#color wheel really is so helpful in seeing these color combinations

[aprilblossomgirl]

Color (Palettes) in Never Let Me Go - Part 2

Continuing my post about color palettes in Never Let Me Go the series. Part 1 talked about the color palettes of the show in general. This part focuses on another thing that were also visible enough: Thanya’s outfit colors as well as Nueng’s and Palm’s aside from their black-white uniform. Again, all screenshots are not color-adjusted/edited.

1. Thanya’s red, yellow, and green outfits/dress/shirts over her usual dark muted colored outfits. It was noted that she used these bright colored outfits only when Nuengdiao was present -- Red, during the announcement that she will take over as the new CEO of Phiphop’s company. Besides Nueng, there were also many other people (public setting). Yellow, when she just came back from Phuket, and talked with Chanon and Palm, and then Nueng came and hugged her (semi-private setting). Green, when she entered Nueng’s room when he was watching a video of Thanya being attacked while giving a presscon (private setting). Red, when she showed a hard exterior as someone that needs to step up taking over the role as a business leader in place of her late husband. Yellow, when she showed a softer exterior in front of her son as well as her trusted employee and his son. Green, when she showed parts of her vulnerable side to Nueng as a mother who also needs to take care of a family business.

Not necessarily associated with traffic light, but, when I thought that red means stop, yellow means careful, and green means go, I think it somehow makes sense to use those colors to symbolize Thanya’s level of openness of her vulnerability to other people. She puts up wall to public and other people including Khit -- on another note, though, it seems that she didn’t mind the rather ‘close’ interaction between Khit and Nueng when she saw them hugged in her office. She trusts Chanon, and being nice to Palm, but to some extent both sides still maintain the formal boss-employee relationship. She spoils Nueng, that goes without questions, but there were some subtle shifts through episodes 1 to 3 on how she talked with Nueng. Although, I still have my doubt that she had fully trusted Nueng to share everything, in terms of her dual roles as both a mother to Nueng and a boss to Phiphop’s business.

2. Nueng’s plain shirts vs Palm’s Hawaiian/Aloha (printed floral) shirts. I think there should be other types of combination too, such as Nueng’s striped shirts vs Palm’s plain sleeveless shirts, but I will not list them in this post, yet. So, what was interesting about the combination between the plain vs the printed floral shirt is that the plain color of Nueng’s shirts were always in-line with the color combination of Palm’s printed shirts. That is, when they shared the screen together, Nueng’s shirt color was always a part of the color combination of the shirt Palm used. In short, their colors were almost always harmonious, matching to each other you may say, either in a shade mode (darker combination; there’s a mixture or presence of black) or a tint mode (lighter combination; there’s a mixture or presence of white). Somehow, I found the color pairing to be visually easy to my eyes. In a way, such color and pattern pairing may also suggest that both of them are visually balancing each other. It’s also interesting to note that, as the official trailer showed, in later episodes, we will see Nueng eventually wearing similarly styled printed shirts as well, especially during the beach scenes.

Episode 1 - first meeting: Palm’s shirt was in a gradient of light-dark color scheme with hints of black/dark gray, brown, dusty blue/green/gray, yellow, and a bit of white. Nueng’s shirt was in brown, rather similar or in a monochromatic term with that little hint of brown on Palm’s shirt. The color pairing between the two outfits was in complementary scheme.

Episode 2 - “pengyou” scene: Palm’s shirt was in a lighter color scheme including hints of red, darker or muted orange, lighter orange (more dominant), and a bit of green, with light cream as the fabric’s main color. Nueng’s shirt was in muted darker orange, similar to one of the colors on Palm’s shirt. The color pairing was in analogue scheme with some tints of orange monochromes.

Episode 3 - dance scene: Palm’s shirt was in a light-dark color scheme with the shades of green, a bit of black or very dark green, and yellow as the fabric’s main color. Nueng wore a white shirt, and a very dark green suits/outer which color was similar to one of the greens on Palm’s shirt (I double checked with the Behind-the-Scenes video to be sure, but maybe it was quite hard to decide if it’s actually a dark green or just a darker shade of any other color). The color pairing here was also in analogue scheme.

Episode 3 - shooting range: Palm’s shirt was in a darker color scheme dominated by a shade of turquoise, I think (?), as the fabric’s main color, with hints of lighter brown, yellow, darker green, white, and a bit of black. Unlike the previous three shirts, this one doesn’t include palm trees in its motif. Nueng wore a white shirt and a black vest, both colors also can be found on Palm’s shirt. This color pairing was in between almost complementary and triad (if only there’s a hint of purplish color on Palm’s shirt).

Notes: Analogue color scheme implies a similar or closer-in-relations color combination (colors are side-by-side on the color wheel), monochromatic scheme refers to a deeply harmonious and calming color combination (colors consists of one basic tone with shades and tints to it), and the complementary scheme suggests opposition or high contrast (colors are on opposite sides of the color wheel). I have yet to find any triadic color scheme, which represents a more vibrant and balanced color combination.

Reference.

[fushitoru]

WE'RE COOL FOR THE SUMMER !

PAIRING: beach boy!gojo x reader SUMMARY: on your way to meet your girlfriends on your summer vacay, you encounter an unforeseen obstacle: parallel parking. It’s good you have a hot beach boy ready to help you park! maybe you’ll give him a kiss or a bj or two to thank him for his effort… WARNINGS: minors dni, fluff, smut, oral (m receiving), meet cute, not beta read at all, first fic kinda nervous

“I really don’t think I’m going to make that…” you mutter to yourself, frantically checking the distance from the car already stationed behind you as you back up. Your anxiety spikes as you keep glancing at the road ahead to see if there were any impending cars. If there are any cars that come while I’m struggling through this parallel parking, I might as well kill myself. That might be faster for both of us.

You bite your lip in frustration as you try a combination of backing up, turning the wheel, going forward, and turning the wheel again, concentrated on inching your way into the tight parking space. After being in the state of half being inside the parking space and half out, you take a break to bang your head against the wheel, cursing Shoko for leaving you alone when she insisted on catching up with you at the hotel when she saw a pizza place she’s wanted to go to. The Hawaiian pizza she abandoned you for better be really fucking good.

As you ready for yourself to struggle through finishing parking properly, your soul almost leaves your body as you hear an assertive knock against your window. You pinch your eyes for a bit, steeling yourself for the mortification you’re about to bear, and then turn. Your eyes widen.

Looking at you through your window was a tall man, hunched over with an amused smile. He had blue eyes and white hair---hair you would’ve normally thought looked weird on people because you refused to dye yours with anything but naturally occurring colors, but it just worked on him. Without making him look like he was a weird otaku cosplaying an anime character.

Needless to say, you’re nervous and feel your face burning up as you roll down your window. “Hi, I know that I’m taking up a lot of space, but I’m just struggling through parking this right now. I’m really sorry. They did not teach this to me in driver’s ed---”

“Hey, hey. Calm down. You’re okay,” he chuckled. Wow, his voice was deep. Not crazy deep that he sounded like those TikTok guys straining their voice for their thirst traps or anything, but enough to definitely be deemed a panty wetter. “I’m Satoru. Let me park your car for you.”

Oh. Well, that was helpful. Kind of overwhelmed, you choke out a “oh, thank you” and get out of the car. As soon as you open your door, you blush at the rest of Satoru----he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt in the sluttiest way possible with some shorts. You covered your nose in case you got a nosebleed at the sight of his shirt open, glistening abs on full display.

As he got in, you awkwardly stood by his car, parked perfectly behind you. You gaped as he effortlessly got your car out of the weird orientation you had put it in and parked it, a perfect distance between the cars surrounding it.

He shifted the gears to park it and got out of the car, walking up to you. “So…what’s a girl like you doing out here?” He places his arm on top of his car, effectively caging you between his cars and his bare chest.

You cursed yourself as you began to feel yourself burning up in his oh so close gaze. “Uh, I’m here on a trip with my friends.” You were finding it hard to find a place to look at. Eye contact was impossible with piercing blue eyes looking at you, lidded, and you would probably face charges if you stole any more glances at his chest. You decided to keep looking at his biceps.

He smiled confidently. He knew he was hot, and maybe he even had pussy vision that consulted him on what to do around you because wow you sure were nervous and going crazy down there. “Where’s your boyfriend? Can’t believe he left you to park on your own, baby.”

Oh. “I don’t have one.” His gaze widened imperceptibly, and, slowly, he lowered his gaze to rake over you. Meanwhile, you were freaking out. No one this hot had ever flirted with you, except for some frat boys that were trying to get into your pants during college. You weren’t such a fan of STDs, though.

“You sure? It’s hard for me to believe a pretty girl like you isn’t cuffed up.” You would’ve scoffed at how obvious he was being, but you hadn’t gotten laid in a long time. And this was your ticket out of your dry spell.

It was time to lock in.

You put a hand on his shoulder and leaned back onto his car, flashing him a smile. “You know what? I really want to…show you my gratitude. Can I give you anything?”

Suddenly, you felt his face inching closer to you. His voice was breathy when he said, “Yeah, I can think of something.” He was looking at your lips, and you could feel his breath fanning your face. Clearly waiting for your consent, you pulled him in both arms to lock your lips together.

Satoru grabbed your waist and forced his leg between your thighs. You whimpered when you felt his knee rubbing you directly on your pussy as you continued kissing him. For stability, you started dragging your hands up and down his torso, finally having an excuse to feel up his abs.

You two went back and forth for a few minutes before pulling away, panting. You faux pout, trailing your pointer finger over his chest. “You know, I don’t really think that showed enough thanks. Can I give you a little something more inside my car?” You look up at him with doe eyes only to see him with a wide gaze and blushing face. He nods, and you grab his arm to drag him into your backseat.

“Aw, give it a little kiss, baby. It’s so excited to see you,” Gojo remarks down at you, but soon afterwards groans, throwing his head back when you give his tip a little kiss. You start kissing his cock all over, making sure to look at him as he falls apart over your mouth. Fondling his balls, you give his tip gentle licks, teasing him. And it clearly agitates him---he starts thrusting up, trying to get himself inside your mouth.

“Please, baby, don’t be mean,” he whines, “Be a good girl and open your mouth.” Done teasing him, you fully envelope him in your hot mouth, bobbing your head and trying to take him in.

He hisses as soon as he feels your mouth on him and starts blabbering. “Wow, baby, your mouth is so good. So tight and hot f’ me.” Blinking away your tears, you finally take your eyes away from his dick to look up, panties immediately sullied from the sight above you: him looking down, face strained and hot from the pleasure he was receiving. His abs clenched every time you took him In further, your hot breaths through your nose fanning his pelvis.

His hand comes down, stroking your head gently as you continue taking him in your throat. “You’re thankful, baby?” You nodded. “Lemme grab your hair for a bit, I’ll feel really thanked.” You bunch your hair in a ponytail, giving him the opportunity to grab it. He does as promised; he grabs your hair by the scalp and starts moving your head over his cock, setting his own pace with your mouth.

You can tell by his ragged breaths that he’s getting close; you start gently touching his balls again, which sends him over the edge. With a choked take it, baby, he spills inside your mouth. You, of course, take it in. As soon as he’s down from being overwhelmed from his high, you open your mouth to show him the cum you have on your tongue. He groans upon the sight, and you swallow it. He pulls you up and slowly gives you kisses across your face, and you reciprocate. After another heated make out session, you exchange numbers and a goodbye kiss.

Locking your car and walking out to finally enter your hotel,  you fantasize about meeting up with him later to do more debauched things. You were really excited for this summer.

a/n I might do more parts of this if people want more! I have some other ideas for jjk men that I’ve been dying to write so I will be doing those too :3

also sorry for any mistakes it’s unedited bc I got impatient and wanted to post it

reblog and comment if u liked it!

[littlexdeaths]

steve harrington x fem reader

18+ ONLY MDNI

warnings: injured steve, unprotected piv sex, car sex

a/n: this is an old blurb of mine that i’ve re-edited and added onto. i am the biggest slut for a injured man what can i say? enjoy xx.

steve is bloody, bruised and completely exhausted.

fighting off demo-dogs and billy hargrove really did a number on him. the blossoming bruises beneath his eyes and the brightly colored band-aid on his forehead are a testament to that.

but that didn’t stop him from wanting you any less, his chapped lips beginning to roam the expanse of your throat after you dropped dustin off at home.

“steve, baby…” you sigh, gripping tighter onto the steering wheel. “let me get you home first, so i can clean you up.”

steve just groans against your skin, his hands starting to wander further south as you continue the drive towards his house. you don’t make it much farther though, having to pull off on the side of the deserted road as his fingers unbutton your jeans.

“steven,” your attempts to scold him are all but futile as his fingers slip beneath the fabric of your panties and it comes out as more of a breathy plea instead.

“we almost could’ve died back there, honey,” he answers, circling over your bud as he nips at your overheated skin. “just don't wanna waste another second with you.”

he quickly removes his hand from your center, helping you out of your jeans and into the backseat of his car. steve coaxes you onto his lap, gripping your hips tightly in his large hands. your thighs bracket his own, the heat from his body radiating through the denim.

your lips brush against his bloody ones with the utmost care, as to not cause him any more discomfort. but steve isn’t having it, pressing his lips more firmly against yours with a deep seated groan.

“no need to be so gentle, baby,” he chuckles. “i’m not gonna break.”

his words seem to be a direct contradiction of his current state, but there’s no use in arguing with him. especially when you want him just as badly. your hips grind down as he kisses you with an urgency you’ve never experienced before. your clit catches against the growing bulge in his jeans, the denim providing some much needed friction.

you can feel yourself getting wetter the longer steve guides your hips along his clothed cock. the combination of your heavy breathing begins to cloud the windows of the bmw, the air between you sticky with desire despite the cool temperature outside.

your body trembles in his arms as he continues to rock you against him until he can't take it anymore, his hands only leaving you to unbutton his jeans.

“shit— i need to feel you, honey.”

his desperation has you whining into the flushed skin of his neck as he pulls his cock from the confines of his jeans. he teasingly rubs the tip against your now soaked panties, catching on your clit once, twice, a third time before you’ve had enough.

you wrap your palm around the base of his shaft, sliding your panties to the side before you sink down onto his length.

steve's head falls back against the seat with a strangled groan as you allow him to fill you. your own face burying itself in the crook of his freckled neck, your breath comes out in small pants once you’re fully seated.

he’s just so big, and so deep that you could’ve finished from that feeling alone.

“stevie,” you whimper softly into his shoulder, allowing the male to lift your hips before guiding them back down.

it’s slow, intimate as he continues to bury his cock inside you, pulling the prettiest sounds from your lips. your fingers are tugging on the hair at the nape of his neck, his whines of your name filling the car.

he knows you both are getting close but steve can’t handle not being able to see you anymore. he gently coaxes you from your hiding place to meet his piercing gaze.

the moonlight that streams through the windshield highlights his battered and bruised features, and despite his injuries he’s never looked more beautiful. his eyes are molten honey as they take in the dirt dusting your cheeks and the small cut above your left eye.

but he’s looking at you as if he’s seeing you for the first time.

“god, i love you.”

the words are spoken before he can stop himself, his heart pounding beneath his rib cage. any doubt or fear leaves his mind as he feels your walls flutter and tighten around him in response to the confession.

“i love you, steve harrington.”

[sunrenity]

ANYTHING FOR YOU  、NRK

ㅤ୨ৎㅤwhenever you're with riki, all of your fears disappear.

nishimura rikiㅤ✶ㅤfemale readerㅤ ｡｡｡ ㅤest relationship, fluffㅤⓘㅤreader hates riding bikesㅤwcㅤ759ㅤℬookshelfㅤzehra's note.ㅤi have no idea how i ended up talking about ducks but here we are 🤷‍♀️.

you hated bikes. the mere thought of balancing on two wheels, feeling the wind whip past you, and the potential for a hard fall was enough to make your stomach churn. you remembered the time when you were a kid, and you tried riding a bike without training wheels for the first time. it didn't end well, to say the least.

the scrape on your knee took weeks to heal, and the fear took even longer to fade. yet here you were, standing beside nishimura riki, your boyfriend, as he wheeled his shiny black bike out of the garage, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"come on, y/n," riki urged, his voice a mix of persuasion and reassurance. "i promise, you'll be safe with me."

you bit your lip, the apprehension clear on your face. "riki, you know how i feel about bikes. i don't think i can do this."

he walked over to you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. "i know you're scared. but trust me, okay? i want to take you somewhere special. just hold on tight, and i won't let anything happen to you."

you looked into his eyes, those deep, comforting eyes that always seemed to melt away your fears. with a heavy sigh, you nodded. "okay, i'll do it. but if i fall, you're carrying me the rest of the way."

riki laughed, a sound that warmed your heart. "deal."

he helped you onto the bike, his hands steadying you as you climbed on behind him. you wrapped your arms around his waist, holding on tightly as he kicked off and started pedaling. the bike wobbled slightly at first, and you felt your heart leap into your throat. but riki's steady presence was reassuring, and you found yourself relaxing just a little.

"see? not so bad, right?" he called back over his shoulder.

you managed a shaky laugh. "if you say so."

as you rode through the quiet streets, you could feel the tension slowly leaving your body. the rhythmic motion of the bike, combined with the warmth of riki's back against your chest, was strangely soothing. he steered with confidence, his movements fluid and sure. it was clear that he knew what he was doing, and that knowledge helped to ease your fears.

"where are we going, anyway?" you asked, curiosity starting to replace your anxiety.

"it's a surprise," riki replied, his tone teasing. "but i promise it's worth it."

you sighed, resting your head against his back. despite your initial reluctance, there was something undeniably exhilarating about this experience. the world seemed to blur past you in a whirl of colors and sounds, and you felt a sense of freedom that you hadn't expected.

after what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, riki slowed down and turned onto a narrow path that led into a small, secluded park. he stopped the bike and helped you dismount, his hands lingering on your waist for a moment longer than necessary.

"we're here," he said, a proud smile on his face.

you looked around, taking in the serene beauty of the park. there was a small pond in the center, its surface shimmering in the late afternoon sunlight. tall trees surrounded the area, their leaves rustling softly in the breeze. it was a peaceful, idyllic spot, and you felt a sense of calm wash over you.

but what really caught your attention were the ducks swimming in the pond. they glided gracefully across the water, their small, feathery bodies creating gentle ripples. you watched them, entranced by their peaceful movements. riki must have noticed your fascination because he nudged you playfully.

"you like the ducks, huh?" he teased, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "should i get you one for a pet?"

you laughed, shaking your head. "you would do that for me? steal a duck for me?"

riki's eyes widened, and he looked genuinely panicked for a moment. "wait, i didn't mean—"

you laughed even harder, cutting him off. "relax, riki! i'm kidding. i don't actually want you to steal a duck."

riki exhaled in relief, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "good. i was worried for a second there. stealing a duck is definitely not on my to-do list."

you leaned into him, enjoying the warmth of his arm around your shoulders. "well, even if you did, it would be kinda cute."

he chuckled, pulling you closer. "i guess anything for you, but let's stick to visiting the ducks here. much easier and less illegal."

PERM TLㅤ ✦ㅤ @en-gelic @nishislcve @jakesprincess1 @ivsjake4evr @flwrstqr

[robobee]

I'd love a combined comedy/horror where Henry goes on that road trip because he's scared Gansey's come back wrong. And we keep seeing him being like oh my god this is the proof and it's just normal Gansey stuff that he hasn't experienced yet due to only knowing him for 6 months. He works up the courage to mention something to Blue because he's worried for her and she's just like dude. This guy has always stared absently into the distance while muttering about nothing. If anything that's proof he came back RIGHT.

I FORGOT ABOUT THIS ASK HELP SORRY ITS BEEN A MONTH.

henry is sooo paranoid hes like caveman spongebob every time gansey stands stock still and turns to gaze lovingly directly at the sun. hes like [slowly reaching for waistband pistol][building violin Conjuring music] richard.... will you come recite this book of bible verses for me... and gansey's obviously like erm. No Thanks? and blue has to gently pickpocket henrys bullets and remind him ganseys pretty vehemently agnostic actually

bluesey think henry is having Sad Third Wheel Emotions when he stares at them from the corner of his eye and theyre all like oh but we MUST involve him.. hes so upset to be apart from us... meanwhile henrys thought process is going over a 4 page google form checklist of like "changes in gait" "sclera coloring consistency" "posture differentials" and notes like "keeps glancing at me-- violent intent?? placed hand on my back: demonic influence and antagonistic tendency? leaned in strangely; broke personal boundaries: such lack of impulse control suggests active possession. will report additionally on confirmation."

his easygoing masking only lasted the first week and then he went FULL autistic mafia-baby mode after and its kind of really awkward when hes not actively bridging THEIR awkwardness so until they realise they can kiss (month 4) it is just MISERABLE

[cjgladback]

I went to my first fiber festival this past weekend! Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival; if I'm still in this state come June next year, I'll probably be back and would love to meet anybody else there. Socializing/hanging out/talking to people without feeling like I was obstructing Real Customers was the one thing I missed, though I didn't really get to any of the free lectures so maybe that's where I could've met some people. Since it was an unknown situation with a lot of people and nearly an hour drive each way, I strategized to make sure I'd go:

First day, I signed up for a couple volunteer shifts. Absolutely a recommended strategy.

Got to be helpful!

They happened to have goodie bags, to help me justify the gas and time (I now have a nice tape measure to replace the one that's been vacationing with a missing sewing kit for a couple years and a lasercut wood two-inch gauge window that might help me with consistency versus my suboptimal practice of just trying to knit perfect squares when swatching in pattern)

I got to learn things about the layout and schedule I wouldn't know to ask when answering questions and acting as a gofer -- especially true working two different locations

And of course, some people were pretty much guaranteed to be happy to see me!

Second day, I signed up for a workshop in the morning so I'd be there and able to shop for anything I needed at the end. Ombre yarn dyeing was the class! It's acid dyes, something I'm several years off from wanting to get into enough to commit to dedicated cookware, full pots of dye powder, etc. The room with the workshop was a barn that had plenty of outlets--but they did not represent plenty of breakers. So there weren't quite enough functional heating elements for the class to have sufficiently cooked our yarn before leaving, and I did need to risk a giant stock pot at home for three batches of four jars, almost-simmering in a water bath for thirty minutes each, of the yarn that hadn't proven it was done (all but the two palest greens). I was a little worried the delay/drawn out heat situation would affect the results but if it did it wasn't much; I got pretty much exactly what I was hoping for with my two color gradient and the single is great too!

The single dye gradient is the color Moss, which did some interesting things with the red portion separating out once they were heated. Every skein has redder blotches, so I'm not bothered about any inconsistency -- if anything it'll help my finished product camouflage stains. Though it was definitely a surprise for me and the other Moss user in the class when our first yarn to have exhausted the dye was the complementary color to what it went in as.

The two color gradient used Rhodamine Red on one end, which was one end of one of our instructor's samples where she chose a cool-green for the other end to show how multi-component dyes mix less predictably than most paint. (It was kinda like shading with markers where you can still see washes of the pink and green in what you squint at and call a grey-brown.) The other end was Cantaloupe, which was one of the maybe three colors she didn't have a sample cut of yarn for. But she described it as the flesh of a perfect ripe cantaloupe and obviously I had to see that, and it sounded like it would be fairly guaranteed to combine nicely with the magenta while being just enough around a bend in the color wheel to be interesting--warm orange versus cool pink. As I said, it turned out pretty much exactly as I was picturing. Not anticipated was how much the jars looked like they were full of some delicious dragonfruit-mango beverage. Were I still a barista I'd be trying to recreate this for my shift drink.

Image descriptions under the cut.

[ID: Five images following fourteen small skeins of sock yarn dyed in individual glass jars, in two gradients. One gradient is six skeins from a medium forest green through a pale creamy pink, the other is eight skeins from a vibrant yellow orange through an even more vibrant magenta. The first photo is inside under fluorescent lights, showing the 32oz glass canning jars with metal lids and rings, full of dye and yarn on a table at the end of the class in which they were filled and heated for a short time.

The next two images are animated gifs. The first gif is two frames showing the finished dye jars sitting in grass, with their yarn and with it removed. The green gradient left only transparent blue color in its jars, and most of the pink to orange gradient's water looks more orange without its yarn, aside from the third and fourth jars from the orange end, which shade toward a neon lilac with the peachy pink yarn removed. The second gif is a view of the inside of the bright green wash bucket, with just the pink-orange yarn in it, then all of them mixed up, all as they were after a soak with the rust-brown water, in the first rinse, and that rinse water alone showing its transparent but still brown tint.

The last two photos show the gradients lined up along a weathered wooden bench on the side of a deck. The first photo has the wet piles of yarn bundled in front of each of their respective jars with remaining dye. The final photo has the clean, dry yarn wound into center-pull balls and still vibrant in the direct sunlight. End ID]

[gnawe]

hi can i ask what helped you to get so good at shapes and colours :o i love the atmosphere ur arts have

wow, thank you! that means a lot to me esp bc i've been trying to improve those areas in my art so i'm glad it comes across 🫶

i approach shape from a more graphic than painterly viewpoint (i can't escape graphic design even when i draw 🥲) so i think about shape in terms of functionality and readability. i really recommend looking into design theory, i liked sinix's videos about this when i was first learning about how to drawe.

my main strategy to create good shapes comes from working strictly in black and white. this makes you focus solely on trimming down the main values in your piece and creating more expressive and readable silhouettes. i love comic art, so when i do this i go heavy on shadows and sharp contrast but thats also just my taste. also when doing this i prefer lasso tool over brushes so you have no choice but to create shapes not lines. either way, limiting your drawing to a couple values will tell you right away what shapes are reading correctly and which need more work.

as for color, the main tips i have are to be aware of contrast and pick intuitively. once your values are in place you can pretty much do anything! i start by picking a main few colors i think overall represent the tone i want to portray in the piece (melancholy, joy, etc) these are totally up to personal interpretation. imo the majority of impactful color schemes are just variations on complementary duos. after i pick the colors i know i want to use for sure, i let the color wheel dictate the rest of my palette.

i also found being mindful of color vibration actually helped me pick better colors. its basically when colors next to each other are too similar in value and creates this haloing effect thats difficult to look at, you see it a lot with super saturated hues. when doing digital art, it happens more subtly and noticing when to up the contrast while picking colors has helped me understand color better.

also experiment with layer modes! if your values are right in your blocking stage you can gradient map that sucker and use it as an overlay to create more fun color combinations. when you work in rgb the world is your oyster

thanks for asking! heres a process gif that will probably explain this better than i have

[oftenwantedafton]

the long way home | steve raglan x female reader

inspired by @arkarti ’s ongoing fanart series

rating | explicit

words | 4.7k

cw | sexual content

ao3 link

It’s the worst sort of luck, breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

The only saving grace is that it happens in the early morning, just after sunrise. You walk that dusty interstate road for what feels like hours. You have cowboy boots on that are meant to be flashy, not really proper footwear. Your heels are killing you and the sand that decorates the barren landscape feels like it has seeped into every pore and crevice. You can taste it, feel its grit in your hair and on your skin. The sun beats down and you’re grateful that you at least have sunglasses to shield your eyes. You’ve got your hair pinned up but it doesn’t really help with the heat much. You’re drenched in sweat that makes your tshirt cling to an even wetter bra and your skirt drags against damp thighs with every step. Sheer misery and yet you plod on, because you can’t—won’t—go back where you came from. There is just the promise of something more, moving forward.

You think you hear an engine and turn your head. The road has that shimmery haze to it, making it difficult to discern if there is anything moving over that lift of pavement you’d navigated awhile back. It’s getting larger, closer, so you decide it’s not a mirage after all. The vehicle is the same color as the ground you’ve grown to detest trodding over, a bland beige shade with a slightly darker interior. You grind to a halt and the sedan slows and pulls onto the shoulder, the tires dipping off the asphalt and onto the dirt.

You’ve been taught never to pick up hitchhikers, but not what to do when faced with the prospect of being one. Your steps are cautious as you approach the parked car. You haven’t gotten a good look at the driver yet, not that that was any clear indication of their intentions. Looks could be deceiving. Anyone could be dangerous.

The man—you can see it’s a male now, behind the wheel—leans over and cranks the handle of the window around, the glass descending and disappearing from view. He’s got a long sleeve shirt on which seems a poor choice given the climate, but you can feel the cool waft of air that emanates from within. The car has air conditioning. You find yourself taking an involuntary step closer towards that promised land. To be away from the sun. To feel a cool breeze. You’re not sure you can resist that kind of temptation.

“Need a ride?” It seems a foolish question. Of course you did. You’re hardly out for a leisurely stroll. “That was your car back there, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, she quit on me.”

“That’s a shame.”

The man’s voice is pleasant. You like the sound of it. There’s a rasp to it, combined with something else that’s difficult to describe. You notice he’s wearing a tie to go with the shirt. A traveling salesman, maybe? He’s got that demeanor. Smooth talker. Neatly trimmed facial hair, the same blend of salt and pepper as the rest. Glasses. Friendly smile that makes the lines around his eyes crinkle, becoming more pronounced. Dimples, too. You know you’re staring and you know it’s rude. You shuffle your feet, kicking up a little cloud of dust.

“I’m happy to give you a lift somewhere. I promise I’m not a serial killer.” He chuckles softly and you join him, relaxing slightly. The driver seems innocent enough. Maybe you’re just being paranoid.

Still you hesitate. You glance back the way you came. You look ahead. It all looks the same. So far to travel on foot. It was almost midday. The temperature was rising. It isn’t just about discomfort; it’s dangerous to your health, being out here like this.

“I’ve got water. Ice has melted by now, but…”

It’s the final shove you need. You lift the chrome handle and settle inside, cranking the window back up. The shift in the temperature is incredible. The shade. You murmur your gratitude. A thermos is pressed into your hands.

“Make sure you put your seatbelt on. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” You finish gulping down the drink he’s gifted to you. Best damn thing you’ve ever tasted. You hastily jerk on the nylon strap, securing it over your shoulder and across your waist, the buckle settling into place with a satisfying click. You offer to return the drink, secretly glad when he insists you finish it.

You drain that container so fast your stomach aches. The ice hadn’t melted that much, actually. You keep the leftovers in your mouth, allowing them to dissolve. You squirm a bit, your feet still uncomfortable.

“Take those off, if you want.”

“Thanks. I’m sorry if my feet stink. I wasn’t planning on walking so much in them.” You bend and tug each one off, sighing in relief. Your bare feet curl against the shallowly carpeted floor mat. Sheer bliss, except those tender spots you’re pretty sure might be forming blisters. You’re not going to prod them just yet to verify.

“Thanks again for giving me a lift.” You introduce yourself.

“No problem. I was heading in this direction anyway. No reason not to. Put the radio on if you want. Or take a nap.”

You’re not sure sleeping is the best idea right now, as weary as you are. The man is still a stranger. So you opt for the first choice, fiddling with the dials until you find a station with a decent signal. Not really your type of music, but at least it’s background noise. You let your head tip back into the cradle of the head rest. Your eyes shut. You’re only going to rest them for a moment.

You fall asleep.

***

You jerk awake, suddenly aware the vehicle has stopped.

There’s a definite trail of drool leaking from the corner of your mouth. You swipe at it hastily, straightening in your seat, your eyes darting around frantically. You’re suddenly thinking of the drink you’d been offered. Drugged? How stupid and careless can you be?

No. You’re mistaken, surely. Just tired. You can see you’re at a gas station. He’d stopped at a gas station. Nothing wrong with that.

You struggle to shove your feet—yes, those are blisters, a matching set for each foot—back into your boots, depressing the button to release the seat belt’s buckle, the restraint making a little whining sound as it retracts back into its plastic casing mounted on the side of the car. You push the passenger door open and it creaks in protest. You’re not about to pass up a chance to use the restroom, as vile as it probably is, and grab yourself a drink and a snack.

The man giving you a lift emerges from the store, and you realize then just how tall he is, mostly legs that go on forever. He’s got a rolling sort of walk that draws your attention to his hips. Your cheeks flush and you force yourself to look at somewhere safer, fixing back on his face. There’s a piece of cherry licorice between his teeth, shiny red twined ropes tucked through a barrier of even white, the pocket of his shirt bulging with what looks like a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of soda in hand. “Hey. I was going to wake you, just wanted to give you a chance to rest a bit more. You were really worn out.”

“Yeah, I guess I was.”

“Want something from inside? My treat.”

“No, I…I got it. You don’t mind waiting?”

“Not at all.”

“Th…thanks. I won’t be long.” You duck inside the shop to get a key for the restroom. It’s attached to a comically large piece of scrap wood. You unlock the restroom door and push it open with trepidation. Okay, not terrible. Seems relatively clean. Certainly not the grossest you’ve seen. No paper towels in the dispenser, but at least there was toilet paper. Even soap in the pump on the wall. Definitely could have been worse.

You return the key and peruse the aisles quickly, aware the man is still waiting for you. You decide water is still the best for hydration, opting for a package of mini powdered donuts for a snack. Not the healthiest option, but hey, you think you’ve earned it considering the day you’ve had.

Back inside the sedan, you slide the seatbelt back into place. You shove your feet free of the boots again and crack the plastic wrapper off the water bottle. It’s one of those ones with the nozzles you pull up and down to open and close it. You take a long pull and get started on the donuts. Your companion has made short work of the candy, chewing and staring at nothing in particular. He reaches for the pack—cigarettes, just as you’d suspected—in his shirt pocket and pulls the bit of red plastic tab that marks where to unravel the wrapper. He glances over at you as if to ask if you mind and you shrug. It’s not really your place to tell the owner of the vehicle you’re in if he can or can’t indulge.

He leans and pushes in the cigarette lighter on the dashboard, slotting one of the paper rolls between his lips while he’s waiting. For a time you sit in companionable silence, you nibbling on your donuts, your fingers and lips already dusted in powdered sugar, while the older man lights the end of his cigarette and takes a deep inhale, sighing the smoke out of the open window. You’re surprised he’s a smoker, honestly; his teeth look too pearly white for that. Maybe it was something he only did rarely, when the mood struck him. Traveling with a young female hitchhiker, perhaps.

You demolish the contents of the package in your lap embarrassingly quickly. You’d been starving. You lick the white coating off your fingers and lips and feel the man’s eyes on you as you crumple the plastic packaging in a tight ball. He points to the center console, where the lone vacant cup holder holds spare change and a faded looking receipt, the other occupied by his soda. You deposit your trash there and take another sip from your bottle, staring out the window. The engine rumbles to life. You hear the window crank being rotated and you copy the man, closing your own. The cool air soon returns, drafting welcomingly over your skin. The car is moving again. You’re on your way once more.

***

When the sun starts to go down, things feel different.

Maybe it’s because the radio signal has finally gone out of range. You tire of working your way through bursts of static and finally shut it off.

You wonder if the driver is getting tired at all.

He doesn’t seem it, his eyes focused on the road his headlights reveal, his posture still straight and upright. You don’t know how he maintains it. You can’t stop squirming, trying to get comfortable. Your ass hurts and your legs are cramped and you just want a shower and any even remotely flat surface that can serve as a bed.

“You never mentioned where you wanted to go.”

His voice startles you. It’s been so long since either of you has spoken. You’d forgotten how his sounded. That pleasant gravel drag.

“Hurricane. But I know that’s still a ways ahead. I don’t expect you to take me all the way there.”

“What’s in Hurricane?”

“Not what. Who. My sister.”

He grunts. “I’m going to Hurricane as well.”

“Really? Why?”

“That’s where I live. Where my business is.”

“What business is that?”

“Restaurant.”

“Really? Which one?”

“What do you think about stopping here for the night?” He gestures and you look through the windshield, seeing the lights of a motel glowing like a beacon against the growing darkness.

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

The turn signal taps in a rhythm that sounds a little too rapid, matching your elevated heart rate. You’re feeling nervous again. Mistrustful, although if the man had wanted to take advantage of you, he certainly could have done so before now.

He pulls into one of the empty spots in front of the office that shares a similar bit of crimson neon to match the motel’s vacancy sign. You speak before he exits the car, feeling pressured to say something before this continues any further.

“I’m grateful for the ride, and I know you’ve been nothing but kind this far, and I appreciate it. I might…I might just see if my sister can come pick me up tomorrow. I hope you’re not offended.”

He pauses, his fingers still curled around the door handle. “If that’s what you want.” You nod. “Alright, then. I guess this is where we part ways. Good luck to you, miss.”

“Thanks. You, too.” You’re suddenly feeling guilty. He really was just a nice guy trying to help a stranded woman out. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. “Maybe I’ll visit your restaurant, leave a generous tip for—” The door shuts and you cease talking. Well. That was one way to end a conversation.

You pull the boots back on and exit the car for what you think will be the final time. Your traveling companion is already inside, speaking to the man behind the counter. You can see the rows of keys with red tags hooked on the wall behind him. The man turns and pulls two down while the driver scribbles into a book on the counter. There’s a faint jingling of bells to announce your arrival, and the man passes you without a word.

“I need a room please. Single.” Your eyes glance down at the log book. You can’t read the signature of your benefactor. He still hasn’t told you his name.

“You’re all set, miss. Paid up by your friend there.” He waggles his eyebrows and nods towards the door.

“Oh, he’s not…”

“No?” The smile on the man’s features is far too suggestive. You grab the key off the counter, turning to leave.

“Sign the book, please. Then you can go to your room. Or your friend’s. Both paid for, so it’s all the same to me.” Another smug smile. You hurriedly scrawl your signature and exit the office, feeling your cheeks burn.

Your heels are loud on the decking that lines the front of the motel rooms. You glance down at the number printed on the tag, a chipped white six greeting your vision.

Your steps slow when you reach the correct door. The sedan is parked in front of the door beside yours. Of course the motel manager has given you rooms next to each other. Of course he has.

The man is apparently already inside the room, the car empty. You insert the key in the lock and shut the door, sliding the chain across. You close the blinds and turn to survey your surroundings. About what you’d expected. Dated furniture that felt straight out of the seventies. A carpet that badly needed to be replaced. You hoped there weren’t bed bugs. Gross.

You stride over to the bathroom. Chipped sink. Chipped toilet. Chipped tub too, but you don’t really care. You crank the faucet and let the water pour out, hastily reaching to plug the drain. You’re finally back out of that accursed footwear. Your clothes pile on the floor. Maybe not the best idea, but you’re too desperate to get into the tub just then.

It’s heaven. Sheer bliss, submerging yourself in that basin. You spend a long time soaking, letting your body temperature decrease. Scrubbing away the dirt that has clung so stubbornly to your skin. Rinsing your hair twice. You linger until your fingers prune and then you unplug the drain and turn on the shower, rinsing off a final time. You don’t have anything clean to sleep in, but you’ll survive. You’d wash your clothes in the sink, but it will take time to dry them. So back on the shirt and panties go. You leave your bra and skirt draped over the shower curtain rod. Fuck those boots.

You put the television on low volume and flip back the flower patterned coverlet. Well, it seemed insect free, anyway. You sink onto the mattress and pile the pillows together behind your head. You don’t hear any noise from next door. The room on the other side looked unoccupied, and the driver’s…well, maybe he’d just gone to bed.

He’d paid for your room. You had to thank him, at least. Damn it.

You slide back out of bed, returning to the bathroom to slip on your bra and skirt, cringing when you view those hated boots again. Fuck it. You’ll risk going barefoot. Knowing your luck you’ll step on a rusty nail and get tentanus, but fuck it.

You open your door, startled when you see the man standing outside. He’s leaning against one of the deck posts, smoking again. The end of the cigarette glows in the darkness.

“Thank you for paying for my room. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“I’m aware.” He barely spares you a glance, blowing a stream of smoke and flicking the ashes from the end of the cylinder pinched between his fingers.

“You should let me pay you back. There’s a liquor store just down the road.”

“I noticed that.”

“I’ll treat you. Pick your poison.”

His eyes focus on you again, his gaze lingering on your bare feet. “I don’t think they’ll let you inside like that.”

“I’ll put the boots back on,” you grumble.

The man hums thoughtfully. “Tell you what. I’ll go get something and bring it back here to share.”

“But then that’s you doing me a favor again.”

“Yes.”

“So then I’ll owe you even more.”

“I’m not keeping track. That’s you doing that.”

You chew your bottom lip. “Why did you pay for my room?”

He shrugs, taking another drag. “Seemed like the right thing to do.”

You don’t have a response for that. Everything the man did just made you feel more and more ashamed for doubting his intentions.

“What do you want to drink?”

“I…beer is fine.”

“Then beer it is.” The remains of the cigarette land on the pavement and the man steps off the deck, grinding it beneath his heel. “I’ll be right back.”

You nod, settling into the one of the cheap plastic chairs beside a small circular table that served as a patio set. You can hear the faint hum of insects, or maybe it’s the neon signs. It’s still hot. The pleasant effects of your bath are already fading.

True to his word, the man returns with a case, setting it on the table and sitting across from you. He’s loosened his tie so that it drapes in a lazy knot around his neck. It doesn’t look like he’s sampled the motel’s plumbing just yet. He rips a hole through the carboard box and hands you one of the bottles before taking his own. Chilled, and already sweating. You wrap the hem of your shirt over the cap and twist it off. You take a sip and hear the satisfied sigh of your companion as he does the same.

“You didn’t tell me your name,” you say, fiddling with the metal cap with the crimped edges, spinning it on the table’s surface. There isn’t much room with the beer case there.

“It’s Steve.”

“Steve,” you repeat. “Steve what?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“In case I decide to look you up. You know, to pay you back.”

He waves a hand in the air dismissively. “You didn’t see what I wrote in the logbook?”

“Your handwriting is atrocious.”

Steve clutches his chest, sucking in his breath dramatically. “I’m deeply offended.”

“You’re not. Why won’t you tell me? Is it a big secret?”

“Maybe. Maybe I’m a celebrity, just trying to live like the common folk.” He takes a pull from the bottle.

“Yeah, sure. Just like the rest of us losers.” You pause. “You’re handsome enough to be an actor. Got the voice for it. I can kind of see it, actually.” The compliment slips from your lips before you can think better of it.

“Flattery, now? I don’t think my heart can take this much stress.”

“You’ll survive.”

“Probably.” He finishes the bottle and reaches for another.

“So out with it, Mister Movie Star. What is it?”

“Raglan.”

“See? Was that so difficult? Nice to meet you, Steven Raglan.”

“Not Steven. Just Steve.”

“Okay. Just Steve.” You finish your bottle and colllect another. “How come you’re so chatty all of a sudden? You didn’t say five words to me all day. Are you that much of a lightweight?” You gesture with the beer bottle.

“Hardly. I was concentrating on the road.”

“You could’ve talked more.”

“I apologize for not making your ride more entertaining.” He stands, resuming his position leaning against the post again. You rise as well, noting you are the actual lightweight, already feeling a bit lightheaded. Blame the empty stomach. You pad over to stand beside him. “I thought you wanted privacy. It’s not my place to ask for details about your life.”

You consider that. “You think I’m being nosy.”

“No. Not really.” He swallows another mouthful of beer. “You don’t trust me.”

“I…I’m being cautious. A woman stranded in the middle of nowhere should be, don’t you agree?”

“Of course.”

“If it was your wife, or daughter…”

He smirks. “Clever way to source the information you want. I’m no longer married. Children are grown. It’s just me. The handsome movie star, all alone.”

“Okay, okay.” You nudge his arm playfully.

“What about you?”

“Single as a Pringle,” you quip.

“That’s a new development, isn’t it? What you’re leaving behind.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“I’m good at reading people.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

You pull the now empty bottle from his hands and place it along with yours down on the table, selecting two more. You hand one to him and take a long sip from yours. They’re going down so smooth. You don’t even really like beer all that much. It’s making you feel warm and you hate that, but you like the buzz and you like the company, too.

“Okay, since you’re so insightful, tell me what I’m thinking right now?” You fold your arms across your chest, smirking after issuing the challenge. You’d meant it to be playful, but the look he gives you as he turns to face you holds no humor. Those blue eyes capture yours and trap them.

“You’re hoping your sister is more welcoming than you remember, because when you left, you weren’t on the best of terms. You’re hoping you can find a job soon and get back on your own two feet again. Relying on your ex so much was a mistake. You hate asking for help, even if you need it desperately. You—”

“—Stop.” You cut him off. “Don’t…don’t say that. You don’t know that. You don’t know me.”

“Alright.” Another shrug. He swallows more beer.

“How do you know so much?” Your voice is soft.

“I told you. I have a way with people.”

“You should be a fortune teller. Or one of those televangelists. Spouting prophecies that are actually real.”

“I despise religion. And I don’t predict the future. I just…understand people. Their motives. Even the ones they’re too ashamed to admit to.”

You’re not sure how to respond. The conversation is shifting, no longer light and comfortable and teasing.

“That’s why I don’t talk much. People don’t like hearing the truth,” he concludes, polishing off the rest of the alcoholic beverage he’s clutching. “I’m going to say goodnight now. It’s been a long day. Again, good luck.”

“Wait.” Your hand clutches his sleeve. “Let me…let me try it. What you just did.”

“You think you know all my secrets? Okay, I’ll indulge you. Go ahead.”

You lick your lips. “You’re coming back from somewhere you didn’t want to go, but you’re not exactly eager to get home, either. You’re tired of your business. You’re probably good at it, but it’s boring. Monotonous. You’ve always played by the rules. You long to break them, just once. See how the other half lives.”

His mouth curves slightly. “A nice attempt. But way off. Goodnight.”

He’s back at his door, hand reaching for the brass knob.

“You’re name isn’t really Steve Raglan.”

His fingers freeze. You see his shoulder blades stiffen beneath the dress shirt. He turns back to face you. Smiling again, but this one is darker, less friendly. “Good. That’s good. Clever girl.”

“What else have you lied about?”

“You’ll figure it out.”

You take a step closer to him. “Tell me now.”

“Why don’t you just ask for what you really want instead of playing this tedious game?”

Your mouth gapes, then snaps shut. “I don’t know what you’re…”

“This,” he breathes, dragging you to him, his lips touching yours.

Any protest you might have murmured dies. You melt against him, sink hands into hair that feels as dusty as yours had earlier, clutch handfuls of the rumpled fabric of his shirt that had undoubtedly started out the day crisply pressed and neatly tucked. He tastes like the beer he’s just consumed and the cigarette from earlier and you savor it all, letting him lick your mouth open for discovery. You’re shoved against the door and it strikes you again how tall he is, how much he towers over you. Those large hands already display more finesse than anything you’ve previously known, stroking over every curve, mapping each sensation. You hear the doorknob rattle as he fumbles it open, keeping you secured, not letting you tumble back into the sudden void at your back. His room is dark and he shoves you down onto the bed that’s still made. You wonder what he’d done while you’d been lingering in your own bathtub for all that time.

He’s at your neck and you’re at his pants and somehow you manage the belt and the fly while your skirt is lifted, panties tugged down. You’re not thinking about anything other than the need screaming between your legs, hot and damp and urgent, whimpering when you feel his cock pressing against your entrance. You’re not even sure if he’s shut the motel door in his haste to be at you.

He slides out of you almost as soon as he’s begun—you’re so wet and slippery—and he grabs your hips and shoves you back, leaning his body weight against you, and this time he fills you to the hilt. You wrap your legs around him and roll your hips to match his momentum, your mouth brushing facial hair before reconnecting with his lips. You’re fucking a stranger that lied about his name and you don’t care; it makes it better somehow, not really knowing. You don’t want to get caught up in details, in feelings again this soon. This man can be anything and everything and if it only lasts for tonight that’s fine, too.

His mouth tucks beside your ear and he whispers to you in that wonderful rusted voice of his, the hand slithering between your bodies stroking you just right, lighting those nerves up. He’s urging you to let go and you do, your body taut and then ragdoll limp as he pumps you full of his own release. You’re sticky, sweaty, pressed against him but you remain there, tucked now beside him, panting and spent and feeling better than you have in a long time.

You’ve nearly drifted off to sleep when you hear his voice again, or perhaps this is merely a dream, asking if you need a ride for the remainder of your journey.

You offer an affirmative answer, then inquire the last of your drowsy thoughts, asking if he might take the long way home.

You don’t hear an answer, already asleep. But that’s alright.

You can ask again in the morning.

[38sr]

Hi! I really love the way you color, and I was wondering If you could make a tutorial about it, I of course completely understand if you Can't/don't want to do it thanks in advance If you decided to do it and have a good day/night.

Hello hello! Ooooh, a color tutorial! I've never done one before so I'm not sure if I'll be any good at it haha. But I don't mind sharing my thinking process when it comes to coloring my works. So when it comes to color, I very much have a traditional painter's approach since that's how I learned color in art college. My painting professor never allowed us to use black or white paint, we could only use other colors to create darker colors or new colors altogether. And you're probably thinking, "What the hell? That's insane." And I wouldn't blame you haha. But this approach helped me a lot to not rely on tints (colors mixed with white) and shades (colors mixed with black) when I color. For the most part, I purely thinking about value and hues when I'm coloring.

Finding the right values:

So for this drawing, I did two different takes (one with direct harsh lighting and one without). The reason why I'm showing this is because when it comes to color it's very important that your values aren't clashing with each other. When I started out, all my coloring felt flat because I was using colors with the same values so there was little to no depth. A lot of people don't realize this but color does have value!

If we put the primary colors on greyscale, you notice how each color has its own value. Blue tends to be a dark value, red has a mid to dark value , and yellow is a much lighter value. This is why if you ever look at my work, the color I use for shadows lean into blue/purple tones. You can also have warm shadows since red does have a deeper value compared to yellow. But these values are when the primary colors are at the highest saturation. What would happen if we knocked down the saturation levels?

The values start to become more similar. Since we're not always using the most saturated colors, it's important to understand the values behind the colors you'll use. Once you unlock that, you can pretty much do whatever you want with color haha. That's why I hardly ever use black or white in my digital art when mixing (also I don't mix color with a brush, I just pick from the color wheel which might be insane).

While it's not wrong to use white or black to create darker/lighter colors, color in real life doesn't always act that way. Shadows and highlights can have color. For myself, letting go of white and black has opened a world of color combinations that I didn't think of before taking my first ever traditional painting class. Now, I can freely pick colors and experiment with palettes since I've blocked out what values I need (like the image below).

Even if I'm using blending modes like in the next image, I'm always thinking about making clear value separations. If I can't understand the image in black and white, then I'll have a hard time seeing it in color.

And when you get very comfortable, you can start placing characters in different color environments and match them (which essentially is the job of a color designer in TV animation).

The right image is the official color palette for my character which already uses a lot of blue/purple for the shadows. But on the left side, she's in a night-time environment so I leaned even more into the cool colors to the point that the white T-shirt is actually a very very light purple/pink color haha.

Or like this example where the left drawing gives a more sunset/golden hour lighting while the right one is more blue hour/night time lighting. But you can read the colors clearly 'cause the values are clear to begin with. While that wasn't really a tutorial this is pretty much my thought process when I'm coloring my digital works. ^^; I very much do follow an academic approach to color theory but even then I think it's okay to break the rules. As long as you have understanding of colors' value, I think you'll be able to unlock any color style you want! I hope that answered your question and was helpful!

[patmax17]

I can't overstate how much I love the color wheel (or color pie) from Magic:The Gathering

I started playing magic back in 2001 when I was 14, Odyssey had just come out. I knew a bit of English, and I soon started reading Magic's website for news and spoilers. That's when I discovered @markrosewater 's column Making Magic. MaRo is both a great game designer and an impressive writer, his column was entertaining, witty, fun and informative. I consider Magic and especially his column to be the main reason I learned to read English so fast.

Now, 2001 was a period of transformation in Magic. The main saga in the story had just ended (consider Avengers:Endgame), and the people at WotC were reconsidering and rebalancing the color wheel. I remember there being weeks dedicated to the single colors, and MaRo's comulumn being deeeep dives into those colors.

Now, what's the color wheel? You see, in the universe of Magic: The Gathering the primordial energy and building block is mana, which comes in one of five colors: white, blue, black, red and green. Mechanically, each card is associated to one (or more) colors, and each color has mechanics that are typical for it, like green being the color of growth and big creatures, blue being the color of spells and flying, and black being the color of death and zombies. But the people at WotC put a lot of effort to also distinguish each color thematically, defining *why* each color has certain mechanics, what it says about the color's philosophy and values. Green is the color of nature and community, where the small ones help the big ones grow and foster. Blue is the color of knowledge and artificiality, black is the color.

It's pretty intuitive most of the time, but here's where it gets even better: the placing of the colors on the wheel has a meaning. Colors that are close to each other are "allied" colors and have something in common, while colors that are opposite of each other represent the two opposites on an axis:

I don't have the time (or skill) to go into detail here, but this system is so damn elegant. It has five basix building blocks but allows to represent an incredibly vast array of concepts, characters and behaviors.

The color wheel is still my favourite system to define/describe fictional characters, it's miles better than the alignment chart of D&D (or, like, hogwarts houses).

I find it incredibly fun to discuss what color(s) certain character fall into: is superman white, green? Is batman white, black, blue? A combination of those? Ryuko Matoi is red, Satsuki Kiryuin is white. Do you disagree? Perfect, tell me why, it's always super interesting to see which aspects of a character people consider the most prominent!

My favourite Magic blocks and sets were those playing with the color wheel and its concepts, mainly Planar Chaos but ESPECIALLY Ravnica. Man, I really need to play some rpg campaign set on Ravnica sooner or later.

I played magic for 5-6 years (until I finished high school), but the color wheel is ingrained in my mind. It was the main chitchat topic when I first started going out with my SO more than 15 years ago xD

So yeah, not sure who this is for, it's mainly me rambling and fanboying about one of my favourite game design and character creation concepts. If you don't know the color wheel, I suggest you try to read a bit about it. And if you do know it, what do you think? Is there anyone out there who used it as a basis for an rpg or foe writing?

[sirfrogsworth]

My photography classes have an optional participation challenge. You get a hypothetical "brief" as you would from an art director and then you are judged on how well you are able to match the brief.

Sometimes they are very specific but this one allows for a bit of creativity on the photographer's part.

These are the sample images that Karl used from his portfolio.

And this is a Pinterest mood board to help with inspiration.

And even though I don't really have a space set up for product photos yet, I am tempted to just set up some lights in my kitchen.

So I started looking on Amazon for a cool and inexpensive purse. I thought it might be cool if I found something glossy. It would be more challenging to light, but it might impress my teacher more.

I found this and I immediately had a vision in my head.

I played around with an online color wheel looking for a color scheme. I wanted to go into pastel colors to offset the bold purple color. I also think it would be cool to combine hard and soft light. So I would do soft light on the purse surface, but use hard light to get a nice crisp shadow.

This is my initial Photoshop mockup. My purse lighting would be different, but this is more to see if the colors jive.

Typically to get those colored surfaces you would get some matte paint and some wood and DIY it.

But I'm not sure I have the energy to figure that out, so I tried finding some paper stock that had similar colors. I found this.

And with these colors I could do something like this.

And it's possible I could tweak the hue and saturation of the paper if I'm not getting good color harmony, but I still think that combination looks nice.

If I accept the challenge I'd have until July to complete it.

Should I go for it?

I could win a small prize if he likes my photo. But I'd mostly just like to impress my teacher. He's a big part of the reason I've come this far in my photography journey. I think it would be cool to get praise from my parasocial mentor.

Or he could hate it.

And I will learn from his hate.

[conkorse]

Can I ask how you pick your colors? I'm very fascinated by it and how well it works with your style

sure i will try my best 2 explain !!! >_<

typically i start drawing my main subjects on a grey colored background. this makes it so my color range is alot larger than if i sketched and colored on a white/lighter background because the colors that surround your piece will affect how they are perceived. i will attach an example below:

as you can see the drawing on the left (which is a wip i havent posted this drawing yet lulz) heavys skintone changes to match the context of the colors in the background which when you compare that bg to the bg on the right it is much darker in comparison. i also simply wanted to play around with colors coz i try not to restrict myself in any capacity. coloring is the most fun part of drawing to me and part of that fun comes from imposing zero limitations on myself which is why alot of my art has the most stupid ass color combinations u will eva see #live #laf #lov

this is what my drawings typically look like once i finish the actual main subject of the piece as you can see scout n pyro are in a grey void gidbles them. i typically do backgrounds last (which is something i should prbably change up sometime soon) because i tend to create them around the main drawing and it makes it easier for me to make everything more cohesive in the end because i can make the background however i want to fit the main drawing. i do not recommend doing this 24/7 becoz then u will struggle with environmental backgrounds/perspective shit and other stuff which is something i want to get better at but struggle with alot hashtag supaaa mega sad hashtag noob lyfeee

as for coloring itself and choosing colors its really just a combination of experimentation (and by that i mean i go through so much of the color wheel before i decide on something) and intuition. i already have an idea of what looks good together well in mind because well ive spent quite alot of time fine tuning ermmm idk what 2 call it i guess my color sense ??? hallppp but anyways i really recommend not just using bright/neon colors exclusively! the best way to make colors pop is to couple them with more muted ones so the contrast is better evident btwn the two. OH ANDD i tend to try not to use straight up black and white/grey to portray those colors. for example if a character has ermm lets say a white shirt i wont use white or grey colors to depict it but rather maybe a light cyan orrr yellowy green :p

i also overuse textured brushes and patterns in my art alortttt (see abovee) HALP so maybe try that??? i use clip studio paint and there are so many rly awesome textured brushes that i overuse coz they r SUPAAAA epik. IDK im just rambling but your biggest take away from this should be to GO EXPERIMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! and have fun anddddd mix "ugly" colors 2gether coz u just can never know what will and wont work unless u try :33

ALSO I ALMOST FORGOT play around with this feature in csp if u have it coz its another way i create textures (my heavy mii shown as an example) and here is a link to a tumblr post where i link all of the brushes i use in csp 0 .o I HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEWHAT!!!!!!!!! SOZZZ I AM NOT THE BEST AT EXPLANING >_<

[vipervvitch]

Color Magic

What is color magic?

Color magic is utilizing the correspondences of a certain color in witchcraft/magic. It can help hone intentions in a spell, or establish the intent uniquely on its own. You can use it anywhere within a spell, especially to nudge it in the right direction.

What are ways I can use color magic in spells?

Commonly, you’ll see people use color magic in candle spells. People often recommend pink candles for beauty and love spells, because they associate pink with beauty and love, etc. What each color means, though, is up to the witch’s individual associations, alike every other correspondence. Since everything has a color, you can really use it anywhere. The color of the paper or ink of a petition, adding food coloring to a potion, using a colored rope for knot magic, literally anything. Even in the little things! The spoon you use to stir that potion, the body of the lighter you use to light the candle, the handles of the scissors you use to cut the rope, etc. Of course, as I’m about to say, you don’t NEED to pay attention to any of these things…

What if I have to use the “wrong color” in some part of a spell?

Say you’re doing a candle spell to attract new friends. You personally find a yellow candle ideal, because you associate yellow with happiness and friendship, but all you have is a green candle, which is a color you associate with money, and that’s not at all relevant to the spell. It’d also be best to probably ignore that correspondence with money, lest you attract friends who only care about spending your money or about the things you own, and not you personally. There are multiple solutions to this, some of them being:

1. You can ignore the color and focus on other aspects of the candle. You don’t need to account for every little thing in a spell, and if you don’t focus on the color of the candle and your correspondences regarding green, then it’ll have no effect.

2. You could overpower the color with other physical traits. Carving sigils and stuff into the wax might overpower the influence that the color has and give an alternative physical property of the candle to focus on that has a more relevant meaning.

3. You can consider other meanings of green and see how green COULD be relevant to your spell somehow. Green means go, right? You could say the green is allowing new friendships into your life that way. Nothing, imo, has a single use or correspondence.

4. But even so, if you only associate green with money, you could tie that in to your spell as well. You could attract friends who encourage you to have better spending habits, or have connections with people who could find you a better job.

5. You could look at the relationship that green has with other colors. Green, after all, is a mix of yellow and blue. You could therefore use it as a way to combine the correspondences of yellow and blue. If yellow means happiness, and blue means calmness, then green could bring you a friendship that’s both happy and calming. It’s also across from red on the color wheel. If red means angry, then being across from red could discourage fights in your friendship and make things easier.

These aren’t the only solutions, either. Witchcraft is largely about creativity. There’s an infinite amount of ways to approach spellcraft.

Subtle/easy ways to use color magic?

As a closeted and disabled witch, color magic is EXTREMELY helpful to me in my everyday life. I can start my day off with a little magic by deliberately choosing to wear a certain color in my outfit—even in places nobody else will see, like the color of my socks (which i like especially because I imagine them carrying me to that outcome that I want). If you paint your nails, put on makeup, or wear jewelry, that gives you many options for incorporating certain colors as well.

I buy things considering the color. I have a blue hairbrush because I want my hair to flow smoothly like water. I use a green mechanical pencil because I want to write down the correct answers.

If I can’t make an intricate potion, I can choose to drink coffee out of a yellow mug that morning to subtly enchant my drink to encourage a happy day.

Also, I have LED light strips in my room that I like to change to a specific color in order to paint my day and actions in my room with that magic as well. For example, when I’m studying, I like to turn my lights blue because I associate it with intelligence, memory, and calmness—and I don’t want to be any more stressed than I already am lol. I don’t do any chants or ritual work or anything special to “activate” or cast these “spells” aside from intentionally using these colors for those purposes, which makes it extra subtle. Nobody suspects that you chose to paint your nails pink because you’re using magic to attract more romance to your life. Nobody thinks anything about the fact that you chose to put on orange LED lights in your room because its the color you associate with your deity, and you want to include them some more. It’s super helpful, and extremely accessible.

[h-f-k]

please could you do a tutorial on how you enhance the colouring of a gif to be really vibrant in one colour without it changing the coloring of the rest of the gif? you do it really well and it looks great!!

hii, thank you anon!! and yes, i will grab different psds i have around my laptop and explain how i achieved that coloring. very long tutorial under the cut!

it's a bit hard for me to explain how my brain works when it comes to selecting the type of coloring/scenes i want to gif so please bear with me lmao. okay so first things first, i always try to choose scenes that are in the same section of the color wheel, this makes things easier in photoshop.

i will use this gif as an example

i chose this particular scene to turn it green because blues and cyans are close to the green tones in the color wheel, so that's gonna make things WAY easier in photoshop, especially if the subject is moving. another tip is to find scenes where there's a color that's really separated or isolated from the rest, that helps me so much in ps because then i can basically change its color without worrying about turning her legs the color i chose.

i don't apply all these tips at the same time because it truly depends on the case but i tried changing the color of the same gif to red with hue/saturation and it looks quite good as well since the blue is really separated from the rest:

now things get a bit more complicated, because now that taylor's bodysuit has the same tones as her skin tone editing everything gets a bit harder, bc let's say i want her legs to look a bit more purple-ish since they're a bit yellow and i want to tone that down (another tip: look at the color wheel to figure out which opposite color you need to cancel out a particular one you want to get rid of) i usually go liiiittle by little with selective color and i only work in the yellows and reds (sometimes magentas), this is trial and error, drag the tiny arrows in each color to see what looks best or what looks somewhat decent lol. this is how the finished psd would look like, i only had to tweak the yellow section in selective color, and that worked out well!

that's usually what i do 90% of the time. other times i try to edit the color just a bit, so i can further separate it more in case it still picks up similar tones that are around it.

_

other tip i have is that most of the times i choose scenes where the subject doesn't move that much, especially if i'm changing the color of something in particular.

like this lwymmd gif, it's a very radical change in color so i had to use a brush and stuff to make the red turn white, but see how there's barely any movement? that's the type of scenes you want to use when you want to change its color (especially if it's something as contrasting and different as white) this one had a combination of hue/saturation and using a brush with a green color for the most part and selective color to finish tweaking her skin tone.

for example since the red was super isolated i didn't have to tweak much, but for example when you want to include a bunch of colors you can play with the slides that are circled in teal to tell photoshop "i want you to include this specific tone in your color selection" so then you can desaturate it and increase the lightness (that's how you turn anything to white) or change it to another color, whatever you choose. that's what i did for the midnights bodysuit:

i dragged the shit out of those sliders lmfao, but it's how i got to change the color in a uniform and faster way.

-

hue/saturation is my favorite adjustment because i loooove turning things white/black bc of two reasons: makes the scene so unique, bc no one has seen the red dress from lwymmd white, so it automatically stands out AND if for example you're making an orange set and you have a random color that you don't need (like blue, or green, etc,. again, make sure they're a bit isolated at least and that they are not close in the color wheel) you can always turn them white or black to enhance even more the orange! it's what i did with this gif. my focus were pinks, yellows and oranges, so i got rid of the blues/purples/cyans by desaturating them and add lightness to them (like i did with the rep gif)

when it comes to enhancing a color that already exists in the scene i take some liberties, but it might not apply to every single scene. sometimes i do discard gifs bc it's not working how i want to. i just use selective color to adjust anything and again i go little by little.

-

another example of me changing the color and using a different technique: halsey isn't moving at all so that gives me the chance to change the background to anything i want, in this case i used hue/saturation but in a different way, i selected colorize and increased the saturation. that way you're turning your gif whatever color you choose. with a layer mask i then got rid of the parts i didn't want to be affected by this change.

-

and same with this one, got rid of the green because it's a very isolated color so that makes things easier when it comes to change its color or get rid of it. and for this set i went for an all pink color palette so see how me desaturating it and turn it into white makes the pink pop even more? it always depends on what your set is going to look like, i could've changed it to blue or purple depending on the color combo.

i think this is everything i can think of, since i color every gif from scratch one case might not apply to another one, so pls if you have any doubts about a particular gif i colored don't hesitate and ask! i'd be happy to help and explain!

[padme-amidala]

hi erika! i love your edits, they’re always so colorful and vibrant. do you have any suggestions for color pairs or how you pick them?

hi kat! thank you so much 🫶 and sorry i'm a bit late with my reply! i've been using this website lately because i've been feeling like i always go for the same combinations and that website has been a great way to mix things up :) but here are some things that come to mind that i do and might help you as well:

usually i start by playing with colors on a gif i'm gonna use on a set and see what works best with the footage and the vibe i'm going for

i think i tend to go for colors that are in harmony with each other rather than contrasting colors (personal preference, contrasting colors are great too, but i really only use purple + yellow)

-> colors that are close/next to each other on the color wheel (i.e. purple & blue, teal & purple, pink & orange)

i've been loving combining colors with black & white lately (especially red). when i do this (if i'm blending) i usually keep one gif black & white (aside from faces/skin in general) and color the other one vibrantly

gold!! i think it looks great with pretty much any color or combined with black & white (or as an accent, i.e. typography)

also peach/light orange! especially pretty combined with purple/pink/deep blue etc.

this is more of a technical thing but if i know i'm going to be working with mostly dark scenes, i use deeper colors like red, purple and blue. i find a lighter color like yellow more difficult to work with on a dark base

idk how helpful this was but i really hope you got some ideas out of these!!

[lunacias]

The way you color is SO so pretty 😭 Do you have any tips for how you color? Or like a tutorial? 👀

Ahhh thank you soo much! ; ; Tbh I always feel like my coloring process is all over the place but I'll try my best to kind of explain my process!

So one thing I find that really helps with colors is picking and choosing the colors for your background/lineart first, as these will effect how your colors will look. Surrounding colors can easily make others look different; pinks can look green, reds can look purple, etc. So, for example, here's how my dendro drawing looks if you take away the background color and lineart:

Even like this, the colors still have a specific yellow/green tone to them but there’s no additional layers here that are effecting the colors; these are the base colors as they are with no adjustments. This is all because of the background and lineart colors I used while putting my base ones! So look again at the top picture, and then vs how it looks with the colored background and lineart I used while putting my flats and later when I went back to color my lineart.

See how different it looks just with the colored background/lineart? And then later with the colored lineart, how the colors pop more ever so slightly?  Just this simple trick can help you pick your colors, even if you end up changing the background color later (so, say, if you want your base colors to have a different hue than your background). For example, here are some early iterations I went through (and tossed) using this technique for my TMA drawing:

I'm not used to working with darker colors, so unfortunately this technique didn't initially work out because they kept blending in too much with the background. I usually double check my colors on my phone, as they look different on my tablet/laptop/phone, and whenever I checked these iterations, I could barely see anything. I ended up changing the color of the background/lineart to something much lighter than what the final version would be (and actually, I think the background color I actually used was much lighter than the version here, but this is what I had in my file so it’s close enough). This is what I ended up using for my flats vs how it looks once I changed the background/lineart to what their final versions would be.

The colors are all the same, but they look completely different with just the simple change of lineart/background.

As for actually choosing them, colors are funky lil things that easily look different depending on what their surrounding colors are. So pinks can look like green, blues can look like orange, etc. etc. if you pick your colors right. If you look back on my TMA drawing, see how Martin's blue sweater isn't exactly blue? How Tim's purple shirt isn't even purple once placed on a white background. If this is something you struggle with, something I recommend to start is figuring out how your black/white is going to look. I personally will rarely use black/white on my drawings (not to say you can't use them of course!) as their hues can help decide everything else. Here are some examples of what I used for black/white in some of my drawings:

Also notice how I sometimes use multiple colors for black/white depending on character color palettes as well, as those will impact how they look too! A lot of this will be trial and error, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations! 

As for picking everything, I usually go with analogous colors, with complimentary colors used to help certain parts pop out. 

So for my Amame drawing, I stayed with blues/purples/greens (sometimes pinks) and very rarely dipped into orange. Whereas for the above Ryuki-Mizuki drawing, I stuck with oranges/reds for everything. Rather than use green for the bushes, for example, I stuck with something that’s more orange on the color wheel. Even Mizuki’s blue hair is more of a pale grey, despite how it looks in the actual drawing. Again, a lot of this will be trial and error! A lot of why it takes me so long to finish a drawing is because my flats will take up so much time as I experiment with different combinations.  

After putting base colors on, I’ll usually go on to color my lineart. I will be honest, a lot of this is just eyeballing it alflajsdsd I’ll usually colorpick my flats  and go for a darker shade/different hue than it, but also Ctrl + H will be your best friend if you need to darken anything or change hues. A lot of my issue is that I’ll use colors that are too light so my lineart gets lost, so I’ll usually adjust everything in between this and after shading. This will help everything pop out even more! 

Like with my flats, I usually stay with colors that are analogous to whatever I’m using (so I’ll stick with oranges/reds if it’s a warm drawing or purples/blues if it’s a cool for example). But again, Ctrl + H will be your best friend! 

As for shading/rendering, I wish I could be a bit more helpful here, but I’m really a “just throw colors down” kind of person. Layer modes are my best friend at this stage tbh, and my defaults are usually Multiply + Linear Burn + Hard Light (though sometimes I’ll do other layer modes depending on the drawing). Multiply I mainly will use for shading skin and pushing things to the background. So going back to my dendro drawing, I’ve used it for their skin and background elements (notice that Collei’s left leg is now slightly darker to add depth, etc). Depending on the drawing, I’ll use different colors for this step, this one in particular I used green to shade, though for their skin tone, I’ll stick to whatever I used with their flats..

Linear Burn I’ll use for everything else and this part is truly my “just throw down colors like it’s nobody’s business” stage. I’ll usually stick to colors that match whatever overall tone I’m going for, so in this came I kept mostly with greens, yellows, and some blues.

But again! Ctrl + H is your best friend! Adjust those bad boys and experiment with different combinations! I almost always will adjust this layer once I’m done with it; a lot of times, I’ll find different iterations I like a lot more than whatever I used! 

From there, I’ll usually finish off with a layer set to Hard Light, which is, again, adjusted afterwards using Ctrl + H. I do this to add a lil shine to their hair and whatnot. Or, if there’s lighting, for that. For this drawing, I did adjust it afterwards with two overlay layers over everything (a light blue one and a green, set below 10% opacity), but that’s usually on a drawing by drawing basis. 

Multiply + Linear Burn + Hard Light is my go to for most of my things tbh, but it’s also a case by case basis depending on how detailed my drawing is! My Amame and Ryuki-Mizuki drawings have a lot more going on after that, while my other TMA drawings follow this pretty much to a T (err... somewhat. My Guest for Mr. Spider one was a bit weird in terms of base colors, but everything else stayed the same). For rendering, I suggest trying different layer modes and opacities out as well! Or sometimes, if my base colors still aren’t cohesive enough to my liking, I’ll make the layer slightly more translucent and set the base color to whatever hue I want my drawing to be. 

I hope this explanation could be of some help!! It ended up a lot longer than I thought it would be so hopefully it’s coherent enough to make sense of afsjdalds. I really love talking process so I’m really happy you asked me about my colors!