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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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The Legion of Super Heroes Reviews: The Legion of Substitute Heroes or Unsung Heroes

Happy 29th Birthday to Me! Yes it’s my birthday which means it’s time for reflection, griping about getting older and cake. And after an exausting weekend of grappling with a growth, i’m not going to go into anymore detail, I can finally, relax celebrate and get back to reviewing. And since i’ts my big day, that means I decided to dedicate today’s reviews to things that mean a hell of a lot to me and in one way or another shaped me as a person. A self indulgant way to reflect on my past, look to the future and show y’all some stuff I really like. So with that out of the way let’s talk about the Legion of Super Heroes.. and their oddball sub team I love dearly.

This is also my first chance to talk about DC Comics on my blog. I’m honestly shocked that in the year i’ve been reviewing stuff regularly, the other half of the big two superhero comic publishers hasn’t come up. While I do tend to lean towards marvel, in part because Marvel is simply better at collecting their stuff and putting it on sale more often, it’s still the home of some of my faviorite properties: Justice League International, The Green Lanterns (Minus Hal), Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Oracle, Batgirl (All of them, particularly Steph and Cass), Young Justice, Supergirl, my personal boy The Martian Manhunter.. the list dosen’t go on by much but it indeed goes on. I”ve been reading dc comics since I was in middle school, and I haven’t stopped since and don’t intend to stop now and maybe in the next year I can get around to tackling some of their awesome cartoons and comics more eh? But yeah among these titans, including the actual titans, are the Legion, one of the most unique and awesome super team concepts in my humble opinon and , even for DC, one of the teams with the most tangled up histories.

First created in the Silver Age by writer Otto Binder and Artist Al Plastino, The Legion of Superheroes is DC”s first successful teen superhero team, predating the titans by a few years, though I dearly love both wildly diffrent teams. The Legion is defined by their high concept: A thousand years into the future, three super teens from diffrent worlds who happened to be on the same ship with billionare RJ Brande, saved Brande from some goons hired by his crooked buisness partner.

And exposed him. Inspirired by their courage, heart and skill, Brande latter called the three together to form them into a super team, one inspiried by the legends of teen hero Superboy.

No not Conner though it was nice to get to show off my poster of him. While he was part of the second continuities legion, we’ll get to that, he’s not the superboy we’re looking for. He is damn great though and it’s good to have you back bud.

Not Jon either, though I do miss this kid’s pre-bendis version and he was the inspiration.. for another version of the legion. (SIGH). Try. AGAIN IMAGE SEARCH.

......

No not the cool bad boy turned troubled good boy, not the child who was inexpciably aged up by that bald smeghead, and not the great idea turned into a editiorial mouthpiece. I”m talking about THIS superboy.

This is where the name came from: From the silver age till crisis on infinite earths, Clark Kent was active as a kid in smallville, and thus was Superboy, superman when he was a boy. He dealt with similar stories just with Lana replacing Lois, and Luthor as a ginger teenager. And it was these deeds as a teen hero on his own, one of the first honestly, that inspiried the legion and brande and forged the team.

And it was naturally a super boy story where they were first introduced as the legion’s founders went back to recruit Superboy after putting him through some trials, and were intended as just one of many silver age one off concepts.. but caught on with the readers so much they were brought back, and had their ranks expanded and eventually not only added supergirl, yes the one your thinking of this time, to their ranks, and yes sometimes she and superboy were in the same place at the same time, Clark willingly had founding member and telepath Saturn Girl put a mental block in his head for any info he’s not supposed to know yet so it’s cool . But yeah not only that but they eventually became their own feature in Adventure Comics, where Superboy’s stories were published, but overtook him in popularity with time. Over time a number of distinct aspects were established: The roster eventually got as large as 20 plus legionarres, almost all from diffrent worlds, and they eventually set up bilaws. Some are silly and dated such as “Legionarres marrying means they retire” which was eventually done away with in the 70′s, but others were simple logic: each member must have a unique power, no using weapons and such which rather than be super power snobbery is so said tech dosen’t fail and the legion later fully allowed Karate Kid, a martial artist, to join, no killing.. just common sense stuff that adds to it. And one of those is the centerpiece to today’s story, which we’ll get to in a moment. Obviously given they’ve been around since 1958, there is a LOT more to the Legion’s history I will dig into at a later date: The short version is that Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dc’s first big reboot, fucked the team up badly by retconning superboy out of existance and dc editorial made it worse by shooting down EVERY solution the team came up with to fix the issue. So eventually things got so messy they nuked the whole thing during the event Zero Hour and rebooted fresh with Mark Waid taking the helm and updating the concept for the 90′s and being a more lighthearted, if still not without weight, comic in the sea of 90′s edge. Waid would reboot the team again due to sagging sales, a far weaker reason this time, with a more rebllion slant, the original team would be reinstated, and then ended for a while before recently being rebooted by Brian Micheal Bendis... who sadly is long past his creative prime from books like Ultimate Spider-man and alias and is instead stewing in his own toilet dinner these days and thus it’s not pretty.. well okay art wise i’ts VERY pretty, it’s just story wise it sucks dirty ass in thunder storms. There was also an awesome cartoon that sadly lasted only two seasons that I will DEFINTELY be digging into, especially since unlike x-men evolution, it’s not you know 50 some episodes and me biting off way more than I can chew but a slim 26 that still has fans to this day. I”ll get into ALL OF THIS, some ohter time hopefullly and I mostly outlined it since some of you might be familiar with another version or “Sigh” the reboot and this helps clear things up. So yeah with all that out of the way we’re going back to the silver age and the first story I ever read of hte team, how I met them with “The Legion of Substitute Heroes” and a later subs story I genuinely love. I first read this story in one dc’s old expensive archives collections I got from the library. Oh how I miss the library. Your probably wondering who the legion of susbstite heroes are.. but since the first story covers that we can jump right in after the break!

So we open with a teen in a parka uniform disembarking from a spaceship from another planet, which a passerby notes is just like the airplanes people used to ride from country to country.

But we meet our hero, Polar Boy, whose in a winter themed outfit and has come to try out. This is the tradition I was saving for now: The Legion Tryouts. Like a club or sports team would, but I like it because it makes sense: The Legion NEEDS to be as big as it is because while their headquartered on earth, their mission scope is anywhere in the united planets which spans GALAXIES. They could be called on any time and need their full force or need to have severa l members on a smaller mission and frequently having members away on a mission was cleverly used to reduce the cast to whoever was needed for the story.

So it only makes sense to frequently look for new membbers to help strengthen their ranks... but given their teens and are recurting teens they need to be careful and need a logical way to reduce crowd flow. I mean you saw how many people used to line up for american idol before that died a justified death, people will do anything to be famous and they need to weed out those whose powers and skill just aren’t up to snuff yet, or those who are just dicks as, unsuprisingly, several stories have been built on assholes who applied and were rejected turning evil and attacking.. even though the Legion wasn’t even paticuarlly harsh. They also are more than fair as applicants CAN try again or if they prove themselves in other ways can be let in, as Bouncing Boy, my favoirite legionarre, was intially rejected for his power of .. well...

Yeah.. on paper inflating like a ball and bouncing around is kind of silly. In practice he can ricochet off enemies, walls, and obstacles and is fairly durable in that state. It’s why I don’t really brook mocking the guys power: yes it’s goofy.. but say that again when he hands you his ass. It’s the same with matter eater lad who yes is an actual character: While being able to eat anything is gloriously goofy.. it means he can chew through ANY substance and digest ANYTHING. Hell in the cartoon episode intorducing the subs they used both of these guys to great efffect: Bouncing Boy, who in the cartoon had to try out multiple times in his backstory, encouraged the future subs while Matter Eater Lad got in by EATING A FUCKING BOMB. He also had shades which I dind’t know he was missing but now I do. My point is the process is fair and well thought out and leads to some really fun scenes.

But yeah joining the legion is naturally Polar Boy’s dream, as he walks down the avenue of heroes, basically a series of statues honoring the legion and hopes all his hard work paid off. We then cut to the auditions, where he apparently waited all night. What I like about this story is that unusually for the silver age legion where it was mostly a sea of powers attached to a bunch of cardboard, really the dc silver age in a nutshell and why marvel broke out so much for having more dynamic and realistic characters, Polar Boy has more of a personality. It’s not MUCH but he’s a dedicated, hard working kid who just wants to join his heroes and seems really in awe of htem, a feeling we can all relate to. We’ve all had people we’ve looked up to, admired, and we’ve all had groups we wanted to join as kids, teens or what have you. And of course.. we all know what it’s like to be rejected by someone or something you badly wanted to be a part of. And that’s what happens to poor polar boy, who comes from a world with an intense sun thus his people developed super cold powers.. but he can’t control them well so while their impressive, they also freeze the legion. HIs powers are good... but due to their strength and radius he’s also a liablility. They give him an consolation anti-gravity belt.. they had these before eventually compressing them into the much cooler flight rings.. which I still desperatly want one of. I have the flash’s costume ring and a green lantern corps ring, but still no legion ring.

Naturally this devistates the poor boy and he wonders around dispondent till nightfall, convinced he’ll never be one of them. He soon meets Night Girl, a fellow reject with super strength given to her by her dad’s formula.. but only in darkness as she’s from a world without sunlight. She also faces a “hopeless future” but it’s then Polar Boy’s true strength reveals itself: he decides screw giving up on their dream and if they can’t be in the legion they’ll start their own Legion.

Though not to compete but to serve as a subtistute, in case the legion is ever incapacitated. So Night Girl gathers the other rejects the next morning. Cleverly one of them, Chlorophyll Kid was seen with Night Girl herslef at the tryouts behind Polar Boy. We soon learn about them and each of their origins: Stone Boy can turn himself into an immobile stone statue, as his world has half a year long nights and thus his people hybernate, Fire Lad who can spit hot fire literally and set anything combustable on fire and Chlorphyll Kid who can make plants grow rapidly. Each were rejected for resonable powers: Stone Boys powers too static, Fire Lad’s is too dangerous and Chorlpyl Kids toos pecific. But upon seeing all of this Polar Boy says they STILL have fantastic powers and still can help people and the legion.

Thus the Legion of Substittue Heroes is born. And I love them as much as the originals. As a bit of a misfit myself I relate to these guys: They have strange specific powers, got rejected by the big team.. while that trope is nothing new at the time it was unique and even now it’s a nice and inspiring message. Instead of giving up they form their OWN team to do what htey can anyway. They might not be the best like the legion but they can still help and still do what’s right even if not on their scale. It’s a great concept and really makes them endearing. Again I have a thing for the underdogs but I still really like these guys. It’s why it annoys me they got kind of spat on with time: While I love Keith Giffen and Paul Levitz run on the legion, and feel it’s the best of that contnuinty it’s not without fault and the two basically spent a full issue mocking the team and split polar boy off from them before making their own subs with only ONE of the originals. It just felt.. disrspectful. And so far no continuity has used them again until the recent bendis run, which has them announced for the Future Slate special. It took BENDIS, who dosen’t get how to use the team properly and is up his own ass, to bring them back in a new continuity and I find that obnoxious. The subs are a great concept and deserve to be honored as such and as such are one of my favorite superhero teams.

But their careers don’t start well as they doubt themslves, except for Polar Boy who boisters them along, and constnatly just end up going to missions the legion already has covered and when the legion go to fight some robot ships, they refuse the subs help.. which is fair though, as Brainy puts it they can’t risk putting untrained volunteers in harms way. Their about to just quit, in a really sad moment.. when CK, because I can’t spell cholophill and hate having to use spell check notices some odd seeds spread about.. and when he grows one a horrifying tree man shows up. They struggle with it till the setting son finishes it’s job, meaning Night Girl is at full power and whollops it and the subs spend the night destroying the seeds. They find out the next day the seeds came from the same planet as the robot ships, meaning the ships are a distraction for whoevers doing this and since they can’t just call earth, as the full force of the legion is needed with the robots and all it’d do is cause a panic, it’s down to them. Night Girl however is scared.. and I like that. It shows that while their regaining their confidence.. it’s sitll risky. Their a bunch of barely trained fanboys, and girl, going up against an alien invasion, with it down to them. They CAN save the world but it’s alright to be entirely terrified when your thrust into it this fast.

They make their way to the planet, having built a ship earlier and lie low, finding out what’s going on: The plant men are fully intellegent, and grow themselves..though how they know to attack and go to the bathrom and what not out of the seed I don’t know but I assume it’s a genetic thing or they might be some form of hive mind. point is the seed plan is to grow troops all over the world via rockets for an invasion, and it’s a brilliant concept for one too. Aliens who simply GROW the troops right into battle, born with the knowledge to do so, and right where they can ambush them. It’s down to our heroes and Stone Boy, whose been the most pesemistic, valiantly dives in to provide a distraction so they can destroy the factory and the seeds. Turns out he is useful as the most the treeple have is a space lead pipe.. yes really. I love the silver age. But they’ll bring ray guns soon, so Stone BOy knows it’s a suicide mission and now our heroes have a timer. But luckily.. our heroes are stronger than they think. Night Girl punches a way in till Night passes, while Polar Boy and Flame Lad use their powers in concert to make an opneing.. but with time running out Polar Boy finishes things by having CK grow all the seeds now they have acess.. thus exploding the planets population, destroying several cities from the number of bodies, and thu discourguing the treeple from trying again. Stone boy is able to flee with the rest of our heroes and the day is saved.

The heroes opt not to tell the public, as to take away glory for the Legion. It’s a noble gesture.. they do DESERVE credit, but they choose not to take it, preferring to let the legion get theres for stil lsaving the world from the robots. They stand firm, now confident they may someday make it to the big leagues.And it’s this that really makes me love them: Thier not the strongest or best, but they try anyway for the reasons a hero should: to help people, and not for the glory. THey remain unsung heroes and are fine with that. Eventually the Legion WOULD find out about them, but naturally instead of being dickheads about it, fully accepted them, even offering them some contests for membership, but that’s a story for another day. THey’d remain stalwart allies and valuable backup in crisis situations for years to come until the bollocks outlined above. But they’d never leave my heart and thanks to them.. the legion never left either.

Final Thoughts: While I do love the story for it’s personal signifigance to me, It’s stilll a really good story for the time. A bit stilted as was the style, but still good, well paced and with an endaring cast of underdogs who prove themselves in the end. It’s something diffrent from the usual clean cut ahead in life wasps these stories usually followed at the time. While the team’s still all white and all that, their outcasts and misfits who just want to help and have trouble beliving in themselves. Their a good standard to live up to.. and a good inspiration for me and my constnatly self hating self doutbing self. And I hope you enjoyed htem too. If you’d like to comission your own review, just dm me. It’s 5 bucks for individual issues. Later days.

#the legion of super heroes #the legion of substitute heroes #polar boy #fire lad #night girl #chorophyil kid #stone boy #silver age #comics #comics reviews #birthday

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stylesgalaxy · 5 years

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mastermind; chapter 5

It's Saturday morning and Harry walks out of Julia's room, shirtless. I almost spill my coffee all over the counter again.

"Morning," he says tiredly. I give a weak smile in response. He rubs his eyes and looks down, just noticing that he's shirtless. "Fuck."

I watch him walk back into Julia's room, probably looking for a t-shirt. I'm trying to calm my heart down before he comes back. I'd never seen Harry shirtless. He's never even slept over at ours. He stayed pretty late but I don't ever remember him sleeping over. To be fair, I did shut myself up in my room for all of last night to get my sculpture done, so I didn't notice any hanky panky they might have gotten around to.

It was a strange feeling. I knew Harry and Julia were in love and I knew two people in love at our age had sex. It wasn't wrong for them and it was ridiculous for me to feel anyway about that. But it was a harsh reminder of what I'd never have. On one side of the apartment I'm locked up in my room, tired and stressed; while on the other side, my best friend was living a carefree life with no worries, in the throes of passion with the man I was falling deeper in love with.

Stop thinking that, Aria!

But it was true. Becoming Harry's friend did exactly what I dreaded: made me love him even more. He was the most respectful guy I knew, he was polite and friendly, but also cheeky and funny. He was witty and quick with his responses and knew how to cheer me up better than anyone else. Though I don't think that's because of how well he knows me, I think it's just one of his character traits. I have yet to meet someone who isn't instantly charmed by Harry.

I wonder how many other girls are in love with him—

Harry walks back in, this time wearing a t-shirt. I turn my back to him to give myself another moment to calm down from earlier. He opens a cupboard next to my head to grab a mug for himself. I watch him fill our kettle with water while I decide whether or not I should show him my project. "I didn't see you at all yesterday. I was going to ask you if you wanted to sit us, but Julia told me not to bother you."

Thank god.

"Good thing, I was quite busy."

"What were you working on?" he leans his back against the counter in the position I often take.

"My sculpture, its all I have left." All my classes were done, and all my assignments except this one were submitted. I had one exam for my history class to write later this week. But my priority was the sculpture due tomorrow.

"And how is that going? Have you finished it? Can I see it?" he starts asking eagerly.

"I'm actually having a crisis," I admit. His eyebrows pinch.

"Oh no, what's wrong?"

"I'm stumped. I have artist's block. I don't want to do it anymore," I confess. I sigh heavily then motion for him to follow me to my room. I'm aware this is the second time he's in it, and since this time I'm not screaming and throwing things, he takes a moment to study everything. His eyes flitter around the photographs I have taped on one wall, the fairy lights draped across my bed, my packed bookshelf and my mess of a desk.

In the centre sits my deer head. The head was made out of malleable clay, the branches from a couple weeks ago neatly stuck on top of the head. I stuck beads in where it's eyes would be, and that was it. I tried to add countless things to spice it up but I just finished sculpting the head last night and I was too drained to continue working.

"Aria this is impressive... this is what you were doing last night?" he says in awe. Glee rushes through my body every time he compliments my work.

"I did some of it last night, yeah."

"Is this using that special clay you got a few weeks ago?"

"What special clay—?" I begin before I remember the lie I told him so he wouldn't look in the bag that held his present. "Oh, uh, no. It's not that one..." he looks at me expectantly. I shrug at him, "The clay got exposed to the air and I had to ditch it."

"Oh..."

Harry eyes the string of fake flowers I left abandoned on my desk. I had seen them in a bouquet of fake flowers in the lobby of the humanities building and nicked them to use for this project. I glued the dime-sized flowers on to dark brown string and tried to incorporate it into my work, but couldn't.

"What's this?" he picks it up.

"I was going wrap it around the neck like a necklace, but it looked like my deer was going on vacation so I didn't do that," I answer.

"Why don't you wrap it around the antlers? Like a halo."

"I tried that but it doesn't look right. Watch," I grab the flowers from him and gently wrap it around the antlers. "See?"

"Something's missing," Harry comments after a few seconds. "Wait," he says suddenly and walks out of my room, when he returns he's holding a bouquet of fake flowers we have in our living room for decoration. Harry detaches the rose from it's stem on one of the flowers and with a shaky hand he brings it closer to the deer's crown. He pulls a few more roses apart and hesitantly—almost as if he's expecting me to yell at him for ruining my project—he places them on the head around the antlers. I don't say anything. I let him do his thing and only watch in curiosity as he presents me with an idea I feel like I should have long ago come up with.

"That's amazing," I comment. "How do you do that?"

"Do what? I just put flowers on it, you sculpted the whole thing."

"No, how do you do that. You just come up with an idea that fits so perfectly. I feel like I should have thought about this."

He gives me a knowing smile. "I think you're overworking yourself. You think about everything you're doing so much you miss things you normally wouldn't." I gulp, knowing he's right. I've lost my touch, I'm not the way I was before and it was affecting me. "It's just the pressure of finals, I'm sure. You're still just as talented as always, you just have too much on your plate right now."

And just like that any insecurity I had vanished. He was right. It probably was the pressure of finals, nothing more. I haven't lost my touch, I've only lost sleep.

I pin him with a hard gaze, trying to understand how this boy seemingly knows how I feel, and what to say to calm me down. I don't even think he realized the internal panicking I was about to experience, but he somehow says the right words at the right time.

I can feel Harry getting uncomfortable under my gaze and look away.

"Y-you don't have to do it like this obviously, we can rearrange it," he moves to pick the flowers back out but I stop him.

"No, don't! I like them like that."

Instead I grab my hot glue gun and slowly dab a bit of glue under each flower, then place it back where Harry originally put them. Harry leans his hands on my desk and watches me complete this mundane yet precise task. I start to falter when I feel his breath on the side of my face, but in fear that he will notice and move away, I force myself to keep going.

"What else?" Harry asks clapping his hands. I daresay he thinks art is fun.

The deer head (mounted on a black stand) is a plain brown colour. On it's head it has a flower crown, but the rest is empty. The neck especially looks empty.

"Does the neck look too empty to you?" I ask.

Harry leans forward, squinting his eyes. He moves back and tilts his head as if it shows him a different image. Then he comes back closer and moves to look at it from thirty different angles. I roll my eyes at his overdramatic critiquing.

"It does," the Special Art Consultant finally concludes. "This is probably going to sound silly, but wouldn't it look cool if you ripped some pages from a book and glued it near it's neck? I mean you clearly read a lot."

I slap my arm against his chest and gasp. He looks at me shocked, but I don't have time to explain before I'm already pulling a book out of my shelf. Harry is a genius.

"You know, I'm convinced you're secretly an artist," I tell Harry, ripping pages from my copy of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I almost miss Harry blushing. Just as I look up to see why he was so silent, I notice him biting his lip to keep from smiling and looking down at his shoes.

"That's not true," he says eventually. "I could never do that things you do."

"You don't have to know everything I know to be an artist."

He shakes his head, clearly against the thought. I shrug, "Well you definitely do have an artistic eye."

"What's the book? Is it your favourite Shakespeare play?"

"One of. I don't even need this anymore so I don't mind ripping it up. And this one would be more fitting because it takes place in a forest."

"I've never seen a Shakespeare play," he admits.

"Never?! Oh my God, I'm going to have to take you one day. You'll love them. We can see A Midsummer Night's Dream, or The Tempest, or—or King Lear!" I exclaim. "King Lear is really good."

He smiles at me cutely and then nods his head.

I take the pages I ripped out, and begin tearing them into uneven and irregular shapes. Harry helps me and we're about to start gluing it on papier mâché style when I hear sounds coming from Julia's room. Harry and I look at each other and I nod at him to go.

"I completely forgot about Julia, you should probably go have breakfast with her. I totally just dragged you in here and forced you to help," I smile sheepishly. "Sorry."

He looks at me like I'm being ridiculous and I know he's about to assure me it's not like that but then he smirks and says, "Well that is kind of true. Next time you want a second opinion, please book an appointment and pay me in advance."

My jaw drops at his sassiness, and he laughs as he saunters out of my room. I'm still laughing when he greets Julia and kisses her. It's then that I turn back to my pages and glue.

---

There's a thin sliver in between the end of classes and the start of exams. It's in this short span of time that Niall and Louis planned to throw a party. I say 'Niall and Louis' even though Harry lives there, because Harry is over at ours for most waking hours of his day, that he was invited to a party in his own house like the rest of us.

With the relief of all of my assignments—and most importantly my sculpture—being complete I'm more relaxed and like my usual self. Harry had never seen me like this, which is why he was so amused right now. On our way to the party, he looks at me in awe as I laugh at all of Julia's ridiculousness when I would usually be rolling my eyes.

"So you're going to get a car?" I exclaim in excitement after Julia tells us about how she told her father last night that she had a 4.0GPA going into the exams.

"For Christmas, yes!" she shouts, equally excited. We squeal and giggle together. Harry already knows Julia is like this, but seeing me like this has him grinning lightly and shaking his head.

"What?" I question him. "Julia having a car means she can drive me places. We won't need your or Louis anymore to get anywhere."

"You shouldn't speak so soon," Harry warns. "When Julia gets busy, you're gonna need me."

I open my mouth to ask when Julia is ever busy when the girl herself speaks up.

"You can drive it, too!" she says to me without hesitation. "I trust you! And besides, I wouldn't have had it without you."

"That's not true, you're very smart. You did it all on your own," I assure her.

Julia links her arm through mine as we walk, "Oh, Aria. I wouldn't have half the things I do now without you by my side."

Not really thinking about what she's saying and just accepting the compliment, I lean my head on her shoulder and we walk ahead forgetting about Harry. Harry voices how we abandoned him, and in my cheery mood I start bantering with him. It's so nice to finally be myself with Harry around Julia. It was so draining before when I had to hold things back, or act all broody to get Harry to ignore me.

It isn't until we get to the house that I realize how silent Julia has been. I notice her looking between Harry and I and just listening to us talk to each other. There isn't any time to think about it when the door opens to reveal Niall in a loose sweater and dark blue skinny jeans, hollering and waving us in.

"You guys are early!" he comments. As I take off my jacket, I look around the house and see that we actually are the first ones here. Louis was prepping snacks on their kitchen counter and lining up a bunch on red solo cups. He can't say hello to us because he put too many pretzels in his mouth. I watch in amusement as he tries to wash it down with a drink but can't because there's too many in his mouth and the liquid drips down his face. Idiot.

"I had to come early to make sure all my stuff was hidden away and my room is locked," Harry glares at Niall. "Because someone decided to tell me we were throwing a party on the day of."

"Don't you dare take credit for the party Niall and Louis clearly worked so hard to organize," I chastise Harry, inspecting the lame decorations the boys set up. Louis tries to agree with me but starts choking so I go over to thump him on his back. "Don't pass out so early! Niall and I can't take shots without you, it's tradition."

Niall laughs and Louis grins wide once his air pipe is clear.

"Wouldn't dream of it, love," he pulls me in a hug.

Julia awkwardly stands by while Harry scolds Niall for leaving his expensive vase out in the open where it could easily break. Harry moves around the picking up random items that are too valuable for a party, and makes Niall help him hide them in his room. I'm helping Louis pour chips in bowls when I notice Julia.

While we were all friends, Julia never got close to Niall and Louis. She never saw them because Harry always went to her, and when we all did hang out, her and Harry were always left alone. Since I tried to do anything to distance myself from Harry even when I had to be in the same room as him and Julia, I befriended Niall and Louis. They became my biggest distraction and source of entertainment.

"Wanna help me?" I ask her. She nods and works on what I was doing while I look for something else to do. Louis tries to make conversation with her to help her feel more comfortable, and soon they're talking about their plans for the holidays. Then Niall calls Louis over to help him with the keg and other things.

"You're very close with them," Julia comments. I look up at her in surprise. She said that almost as if she was envious. Julia was never envious of me—I had nothing to be envious of.

"Yeah, they're fun to hang around when you and Harry are off on your own," I reply. I never told Julia about how I felt abandoned when she would leave me to be alone with Harry in our first year. Back when I was still getting used to this new home and the people, Julia was all I had. But I understood her position, she had a new boyfriend she wanted to hang out with him. So I just made the best of the situation. I wasn't going to be a baby and complain, I was an adult. And since Niall and Louis were friends with Harry, they were around often. I hovered around them for a while until they took notice of me and pulled me into their drinking games or conversation. Every party after that, I hung out with them. They loved me especially after they found out how good of a wingwoman I was.

"I meant Harry, too. You get along really well with all of them. They love you."

My mouth dries up. Julia doesn't say this accusingly, but it still shakes me up.

"Don't be ridiculous, it's not that deep. I'm just easy to get along with," I say, hoping to eradicate any insecurity she was feeling. She stares at me for a while, then nods her head.

I'm about to force her to tell me how she really feels because Julia has a habit of not sharing these thoughts sometimes, and she needs to learn to communicate her feelings. But just as I open my mouth, all three boys come bounding down the stairs.

"All of our rooms are locked up, nobody's having sex in this house," Niall says proudly.

"No," Louis counters. "Nobody's having sex in our rooms, who knows what they want to do around the rest of the house."

"We'll just tell them they can't have sex," Harry suggests.

"And how well did you ever follow that?" Louis quips. Harry is left speechless, while the rest of us (minus Julia) laugh.

"Is Zayn coming?" I ask eventually. I've been wondering about it since we were told about the party. I haven't seen Zayn in weeks and I admit I missed talking with him. I was lucky nobody noticed my that my outfit was a bit racier then what I usually wear to parties.

"Yes!" burst Louis. "I texted him the details a few days ago, he said he'll be here."

"Who's Zayn?" Harry questions. Everyone (including Julia) pauses and looks at him. "What? Does everyone know him but me?"

It probably shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise considering Harry does spend most of his day with Julia at our house, and only came home to sleep.

"You don't know Zayn?" Niall asks in wonder. "Mate, he's come over so many times, though. He's really good at FIFA, a fucking legend!"

"Harry's never home," Louis answers Niall's question, then turns to Harry, "You would have met him if you remembered you lived here," he sings teasingly.

Harry rolls his eyes, and huffs in defense.

"I'm too busy to meet some guy you probably picked off the street to play video games with," he mutters.

"Too busy doing what? Catching up on Real Housewives?" I can't help but scoff. Everyone's attention now turns to me and I falter. "Zayn is my friend, not some guy they picked up off the streets."

Julia finally decides to break her silence. "Very special friend," she wiggles her eyebrows. Niall and Louis howl with laughter as my face reddens. Harry quirks an eyebrow and looks between me and Louis questioningly. God, was he still under the impression that I had a crush on Louis?

"I don't like him like that," I mutter towards Julia, looking away. I could take teasing like this all the time, I didn't care. Everyone knew Zayn was hot. But with Harry in the room it felt weird.

"Uh huh, then why did you go to the art shop three times one week?" Julia smirks. Niall and Louis continue laughing at me, and I want to smack Julia for exposing me like this. At least Zayn isn't here to hear this.

"Wait, art shop?" Harry questions.

"Zayn works at the art shop," Louis says. "I met him when I took Aria there 'cause you weren't home. He's really cool. Has all these wicked tattoos and he even said he'd draw me one--"

"Okay, that's enough on tattoos, thanks Louis," Harry shuts him before Louis drives all of us insane again. "Well, I can't wait to meet this Zayn fellow."

---

The party was thriving, Niall and Louis were really good hosts, ensuring everyone always had a drink with them. If they weren't drinking alcohol, Louis would shove a can of coke in their hands. Niall was overseeing the keg line and hyping everyone up over something as boring as beer. Harry and Julia stayed away from most of the madness. Being a couple for two years makes them act like they're married.

I feel a guy's eyes on me. He has a creepy smile and when I make eye contact with him, he walks over towards. I swiftly turn around and head towards the kitchen where Harry and Julia are. Zayn has yet to arrive even though its close to midnight.

I guess I look at them with a troubled expression because both of them stop smiling at each other and look at me with worry.

"Are you alright?" Julia asks.

"Fine," I croak, trying not to check if the creepy guy followed me. "I just want a drink."

"Coming right up," Harry offers and begins mixing a drink for me. He gives me cranberry juice with a splash of vodka in it. I give him a look that says 'seriously?' but he only grins.

"You'll thank me in the morning," he says. I scoff and pour myself more vodka. He doesn't know my tolerance.

I'm happily sipping my drink while Julia tells me about a dress she saw a girl wearing, when I notice Harry's demeanor changing. He stands straighter and glares at someone behind me. I turn around and see the creeper's gaze move from my ass to my face in surprise. Then his eyes flit to Harry and he begins to back away and leave. I look back at Harry who still has a sour look on his face. It softens when he meets my eyes and I silently thank him.

"Who was that?" Julia asks.

"Just some weirdo," I say dismissively. My eyes scan across the living room and stop when I spot a dark haired boy in a denim jacket. "I'm going, I see a friend."

"Stay safe!" Julia calls after me as I move in between people. Zayn is on the other side of the room now, watching other people with a drink in his hand.

"Hey," I smirk, leaning against the wall beside him.

"Hey, Aria! It's been a while," his smiles widely. "You haven't been coming around the shop as much."

"Didn't need anything," I shrug.

"You didn't want to see me?" he says flirtatiously. My eyes almost widen.

"See, that's why you give a girl your number."

He chuckles and turns so his shoulder is against the wall and leans closer to me. Looking into his gorgeous, sparking eyes, I forget all about any of my frustrations and worries. I forget all about Harry and how he's enjoying his night with Julia.

And I'd like to feel like this longer.

"Do you want to go somewhere a bit more private?" I whisper.

Zayn's eyes light up and in response he closes his hand around mine. I down my drink and leave it on the coffee table nearby, before scooting him away.

---

He presses me up against the wall kisses me ferociously. His hands roam around until they stop at exposed waist. My own hands tightly grasp his denim jacket. It feels nice to kiss Zayn. He kisses better than other guys I've made out with. Not as good a certain curly-haired guy, but no one can kiss better than him.

I let one hand travel up his collarbone and neck to really lose myself in this kiss. Zayn responds by slipping his hand under the velvet material of my top. He's hesitant to move any further just yet, so I let out a quiet moan and push his hand further. The kiss deepens and I can taste the alcohol on his tongue.

"Aria."

The voice startles me and a weird feeling erupts in my stomach. Zayn and I instantly pull away to look at Harry who stands a few feet away regarding Zayn with a scowl on his face. His eyes moved to where Zayn still has his hands on my waist.

"Harry?" I breathe. "What are you doing here?"

Harry's gaze snaps to mine and softens again. He walks closer to me and reaches his arm out.

"Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

Why is he here? Why can't I just be free of him for a couple minutes? All I want is to live my life like everyone else: kiss hot guys at parties and not think about my best friend's boyfriend. But apparently that's too much to ask.

Zayn, being intuitive, senses my anger and tries to help.

"Mate, it's alright, we're okay here. Aria is fine," he says. Harry's eyes darken.

"Aria, is he making you do this? Come away from him, I'll take you home," he says more firmly and holds his hand out to me.

Fury begins to bubble inside me as I continue staring at him. Why does everyone think I'm a child? Or a prude who is scared of doing anything intimate? I flashback to the conversation I had with Julia when she was worried her and Harry "traumatized" me when I sort of walked in on them. I get angrier thinking that they probably talked about me amongst themselves and that's why they both see me like this.

"What are you doing here?" I grit through my teeth. Zayn, squeezes my hip lightly, to make me calm down but I can't.

Harry's expression hardens again.

"I was looking for you. I'm taking Julia home, I can take you too," he responds.

"No, thank you," I say and turn Zayn back to me to block my view of Harry.

"Aria!" Harry scowls.

"What?" I yell in frustration. Does he not see how awkward he's making this? Harry doesn't know how to respond, so I roll my eyes. "I'm not a child you have to watch over. Go home."

He breathes heavily for a few seconds, clearly conflicted on whether or not he should leave me with a guy he doesn't know, or take me home.

"Alright, call me if you need me. I'll come get you."

I roll my eyes again knowing I won't do that, but I don't say anything just place my hands around Zayn's neck. Harry finally leaves and I let my head drop on Zayn's shoulder.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry about that," I apologize, no longer in the mood.

"It's alright," Zayn rubs his hand up and down my back.

"It's not! That was so embarrassing!"

"He's a friend?"

"That was Harry," I say. Zayn's eyes light up in recognition. I'm sure he's heard about him from the boys. "He lives here with Niall and Louis."

"And he's with Julia now?" he confirms. I nod. "I'm kind of hungry, do you want to go get food?" he says suddenly.

I look up at him slowly and see him smiling at me. A laugh escapes my throat and I nod. I could eat.

===

New chapter is up! Sorry for the slow updates, I will try to update faster. Also is anyone here a Game of Thrones fan? Omg what did you think about the Arya thing? Btw I named Aria after Arya because I love her so much :)))

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#mastermind

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rosecorcoranwrites · 5 years

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Movies and Plays as Audiovisual, Temporal Storytelling

Movies and plays are worth your while, and are a unique form of storytelling (Yes, that is almost exactly how I opened my last post; this is a series, after all!). Now, theoretically, I should talk about these two mediums separately, as they have some major differences. I could even do another post about TV shows as a sequential form of movies, but I think "serial storytelling" will have to be a topic for the far future. I believe, however, that these two mediums have much more in common than they have different.

Movies and plays—including musicals and TV shows as well—use semi-verbal, visual, temporal, and auditory storytelling.

Lights, Camera Angles, Action!

You'll recall that books are totally verbal, relying entirely on language to tell their stories. Movies and plays are semi-verbal. Most of them include dialogue, and some even have narration in the form of voice-over or a chorus. Though dialogue—often of the snappy variety—is an important part of many movies and plays, it is not a necessity. Silent short films can still tell stories, as can theatrical forms like ballet.

Movies and plays can get away with going light on dialogue because they rely heavily on visuals for their props, setting, costumes, and character actions. Just as an author chooses which words to use to convey a particular scene or feeling, moviemakers, playwrights, and directors—from henceforth grouped under the term "creators"—choose what objects will and won't be on stage or in frame. They can make the effects and set pieces realistic or stylized, and can choose to use colors, shapes, lighting, and other visual cues to convey messages to the audience without stating them verbally.

Blocking is a particular visual aspect of movies that books can't convey. Wether an actor is standing up or down-stage, in or out of focus, facing the audience or not can all be important parts of the story. Movies can also use reaction shots—that is, showing us a character's facial expression rather than what they are seeing—to build tension or evoke emotion. Technically, books can do something similar to this, by saying or showing how a character is feeling before telling/showing us what they're reacting to, but it's a bit different, largely because movie creators can hold on a shot for some time without needing to add new information in the form of words or description.

And this brings us to the next point: temporal storytelling. Plays and movies take a certain time to tell their story, whereas books take a specific number of words to tell theirs. These both pace the stories, but in different ways. A book might take a paragraph to tell all the important details of a room, while a movie can do this in a single shot. Creators can still choose to linger on objects, characters’ movements, and so forth in order to slow a scene down and give the audience time to process what's happening or, conversely, to build a sense of unease. While books, movies, and plays—all stories, really—are told in time (though not necessarily chronologically, as flashbacks and side stories exist), movies and plays can use time itself as a part of their storytelling process.

Music Speaks Louder Than Words

Finally, there is the audio aspect of movies and plays. Along with spoken dialogue, these mediums incorporate sound effects and music. Even silent films used music to evoke a mood for different scenarios, and many non-verbal cartoons utilize Mickey Mousing, or having the music match the movements of the characters—to play up the comedy of their stories. Foley artists, those behind-the-scenes folk who create sound effects for movies, are an important part of making movies seem real, or more-than-real, depending on the genre. Much like choosing what props to have on stage, creators choose what sounds should be included and what should be left out or muted.

Music (or the deliberate lack thereof, in some scenes) is my favorite part of movies, and is a big part of what makes them unique from books and comics. Obviously, music can set a tone, but in clever hands, it can do so much more. Characters or scenarios might be given a special theme, so that, even before they appear on screen, the audience knows to expect them. Themes can be used in call-backs, as when a certain song is played early in a movie and then brought back towards the ending. I especially love when the theme is changed in some way throughout the story.

The finest example of this, I think, are the songs in Les Miserables, particularly those of Javert and Valjean. "Valjean's Soliloquy", at the start of the play, and "Javert's Suicide", at the end, are the same tune and have similar lyrics, and are both a reaction to the character receiving an act of mercy. Both discuss how the character can no longer face the world as they once have. Valjean, however, uses this opportunity to turn his life around and become a better person; Javert rejects this mercy and throws his life away, refusing to live in a reality that doesn't fit with what he thought he knew. It's marvelous!

Promised Neverland does something interesting by taking a non-diegetic song (ie, mood music that is a part of the soundtrack) and showing us that it has diegetic origins (a character in the show wrote it, and other characters hum it). Once we realize where it came from, in the final episode of the show, it forces us to rethink why it's being used as the main theme of escape and hope, while other characters hum it during sorrowful circumstances. It evokes something beyond words that can't be described, but felt.

Even non-musical plays can use music like this. In Steel Magnolias, various songs play from a radio throughout the show, creating a mood but otherwise unimportant. It's also mentioned, off-handedly, that one of the characters likes the Hawaii 5-0 theme. In the final scene, where it's revealed that that character has died, there is no more music playing. The group of characters eventually come to terms with her death, realizing that life goes on but that they still want to keep her memory alive, and as the final moment of the play draws near, one of the characters hits the radio, and it comes back to life, playing the Hawaii 5-0 theme. As an audience member, I totally lost it at that point. I didn't even like that play that much, but when that song started playing, I burst out crying. Music is a powerful thing.

Humans and Emotions

You've probably noticed that I keep using the words "feel", "evoke", and other emotional phrases. Perhaps this is one reason why bookworms look down on movies, seeing them as long on feelings and short on substance. I think they are, in fact, long on both, but use their ability to elicit emotion—through visuals, timing, and audio cues—to underline their message and story. Just as books are the descendants of ancient songs and poems, movies and plays harken back to ancient forms of theater. The Greeks used tragedies specifically to give the audience a sense of catharsis as a way of dealing with and understanding emotion. Other theatrical forms—puppetry, kabuki and noh, ballet, and even rituals involving costumes and masks—are stylized in order to remove everything but the elemental aspects of the story they are telling. They are basic, but in a way that cuts to the heart of what it means to be human. Humans are verbal creatures, but we are also emotional in a way different from any other animal. We have archetypes, and symbols, and psychology, some of which can't quite be described in words and require us to see and hear and feel. And that is why movies and plays are unique and worthwhile.

And those, dear readers—and cinephiles, theater kids, and film buffs—are my thoughts on movies and plays.

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restinpeacesensei · 6 years

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IT’S HERE the official review of how much fun it is to draw hk characters’ hair (not ranked in order)

a lot of spiky, chunky shapes--actually surprisingly nice to draw? the very big angular swooping strands at the front are a highlight of the experience, super great, like little scythes. it’s totally cool to have scythes on your head chiro i bet taishi would agree, he’s a delinquent you know

after i figured out how to block out the big swoop of hair at the front when i start to draw, i actually started to like drawing his hair a lot, it can be broken into nice solid blocky shapes. i also like how the color is greenish blue but the shading is more blue-blue, i know that can change based on lighting and artistic decisions but as a default it looks nice. extremely shiny. i think he might be trying to make people believe he uses hair gel just to cover up that he actually has some kind of gemstone on his head.

i still haven’t gotten used to the little sticking-out claw shapes being very short which i don’t like much, it feels more difficult to give it volume when the fluffy bits are very short and small. not difficult overall but feels a bit boring and finicky.

the most inconvenient hair of all, yet somehow i still can’t quite figure out if it’s annoying to draw. i think the answer is yes bc i take one look at it and i don’t want to even try, but it’s also sort of fluffy. i can’t find any rhyme or reason to why certain shapes stick out in certain areas so i just end up copying the locations of each weird hair appendage on this trainwreck of a cauliflower. im pretty sure he moved around so much in his sleep that his hair braided itself over the years.

i originally said this was my favorite, but i think that was more for the comedic value than how much fun it actually was to draw bc i now find it a bit... idk there’s something frustrating about the way the hair crosses over itself and kind of all ends around the same length that makes it difficult to balance the shapes in a nice aesthetic way imo? BUT BANANAS so i’ll stick to milking the comedic value lmao.

i havent drawn ata enough to judge this very well but it’s less fun when the bangs are a completely straight line, even though the long flowing hair seems like it should be nice. it tends to break into thin rather than thick strands and have kind of a flat and uniform edge, which makes me worry again about the shapes being too much the same but the many flying strands seem like they could be thrown around to add visual interest. i mean, if they weren’t glued down that is.

the thing that gets me is that on my original hair ranking list i put arima and en at the end of the list and now im doing arguably the same thing with their “counterparts”, like, how did they manage to keep the difficulty of their hair the same while making it completely different? i know i didn’t officially say that kyo’s hair was annoying but it definitely makes me groan more than almost anyone else just by looking at it.

anyway, the moment i saw taiju’s hair i thought it would be really annoying to draw and then i drew it to test my hypothesis and i actually thought it wasn’t that bad, but after doing it again i think maybe the reason was bc i had been preparing myself for much worse. it’s still quite frustrating with all these spiraling hair things sticking out, but the hair loops that go over the top are kind of fun. it’s better if you can keep in mind how the hair is being pulled back... tho tbh i prefer drawing fringes and the couple of thin little things sticking out at the front definitely do not count.

ok..... i literally was motivated to write this whole thing bc i wanted to rant abt this so this is going to be a vent bear with me... i rlly wish they hadn’t made maasa’s hair so similar to akoya’s??? trying not to be salty (not actually trying) but i rlly prefer to appreciate maasa as a separate unrelated character and this just makes it more difficult for me to keep them from looking visually comparable... akoya’s hair will always be perfect and unique to me but looking at maasa’s design i can’t help but notice that the shape of the fringe is practically the same, besides not having the two strands in the middle, and so is the color (though yes it’s a bit more pink/brighter) and general shape and flow of the hair it’s just shorter...

almost every other character’s “counterpart” got a completely different hair color (except ichiro) and usually a different hairstyle as well. it’s only maasa where both the color and style are almost just the same. im grateful they DID change it a little--mostly by making it shorter, and there’s also a strand that pokes upwards which i just realized i forgot to draw oops BUT THIS IS WHAT IM SAYING i basically struggle every time i draw maasa to try to make them different from akoya bc i naturally follow the same patterns for drawing the fringe &c but i dont want it to be confusing if i draw them orzz and mainly what ive ended up doing is try to make the color more purple?? which has to be even more purple than it is in the show bc ive been tending to make akoyas hair more pink than it is in the show so i have to shift maasa’s color more as well to compensate... but i don’t really like the purple lmao (even though it fits bc amethyst) so unless i work out something better with it maybe i will just have to accept the similar color and trust people to see them apart lol

anyway as for how fun it is to draw, well it’s extremely easy for me to draw bc it feels basically the same as what i always do but then i feel chagrined that it does lmao I MEAN i do actually like the cute ahoge and the short style is cute i just wish it didn’t like... use literally the same kind of shapes and color??

LISTEN THESE WERE MY FAVORITE NEW DESIGNS and it’s a cRYING SHAME they barely appeared in the show!! i rly WANTED to draw the princes w their long fluffy hair but they appeared so infrequently in these forms that i just couldn’t find interest in drawing them after it started airing?? WHAT WAS THE POINT of making these nice designs and not using them... i have the same issue with the short little puffy bits here as i do with ryouma, but i rly like the side things and the fluffy sidetail is quite cute, if the straps can be maybe a bit frustrating.

this remains my favorite design out of all of hk and im sad that it got used the least T__T i really like the flowing waterfall-like sidetail and the swirling bangs. they are a bit like taiju’s spirals but i like them bc they have a lot of volume, it feels like the hair is really thick and full. i would have liked to draw it more often but furanui’s personality being so one-note (plus not being in this form) for most of the show made me lose interest orz, but it was my favorite to draw before it aired lmao.

#boueibu #happy kiss #boueibu hk #kyotaro shuzenji #wakura nanao #ichiro dougo #taishi manza #kirishima ryouma #shirahone maasa #taiju unazuki #ata ibusuki #karurusu #furanui #my art #long post #i remember thinking 'i hope the princes' designs being complicated doesnt mean they wont get much screentime' lmao..#srry btw if the rant abt maasa or any of the others makes this less rebloggable it's just a vent pls ignore

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beckybuildscosplays · 7 years

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3D Printing Mega-Post (with links!)

Being a member of the maker community means I am surrounded by people who are totally in love with 3D printing. There’s no other group with whom I can have a 30 minute discussion about bed adhesion, lol. While the cosplay community is also generally supportive of the technique, every now and then I will come across somebody who thinks it is akin to cheating. Most recently it happened on a blog I really enjoy. When I read posts like that, I can only shake my head and assume that person must not really understand all the work that goes into 3D printing. Even in the best case scenario where you find a ready-to-print model and own a printer large enough to accommodate it, there is still tons of work that goes into taking a raw print from... well, a raw state to something beautiful. Hence I have decided to type up an overview of 3D printing; what it is, how it works, and all the steps it takes to create a cosplay prop. This is not a detailed tutorial; rather, it’s a high level scope of all the steps. Without further ado, here’s 3D Printing 101!

*12/20/17: Updated with new information on the latest printing technology plus even MORE links!

How does 3D printing work?

3D printing is an additive manufacturing process used to create three-dimensional objects; think of it as the opposite of sculpting where you start with a block of material and cut parts away (subtractive manufacturing). There are actually many types of 3D printing technology, but the most common for hobbyists by far is Fused Deposition Modeling—or FDM for short. In plain English, FDM means the printer head is essentially a hot glue gun that “draws” the cross-section of a model, building it up one thin layer at a time. After tens or hundreds of layers, ta-dah! You have a 3D object! You can check out this link for more info on other types of 3D printing.

The workflow for printing looks like this: find/make a 3D model, optimize that model for printing, convert it to G-code with a slicer, and send it to the printer. Once printing is complete, you need to assemble any separate parts, fill major gaps, fill/prime/sand the surface, and then paint. If any of those terms are confusing, don’t worry! I will explain them all.

Finding, Modifying, or Making a Model

Sourcing models is one of the topics where I see, “Cheater!” start to sneak in. There is a misconception that you can find just about any model you want, download, and hit print. This can be true depending on what you’re trying to build; popular cosplays like Iron Man, Halo, and Star Wars do have a plethora of models available for free, and many are already optimized for printing. Once you get outside well known characters, however, it gets much more challenging. If someone has 3D printed components in their cosplay, it’s never safe to assume the person just downloaded them.

Downloading Models

It’s always worth hunting around for the files you need even if the character isn’t well known. Even if you want to build everything from scratch, it is nice to see how someone else tackled the same challenge. There are a couple websites I like for searching for printable models:

Thingiverse: Run by Makerbot, Thingiverse is a huge collection of models designed specifically for 3D printing and all of them are free! This is where I always start my search for 3D printing files. Most come with some degree of instruction and suggested optimal print settings.

GrabCAD: I don’t use this site as frequently for costuming since the focus is engineering, but it’s very possible to find some cosplay goodies there. Other than scaling, most models should be ready to print.

SketchFab: While this was originally a place to share 3D models, some users also make theirs available. If you need a file for printing, be sure to search through the Downloadable section. (and even if you can't download the file, a 3D reference beats 2D refs any day!)

When selecting a model, try to find something that specifies it was made for 3D printing. Otherwise, you may need to do some manual cleanup and that can be challenging. Just FYI, game models are never ready to be printed but if you want to start with them, Source Film Maker has hundreds to select from. it’s also worth Googling to see if anyone has offered ripped models for free, but be aware that these should NOT be used for profit. Steriolythography (or .STL for short) and Wavefront (.OBJ) are the two most common file types, but get an STL if you can. OBJs will often come with texture files (.mtl), but those are not needed for printing. Aim for highest resolution you can find unless you want the low-poly look. Trust me, you don’t want to be filling in faceted planes with heaps of Bondo later.

There are a few products and processes that allow for multi color printing, but for the most part FDM machines are limited to one or two colors. If you are bound and determined to have multiple hues, you can check out Prusa’s new Multi-material upgrade, the new Da Vinci Color, or the Palatte Filament Splicer. I suspect that multi color printing is going to be one of the next major features to hit hobby printers, but for the time being most methods are either rudimentary or really expensive. It can also be fun to print with multiple materials such as combining rigid and flexible pieces, but that is best reserved for a dual extruding printer. When it comes to cosplay, I would either suggest printing in the object’s final color or preparing to paint. Even if you choose to paint, try and pick a filament color that will make sense if it is revealed through wear and tear.

Modifying Models

If something wasn’t specifically made for FDM, how do you know if it’s printable? Most commercial 3D modeling or CAD software have tools to check and correct issues with models—sometimes automatically. Unfortunately the easy-to-use, open source options in this area are a little barren but there are still ways to do it. Here are some free options for both checking and repairing mesh issues:

MakePrintable is an online paid service, but it will let you repair a set number of models per month for free. In my experience, this is best for basic issues but it couldn’t get any easier.

Microsoft STL Repair: Similar to MakePrintable, but unlimited and free. The downside is that you have zero control in the process, and files need to be opened with Microsoft’s free 3D Builder (from there you can export as an STL).

MeshMixer: An Autodesk product that has a number of capabilities for manipulating meshes. It’s more complex than MakePrintable and Microsoft 3D printing, but you have way more options.

Meshlab: Ah, Meshlab. This program has been around for a long time, and in many ways it is incredibly capable. Unfortunately, it’s also somewhat unstable and has bad documentation, so tutorials are hard to find.

Blender: A popular open source 3D modeling program, Blender also has a 3D printing add-on with some mesh analysis tools. This is the most robust option I have tried, but Blender has a steep learning curve and it can be intimidating for newbies.

Making Models

There is a good chance that you won’t be able to find ready-to-print files, so you might need to heavily mod or even make your own from scratch. Unfortunately, you will need to jump into 3D modeling software to make this happen. There are two major categories of software types: engineering (computer assisted drafting, or CAD for short) and artistic. In a nutshell, CAD is usually meant for objects (cars, wrenches, buildings, etc) and offers tight control over dimensions, surfaces, and shapes. Artistic software can be used for just about anything from trees to characters to spaceships, but it can be more challenging to make precise mechanical objects. I use both depending on what I need to create. There are actually a ton of free 3D modeling tools, so I will list the ones I have experience with and can recommend.

TinkerCAD: This is probably one of the most popular free CAD programs, and for good reason. It’s browser-based and very intuitive to use, thus it has become popular in schools. The entire thing revolves around building objects out of primitives, so if you need something complex it might take a little creativity to get there. TinkerCAD also has its own library of downloadable objects and it can export items for 3D printing (or even send them to a printing service!).

Google Sketchup: Available in both free and paid versions, SketchUp is a lot more complex than TinkerCAD but still very approachable. For some reason, it would drive my professors nuts when anyone used this software for homework. Be sure to check out the hefty list of extensions as they can significantly increase the program’s capabilities.

Autodesk Fusion 360: I will admit that I haven’t used this one very much, but it has been getting very popular very quickly. Fusion 360 is a fully-featured, professional CAD program meant for industry use, but it is available for free to students, startups, and hobbyists. If you want to grab the bull by the horns and work with maximum potential, get this software. It can be intimidating for someone who has never set foot in CAD before, but it is one of the most approachable fully featured CAD suites I have ever seen.

Sculptris: And now for something completely different! Sculptris is the baby brother of Z-brush, an industry standard software for digital sculpting. It’s actually very capable, and if you need to model something organic or CAD just isn’t making sense, give Sculptris a whirl.

MeshMixer: MeshMixer’s site calls itself, “a Swiss Army Knife for 3D meshes,” and that’s pretty accurate. It has some CAD capabilities mixed in with artistic tools and a few unique things to boot. It’s reasonably easy to use, although there could be more tutorial support in my opinion.

Blender: Ah, good ole’ Blender. Completely free now and forever (unlike many Autodesk programs), it’s the most capable and robust open source software I have ever used. Blender is definitely on the artistic side although it has add-ons that make CAD a little less painful. The major downside is the interface; simply put, Blender is incredibly unintuitive. Thankfully, Youtube has tons of high quality tutorials to get you started.

Slicing

Once you finally have a printable model in your possession, it’s time to send it to a 3D printer. If you are using a 3D printing service, congratulations! You can send them your model and call it a day. The rest of us will need to use a Slicer. Remember how the printer moves a hot glue gun around to draw a shape? Well, the computer needs to tell the printer head where to move, how fast to move there, and when to start and stop drawing. It uses a language called G-code to do this. A slicer’s job is to convert a 3D model into G-code so the printer knows what to do.

I use a free slicer called Cura from Ultimaker, but Slic3r and Repetier Host are popular options too (although more advanced). If you want ultimate control, cutting edge features, and don’t mind paying for it, Simplify 3D is considered the best slicer on the market. Cura is my slicer of choice due to its friendly interface. In the photo above, you can see how it has made layers out of a model (hence the name “slicer”).

The first thing to do will be properly scaling your print. Cura assumes your units are millimeters by default, so you may need to convert to your original modeling unit (inches, my my case). Unless you are printing a small prop or have a very large printer, your parts will probably be too big to fit on the print bed. If this is the case, return to your modeling software and split into smaller pieces.

When it comes to 3d printers, you get what you pay for. The more expensive models ($1500+) offer the closest thing you can get to plug-and-play experience, but even they will have failed prints, clogged extruders, and other common issues every now and then. The rest will need some degree of hand-holding. It took me about a week to get my $200 Monoprice Select Mini printing to the best of its ability, and that involved a lot of fiddling in Cura and 18 test prints. Spend some time optimizing your software for the fastest, highest quality prints; you’ll be grateful you did once you get to the sanding phase.

Update: After 10 months of regular, reliable performance, the board on my Monoprice Mini has died. At $160, I definitely got my money’s worth and other users have had theirs much longer. I am upgrading to a Prusa i3 MK3 kit, but I would still recommend the Select Mini v2 as a good gateway machine.

Printing

With your slicer ready to export G-Code, now is the time to set up your printer! A 3D printer’s “ink” is spools of plastic string called filament. There is a variety of plastics to choose from, but Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) are the most common. PLA is cheap, readily available in many colors, and is made from plant starch. For most people, it’s the go-to choice but it is not the strongest material. ABS can provide better structural integrity, but it’s a little more finicky to print and the fumes are noxious and require ventilation. This link has a good summary on various types of filament on the market.

If you search Amazon or Google for 3D printing filament, you will get approximately 82376483456978938 results. Be sure that you are searching for the proper diameter filament; most printers are 1.75mm, but some are 2.85-3.0mm. Reliable brands of PLA that I have worked with are Hatchbox, Matterhackers, ProtoPasta, and ColorFabb. Be wary of no-name brands off places like Ebay or Amazon; not all filaments are created equally and I have definitely wasted money trying to be thrifty on Amazon.

With your filament loaded in the printer, it can be a good idea to extrude some and make sure everything is working properly. Next, verify you set the proper export settings in the slicing software. Different plastics need different speeds and temperatures, and often the packaging will give you a good suggestion. When all is ready, slice the model and send the G-code to your printer!

I always stick around to watch the first few layers of my print because most mistakes happen at that point. Bed adhesion in particular can be troublesome. My solution of choice for PLA is a layer of blue painter’s tape with a light misting of hair spray. Others have used glue sticks, but that didn’t work well for me. If you notice any problems, pause immediately and try to fix the issue. A small clog can turn into a major problem if plastic goops all over your extruder.

When the print is done, it can be tempting to pull the model off the bed but have a little patience! The plastic can warp while it is still warm, plus your printer will still be hot. Let it cool down slightly, then pop it off the bed.

Surfacing

Now comes the tedious part! First of all, remove any supports (or if you have a dual extruding printer, dissolve support filament) with pliers. Depending on the support type, a box knife or X-acto can be handy. I have also heard that deburring tools are handy for this. Next, assemble separate parts with glue. CA or epoxy are good choices, or you can get fancy with friction welding. If you printed with ABS, acetone can help glue pieces together and even smooth your model.

Next you will need to fill any major gaps such as those found along seams or where errors may have occurred in the print. Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty is a popular option for large holes and epoxy can be used as well. You can also use wood filler although I would reserve this for parts that will not be subject to a lot of handing or strain as it can be a little brittle.

Now you have to do something about all those layers.

Your options are sanding, smoothing, or a combination of the two. In the past I have wet sanded the plastic starting from 120, 220, and 400 grit wetdry sand paper. The “wet dry” part is important because PLA will heat quickly from friction and then you have to wait for it to cool again. If I wanted the plastic to show, then I would take it to 1000 grit or even a bit higher. 220 is the minimum for a matte appearance and slightly rough feel whereas 1000 starts to approach injection molded plastic. Bear in mind that dark filaments will show scratches and need sanding at finer grits to look clean. If you intend to paint, 400 grit paper is high enough. Then you will need to spray your model with primer. Allow to thoroughly dry (no longer cold to the touch) and sand with 600 or 800 grit paper. Reapply primer and continue sanding until you are satisfied with the surface. I have found 3 or 4 coats to be sufficient. Paint will hide very few defects, so you can’t take shortcuts with this step.

You can circumvent some obnoxious sanding by filling the layers first. Automotive filler primer works wonderfully although the fumes are terrible and it will need be to used in a well-ventilated area. Filler primer is much thicker than normal primer and with enough coats, it will fill in all those grooves. I found that 3-4 light coats built up a good base to start sanding, and then another 3 coats with sanding between each application gave an excellent finish. This might sound tedious (and it is, to be honest) but the primer sands much easier than PLA. I was satisfied with the finish 220 grit sandpaper provided.

I have heard that CA glue is also good for filling grooves, and Smooth-On makes a self-leveling product called XTC-3D that you paint over your model. I haven’t tried either of these, but they get good feedback from others. Finally, if you have printed in ABS you can try vapor smoothing your part; just be careful playing with acetone, and don’t do it too long or you’ll melt your piece.

Now with all that said, my experience with finishing 3D prints was with the intention of creating a production-quality model (aka something that looked like you bought brand new it from the store). Every print needed to be practically flawless when viewed at close range. For cosplay, this is unnecessary. Nobody is going to hyper-analyse your work from inches away; rather, you can rely on the 10 foot rule. Also, weathering will hide many defects

Focus your efforts on pieces that will show the most. For Soldier 76, this means I will be spending many hours making his mask smooth and pristine, but I’m not even going to paint the brackets on his boots.

Painting

Now you are on to the last step! Unless you wish to control texture through brush strokes, I always recommend spray painting or airbrushing. Rattle cans are available in a myriad of colors these days, but if you have an airbrush they are handy for detailed work. I had a professor who wouldn’t let a can of Rustoleum in his classroom and demanded we use Krylon, so I guess you should also use Krylon? The artists I know who use spray paint swear by the Montana brand, and they have a huge range of colors to select from.

Anyway, all your spray painting should be done outside or in an area with plenty of ventilation. I always wear a dust mask--not because I’m worried about paint fumes (dust masks don’t stop fumes anyway)--but because I don’t want to breath in teeny paint particles. Even if paint is non-toxic, it doesn’t belong in your lungs. I also like to tape down a huge backdrop so I don’t get any over-spray surprises. Your coats of paint should be incredibly light, almost like dusting the model with pigment. It will take many coats, but the slow buildup guarantees even application. I promise the effort is worth it, plus thin coats of paint dry quickly anyway.

Sealing

Last step! I have always used rattle can clear coats to seal my models. This step should not be skipped because your paint job can be marred very easily, but the sealer will help protect it. Always, always, always use the same brand of sealant as your paint or test on scraps first. I cannot reiterate this enough; not all products will get along together, and nothing ruins your week (or month) quite like destroying a detailed paint job. If your model will be going through a lot of wear and tear, you may consider coating it in clear resin for durability.

Conclusion

So as you can see, there is a LOT more work to 3D printing besides downloading and hitting print. I didn’t even go into detail and the post is huge. Any of these topics will have more information if you search on Youtube or Google, plus my Ask is always open. I hope this helps somebody!

#3D Printing #tutorial #overview #3d printing 101 #how to 3d print #beginner

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natalias13 · 5 years

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Going Postal

3rd March 2020

As one of my first workshops I am asked to do a side profile portrait collage which is inspired by Raymond Ray Jonson. His work is all mainly produced in black-and-white however with the things that we got given to produce this task I decided to do an interpretation of his work and not an exact copy and I wanted to do it in colour.

To start of the workshop we first had to get a side profile pictures of ourselves I asked a classmate of mine to take mine, as the picture doesn’t have to be perfect we just took it on each other’s phones. It was just to have a rough outline of the side profile.

This was then moved on to a Imac and then developed in photoshop. As most of the work had to be done physically there was only minimal detailing that we could do on photoshop I decided to change mine to black-and-white as I prefer my pictures to be plain and with less detail as possible. This gives me almost a plain canvas to work on.

We got provided the essentials of magazines, scissors, cutting mat, scalpels, glue, tape, ink and other accessories in which could help us to create this workshop. I decided to use scissors, pencil, A3 plain paper and glue.

I decided to cut around the outline of my side profile and stick it onto a clean sheet of A3 paper this was painted beforehand so I could get a clean black silhouette of myself.

For the the second piece I wanted to represent my self and my mind. The bright beautiful colours in the side portrait represent my kind, loving personality. There is images of clocks, vinyls showing my interests in music, words such as home this represents my security, food, geometry, plants, palm trees, maps and more, all of the images relate to me and my current situation and my mind. This work can be very powerful towards the audience it can send them a message or they might just find it visually pleasing.

I liked creating this work as there is no order to it and I can place whatever I want wherever, just as long I keep the silhouette of the profile I didn’t have to have an organised piece.

I enjoy this project as this means I could express myself and I could find images in the magazines that expressed me. I then also liked the process of laying the images out to create this silhouette and making sure that everything is included whilst still keeping the main aim in the overall image.

I believe that my own interpretation of this task was successful as it included what Ray Johnson does which is collage, it also allows the audience to get involved with the image, by questioning what is going on, making it even more interesting when you think deeper or make theories.

I could develop on this by maybe creating different moods or situations in the silhouette through the same process or inverting it or recreating the exact same piece as the artist did with my own style. This will expand my ideas and possibilities in my project.

Comparison No.1:

This is a comparison of mine and another students work. I found some similarity's and differences, with the similarities consisting of, both are a left side profile this is based on the artist’s style of work, there is also bright colours used, this shows that both of our mids are full of energy, emotion and creativity.

There won't be many similarities as we have different personalties, moods and interests so there will be more differences. The differences that I found in the students work are that they have a detailed silhouette, there's more space between the images, mood is: calm, relaxed, settled, this profile is also space themed, this is shown through the planets in and the neon lights which are galaxy like.

The differences in my work is that there is a lot of imagery, the mood is chaos, anxiety, fun, excitement, there is also key elements that related to me/that I liked, this is also how the two show difference as one is more open and relatable as the other one is mysterious. The audience may relate more to one than the other however I believe that this depends on the type or what mood they may be in.

Comparison No.2:

This is a comparison between my work and Raymond Johnson's work which is the original artists that produced this style of work. As you may be able to notice there is many visual comparisons, this ranges from similarities such as left side silhouette profiles, both contain a range of imagery, they both show some characteristic e.g. I see my silhouette as a monkey and the other profile reminds me of a film character/or illustration (out of proportion head), I find that both of the images contain geometric shapes, the artists profile is filled more on the inside with geometric shapes as mine is the opposite and more geometric on the outside.

The differences in the artist profile is that his is based on social life and not mainly about him but others meaning it’s distant, mine is based about me meaning its close and personal, he uses dull colours, this creates a mood and atmosphere of sadness, loneliness, frustration? (maybe?) between the piece and the audience, however my piece is a much more upbeat and positive, allowing the audience to interact more with the work, also the bright and vibrant colours will be memorable with the audience, meaning this will allow them to remember my collage. The similarities allow both of the pieces to connect in some spectrums however the differences make them unique.

I believe that comparing the work has helped me to see the possibilities between the two pieces not only by how they can or are connecting with the audience but what the message or atmosphere they can really create. I will now be applying this to my future comparison work as I can see the potential of a good and bad work piece this can help me grow in development and ideas.

Ray Johnson

Who is Ray Johnson?

Ray Johnson was a seminal pop art figure in the 1950′s, an early conceptualist, and a pioneer of mail art. Born in Detroit, Michigan on October 16th 1927, he grew up in a working class neighbourhood, this means that his family didn't have much but they had just enough to support their children and live in a house and also put food on the table. He attended high school where he applied for advertising art program, in the summer he attended a drawing program at Ox-Bow school, an art institution. He them progressed and went to college, studying things such as painting with the Bauhaus facility, later on he then participated in festivals such as “The ruse of medusa” and visited many lectures with some fellow friends.

His work ?

In early 1949 he moved to New York and became an active participant in the downtown art scene. He started painting geometric abstractions which was heavily influenced by his former professor Josef Albers. He then later destroyed his work by turning it into collage. At first he was making Irregular shapes so called “moticos” his name for small scale collages.

From the early 1960′s Johnson would reuse his “moticos” cutting them up to create tiny compositions that he glued to small blocks of layered cardboard he then experimented with ink and paint, which will then convert into extremely complex collages which showed repetition and various semi geometric forms which related to the eccentric minimalism of fellow artist such as Louise Bourgeois and Eva Hesse. The colleges revealed his profound understanding of Cubism and his intent to exploring it in different forms. He also incorporated meaningful text into his work letters, fragments of words, names of celebrities, literacy figures, and art-world denizens, both historical and current. He pointed his views towards marvellous connections between them and the world of metamorphosing glyphs. Johnstons could turn ordinary life into art “gold”. Johnson would say that he did not make pop art he made “chop art”.

This image is another one of many art pieces that I like that R. Johnson produced.

Over all I believe that Ray Johnson is a good artist he may have come from a low income family but he has worked and experimented in every opportunity he had, he obviously loves what he does as he hasn't stopped producing. He obviously didn't come to what he does now through one simple step it was a range of experiments and tests that lead him to this sort of imagery, the experiments was with that he had around him he tried to corporate it into his art this not only inspired him but allowed him to develop and create.

Ray Johnson has inspired me to experiment with media, collage and the things around me. I could use the method of collaging and add it to my work but maybe with the relatable imagery and references, as well as media. I could develop this art by using different shapes instead of silhouettes and using black and white instead if colour or create the art just out of words. By doing this it will expand my ideas.

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tomambrose0501 · 5 years

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Going Postal task

The aim of this workshop was to get us working in an analogue style inspired by Ray Johnson creating outcomes using our own portraits and a self-reflection of our minds. This would provide us with an initial artist to direct our research which we can then develop by linking his work to previous or new artists.

We began creating our outcomes by taking profile shots of ourselves facing to the left. We faced towards the left as so did all of Johnsons. He did this as he was inspired by stamps. Once we had the profile shot we converted it to black and white and adjusted the levels, this created a clear definition between us and the background which would be important when it came to cutting out. We then printed these photos onto A3 paper.

I cut my head out from my image and painted over it in black ink. I did this as I planned to use it as a base to collage upon creating clear boundaries and additionally I wanted to use it to trace.

I began to look through magazines, I had a clear idea of what I wanted my outcomes to look like and so gathered images with simple or regular patterns representative of logic. I chose pages with block colour or strips of typography and began to lay them down in rows.

With all these strips cut out and layered in a regular pattern, it looked to uniform and so I decided to rip the bottom and top of the middle strips. This gave a much more realistic feel to the collage and added character. Additionally, I cut the top rounded part into various strips and removed every other cutout leaving a pulsing effect. This created an idea of movement and life which was previously missing. With all of my cutouts decided I layered them down and used the ink cutout I created earlier to trace and outline onto the pieces. I then cut along these lines leaving the shape of the original portrait. Finally, I stuck these cutouts onto the inked portrait and stuck this onto a plain A3 sheet.

Once I had created this image and taken a step back to look at it I saw very strong visual links to the work of Nick Gentry and artist that using music hardware rather than paper. Gentry essentially does this process in reverse creating a canvas made from the hardware and then paints in the white space. This inspired me to create another image which was the inverse of the one I just created filling in the white space last.

This image was created from the same pages that I made the smaller cutouts from on my previous image. I think the inverse is just as effective as the original one I created maintaining a clear outline and structure where the links to johnsons are easily noticeable.

Overall I think the outcomes I created met the aim as they clearly resembled the work of Ray Johnson but were personal to me and the way I perceive my mind. Working in a more traditional was created an outcome that felt more natural and human which are important elements of a successful portrait.

If I was to do this again I would experiment with combining mediums perhaps using digital and then working more analogue over the top. For this task, we stuck to traditional mediums emulating the methods used by Johnson however I could look at artists who use collaging digitally.

I like the work of Johnson and feel connected as it results in an outcome that has a strong directional focus for the viewer. I think that I can also effectively connect johnsons work to this project. One of my themes from the initial task was pollution a contrast to the recycled nature of our outcomes.

Comparison

This outcome was produced using the same technique as I used however the approach is very different. This outcome utilizes imagery in contrast to mine which used patterns and typography. This choice creates more white space within the silhouette of the head, this works effectively with the imagery as it creates areas of focus. Another difference between each of our outcomes is the colour. My piece is created from an advertisement magazine which utilizes neutral colour such as grey, white and black while this piece has images which have a distinct cartoon style and are accompanied with the colour of high saturation. Something both of our pieces show is consistency in their themes but also their structure. Neither of us decided to add images to the outside of the head. I think this is because of the inspiration of Ray Johnson however it could reflect a sense of feeling contained. From looking at this piece I can see that If I were to use smaller cut out it would be important to ensure enough white space is available.

This workshop has some clear limitations due to the technique of collaging however if images were printed elements such as the scale of even opacity with the possibility to print on acetate. The scale is something I believe would make these portraits much more effective it would contrast the small stamps they were inspired by and all would make all the small details visible.

Research

Ray johnson research

Digital Developments

As I enjoyed the technique of collaging I wanted to take it further both with digital development and creating an outcome more focused on my project theme of global warming. I decided to focus on newspapers as an additional concept I initially had was centred around the media. I combined these by gathering newspaper articles about global warming. I then chose to have an animal as the subject.I wanted to utilize colour to focus the viewer as I thought it would contrast the black and white newspapers effectively.

I created this outcome by starting with a base collage of newspapers which I duplicated onto another layer. I then cut out a polar bear from another image. I made this cut on the newspaper top layer and the bear layer. I placed the bear layer on top adjusted the threshold and removed the white leaving just the shadows of the original image. I then went onto the bottom newspaper layer and adjusted the colour balance putting the red on full. This bought out a strong colour focusing the eye to the bear and giving it a defined shape. I finally added blur to the bottom layer blurring the text to further contrast the bear.

I think this development was effective and while being made digitally maintains and authentic aesthetic due to the newspaper and the unsmoothed cutout of the bear. The focus provided by the colour is very strong and something I would like to look into using in more of my outcomes.

This process has shown me how a simple idea can be taken much further than it might initially seem.

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plush-anon · 5 years

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plush reviews: pirates ahoy! (collected)

for my own personal reference, decided to collect the singular posts into one, w/ breaks between each original post below the cut

I will say this, the opening credits for this one are pretty dang good - nice visuals flow together with some wonderful music to create a compelling overview of the Bermuda Triangle and some of the wild theories commonly associated with it, as well as how far back these myths go. Kudos 🤗

also, I did not realize how short this movie is - paused it for a second and it’s only 70 minutes long apparently. huh

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oh man, good times - I forgot how stilted and choppy the WNSD animation could get in some shots.

annnnnd there’s the cotton candy fog. it moves like it’s on a skateboard being pulled across the screen XD

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finally cut to the gang - i honestly like this shot of everyone in the car. daphne paints her nails like my sister used to when we were young - on the dashboard on long car rides 😅 the nausea from the smell led to some “fun” trips, lemme tell ya

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oh Casey Kasem, even in old age your Shaggy was memorably good

also the joke on Fred’s age never gets old XD like, you guys grew up together as kids in this continuity, how could you not know his age, much less that he’s obvs not in his 40s? still a fun one tho

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another thing i forgot about WNSD continuity - Shaggy’s character model being like 2 feet taller than Fred in some shots

also the gang being legitimate friends and liking each other and getting along, unlike some portrayals *side-eyes sdmi*

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i think this is my fave version of fred’s parents, although i do love Professor Huh from be cool scooby doo. they are EXACTLY how i picture the people who raised the sdway/wnsd version of Fred to be

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holy crap, i forgot Kathy Najimy was in this

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actually, here’s a thought: why haven’t they graduated Frank Welker to playing Fred’s dad in a show, and hired someone else to play Fred?

granted, the man still (uncannily I might add) sounds exactly like he did in the 60s (hOW?!?) but it’s strange they haven’t tried to do that yet apart from maybe pup named sd, where he played fred’s… uncle, i think and i guess kind of with the new scoob 2020 movie, where he only plays scooby

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…i think the captain of the ship just got beamed aboard the Enterprise o_O

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the alien has the general head shape of the ones from Alien Invaders and the claw hands of dr claw from inspector gadget

also, whoever designs fred’s facial expressions in this movie is having waaaay too much fun (although kudos for actually… you know… making them. some characters have very minimal face movement and it’s rather unsettling, especially when the voice acting is actually pretty decent)

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i gotta say, good on fred’s parents for encouraging their son’s interests and talents, as well as getting him a birthday gift that he can not only enjoy, but also inviting his friends along for.

…unlike SOME incarnations *glares at sdmi*

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holy fcuk shaggy just brought back the ghost of captain cutler, glow-in-the-dark diving suit and all O_O

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dang, velma’s lounge wear looks cozy. i’m glad they haven’t tried to force her into something weird

camp scare put her in a white bathing suit, which was… really odd for her, color scheme wise. altho the storyboard artists reaaaaaally wanted to do a drawn out, slo-mo play-in-the-water thing with velma and daphne in that one, so maybe that contributed to it? idk

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i do like that the gang inadvertently solves every mystery on a mystery cruise - that cracks me up

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cripes, they keep cutting back and forth between a decently animated shot of the gang on a polished background, and this almost MS Paint looking rough animation of the castaway being guided on the deck, which is all flat colors and rough black lines. it looks terrible

the animation quality is all over the place here

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and suddenly man in a jetpack

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RON PERLMAN?!?!?

how the FRICK did they get him on this movie cast?! this is post-hellboy!

( also apparently arsenio hall voices the captain. who the heck had all these high rollers on speed-dial at the studio that day)

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actually, here’s a thought: given the voice cast we have, and how i’m actually able to follow this without having to look at the screen all the time (i’m folding laundry rn), this could make for a really decent comedy mystery radio show.

think about it! get a decent voice cast and writing team, and there’s a lot you can do with Scooby on the radio. you may not be able to do the chase scenes as well, but those can be worked around pretty easily with a solid writing team. i’d be interested in seeing that come to reality in all honesty - it could be fun!

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another thing i just noticed: Scooby hasn’t talked NEARLY as much in this one as he does in later shows/movies. I forgot how much I missed that from him

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wait a tic that’s Dan Castellaneta as the hypnotist

seriously, who was able to get all these people on board for a Scooby Doo DTV about pirates

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now here’s an interesting moment/snafu: Shaggy and Scooby canNOT be hypnotized, according to this movie, but the clown in SDWAY was able to hypnotize them both using the exact same method - a gold circular object on a chain swung back and forth.

then there was Legend of the Phantasaur much much later able to hypnotize Shaggy so successfully he overcame his panic disorder

was it because they weren’t allowed to eat prior? their meal was continuously interrupted before they were dragged onstage. maybe being actively hungry and denied food when it’s right in front of them blocks them from being hypnotized properly…?, idk but it’s food for thought, for sure 😁

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ehehe, one of the background guests is wearing a Tin Man costume from the Wizard of Oz

alas, this is prolly as close to a crossover as I’ll ever get between my first two fandoms ever and maybe that’s for the best

(honestly kind of surprised there's never been a scooby themed oz-related adventure tbh public domain and recognizeable)

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it took about half an hour into the movie for the title villains to actually encounter the gang, or almost exactly halfway through the movie. that’s actually pretty odd for a scooby movie, isn’t it? especially when they haven’t encountered any other mystery except the fake-y ones (a lot start off with an in-progress mystery to finish up before being introduced to the main)

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welp, villain’s been spoiled, it’s ron perlman’s character as the pirate captain…

*sighs* Pirate Captain Skunkbeard

like… you get freaking Slade from the teen titans, Hellboy Himself, to voice your baddy… and you give him a name like Skunkbeard.

could have been something cool like Capt Barnaby Bones, or Cuthbert Butcher the Red Pirate, or SteelHook Slater, or Morgan “Moonscar” McWright (okay, that one’s been used before, but the point stands dammit!)

---

holy moly, one of the pirates just tried to cut scooby and shaggy’s head off with an actual blade

it cut clean through their costume heads with one swipe

jesus christ on a bike, what is WRONG with you?!?!

(sometimes these scooby dtvs have moments like this. moments that explain how it is shag and scoob have what is likely ptsd for days)

---

*gang follows trail of oozy green liquid sheen to the pirate ship*

now see, i thought those wooden ships weren’t supposed to pollute the oceans back in the day

(tho it does work as a solid clue i’ll grant em that)

---

shaggy, why aren’t you more excited to go into the cotton candy fog? it’s clearly grape and green apple flavored!

---

…i think one pirate just killed another one during that sea shanty there

brutal

---

so i didn’t mention earlier, but tim conway is fred’s dad, and i think he’s the only voice star in this i’m not surprised at - he’s been on the new scooby doo mysteries as their celebrity guest of the week, so him coming back is more like a belated reunion

that being said, his voice work here varies wildly between ‘what the heck take was that’ and ‘hysterical’ - it’s quite odd

---

and suddenly the cruise ship is sunk, and the gang is on an island

alrighty then

---

the captions are cracking me up right now - not a single one has spelled “bananas” right

it only spells it as “banas” 🤣🤣🤣

---

“Prepare to suffer the wrath of Capt Skunkbeard!”

…nope, that’s still not intimidating. try again sir.

(truly i am made to sail the seas, for i am salty af on this name)

---

‘Seize them!’

fade to black

come back in on gang tied to the pirate ship mast

…really? the gang has escaped far worse than a group of pirates before (and usually to some funky tunes), and you’re saying they were captured just like that?

fred, please tell me this is a plan of yours, otherwise this is just dumb

---

sooo the pirates want to find a place that matches a painting of stars from 200 years ago… without ever stopping to consider that the painting could just be a pretty picture?

it’s a small painting, and i don’t think that star maps were really used like that back in the 1800s when it was purportedly made (at least not from what they look like on wikipedia… none of them look like pretty wall paintings)

these pirates are kinda dumb, methinks

---

the ghosts of the bermuda triangle, including world war fighter places, old exploration ships, and a sea monster are apparently trying to stop the pirates

because the pirates want to time travel and rule the sea throughout time

and they needed the pretty pretty picture to lead them to the time travel macguffin they want to retrieve… which is also the sole reason the Bermuda Triangle is all bermuda triangly to begin with, when it fell to earth from space itself.

…say what now?

...that has to be one of the dumbest time travel plots i've ever heard and i sat through endgame twice

---

the macguffin is a solid gold meteor

a giant hunk of gold literally as larger as twenty of the pirates put together, and you want to use it to time travel instead of selling that shit and being made for life

why are none of you smart

---

yet again i see scooby shoot someone with an item that should have killed them outright and ended the mystery right there

moon monster madness had scooby shoot the alien with a missile on the moon, and pirates ahoy has him shoot a cannon at someone point blank with only a wooden door immediately between them

shrapnel should have shredded that pirate to bits, if even that much was left after that

---

okay, the time travel thing turns out to be a hoax the hypnotist uses to convince the billionaire to finance his search for the literal meteor of solid gold located in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle

that’s a relief at least - Scooby Doo has done some weird shit in its days, but time travel does not need to be one of them

---

well, at least we finally have the answer to who would win in a fight - homer simpson or scooby doo?

(obvs scooby, of course :D)

---

according to velma, everyone on the cruise was hypnotized into believing they were pirates (including fred’s mom), but doesn’t hypnotism only work if the person actually subconsciously agrees with/goes along with the suggestions?

does that mean that at least one person on the cruise ship wanted to behead someone, since they nearly succeeded with Shag and Scoob? does that mean the fred’s mom secretly wants to kill her husband, since she tried to have him thrown overboard the ship while she was hypnotized?

the questions this raises, they are unsettling thoughts indeed 😨

---

“Wouldn’t you like a nice ski trip to the Himalayas?”

“And risk a run in with the Abominable Snowman?! Forget it!”

exactly one year later (no joke, it came out exactly one year later):

“Join Scooby and Shaggy as they run in terror from the Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas, in Chill Out Scooby Doo!”

----

And that was Scooby Doo Pirates Ahoy!

That was a relatively fun, if dumb, done-in-one mystery. What really saves this one (especially given the REALLY inconsistent animation quality, from acceptable to ‘someone used MS Paint didn’t they?’ levels) was the voice cast. I don’t know what blackmail they had on these guys, but the voice acting was really dang good.

Probably too good - the bad guys’ voices are so memorable you know immediately who they are when you hear them.

The time travel spiel was unbelievably dumb, only saved by the fact it was a hypnotic ruse, and some of the stuff doesn’t quite mesh that well? Like the padding on the desert island, and some of the really weird plot contrivances like the painting being the exact map to a giant ass solid gold meteor :/

Still, a solid set-up (mystery cruise in the Bermuda Triangle) with some new elements (Fred’s parents, an absolute delight) make it a fun film for the wee ones. I’d call this a keeper at the end of the day.

Then again, I really have forgotten how nice it is to see the gang as actual supporting friends and have it feel sincere. Be Cool Scooby Doo was mostly for humor, but the kids still felt like they liked each other well enough.

WNSD on the other hand really made them feel like actual friends, based on body language around each other, general closeness, and a warm comradery that’s hard to replicate. For the flaws this show has, this is certainly not one of them.

That’s all for tonight folks. Sleep well, me hardies yo ho!

#plush reviews #pirates ahoy!#plush reviews: final thoughts

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coolbloggerthings · 5 years

Text

15 tips for better creature design

Creating creature designs and art in general is like a sport. You need to practice and train if you want to improve. When you draw every day and have thousands of used sheets of paper and sketchbooks, you learn some tricks to make the process a little easier.

Draw everything: you’ll get faster and your brain will become a database full of references. There are also a few basic tips you already may know, but it’s good to go over them again: things like contrast, shapes, lines of action, movement, perspective. Put all of these techniques together and your creatures will look alive and be full of personality. For more on process, see our post on art techniques, or read on for top 15 tips for creating better creature designs.

And if you want to read more about characters in general, check out our character design tips post.

01. Draw quick thumbnails

Create simple silhouettes to get started with your creature design

Drawing quick and simple thumbnails is a helpful warm-up exercise. There are a few things to bear in mind, though. I always try to keep the design simple; the silhouette needs to be easy to read. I use a solid colour and sometimes I draw over it with a darker colour tone. In this case I’m concentrating on creatures, which means I’m free to create different shapes, combining object, animal and human elements.

02. Don't forget references

References are vital to designing creatures

If I don’t feel inspired to draw then I’ll look around for some references. In this case, I’ll search for objects that I can either use as part of a creature, or just act as a launch point to galvanise me into action. My main reference sources are mythology, animals and nature and so I’ll draw some objects (African masks, runes, a cauldron…) and some animals. My sketchbooks are full of such doodles and they can easily end up being part of a figure design.

Need a new sketchbook? Check out our guide to the best sketchbooks.

03. Use basic shapes

Simple shapes can become complex characters

What if I start with basic shapes to create my character? All of them can turn into a creature, right? You might think this is a limitation, but it also forces you to be extra creative. This approach can be a good method for designing a squad of characters that work together, like superheroes. These shapes are just one way to start your designs. Sometimes I break the silhouette by adding elements, or I leave some empty spaces.

04. Combine basic shapes

How a basic shape design can develop into a creature

This approach can lead to interesting results. One of my previous thumbnails is a blend of triangles, circles and a rectangle. When I sketch over this basic form I can see immediately that it’s a one-eyed warrior hare carrying a shield and a candle. I start with a very simple doodle in greyscale and then add some details in the colour drawing. This breaks up the symmetry and make this character more visually appealing.

05. Draw without purpose

Put your references away and just start sketching

Another useful starting exercise is to simply draw without a specific purpose. And it’s important to me to do this without references. I don’t expect to create my greatest piece of art this way, but this can inspire future projects. Maybe I’ll pay attention to these sketches someday and fresh ideas will come to mind. It’s also a good exercise to banish the dreaded artist’s block.

06. Think about body language

Body language can convey a lot about a character

If you want your creatures to be expressive then it’s crucial to understand anatomy and body language. Combine these two key topics and your creation will feel more alive. I believe it’s vital to understand how bodies can express an emotion. You can obtain references from plenty of sources: study films, friends and model sessions; look in the mirror; or take some photos of interesting poses. This step is crucial. As a cartoon character designer, I tend to exaggerate these body expressions with more pronounced curves or shapes.

For more on anatomy and figures, see our guide to figure drawing.

07. Use lines of action

Straight lines can look dull, so experiment with curves and contrast

Using simple lines will define the movement of the creature. These are called lines of action. They’ll vary depending on the creature’s mood and activity. Straight lines can make your figure look boring or static, so I often use curved and contrasting lines because they result in more eye-catching body positions. It’s crucial to draw a range of dynamic poses, because they’re a useful way of testing your creature’s proportions and anatomy.

08. Keep experimenting

Try a number of different variants of a creature before settling on your final design

Maintain your creativity by revisiting older designs and producing variants that will work in that universe. Here I’m keeping the same basic shapes and proportions for the different versions. Colours and materials have an important role to play, too. What if, instead of leaves, he has crystal hair? Or maybe there’s a constant flame on the top of his head? These variations can enrich your original concept. Other options include changing the size, age or sex of the character.

09. Add contrast

Image 1 of 2

Contrast is a basic concept that you need to bear in mind when designing a creature. This contrast can be between colours, shapes, objects and more. I make sure that I think about contrast in every stage of my designs.

At the sketching stage, when I draw some basic shapes, any contrast between them will be most obvious during this stage. One creature will be curvy, the other straight. This can be very rough – there’s no need for details.

Next, I work more on the sketch, adding details like the ropes and plants. You can enhance the personality of your creature by adding contrast to the attitude. In this case, a monster is happy carrying a very serious stone head. I’m also using contrasting colours for them, increasing the visual effect and making them complementary characters.

Colour and texture can also enhance contrast that the biggerst Iranian animators use them,too.

The final step is adding additional details such as texture, shadows and a background. It’s time to paint them all. Texture will enhance personality and give the figures the spirit of adventure. The background is part of the story, so I add a path and some mountains inspired by Chinese art.

10. Add an object

You can tell a lot about a creature from the objects it's holding

An object can be a good way to further strengthen a creature’s design. These props can boost their personality and charisma, and can also enrich their back story. What are they carrying? And why? Maybe they’re carrying luggage, or they’re holding a lantern to light the path into a mysterious forest. Depending on what they have on their back or in their hands you can define their jobs or roles in your narrative.

11. Try different facial expressions

Use your own face as a reference when trying out facial expressions on a creature design

Body poses are of vital importance when showing a creature’s emotion, but so are their facial expressions. Both work together. Try some basic emotions like happiness or anger, then try less-common ones. By placing a small mirror close to your work area, or using your camera phone, you can use yourself as reference. Study how the facial muscles move. Essentially, eyebrows and mouth will do the most amount of work for basic fantasy creatures. Consider adjusting the ears while squashing or stretching the main shape of the head to accentuate these emotions.

12. Use perspective

Avoid symmetry if you can, as it's often dull

Another way to improve your creature designs is adding some perspective. Symmetry can be very boring, and a simple pose viewed from the front may fail to resonate with the viewer. So it’s important to work with depth and space, to give your creature a strong feeling of movement. Try different angles when you sketch your characters, and look for references if you’re struggling. With this creature, I’ve increased the stroke width in some areas that are close to the viewer to boost the feeling of depth.

13. Create a point of interest

Focus the viewer's attention

With some simple lines defining a direction, you can create a point of interest in your drawing where you can focus the viewer’s attention. This visual flow leads the viewer’s eyes in the direction you want. You can even create different entry points and there are a lot of ways to achieve this. Faces and hands are very expressive, so concentrate your efforts here. Colour and lighting can also help. Increase the brightness or ramp up the saturation of the area that you want the viewer to focus on.

14. Tell a story

Props and details add context to your creature design

Does this creature have a back story? And how can you tell? The attitude and action of the creature will play an important role, even if they’re standing still or looking at something. The environment plays an important role, too. It helps to explain what’s happening to your creature. Adding some props and details in the background will support the story and give context to the figure’s personality.

15. Create an atmosphere

The colours in this piece add something extra

Lighting and colour are key tools to use when painting creature concepts. You must play with lights and shadows to create interesting and atmospheric environments. This will focus the viewer’s eyes to some areas of the drawing. Selecting a source light and applying the correct shades will enable you to highlight key parts of your design. Keep in mind that colour, lighting and shadows are only part of the story. Make the choices that will enhance rather then detract from your narrative. Carry out colour tests to see which ones work best.

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professorjjong · 7 years

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Hi rose I was wondering if you had any tips or suggestions on how to learn Japanese by oneself. Do you think knowing Chinese would help in learning it? It's so cool that you know more than one language I wish I could be that cool ;w;

hahaha i’m really #NotCool lol

i actually learned japanese by myself so i’m literally full of tips and suggestions haha.

addressing knowing chinese--do you mean that you’re currently learning chinese? if you’re considering learning them side-by-side i honestly don’t think that would be very helpful? the two languages developed independently of each other so they’re virtually unrelated grammatically. japanese kanji does come from china but, unless you’re talking about traditional chinese, almost all of the characters were edited to be faster to write, whereas the original versions are still used in japanese. i do think kanji is important (and fun!) to learn but you should take it slowly and don’t make it your first priority. you’re not going to want to learn a bunch of kanji right off the bat because you’re going to forget all of the ones that aren’t used in common words. i’d say learn a few every week or so? find a pace that works with you best.

if you mean that you already know chinese, there’s a handful of words which are similar and, if you can write it,you’ll be able to pick up kanji faster simply because your brain is already wired to interpret and recreate such characters. but tbh i don’t think it would be much of an advantage.

but before you even touch kanji, learn both kana systems. you can find guides fro them easily enough online. some ppl recommend not learning katakana but tbh i find that katakana is used very often. learn hiragana first going down the rows. at first i learned it five per day but i bumped up that speed after a while. keep writing them. write them whenever u have a free minute just write them over and over again and try to make their sounds as you do.

from this point.... it’s a little fuzzier? there’s a fuck ton of japanese resources out there online. not including textbooks you can buy or rent at ur local library. my suggestion is to find a resource that starts from the beginning and get going with it. no matter what website or book it is it’s not going to be perfect. keep this in mind. i remember with my first book it explained adjectives so poorly i gave up on learning japanese for months because i thought it was just too hard--but then i eventually found a different source which explained adjectives in like two sentences and it made perfect sense. so, whenever you’re using your primary reference and it confuses you, go to a secondary source and see if it explains it better. there’s so many resources out there you can find the explanation you need for any topic.

when you have a basic grasp of grammar, like ‘AはBです” levels of basic, start speaking and writing it. i have a little gaudy pink journal which contains my very first japanese journal to myself, written in glittery pink pen. for these journals don’t look up new words and don’t worry about being grammatically correct. just write. set a length requirement--maybe only four or five lines at first and then let that requirement grow larger and larger as it gets easier and easier for you to write. if you find yourself needing a word in english, like you got halfway through the sentences before suddenly realizing you don’t know the word you need, try to sound it out in katakana. believe it or not, it’s sometimes a struggle to understand english words said in japanese, so try to get yourself used to this concept. do try, however, to only use words you know and to write every day. it doesn’t matter if your journals start out like ‘my name is susan. i am seventeen. i went to school today. in the morning i ate breakfast. i had a test.’ just write.

as for talking, virtually the same rules apply. at first you’re going to have to force it, so try in the morning while you’re getting ready, or in the shower, while cooking... etc.. look up pronunciation videos online and soon you’ll find yourself not forcing out the japanese when you’re talking to yourself.

once you have a good basis in grammar, you can move on to learning more vocabulary. i, personally, used the jlpt sets on memrise, starting with n5. but, as with all sets, these aren’t perfect. memrise is, however, fucking great. use it to build sets of the vocabulary in your primary resource or vocabulary you think might be useful to you in your journals. memrise is themed around learning words being similar to taking care of plants, so it times when you should review different words. on the mobile app you can set it to alert you at a specified time to go over your words, and you can also set goals to drive you to review words or learn new words for a certain length of time every day.

personally, for the words i add to my own personal lists, i don’t worry about kanji, as the jlpt sets all have kanji. you will, however, need to learn kanji using something else. personally, i used he book remembering the kanji but it’s not perfect. as with grammar, there’s a lot of different resources so find the one that explains kanji in the way you like best.

for me i made flashcards of kanji and went over them daily. when the number became too great for that, i went over all of them once a week and put the words i got wrong into a separate pile called my ‘stress words.’ i would go over these several times a day and then, once a week, would learn a few more kanji and add those to the new ‘stress words’ for that week. i also bought a mini white board to use when writing kanji but it’s also a good idea to practice with graph paper so you can learn to keep them in the proper shape and size.

another great app i liked a lot is hellotalk. it’s virtually an instant messaging app meant to connect you with people who are native speakers of the language you want to learn. since i used it, it has also become a little bit more facebook-esque,which i think can make things a bit awkward--as you can make a post about what ur eating or whatever and a japanese person might see it and then you can use that as a way to start conversation and avoid the awkwardness. it also has ways for you to limit what sex and age range can talk to you, but when i used the app recently i had people voice call me virtually immediately and i’m personally not comfortable with that :/ i’d hope that the app has maybe changed that setting but i haven’t checked. i’d suggest downloading it and seeing if the setting has changed or if ur comfortable with just refusing calls from people because having ppl to talk to is the best way to learn.

another website similar to hellotalk is lang-8, but, instead of instant messaging, on lang-8 you write journal entries in the language you’re learning and native speakers correct it--and then you correct their journals in exchange. obviously, you have to be a bit more advanced in japanese to manage this, but it’s very useful! your journals don’t have to be anything insightful--i remember writing one about how iced coffee is more popular in asia than it is in america and another about going to the grocery store. it’s also a good way to potentially meet ppl you may befriend and speak japanese to some day!

these next two are hella amazing. one is an app called imi wa? it’s a great dictionary app that helps you conjugate verbs, search kanji by not only radicals but by ‘primitives,’ and, best of all, has an analyze function which lets you paste in a block of text and defines all of them so you can translate sentences with much more ease. the other is rikai-kun (chrome), -chan (mozilla) and -sama (i forgot?). it’s another dictionary for ur browser that will let you scroll over words and immediately look over their definitions. you can develop an over reliance on it but at the beginning stages it’s going to be hella useful so, download it.

a great resource in particular to use with rikaikun is nhk easy , which is japanese news articles written for elementary and middle school students--and foreigners! you can set it so locations/names/businesses will appear in different colors and you can scroll over some words for definitions. the articles are also relatively short so i’d recommend going through at least one a day to practice your reading. also considering following japanese fans or artists on twitter and trying to translate their tweets--but if you find yourself getting overwhelmed by the number or length of tweets, don’t feel pressured to understand all of them. a lot of learning a language by yourself is trying to avoid frustrating yourself--since you’re studying alone, there’s nothing to keep you from giving up aside from yourself. so if you find yourself getting very frustrated, you should probably switch up what you’re doing.

in terms of practicing your listening skills, i’d recommend watching dramas. try to find half hour long dramas (or just watch half an hour long episode) and then immediately after watching the half hour, watch it again without subtitles. at first you’ll feel like you get absolutely nothing out of this, but stick with it.make sure not to play with your phone or distract yourself while listening. try to remember what the characters said or what’s going on in the episode. soon you’ll find yourself recognizing words!!! then phrases!!! then sentences!! then you’ll be able to understand it on your own!

if you really like anime, you can also watch anime at first or every once in a while--but i’d really recommend dramas. people in anime don’t speak like normal people do, but it can be easier to recognize words and such because their voices are clearer. dramas better reflect the way actual japanese people speak. (however i wouldn’t recommend watching something like terrace house because it is actual people talking and the mics aren’t perfect. if you’re a student, i’d say to watch high school dramas because they will contain words which may be relevant to you in your journals and while talking to ourself and what not!)

you can also rewatch episodes with the screen blackened, so you’re just listening to it? i personally think this is lots of fun but that’s just me.

songs tend to follow their own grammatical rhythms so they’re not too useful for studying aside from vocabulary.

the key, to me, at least, was to study every day. my schedule was:

1. talk to self.

2. study stress words (once a week go over all kanji)

3. half hour drama episode (watch twice)

4. nhk article

5. journal

6. memrise vocab

7. translating tweets

the key is to try to study every day and to make a schedule of your own which lines up with how much free time you have. you can divide drama episodes into ten minute blocks, read your article on the bus, write your journal before bed and do memrise while waiting in line at the grocery store. just find something which works for you--and don’t let yourself get frustrated. even if you’re tired as all fuck, try to at least reach your memrise goals or watch your drama episode, or whatever study method you find the most useful. it’s hard work, but be nice to yourself!

頑張って！

#i talked A LOT so i put it under a read more otl #answered #anonymous #Anonymous

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incaseyouart · 8 years

Photo

Time for another batch-answer!! Sorry if this is impersonal but I didn’t want to spam people’s dashes!!

1. Yes I like to try and avoid white backgrounds when I can! Even if it’s just a simple block of colour.

2. This is a FAQ - I use Fire Alpaca, which is amazing and free for the PC and Mac. I’m not sure if it works on a Chromebook but I assume it does? You could also try Medibang Paint which is very similar and also free!

3. Congrats!!

4. My animation professors have told me that if you’re doing it properly you actually should lose track of time - something about using the right brain. References are ESSENTIAL to creating accurate art, so yes, they are extremely helpful and I’m glad you’re using them!!! DAPGO is a treasure trove :D

5. Yes I think you should post your art!! People will give both negative AND positive feedback - I believe you have to receive constructive criticism to grow as an artist. That’s literally all that working in a studio or for clients is - creating your stuff and then getting revisions (but it has to be constructive, not just empty feedback like “that sucks” or “that’s great”). Please read these posts on self-esteem!

6. Haha I love that phanime, and I’m so grateful @arctoids let me collaborate with her for the third episode!!

7. Hello! Thanks :D There are some ideas on this art challenge list I made here: http://incaseyouart.tumblr.com/post/155100106331/31-art-challenges

8. See answer 5! And don’t focus on notes/likes/social currency so much as creating stuff for YOU and your friends - if you genuinely are happy about the stuff you share, then people will enjoy it more, seeing you’re happy.

9. Thank you!! I have had a lot of practice drawing Phil hahah~

10. My favourite thing about being an artist is creating my own content - like, not original characters because mostly I draw fanart - but seeing inspirational things (like Dan and Phil), having a vision in my head, and being able to translate that vision into something visual.

11. HAHA DID YOU JUST ASK ME FOR EDITING TIPS?! Basically just practice with timing I guess? I’ve been editing videos for like, 10 years now, with various software (Adobe Premier, iSkysoft, Windows Movie Maker, and recently iMovie which is the best ever omg) and each time I learn more about how to cut clips and time them to music, how to add in sound effects, change opacity of the clips etc.. I’ve kind of just been learning it all on my own slowly - I’m sure there are tutorials on Youtube!!

12. It’s okay to take a break! Here’s my advice about getting over art block.

13. http://incaseyouart.tumblr.com/tagged/watercolour%20tips I’ll try to make a video soon!

14. I’m glad you’re feeling better and that I could contribute to that :D Thank you! Have a good one ^_^

15. Try some of my art challenges!!

16. Can you go out to a cafe or maybe a library or some other public venue with table space?

17. Wacom Intuos Draw (Small) is what I use (see my tags about drawing tablets here)

18. Being able to critique your own work is an essentially critical skill to growing as an artist. But you have to balance self-critique with positive feedback - try to find two things good and one thing you need to work on. For example maybe the head and eyes are really well drawn, but you can work on the hands? Seeing your mistakes and then knowing how to correct them is a REALLY really good skill, NOT a bad habit. For tutorials on shading, Google has some good ones - the most important thing is figuring out your light source(s), and knowing the physics (plane changes) of whatever you’re drawing.

19. Yup pretty sure! If you scroll through all my palette challenges here you’ll see them~

20. Just drag & drop the image file directly into the software and it becomes a layer, and then lower its opacity - BUT I WOULD HIGHLY DISCOURAGE TRACING DIRECTLY FROM IMAGE. INSTEAD YOU SHOULD REALLY TRY TO REFER TO/COPY FROM AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN.

21. I would just use a mouse, personally!

22. So, with realism, it’s more difficult because there’s the expectation that all the details and proportions have to be EXACTLY accurate - as realistic as possible - and that takes a more time and patience than a caricature of a human figure/face. But, to accurate caricature something you need to be able to draw it realistically first. So in my opinion cartoon-style is both easier (you can communicate the same body language/emotions with less lines/detail) but also harder because you need to have everything be SIMPLE but also ACCURATE.

23. I often think a sketch looks better than the lineart because with a sketch you are more free as you draw - it is messy but also all the lines flow well and it just looks more organic. When you focus on making the lines perfect or cleaner you lose some of that organic flow. My suggestion would be to do an extra step in between the sketch and finished lineart - so draw your image 3 times - sketch, rough lineart, clean lineart. It might help transition your cleaned version a bit better!

24. Break down the figures into LINES OF ACTION and basic shapes before adding ANY detail at all. Check out my life drawing gestures here!

25. Aaaah sorry I hope I answered in time - regardless of medium you have to break down the face into basic shapes and guidelines before adding any details. Charcoal can blend really well to shade easily!

26. When I have time, yes!

27. Just a simple “hello” would do, I think! That way the person on the other end can greet you back, and then you’ve established a connection without the pressure of thinking of any topics of conversation - you could put the ball in their court, so to speak. Also you could just like and reblog a bunch of content you like, and leave nice comments!

28. Haha I don’t know if any of it is natural talent - it took me 14.5 years of almost constant practicing to get to where I am now!

29. Yay, more fanart!! ALL THE ART!

30. Oh my God thank you that’s so sweet (this makes me think of what people say about Phil Lester because he’s such a ray of sunshine <3)

31. It’s okay to take breaks! Step away from drawing for a while and just write a story, or read, or play outside, or do a sport, or anything else you like! Don’t force yourself to draw!

32. Watch my video on self-esteem for artists and hopefully it’ll motivate you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5AjCbYrPlk&t=95s You’ll only get better at a skill if you practice it :D

33. I would just get the better drawing tablet first if you can afford it - unless the cheaper one is a good brand like Huion or Wacom!

34. You are improving if you use references, trust me. An easy way to see improvement is looking back at your old art, and maybe redrawing it?

35. Yay! Yeah tools can be common amongst artists - it’s just the level of practice and time put in :D

36. It can take a while to gain a strong following, but keep doing what you’re doing and people will come!!! Keep creating and sharing with the world :D

Thanks for all the asks guys~

#replies #batch answer #art advice #internet support group

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cloudytreefolk · 6 years

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Exercise: Using black and white

Left - first go, right - second go

Challenges when developing ideas for this exercise in sketchbook:

- how to interpret + apply advice of exploring ideas a bit more before settling on one

My brain realllly likes detail and collecting and categorising information. But if there’s too much information, then processing it into ideas and creating work hopefully intelligently informed by the information becomes really daunting and overwhelming. At first I misinterpreted the advice above and read it as “I need to collect even more visual information and come up with even more ideas at the mindmap stage” but I have no problem coming up with ideas, I find it more difficult to pick which to focus on or which will work best (especially when the brief is so wide). So I kind of overwhelmed myself at the start by collecting a ton of visual information. The good news is I now have so many ideas for sea-themed projects in the future..

(So for me I think this advice is placed further on visual development than the entire idea-generation process. I can explore ideas through words way faster than visually, so just mentally shift the focus along a bit so I’m not overwhelmed when it becomes time to turn words/visual information into my own pictures. Another element of this is probably developing more patience to explore multiple image ideas/comp. thumbnails and not be racing to the final piece...)

-how to produce a “line visual”; draw shapes/a scene/composition without values

It took a little while to figure out how to do this. I think I’m more of a shape person than a line person. When I draw objects or people from reference I have a lot more success with resemblance when I observe the main shapes of dark and light and their proportion to each other instead of producing a silhouette straight away. This is a method I’ve been using since sixth-form life drawing classes so it’s quite ingrained. In my sketchbook I tried drawing objects just as lines, seeing if adding values afterwards would work out ok and had very mixed results. Eventually I decided to forget about the values for now and focus on lines. Interestingly in order to define the shapes I was inclined to add a lot of detailed lines and patterning, which would complicate things a lot when it became time to turn the line visual into a graphic...

Producing graphic piece

- Take 1, A3, using negative to cut and stick onto positive:

I really went in with the line details and patterns in the line visual phase, so when I produced the negative I just had so much visual detail going on that the helpful effects of using the negative to fill in the positive were negated a bit? There were lines everywhere and no empty interior spaces.

- Take 2, had run out of photocopies so traced the original A4 to start over fresh:

I left out some of the odd bric-à-brac to just simplify and focus on the bits I liked, along with things that would have affected the lighting in the scene, like the candle. Where things looked messy I traced the vague shapes, painted out the object and stuck a simplified one on top. Originally I was trying to think about where the light source would be coming from, but I couldn’t figure out how to keep the objects legible at the same time, so focused on the latter. Favourite parts, where I think the black and white shapes minus lines work well: sea foam, tea cup (couldn’t figure this out at all until I added the handle!), seaweed, keys, pencil, shading on legs. I’m happy with the radio and the book, I don’t know the point where a thin shape just becomes a line though, so these might not fit the exercise. The hermit crab and shell is better than in the first attempt but maybe not as distinct as it could be. The plank of driftwood has a good shape but maybe would be better with some black inside the shape to define the wood grain. I also left the scales on the legs off in this version because I couldn’t get them to look defined with the leg shading, which is a shame because it added a hint of character and narrative to the illustration.

How do the graphic and the line visual compare? How has the use of black and white altered it? Where does the focus now lie?

I find my eye is drawn to each for different reasons. The graphic is definitely more catchy in a dynamic way and I can feel my eyes bouncing around from one lighter, larger shape to another. With the line visual, my eyes get pulled into the lower left corner with the fine detail on the pocket watch chain, keys and mussel shells. The chains are definitely better on th line visual, with the cut-outs on the graphic I wasn’t able to achieve the same intricacy (and didn’t attempt to to be honest).

Since I chose to make the sand and water dark in the graphic, with the objects white, it has a night-time mood with maybe the moonlight reflecting off the objects. To me it has a moodier, darker atmosphere compared to the clean, open-ness of the line visual. In the graphic I altered the composition so that less of the objects were overlapping. Although the objects are more thought-out compared to the line visual, where sometimes I added things just to fill space (seaweed behind the radio), maybe the graphic would have more of the detail-interest of the line visual if objects did overlap more. I do think when viewing the graphic you read the image more as a whole composition with balance between light and dark, clear and busy spaces. I like the detail, pattern and flowing lines of the line visual but my eyes get stuck looking in the busier places, maybe in a diagonal line from the lower right corner to the upper left, instead of circling around the whole image.

Things I’ve learnt/were reinforced by this exercise/things to apply to coursework moving forward:

- I find it very, very hard to draw without including value shapes (looking at block areas of shadow and their placement/proportion)

- Value is important in how you guide the eye around a composition.

- Value is important for creating a sense of atmosphere

- I find scaling images down more helpful than scaling up as a way to create critical distance from a composition - too much space a3, a4 feels like less space so I have to use it well.

- For the 50s interior exercise I made a line visual-type thing (inks) then made a digital value comp. but kept the lines more opaque over the top. The value comp. helped so much in creating the atmosphere I wanted when colouring that illustration. It’s be interesting to apply today’s exercise’s even simpler value comp. as part of working on a future “fully rendered”/coloured piece and see if it’s even more helpful, or whether creating multi-toned monochrome value comps works best for me.

- apply artist research earlier on when developing work instead of as an afterthought. It should be helpful!

- don’t over do it on the mind maps. Shift focus to exploring a few written concepts in many ways artistically/visually instead of many words/info, few pictures.

#using black and white

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industryskillshollymountcastle · 6 years

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Sketchbook

This whole assignment is based around creating something of your own, a Personal Portfolio Project. This allows me to experiment and creating an outcome of so many sorts that I didn’t want to throw myself into it straight away without narrowing it down what I would like to do.

So, picking a list of three and developing on two this helped me thoroughly think about what I want to do. I narrowed the list down to concept art, character design and illustration. As illustration is so large and you can fit almost every category under it I decided to delve further into concept art and character design.

Environmental (Concept Art)

“Concept art is a form of illustration used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books or other media before it is put into the final product.” - Wikipedia

Concept art is what I believe to follow the most amount of artists that follow that career (or hobby) choice. For example, Sandara, Claire Hummel, Sergi Brosa and an artist that I found through deviantART, Myth-Keeper. Whilst concept art covers many forms such as environmental and character concepts, I focused on environmental with some side characters, taking most inspiration from Myth Keeper. For their concept art Myth Keeper (real name unknown) they can use quite blocky and sketchy styles, totally different to their final and fully rendered style. Here is an example of one of their concept paintings which I watched them work on during a Picarto stream: Evanesce. Their brush strokes are smooth and free and the characters included in the painting don’t hold too much attention and are mostly vague shapes. Whilst not quite the same I wanted to look into something similar of my own but traditionally on paper. I used some of my own photos that I have taken on walks along with inspiration from Myth Keeper themselves and creating two sketches.

To add some colour and to show practice with other materials I also decided to colour using watercolours. I kept quite free with both the pencil lines and watercolour as it’s a vague concept with nothing fully rendered or decided.

Character Design (Concept Art)

“A character designer is an artist that creates new, original characters for a purpose.” - Tom Bancroft.

Character design isn’t all that different from the previous topic with how characters start off as a concept before slowly becoming developed and rendered with time and different concepts, as goes with most things in art. Quite a few of the artists which I have previously linked such as Claire Hummel and Sergi Brosa do character design, my favourite being Sergi Brosa. They have to be one of my favourite concept artists due to their anatomy and colours. Their designs are bright and detailed and share the step-by-step process of development. They delve more into their character designs and add extra sheets on the characters, whether it be different expressions, weapons or vehicles. Here is a good example of their process and character design for a character in a story: Atomic Delivery - The Hero, Zia. The artist has included a number of different colour examples to help them come to a final conclusion of what they think fits best. Over on their Behance they include the process for some of their characters such as Igor. They show their initial sketch done digitally and working up with a lineart, colour and shading. For this specific character even though he is wearing what I can only assume is a form of armour, they have still sketched out the basic body that would be underneath before building it up. For their artwork they use Manga Studio and Photoshop.

Whilst I did not delve into character creation and only skimmed the surface at the beginning I still find it relevant.

A character’s personality can be easily captured with their reactions and facial expressions to different events. The eyebrows and mouth often play the biggest part in reading a character, in both real life and not, along with any facial lines. Characters can be anything. They can be a human, animal, an alien, something with two legs but not human or quite frankly anything. A character can be whatever you see or want to see put down on paper with no limitations. To capture expressions the character must have distinct features, like how I captured “tired” with droopy eyes and mouth, trying to convey just how tired a character might be.

Illustration

“An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process.” - Wikipedia

Illustration can be hard to describe. I think almost every form of art (such as concept art and character design) are all Illustration, making it almost limitless but sometimes I think illustration can sometimes hold a deep meaning, as does most forms of art.

Moodboard - what am I interested in?

To help my process and what to do exactly I created a moodboard. However, I didn’t include interests such as foods, games or films I may enjoy. Instead I included inspirations. A lot of my inspiration, especially for full illustrations come from the outdoors and what I see during my trips out and long walks. I often take photos of where I go even if it only ends up looking like a field with some trees in it to other people, whereas for me I see much more which helps in drawings, such as the way the ground is laid or how the trees are placed or the colours of the foliage and sky. Included in some are dogs I own or have previously owned where a lot of my inspiration also comes from, especially if they are set in the scene correctly. My favourite pictures that I take have to be of trees. Whilst it may seem boring to some, the way trees can grow in odd shapes or how they’ve been purposefully placed can be quite interesting, such as creating a straight line on either sides and directing the viewers eye to a certain point or the way they may have fallen during a storm and lay in such a way that light or water is seen through and creates a pretty image.

It was at this point that I decided that I wanted to create an Illustration of something that has meaning to me but I was still uncertain on what exactly.

Colour Practice

Colour is a difficult thing to use but can be effective in many ways, whether it be because the colours are very bright or very dark. The colour palette can solely tell a whole story and mood, whether it’s good or bad, sad or happy. Colour is important but getting it right can be difficult.

Finding two images from my moodboard I used them to take inspiration and sketch out a scene. I wanted to use these two scenes to create a light and a dark background. I decided to use markers which although I haven’t used that often, it gave a block-y style which I wanted for these quick concepts as I didn’t want to delve into too much detail.

I think it worked effectively and whilst the darker background could’ve used more work, it still helped me come up with an idea and how I would like to present. I soon decided that not only did I want to include an environment in my illustration but also a character to create a full illustration, perhaps fully painted digitally, but to do so would require more planning and work to finalise my idea.

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recentanimenews · 7 years

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The Best Manga You’re Not Reading: Star Wars

I was five years old when Star Wars: A New Hope blasted its way into movie theaters. Like most members of Generation X, the film cast a long shadow over my childhood, dictating my Halloween costumes, afterschool play, Happy Meal purchases, toy collections, and clothing; I had Princess Leia action figures, Star Wars drinking glasses, Star Wars t-shirts, and a Star Wars beach towel. One of the few tie-in products I didn’t own, however, was a comic book adaptation of the movie. I’d purchased The Star Wars Storybook at a Scholastic book fair in 1978, but never knew that Marvel Comics or manga publishers were peddling something similar.

That’s a pity, because Star Wars has a long and fascinating history in print. Marvel’s six-issue adaptation of A New Hope, for example, was cooked up by a Lucasfilm executive in an effort to drum up business for the film — in essence, it was a trailer for comic geeks, arriving on newsstands a month before the movie opened. Though Marvel executives had been reluctant to license Star Wars — according to former editor Jim Shooter the “Prevailing Wisdom” at Marvel was that “science fiction doesn’t sell” — it proved one of the company’s best business decisions of the 1970s. “The first two issues of our six issue adaptation came out in advance of the movie,” Shooter observed:

Driven by the advance marketing for the movie, sales were very good. Then about the time the third issue shipped, the movie was released. Sales made the jump to hyperspace. Star Wars the movie stayed in theaters forever, it seemed. Not since the Beatles had I seen a cultural phenomenon of such power. The comics sold and sold and sold. We reprinted the adaptation in every possible format. They all sold and sold and sold.

By contemporary standards, Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin’s version is skillful but a little stodgy, relying on voice-overs to introduce key characters and explain plot points, rather than allowing the art to shoulder the responsibility of telling the story. Nonetheless, as Star Wars fever crossed the Pacific, Weekly Shonen Magazine republished Thomas and Chaykin’s comic, touching off a Star Wars manga blitz in Japan.

Japan caught Star Wars fever again in 1997, when the Special Edition trilogy hit theaters across the globe. Kadokowa’s MediaWorks division churned out a new set of Star Wars manga, hiring Hisao Tamaki (A New Hope), Toshiki Kudo (The Empire Strikes Back), and Shin-Ichi Hiromoto (Return of the Jedi) to handle the adaptations. And while all three are good, faithfully reproducing the main beats from each film, Tamaki’s version of A New Hope is that rarest of tie-in products: it captures the look and feel of the movie without slavishly copying it, offering both a fresh perspective on a canonical text and a point of entry for someone wholly unfamiliar with Star Wars.

Part of what makes Tamaki’s version so fascinating is how he compensates for the absence of a soundtrack — no mean feat, given how noisy the Star Wars universe is. While Tamaki uses plenty of hand-lettered sound effects, he never uses them as a crutch, instead finding nifty ways to help us imagine the sound of a landspeeder skimming the desert floor or a Stormtrooper firing his blaster. Tamaki’s most effective tactic is careful attention to the velocity and direction of moving objects; through deft placement of speedlines and artful manipulation of the panels’ shape and size, he conveys the same information that a well engineered roar, squeak, thud, or electronic rumble might.

Then there’s the film’s lush, Wagnerian score, the kind of movie music that had been fashionable in the era of Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia but was considered unhip in the gritty, naturalistic world of early 70s cinema. The opening fanfare and dense web of leitmotifs are unquestionably part of A New Hope‘s appeal, goosing fight scenes and capturing the melancholy of a young Luke Skywalker as he gazes at a Tatooine sunset. Absent those musical prompts, however, Tamaki is forced to think about how to elicit the same emotions in words and pictures. One of the most dramatically successful attempts to bridge sound and silence occurs in volume one of Tamaki’s adaptation, right after R2D2 and C3PO land on Tatooine:

In the film, John Williams accompanies C3PO’s trek with music cribbed from The Rite of Spring — a decent choice, as Stravinsky’s dour ostinati and octatonic harmonies imbue the harsh landscape with an otherworldly quality. Tamaki, however, distills this two-minute scene to an evocative two-page spread in which a wide-angle view of the Tatooine desert unfolds beneath the individual panels, reminding us just how small and vulnerable both droids are. These images track closely with Lucas’ own vision, but the implied silence of the first and final panels in this sequence more powerfully conveys C3PO’s isolation than any musical gesture could:

The absence of sound has another unexpected benefit: minus the actors’ desperate attempts to make George Lucas’ dialogue sound… well, like conversation, the script has more room to breathe. Tamaki plays the earnest stuff straight and ramps up the comedy whenever someone is surprised or indignant. Luke, in particular, benefits from such an approach, given his age and naivete; in Tamaki’s hands, he’s Monkey D. Luffy with a lightsaber, freaking out over chores, the Millennium Falcon’s shabby appearance, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death, a kiss from Princess Leia… you get the idea. Tamaki’s elastic deformations of Luke’s face transform him from blandly handsome farm boy to Shonen Jump hero, equal parts brave and ridiculous:

One of the manga’s other great virtues is its ability to expand and contract time in ways that a purely temporal medium like film can’t. The ability to speed up and slow down the unfolding the plot isn’t unique to comics, of course; filmmakers can use slow motion imagery or cross-cutting to manipulate the viewer’s perception of time, but a good manga artist takes advantage of the fact the reader can, in fact, stop time by poring over an image or a scene for minutes, savoring small but telling details that would otherwise get lost in the cinematic flow. Writing for Animerica in 2004, Patrick Macias offered a thoughtful explanation of how this kind of creative expansion of time adds new layers of meaning to Tamaki’s story:

It is in Tamaki’s take on destruction of the planet Alderaan that he really shows off his stuff. A scene that took mere moments to depict on-screen is drawn out to fill half a dozen pages. He inserts images of the Alderaan populace looking up to the heavens, and you can almost hear those “millions of voices suddenly crying out in terror” with more dramatic impact in the manga than in the film.

Of course, none of this would matter if Tamaki lacked the precision to bring Lucas’ vision to life on page. Again and again, Tamaki delivers amazingly detailed drawings of space ships, aliens, and weapons that pulse with the same life as Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA and Shirow Masamune’s Ghost in the Shell; if you’d never seen or heard of Star Wars, you might reasonably infer that Tamaki dreamt up this world on his own. Tamaki proves equally adept at staging deep space dogfights, too, conveying both the dizzying speed with which the ships are moving and the maze-like surface of the Death Star:

For readers coming to the manga from the films, the biggest stumbling block will be the character designs: did Tamaki get them right? The short answer is yes, if you can tolerate a little artistic license with hairdos and body types. Not surprisingly, R2D2 and C3PO look most like their big-screen counterparts — no pesky noses or mouths to draw — but the rest of the cast bear a passing-to-strong resemblance to the actors who portrayed them, though Obi-Wan Kenobi has gotten a beefy makeover as Chuck Norris. Tamaki does an even better job of bringing Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers to life on the page, adding an extra touch of menace in the way he draws their helmets; you can almost see the soldiers grimacing under their plastic armor from the way he draws their browlines.

If I’ve sold you on manga Star Wars, you’ll be happy to know it’s a relatively inexpensive way to relive the original trilogy. The digital versions — currently available through Amazon and ComiXology — retail for $1.99 per volume. There’s also a Phantom Menace manga for the morbidly curious; Kia Asamiya is the author, and he’s been given the truly thankless task of condensing that stinker into two volumes. At least it won’t be as interminable as the movie.

WORKS CONSULTED

Macias, Patrick. “Star Wars, The Manga.” Animerica, VIZ LLC, 7 Apr. 2004, http://ift.tt/2C9euK1. Accessed 27 Dec. 2017.

Rickard, Ron. “Retro Foreign: Japanese Weekly Shōnen Magazine #18 – 23 (1978).” Star Wars Comic Collector, 20 May 2016, http://ift.tt/2lpIFkQ. Accessed 27 Dec. 2017.

Shooter, Jim. “Roy Thomas Saved Marvel.” Jim Shooter, 5 July 2011, http://ift.tt/2C8vHDo. Accessed on 28 Dec. 2017.

Spellman, Ron. “A Long Time Ago: The Strange History of Marvel’s Original Star Wars Universe.” Comics Alliance, Townsquare Media, 28 Jan. 2016, http://ift.tt/1PI3KCV. Accessed 28 Dec. 2017.

Tamaki, Hisao. Star Wars: A New Hope, adapted from an original script by George Lucas, Marvel Comics, 1998. 4 vols.

By: Katherine Dacey

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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