#in all seriousness i need to draw those guys.... and. find a way of simplifying/making their ugly designs better god bless <3

[verflares]

going to commit and read the tp manga finally i think

[peachymess]

hi! your art is fantastic! i was wondering - how long does it take for you to finish an art work?

Thank you! ^^

And it varies greatly. Speed is my biggest obstacle when it comes to art. I could lie and say I doodle out stuff in an hour – or I could call half bad drawings I spent hours on, a “doodle”. Sometimes I think I do – but for me, “doodle” is more about how seriously I took the job. If I throw down lines and squiggles and do some line-arting on top without really caring about the details, that’s a doodle to me, even if I then proceed to spend hours on correcting lines, getting the colors right, and trying out different filters for every experimental shadow.

Over all, I spend a lot of time on drawing, and I mean a lot. But I’m getting better! They say you’ve gotta make 50 bad pieces for every good one (simplified, but you get the gist), so you’re best served not spending days on every piece. What I’ve found helps, is to not get overly invested in every piece. It’s a little sad, because you gotta have your heart in the art, right? Yeah. But that heart should be in your love for the craft and your enjoyment in performing it; not in one specific piece and its need to be perfect. Sure, some pieces are special, but if you can’t distinguish between your magnum opus and just your average drawing, every single drawing will feel equally important to you, and that will slow you down from the sheer weight of it. 

Pro tip I wish someone would have told me a long time ago: nobody looks as closely at your drawings as you do (talking about the general public; loving friends might).

In other words, painfully slaving over details you find only when you zoom in,… ant nobody gonna tell the difference. Unless you’re insanely good and got 50K on insta, aint nobody gonna zoom in on all your work and look for the easter eggs you put in there (@me, lol). Learn what’s important to spend time on, and what can be left alone. If I had been given back all the time I’ve wasted on details that nobody even sees… I could have made a lot more art lol. 

Learn what matters – like general proportions, interesting expression, big things that people could pick out from a distance. And story! Oh boy, don’t get me started on story! Unless you’re really good, people usually won’t be impressed with just a head shot with no story. Armin smiling generically into the void in ¾ view, no background? 

“Cool. But I’ve seen a million generic Armins like it. Why should I be invested in this one in particular?” 

Say something with your art, make me feel or think something. Because with so many good artists out there, it’s hard to get ahead on just the aesthetics alone. Make a joke. Show something mid-action (like someone slipping on a banana peel; instantly more engaging than a static pose that tells no story).  

Why am I being so harsh? It all ties back to speed… Once you realize that your pieces, generally, aren’t that big of a deal, you can hopefully put aside some of that anxiety over it having to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be, and the details you spend an extra two days on will rarely matter to anyone but yourself (which is ok, I just want you to be aware. If you’re very proud of something, maybe point it out to invite people to pay attention to it. But otherwise, they probably won’t look at your drawing for that long before deciding to reblog or move on). If you enjoy making those details, please go ahead! Art should be about what YOU like to do, at the end of the day. But if your speed ties into your perceived self-worth, like it does with me,… well, I got a lot faster once I realized that nobody really cares all that strongly. (Though, I’m in no way discrediting all the support and love I receive, guys, thank you – truly. I’m talking in the grand scheme of things. Art is a lot more personal to the artist, than to the random scroller-by). 

How many of you would stop being my friend or suddenly dislike me just because I draw Armin with a wonky nose and disproportionate arms sometimes? Yeah, no, if I put out an unfortunate piece, so what? (Hell, if I can tell a funny joke with it, you might even enjoy it all the same!) Once I learned to understand that every piece is not a blaring spotlight on me where all eyes will be on me and my mistakes, I got faster. 

… and with that insanely long prologue, here’s how much time I generally spend:

The first art I started (in 2016), took over a year to finish. 

Though, in the meantime, I think I put out a “doodle”. I call it a doodle because I intentionally simplified the anatomy so it would be easier to make – but this one still took me four months to finish! 

(The above images took me a year, and 4 months respectively). 

In other words, in 2016, my average was MONTHS – on just one drawing! Keep in mind, I quit art for ten years before this, just from how much anxiety is gave me over my self worth (if I made one bad line, it meant I was worthless). 

In 2017, I think my average was weeks. I had to take breaks between sessions a lot just to cope with the building anxiety. I look at the finished products now and I think “look how few steps this needed. With how much time I spent, I must have averaged one single brush stroke an hour”. And it’s probably about right. Although, I did manage to finish one drawing in a single day, and I remember being really proud of that!

(Above, the first one is an example of stuff I’d tinker with for weeks, while the second one is the one I completed in a day due to it being his birthday and the pressure was on to get it done)

In 2018, I think my average was 2 or 3 days. I put out more smaller pieces, stuff that doesn’t need to be as elaborate. At my peak, I think I could do two of those meme-things per day. Looking back, though, I can see a clear difference between time spent on “doodles” and time spent on projects I put my heart into. I spent days on the eremin week entries, for example. This was the year I started to learn to tier my projects.

(The above shows an art I admittedly spent over a week on, much thanks to the needless details in the bottles, while the second is one of two pieces I completed during one day)  

In 2019, I don’t think I shortened down my average a lot, but looking through my gallery now, I see that I started doing more elaborate pieces. So… if I spend as long as before, but get bigger and better content out of it, that’s improvement too! 

(Above you’ll see an art that probably took me a couple of days - 4 or 5 maybe? - and the second once which took me an hour I think? A good example of how much better i’ve gotten at tiering projects and not being afraid of making sloppy art just for the fun of it). 

So far in 2020, I’ve only drawn for Armin week, and I spent an evening to a day on each one of them. After finishing one, I’d uploading it to my drafts, then lie in bed and scrutinize it, zooming in, looking and looking. Then the next morning, I’d get up and spend an average of an hour fixing/editing them because I was getting increasingly displeased with them. So I think on average… god honest truth, even if I’m a little self-conscious about it, I think I spend an average of 8 - 18 sitting hours on anything. This includes the revisions.  

(Above you’ll see the entry I spent the most time on first - I’m guessing probably 12 sitting hours - and the one I spent the least time on - I’m guessing 5 hours)

I love drawing, but it’s very hard for me. I’ve used drawing as my main source of personal self-improvement for the last couple of years - for many reasons; it has a lot of lessons to teach me. It’s not always fun, and it’s rarely easy. But.. uh. It’a been worth it? I don’t know what your art journey is, but I hope this gave you some help, inspiration or comfort. Good luck and draw with heart, not fear. 

[franeridart]

Anon said: Um so hello, I’m just here to say keep up the awesome work, I love your kiribaku art and it’s adorable and I go on binges through your blog (omg I sound so creepy I’m sorry I just love ur art so much) and it makes my day so yeah please keep drawing!

Ahhhhh you don’t sound creepy at all, don’t worry!!!!! Thank you so much for liking my stuff that much!!!!!!! <3<3

Anon said: May ask what kiri///mina would look like in your style? You don't have to draw it if you don't like the ship.

Gosh sorry but I really really don’t ship it!

Anon said: you know how I miss?? your OCs!!! they're the cutest!!

AWE thank you so much!!!!!!! I have a few comics planned for them, hope I’ll manage getting to them soon enough!!! (oT^T)9<3

Anon said: This is so sappy but some of your kiribaku posts really make me really appreciate long relationships! I’ve always found pining and crushes the cutest bc it’s full of intense feelings, but you portray being in love and accepting each other so well!! it’s amazing how you show characters interacting with each other and being so comfortable instead of worrying about hiding part of themselves and long story short I love your art and ideas so much

This ask!!!!!!!!! means the universe!!!!!!!!!! to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so glad I can manage portraying love in such a way, I’m so in love with the idea of open, accepting love, andI try seriously hard to make it look healthy in my comics so!!!!!!! thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have no clue how many times I’ve reread this ask I’m not even exaggerating TT^TT <3

Anon said: I just want to start off by saying you’re my favourite blog on tumblr, your art is incredibly adorable and always makes my day!! I was just wondering how you were able to create your own unique art style? It’s something I’ve been struggling with a lot lately with my own art. Any advice is appreciated, thanks for everything you do!!

I think it’s about finding the right spot between what feels comfortable for you and the end you’re using your art for? In my case what’s comfortable is something fun and smooth, and the main end has always been to be able to draw comics - I’ve always liked comics because I like writing and I like drawing, but my attention span was too short to manage finishing them, and the way I had of drawing was too stiff to properly convey emotions the way I wanted to, which made drawing comics sound like an impossible dream haha I fixed it by simplifying my style, by taking away or reducing to the bare minimum everything that took me ages to work out/draw and pushing my expressions and body language to extremes to make up for the lack of details. 

That’s just my experience with it, though! The best advice I can give you is to sit back and look at your current way of drawing from an objective perspective - do you enjoy it? Is the process of drawing something you’re comfortable with? What’s uncomfortable in it for you, and in which ways could you change it to make it comfortable and fun? Does your current art style allow you to do what you want to do with your art? If you want to paint, does it allow you to paint in an easy and fun way? If you want to make comics, does it allow you the range to properly portray a character moving and living without making you wish you’d never started drawing halfway through it? 

Imho the first step to find a style that’s your own and feels right is to find a style that’s fun to use and doesn’t stress you to hell and back every time you pick up your pencil. This is easier to do the more things you attempt, so for a bit being inconsistent in style is a good and normal thing - try things out! The best one for you will definitely stick in the end. And if you already feel comfortable with the way you have of drawing, then hell! You already have a style that works for you! Just because to you it doesn’t look unique and special it doesn’t mean that it isn’t - if you asked me to point out what makes my style unique I wouldn’t be able to tell you either, the way I see it my style is the most uninteresting and common-looking style out there. To be honest with you that’s probably just how it is for every artist out there hahaha

Anon said: Hi!! I love your art and just want you to know I always get a big, stupid smile on my face whenever I see you cross my feed, whether it’s something new or a reblog of an old post. Everything you do is just amazing and I love it

AHHHHHHH Thank you so so much!!!!!!!!! (TT^TT)<3<3<3

Anon said: Hey Fran! First off, thank you for the Fire Force art. I remembered to actually check it out, after seeing it lol. Second, I still can't find your Fatgum 😭😭 the link didn't give any, and searching on your page didn't help either. I WILL FIND IT ONE DAY

I think it’s a problem of the app orz I can see him just find from desktop but the app can’t find him either T-T stupid app!

Anon said: Do you have a mini Bakugou and Kirishima living in your head? Are they just living their lives up in your brain and that causes your hand to to write and draw the most perfect and accurate things? Of course mini Kaminari, Sero, Mina, Jirou, etc. also come to visit your head hole from time to time and just chill with mini Baku and Kiri. That’s the only logical explanation on how all your Bakushima content is so inconceivably spot on

That’s such a kind thing of you to say, anon!!!!!! I’m glad you find them that IC!!!!!! I try my best, but sometimes I admit I just have them do and say stuff I’ve done and said myself, the only difference is that I word things in a way that feels right for their usual way of talking hahaha

Anon said: I personally would love to read your essay on why bakugo is the best character ever because I really really really want to love him that much but i feel like there's something that I'm just not getting about him- there's something I'm missing about his personality (keeping in mind that i kinda left the manga after the whole mirio/8 precepts arc). I've always found bakugo compelling and would love love love to read your take on him! Hope you have a great day!

Bakugou has had some amazing character development scenes after the overhaul arc!!!!! He’s outright shown he understands where he was lacking and where he was wrong, that he’s perfectly capable of working in a team and letting people help him and helping them in return, that he cares about his class and how the rest of the world sees them! (and that he worries/cares about how the world sees him too, actually, that broke my heart a bit ;; ) We haven’t seen him in a hot minute by now, but most of anything before the current arc has had him improve and develop and become even better than he already was -  I’ve always thought him a good guy with just a lot of troubles relating to the world around him due the way he has been brought up as special and different (it creates a drift between yourself and the rest of the world when everyone around you keeps treating you as if you were other - when you tell a kid he’s different and better for his whole life he’s bound to grow up believing it, after all), but if the problem you have with him is that he isn’t showing the good in himself plainly and obviously enough, then the arcs after the overhaul one are gonna help you like him better, definitely

Well, the thing about Bakugou is that he’s not a plain/obvious character, so you need to think about his actions and his words a bit more, and can’t just take him at face value - it’s what I like about him, actually! How much you need to think about him to figure him out on a deeper level than just the surface one. Since I dunno why you like him and why you feel something’s missing, I can’t tell you specifically what it is in the way I see him that completes him for me, but as I said I try to keep him as IC as I can so probably reading my comics about him might help you understand the way I see him. To me Bakugou’s honest, and kind, and loving, but he’s also arrogant, and angry, and used to taking some things for granted, and I like how all those things work with and against each other in his character. He’s at the same time incredibly proud and absurdly insecure, and I like that about him too - where each comes from and where and how they clash, I like the complexity it gives him. I like that he’s a people person in the sense that he likes having people around himself, and I like that at the same time UA is the first time he’s had actual, honest to god best friends, and how that means that he’s gonna be awkward when usually he’s so sure and proud simply because he isn’t used to having people he actually specifically cares for, I very much like that about him. I like that he overthinks everything he doesn’t immediately gets, I like that he still acts on instincts more often than not, I like that somehow with him those two aren’t mutually exclusive. I like that he’s smart and still so damn dumb, I like that he’s just as simple-minded as he is an actually labyrinth in thought process, I like how one-track minded he is even on the most silly things - how once he sets his eyes on a goal he goes for it like his life depends on it. I like that he’s barsh and rude and impulsive in what he says and does, but when he fucks up he knows he fucked up, and he backstracks, and he does his best to make amends. I like that he sits in stupid ways and has the worst posture in the class and then he wears his hero costume and suddenly he’s a model on the catwalk, that’s so damn endearing to me. I like how ridiculously hyperbolic he is and how he just assumes people will get it, get what he actually means, like there’s a point between his brain and his mouth were things get blown out of proportion and he doesn’t even realize it. There’s just so many things to love about him, for me!! 

But most importantly I like that he started as low as he could get and that because of it his plot is a one way towards the summit. I like it. I like watching a character grow and every new chapter become a better version of themselves, I love it. Ultimately that’s probably why he’s my favorite, after all haha

Anon said: Hi, this isn’t a question but I just wanted to say how much I love your art and the way you clearly appreciate Bakugou as a character. So many of my friends hate him, but I think he has a lot of depth and so much potential. Your art always makes me smile! Thanks for doing what you do. :)

THANK YOU and thank you for liking the boy too!!!!!!! He deserves it, he absolutely does deserve it!!!!!!! <3<3<3

Anon said: I just went digging in the archives of my blog (which is.. a mess) and found some old art of yours (like... I'm talking bokuto and kuroo level old) and g o s h. I already loved your art so much then and I still do n hhhhhhhh u go. U great.

Gosh you’ve been around a long time then!!!!! Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time!!!! ✨o(TT0TT)o✨

[pass-the-bechdel]

Supergirl s02e16 ‘Star Crossed (1)’

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, twice. Barely.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Five (41.66% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Seven.

Positive Content Rating:

Three? I guess.

General Episode Quality:

Nevermind, they’re back to stupid. So, so stupid.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Kara passes with Rhea when they meet. They speak again later. There’s a lot of Mon-El involved both times, but they get there eventually.

Female characters:

Kara Danvers.

Alex Danvers.

Lyra.

Rhea.

Maggie Sawyer.

Male characters:

Mon-El.

J’onn J’onzz.

Winn Schott.

Lar.

James Olsen.

Boris.

Mandrax.

OTHER NOTES:

“To make Daxom great again.” Oh, no.

Ok. That flashback. I have mentioned before, how disturbed I am to find that the original confrontation of Kara’s prejudices towards Daxom have since been shown as actual deserved disdain, and how Daxom being actually exactly as bad as she said (to a caricaturish level) undermines Kara’s supposed lesson as well as treating Krypton as holier-than-thou despite all the huge flaws in its culture that have been made so evident, creating this huge us-vs-them divide with a really clear ‘good side’ and ‘bad side’ and absolutely zero nuance, etc. The flashback to Mon-El’s departure from Daxom as it actually happened does no favours to any aspect of the narrative: Mon-El is shown as hesitant and concerned for the safety of others in defiance of the prevailing Daxomite attitude, because the show is too afraid of the audience backlash if they show him being truly callous instead of just passively allowing it, while at the same time the narrative gives no quarter for Daxom and its people as a whole despite their undeserved fates. We are supposed to see Mon-El’s guard and think him awful, but what do we expect any ‘good’ guard to do? Maybe not kill that one guy, but the rest, with the ignoring everyone else in order to focus on rescuing the person he’s pledged to protect? Even killing the Kryptonian makes sense (is not morally ok, but makes sense) in the context of being exactly the kind of targeted violence that happens in the real world when people are ‘othered’. The coding of the behaviour is so transparent it’s disgusting, and coupled with that not-even-veiled MAGA line just before? Daxom’s Republicans to Krypton’s Democrats is a pretty fucking gross parallel to draw. I am very disappointed in the show for all of this garbage.

Remember when I fucking flagged Lyra as using Winn for her own ends the second she stepped on screen? Fucking flagged it. 

This is a much better Hamilton joke right here than the one a few episodes ago, but that one a few episodes ago was still too much, and that steps on this, because, really? Two sizeable Hamilton gags with only a couple of episodes between them? You’re trying WAY too hard to be current, show. It’s embarrassing.

Uurrrgghhh, and now we’re doing the ‘oh actually Lyra had a good reason for being terrible!’ thing? This shit is so predictable and empty and I am so over it. Remember one episode ago when this show was momentarily good again?

Is Guardian fighting in a fucking glass factory or what? So many glass panes to be thrown through.

So, we pretending that Lyra’s lie and Mon-El’s lie are the same? Just ‘they lied’ is not a parallel, show. These are not comparable situations.

See, Mon-El says in his apology that ‘I was a spoiled, useless person, but I didn’t know’, and that’s a big part of what is making this whole storyline, all season long, so poor. The total lack of nuance in Daxom. The clear-cut morality of Kryptonians which, also, lacks the nuance of reality. If Mon-El was raised in that life, how much opportunity did he have for seeing the flaws in it and recognising them as such? We have no concept of his level of self-awareness, and refusing to allow people room to grow is not how you achieve progress. At the same time, Mon-El’s process of self-improvement on Earth has been so paint-by-numbers simple, it’s hard to take it seriously. If he’s found changing so easy, how entrenched were those ‘spoiled, useless’ teachings that made up his entire formative existence? Real people take years to overcome such things, not least because when it’s a commonplace feature of how you were raised, it’s hard to recognise that there’s even a problem, let alone dismantle the rationale in your own mind that has allowed you to be unthinkingly complicit. Expecting Mon-El to change like flipping a coin is unfair; blaming him for the circumstances of his birth is unfair; telling this story in the way that they have, with his self-awareness and capacity for immediate total overhaul not just of personality but of ideals apparently uninhibited and detailed with only the slightest of backslides? Utterly unrealistic. What should have been a long, hard journey of self-reflection, questioning, and honestly ugly behaviour has instead been casual comic relief and romantic faux pas, and that’s so insulting. I can’t support Mon-El as a character because I can’t support the ill-constructed narrative that made him; in basic terms, he doesn’t make enough sense. He’s too unrealistic to function.

URGH. This is such a fucking mess I am annoyed at myself for even trying to untangle it. That kinda happens when you’re trying to over-simplify your storytelling to this extent: the break from reality is too intense, and you end up with a heap of confusion that your audience can’t figure out how to engage with on a meaningful level. In university, the single most important word I learned was ‘ethnocentricity’ - the belief that your own culture/background is inherently superior to all others. On the surface level, this is plain ol’ racism - and can be many other ‘isms as well, as cultural background shapes our perceptions of gender, sexuality, religion, etc. Looking deeper, we see ethnocentricity manifest when we assume that our social or moral codes are automatically the correct ones, without pausing to question where we got those codes from, and whether or not, actually, there might be better ways to do things. I actually debated this directly, back in 2016 when two Australian men were executed in Indonesia for drug smuggling, and the debate over the morality of the death penalty was rife throughout the country. I’m not going to get into that debate again here, but as an example of ethnocentricism, it was a case in which a lot of Australians flat refused to acknowledge the possibility that just because another country has different laws which conflict with our way of doing things, doesn’t necessarily mean that the people of that country are corrupt, lesser beings with an under-developed sense of morality which we need to step in and correct. Different ways of doing things can be shocking to our sensibilities at first blush, but we have to think about why they are that way and how the backdrop of that logic informs the constructs we see, before we pass high-and-mighty judgment over others. 

Supergirl’s Daxom narrative is a perfect example of ethnocentricism at work, with zero reflection: Kara is right, Mon-El is wrong, this cultural division is all-encompassing and without exception, the end. To be clear: I’m not suggesting that there’s a way to argue for, say, slavery being ok, but what there is is nuance to how people reach such a conclusion, and if we refuse to engage with the nuance we can’t engage with cultural learning, sharing, or understanding, and that’s how you end up with blank hostility instead of working towards more positive futures. Something being ‘obviously morally correct’ is (as evidenced through the entirety of human history) not enough to change systemic issues outright; if it were, the systemic issues wouldn’t have developed in the first place. Supergirl has run into trouble here because it’s trying to be topical, addressing the divisions in current US politics, but it also doesn’t want to actually have a nuanced conversation about the subject, and so instead we get heavy-handed black-and-white morality that only alienates the two sides instead of identifying common ground and building upon it to bridge the gap. Moreover, the show cripples its ability to explore these concepts in a better, more thorough way in the future, because it refuses to commit to the shades of grey in its situation and instead builds a two-camps concept in which any dithering or olive-branching between the two looks like ideological compromise and moral degradation instead of the complicated and painful process of learning that it represents in the real world. 

The truth is that as nice as it is to sit on your moral high horse feeling pure and special while everyone else scrabbles on the muddy ground, you can’t understand the people down below and you certainly can’t help them unless you’re willing to hop down and work through the mud as well, and what use is ideological purity if you’re the only one who benefits from it? That doesn’t mean that we should all start behaving in ways that conflict with our moral compass because, hey, some people are bigots, but it does mean recognising that we are all in a process of self-improvement and if you’re not at least open to the possibility that your way of doing things isn’t the best way, you can’t progress yourself, nor does treating others with condescension help bring them to your way of thinking or at least to a middle ground from which you can proceed together. That’s all a much messier and trickier prospect than what this show wants to deal with, and yet it’s exactly the story they’ve blundered into the middle of with the ridiculous notion that they’re gonna be able to clear-cut their way out. Mon-El’s process should involve a lot of questions: not ‘this thing is correct because obviously it is’ or ‘this thing is correct because Kara says so’, but rather ‘I’m being told that my way is wrong: why? Why is it wrong? Why was I taught that it was right? In what ways has my belief in the correctness of this thing influenced my perceptions of other things? Is it possible that this thing I believe actually is right, and Kara is wrong? Why should her perspective be infallible? What are the consequences of either possibility? Does that jive with the rest of my understanding of the world? What else is altered by this change? Are these alterations also correct?’ and so on, and so on, ad nauseum. Exhausting, repetitive, and complicated, yes, but that’s the reality (not least because he’s supposed to be a literal alien from another planet, but, whatever). At first, I thought it was stupid of them to introduce Mon-El without bothering to spend time on his integration into Earth culture outside of a handful of gimmicks; now I see that it’s much worse than that. I don’t expect this whole arc to end well; I only hope that it ends quickly.

[pluckyredhead]

Daredevil 101: Fall from Grace

And we’re back! It’s time for the death of Matt Murdock (again). Also, a lot of 90s-style grimacing. Most importantly, ELEKTRA RETURNS!

Content Warning: Some extremely racist (specifically, anti-black) imagery behind the cut.

When we last left our hero, he had returned to New York, regained his memory, and patched things up with Foggy. And aw, they’re being so cute:

YOU GUYS FOGGY MADE A MODEL OF THE OFFICE SO THAT MATT COULD FEEL WHERE EVERYTHING WOULD GO. AND JUST LOOK AT THEM CUDDLING OVER THAT SIGN. I’M CAN’T.

Now up there I mentioned 90s-style grimacing, and I just...I feel like if you’re not familiar with the aesthetic of comics in the 90s nothing can really prepare you, but basically, picture a lot of veins and teeth, flowing hair, everyone wearing armor and wielding two swords and six guns, POUCHES, and very questionable anatomy. This cover is a pretty good example:

No, I cannot explain anything that’s happening here. Just accept that the next few posts are gonna look like this until we round the horn into the late 90s. We’ll get through this. It’ll be okay.

(That art, by the way, is by Scott McDaniel, who is responsible for most of this post. The writer is still D. G. Chichester.)

Despite that cover there’s not a lot of Frank in here, but I do have something behind the cut for the Fratt fans:

That’s real gay, Frank.

In between fellatio metaphors with Frank, reestablishing Nelson and Murdock, and trying to patch things up with Karen, Matt also tries to protect a Haitian immigrant from a convoluted protection racket and winds up tangling with a “voodoo priestess” villainess named Calypso. Here’s where that content warning comes in:

Like honestly what the actual fuck. I don’t even have words for this bullshit.

Anyway, that’s obviously Calypso on the bottom. At the top is Hellspawn, a doppelganger of Matt created during Infinity War? I literally just had to look this up because large parts of Chichester’s run are incomprehensible and I honestly had no idea where he came from - I thought Calypso created him, but apparently not. Anyway, it’s during this plotline that Hellspawn encounters and becomes obsessed with Matt.

I’m skipping a lot here but I want to get into the meatier plot as opposed to the more episodic storylines, so we’re going to scoot ahead to “Fall from Grace,” which is what I used for the name of this post because it’s the most major event here. Again, this story falls under the category of “unnecessarily complicated Chichester nonsense riddled with cameos, crossovers, and incomprehensible McDaniel-scribbled fight scenes” and I’m not going to get into the details of it because...like. It’s such nonsense. Even the simplified version I’m about to share with you is going to make no sense. (I don’t hate Chichester, who I think writes a really interesting Karen, but his character stuff is much better than his confusing plots.)

SO. The plot revolves around a defunct, shady government program wherein they created a chemical called About Face that altered people’s appearances, put it in glass balls, and sent telepaths out to secretly drop the balls in heavily populated areas, where they would break and...change people’s faces??? It makes NO SENSE. One of the balls never broke, and the guy who broke it - a telepath named Eddie - ran away, horribly traumatized by his experience with the government, and has hidden as a street person for the past few decades.

Now it’s become clear to multiple interested parties that there’s one remaining ball of About Face somewhere in the subway system, and they’re all after Eddie to find out where it is. Matt discovers this and steps in to protect him:

What’s Eddie running from? Oh, just Hellspawn, and also maybe how veiny Matt’s chest is:

I’m concerned about your neck, Matthew.

While all this is going on, the Bugle is temporarily shut down because of *handwave* plot stuff, idk, but Ben freaks out because all of his in-progress articles are on the Bugle computers, which he now can’t access. He asks a Bugle intern named Sara to help him out:

omg those references

Unfortunately for Ben - and Matt - when Ben’s not looking, Sara stumbles across an unpublished article that Ben has idiotically saved to the Bugle server: the one he wrote about Matt being Daredevil, before he decided not to publish it. Oops!

Meanwhile, as we saw above, Matt’s classic suit has taken quite a beating, so he decides that he needs a tougher look:

Parts of it or armored, or the whole thing is, or something? Armor was very on-trend in the 90s. Anyway this is not a good sign, any time Matt is in black and it’s not Charlie Cox in skintight army surplus you know the story is going downhill.

Matt is so busy with Eddie and the virus and his new threads that he’s neglecting his day job, and Foggy has gotten tired of the same old patterns:

I find this page fascinating, because this arc is the only time it’s implied that Foggy knows Matt is Daredevil before, uh, Foggy officially finds out Matt is Daredevil. (And it’s made clear when that happens that he had no suspicion beforehand, so this aspect is dropped.) But also, Matt is being SUCH a dick here! “I’m responsible for more important things that you don’t know about”? If Foggy didn’t do your paperwork you wouldn’t be able to pay for that fancy armor, bucko. And you can’t lie to Foggy and then blame him for not knowing the truth.

Anyway I just love Foggy’s “Don’t forget your CANE” and Matt storming out and knocking a wastebasket over with his cane all “HOW DARE YOU I AM SUPER BLIND,” even if it never went anywhere. (Though Foggy does go talk to Karen after this and ask her to talk to Matt about...the other aspects of his life that he and Matt don’t talk about. So Karen gets involved in this dancing around the subject too.)

Meanwhile...*sigh* So. Okay. Remember how I said there were a bunch of people after the About Face virus? Well, they include government agents, bounty hunters, Hellspawn, A VAMPIRE, and the Hand. (The Chaste is bopping around here too, trying to stop the Hand.) The Hand sends an elite sect called the Snakeroot after About Face, plus these two:

This is sleazebag former SHIELD agent John Garrett, and Elektra’s “dark essence” Erynys. Garrett kind of explains their deal up there, but the short version is: after killing Elektra off in Daredevil, Miller still wanted to write her, so he did a miniseries called Elektra: Assassin. I’m not a fan of it, despite stunning art from Bill Sienkiewicz. We’ll see this next time, when I cover the Man Without Fear miniseries, but basically the more Miller wrote Elektra, the more he wrote her as sort of this fascinating, dangerous fetish object instead of as a person. Even though she’s ostensibly the star, Assassin is narrated by Garrett and is told through the lens of his fixation on her. It’s pretty gross.

Anyway, Elektra’s trying to stop a demon called the Beast from installing one of its pawns as president of the US (insert political commentary here), so she uses the psychic powers she occasionally has to get Garrett to help her. The story ends with her victorious and Garrett mostly cyborg parts, but now, during the Fall from Grace arc, the Hand is able to use the traces of Elektra left in Garrett’s mind from her possession of him to create Erynys, a separate being who embodies all that is dark and evil in Elektra. She wants About Face, which will enable her to be a full human being and not just an offshoot of Elektra.

Understandably, she’s a pretty upsetting figure for Matt to run across, especially since he thinks the REAL Elektra is still dead. (She’s not, as the reader knows.)

And that’s not the only bad news for Matt, because Bugle intern Sara has taken the story that Matt is Daredevil and gone to the tabloids:

Matt’s teeth are so dismayed!

Obviously Matt’s friends all see this story too, and Karen for one is not about to let it stand:

I LOVE NINETIES KAREN!!! She is so tired of men and their ridiculousness, she has shit to do and papers to throw! And again, Foggy’s still carefully talking around the whole thing, which I still find fascinating - but in the clinch, he’ll always be here to save Matt from himself.

Matt, meanwhile, has another shock waiting for him:

It’s Elektra! Bald Elektra! How very Sinead O’Connor.

(If you’ve forgotten, the Hand attempted to resurrect Elektra after she was killed by Bullseye and Matt was able to purify her soul with the power of his love (hence her white costumer), but thought the resurrection itself failed. She’s basically been meditating on a mountain ever since.)

While Elektra fills Matt in on where she’s been, Ben and Foggy team up to save Matt’s secret:

Sara basically ignores Foggy and his restraining order and barges past him and Ben with a camera crew to find...an ordinary apartment, filled with the kind of accommodations a blind man might need, like foam bumpers on the sharp edges of furniture and a Braille subway map. Humiliated, she departs.

Meanwhile, Matt and Elektra are still catching up as they try to keep anyone else from getting to About Face before they do:

If you can look away from Elektra’s weird seamless naked plank-butt there, basically she’s upset because she was finally at peace meditating up on that mountain (and also when she was dead) and now she has to, like, be alive and deal with the forces of evil and confront her own evil nature and UGH. Matt is not threatening to punch her there but reminding her of how much she loves punching??? Sure.

Despite all this embracing, Matt goes straight to Karen and tells her that Elektra’s back, but he knows who he really wants to be with:

WHEEZE! WHEEZE AGAINST EACH OTHER’S CHINS!!! No, seriously, despite the crappy art and the tiresome love triangle and the hilarious childishness of that crayon heart drawing, this is close to the healthiest Matt and Karen have ever been and I’m happy for them. I love their late 90s dynamic.

With Karen thoroughly kissed, Matt suits up again and heads back into the fray. (It’s important to note here that Karen doesn’t know a) about Matt’s new costume or b) about Ben and Foggy’s successful dismantling of the “Matt is Daredevil” story.) They finally find the About Face virus, and Hellspawn tries to take it to make himself...a real boy, I guess? A real demon boy? Idk.

Hellspawn uses the About Face, but Erynys kills him before he can do anything with it - and then Elektra kills her before she can use the About Face, thus reabsorbing Erynys’s evil into herself. Or something. THIS COMIC IS A MESS.

The weirdest aspect, though, is that in death, Hellspawn’s About Faced corpse turns to...Matt Murdock. He is an absolute spitting image of a dead Matt, which gives Matt an idea. Remember, Matt doesn’t know that his secret identity is a secret again, and as long as it’s out there, the people he cares about are in danger. Plus, like, Matt Murdock’s life is really hard and stuff?

So he bundles up the Mattcorpse and dumps it off at a police station or something, and Matt Murdock is declared 100% Dead and Probably Not Daredevil. Giving this story something of a downer ending:

If I’m not mistaken, this is the third time Matt has faked his death, counting Mike Murdock and that time he crashed a plane with a Matt dummy in it. MATT. WHY IS THIS A THING FOR YOU.

Anyway, tune in next time for a detour into the Frank Miller/John Romita, Jr. miniseries Daredevil: Man Without Fear, followed by Black Armor Matt making more bad decisions!

[anycontentposter]

Interview: Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer Buddy Eleazer on why he chose the Olympus OM-D E-M1X

Two rhinos at a watering hole, pictured on one of Buddy Eleazer's trips to southern Africa.Olympus OM-D E-M1X with M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PROISO 4000 | 1/160sec | F2.8

Recently, we spoke to award-winning photographer and Olympus shooter Buddy Eleazer about his work, what inspires him, and what he needs from his camera gear when shooting wildlife on African safaris.

How long have you been a working photographer?

I was an active hobby photographer in the 70’s, but got back into photography seriously in 2003 with the advent of digital cameras.

What camera equipment do you currently shoot with?

Right now I'm shooting with two OM-D E-M1X bodies, an M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F4 IS PRO, both the M.Zuiko MC-20 1.4x and M.Zuiko MC-20 2.0x teleconverters, and my workhorse lens which is the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F2.8 PRO, with some other 'PRO' series lenses. Especially the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO.

When I'm close to the wildlife, the 40-150mm is perfect. When I'm further away I use the 300mm.

$(document).ready(function() SampleGalleryV2("containerId":"embeddedSampleGallery_4531348939","galleryId":"4531348939","isEmbeddedWidget":true,"selectedImageIndex":0,"isMobile":false) ); What drew you to the OM-D system?

I'm a fairly recent convert to Olympus - I used to be a ‘full frame guy’. I still love that gear, but there are some definite advantages to the OM-D system. Shooting full frame cameras with prime and zoom telephoto lenses created two problems: a) getting my gear onto flights to and within Africa – especially the smaller planes we fly into the lodges such as the Bombardier Dash 8 and Cessna 203 Caravan prop planes, and b) after a few weeks on safari, my right elbow and both shoulders took weeks to lose the soreness from lifting those big lenses.

I’ve been shooting with Olympus since early 2018. That doesn’t sound like a long time, but with nature photography and leading trips to Africa, that’s over 59,000 images ago.

Behind the picture: Leopard attack

A herd of wildebeest stampeding in the midst of a leopard attack.Olympus OM-D E-M1X with M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F2.8 PROISO 64 | 1/30sec | F13

This was a special moment. You never know what's going to happen on safari, and when things do happen, they can happen very quickly. We were looking at Wildebeest walking left to right, near a water crossing. Suddenly, for no reason that was apparent to me they started running - right to left.

I'd been shooting some panning photographs of them walking so I had the E-M1X set perfectly at 1/30sec with the 40-150mm F2.8 and suddenly they turned and started coming almost right for me. I was clicking away, and as the wildebeest cleared and I could see what was happening, right there in the middle of them was a leopard. The attack had happened right in front of my eyes but there were so many wildebeest in the way I didn't see it.

How would you describe your style of photography?

I describe myself now as a nature photographer. I love both landscape and wildlife, but in recent years have focused primarily on wildlife with emphasis on African wildlife and North American birds.

I came from landscape photography originally, and I still really enjoy including the landscape in my wildlife photography. I also really like tight details of animals, too. What I teach people in the field is get the safe shot first, but don't shoot 100 versions of that. Let's get a tight shot, let's look for details, the trunk, the feet or tail or something. And then let's get creative - maybe a panning shot, or something high key. There are lot of those kinds of pictures in my portfolio: what you might call 'sense of place' shots, tight shots, panning and so on.

What’s your major priority when selecting camera equipment?

As a wildlife photographer, I have a few key requirements. These include:

My lenses must be fast to focus The lenses should be tack sharp when in focus I need my camera to be able to track accurately, especially for birds in flight The camera needs to be able to focus and deliver acceptable images in very early morning and very late afternoon light – when wildlife is often on the move. A closer look at the Olympus OM-D E-M1X

Buddy shoots with the E-M1X, Olympus' flagship camera, designed for professional and enthusiast photographers in the sports and wildlife fields. Using powerful processors and 'deep learning' AF technology, the E-M1X is blazingly fast and offers the most advanced autofocus system of any OM-D camera. It's also among the toughest cameras of its type, rated for use in extreme conditions with IPX1-certified weather-sealed construction.

The E-M1X is among the first cameras on the market with AF modes trained to identify specific subjects. Specifically, aircraft, locomotives, and wheeled vehicles (commonly referred to as planes, trains, and automobiles).

The E-M1X features a 121-point all-cross-type on-chip Phase Detection plus Contrast Detection AF system. The on-chip Phase Detection AF allows for high-precision AF even when shooting with high speed lenses.

These modes are smart enough to not only track the outline of say, someone riding a motorcycle, but actually focus on the rider's helmet, or the cockpit of the plane. For scenes with multiple planes or motorcycles, the camera will settle for the largest in the frame. However, if you'd like the option to toggle between subjects, you can leave the camera in Single Point and manually place your point over the further subject - the camera will then prioritize tracking them instead.

A water buffalo drinking at a pond.

Olympus OM-D E-M1X with M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F2.8 PROISO 1600 | 1/80sec | F2.8

How does your style of photography inform your gear choices?

I switched to Olympus because the size and weight allowed me to travel easier and hand-hold up to the equivalent of 600mm.

I've always loved panning shots but they're really hard to do with big cameras and lenses. With these light, small lenses, there's so little effort, comparatively, to stabilize them as you move. There's in-body stabilization which is good to begin with but with a fast moving animal you need to stay with it in order to get a sharp shot, and the heavier the gear the harder it is to do that. With this OM-D gear it's literally just like turning your head.

The weight of a system for wildlife photography isn't in the camera body, it's in the lenses

I came from full-frame professional DSLRs, and those things are bricks. They wear your body out. The E-M1X is similar in weight to something like a midrange full-frame DSLR, and fits my hand very comfortably.

The weight of a system for wildlife photography isn't actually in the camera body, it's in the lenses. The camera is close to your body, but the weight is in the lenses, which extend forward, outwards from you. The weight of the glass in a big full-frame lens is considerable. Shooting the E-M1X with the 300mm F4, which is 600mm equivalent, is like shooting a DSLR with something like a 70-200mm attached. It's very comfortable.

The PRO Capture mode on the E-M1X has also been a game changer for capturing birds and other animals at the precise moment when the action occurs.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a photographer?

Really there are a few key pieces of advice that have guided me. First, find your own voice with your images. It’s okay to shoot iconic locations, but be creative and put your own spin on the subjects. Second, always seek to simplify the composition. Less is more. Third, know the rules of composition. They should only be guidelines, but if you know them, then you know why you give them respect and know exactly what you are trying to achieve when you are breaking those rules.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to make it as a photographer today?

If you want to be a commercial photographer, listen to your client. Make sure you know what they want before you get too carried away with the assignment. And know your gear. To be successful, you have to be looking through the camera at the subject. You must be able to adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation while still looking through that viewfinder.

Elephants in Kenya.

Olympus OM-D E-M1X with M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F2.8 PROISO 125 | 1/800sec | F2.8

What draws you to Africa?

I go about 6-8 times a year. Primarily I focus on Southern Africa, although about once a year I'll go to Eastern Africa, to Kenya. Every second year I'll go to Namibia, but mostly I'm focused on South Africa and Botswana. I like the reserves there, and I know the guides.

What I really like about Southern Africa is how close you can get to the animals. The lodges I focus on have off-road tracking, so you can position a vehicle perfectly for the lighting. You can get off-road and into position. Also because the reserves have been there for some time, the animals are habituated, they don't get stressed if they see people or vehicles.

In Botswana I love shooting near the water. I really love low-angle shots. Obviously if you're in a vehicle you have to aim for things up on a hill, to really get low, but if you're in a hide or you're on the water, you can get really low, down on the gunnels of the boat and shoot right at water level. Bird life, elephants crossing, buffalo drinking or whatever happens to be there. It's really cool.

Buddy Eleazer is an award winning wildlife and landscape photographer. His images have been featured by Popular Photography, National Geographic and the prestigious Epson Panorama Awards. He runs Magnum Excursions, and organizes multiple photography trips every year.

See more of Buddy Eleazer's work

This is sponsored content, created with the support of Olympus. What does this mean?

Read more about this at dpreview.com

https://bestcamaccessories.com/interview-award-winning-wildlife-photographer-buddy-eleazer-on-why-he-chose-the-olympus-om-d-e-m1x/

[thecariharris-blog]

Safety Tips for Gas Grills

Safety Tips for Gas Grills

Whether you are a gourmand of the outside or a amateur prepare dinner, fuel grills are used nicely by using many owners. When used efficiently, they are very secure and a incredible asset to any house. Follow those guidelines for an fun grilling revel in.

Keep it Clean

Old grease is flammable. When you are about to hearth it up for the season, easy off the accumulation of vintage grease. To clean fuel grills, snatch a bottle of degreaser from your local home development shop, spray it on, and wait five minutes. Then, sincerely rinse with water. Once you have got it wiped clean, move beforehand and flip the grill as much as its most up to date temperature, and allow all old grease to burn off for approximately fifteen mins. This will create a few smoke, but do not be alarmed. Keep the lid closed, and keep an eye on the scenario.

Turn Off the Gas

Turning off a light while not the usage of it appears elementary, however who thinks of a grill? Gas grills have to be became off on the propane tank whilst now not in use. This prevents fuel from leaking out alongside the road. Alternatively, someone ought to by accident bump into a knob, and the fuel may want to run out earlier than your subsequent cookout. Shutting off the gas on the cylinder saves cash on wasted gas and forestalls potential fire dangers.

Clean Grate

When cleansing, make certain you easy the grate as properly. Many human beings prepare dinner on a very dirty grill; some even claim it provides flavor. Food burnt on the excess grease will become carcinogenic, and it is better to keep away from consuming meals that has been burnt. Whether you are feeding your own family or buddies, it is considerate to take the few extra mins essential for a smooth cooking floor.

Light with Caution

When you light one or extra of your fuel grills, make sure that you've got a nicely functioning igniter. Many human beings do not understand whilst their ignitor isn't working nicely, and they permit a great deal too much fuel to build up inside the system earlier than it lights. This buildup can motive a hazardous flare up, or it can now not ignite in any respect. A precise ignitor ought to ignite in a single or two clicks. If your ignitor would not ignite fast, do the clever aspect, and get it changed. A new ignitor can be observed at any domestic development save.

Grilling outside is one among America's excellent pastimes, and it is able to be very secure and amusing. Be certain to observe these easy safety precautions to have a extraordinary enjoy.

Chinese Vegetarian Recipes: How to Make Gong Li's Favorite Spinach Tofu in Raise the Red Lantern

There are many Chinese vegetarian recipes. This one have become even more famous after Gong Li's film Raise the Red Lantern. In the film, Gong Li performs a 19 years old woman it really is pressure into marrying a much older rich guy. The guy already has 3 better halves, so Gong Li is spouse range 4. At the dinner table for the primary time, she does not see something that she will be able to devour because she is a vegetarian. She tells the servant I do now not eat meat, can you are making me a few spinach tofu. Being the most recent and maximum favourite wife, the servant obeys her request and made the dish just for her. Here's the recipe for spinach junk food tofu Chinese style. It's takes approximately 15 minutes from start to finish.

This is a fast recipe, so prepare all ingredients before beginning.

1 pound of clean spinach, wash and dry the spinach salads very well. Remove any difficult stems. 1/2 pound of company tofu reduce in half of inch cubes 2 tablespoons of peanut oil 1 tablespoon of rice wine 1 clove of minced garlic half teaspoon of salt

This dish is first-class finished with a wok. Place wok over medium high heat. When you see it beginning to smoke, upload the peanut oil and minced garlic in. Stir for a touch even as, then add spinach and salt and keep stirring for about 1 minute, till the spinach is wilted.

Then lightly add inside the tofu and sprinkle with rice wine. Cook for about 1 extra minute so the tofu can be heated very well. Serve proper away. This Chinese vegetarian salad recipe is sufficient for six.

Good Tips If You Want To Start Homeschooling

To homeschool or not to homeschool, that is a tough question which many parents face. The best way to make a decision is to know as much as possible, and even after you take the plunge, Tesol Certification  you must continue to learn. This article provides all the information you need to provide a great homeschool environment.

If you plan to home school your child or children, always remember that books and the chosen curricula are just the basics. The best learning experience within the home is one that incorporates materials and concepts from outside the home and the curriculum. If you cannot find a single curricula that meets your needs, don't be afraid to use multiple sources.

Teach your kids how to follow instructions by giving them a recipe which fits their capabilities and have them follow it on their own. They should start by creating a list for the grocery, then pay for it and understand the change they get through a little math lesson (you can even throw in tax information) and then create and enjoy their masterpiece in the end.

Every state has specific laws regarding homeschooling. It is up to you to understand what your state requires of you as a parent, and your child as a student, when it comes to homeschooling. Look at your state's educational website, as well as your county school board's site to fully understand the expectations.

Art should be included in your plans. To incorporate art into your lesson plan, have your child draw or paint pictures about what they are learning. From a reinactment to writing a song, the sky is the limit! By forcing them to think about a topic in new ways, you will ensure that they are learning to the fullest extent possible.

Relying on electronics, like computers, can be a bad thing. Sure they can be great tools to use to teach your kids from home, but what do you do if there was to be a problem with them? Use them, but have alternative teaching methods ready in case your computer dies and will be down for a while.

Do not get stuck on one homeschooling curriculum. You may find that your child is not doing well with the curriculum that you have chosen. There are several on the market for you to choose from. Your child might even do well to combine more than one program. Using different programs in one home is perfectly acceptable, so find the one that works best with your child and get started.

Remember that even public schools may not hit every subject, every day. While math and reading are considered core curriculum, Tesol Certification  children may only have art once a week and something like science three times a week. Don't stress yourself out trying to get too much into your day. Experiment a little and find a schedule that works for you.

If the only reason that you do not want to home school your children is because you are scared they will not get the socialization they need, know that you can work around this. You may be able to find groups in your area that allow children who are home schooled to get together and play. If your area does not have this, you can always bring them to the park or have them join a sport to meet and play with other kids.

It is very important that your child realizes that just because they are getting schooled at home does not mean they can come and go as they please. There are certain things you need to do to make them realize this. For instance, teaching them in the living room in front of the TV is not likely going to help them take the work seriously. Find a designated, quiet area in your home to teach them.

Look for thematic activities. There are a number of books on the market for this. You can also create your own. This is where you take one activity and apply it to several different applications. Incorporating math, science, and language arts into am activity increases the learning for children. It can also simplify your planning.

Just as in regular school, your child may find that they are having trouble with a certain subject. If this is the case for your child, do not be ashamed to hire a tutor and do not get down on yourself. Many parents feel as though it is their fault if their child is not excelling in a certain subject; the truth is this is natural. The only thing you can do about it is get them the help they need.

Make sure that you understand the needs of your particular child so that you can work at the correct pace for him or her. This is very important to merge your child into the learning experience so that they can soak in the material quicker and more efficiently while being home-schooled.

Remember why you wanted to start homeschooling. Be prepared for some struggles, frustration, and days that just don't work out well. Keep in mind why you chose to do this. It could be anything from being faith-related to wanting to be more involved with your child's education. Whatever your reasons, keep them in mind when you run into a tough day.

Armed with a vast cache of knowledge, Tesol Certification  you can now prepare lesson plans like a pro, teach your kids in ways which work and even make learning fun. This learning cannot stop here, of course, and you must keep reading and talking to others to expand your knowledge and better your homeschooling ways.

How Coconut Oil Can Improve Your Hair

Ready to get started with your own beauty regimen? No? What's the matter, you don't know what to do or where to start with beauty? Tribal Tattoos  No worries, this article has your back. Below are some tips and tricks that can get you started with the basics of beauty so that you can do it your way.

When you file your nails, make sure you don't file in only one direction. This can put stress on your nails and cause them to weaken, become thin and break easily.

Wear gloves when you are applying tanning lotions and keep a towel near you. This will help you if you make a mess and to keep your palms from turning orange or tan. You should also make sure to pull your hair back so your tan is evenly applied.

To give your lips a plumped-up appearance use a highlighting lotion or white shadow above the "cupid's bow" on your top lip. The light reflecting off the middle of your upper lip creates the illusion of a full upper lip.

Take your time applying a fake tan. Make sure you have at least 30 minutes before going to bed or getting dressed. If you are in a hurry then wait to do it because you may get streaky results. It is important to make sure you properly apply a fake tan.

Your hair color should influence which cosmetic colors look the best on you. For example, if you are a brunette, you can use a dark mahogany eyeshadow as a multitasking tool. In a pinch, it can be used to fill in sparse eyebrows, line your upper lash line, and even cover gray roots on your hairline.

To deal with greasy or oily hair, shampoo every other day and just rinse with water on the other days. Sometimes people with oily hair try to combat the problem by over using shampoo. This removes to much oil from hair, which makes the sebaceous glands overcompensate to replace it.

If you love a certain nail polish, and it starts to look a little dry or is about to run out, add a little bit of nail polish remover to the bottle. Shake it very well, and you will end up with having an easier time getting some more use out of it.

Put petroleum jelly onto your fingernails on a regular basis. They provide nutrients to the nail, which it needs to grow in stronger. Use a top coat after painting your fingernails to reduce chipping.

Some men care about their looks but don't realize that hair is a key factor to focus on in order to look your best. Conditioner is something you should always use, it's not something you should view as an option.

A top coat will preserve your nail polish and make your manicure last longer. Seal your manicure as soon as it is dry with a layer of top coat. Avoid a peeling or chipping nail job by adding thin layers every couple of days. You can extend the life of your manicure by a few days through the application of a quality top coat.

Beauty always starts with feeling good about yourself. If you don't feel confident about your body or level of fitness than you must start off by getting yourself to the gym. By just using three to four hours per week of your time you will improve your physical appearance and feel more confident.

If you haven't taken care of your physical appearance for a long time, don't be scared off by the amount of work it takes to improve it. Although the initial time investment might be high it is much easier to maintain a good appearance than to initially create it.

If you find that the nail polish that you thought was the perfect color is not the color that you wanted when you get it on your nails, consider adding a bit of nail polish remover to the bottle. It will change the color a bit and make it a little lighter.

You may want to consider tinting your eyebrows. You can do it yourself with a pencil. Alternatively, you may get a salon treatment to dye them permanently. This helps define your eyes and face and provides you with a more youthful appearance.

Before you go to bed for the night, apply base coat to your fingernails, followed by a double dose of colored polish and a single layer of topcoat. Do not be concerned about any polish that gets onto your skin. You can always scrape the excess polish off during your morning shower the following day. With these easy methods, you can do our own pedicure and manicure quite nicely.

Give yourself a mini facial using a mask made from an egg white and a dash of lemon juice. Leave the mask on for about two minutes, and then rinse. This gives your skin an instant tightening effect and is ideal to do about an hour before an evening out on the town.

When it comes to coconut oil, few products compare. This natural oil has antioxidant properties and keeps skin looking great. Mix it with some sugar to exfoliate the skin.

For the most natural look when shaping your brows, avoid plucking hairs above your brows, instead removing stray hairs below your brows. Plucking hairs above your brows makes it too easy to remove too much hair, resulting in sparse brows or an unnatural "surprised" look. Step back from the mirror and check your brows as you pluck, to ensure you aren't removing too much hair.

If you are worried that your favorite fragrance may fade away during the day, think of adding some to your hair. You don't want to spray it directly on your hair, but, instead, spray a light mist to the bristles of a brush and run it through your hair. You and your hair will smell great for the rest of the day.

With the previous tips floating around your thoughts, you ought to be ready to take out the products and tools and start doing beauty your way! It does take some knowledge and some practice, but if you keep at it, it is indeed achievable. So, get going, enjoy yourself, and have fun!