#I’m also in the process of creating my own brushes too

[bluvianna]

I love how much character your brushstrokes add to your art. Do you mind sharing what brush you use or how you switch from library to a more colorful look like your end pieces? They’re like lifeless but not at the same time. Pretty awesome. Also your colors, just absolutely pristine

Thank you!! There are procreate default brushes I use (Chalk and Gloaming). There’s also brushes I’ve downloaded on gumroad, I couldn’t keep track of them all cuz I’m dumb and switched them between sets but searching up keywords like “oils”, “chalk”, “canvas” should lead to them.

I’m not sure if I understand the “library to a more colorful look” part of your question, did you mean like how I pick colors? I heavily use layer modes like Add, Multiply, Overlay, Color Burn, Saturation, etc to help with colors. Example: I’ll fill a layer with a bright orange or pink, set it to Overlay and put its opacity down to 12%. There are also some speedpaints on my Instagram that show my progress too.

Edit: You might have meant lineart to color, in which case I do a rough sketch, put in flat colors, use Multiply for shadows and paint over the sketch!

[lackadaisycats]

I’m obsessed with the Lackadaisy comics way of shading/colouring! Could you please give a tutorial of how you do that and what brushes you use?

Here's a sample I used for the Lackadaisy Essentials art book. About 98% of the time, I'm not using specialized brushes - just basic soft and hard-round brushes, with various opacities.

Digital scan of the establishing shot pencil drawing - I added some some grid lines on top to double check the 1-point perspective. I didn’t include the characters here because I knew I’d be using the art as a background for more than one panel in the comic.

Initial lighting pass - This was done almost entirely by burning shadow directly into the pencil art scan. This way, I preserve a lot of my pencil lines (rather than painting over them) and the grain of the paper remains in play. This helps retain a sort of aged, natural media look despite the largely digital nature of it.

Contrast and brightness adjustments - Here I hand-painted more minute details into the rug, decor and fixtures with small diameter round brushes. I drew a wallpaper pattern on a separate canvas, then applied it as an overlay layer here too. And, of course, the characters arrived as raw pencils on new layers.

Character compositing and color wash - I didn't want to go fully monochrome with the colors, but I also didn't want to treat this like a full color digital painting. Instead, I opted for something resembling a warm-to- cool wash, achieved with a color layer on top of the grayscale base. Young Mordecai and Rose were toned to match the scene with a combination of burning, dodging and painting.

Lighting effects and atmosphere - Overlay layers can be used to push warm values into a much more saturated, vibrant place than a color layer alone can manage, and that's what I did here to create the streaming sunlight. I used a screen layer to include overexposure on bright colored elements as well. Floating dust motes in the light were added for atmosphere, and I polished the characters up with their own color and overlay layers to match the scene.

There's another, older process breakdown here on the Lackadaisy web site too, if you want more information.

[rist-ix]

Might end up redoing this one, but here's Stella's redesign!

Except I couldn’t settle on a color combination, so pls have three more:

We have, in order: saturated oranges and purple gradients, pale oranges and purple gradients, and finally saturated oranges with green gradients. I am not 100% happy with any of them, but I’ve changed them around so much that I’ve given up now. Also I am once again abusing that shiny bubble brush for the background.

Stella's canon redesign, I wasn’t too unhappy with in the trailer, but am absolutely APPALLED by in this final shot. Not only does it melt into the background like she's Stella, the Fairy of Camouflage and Making Me Squint, something about the lighting is bothering me as well. If this were an illustration I would say that they shaded her skirt with black, which is beginner mistake number 1. I don’t know if it’s the VFX of those solar flares (which also look like a flat yellow brush without any glow effects) or my eyesight, but I find it hard to see any detail in her costume. But let’s scrap all the post processing, and focus only on her outfit.

As @wearethewinx has pointed out in her analysis post, the shoes don’t match any color in her outfit. They do seem to be matching the pink in her wings, but it’s hard to tell, and even then, the peachy yellow they fade into remains the only instance of that color.

I like what they were going with for the top! The different halters create visual interest, and mimic the shape of light beams from a rising sun. Where it falls apart to me is the shoulder pads. Just like Bloom's, they look too thin and fabric-y to be armor, but not decorative enough to work as accessories. They actually cut into the shape of those light-beam halters, but since they’re not thick enough to overlap, they just kind of… intersect weirdly? There are so many oddly placed ribbons around her shoulders and neck that don’t really serve any purpose, and I’m not sure where most of them are going. Her lower arms are completely bare though, which is where I miss Stella's silver little wrist bracers from the original.

I also think the colors are. VERY saturated. Her hair doesn’t give a lot of contrast and I’m having trouble telling where her top ends and her hair begins. I feel like I’m staring into a microwave. Or at molten iron. Though I’m not really one to speak here I know I know

The only thing I really fixed in my redesign is adding the silver-blue accents. With her yellow hair and the orange outfit, you need something cold and shiny to balance it out, in my opinion. I tried incorporating that sunbeam shape into her silver halters, and gave her the pigtails back because that’s an ICONIC silhouette rainbow, STOP RUNNING FROM YOUR OWN GENIUS. Plus it gives more room between her orange outfit and her hair.

I tried to make her OG wings more moon-shaped. I failed. If I have to redo them one more time I will cry.

The part I’m actually proud of is the greens in her sleeves, if I’m being honest. It looks a little weird, and the sleeve itself also doesn’t really scream Stella to me, but it does look very bright and luminous. Plus, green is not something that’s usually in Stella's transformation, so I feel like I’m expanding my horizon a little.

All in all, not the redesign I’m proudest of, but it’ll do.

Also:

Get that goddamn rattle orb away from me. What’s she gonna do, bonk Knut on the head with this???

[asphaltwhims]

Edit this screenie with me!

This is an unused screenie of Penny Pizzazz and Marcus Flex. Feel free to save the screenshot (Dropbox link below) and follow along with the instructions, or play around with it and do your own thing! I’m going to keep the instructions as simple as possible; hopefully they make sense.

Note: My process is kinda involved, but it’s a relaxing hobby for me. You do not need to do all of these steps! If the process doesn’t bring you joy, don’t bother!

I’m using procreate, but I’m also a photoshop user. You can use any software that has layers and blend modes :)

Instructions and downloads under the cut!

Dropbox link to the screenshot, and overlays!

1. Let’s start with shadows. The first step is to create a new layer. Put the blend mode to “multiply” (this darkens anything you draw on the layer). Then select a soft brush. We’ll start with Penny’s face. Use the eyedropper tool to choose a shadowy color of her skin (hold your finger on the color you want).

2. Decide where the light will be coming from (we’ll be placing it behind them on the top left). Deepen the shadows already made by the game, and add some shadows opposite to where the light will be. Choose a darker color to match each area you’re drawing on (Penny’s hair, her shirt, Marcus’ skin, his sweater).

When you’re finished drawing the shadows, go into your layer and lower the opacity. Less is more!

3. Choose the eraser (set it to soft brush). With a light hand, soften any shaded areas that are too harsh. Basically you want to blend the shadow with the skin using the eraser. You can also use Gaussian blur!

4. Let’s add some background lighting. This will also be our guide as we add bolder highlights in the next steps. Make a new layer and set the blend mode to “add.” Take your soft brush and a yellowy-orange color, and draw some glowy light coming from the top left.

Lower the opacity and take the eraser and erase much of the light on the right side of Marcus, and erase a bit of the light on their skin/ hair/ etc (like we did with the shadows). You can use Gaussian blur here too!

Note about lighting and highlights: experiment with the color of light, because some will look better depending on the environment and the sims skin tones. Because Penny and Marcus have dark skin, a bolder or darker yellow/orange will look much better than a pale yellow.

5. Let’s start adding more highlights! Make another new layer and change the blend mode to “add.” Choose a yellow-orange and paint some highlights on Penny’s hair, her left shoulder, her chest, cheekbone, and the left side of Marcus’ face. I made the image on the left a different color so you can see where I put the highlights.

Lower the opacity, and use the eraser or Gaussian blur to blend.

6. More highlights! Make a new layer and set the blend mode to “overlay.” Overlay lightens while adding color. I use “light pen” for any outlined highlights (the outer left of Penny’s hair, Penny’s shoulder, the left side of Marcus’ face), and I use a soft brush for the rest. Lower with the opacity, and use the eraser to blend.

This is a great time to play around with other highlight colors! I’m sticking with yellows, so I chose a peach color. Note: the red is to show what I drew.

7. We’re going to import a light leak overlay, and set the layer to “screen.” Then take your eraser, and erase any areas where you don’t want there to be too much light (red areas).

Finally, I’ll merge the layers together and bump up the highlights by going to adjustments > curves. Then I’ll add noise, and a vintage dust overlay. Sometimes I do more than this, sometimes less. I also like to draw hair strands and stuff, but that’s a whole second tutorial.

[balo-badartist]

You've probably been asked this a million times, but how do you render? Or I guess a better question is how do you decide where to put colors because it's always so masterfully done!!!

For rendering, firstly: what is the mood I’m going for? For my Hero’s Shade piece, I kept the rendering rough, relying on rough brushstrokes and brushes with color jitter to create colored texture, and then leaving it alone before it becomes too refined. For my Zelda illustration, I kept it clean and dewy. I render based on intent, mood, and characterization.

To master rendering, I would suggest doing in depth texture studies. Below is an example of my student’s work where she’s in the process of doing this:

Mastering how to render different textures by doing exact studies from photographs of things such as: metal, fabrics, rocks, wood, etc will excel your rendering abilities.

BUT AND THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT: the thing I notice about most artists with like godly rendering skills is that their rendering sometimes excels beyond their drawing abilities. Then they use their rendering as a crutch to carry their poor drawing skills: the drawing is like the bones, the architecture. If you have a poor drawing with excellent rendering, the piece will look good to the average enjoyer, but it will unfortunately fall flat to artistic peers.

In saying all of this: it’s super duper important to note that, when trying to make objectively appealing art, it has hierarchies of importance and I’ll tell you the order:

Perspective placement and proportion are the first part. It’s basically the drawing part! The architecture and bones of the artwork. The anatomy, the form, the silhouette, negative space, and overall design of the sketch, composition, lineart, etc, they all sort of fall under this.

Value is below this, and to master value I suggest master shading the sphere.

Highlight, direct light, core shadow, reflective tone, cast shadow, etc.

Color is below all of this. You can be wrong with color but not wrong with value is what’s usually said.

As for coloring, it’s a lot harder for me to explain other than to refer to how I use grays a lot. Color is a lot less step by step to explain you see, so I’ll try to explain, but I’m sorry if it lacks much sense! The reason why I’m able to get away with using strong/bold saturations without it being overwhelming is that I use the grays to carry the strong saturations. It’s important to remember that the human eye can get tired; it’s why we blink even when our eyes don’t feel dry. It’s a moment of pause, a moment lacking in stimulation. You have to have areas of high stimulation (high saturation, texture in rendering, sharp edges) paired with areas of low stimulation (low saturation, smooth rendering without detail, and lost or fuzzy edges). This is why I argue that art does indeed have rules, but only so much as our own brain and eyes have rules; it’s our brain and eyes that perceives the art, and our brains have a very broad and universal mode of operation. Same with art. That’s why art is objective and yet also subjective! But this is a tangent.

As for color, it’s again with mood, but I usually rely on contrasting colors more than anything: warm or cool for light or shadows, one is super saturated while the other is typically desaturated. Hope that makes sense! It’s all about balance: one element/color must have a foil to counter it. And when you chose your main colors, if you wish to add a few extra colors for dynamism, it’s your best bet to chose the colors right next to the main color you’re using on the color wheel. For instance, if you choose red and green as your color scheme, and you need more details in the green shadows as an example, use a combo of blue-gray variations to add more color and saturation variation. In contrast, for your red lighted areas, maybe I would use a light gray orange to introduce new colors in.

Idk if any of that makes sense, I’m not exactly the most gifted teacher when it comes to trying to break everything down, which is why I’m trying to learn how to teach 🤣 I’ll get the hang of it one day maybe 😆 Hope some of this helps answer how I personally approach it, and mind you it’s important to learn from actual masters who have been doing this for decades!

[junosmindpalace]

GEMINI BIRTHDAY BASH!

🎧 it's so sweet, knowing that you love me.

synopsis: celebrating their birthday...w/ the hq gemini men!

pairing(s): timeskip/present!hajime iwaizumi, koshi sugawara, shoyo hinata

content: references to 2024 dates but doesn't need to be strictly speaking (iwa's is more 2021), food (in suga's and hinata's), very short and brief angst(?), otherwise all fluff and fun!

total wc: 3.6k

a/n: it was my birthday a few days ago (june 17th) and i thought i would celebrate by writing for some gemini characters! i know shoyo is a cusp but i wanted to write him too </3 also this was my first time creating a graphic please be nice i am aware its a little plain </33

HAJIME IWAIZUMI: JUNE 10TH

The clock in your living room reads 11:55 in the evening; Hajime’s birthday is five minutes away. 

You both have work in the morning, so you should be in bed sound asleep. Everything has been done as normal; the whole nighttime routine of eating dinner (that you insisted on making) together, showering, brushing your teeth. Except instead of completing the routine by cozying up in bed, you’re cozying up on your living room couch, the light in the kitchen on, and the blue light from the TV keeping your tired eyes in a trance. 

Hajime’s arm is lazily outstretched over your shoulders, your fingers intertwined with the hand that dangles beside your head. His other arm is bent sideways on the couch pillow, head against his fist as he watches through bleary eyes the movie in front of him. Though your eyes are trained on the action on the TV, your ears don’t process the mumbling that pairs with it, too engrossed in your low conversation about each others’ day. 

“—and Hinata wanted something more to do for himself, so I’ll be reviewing his progress and seeing what I can do. Seriously, the guy is a monster at times. Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’m really looking at him, with how far he’s come since his high school days.”

“They all seem to be of another caliber now,” you replied somewhat drowsily, yet no less engaged.

“They’re intense, that’s for sure,” he sighs, bringing his head to rest behind the cushion and leaning closer toward your own. “But they’ve always been like that.” 

He’s completely unaware of the time and date approaching as he drones quietly about the day he’s had. He notices, on occasion, your glances up at the wall where your clock was located, and thought you were anxious to get to sleep.

“Hey,” he nudges your knee with his own. “you wanna head to bed?”

“Hm? No, no, not yet. Keep talking, I wanna hear.” 

Upon your insistence, he obliged reluctantly, resuming his chatter for a little while longer as you hum and nod. 

He feels comfortable like this, with your head against his chest, body snuggled close to his side, the low hum of the TV, the dim light. He, for a moment, finds his eyes gently closing unconsciously. You wait for him to continue his explanation at a pause, but are only met with the quietness of the TV. A slight stir prompts Hajime’s eyes to open immediately, and he shifts a little as he takes in your face, peering up at him through small eyes.

“Haji.”

“Mm?”

“You sleeping?”

“M’not.”

You placed a hand on his chest as you turned your body to look at the clock. It now reads 12:04 in the morning. You rub your eyes and reach for the phone on the coffee table in front of you, and when it blinks to life, it blinds you with the time and the new date.

June 10. 

“Ugh, put that away,” Hajime groaned as he turned away from the straining light on your phone, lolling his head to the other side against the couch cushion. You quickly slid it back onto the table, and then collapsed again against your boyfriend’s chest, hugging his middle tightly and digging your chin into his chest as you looked up at him with a wide smile.

“Happy birthday, Haji.” 

His eyes reopen slightly, and he angles his head toward the clock to view the time for himself: 12:05. 

He tucks his chin in so he meets your gaze and the sweet, tired smile on your face, and finds one of his own, tired yet tender, slowly propping up the apples of his cheeks. So that’s why you had been eyeing the clock, all for him and his silly birthday. Of course it would be you who remembers his birthday before he even does. You were sweet and thoughtful in that way.

“So that’s why you wanted to stay up a little longer, huh?” His tone is a faux annoyance for only a moment before his arm around your shoulders curls a little tighter in endearment, and he knocks his forehead against yours, gently and playfully, as you let out a short giggle at the gesture. “Thank you, baby.”

“What do you wish for?”

“To get some rest,” he yawned as he pulled away, going to sit up from the couch. 

“Why would you say that? Now it won’t come true!”

Your weight on his lap and arms now thrown around his neck anchored him to the couch. He gives you a deadpan look as a hand finds its way rubbing gently up and down your lower back, while the other slowly snakes itself under your legs.

“Oh, I’ll make it come true.” 

You squeal when he sits up and scoops you up in one swift motion, and you throw your head back in quiet laughter as he walks the two of you to your bedroom. 

“Haji, you know, it's your birthday. I should be the one carrying you.”

He snorts, and shakes his head. “ It’s my birthday, right? I get to do what I want.” 

KOSHI SUGAWARA: JUNE 14TH

Sugawara was dejected when he realized he had to work on his birthday.

As if the universe was taunting him, this year it fell right on a Friday, just one day off from the weekend. 

If he were honest, however, it wasn’t too much of a bother. He mentally groaned about it the evening before and morning of, but all in all, his birthday was a fleeting thought in his mind. Work and everyday busyness replaced the thought with lesson plans and mental preparedness to handle a classroom of young children after an exhausting week. 

He hoped, at the very least, however, that you would recognize the oddness of the day, do a little something to acknowledge it. Maybe a small cake or a nice breakfast. Maybe a little present. Hell, just a small, intimate murmur of a happy birthday accompanied with a sweet kiss would elevate his heart. Yet every time he looked on at you, you were preoccupied with preparing yourself for work, just as Suga was. No fancy breakfast was prepared, no gift sat on the table by the door, and the only kiss he was able to snag was a hurried one on the cheek as you wished him a good day, and headed out the door and into your car. 

So Suga’s birthday was not off to a great start. 

But again, it’s only a birthday. He almost feels a little dumb, getting all worked up over it, especially as an adult. So he makes the most out of the day as he always does with his kids and their lively attitudes, plus the wind down time and lack of work reserved for Friday’s brightens his special day from the dejected morning he experienced earlier.

Little did your boyfriend know of the plans you had in store for him.

As humble as Sugawara attempted to be about his birthday, you knew that he liked having it acknowledged. He was appreciative of any and all kind birthday gestures, from simple greetings to thoughtful presents. And you wanted your present for him to be thoughtful. Memorable. Surprising, exciting, and able to convey the sheer amount of affection you hold for him, though you doubted that any gesture could entirely convey such a thing. But your mission this year was to sure try.

You had taken the day off to get everything under way. Pick up a nice cake you ordered a few days before, with Suga’s favorite flavor of icing and batter, along with a neat and heartfelt Happy Birthday written on top in cursive. 

Once the cake was tucked away in your fridge, your next stop was a party store. Perhaps you may have overdone it with the decorations, you had thought to yourself when you examined your two (full) shopping bags as you walked back to your car, but there was just so much to choose from, and you were sure Suga would like it all! Banners, balloons of impressive and wacky sizes and shapes, streamers, confetti, party poppers; you couldn’t pass up a single thing, not when you imagined his enthusiasm over each one. 

Your final stop was for restocking on foods and drinks. Besides the cake, you bought a couple of bottles of fancy alcohol (the one’s he’ll often eye and make fun of how posh they sound), a couple of his favorite snacks and beverages, and the like. 

By the time Suga arrived home from work, he’s exhausted, yet somehow invigorated by the idea of seeing you. He lets himself into the house with his key, letting out a tired I’m home, heart picking up when he spots your shoes neatly organized in the genkan, and joins his own beside them as he pads further into your home toward an alluring smell. 

The light is low in your living room. It’s enveloped in a yellow glow compared to the blinding bright white that startles him awake and strains his tired eyes in the morning. The first thing that comes into his line of sight, besides you, already in comfortable clothing with your back turned and managing something on the table in front of you, is a neat and beautiful cake on the coffee table in front of your couch. 

Your living room is full of more animated color than usual; batches of balloons occupy the corners and a few are scattered, some hovering aimlessly, on your floor. A Happy Birthday banner hangs from above the threshold into the room. Suga, once the initial shock and surprise wore off and was able to fully comprehend that it was all for him, felt that he may burst into tears. 

You hurriedly turned around upon sensing a new presence in the living room, and gasped when it was none other than your boyfriend, briefcase in hand, and staring dumbfounded at you and the sight of your decorated living room.

“Ko! I didn’t expect you to be home this soon!”

“Traffic was sparse.” He managed to get out past the lump in throat, but once he realized how stupid he appeared, he shook his head in an attempt to feign nonchalance. “So! What is, uh…what’s all this?” 

Your brows shot up, and you gave him an exasperated smile before walking over to him. “It was supposed to be a surprise,” you said slyly, wrapping your arms around his neck, with Suga immediately reciprocating with a hand to your back. “I was still setting up some stuff because I was under the impression that I still had some time before you came home.”

“Oh, so you wanted me to get stuck in traffic, is that it?” He teases in a faux annoyed tone, but it’s quickly betrayed by the smile that immediately stretches back over his face. 

“In this instance, yes!” You laughed, grinning yourself when he began to pepper kisses all over your neck and face, curling his arm around your waist to keep you secure against him. You laughed breathlessly through the assault, attempting to push away the ticklish sensation. But Suga’s energy had just been replenished fully, and his heart elevated the highest it ever could. 

“It’s perfect, all of it. Thank you.” he halts his assault to mutter against your skin through his lovesick smile, and it brings a grin to your own lips as you bring him in for one final kiss on his lips, one he immediately attempts to deepen. 

“Okay, okay,” you laugh as you pull away when he whines and chases after your lips. “Now that you’re here, let’s sing!”

He laughs too, letting you drag him further into your living room, abandoning his briefcase by the wall as he sat himself down on your couch, and you came over with the lighter you were previously fiddling with to light the candles on the small cake. 

All he could think about as you sang to him enthusiastically was how giddy he felt, and how lucky he was that he was spending his birthday in such a manner with you. And when he blew out his candles, the wish at the forefront of his mind was to spend many more birthdays with you in this manner

(and maybe a new car). 

Even as you shooed him into the bathroom to change into more comfortable clothes as you cut yourselves slices to enjoy by the TV, and afterward retreated to bed, he muttered, “I’m still mad that you tricked me, by the way.” as the two of you closed your eyes.

Which earned him a swat to the chest. 

SHOYO HINATA: JUNE 21ST

Shoyo absolutely cannot deny the fact that he’s had a great birthday since the moment the sun rose in the sky.

His special day began with an influx of texts and calls from family and friends to wish him a happy birthday, and use the opportunity to catch up with him. Nearly every moment of his morning was taken up by a different phone call that he took as he prepared himself for the training he had that day. When he arrived at the training center, his team immediately pounced on him, greeting him with enthusiastic cheers and a round of singing. 

And while he can almost say his birthday was perfect, with all the texts and calls he received and the thoughtful birthday treatment, his one and only regret was the fact that you weren’t there to celebrate with him.

His birthday this year happened to coincide with travel for upcoming tournaments, which unfortunately meant that you wouldn’t be celebrating alongside him in person. But just because you weren’t there in the flesh to hug him tight and sing loudly in his ear, it didn’t prevent you in the slightest from doing whatever you could virtually to make him feel good on his special day. 

At least, he had hoped it wouldn’t.

He had picked up your call eagerly on the day of his birthday, and grinned from ear to ear as you sang to him loudly and exaggeratedly. When you finished your song and exchanged all your morning pleasantries, to his absolute dejectment, you had informed Shoyo with a guilty tone that you would be unable to call or text for the majority of the day. 

“I’m sorry, Sho, something suddenly came up for work, and I’m going to be swamped. I’ll call you tonight, I promise!”

The disappointment he felt was tremendous, yet he easily covered it up with an understanding nod and reassuring words that he’d stay up to catch your call. It wasn’t like he was really expecting your schedule to be free the entire day so he can call and text whenever. Besides, he was miles away from you; it would be selfish for him to expect that your schedule would be all free for him when his wasn’t. 

So Shoyo made the most out of his birthday without you, and there wasn’t a moment where he wasn’t grinning. Enjoying delicious meals, being on the receiving end of all sorts of enthusiasm,  excitement and birthday traditions from friends, family, colleagues and fans alike; each kind birthday gesture lifted his heart to Cloud 9. 

The day concluded, after practice in the training facility when the sun began to die out in the sky, with Shoyo’s team insisting that they treat him to a celebratory dinner at some nice restaurant with some excellent international cuisine, allowing him to get a small taste of home. And Shoyo’s stomach was starting to churn, and it wasn’t like he was about to pass up a free meal…

The company took cramped spots in a booth inside the restaurant, bringing a few spare chairs to form a full circle around the large, polished wooden table jutting out from the wall. The setting sun meant that there was still some time before the restaurant could anticipate a more busy dining area.

Shoyo was spoiled with trays of meat, bowls of rice, and all sorts of other cuisine that he sampled from the plates of his colleagues. By the time the sun had nearly fully disappeared beneath the horizon, each one of their appetites was satiated, full and content with their meals.

As if Shoyo’s birthday couldn’t get any better so late into the day, it was about to become complete in the most unexpected and perfect way imaginable. Though the team was full, they could spare the appetite for a dessert, the most fitting conclusion for a birthday: because what’s a birthday without a cake? 

Shoyo’s team accompanied him home with eager conversation, yet strange occasional whispers among themselves. Perhaps all the celebration was all a little too much? 

When they arrived in a large group by his front door, Shoyo took notice of poorly hidden sly smiles and eager eyes from the teammates across from him, exchanging them among themselves as he fiddled with his keys. 

He’s the first to step inside the dark room, calling out to nobody in particular an I’m home!, as was routine for him to do. His heart suddenly stops, however, when he hears a voice answer. 

“Welcome back!”

His teammates burst out into chuckles and giggles. “Ah, it looks like our dessert is here!” One of them nodded his head toward the living room. 

When Shoyo makes his way reluctantly further into his apartment, initially confused, his furrowed brows immediately relax when he turns on the overhead light, and he feels as though the breath had been stolen from his lungs and hitched in his throat. 

At first, he thinks that perhaps he’s gotten a little homesick being without you, his special person, on his special day. He’d been thinking of you in intervals at every peak of his day. Surely now his exhaustion is crashing down on him, making him see things?

But your eager grin and short laughter as you took in his shocked expression tells him otherwise. You were here, in the flesh, standing right before him--

He all too suddenly finds himself squeezing you tight in his arms, and you immediately reciprocate with one hand coming around his neck, collective aww’s and teasing ew’s going round at the affectionate sight.

“Hold on there, Shoyo, the cake!” 

He quickly steps away when he suddenly feels an object collide gently with his side, and he only partially lets you go as he steps back to look at a box you were holding in your other hand. You grinned at him. 

“Surprise!”

He doesn’t dare let go of your hand even when you set the cake down and urge him to take a seat on his couch, taking an electronic candle you had bought on your way to his apartment and placing it at the very center. His entire team begins to sing to him once more as they crowd around him on the couch and around the table, this time with you joining in standing beside him, and his smile feels almost painful with the way it doesn’t falter for a second. 

When the song ends, a round of cheers go around the table, and you remove the candle to place it in a napkin. You turn toward each other, and you place a hand on his shoulder as you lean down to give him a kiss on his temple and mumble a more quiet, personal happy birthday. 

And just as he was about to lean over to capture your lips in an enthusiastic kiss, let thank you after thank you fall from his lips for such a grand surprise, all for him, you grabbed hold of his head, turned it back toward the cake, and shoved his face right into the center of it. 

Gasps and cheers alike went around the table, and the rest of his team laughed at the bold and sudden gesture. He could hear your own soft laughter as his face gradually emerged from the cake, and the shrills and hollers from his teammates grew louder as they took in the sight of the icing and chunks of cake sticking to various sides. They continued to bark out laughter as he wiped the chunks away from his eyes, staring at them on his fingertips before turning toward you, hiding a smile behind your hand as you mouthed over it an I'm sorry.

Shoyo rose silently halfway from his seat, leaned over toward you, and before anyone could properly call on what he was about to do, smeared the cake on his hands onto your own face, and a new wave of audible surprise and amusement went around the table.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?”

“I hear you, Shoyo,” one of his teammates hovered over his seat as he took a large chunk of the cake with his bare hands, and immediately smeared it onto his colleague beside him. “You look better like this, anyway.”

The table erupted into chaos, with the remainder of the unassualted teammates running away from the assault. 

“Quick, scatter, before they get us too!” 

“Oh, you aren’t escaping that easily!” 

Running, breathless laughter, and shrills of alarm rang out in a chaotic symphony throughout the apartment, but amidst the chaos, only you and Shoyo remained by the couch side by side, hunched over laughing at each other’s ruined faces. Despite the ruined cake, the madness in his home, and the icing running down your faces, Shoyo’s heart thrums with love and happiness, and he steps forward to cup your cool cheeks and halt your giggles by capturing your lips in a deep and (literally) sweet kiss. 

Now, perhaps, Shoyo could say his birthday was perfect.

return to masterlist.

[ariseur]

Hello^ can I request Vergil and V with a Shy/Quite reader who is a bookworm?

Note: I really enjoy your writing it makes me happy that there is another fan writing for dmc : ) honestly you’ve inspired me to want to start but I gotta work on my writing a bit more. Anyways have a good Day/Night ✌︎('ω')✌︎

vergil and v with a quiet bookworm!reader 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

┊ ˚➶ notes ｡˚ 🎼

i’m glad to have been an inspiration for you, i wish you luck and happiness regardless if you do decide to go through with creating a writing blog or not—i’m sure your writing is amazing, my dear. feel free to request more at any time 🫶🫶

┊ ˚➶ warnings ｡˚ 🎼

mentions of v’s correlation to vergil in dmc5!! other than that, lmk if i missed anything ^-^!1!1!

. ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄

. ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ 𝓥ERGIL — 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

❥ you and VERGIL go hand in hand with each other, often sitting in comfortable silences whilst you read books on different ends of the couch.

❥ sometimes he’ll let you lay your head on his lap as he reads, occasionally “reluctantly” reading aloud— even if you’re burning holes into him. you’re just admiring, he understands.

❥ vergil’s not very good with words, he’s often emotionally constipated and has trouble with comprehending emotions and vulnerability in fear that it makes him seem more.. human?

❥ just give him some time to accept his human half, he’ll come around to it eventually. it just takes some easing into.

❥ he doesn’t really show his love through words per se, taking more time to show it through his actions rather than verbally.

❥ he’ll drop a book on your desk once he gets home and you’re already asleep, knowing you’ll find it once you wake up looking for him in the morning. his job requires him to be very busy, but he always manages to bring you something back along the way.

❥ refuses to acknowledge it if you bring it up, though. vergil just hates admiring he’s gone soft, doesn’t he?

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈ ｡ﾟ

your eyes stayed glued to the small hardcover book that laid on your desk, fingers brushing over the engraving of the design as a gentle smile graced your face. your grin only widened when you spotted the small post-it note stuck onto the corner of the gift, vergil’s name written meticulously in blue pen standing out against the lined yellow.

and later when he came home, you had waited up for him. you lounged about on the couch while you watched tv, flashing him a smile once he had walked through the door and spotted you.

he cocked a brow at your beaming, his shoes being kicked off and neatly placed near the door in the process.

“i saw the book you left me today.” came your quiet voice, barely audible over the amount of censoring and yelling on the television.

vergil looked away. he knew that if he looked at you, he’d fall apart into your loving embrace once more and melt into your sweet, hushed whispers. he huffed, “think nothing of it.”

it didn’t matter how curt his response was, you knew better. you knew that was just his way of acknowledging it. and he definitely couldn’t help the smirk that fell upon his face at the sound of you pitter-pattering behind him as he adjourned to the room.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈ ｡ﾟ

. ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ 𝓥 — 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

❥ considering v is just another part of vergil, his situation is pretty similar to vergil’s.

❥ however, v is not shy or quiet by any means. while he doesn’t talk much, he just sits there. observing or maybe even reading on his own.

❥ v is pretty bold, though. he’ll somewhat tease you if you’re too shy to admit that you want his attention or something else of the sort.

❥ ugh i just wanna kiss that smirk of his so badly

❥ will also recommend you things, except he’ll actually.. talk to you? he’s definitely not afraid of talking with you and has no problem going up to you to start a conversation.

❥ likes to have you draped over his lap as he reads you poetry, as well. he finds it so romantic, like the gothic ass poet he is.

❥ somebody help i need to be confaindd and chained ip

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈ ｡ﾟ

“and to thy cares will lend no listening ear..” v’s velvet words cut through the silence as he read through a slew of sonnets with a soft tongue.

your lashes fluttered with every blink you took, each one heavier than the last as you attempted to stay awake. it took everything in your willpower not to fall asleep on your lover’s lap right then and there.

but just the thought of sleep sounded so sublime, you couldn’t help but indulge in yourself and your swirls of dreams. only v clouded your mind as you drifted in and out of his sleep, his voice slowly melting into the soft distant sounds of singing birds and the synthetic fabric of his pants crinkling against your ear whilst you tried to make yourself comfortable.

you took one last look at your surroundings, one last look at v. the sun had seeped in through the cheap blinds and illuminated him from behind as it caused a dark shadow to protrude from beyond your beloved. so to you, v looked absolutely ethereal.

one last look at his lips was all you took, watching as they moved so smoothly with every word that left his lips, “then let this comfort all thy woes wear..”

and as v finished the page, he looked back down at you. his brows raised at the sight. you, asleep on his lap? oh, what an interesting position you’ve gotten him in. whatever shall he do now?

his eyes crinkled with his soft smile, taking a moment to run his thumb along your cheekbone and caress the soft skin that lay there.

v closed the book, making sure to remember what page he left off on before setting it to the side and lolling his head back onto the soft pleather couch that resided in the van.

he made sure to keep one hand on your hair and the other rested on your hand, just in case nico decided to get careless with all the demons in the road. who could ever predict her reckless driving?

as v closed his eyes, he let out a deep sigh as left one last squeeze to your hand before getting some sleep. it would be a long journey to try and find the devil sword sparda, after all.

[bloomzone]

can u please make a how to improve urself ^^ also I love ur acc so much and u bring me so much peace at mind ^^

Thank you so much for appreciating my account! Your support truly means a lot to me, and I’m so glad my content brings you peace >⁠.⁠<. so first Self-improvement doesn’t have to be overwhelming. No pressure just small thoughtful steps. You don’t have to change everything at once ofc Take your time and choose one category each month to work on. Remember, it’s all about progress, not perfection. You’re on your own journey and every little step counts. And u can create other categories that align with ur needs !

before we start here's 5 questions to ask urself before starting this journey

1. Why do I want to improve myself?

What is my true motivation for making a change?

2. What areas of my life do I want to focus on?

Which specific aspects of my life do I want to improve first?

3. What are my strengths, and how can I use them?

How can I leverage my strengths to make this journey easier?

4. What are my current obstacles or limiting beliefs?

What challenges or beliefs might be holding me back from improvement?

5. Am I ready to be patient and consistent?

Am I prepared to stay consistent and trust the process, even when it's hard?

1. Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is about controlling your emotions and responding to situations in a calm, rational way, even when you’re stressed or angry.

How to improve:

Identify triggers: Start by recognizing what sets off your emotional responses. Is it a person, a situation, or something in your environment?

Pause before reacting: When you feel your emotions rising, take a deep breath or count to 10 before reacting.

Practice mindfulness: Engage in regular mindfulness activities like meditation or deep breathing exercises to help you stay present and manage emotions.

Express emotions healthily: Instead of bottling up feelings, learn how to express them through journaling or talking to someone you trust.

2. Building Consistency

Consistency is key to turning any habit into something sustainable. Whether it’s exercise, work, or personal development, consistency helps you progress.

How to improve:

Start small: Begin with manageable goals. For example, if you’re trying to work out, aim for just 10-15 minutes a day.

Create routines: Build habits by attaching them to something you already do. For example after brushing ur teeth do a quick stretch ect ..

Track progress: Use a habit tracker or journal to monitor your consistency and reward yourself for sticking with it.

Don’t be too hard on yourself: If you miss a day or slip up, don’t give up entirely. Get back on track the next day without guilt.you will be disciplined

3. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to understand your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and how they affect others. It’s essential for personal growth and development.

How to improve:

Daily reflection: Spend 5 minutes each day thinking about how you felt and acted. What went well? What could you improve?

Ask for feedback: Don’t be afraid to ask close friends or family how they perceive you, and listen to their feedback with an open mind.

Practice mindfulness: Regularly engage in activities that help you stay present, like meditation or journaling. This helps you observe your thoughts without judgment.

Notice patterns: Pay attention to recurring thoughts or behaviors that might need to change. Are you always reacting negatively in certain situations? What triggers it? It's soooo normal !

4. Setting Boundaries

Setting healthy boundaries is about knowing when to say no and protecting your energy they are essential to maintaining your mental health and relationships.

How to improve:

Identify your limits: Think about situations or behaviors that drain you emotionally or physically. These are your boundaries.

Communicate clearly: When you feel your boundaries are being crossed, calmly assert yourself. You don’t have to be rude, just firm and clear.

Learn to say no: Saying no isn’t selfish; it’s necessary for your well-being. Practice politely declining things that don’t serve your best interests.

Protect your time: Be mindful of how you spend your time. If something or someone consistently takes more than they give, it’s okay to step back.

5. Productivity Without Burnout

Being productive doesn’t mean being busy all the time. It’s about working smarter, not harder, and allowing yourself rest to avoid burnout.

How to improve:

Prioritize your tasks: Use the Eisenhower Matrix (urgent vs. important) to decide which tasks need your attention now and which can wait.

Break tasks into chunks: Divide big tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. This makes them feel less overwhelming and easier to tackle.

Take breaks: Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique—work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. It helps keep your mind fresh.

Don’t multitask: Focus on one task at a time for better efficiency and mental clarity.

6. Self-Care & Rest

Self-care is essential for maintaining both mental and physical health it’s about honoring your body and mind’s need for rest and nourishment.

How to improve:

Sleep: Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Sleep is critical for physical health, mental clarity, and emotional balance. (It's not easy to have a full 8h or 9h of sleep but at least u need to wake up next day feeling good !)

Take mental health days: Don’t hesitate to take a break when you need it. Mental rest is just as important as physical rest to also avoid burnout

Nourish your body: Eat balanced meals with whole foods. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Your body will thank you for it. Cuz drinking water help to avoid headaches

Have fun: Engage in activities you love, whether it’s reading, cooking, painting, or just relaxing with a good movie...

7. Improving Social Skills

Good social skills can help you build relationships, collaborate, and feel more connected. Being social doesn’t mean u HAVE to be extravored but it means knowing how to connect with others.

How to improve:

Active listening: Practice listening more than you speak. Show interest in what others say by making eye contact, nodding, and responding thoughtfully.

Be genuinely curious: Ask open-ended questions that encourage conversation. Show a genuine interest in others' experiences and perspectives.

Be authentic: Don’t try to fit into a mold. Let people see the real you and be honest about your thoughts and feelings.

Practice empathy: Put yourself in others’ shoes. Understand their emotions and reactions to build stronger connections.

8. Resilience

Resilience is your ability to bounce back from challenges, disappointments, or failures. It’s not about avoiding hardship, but about navigating through it with strength and grace.

How to improve:

Change your perspective: Instead of seeing challenges as obstacles, view them as opportunities for growth. What can you learn from this?

Develop a support system: Surround yourself with supportive people who encourage you during tough times.

Practice self-compassion: Be kind to yourself when things go wrong. Understand that setbacks are a natural part of the journey.

Keep going, no matter what: Sometimes, the best thing you can do is keep moving forward, even if it’s just one small step at a time.

9. Time Management & Planning

Time management it’s being intentional with how you use your time and energy.

How to improve:

Use a planner or digital tool: Write down your tasks, appointments, and goals for the week. This will help you stay organized and on track.

Set specific, realistic goals: Don’t overestimate what you can do. Be realistic about what can be achieved within a day or week.

Eliminate distractions: Find ways to stay focused by limiting distractions—turn off notifications, create a quiet workspace, or use website blockers.

Evaluate your progress: At the end of each week, review what you’ve accomplished and adjust your schedule accordingly it will keep u motivated

10. Financial Management (Simple Basics)

You don’t need to be an expert to improve your financial habits. It’s about getting into the practice of managing your money wisely.

How to improve:

Track your spending: Write down where your money goes each month. Understanding your spending habits is the first step to managing your finances.

Set a budget: Allocate a certain amount for savings, bills, and personal expenses each month. Stick to it.

Save a little at a time: Even if you can only save a small amount, start. Create a savings habit so that it becomes second nature.

Avoid impulse purchases: Before buying something, ask yourself if it’s necessary. Give yourself time to think before making a purchase.

this glow up list can also help u !! [click here]

@bloomzone

[yuutaguro]

hey, how are you? i love your art! i am just learning how to use procreate, and i was wondering what brushes or canvas do you use to get the paper effect when you’re drawing? sorry, i hope you don’t mind me asking. thank you. ☺️

hehe well i’m gonna do a basic comprehensive tutorial on my drawing process and general guidelines i follow when doing art (hope you dont mind im using ur ask), i’ll start with my process first

brushes i use:

lineart: “ink bleed” brush that comes preprogrammed in procreate

coloring/texture: maxpacks watercolor set (while in the pricy range, ive been using it for years and i think its a worthy investment, he also has sales occasionally)

for sketching: HB pencil that comes with procreate but you can use whatever

so my lineart, i typically duplicate my original layer, “color fill” the new layer with a dark red (or any dark color of ur choice), gaussian blur it @ 3% and set it to multiply and that just gives it some depth (for this piece i actually copied my dark red lineart and adjusted the opacity to make it a little darker so there’s 3 layers in total here)

now on to COLORING, i start off with a solid bright color (usually one that goes with the general palette you’d like to use, i wanted something warm so i went with a pink base)

create a new layer and thats where the colors come in, i typically do a rough estimate of the colors i want to use at this point, cause they can be adjusted later in the “color balance” setting under “adjustments” once you have your coloring done (this is all on one layer)

now my SECRET is i use the WASH GRAINY brush as an ERASER and lightly go over my color layer so the pink base comes through a little and unifies the colors and gives it that yummy texture. sometimes i erase the base color too for a little more texture but thats not necessary for every single drawing. once i erase enough, i go to “color balance” adjustment tool and mess with the hues till i get the result i want.

after that i create a multiply layer and with my WASH GRAINY brush i do shadows/face rendering. and with this piece specifically i did an add layer to simulate sunlight on them (i do extra layers at my own discretion, so have fun with it :)

as a final cherry on top i create another multiply layer, fill it with white and then set a noise filter on it @ 17% (dont ask why that number it just works for me lmao) and thats it!

if i need to clarify anything dont hesitate to ask! like i said we dont gatekeep here

and some general tips: dont over-articulate your drawing, cause i find the more i fuss with details the more stiff my drawings look, so i suggest being a little more loose with lineart/sketching and dont sweat the small stuff

same goes for coloring, the more simplistic your shapes are the more cohesive ur drawing will look

another coloring tip: if you’re having trouble with ur drawings looking “muddy” i recommend starting off with a black and white render so you can get a handle on your values before you worry about hue (i do this with my more rendered portraits but i find it helps you focus on the depth of your drawing)

[bejeweledblondie]

Just Like My Babcha

Sobiesław “Gromsko” Kościuszko x F! Reader

Summary: Y/N comes from a Polish-American family & learned from the best at making homemade pierogi catching the attention of a familiar Polish operator

A/N: I’m not from Poland I myself have polish ancestry & my own Babcha came from Poland but she never taught me unfortunately so if there’s any mistranslations I apologize in advance. For anyone who doesn’t know a pierogi is like a potato dumpling, but it can be filled with cabbage & other food

Warnings: potential mistranslations, traditional gender roles, thoughts of impregnating

Y/N’s hips swayed side to side to the song that was coming out of the nearby speaker. She used the back of her hand to brush some of her hair out of her face, & got flour on her cheek in the process. It was Easter, & she was making pierogi to celebrate the holiday. She was feeling a little homesick being far away from her family, & called her mother asking for the recipe. The smell of the dough was bringing back nostalgic memories of going to the grand Orthodox Church & coming home for a early lunch. Her babcha would help her little delicate hands pinch the edges to hold the cabbage & potatoes.

She was so focused on cutting the dough properly & to proportion that she didn’t even notice the shadow she was starting to acquire. Sobesław was returning from a mass at the local Orthodox Church when he was pleasantly surprised by the smell of pierogi’s cooking. He walked into the conjoined kitchen & living room area of the apartment he lived in. He was surprised to see their Human Resources Secretary standing there. She was also so kind to him, & was actually able to pronounce his name correctly. He was in utter shock when she was able to pronounce it on the first try.

He leaned up against the doorway as he watched her hum to herself while she started to fill each pierogi. This was a sight he could get used to. Growing up in a very traditional Catholic Polish household had instilled very traditional values. A vision of her with a small baby bump glowing from pregnancy making pierogi’s & other food played in his head. She was absolutely beautiful. Being a civilian, let alone a woman on a military base had to have been intimidating for her. Every time he’d walk into the office she worked out of her head would always been down, failing to make eye contact. Her shyness always intrigued him. He couldn’t imagine someone so stunning want to hide their face all the time.

Her delicate hands started to fold & pinch the pierogis creating the half moon shape. It took one accidental bump into the side of a table for him to gain her attention. A small gasp escaped her lips at the sound & a slew of polish curses rang out of his. A scarlet blush appeared on his cheeks as he tried to cough it off. She looked and smiled at him.

“Oh Sobiesław you startled me,” She started. “I’m assuming you got a good waft of the pierogis I already have cooking.” A small smirk danced on her lips.

“Tak (yes).” He replied. “Just wanted to know if you needed any help. My babcha, she used to make them with me.”

“That’s where I learned too.” She replied enthusiastically. “Well come in! Just make sure you wash up.” He walked into the kitchen & washed his hands in the sink. Once he finished drying them off he stood right beside her. “Hands.” She instructed. He held out his hands and she placed some flour in the them. Rubbing his hands together he spread the flour & got to work.

As he started to put some of the cabbage into the dough, he couldn’t help but notice how petite she was. The pierogis looked significantly larger in her delicate hands than his. She smiled up at him & he nearly melted into the floor right there.

“I can see our Babcha’s had very similar techniques.” She said. “How long have you been cooking them?”

“Ever since I was able to walk.” He replied. “My Babcha wanted me to know so I could pass down the recipe.”

“Mine too.” She replied smiling & continued to fill & pinch the pierogis. “Seems like they’d be close.” He could’ve dropped to one knee right there. She always had a reputation of being so kind, but she truly was an angel. It wasn’t very often that his teammates asked much about his life or his family. It was refreshing & comforting to talk to her about his life back home.

“How does a woman like you wind up in a place like this?” He asked. “You’re an anioł (angel).” She smiled at his compliment. Her life wasn’t the best back home, & the civilian sector of defense contracting provided her with a way out. Good benefits & there would always be work.

“I needed to get out. Home wasn’t the best environment for me to be in.” She replied somewhat solemnly. “Since I have personal health issues I wasn’t qualified for military service but I found employment in the civilian sector.”

A feeling of sadness washed over him. He couldn’t imagine someone as kind & beautiful having to experience something so tragic. It only triggered the instinct to protect & take care of her more. Once the pierogis were cooking away, she started to set the table for the two of them. Beautiful hand painted Polish pottery littered the table. Intricate blue & red floral designs created a kaleidoscope of colors that stood out on the white table cloth.

Sobesław admired her attention to detail even if it was just the two of them. He too was feeling homesick for his country, but seeing all the traditional Polish decor around him made him feel right at home. A timer went off alerting them the last batch of pierogis were done. Sobesław went to take the pierogis off of the pan & Y/N’s hand came down smacking it.

“You go sit down,” She ordered. “I’ll take care of it.” In pure shock he slowly made his way to the table & plopped himself down into a chair. Not long after she started to bring out the tray of pierogis. Soon followed challah bread, kielbasa (sausage), & potatoes.

“Kochanie (my darling) how do you plan for us to eat all of this?” He asked. Her heart fluttered at the term of endearment. She really did cook a meal for a family of ten.

“We’ll manage,” She replied as she poured him a glass of wine. “I’m sure some others will see the leftovers in the fridge. But don’t eat too much there’s still dessert.” She walked back into the kitchen to grab the opłatek (communion wafer) for grace. As she was walking back out she caught Sobesław almost taking a huge bite out of a pierogi.

“Tsk tsk, we still have to say grace!” She stated. A small blush crept onto his face, he had forgotten. She walked up to him handing the opłatek to him for him to break off a piece. Then she place a small kiss to his forehead. She walked to her place setting & sat down. A small prayer was said & they both each ate their piece of the opłatek. “Now you can dig in.” She teased.

He immediately started to pick up the pierogi he cut earlier. A small moan escaped his lips as the pierogi touched his tongue. He started to hear wedding bells the more he ate.

“I’m assuming it’s good.” She laughed. He nodded still speechless from the food that was in his mouth.

“They’re just like my babcha’s.” He replied after he swallowed. She smiled at the complimented & started to cut into her own food. “What are you doing next Friday?” He asked.

“Nothing.” She replied.

“I want to returned the favor, let me take you out.” He stated very bluntly.

“Sure! It’s a date.” She replied & started to eat the food in front of her. His heart leaped, & he couldn’t wait to tell his babcha he found the girl he was going to marry.

[kiiirtiiiniii]

I love your lineart, how clean and expressive it is! And your little Riebeck comics, they always make me so happy to see

Do you think you could talk a little about your process? I’m working on my own style right now, so I’m asking some of my favorite artists how they create, and how they learned how to create the way they do! Practice, but what kinds? How do you get such lovely doodles and art with such simple shapes?

WOW AAAAHHH thanks for the sweet ask!! I can absolutely do that!

The big overarching answer is exactly what you said & the answer no one wants to hear (I get it lmao): practice, straight up, preferably in a way you can sustain interest in so you can keep it up because inefficient is better than nothing.

I've been drawing since I could smear toddler fingerpaint on a page, so more than 25 years, and I took art classes all through highschool plus a few college level art classes. The things I think I'd recommend specifically over anything else are 1) exploring different mediums and methods (like charcoal on large paper & acrylics on actual canvas, and realism & abstract), even if you use dollar-store tier stuff (nothing wrong with that babey, that's what my fiance and I use for therapy painting!!) and 2) making sure you practice life drawing from photos at the very least, or live models if you can get yourself into a situation where that's an option.

To not just give you what is really common advice that almost feels canned at this point; the reasons I recommend these things specifically! Under a cut so this post isn't 300 years long. lol.

Even if you don't stick with charcoals or paints, trying them out a few times will give you the physical knowledge of how those mediums feel in action. Then, going back to mediums you prefer (maybe pencil and paper or digital like me), you'll understand better how to use the tip of the pencil at different angles, or the weird painterly brushes in your toolbar, and what things they can achieve for you re: sharp lines, gradients, gestural effects, blending, etc.

And again, even if you don't do abstract or realism or whatever style very often or at all, you'll know how it feels to slap shapes and colours down quickly and emotionally (nothing like capturing a raw feeling in colour), or the process of studying a photo so thoroughly you see and draw details you never noticed before (the way shadows are tinted by light bouncing around, for example), and you can apply that to something you find more engaging, like maybe character art (that's my MO I love drawing little guys lol).

Finally, life drawing, literally the most important way to practice and also quite possibly the most booooring. You have to find a way to apply it that makes you interested. I love making fast, sharp, innacurate lines, and I love taking my time drawing a perfect shape. I combine those by getting the essence of a pose down from a photo or my fucked up lil brain with gestural lines, then erasing and redrawing with more careful strokes until it looks right.

THAT specifically, is bad advice. Just erasing and redoing until something "looks right", but that's what I do and it's why it takes me 6 hours to sketch a comic page. But I'm not doing this for money and I probably never will, so it works for me. If it works for you, too, that's sick!! It's the lazy way to do it lol. You're SUPPOSED to do studies until you KNOW how things are shaped and how the lines should fall, so you can get it in a couple tries. More work for more payoff, right? That's how comic artists spit out like 2 or 3 pages a day.

A couple more things I found really helpful while I was learning (i say as if im not still learning and will be until i die): youtube tutorials (not joking) and blind-trace-reference-blind studies (I'll explain).

I don't have any reccs for you with the youtube tutorials because I did all that when I was younger and I cannot for the life of me remember who the hell I was watching, but it was a lot of different artists from professional to amateur to beginner sharing tips and tricks they found helpful. Top ten tips for artists kind of stuff. It's why I draw lightning bolt limbs and other sketch skeleton stuff like ball heads and guidelines to orient facial features. I hated that shit before I realized how much it actually genuinely helps.

Blind-trace-reference-blind studies are not called that but I don't know what they're actually called so whatever lol. It's really simple: you pick some specific thing (like a great white shark) and draw it 4 times: First blind, without a reference, purely from memory. Then, directly tracing a reference image (if you can). Then drawing normally from a reference. Last, drawing blind again without a reference. Then compare the first and last drawings for fun :3c

It's a good way to reassure yourself that you can improve and the studying and practice isn't useless, and it's also a good way to actually learn very specific stuff. The process can also be simplified down to blind-reference-stylize, where the last step isn't blind but instead drawing the subject in your style/simplified for speed and ease. I did this recently with hearthian mouths because they were pissing me off lol.

Very last advice: DRAW SHIT BAD AND OFTEN

Draw your favourite characters, draw your prescription bottles, draw your friends, draw your breakfast, draw them all really bad but try to capture the details even if it looks like shit, especially if it looks like shit. Fill a fancy sketchbook you got for your holiday of choice with garbage-tier doodles and never let it see the light of day. Scribble in your art program and then delete it!! Art isn't sacred, it's human, and you have to do it the way you do other human things like cooking and socializing; badly, often, and eventually well enough you can enjoy the results :D

Thanks again for the ask, hopefully I answered in a way that helps you figure things out and improve :] This was fun to answer <3333

[sutekooooo]

hi!! i am an orthodox Christian myself and i find your works very beautiful! i want to study your art style and want to ask; how do you pick your colours? your colours are always very pleasing to the eye. also, if it's not a hassle, what brushes do you use?

Thank you so much for your appreciation! Wow, it’s an honor for me to have my work admired by a true believer. As for the colors, I’ve actually answered similar questions before. Sometimes, I can envision the overall color scheme before I start, like using yellow and blue together to highlight the light or dark red to create a sense of danger. But if I’m unsure, I’ll go on a reference hunt after finishing the line draft, often focusing on oil paintings. If the piece has more religious themes, I might look at classic iconography for inspiration. On average, I spend about two hours gathering references for each illustration before I start. Of course, during the detailing process, I’ll continue looking for more references and make further adjustments. I don’t think there’s any shortcut to this—it's all about drawing and gradually gaining experience.

As for brushes, I've accumulated quite a few throughout my own drawing process. Since some of them were purchased, I can't share those, but I can tell you about the free ones I use. One set is Yuming Li Brushes, which you can find by searching online—it's shared by the artist for free. My advice is to choose brushes that suit your own style. Sometimes having too many brushes isn’t a good thing; finding the ones that work best for you is what really matters.

Thankyou for your question.😘😘😘

[rookinthecrownest]

Hii, I hope you’re doing great and have had a wonderful start to 2025! You already know I love all your DA fanworks because I’m yapping about them non stop 24/7 but since you’ve been posting more art lately (that latest Lucanis study was SO AMAZING 10000 out of 10 highly recommend staring at it forever), I wanted to ask you if you had any tips you’d be able to share for someone who wants to learn digital art (my delulu 2025 resolution is to try my hand at it lol, we’ll see how that goes): from best apps to use to techniques or anything you think could be useful. For context, I’m familiar with sketching and drawing on paper, but have never done digital art, so my question is less about the mechanics of drawing and more about the medium, if that makes sense. Thanks so much in advance!

Thank you for the ask! <3

AND TYSM FOR THE LOVE ON MY ART IT'S SO APPRECIATED!! ;-; <333

I'm so glad to hear you wanna get into digital art for 2025! I'm happy to share some things that helped me get into it and bits of wisdom I've picked up from others along the way.

Digital art is an awesome medium that gives you a TON of freedom to basically create whatever (so does traditional but obviously with a few more practical constraints like materials etc.) - that being said when you're first transitioning from traditional -> digital it can be a bit finicky. Give yourself a LOT of grace/patience because just getting the hang of the basic mechanics of digital art can be a steep learning curve (at least it was for me).

I'll put everything below the cut bc this will be long and full of rambling.

App Recommendations

Recommendations for apps depends on the kind of digital drawing you're going to be doing. I have an iPad so I can only really recommend apps for iPad lol.

If you have an iPad, I recommend Procreate - I love it, it's what I've been using for the last year or so. It's intuitive and fairly easy to pick up for beginners (and there's a TON of tutorials on Youtube on how to use it/intro to the software).

It's easy to download custom brushes/patterns/textures into the app. Procreate also does this neat thing where it automatically records all of your brush strokes so you can make process videos without having to go 'oh, I should screen record myself drawing this so I can play it back later!' <- nice for someone like me who is very forgetful lol.

I tried the adobe one too (forget what it's called), and I think Autodesk Sketchbook as well a long time ago but I didn't love them. I always go back to Procreate lol.

If you have a computer/PC set up then I assume you'd be working with a tablet. Apps for this kind of drawing would be things like Photoshop/Paint Tool Sai/Clip Studio Paint. I'd recommend watching a few Youtube speedpaints by artists who use these softwares to see how they function and if they would be a good fit for you but I don't have a tablet myself so I can't offer much guidance there.

The Right Tools for the Job

I don't know if you've ever heard this, but I used to hear it all the time. The tools/software shouldn't make a difference, a good artist can work with whatever they have available and make a masterpiece.

And this is true! For expert artists. I've seen some amazing artists pull off masterpieces in MS paint without layers/brush pressure sensitivity/etc.

This is not quite so true for novices (in my humble opinion and heavily coloured by my own experience).

When I first started using procreate and was just using the default brushes I hated absolutely everything I drew. Nothing looked right. I couldn't even make a simple sketch without hating it. It took me a long time to admit that the default brushes in Procreate were just not helping me create what I wanted to create, so I caved and started buying custom brush packs made by other artists. I'm not saying if you use Procreate you'll run into the same difficulty I had, just that if you do find yourself getting frustrated with the default brushes being hard to master at first, don't be like me and feel like an utter failure instead of finding the right tools to help you succeed.

I really like Jing Sketch's brushes, I use them ALL the time.

And now that I'm more experienced, I can use those default brushes and actually prefer them in some instances.

The Right People to Learn From

There's a ton of great artists out there who make digital art/general art tutorials, who I learned a lot from.

On Youtube, check out:

Sinix Design

Marc Brunet

ChrissaBug

On Instagram, check out Derek Domnic DSouza (lots of great content about Procreate in particular, but also just in general very helpful with digital art tips). He also does free workshops sometimes :)

And that's about everything I can think of! Hopefully that answers your question! <3

[fairyminnie444]

Hello, Merry Christmas 💓 (sorry if you don't understand well, I'm translating) I wanted to say that I've been trying for years with this manifestation to cure my scoliosis, and well, I've tried all the methods, reprogrammed myself and I always fall into the spiral of not seeing changes and sinking into a deep sadness, because of that I became very insecure about my body and abandoning myself. I also have dental problems, I wanted to manifest and affirm that that changes apart from the fact that I brush and take care of them, they always get decayed, they break, I spent so much money on this that it doesn't seem to have an end. I simply want to be like those people who are successful in curing their illnesses:(

Merry Christmas to you too 💓! Thank you for sharing this with me. First, let me say that your desire for healing is valid, and your frustration is completely understandable. It’s tough to persist when you’ve been trying for years, but it’s also important to recognize the incredible strength you’ve shown in continuing to believe and try.

Here are some tips on how I would handle this, hope it helps:

Shift Focus to Wholeness

Instead of focusing on the absence of it, focus on the feeling of already having a perfectly aligned spine and healthy teeth. This subtle shift in focus is powerful because it aligns your state of being with the reality you want to experience.

Affirmations:

• “My body is perfectly aligned and healthy.”

• “My teeth are strong, healthy, and beautiful.”

• “I feel so grateful for my strong and healthy body.”

Use Visualization

Before bed or during moments of relaxation, visualize yourself living in a body that is perfectly healthy. Imagine yourself looking in the mirror, standing tall, and smiling confidently. Visualize moments of joy and ease in your daily life where your health is no longer a concern.

Dismiss the 3D Evidence

It’s challenging, but try to stop “checking” the 3D for changes. Instead, live in the assumption that the healing is already done. Your body is catching up to the reality you’ve assumed, and giving it space to do so without judgment or impatience can help immensely.

Address Emotional Blocks

Deep sadness or insecurity about your body can create resistance. When these emotions come up, acknowledge them with compassion. Remind yourself that healing isn’t just about the physical—it’s also about loving yourself through the process.

Affirmations for self-love:

• “I deeply love and accept my body as it is right now.”

• “Every day, I grow closer to my ideal state of health.”

• “My body knows how to heal itself.”

Persist Gently

Persistence doesn’t mean forcing yourself to feel positive all the time. It’s about gently redirecting your thoughts whenever doubt arises. If you find yourself spiraling, remind yourself that the 3D is old news, and the changes you’ve already created in your mind are inevitable.

Celebrate Small Wins

Even if they seem insignificant, celebrate every moment that feels like progress. For example, if you have a day where your back feels a little better, or your teeth feel stronger, acknowledge it as evidence of your healing manifesting.

Borrow Confidence from Others’ Stories

Seek out success stories of people who have healed themselves. While you may not have found stories exactly like yours, reading about others’ manifestations of health can inspire and strengthen your belief in your own power.

Your body is capable of incredible things. Trust in its ability to heal and in your ability to create the reality you desire. Even if the journey feels slow, know that every step you take is moving you closer to your goal. You are already so much more powerful than you realize.

If you ever need a reminder of that, I’m here. 💓

[aaarashi725]

Good morning/evening I just discovered your account and OMG your art is GORGEOUS!!!

I especially love the way you colour, it looks so vibrant and alive! Would it be too much to ask for a tutorial or brief overview of your colouring process? I’m trying to improve my own colour work rn and I can use all the help I can get 😭😭😭

Have a great day! ❤️❤️❤️

Hi~Thank you for liking my art and asking this question, I will try my best to answer it! However, this is the first time I explain my work process and English is not my native language, I will be happy if my word is understandable:)

First, I will finish sketch by thick coating (I Google it and I think this is the term) this is helpful for shading because later when applying layer effects, the shadow areas are essentially done. Then, I add colors beneath this sketch.

Following are some refining steps, but even myself can’t quite understand how it works, I will base on my instincts to add colors on it and make sure details are clear (such as enhancing highlights, adding textures, switching brushes, and creating glows or atmospheric effects) Also, I use smudge tool a lot to create textures, aiming for a more realistic style that is similar to traditional sketching.

I don't follow a specific order when applying layer effects or using brushes. Some artists have a more structured approach to coloring, but mine is more spontaneous and messy lol, and I doubt this can help(sorry for that;))

Anyway, I prefer high-saturation colors so I will adjust multiple versions of my work before posting. I edit a saved JPEG from the previous work to ensure the contrast is strong enough or the mood aligns with the theme I want to convey. In the final steps, I modify color usage or add elements like highlights, special effects, and do overall adjustments to the color tone.

I think the difficult part in coloring is to try as many ways as you can until you find one that feels comfortable and enjoyable. I struggled with this one or two years ago! (my coloring style has changed very much, and it’s too embarrassed to show any of my old stuffs haha) Coloring has always been my weakness since I began digital painting, but over time I have found it to be the most interesting part, and I am still on my way learning the magic!

Sorry for the long message, if there’s any confusion in my writing or further questions, please let me know. I appreciate your ask and likes💖Have a nice day too!!

[spxll-bxund]

I have some questions about Belladonna.

1. How was her Element created?

2. When did she join the Ninja?

3. Did she also train little Lloyd?

4. In terms of the other ninja how powerful is Belladonna in general?

5. How powerful is Belladonna's element compared to the other Ninja?

6. Does Belladonna have a lover?

Thanks for answering my questions.

I'm probably going to ask more questions which is going to be more on her and what she does in the seasons but I decided to wait and make another ask for that. I hope you won't mind it

HELLOO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING THESE QUESTIONS!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO ME TO KNOW THAT YOURE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT BELLA ❤️❤️

To answer your questions 😋:

1) While this is an amazing question, I’m not really sure if I have a good answer for you at the moment 😭🙏. Since Belladonna has a secondary element, I’m not really sure how her element came to be since we don’t really get (to my knowledge) an explanation on how the other secondary elements we see in the show came to be. I did have the idea of an ancient sorceress trying to mimic the powers of the first spinjitzu master in order to create her own element and use its powers for mischief, but then accidentally cursing her daughter in the process and resulting in the first user of the sorcery element. If you or anyone else has any suggestions or ideas, feel free to shoot me an ask!! <33

2) Belladonna joined the Ninja the same time that the main 4 became ninjas.

3) Yes, Bella helped out with training little Lloyd. She acted like she hated having to train him but deep down she was glad she could help out and help him develop his skills (it’s lowkey giving proud older sister moment)

4 and 5)

Ooo these ones are a little tough since I’m still trying to workshop stuff like this since I just finished designing Bella like a day or two ago LMAO- But to give you an answer she could be around the same power levels as the ninja when she doesn’t give up on herself (in general). Element-wise, she’s average compared to the others because I didn’t think it would be fitting to make her extremely stronger than them since she has a “secondary” element. What I WILL say is that in general Belladonna has really good technique and fighting style for the way she uses her weapon so that kind of makes up for what her elemental powers “lack” (Kind of? idk if lack is the right word to describe it). Not to mention she’s physically very fit, physical strength wise I would say that on a good day she could probably beat Kai in arm wrestling but give up halfway through if she had to go up against Cole (he’d probably still beat her anyways). I know that’s a weird way to show an example of strength comparison but that was the first thing that came to mind 😭🙏

6) Love is a bit of a complicated part of Belladonna’s character (before her character development) because while she does catch feelings, she doesn’t act on them because of the deep rooted insecurity where she once again, believes she’s not worthy. She believes that she is far too flawed and that she’ll taint/ruin the person she loves with her behaviors and bad habits and that those she loves deserve to be with someone better than her. While this all goes on in the inside, on the outside this insecurity is brushed off by her stubborn, tsundere-like (I’m sorry this is the best way I can describe it 😭) exterior. Another reason why love is complicated for Belladonna is because she doesn’t like feeling vulnerable, though that changes as she develops as a character. I know I’m doing all this talk about why Bella doesn’t think she’s worthy of a relationship but SHE does eventually get an official partner after her development. While it’s still being workshopped at the moment, I’m planning on writing a possible poly between Bella, Cole, and Kai called ‘lavaspell’, since I was planning on them being close as kids and then having a ‘what are we?/it’s complicated’ situation when they’re in their older teen years, with their relationship kinda being in limbo until Belladonna has her development (which is most likely gonna be in the way later seasons). Then again, lavaspell’s storyline is still being developed and this could change anytime while I’m writing Belladonna’s main story.

AGAIN TYSM FOR SENDING ME AN ASK, FEEL FREE TO SEND MORE IF YOU HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS!! ❤️❤️❤️