sneeckerdoodles - Tumblr blog

[sneeckerdoodles]

IMPORTANT POST FOR ALL ARTISTS

IF YOURE IN NEED OF A WEBSITE WITH A FUCKTON OF GOOD COLOR PALETTES. GO HERE.

it's mostly a website used for pixel artists to share their palettes for free download, BUT from my experience as someone who does pixel art from time to time, using it as a resource for my regular drawings also works very good. theres big and small color schemes on this website

pixel artists are very very good at making color palettes and MANY of these are far more versatile than the regular coolors 5-color color schemes youll see floating around on art resource compilations. you can search up any tag to find the palettes youre looking for (the maximum amount of colors you can upload on a palette here is 256 so the sky really is the limit), and you can even search by the number of colors you want. theres literally thousands of free palettes put up by artists there for free downloadable use.

this is a really precious service and i always siphon people looking for color schemes here when i can. go check it out

[sneeckerdoodles]

IMPORTANT POST FOR ALL ARTISTS

IF YOURE IN NEED OF A WEBSITE WITH A FUCKTON OF GOOD COLOR PALETTES. GO HERE.

it's mostly a website used for pixel artists to share their palettes for free download, BUT from my experience as someone who does pixel art from time to time, using it as a resource for my regular drawings also works very good. theres big and small color schemes on this website

pixel artists are very very good at making color palettes and MANY of these are far more versatile than the regular coolors 5-color color schemes youll see floating around on art resource compilations. you can search up any tag to find the palettes youre looking for (the maximum amount of colors you can upload on a palette here is 256 so the sky really is the limit), and you can even search by the number of colors you want. theres literally thousands of free palettes put up by artists there for free downloadable use.

this is a really precious service and i always siphon people looking for color schemes here when i can. go check it out

[sneeckerdoodles]

hey angie! how are you also do you have any tips on making diverse character silhouettes/etc? i love the way you employ design and shape in all of your stuff sm

OUGH I LOVE GETTING TO TALK ABOUT SILHOUETTES

(NOTE all rules have their time + place to be broken these are mostly general ones)

for starters: HERE is an old tutorial i made for some classmates back in my character design class, really only the first part is silhouette based but i do have it

now for the new stuff: my 5 biggest personal rules for silhouette design! in order, they are:

Group Design Exaggeration Shape Language Proportion Toolkit Awareness

here's some ideas for further exploration!

for exercises to understand these concepts on your own:

-break down designs you like into their major shapes, and note how the shapes add to the personality -annotate a design you like, including every little detail. how many tufts are at the end of a piece of hair? how many joints are in the fingers? do the lips connect to the mouth? -draw the same character with triangular, square, and circular shapes-- literally just the shapes, don't get fancy with the linework. pay attention to how this changes the silhouette -"break apart" a pre designed character and resize different pieces to watch the proportions change. bonus: this will make some really funny images -compare three designs from the same piece of media and look for rules 2-4 in them. what's been exaggerated? what shape languages do they all use? how do their proportions vary? what are the rules of their art style?

media to study for more understanding of shapes and silhouettes/media that explores and pushes these rules successfully: -steven universe -clone high -total drama -veggietales (yes, really.) -ninjago (toolkit only; for obvious reasons, character silhouettes are not that distinct)

i hope this is helpful!!!! character design + especially silhouette variation is one of my passions. please note that this is all my personal notes and shouldnt be taken as gospel, theres tons of other content online about how to complete character design.

[sneeckerdoodles]

Part 2 of cino art tips is some basic tips on shape and silhouette design which are also principles I think about a lot :)

(also i'm so sorry i chose comic sans to write this in idk what i was thinking but i already flattened the layers)

i don't have any other obvious tips off the top of my head rn but feel free to ask anything you are curious about! i love getting asks uwu

[sneeckerdoodles]

Been doing studies using this thing I put together. I’ll attach the blanks here if y’all wanna give it a shot too! It’s been helping me a bit!!

[sneeckerdoodles]

Interacting with art etiquette :dance dance:

Been seeing a lot of people who seem to be new users here, so I wanted to give my own rundown of how to engage with art here in a way that is agreeable with how tumblr functions. This is gonna be old news for a lot of you who have been here a minute but I tried to write this so people who have no idea what the fuck is going on with this site can understand

Firstly — Reblog the art you like (and I mean “like” as in Hit the Heart Button). This is probably the most important thing, and it applies to all art: digital, on paper, writing, gif sets, fashion, 3D material projects, etc. Pretty much anything someone Created.

Tumblr doesn’t depend on an algorithm to spread content, instead people’s dashboards are created by the blogs they follow, so likes will not help a post circulate and gain traction. If you hit “like” on a work of art, not reblogging it reads as “I saw this, and I acknowledge that it is good-ish, but it’s not worth my hitting two buttons to let other people see it”. It’s disheartening to see people reblog my art/some art I’ve reblogged, but like without reblogging other pieces. I know it probably sends an unfortunate message to the original posters of the work. It’s especially frustrating to see artists (typically ones with big followings) be hypocritical about this and neglect to support smaller artists. Please be humble.

“But why is it so important to reblog?”

Motivating artists, for one. Younger/new artists are going to inevitably be discouraged especially if creators they have a lot of respect for do the like-but-not-reblog thing. If you want artists to keep creating content and have the motivation to continue to grow their skills, as well as if you want to keep a fandom you’re a part of alive… you gotta reblog.

In addition, some people literally depend on selling art/doing commissions to make a living. Reblogging their art will help get them out there, and may determine whether or not they make enough money to live comfortably.

“But I don’t want to clutter my blog”

Make a sideblog or two. I have like five…, you can just post your own stuff to your main if you want, you can make different blogs for every fandom you’re a part of, whatever, just as long as the reblog goes someplace. You don’t even have to link the sideblog on your main if you don’t want to. If you’re embarrassed about your interests or whatever no one will be able to link your sideblogs back to you if you don’t want them to.

If there is a work of art you don’t want to reblog, like if it’s from a fandom you’re not a part of, then just don’t interact with it at all so the poster doesn’t feel it’s insufficient. Simple as that.

Next thing — tags! These are typically where people put commentary on the art. Replies are more suited to asking questions/answering questions of the poster. You can put feedback directly in the comments when you reblog a post, but people typically… don’t.

You don’t have to give any feedback if you don’t want to; many people don’t tag reblogged posts with anything. Some people tag specific fandoms or characters for sorting purposes, or tag all art or reblogs.

Tagging systems are generally used for searching/filtering purposes (some people might block certain content tags). Be aware that only the first handful of tags show up in search results, so I tend to put these first before giving any compliments to the artist. I also try to tag eye strain, flashing lights, and content I know to be commonly/broadly triggering. You might be requested by followers to tag something specific. You should also tag nsfw (minors, you probably shouldn’t be producing/interacting with nsfw stuff online. basic online safety stuff).

When it comes to giving compliments: Again, they’re not necessary, but they’re pretty nice to receive. Sometimes people just keysmash which is cool. When I give compliments I like to be specific (what’s striking to you? the lighting, the linework? is there an element of the design that stood out to you? the composition?) + I personally find those kinds to be most helpful. Sometimes people interpret the symbolism in my works which is also cool.

When leaving comments, however, don’t be critical. If an artist does not say they want advice, then they don’t want it, and you shouldn’t give it to them!

Also, don’t try to be memelords. Oftentimes on horror art or art that people deem “weird” there will be comments like “me at 3 am” or even stuff like “I hate this”. These kinds of jokes just… aren’t funny and are a rude response to someone’s hard work. (additionally comments like “oh I thought this was this other character” just aren’t necessary like. not to be Blunt but the op doesn’t Care).

Also for the love of god think before you make sexual comments. I’m ok with people calling my designs of (adult) characters pretty/attractive n such but there is a Line. If an artwork is pretty clearly meant to be sexual then ur probably okay but unwarranted sexual comments/jokes are fucken Weird. There’s obviously a range and there are things I’ll let slide without saying anything but. Y’know. Sometimes it’s like “mmm can we not make bdsm jokes on my posts pls” and other times it’s like Why Are You Telling An Artist You Carnally Desire a Cartoon. General rule of thumb: if you think there’s a chance a comment could weird the poster out, don’t say it.

Alright, I think that’s everything I wanted to say. If this stuff didn’t occur to you before that’s okay 👍 just trying to do my part in helping artists not have to beg for respect lol. Apologies for this being a whole hardback novel

[sneeckerdoodles]

Based on actual events

[sneeckerdoodles]

Hopping on the Fade train!! She’s so awesome looking and it was a blast drawing her :) her abilities are so cool

[sneeckerdoodles]

Hopping on the Fade train!! She’s so awesome looking and it was a blast drawing her :) her abilities are so cool

[sneeckerdoodles]

For Everyone New to Tumblr

So! Your shitty social media website has become even shittier? So much so that you’re running to our beloved little hellsite? Welcome! Despite all the jokes, this is genuinely one of the last good social media websites out there that has a considerable userbase, and it’s probably for the best that its growing and people are beginning to grow used to experiences that aren’t dictated by advertisers and algorithms. 

BUT

If you want to be welcomed with open arms from said userbase, you are going to have to learn how to use and navigate Tumblr. 

Having been stuck here for almost 11 years, now (the fact that this is a retired Once-ler askblog should be proof enough), I feel like I’ve seen a lot of posts that have touched on many different aspects of Tumblr that new users should be wary of, but none that have put the entirety of new user advice into one big post. I feel a little bit of a lacking in both content and convenience that might make taking all this advice in difficult.

So here I go, making a big long post that new users can have as reference.

I strongly recommend that new users at least start the account-making process on a laptop or desktop computer, as opposed to a mobile phone, for reasons I will get into later, but it’s not a requirement.

(PLEASE NOTE: Table of Contents only functions properly when you view this post on my blog, sorry for the inconvenience!)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAKING YOUR BLOG

   - Editing Your Blog’s Mobile Appearance

   - Editing Your Blog’s Desktop Appearance

   - Your Blog’s Settings

APP VS MOBILE VS DESKTOP

MAKING POSTS

   - Types of Posts

   - Content in Posts

   - The Tagging System

FINDING OTHER BLOGS

   - Following Blogs You Already Know

   - Finding New Blogs

INTERACTING WITH OTHER BLOGS

   - Reblogs, Comments, and Likes

   - Asks, Submissions, and Messaging

   - Blocking

YOUR INFLUENCE AS A TUMBLR USER

   - You Have None

TUMBLR CULTURE

   - Post Circulation

   - Miscellaneous Etiquette

   - Tumblr-specific Memes

Let’s get started, shall we?

Keep reading

[sneeckerdoodles]

So, you made a Tumblr blog

You're finally here, after seeing many screenshot on Instagram, and hearing many times this site is dead on Twitter. Here you are, and you got no clue how any of this works. That's okay, this should help

[these are just social cues about how this site works that us old users don't even think about but can feel confusing for users coming from other platforms.]

Let's begin:

How does this site work? Easy! The blood and soul of this site is reblogs (not to mistake them with reposting). Think of it as finding something cool and going "hey guys check out what my buddy did", except way less annoying because you can do it 300x times a day and no one will mind and actually they'll thank you for it. A reblog might sound like a Big Deal but it's the equivalent of an Instagram like, as in the currency of the platform.

What if I don't want to spam the dashboard? Then you can use the queue. Click the options on the reblog window and chose "add to queue", you can configure it from your blog options for when and how it posts. You'll find many users use tags that include the word 'queue' to signal that it isn't an "online" reblog, this is totally optional.

What about the tags everyone treats as sacred? Tags are mostly for your organization, but also for speaking your mind (keep in mind, it's considered rude to diss the creation/fandom/ship in the tags of a positive post! The creator will see it in their activity page and it's a bummer, keep your comments silly or positive. If you wanna vent make your own post and tag it accordingly with anti-fandom/ship/character). If you don't have anything to say on the tags of a reblog don't let that stop you! Reblog without tags, you can always reblog it again later if you came up with something to say (no, OP won't mind).

What about likes? Likes are more like bookmarks for stuff you wanna find easily later, maybe for a personal post of a friend. You'll find you can actually hide your likes page (as the people you follow) on your blog, that's the common practice. Litterally no one will go look at your likes page,,, ever. trust me, it's easier to just have it hidden.

On the contrary, reblogs and original posts tell people what you're interested in, what you enjoy/don't enjoy. This is what it'll decide if someone wants to follow you or not: what kind of content you'll bring to their dash (don't worry if it's not consistent, we'll get to that later). Likes are mostly just for yourself.

What are replies for then? Probably the least used feature. You can use it to reply to a friend's personal post, or if you have a question for OP that needs an answer. This is not like a Twitter or Instagram comment! They won't boost the post and the creator would rather you'd put that praising comment in the tags of a reblog. They'll see it in their activity page for sure 😉

How do I find blogs w juicy posts to reblog as a newie? Search a fandom/ship you like and follow the top blogs there, scroll till you find a post you like and follow the original poster. They might follow back if they check out your blog and see you reblog content they like and congrats! You're mutuals 💕

You can also follow tags and there's always creation hubs blogs that exist solely for the purpose of creating or rebloging gifsets and content of a specific fandom/ship.

Do timelines matter? Is it cringe to reblog old things? An unequivocal no. You'll find its hard to know when something was posted to begin with, and we love that! It doesn't matter if it's from a deactivated blog, if it's 5 days or 7 years old, reblog it anyways, you won't be judged because no one will look at the date it was posted either.

What is it this about "curating your online experience"? Just like Instagram, you can block people, just like Twitter, you can also mute/filter words. On Tumblr you can also filter tags. (They'll appear like posts w a message that they contain filtered content). And like neither, you can turn off all suggestions so you see stuff only from people you follow, in the order it was posted.

How do I do this? Settings > dashboard > preferences > best stuff first/include stuff in your orbit/include "based on your likes!" > Off/on as you prefer!

Next is tags and keywords, these will depend on who you follow and what stuff you're sick of seeing. Filter freely! No one will know except you and the better tailored to your interests your dash is, the more fun using this platform will be. Remember, this site doesn't have an algorithm that hides content from the people you follow based on your activity like other platforms, so don't hold back. (Filtered tags are also great to use like on twitter to hide spoilers or trigger warnings, with the added bonus that tagging those is a popular policy here, it can be more effective than on twitter.)

I'll give you a tip: if you've blocked someone but are still coming across their stuff in people's reblogs, load their URL as a muted word and say bye to their annoying content for sure 😘 I also use it for meme posts that start to get on my nerves.

What about those comments about the likes and reblogs ratios? Well, that's A Thing here. Like I said before, reblogs are the whole point of this site, so when in recent years people seem to have switched to only ever liking stuff (along w many other reasons. It's not one single person's fault), the site traffic has plummeted. This has been very disheartening for creators who started to feel like the fandom communities they loved and interacted with on the daily became silent audiences who are not interested in making the community grow or even engage with it. It sort of escalated from there.

The bottom line is that we all want to support and enrich the fandom/s we're in, so I wrote this in the hopes that it'd give new users an idea of how to best do it in this particular platform 💗

For more info you can check tumblr's official guide

[sneeckerdoodles]

tumblr guide for new users:

1) there is only one algorithm for your dashboard, and you can turn it off in settings. can’t stress this enough. if you turn it off, your dashboard is in chronological order of posts and reblogs from people you follow

2) because of the lack of algorithm, likes do nothing. if you want more people to see a post, you have to reblog it so it goes on your follower’s dashes

3) the vast majority of posts on a person’s blog tend to be reblogs. think 90% or so. some of those will have that person commenting on it, and more will have tags

4) comments stay on reblog chains, while tags only show up on your reblog of that post. it’s kind of like a whisper voice. in either case, both op and the person you reblogged from see that in their notifications

5) tags don’t go in the body of the post. writing “staying in #lasvegas” won’t make it appear in the las vegas tag, it’ll just look weird

6) it’s totally normal to reblog and post multiple things in one day. it’s normal to reblog the same post twice in a row. it’s normal to have 100 posts+reblogs in a day. post limit (the total number of original posts and reblogs) for a single day is 250. you heard me. 250. go hog fucking wild

7) it defaults to having a visible likes tab on your blog (but only on your blog, not the dashboard) but most people toggle it off

8) “tumblr clout” is a fucking joke. no one can see your follower count, and no one makes money here. there are no influencers. enjoy not giving a shit about maintaining a public persona. it’s all anonymous and your employers won’t find you here

[sneeckerdoodles]

if you’re a new tumblr user from tiktok or IG or something and only like posts and dont reblog them yeah people will think you’re a bot and block you but you will also make this website actively worse. they want “algorithmic” users like you, served recommended posts through likes, not people who just follow each other and respond to the direct chronological feed. there is a reason this website is still better than the rest, even with all its problems, do not ruin this

[sneeckerdoodles]

No more "reblogs>likes", we do "according to Tumblr statistics, most people who like my art doesn't reblog, so if you enjoy it please hit the reblog button, it helps support the blog, and I'd really appreciate it"

[sneeckerdoodles]

Tips for new Tumblr users:

* Liking posts is a good way to bookmark them to find later

* Do not reblog anything between the hours of midnight and dawn or you might summon the Beast

* You can use your queue to post on a schedule even when you're offline, which is very handy

* Every year on the anniversary of Dashcon staff will pick one user at random and kill them

* You can use simple HTML to put clickable links in your bio

* If you die on Tumblr, you die in real life

[sneeckerdoodles]

“There is a Tiger in my House”

A short comic about Generational Trauma, and not feeding the tiger.

[sneeckerdoodles]

Me, an artist: