#i feel like my style looks better when its less blended and rougher like this

[toomanysubcultures]

drawing a marvel character every day pt 13: johnny blaze, ghost rider

[chaoslynx]

Hi! I'm curious, what's your art process like? I want to maybe learn some ways to learn better :') /gen /pos

Oh gosh, being asked this when I'm such a beginner is a little terrifying, but I'll try my best to answer!

Well, you see, my art process is quite complex but it all boils down to one thing: Ash Lynx. /j

Seriously though, here's kind of what I do! You can also see a timelapse of one of my first attempts at digital painting here on my Instagram (on the second slide)! I use a Wacom Intuos Small size tablet, and CSP on my laptop.

My first step is usually (not always) picking a reference. A couple of my pieces (like this one!) aren't from reference, but most are. I usually use stock photo websites like Unsplash to find references!

Say this is my reference. My first lines on the paper are to create a rough sketch based on it! Some of these end up rougher than others, but here's what my sketch looked like based on this image:

(Honestly, this is one of my nicer first sketches. Some of them are way rougher.) You can see that I didn't really want to deal with hands yet lol, so I kind of just roughed out where they are. Sometimes on the first sketch I'll rough out hair too, or other times I'll leave it like this.

If I'm trying a painting style, I make a more detailed first sketch, but skip the lineart step and go straight to color. I'm gonna discuss more about my lineart style here since I have more experience with it, but check out that Instagram post I linked to see kinda how I do painting!

Then I turn the sketch blue and do my lineart over it! Feel free to deviate from the sketch if things aren't working out. I often do lineart on several layers; like here, the eyes are on their own layer, as are the hands and camera. I think I overuse layers, though, so that's not for everyone lol. Here's what my final lineart looks like over the sketch!

Don't be afraid to redo lineart over and over. Sometimes I'll be like "maybe it'll look better with color!" and it never does 😭 So lineart is really important! It took SO many attempts to get his hands right on this one. I had the reference image open on my phone and was trying to draw pretty close to how the model in the stock image had her hands on the camera.

Next I hide the sketch layer and do flat colors. Sometimes I'll use the bucket tool for this, but a lot of times it doesn't work super well and I'll just color them in myself. Again I seriously overuse layers, so usually each flat color has its own layer. For black hair I usually switch the color wheel to blue, then pick something on the darker and grayer side.

Next up is lighting and shading! I have different strategies for this depending on the piece. Sometimes I use clipping layers over each color layer and just shade with the original color, shifted slightly on the color wheel. (I've been told not to shade in gray!)

For this one, though, I used a multiply layer for shading and an add glow for lighting. I knew I wanted to have a brick background, so I used an orangey-red color for the shading and lighting. I wanted my light coming from the upper left, so I kept that in mind. Then I lower the opacity on both until it looks decent! Here's with and without the lowered opacity. On this one I blended the shading and lighting layers in quite a bit, because I wanted it to look kind of soft.

On this one I also added blushies on his nose, ears, cheeks, and lips. I added a highlight on Eiji's hair (also on an add glow layer clipped to the hair color layer). I also put details into Eiji's eyes to make them sparkle! Here's zoomed in on his face so you can see the changes:

I added details on the camera to make it look a little more reflective and less boring, and to draw some attention to it.

For the background, I put a layer under Eiji and made it the dark red color I wanted. Then I put the bricks over it, blurred them, and reduced the opacity.

On this one I wanted the background to have kind of a grimy but ethereal effect, so I drew cracks along the bricks with reduced opacity, and drew specks of orange on an add glow with a really reduced opacity. I also added another lighting layer in front of Eiji but not clipped to him for the background lighting. Then I just added a noise layer with super reduced opacity, and put my watermark on it with an overlay layer!

Here's how the final piece turned out:

I hope this is helpful! I've only been drawing for a few months so I definitely have a lot to learn still. Let me know if you have any questions. (That's open to anyone!) Also if anyone has advice for me and/or this anon, I'm sure we'd both appreciate that! 💖💖💖

[gascon-en-exil]

Dark Deity Pre-Release Character Opinions

This isn't actually a tier list, but someone helpfully created a template for this game and it's as good a way as any to do a little visual showcase for this cast. Characters are listed by their class sets, which are fixed but offer a nice variety in terms of promotion options. My opinions on each are as follows, from left to right in each row. Most characters have introductory profiles written up on the DD subreddit, if you'd like to check them out yourself.

Warriors

Alexa

You know those buff female blacksmiths in Echoes and Three Houses that some people wish were playable characters? That's pretty much Alexa. Can't say I'm too hyped about her myself, but warrior + tomboyish female character will do that for me...or not do it, I suppose.

Benji

Seems to have been written to become a meme, and I still can't decide whether that's clever or stupid. Kind of like Raphael only with a bigger emphasis on training than on eating, and with brotherly devotion replaced with brotherly angst that might theoretically go somewhere if the character isn't reduced to being a goofy joke all the time.

Fenton

Doesn't have a character profile, so as far as I know he's just a generic dwarf because DD swaps out its inspiration's loli dragons and other vaguely fetishistic shapeshifters for the two most cliché non-human races in Western fantasy. I wonder whether his VA will voice him with a Scottish accent, to go all in on the (ironic?) laziness. There are a handful of elves in the playable cast, but Fenton is the only dwarf so for better or worse he's representing.

Helena

She's the embodiment of the FE exotic swordswoman archetype, but curiously DD seems to have turned that broad ethnic brush inward. Helena's last name is apparently a Japanese verb, her art shows her with a spear (as in the association of the naginata with women), and she studied and trained in a monastery that seems to blend elements of Buddhism and Shintoism. Not sure how all that fits into the larger setting yet, but at this point she's still got more background development than Petra.

Irving

Our Hero, the one front and center on the cover art. He sounds a bit on the blander side as far as lords or lord equivalents go, with his most promising hook for me being his established friendship with Garrick (see the ranger section). At best I can hope for a bit of a romantic friendship dynamic, although they sound a bit rougher overall as they're military academy schoolmates I wonder why DD went with that instead of lordlings of different territories.

Rogues

Brooke

Looks like Camilla; has a backstory like Niles. Cleavage aside though the sexual element of both is toned down here, and there might be some sapphic bodyguard shenanigans to be had as her current employers are a pair of highborn sisters further down this list.

Cia

For some reason she reminds me of Tressa from Octopath Traveler, only bustier and a bartender rather than a merchant. She's still just a small town girl with big city dreams, and this being a tactical war game following those dreams will inevitably involve stabbing people.

Corvan

Hard to judge him at the moment, as his profile was only the second written and so isn't terribly detailed. He's a moon elf with scholarly interests, apparently. Still, as of right now he's the only rogue who doesn't slot loosely into either a ninja/assassin or pirate aesthetic, so that's kind of neat. Also, he's one of several characters to have FEH-esque beach fanart made of them already, so clearly someone's into elf twinks.

Ford

A former officer at the military academy Irving attends and a smuggler who dotes on his niece, Ford has major dad energy. Per developer reveals he's also bi, and as I mentioned before I'm totally fine with that. More bear sex, please - but what guy in this cast would hop in the sack with Ford? Only time will tell. His personal skill makes him extra dodgy, which combined with the mug of booze in his art makes me think of WoW brewmasters who dodge-tank through the power of being wasted.

Wren

Like Brooke, he's an assassin from a foreign nation - in his case the same one as Helena so presumably he's a not!Japanese ninja. I'm not really feeling him at the moment. What is it about Hao'Fen (the city/territory he and Helena come from) and massive families? That comes up in both their backstories.

Rangers

Caius

I feel like this is the third or fourth character to grow up in some slum or other; at least they've all been in different towns so far. The relative rarity of noble characters is certainly different from FE, but it reduces the political stakes which leaves me wondering a bit about the story. Anyway, Caius is a small town desert hunter who learned how to make arrows out of animal bones. How aerodynamic is bone, I wonder?

Garrick

Irving's BFF and seemingly the Hector to Irving's Eliwood, only with more flirting (his intro doesn't specify that Garrick is flirting with women, but I'm not going so far as to say that indicates anything). He's the academy headmaster's son, with a strained relationship with his father for some of that hotheaded lead tension. Notably, his VA is the one I'm most familiar with in this cast, as he's the voice of Revali from Breath of the Wild as well as love interests in two different erotic gay dating sims I've played. In other words, I know what this guy sounds like making awkwardly simulated sex noises...and I have no idea what to do with that information.

Maeve

She's a half-elf with a very storied background, so much so that it's all rather hard to follow her exploits when little of what's being described has been fully revealed yet. I'm expecting her to be a mid/lategame recruit, unless she's dropped in early on to reveal that (sun) elves exist or something.

Rose

Imagine if Bernadetta were a commoner, although we can only hope they'll be less screaming. Alternatively, Neimi without an obvious boyfriend. She won the beach contest so now she has official swimsuit art, which I guess makes her a top-tier waifu in the eyes of players who care about such things.

Sophia

A ranger in the "has animal companions" sense, although whether that will come into play mechanically aside from her personal skill - Butter the ferret can attack with her! - remains to be seen. Her preference for the company of animals is explained by a lack of social graces, so prepare for klutz-related humor. Of note to those interested in F/F is that her introduction specifically brings up her connection with Sloane (see the mage section) and how close the two of them are.

Clerics

Faust

Doesn't have a profile yet, so not much to go off other than his decidedly unhinged look. The cleric class set does feature some darker-flavored options, so presumably he's more naturally aligned with those. His VA was announced to be the YouTuber behind So This is Basically Fire Emblem and other similar videos, so I'm picturing a kooky and somewhat demented Henry type.

Lincoln

Also lacks a profile at time of writing...clerics get so little love. The Discord has identified him a bland blond paladin sort, but as we know from the likes of Perceval and especially Dimitri that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be boring (or not gay).

Maren

The soft-spoken healer type, and also a childhood friend of Garrick although her intro sibling-zones him but then this game is inspired by FE so who knows if that'll stick. She may have some interesting thoughts on the theology of the setting, as there seem to be several faiths and she's said to have a complicated relationship with her own. I will be utterly shocked if she's not either Irving or Garrick's eventual love interest.

Samara

One of two princesses of the country of Aramor, which appears to be loosely inspired by the Middle East. Heaven help us if the Khalidstans ever get wind of this game. Unfortunately aside from her bond with her older sister (in the mage section) and the knowledge that Brooke has been hired as their bodyguard there's not much to Samara at the moment. Hopefully the clerics all do some comparative theology in their bond conversations, and this isn't like Sacred Stones where none of the clergy characters from different countries ever compare notes. The succession crisis involving Samara and her sister vs. their less-loved cousin the king's son might be a major plot hook? It's still too early to tell.

Vesta

Much like Maeve her backstory has entirely too much going on to really follow at the moment. Basically she's a human who grew up in a sun elf city because Reasons (seriously, I don't know what they are) and was called to a clerical vocation and also something about taking a journey. Has an unfortunate case of silly boob armor, which unlike a certain other character probably won't be rectified this close to release.

Mages

Alden

Maren's precocious younger brother, also basically Ricken up to and including the comically oversized hat. As a unit he follows the tradition of Donnel, Mozu, and Cyril of having a personal skill that buffs his stat gains, so it's safe to say he's a growth unit. At least he'll probably join early.

Liberty

Comes with dead brother angst and a connection to the "aspects" system that will hopefully make more sense once I've played the game and know how it functions both mechanically and from a storytelling perspective. Otherwise she looks to be a busty older - as in, not a teenage - mage in the vein of Calill.

Monroe

Got the first ever character profile, so it's really short. He's the son of a duke and sounds like a bit of a snob, albeit one that can make explosions happen to back up his haughtiness. He's got some scarring around his eye that surely must come with a story. Someone also made featured fanart of him in Heroes summer banner style, so I guess he's got somebody horny already.

Sara

Samara's half-sister, with comparable fantasy Middle Eastern flavoring. Has an interest in discovering magical artifacts and being a just ruler in the event she winds up on the throne (so, almost definitely), and she and Samara travel around with the assassin Brooke as their bodyguard. There's maybe some lesbian possibilities there? Either way, Sara has enough development where I could see her as a major supporting character.

Sloane

Comes with a genuinely fascinating backstory involving manipulative double-crossing parents, an education in the cruelties and deceptions of social life (reflected in her personal skill), and disinheritance - and yet it's all likely to be overshadowed because she may go down as DD's equivalent to Fates's face-touching. Her initial art is even more revealing than Camilla's, and while the developers later gave her a more modest redesign after negative feedback I get the feeling that this controversy may live on. Her introduction mentions her hunting for both heirs and heiresses and she's now been linked to Sophia, so safe to say she's another confirmed bi character.

Adepts

While the other class sets are standard fantasy fare adepts require a bit more explanation. They have innate magical abilities and appear to be feared and distrusted most places in the setting. Functionally they remind me of adepts from the Golden Sun series, if anyone is familiar with those games. The classes in the adept group tend more toward physical/magical hybridization than those of other sets, so that will probably be their mechanical niche. Oh, and their default weapon type is lances, which is a plus in my book.

Aurima

Along with Caius and the royal sisters, he's another one from the desert nation of Aramor. An arena fighter who got touched by a god in what I assume was a non-sexual way and came out of it with a new appearance and adept powers. Also, he's confirmed to be over 40 - how often do you see that in games like this?

Bianca

Looks like a more carefree Mathilda from Echoes. She's a ranking officer in the Delian army which sounds like it'd sit uneasily with her adept powers. Her profile describes Lincoln as her close friend, which is still about the most we know about him at this point.

Elias

This guy's writing plays more into the fairly standard coding that comes with adept powers, as we know they manifested shortly before he was going to confess his feelings to a male paramour and afterwards he was forced to flee his homeland and wander the world. He also spent time among dwarves, so insert short bear jokes here? In the present he's attached to Cia in what seems to be a platonic way; maybe she's a fruit fly, or maybe she just likes having a friend who can light drunken assholes on fire? Elias is definitely into guys, but I would still be a little surprised if he turned out to be totally gay as that's such a rarity in these sorts of things.

Iris

Oof, another lengthy and rough backstory. Iris had better parents than Sloane, but she also had to deal with permanent facial scarring (hence the mask) after a bandit kidnapping and the stigma of manifesting as an adept pretty much eliminating the prospects of her making a good political marriage. Also, she and Elias both come from Neullais, which is prominently featured on the continental map on the DD subreddit but doesn't seem to come up all too often in backstories. I think it's a not!France? Hard to tell.

Thae'lanel

A World of Warcraft blood elf, flowing anime hair and apostrophe'd name and all. I like WoW so that's not terribly grating, but as he has no profile yet there's little else I can say. Thae'lanel is mentioned in Maeve's introduction as a member of a sun elf group called the Exiled, which I'm guessing is tied to his adept status in some way. He and Maeve form yet another adventurer/bodyguard duo.

[atrocitycl]

VIXX LR - “Whisper” Review

(Music Video) / (Dance Practice)

VIXX LR – Whisper

Reviewed on October 28, 2017

So, unlike the many fans and listeners who praise VIXX LR’s latest song, I argue the opposite: that, if we move beyond stylistic preferences, we will find that “Whisper” is an incredibly incoherent song. That lack of organization is why I struggle to critically enjoy the song—even if, as many have said, the vocals and the like are rather appealing.

Personal Message: It has been an entire month without any reviews, and I greatly apologize for this. While better time management would have prevented this situation, I had to pause writing reviews and subtitling videos for the sake of keeping up with my studies. However, all is going well in my life and I hope to better allocate my time so that I can maintain a consistent schedule with reviews. After all, my university life is only going to get busier in the future—not less. So, I hope and plan to develop a schedule that will allow reviews to carry on, and of course, to be more concise with reviews.

Regarding this review, it finally addresses a one-month-old (if not more) request. To the requester, I apologize for the massive delay (and likewise to the reader who also requested Sunmi’s “Gashina”). As of now, I believe I might have to temporarily stop accepting requests—or at least, I will have to put a disclaimer on their finished dates. That said, if reviews become far shorter to write, this dilemma toward requests might be unnecessary.

On topic, however, VIXX LR—a sub-unit of VIXX—will be the artist we focus on. “Whisper,” while no longer quite a newer song, is at least still VIXX LR’s latest song. Many fans and listeners cherish the song: comments from various sources appear to praise the duo’s vocals, and regarding the song’s composition and production, many also favor the song’s “chill” stylistic approach. Although stylistic preferences are certainly acceptable and are by no means wrong to have, I personally question—challenge, even—many listeners’ and fans’ take to “Whisper.” A song’s style is not sufficient for determining whether a song is excellent in quality or not; we need to go deeper and account for the composition at play. Unfortunately, though, analyzing “Whisper” in this aspect brings many concerns. So, unlike the many fans and listeners who praise VIXX LR���s latest song, I argue the opposite: that, if we move beyond stylistic preferences, we will find that “Whisper” is an incredibly incoherent song. That lack of organization is why I struggle to critically enjoy the song—even if, as many have said, the vocals and the like are rather appealing.

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Song Score: 5/10 (5.25/10 raw score) - “Average”

- Vocals: 6/10

- Sections: 5/10 (4.86/10 raw score)

Introduction, Rap, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Rap, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Post-Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Conclusion (Post-Chorus)

1.     Introduction: 6/10

2.     Rap: 6/10

3.     Pre-Chorus: 4/10

4.     Chorus: 3/10

5.     Post-Chorus: 4/10

6.     Bridge: 5/10

7.     Conclusion (Post-Chorus): 6/10

- Instrumental: 4/10

- Lyrics: 6/10

Tell me your love to the point where I melt Tickle my heart Show me your love Yeah we’re burnin’ up, baby Whisper yourself into my heart

Especially more so today Time seems to freeze when I see you I can’t handle you, it transcends narcissism My instincts have already gone up I try to calm down my excited heart but it breaks down Calm down, down, down My body is slowing down right now, now No limit, limit, what is your limit? Tell me ahead of time Everything has levels But you’ve erased that process You are my song, yeah baby I’m different from the other wolves who only look for you at night I look for you every moment of every day, girl

You can have all of me, it’s alright Do you know what I want? Carefully, right now

Softly, whisper to me, girl Whisper to me It’s quiet but it feels dangerous You have me specifically flexin’ It’s a secret sign Our own party without anyone knowing Whisper language

I can use both arms and legs but I can’t fully express everything I don’t care about a party filled with losers My focus is on you Chillin’-chillin’ we need a secret This is something that happens on a screen I’m feelin’ like a Gosling I’m sure of this feeling Love you, love you, love you, love you, love you Really love you I can’t figure you out but my head is already there I hope at least half of my predictions will be the answer I hope this night connects us We can be quiet Because I think this is strangely more fun

You can have all of me, it’s alright Do you know what I want? Carefully, right now

Softly, whisper to me, girl Whisper to me It’s quiet but it feels dangerous You have me specifically flexin’ It’s a secret sign Our own party without anyone knowing Whisper language

Whisper Yeah tell me, tell me your love Whisper Yeah I can even hear your breath, love Whisper Yeah tell me, tell me your love Whisper Yeah I can even touch your voice, real love

Don’t hesitate anymore, feel your vibe However you feel, movin’ Falling into the black hole, my black hole You don’t care about the meaning of beauty But you just show yourself to me I’ve already gone crazy but you drive me crazy again You make me fly until the end

Once again, whisper to me, girl Whisper to me Burn me up, like you’re testing me You analyze me like you’re flexin’ It’s a secret sign Our own party without anyone knowing Whisper language

Whisper Yeah tell me, tell me your love Whisper Yeah I can even hear your breath, love Whisper Yeah tell me, tell me your love Whisper Yeah I can even touch your voice, real love

_______________________________________________________

Analysis: Before boldly critiquing the composers’ work, I find that we still need to acknowledge what many fans and listeners have established: sonically, “Whisper” pleases our ears. We find this sentiment supported by individually focusing on each section. For example, the rapping sections are rather developed. If we listen to the first rap section that occurs, we should notice that Ravi’s part is more than just a straightforward, typical, rhythm-based rap. The composers also introduced moments where the rap drastically slows down and instead adds in tune versus rhythm—this being clearly heard with the pitch-enhanced (or pitch-edited) bits that are dispersed throughout. This all works in favor, though, of creating rap sections that function more than as a song’s break. After all, notice how in many K-Pop songs the rap sections tend to provide a mere change of pace in a song. But, in “Whisper,” with the rapping being rather flexible and complex—and later in the song, also being mixed in with Leo’s singing—this allows listeners to interpret the rapping as a main core of the song’s aural appeal.

But, all of that said, “Whisper” as an entire song is incoherent—and sadly, no amount of individual, aural appeal can compensate for the song’s lack of organization. Consider the song in this manner: as if it was an essay. Yes, I can already hear the skepticism with this analogy: “This makes no sense; the only thing we see is your teacher-side showing.” But, bear with it for a few more moments. Imagining that “Whisper” is an essay, we can understand that its individual aspects—its individual paragraphs—are beautifully and thoughtfully written. However, we notice a problem with this essay: Although each paragraph is strong individually, none of the paragraphs make sense when we put them together to form an actual essay. One paragraph focuses on a certain topic, but the next paragraph switches to an entirely new topic—and again, individually we acknowledge that those single paragraphs are perfect. The same applies to “Whisper.” While its individual aspects are solid—such as the singing or the rapping—none of these aspects easily connects to the other. As individual chunks of a song, “Whisper” is great; as a unified, single song, “Whisper” is not great.

Diving into examples of this incoherence, let us focus specifically on the conflict that occurs between the rapping and singing. Again, both on an individual level are excellent but the song lacks in relating the two together. This is why the choruses are structurally jarring despite how Leo’s singing soothes us. When the choruses arrive, listeners are disorientated by the sudden changes: despite a rap section building up to the choruses, rather than a chorus that builds off that hyping, it instead begins from a new beginning. In other words, given that the rapping and even the pre-choruses seem to be working together toward a climactic point, it is odd that the choruses fail to follow through. Instead of the choruses being a notable, climaxing point where the rap sections and pre-choruses come together, it appears as if the choruses completely begin its own song. The instrumental at the choruses, for example, are not similar to the rap or pre-chorus sections and instead take a sudden calm approach. Furthermore, Leo’s singing style—while definitely serene and beautiful—does not complement Ravi’s rougher rap lines.

What would have been preferable, I argue, is if the duo’s vocals were similar in style or perhaps even alternating in a dynamic fashion. Towards the latter half of the song, post-choruses are introduced and these sections take on an interesting form: a blend of both Leo and Ravi—a blend of singing and rapping. If this was established sooner in the song, I foresee this incoherence problem being prevented. Or, as mentioned as well, if the two vocal styles were able to relate directly this would be another potential solution. If Leo’s singing at the chorus, for example, was slightly rougher and focused on intensity so that it would match Ravi’s rapping style, there could have been a clear connection there. The opposite holds as well: if Leo’s softer, graceful singing is to be kept, then Ravi’s rapping could have followed a softer demeanor to match. Overall, without having an aspect that relates the two’s rapping and singing, it leaves “Whisper” sounding divided. In these duo situations of blending in rapping and singing, I find that Mad Clown’s and Soyou’s duo song of “Stupid in Love” provides a strong example of balancing the two different vocal performances. In “Stupid in Love,” Mad Clown’s rapping is definitely of a faster and more intense style. However, Soyou’s singing style still matches due to an instrumental that remained consistent and how, even if her pacing is slower, her own vocals were kept in a more direct, rough manner versus being airy and soft.

All in all, if not for this lack of cohesion in the song, I would predict “Whisper” excelling due to not only having solid rapping and singing, but also due to a powerful chemistry between those two aspects. As it stands, though, that is not the case. Without that cohesion—that sense of connecting the song into smooth, single piece—it does not matter how brilliant the rapping or singing are. Fans should definitely still enjoy the song for its “chill” style, but in terms of discussing the composers’ decisions and analyzing the song in this critical manner, I argue “Whisper” is a relatively weaker song—or at least, it lost a lot of its potential. Of course, however, disagreements can and should occur—this is why I write reviews, after all. For discussions. For creating a space where fans can critically and maturely discuss why they believe a song is strong or weak. And, in the end, “Whisper” still manages to hold onto a five—a rating that indicates that, overall, the song is not exactly bad, but neither is it necessarily good.

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Whether this was a smart decision or not, I decided to use some of my usual “homework time” to instead write this review—but, I find that this was a worthy decision. Sunmi’s “Gashina” should be finished soon, and afterwards, I will see if I can realistically end October with two more reviews. Six posts has been my goal and I intend to keep it that way, but perhaps four might be more plausible for the next few months.

Once again I apologize to requesters and readers for the lack of content, but I do greatly appreciate any time given towards this blog. Until then, look forward to—hopefully—October ending with Sunmi’s “Gashina” and “[w]hisper to me” that I need to fix my work habits.

[bluwiikoon-archive]

Yo how did you paint those old style Pokemon like that ?

Strap yourselves in friends because here’s a tutorial! :D

Now firstly you’ll want to grab refs for whatever it is you want to draw. This may include modern sugi art (if you’re drawing a modern pokemon), and I definitely recommend selecting old Sugimori art refs based on the colours, shapes, pose and body style of what you want to draw. I know @sometimesnosepass by memory so I just pick some old Sugi refs for this tutorial.

The first proper step is, of course, to sketch something!

When sketching, do keep in mind the stylizations that gen 1 art has. For example, instead of using Nosepass’ normal eyes (which are black ovals) I opted for Clefairy’s style of eyes here.

For something like my Fennekin, I also kept in mind things like how the fur is styled in old gens. Things are a bit smoother nowadays in Pokemon, but in old art Sugimori wasn’t afraid to get fluffy at times. Animalistic Pokemon are also less skinny and take on rounder shapes (Pikachu is a famous example). Use those refs!!

Now of course, you’ll need some good brushes for the linework and colouring. I recommend a rough pencil-ish brush for the lines, and a textured watercolour brush for the colouring. Below are the SAI2 and SAI1 brushes I use, but definitely experiment until you get something you are comfortable with. (Also, if you want my textures, here is a download link. Google how to add them to your SAI if you need to!)

Anyway, lines! As all the gen 1 artwork was hand-drawn they are full of small imperfections, but that’s what gives the art character and makes us all love it in my opinion. As such, take it easy and don’t be afraid to be a little wobbly.

The next step is to loosely select the outside of the linework…

…and invert it! On a lower layer, fill your selection with white.

A common thing with uploads of RBY Sugimori art is that they are a bit rough around the edges, since it is quite tough to cut out hand-drawn art for transparency. As such, if you want to be accurate to this kind of thing, the loose selection gives us some little white edges around the artwork.

So, what’s next? Either lock your white layer OR duplicate and set it to clipping group. This is so you can blend the colouring without it extending past the boundaries of the white base. And… start colouring!

The brushes I use make things darker as you layer them, so my strategy is to blend some light parts and then colour in some dark spots with hard edges. Remember, the old Sugimori style uses a lot of white in its colouring, so you have to preserve that kind of thing in your own piece and let yourself have some highlights. The colouring also tends to be quite muted and pale due to the scanning process, so use pale and muted colours in return. Pay attention to your references!

Sloooowly work at it. Sugimori was pretty dang good and didn’t let differently-coloured parts overlap, but as you know traditional watercolours are still prone to small mistakes and on some of his art pieces you can see it. Thus, be careful, but don’t worry too much about things like the blue on Nosepass’ nose.

Colouring differently-coloured parts works pretty much the same, but we won’t be stopping there.

With your rough/lineart brush set to a slightly lower opacity, just go around the colouring and give them some harder or rougher edges where they seem to need it. As you can see on the examples of Sugi art on the right, there are definitely places in the edges where they have a textured finish or a harder edge. This was my first time doing this style on SAI2, so I feel I did make my watercolour brush a little too soft!

So it’s looking pretty good! But there’s still more..!

On your colouring layer, set your layer texture to some kind of papery thing. Or for other programs, perhaps some kind of slight noise overlay. It’s noticeable, I promise!

Duplicate your linework layer and blur it (for SAI1 you will have to do this by hand sadly, but that may actually give it a better result).

And finally, set the opacity of the blurred linework to around 40% (or whatever you prefer) and Clipping Group it to the colouring layer.

Another optional thing (which I did here) is to colour the main linework off-black to give it a bit of a washed-out look. It can help sometimes!

And… you’re done…!?

Go and stun everyone with your newfound Sugimori skills!! I believe in you!

(And if you enjoyed this tutorial, please consider donating! Thank you! ^^)

[fashionwomenover50]

7 Hair Styling Mistakes Every Older Woman Makes (And Styling Tips to Fix Them!)

“I think that the most important thing a woman can have ― next to talent, of course ― is her hairdresser,” actress Joan Crawford once said. Over the decades, you’ve likely experimented with different hairstyles and even hair colors. Now, perhaps you’ve settled on a look that suits you ― or does it? Is the way you’re styling your hair making you look older or look younger? Does the color of your hair bring out the natural, youthful beauty in your complexion? Does your cut and style highlight what you want to bring focus to, and distract or camouflage things you might want people to miss when they’re talking to you? Let’s discuss some of the most common hairstyle and hair color mistakes that women ages 50 and older make. More importantly, we’ll give you styling tips to fix them. These styling tips for women in their golden age will help to renew your look, complement your wardrobe and skin, and keep your hair as healthy and lively as you feel.

Mistake #1: Dark hair color mistakes

If you’re worried about fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging around your eyes and mouth, a dark hair color is no friend of yours. The darker shades dramatize your skin and create contrast that can make fine lines, wrinkles and similar blemishes appear bigger, deeper and starker. If you have a lot of grey or white hair, a darker hair color can also create a clear growth line, thus emphasizing your grey roots and requiring more frequent trips to the hair stylist. And no busy woman has time for that! Fix this styling mistake by reminding yourself that when you were younger and your hair wasn’t gray, even your natural color wasn’t a single solid color. There were shimmering shades and changing hues in your natural hair. Pick a similar warmth to your current dark hairstyle, then go one or two shades lighter. By simply boosting the lightness of your hair, you can add subtle light reflection to your skin. This helps disguise common signs of aging. Or, keep your current dark hair color but add lighter shades around your face and some highlights throughout. It breaks up the overly dark hue just enough to give you the benefits of an overall lighter hair color.

Mistake #2: Ashy hair color

On the flipside of trying to avoid overly dark hair color, don’t go too light. This is common if your natural, younger hair was blonde and you’re trying to re-create your youth. The reason you want to avoid this is it can make your complexion look washed out. Combine this with makeup, and you might create an over-the-top look that you didn’t intend to. Fix this mistake by choosing a hair color that has more underlying warmth. For example, instead of a white blonde, go with something a little more golden. This will brighten your skin without washing out your skin.

Mistake #3: Fashion mistakes that age you

At your age, many women start experimenting with new styles, new colors and new clothes. This is your chance to throw off the constraints of society and let your inner woman free! Embrace your liberty and feel that stylistic freedom, but make sure it comes from a place of authenticity. Going too trendy when the rest of your life or wardrobe aren’t there can create a clashing conflict and make it look like you’re trying “too hard” to be fun, outgoing or young. Plus, some of these trends simply might not suit you. For example, bright colors or high ponies can make any hairstyle pop, but if you have a narrow forehead, it can accentuate that. Another example: If you like the bold look of severe bangs, keep in mind that severe looks can severely highlight your skin’s age.Choose a trend like bangs, but don’t forget the power of being a little understated. It goes a long way in making a trend seem more timeless and natural. Instead of bangs cut right across your forehead, you could choose a more mature twist on it like side-swept bangs or wispy bangs. Instead of simply applying a trend to your hair, talk to friends or a stylist to see if and how you should modify the trend to complement your face, cheekbones and lifestyle.

Mistake #4: Brassy hair color

When choosing a hair color, many women forget to think about upkeep and maintenance. Even if you have a low-maintenance haircut, watch for brass tones in your hair color. These reddish or orange-ish hues can make your hair appear more damaged, and it can also dull your hair’s natural sheen and thus make you look older and more tired. If you have a hair color that goes a bit brassy, add an ash toner or a purple shampoo to your weekly hair care ritual. The ash or purple tones help to cancel out the yellow and red hues, neutralizing brassy hair strands and restoring your hairstyle’s shine.  

Mistake #5: Too Many Highlights

Highlights are fun. They add sparkle and energy to your hair. But as your hair ages, it can become rougher and more wiry. Too many highlights can highlight this wiry hair structure. As the straight highlight colors look more twisted and tangled, they can make your hair look damaged and worn. Accomplish something similar to lots of highlights by instead weaving in golden color around your face. They make you look more youthful and brighten up your hairstyle without drawing attention to your hair’s aging structure.

Mistake #6: Using Red

Red is one of the most popular colors among aging women, but this fad needs to go. You see, your skin starts to lose its natural skin tone and pigment around age 40. As your skin loses a bit of its underlying pinkness, the red draws out this contrast and can make your face look more aged and less natural. A copper undertone can help you enjoy a bit of redness without being severely different from your skin.

Mistake #7: Asking for Chunky Haircuts or Hair Color

Simple, understated styles look better as you get older, and reduce maintenance. Avoid cuts that are too layered or too shaggy. As you get older, your hair will become more rough in texture, and excessive layering can look messy and make you appear frazzled and unkempt. Likewise, chunkiness in your hair color can look too unnatural. Go for a more blended appearance. Placement matters, too. For a more sophisticated approach, consider chunky colors around your hairline to help frame your face, as opposed to drawing the eye to the top of your head or to your bangs. To sum of these common hair styling mistakes and the styling tips to overcome these challenges: Go a little more understated than you might have planned. Watch for how the color or style draws or distracts attention to your age, your skin and your facial structure. Always modify trends or styles to suit your unique lifestyle and personality. Whatever style and color you go with, enjoy it. Have some fun with it and as your hair changes, change with your hair. No matter your style or age, a little laughter goes a long way towards enjoying this life stage. “People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair,” joked Dolly Parton once. “I don’t know, I’m never there.”   Read the full article