#Since I don't draw as often I feel like I'm not improving

[megamixter]

Gift art for my husband to ring in the new year! Here's to a better 2024!

[Image ID: A digital art drawing of an Umbreon and an Espeon from Pokemon. Both Pokemon are sitting in a field of grass under a blue sky. The Umbreon is laying on the ground with a love ball in it's mouth and looking at the Espeon in a playful way. The Espeon is standing up and looking at the Umbreon with a neutral expression. /. End ID]

[kozachenko]

Here, have a fairly light sketch dump with two relatively complete sketches and some of the process for the main Zanmu one. Also, Gensokyo's specalist girl makes an appearance here too

Artist's Notes;

Zanmu is such a fun character to draw, like, there's so many little aspects in her design that you can emphasize, and her colour palette is so satysfying too. The reason I ended up drawing this was because when I was scrolling on Pinterest I found a specific pose that just screamed Zanmu to me (it was the skull that did it for me) and I just had to draw her in that pose. I did end up taking my liberties with my reference though, and also I am not drawing feet, I just straight up don't like it, and this is mainly something more on the sketchy side so it didn't really matter lol. Also, IDK too much about the hands, I'm usually pretty good with them but I struggled with them a bit this time. Also Zanmu is sitting on nothing because I just didn't feel like drawing what she was sitting on (plus I already drew in the clothes and including what she was sitting on would mean having to change the sleeves and I just didn't wanna do that lol). Also realized that I should probably start trying to improve on drawing frills in clothing, and I tried a new technique for drawing them. I do like how they look, but at the same time it can still be better.

I do love how Zanmu's pose turned out the most in this batch of sketches. In my process, I put the reference image on the canvas and then roughly blocked in the silhouette. One change I knew I wanted to make since the beginning of the sketching process was opening up the space between the bent arm and body more, mainly to make the silhouette of the pose clearer (even though with the addition of the clothes it does get closed up a lot). I also wanted to turn the torso towards the viewer and change the position of the legs to something more cross legged/casual. In another sketching pass, I just kinda quicjly scribbled what I wanted the pose to look like just so I could get my idea out and I'm glad I did that because that helped me focus more on the pose itself rather than the small details. Afterward, I did a sketch of the body, clothes, and hair all together and then coloured it to get the coloured Zanmu sketch!

Again, I could've done a better job with the feet and the legs themselves for that matter, but the nice thing about sketches is that they don't need to be perfect, and I was more so focused on the gesture/feel of the pose rather than the minute details. With her facial expression, I knew that I wanted something very specific with her eyes, so I just simplified it into this "almost closed" eye and I do like how it turned out a lot. Also, a problem that I often have drawing Zanmu is that in the poses I put her in, I don't really know how best to draw in those triangle cut outs she has, so instead, I added these little triangle details onto her sleeves and pants to add some visual interest and allude to them instead, also because they can kinda allude to a crown and Zanmu is the king of Hell so it fits lol (also, love it when people add details like that onto sleeves sm lol). The hair and tassles did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to making the drawing have a nice flow to it, and I have the headcanon that Zanmu is just able to make those float on there own by.... honestly I don't know, I just like the idea of her tassles defying gravity and floating all the time. Also IDK if you can see them, but I did make sure to include her scars as I'm basically adding that as a part of my way of drawing Zanmu. It just adds a certain something, y'know? Also found a specific reference for the skull and made it the red that it is in Touhou 19, and also because drawing skeletons and skulls is just fun lol.

Now onto Reimu, so that face drawing was mainly there just so I could get a better idea of how I wanted to draw her face in the future. My main concern was trying to make it different to Keiki and Zanmu's faces, so as I was sketching hers I had the drawings of Keiki and Zanmu's faces turned on to make sure I wasn't drawing the same thing again. Down here I included this little test I did where I hyper simplified the eyes of the three faces and just traced over their face shapes, noses, eyebrows, and mouths. While the nose is the most consistent trait shared among the three of them (tbf that can just be chalked down to an aspect of my style), I feel like the three are different enough from each other to where they don't have same face syndrome, even if you simplify the eyes into dots and also didn't include the detail of Zanmu's scars on her face.

I'm obsessed with giving Reimu these tiny little eyebrows for some reason, IDK it just works for her. I also really like using a red as a highlight for whenever I draw her hair black, mainly because it helps to give the illusion that her hair is just a really dark brown and incorperates her main colour of red into another aspect of the design. I also wanted to try and draw Reimu's eyelids differently to try and imply monolids but tbh IDK how well that reads. I also like how her pupils turned out, as I'm experimenting with different characters in my style having different kinds of pupils. I didn't even bother properly rendering her clothes, so I just did them linelessly (I think I wanna try drawing in my lineless style again for a future piece sometime as I kinda miss the feel it had). I of course had to give Reimu her big bow, and also use that specific shade of red. IDK what it is about that shade of red specifically, but I just love it, it looks so nice to me you have no idea- Now that I think about, I kinda wanna draw Reimu more now, as I feel like I can still do some more experimenting with how I draw her eyes specifically. Also because I've got some ideas when it comes to how I wanna draw her body type.

[blossomthepinkbunny]

Vivzepop will always be the biggest issue with her own show if she doesn't change. And i'm not saying that because I desperately want to shit on her but rather because it's so clear that her attitude is what made Hazbin Hotel be so dissapointing after the long wait. The pilot released four years ago and Viv had these characters for much longer than that. One could assume that with this much time on her hands she would have a concise plan for how a series of her story would play out (I can imagine that having an own show is a dream for lots of creative people out there). And I get that that plan might get screwed up by a shorter episode count then expected, but she should be the one who knows her story best and who should know what stuff could also be cut out. The first season of Hazbin Hotel is so incredibly overstuffed with characters and plot that it completely looses the main premise the show was originally pitched with (the idea of a hotel were sinners are redeemed. As it is now the hotel is really not important at all). People have talked endlessly about how Viv can't handle criticism and it really sucks because criticism is one of the best ways to improve your writing, drawings, music etc. Without criticism you won't refine the thing you're working on in a meaningful way. Of course it feels bad when you put something out there you wanted to share and then people critique it, but that's part of pretty much every creative journey, or atleast it should be and Vivzepop shouldn't get a pass from this just because she doesn't like it. And there are great shows, movies or books that are rarely or almost never criticised. But the artists behind these works probably went trough years of honing what they do by being criticised for the stuff they put out. And I don't want to say that Vivzepop didn't work hard to make Hazbin Hotel, but it is hard to claim that she improves in her craft, when everytime someone says they don't like her show she throws a hissy fit. She wants the same reactions that these other amazing pieces of media get without ever listening to criticism. Which she sees as a personal attack rather than a tool that could help her to achieve the same level of writing prowess the creators behind media like that have. She believes she is already on the same level as them, just because she basically shuts anyone out who disagrees with her. There's this clip at the end of a Drew Gooden Video which I think sums up the situation with Viv pretty good (the Video is called "Leaving the YouTube Bubble"). He is talking about Lily Singh and her talk show but I feel like a lot of the stuff he says about handling criticism applies to Vivzepop as well.

(you might have to turn up the audio).

Unprofessional behaviour like that might be excusable when the creator is pretty young or they are interacting with publicity for the first time really. But neither of that applies to Viv. And Hazbin Hotel isn't just an indie animation pilot on youtube anymore. It's now a fully realized show created with a pretty prominent studio on a major streaming network and it should be held to the same standards as other shows or movies alike (not saying indie animation or animation on youtube doesn't have a standard but with more budget and support, there's obviously going to be different expectations for the show now). There have been issues in Helluva Boss and the Hazbin Hotel pilot ever since their release which could've been handled with more time and the new show. But Vivzepop shows time and time again that she isn't willing to listen to people who criticise her, which could actually lead to her show getting better. I don't like Viv or her work a lot. I think she is incredibly unprofessional and she has done her fair share of questionable or problematic stuff, which often leads to issues in her shows. There have been some characters I like, some songs or scenes that were pretty well done, very cool animation and an actually interesting premise on paper in HH and HB. There are things that make me come back to these shows to watch the next episode. And i'm obviously passionate enough about these shows to make whole posts about what I think was done badly and what could be changed. But for the aspects of HH or HB I enjoy, there are soo many more problems I have with it. Problems that won't go away unless Viv stops seeing every criticism as a personal attack. Because if Vivzepop doesn't stop acting like her writing is some unreachable stuff that needs no changes I don't really see a point in assuming that these shows will ever get better.

[hansoeii]

Several things: -LOVE your art, it’s amazing! Especially the one with Crowley and Aziraphale under the umbrella - which software do you use? Your art always look SO gorgeous (cheeky quote from GO right there lol) - how did you get so good at drawing?And thank you for encouraging other people to keep drawing and being so kind as I sometimes can’t help but compare my sketches to others and feel silly, but I guess it’s just a learning curve… Thank you so much for bringing your art to the world!😊

Thank you so much!!

I use Clip Studio Paint for drawing and Photoshop for small adjustments!

2. Haha thanks! Honestly...it's the hyperfixations. I managed to improve a lot in just a year because I've been drawing SO much cos there's so many shows and movies I became obsessed with that I wanted to create art for. So by drawing a lot I just naturally improved. For example these two Illustrations are just a year apart:

I actually didn't actively try to improve, it's been a while since I did proper studies (I just don't really have the time for it between freelancing and art school), it just happened.

But I can absoluetly recommend going on YouTube and look for some art tutorials if you actively want to start improving! There's some channels that helped me so much back then:

moderndayjames

Incredible shape language and super insightful tutorials on all kinds of topics! I learned so much from him.

Ahmed Aldoori

So many awesome tutorials on so many different areas of art. Love it.

Marco Bucci

Incredible tutorials on color theory and understanding how color works in general! Learned SO much from him!

Sinix Design

The OG tutorials I began learning from. I watched his videos religiously as a teen. I adore his painterly style and adopted it in some way, haha.

Ethan Becker

This dude sometimes drops these tiny art tips that just completely blow my mind and that I adopt immedietly. He's super entertaining but also such a great teacher.

And I can also recommend checking out this book by James Gurney if you want to get better at colors!

And for anatomy I highly recommend the Morpho books!

But improvement doesn't only come from drawing a lot. A lot of the time I don't draw for a while and just study the world and artists around me and suddenly I improved when I get back to drawing. Don't ever overwork yourself to the point that you don't enjoy what you do anymore. Take breaks and listen to your body!

I learned to try and not compare myself to other artists, which helped a lot. Through conventions and social media I made so many lovely artist friends and realized how we're all struggling in a very similar way. A lot of us don't even really know what we're doing most of the time, haha. But we help each other out, it's such a wonderful community. I think when you're not actively part of the community it tends to feel like other, more successful artists are some kind of art gods that have perfected the craft and never struggle. But believe me, all the artists you admire go through rough times all. the. time. Sometimes what they do feels easy and natural, other times (more often than not) it feels like you have to try and learn how to walk all over again and you start to doubt your abilities. I personally go through that so many times.

So what I'm trying to say is that instead of comparing yourself to the artists you admire, learn from them instead. Ask questions, befriend fellow artists, study the artists you enjoy and just have fun with it!

And finally I thought it would be fun to share some of my horrendous Johnlock fanart from a decade ago for some motivation:

I hope my answer didn't overwhelm you, but I thoight it would be nice to give a more detailed answer!

Have a wonderful day and keep drawing! :)

[lutawolf]

My Personal Weatherman and the D/s element Ep 7

If you haven't read my other commentary on this show, you can find it here.

Ahhh, I'm so excited for this show. I've been looking forward to it so much. Yoh sweet baby is till watching Segasaki on his show. Aww... "I could watch his face forever." This miscommunication is crazy, but these two really love each other so much.

Yoh really does have an awesome friend in Minnie aka Manju.

Segasaki worrying that Yoh left again. This is a jealous Dom, but that's because he isn't secure in what he has. I've said countless times, there are no bad emotions, only bad reactions. Yoh knows there is something wrong, but he doesn't know what. He wants to fix it, and he is hitting all his usually submissive ways, but they aren't working.

Omg... I can't tell you how many times I watched that side eye from Segasaki as Yoh goes to removed the bag. This is very much a Dom fed up with his brat. 🤣🤣🤣

Yay! Flashbacks from Segasaki's point of view! He is extremely observant. Interesting that he at first negatively viewed Yoh, even though he himself admitted that the people he was surrounded by were shitty.

Segasaki is arrogant, but not unkind. He observes, makes judgment calls, but isn't afraid to re-evaluate. That is actually a good thing to look for in a Dom. You don't want a Dom that is indecisive, nor one that can't admit when he's made a wrong call.

Like I said, kind but arrogant. "You're really talented." I can smile much better. He isn't saying that Yoh didn't capture him right because he clearly admires his talent and tells us that his drawings were so good. It's that he saw something about himself to improve.

He carefully cultivated what others saw, but Yoh saw through this. Knows his small little flashes of facial features. When I say that D/s couples really do watch each other this closely, we do. Remember, our relationships revolve around a lot of nonverbal communication. Each wanting to instinctively please each other, though in different ways. Each needing to anticipate the other's need. Verbal communication also needs to be good, but that's always why we often write guidelines. It helps us communicate our needs. However, you have to remember that this D/s relationship happened organically, so the verbal communication isn't there yet.

Side note, most Doms hate showing vulnerability to anyone other than their submissive. I do on here because I'm pretty much anonymous and this place is my therapy. In real life, though, I'm not very good at showing vulnerability even to my submissive. Though I've gotten softer since my kids.

There is that arrogance again. No one was worth showing his true feelings to. Got me questioning myself when people call me arrogant. But damn, I melted when he asked Yoh not to leave.

The famous curry. We're finally going to know the story. OMG, but I love how natural they both are in their positions. They might not understand their feelings towards each other, but they understand themselves. Segasaki's face as he eats the curry! I'm dying. And you can not tell me that Yoh can read all of Segasaki's facial expressions but didn't recognize Segasaki's facial expression this time? Segasaki covers himself well by bringing up the congee.

Segasaki goes right into commanding Yoh. Telling him to put the curry in Tupperware, and he'll be the only one eating it. He better not touch it. Yoh instinctively obeys. The way he taps Yoh's forehead and tells him, "This is mine." Damn, Yoh, how did you miss that? You is cute and you is stupid. Segasaki happily eating the terrible curry says everything.

Ahh, Segasaki rubbing Yoh's head. Bestowing a reward. The way Yoh's eyes literally twinkled due to it. Absolutely fucking adorable.

"I came all the way here for you. Go ahead and take a good look and draw." When they talk about Segasaki's face when he asked if he really looked like this. Who called it peeps? Who called it. "Draw more. If it's the depths of my heart, as long as it's you, then I don't mind." And there is that Dom intensity and possessiveness.

And back to present day with rain crashing down outside. Segasaki goes looking for Yoh, but can't find him.

OMG, the roof scene is everything. "Without you, I can't breathe." The kiss, that Yoh didn't even think of denying Segasaki. The fact that Segasaki cried because he thought Yoh left. Ugh. We have to watch this again.

I think this is my favorite episode. Yoh is so excited because Segasaki apologizing because he never has before. Nope, Segasaki is apologizing for trusting him and ties him up. Dead. This is the best.

Normies who might be thinking that Yoh is scared. Please note, other than saying "hold on, wait." He offers up no further struggle. Our little coconut is confused and maybe a little scared because he doesn't know why Segasaki is acting like this, but he isn't scared of Sagasaki or what he is doing. There is a fundamental comfort and trust there, hence the no struggle. Remember he is a brat, if he wants to struggle he will. Remember the last episode where he threw a fucking fit? As far as Segasaki doing it without asking, well remember their relationship has an in place agreement of Segasaki having total control. Yoh knew that Segasaki was controlling and a tyrant when he made the agreement. But let me say this, in real life there should be a safe word in place even in these types of relationships. Again, though, this is an organic lifestyle relationships, so we were lucky we got the agreement.

I'm so excited about the next episode!!! Why must we wait! Ahhh. Hope you guys enjoyed! 💜💜💜

[alessiathepirate]

Resident Evil 4

NIGHT TERRORS: Luis Serra x fem!reader

Summary: Waking up from a nightmare and feeling afraid isn't easy get through - unless you have someone who can comfort you.

Notes: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistake I made while I wrote this short story.

My Spanish is horrible, so I apologize if something isn't written the way it should be written or if the word is used in the wrong context.

Warnings: swearing, references to PTSD, hurt/comfort

•••

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up quickly, almost rolling of the bed while doing so. Her forehead was shining from drops of sweat, her legs were shaking from fear. With her heart pounding faster than usual she looked around the still dark room and when she recognized it as her own, she tried her best to calm down and settle her heartbeat and breathing back to normal.

Nightmares like this weren't anything new, she got used to it by now, but it didn't mean they got less scary or uncomfortable. She woke up like this many times, late at night or at dawn finding herself unable to go back to sleep.

She pulled her legs up to her chest, hugged them and rested her head on her knees. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

Ever since Spain the nightmares became worse and worse. She was already a mess during the night before the events there, but now it sometimes became unbearable. Too many horrible events accured in Spain while looking for Ashley Graham with Leon. Too many close calls, too many wounds that scarred. Too many accidents involving almost loosing a loved one.

The last one was the worst and with that was the main plot of her night terrors. She often envied the people who can forget these kind of things easily, the people who can let go. She can't.

" 'Everything all right, cariño?" the voice sounded sleepy, but was gentle regardless. Her heart jumped at the sudden noise as it broke the silence, but immediately settled back down when she recognized who it belonged to.

"Yeah, it was just a nightmare."

Sometimes it was still weird, knowing she's not alone and knowing she isn't sleeping alone in her bed. It was also comforting, really comforting - especially when the person she was dreaming about, the person she lost in her dream started to draw gentle circles into her back, then into her shoulder blades.

She heard movements and then felt a presence next to her. Luis sat up and put his right arm around her, using the other to make her look at him while also being as tender as possible. She looked at him, examined all of his features and gestures, trying to memorize the way his lips are moving and the way his eyes are shining.

He was all right, he was next to her and they were far-far away from Spain.

"Do you want to talk about it, querida?"

She hid her face in his neck and closed her eyes, enjoying the way he feels and the way he smells. It felt nice - having someone for comfort like this, a lover who hugs her and talks to her softly.

"I dreamt that I lost you." she said quickly, wanting to get the sentence out as fast as possible to get through the pain it brought. "I don't want to loose you."

"You didn't loose me, cariño, I'm here thanks to you. I owe you my life." his grip on her tightened and she pressed a kiss to his neck.

"You helped me get the damned plaga out of me and the others. We are even."

He brushed some hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Do you want to get back to sleep?"

"I just wanna lay down with you." she started, then quickly added: "Please, corazón?"

He let out a small laugh before lying down with her, making sure she was as close to him as possible.

"Your Spanish improved."

"Yeah, it had to improve. I didn't understand half the things you called me."

"I can always translate it to you if you ask."

She just chuckled. "Yeah, the last time I asked what something meant you lied to me."

They left it at that and just laid there close to the other. She rested her head on Luis's chest while she caressed his shoulder. Meanwhile, he continued to draw patterns into her skin where her shirt didn't cover her back.

Her uneven breathing finally settled down and the only reason her heart was beating faster than it should, was the fact that Luis was the one lying next to her. It was nice to experience how tamed and actually romantic he could be when he was with her. Sure, his flirting was still there sometimes and the pet names he called her were getting out of hand, but now she wasn't just a señorita.

Her hand touched the scar on his chest, what got there when the plaga was removed. She loved that scar, even if it brought back some unwanted memories. The scar meant that without Luis she and her companions would've never got out of Spain alive. It meant that he was a good guy even if he acted like the man her mother warned her about. To Hell with her warning, nothing in the world will take this man away from her.

The scar also made her remember that he has another one on his back. It's still a darker shade of red and it'll never heal perfectly. The wound was way too deep for it to look like a tiny cut. That damn scar was the reason she had nightmares about loosing him. That was the reason why she was afraid to look at the other side of the bed in the morning, afraid that she'll see no one, afraid that she'll have to realize Luis is dead.

Sometimes she thought about what would've happened if she wasn't there with them - with Luis and Leon - that day. The knife Krauser threw made a nasty wound and when he pulled the piece of metal out, her lover was very close to dying - either from blood loss or from pain. She didn't even dare to think about it.

She climbed closer to Luis and hugged him tighter. She shouldn't think about 'what if's. To put and end to her train of thought, she kissed the scar he had on his chest.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"For what?"

"For being here with me."

"You should say a thank you for yourself as well, querida. You were a real nice doctor."

"Yeah, I managed to keep the ladies' man alive."

"I was only your man long before that."

"Yes, you were." she said with a small, happy smile, not even trying to hide it from him. "I was probably the only woman your flirting was working on." she teased.

"I achieved my goal, it seems."

Her cheeks became a lighter shade of pink, the thoughts about 'what if's long forgotten. He succedded in comforting her and making her forget about the fear she felt after she woke up.

She leaned up to give him a kiss, doing her best to put an honest thank you and I love you into it. Then she closed her eyes and let the soft patterns, what he was still drawing into her skin, put her back to sleep, this time being a hundred percent sure he'll be next to her when she wakes up.

[meanbossart]

A long over-due ask compilation (Art & Music)

It's vaguely based on a short story from the book "The Consumer" by Michael Gira, specifically "The Boss". I think it came up in conversation with a friend or something when I was picking a new username, so that's how we arrived at it - this was almost a decade ago so, my memory on it is a little hazy!

{MORE UNDER THE CUT]

HAHA thank you so much!!! Glad you enjoy what I do 😎🍻

I BELIEVE this little guide I put together over here might be helpful to you, also! I touched on pretty much everything you brought up.

As for reference material when it comes to facial expressions, I have a mirror next to my desk which I glance at often and make weird faces at LOL and for consistency, it's really a matter of learning to dissect and remember facial structure. It's just something you end up developing an eye for when you've done it for long enough! Naturally, if we're talking about drawing existing characters, it's always helpful to just look at some pictures of their mugs and take a minute to define what features about them make their faces recognizable - I touch on this at the link above as well!

I do plan on making a "drowstarion" (love that, by the way LOL) playlist eventually, life's just been kicking my ass and I hardly have the time 😭and when I do, I just wanna draw.

Otherwise I don't have any other playlists floating around at the moment, BUT the one my boyfriend made for his Vellioth comic can be found here, and it might scratch a similar itch!

Thank you! I believe this was in reference to this post. Something like that takes me about... An hour??? If we're talking just the colors, at least. Though that's a really rough estimate because I take a lot of breaks, so my sense of time when I work ends up pretty skewed. Even if the application of the colors themselves took less than 20 minutes I probably spent 2 hours just staring at it LOL.

My friend, I have no idea. I'm in a constant battle between "I want to draw more realistically" and "I want to simplify my art so I can draw more/faster". What you see is the result of that ongoing brain-tug-of-war.

Also, just the way I assume everyone else develops theirs - they see stuff they like and emulate it until their art is Frankensteinish enough to be it's own unique thing!

I'm far from a Type O Negative buff, BUT I'm happy to share some of my favorites with you! They're quite scattered across a couple of their albums so I'm not sure I have a favorite, but I would say October Rust is a good starting point.

In no particular order, these are my most listened tracks of theirs: -Love You to Death -Black N.01 -Haunted -She Burned Me Down -Can't Lose You -I Don't Wanna Be Me -Be My Druidess -September Sun -Tripping A Blind Man

Alas, I was one of those people who was already drawing in kindergarten 😅 though I would say I only started taking it seriously when I was around 15-16 years old. As someone who has tried their hand at several other hobbies since reaching adulthood, I get what you're saying that it can kinda feel like... You missed the wagon? I've felt that way about all kind of things lol

That said, I've seen adults managing to develop their art skills extremely fast and effectively before. Understanding where and how you need to improve, and how to follow lessons/guides best is something that is vastly improved by maturity and knowing how to best hone your time, attention, and resources - and those are skills we completely lack as children. So, I sincerely believe that as long as you commit yourself, you can definitely get to a point that you're happy with in a couple of years if not less.

JUST DO IT BUDDY we are all just people looking through a screen and you won't ever see, talk, or meet 99% of the folks who ever clap eyes on what you post. Whenever you start getting nervous about sharing something, take a minute to ask yourself why you're nervous, and if none of the reasons have any genuine substance besides being afraid of what people "might think", just go ahead and post it. You're no mind-reader after all, and if you are, I doubt you can hear what a guy from Argentina or wherever is thinking about the art you made.

Point is, nobody online can touch you 🤷and if someone doesn't like what you do, they can simply choose to not interact with it, and if they do you can block and move on. There are zero reasons for you to feel "bad" about putting up a doodle when our experiences on the web are so easily curated nowadays.

[lynxgriffin]

Sorry to bother you again but do you have any tips on improving my art?

I always imagine stories that I can't animate or draw because I'm not skilled enough and I always feel discouraged.

Thanks!

There's a couple of different things you can do, depending on what angle you think suits you best! Although the truth behind all of them is that the way to improve your art is to do it, and just to keep doing it. Time and practice will always get you closer to where you want to be!

If there's something specific that you feel needs improving, spend a few weeks focusing just on that. Whether it's something like faces, hands, expressions, backgrounds, values/grayscale, or what have you, actually buckling down and studying just that thing for awhile can help you take a big step forward with it. The downside is that it can become tedious, and requires a lot of actual study and focus, which can be hard to maintain on your own.

If there's not anything in particular you want to improve, honestly just doing a completed comic or animation project (especially a short one) from beginning to end will help a lot. Doing any kind of sequential art forces you to tackle a lot of different things at once, but also teaches you how to handle them all, and to do so coherently. Even finishing a five-page comic or a 10-second animation can do wonders for the next thing you do!

If what you're worried about is how people will perceive your art, especially online or with social media, remove that aspect from it and just make something you don't plan on sharing. It can be very freeing to make something for just yourself, and can help lessen any discouragement you may feel.

When in doubt, you can always go back to the well...see comics or animation that inspire you, since for me that's often a good kick in the pants to want to try and create myself. Instead of comparing yourself, see it as a sort of thing where you go, "That looks really fun! I want to have fun, too!"

Hope that helps, and good luck!

[bosskie]

Enjoying the Yaymans

I'm trying to improve my art, so I did this quick-ish thing to practice perspective and lighting.

I gotta say that I often admire the official (concept) art of OWI and I wish that I could draw/paint similar stuff. (If you ask me what's the most mind-blowing piece, it's that RuptureFarms painting for Abe's Oddysee, the one you see in the intro; man, just, I cannot find words to explain how amazing it is to me...) I mean that concept art in general since there are multiple amazing artists who have done that stuff. So, I took some inspiration to the style here from the certain art style there.

I probably messed something here since this was a challenging thing to do but I tried my best; I barely draw stuff like this. I wish to do more stuff like this since I'm trying to learn a decent quick-ish concept art style, especially when my way to draw ain't quick... I'm really not the one to say if my stuff looks 'good enough' or when it looks professional, so I'm just trying to improve my stuff in general. I just don't personally feel like my stuff is anything amazing/great/impressive...

But yeah, just Molluck enjoying the beach, naked once more... I'm still trying to learn to draw his body too since it's just so difficult... I love to create stuff but it's difficult for multiple reasons... I want too much more Molluck content, so I take that pain. Also yeah, that is a broken Abe beach ball; just for fun. Oh, and you might remember that I just like to draw Molluck in pink; it just somehow suits him!

I'm not sure about what kind of Molluck scenes to draw in this style, so I'm open for suggestions but I make no promises, for the quality or that I'll draw it; I still appreciate it.

[dandylovesturtles]

TREAT! 100 ft Away Mikey and Raph >:3

Thank you Wren for indulging me by asking about my babies c:

100ft is divided into two arcs, escape arc and recovery arc (you know, in the hypothetical future where I actually write the fic lol). Because Mikey and Raph are separated for escape arc, this is set in recovery arc. That means it's a spoiler but eh... I'm just releasing things about this AU when I feel like it haha. Skip it if you want to, though.

To give you a quick idea of where the boys are at coming into this arc, Mikey has been pretty aggressively asserting his independence from Leo (much to Leo's dismay) because he knows it's better for both of them, and Leo is also upset that Mikey is trying to get closer to Donnie and Raph, who he views as dangerous. Meanwhile, Raph and Donnie have gotten pretty close; Raph is still in a dissociative state where he doesn't talk and he still acts pretty animalistic, but he's improving the more Donnie, April, and Splinter interact with him.

Anyway no real warnings for this one.

---

Mikey stares at his ceiling, fingers tangled up tight in his blanket. The last tendrils of the nightmare curl cold around him, chasing away any hope of returning to sleep.

There's a steady drumbeat in his pulse telling him to go to Leo.

But he can't go to Leo. He can't, because having separate rooms was his idea. If he goes to Leo with every trouble he has, they'll fall right back into the same routine they've had the last ten years. They'll never move forward.

He knows all that. But he's scared. His heartbeat is loud and the room is so dark and he's terrified and more than anything he wants his big brother.

And it occurs to Mikey for maybe the first time that he has other big brothers here.

Leo wouldn't be happy about it. But what Leo doesn't know won't hurt him.

Slowly, carefully, Mikey crawls out of his hammock, dragging his blanket with him. The concrete floor of the sewer is cold, but it's not much different from the rock back in the facility. The familiarity doesn't really help with the terror in his veins.

He creeps out past his curtain and into the atrium. Artificial light streams in through the glass above, shining down on the big space and the swirling water. It's quiet in here, only the faint sound of Splinter's TV filtering in from the other room. It occurs to Mikey briefly that he could go there instead, but he still feels a little awkward with Splinter. And he doesn't want to worry him, anyway.

He creeps along the walkway, careful to be especially quiet as he passes Leo's room. He wouldn't be surprised if Leo is awake; he never looks like he slept more than a couple hours every morning. If he finds out Mikey is up, it'll be all over.

But he makes it past the blue curtain without attracting any attention; relief spikes through him, and he barely holds back a sigh.

The red curtain is next in line, and this one Mikey draws back.

Raph's is the biggest of the alcoves they're using as rooms; appropriate, since he dwarfs the rest of them. Even now, after a full month, Mikey's still shocked by how huge Raph is. He could easily crush any of them if he wanted to.

And yet he's gentle. He's never been anything other than careful with them. No matter what Leo thinks, their big brother is still in there. That, Mikey's sure of.

He creeps into the room, letting the curtain fall closed behind him, and surveys the room. Raph has a big bed, but he's laying on the nest of pillows and blankets they've made for him instead. He doesn't seem to understand the purpose of the bed, and they don't push it.

It's not unoccupied, though; Mikey can just see the tip of Donnie's snout where it peeks out from under a pile of blankets. He used to sleep buried in the mud at the bottom of his enclosure; maybe the blankets feel the same.

Donnie isn't afraid of Raph; Donnie sleeps in here more often than he does his own room. That gives Mikey courage, and he moves further into the room.

He freezes when Raph suddenly stirs, raising his head and opening bleary eyes, sniffing the air. He's not aggressive, just curious, trying to figure out who's there.

Mikey lets out a soft chirp, because Raph seems to understand that better than speech.

Raph sniffs a little longer, then lets out a soft chuff. Then he rolls onto his side, making space.

Mikey takes that as his cue to dive into the blanket nest.

Ever so gently, Raph settles back down on his stomach next to Mikey. He wraps one arm around Mikey, pulling until Mikey is cradled close to his side. He gives Mikey one more snuffle, making Mikey giggle, then chuffs again and lays his head back down.

Mikey feels warm and cozy and safe wrapped up under his big brother's arm. The last of the nightmare fades away, a comfortable drowsiness taking its place.

Mikey falls asleep hugging Raph's arm.

[amadwinter]

A different kind of WIP Wednesday

Not a fic this time, but after a wonderful post about making bad art from @unspuncreature and a little encouragement from @lilredghost (thank you 🧡), I wanted to share something else I have in progress: my drawing abilities.

I wouldn't necessarily say I'm good. In fact, sometimes my drawings are downright bad. But considering there have been times in the last year where I haven't even been able to hold a pencil due to health issues, I'm happy to be where I am and just keep improving little by little each time.

I've never shared any of these with anyone before so I'm quite nervous, but there's no time like the present.

Many photos from my sketchbooks ahead!

So, for starters, I've been drawing sporadically since I was about 11 (about 18 years). I've never seriously made a habit out of it, and I've never attempted any formal instruction or classes. One day, I'll post images from my sketchbooks from over the years, because yes, I have kept all of them for posterity's sake

Last year, 2023, I made a New Years Resolution to draw something every day.

I actually made a decent go of it and drew more than I have in years.

But then I suddenly had some health problems pop up that made my goal impossible. I struggled to hold a pencil and even write a sentence legibly. I won't go into details here, but after a few months and going through occupational therapy, I was able to write and draw again(My other symptoms, however, haven't been resolved).

I did some drawing here and there, but nothing consistent. And it felt like some of the progress I made earlier in the year had vanished. I was utterly demotivated, and could only see the bad in everything I drew.

In December, I finally decided: screw it. If I'm going to draw badly, I'll just draw badly. And its done wonders for my confidence.

But for every drawing I'm proud of, there are far more that all I can do is laugh at because of how terrible they are.

And each time I draw something I'm not happy with, I take it as an excuse to practice more, practice often, and practice everything.

I don't really have a system or a plan in place. I start out with a warmup of stick figures based on soccer, figure skating, or something similar, and then it's whatever I feel like. Sometimes it's figure sketches, sometimes it's working on hair, sometimes it's just whatever the hell I feel like.

But above all, I'm having fun doing it. Even when it doesn't turn out like I want to, even when it's not perfect, I enjoy just putting pencil to paper with zero expectations beyond doing my best and enjoying the process.

[dorkfruit]

i put this together using my computer's trackpad so the new year is already starting out . bad .

posts: J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D

template

reflections on the year, my plans for the future, some studies i did, and wips for the next year all down below for those who are interested

tldr; we will be ianthing next year so watch out!!

oh dear lord it's been another year. 2024! can you believe it! i don't talk much on this blog because i have a tendency to talk too much, but it's my little new year's treat, so here we go.

RECAP

i started taking drawing "seriously" in December of 2020, starting to do studies and stuff, and each year since i've ramped it up more and more. this year, i did. a lot of studies. there's probably like at least 200 more in my folder now (not including the 300 days worth of gesture drawings i did), with things like painting, faces, feet, poses, etc. anything i was struggling with, i went right into studying it. my art has been mediocre for a pretty long time now, and it's only the past few months where i feel i'm starting to get the hang of it, which is exciting!

more importantly, i started posting a lot more on this blog. i really like documenting my progress, looking on where i was before and seeing how i've improved. everytime i draw some fanart, im like, oooghh i can't wait to show my (: followers (: !! lots of locked tomb art of course. i've been trying to nail the energy of the different characters, which is why i enjoy books so much, because you get a lot of creative control. drawing ianthe is my fav of course, cause she's my lil nasty, but also i enjoyed doing designs for characters i hadnt thought about before, like judith.

in addition to the locked tomb, we had some new fandoms that got brief moments in between iantheposting: Fear and Hunger, Postal, Faith The Unholy Trinity, and a couple of old ones too, like We Have Always Lived In The Castle and The Merciless.

i posted about 115 times this year, although most of those are shitposts LOL i love posting stuff on my blog and showing people my stuff <3

THE FUTURE

my plans? do more ianthe art, of course. ill be working on more studies, probably going to work on developing a style, and figuring out how to paint. i'd like to do more actually finished pieces, but let's be honest, it'll still be mostly shitpost doodles. i'd like to do more weird stuff. i've been messing around with some gore and NSFW near the end of the year, and it's fun to draw for me. i like idk art that evokes some type of emotion, especially discomfort, and so i find that type of art fun to do, so if you don't enjoy what i've done thus far in that direction, perhaps this isn't the blog for you. i really like horror media, and so i want to do some stuff like that too.

for specifics, i like western type art, a comic book-esque style i'd like to aim for. but i'd like it to be a little more. weird with it. i find comic books often draw all the characters the same, and make all the characters traditionally attractive, and that's boring to me so i'll have to work on finding a way to keep things weird, while also appealing in a graphic sense. the worst thing my art could be is bland and forgettable.

locked tomb wise... more tridentarii art. need to be really weird with it. i have lots of wips planned, like i have a whole page worth of just thumbnails, so i wanna get some of those done. also i had a few animatics i wanted to do. mostly stupid shit, once i learn how to do animatics, then we'll do actual serious ones. id also like to do more comics. i have some comics storyboarded out with my girlies, i like telling a story so, need practice on that. id also like to develop a way to consistently draw them, for convenience sakes, so i'm not fighting for my life every single time i draw these characters. oh and i wanna do some outfit stuff. i draw them in like. generic clothes everytime but i'd like to come up with a few actual outfit designs, that i can just reference back to. and, of course, more shitposts. lots of stupid shit in 2024 for sure. there was something else i wanted to say here but i can't remember.

ART

oki enough rambling, here's some IMAGES for yall to look at i know everyone loves to look at images.

began this year by warming up with gesture sketches (almost) every day. i started with 20 poses (30 seconds each), and then in november i was like. ugh my hands suck i need to get better at hands, so i switched to doing 10 hand sketches (60 seconds each). i want my art to be very energetic so it's important that i do these !!

anatomy studies of extremities because i'm flopping at those -_- ive gotten better with hands but they're still a struggle. i hate feet tho still

need to get my painting game up. i joined an art forum to get advice, and the biggest suggestion i got was working on my values, so i did various value studies. also lots of faces because my faces flop !!

random doodles to work on drawing from imagination. on my "sketchbook" pages, as i like to call them, i'm usually pretty loose and messy, since the point is just to be drawing so often these will suck, but that's fine. i don't think very much when i draw faces on here either so they end up being in my Instinctive Style i suppose you could say

ianthe wip. i was planning to do a few drawings based on the idea of her having Missing Arm nightmares, but the lineart was intimidating to me so i haven't worked on this one more yet /: also there was going to be a toontown gay homosexual toxic yuri comic that i was gonna put here with it but the page is way too long so umm guess that'll have to wait.

...

anyways. thank you for reading if you got to the bottom of this! i appreciate all the support that i've been getting lately (extra big kissies for the same like 5 people who always reblog my posts youre the best). and we will be ianthing soo hard in 2024 so watch out!!

[searchingforakeythatdoesntexist]

Day 18: "Hear me out, Angel" - Good Omens, Singer Fem!Crowley upcoming? + Important Announcement (♥Print Shop Opening, and promo code for you all!!♥)

Birds flying high

You know how I feel

Sun in the sky

You know how I feel

Reeds drifting on by

You know how I feel

It's a new dawn

It's a new day

It's a new life

For me

And I'm feeling good...

"Hear me out, Angel..."

Yes, hear me out, because I have the pleasure to announce that my Print shop is finally open! (link here)

I am so excited!!!! (And nervous too, but this is quite usual for me as you know :-p)

For this grand Opening, please have this special code for -20% on your first purchase: NAH4QBRN. It will last until the February 8th, but no minimal amount!

You have been quite a few to ask me if I do prints of my art, and more often since my most recent artworks ("We're bound" & "Bliss"). Well, here we are! You’ll find there my most appreciated artworks ("ancient" style and "New Red" style) There are some beautiful close-up shots of my biggest artworks too. If your favourite artwork/close-up shot is missing, please contact me on my Ko-Fi or ask on my Tumblr and I will put it in the shop too!

Come and take a peek!!!

About the sketch

Realisation time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Today's theme: my followers on Ko-Fi discovered last night my first attempt as drawing a new Fem!Crowley of mine. “Attempt” because I lost too much time hesitating on the traits, then the colours, then the shades… And the final result didn’t even please me -_- For the Wives, I usually draw DT/MS physical traits then try to smooth it and feminise it, but it clearly doesn’t work well for me. So, I tried something different here, and started to draw in my ancient style, then slightly changed the physical traits until I obtain a face that look like DT’s Crowley face. Maybe there are some tutorials about how to draw and feminise masculine traits… But, no, it’s funnier to find by myself :-p (for now).

I have an important new project in mind, a “Singer/Musician” ensemble of artworks (AU or Canon, I have yet to decide). But you my dear GO fam, you'll have a role to play in it. So, I HAVE to be able to draw my Wives more classy and sexy than ever. For now I will train a little bit more, but I hope I will be able to talk about it soon, maybe next week?

The Daily Sketch Challenge Rules:

Personal challenge: a simple sketch each day

Goal: forcing me to keep things simple - inking, shading, just a few sashes of colour

Improvement pursued: to get the movement, the emotion, finding how to add depth, learning how to leave things barely finished

Max time allowed: 2 hours Ow bloody hell, what if I change this rule for good? Each time for the last 7 days I had a perfect raison to spend more time on my Daily sketch. (Today it was the Grand Opening =D)

[Previous] [Next Day] [First Day]

Don't forget to 💕/ reblog ;-)

Buy me a coffee? ♥ https://ko-fi.com/elenthya ♥

[patibato]

[Bitter Sweet Sixteen] 002-B03 - He Follows

Momiji: Um, okay then! Let's start our "concept improvement" meeting!

Akuta: On it!

Momiji: The point is to differentiate ourselves from our competitors while grasping the needs of our target audience—

Taking note of what we ourselves find affinity with will be essential to that.

Akuta: Com-pe-ti-tors… di-ffer-en-ti-ate… a-ffi-ni-ty… hmmm… nnnnngh…

Momiji: (Akuta-kun gets nosebleeds when he thinks too much, doesn't he. I'll have to keep an eye on that as we continue.)

Akuta: Needs… …

Momiji: Right away, huh. Let me wipe that.

Akuta: Mghgh…

Momiji: Let's see… how about we start by thinking about ourselves, and hold back on the business talk?

Just as an example, do you ever find yourself wishing things were more a certain way?

Akuta: Wishing?

Momiji: Yeah. Those would be your "needs". I think it'd be a good idea to draw out the plan from there.

Akuta: My needs…

---

Nanaki: I know. But—haven't you ever had something you can't help but think about, asleep or awake?

That's how I'm feeling right now. But I could say the same about you…

That concept you showed us earlier was completely cluttered with stuff you wanted to do.

Maybe it'd be a good idea to focus on one thing you think about often to use as a base.

---

Akuta: Yeah… I get it… yeah…

*nosebleed*

Momiji: (I'll have to wipe that soon… but first—)

It's the same when it comes to movies.

If you watch all of a certain director's movies, you can see common themes between them, can't you?

Those are the "needs" the director wants to satisfy.

I believe that's where unique concepts are born from.

"It didn't exist, so I made it myself" is something that's often said about not just movies, but books and comics and all sorts of works as well.

Since what they want to do is a matter they think about on a daily basis, they'll naturally develop a deeper understanding of it.

Using that as the basis, you can create art. You can create decisively—

Akuta: Nnnngh… hm!? I think I get what you mean!

It's like Steve Spielhamburg's movies, right!? Those have common themes, right!?

That guy probably wanted to give kids dreams! Seems like he wasn't blessed when he was little!

So the thing he wanted was to go on more adventures as a kid! And see dinosaurs and stuff!

That's why his movies were overflowing with risk and thrill! He wanted to fly through the sky with aliens!

Momiji: That's probably true. …So, thinking about yourself now, what themes and needs do you want to satisfy—

What can be made from them that's unique to the team? Think about that—

Akuta: Haa haa, haa haa haa haa…!

Momiji: A-Akuta-kun, you're bleeding too much…!

Akuta: Haa haa haa haa…! Sensei… 'm feelin' kinda di… zzy.

*thump*

Momiji: Aaaaaakuta-kun!? Is it anaemia… Akuta-kun! AKUTA-KUUUN!

---

Nanaki: Haven't you ever had something you can't help but think about, asleep or awake?

Akuta: Asleep.

Akuta: Awake.

Akuta: Something I can't help but think about.

Momiji: Wait, nothing?

Akuta: Nothing!

Momiji: Even something you worry about would do.

Akuta: My only worry is that I DON'T have anything I always worry about or want to do!

Momiji: (He's so optimistic and unconcerned… That's one of his good points, though.)

More importantly, is your anaemia better now?

Akuta: It got better after eating a ton of Ushio's chocolate~

Momiji: (Anyway, what should our next move be? It felt like we were on the right track.)

Akuta: Don't worry so much, Sensei. I've got my own idea.

Momiji: Which is?

Akuta: Set out on a journey to find the source of our worries!

All of us were at the old school building that night, but our reasons are all different.

Momiji: Ah… that's true. But you don't know each other's circumstances in detail.

Akuta: Right! Seems like they've got reasons for things getting so complicated, yeah? I'll start by asking about that.

Momiji: (I already heard from Nanaki-kun back on Shodoshima, but… I'm curious about the others as well.)

I want to know too. …That includes you, Akuta-kun.

Akuta: Eeh, I can't tell you that. There's still a biiit of time until then, yeah? For the movie's plot progression!

That said, see ya!

*door closes*

Momiji: Hey, hold on, this isn't a movie—

*doorbell*

Momiji: (A-a visitor…! This is the worst time for that!)

No choice…! Akuta-kun! Don't forget to record your weekly report!

Akuta: Sure!

Momiji: (The reason Akuta-kun was at the building… I figured he just went to shoot a movie.)

(But if he won't tell me, maybe there's something deeper to it.)

Momiji: (Like, if it's to do with that missing student, Ohno-kun I think it was? Maybe he was trying to get that incident on camera or something.)

I'm really curious…

(What would motivate him to sneak in there alone in the dead of night?)

(He's typically the kind of kid who doesn't feel any negative emotions at all…)

*doorbell*

Momiji: Yes! I'm coming!

Shumai: Bark bark bark bark! Grr grr grr grr! Grr grr grr grr! Woof woof woof woof!

Momiji: Down, Shumai! No barking! You'll scare the customer!

Apologies for the wait, who is—

*door opens*

Momiji: Huh, nobody's here? That's odd…

Shumai: Grrrrrrrr… awoooooo…

Momiji: Come on, Shumai! Calm down—

…Huh?

??: …

Momiji: (Who's this? And how did he get in without me noticing?)

??: … …

Momiji: (Why's he sniffing the house…!?)

??: Huuum… the smell is here, and yet…

Momiji: …

??: Hey you, human over there.

I'm on the hunt for a lost article—are you familiar with it?

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

[atoriv-art]

asks

putting these above the readmore because otherwise i will be speaking into the void

fave. grouping these together to say: i do read fanfic on occasion but it's usually filtered through a friend of mine who reads far more than i do! ie, she reads stuff and sends me what she likes

however she did say that i could tell people to link me things so she can read through them. so feel free to link me whatever in the replies/asks/idk. no promises i will be the one reading it LMAO but we have very similar tastes in characters/pairings and also the types of fics we like 👍

i actually gravitate towards gen fics which are a dying breed lol but you can link whatever you want <3

--

anyway. under the cut: misc asks, sasuneji 💕, also a tiny hyuga ramble

this is so late LMAO sorry, its all in my old blog @atoriv-moved ! haven't deleted any of it so if anything happened it's tumblr's fault. i miss kingdom hearts i need luxu to be in things again so i can go crazy :/

--

thank you so much!!! 😭😭 it always makes me happy to hear the emotional weight of my work comes through! it's what i'm always trying to improve to make the little scenes in my head real :)

--

thank you!!!! i never know what to say to these but they always make me smile 8)

--

thank you so much!! honestly noses still give me trouble sometimes but as someone who is particular about trying to properly translate 3D shapes, especially of the face, in my rendering it's probably one of the most important landmarks :P and i think you can enhance a design sooo much with them, despite my struggles they're one of my favorite things to draw now!

i totally encourage you to start drawing again if you want to! but i'm biased of course hehe

--

cute i never know how to answer these... maybe a little boring but i'm of the opinion sasuke is the clingier one in the rs :)

he's a very loving person but because of both his personality and collection of issues he struggles to fully articulate his thoughts in a manner that doesn't come off as rude or detached, but imo sasuke esp once he's out of his spiral would hate to have his love go unexpressed. so i think him having trouble with words and making up for it with flopping onto the people he loves like a large dog is sooooo cute, and i always think about how clingy he was as a baby.. he is made for latching onto people and wiggling them with a 😐 face

neji on the other hand is Weird About Intimacy since he's trained himself to be self-sufficient, and is hyperaware of how other people might perceive him due to him having to calibrate himself around his family. neji is very principled and especially when he's older won't let his anxieties keep him from doing something he believes in, but it gets a little more complicated when it comes to his personal relationships because for 90% of his life he had no hope of fostering those. so he ends up in a weird middle ground where he Does allow himself to express some of those feelings, but not fully, and often in a very self-conscious manner. his default answer to vulnerability is fluffing up like a cat because that's what's he's trained himself to do lol

so with these two in particular i think it'd combo into a lot of "flopping onto you like a weighed blanket because you're upset and i don't know what to say but i want to be here for you" situations, especially with sasuke doing it to neji because neji struggles with verbally articulating when he needs comfort like that. i think it works wonders for them because sometimes words get really messy when you have their combination of issues... it doesn't mean they can't talk through their problems of course, it just means that if something can be solved by the cat loaf maneuver it will be :)

--

not reading too much into it at all, i love it! i like how much people talk about my kabuto hahaha i really want to draw him more often, i think he's a way more interesting character than he's given credit for (and this is coming from someone who really didn't like him at first :P), and his hairstyle change is one of the most obvious ways to explore that visually imo!

tysm for this, i really enjoyed reading it!

--

i do! i wish more was done with her because i'm really fascinated by the implications of how she's presented, and how she could've shown that being the favorite child of someone like hiashi isn't necessarily a good thing! i always thought she seems like she's a little dissociated from life outside of the clan, which is really fun to work with (and definitely sucks for her because the clan is Not good lol)

i haven't gotten through the arduous task of watching all naruto filler (lmao) but one of my favorites is the one about hanabi and her relationship with hinata, especially the first half, episode 389 i think? i'm really obsessed with the way that episode shows what day-to-day life was like for the kids and the way the hyuga structure themselves, and how it creates distance between them. i'm pretty sure it implies hanabi (pre-plot) didn't know who neji is, for example? which i get isn't canon but i looove that thought. and on a less deep note hanabi is one of the few characters who gets a design i actually like in boruto! i think she looks soooooo cute

since i spend a lot of time thinking about them i actually am fond of all of the hyuga to some capacity, hiashi definitely in a "wow this guy sucks so much it's impressive" way but still lol i think his relationship with his brother and how it informs how he regards neji is very fascinating, or at least the directions it could have taken (if kishi cared at all.) are!

see my problem is that i wish naruto was about weird families and their issues (i am also obsessed with the suna family <3), but it is a shonen anime made for normal audiences

[flowersforbucky]

Do you have any general advice for someone who wants to post their writing but is scared to? I write a lot. But I have never posted on tumblr or anywhere else. I don't know why but I'm so nervous to.

had to add a keep reading link because i ended up rambling way more than i originally intended to 😅 sorry if this isn't helpful or isn't the kind of answer you were looking for but here's a summary of my experience with writing/posting on tumblr and some general tips -

i completely understand being nervous. i feel nervous every time i post my writing. i'm always worried that people won't like it, that it'll flop, etc. when i first tried posting bucky fanfiction about 5 years ago, and when i posted eddie munson fanfiction a couple years ago, just about everything i posted performed really poorly. i had a couple pieces that did alright but for the most part, just about everything flopped. and it was very discouraging, i would let it get to me too much for sure - i'd wonder how other people got their work to get so many notes so easily when nothing i did seemed to help.

so when i started writing/posting for bucky again a few months ago i was really nervous, since i hadn't had much luck in the past. i decided to give it a shot anyway, and told myself that i'm doing this for fun, and if people like what i put out then great, and if not then i wouldn't let it get to me because at the end of the day i'm doing this for myself, because i want to.

everything i've posted for bucky the last few months has surpassed my expectations, truthfully. i don't really know why all of my one-shots have performed so much better this time around than when i first tried to write for him back in 2019 - maybe my writing has improved? maybe i'm just getting lucky and posting at the right times? maybe it's the fact that i write more smut than i used to and the fandom seems to love that? maybe a little bit of all of those things? i'm not 100% sure, but i'm happy to give you some tips that i think work for me, at least.

also disclaimer i definitely don't think i've been doing this long enough or am a "big enough" writer within this community to even be giving advice LMAO but since you asked!!

i usually post on wednesday or friday evenings and i've had good interaction on both of those days, however fridays have been the best and i think i will be sticking to friday evening posts for the most part in the future

i usually post between 7:00 - 10:00 pm eastern time, most often around 9:00 pm - if the time you post doesn't seem to work well, try a different time with the next post

tags tags tags! add the most relevant tags first, and avoid adding tags that are irrelevant. so when i post for bucky i add tags such as the following: bucky barnes x reader, bucky x reader, bucky barnes, bucky barnes x you, bucky barnes smut, etc

write a brief summary for the piece that will draw people in but not give tooooo much away. also always give appropriate warnings

use the "keep reading" feature. to be completely honest, if someone posts something that's 500+ words and they don't use the keep reading feature, i'm instantly going to get annoyed that it's clogging up the feed and scroll past it lol. i personally like to insert the "keep reading" link a couple paragraphs into my fic so that people can read the first tiny bit of it and (hopefully) be interested enough to click the link and keep reading.

don't be afraid to reach out to other writers in your fandom and initiate friendships. i know this can be super intimidating because they usually already have mutuals that they are close with but what's the worst that can happen with trying? most people here love making new friends/mutuals and want to be supportive of new writers, though i know it doesn't always feel like that. not everyone that i've followed/interacted with has followed me back but a lot have!

tease snippets of upcoming fics before posting them (and make sure to add a bunch of tags so more people see) to help people get excited, draw in new followers, etc. pick a few lines of dialogue, or a specific paragraph or whatever, that you're particularly proud of and screenshot/copy & paste it and post it and basically say hey here's a snippet of an upcoming fic! i don't always do this but i like to on occasion

lastly, and this piece of advice won't necessarily help your writing perform well notes wise, but i think it's important to remember: write and post what YOU want to write and post. this is a hobby, this is supposed to be fun, and you are not getting paid for this. if you don't want to write smut, DON'T write it just because it's popular and you feel like you have to. if you don't want to write reader inserts and prefer OCs, then write an OC. if you prefer writing one-shots and drabbles over multi-part series, then write one-shots and drabbles! of course readers are going to have their preferences and that's fine, i have my preferences when it comes to reading fanfiction as well, but it's not your job to appeal to every reader out there. it's your job to enjoy this hobby as much as you can and write things that you're proud of.