#the only thing is that I painted that on in monochrome grey and altered the colors later

[dykesbat]

I feel like the only art I’ve posted that feels like my current art is the bruce painting overlooking gotham which makes sense bc it’s also the first time I used the method I’ve been using more recently

[pawpadink]

Art Feedback Session - Spookydoesstuff

"Our task was to make a mock intro to a show using our own original stories, either ones we had in the past or ones we made in class. I used Adobe Animate, which isn't very traditional for art to begin with.

I wanted something dramatic and more anime-esqe (inspirations being Persona 5's 2D animation, as well as the Cowboy Beebop intro.

The render itself didn't turn out as high quality as I had hoped, but that's on me for not figuring out how to render in a higher quality. With my time crunch (I had put off working on this until I had 1 1/2 days left, on top of a project for another class.)

I feel this could have been better? But I'm satisfied with it. I just wished someone had said something, even just asking about my characters (I dont generally ask here, at least about these specific ocs, just because I've had them so long and I want to give out more of their story through context and art. But in that class no one had seen them before and I would have loved explaining their story better than just 'alien cats')"

-- Spookydoesstuff

So! Let's start with the good. The color contrast is lovely, the bright red against the monochrome is a classic high tension color combo that really sells the adversarial stress of the scene. The characters themselves each have their own unique silhouettes, which means if you just filled each of the characters in with pure black and then showed me their reference sheets I could easily identify which character is which. The line work here is very crisp and clear, which for animation lends very well to streamlining and simplifying things. Your style itself applies very nicely to an animation style, again, thanks to its general simplicity will make the whole animation process much easier than a more detailed or complex style or design.

When thinking of areas of improvement, the first thing that is brought to my attention is expression. With the four-eyed cat in the second image, at a glance it's hard to see he's furrowing his brow a bit and his current expression comes across more as a neutral expression than a concerned, worried, or frustrated expression. I would recommend here adding a bit of emphasis on the expression with the eyelids or eyebrows so that it goes into the general shape of the eye instead of just above it or add a stylized eyebrow so it is more visible against the dark fur. Due to the thin line art, the line that marks where he's furrowing his brow is hard to spot.

Your art would also benefit from expression through body language! Cats, in particular, are incredibly expressive through body language. The ears in particular here are showing no emotion- Cats when anxious, scared, or angry will pin their ears back. Perhaps a bit more emphasis on bristling fur too- in the nape of the neck and the tail. Fluffing of tails is not just fear, but also aggression when raised high or thrashing. When curved it's fear. The nervous cat in the second picture might want to be keeping her head a little lower, as nervous cats will duck down, especially if submissive. Of course, since these are not standard cats, you are welcome to take these cat behaviors and alter them to your alien culture's standards! Go wild!

Also, look into playing with the line of action a little more. Even with characters that are standing still, exaggerating some curves in their body will add a hearty dose of personality. Plus, look into the 'law' of stretch and squish- I use the term law here loosely, it's more of a guideline.

(Here are some image scans from a book called Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair, and there's a lovely tutorial on expressions from the comic Lackadaisy here!)

Next I'd like to mention the shading. There is a bit of an inconsistency between the way you shaded each character. Although lighting direction was ignored for style here, the particular techniques used for each piece should remain the same throughout each frame of an animation, each panel of a comic, or between related images in general. In the second photo, the highlights on the four-eyed cat almost looked like fur patterning, so maybe refining that highlight by making it a little darker would make it more obvious it was a highlight and not a change in fur color?

I think if you were given a little more time you would have managed with the shading, but still something of note to keep in mind for the future~

Finally I would like to address the environment... or the lack of it. The bright red background is lovely, especially in this grey scale-pop style of colors. My only issue is that it feels like they're floating in some red void- you have the darker red to denote the ground, but it doesn't feel very consistent with where the characters are placed and there's no shapes in the background to denote any kind of environment- no tree silhouettes, no building silhouettes, or any other objects that could denote where the characters are.

Above is an example from Persona 5 which kind of shows what I'm talking about. Looking at some perspective tutorials will actually show you a way you can manipulate the floor or gradients to help add some solidity to the ground. With this style I wouldn't even say you would need to add nearly as much detail to them as Persona 5's art- just some dark shapes and perhaps a gradient of sorts to give a sense of location to the scene would help.

Overall, wonderful job! My first impression was 'Oh hey this looks like something from Persona 5!' so you really got that feel you were looking for. You also immediately get a sense of relationship here- from an outsider's perspective with zero previous information on who these characters are or how they are related. You can clearly tell the four eyed cat is protecting the female cat in the back, and there's a sense of either accusation from the one-eyed cat or threat, and that the other two almost seem to be distressed as if they were once close to this character.

Keep up the good work, don't feel discouraged with the lack of feedback from your class. I really feel with a bit of practice in terms of expression and body language you can really make some great waves with your art! You have a great foundation.

In terms of art program recommendations, my wife and I both use Clip Studio Paint. You need the EX version for feature length animations unfortunately, but the PRO version is much cheaper and lets you do some very short animations however it is a very powerful illustration and comic tool as well. Krita is a totally free program that will let you animate as well and has a pretty robust illustration feature itself, but I'm not sure if it has anything specific for comic making.

A big thank you to Spookydoesstuff for being our first review and for being so pleasant to speak to! Please check out more of their art and their blog by clicking here to go to their tumblr!

[mintchocolateleaves]

Black Feather (1/??)

Notes: @bakathief and I have been talking about this Fantastic Beasts AU for weeks and I’ve finally written the first chapter!! She’s drawn art for it as well, so be sure to check her profile if you haven’t already!

Summary: Kuroba Kaito has a plan. Find the people responsible for his father’s death, branded within the magic community as a traitor, and make them pay. There’s just some things he needs to do first. (Set in the HP-verse.) Slowburn KaiShin.

The interrogation room is bland.

For a room filled with magic users, Kaito is almost insulted with how utterly mundane it is. There's a table, three chairs and four walls that have been painted grey. It feels almost like he's stepped into an old detective movie because everything is monochrome. One of the walls, he knows is charmed so that people can listen in to higher profile cases, but Kaito's doubtful it'll be used for him.

“You understand why you're here, right?” It's a younger man asking the questions – someone Kaito knows the name of, but can't quite recall. They've met somewhere, then, but it's practically impossible to drag the memory back quite so suddenly.

Two aurors – the magical equivalent of a detectives – sit opposite him on the desk, staring him down. They both wear white shirts and coloured ties. The younger has a red tie, a lower rank within the force, whereas the older man wears a blue tie. His superior then.

“Actually,” Kaito says, leaning back in his chair, “I don't have the faintest clue.”

The look he receives echoes the room. It's almost surprising how unruffled both men seem, how bored they seem by him. It bothers him, a little, mainly because people shouldn't be bored to see him. Kaito is nothing, if not an entertainer.

Kaito tears his gaze away from the aurors, surveys the room a second time. It's like the other interrogation rooms he's been in before. Except, well, he's not done anything worth being arrested, not in Japan, anyway.

“You were caught using a prohibited item,” the younger auror says, and Kaito really is sure they've met somewhere before. They seem roughly the same age, so maybe... they both attended Japan's magic academy at roughly the same time? That must be it, the auror is from Tokyo. “This prohibited item, in fact.”

He places a small cylinder onto the table between them. It's something Kaito's been working on for a while, in his attempt to blend magic and tools together. There's a button on the top that when pressed, releases a small spray from the middle, along with a small flash of light.

“I didn't know it was prohibited,” Kaito says.

He's not lying – he's spent the past few years abroad, travelling between Europe and North America. Their rules, while strict hadn't included prohibition of any of the ingredients he'd used to create the spray. Or rather, he'd not been caught for them.

“We tested the spray,” the younger auror continues – and, Kaito thinks it's strange that he's taking control, maybe he's being tested by his superior? “And it's got trace elements of veritaserum in it. Meaning this, is illegal in Japan.”

Kaito leans back. Adding a truth serum into his tool, making it possible to compel people for a few seconds to speak the truth, without the common side effects had been a good idea. And well... he'd not thought it would be illegal after he'd altered it to have no risks at all.

Frankly, they should be thanking him for the practical applications, he reckons it's going to be a massive breakthrough within the magical community, whenever she gets there. Stretching one of his legs out from beneath the table though, Kaito decides that he should probably avoid any arrogant comments whilst in the room.

Modest then, he decides, trying to decide on the facade that will get him freed most quickly.

“I've not been in the country for a few years,” truth, “I didn't know it was banned here.” Eh – technically true.

The younger auror blinks, almost shocked at the honest tone Kaito seems to project. It's not alarming to see his reaction, most people tend to react to him with preconceived beliefs that he constantly has to change when they're fully introduced. It's the pain of having the Kuroba name, he supposes.

“You've been arrested in multiple countries across Europe and Northern America,” the older auror cuts in. He's more experienced, sure, but he also seems to lack seriousness. Kaito remembers him at least, having memorised 'necessary' faces from social functions and the auror task force. Mouri Kogoro.

“You read my file?” Kaito asks. It's not shocking, although he's surprised they've gotten the files seeing as Japan holds very few extradition treaties, especially when it comes to European countries. He shakes his head, “Well, if you've read it, then you've seen that each arrest has been a big misunderstanding.”

Mouri crosses his arms, stares down the bridge of his nose at him. There's gel in his hair, not a lot, but enough that it reflects the light – not blindingly so, but enough that it makes him look slightly ridiculous. He says, “that's seems like a lot of misunderstandings to have.”

Kaito leans forward, clasps his hands together. He has to resist the urge to snap his fingers and say 'exactly, isn't it terrible being me?' and tries to look slightly helpless instead. Shrugging his shoulders, he lets out a sigh, exasperated.

“Most 'misunderstandings',” he uses his fingers to create air quotes, “only happen because people hear my surname and realise I'm from that bloodline.”

The younger auror stiffens. Kaito supposes it's because he's grown up around the rumours of the Kuroba's and the way they'd proven their names correct by staining everything associated with them black. As the family name suggests, they really do have black feathers.

“Kuroba Kaito,” the younger auror says, “son of the traitor Kuroba Toichi?”

It's like a shard of glass is being pierced into his abdomen, plunging deeper into his flesh, setting every one of his synapses on fire. Every time someone talks about his father like they know, like they have some sort of understanding of what happened fifteen years ago, it drives him insane.

His responding smile is sardonic – self-deprecating.

“That's me,” he says. Then, after a pause - “I know you from somewhere... Did you attend Mahoutokoro? I think I remember seeing you in the halls.”

He responds with a sharp nod, “I was part of the 1913 class. Kudo Shinichi.”

Ah. That's where Kaito knows him from. He'd been a year below Kaito in school – he can still remember the rumours when seven-year old Kudo had enrolled with the other first years, easily raising to the top of the class despite not having a drop of magical purity in his veins.

The rumours about him had faded months later however, when they'd turned on Kaito and the fact that his  father had 'turned white', the cuffs indicating that he'd committed treason against Japan.

“Let's get back to business,” Mouri huffs, tapping his fingers against the table. He's been tapping the entire time, against his trouser pockets – that combined with the slight yellowing of his skin around his finger nails shows that he's a chain smoker. “Most of the charges were minute things, but this one.”

Mouri withdraws his wand, flicking his wrist. A file appears on the table, summoned from what Kaito can only assume is a file room within the ministry building.

“You were arrested in England under the suspicion that you'd stolen the Chalmer's Topaz.” Mouri says, as Kaito opens the file, glancing over a case he'd already been a part of once, months ago. “The arrest was made by a Hakuba Saguru?”

Kaito crosses his arms. “I worked with Hakuba, rather unwillingly, to help him find that stone. And when it was found, I was acquitted.”

Kudo shrugs his shoulders, as if the acquittal isn't the main thing here. Maybe it's not, maybe there's some other link that Kaito doesn't know about. There's no point worrying about it now.

“The Chalmer's Topaz was stolen shortly after it was received by you and Auror Hakuba.” Kudo says – which, duh, anyone who was in England at the time would have known that. It's hardly surprising, even if Kaito was readying to board a boat into mainland Europe. “The gemstone was stolen by a thief naming himself as KID. It was then returned roughly three days later.”

“I'm sorry,” Kaito says, “but I don't see what this has to do with my bringing a prohibited item into Japan. Shouldn't I just receive a fine and have it confiscated?”

A sigh – there's nothing they can do to link him with the KID case, Kaito knows. He's read up on enough law to have a basic understanding of how interrogations and arrests can work. Plus, he's pretty certain he can't be tried for the same crime twice – and even if it were possible, the Japanese ministry can't charge him for it.

“I suppose you're right,” Mouri says, standing. “We'll check out that fine, and then you'll be able to go. You can come with us.”

Kaito follows them from the interrogation room, up some stairs to the main offices. Inside, Aurors move fluidly, connecting incidents and researching cases. One of them looks up as they walk in, raises a hand in a wave. Kudo in response waves back, although it's a smaller movement, more confined.

“While you were in the interrogation room,” Kudo says, “we verified the spells you've used on your wand. Basic protocol, to make sure no illegal spells have been used within your time in Japan.”

Or in general, Kaito thinks. He supposes he should be angry about the invasion of his privacy, but frankly, it's not like they'll find that he's used any suspicious spells. Even if they do suspect him of doing something illegal – a likely cognition, seeing as people always suspect the Kuroba's these days – they won't be able to prove it.

It's simpler to own two wands, than to try and mask the spells he uses on a single wand. It's why when they'd confiscated his Kaito wand he hadn't been worried about the aurors analysing it. If they'd taken his KID wand though...

Luckily, they'd not retrieved it from his person. And as such, he's not got to worry about.

Minutes later, he leaves the ministry building behind, skipping down steps without much of a care for anything. It'll cost him, trying to replace the main ingredient in the spray, but he's certain that he'll figure out a way to invent his way around the prohibited items.

In fact – now that Kaito knows the spray works, there's no need to continue working on it. The thieves he'd used it on before he'd been arrested, forcing them to tell the truth to the shop keeper hadn't shown any negative effects at all. Adding that to his previous subjects abroad...

Kaito nods his head. It's one project that's completed then.

That's one down at least – he can move on to other pressing inventions.

Like finding a way to infuse dragon blood into healing potions, and avoiding the scalding heat that comes with it, killing people from the inside. The healing properties of dragons mixed into a herbal potion would heal wounds from curses and dark magic much quicker than the standard spells he'd been taught in school...

(It's not like he can go to hospitals following his plights as KID... So Kaito knows he needs to figure out something else.)

Like figuring out the wavelength that ghosts are on, so he can imitate it with a spell and get in and out of buildings without having to worry about locked rooms.

Projects that will lead him closer to avenging his fathers death, to figuring the real traitor within the ministry.

“I need to find some dragons.”

~~~

[Next Chapter]

[gyrlversion]

JAN MOIR: Prince Harry and his 3.6 million Instagram followers

Hey kids. So what’s the narrative on the Harry-Meghan axis? The theme, the zeitgeisty gist, the Major Issue that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are tackling next?

Hang on to your mouse mat, because the royal Batman and his feisty Robinette are fighting the big one this week; the evils of the internet.

‘Growing up in today’s world, social media is more addictive than drugs and alcohol,’ said Prince Harry on Wednesday, with his usual flair for talking urgent nonsense.

It was a particularly ridiculous thing to say, given that the Sussexes have just launched their own social media account on Instagram, which has already attracted 3.6 million followers and counting. ‘It’s not hypocritical,’ insisted their official spokesman, but many of us would beg to differ.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex visited the YMCA South Ealing, where he spoke about the effects of social media on mental health

Increasingly, he seems to think there is one set of rules for him and his wife, while everyone else must abide by a completely different moral code. More stringent for a start. Let them eat Meghan’s special recipe austerity soup, they silently cry, while we live like well, royalty, amid the lush and plush of our Soho House set.

In the past, Harry has shot water buffalo, game birds and other hapless critters while campaigning for animal conservationism. Yet we have forgiven him for most of his youthful idiocies.

Recently and more damningly, he encouraged youngsters to act on climate change and environmental issues, while he and Meghan fly around in private jets and helicopters should the opportunity arise.

And now this. At a YMCA centre in West London promoting the Heads Together mental health charity, the Prince claimed online games such as Fortnite were more addictive than booze or drugs.

The Sussexes have just launched their own social media account on Instagram, which has already attracted 3.6 million followers and counting

It is true that the violent natures of such games are reprehensible, but his theory doesn’t even make sense. To an addict, a substance or a habit is either addictive or it is not.

You’d think someone who is always banging on about eradicating public stigma over mental health issues (What stigma, I always ask myself?) would know that, but there is never any joined up thinking where Prince Harry is concerned. He says it, therefore it is.

According to Harry this week, we are in an exciting time, but we are also in a mind-altering time.

We are in good times, but we are also in bad times. We are up and we are down. That is because we are a royal mass of contradictions, aren’t we? ‘Kids need a human connection,’ he said, digging out his prompt sheet, which was surely handwritten in beautiful flowing calligraphy and scented with crushed macaroons.

Instagram is now the go-to for lovely, exclusive pictures of Meghan and Harry doing their good deeds

For when Harry speaks these days, all I hear is the avocado mulch of Meghan’s impeccable socially liberal concerns, filtered through the obliging vassal of her husband.

The concern this week seems to be in urging parents to get children off social media where they might be bullied or have issues. Yet it didn’t seem to cross his princely mind that the place where they have most issues is on Instagram, where his new Sussexroyal account is attracting much attention.

Instagram is a photo-based platform associated with high levels of anxiety, depression and bullying in the young. It is infamous for fostering feelings of inadequacy and depression in millions of kids.

A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health (ironic) found it had the worst scores of all social media platforms when it came to body image and anxiety, especially among girls.

In its way, it probably does as much damage as Fortnite, but who cares? Certainly not Prince H. For Instagram is now the go-to for lovely, exclusive pictures of Meghan and Harry doing their good deeds; a safe space (for them) which is free from criticism or wry judgments about their ocean-going insincerity.

 Harry and Meghan fly around in private jets and helicopters, and could chart their trips on their new Instagram

With all this, plus his dutiful trips to a herbal wellness centre and his exhortations to millennials to find their true north star, Prince Harry is fast becoming the woke dope royal — and I rather wish he was not.

Behind the scenes he still leads a life of unthinkable luxury and entitlement. Yet in public he wants to sound good, he wants to do good and he wants to look good.

They may see themselves as caped crusaders, but people would love Harry and Meghan more if they set an example, rather than just kept telling us all what we should be doing and feeling and thinking.

The problem with Prince Harry is that he has become more Soho House than House of Windsor, and that is not good.

No man has a right to sex

Just when you thought we’d left Gilead and the Handmaid’s Tale for good, a judge has spoken out about the ‘fundamental human right’ of a man to have sex with his wife.

The remark was made by Mr Justice Hayden, who has been asked to consider imposing a court order preventing a man from having sex with his wife of 20 years because she may no longer be able to give her consent.

Local social services believe the woman, who has learning difficulties, may lack the mental capacity to make her own decision.

Lawyers have suggested that a judge might have to bar the husband from continuing to have sex with his wife in order to ensure that the woman is not raped. He has offered to give an undertaking not to have sex with his wife.

‘I cannot think of any more obviously fundamental human right than the right of a man to have sex with his wife — and the right of the state to monitor that,’ he said. ‘I think he is entitled to have it properly argued.’

It is a sad and complicated case. However, I do hope we have reached a point in this country where no man has a legal right to insist upon sex — with his wife or any other woman.

 The Daily Mail has long been campaigning for regulators to have a close look at sharp practices in the funeral industry. Now the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are on the case. Good.

The thought that the bereaved are regularly being ripped off is too much to bear, especially when they are at their most vulnerable and racked by grief. Not all funeral directors are charlatans, but the CMA has already warned rogue firms who may be taking advantage of distressed customers that they are on notice. Meanwhile, the rising costs of funerals — about £4,000 on average — causes some families real hardship.

Is that because of keen pricing in the funeral industry? Or is the me-generation pushing funerals down the same route as weddings — into an unaffordable extravagance when something simpler would do?

I adore Aintree’s exuberant fillies 

It is Ladies Day at Aintree today, which made yesterday The Day Before Ladies Day, but it was still a fashion eye-opener.

Some like to mock these peacocking racegoers, but I absolutely love these women. They look like they are having a ball, which in these ghastly times is a tiny triumph of its own.

Yes, some of the outfits are side-splitting — literally. Yet there is something about the cheery ostentation that is just so uplifting.

And also the hope over experience that is so killing. Look at these women!

They have planned a sunny weather wardrobe, but were greeted with freezing spring temperatures. Yet there were no cosy cardigans nor comfortable footwear in this exotic paddock of pain. The only ladies I saw wearing smart suits and hats with a darling chequered trim were called policewomen.

Each year Aintree officials say they are going to impose a more demure dress code but, thank goodness, they never do. Ra-ra skirts, plunge front dresses, nightclub curves plus racy underwear? All present and correct. And they’re off!

J.K. Rowling has won her case against the personal assistant who fraudulently obtained £18,734 from her accounts.

Amanda Donaldson spent the money on toiletries, coffees from Costa and Cafe Nero and stationery from Paper Tiger. She also took nearly £8,000 in foreign currency and £2,000 in cash.

Considering that Rowling is worth over £500 million, her thievery was meek, unimaginative — and crushingly sad.

J.K. Rowling had every right to drag her through the courts, but one wonders why she didn’t report it to the police instead.

The publicity that has resulted means that Miss Donaldson’s life and career prospects are in ruins.

Yet she must blame herself for that — and not her merciless employer.

Spare us the shades of grey 

Forget the pink and the blue and the colourful mobiles, grey is now the most popular colour in baby nursery home decor. What more proof do you need that it’s all about the selfish parents, not about the welfare of the little children?

Poor little grubs, growing up in a monochrome prison of dreary asphalt and elephant paint shades.

Their little buggy eyes must yearn for something bright to alight upon, but they have to realise mummy and daddy’s good taste must come first.

John Lewis has reported that the paint trends for the nursery of 2019 finds parents opting for neutral shades in grey and cream. Naturally, Harry and Meghan (them again) are bang on trend.

They are using expensive Auro paints to decorate the nursery at Frogmore. A ten-litre pot of the German brand paint costs £120 — several times the price of Dulux. However, it doesn’t smell, isn’t toxic and it breaks down pollutants, too.

Even the names of the colours are marvellous. Have the royals gone for Wood Spurge, Constance Spry, Meconopsis or Yorkshire Fog Grass? How about Mind Your Own Business? Not being rude, it’s another paint name, for a lovely pastel brown.

Will Barbara be a born again star? 

Before there was Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, there was Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

They starred in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born, which was also a huge hit. In that version, Esther (Barbra) told self-destructive John (Kris) that: ‘You can trash your own life, but you are not going to trash mine.’

In similar scenes, a rather more conciliatory Ally (Gaga) told Jack (Bradley): ‘Next time you can clean up your own mess.’ Do we live in kinder times? And is a resurrection planned?

Under a photo of her and Kris, Barbra told fans to ‘stay tuned.’ Like a rose under the April snow, she was always certain that love would grow. Is it about to bloom again?

Be still my hopeful heart.

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