#got inspired to copy how this one artist draws their little guys HAHA

[ptanalo]

babysitting the team!

[bookworm555]

*Reuploaded FOR THE THIRD TIME because I realized that this never showed up in any of this fandom’s tags the first two times I posted it :/ Now I am trying this as a text post with images instead of a typical art post because nothing is freaking working and I am so frustrated.

Because read-mores apparently make my post glitchy, I apologize in advance for the length of this post, and hopefully, it doesn’t clog your dashes/the tags too badly.*

Another CatCF/WWatCF sketchdump~

The top drawing is the characters from the 1971 adaptation ten years later (which was an excuse to draw 80′s fashion, haha).

Ten years later doodles (from left to right) Top row: Violet and Veruca Second row: Mike, Charlie, and Augustus

(I think Violet turned out to be the best of these doodles!)

Some headcanons for the ten years later drawings (this would have been the section under the read-more, if it worked :/ ):

I always headcanoned the characters in the ‘71 version to be thirteen, minus Mike, who I saw as eleven. So basically everyone in the drawing is twenty-three except for Mike, who is twenty-one.

Violet: For years after the nightmare that was the factory tour, Violet struggled with major body image issues, especially about her blue skin. (And is homeschooled because of this.) However, eventually, her mindset basically became ‘Wonka thought this was a punishment? Fuck that; I’m going to embrace it’, so she became more confident.

Once this confidence hits during her late teens, she uses her unusual appearance to her advantage (especially when it comes to attracting visitors/potential buyers to her dad’s car dealership).

She doesn’t go to college; instead, she works at her dad’s place, and basically learns how to be a mechanic.

She hasn’t chewed gum since the factory tour.

When Charlie contacts her and the others, she is hesitant to respond back, but ultimately does (to sass him, at the very least). During the group’s future meetups, she’s basically the glue that keeps them together.

Veruca: Unlike Violet, Veruca carries a lot of guilt about what happened during the factory tour, since her father was punished along with her. He fell wrong, and as a result, was paralyzed from the waist down, and is now in a wheelchair. Veruca was lucky; aside from a broken ankle, she did not suffer any worse injuries.

Because of this, Veruca becomes mute (her mouthing off and constantly asking for things is what led to her–pun not intended–downfall, so she decides that it would be for the best if she stops talking altogether.)

Despite the Salts being wealthy, Wonka paid all of their medical bills. Even though it would have made sense for them to take him to trial, they decided not to (Henry did not want anyone to see him in his new state, and Veruca’s anxiety spiked even thinking about the factory).

When Charlie contacts the four ‘rejects’ ten years after the tour, Violet starts to bring Veruca out of her shell. Though it is ultimately Augustus who helps her feel comfortable speaking again, due to his soft-spoken personality.)

Mike: Like the others, Mike was very traumatized by what happened to him during the tour. (Especially since he was younger than the rest of them.)

While Violet embraced her altered state, and Veruca withdrew from the world, Mike became bitter. Very bitter. Because, while sure, Wonka and co. were able to get him back to about normal size [after stretching him waaaay too tall and thin the first time; his mother fainted, then had plenty of choice words for everyone involved when she came to], the process was incredibly painful, and involved basically rubber-fying his bones and muscles temporarily (yeah, he still had no idea why Wonka would even create a candy that did that).

Because of that, he has scars all over his body–the most on his arms, legs, and torso–so he always wears long-sleeved shirts or jackets, and long pants.

He is pissed that his life was ruined at age eleven; sure, he was obnoxious, but he was a KID. Now he’s stuck with chronic pain, not to mention the occasional breakdown because he has no idea if he’s actually HIM, or just a copy that was beamed through Wonka’s television room that managed to keep his soul. (Yeah, he doesn’t like to dwell on that; he prefers to think that that would be impossible.) [A/N: That part comes from the fact that Wonka stated that the chocolate that appeared in the TV screen was a copy of the much larger chocolate bar that was beamed through the air, and not the original bar itself]

When Charlie contacts him, he almost sends a nasty letter back, but something in him pauses, and he ends up sending a civilized response. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault all this happened to him; Charlie was the nice one, and, though he would never admit it to anyone, on the tour, he thought Charlie was cool. Goody-two-shoes, but in the ‘Lovable TV Protagonist’ sort of way.

As the five of them start meeting/corresponding through letters, he lets Charlie past all the walls he put up, and is definitely the closest to him in the group.

Charlie: Happily becomes Wonka’s protege after the tour. He is ecstatic that he not only gets to live and learn to work in this magical place, but he and his family are finally out of poverty!

He goes to school during the day, then learns the tricks of the candy trade in the afternoons and evenings.

However, about ten years after winning the tour, Wonka just…vanishes. And that’s when Charlie finds the videos showcasing what happened to the other four Golden Ticket winners after their mishaps.

Charlie is appalled; looking back, they were all so young. Of course, they were bratty; that’s how kids ARE. (Sure, some of them were worse than others, but they didn’t deserve their fates! Essentially, the four ‘losers’, plus Mr. Salt, were toyed with and tortured, and their parents could not help them.) Mike’s was especially horrible, to him; it was the only tape he couldn’t finish.

This makes Charlie feel a little guilty; he got off easy, even though he also disobeyed the rules.

He is also torn; on the one hand, Wonka was a great mentor, and he was fond of the man–he made a good father-figure, for him. But on the other hand, this was a man who thought the way to get rid of a kid’s bad habits was to torture them.

Before he could think otherwise, Charlie writes letters to the other Golden Ticket winners. He doesn’t expect anything nice back, but is surprised to find that they are all willing to talk to him.

He is relieved; he wants to right the wrongs done to them.

Augustus: The poor guy falls into a deep depression after the tour. Sure, he was thinner, but he had no problem with how he looked before. Not to mention, even the smell of chocolate and other sugary sweets makes him very nauseous. Oh, and there’s the not-so-small fear of drowning that he picked up, as well as severe claustrophobia.

He felt like a part of him was lost, since he could no longer enjoy his favorite foods. Or food in general. He ate to not starve, but that was it.

He was already quiet, but after the tour, he withdrew into himself even more, preferring to spend time with the neighborhood cats rather than people. (Yes, he is definitely a cat person.)

But he still has his kind heart, so when Charlie Bucket sends him a letter, he responds right away (and is the first one to do so).

When they start writing more letters to each other, and eventually meeting, he helps the others through their trauma, while ignoring his own. He thinks he’ll always be stuck this way.

Veruca disagrees.

And in terms of schooling, only Augustus went to college. As for high school, Violet and Mike were homeschooled, Veruca went to an exclusive, posh academy, Charlie stuck with public school, and Augustus went to a private school.

-

Now, if anyone was interested, these are the outfits that inspired the ones I drew (though, obviously, I took artistic liberties with some of them). I wanted to give them each a different style: Violet’s is the outlandish fashion the 80s are famous for, Veruca’s is demure and preppy, Mike’s is pretty unassuming, but with a slight edge, Charlie’s is comfortable/casual, and Augustus’s is comfortable/slightly formal.

Left to right: Violet, Veruca, Mike, Charlie, Augustus

(And I imagine the back of Mike’s jacket looking like this, aka with a vent, which is why the back of the jacket isn’t visible in the gap of his legs):

WOW, that got so long (oops…), but those were just my ideas for how these characters would interact and act ten years later. Hopefully someone enjoys this, XD

[nickysurfer28]

Summary: Desire and temptation take over like never before. Is it too much to handle, or not enough?

Warning ⚠️: 18+ adults only

Word count: over 1k

Characters: Dr.Nicky Ransom (female reader,you,etc.)x Chris Evans,Denise Ames (Cousin), Tim ( Denise boyfriend), clones, evil twin look-a-like (aka Adrian pretending to be Chris)

Chapter 11:

*dream sequence *

You look between Chris and his copy.

“This is...weird. I know this is a dream, but Whoa.” Nicky answered in shock.

They both chuckle.

“I can make more, Nicky.” Chris answered.

“You...you can?” Nicky answered startled.

“I can.” Chris answered.

He draws nearer to you,placing a soft,promising kiss on your lips. His clone comes up behind you and plants a soft kiss on the back of your neck.

“H-how many can you make?” Nicky answered blushing.

“To start, how about this.” Chris answered.

Three more mirror images of Chris appear. Their taut muscles gleam in the low light,and 10 brilliant blue eyes fall on you.

“What do you say,Nicky? We can date on you. Treat you like the princess you are.” Chris answered. “What do you want?”

“I could go for a cup of tea.” Nicky answered.

Quickly, you’re settled in at a round table with Chris and all his clones in a lovely bedroom. A tea kettle is being passed around. Cucumber sandwiches rest on fine,china plates.

“This is delicious. What’s in the tea?” Nicky answered.

“It’s a mix of cloves and honey.” Chris answered.

“It’s wonderful.” Nicky answered.

“Pass the sugar,please?”Clone 1 answered.

“Of course,Chris .” Clone 2 answered.

“Thank you, Chris.” Clone 1 answered.

“Does anyone else ever get a horrible itch after shaving their face?” Clone 3 answered.

“That means you’re cutting it too close to the grain. Ease up, Chris.” Clone 4 answered chuckling.

The six of you chatter amiably until all the tea has been consumed.

*end of dream sequence *

When you wake up, you feel yourself blushing bright red.

“Well, that was the wildest dream yet...”

Saturday evening finds you buzzing with excitement as you prepare for your date.

“Is it silly to be this stoked about a double date? No. So what if Denise and Tim will be there, too? It’s still a date. It’s normal to be excited.”

Nicky rifles through her closet.

“Hmm. What should I wear for a museum date?”

Nicky smooth’s the dress over her hips and admires herself in the mirror.

“Pretty damn stylish if I say so myself.”

Nicky gives herself one last appraising look and heads out the door.

You arrive at the museum just as the sun sets to find Denise and Tim waiting outside.

“Ooh, look at you, sexy mama!” Denise answered. “Chris won’t know what hit him!”

“Oh, stop...”Nicky answered blushing.

“Haha!” Tim answered laughing.

Tim’s arm rests loosely around Denise’s waist, and you smile.

“Never in a million years did I expect to se Denise this happy with a normal guy. There’s no way Tim would never... break into a Arby’s drive-through. I get Steve was hungry, but it was 11AM. I still don’t understand why he couldn’t just use the front door.”

Your musings are cut short by Chris’s arrival. He greets you with a warm hug, that makes your heart flutter.

“You look beautiful, Nicky.” Chris answered.

“So do you.” Nicky answered. “I mean, thank you.”

“All right, come on! We only have three hours before the museum closes!” Denise answered with excitement.

“Denise....that sounds like plenty of time.” Nicky answered.

“For lesser souls, maybe!” Denise answered.

“Okay, okay!” Nicky answered smiling.

Denise grabs Tim’s hand, practically skipping as she drags him toward the entrance.

“I hope everyone’s excited for art lectures! I have some very serious thoughts about Millais’s brushwork!” Denise yelled from the distance.

Nicky grins at Tim.

“Are you excited for art lectures?” Nicky answered.

“Of course! A teacher should always be eager to learn!” Time answered.

Beside you, Chris chuckles. He moves closer to your side, his hand brushing deliberately against yours.

“He wants to hold my hand.”

You turn your palm out, smiling encouragingly at Chris as he entwines his fingers with yours.

“You are entirely too cute sometimes.” Nicky answered.

“Part of my overall charm, I hope.” Chris answered.

“Very much so.” Nicky answered.

You walk hand in hand through the gallery as Denise waxes poetic about composition, lighting, and negative space.

“She could put the museum tour guides out of a job!”

Gradually you split off into pairs, you and Chris continuing on as Tim listens raptly to Denise’s highlights on Thomas Lawrence. You set a leisurely pace, commenting now and then on pieces or details that stand out to you before slipping g back into comfortable silence.

“This is nice.”

You smile down at your joined hands. As if noticing your gaze, chis raises your hand to his lips, grinning when you blush.

“Yeah. He’s way too cute.”

A certain painting catches your eye, stopping you in your tracks.

“The Nightmare “ by Fuseli.”

The painting is one you’ve seen before, and it sends a prickle of unease down your spine.

“The Nightmare “ again?”

“Why is “The Nightmare” here? Isn’t it in your house?” Nicky answered with shock.

“Ah, well. The one hanging in my home is of course a print. This appears to be the original.” Chris answered.

You shudder.

“Is everything all right?” Chris answered with concern.

“No. It’s just this painting. It’s...unsettling.” Nicky answered. “It’s so uncomfortable to look at. Fuseli clearly had a deep understanding of dreams and the unconscious mind.”

“All great artist do, I think.” Chris answered.

“Hmmm. You may be right.” Nicky answered.

“What are you guys looking at?” Denise answered. “Oh , “The Nightmare.” Yeah,this one always gives me the creeps. I wonder what inspired Fuseli to paint it?”.

You shrug.

“In the old days, people thought dreams were the result of supernatural forces.” Nicky answered. “Now we know they’re just what your brain does while you’re sleeping.”

“Which is comforting and way less exciting at the same time!” Denise answered.

Denise, Tim, and Chris begin to move on, but your eyes are drawn once again, to “The Nightmare.” The fine hair on your arms stands on ends.

“Nicky? Is everything all right?” Chris answered with concern.

You swallow hard.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m just...A little spooked.” Nicky answered. “I guess “The Nightmare “ kind of got to me.”

“Do you think some fresh air might help?” Chris answered.

You nod, following him out onto the veranda.

The two of you sit down on a marble bench overlooking the ornamental gardens. You breathe in the crisp November air.

“It’s starting to feel like fall.” Nicky answered.

You shiver on cue.

“Okay, that one was because I was cold!” Nicky answered.

“That’s easily remedied.” Chris answered.

He holds out his arm to you.

“Chris is so precious...and I am so freaking cold!”

You slide under Chris’s arm, and he wraps you up in his warmth.

“Much better.” Nicky answered.

He kisses the top of your head.

“I’m really happy to be here tonight. With you.” Nicky answered.

“Me too.” Chris answered.

You gasp.

“I almost forgot! Look what I found in my storage room the other day!” Nicky squealed.

You pull out a photograph.

“This is my sister,Clare.” Nicky answered. “Wasn’t she...beautiful. She had the most soulful eyes.”

But Chris doesn’t speak. His eyes widen, and he pales.

“Chris? Are you okay?” Nicky answered with concern.

“Ah- yes. Yes, just... taken off- guard.” Chris answered. “Your sister strongly resembles a...very old friend.”

His tone tells you all you need to know about that friends fate.

“I’m sorry, Chris.” Nicky answered sadly.

He shakes his head.

“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who made the situation awkward.” Chris answered.

He gives your hand a gentle squeeze.

“Clare was lovely. And I’m honored that you shared this with me.” Chris answered.

He kisses your cheek just as Denise and Time bounding over.

“Emergency change of plans!” Denise yells. “The new molecular gastronomy place down the street is holding a soft opening tonight, and my friend can totally get us in!”

“Let’s go eat some food that doesn’t even look like food anymore!” Tim answered smiling.

“That sounds...cool,but, I’m not quite in the mood for it tonight. You guys go ahead, though.” Nicky answered.

“You’re sure?” Tim answered.

“Positive. You two have fun.” Nicky answered.

They bid you goodnight and scamper off, talking excitedly about foam. You smile at Chris.

“Well, what now? Should we...go back to my place?” Nicky answered. “Netflix and takeout sounds pretty great right about now.”

“I...need to get going,actually.” Chris answered. “I’m sorry to cut the evening short, but I have some work to attend to.”

“Oh. Okay.” Nicky answered sadly.

“Raincheck, thought?” Chris answered.

“Sure.” Nicky answered.

Chris rises from the bench, leaving you colder in his absence. You stand up after him.

“Nicky.” Chris answered.

“Yes?” Nicky answered.

He leans down, moving as if to kiss you. You stare at his lips.

“He’s going to kiss me.”

You take Chris in your arms, kissing him back softly.

“I had a good time tonight , Chris.” Nicky answered.

“So did I.” Chris answered.

He hugs you tightly, seemingly reluctant to let you go.

“I don’t want I let him go, either.”

You kiss him again, more deeply this time, earning a low moan that makes heat pool between your legs. You’re both breathing heavily when you finally part. You reach for him once more, but he steps away.

“Tempting as you are, Nicky, I really do have work to do.” Chris answered.

The saucy grin doesn’t quite reach his eyes, though.

“Well. Goodnight, then.” Nicky answered.

“Goodnight, Nicky. Sweet dreams.” Chris answered.

After spending the rest of the night in a sexually frustrates funk,however, you suspect your dreams will be far from sweet.

“I’m really not looking forward to whatever my brain comes up with tonight.”

“The Nightmare “ creeps into your mind again, and you shudder.

“Ugh. Here’s hoping I don’t dream at all.”

*dream sequence *

But dream you do.

You dream of Chris who treats you cruelly, his touch brushing your skin, his kisses leaving your lips bitten and bloody.

“Chris...you’re hurting me!” Nicky yelled.

“Am I?” Chris answered.

He laughs coldly, pinning you against his chest.

“But this is what you want, isn’t it?” Chris answered. “You’re just as weak as Clare was.”

You struggle, but he holds you fast.

“She was never meant to live in this world. You’ve tired to survive by denying what you are.” Chris answered.” How is that working out for you, Nicky? Always running away?”

With one last burst of energy you break free and escape into the darkness, his mocking laughter echoing after you.

“I need to get out of here! There! Maybe that’s a way out...”

You follow the light...into a place you,know all too well.

The creature crouches over the young woman, poised for the kill.

“I need to save her! “

You try to move, to fling yourself at him. But no matter how hard you struggle, your feet are rooted to the spot.

“No! Not this again!” Nicky yelled.

The creature lifts it misshapen head, staring directly into your eyes. It’s bares it teeth at you in a ghostly smile.

“Yes...” the creature answered.

It dissolves into the vampire from your nightmare, hovering above Clare’s bloodless corpse as it beckons you near.

“Yes, Nicky. Come closer.” The creature answered.

And though every instinct tells you to run, your feet begin moving toward him.

“That’s it. You are curious, aren’t you? Come, then. Look upon my face at last.” The creature answered.

He removes his cloak with a flourish...and your heart drops into your stomach.

“No....”Nicky yelled.

“Yes. You know now, don’t you? But then, perhaps you e always known.”Chris answered.

You shake your head furiously back away.

“No. I don’t believe it.” Nicky answered in shock.

“Oh, but you do believe it, Nicky. It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?” Chris answered.

“No. Chris.... this isn’t you, I know it!” Nicky answered.”I’m just having a nightmare! You- the real you-you’d never hurt me. Chris is a good man!”

He throws his head back and laughs.

“You are a loyal little creature, aren’t you?” Chris answered. “Pity the one of your affection is so woefully undeserving.”

“No. No, this isn’t real.” Nicky answered. “It’s just a bad dream...”

“Ah, but it isn’t! “ Chris answered. “Search your feelings, Nicky. You know what I am. What I really am.”

You shake your head again, but something about his words rings true.

“Chris... recognized Clare...”

Horror chills you to the core, and Chris laughs. He closes the distance stern you. Before you can blink.

“Yes, you,know!” Chris answered with a devilishly smile. “ you,know I’m not human, and still you want me. How very deviant of you.”

He lifts a hand toward you.

“Fuck that! I’m going to... slap his hand away.”

You smack his hand sharply. He takes a step back, staring at his hand as though he’s never seen it before.

“You’re...fighting me?” Chris answered startled.”Here?”

A lascivious grin stretches over his features.

“Oh, you are an interesting creature, Nicky.” Chris answered. “But how much strength do you have left, I wonder?”

You’re in no mood to find out.

You turn your heel, sprinting into the blackness.

“You can’t run forever, Nicky!” Chris yelled.

*end of dream sequence *

You wake in a cold sweat, your heart pounding.

“It was a dream. It was just a dream.” Nicky answered.

The image of Clare’s lifeless body swims in front of your eyes.

“No wonder my brain shut me off my lucid dreams when she died. It must have been protecting itself. I need to clear my head.”

You sit up, selecting one of Clare’s old sketchbooks from the bedside table to distract yourself. But the sketchbook is Clare’s last before her death, and the images grow progressively darker and more twisted as you turn the pages.

“This.. isn’t working as well as I’d hoped. Imagine living with all of this emotional turmoil inside you. Poor Clare...”

You turn to the final sketch, and your blood runs cold. Staring up at you is a photorealistic portrait of a familiar face.

“Oh no...this is.. this is a drawing of Chris.”

Tags: @denisemarieangelina @joannaliceevans-fanficblog @star-spangled-beard-burn @daliaevans @waywardodysseys @pine-fresh-kirk @shellbilee @shreyaaaaaaaaaaaa @chris-butt @worksby-d @patzammit @et-lesailes @what-is-your-plan-today @whiskey-cokenfanfic @wintrcaptn @captainevans @captainchrisstan @captainchrisfics @captaincrazyexlover @amazonx @nbarnes @americasass91 @thatgirly81 @thatsxamericasxass @comebackandhauntme21 @twittytelly @kelbabyblue @kellyn1604 @bellaireland1981 @brilliantkey @kailyndavillier @katiew1973 @imanuglywombat @sweater-daddiesdumbdork @thinkxlovexloud @lovinevans @luvinchris @jtargaryen18 @ohmy-captain @nomadevans82 @littlefiercequeen @southerngracela @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho @oddsnendsfanfics @branflakes82 @trishevans @stephanysgzz @jms358 @mizcaptainphoenix

[lllluka]

A LUXY Conversation with a Debatable Amount of Eye Contact

Been doing assignments and exams all week, so I’m doing all my LUXY week content late. Here’s my day one (on day 5 lol). ‘Eye Contact’. @luxyweek .

This is the same Universe as: 

1. ‘THIS IS WHY XY ISN’T ALLOWED TO WEAR SHIRTS WITH TEXT ON THEM’ - A comedy oneshot about a shirt selection gone awry. 

2. ‘ ONESHOT ’ - In which Bob Roth and Anarka Couffaine are now ‘drinking buddies’ and XY stays over on the houseboat. Luka hates him. Luka hates him SO much. 

3. ‘THIS IS WHY LUKA SHOULDN’T LOSE HIS MIND AND COOK DINNER’

 - A chaotic comedy/unique horror crack-scenario from the POV of a 26 y/o Marinette.

From start to finish this experience had been living Hell for Luka, and as more and more time passed by, Luka began to mirror his feelings about this whole ordeal with his body language; leaning on doorways, brooding, with his arms folded- sitting near Bob and his mother as they attempted to play poker on the deck, with his guitar, but ONLY electing to ‘tune’. At some points it seemed as though Bob was about ready to say something in reaction to his purposeful intermissions, but Anarka somehow managed to grasp the old man’s attention back whenever his moustache-endowed lips begged to open.

The worst part about Bob and Anarka hanging out so much recently, wasn’t even the presence of the producer in his home space. For the most part, Bob just minded his business and didn’t really acknowledge Anarka’s adult live-in son. It was Bob’s OWN live-in son that was actually the problem, and this was specifically because the SOB (Son of a Bob) had not only brazenly stolen his band’s music, pissed off his former love, AND gotten him Akumatized on multiple occasions, but was now rubbing his decorated fingers all over Luka’s equipment. He figured, save from physical violence, the best he could do was try to drive the company away at the source, hence the live tuning entertainment, but… there was apparently no budging.

One particular night, after playing the same four-note riff about a quarter of a thousand times, Luka begrudgingly picked up his guitar and headed downstairs to call it a night. Now, as much has he’d been worried about XY snooping about and digging through his equipment, it hadn’t occurred to him until now just what an inattentive, easily distractible person could do to his bedroom. The air was suddenly deathly quiet, as his footsteps creaked the pastel floorboards, body allowing for an involuntary shudder as he approached the poorly-designed door handle to his bedroom. After hefting the majority of his bodyweight into it, he opened the door.

Luka just about had a heart attack when he realised XY was not there. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He worked out how to turn the doorhandles? He’d just figured Xavier was too stupid to consider turning it with both hands. So much for that, it’s not like that guy could not be trusted on such a delicate vehicle-slash-home. God forbid the asshole got into the controls or sunk the boat.

It was definite. He had to be found, and that was not an action Luka had voluntarily elected for in the past. Though there was an extreme sense of urgency, Luka, of course, did not forget to stop and gently tuck his guitar under the sheets of his bed—leaning over once the instrument looked cosy, to kiss it good night. The strings rung out in tangy appreciation, and that’s how he knew he did a good job. God, he’d make a great father- but that was a thought for later. NOW, at least, he should probably redirect his attention to finding the hidden celebrity.

Just as he rammed back through the door, he saw the guy. Xavier was just standing there, staring blankly, with a half-eaten cup of noodles in one hand, and chopsticks in the other.

“What are you looking for?” He inquired, twisting more noodles onto his chopsticks. Luka stared egregiously at the man, first thinking ‘he’s eating my food’, and then ‘he can use chopsticks??’. He would have figured, with the guy being XY and all, he would have just mistaken them for, like, rectal thermometres or something. …You know, after consideration, he should probably start hiding everything that a second-grader wouldn’t recognise. Especially eating utensils.

“You.” Luka replied cautiously, a hand lingering on the doorframe. To be honest, he was still completely spun from the situation, and watched at half-attention as XY continued slurping up the ‘dles.

“That’s sweet. Want an autograph?” After blowing out the steam of his last bite, XY pecked an air kiss in Luka’s general direction, although his eyes were still fully focal on the food. It irritated Luka a lot, that the guy didn’t even have the decency to look him in the eye when he mock-kissed at him. Like, really. Where is the etiquette? Didn’t XY learn this in bully school? Luka bit the inside of his cheek for a moment.

“No thanks, I’m fine.” The words were civil, the tone was tense. It at least earned a double-brow raise from the disk jockey, but still no eye-contact.

“You know,” Xavier began, “you’re really mean to me.” Luka was more than taken aback. He had never been called mean in his LIFE. Not by anybody, and not at any point. He felt his flesh freeze under his skin, stomach wobbling with tense anxiety. The worst part about it was that he couldn’t even say that it was untrue. He’d been nothing but a jerk to XY since he’d gotten there, and even before. …Maybe they had some old beef, and he didn’t care for Xavier’s taste, but… he had to admit, out of the two of them, the guy had been pretty civil this whole time.

‘Oh God’, Luka realised. ‘The asshole might have been me all along’. It was physically nauseating to him, and he struggled to find anything to say. All he could do was stare intensely at the guy.

At the silence, Xavier finally lifted his gaze, double-taking-in Luka’s stunned face with pleasure.

“See! You totally know it too! I knew I wasn’t wrong!” He seemed delighted to have struck a chord (haha). Luka swallowed, shaking his head through throbbing confusion.

“I’m not mean.” It was the only thing he could think to say, though it was tense, almost like a question. XY nodded, getting through another mouthful of noodles.

“No, I know. I didn’t say you were mean, I said you were mean to me.” He elaborated, moving to rest his shoulder on the doorframe, next to Luka’s hand. “And because I know that you’re, like, this SUPER goody-goody guy to everybody else, it’s kinda, like… twice as mean that you’re only being like this to me.”

The shock didn’t fade in Luka, but the already-seated distaste for XY caused him to swallow the guilt for a singular moment. “I’m just being myself. It’s pretty hard to get me to dislike somebody, but, yeah, someone being amoral is one of the things I can’t stand.” …He couldn’t forget. XY was worse, and in action. He was a thief, and a liar, and a senseless egotist who didn’t care about music, or other people. “You’re the one who’s… mean.”

Xavier didn’t flinch. His voice fluttered away, casual as can be.

“Yeah, I’m mean, but I’m not mean to you.”

The polar opposite of Luka, apparently. …And yeah, maybe there was a point there. He’d been suspiciously tame around Luka, despite being incredibly judgemental of everybody else. No where near what Luka had anticipated when he’d found out he’d be in the presence of XY again.

He wondered why that was.

“…Yeah, but why?” Well, that was an easy way to coax an answer. Maybe he was just too lazy to fight with him, or… maybe XY was, like, in love with him or something, like that lady that kept ordering pizzas at his last job.

He scrunched his face at the thought.

XY shrugged, draining the cup of its broth and then moving to place it on a barrel within arms-reach.

“That’s not an answer.” Well, not really. At least not one that satiated Luka’s curiosity. With a pained sigh, Xavier waved his hands back and forth like he was using his hands for invisible pinball. He seemed to be considering his reasoning.

“…I don’t know, dude. I just don’t feel like that toward you. …I mean, it’s not you, it’s me. I just need a little time to focus on myself-“

“You don’t feel... mean toward me? Wh---Are you using breakup lines?” Luka stared incredulously. A light in XY’s mind popped, and bright realisation appeared on his face.

“Oh, shaa! I guess I was just copying my old convos.”

It took all of Luka’s willpower to not slug XY right in the face. His fists balled, but he let out a long breath. One of these days, he really should to get back into meditation, lest he be in jail for hot-blooded murder due to some rage fit.

“…XY-“

“It’s because I respect you.”

Luka paused, opening his eyes to meet a strong blue gaze from the other artist.

“What?” Wire-pitched numbness took over the fuzz in the guitarist’s head.

“Your music, and stuff. …Like, it was good enough for someone like me to draw inspiration from.” XY shrugged once again. ‘Inspiration’, yeah, right. He tried that line years ago as well, if he recalled correctly. …Still, there was something weirdly flattering about it.

“Oh.” Thanks. Say thanks, Luka. “………What the fuck.”

That wasn’t it. …But still, the unexpected reaction made XY laugh out loud, chuckling hysterically in waves that he evidently couldn’t contain. Luka watched blankly at his reaction, his neck feeling itchy all of a sudden, and his face very red- a reaction surprisingly hard to evoke within him.

When he watched XY straighten his posture and finally wipe the tears from his eyes, a smile of his own peeked out, but soon faded to neutral in stubbornness; a natural response, whenever Xavier made eye-contact.

[houseofvans]

ART SCHOOL | INTERVIEW WITH JUSTINE JONES

Baltimore based artist and illustrator Justine Jones creates her vein of psychedelic fantasy horror drawings–filled with tiny black lines and an occasional pop of bright colors–which have been featured on the covers of Kobold Press and Warlock magazine. Using the hashtag #VisibleWomen to amplify the voices and portfolios of women comic artists, Justine has be able to do more illustrative work and character design. We’re excited to find out more about Justine’s artistic journey, her love of role-playing games, comics, art, her influences and much more. . .  Take the leap! 

Photography courtesy of the artist. 

Introduce yourself?    Hi, I’m Justine!  I’ve lived in Baltimore Maryland for the past decade and currently live in a small apartment downtown with my partner and my shiba inu Mo, who is a cool and grumpy guy.

How would you describe your work to someone who is just coming across it? I used to call it storybook surrealism, but now I guess it’s more like psychedelic fantasy horror?  Monsters and Wizards.  Lots of tiny black lines, sometimes with lots of bright intense colors.

How did you start from doodling and drawing to what you do now? I feel like it sort of happened organically.  When I was younger, I would do just pencil drawings, and then in my late teens, I got more into using micron pens.  I didn’t really discover color until a few years ago, so I’m a huge color noob.  I think a lot of it also came from working in comic shops for years and going to conventions.  Seeing all of these amazing artists grow, and thinking hey, I could maybe also do that! I first started with t-shirt designs because it just seemed really fun, and I used to have a really hard time selling prints.  People don’t need more prints, but they can always use clothes!  Now i’m getting more into illustrative work and character design, and I’m loving it!

Who and what were some of your early artistic influences? When I was a baby, my dad hung an Aubrey Beardsley print over my crib.  My mom thought it would make me deranged, and maybe it did, but it also made me love ink work and Art Nouveau style haha.  I was obsessed with sword and sorcery stuff and loooved cartoons like He-Man and She-ra, and later, Pirates of Darkwater. I also spent a lot of time in elementary school copying sexy comic book ladies from 90s comics, and I know that is pretty far from what I do now, but it’s honestly how I learned to draw.  I also copied a lot from children’s storybooks when I was little.  

What are some things that inspire the drawings you make? What are some of your favorite creatures and beings you like to explore in your art? Video games are a huge inspiration to me, from SNES JRPGs, to games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne.  Also folklore and mythology from around the world, and fantasy artwork from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.  Basically anything fantasy.  My favorite things to draw are wizards and monsters.  I love body horror, anything disgusting and beautiful at the same time.  I take a lot of inspiration from Manga, like Berserk, or anything Junji Ito.  I’ve done a lot of Illustrations for Clark Ashton Smith stories, which I find endlessly inspiring, visually.  Just like, fantasy/ sci fi/ dying earth type stuff.

When did you start collaborating with Kobold Press on creating some awesome fantasy art covers for their publications?  I remember getting the email from them when I was on the way to Necronomicon Providence in 2017.  I thiiiink they found my stuff through the visible women hashtag on twitter?  I was very excited because I owned some of their adventures from back in the day when I played Pathfinder!!  Plus, I have always always wanted to draw things for table top RPGs, so it’s been really cool to actually do it! The Warlock mag that I’ve been doing covers for is awesome because it’s going for an old school DND vibe, but it’s all things that are made for 5th edition.  You can get it on their patreon, and I hiiiighly recommend it to anyone who plays 5e dnd!!  

Take us through your artistic process? What’s a typical day in the studio like? Haha extremely chaotic!  I don’t even have a real set workspace, which I really need to change, I just draw where ever. Just chill out, listen to music or a podcast, and draw.  If I’m further along in a drawing and don’t need to focus so much, I’ll watch movies or video gameπ– let’s plays while I’m drawing.  I also love to listen to/ watch things that are in theme with what I’m drawing, to give me some inspiration.  I try to go to coffee shops to change things up sometimes!  Basically I just do a bunch of sketches until something materializes, and then I will just slowly refine the sketch.  I guess it’s not that exciting, but it’s cool to see the first sketch and the finished product because in my head, the sketch always looked like the finished product, but when you go back to look at it, it’s usually just indecipherable scribbles.

What are your essential art tools and materials? 90% of my art is just done using a .05 mechanical pencil and micron pens.  I also draw everything on smooth bristol.  If I have time and want to make my lines super crisp before I scan them in, i will use a light box.   Then for color, I generally use Kyle T Webster brushes in Photoshop with my Wacom tablet.   If I’m on the go, I like to draw things in Procreate on my iPad Pro, but I’m definitely not as good at doing detailed lines digitally.  

What do you do when you’re not drawing or working on projects? How do you unplug? Haha, I wish I ever truly unplugged, I think my brain is now melded into the internet!  But mostly I love to play video games.  JRPGs and anything From Software/ Soulsborne (currently obsessed with Sekiro!)  I also love comics and manga.  I’ve been reading The Girl From the Other Side, which is a beautiful dark fairytale Manga by Nagabe.  I also just got one called Witch Hat Atelier, which has the most amazing art! My partner also owns an insane amount of board games, so we play a lot of those.  I’m obsessed with coffee, and work part time at a coffee shop, and my favorite thing in the world to do is eat good food.    

What has been the most challenging project you’ve worked on? How did you overcome those obstacles and what did you take away from it? I made a kind of cosmic horror short story in mini comic form last year for SPX, I had very little time,  and it was my first time actually writing a story/ dialogue to go with my pictures.  It was insanely challenging.  I ended up with a finished product that I’m really proud of and that I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on.  I think it really drove home the fact that I just need to stick with things and finish them, even if I don’t feel like they’re perfect.  I’m never going to have the time that I want, and I’m never going to feel like anything is perfect.  I can still make a great thing!  

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps and pursue art? Don’t spend 4 years doing nothing, but playing World of Warcraft (Or doooo?).  Uhhh, believe in yourself.  Be nice to other artists.  Draw all the time! Immerse yourself in things that inspire you!  Also, like I said before, things don’t need to be perfect.  Let go of perfect, because sometimes it’s an unattainable ideal.  Just do as good as you can, and don’t beat yourself up so much!  I’m horrible at advice!!!

What’s your best Art School tip that you want to share with folks?   Haha, I moved to Baltimore to go to MICA like, 14 years ago, and then realized I was poor, and would never be able to go to MICA… sooo… I never went to real art school.  I wanted to go so bad, and I still wish I’d had that experience, but I want other people who can’t afford it to know that you don’t NEED it.  Things are a bit harder, but you can find so much free info online if you have the drive, you can teach yourself so many things.  Don’t get discouraged just because art school isn’t gonna happen for you.

What are your favorite style of VANS? I love my lavender/ sea fog Authentic Vans, because they basically go with anything, but I am always eyeing those Sk8-His.

Anything you can share that is coming up?   Ahhhh, I have some realllly cool things that I can’t share yet, but just everyone keep an eye out (It will be very exciting, i swear)!!  As for things I can share, I’m working on some new t-shirt designs, and another comic, and also plan on drawing some more cool wizards in my spare time.   So if you wanna see some cool wizards, uhhh, come to my Instagram–you guys!  Let’s hang out and look at wizards.  And talk about wizards.  And if you don’t like wizards well, don’t come I guess.

FOLLOW JUSTINE: INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE | TWITTER | STORE 

[whatanerdgirlsays]

WonderCon weekend has officially closed and while I’m totally exhausted and my feet still hurt and I’m probably still a little dehydrated and I may feel a con cold coming on, I’m sad that its over. I count down the minutes to the con each year and I always have a blast and I’m sad to see it end for 2018. This year was a good one though, full of both familiar and new experiences.

Friday was a short day for me. I ended up having to work in the morning so we didn’t get to WonderCon until about 230 pm, but Fridays are usually slow so it worked out nicely. We figured out a way to park nearby and take Lyfts in, instead of having to deal with the INSANE parking that apparently people had to go through. We did that all weekend and found that to be WAY  less of a hassle and WAY worth the money we paid (which was basically next to nothing because we parked so close). We were also doing Week of Logic last week, which is a week long celebration for the anniversary of one of my favorite breweries (which is NERD themed), Bottle Logic.

 Friday ended up being SUCH a fun day, even though we only had a few hours there to stay but we made it totally worth it. I really wanted to meet both EK Johnston (author of many novels, but in this case, author of the novel, Ahsoka) and Ashley Eckstein, who does the voice acting for Ahsoka in Clone Wars, Rebels and much more. They were only signing on the Friday and I’ve met them both before, but I wanted to try and snag a paperback cover of Ahsoka in order to do a giveaway soon (so keep an eye out!).

They were SO nice to meet again. Ashley actually recognized me, which was nice, since I’ve done my best to try and meet her every year at WonderCon for the past couple of years. My boyfriend, Daniel, gave her a compliment on her audiobook reading of Ahsoka and I think she really appreciated that; she said she was avoiding it since she felt like she did an awful job at the voices for Darth Maul and Bail Organa haha.

We ended up staying in the autograph area immediately after since an author Daniel really likes,  Patrick Rothfuss, was signing as well. He was a super cool guy and I even snagged a copy of his first book for my friend, Alyssa, who is a big fan and could not go. I love watching my boyfriend meet people he admires, especially since he doesn’t get to do so often and he really only started to once he started dating me haha. I’ve met a lot of people so its fun to see someone else do it, especially someone who isn’t so used to meeting famous people.  I definitely enjoyed that.

Mostly on Friday, we wandered Artist Alley, where I get the most in trouble with my wallet. I love seeing all the artwork and I always have a couple goals when looking for art. Last year it was Mei from Overwatch and any Hamilton art, and this year I was all about Wonder Woman and Ahsoka!

Saturday, we ended up in SO many panels, which I super loved because that almost never happens for me. I always end up spending so much time on the con floor that I barely make any panels, but not on Saturday and that was so great!

We went to a panel called the Science of Pacific Rim, with the host Kyle Hill, who works for Nerdist, amongst other things, to discuss the science-y stuff behind the cult movie, Pacific Rim. This just so happens to be Daniel’s favorite movie and the panel was SO much fun. I’ve only seen the movie once but honestly it was a bunch of science nerds, geeking out and discussing the finer points of a movie and I LOVE and LIVE for that stuff. Truly it was such a fun panel and I would’ve never thought to go to it if it hadn’t been for Daniel.

That night, we ended up in three back-to-back fantastic panels. One of them we stumbled to on accident, waiting for the panel after it. It was about Latinx in Comics, and had three woman who run the podcast Comadres y Comics (which I’ve now started listening to and LOVE) and an author Sebastian Kadlecik, who wrote the comic Quince, about a girl who gets super powers at her quinceanera. It was such a fun panel and I’m so glad we got to the room early for the following panel because I would have missed out. I’m sad I didn’t get a picture but it was nice to see woman who look like me, talking about comics and stories like that. One of them even owns a comic book store in Santa Monica with her husband and that’s just the coolest.

We also did the Dark Side of Women, a panel that talked about exploring the darker side of women in fiction, which was incredibly enjoyable and incredibly inspiring. I’m not really nice to my characters and its nice to know that I am most definitely not the only one. We also ended up randomly in a Dungeons and Dragons panel as well. Daniel is HUGE fan and has been playing for a few years now and dedicates a lot of time and energy into it and he’s even gotten me to play and I actually ended up liking it a lot. I love to watch more than anything and get inspired for my own world building and story telling but I truly love playing too. Its really a chance for adults to play make believe and the panel was full of people who’ve been playing for decades and had a lot of cool advice and experienced insight to share, even for someone who has been playing for a bit, like Daniel.

Sunday, I think, was my favorite day though and I may be a little biased when I say so. I was lucky enough to be a moderator at my very first WonderCon panel ever and it was basically a dream come true. WonderCon is my favorite convention and its been a bucket list item for quite some time to be on panel and my dear friend, Alexandra Monir, asked me to moderate the Women Writers in YA Science Fiction and Fantasy panel with Alexandra, along with Robyn Schneider, Kiersten White and Livia Blackburne. Its a subject that is SO near and dear to my heart and it didn’t take me more than a few seconds to say YES.

I was definitely nervous for it, especially when I discovered our panel was in such a BIG room, but the turn out was so great, and the authors were amazing. I felt confident up there and we had great discussions about being women in male-dominated genres and being aware of our own personal brand of feminism in writing and so much more. It felt awesome to be up there and I couldn’t have asked for better authors, a better audience or a better time. It was SUCH a great experience for sure.

All in all, it was another banner year at WonderCon and I’m sad to see it go once more. I always have such a great time, meet great people, see friends I haven’t seen in a long time, and buy too much fan art…if that is even such a thing. This year was even better than usual; I got to discover new podcasts and cross a bucket list item off the list. I am always counting down the days until the next year because, again, I always have such a great time. I can’t wait for next year!

I was in a search for some good Wonder Woman fan art and I saw a lot of it but this is the one that honestly made me the happiest and I had to get it. Irene also had a ton of awesome buttons and some other fabulous fan art as well and you can check her out as beanclam on instagram.

I bought a ton of Hamilton fan art from a sunnydisposish last year and I knew I needed this fan art in my life, especially after Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose in The Last Jedi, shared it on International Womens Day!

I had been looking EVERYWHERE for Ahsoka art work and I found a few but none that really jumped out or spoke to me until suddenly, out of nowhere, I spotted this one from Albert Nguyen (albertnguyenart) and immediately purchased it without a second thought. I love Ahsoka and Sabine and was immediately sold on this artwork.

I knew the moment I saw Chrissie Zullo’s booth that I was going to get something from her, it was just so hard to decide. She had an excellent Wonder Woman art piece (which she actually uses as her business card, so I have that in my clear phone case now haha) and an incredibly Leia one as well but I’m a sucker for snow bunny aka Hoth Leia and got my hands on this one. Make sure to follow her on her instagram here.

FREAKING LUNAR CHRONICLES FAN ART! CINDER, SCARLET, CRESS, WINTER AND IKO! I told myself that I was cut off from buying more fan art but how often do you see YA fan art at a con? I had to buy them. HAD TO! Follow the artist here and beg her to do more YA fan art because I’m truly in love.

I didn’t even realize Karen Hallion was going to be at WonderCon again and so I was pleasantly surprised to see her, and I immediately got my hands on her calendar, because I’m totally super in love with her original character. She’s well known for doing her Disney-Doctor Who crossovers but she honestly is my fave in fan art and always draws ALL the badass ladies in fiction.

My last little guilty pleasure purchase is from a vendor called Pixel That. I saw them last year on the last day, after my wallet was tapped out so I was determined to get something from them this year. I definitely want to buy more of them because they’re cute, sassy and insanely comfortable and now they have leggings too! They said the magic words. You can follow them here.

Event Recap - WonderCon Anaheim 2018! #WonderCon #WCA2018 @wondercon WonderCon weekend has officially closed and while I'm totally exhausted and my feet still hurt and I'm probably still a little dehydrated and I may feel a con cold coming on, I'm sad that its over.

[obiwan824]

im thinking of starting an imagines blog like yours and I'm not sure if i should, could you give me some advice?

You totally should! I actually made a draft of tips for starting one, but never posted it, so I’ll put some stuff here!

 So, one thing is if you plan on taking requests, you won’t get requests for a long time (unless you have magical powers- if so, don’t pay attention to this). I begged for requests for a long time before I got my first one, and even then, I’d only get one a month. Now, I get multiple a week, which is awesome! I’d suggest that you just keep writing- this takes a little patience and a lot of ideas, but it will all be worth it! Requests can be kind of stressful, I sometimes have no idea how to begin, but in order to write it, you should try and determine your writing style.

 For me, I have trouble starting, but once I get started, I can write tons of imagines at a time. I get really in the zone, I don’t like talking to people when I’m writing, so I tend to kind of block myself off and ignore people for a couple hours. Think about how you write and the environment in which you prefer to write in, and this will help a ton when figuring out how to start a request!

 Another thing I struggle with is finding ideas- until I get requests, sometimes I have to sit there and try to find something to write about. Here’s a direct quote from my original draft-

“Keep writing- I sometimes run out of ideas, other times I’m overflowing. Here’s what I do to get through writer’s block-

 Write down every idea you have. Sometimes I’ll watch The Force Awakens and be like “CAPTAIN PHASMA X PRISONER READER!!” I write that down and do it later. Or I’ll read a really cute John Laurens x reader and be like “dude I need some John in my life!!” So just write all this stuff down and write it when you run out of ideas.

 Take inspiration from life! That’s how I get a lot of ideas- “Artist” was based on a bike ride I took, I was like “What if I just drew this guy right now? whAT IF I FALL IN LOVE WITH THE GUY I DRAW?” I wrote those musical theatre headcanons after seeing a musical!

 Look up writing prompts online and twist them a bit. I’ve written short stories that aren’t fanfiction based on writing prompts. That’s how I wrote “The List”.

I write fanfiction in my head while I go through my day? Especially while I fall asleep. I hug a Pillow Pet TM! and pretend it’s someone I love and make up a story! That’s how I did “Sharing a Bed”. Weird facts you didn’t need to know.”

I don’t know how helpful that actually is, but that’s how I come up with ideas.

I guess this comes before the writing, but when you’re figuring out how to make your blog look, here’s what I did!

For my profile picture, I just chose what was my favorite image at the time, although I didn’t plan on writing for Dan and Phil, I just liked the picture. I chose another picture I liked for my banner (at the time it was a galaxy!). For the blog color, I went with just my favorite color. Your theme and stuff can be figured out later, just go with what you’re into at the moment!

 I think that a lot of what I’m saying won’t be helpful since you already use Tumblr, I made my blog the day after I went on Tumblr for the first time, so I had no idea. This could help someone though?

 Another quote:

“Grammarly. Get it. Use it. Even if you have the best grammar, it will help.

 Write whenever you can- I usually write at night, but I’ve started writing during the day, whenever I get inspiration!

Read a lot of fanfiction, you’ll start to figure out how you want to write. I’ve really developed my style through trying different perspectives.

Be sure to take breaks when you need to! I need to follow my own advice, I don’t take breaks even when writing is really messing with my mental health, but make sure you do!”

I’ve since learned when to take breaks, don’t worry, haha! But overall, these are some good tips- the more you read, the more you write. Write whenever you get a chance or choose a specific time to write- something about the image of just settling down with some tea at a nice, clean desk with the lights turned off and just some mood lighting and writing on a nice, aesthetic-y MacBook makes me happy. I just lay in bed all day and write weird fanfiction, but whatever floats your boat, my friend!

Try to stay as organized as possible, I used to write down every request, comment, everything I’ve written, etc- it’s harder now, haha, but it was a good idea. Keeping a simple to-do list on my writing doc has kept me organized this past month. I copy and paste asks directly into my doc and write the imagine below it. I also write down all of my ideas here, so that I can write them when I have the time.

 If you have specific questions about anything else, feel free to send me an ask or DM me anytime! I think it’s a great idea to start an imagines blog- beginning mine is the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s changed my life for the better, and I can’t even think about what I was like before this. If you decide to make one, let me know the name so I can check you out! I’m so happy you came to ask me for advice, though I don’t think this was very helpful, I hope I could help a little? Have an awesome day, and good luck!!

[inspiredartstudent]

The Process of Great Ideas (Musings of an art student)

I am beginning to appreciate the process of coming to great ideas.  Perhaps this is the one most valuable lesson I’ve learned this first month of the school year.

We can have great, awesome sparks of inspiration at any time.  We can have “great ideas” in an instant.

But when we go to put that into a complete, fully rendered drawing or painting, we can’t translate that idea perfectly from the get-go.  This is so frustrating!  Even if I can technically draw the thing that spawned from my head, what ends up on the paper typically isn’t as epic, as beautiful, as detailed, as intriguing or as visually interesting as the vision from my imagination.  I take a moment to stare at what I've drawn and I wonder, ummm so how could someone look at this and feel the same excitement about it as I did when I started this? Because it sure don’t look as epic as I imagined.

In part, I realized this as I was copying other artists’ work that I deeply admired (not to steal it of course, just to learn and study their work).  When I saw their artwork, I felt a rush of excitement.  :D BIG GASP “OH WOW THAT’S BEAUUUUUTIFULLLLL!!! I lovvvvvvvvvve it I love it!!!”  And when I did master copy of their work, I found I could recreate much of that same feeling.  But otherwise, when I flip through my own sketches, I miss that feeling. :/  Part of that right now is because much of my own drawing is focused on improving my technique and my skills observing from life, so I draw a lot of people studying or looking bored, and random objects and plants I pass throughout the day.  But I still have plenty of my own imagined, conceptual types of sketches.  And although they were all sparked by some intriguing idea, they don’t command any viewer’s attention.

So.  Then we go to the present reality in which I am starting my first real illustration classes, and I have to come up with 15-30 thumbnails for each project.  For whatever reason, this does not sound like very many at all in my mind, but this is still a huge increase from the 6 thumbnails I had to come up with in high school.  However, let me tell you that 30 thumbnails takes me a couple of hours of deep brain work, and at the end I feel like I maybe have 2 or 3 fairly good ideas.  And even at the end of 30 thumbnails, I feel like there’s something better out there I have not yet uncovered.  And whatever that idea is taunts me.

(Here are a few of those ugly thumbnail pages.  It’s not always about looking pretty, but exploring and getting ideas onto paper-therefore eliminating a lot of ideas that just ... don’t ... work.)

Is there anyone else out there on the interwebs who has felt similarly?  I have loved art for a long time, but it’s only been recently that I have experienced this strong push, or this nagging.  For whatever reason, the only analogy I can visualize is octapus tentacles (they’re pumpkin-orange in color) reaching out and taunting and tugging at me (not violently but firmly and persisteringly(?)).

It must be the Octapus of My Artistic Aspirations.  Come, young art student, do or do not, there is no try.

(That’s the Minoan Octapus Flask from c. 1500 B.C.E.  One of my favorite ancient art objects.)

But back to the point!

The lesson I’m learning right now is that creating a work of art that is inspiring, that’s engaging, that people can really latch onto, and that you can say honestly communicates the vision you started with, is a process.  It takes time, it takes nurturing, it takes energy and revision and work.

Nurturing.  I like that word, instead of just simply saying “work”, because nurturing has the natural diligence that comes along with love.  Nurturing is passionate work, and it does not force or push too hard or too quickly.  It’s persistent and diligent.  And nurturing is a very rewarding kind of work.

For me, right now, nurturing my artwork is about taking my sketches and loving the ideas which inspired them whilst treating them more like sticky notes, simple, quickly jotted-down ideas.  Then I go into a great exploration and revision process.  The exploration and the revision are simultaneous.  They must be for at least a while, or my work will become static and boring, lifeless and dull.  I can’t be too hesitant to try something even if I think it’s crazy, as long as I am in this stage.  Next I evaluate.  Am I staying true to my vision, or better yet, am I creating a better vision?  If so, I can make whatever small tweaks I want to my thumbnails and then start the “comps”/final piece (”comp” is design school/industry jargon for an art piece that is much more developed than a thumbnail, offers a good depiction of what the final piece will look like, but isn’t yet the finished product).  At my present state, I generally do not think my thumbnails are aligning with my vision, so then I dig in real deep, figure out why it isn’t working yet, assess whether I am realistically capable of making those alterations, and then I do my best to improve what I’ve got.  At some point, I just have to move forward and finish what I started whether it lives up to my hopes and dreams or not.  But I do my best, and I do my best starting out in the idea/thumbnail/development stages.

That’s my plan for here on out, at least.

Just remember to be practical and use good judgment.  Even the artists I most admire admit that their end result is typically different from what they envisioned.  Some artists, I’d say especially young and developing artists, get really frustrated when they don’t achieve the results they hoped for.  My suggestion is to remember and appreciate how far you’ve come.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my life, it’s that I’m ALWAYS learning.  So I have the potential to improve.  And so do you!  Just keep nurturing those skills.  Little by little you’ll improve.  There’s up days and down days.  We all do.  Just keep trucking along, and never forget why you first loved it.

(This is really long. Should I add pictures?  Would that help your eyes read this textbook of a post?  Haha, I’m so great at tumblr, guys. xD) **Goes back to add pictures :) **