#I sometimes do the same for full poses too lol

[vampstel]

Taking pictures of your hands to trace over for art >>>>

[n7punk]

Sorry if this is obvious, I don’t know much about cat body language unfortunately 😔 but would you mind explaining what Catra’s tail lashing/thudding means? I noticed you mention it a lot in your fics but I’m not sure what the significance of that is

No, a good question if you aren't familiar with cats! People often make mistakes with reading cat body language lol. Okay so. It's very dependent and hard to describe in words alone without other context around it, and this is absolutely tinged by human body language too so isn't a perfect guide, but some basics:

Tail lashing is not a happy thing in cats like wagging is for dogs. However, that doesn't mean it's always negative, but tail wagging does mean stop and assess. And also you're probably going to get bit even if it's happy lol.

Tense lashing (pair with tight body language, pinned back ears): irritated, anxious, about to start biting. Do not touch this cat(girl).

Lashing - especially more slowly/purposefully, a lash in one direction, pause, and lash in the other, etc (pair with open body language, round pupils, watching something closely, ears pricked forward, or preparing to pounce): Playing/excited! Ready to pounce, bite, etc, but in a positive way. Paired with quiet focus while a cat watches something, this is a hunting pose. I usually just describe this as lashing, or, alternatively, swaying to show the lack of tension in it. I use this for excitement, interest, hope, etc.

Gentle swaying: Interest (deciding if they want to play) or hope. More fragile, or calm.

Single thud: Varies depending on situation, usually I use it as a "internal reaction she is suppressing" or as an interest thing if it's not yet to tail lashing level.

Tip of tail twitching: Same as full lashing where if it's tied with tenseness, then it's negative/anxious, and if it's paired with open language then it's either trying to suppress excitement/fluster/strong emotions or it's those emotions at a lower level and starting to build.

Tip of tail wagging: Absolutely excitement building or being repressed.

Note: I also use ears being pinned back for embarrassment, which isn't something cats usually feel (they are perfect creatures with no need for shame), so sometimes ears pinned back and tail lashing just indicates strong fluster/embarrassment. To make this clearer, I sometimes ascribe ear twitching as embarrassment rather than full ear pinning.

[simdreams]

simdreams being metalinguistic about her own story thingy

(OR: me being inspired by @nocturnalazure's not-a-tutorial to ramble about my photoshooting process)

my simblr story photography style has to account for the fact that the world where my characters meet does not exist. most of the internal locations are different iterations of one random empty lot I built on the CAS world, or any SGI lots placed on an empty SGI world (my characters houses are on the basement of public locations), and I build only what I need - in a lot of different saves - because otherwise this thing would need five more years to start and my computer cannot cope with a full world with 50 fully decorated lots. So as a rule I don't have façades and open planes to offer as establishing shots *dies in cinematic*

Establishing shot: my pc rig is weak lol

So what do I do? I offer some detail on the place where the action's happening.

My only off-script written cues on the story are regarding the setting.

Sometimes I insert brief scenes and the only info you need from the setting is that there's a woman in the backseat of a car. and it's raining. Bam.

The only time so far I had an external shot I went full-on Projac and summoned a random lot which was not the same place decorated for the internal shots. Lol. I felt very smart.

Oh, yes, I also had to use this once. Deco buildings and deco sims. It's depressingly bland. My sims will never go back to Brugge.

(there's more under the cut)

Then, the action relies on some tricks too:

My story is not packed with action: it's mostly people exchanging words on the same place, or doing things on a small space. I have issues finding the perfect pose for the context (who doesn't?), so when I do, I take A LOT of shots in all available angles. I abuse the 'look at' feature, and sometimes the same pose makes the cut in different perspectives! (not in a sequence, so it doesn't get so obvious lol)

Eheh. There goes my illusion.

Waist and shoulder shots are good to show emotions and remind my readers of my characters faces, but they are not my favorites because of the ludicrous amount of times that a pose makes my sim face look disturbingly distorted. A smiling pose might end up looking crooked, or most commonly, my sim is looking at the wrong side and the 'look at' feature makes their eyes black.

Give it a zoom out and he'll look 100% possessed.

So, I resort to more tricks.

Headless simtography is my go-to framing - I have to remind myself to include full face shots. It's good to show body language, actions or proximity/distance between characters.

A special type of headless photography is hand photography. Because hands do things, you know.

Also, I shamelessly abuse feet shots. Either as a way to suggest movement, indicate contrast, affinity or character through the choice of footwear, and also suggest distance (or lack thereof) between characters HEH

So, in the end, one pose may give you FOUR shots: face, body, hands and feet. :P

Some takes on dialogue:

Framing your characters without showing their faces is not my favorite angle but useful to hide crooked expressions and/or bring some fresh angles. Especially if they are doing something besides sitting still, it can suggest a conversation being held in the right context.

Zooming out and showing the room where the action's happening (even when the action is just two people facing each other) is a nice breather in between too many closeups (which in my case is usually no bigger than a room, but still helps to set where the characters are)

Cropping a face at the mouth gives (at least for me) more emphasis at the lips and the idea that that person is saying something.

In general, my characters talk (or are engaged in talking) when they are looking at each other's direction. This is why "look at" is essential. See, none of these poses were made to work together, but they did (and this is why it can take SO LONG to shoot something, because you are looking for the perfect body language and then trying to make it match with the scene).

And I suppose the most common solution to this is indeed framing two people and giving the speaker a face shot while the listener is unfocused or with their back turned on the camera. Yes.

[dameronology]

you and me [joel miller] - 1/2

"now i've had time to think it over, we're much older and the bone's too big to bury" - jaded, miley cyrus. a.k.a the one where you and joel see each other again and don't know what the fuck to do

warnings: angst, swearing, break-ups, swearing again because my god there is a lot, mentions of alcohol, mentions of death, no tlou 2 spoilers but probably some spoilers from the show. ok i think that's it.

this is my first full length joel fic and tbh i'm not even sure i've got the hang of his character lol. also, it's been about four years since i played the game and i'm writing this from memory of that and the show so pls forgive any inaccuracies. hope you enjoy. xx

jazz

p.s there will deffo be a part 2 to this lol dw

2 0 1 8

Life outside the Quarantine Zone was different.

It was both better and worst; better because there was no military breathing down your back, but worst because the Infected roamed free. It made Joel more tense - even when he kept you firmly behind him, rifle ready to go and finger itching on the trigger - to know that they could be anywhere. Sure, the military sucked but the biggest threat now was the Infected, and you'd come to learn a long time ago that there was no point arguing with his overprotectiveness. It was warranted, after everything he'd been through, so you operated under three rules: he went first, you went second, and if anyone was going to die first, it was going to be him. That last part was the one you loathed the most but he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Still, there were moments outside the QZ where he could let his guard down. When you were far enough away from civilisation, and far enough away from any hoards, he would let himself exist beside you, peacefully and at rest. Those nights camping - sometimes on the way to Bill and Frank's, or on a smuggling run - were his favourite. Sometimes it was beneath the stars, or beneath a tangle of trees. It was a tiny insight into what things could have been like in another life, without outbreaks and infected and constantly being on the move. They were moments he craved but so often, you found yourself hating them. Mostly because you knew they would eventually come to an end, but also because it was proof that you could exist out of the QZ. You'd felt like the place had been suffocating you for months. For you, it felt like a death sentence. Joel didn't love them either but he liked that you were both safe there. He could easily find you amongst the walls and you only ever left together. The thing that he thought was keeping you together was actually, in your mind, the thing that was driving you apart.

You'd pose the idea to him (for the tenth time) on a cold night, about four miles outside of the Boston QZ. The two of you had set up camp in the thickness of a forest; your tent was older than your respective ages combined and the fire was dwindling, but you were both content. Joel was leant against a tree, an arm wrapped around you and keeping you firmly to his side, free hand ready on his gun.

"I don't think I want to go back."

Joel peered down at you, quirking an eyebrow. "The hell are you talking about?"

"To the QZ," you said. "I don't want to go back to the QZ."

"This again?" he sighed - but you couldn't ignore the way his grip on you grew tighter. Tenser. "We've spoken about this a thousand times. The QZ is safe. It's...it's our home."

"Just because our stuff is that doesn't mean it's home," you murmured. "After this run, we could just take our stuff and go. We know the way out, we know how to run at this point, don't we?"

"It's dangerous out here," Joel reminded you. "We know how to be out here for limited periods of time. Those routes, those safe spaces and uninfected areas will run out eventually. So will our resources."

You sighed, sniffing. "Yeah. You're right. It's a silly idea."

"Hey...look, baby, don't get all mopey on me now," he shuffled slightly to the side, gently placing his hand on your cheek. "The main thing is that we have each other, wherever that may be. We've just gotta stick to the QZ for now but I promise, I'll get us out eventually. Just hang in there."

"Of course," you gave him a smile.

"It's you and me," he quietly added. "That's what matters."

"You and me," you'd replied. "I promise."

Still, Joel couldn't deny that he'd seen the light in you withering - the light that seemed to come back every time you were outside of the QZ. He knew you were stubborn; that once you had an idea in your head, that was it.

That's why he wasn't surprised to find you gone two weeks later.

2 0 2 3

Joel, my love,

I'm sorry. I'm never going to stop being sorry, but I tried to tell you a thousand times and you never listened.

I couldn't live that way any longer. I wanted to leave the QZ the day I got there, but then I met you, and I stayed longer than I ever imagined. You made it bearable - more than that. I just couldn't carry on anymore, especially knowing that the outside world may not be all that bad. It would be even better with you, but I can't force you to do something so drastic when you don't want to. That's not fair on you, but forcing myself to stay wouldn't be fair on me. Putting myself first feels like the worst thing in the world right now, but I have to do this. For me. I hope you can understand. I love you and I don't think I'll ever stop. I hope we cross paths again one day. It's you and me, always.

Joel Miller carried two things with, always. Three things, actually; his rifle, the letter you wrote him, and the grief that you'd left in your wake. It wasn't your fault - and Joel didn't blame you, not one bit - but he couldn't help but feel like it was his. You'd told him you'd been struggling and as he often did with his own emotions, he'd forced you to swallow it down. He thought that would have kept you together but unsurprisingly, it had driven you away.

Life, as it always had, went on. People came and went - though you never came back - and before long, Joel found himself trekking through Wyoming for the second time. Ellie had consumed all his priorities at that point. She had healed more than one of his wounds, but the night she'd found that letter in his bag and began asking questions had re-awoken Joel's yearning for you.

"Joel Miller, a relationship man? I never would have thought," she'd joked. And she hadn't really stopped asking questions since. She'd wanted to know how you met, how you fell in love, and most of all, why you'd left. Though, it didn't take a genius to guess.

The first time Joel had been in Jackson, he hadn't actually spent much time in Jackson. He'd been in the workshop, then in the bar with Tommy, and then he'd left with Ellie not long after. Now that he was there for the foreseeable future, he found himself wandering one morning. Ellie was still dead to the world, and he'd taken it as an opportunity to see what the fuss was actually all about.

Joel had never believed in ghost towns; maybe that was what this place had been for a while, but most of his ghosts resided back in Texas and Boston. Not Jackson. He had no history here; no one except from Tommy knew he was. Maybe he liked it that way. Maybe that was his chance for a fresh start, for him, and for Ellie...and for you, apparently.

He felt like he had seen a ghost the first time he saw you again. Coming in from patrol with Tommy and Maria, you were leading a horse at the front of the pack. You didn't look any older - if anything, the freedom and comfort that Jackson had brought you had de-aged you slightly. You were radiant; beautiful and shining and with the spark that Joel had always feared he'd strangled out of you by forcing you to stay in the QZ.

He hadn't meant to call out your name. It just sort of happened. It had been a whisper at first, actually, growing into a shout as he crossed the town square and towards the gates. You'd recognised his voice straight away but you hadn't actually believed it to be him. It wasn't until you saw him coming towards you that you realised. It hit you like a truck; actually Joel hit you like a truck, because he hadn't really thought about hugging you, and you in too much disbelief to hug him, so you sort of just fell to the ground in a pile-of-you-and-Joel-and-snow.

"What the fuck, Joel?!" your words had been muffled, on account for the mouthful of snow you had. "What the...what are you doing here?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"You didn't answer my question," you shot back. Joel stood up, sticking out his hand to help you up. You were happy to see him - and he was happy to see you - but before the happiness, there was the other a thousand complex emotions that had risen in your time apart. "How on Earth did you get here from Boston?"

"Couldn't I be asking you all the same things?!" he'd demanded. He sighed, then, and faltered for a moment. "Shit. I can't believe it's you."

Joel took a deep breath, anger fading; he finally held his arms open to you, taking you into a warm, desperate hug for the first time in five years. Your bodies practically thudded together, arms tangled into one as you clung onto him. You didn't regret leaving - not one bit, now that you were here, not that you were free - but god, there had been days where you would have traded all of that freedom for one more day with Joel. There were no radios here, so you'd hadn't a clue if he was even still alive.

It had been worst for him, because he did have a radio. And he spent days waiting by it, hearing story after story about people being found dead, or new Infected being found by the walls of QZ. They had matched your description on more than one occasion, and after a while, he'd just assumed the worst.

Tommy cleared his throat. "I won't ask, but if you need a moment, the bar is empty."

You glanced at Joel. "Yeah. Thanks Tommy."

Trudging to the bar, with Joel in tow, you walked in silence. It wasn't that you didn't have anything to say, it was just that you didn't know where to start. You'd gone over this scenario a thousand times in your head but now that it had actually happened, you were speechless.

The bar was, as promised, completely dead. You stepped inside and locked the door behind you, heading straight to the whiskey shelf. A double Glen Morangie for you, and a double of the cheapest stuff for Joel. That had always been his favourite.

You took a seat opposite him, sliding the drink to him.

Joel's dark eyes flickered to the drink and then back up to you. "You remembered?"

"I didn't forget a single thing," you shot back. "I promise."

"It's funny - and forgive me if I sound shitty for saying this, but I hope you can understand my position right now - but your promises...I can't say they mean much," he murmured.

You faltered slightly, heart dropping in your chest. "I don't blame for you being angry at me, Joel. I left you and obviously that hurt but can't you see it from my perspective? I was drowning. You could see that I was fucking drowning and you just...you ignored me. You brushed it aside because of what you wanted-"

"- I wanted you," he cut you off. Joel downed his drink in one gulp, slamming the glass back on the table. "All I fucking wanted was you."

"You wanted me in the QZ," you reminded him. "I told you I couldn't stay. A thousand times, Joel, and you ignored me on every single occasion."

"And leaving was the solution?"

"Yeah," you said firmly. "Yeah, it was. I wondered for a while, maybe two years or so, and then I joined a bunch of other stragglers and we ended up here."

"And Jackson isn't suffocating?"

"When I can come and go as I please? When we have running water, electricity, houses and infrastructure?" you couldn't help but let out a derivative laugh. "For what it's worth, I've missed you."

Joel's angry guard quickly came down with your admission. He reached a hand out across the table, brushing a thumb over your palm.

"I've missed you too," he murmured. "The people on the radio...they always spoke about finding bodies and Infected, ones that matched your description. I assumed after a while you were dead."

"I'm sorry," you softly said. "I wish you knew how many times I thought about turning back. Even recently, I thought about it, but I was scared I was gonna come back and find you dead, or even worst that I would find you alive and that you wouldn't want to know-"

"- you think that me rejecting you is worst than me dying?" Joel raised an eyebrow, trying to fight back a smile. "You're always so fuckin' dramatic."

You smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"It hurt, y'know," he went quieter again, voice dropping to a whisper. "You leaving...I knew you spoke about it but I didn't think you'd do it. Not without me, at least. Not when I promised to try and get us out-"

"- you hurt me too, Joel," you admitted. "It was all well and good to say one day, I promise but when is one day? Every time I tried to tell you how I was feeling, you shut me down. You shut me out and then you shut me down."

"So you're sayin' I drove you away?"

You paused for a moment; you could have denied it, you could have said it was all your own doing and that Joel's purposeful ignorance to your suffering wasn't relevant. He wouldn't have believed you. There was no point in denying what he already knew was true.

"Yeah," you shrugged. "You did. And I'm sorry about it, okay? I'm sorry that I left, but I didn't do it because I stopped loving you, or because I wanted to get away from you. I had to get away from everything and there hasn't been a single fucking day since I left that I haven't thought about you, or missed you, or wished that you'd come with me..."

You stopped then, barely able to swallow the lump in your throat or ignore the tears that had formed in your eyes. Joel was feeling a too - maybe just not as visibly - but he so desperately wanted to take his words back.

"I don't know what I'm meant to do now," you continued. "Now that you're here...I don't know how long for-"

"- for the foreseeable future," he said. "I have a kid with me. She's not my kid, but she is my kid and....she's the best thing that happened to me since you. Don't tell her I said that."

You smiled slightly. "The foreseeable future, huh?"

"Yeah. This seems like the best place to be, compared to the rest of fuckin' country," Joel replied. "Especially if you're here."

"Right," you nodded, smile not faltering. "I'm glad you're here. Despite everything."

He raised an eyebrow. "Despite everything?"

"You gotta understand, Joel, I'm over the fucking moon to see you. To know that you're alive, and well, and that..." you paused, trailing off.

One thing you hadn't expected to feel when you saw him again was hesitance. Anger, and resentment, and fucking hesitance. It was something you hadn't realised you were harbouring, but knowing that the man you loved had purposefully ignored the way you felt - even five years ago - hurt. You just hadn't realised how much til now, and seeing him had wrenched all those unhealed wounds right up, tearing them from the back of your brain and making them fresh all over again. Especially when he'd had the audacity to be angry at you - maybe rightfully so - but then not understanding why you might be angry at him.

There was an elephant in the room: what happened now? Did you get back together? Forget about everything that had happened, so that you could be happy again?

No. That ship had sailed. It had sailed, and then it had hit an iceberg and sank, and it had whatever versions of you and Joel that had existed then down with it.

You grabbed your drink, downing the whiskey in one gulp in the same way Joel had just moments earlier. "I'll see you around Joel."

[coochiekrab]

hey i hope this is okay to ask. your grasp on anatomy is really really nice and conveys character really well without dwelling on minutiae that would weaken the pose and overall be tedious to deal with. i really admire it. do you have any advice for learning construction? what's your sketching process like?

I feel like a lot of my strengths in anatomy lies in both a love for doodling loose gesturelike sketches and my like….. journey in liking my body as a fatish (small fat?) person. Taking a figure drawing class taught me that keeping it loose is sometimes more important than keeping it realistic yk. If you’re looking to build on that skill I would recommend learning how to draw gestures rather than flat out figure drawing (fast, loose, not necessarily accurate)

another fun lesson I really liked when I was taking figure drawing classes was working with like negative space, I’m far too lazy to pull out my work from that class lol but if you Google Negative Space Figure Drawing you’ll get a good idea of what it’s like, it’s verreyyyy helpful in making poses clear but also uniqueish

My grasp of anatomy skyrocketed at the same time I started appreciating my body so I used a lot of my Standing Naked in front of a Full Body Mirror time studying how my body fat is distributed and how things pulled and sat when I moved. I focus a lot on my curve to straight line ratio but it’s not like a Religious thing just like….more curves than straight lines

Another thing that really helped my grasp of anatomy and construction was giving up on being a semi realism artist and just going nuts with a toony ish style because it felt the most natural and loose for me (going back to the gesture looseness) I think deviant art stunted a lot of people by pushing the “learn realism first” narrative lol

I’ll reblog this with a few timelapses of my sketching process brb

[bruhhhh-huhhhhh]

first off, i’m special so these aren’t closed for me 😍.

okay i’m like 5’5 i think… dunno.

glasses, medium length brown hair, it’s like two inches above my shoulders, i have a biting problem.

i cannot leave unless i am wearing my converse, no other shoes.

i wear the same outfit everyday, jeans, tshirt, hoodie and converse.

i take way to many photos of the people i love, i looove cooking.

i have both daddy and mommy issues.

i don’t like headphones only earbuds? earphones? (idk help)

i fucking love pink, purple and green.

hmmmmmmmm, i have to listen to music if i’m not at home (i listen to music there too)

i do unfortunately enjoy the taste of cigarettes.

i’m terrified of touch but crave it.

is this good 😰?

fuck yeah boiiiiiii

(id like to formally apologize for that)

Oklay anyway for Overwatch I match you with...

Junkrat

Honestly my boy loves how much shorter than him you are

Don't worry though he won't make fun of you for it

not too much anyway

everything he buys you is pink, purple, or green after you tell him those are your favorite colors

offers to do your top surgery (don't let him he'll use bombs)

he doesn't get your obsession with converse (neither do i, buddy. neither do i) but he'll get them for you anyway

sometimes forgets how much touch scares you

it takes roadhog telling him off for jumping on you for him to get it

he'll be more careful after that

He loves posing for your pictures

no shame at all

will also let you take nudes of him but anyway thats for later

please cook for him he never has time to eat normal food

compliments your cooking all the time

he will get on his hands and knees and beg for you to cook for him bc its so good

also has a biting problem

likes to nibble on your shoulders

has broken your glasses at least once and roadhog had to fix them for you

and for Resident Evil I match you with...

Chris and Leon!

(i couldn't pick one LOL)

Best cure for daddy issues tbh

They both smoke I'm pretty sure, so you'll definitely get your taste of cigarettes when you kiss them

Leon would definitely help you cook dinner

Chris, meanwhile, is banned from the kitchen because he can't cook to save his life

no one can tell me otherwise

anyway

Leon would definitely try and get you to branch out your outfits a little more, but Chris honestly finds your outfits cool as fuck

mostly because he wishes he could pull that off all the time

You have the best photos of the two of them arguing or doing stupid shit

Because they literally never stop arguing or doing stupid shit

Leon supplies your music addiction while Chris sits there and tries to talk to you, not realizing you have your headphones in

I'm talking full ass conversation that only stops when Leon tells him that you're listening to music and can't hear him

They never speak of it

Leon does use it as embarrassment fuel for whenever you aren't around

anyway thats all i got hope this is good idk im half alseep rn

[tomatoart]

mwah your art is good and nice :>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[stormblessed95]

Sorry to say it like this but i Just wanted to share it. I really really and REALLY never seen a gay man who don't behave a little feminine. And it's not my opinion...it's a observation. Whenever i see a gay man and i seen a lot of them...but i never and ever saw a gay man who behave fully manly u know??? I don't know how to explain it. But it's just there...like the way they sometimes walk, like the way they talk sometimes, their gestures. And that is the only reason for me to believe that jk is definitely straight. Yes he likes makeup but that's not a big deal considering his line of work. But other than that...it's just so much in body language,his gestures... everything he does...it's just so manly...same like a straight man. I can give so many examples of gay couples...on YouTube... every single one of them have something in their body language, u can just tell that yes this guy interested in men too but it's not the case with jk at all. And my gut feeling was most of the time right and i do believe that after the cameras shut down..i don't think he behave with jimin the same like he did on cameras. His body language speaks a lot, his gestures, his choices in things,the way he talks,the way he walks, his style. Everything include just doesn't show anything gay. And let me clear this also that I'm not here saying anything bad to degrade gay people that their body language just screams gay...it's just a obversation i have that every gay man atleast has something in him feminine but in jk...it's not there...not at all. So i believe he is definitely straight.

All you've done here is out yourself as someone who doesn't watch enough BTS content in full and mostly just exists in short clips that comes from your biased timeline. AND as someone who doesn't actually read my blog. I'm so sorry hun, but JK actually gives "babygirl energy" or "anime girly pose energy" more than any other member in BTS. He loves it. Lol

Just one example for you, in an edit and short clip compilation just for you lol I can link you to the original content for each clip though if you'd like, where you would find more of the same "feminine" energy from Jungkook.

Also high key suggest you interact with more queer people before making generalizations about them all, because you cant make generalizations about ANY sub group of people like that and not except to be just plain wrong about plently of them. Not to assume anything about you or anything, but... If you want to see more about JKs queer coding in general too and feel like actually reading my blog... I have a whole section of posts dedicated just to that

Wow.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Future of the Force"

Adventures in babysitting, Rebels edition!

You already know what I'm going to say, I never get tired of the pretty planets in this show.

This baby is named Alora, a bit of a Shout Out to Lucasfilm's underground cult classic Willow. No I have not watched the new show I have... not heard good things.

That it's Alora's grandmother that's the one traveling with her brings up some ah... disturbing Fridge Horror regarding her parents.

My theory: They 100% dead, Inquisitors already shanked them.

Ohhhhh you can tell from the horror in grandma's eyes she knows exactly why they want the baby.

Well nice to know Seventh Sister is equal opportunity Bad Touch.

Aaaaaaand there goes Fifth, murdering all the witnesses.

Zero fanfare, just to punctuate the horror of that moment.

After five episodes of doing other stuff offscreen, Ahsoka finally decides to pay the main narrative a visit. I did and do still appreciate that the writers kept Ahsoka to a minimum, like Vader, knowing full well her presence would overshadow and overpower the others. Despite how easy it would have been to fanservice TCW carryover watchers by giving her tons of screentime, she stays mostly as a tertiary character throughout.

Which is why cramming what is essentially the Rebels sequel material into a show where she's the headliner annoys me.

Ahsoka and Kanan quipping about how neither of them are technically real Jedi is both cute and sad.

Ahsoka still deeply in denial about what she sensed when scanning Vader.

Lol this whole moment. Love Ahsoka's fond little headshake.

Love this city design, got a very St. Basil's Cathedral in Russia aesthetic to it.

Some of that influence in the music here too.

Oh wow, Zeb jumps out of the Phantom before it's even finished landing, lolol what a drama queen.

Bit sloppy to leave the transport hanging in that planet's airspace, unless the Empire plans to blow it up later.

Even without showing any of the bodies you know everyone on that transport is pretty much dead. It's really only the limits of the rating that prevent us from actually seeing them.

Grandma looks a lot paler here, I don't think she survives much longer past this point.

I talked about it before in "Always Two There Are" but I love subtle little bits of continuity like this, Zeb learning binary in order to understand Chopper, since he had such a hard time before.

THIS HITS A BIT DIFFERENT WHEN YOU'RE A PARENT.

All I'm thinking is, "How long have they left that poor baby there?! Oh gosh she must be so hungry. Is there AC in there? Did they change her? I bet they didn't even change her, the bastards."

This whole episode reminds me SO strongly of the arc in TCW when Sidious contracted Cad Bane to steal Force Sensitive children for him. Would not be surprised if they were being used for the exact same purpose.

Is it me or do a LOT of Force Sensitive children seem to be born to impoverished single mothers? I wonder if it's a deliberate narrative choice sometimes, to lean into the adoption metaphor that being given up to and raised by the Jedi Order often is.

He's so empathetic Imma cry.

Chopper's actually doing a decent job of keeping Alora happy lol.

Lol, Zeb being grossed out by the Ithorian baby.

I think he's adorable, personally.

Maybe it's the mom in me but Zeb holding Pypey is just... super cute.

He's actually holding him mostly right, giving him plenty of support.

Pypey is just sensitive enough to recognize the danger the Inquisitors pose to him. :(((((((((

A very fragmented "Shenanigans" cue here, barely more than a few notes. Almost as if the danger is stifling the fun and whimsy that leitmotif usually signifies.

It's Ezra that recognizes the ID9 Seeker and makes Kanan stop, and they move in a very nice synchronized way to hide from it here.

Underrated Papa Wolf Kanan moment: Kanan yanking Ezra back from the hallway junction just before the Inquisitors get within eyeline.

I shouldn't laugh but this whole scene with Zeb and Kanan and Ezra having no clue how to calm Pypey is so relatable.

(Babies be temperamental and sometimes you just gotta hold 'em.)

There are so many little cute background moments of Ezra snuggling Pypey or making faces at Pypey aaaah they're so cute.

The detonator Zeb dropped gets flung back at them, Fifth's doing no doubt.

Kanan keeps putting his hand on Ezra's back on the stairs, it's sweet.

Fifth and Seventh sniping at each other lol.

Here's one of the moments of background Ezra being adorable with the baby.

<333333

Ezra gets agitated when Kanan suggests he's going to be luring the Inquisitors away, ouch, poor boy's still not over the thing in "Call To Action".

Friiiiiick Ezra sensing Pypey's fear and Pypey sensing Ezra's and them stuck in a cyclical loop. :((((((

I too ramble at my infants like this. Lol.

Ezra unlocks the secret to calming babies: Being calm yourself. <3

Obligatory "Seventh's voice actress is married to Kanan's voice actor" mention.

The smoke effects on this show continue to be excellent.

Someone, I think it was @pep-no, theorized that Pypey's special ability in the Force might be compelling honesty. That or connecting with Pypey made Ezra more emotionally open, because he normally would be smarter than to blurt out where the Rebellion is hiding in a spot where he suspects Seventh's seekers might be listening.

(Then again, Ezra tends not to have any kind of filter around people he trusts.)

I definitely think there's room for that interpretation, given Ezra's floating, distracted gaze.

Kanan does really well in his brief clash with Seventh.

Zeb hauling him like a piece of luggage is still funny tho.

I love this environment. Feels very downtown LA.

A very heroic muted trumpet version of Ezra's theme as he steps forward bravely here.

<333333

Protective little badass.

Also love Pypey being entranced with the lightsaber and trying to touch it. Baby no.

I love this cue. I haven't watched enough Clone Wars to discern if it's a carryover theme but it's awesome.

Ezra's confidence in Aunt Ahsoka. <333

*grumbles* Stupid auto anti-epilepsy features, it makes it so hard to see properly here.

I do like how effortlessly Ahsoka deals with the Inquisitors here.

<33333

Chopper spinning the babies, awww.

Love how the ID9 comes to perch on Seventh's palm, it's so weird and animal-like. Like she's holding a jellyfish.

Ciffhanger reveal DUN DUN DUN.

This episode is so cute. It doesn't really effect much, besides emphasizing how dangerous a world it is that new Force Senstives are being born into (even moreseo than when there was a Jedi Order to take them in and shelter and protect them) and leading into the next episode's plot but it's a fun little romp with our characters and I just find it sweet and heartwarming.

Which we needed before the next episode's plot-heavy-ness.

[satoruvt]

hey so... Shua boyfie thoughts? :-)

first of all how DARE you, second of all im sorry this has been in my ask box for weeks 😭

i just think he's really soft like. i think he enjoys really cheesy cliche couple things. holding your hand all the time or matching outfits (and not subtle either... if you're matching and he's choosing then you guys are wearing the EXACT same thing lol)

teases you but can never do it for too long... always ends up grinning when you start whining

your biggest fan!!! always excitedly supports you when you get good news

i think he likes doing simple things for dates and stuff. watching a movie in bed or going out for dinner or maybe just taking a walk around the neighborhood for a while... he likes the domesticity

i have another post here abt this but... "can i kiss you?" EVERY TIME before hes about to kiss you

kisses the back of your hand a lot. just cause.

hmmm definitely an actions more than words kinda guy, so when he verbally tells you he loves you it’s really special. not necessarily rare, but not often

oh my god the concept of him putting on some sweet slow music and asking you to dance with him in the living room. in pieces

luvs cooking with you esp when you're baking... both of you always leave the kitchen with white, flour-covered hand prints on your asses

pulls out cheesy lines all the time that make you roll your eyes

sends you songs that remind him of you but they're always SO emotional and hes always so casual about it. "hey, this reminded me of you! listen to it!" meanwhile you're crying your eyes out

purposely leaves his clothes at your place so that you'll wear them

doesn't seem like the guy to just randomly buy you things, but if you point something out that you want he'll get it for you a little later... and he'll ALWAYS phrase it as like an early bday or early christmas present. one time he bought you some shoes you'd been wanting and called it a halloween gift cuz it was the middle of october

takes so many pictures of you. his camera roll is full of you, from pictures you posed for to pictures you had no idea he'd taken

you ask him to sing for you all the time and he always responds with "what do you want to hear?"

can get you ins on seventeen stuff but like... only HIS stuff. you'll ask for a signed album expecting all of the members' signatures but then you just get his. LMFAO

does the thumb rub thing when youre holding hands

when he stays over you guys have this nightly routine of doing whatever skincare you have, maybe watching a couple episodes of an anime, and then he always gives you three kisses (your forehead, your nose, and then your mouth) before you actually get into bed

buys you guys matching necklaces. subtle (because, well. His Job.) and so sweet

texts you sometimes like "what are you doing rn" and when you tell him he doesn't respond but then just shows up wherever you are?????

youre the one behind all of the bf pics he posts on instagram lbr

kind of a menace when it comes to like ur studies and stuff. youre like “josh im so stressed about this exam” hes like “take a break then!” and then you dont touch your notes for hours

even if he doesn’t make it obvious, he listens really intently to what you have to say. remembers a bunch of things you’ve said and will bring them up later, like, “what happened with that job interview?” or “this store you mentioned is having a sale, let’s go look!” etc

this is sooooo self indulgent but. if you have tattoos he’ll always find a way to kind of mindlessly touch them, just run his fingers over them

will not tell you a single thing about seventeen spoilers it’s like he’s not even in a band

does actually gentlemanly things like holds the door or comes around to your side of the car to open the door for you or pulls out your chair at a restaurant 

doesn’t strike me as a huge cuddler, but... you always wake up with his hand in yours

shua.

[hauntedpearl]

Whoops. Sent too soon, lol

"Somewhere in the hall, a clock chimes, and Dean thinks it must be midnight, or mid-day, or some hour in between that means something to the people who get to keep their homes, and their hearts, and their minds."

Beautiful way to indicate that Dean has totally lost perception of time. I love it!

"He breathes, and breathes again, and like this, in the quiet, he can almost believe that the bunker isn’t a tomb to his living corpse, but a home, with his family just cocooned in its halls, the warmth of their presence lightening the heavy, stale air."

The bunker as a tomb. Yeah, it's basically a mausoleum at this point, huh?

"He doesn’t understand why love comes so easily, where there is nowhere for it to go. He doesn’t understand what he’s supposed to do with it all, now, like this, with his empty hands. Where he’s supposed to put it."

He is SO full of love. Stole my breath with the "where he's supposed to put it." I feel that sometimes myself.

"Dean doesn’t know if he’s ever known the kind of love that he’s coveted all his life. The kind of love they talk about in the books, and the songs, and the movies. He doesn’t think he’ll ever understand the shape of it, but he thinks this is close."

Owwwwwwwwwwwww, my heart. It hurts!!! (keep up the good work!)

"(I love you.)

That last amendment, he thinks, is just the pulse of his being now. He’s too tired to care."

The PULSE of his BEING. AAAAHHHH! Beautiful!

Great fic! A+! I am very glad I live in a world I can read your very pretty pose! <333

just adding your earlier ask here:

FIRST OF ALL PAIGE THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! THIS ASK MADE MY DAYYY!! you are so kind, and this kind of praise coming from you is so special to me personally<3333 so thank youuu! <3333

and yesss I am such an angst demon I love it. also a small note about the "where to put it" line. it's from Fleabag! I know the context is the same but also very different but ever since I heard it five ish years ago i haven't been able to stop thinking about it I literally just think about “i don't know what to do with it, with all the love i have for her, i don't know where to put it now” atleast once a week and it slips into everything I write about grief because NOTHING makes more sense to me than that line.

BUT AAAHHHH. ONCE AGAIN..THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH MWAH ILYYYYY 💖💖💖

[studioboner]

Hi! I actually am wondering about trying watercolors for the first time but feel a little anxious haha.. how you go about drawing on the paper with confidence? Like, watercolor paper isn’t exactly cheap. I think I got the cheapest one avaible from Canson but still the anxiety is real… do you pick very light pencils like 2B so you can sketch veryyy lightly, or before sketching on the paper itself you do a planning sketch in another paper?

Im asking this cos I really love your art and it’s so cool that it’s mostly traditional! And the way you draw Tails is too adorable and consistent while being in your style, it always feels like you have confidence when you draw him.

oh i think this is gonna be a long one

all in all?i have the same anxiety as you. but i've confidense that i can make something good sometimes, but not that i will get it right every time. So i keep trying, but heres some stuff that helped

a warning though, i keep going on and on in this reply and can get pretty negative at times

my watercolor paper i use costs 2 dollars and has 20 sheets so that's 10 cents per sheet. which i feel helps with my anxiety... it's the canson multimedia block too, 140 msg .....

watercolor sketchbooks i'd find online were around 80 or more BRL, and then 20 BRL shipping.... that's 20 USD in total...

but a block of this plus getting it binded costs me 4 USD.....so i think that one [price] helps alot lol.....

as for the confidence.....

i've had enough time to do quite a bit of trad art, specifically ink and watercolors so im USED to the material and now quite as scared to "mess up" as when i first started it.... [hint, i still am] this is one example of a sketch page, they vary in size, and how "done" they are... i dont really worry too much about maintaining a rule of "everything in this sketchbook must be fully rendered " bc it ended up stunting my creativity

i did try the "sketch it onto a sketchbook and then pass it to watercolor paper" approach and tbh...? not really my thing... i've found that to me the first sketch always end up being looser than when i pass it on... i'm always more focused on getting the flow, composition and pose there than i am getting the right details or right lines or colors etc....

like this one, im more happy with the sketch, it's mroe dynamic, mroe fun

i DO sketch stuff on cheaper paper first when it's for trad art commissions though, just bc there i HAVE to make sure the client is getting what they asked

and i do use 2b pencils AND a "soft lead" mechanical pencil, btu tbh it's mroe bc of the feeling of it on paper than for the look of it...

here for example you can see the circle i used to have a basis on where tails would be.. i didnt erase it as i continued painting bc tbh it was just the sketch. i ended up liking it tho

i actually got quite MAD and angry at myself recently bc i noticed how much my sketches were looser in the sketchbooks when i did try the passing onto watercolors thing and i had a full on discussion with a fellow artist about daring myself to be bolder in the future, it has been working well

I sadly have to say though, that figuring out how to build confidense is more of a personal journey, and i cant claim that what worked for me [trusting my first sketch] would work for you.....

It's time, practice, trial and error....

OH, one thing though that DID help me. is:

-There's no art wasted, even if it doesnt turn out how you wanted it, you still learned something.

-Makins these personal art/fanarts isn't some school paper you have to hand it to be graded and then not get it back. You can re-do a piece as many times as you want until you get it right! I have quite a queue of pieces i plan on re-doing in the future bc i didnt like the first ones i did. im not perfect on confidence and i get scared of fully committing to drawings alot, many of them are pale not for choice bc bc i got scared of making my art too saturated and overworking it

i am about to get negative now so stop reading if you dont want to see that.

HERE NOW i's a alot of pieces i made that im unsatisfied with and plan on re-doing one day: too dull, simply way too watered

which led me to make THIS piece and do better colors

i hATE the way i did the lineart here. it's boring, the anatomies are wonky. it's a good concept but i didnt excecuted it as well as i wanted. but this piece has made me just go and try inking MORE so i could make up for it

which lead to this piece here eventually

This one here.... the colors look so muddy it just makes me SAD, bc i had been so scared to use high saturation that i went with the muddier colors by choice, if i had allowed myself to experiment i wonder how happier i'd be about it

which led me to make THIS piece with softer in value and more saturated colors

The colors and blending of this one are too soft and not bold enough for what i had envisioned it, i made it as fanart of a friends fic and it made me feel like i failed my friend and insulted her fic when i finished this. I dont think the piece looks bAD, mind you. i know it looks cute. and good even. But i had such high hopes for it.

which led me to make this one

THIS ONE OH MY GOD HOW I HATE IT. sonics expression is SO creepy hes like a horror movie weirdo , honestly not my best work when it comes to anatomy

so i've been doodlin sonic now and then as practice so that i could make this one eventually

The perspective on knuckles could be better and the characters look out of place on this scene, the background is ok

but in this piece here i was able to get a better harmony between colors, background and whatever sparse linework i threw in

Theres so many more haha but i'll stop for now....

Dont get me wrong i dont ACTUALLY think those pieces are HORRIBLE horrible,,,, i see the flaws in them yes, but theres always something i like too, and i know people like them, and that people wont throw away a whole piece over one small detail that in the end doesnt even affect the overall thing....

i've just been getting into the headspace of "ok. at least this one is done, onto the next"

plus the whole thing i told you of realising my first sketches are looser....

sorry im not too good at talking about this and my points arent very clear, i dont think this is going to be quite the help you expected it to be because the truth is that the struggle with your art is soemthign that doesnt go away no matter what skill you have...

at times to me it feels more like a mentality practice than skill, reasurring myself that it's ok to get it wrong and try again, etc etc....

i used to go to therapy and one of the things we talked about was my perfectionism, how i used to be so scared to mess up a piece. that i wouldnt even start, and wouldnt draw for months. this has been going for years now and hey i've gotten better.

but..... yeah im in the same boat as you.... except mine is no longer just about the paper quality!

Sorry this got so personal now, i hope that this hasnt killed your hopes on getting better at the anxiety. it does get way better haha... trying to force your brain to not judge yourself so harshly is half the battle in my opinion, the practice of drawing is the other half....

good luck i hope you have fun painting, i know i do, i love the process even when i dont like the result, good night and thank you for the question

[divine-draws]

Damm we are the same age but u are so much better than me at art... I love u but I hate u all at the same time lol jk jk. Just love and some jealousy 🥹

*grabs you and shakes you* so i totally get it. I feel the same way about other people too sometimes. it sucks BUT it's your duty to yourself to not compare yourself to others! you're totally unfair to yourself. like you didn't go through the exact same life as me. of COURSE we're gunna have different skillsets at different times! really the only way you're gunna get better is just drawing more and doing things that are out of your comfort zone! for me i've been uncomfortable with backgrounds and drawing armor and full bodies. what did i do?? i joined a small passion project where i had to draw a SHIT ton of characters but make it full body. my bf wants his halo oc drawn?? i will bemoan it but i'll draw the armor and the background and i actually got BETTER! so pull up the references! trace over pictures of yourself doing poses or stock images. use those colors you don't feel comfortable with. change up what brushes you're using. and most importantly, don't compare yourself to others. not only is it unfair to yourself but it's also kind of a shitty thing to say to other people. i know you mean no harm and i have no hard feelings!! appreciate other ppls art but don't put yourself down in the process.

maybe next time you are jealous of someone else's work, ask them if they have any tips for improving. what worked for them? what brushes and programs do they use (which DOES make a difference!) etc!! and above all else love yourself :))

[ketchupkio]

Hi! I adore your art, it’s so beautiful, and was wondering how you draw heads/face shapes? No pressure to answer by the way. I just tend to struggle with getting the face shapes to look normal and was wondering how you start at least- again you don’t have to answer!

hi, thank you so much!! i use a pretty stylistic approach to faces (and my sketches are veeery rough lol) but it does have a base in knowing what structure is underneath the skin, so anatomy fundamentals will aaaalways help (and references if you're struggling with a pose). but with that said, i used Warriors as a guide for this and hopefully this answers your questions! everything under the cut.

Step 1

i start with a circle and the standard cross shape guidelines for the face on a layer with much lower opacity. the top of the circle is irrelevant and will get shaved down/refined later when i'm ready to do the hair, but i like having the full circle when i'm starting my sketch bc it just makes me feel better. if I'm trying to block out a full pose i'll usually sketch the jawline too, but i didn't this time. (note that if you're newer to drawing and not used to knowing where the face shapes go, you can use more lines! no shame in that, whatever works for you)

keeping in mind which side of the character's face will be more towards the viewer (primary side), i draw the basic shape of the eye first-- upper then lower lash line. repeat on the other side and adjust as needed by flipping your canvas, though i usually wait till later when i have more features on it to do the first flip and something looks wonky. i did a pretty decent job this time lol.

i usually use pretty short strokes when i draw because i use an ipad and i don't like to rest my hand on the screen. this was different when i used sai, i had a lot more continuous strokes then and rested my hand on the tablet, but the change in medium/program got me to do things differently. with smooth pens you're going to want to use longer strokes usually, but with fuzzier/textured pens i find you can get away with shorter pen strokes and just erasing.

Step 2

i add the irises and nose, then draw the beginning of the eyebrows and then go towards the outside of the face, indicated by the arrow. primary side first usually. the eyebrow closest to the nose should either touch or could hypothetically have a line touching the bridge. the length of the eyebrows is up to you, but usually natural eyebrows extend a little past the outer corner of the eye, so it just depends on your character. here i sketched the jawline too on the guideline layer. feel free to adjust proportions as needed.

Step 3

jawline! all my jawlines start with the same shapes, they just vary from sharper to rounder depending on the character. Wars has a slimmer, angular face with a strong jaw and chin, so his lines are usually pretty sharp and square. sometimes i put the jaw/neck/shoulders on a separate layer than the facial features, but it just depends. here they're on the same layer.

starting from the primary side, i draw one line down, then another line down on the secondary side. then i connect them to meet the chin, which should always fall in the middle of your face's centerline (or where you've put the centerline in your mind's eye bc my guidelines don't always stay accurate). i usually fiddle with the jaw a bit with the transform tools to make sure it's where i want it to be.

i've also added eyelid creases (the top, curved line is the approximate ridge for the eye socket, i just like doing that) but i'm not fussy about when i do that, i just did it here :shrug: imo eyelid creases help the viewer more clearly see the structure of the face and where things are supposed to be, but that's just the way i do it. and it's also to fill space lol

Step 4

mouth and ear(s)! i wait until after the jawline to draw the mouth just so i know how much room i have for the expression. if you're drawing a smile or something and you want it to be lopsided, the higher side should be your primary side, just trust me. when drawing the ears (or just singular ear in this case bc i wasn't feeling drawing a second one) i usually do SOOO MUCH warping and resizing. on a real person's face, the top of the ear lines up w the tail of the eyebrow and the bottom lines up w the tip of the nose. usually with my style, it ends up being the corner of the eye and the nose, but it's just depending on what looks right. poor wars' bad ear is on the primary side so he does not get the full long hylian ear. i cannot draw upturned hylian ears to save my gotdamn life.

i've also gone ahead and drawn the neck and a little bit of the trapezius muscle. y'all i BEG of you to look up how the neck muscles, tendons, and bones work bc they are so important, i think i reblogged a post about it a little while ago? or i at least saw one. everything is connected and all of the lines lead down to the divot of the collarbone. the back line of the neck should never be before the corner of the jaw and the tendon should lead up to that corner. very very very important. also the collarbones should point to the start of the deltoid muscles and that's important for posing, but i didn't draw that much for this. neck width varies depending on your character's build, so someone skinny would have a thinner neck than a chubby or muscular person.

i added the nose and cheekbone lines i always do in this step. i think they look nice and fill space well, and they can help indicate the angle/curve of the cheekbone when the face is more tilted. just my thing i've done forever tho! sometimes i wait until after i've done the hair to draw them so i know they can be seen (and i ended up moving them for this drawing bc i didn't wait vnkdsnl)

in preparation for the hair, i added a guide for the hairline and refined the shape of the skull to where i actually want it to be

MAKE SURE TO FLIP YOUR CANVAS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING LOOKS RIGHT!

Step 5

hair! it's always on a separate layer for me, and that has to do with how i color too. i do the little floofy thing at the swirl of the hair first, at the back of the part, then i start the first line for the swoopy side of the hair (line 2), then the other side. i guess you could call it the major side (side w the most hair) and minor side (side w the least hair).

i usually use a lot of lines to indicate hair direction, but it just depends on your style. i'd recommend identifying the major shapes of your character's hairstyle and replicating those whenever you draw that person. so for wars, it's the big bump where his part starts on the major side, the top of the hair usually stays flat, and it waves out to the side. on the minor side his hair is shorter and flips out and there are waves and stuff in the back. what i didn't draw in this step that's an identifying feature is his sideburns, which curve inward, but that's next. warp tool is a godsend for hair.

Step 6

finish the hair! refining shapes, floofies, the back, you name it. it's all about filling in space and making sure the weight is right before you start erasing lines underneath it. i lower the opacity of the face line layer to make sure there's no weird/stray lines.

Step 7

add finishing details, erase lines, and you're done! at least with the lineart bit lol. if i know it's just going to be lines, i add scars here, but if i'm gonna color it, i leave scars and other face markings for the coloring stage. and that's it!

i hope this was informative lol. thank you anon for asking, i had fun doing this!

[hamliet]

This might be a sensitive topic, but why is there a lot of discourse in regards to shipping re: toxic relationships, underage, csa and so forth?

Don't those kind of relationship deserve to be told, where they talk about what circumstances lead to such relationships or could make them unhealthier? Or even healthier in regards to toxic relationships but then again, those would be toxic for a reason.

I hope this is okay to ask as someone who is ignorant about this.

This is a difficult ask, and I won't do every nuance justice, as a disclaimer.

But, I think what you say is true. At the same time, framing does matter. I do think people tend to react to the fact that a story contains X Y or X and scream that it's automatically promoting that, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Framing matters. Framing tells us what to think. But critical thinking is dead nowadays, and arts aren't taught in the schools (which absolutely contributes to this), so people assume that portrayal=endorsement when it doesn't.

At the same time, stories that exist to preach one moral seldom make for great stories. The most long-lasting stories are complex themed stories that might more pose their themes as questions, springboards for further thought and discussion. However, this isn't the same thing as saying a great story is morally nihilistic, because also that's seldom the case. Most writers aren't Samuel Beckett.

Plus, sometimes people prefer different things in their stories for different reason. Fiction allows us to explore thoughts and desires in a fictitious, safe way. Enemies to lovers, when it's actually enemies to lovers as in "we tried to kill each other" can offer us a reconciliation with the parts of ourselves we hate or with people we wish were different in real life. It's also true that one story can heal someone and hurt another. Not every story is for everyone, but that doesn't mean said story shouldn't exist.

I'm "use critical thinking" on the side of shipping diskhorse lol. Listen to everyone and decide what you think on your own, because no one "side" has people who all think the same thing, so.

I like... spicy ships that some people would call toxic. I just do. Daemyra, for one. Spuffy is probably my favorite ship of all time. Reylo, which is weirdly controversial for being fairly straightforward for a beauty/beast type. These ships are full of dramatic tension and reconciling the opposites and making peace with the darkness inside you... and I love that. It speaks to a need in me. Justin and Brian from Queer as Folk is another spicy one because of its age gap; at the same time I genuinely think it's one of the best love stories I've ever seen in any media ever, and I say that despite the fact that I'd never IRL encourage a 17 year old and a 29 year old; I also don't think aging Justin up would have worked for the story, which I can't believe I'm saying but I am. It's a very good use of fiction given themes, purpose, and context, including historical context.

At the same time, I do think there's such a thing as an irresponsible story with weird framing. That isn't me saying that the writer or the people who like it are bad people inherently--people can have good intentions and fail! It happens. That's why critique is a good thing.

I actually found that Bing an Ben crossed the line into irresponsible for me at a certain point. I am happy others like BaB; the first 2/3 of the novel were, imo, fabulous. I also think its last third is objectively bad writing and can back it up with the text (and have!), and I think that the subject matter it deals with needed to be handled responsibly, and when compared to the author's other works, you can see it's not. That's where criticism comes in. I can also acknowledge personal triggers, too. Just because I think it's bad textually and irresponsible doesn't mean that there aren't aspects of the story that might have really helped people.

Fiction isn't reality, but it is a part of reality, and therefore it is shaped by reality and can shape reality. I personally think that there are not clear black/white situations a lot, but I know my lines and where they are.

When it comes to "why is there a lot of diskhorse", well, I can't speak for a lot of people. But I do think there's a human tendency to think the world should see us as the protagonists of the universe; ie, to have everything and everyone in the world agree with you. I'm definitely not exempt. I doubt you are. I doubt anyone is. I think part of maturing is to realize this tendency and to be aware of it, to keep it in check, although no one will ever do it perfectly. I also think a lot of people in an increasingly out of control world are desperately grasping for any power they might have to "cancel" someone or something, and I think people are desperate to matter and having people agree with you seems like well, you mattering.

Anyways: it's complicated.

[virgilisspidey]

My art journey in the start of pandemic til now through the eyes of how i draw my persona Nari

Very first iteration of the Nari sona lol

(ew boobs)

I used to draw on paper and trace it on ibispaint and color. I used to shade with black. Pretty much looks shitty and the colors clash a lot, i dont know how to do color combos yet. This was around February of 2021

Thus is where the whole arm warmers thing cane from!!

And the start of ne figuring out my identity!!

I also drew this on paper i think, and it's the start of my thin line art style. My sona usually copies what my hair looked like currently and this was the time where my hair was pretty short, but long enough to look girly.

The skin tone was fixed too

This was June 2021

This one had my real name in it so i had to edit lol.

This was the start of me drawing on my phone full time, i think. No more drawing on paper ans tracing it. This was legitimately drawn digitally.

i think i only ever mentioned it once or twice but i only draw with my fingers btw. A stylus and an art tablet is expensive so i only have mt fingers and phone.

This is also the start of the appearance of the signature striped hoodie as well as the return of the purple hair

This was in August 2021

I think this was also fully drawn digitally

Also the first appearance of the bat and the choker, as well as the purple bangs. And also the bandage on cheek (that i somehow forget sometimes)

The colors were definitely darker.

Not much to say about this. Tho i didn't like the way i did the blush.

Also cut my hair during this time for the first time ans changed my sona accordingly.

Made in September 2021

From here on out its all drawn digitally

Fully digital again and the start of a more stylized version of my hair.

This is the start of the fluffy hair era.

Not much to say here. Tried a new pose, it sucked, colors are still the same.

This was made in November 2021

Full body this time

Nari starts to look like a little shit. This is honestly where the smug cat personality came from, and i startes to sign my art using the name Nari too.

Still pretty much wonky with the anatomy but i'm proud!!

The hoodie became a croptop but i dont follow it lol, it's still a normal hoodie in some art.

Added stripes to the sleeves too.

The short remains plus differenr colored socks!!

This was January 2022

The era of the thick line art art style

This was also one of the drawings that featured fluffu hair Nari.

I deviated from the usual hoodie and gave them some new clothes since i drew them alongside two other ocs.

The story that my sona Nari is in requires them to have an eyepatch since red eyes aren't really that natural lol.

Still have that smug cat smirk.

This was August 2022

This is the latest drawing of Nari before i stopped using them as a sona and actually using one that looks closer to me. Nari is back to being an oc now but they're still my mascot.

I forgot the bandage here lol, but that cat grin is still there. I also added my beauty mark!!

This is January 2023

Lately my sona is just this funny little thing:

It looks more closer to what i actually look like irl.

I started drawing myself with my glasses more too, which i think i got in like 2022-ish.

I started feelong a bit jealous that my other artist friends had a cute style so i started making this little thing when j got bored during pur chemistry subject and it just stuck.

So this is my actual sona now, but i still use Nari from time to time and also took the name Nari as a pseudonym online.

The name cane from me misspelling the word Ocarina with Ocnarina, so you can see me use that name throughout my art journey.

Not really comfortable sharing my actual name yet tho, but it does start with an R since the people on my header (art made by a friend) is called the Toys R Us trio since out names start with an R lol.

As for my username, i used tumblr before to look at Sanders Sides art. It came from Virgil lol.

Virgil was confirmed to be connected with spiders and i thought

Virgil is spidey

And that stuck.

Plus he's purple lol, i love purple.

Anyways that's all