#do that on a watercolor paper because thats too expensive for me and like i just dont like doing light washes on paper that i know can-

[miutonium]

Guys omg so I have not done any watercolor sketches since last year because I ran out of pages for my sketchbook already and the worst part is that the sketchbook is no longer sold at the hardware store (yes i bought this book at the hardware store) and I'm so devastated because thats the only sketchbook that I genuinely like because the pages are thin (i think somewhere near 100gsm) and while it's not really a mixed media sketchbook, it just handles light washes really well so like im so sad because I have bought tons of sketchbook over the year and none holds up paint as good as this book.

Anyway months ago I bought a pack of journaling kit (it has a bunch of washi tapes, stickers, paper etc in it) and there was also a journaling book included in it. I actually never use the book so I just kept it on my shelf but today while I was sorting out my shelf I remember this empty book so I just make a quick swatch on it and i was delighted that it helds up the paint so well so i ended up doing some sketches and when i painted and it holds up the paint so well like my finished sketchbook i just sobbed because I've been looking for replacement for months im akdjwlsilqislq 😭😭😭

[priscirat]

HELLO i really like your watercoloury art style, i was wondering if you've ever made any posts about your technique/materials/general tips?? love your karen art she is so wonderful she holds my heart in her hands

thank you so much !! :'0

i do have kind of a process for some of my art but the watercolor karen was a bit different since it is ACTUAL watercolor and i just enhanced a bit the colors and the warmth on laptop afterward !! i can still give u more details i’ll put them under a read more !

Material

the paper was a sample i got in an art shop. it was really thick and grainy. 600g/m² from the brand hahnemühle if i remember properly. it is an expensive block but maybe u can find a big enough sample to do art on it in an art shop !!

watercolor wise i have a box of 24 colors from the brand van gogh !! it is personally a good middle ground in term of price and quality for me

the only difference is the red. i had a red tube from winsor and newton bc i wanted a more saturated red (i dont have the exact name of the color rn but i’ll be able to edit that tomorrow with the exact name)

brushes wise i just have art shop brand brushes. as long as they stock up nicely on water, i have different sizes and the hair doesn’t part after a few strokes im not really demanding.

also i used some faber castell watercolor pencils !

Process/ technique/ general tips

that part might be messy algfjdlg but here goes

process wise i did my sketch on laptop, printed it and used a light table to put the sketch on paper. now that i remember the paper was kinda too thick for that so i just copied it on paper mostly. then one evening i just did all the painting. the next day i scanned it and color corrected it ! thats the gist of it.

now for general tips its just. dont be scared to go apeshit thats the great thing about traditional art i would say agfdjgkdfj. like i didnt follow perfectly my lines the colors were the ones i planned and still i v much love it.

i would say too that ppl tend to not put a lot of saturation in watercolor stuff because it is a technique that u can take ur time with and correct easily overtime. i always try to put a LOT of paint personally. this one is kinda hard to describe but yeah dont be scared to really. Go In with watercolors it can really stand on its own.

also i am personally a big lover of mixing watercolor and pencil escpecially for contrasting colors. like how i added light blue in the red of the jacket or green in her hair. i love doing that and the mix of the two is the best way for me.

it is what i can tell you from the top of my head rn but feel free to ask more details if i was too vague or what akgjdlkf

[oswednesday]

im trying to space out Venting so its not like a wall which, i wouldnt like Owe that or anything like these things Happened and i should be able to talk about them as i want to, like and its my choice to do that and i dont need to Defend that like, i should just delete this first part here but gfgg im trying to go as much chron order as possible with it, so i dont like brush stuff under the rug just cause im Feeling Fine like going back to books every time i opened something she was soo dismissive like every time id open something she’d be like Its A Book (exasperated) thats to be expected i suppose, and the watercolor paper i was surprised about it turned out she had gotten herself like $100+ of watercolor stuff like, on me and my brothers bday week?? which would be Fine cause she can afford it and she should be less miserly but she turns around and complains about the price of some real bare minimum concepts like she wont even get candles without pitching a fit, like i thought that stuff was for my brother which like while annoyed it was like nothing unexpected but that kinda fdgg here take this left over pad after i splunged on myself on your bday week while i complain about stuff like shes also going on vacation like, by herself, which like again is Fine its just her intention and behavior and less fine i think for my brother who is younger, hm maybe ill combind all these into one

so like she didnt bother wrapping things ahead of time didnt even open the boxes, just assumed his things would get here before mine????? wild, and then when she opened them and saw it was things for me was like so you get another gift and your brother doesnt and i was like, you ordered this i had nothing to do with this?? like her picking the cheapest shipping for me Back fired cause they combound the boxes on her order and many of the places sent out faster than she expected ggfg cause she did faster shipping for my brother like, how weird and bent up then to get mad at me like i had anything to do with it hfhfh, also like that she’d assume he’d have More than me cause there were More boxes like,,,you ordered this stuff?????? like what kind of delusional omg?

then the whole week shes been Accusing me of Getting Things for myself like ????????????? its been when i got stuff from friends but like ??????? and??? so???????  wtf is her damage omg

and something she got me around christmas finally came, again back to her Saving Money with shipping but only for me, and she was accusing me of using her credit and stuff so i reminded her it was from christmas, this is the same person who thought nothing of giving my brother who actually steals credit and ids and stuff my number like omg? 

then she was all, when my brother was opening stuff like i ran out of wrapping paper teehee like, -_- we can open the closet and see wrapping paper its not the biggest deal but it kinda is when shes doing it to be harmful, then she made him like, a pie thats her fave that i know is not his and he didnt want us to sing or anything > > and she got him like a shoe wrack which like i had  asked about and she threw a huge fit which is why i did that book list in the first place and she turned around and got him the thing i was interested in like gfgf :/// she got him like nothing basically i mean, she got him a bunch of fancy expensive brand clothes but its the same kinda empty guesture she complains her own mom did like my brother wanted to go to his dads and she just kept him here  too, like the roads are tooo bad youll have to stay here, it like, snowed less than an inch omg?? so just while im grateful for Stuff shes like a primary reason why i have to start getting books all over again if not just because of physical moves in that they were so saturated with memories of domestic violence as to be rendered completely unreadable and like nothing she gets me makes up for her foul behavior thats been getting like more unapologetically ugly since grandma died

[generous-dimensions]

maggies hot sketchbook tip corner

try to pick out a sketchbook that you think you’ll actually like. maybe even splurge a lil. or not, because then you might be afraid to mess up in the sketchbook if its expensive. if you dont draw a lot or get stressed out maybe get a small one. make sure the paper is good enough for whatever medium you wanna use - for example, watercolor and marker wont really work on basic paper 

find a medium you wanna use!! try a LOT of mediums!!! this is a good way to fill up a book and get practice AND find out what u like. maybe buy just a few basic colors of marker, pencil, or a small watercolor or gouache kit?? i tried a little bit of everything and realize i hate marker and love watercolor

using color makes ur book look so much nicer tbh like. even if you’re just filling in negative space with a highlighter or smth it makes it rlly pop yknow

washi tape and sticking random things you wanna remember (tickets, receipts, etc) is cool too

DECORATE THE COVER OF THAT BAD BOY ITLL MAKE YOU MORE ATTACHED TO IT. that way u cant just throw it out bc wtf you put cute stickers on it 

if you’re stumped for inspiration, try to watch sketchbook tours on youtube. they’re like my favorite way to pass the time now!! there’s so many different artists w different styles and they all approach it in a different way so there’s a lot of cool ideas out there that might inspire you

having OCs or a comfort character to draw really helps move things along

maybe try to set a goal or habit. like, i will draw in my sketchbook every day after school/work for 30 minutes, or maybe, i will finish this sketchbook by the end of next month

its risky but also buying a new tool or supply or whatever to play w can help with the art block

remember your sketchbook is just for you and you dont HAVE to make it presentable. personally for me the idea of sharing it with others makes me want to do better work, but you can be as messy and silly as you want!!! its ur book!!! nobodys entitled to see it but you!!

i dont rlly like them but there’s a lot of ~challenges~ to do on youtube and instagram like. only using 1 marker for one drawing or following certain prompts/themes for a month. those can help too i think??

thats really all i got i just really like to watch sketchbook videos i hope this doesnt make me sound like an entitled asshole or anything im just a kid who likes to draw and people are always like :( my sketchbook is so sad

WELL BITCH IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE SAD IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

go make some good art i love you

[goddamnitdazai]

I was wondering if you did songfics? If so can you please do a scenario based on the song Thats What I like by Bruno Mars for chuuya. I dont listen to Bruno Mars or the radio often but i feel like the song is so chuuya if that makes sense. If you dont do song fics thats fine then can i just get your opinion if the song reminds you of chuuya. I am also sad/upset about what happen to you blog. I hope this one doesn't encounter the same problem. I love you blog and thank you for your hard work!❤💕

I always think of Chuuya when I listen to that song. I used to do songfics but I’ve strayed away from that format unless its a very angsty slow song. I did a scenario based off that Bruno Mars song though, hope you like it ^^                Lights feather in endlessrows spiraling upwards and kisses the cloudless, inky sky with twinkling gold.Iridescent drops of silver peck the heavens in contrast to the halcyon orbs.Summer night encases the city of Paris in warmth reaching across the park and caressingthe loosened tendrils tangled in Chuuya’s hand. Flowers speckle lush bushesscattered along the grassy plains; warmer weather had pulled them into an earlybloom. Pinks and yellows and all shades of purple surround the sidewalks twistingthrough the trees. The taste of wine is heavy on Chuuya’s tongue as it glidesbetween your teeth. Fireworks pop against the sky; Chuuya pulls away and hiseyes fixate on the glimmering colors bursting above.                His skin mirrors themyriad of rich hues; strong jaw and sharp nose contoured by the mix of hoveringshadows lingering behind the city. Without his hat Chuuya looks much older andunreserved; a streak of wildness cuts through the sapphire of his eyes when hegives way to impulse. Brilliant purples and blues and greens vibrate againstthe expanse of black. Reflections of vibrant colors paint smoke on his skin asgentle as a rose petal falling to the earth.  In awe of the lights he resembles a man hisage—for once—without worry or responsibility. Tonight he is not a twenty-two yearold mafia executive. Innocence has never graced Chuuya, but he has neverfaltered from the loss of it. Ifanything the softness that resides in him radiates stronger than the light ofday has ever seen because he has created it from nothing.               Chuuya’s attention quickly falls fromthe show while you memorize the outlines of his face doused in momentary tranquility. A pure and simple smile takes yourbreath away. Genuine happiness looks good on Chuuya—better than his hats,better than expensive cologne or the shoes he loves. The space between you bothis too much Chuuya decides before closing the gap and entangling your lips withhis. Moonlight glosses over from the other side of the water. Off in thedistance the gentle beat of live music saunters through the air.                Chuuya’s kisses start irrevocably sweet andtender. Feather light nibbles to the corners of your mouth, enough to get asmile before he lets his tongue sweep the bottom of your lip. A gasp—his favorite sound—when his fingertipsslide up the back of your neck and card through your hair. Being lost in him isnothing short of blissful. The world becomes a canvas of sparkling white andmelts away like watercolors blending at the edges. He pulls the breath fromyour lungs. Chuuya deepens the kiss with his hands grabbing you tightly to moldyour chest to his. When the burn in his lungs becomes too much he breaks awayto inhale.                  “That color looks goodon you _____.”                  ���I think you lookbetter on me~”                   “I think you’re right,”he murmurs gingerly, “ready to head back show off that new lingerie for me?”                  The staccato beat ofcobblestone beneath your heels catches in the wind as Chuuya pulls you down aquiet street. His fingers cinch around your hips between clumsy kisses andlaughs.  Sweet little love notes brushover your ears in a low hum only you can follow. Your skirt lifts as he twirlsyou to the rhythm of his voice.  Chuuyaleads you down the center of the street in a waltz made solely for this night indelicate grace like a dove with paper wings. His forehead rests upon yours; themoon cuts low through the sky. Dazzling white springs from the smile paintedacross Chuuya’s face. Cheeks a touch of pink from the wine and dancing theyaccentuate his endless pools of azure watching you sway in irrevocable adoration.The steady beat of his heart syncopates with your own. One entity caught in amoment like a firefly in a bell jar glowing for the sake of beauty in eachother.                    The song he’d beenhumming slows and a hand winds from the small of your back to your ass. Browsraised you smack his shoulder playfully; his smirk widens. Chuuya steadies youagainst his chest and walks back until his legs hit the idling Maserati waitingunder a flickering street lamp.  Greedykisses are peppered down the side of your throat as Chuuya fumbles with thedoor handle. A pop echoes in the stillness. Chuuya bows slightly and ushers youin to the car. His legs carry him quickly to the other side and the car rumblesto life as he slides in to the driver’s seat. The top falls back at your request;the scenery broadens and showers you in an expansive canvas of dark blue andsterling.                         The road curves like Chuuya’sfingers sliding up your skirt. Your head cranes back to rest comfortably as yourelax into his touch. Teasingly his fingertips trace the edge of your panties.They follow black lacey trim up and down—overly gentle like you’re made ofglass. Before his thumb slides beneath the fabric your hand catches his wrist.                        “Good things come to those who wait, Chuuya” Youtease.                        “____, I don’tlike to wait for what I want” he sighs while threading his fingers with yours, “butfor you I’ll do anything.”                    

[smashdraws]

The things I’ve learned from art school: part 1/?

I’m a second year illustration student, and I’m here to share with you pearls of wisdom from what I’ve experienced and learned in college (so far), from the actual drawing process to attitudes about art/drawing. Most of these things I’ve learned the hard way, and some are from things I’ve seen others struggle with. 

The most work you should be doing in your drawing process is thumbnails/sketching stage.

“There’s no point in finishing a drawing if it’s flawed from the beginning”. That’s what my Composition & Transparent Media professor constantly told us. During our first piece of the semester, he had us stay on the sketching and redrawing stage for a little over a month in order to perfect them. He wanted to make sure the perspective was right, composition was pushed to its fullest, details were added to make every space interesting, the whole shebang. Obviously you’re probably not going to spend a whole month redrawing a piece over and over every time you draw, especially if it’s a time-sensitive project or just a personal piece you’re doing for funsies. However, the sketching stage is where most of the creativity happens. You have to decide on composition, scale, design elements, characters and how they’re positioned in the space, environment, and so much more. And I’d be willing to bet that you won’t get it right the first time.

Give yourself projects when you aren’t in school.

It helps with artist block. The summer between freshman and sophomore year of school I could probably count the number of drawings I did on one hand. To be fair, I was working two jobs 6 days a week so i didn’t exactly have a lot of time, but I found that once I got out of school I had zero drive or ideas. Without assignments from class to draw for, I had nothing to draw, and when I got back to school for sophomore year I had a lot of trouble getting inspired again. It made the beginning of the year really hard for me. Find something, ANYTHING, to draw while you’re out of school, even if you draw fanart for one thing all summer, at least you’re still drawing. 

If a character in your drawing is reminiscent of another character/too generic, think about altering it- especially if it’s a work that focuses on said character.

This really only applies for artists who’s focus/career is character design, but it’s still relevant to others. As painful as it is to hear, it means you might not be pushing your concepts enough. I took a class on Concept Art, and the first assignment was character design. A few of mine were deemed too generic looking, and one was too reminiscent of an existing character. It really hurt to hear, especially since I pride myself on character design and they were for a story I’ve had in development for over 6 years. It really made me feel like shit and made me not want to develop the characters further. But I needed to hear it, and I had to continue developing them for the class, so I ended up overhauling and redesigning the characters until they didn’t seem like the same ones anymore in order to make them more interesting. I hated it, but it’s what I had to do. 

That being said, things like this really make you think about distinguishing your characters and art from others out there. It’s essentially impossible to be 100% original, but that doesn’t mean you cant try your damnedest to make your ideas as close to original as they can get without getting overcomplicated.

When designing characters, mix up the body shape and facial features.

This one is kind of specific, but still important since character design is an important element of illustration. If you don’t vary things up you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’ from your professors and peers. And frankly, its boring as hell when someone’s characters all look the same. This is something I see a lot, and I can never get attached to an individual character cause they all looked the same! I found that it happens a lot with male characters, they all have defined abs to some degree and perfectly toned arms and honestly, it gets boring when all of someone’s male characters have the same body type. As for face, there is literally no excuse. There are SO MANY KINDS OF FACES MAN. Round, rectangular, circular, heart-shaped, squared. People can have hooked noses, upturned noses, tiny cute noses. Even eyebrows- arched, flat, thick, waxed, faint, or bold. You’re allowed to have preferences for what kind of bodies you like to draw, but don’t be afraid to branch out!

Develop your own style.

As an artist, you need your own style. Imitating other artist’s styles isn’t going to get you far in school or the real world, and chances are, your peers will call you out if your style looks too much like another established artist’s. In order to make a living and gain clients you need a style that you make unique, taking inspirations and aspects from other styles and squishing them together to make one amazing art style baby. Your art style will probably be the deciding factor in whether or not your client hires you! 

Tracing references is OK when appropriate.

As long as it isn’t for a published or commissioned piece, there is absolutely no harm in tracing references. In your down time take some pictures of yourself or find some online and go ahead and trace ‘em. Really pay attention to how the body actually is, how the perspective on legs work, how that hand is foreshortened. Do this enough and you’ll find yourself thinking about all that when you’re drawing normally!

There will always be students better than you, you just gotta accept it.

It’s just a fact of life, unfortunately. When you’re a freshman, you’re in classes with only freshman for your foundation year. You and your peers are all on the relatively same level. What had affected me starting my second year (and I didn’t realize it until much later) was that now that I was in classes with upperclassmen, who had a year or two’s worth of experience on me, I felt as id my art was not up to par. It’s easy to forget your classmates are not just from your grade anymore, especially in electives. All of the electives I took had mostly Juniors and a few Sophomores, and my work always didn’t quite have that polish and finesse to it yet that the upperclassmen’s did have. It’s just a fact of life that you’ll always be up against artists who are more skilled than you , but thats because they have more or different experiences. You have to keep in mind that you can’t compare yourself to them, since it isn’t fair to you that you’re comparing yourself to someone who may have 3+ years on you. 

Learn realism to some extent- figures, animals, everything.

You don’t have to like it, but you can always tell when an artist never learned it because their figures are always off. There is a difference between stylizing and not knowing, and it’s almost always evident. You can see it in the way hands are drawn, noses are rendered, and how they shape and place breasts. Do pages of body studies focusing on hands, feet, leg muscles, back arches, faces, all kinds of stuff. You’ll thank yourself later. 

Your professors and peers will know when you don’t put in your best effort.

They’ll know when you aren’t pushing yourself because you’ll make fundamental mistakes. Slightly imperfect coloring, wiggly linework that wasn’t done quite carefully enough, not bothering to fix those damn feet in the finish. They always know, somehow...even if you’re careful with your laziness.

Buying expensive materials is usually worth it.

It may cost more but your work will benefit from it, and they last so, so much longer. I had to buy 3 brushes when my techniques class was doing watercolor, and in total they costed over $100. I found as I used them that since they were hair brushes and not synthetic, they held so much more pigment and water, and I could get a much finer tip. I was incredibly lucky that my professor provided the paint, which could go up to $20 a tube for some colors with the brand he had. Paper is also something worth splurging on, because let me tell you I have had disastrous effects when using shitty (coughCANSONcough) watercolor paper. The 9x12 paper block I bought for class was $30, and it was the best paper i’ve ever worked on. Absolutely worth the money and I will be buying that brand for projects from now on. And the best thing about all these is that they’ll last forever! 

You NEED to find ways to get excited about a project you hate, because you’re gonna have to do a lot of them.

If you don’t find ways to get excited about projects you’re not too thrilled to do, you’ll never succeed. I learned this in my freshman year very fast, because man oh man were there some projects I couldn’t have cared less about. If you can, gear the project towards one of your interests without compromising the purpose or assigned subject. 

I hope this advice can help some folks! Art school is a lot of tough love, and a lot of stepping 300 yards out of your comfort zone (sometimes by force). But they key is to not be afraid of trying new things! You’ll find things you absolutely hate doing, and will never want to do ever again if you can help it, and you’ll find things that you’ll love to do. It’s all about keeping an open mind!

Keep drawing, keep learning, keep creating.