#only because i was making this on procreate on IOS

[miyakkenjii]

i made more

[genericpuff]

hello! i don't know anything about digital art or tablets but it's something i'd like to try out. i was wondering if you know of any affordable tablets that you don't have to hook up to a computer?

So the fortunate thing is that tablets have gotten a LOT cheaper especially with other companies like Huion and XP-Pen stepping up to offer competitive prices compared to Wacom, which is notoriously expensive.

That said, the unfortunate thing is that the cheapest tablets on the market are the ones that you have to hook up to a PC (these are typically desk tablets, i.e. the ones that you basically use as a computer mouse because there are no screens built in to them).

There are PC tablets where they're all in one PC's that offer tablet screens (I used to use a Cintiq Companion 2 which was exactly that) but they're INCREDIBLY expensive and honestly, not much better than just getting an entry level PC and screen tablet / monitor + desk tablet. It's definitely not something you'd want to get if you haven't tried out digital art before either, because there's a risk in that in and of itself - you haven't done it before, so you're not guaranteed to stick with it. And I say that because digital art in and of itself is a medium, there's a learning curve to it even if you already have foundational knowledge in traditional art (though that foundational knowledge will help a lot) and it's not as easy or simple as just pressing some buttons and making art appear. So the last thing you're gonna want to do is spend a whole bunch of money on a drawing tablet / digital art software if you wind up not liking it in the long run.

So I would say your best option for trying out digital art without losing out on a whole lot of money if you wind up not enjoying it (and if you want something that doesn't require hooking up to a PC) would be a Samsung tablet or iPad - and I say that because if you DON'T end up creating digital art in the long term, you'll still have a handy portable PC that you can use for other things. You can get iPads and Samsung tablets at used prices through pawn shops, local marketplaces, etc. or if you have strong rep with your phone company, you might be able to snag a deal next time you renew your phone plan (I would recommend checking around back-to-school season or Christmas/Black Friday/etc. as that's when phone companies offer crazy deals where you can get tablets and accessories basically for free LMAO)

Just make sure you do your research on what tablets offer what in terms of pen and software compatibility, some tablets don't work with pens, others only work with specific kinds of pens, etc. For iPads, you'll typically want something that will ideally work with the Apple Pencil 2, as that's the newest model of the Apple Pencil (and it has that fun way of charging where you can just stick the pen to the side of the tablet and it magnetizes/charges from your iPad's battery).

I can't really give advice on the Samsung tablets as I've never used them, so do your research for that one, there are loads of videos online that talk about all the different models and benefits. Just note that if you want to use Procreate specifically, you'll need an iPad as it's an iOS-only app. Clip Studio and Adobe products , on the other hand, are offered on virtually all mobile devices and software!

I hope that helps! Good luck!! <3

[thatskindarough]

Oh it was only 3 actually, counting that one animatic on YouTube (that BTW i had no idea was yours! I was pleasantly surprised <3)

And I found it so funny that you have somewhat an idea of who I might be PFFF you can throw the guess, it would be funny if you get it right (don't have to say my name if you don't remember it, you can just go for something you remember NFKDSJ)

also time for an actual question since i'm already here, what program did you used for the animatic? I've always wanted to get into animating but most softwares cost money or are free but really bad so I could use some recommendations 👀

Good to hear there is no imposter lol. I should probably start using the false pfp so people know it’s me but I’m too lazy to change them all 💀 also my guess was right as to who you were but probably mainly because I put on my Aziraphale detective hat and you were the last notification before the ask inbox notification and your icon had a red beanie. We meet once again.

As for the animatic I used procreate for drawing and capecut for composting. Not the most efficient method but I liked it. I ended up segmenting off each camera angle into a different canvas and making any animation for the shot that way. I love capecut because the free version has every editing function you need for an animatic and the watermark only appears as a black screen at the end so it’s so easy to crop out. It’s probably the best free editing software I’ve found. (I also used a screen recording device to record the audio cause even if you buy a song it sometimes doesn’t allow you to put it in the program.)

I honestly recommend procreate if you have a device that supports it. I think it’s still only a 10 dollar onetime purchase. But if you don’t have a device that supports it, I have used things like flip a clip which is free, and the paid version is pretty cheap. I have also dabbled in an app called rough animate, also free (you don’t have to pay for the onion skins) which was also okay. I got frustrated cause of the lack of brush choice but other than that it’s not bad at all. If you can’t pay anything at all I’d recommend this because, unlike flip a clip, you don’t have to pay to unlock the a lot of the really helpful features. Ibis paint also added an animation feature I think so that’s an option. Idk if you need the paid version for it, but I remember only having to watch ads for a minute to unlock all the brushes so maybe it’s the same for the animation feature lol.

If you have a computer set up, I’ve also heard nice things about Krita for animation. It’s free and from what I remember it had a really good timeline set up. I actually tried to use it, but my computer at the time was old and slow and it lagged to much, and then I had a shitty no screen tablet and my hand eye coordination when it came to drawing and writing is quite bad, so it just wasn’t a good set up for me personally. But I know people make it work. I mean, people make this kinda shit in MS paint, if you’re dedicated enough you can technically do it in almost any program (though you may not be able to make it as polished as you’d like.)

Then there is Clip Studio Paint, which does cost money but is way less expensive than like, harmony or adobe. The EX version which gives you a second of free animation per project is a $5 monthly subscription for once device, PC MaC IOS, and the Pro version (which is more expensive) gives you unlimited animation animation access for I believe around 10 -15 dollars a month (still less than most streaming services lol). There’s also a one time purchase version that is $50 dollars, but it goes on sale A LOT for $25! Although I don’t think it gives you more than a second of animation. CSP also has a very long free trial period, for EX it was legit like 3 months. so if you try it out and like it, I’d definitely suggest finding a way to pay for it. It’s actually used in some professional studios in Japan, so if you have any professional aims for your work it’s a good starting platform to get into industry software. However a lot of the nice things CSP offers for animation are not needed in the story boarding/animatic stage, so if that’s as far as you wanna take your animations it maaaaaaay not be worth it unless you love it.

If anyone else has other cheap or free recommendations feel free to add on. I have attempted to make animatics on procreate, rough animate, and flip a clip; all of which I have uncompleted projects on. It just so happens that procreate is what I was using when I finally made an animatic I liked enough to see until completion. Whatever software you do use, just make sure you learn how to use it before attempting a big project. Do some smaller stuff before you try anything big.

Edit to check the comments! We got other good recommendations for computers!

[alphajasperdimitri]

Hello greetings guys! And a happy new year! my name is alphadimitriflair, and Im new here at tumblr I would like to share my first post also btw im from instagram: alpha_jasperflair

I never really played the God of war game series but I watched it being played by one of my friends, I was so deeply inspired by the art, the story, the narrative, the music, everything, so I decided to make a fanart of it with all my heart, the greek saga not only made me inspired but deeply inspired by the #norse saga, the story deeply resembles my relationship with my father, it made our hearts warm.

Also pls forgive me if my time-lapse vid looks kinda blurry as I said to the video I double checked it before, but there was a time where my Ipad shut down because of low battery and I went back to procreate, the time-lapse broke im so sorry, but I never lost hope to still post it lmao.

⏰ TIME: Took me almost 2 months, I started doing this during school days, it was a bad idea I was either pressuring myself studying and drawing at the same time lol, so I continued it during christmas vacation and at the end of new years eve.

✂️EDIT: Using Imovie on apple ios, bruh this took me almost forever I thought I was gonna die out of exhaustion.

ALSO HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE OR RAGNARÖK!

🔺BACKGROUND MUSIC CREDITS TO:

@bearmccreary

1. Jotunheim https://youtu.be/G0RnRnGwacU

2. A son’s path https://youtu.be/bWMpjQCpcpg

3. Raebs lament https://youtu.be/7-qUJ0uEAeQ

AJ Dela Torre

🔹 Follow me on socials🔹

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajmdt_artworks

Art station: https://www.artstation.com/u39a198d5?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aj.ajmdt.5

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ajmdelatorre

You Tube Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCzMoU-EkocI3WKtdCmFJagA

TECH: iPad (7th generation) - Technical Specifications

🔶HASHTAGS🔶

#godofwar #godofwarragnarok #godofwarfanart #godofwarragnarokfanart #goty #gameoftheyear #sonysantamonica #fanart #digitalart #illustration #digitalartist #digitalillustration #artist #artistoninstagram #artistofyoutube #filipinoartist

#procreate #procreateart #procreateillustration #software #youngartist #artistofinstagram #artistsuport #kratosgodofwar #kratos #atreusgodofwar #atreus #atreusgodofwarragnarok #videogame #gameplay #playstation #sony #videogames #gameplaywalkthrough #game #playstation5 #ps5 #ps4 #christopherjudge #norsemythology #mythology #myth #bearmccreary #corybarlog #scandinavia #scandinavian #freya #mirmir #sindri #brok #angrbroda #thor #thorragnarok #ragnarok #loki #art #sketch #painting #digitalpainting #paint #drawing #sketchart #digitalpainting #thegameawards #gameawards2022 #2022 #2023 #newyear #newyear2023 #newyearseve #holiday #happyholidays #holidays #holidayseason #christmas #merrychristmas #tistheseqson #snow #winter #winterfall #snowfall #winterspecial #fall

[tothepointofinsanity]

You might have gotten this one before but what art program do you use? I have a cheap one that doesn't work so good so I was wondering if you had any recommendations

I really like your art and I hope to make something that looks as cool as yours someday! Keep up the great work!

Hello! Thank you for the ask! I actually haven’t had anyone ask this question yet, so no worries.

I’m not sure if you’re using an art tablet or computer, because I have somewhat of an idea that those use different art programs better suited for them. I use an iPad to make my drawings, and my main art program is Procreate. However, Procreate is notably a very solid painting-based application, so depending on your art style as well, the wide set of tools provided by this program may or may not be easier to use. I lack the skills to paint, so the art you see on my page are created using the sketch and pencil tools. Some people might say Procreate is only for the professionals and “real” “serious” artists, but never let anyone put the idea that only the best can pick up a paintbrush. Additionally, there are also a lot of videos on YouTube that could give more professional advice on how to adapt to the art program. The primary drawback is that it costs…money, and is limited to the iOS bloodline.

An art program I would actually recommend is Ibis Paint X, which should run fine both on android and iOS devices. Ibis was my secondary art program [or more accurately, the second art program I started using after MediBang], and it has more options for individuals who prefer line-based “anime” creations, although I have definitely seen more than nutty creations that go beyond the expectations of normality from the app. It’s so convenient to use that people without a digital drawing pen can still draw undisturbed with their fingers alone. The main drawback, if I’m not mistaken, is that most tools require you to watch an advertisement before being able to use it, since it is a free application. It also has a wide variety of filters and not just layer effects you could apply to your works. ^^

Well, all these recommendations may be null since at the end of the day I’m not sure if they are compatible with your current device, so I apologise if what I essentially said was all a nothing burger. You should also go with whatever application you’re most comfortable using with regardless of your experience with art <- important

Thank you for the kind words as well 🙏 Keep drawing and you’ll soon develop your own beloved unique works and style!

[gingerhuneybee]

FAQ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.0 TOOLS

.01 What materials/programmes do you use?

iPad Pro 2020, 12.9” with Apple Pencil Gen 2

iOS Procreate (drawing process)

Photoshop 2022 (post-edit process) + XP-pen Deco 01 (v2) tablet

.02 What brushes are you using?

I use a combination of brushes released by Lotusbubble, JingSketch, Jeremy Fenske, and Devin Elle Kurtz.

.04 Where would you suggest I learn about…

anatomy: Morpho Anatomy books, life drawing classes, pinterest, theposearchives (dA) colour theory: Marc Brunet’s tutorials, Colour.adobe resources character design: Marc Brunet’s tutorials

.06 Art book recommendations?

Here’s a list of my favourite books:

Creating a Champion (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) The Art of Raya and the Last Dragon The Art of Encanto Tokyo Storefronts by Mateusz Urbanowicz The Art of Heikala by Heikala The Art of Kiki’s Delivery Service

.07 Do you do tutorials?

Not at the moment. But in the future I would like to do tutorials on my Patreon page.

2.0 Art and Bee

.00 Who are you even?

I am a very short girl, who enjoys drawing fandoms such as Harry Potter and The Legend of Zelda. As of now, I am 26 years old, and I work as a freelance artist and ESL teacher. I LOVE peach tea.

.01 Did you go to art school?

No. I am self-taught. I actually have masters in chemistry. I dropped out of my Chemistry PhD in my first year because I realised that science is not something I want to pursue in my life. I do not regret studying chemistry though - it was a very interesting and valuable experience. Would I have the chance to choose now though, I’d go study degree in Illustration.

.02 Who are your favourite artists?

Here are some that I often turn to for inspiration:

Mimimaru, Heikala, Mateusz Urbanowicz, Ladowska, Mehkuni, Devin Elle Kurtz, Marc Brunet and many others.

.03 How do you motivate yourself to draw every day?

I really make sure I draw what I enjoy. There are days I wake up and I do not feel like picking up my pen. When this happens, it is about time to turn back to studying. I go to my Morpho books, youtube tutorials and my favourite artists and I dedicate the day to anatomy studies, colour theory etc. That way I do feel accomplished although no illustration is done in the process.

.04 How to get out of art block?

Take a break. No seriously. If art frustrates you, it is time to put it down and take-a-well-deserved-break. I hit the wall 2-3 a year and usually, it comes after a big project or when I refuse to pace myself.

This relates to the previous questions, but when a time like this hits, I often restrict myself to no art for up to 3-5 days. Instead, I go back to passive studying - watching tutorials, watching an animated film, reading some books, playing video games for inspiration.

Sometimes it also helps to switch a medium. So for example I go from digital to traditional.

.05 What is you digital art process like?

I start with light gesture drawings followed by detailed soft lineart. Then I shade in black and white. When this is done, I turn the black and white sketch to red (using curves) and with multiply layers, I block in the basic colours. Then I create a normal layers and I begin to paint in all other details. I often finish the background first before I move on to the characters.

.06 Why don’t you do traditional anymore?

In 2020 I had to move to my parent’s house for 4 months while I was recovering from an illness. I had to leave all my traditional media in my flat in a completely different country. I only had my old iPad with me, which was the only way I could do art. I have been drawing digitally on my iPad since.

Once in a while, I still use the good old pencil and paper, but I found that digital painting gives me great creative freedom and helps me to visualise my light-up fantasy brain cells. hahaha

In general - I just enjoy digital painting more at the moment.

I still do oil painting once in a while tho!

3.0 USE OF MY ART

.01 Can I use your art for my pfp?

Yes, BUT! Please do message me for permission and make sure you credit the art appropriately.

.02 Can I use your art for bookbinding fanfictions?

Now - please read this carefully.

I ONLY allow use of my art in fanfiction bookbinding if it’s a NON-PROFIT bind (ie only cost of materials is paid for). Please DO message me in dms (ig, twitter, tumblr) if you want to use my art in your binds. The chances are most likely I will say yes and be very excited to see the outcome!!!

4.0 COMMISSIONS

.01 Are you available for commissions?

Yes! You can find the link to all the details here.

.02 Why are your commissions so expensive?

I only charge for labour and the time spent on the commission. For a full-illustrated type of commission, I can spend up to 30 hours working on it, hence the high price.

.03 How long will your commission take?

I ask for my customers to count with 2-4 weeks from the date the payment is received. This is because often I have a couple of projects before I commence on your commission. I also count in any unexpected events such as an illness, my teaching job hurdles, art block, and inspiration dips.

.04 What you will/will not draw for me?

Will do: humans (fanart, OCs, irl), pfp’s, larger illustrations, and character designs

Will NOT do: nsfw, fetishes, gore, mecha, furry, animals/pets, hateful art, ships I am not comfy with

[bailey-dreamfoot]

Hi, I just realized I should make an intro post to make it easier on any new followers. :]

~About me~

My name is Bailey. I'm a trans guy, and my pronouns are He/Him. I’m also Asexual! :D. I’m currently 19 and still don’t have a driver’s license, lmao. I primarily draw fan-art of various hyper-fixations, but I also have my own OC’s I may post about from time to time. Feel free to check out my Instagram or my Youtube, since I post about them more often there.

Also, I jump around fandoms really often. Currently my big ones are Hermit-craft, Octonauts, and Welcome Home. So yeah be aware of that :p

~Art/ Blog Related Info~

I do art commissions!!! Click the new "Commission Info" button on my Link-tree to see my prices!

I use Procreat for IOS for all my artwork, I animate in Flipaclip, and currently use CapCut to edit.

My asks are always open. Feel free to send me an ask and I’ll do my best to answer it. I also may do requests, but probably only if I find it interesting and I have spare time. Please don’t feel bad if you send a request and I don’t draw it.

I try to always tag posts that are potentially sensitive with trigger warnings, although It’s not that tightly organized. Not to mention I can’t always use the more well known tags because of Tumblr IOS’s ridiculous censorship policy. So feel free to message me if there’s a specific tag you’d like me to add.

Feel free to use my art as a profile picture or banner! Just make sure you credit me either in a pinned post, in your bio, or in your username. :]

All my artwork can be found under the tag #bailey’s art

All artwork of my expansive OCs can be found under the tag #bailey’s original characters

You can also find goofy lore bits about my characters under the tag #bailey's oc lore or search "oc lore" on the profile browse thing

All my animations can be found under the tag #bailey's animations

All my commission work can be found under the tag #bailey’s commissions

Any comics I’ve made will be under the tag #bailey’s comics

And all my various rambling’s and text posts on various fandoms can be found under the tag #bailey’s ramblings

Down here is My Fursona, Also named Bailey! You'll se him a lot here.

~Things/ Topics I’m Ok With~

Sfw Shipping content

Sfw Fanfiction

Gore (of all kinds)

Discussions/ Art Surrounding Topics such as: Mental Disorders/ Mental Illness, Spectrum Disorders, Disabilities, Sexuality, Gender, Abuse, Trauma, etc

Critique/ Feedback (harsh or not!)

~Things/ Topics I’m Uncomfortable With~

Nsfw content

Discussion around nsfw content or kinks

Drama Posts

IRL shipping

The Usage of Slurs (of any kind, in any context)

TERFS CAN FUCK OFF

~Do Not Interact If~

Transphobic

Homophobic

Islamophobic

Sexist

Racist

Ableist

Nazi/White Supremacist

TERF

Pedo

Are an Asshole in General

For A Fair Warning:

I WILL delete comments and/ or block accounts that spread hate, or otherwise act out on my blog. Regardless if it’s directed at me, or someone else interacting with my blog.

Aaaand thats about it. Enjoy scrolling through this absolute mess. :]

[teamyellremade]

ibis paint x VS procreate VS clip studio paint ios review

DISCLAIMER: i’ve been using procreate since i got my ipad in 2020 while i just picked up ibis paint x yesterday. i have been using clip studio paint for desktop since ~2016, though i mostly use the desktop version over the ios version. this review will mostly be my first impressions of ibis paint x compared to procreate and csp for ios!

PROCREATE:

at this point, procreate is probably THE industry standard for ipad drawing programs. it’s got a very minimal layout designed for use on your ipad and lots of options for touch and gesture controls.

i find that procreate feels less like drawing on a display tablet and more like just drawing on an ipad if that makes sense? display tablets have a very specific feel to them when you use them with desktop programs, and procreate doesn’t have that same feeling to me. it’s very intuitive and you can definitely tell it’s designed FOR ipad.

THE PROS:

the layout

its simple, minimalistic layout is extremely accessible for the ipad specifically and once you get used to it, becomes easy and convenient to navigate (especially if you customize the settings to your liking)

THE BRUSHES!! 

good god i could sing my praises for the default brushes all day long. to this day, i use a slightly revised version of the default HB pencil brush for EVERYTHING from sketching to coloring and refining. 

in addition to the default brushes, which are relatively simple to customize and adjust in the brush editor, you can also import brushes other people have made into the software. since procreate is so widely used, it’s really easy to find some nice ones online!

tilt support with apple pencil

procreate is compatible with tilt support on your apple pencil, meaning that the way your apple pencil tilts impacts the brush’s effect on the canvas! notably, i use this like a normal pencil where i will hold the brush at a low angle as i’m drawing and shading to produce a less opaque and wider line (mimicking the effect you get when you use the side of the pencil tip as opposed to the point)

THE CONS:

limited amount of layers

depending on how big your canvas is, procreate limits the amount of layers you can use to prevent overloading your ipad. while i haven’t run into any problems with this since i merge my layers as i go, it’s an important factor to consider if you tend to do big complicated pieces with lots of layers. (on an 8x10″ 300DPI canvas, you can have up to 70 layers. if you were to make the canvas bigger, that number would noticeably go down)

ipad exclusive

you can ONLY download procreate on ipads, which means that if you have an android tablet or have a display tablet that hooks up to a computer, you’re out of luck.

cmyk support is slightly glitchy

while yes procreate DOES technically support cmyk mode, it’s not as straightforward as you’d expect. if you save a cmyk document as a PSD file with the layers intact, this results in a small white border around each of your layers. not entirely sure why it does this but it’s kind of annoying :/ (i am unsure whether they fixed this in any recent ios OR procreate updates though!)

TL;DR:

procreate is an overall excellent software to pick if you have an ipad! that’s not to say it doesn’t have its flaws, but overall it’s the industry standard for a reason. 

IBIS PAINT X

while i’m a new user of this program, i gotta say i do like it a lot from what i’ve seen! ibis paint has two options on the app store: Ibis Paint and Ibis Paint X. 

ibis paint is the free-to-use version, in which you can either pay to unlock the brushes OR watch ads to unlock them for a certain amount of time.

ibis paint x is the paid app, but it only cost ~$10 which is honestly not bad. i splurged on this version because i do NOT have the patience to watch ads for brushes LOL

i find that ibis paint definitely feels different than procreate. there’s a nice stabilizing feel to the brushes so they aren’t wobbly in any places, but i think you can turn that off too. in my opinion, this app feels more like a desktop app on a display tablet except condensed and optimized for ipad use!

(NOT like clip studio paint, where they basically took the entire desktop app and threw it on an ipad, making it feel very cluttered)

THE PROS:

brushes galore

oh my god there are so many cool brushes that feel very distinct and different from the procreate brushes?? these feel much more like the brushes you’d find on clip studio paint or paint tool sai almost. the stabilization, like i mentioned, is very nice as well! it feels very natural and doesn’t result in too much lag in the stroke like you see sometimes in other programs. it looks like you can also customize every brush to your liking, though i have not done any experimenting with that yet!

also, when you use a brush it shows the outline of that brush on the canvas wherever you use it, much like photoshop and clip studio paint for desktop!

no layer limit! (that i’ve found yet)

while if you make a large document the app gives you a small warning pop-up claiming that larger canvases result in more lag in the app, i have yet to see that lag in action with my usual 8x10″ 300DPI canvases.

THE CONS:

no tilt support

i think this is the main reason why this app feels more like a desktop app on a display tablet for me, because all the display tablets i’ve used have not had tilt support on them. this isn’t a huge world-shattering problem though imo? it’s just something to note when comparing the two softwares

i have no idea if this app supports imported brushes

since this app isn’t as widely used as procreate, i have no idea if it supports exporting and importing custom brushes. if it does, it might be kind of hard to find good brushes for it since it’s not as notorious as other drawing softwares out there

(i’m also unsure whether it even has cmyk support too!)

TL;DR:

this app is really great for what it is! it only costs 10 bucks on the app store to unlock all the brushes, but it offers a paid subscription to unlock more features. i haven’t felt the need to upgrade though since there is already so much packed into Ibis Paint X as is.

CLIP STUDIO PAINT IOS

i honestly only use csp for ios when i have to work out the perspective of a piece because the perspective rulers are RIDICULOUS in csp. however, i figured i’d throw it in the review since i do have experience with it! (mostly on desktop tho)

csp is my go-to software when drawing on desktop now because it is so much easier to use and so much handier than photoshop for illustration, since it was designed FOR comic/manga artists and illustrators specifically.

i find i don’t usually use this app for casual sketching though because it’s essentially the same as the desktop version, just shrunk down for an ipad. this makes the screen feel very cluttered and somewhat complicated to navigate since an ipad screen is so small. (especially since i rely a lot on keyboard shortcuts when using desktop csp, but most of the time do not have my bluetooth keyboard handy for my ipad)

THE PROS:

no layer limits!

again, unlike procreate, there’s no layer limit on here! i would imagine if you made an absurdly big file and then added a ton of layers to it, the performance of the app would be impacted since it’s not the desktop app, but other than that there are no restrictions!

RIDICULOUS perspective ruler

when i learned how to use the csp perspective ruler it changed my LIFE. easily the best part of csp by far. (with the addition of other assets created by others, it can be even easier to use too!)

3d models in the app

clip studio paint has a library of free-to-use 3d models you can access from the program, and then pose or change the angle of as you see fit. you can also download more from the online store!

lots of brush options

since many people use clip studio paint for desktop, there are so many options for custom brush packs, which iirc are all compatible with ios! (my personal recommendation is frenden’s 800 brush pack for 15 dollars)

if you know how to use the desktop app, you know how to use the ios app

like i mentioned before, the ios version is essentially the same as the desktop version with a few shortcuts for easy ipad access. (EXAMPLE: if you swipe to the right on the left side of the screen, you can access a small menu of keyboard shortcuts in case you don’t have access to a bluetooth keyboard)

THE CONS:

subscription-based service

unlike its desktop app, the ios app is a subscription-based service. CSP Pro is $4.99 per month, while EX is $8.99 per month. annually, Pro is $24.99 per year while EX is $71.99 per year. (csp for desktop is a one-time payment that goes on sale for 50% off basically every month)

really cluttered

there’s so much going on in the app that it can be sort of overwhelming, esp on an ipad’s smaller screen. there’s a lot of clicking the different menus open and closed because if you keep them constantly open they take up too much space on the screen, and give you very little drawing room.

no tilt support

again, i don’t think there’s tilt control on this app either. but it doesn’t severely impact the performance or feel of anything. it’s just something to keep in mind!

TL;DR:

i personally think that if you want to use clip studio paint you’re better off getting the desktop version since that is what it was designed for and also it’s only a one-time payment that goes on sale pretty often. but if you do a lot of perspective drawing on your ipad like i do, it’s handy to have!

[alegacyofmonsters]

If you're from Instagram, you can probably skip all this but for those who only know me on Tumblr:

Who am I?

I'm 23. Cool with she/her and they/them pronouns. Ace. Bi/aromantic. Currently in the US but really I wish I weren't. I love to edit - videos, photos, anything - and I love analyzing fiction. Um ... yeah, I think that's all you need to know about me, so onto the good stuff!

Sharing my work:

I let anyone repost, reuse, or remake any of my edits on any platform just as long as you credit me (@alegacyofmonsters on everything except Twitter who thinks my username is ungodly long) and don't crop or edit out my watermark.

Characters:

Ships:

My favorite characters are Lizzie Saltzman, Whitney Chase, Calliope Burns, Abby Littman, Hope Mikaelson, Leighton Murray, Wednesday Addams, and Tabby Haworthe.

There's not much on I don't ship but I very much enjoy Calliette, Hizzie, Avatrice, Stellatrix, Wenclair, Leightum, Handon, Nace, and Posie.

The only ships I don't feel comfortable with being portrayed in a romantic/positive light are ships like Hosie/Weyler, Sizzie/Homan, any Teacher x Student, or any incest ships. If that's your cup of tea, all I ask is that you don't bring it here!

What am I anti?

I am strongly anti-ableism. In the show, under my posts, anywhere. If you're being purposely ableist, it's gonna be a problem.

I'm anti-homophobia. That includes bi/panphobia and, yes, includes against fictional characters and people you don't like. It also includes calling ships "homophobic" just because you don't ship it. It also includes calling canon sapphic ships "just best friends" or "sisters." Don't do it.

AUs/Fics:

And I think it goes without saying, but if you bring racism, sexism, fatphobia (or any body-shaming), romanticizing abuse, or aporophobia here, it's also gonna be a problem.

I'm not sharing any endgames or spoilers for AUs, so if you're reading solely for your endgame ship, please don't read. My stories are always more plot than ship, so those seeking only romance will find themselves disappointed!

You can find my AUs as fics on Ao3 and Wattpad (same username as here). They're usually under the same title and with a similar plot (with the exception of Villain Hope who got upgraded to "Dark Side" and has a remodeled story). I also have some free standing fics over there.

Apps I Use:

Snapseed - Free to use, Android and iOs, no ads

Procreate - One-time payment, iOs only (really unnecessary, I already have it for other purposes)

Collage Maker - Free to use, Android only, ads

Phonto - Free to use, Android and iOs, ads

OpenShot - Open-source software, Desktop only

CapCut - Free to use, Android and iOs

Requests:

You can always make requests through Asks or DM-ing me on any platform but there's also a spot to submit them on my website as well as more info on what you can request.

Looking for the Lists?

Josie's:

Penelope's:

Lizzie's:

Hope's:

[lgbtanimes]

As someone who uses the ipad pro and iphone x max constantly for school, I tend to dab around looking for the perfect apps to suit my needs and hobbies. If anyone wonders what apps I use for school, here are some “fundamental apps” I pertain to.

schedules and lists:

Calendars 5 - Calendars 5 is complete re-imagining of what the best mobile calendar experience should be. Calendars 5 is smart, excels in both tasks and events and runs on any iOS device you might have. It’s the calendar app you have been looking for.

Taskade - A great organized app that helps you organize your tasks or write simple notes.

Minimalist - a minimalist themed app that lets you list tasks very simple with other functions such as music and scenery to help you focus on those tasks.

timing, relaxing, and focus:

Clock - This is the default app that comes along with your ios device. I would say the functionality in it is very helpful to maintain alarms and a steady sleep schedule with the sleep function!

Tide - The tide app is an amazing peaceful app that lets you choose a time setting for how long you will work with soothing sounds playing in the background. The sounds really do help me focus and I highly recommend this app.

Flat Tomato - This app helps you split your time and measures it. For example, you would work for 25 minutes and then you would have a 5 minute break. This app really helps me with splitting my time and my tasks accordingly.

Forest - The forest app is absolutely great if you need help with staying away and off from your phone. The app grows a tree for up to two hours of constant studying which you would grow your tree in the meantime. If you do go on your phone and switch the app, the tree dies.

Flora - This is an alternative if you cannot or do not want to buy the forest app. It sort of works just like Forest, but you have a small 2D garden rather than a square terrain you see your trees grow on.

Oak -  Oak helps the monkey-minded decompress by transforming meditation practices from experiments into habits. We support you from your first session to your 500th, with mindful, loving-kindness, and sleep meditations as well as unguided sessions and breathing exercises. Individualize your meditations by duration, and customize with silence or calming background sounds. Oak tracks your progress and encourages you to continue building a healthy meditation practice.

drawing and art:

Procreate - My absolute favorite app that works so well with art. I draw most of my art work in there and occasionally make headers and calligraphy with it.

Ibis Paint X - This app is the pro version of another art app which has a few advantageous functions than procreate, but nonetheless helps a lot with making some really fine art.

titles and notetaking:

Over - The Over App is perfect to made headers and titles that are easily transferred to the goodnotes app.

Phonto - The Phonto app is another perfect app to make the titles with, but it isn’t easily transferred to the goodnotes app and you would need to save the image as a png to upload it to the page, but there are more fonts you could and you can add a lot of your own fonts as well.

Keynote - I use this app to make folders and planners and this works as a powerpoint but for apple of course. There are a lot of great tutorials that help with making cool planners and notebooks with this app.

Docs - Helps download videos and documents off online through mobile devices and organize files accordingly

Goodnotes - One of my favorite apps I use to take majority of my notes. It helps me organize my courses into different notebooks all in one app.

PDF Expert- I use this app in order to view my textbooks straight from the drives I use and occasionally edit and note take directly on my PDF books.

resources and flashcards:

Chegg - College resource with a flashcard app as well.

Course Hero - Upload documents to open documents related to the courses that you may be taking! Free when you upload your own documents, so try it! Great place to get accurate study guides.

The Khan Academy - App to take practice tests and get guidance on material related to your courses. Great app to get you on track and help you focus!

Quizlet - great app to organize flashcards and practice tests

DuoLingo- A wonderful language app that helps me keep a streak and maintain my language learning.

Periodic Table - This app is what it says it is. The periodic table. As someone who’s major focuses on Chemistry, I really do need this app and hopefully this app is useful for you all as well!

photos and editing:

VSCO - My favorite app that filters and edits images to make them look vintage or clean.

Snapseed - Another editing app with more controls and settings to help edit the images and color in areas to make them brighter or dimmer.

Afterlight 2 - A great editing app that helps add effects and details to images

PicPlayPost - an app that helps with organizing my images into collages or video cropping to make my images look neater. I also use it to edit my watermarks

Analog Seoul -  Analog Seoul is the eighth app of Analog Film City Series. With the specially created Analog Seoul photo filters, you can edit your pictures as if they were taken in Seoul.

printing, scanning, and storage:

Printerpro - A great app that helps with printing wireless from your iPad.

Scanner Pro - Scanning documents high quality and upload them to cloud

Drive - The best and foremost easiest storage to use and because I go to school/ university I have unlimited space for my files!

iCloud Drive - I only use this for photos or back ups, but occasionally it works well when I need to transfer files through apps that only use this form of storage.

Dropbox - Another storage application, but I usually use this for items I don’’t really need unless there’s an emergency. I use it to store mostly audio files and heavy files for keynote

entertainment and reading:

Netflix - To watch all my favorite movies and shows

Crunchyroll - I watch all my animes that I can here on this app

Kissanime - of course an alternative to crunchyroll is kissanime if you want to find animes for free (there are ads though)

Youtube - I mainly use this app for tutorials and guides to homework and projects

The CW - I watch all of my favorite local shows like the Flash, DC Legends, and Riverdale on this app for free.

MangaRock - I read most of my mangas on this app

iBooks - the installed app by apple where I transport a lot of my books into for reading and entertainment

VLive - For all my kpop friends, you know what this is for.

To be updated…

[justanotherdaylikeanyother-blog1]

AU in which Vere and Akielos have to grudgingly meet up to form some kind of military alliance to deal with a common outside threat. Presumably the Vaskians, because historically where there's an empire, there's usually an ongoing desire for expansion, no? I guess Aleron didn't slip them a big enough bribe this year (whoops), so they turned their attention away from Patras for a while. That'll teach him not to be stingy.

Things are going to be difficult enough as it is, having to try to come to some workable accord with those bull-headed Akielons. So Aleron would dearly like to save himself some additional grief and just leave his younger son back at Arles where he can't possibly make things even harder. But everyone who's ever met Laurent (and even a few people who haven't) agree that Laurent can’t be left at Arles alone with only the servants (and, more importantly, without Auguste) to keep him in check. After all, Laurent makes no secret of how he has big ideas about how this kingdom really could function better. And no one's entirely convinced that Laurent wouldn't decide it's justifiable to start a small-scale revolution if it means getting things done right in the end. It's not like he actually thinks these things through more than a few seconds before he does them, is it?

And of course Theomedes is going to bring Damen along with him to this meeting of nations as well. This is bound to involve some serious business gritted-teeth diplomacy and will quite likely end in a war, so it's ideal training for the future king. And also Theomedes is pretty sure that if he leaves Damen unsupervised without Nikandros someone there to clean up his messes and (try to) control him, Theomedes is going to return to Ios to find he suddenly has a dozen grandchildren on the way. So there's that.

Theomedes does make sure to warn Damen to steer clear of the Veretians outside of the necessary official meetings (because the princes are clearly blond bitchy snakes, and he knows what that means; he has actually met his son). But since when has Damen ever been one to follow orders or advice?

Damen finds that the older Veretian Prince is easy enough to get along with. Damen just has to steer the conversation towards ladies or sword fighting. Simple. In fact, Auguste likes those topics so much that Damen's pretty sure that Auguste would welcome the opportunity to face off against an army of Vaskian women. Probably not the best person to be teaming up with to try to avert a war with the Vaskian Empire, actually, but oh well.

On the other hand, Damen's mortally offended by how the younger Veretian Prince completely ignores his existence except when he’s insulting Damen. Damen is used to being effortlessly the centre of everyone’s attention, and to everyone always adoring him. That's just how it is. And since Prince Auguste seems to like him well enough, it's clearly not some cultural issue. So what's this guy's problem? They're supposed to be getting along for the sake of their kingdoms, aren't they? Damen's determined to do whatever it takes to make Laurent give him the time of day. For Akielos. Obviously. (And if Prince Laurent looks hella hot even when he's glaring at Damen or pointedly ignoring him, that's neither here nor there.)

Meanwhile, Laurent’s just like, “What, you’re still hanging around? I have Auguste and I have my books. What on earth could I need with your presence?” Except on the rare occasion when Damen isn't looking at him, so it doesn't matter if Laurent looks back. Then Laurent devolves into pure thirst given human form, because those muscles, damn.

And Auguste's just alternately dying with laughter or barely keeping a straight face while consoling Damen that Laurent’s like that with everyone. In general. Ok, maybe he's nowhere near that bad usually. But obviously that just means that Damen’s special! Lucky him.

Damen decides Auguste is kind of useless as a bff. Where's Nikandros when he needs him? (Thanking his lucky stars that he doesn't have to deal with this shit for once, that's where Nikandros is.)

Theomedes and Aleron aren't happy that their sons keep insisting on, you know, being in the same room together, or being friends, or whatever it is they're doing. (Theomedes has his suspicions. Again, he’s met Damen.) On the bright side, though, the boys aren’t encouraging popular uprisings or procreating left and right, so… that's something. Maybe. They guess. At least it gives the two Kings something to bond over.

[nikanndros]

The Arranged Marriage AU Part 9 [Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8]

When Laurent wakes up, the bed is empty of his husband. He can vaguely remember Nikandros coming to bed at some point in the night; he doesn’t think he imagined the added warmth at his side. Laurent sits up and looks around the room - all cool white and marble, better suited for a mausoleum than a bedroom. It makes Laurent feel even lonelier.

He drinks a cup of water from the bedside table, and then tucks his bedshirt into some pants to wander into the sitting room. Nikandros is sitting at the table there, his back to Laurent, and ignoring the breakfast food spread out on the table in favour of a book. Laurent smiles and sits next to him.

Nikandros looks up at him, then looks at the food, then back to his book. He glances at Laurent a second time, and then back to his book. He appears, Laurent realises, nervous. Laurent’s mind immediately conjures up a dozen worst case scenarios. He’s just about settling on one where Nikandros is about to send him back to Delfeur while he stays in Ios, when Nik speaks.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Better than you did, apparently,” Laurent says, and then, to just get it over with: “Why are you so twitchy?”

Nik sighs and puts the book down. “You’re too observant. You should eat something.”

Laurent takes an apricot from the spread, bites into it once and then sets it down. “There, I’ve eaten. Now tell me.”

“Honestly,” Nikandros says, “I don’t know how. This isn’t an Akielon problem.”

“It’s a Veretian one, then,” Laurent surmises. “Is it my family?”

“No. It’s your sensibilities.”

“Ominous,” Laurent drawls. He finishes the apricot, because it’s actually quite deliciously ripe. He’s only human. “Just say it. You’re not a coward, Nikandros. Whatever it is, we will just compromise.”

“I had sex with someone last night,” he says. To his credit, he looks Laurent in the eye when he says it.

It’s almost comedic that, out of all the awful scenarios that crossed Laurent’s mind, he hadn’t even considered this. He had thought that they were… Well, his opinion on their relationship is clearly wrong.

“Alright,” Laurent says.

“It’s normal in Akielos to- no, that’s an excuse. I know that Veretians expect monogamy when it comes to marriage. I should have spoken to you about this first.”

“I don’t expect complete monogamy,” Laurent says. “I knew when our marriage was decided on that you’d have to find a woman to make heirs with. I’ll admit I didn’t think it would happen so soon.” He’ll have to swallow his distaste for bastardry, but it is hardly something he can get upset about. Perhaps this is why Nik hadn’t gotten mad about Laurent’s little name slip the day before.

“It was a man,” Nikandros states.

“A man,” Laurent repeats, almost in shock.

“Yes.”

If it was a man, then it wasn’t procreational. So it was pleasure that Nikandros was looking for, and that means - “But you said you only fuck people you have feelings for.”

“I…” Nikandros looks guilty.

“It wasn’t a random person, then. It was someone who you care for?” Laurent thinks suddenly of the letter from his father, which was clear in it’s instruction- he is meant to gain Nikandros’ regard, not fight with him. He should say that it’s alright, and find some way to keep his husband’s head from turning again. But right now his pride is hurt and he doesn’t want to just let this go.

“I care for you,” Nikandros says. “I know it must be hard to hear, but the room in your heart doesn’t have to be limited to one person.”

“You have a lover,” Laurent says faintly. He feels slightly sick. It hurts to know that while he’s been wracked with guilt over his attraction to Damianos, Nikandros has had no such qualms. Laurent had even - well, he’d almost trusted him and now Nikandros has someone else. It has been foolish to assume that there wasn’t someone he was interested in when their marriage was decided on. “Who is it?” That information suddenly seems pertinent. Who is better than him?

He’s used to coming second as a Prince and as a son; he hadn’t expected it as a husband.

“I don’t know that I should tell you while you’re upset,” Nikandros says. “Maybe you should take some time to think about this and then-”

“Who is it.” Laurent interrupts. It’s a demand this time, not a question.

Nikandros purses his lips. “Damianos,” he says.

He fleetingly wonders whether they are both thinking of the last time that name was said between them - as a moan on Laurent’s lips. Nikandros is right: Laurent probably should have been given time to calm down before this particular revelation. He stands up, the legs on his chair screeching across tiles. He doesn’t know how he feels right now; he’s finding it very hard to think.

“You admitted that you know how Veretians feel about extramarital affairs and yet you have disrespected me anyway,” he bites out.

“I did not intend to hurt you, Laurent,” Nikandros says.

He is burning up with humiliation. He knows his cheeks are flushed. It’s bad enough that Nikandros wants someone else; it is worse that it is an apparent love affair with Damianos. They must have found it all so funny, especially Laurent’s crush on Damianos. They probably laughed about it before they fell into bed together.

“I might be difficult,” Laurent says, “and young and foreign and strange. I know I’m not your ideal choice for a husband. But I am still a Prince. You are barely a Kyros. You would do well to remember that.”

“You need to calm down before we discuss this further,” Nikandros tells him. “You know you use your words like daggers when you’re upset.”

“What is there to be upset about?!” Laurent throws his hands up dramatically. “I have been bartered off to some Akielon slut, who cannot even stay faithful to me for a single year. I should have thrown myself off a parapet the moment I heard of this alliance.”

Nikandros shoots out of his chair and grabs Laurent by the arm. Finally, he is showing some actual emotion. “Don’t say such a thing,” Nikandros hisses. “You are being purposely obtuse. It barely affects you if I care for someone as well as you.”

Laurent jerks his arm out of Nikandros’ grip. “Until the whole court speaks of it, and then it travels to my own country and everyone knows that I cannot even keep a husband.” And then his father will find out and he will never let Laurent see Auguste or his mother again, out of spite.

“You can be so childishly overdramatic,” Nikandros scoffs, and then he raises his head challengingly. “If gossip spread like that in Akielos then you would have heard of Damianos and I long before you married me.”

Laurent takes a step back. “For how long has this been happening? Did you fuck him on our wedding night too?”

“For mercy’s sake, Laurent, of course not!”

“I don’t believe you,” Laurent snarls. This moment feels like a precipice - he’s on the edge of destroying everything that he’s built with his husband. Spitefully, he wants to. He wants to tear it all down as revenge for not being good enough. Akielons are apparently all the same with their loose sexual morals and disregard for fidelity. It’s his own fault for ever thinking any different. For thinking he could be happy here. “Get out.”

“Laurent-”

“Get away from me!” Laurent pushes against his chest but it barely moves him, so it is up to Laurent to be the one to leave. When Laurent storms out of the room, Nikandros doesn’t even attempt to follow him. That feels like an even more grievous wound.

[vis3003]

Business Card Project - Part 1

Around the time this module started, I got back into contact with someone by the name of Josh Hitchcock who I met and worked with back in college. We met when we were 16 and worked on several projects with each other during our year studying photography together, I learned a lot from Josh and we’ve stayed loosely in contact ever since leaving school but haven’t collaborated on anything for around 5 years despite having always had similar interests, styles and aesthetics. Josh is also still pursuing his passions and talents in visual communication and is beginning to build a portfolio with the aim of applying for a BA, just like I was doing this time last year. Alongside getting himself prepared to do a degree, he has been expanding his online presence and slowly establishing a business and brand identity for himself. He reached out to me originally to ask if I could potentially create him a logo that he could use across all of his platforms which he needed fairly quickly as he was building a website, unfortunately I couldn’t meet the turnaround deadline and so he commissioned someone else to do a logo, later reaching out to me again to ask if I might be able to create business cards instead.

Josh had already started sketching out ideas and so he sent me his drawings as a starting point for the design

After some discussion and a little bit of time, Josh came to the decision that this was his favorite prospective card design and even began experimenting with it's colors.

It was at this point that I asked him to create a Pinterest board to help gather all of the ideas together which he promptly delivered on. Pinterest’s description of the board “Clean, simple doodles. Photography orientated based on nature and ancient art. A perfect combination of tech, nature and aesthetic.” sums it up perfectly. This was a really strong starting point for the overall design as it includes everything from small decorative graphic details such as flowers, vines and suns; to a concise range of colors for the palette of the art itself. The board isn’t overcrowded, it's clearly well thought through and does good job of clearly communicating the kind of style that I was expected to reflect in my design.

Coincidentally around the same time I started this project, I decided to treat myself to an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to support my University work, these have become increasing popular in the art world because they are incredibly powerful creative tools, I chose to invest in it mainly for it’s capabilities in creating digital art using the Adobe suite and Procreate using the pencil which is exclusive to iOS and has is slowly becoming the standard for digital drawings.

Having recently attended the Illustrator workshop, I thought that I would experiment with using this software both on my iPad and computer as I figured if I could learn to use them in conjunction with one another from the get go, I would be in a better position overall later on; but in doing so, I threw myself two learning curves at once as I was not only dabbling in software I wasn’t comfortable with but also using that software on a device that I am a complete beginner to which was a definite challenge for myself.

I started out by doing a Google search to find out what the standard size is for business cards and found out that is generally 3.5 x 2 inches (1050 x 600 pixels at 300 DPI, which is the standard DPI for printing). This is how I decided to set my document up which is what gives me the white rectangular shape that you see me working on to start off with.

To begin the design, I picked out my favorite things from Josh's sketch which were the wavy line details and the bohemian style sun. I created some simple outlines using the line tools on iPad Illustrator starting with the border and dividing horizontal line where I intended the design to end, from this I was able rough out where patches of lines would go and add the sun. For the sun, I originally tried to draw one with wavy points but I was struggling to get it proportionate, even when I'd figured out how to use the reflect tool to make my drawing symmetrical, it seemed to be throwing the design off and so I threw this idea out and went for a pointed sun design instead. I chose triangles for the points as a subtle reference to the exposure triangle which is a rule that dictates camera settings when it comes to photography so it ties in with the business well and was also a concept that Josh was trying to reflect in his logo. I achieved the geometrically accurate shape of the points around the sun by creating the very top triangle and then using the Radial Reflect tool whilst using my iPad which automatically created the rest of the points for me with even spacing and perfect symmetry; all I had to do then was resize the points as I pleased. Once I had done this, I decided to repeat the process but with a small line between each point to give it an extra beaming sunshine look, this also fits in with how some of the sun's and graphics are drawn on the Pinterest board that I'm referring to as I design this.

Once the outlines were complete, I started experimenting with filling in the patches with lines, this is an effect that is featured on the album art of one of my favorite albums of all time, Currents by Tame Impala which I previously learned how to do using a vector pack from Spoon Graphics as I did work inspired by it for my University portfolio. Although I have used these particularly line textures before, I have only used them in Photoshop and not Illustrator so I haven't actually used the vector versions of them up until this point. I inserted these into my work using my computer as that's where they were saved, I was able to use Adobe Cloud to sync my work between my PC and iPad making it easy and convenient to switch between the two whilst working. Adjusting the waves worked similarly to how it does when I use them in Photoshop, I just added them in as a layer and then used direct selection mode to delete the extra lines around the outlines and border that I’d drawn in leaving me with what you see above. At this point, I sent what I’d done so far to Josh so that I could begin to get his feedback and make sure that what I was doing was in line with his vision.

Whilst I was waiting for him to reply, I started experimenting with adding color to the design hoping that it would help us visualize it better; I used colors directly from the Pinterest board for my palette by taking a screenshot of the webpage, opening it up in Illustrator, swatching all of the colors and adding them to my Color Library so that they could be easily accessed whenever I needed them.

At this point, I just filled in the colors according to what made sense to me, blue for the sky, yellow for the sun and something contrasting for the wavy lines, honestly, I chose orange because it’s my favorite color and I really like the way that the purple looks next to it, especially against the blue background where it appears slightly more subtle whilst still being effective at breaking up the image in the way that it needs to.

I continued to add colour, changing every other point on the sun to be red to give it more dimension and incorporate more of the colours from the chosen scheme; I then added green to the bottom section which I chose because I thought it would represent grass and fit in with the sun and sky theme that seemed to be emerging. I also added some small stars as I was experimenting with the shape tools dotting them into some small empty spaces on the design so that they line up in a triangular shape which is another subtle reference to the expose triangle.

Then I started experimenting with adding text and social media icons, Josh had told me that he wanted his name, website and social media information on the card, we decided to leave his phone number out as he only has a personal mobile number and didn’t want to risk handing it out to strangers. I chose this Art Deco style font for the name because I liked the lines in it and thought it went well with the lines in the top half of the design which are probably my favourite thing about it at this point. I didn’t use the same font for the website because it doesn’t look as good when it’s small, you can’t really see the lines and it made the website hard to read so instead I chose this glyph font which I thought Josh would like based on some of the imagery from the Pinterest board; I was unsure about this choice at first but it quickly grew on me as it’s subtle and yet it makes the website look bold on the bottom of the image which draws your eye down to it when you’re reading the information. I also added some social shapes to the front keeping Josh updated on my progress as I went along.

It was at this point that I started to receive some feedback from him, he was really happy with the first impressions of the design but did want to make a few changes. He started out by asking if I could change the green on the bottom to the orange colour in the waves with the hope of giving the card a more uniform look which we both agreed looked much better. He then asked me if I’d started designing the back which I hate to admit that I hadn’t actually thought about at this point and so we started discussing the layout; collectively agreeing to move the social media information to the back of the card and have that there along with some sort of bio which I much preferred the idea of as I wasn’t too keen on how the social shapes looked on the front of the card and I was worried about how I was going to fit all of the contact details on without making it look messy.

Originally we thought it might be nice to add some floral details to the front of the card where the space had now been freed up but we quickly decided that this didn’t look quite right.

[onebrightsheep-blog]

Here’s a process video of the last portrait that I finished a few days ago 🌻// The nice thing about procreate is that it automatically records your drawing and makes an instant time lapse of it all! The downside of that tho is that you don’t actually get a lot of control as to what gets recorded and what doesn’t ya feel me? Like sometimes you’ll be missing brushstrokes and part of the process because of the way it records 😢 which is somewhat annoying - I’ve been thinking about how to fix this and I guess he only real way would be to start a recording with the screen record feature of iOS but I’m afraid the battery will die too quickly 😱 Don’t get me wrong, my iPad Pro has probably the best battery lifespan out of all the electronics I’ve ever owned but still it’s kinda like a pet peeve of mine to run low on power 😂😂😂 do any of you have any tips as to how I can solve this 😱? - #procreatebrushes #procreateapp #procreateart #procreate #procreateartist #digitalpainting #digitalart #digitalartist #illustration #artvideo #digitalportrait #portraitpainting #portraitartist #onebrightsheep (at Morelia, Mexico)

[operationrainfall]

Title The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature Developer La Belle Games, ARTE France Publisher ARTE Experience, ARTE France, Arte, Arte G.E.I.E Release Date Steam: Oct. 30, 2019, Nintendo Switch: Feb. 7, 2020 Genre Adventure Platform PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS Age Rating Teen Official Website

In philosophy, there’s a concept known as anti-natalism, which is the belief that all human beings are born without their own consent. The theory posits that life cannot be without pain, and that by giving birth to a child, parents are subjecting that child to suffering against its will. It is an existential quandary that pits humanity’s natural proclivity to, well, procreate, against the intrinsic harshness and uncertainties of existence. Is it right to bring life into the world? Do the benefits of living outweigh the cons? Where do we draw the line, and who gets to decide?

The Wanderer‘s central thesis.

As a concept, anti-natalism isn’t exactly new. Philosophers have been questioning the reasons for existence for millennia. As an argument against procreation it’s certainly more novel, and works as an interesting foil to theories about artificial intelligence. We have no shortage of science fiction that posits what happens when our machines gain consciousness. Isaac Asimov famously coined the Three Laws of Robotics, and ever since we’ve been writing fiction about the inevitable failure of those laws. But humans have been playing at god for longer than we’ve had computers, so what happens when that artificial life we create is just as human as we are?

Rude.

“Your presence does not herald anything good,” says the old man in the cabin to Frankenstein’s Creature, an artificial amalgamation cobbled together from the dead and discarded pieces of other humans. This simple statement is the core theme of The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature, a retelling of Mary Shelley’s famous contemplation on the awesome – yet horrifying – power of science. Dr. Victor Frankenstein set out to create life, and in its stead wrought a monster destined to suffer through no fault of his own.

“Everyone rejected me,” says the Creature.

“Was this my face reflected in the waters of the lake?”

Much like TellTale’s games, The Wanderer‘s core gameplay is in its dialogue and how the choices you make affect the story. You cannot make the humans in the game accept the Creature – this is Shelley’s Frankenstein, after all. But you can determine how human the Creature himself is. You can decide how he lives with the sorrow and loneliness of his non-consensual creation. Through your myriad choices, you can relish in the beauty of nature or wallow in its horrors. You can choose passivity in the face of human aggression, or you can retaliate. You can choose to play God and so continue creating life that will find no fulfillment, or you can erase yourself from existence. You can love, and you can hurt, and sometimes both at the same time.

The Wanderer is pessimistic and nihilistic, but it isn’t devoid of beauty. It offers up a lens to the inherent selfishness of humanity and our need to not be alone. If he must suffer, the Creature will create a companion to suffer with him. If Victor can create abominable life, so too can his monstrous creation. There can be beauty in this suffering, the game suggests, not only through its narrative, but through its presentation. This bleak treatise on the morality of creating life is stunningly vibrant. There were times I’d just stop playing to take in the gorgeous changing of seasons, or a windswept hillside popping with color. The Wanderer uses color to its advantage, bathing the player in light or removing it altogether when the suffering of life becomes overwhelming. There’s a fantastic bit early on where you can drink the clean, clear water of a brook and the game becomes over-saturated with pastels in a euphoric high, only to come crashing down into stark black and white at the bite of an adder.

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Interspersed through the branching dialogue and clunky traversal are an assortment of simple minigames, again in the vein of TellTale games. They serve mainly as short roleplay sequences to put you in the Creature’s shoes, but a few actually feel poignant. My personal favorite was the basic rhythm game sequences, mostly because the music in this game is amazing and hearing the piece swell once you’d finished was a joy. Mostly, though, you’ll simply be making choices. Do you save the deer from the adder, or let nature take its course? Do you fight back against the torch-wielding townsfolk, or do you flee? Do you choose to create life, or do you accept your lonely existence? These choices are where the game is most impactful and offers some marginal replay value. While the overarching story doesn’t change much, how you get there does. What kind of person do you want to be? What choices do you make when sorrow clouds your every waking moment?

If you enjoy meta-fiction the way I do, I think you’ll enjoy your time with The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature. Clocking in at around two hours, the game is brisk but does offer replay value. The game touches on several concepts near and dear to my heart, including the idea that fiction exists beyond its creator, as well as what constitutes immortality. It’s a somber look at depression, but also finds the beauty in a flawed existence. There’s very little gameplay to be had, but like a good book or film, the questions The Wanderer poses about life, love, complicity, and free will stick with me.

Which will you choose?

The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature is available on PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, and iOS for $15.99 USD. It’s slated for release on Android soon.

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3.5″]

Review copy provided by the publisher.

REVIEW: The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature

[pixelzfairy]

The Best painting Software For Digital Artists. Top 5 Programs For You To Explore.

In the previous article, we were talking about vector based software for graphic designs. But what if you don’t want to create logos? What if you want to paint landscapes, horrifying creatures, and monsters, mysterious people or snapshots from your fantasy book? Here comes raster based software on the scene. Unlike in vector art, you can really dive deeply into a huge palette of brushes, effects and texture feel. That’s why raster based painting apps are better for people who want to express themselves more freely and be closer to traditional art touch. I prefer my artwork to be done on iPad so many apps below will be more oriented on iOS users and I also do prefer just to use few apps so I do have very basic experience or none.

Adobe Photoshop

Apart from photo editing and UI/UX design Adobe Photoshop is used by many digital painters all over the world. It is on the market for a very long time and can offer powerful tools. You can buy many assets and plugins on the internet not always very cheap though. Because Photoshop is coming so well packed you need to have good computer and it requires a long learning curve. Do you have a graphic tablet? Not a problem to connect it to Photoshop for much better drawing experience.

PROS

Well packed - highly functional, extremely versatile

Working with many layers

Many external features available online

Freehand coloring, precision

Full customization brushes and many more

CONS

Very pricey for students and hobbyists

Long learning curve

Good computer required to prevent crashes

Cloud-based system

Some tools and features are very hard to locate

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

Windows

macOS

Affinity Designer - Pixel Persona

We already do know that Affinity Designer has more personas. Draw persona for vector art, Pixel persona for raster and Export persona for all kind of exporting settings of your art. If you are enjoying doing digital design and painting as well, this is a very good combo in one app. The Designer is very friendly and fresh-looking and doesn’t need so deep and long learning curve as for example Adobe PS. There are some resources available on the internet to get or buy but still not as many as for PS. Affinity is kind of a newbie on the market.

PROS

A user-friendly and fresh look

Affordable price

Many free tutorials

Combo packed for your digital artwork

Precision, 1 million+ % zoom

CONS

Confusing interface for artists coming from different platforms

Lack of image organizing features

Sometimes printer issues compatibility

Occasionally crashing with high res artwork

Missing some features (compared to other programs)

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

Windows

macOS

iOS (iPad)

Procreate

Procreate is very famous within iOS users. It’s one of the best programs for iPad for sketching, painting, and illustration. It offers exceptional performance, powerful layers support, no painting-line lags, awesome precision, there are thousands of brushes available on the internet and its very easy to make custom ones. One big advantage is that you can capture the whole process of your artwork within the app itself and export it easily.

PROS

Work saved on the background automatically

Supports large canvases

Zero stroke lags

Many redo and undo

Recording videos in HD

CONS

No animation tools

No free version to test it out

iPad only (there is a less powerful Procreate Pocket for iPhone)

No rulers or stencils

Occasional it can crush and then you need to repeat the last step

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

iOS iPad

iOS iPhone (Procreate Pocket)

Clip Studio Paint

Clip Studio Paint is a professional graphics program for animation, illustration, and manga, comic art and storytelling.

There are two different versions, a Pro and an EX version, and has quickly become one of the most popular programs in the manga and comic art industry due to its impressive features, capabilities, and affordable pricing.

One of its main competitors in the field is Adobe’s Photoshop, but many artists are starting to turn to Clip Studio because of affordable price and all the features it does offer.

PROS

Extensive materials library

Multiple brush Options

Extensive coloring tools

Enhanced 3D capability

Comic book panel creation, word bubbles

CONS

Lack of options to edit text and fonts

Paid monthly subscription for iPad (even though you have a version in the PC)

No audio support (for animation)

Longer learning curve

For some the interface (that’s on the taste of the artist)

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

Windows

MacOS

iOS (iPad)

AutoDesk Sketchbook

Unlike other popular graphics software that claims to cover everything, SketchBook focuses on drawing and sketches and pays great attention to detail. Its user-friendly interface helps turn work into an enjoyable experience. The desktop version of the software contains all the advanced tools pros need to complete their projects faster and more intuitively. The Windows 10 app helps unlock the drawing power of tablets and is optimized for touch input, resulting in a more natural drawing experience. The Android and iOS apps offer a similar experience that travels with users wherever they go.

PROS

Now free for everyone

Cross-platform

Paper to digital in the snap

Very easy to learn

Simple interface

CONS

Sometimes too simple (lacking some features)

Not many official tutorials available

Some glitches may occur

Very limited in script tools

Word balloons need to be created hand drawn

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

Windows

macOS

iOS (iPad, iPhone)

CONCLUSION

My preferred programs are Procreate, Affinity designer and Clip Studio Paint, so these programs you will see here more often especially for painting. I do use Photoshop but more with photo related adjustments and edits. If you love to work with iPad as I do, you will probably drown to use Procreate and Affinity designer as in my opinion these are the best app available in the market for digital painting. But everyone has different needs so feel free to explore as there are many free or paid programs out there and sometimes they can just fit you much better.