magpiemalarkey

[magpiemalarkey]

As @derinthescarletpescatarian is re-releasing Curse Words with some fresh new polished editing, I am excited to show off the whole set of book covers I got to do for them!

[magpiemalarkey]

required by law to reblog this here, lmao

40 English words you never thought existed

Weird, huh?

[magpiemalarkey]

[magpiemalarkey]

people might think creating OC lore involves a lot of thinking & planning, but in my personal experience, OC development is more like a divine vision from a god slamming you over the head with a mallet while ur doing the fuckin dishes or folding laundry

[magpiemalarkey]

sometimes the best writing advice is "just let it be bad." revolutionary. terrifying. but it works.

[magpiemalarkey]

Yeah! So much writing advice gets passed around as pat little "do" and "don't" lists, when that advice has been boiled down from an analysis about how various elements of writing function in context.

When someone is giving you advice on writing (or art) you should ask for the "why" or the explanation of like, how doing a certain thing in your work weakens or strengthens what you were trying to do.

Some folks just have pet peeves. Things they're just tired of or that hit them wrong. Sometimes those come from internalized "rules" that they reflexively react to. Sometimes it's just a matter of personal taste. This is useful to keep in mind when getting feedback.

And you will make so many mistakes as you learn to write. So many. It is inevitable that your writing will be clumsy and you'll pick up habits or quirks that won't serve you well. No amount of fervently following a list of rules will save you from terrible writing. Keep writing and reading and learning!

I've already said that my number one piece of writing advice is to read.

But my number two piece of advice is this: be deliberate.

Honestly this would fix so many pieces of bad writing advice. Don't forbid people from doing something, tell them to be conscious and deliberate about it. This could help stop people from falling into common mistakes without limiting their creativity. Black and white imperatives may stop a few annoying beginner habits, but ultimately they will restrict artistic expression.

Instead of "don't use epithets": "Know the effect epithets have and be deliberate about using them." Because yes, beginners often misuse them, but they can be useful when a character's name isn't known or when you want to reduce them to a particular trait they have.

Instead of "don't use 'said'" or "just use 'said'": "Be deliberate about your use of dialogue tags." Because sometimes you'll want "said" which fades into the background nicely, but sometimes you will need a more descriptive alternative to convey what a character is doing.

Instead of "don't use passive voice": "Be deliberate about when you use passive voice." Because using it when it's not needed can detract from your writing, but sometimes it can be useful to change the emphasis of a sentence or to portray a particular state of mind.

Instead of blindly following or ignorantly neglecting the rules of writing, familiarize yourself with them and their consequences so you can choose when and if breaking them would serve what you're trying to get across.

Your writing is yours. Take control of it.

It probably sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here because most of my mutuals are already great writers. But I'm hoping this will make it to the right people.

[magpiemalarkey]

[magpiemalarkey]

Yet another OC turned Fallen London character. Ember Niemand is my alt account, tho actually the one I am currently playing the most as I am stuck on needing a particular home to progress my ambition on my main and decided I needed a break!

Only to almost immediately slam into "grinding for boat" hell with Ember. Oh well, at least progress is happening. (or was. it's whitsun at the time of this post and thus it's time for EGG)

Like Finn, Ember leans in a sort of "messing with things you should not" direction, but while Finn is interested in prestige and power alongside knowledge (or as a means to acquire knowledge) Ember has a lot more disdain for authority and society. So it'll be fun to explore some avenues and areas with them that I don't with Finn! Originally they were a sorta cyberpunk character it's been fun figuring out how to translate that to the Neath's more steampunk/"weird tales" vibe!

[magpiemalarkey]

Yet another OC turned Fallen London character. Ember Niemand is my alt account, tho actually the one I am currently playing the most as I am stuck on needing a particular home to progress my ambition on my main and decided I needed a break!

Only to almost immediately slam into "grinding for boat" hell with Ember. Oh well, at least progress is happening. (or was. it's whitsun at the time of this post and thus it's time for EGG)

Like Finn, Ember leans in a sort of "messing with things you should not" direction, but while Finn is interested in prestige and power alongside knowledge (or as a means to acquire knowledge) Ember has a lot more disdain for authority and society. So it'll be fun to explore some avenues and areas with them that I don't with Finn! Originally they were a sorta cyberpunk character it's been fun figuring out how to translate that to the Neath's more steampunk/"weird tales" vibe!

[magpiemalarkey]

Decided I was in the mood to do a portrait of the Fallen London version of my oc, Finn. They are so sane and hinged and only involved in normal respectable activities, thank you for asking.

[magpiemalarkey]

With the news that Tumblr has slashed its staff down to the bare bones, feels like a good time to remind folks that I am also on BlueSky. My account there functions a bit like a sketchblog, but with more reblogging of various other things, though kinda sporadic! Much like my posting here!

You can also check out my pinned post here for more places to see my art or support me.

That said, like many a long-time tumblr user, I am not abandoning this place and will continue to erratically post here until the site dies for real.

[magpiemalarkey]

With the news that Tumblr has slashed its staff down to the bare bones, feels like a good time to remind folks that I am also on BlueSky. My account there functions a bit like a sketchblog, but with more reblogging of various other things, though kinda sporadic! Much like my posting here!

You can also check out my pinned post here for more places to see my art or support me.

That said, like many a long-time tumblr user, I am not abandoning this place and will continue to erratically post here until the site dies for real.

[magpiemalarkey]

Gosh I miss Photoshop 7-9's little icons. 7 is great. It's got character and color and an eye looking through a camera lens, I think. Pretty sure that's a lens. Been awhile since I handled a real camera. Anyway! It feels a little playful, while also being somewhat representative of the program.

The minimalist blue boxes era is boring and depressing. It's not even good as a unifying "brand identity" thing anymore because I have like half a dozen minimalist blue boxes in my taskbar rn and I am always clicking the wrong one if I click in haste. This would not be a problem if there was some interesting and creative design to break it up a bit.

And like, I know some of the minimalism is due to people doing everything on tiny phone screens now, but I have apps with fun distinct icons! We can have fun distinct icons!

this is like going to art school and having your creativity ripped to shreds

[magpiemalarkey]

I've been dithering a bit, trying to remember to do self-promo at a "good time" but eh, this is a good enough time. I made some more stickers combining 2 things I like (ghosts & the post) & tried out the holographic option RedBubble added on an old fave sticker set! Get 'em here!

[magpiemalarkey]

to anyone missing my writing please know i am also missing my writing

[magpiemalarkey]

I'm looking to raise a chunk of cash in a short amount of time, so I'm briefly opening up some COLLAB BUST COMMISSIONS at a cheaper rate than I'd normally charge.

£30 GBP will get you one bust of a character of your choice, with sketch + lines by me, and colours + shading by @stopboorider !

If you're interested, check below cut for more details:

We're currently only offering coloured + shaded busts, like the one in the example image above, sent as a digital image. Art can be sent with a transparent background on request.

Visual references with colour are required. If you want to request art of someone else's OC, please provide proof that you have permission to commission art of them.

Willing to draw most types of characters, as long as the general head shape is humanoid! Extra limbs such as wings won't be included. Major injuries, complex outfits and accessories, etc. may be subject to consideration.

Payment will be required up front via Paypal invoice. Art may take up to a month to be completed depending on health.

Since these are discounted commissions, we won't be accepting any edit requests or sharing sketches - what you get is what you'll get! That being said, you're free to edit the image you receive however you like once you receive it if there's anything you want to adjust.

If you're interested, DM me here on Tumblr and we'll work out the details!

[magpiemalarkey]

Your original WIP is getting an adaptation! Spin this wheel to find out what it is!

Feel free to ramble about your results in the tags!