and the human form in general as pathetic, made me realize that it’s really easy to not know what your perspective even is until you are in the midst of reaching towards art.

I found it hard to think of art as a language, but it very much is. Once I started thinking of art in the same way I already think of writing, I believe that my art began to improve.

I think a lot of this series is Yaguchi learning, bit by bit, that traditional art is a tricky union of skill, technique and intent, trying to combine the three in perfect balance— and often failing in one capacity or another. That’s what makes the series good; it’s realistic. Most of artwork is a failure in one way or another.

I could say so much more, I could probably sit here and type until tomorrow dawns about all of the things this anime surfaces within me. But I’ll leave it there for tonight.

Blue period is a very good series about asking oneself some very hard questions, without ever really having a guarantee of an answer— but continuing to ask regardless. And I, like so many others, admire that determination.

[theonevoice]

Hey! I saw your reblog of the tumblr ask culture so here I am :) your art is amazing. I love it. I particularly appreciate the fastidious (in the good sense of the word) way you research tiny details to add to your good omens fanart (like the clock from the Mir space station you put in that fanart of Crowley with the Hozier song). Since you do a lot of digital art and you mentioned you're an "amateur" fanartist: which is more comfortable for you, screenless drawing tablets or the ones with screens? And which one would you recommend as a "starter kit"? I'm trying to get more consistent with my drawing and I sketch a lot on paper, but find that having the color palette that a digital tool offers would probably motivate me slightly more, still I can't decide which would be best, at a beginner's level.

Hey!!! Yes, hello!

Thank you so much, I love reaserching those details, they are one of my favourite parts of the process: it makes me feel for a brief moment like I'm part of the amazing GO set/costume designers crew, sorting through all possible inspirations until I find the perfect one!

As for drawing tablets: I tried both, I had a screenless Wacom Bamboo (it was a million years ago, they don't even sell it anymore), then for almost ten years I didn't draw at all, and now I am using a Huion Kamvas 13, and I guess it's a different experience for every artist, but as far as I can tell, they are two totally different things. It's not like you start with a screenless tablet as a beginner and then "upgrade" to one with a screen as you get better: it's more a matter of what kind of art you are trying to do, and how your eye-brain-hand connection is wired. I struggled so much with the Bamboo that I ended up not using it, so even if it was cheaper (probably like 90 euros in 2005 or 2006), I wasted money on it. While the Kamvas was more expensive but it was such a gamechanger that the amount I paid (I think around 300 euros in 2018) almost feels like a steal now, compared to the enjoyment of using it and the improvement that is allowing me to make.

For me, personally, the possibility to sketch directly in colors was *the* big turning point: I struggle with lineart, my brain doesn't "see" an image until it has values and colors, so that changed everything for me.

(Fun/weird fact: when I got the Kamvas I didn't think I would ever use it for drawing, I bought it because at the time I was doing a lot of editorial proofreading and where I live proofreading is done with a very specific set of symbols and signs that you cannot "type", so you either print everything and do the thing by hand or you get a tablet of some sort that allows you to draw them directly on the pdf - and the rest is history)

I may be biased, but I think one of the Huion Kamvas series (there are several sizes) could be a great tool: they cost a fraction of what Wacom equivalents would cost you, they work great, and they also give you a lot of stuff (mine came with its own stand, a stand for the stylus with a dozen extra tips, and a glove - all things that other brands would sell you separately).

But regardless of the brand, the best advice I can give you is this: don't look for a "starter" tool, look for the tool that makes you want to use it. If you enjoy using it, you will spend more time drawing, and that inevitably will make you improve. Go to a store that allows you to test them, if you have the opportunity, or look for comparative reviews on YouTube (that's whay I did): it will help you find the thing that makes you think "oh, that one looks like a lot of fun". If you buy a tool that "sounds" entry-level just because you feel like you should get an entry-level tool you may end up with a thing that is frustrating and annoying to use, and that won't help you at all.

How on earth did I write so much?!? I hope there is something useful in there! Bye!!

[tempertyzias]

genuinely what is trigun

my biggest current hyperfixation, its like two and half mangas/two animes/a movie

it started as just the manga "Trigun", then was adapted into the 1998 anime, then the manga CONTINUED in the form of "Trigun Maximum" which has 14 volumes plus a little addon anthology book called "Multiple Bullets" (but I don't know much about it specifically). im on volume 11 and it is KILLING ME [positive]!! there was a movie, Badlands Rumble, in 2010, most people have kinda mixed feelings about it cause the characterization is questionable but I still like it. the latest rendition of it is Trigun Stampede, made by the same studio that made Beastars. you might also hear about "trigun omnibus"-- thats just a reprint of the manga condensed into 7 books instead of 14. Trigun Stampede was the first one I watched and its my personal favorite but I love all versions of it truly madly deeply. it's my absolute favorite kind of story: the kind that slow boils you like a frog, gradually getting more and more difficult to explain as it goes on, but that also makes it more and more difficult to get more people into it

the main character, Vash The Stampede, is a wanted gunman with a varying amount of money on his head depending on the rendition / point in time but usually 60 billion double dollars, except hes actually a pacifist who avoids violence if he can and refuses to kill. his designs vary between renditions (I think he wears like 7 different coats in the manga?) but generally, blonde spiky hair, orange glasses, prosthetic arm, red coat. trigun stampede is the most different design from the previous renditions, a lot simpler mostly (except for his arm, bane of many fanartists though I honestly really like drawing it) but basically hes my biggest blorbo I both love him and want to be him. people call him a twink but hes not hes built like a brick shithouse under the coat

hes usually accompanied by Wolfwood, religious trauma personified whos hard to describe because his personality varies the most between renditions-- though his design is pretty consistent across the board, wears a suit and carries a big wrapped-up cross thats actually a gun called "The Punisher". he's usually a priest, but in Stampede he's an undertaker. also before I knew what Trigun was when I saw people at a convention cosplaying him I thought he was a supernatural character

and Meryl and Milly (though Milly isn't in Trigun Stampede yet), who in most renditions are insurance agents assigned to follow Vash but then get attached to him like the sad pathetic wet cat he is

then theres Vash's fuckass twin brother who I hate, Millions Knives, edgelord supreme that, depending on the version, I either couldnt care less about or just flat out dislike. I'd probably see his appeal more if I didn't have sibling trauma but a lot of people are capital f Freaks about him and Vash's relationship the fandom has an incest ship problem worse than Homestuck its fucking dire out here and thats one of the contributing reasons I do not like him. its kindof hard to explain his motivations without spoiling pretty much the whole plot but hes the main antagonist of the story and basically just. a grown ass man consistently and obsessively trying to get his brother to side with him even though he wants to Kill and Vash does Not

theres a bunch more characters but ive already been typing for an hour about this and if I dont quit while im ahead ill be here all night and forget to eat. I will frantically half-explain Trigun to anyone who will listen because im DESPERATE to get more people into it without spoiling too much right out the gate (though usually I get way too ahead of myself and end up spoiling it anyway). my trigun hyperfixation probably borders on unhealthy but fuck it we ball

[wonderlesscomics]

Batman: Killing Time (Tom King & David Marquez)

Issues # 1-6

Read January 2024

Story: 9/10

This book. This book is incredible. It’s nearly a perfect Batman story. It’s tight, it’s concise, it’s gripping and most importantly… it’s fun! Tom King does a phenomenal job at tackling an early Batman story and having a good time with it while still delivering his style. I felt like Tom held back in areas for the books benefits the flashback scenes to Ancient Greece and Constantinople are fascinating but not over used or complicated. He keeps the story to a tight group of cast members and lets them play off each other throughout like a Tarantino film. This book feels heavily inspired by Pulp Fiction all down to the “fake out” of the prize at the end. I imagine that this ending will and has pissed people off but I found it oddly satisfying and meaningful in a nihilistic way that just isn’t present in comics besides like Jokers played out motives. This will easily become a must read and recommend for people who want to understand comics and what the medium can offer in a casual yet fulfilling way. Any person can enjoy this book at face value but there is depth to be found in the pages for those wanting to dive.

Art: 10/10

Holy shit. I’ve never even heard of David Marquez before but this has to be one of the best and most consistently drawn books I’ve ever read. I’m a sucker for a single artist all the way through, I just love the cohesion it creates through the book and it’s even better if that single artist is of this high of a quality. With Clay Mann as my favorite artist of all time it’s hard not to draw so many comparisons and inspirations to David’s style that some panels I found myself thinking that Clay might have done this. The lay outs are simple and don’t really break the mold but why should they when the art is simply beautiful to look at. These characters pop off the page (thanks to astounding design and inks/colors) and breakthrough the scenes with texture and lighting.

Special Notes:

- this would be a phenomenal choice to do as a movie. The script is tight and has many fan favorites all battling it out in a heist mystery thriller.

- Catwoman just made me smile ear to ear in this book. And the surprising standout in this book is The Riddler. He is cool, suave and actually funny.

- Agent #%@# curses way to much it’s insane to read and not laugh

- The help is simply a cool character, would love to see more of him

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Tom King and David Marquez are clearly masters of their crafts and I’m profoundly thankful they collaborated on this project to amazing effect. A short and elegant story like this is ease to overlook because of its length and seemingly non complex ideas but below the action packed adventure is a smart and well plotted tale of an early Batman and the motivations behind criminals. The writing is sharp and thoughtful and the art is gorgeous and timeless. On a meta note I had been struggling with some of the recent Tom King books I had read but this shot an arrow in my heart and reminded me why I fell in love with his books in the first place. I highly recommend this to all readers and fans.