#a lot a lot amound

[somerandomdudelmao]

how are you drawing so well in the notes app???

Practice. A LOT of practice

[iindigo-puff]

excerpts from april - july 2023

[princemick]

bro convertion rate is insane, I sometimes forget money can like, do that

[two-calicos-in-a-trenchcoat]

CW for animal death mention and alcoholism under the cut

I just need to vent

So...Mercedes probably doesn't have long left

She hasn't eaten anything but her wet food and treats for the past week. And she's been drinking way less water. She's lost a lot of weight. She hasn't been this skinny since she was sick back in 2017.

If it was completely up to me....I probably wouldve called the vet days ago and had her put down...its hard to see her like this again. And I know she's not gonna bounce back from it this time. It seemed unlikely last time but...it was brought on by the medication she was on and not by the histoplasmosis and by the time the meds were affecting her that much the histoplasmosis had evidently been cleared up despite her not being able to finish the treatment. But this time...shes just old. And she's been steadily declining ever since she recovered from the histoplasmosis meds.

But shes my moms cat too

And I dont personally have the money to pay to have her put down and cremated.

And I know my parents haven't been doing well since layla died. They (or at least my mom) had cut back on drinking A LOT before layla died. I hadnt seen my mom drunk in over a year. Not since she quit her last job.

But now its back to what it was before. Shes drunk at least 3 nights a week. If not more.

I know she's hoping mercedes will just pass quietly in her sleep

And that might happen

But shes just...wasting away in the mean time.

Before layla went i definitely would be struggling with this. But id never lost a pet before layla. Not really. A couple fish. A cat my dad dumped in the woods cuz she would get into my room while I was napping and claw my face up. But I wasnt that attached to the fish and I was 3 when we had sparks so while I remember the day he took her away and being upset...the emotions aren't really there anymore.

I miss layla like crazy. And it was definitely not an ideal situation since it happened so fast and my parents were 2 states away so I was having to make all these decisions I was NOT prepared to make

But im kinda glad she went first. I think it wouldve been harder on her to lose mercedes than it was on mercedes to lose her. It went fast enough that she didn't have to slowly waste away but not so fast that I didn't get to say goodbye to her. And mercedes health took a bit of a dive right after so...I was able to make peace with the idea of her dying while coming to terms with laylas death.

But now its been 4 months of her living in a plastic pool in my moms office

And she did seem to improve after we put her in the pool. She was struggling to make it across the hall to get water in my room (and also to make it into the litterbox)

But. I think its definitely time now and I dont know if my moms ready. She still seems to be hoping mercedes will just go in her sleep.

Anyway...there's not really a point to this beyond just trying to organize my thoughts

[latteandjacks]

I think the reason why Rambley hates Lloyd is very simple tbh

It's not just jealously, is the fact that they clearly give Lloyd way much attention than any of the other characters Like Rambley gets a big amound of merchandise of course, but in his case he's the main MASCOT, it would be like complaining that Mickey has more merchandise than Donald or Goofy, in his case it makes sense But then we have the fact that apparently don't give the other 4 mascots the same attention, Finley and Mollie don't get the same stuff Lloyd does from part of the park staff, Lloyd gets almost the same attention as Rambley and it's not fair in his eyes because why Lloyd? Why not the other two? He doesn't just question why he doesn't have a limited version Plushie like Lloyd that is ACTUALLY a new plush and not a golden spry version of his, but also question why Mollie and Finley don't get one, and Salem? They get zero, and while they're the villain and all they clearly were important as well, they had their own part on the ride and appeared on the arcade game, yet zero merchandise found

Sentient Rambley sees it as unfair that they all don't get the same attention and that Lloyd is used much more than his friends, so he lashes out on him for that It's also a funny contrast giving that MC favorite mascot was Lloyd And also I think in the in-universe canon lore they get along a lot more, it's probably just sentient Rambley

[badchriss]

1916 Sterling House Catalog-The Senator:

So, i´ve decided to finish some things before building new stuff. I guess i´m starting with this lovely simple yet elegant foursquare.

Based on a floorplan from the 1916 Sterling House catalog, i´ve build this small but comfortable house for a small family. It is filled with original architectural features, modern plumbing, heating/AC, a spacious backyard,fully build basement and a parkingspot for a car.

Things you need to know

————————————

-Lotsize is 1x3,

-1916s era foursquare,

-perfect for families,

-I have all EP`s and SP`s installed

-The Lot has a good amound of CC,be sure to check the Lot with CleanInstaller for missing,double or unwanted Custom Content.

-Credits:The Credits go to all those wonderful people who shared their Custom Content with this awesome community.

Get this thing here: http://www.simfileshare.net/download/4964331/

Have fun with it, fill it with life and enjoy it....more is in the works.

[triptychgrip]

Yuuri’s love of Viktor’s extraness

Something that I've seen a lot of in Yuri!!! on Ice post-canon fanfic is a tendency to write Yuuri exhibiting a certain amount of chagrin around Viktor's extra-ness.

Perhaps I've misinterpreted intent and simplified instances that in actuality were meant to convey something completely different, but at times, I've noted this implicit (or explicit) weariness attributed to Yuuri when it comes to his reactions to Viktor's behavior.

Specifically, his excitability and charisma.

To reiterate: I'm talking about post-canon content, meaning that Yuuri and Viktor have already bridged that initial gap between them and are in a committed relationship. I say this b/c a certain amound of overwhelm/wariness in response to larger-than-life Viktor is very understandable in the beginning, when Yuuri is not only struggling to understand why the hell his idol has come to Hasetsu, but is also realizing that the public persona that Viktor exudes doesn't match up with the flesh-and-blood being that is the real him.

This "God, why in the hell am I engaged to an excitable child?!" characterization of Yuuri confuses me, because one of the most endearing parts of the show is the fact that Yuuri is capable of 1) being just as extra as Viktor (but in different ways) and/or 2) matching Viktor's extra-ness in the way of the whole "meeting him where he is" theme.

I think there are plenty of examples of #1 (that quad flip at the Cup of China!!), and the Chihoko incident is a perfect encapsulation of number 2. With the latter, note that Yuuri doesn't minimize Viktor's insecurities by being all "you're being ridiculous, Viktor, why is THIS your way of trying to get my attention?"; instead, he tells Viktor that he could search the entire world and still find no one better. Oh, and then at Viktor's request, he strips down and joins him on the top of Hasetsu Castle.

Writing him as only being tolerant of Viktor's extra-ness (rather than celebrating it) also confuses me because as they get to know one another, I would imagine that Yuuri is able to see more clearly than most how Viktor was at a breaking point before coming to Hasetsu. You don't get to be a 5-time World Champion without being somewhat of a workaholic with extreme discipline, and there is more than enough evidence to support the idea that prior to coming to Hasetsu, Viktor hadn't really allowed himself to let loose, have fun, and do something entirely for just himself in a very long time (aside from that Sochi banquet night, of course).

So then, after coming to understand just how much Viktor might have been suppressing his true nature prior to their coming into each other' lives, why would Yuuri make Viktor feel bad about this intrinsic part of his personality? I've always gotten the impression that Yuuri would adore Viktor's innature curiosity and excitability, especially when he comes to realize that Viktor is keeping true to his episode 4 request to just be himself.

I might make a part 2 to this post, because there are honestly a lot of Viktor headcanons floating around in my head, particularly with respect to the fact that he seems like a man who has been told his entire life that he is "too much". Thus, to perceive this same attitude from the love of his life (again, maybe not explicitly, but implicitly) would probably tear him up inside.

I actually explicitly addressed this in Chapter 7 of my post-canon Olympic Games series, by way of a BuzzFeed "Couples' Quiz" appearance that the Katsuki-Nikiforovs make. Their last question to one another asks them to list the things they think their partner loves about them the most, and frankly, it was healing for me to be able to write Viktor answering that he thinks his husband loves his charisma/excitability 😭🥹

[formulaforza]

daddy-daughter dance-- d.ricciardo

pairing: daniel ricciardo x reader word count: 770 a/n: just like. who else would I write this about yk?

He’s been talking about it for ages, dreaming about it since you found out you were having a girl. They still do those, right? He’s asked, said his sister went to one every year when she was young. 

They do, still do it, you learned when she was five, and a newsletter came home with her from school advertising it. Baby, look at this, you told him, tapped on the headline in the corner of the page. Father-daughter dance. 

It was a Saturday, and he’d made a whole day out of it. Woke up early, earlier than usual, and made her favorite breakfast, served it to her in bed, woke her up with a soft kiss on the forehead, moving her sweaty hair from her face. 

After breakfast, they go to the spa–get pedicures. Daniel sends you lots of pictures, even more videos of her giggling uncontrollably in the big chair. After much contemplation, she chooses rainbow nails, with rainbow sparkles. A classy decision, Daniel tells her from behind the camera in the video he sent, very smart. 

When they get home she gifts you with two sets of foam toe separators, says they’re for the next time the two of you have a girls night. You thank her, put them in the bin that all of your nail polish is in, and then you start on her hair. 

She has his curls, long and thick and  wild and unruly. They’ve never been easy to tame. You wet them down, soak them with a spray bottle and slowly work through the tangles. “Are you excited to go to the dance with daddy?” You asked her, tugged on her hair and apologized. 

“I’m so excited!” She told you, mirrored your actions on the Barbie doll in her lap. “Me’s and Daddy will has so much fun.”

“You and Daddy will have so much fun.” You nod, re-align the part of her hair. “Daddy is sooo excited, too.”

“Really?” She says, shoots her eyes up to meet your in the mirror. 

You smile at her smile, at the crooked baby teeth and apple cheeks. “Oh, yeah.” You tell her, nod, reach for the curl cream. “The only thing he loves more than dancing is you.”

“You think?” She says, the th- sound horribly enunciated, dull and lispy and adorable. 

“I know.”

– –

Daniel’s in your bedroom, receiving updates from you, in your daughter’s room, via text. She’s wearing purple. You told him three outfit changes ago. Blue. I think we’ve settled on blue. She had not, in fact, settled on the blue dress. Yellow. Yellow, for sure. You finally said, after she looked into the mirror and said she looked like her favorite princess. 

You couldn't’ remember if he had a yellow tie–he has to, you think, you hope, because he is dead-set on matching her and there’s no way you’re going to make her pick a different outfit, no way your sanity can last another trip through her closet. 

She asks if you can put makeup on her, and you can’t imagine Daniel’s reaction to that–his little girl in makeup. You put the tiniest amound of blush on, a dollop of sparkly lipgloss, and run a dry spooly brush through her eyebrows and eyelashes. “Fabuolous!” She declares, spinning around in her dress and her dress-up disney-princess heels. 

She’s waiting on the couch, patiently playing with the tule on the skirt of her dress, picking at the sequins and the sparkles. She’s taken one of your purses hostage, a tiny white baguette bag slung over her shoulder. She put your lipgloss in it–just in case, Mom, she told you. Your lipgloss, and an old phone, sceen cracked and practically unusable, one she uses when her imagination is feeling extravagant. 

Daniel walks through the door with a bouquet of yellow and white flowers in his hand, and two plasti boxes–a white corsage and a matching boutonniere. You pin it on him, and he double wraps the elastic band of the corsage around her wrist so it doesn’t fall off, tells her she looks so lovely, beautiful like always. 

You take a million pictures of them on the front porch before they go, so many they’re both begging to go. We can’t be late, Mom, your daughter told you, huffed and crossed her arms. “Yeah, Mom.” Daniel teases, “We can’t be late.”

“Okay, okay.” You say, snap a couple more pictures, kiss them both goodbye. You watch on from the porch, hand over your heart, smile on your face while he helps her into the car like it’s a chariot, a horse-drawn carriage for a queen.

[ep1-darkblue]

the other day someone asked me why i love the osemanverce so much and what makes it so special to me

i really didn't know how to explain my love for this in a way someone who didn't really knew it would undersad

but i've thought about it a lot and so i'll explain it to you all

first of all maybe it isn't this way for other people but the amound of openly queer people in heartstopper isn't really realistic compared to my school and the people i know irl but that's already one thing i love so much about it, heartstopper makes it look realistic and makes people believe that it one day can be like that, i believe all the alice oseman books and heartstopper help people trough their comming out progress and other hard times in their lives

also the cast of heartstopper and all of alice's books are so suppotive and the representation of so many diffrend kinds of people makes everyone feel so seen and understood

and the osemanverce ofcourse brings people all over the world together trough social media and heartstopper events, you meet new people and learn new things because of the osemanverce and all the heartstopper fans out there

it's also beautiful how kind and understanding the osemanverse characters are and i truly believe real osemanverse fans all strive to be as sweet and understanding as those characters, maybe it even makes us osemanverse fans better persons when we stop juging people so fast and stop commenting on peoples clotes and we start sieng the beauty in every human we see because we know osemanverce characters would do that as well, i think that's something i miss in my other friends that don't know or really like alice's work they still say that what people wear is "ugly" when it's something they wouldn't wear or something that doesn't fit the fasion standarts and they still judge people by thier looks, sexuality or gender somethimes

what brings us to another reason for me to love the osemanverce i just want the kind of friendship the osemanverce characters have, and it makes me happy to see that many people online all believe friendships like those from the paris squad still exist, friendships without judging or hating and all that stuff that is "normal" in nowdays friendships

also it's just written really beautiful and alice oseman and all the other people working on everything that has something to do with the osemanverce are beautiful human biengs

haha thank you if your still reading and i hope you understand what i mean, have a great day or night xx

[hils79]

Hils Watches Lovely Runner - Ep 13

Wait, what? A few days earlier from when????

Wait, I thought she wasn't allowed to say anything about the future. How does giving her brother winning lottery numbers not count?

Dude, that is literally your job. He escaped from your custody in the first place!

I mean it sounds bad when you say it like that...

She should form a 'time travel compulsive liar' club with Shen Wei

Well now her mum know she was lying because Sunjae just showed up, and Sunjae has just figured out she was faking having gone back to the future. Im Sol is going to be in so much trouble!

I see this a lot in dramas. Do Korean phone messages really know if the phone has been turned off or is it just a plot device?

Sunjae is apparently way more worried about her than her own mother

I mean I can see why she's freaking out. She's already in the past, and she's run out of time travel attempts (still not sure why that is) so if something happens to him now there's no way for her to fix it. Even if she hadn't run out of time travel attempts can she even go further back into to past? All three times she's travelled from 2023 and she's never gone further back than when she ended up the first time.

Oh, no, but if the serial killer is watching her then he now knows that the cops are there. Oh no.

Yeah, sure, why bother looking for him when his face is on some posters. I do admire their commitment to doing a little as possible. All of the useful things they've done are only because Im Sol told them to. And the dude escaped 5 mins after they caught him.

Oh no she screamed for help and scared him off and now he's run into Sunjae instead. That's going to do nothing to help with the huge amound of guilt she already has.

OH SHIT!

Oh no and now the sad Jongho song is playing this is not good

Holy fuck he just went off the cliff! I mean I guess this isn't the end because, you know, it's not the end and there's still another 3 episodes left but I have no idea how this is going to get fixed this time! Wow.

Well shit.

Aww no he's a soloist now I DON'T LIKE THIS

I feel like I've seen him in something before but according to MDL I have not. Although Under the Queen's Umbrella is on my to watch list

Ah, there she is. This is what I love most about her. And obv I am sad about Sunjae but I am sure that will get resolved before the end.

Ooh I think this is the first time we've seen Taesung in the present day

Taesung is a cop now? Aww he followed in his dad's footsteps in the end. Maybe he'll be a bit more efficient

I do like that while she's clearly still grieving for Sunjae she remembered what he said about saving her being his choice so she's trying to respect that choice. And there's time for drunken angry resignation letter shenanigans

(Brian Blessed voice) SUNJAE'S ALIVE?????

HE TIME TRAVELLED AS HE WAS DYING!!! I was trying to figure out how this was going to get fixed and this didn't even cross my mind. I love that nothing in this drama is predictable

Okay, he didn't time travel but that's when his watch became a new time machine and Im Sol used it so that she never met Sunjae at all. THIS IS SO TRAGIC.

[feder-costumes]

Part one of the whole head gear shebang

I mostly aimed for it to be as light weight as possible bc the wig was already going to be quite heavy and the lighter it would be, the easier it would be to secure it on my head savely. But I also wanted the moons to be resin... so everything else had to be foam. But in the end the horns contained quite the amound of filler bc I'm not that talented with the dremel. D'uh.

And as you can see one of the moons I sculped as masters had an unlucky run it with my cat. But nothing that couldn't be fixed with MORE FILLER and then ended up as the most sloppily made silicon mold I've every made. Idk man, I was impatient and just wanted to start casting. I did curse myself later for that bc it did mean I had to sand a lot more afterwards.... but I do love my moons. They are so shiney and sparkly and catch the light beautifully on photos. u__ú

[lorienn-art]

WE WON'T FORGET WHAT WE SAW 🍉

Today I'd like to rise awareness about the ongoing situation in Palestine. Regardless of what you think politically, we cannot stay passive anymore — entire families are dying everyday so we have to do something. What can you do?: - support the Operation Olive Branch online (they share a lot of ressources as well as GoFundMe campaigns of Palestinians trying to flee Gaza): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vtMLLOzuc6GpkFySyVtKQOY2j-Vvg0UsChMCFst_WLA/htmlview - donate to the GoFundMe campaigns of Palestinians trying to leave Gaza. Even the smallest amound of money counts!! - if you're broke, click everyday on this button (it's free and it will make a donation to help Palestinians in Gaza): https://arab.org/fr/click-to-help/palestine/thank-you/ - stay informed and spray information around you: don't forget to check your sources and make sure that this genocide won't be forgotten

People's lives are at stake. Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[gilverrwrites]

Happy Birthday , I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

🎉🎂🎁🥳

How do you feel ?

I wish you the best and plenty of health!!!

I gift you this gif of Batman watching over you!

I also want to take this occasion to thank you for the fanfics that you released before your medical procedure. Bestie, you've been spoiling us!

Not to mention that they were ( as your work is) so well written! The Jason Todd touched starved one was like a Hug. I always love some comfort soft fics and you nailed them! Jason Todd being soft, loved and having affection towards him >>>>> Your characterisation of these fictional men that is so well done! The spicy Dick Grayson one was also super nice, the long story that we got with contextualization, him showing his sweet understanding side, him being accommodating with her, him respecting her boundaries and not having her feel negative things such as shame or judgement.

Ps: thanks for the health reminder, I truly need to take better care of myself and change my life habits. 💖😅

I swear to got I wrote and posted a whole as response to this, I even remember tagging it, wtf I have been so out of it.

Anyway, THANK YOU! My birthday was lovely, I appreaciate you asking. Although, like most of the last week I spent like 75% of it asleep, the specialist did not tell me how much the chemo would take out of me. I've had zero energy at all, if I'd awoken to find Batman watching over me I probably would have just passed out again none the wiser as opposed to shamelessly begging him for kisses. But there was cake!! Which is like the only thing I wanted so yay.

Seriously tho I appreciate you thinking of me while i've been recovering.

Also OMG thank you so much (again) I try so hard to get those men's personalities locked down. Thgere is almost certainly a lot of personal/fanon bias in there but oh well, if people like em, I muct be doing something right.

I hope you too have been getting a healthy amound ot rest and doing well yourself.

EDIT: omg I just realised what happen, I wrote thoe whole thing out and answered the wrong ask LMAO i was messed up

[its-my-whump]

28. “I never should have let it come this far”

Failed hero | Hospital stay | Begging for help

TW: unconsciousness, gore, blunt trauma

"I'm not coming with you."

"But you may die here."

"Probably!... BUT...It.. it's my fault. So I have to pay for that now. I never should have let it come this far." Whumpee shook his head in despair and turned away ashamed.

"Neither should have I!" Caretaker's voice was strong. A whole lot of determination in it made whumpee turn around again.

"I'm not gonna let you sacrifice yourself for these miserable, ungrateful basta..."

The intended hit not only took whumpee by surprise, it missed its target on the back of his head.

Instead caretaker struck him down by hitting whumpee's temple. He went down like a log and Caretaker's heart literally stopped.

Whumpee's limp extremities sprawled out like someone had thrown an unused puppet into the corner. His head met the ground with a sickening wet thud.

Every drop of color left whumpee's face immedately. It looked like it was drained in the same motion the red pool around his head was forming.

"Shit!" Caretaker could only hiss, while he went down to his knees and turned whumpee on his back. The pulse was steady and strong, but not a muscle moved. Even when caretaker forcefully rubbed his sternum, there was no reaction.

Panic was about to overpower everything else. Caretaker needed to fight against his breath hitching and his heart hammering away like an industrial press.

He wrapped his shirt around whumpee's head and got to his feet again, his friend in a bridal carry. The blue cotton had already turned red and made a fearful contrast to the white face.

. . .

On the way to the hospital caretaker was sure he was having a heart attack any second. Constantly one hand was feeling for whumpee's heartbeat or was held under his nose for the certainty of his friend still breathing. The friend he actually wanted to save himself from doing something so utterly stupid, that he in fact was so desperate to knock him out to stop him. 'Nicely done,...not.' He debated with himself.

The amound of blood still freely seeping through the fabric around whumpee's head was concerning, as was his lifeless form.

Finally, with squeaking wheels he annouced their arrival at the E.R. Caretaker frantically honked the horn a few times, before he jumped out of the driverseat and screamed as loud as his panicked body would let him.

"HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!"

My whumptember2023 masterlist

[firstjadeoflan]

ooc post

*flops* hello i'm just here to ramble a bit abt my silly guys don't mind me lmao MDZS SPOILERS!!

ok so. there is plenty of stuff about xichen after the temple Incident, and abt his relationship with the 3zun. but FOR SOME REASON. there's almost nothing about his childhood?? lan wangji gets the "oh he always has to be perfect and he never shows his emotions and he stuggles with the rules" and yes!! that is a problem for him! but i've seen almost nothing about the fact that lan xichen was raised exactly the same fucking way?? if not more strictly because he's sect heir.

if you can look me in the eyes and tell me honestly that: having an absent dad (i doubt lxc has seen his dad in person even once), a mom who you could only visit one a month before she dies when you're 8-9 and being raised in the lan sect as one of the twin jades of lan, who they flaunt like prizes will produce a guy with no problems then uh. i dunno i'll be very shocked because how the fuck??

anyways. people tend to focus on lwj because 1) main love interest, very important character, 2) he is well known for being all icy and distant

but like goddamnit you cannot convince me that lxc just smiling all the time is much better. no one is happy all the time. yes he genuinely is overall much happier than lwj i'd say, but. shakes him. this is not an okay guy!!

lots of people blame lxc for lwj's 33 whip strikes, saying that lxc should have stopped it from happening. yes, he should have tried. but i don't think he could ever have actually stopped it. he may have been sect leader in name at the time, but he wasn't actually doing much sect leading, and like. there are so many lan rules about respecting and obeying your elders. there's no way he could have stopped it. at best he lightens the punishment (which he should have tried to do!!), at worst he's also punished for disobeying

people also blame him for falling for jgy's lies but have you considered: jgy saved lxc's life, and was beaten and tortured for it. i feel like that explains a large amound of lxc's trust in him. combine it with lxc's tendency to see the best in everyone and jgy's acting? mmmmm yeah .-.

also, if anyone's curious as to why meng yao's being so chill, it's because imo, his main goal has always just been to survive. and it's so much easier in this world. ofc, he's still a scheming bastard. there's no stopping that, that's just who he is. he's just scheming for good/benign reasons now, and we can put (affectionate) at the end rather than (derogatory)

thanks for reading if you're here lmao i love these guys sm

[ya-boi-joule]

Ay man, I absolutely love your works!

Do you have any tips about how to make gouache work? I'm trying my best, but it just isn't arting the way i want it

But yeah I LOVE YOUR WORKS

aaAAA THANK YOU!! Thank you so much it means a lot :'>

I honestly don't know what I'm doing, figuring out gouache has been a lot of "fucking around and finding out". So I absolutely cannot speak about how one should use gouache, but what I can tell you is how I personally do things.

THE STUFF I USE

-I use the kind of gouache that you get from a tube. Apparently there are gouache that are sold in pans, but I don't know anything about those.

-Good watercolour paper is something I recommend getting, it makes painting a less of a pain.

-Because I work on a relatively small scale, I use these tiny brushes. I also have larger ones, but I like using these when painting details in faces or lineart for example.

-Paper towels for cleaning brushes but also for absorbing water/paint in case you fuck up.

SO, GOUACHE

Gouache is opaque, and the opacity depends on how much water you add. Using more water makes gouache act like watercolours, and using less water they're closer to acrylics (not sure if that if the best thing to compare it to - the point is that it is opaque, covers stuff up very well and dries fast).

With gouache you can work from dark to light, so you can add a shadow to a generally shady area and the lighten areas within it later.

HOW I PAINT STUFF SOMETIMES (this is not a tutorial lmao)

I don't always make a sketch, but when I do, I paint over it with a wash of a base colour(s), using more water. The layer(s) are trasparent enough for one to still see the pencil lines coming through. (Käärijä on the left is a better example of this). This usually helps me with mixing colours and sticking to the colour palette. Also the lines are great so I can tell what's going on.

I then add stuff until it looks about right: colours, highlights, shadows, lines, stuff, eventually the pencil lines get covered up. I use less water during these stages, and may even use colours straight from the tube. GENERALLY SPEAKING, I use slightly more water for larger areas, and less water while painting details, but that isn't really a rule or anything.

THERE WILL VERY LIKELY BE AN UGLY PHASE - that is totally normal, push through it, have a bit of faith, you'll get there.

I don't always paint like this. Sometimes I don't make a sketch, and I just layer colours until it looks right. This way has a higher risk rate for me (=nothing looks good no matter what I do and I give up), but it is fun sometimes and has yielded nice results.

SOME THOUGHTS

-Try a bunch of different stuff! See how the amound of water affects the opacity, look up tutorials from various different artists (Scott Christian Sava is a sweet man who makes short form videos on IG and YT), try painting without a sketch, etc., find out what works for you.

-A darker looking paint may dry to look light, and the other way around. So. Beware of that.

-You might dissolve layers underneath with

-Sometimes while mixing colours I add white to make it more opaque, if that makes sense? If I want to make sure that an area I'm trying to cover up doesn't peek through, I might add just a bit of white paint to the new colour.

TL;DR I GUESS

-Generally speaking I use more water in the beginning and less water later on

-There will be an ugly phase, that is normal, push through it

-Use good paper (or don't, I'm not your mom)

-Practise and experiment and try different stuff!

I hope this has been at least somewhat helpful? Again, I don't really know what I'm doing. I wish you strength, have fun with gouache and with making art in general, "hakkaa päälle" as we like to say in Finland :D

And also thank you once again for thy kind words <3