#did i feel good drawing it? HECK YEAHHH

[zhongrin]

drawing selfship art is such a liberating and happy experience. 100/10 would recommend. i feel so soft rn

[fitz1813]

Polymer clay tips from someone who's been experimenting with it for the past three years:

I started with a sculpey brand set so I had a lot of colors to work with, then replaced the ones I needed

Buy colors you use often, like white, in bulk

If you use jump rings for charms or jewelry, get pliers and wire cutters, it's not worth destroying your scissors and fingernails

Use baby wipes to clean your hands and surface

Invest in some tools, but most things you can substitute. I use a sewing needle to cut and make details, a baby knife to cut big chunks, and aluminum foil and not-for-teeth toothbrush to texture.

I did get nail art tools that have little balls on the ends and can double as rolling pins

When making larger objects, fill it with aluminum foil

Turn scrap clay into beads

Don't put polymer clay in airtight containers, it'll become sticky and gross. It's plastic based, not real mud clay

Polymer clay is still squishy right out of the oven. The colder it is immediately after being taken out, the stronger it'll be

Liquid clay is amazing and even if the tiny bottle is expensive, it lasts for a long time

If you coat it in mod podge before it goes in the oven, it gets nice and shiny afterwards, and is a sort of glaze/glue

It doesn't matter how much you think you suck, most people don't know what polymer clay is and will hail you as a supreme deity regardless of skill

Use fimo brand clay to make canes, sculpey is too soft since it's good for kids and beginners and people with weak fingers (I am the latter)

Premo brand clay has good colors and isn't too soft or too hard

Fimo may be hard to squish, but work it between your fingers a bit gradually and it'll get softer

You can buy canes online, they're super cheap

Superglue fixes everything but don't bake it

You can mix clay with glitter, chalk pastels, and some makeup. I haven't tried nail polish but I have a feeling it won't work

Piping tips are a bitch to clean but clean them anyway, you'll thank yourself later

Mix the premo color pearl with any other color and it'll turn sparkly too

It helps to have a sketch beforehand of what you're making, labelled with colors so you know where to start

Start with light colors first, then gradually get darker

If you need to switch back to light after using dark, wipe your hands on those baby wipes

Red, certain greens, and glittery colors are ones you should wipe your hands and surfaces thoroughly after using. No not black so much unless you're switching to a super light color

Mix media!! Paint it, glue it to something else, etc. Art is beautiful in its variety!!

Liquid glue does not disappear when it's finished baking, it comes out white

Try new colors!! They won't bite

When eye pins are too long, cut them down to size and make other smaller ones with the ends you cut off

Don't put your creations on the edge of a shelf... I am speaking from brokenhearted experience

Bead organizing boxes are an excellent way to store your creations

If you suddenly are struck with inspiration, text/email the idea to yourself, write it down, or put it in a notes app

Reference photos are not just for drawing and painting artists

Follow YouTube tutorials and watch their collections and trades because not everything they make comes with a tutorial and you can discover other artists this way

If there isn't a tutorial, picture how the pieces fit together. Three dimensional art is easier for me to puzzle together, so imagine how it comes together. It'll get easier with time as you watch more tutorials, and soon you won't have to

Imitation is the sincerest compliment, or however the saying goes. I copied everything I made when I started out, then gradually had my own ideas. It comes with time

If you copy or heavily draw inspiration from someone else and put pictures of your creation out on the internet, make sure to give credit where it is due

Crochet thread makes for excellent tassels if you make jewelry

Practice practice practice

Take breaks when you need to, especially for your eyes

If you make slabs, lots of people use pasta makers to roll them out flat, but rolling pins are cheaper

Make what you love

If you don't love it, give it away. Most people don't have standards for what they don't know

Don't be discouraged by the talented artists out there. It takes time and money to get that good, and that isn't readily available to many people. Talent is also in short supply

I don't sell on Etsy because I don't want to get sued, but it's a vague future plan. If you want to motivate yourself that way, go for it if you think you're ready. There are plenty of sellers out there who make fabulous creations, and some who are simply average, so don't let a lack of skill deter you

Clay isn't for everyone. I have small hands, which definitely helps, and some people (or fools) just aren't drawn to three dimensional art. If you don't love it, it's okay to move on to something else.

Fancy clay can be bought only online, so I haven't done it, but it looks pretty cool in the pictures

Have a designated area for clay, and keep it generally clean most of the time so wipedowns at the beginning aren't too bad

Your designated area for clay should be one solid, light color so you can see any dirt specks, hairs, etc. that might appear in the middle of your work

Gold foil is pretty cool and can be baked with clay

Read the baking instructions on clay packages

It's ok to mix brands, bake somewhere in the middle if the baking heat is different

Acrylic paint goes well on everything, including polymer clay

Paper clips are bakeable too

Small thin things don't have to be baked for as long

It's okay if you forget about your clay. Once I left mine in the oven for forty minutes and it was fine

Suede brown in sculpey is a pretty lit color

Ecru clay in premo is good for mixing, mix it with white for vanilla cakes

Art is beautiful heck yeahhh

[willow-salix]

Isolation update!

Day 74 of Isolation on Tracy Island

“What on earth are you two doing?” Gordon asked, popping up out of nowhere like a tropical jack-in-the-box, his shirt flapping in the breeze, making us both jump.

We were doing nothing more exciting than stretching out on the couch, where I had forced John to settle by laying on him and then demanded he read to me. And since that was actually a pretty normal occurrence, I was at a loss as to what he was referring to. Knowing him he'd just declared today to be "eat with your toes day" or something equally ridiculous and was annoyed we weren't playing along.

John stopped reading to glare at him. I lifted my head off his shoulder to join in with the glaring.

“We were trying to have a quiet moment without constant interruptions,” I told him. Why did he have to have so many brothers?

“I told you we should have gone up to Five for a few days,” John sighed, picking up the book again and continuing to read from where he had left off. I snuggled closer to listen.

“This supernatural soliciting

Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,

Why hath it given me earnest of success,

Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor.

If good, why do I yield to that suggestion

Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair

And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,

Against the use of nature? Present fears

Are less than-”

“That! That’s what I meant. What are you doing?” Gordon interrupted again.

“Trying to read Macbeth, obviously,” I grumbled.

“Why? It’s rubbish. No one reads that sort of thing any more.”

“Sure they do. Did you not read Shakespear in highschool?” I asked.

“Only when I had to, not for fun," he sneered that last word in the same tone people use when they have just trodden in something disgusting or realised there is no milk left in the house.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” I told him.

“You two are so weird, there are billions of books out there and you are reading one so old that hardly anyone can even understand it any more.”

“We understand it, or we wouldn't be reading it,” John sighed. “It’s not our fault that it’s too intellectual for you.”

“I could understand it just fine if I wanted to!” Gordon protested. We snorted in disbelief. “Hey! I can be an intellectual too, I can be smart. Move over!”

He shoved our legs out of the way, forcing us to sit up and dropped down next to me on the couch.

“Do you have to be here?” John asked.

“Yes. I’m going to prove that I’m smart, keep reading.”

John sighed but continued where he had left off, obviously knowing that there is very little point arguing with him.

“Are less than horrible imaginings.

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical.

Shakes so my single state of man.

That function is smothered in-”

“Nope! I can’t do it! It’s just so boring!” Gordon wailed.

“Heathen!” I smacked him with a cushion.

“Out of my sight! Thou doth infect my eyes!” John flicked his forehead.

“What was that?” Gordon asked, beginning to laugh. “Did you just insult me in your weird Shakespear language?”

"Yes, because we invented old English," I sighed.

“Thou art a dull and muddy-mettled rascal.”

“Did you just call me stupid in old english?”

“Yep,” I grinned. “He did. It isn't boring, Shakespear is a total G.”

“Yeah, right, still sounds boring to me.”

“Macbeth is a masterpiece, it's about a Scottish dude and his mate who meet these three witches and they, out of the goodness of their hearts, give him a prophecy telling him that he’ll become king of Scotland but that his mate will father a whole line of Scottish kings but won't be king himself. Feeling like this is totally his destiny he isn’t prepared to wait it out and see what happens, he wants to be king now, so, with the urging of his wife, he kills the king and his mate. He is crowned but he becomes overwhelmed with guilt and paranoia. He goes back to the witches and they tell him that he must beware of some other dude named Macduff but that Macbeth is incapable of being harmed by any man born of a woman. So Maccy B, he gets a bit cocky and thinks it's all good for a while, even though Macbeth’s wife is going a little cray cray and taking the whole handwashing thing a wee bit too seriously. But then Macduff gets in on the action and brings an army with him, they storm the castle and Macduff tells old Bethy that he was born by cesarean-”

“Untimely ripped from his mother's womb,” John added.

“And Duffy beheads Macbeth and this other dude named Malcom that I forgot to mention, becomes king. See? It’s great!”

“Love, you just butchered Shakespear so badly that even I didn’t understand half of what you just said.”

“It’s my gift to the world,” I shrugged. “My ability to sum up a plot so badly that even I’m not sure if it makes sense. But I thought I did OK with that one.”

“Yeahhh, not so much,” Gordon teased. “I tuned you out three words in.”

“John, insult your brother for me, I am no longer talking to him.”

“Thou yeasty folly-fallen bladder.”

“How dare you, sir! I have no idea what that means but it sounds bad.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

“What’s the point?” Scott chose that moment to walk in, catching the tail end of the conversation.

“John is insulting me!”

“What did you do?”

“Insulted him.”

“I was asking Gordon.”

I cracked up laughing, Scott always has our backs.

“He said that Shakespeare was boring and then was mean to me after I took the time to explain the plot to him. Now I’m not talking to him.”

“Did you explain it the same way you explained The Witches of Eastwick to Virgil? Because I’d seen it and I didn’t understand that either.”

“My talents are wasted on you all,” I nudged John and quirked an eyebrow in Scott’s direction. He rolled his eyes but dutifully dragged out a premium insult.

“Sense sure you haven else could not have motion; but sure that sense is apoplex’d. ”

“Oh my god, you can still do that?” Scott laughed in amazement.

“Do what, insult people?” Gordon asked, clearly confused.

“John was in a Shakespearean insult team in highschool, they actually took part in competitions, he was obviously the champion, won them the league and a bust of Shakespeare’s head as a trophy.”

“Obviously,” I agreed, patting his hand proudly. “Dude got mad skills.”

Gordon's eyes flicked up to the bookshelf on the balcony above our heads where a small gold bust sat.

“You are so weird.”

“So you frequently tell me. Now, will you two kindly go away and leave us in peace?”

“Oh no, no way,” Scott laughed. “I want to hear more, in fact, I’m calling the others.”

And that’s the story of how John spent more than three hours blowing their minds and damaging their egos with a never ending volley of insults as they goaded him into more and more outlandish attacks. Here are some of the best.

Thou hath not so much brain as ear wax - to Gordon because he’s not intelligent enough to appreciate old english.

Thou qualling ill-nurtured lout - to Alan who kept chanting “me next, me next”.

Most shallow man! Thou worms-meat in respect of a good piece of flesh indeed- to Virgil because he was in the middle of trying to tame his hair when he was summoned.

Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-liver’d boy - to Scott because he was brave enough to attempt to insult him back.

Thou fawning spur-galled harpy!- at me when I stole his coffee

You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so- to all of them.

Your face is a book, where men may read strange matters- to me, because I’m a strange, strange lady and asked for another insult.

Thou fusty onion-eyed nut-hook! - at Virgil, no reason at all.

Draw thy tool. My naked weapon is out- after flipping a certain finger at Scott.

Thou wimpled bat-fowling puttock- at Gordon because it was his fault that John was stuck insulting people when he had just wanted a quiet afternoon.

Thou currish bade-court hedge-pig- at Alan while examining his chin growth.

What, you egg! Young fry of treachery! - at Alan when he sided with Gordon.

Assume a virtue if you have it not- at Gordon when he protested his innocence.

Thou artless tickle-brained haggard! - at Virgil when he compared John’s nose to Shakespeare’s massive hooter.

Thou villainous weather-brained barnacle!- at Gordon, just because, and now everyone is calling him a weather-brained barnacle.

Get thee to a nunnery- to me when I said his Shakespearean accent was strangely hot.

Thou puny rampallian baggage- at Gordon, for no reason other than he’s short.

Thou art some fool, I am loath to beat thee- at Scott when he attempted to start a Shakespearean rap battle (don’t ask, it didn’t last long)

Thine face is not worth sunburning- to Virgil who thinks he’s too cool for sunscreen and has a red nose because he fell asleep in the sun again.

You yourself, sir, shall grow old as I am if like a crab you could go backwards- at Jeff who wanted to know just what the heck was happening in his lounge and why we were all screaming with hysterical laughter.

I scorn you, scurvy companion. What, you poor, base, rascally, cheating, lack-linen mate! Away, you moldy rogue away!- at Alan when he tried to steal one of John’s cookies while he was distracted.

Away, you bottle-ale rascal, you filthy bung, away!- At Gordon when he also attempted cookie theft.

The insult lashes came to a halt when Grandma called us for dinner.

“Hey, John?” Gordon whispered as we bundled down the stairs to the kitchen

“Yeah?”

“I dare you to insult Grandma’s cooking.”

“No, my love, it’s not worth it, think of the children!” I gasped.

“What children?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.

I shrugged. “Our non-existent children, I just thought I'd go full movie heroine for dramatic effect. You do what you want, you’re all crazy.”

He narrowed his eyes as he thought about it, then nodded. I should have known, no Tracy can resist a dare.

Grandma plonked down plates of something that might have been chicken, but also might have been sausages in a gravy for gruel straight out of a Dickensean nightmare.

I watched John out of the corner of my eye. Would he actually do it? He took a deep breath, as if psyching himself up for it. I couldn't blame him. He pushed the plate away and opened his mouth.

“Away, you starvelling, you elf-skin, you dried neat’s-tongue, bull’s-pizzle, you stock-fish! Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers.”

I think John’s grounded now, but the boys still haven't stopped laughing...

[maar1art]

Spoiler-free(ish) mumblings cos I started watching The Millionaire Detective - Balance: Unlimited and finally caught up to the latest episode, yay (๑•̀ᄇ•́)و ✧

.

.

.

.

I swear if I had started watching this when it first came out, I would have had second thoughts about following the show and would've raised an eyebrow at the Hype it was getting. Sure, it's fun to watch (and anyone who says they don't like buddy cop tropes is lying), but the story doesnt really pick up 'til episode 5 and 6. But you had to establish your characters and the first four episodes did that exactly and it did have hints of where the story might go, so it wasn't just useless filler episodes.

As a matter of fact, you needed them to really set the mood and episode 4, though felt very fan service-y, laid down exactly where Haru and Daisuke's relationship is at. Haru called him on their day-off from work and if that does not speak volumes to you then you probably aren't in the work force yet, or in a weird one of a kind environment where calling your colleague on their day-off is acceptable. It wasn't an official job, mind you. The whole thing felt very casual. Unless ofc, Daisuke was Haru's last resort and all his other officemates refused when he called. Plus, he needed HEUSC. So I really doubt it. That's very unlikely, because Haru also knows his officemates, which is why in episode 6, when they basically left him to the ire of the bosses to save their own hides, he was only disappointed, not that very surprised. No hard feelings, it is what it is ╮(￣⊿￣)╭

So anyway, everything goes downhill from episode 4, and I'm excited to see where the story goes.

One thing though that I find really cool is the fact that Haru is already 30. Not just because he looks younger than that. (Heck, he's asian, nothing new there.) But I think the majority perceived him this way, because he had a trait more commonly given to younger characters. Haru, at 30, still has this childlike (naive) belief in the sanctity of law and justice. That's his whole thing from the start, that he takes his work very passionately.

And in episode 4, he does say, agreeing with the cheesy cop movie that was playing, being a cop is being both a hero and civil servant. (He does add that it is difficult.)

It's funny and fascinating, because we can assume he's been in the police force for some time now, and he is still so Good. Me, at 23, is a jaded piece of trash, so ofc I'd love Haru. Can you imagine the mental fortitude that guy must have to “keep the faith” so to speak? He's 30. He's got experience under his belt. So the only conclusion I can draw from this is that he chose to and is choosing to believe.

And this is why I think Mr. Cho (the only other “semi-competent” dude in the show) blew up at Haru in episode 6. Because Mr. Cho sees his younger self in Haru (also: similar color schemes and the same tactic with dealing with the bad guys, which Haru probably did learn from him), but somewhere along the way, he started to compromise. He thinks all “good cops” end up like him, and Haru insisting otherwise is like a slap to the face, a harsh reminder of his personal failings (°ー°〃)

Ughk. Haru is cool. One could only dream of being as enthusiastic at life as Haru is at 30 _(:3」∠ )_

And to think that we know more about Daisuke compared to the average joe Haru?! I mean, sure, he's the placeholder for the viewers that the mystery unfolds for us the way it does for him. But that can't be all he is for (๑ʘ̅ ^ ʘ̅๑) Who is he? Why is he like that? yeahhh, i just really, really like him (ฅ´ω`ฅ)