#the poses and expressions look so fluid and natural

[rafeandonlyrafe]

flashing lights

words: 2.4k

warnings: 18+ only, brief smut, p in v sex, model!reader (a bit of influencer too but primarily a model), soft rafe, marriage, pregnancy

“so thats your new girl?” topper asks, eyes on you as you twirl to the music, long legs on show in the simple black dress.

“yeah, shes here for a month on vacation.” rafes also looking at you, unable to let his gaze stray, in case a man comes up and attempts to dance with you. you may not be an official item yet, considering you only met a couple days ago, but rafe is determined to spend the entire month that you’re here with you, and not let any other men pull your focus away.

“she looks so familiar.” the voice rings out before rafe even realizes that there's other people now sat in the circle of chairs and couches, too wrapped up in you.

the girl, who rafe recognizes from high school, begins to tap on her phone. “wait, shes a model.” “yeah, she told me.” rafe shrugs it off. he could have guessed your profession anyways, with how naturally stunning you are, and your height almost rivaling his, only a few inches shorter.

“no, like really famous model.” the girl turns her phone towards rafe, and he hates having to drag his eyes away from you to look at the screen, pulled open to a google search of your name.

“holy shit!” topper says for rafe, taking the phone from the girl as he clicks the first link to open up your instagram. “she has 20 MILLION followers, rafe.”

rafe glances from the phone to you as you turn to smile at him, still dancing to the music, glad to be free of all the attention and camera flashes. its why you chose the outer banks in the first place, somewhere more tucked away to take a month away from the spotlight.

“why are you so surprised, look at her.” rafe states before standing up, tired of letting you dance alone as he joins you on the makeshift dance floor, his hands coming to your waist as you give him a dazzling smile.

-- two years later --

camera lights flash and shouts ring out, but rafe is used to it now.

he smiles and waves, shocked that anyone would care about him, a nobody from north carolina, his only claim to fame is being your boyfriend, for a little over two years now.

rafe walks inside, having enough of the screaming and crowds as he takes in the area, chairs set up along a runway, a large prada sign on the white wall. your prestige has only grown since rafe began to date you, despite coming back to the outer banks several times to take a break and visit him. since rafe began to travel with you, you’ve gone from paris to milan to new york to london, gracing the covers of magazines and walking runways.

he tries to attend every show, taking on a pseudo-management role himself. your favorite part is dressing rafe in the mornings, having received clothing from so many brands, both mens and womens fit. rafe lets you choose, knowing you have the eye for fashion, and he loves to see how happy you get when he wears your outfit.

rafe walks through the seats until he finds the one with his name on it, front row. he sits down, scrolling on his phone as people begin to file in until the room is packed full.

he waits as the show begins, models walking down the runway. they don’t shine to him, not like you do when you step out, your face blank in the typical model expression as you strut down the runway, dressed in all denim with a pair of chunky sunglasses on your nose.

rafe is in awe every time he sees you work, whether its watching your fluid poses during a photoshoot or your long legs stomping down a runway.

he waits with bated breath for your second outfit, changing into a slouchy menswear-esque ensemble, only pulled in at your waist as the fabric swishes around your ankles.

he claps when everyone steps out for the final walk, but he doesn’t cheer for the designer, even if it is prada, as he makes eye contact with you, only ever a brief glance while you're walking the runway, knowing if you look for too long you will become entranced with his handsomeness.

rafe waits for you after the show along with some of the other family members or partners of the models, long after all the celebrities have gone, either to an afterparty or on to a different show.

“hey baby.” rafe smiles when you step out, hair still slicked up in a ponytail, face caked with makeup, but now in a pair of loose jeans and a plain white crop top.

“hi handsome.” you coo, pressing your lips against rafes. “did you like the show?” “i liked you in the show.” rafe says pointedly, making you blush. “are we going to the afterparty?” “nah.” you shake your head. “i have that carolina herrera show in the morning, and i want to spend some time with you.”

“i’ll never argue against spending alone time with you.” rafe says, slotting his arm around your waist as you exit the building, surprised when photographers are still waiting outside. you wave briefly before rushing towards the car, knowing the picture of you and rafe are bound to be spread all over instagram and pinterest before you even make it back to your hotel room.

--

“rafe, i’ve got a question.” you hum, stepping out onto the balcony, eyes looking to the ocean. you’re on a paid for vacation by a makeup brand, simply wanting a couple instagram story posts using their products in a get ready with me. you are supposed to be relaxing the rest of the time, but you crept onto your phone to read the latest email from your agent.

“what is it babe?” rafe asks as he pulls you down onto his lap, scantily dressed in only his swimsuit, not that you have worn much other than a bikini this whole trip.

“what would you think about me doing a lingerie photoshoot?” you haven’t accepted any jobs that would call for you to show off a lot of skin or be paired with a male model since you started dating rafe, lucky to be in a place to reject jobs.

“who is it for?” rafe asks.

“calvin klein. i wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t them.” you admit. you find their style of black and white classic photos far more tasteful than traditional lingerie pictures.

“as long as i can be there during the shoot.” rafe says. he’s taken the role of your advocate and protector during photoshoots, easily able to read your face and speak up for you if needed, considering sometimes the models voice gets drowned out.

“of course.” you nod. 

“then absolutely.” rafe pulls you in closer to his body. “i need a new lockscreen anyways.”

you roll your eyes but can’t help the laugh that bursts out of you as you turn towards the ocean, watching the waves roll onto the sand.

--

you step out behind the curtain, a tight fitting sports bra contrasting the loose jeans, slung open and zipper undone to show off your underwear as well as the calvin klein jeans.

you look over to rafe, who has his bottom lip pulled between his teeth as his eyes skate down your bare torso.

you most over to the white backdrop as the photographer begins to test the lighting, taking occasional snaps as things are adjusted.

the photoshoot is run just like any other and you’re finished faster than expected considering they’re solo shots and no change in location or background.

you keep the underwear and jeans on, simply throwing on a sweatshirt before getting into the taxi home with rafe, this time to your new york city apartment, having collected various homes and apartments around the world, depending on wherever you were doing business at the time. you consider the outer banks home though, returning every extended break with rafe.

“did you like the shoot?” you ask when you get home, rafe laying on bed while you tug the sweatshirt and jeans off, leaving you in just the calvin klein bra and panties.

“get over here.” rafe says, not caring about your question. he’s been desperate for you since you appeared from behind the curtain, not even trying to hide it as he watched the photoshoot, your eyes occasionally moving to him, giving him reassurance you were still good.

rafe makes you keep the underwear on, simply pulling it to the side once he’s got your back against the mattress to slide his cock deep inside of you. you push the sports bra up to let your breasts free, rafes palm instantly coming to cover your tit as he thrusts into you.

“i think you should do more shoots like that.” rafe says with a moan, cock pulsing inside of you.

--

“its nice to be back home.” you sigh, quickly applying some makeup, mostly just mascara and a glowy primer. 

“agreed.” rafe kisses your shoulder, watching over your shoulder as you finish and then adjust your white dress, having decided to take a couple pictures on the beach for you to post as well as just enjoy a walk on the sand.

“alright, i’m ready.” you hum as you slip on your sandals. you lace your fingers with rafes before stepping out the back door. “you look handsome by the way.”

the suns golden light illuminates his skin. his outfit is simple, closer to what he wore before the fame. a simple white button down, loose fitting and you are sure would look delicious unbuttoned, showing off his muscles.

“thank you baby.” rafe presses a kiss to your cheek, leading you down the beach until you come across a picnic set up. you glance around before realizing its for you.

“oh my god, its just like our first date!” you gush, stepping away from rafe to look at the spread.

“before we eat, i have a question to ask you.” you turn around to realize that rafe is on one knee, a velvet jewelry box in his hand.

“oh, rafe.” you press your hand to your mouth, tears already coming to your eyes as he opens the box, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. “will you marry me?”

--

“how am i supposed to look good next to a literal model?” rafe asks as he looks towards the camera, looking almost nervous for once in his life.

“we’ve taken pictures together before rafe.” you roll your eyes, adjusting your wedding dress. it’s actually four weeks after your wedding, but you wanted to get professional photos done with your new husband and asked one of your photographer friends who was more than willing to let you into their studio if they could post some of the photos on their instagram and website.

“mirror selfies and shit, this is more serious.” rafe says as you tug him over to the backdrop.

“you look so handsome, babe. don’t worry.” you smooth your hands over his shoulders. “just think back to our wedding day, we took so many pictures then.”

“i was too distracted by how excited i was to marry you.” rafe says, pressing a kiss to your bare shoulder, the oscar de larenta dress you ended up deciding on being off the shoulder. it was a simple dress, but the closer you got you realized how intricate the lace detail is. “you look just like you did on our wedding day though, baby. the makeup artists did a great job.”

“just tanner.” you joke, having gone on your honeymoon already.

you look as the photographer begins to set up their lens, before you turn to whisper to rafe. “you can’t tell?” you question, pressing your hand to your stomach. you know there’s no way you’d already begin to show, considering your baby is no bigger than a seed, but that doesn’t stop you from getting worried about your pregnancy being discovered early.

“not at all.” rafe shakes his head, but can’t hide the smirk that comes to his face, knowing your tummy will soon swell with his child, having made sure of it many times on the honeymoon.

--

“i was thinking about how we could announce the baby.” you tell rafe as you pad into the kitchen. he’s still making the decaf coffee you were absolutely craving, more syrup and milk than coffee.

“how?” he hums, glancing over at you as you lean against the counter, rubbing your stomach, bump now obvious as you’re over 6 months along. you have managed to keep it a secret so far, saying you were taking a break from modeling to focus on your new marriage. there is of course a lot of speculation that you are pregnant, but it is to be expected.

“calvin klein shoot. like before, except i’ve got a big ol’ bump.” you laugh as rafe finishes you coffee off with some whip cream before sliding the mug to you. “and you can be in it too.”

rafe rolls his eyes as you giggle. “come on! the girls love you, you’re so handsome.”

“i’m not a model.” rafe argues back, but he already knows he’s going to agree, he’d do anything for you, his pregnant wife.

“yeah, but you’re hot like a model.” you shrug, taking a sip of coffee.

“i think this is just an excuse to get me shirtless and in underwear.” rafe laughs, pressing a kiss to your upper lip, cleaning off the whip cream that sat on your cupids bow.

“yeah, and what about it?”

--

“you know theres some hormone to make women forget the pain of birth?” you hum to rafe, keeping your voice soft. “because if you remembered then no one would never do it again.”

“really?” rafe whispers, his voice also hushed as to not wake the sleeping newborn cuddled up in his arms, wrapped in a soft hospital banket.

“yeah.” you nod. “but i don’t wanna forget a moment of this.”

“im sure you wont baby.” rafe kisses your head as your tiny daughter squirms in his arms, letting out a yawn in her slumber. “i suppose i need to use a different name for you now that we’ve got an actual baby.”

you giggle, resting your head against rafes shoulder as you look down on your perfect little girl, already an adorable mixture of you and rafe.

taglist: @drewstarkeyslut @rafecamerongirl @f4ll-for-you @dilvcv @drudyslut @jjmaybankswifes-blog @rafescokenostril @jjsmarijuana @jjmaybankisbae @seeingstarks @angelofcigs @cece45450 @babygorewhore @vanessa-rafesgirl @michelleisheres-blog @outerbankspov @drewstarkeyswifehoe @cutielando @kamninaries @buckyswhxre @rafeinterlude @bellbottombaby @deeaardiary @rubixgsworld

[inkskinned]

but you couldn't, like, see a gay person kissing.

it was alright that i had been catcalled at 12 years old. it was alright that i had been followed and groped at 15. it was okay men were leery and treacherous. it was okay when a man asked me my age and when i said 18, he said, that age is my favorite.

don't you like feeling sexy? i love action movies, but i often have an internal tally of how often a camera will begin at someone's hips and travel to her face only as if by accident. weirdly, you can't show too-much asscrack in the same movie, even if it was the style in the nineties. sort of only apply a tasteful sprinkling of asscrack.

i am wearing a body type that is very easily sexualized. it's a compliment, you'll miss it. it is not his fault, i am told - and then usually with this assurance, someone will compare me to an object. i am, by the way, not using "i become an object" metaphorically. well, you wouldn't wear a precious watch in a dangerous city - i am the watch, in this situation. can you blame a thief for taking a jewel if it was just left out in the open? i think my personhood is the jewel, but sometimes also it is pain. a dog sees a steak. i like this one because it does refer to men as dogs, even if it does literally compare me to a piece of meat (which is, you know, somehow worse than being a dog. at least call me a bitch, babe).

it's inappropriate to show two men kissing, but it's totally normal to hear that "best" age for childbirth is 15. (it's not, by the way. try 20's & 30's. do your fucking reading). and on tv - let's cut from a murder mystery where a woman is shown brutally bloodied, carved into pieces (only pg-13) into a tampon commercial where she runs around, happy and fluttering, refusing to use the word period, white pants abounding. periods: gross, icky. violence, though, is just a gendered currency.

so it's like - you say "can we please treat women like they're people and stop cutting their heads off in advertisements" and then it's like. no actually we needed that woman's bellybutton to sell drain fluid don't like it don't look. and you say "can you please not make every latin person a drug dealer holy shit" and they're like. unfortunately if we don't make the latin person a drug dealer we literally will go rabid. and you say "okay can we at least agree you super don't need to use racist epithets why is this even a conversation we're still having" and they're like. actually my child is a make-a-wish kid and his only wish was that i get to use words that make your skin crawl and if you don't let me use the words it's because you love cancer don't you.

so it's kind of a lost cause. because when something is complicated even a little bit, you find yourself trying to explain that the solution isn't make women cover up, it's that the idea "sexualization of nonconsenting parties is wrong" can also hold hands with the idea "not every expression of fondness is sexual in nature, nor is nonhegemonic sexual expression somehow more inflammatory or inappropriate than its counterpart"- and both of those ideas can also hold hands with "the male gaze is rarely censored despite the massive amounts of societal harm it imposes." but like, that's a big thought. let's just slap "pg-13" on the movie because they actually use the word lesbian. and let's cross our fingers and hope no kid figures out they're lgbt+ before college - otherwise they have access to literally no resources, since even google will censor the results in case they're pornographic. now, if you wanted to know how to hide a body...

when i was a kid i used to keep my eyes on my toes while walking past bra stores, feeling uncomfortable. it was gross to look at ladies, i knew that much. the way the women were posed was... not for me. not even for the people shopping. it was weird. i don't think anyone actually there-for-the-product was like yeah this is inspiring.

and i remember in high school my friends and i were still talking about how uncomfortable we felt in victoria's secret, shuffling our way out into the new england chill. little yellow leaves around our feet. a guy held the door open for us. a few seconds later, he jogged up after us. we were so startled we turned to look. "sorry," he said. "i just wanted to ask how old you all are." we were young then, so we lied and told him we were older. we'd talk about this later - we all thought maybe one of us had dropped our wallet or something. he smiled dolefully. "i just wanted to say you all are fucking beautiful. you have amazing tits on you."

sometimes i wonder. what if one fraction of the effort they put into making sure no gay thing ever occurs onscreen just went into controlling and educating their own fucking population. now wouldn't that be something.

[sarasade]

The Dragon Prince & Queer Subtext - Fandom and Media Analysis of Sort

Lately I’ve been pondering about the ins and outs of Viren and Aaravos’s relationship and why they give off such a queer vibe. So I ended up writing this 2 and half Word document pages long little breakdown because why not.

I think what’s going on here is about the underlying elements of the story- subtext and how their relationship could be perceived through a queer lens. Note: my brain has marinated in queer subtext juices my whole life and I have no intent trying to prove my reading is the only right one.

That Sweet Sweet Gay Shit- A Fandom Perspective

There is a lot of queer subtext between them. Homoerotic subtext even. Their scenes together definitely activated the search function in my brain’s queer coded villain trope lexicon. 

You know- mutual penetration with a phallic object (knife), sharing some kind of mysterious bond through blood magic, so, you know, bodily fluids are indeed involved, the classic slash fiction trope “we are close but we cannot touch” -gay pining because the mirror separates them. When Aaravos is shown for the first time in the mirror the camera does this Laura Mulvey Male Gaze 101 up-down pan shot of him from Viren’s POV. Something that’s usually reserved for female characters when male characters “check them out” in a movie. And then my personal favourite: Something that comes out of Aaravos enters Viren, comes out and then transforms into a creature with a toddler level intelligence- they made a freaky little metaphor baby together! Awwww!

And let's not even talk about the possession and Aaravos slowly taking over Viren’s body. The aesthetics of a toxic queer romance are all over their interactions.

No, Viren! Don’t express vulnerability as an intimidating male figure! Tumblr will babygirlify you!

Storytelling

So what about their interactions makes me perceive them in a queer way? By “queer“ I mean the broader concept of queer here; does the way the characters are depicted come across non-heteronormative and disruptive to gender norms.

I’m mostly talking about the season 2 here since they share their most intimate scenes together in that season.

1 Story Function

Aaravos and Viren’s interactions are supposed to have multiple purposes in the story: They move the plot forward, characterise both Viren and Aaravos, create emotional conflict and intrigue in the viewer etc. Viren observing Aaravos through the mirror is supposed to create mystery and spark the audience’s curiosity. Viren is a device through which Aaravos’s allure gets demonstrated to the viewer so of course their interactions come across pretty, hm, charged. Anyway there are layers of meaning here the audience can interpret in multiple ways both intuitively and through an analytic lens. The meaning naturally changes the more context we get. There are still three more seasons to come.

2 Gendered Tropes

There is a certain element of seduction present: Viren gives Aaravos more access to himself and his body little by little in exchange for Aaravos fulfilling his desires (for power). This could be read as having sexual undertones. Some of Aaravos’s first words to Viren are clearly something Viren wants to hear “How may I serve you?” Weaponising manipulation and seduction, where a character poses as submissive while having alternative motives, is something female characters traditionally do in stories. I don’t know about you but Aaravos’s character has a bit of a femme fatale thing going on if you ask me (haha!) There is something about him that defies gender roles that’s not just about his androgynous looks.

A traditional Femme fatale is often a tragic figure trapped in unfortunate circumstances. They are shrouded in mystery which prevents the audience from empathising with them or understanding their motives. The character often uses coercion to make their victim do what they want. And yes there definitely is an element of coercion and even a threat of violence present in Aaravos and Viren’s relationship. Their goals are aligned for now but what happens if/ when Viren decides to defy Aaravos? TDP makes me wonder (with horror) what it is that Viren has really agreed to.

3 How the Show’s “Camera” Portrays Aaravos

Even the camera emphasises him as an object of desire. Something he is from the story point of view as well. Viren desires access to Aaravos’s power after all. When the camera puts Aaravos on display in an objectified manner in the beginning of the season 2 it’s supposed to, in my opinion, heighten the feeling of Aaravos seeming harmless at the first glance. And by “objectified” I mean he’s portrayed without agency.

I joked earlier about male gaze and Laura Mulvey but I do actually think there is some truth to that. One of the biggest reasons behind me thinking Aaravos was a pretty pretty lady at first was how he was introduced in such a feminised way. And I wasn’t the only one. Just look at the comments under his TDP Wiki article. (Lots of het men being confused about their sexuality. Also shout-out to that one lesbian). This makes him appear less threatening so the story can build suspense around his true motives. It’s not evident that Aaravos is a completely sinister figure at first, at least compared to Viren who seems more like the main villain of the story prior to the seasons 3-4. Little did we know back then that Aaravos was the true alpha male of this whole sordid affair.

Aaravos in the mirror from Viren’s point of view, season 2, episode 3.

Why I’m not mentioning anything about Viren’s gender performance is because his story conflict is all about struggling with traditionally masculine gender expectations. Understanding how his character relates to hegemonic/ toxic masculinity/ emotional struggles men face in real life is a core part of understanding his character as a whole. That’s a broad topic and this post is long enough as it is so I’m going to leave it at that. (Maybe someone else has written about that already?)

4 The Audience Is Also at Aaravos’s Mercy

Aaravos’s submissive façade is supposed to fool both Viren AND the audience. The show plays rather cleverly with the audience’s expectations here. Slowly the roles are starting to flip until it’s clear that Aaravos is the one in control. Given Aaravos narrates the opening of the first story arc it raises even more questions: Is his control over Viren supposed to parallel his control over the whole world of the show? This circles back to the show’s themes of freedom vs destiny. It feels almost meta in a way how the story’s villain tries to gain control over the whole narrative.

5 Horror and Fantasy

The powerplay between the characters naturally creates a plenty of tension and it’s not unusual that this translates into something sexually charged in the audience’s minds. While this is the perspective I’m the most interested in, there are other layers to Aaravos and Viren’s scenes together.

For example this kind of breaking of bodily boundaries is common in horror as well. Aaravos is beautiful and mysterious but is also associated with repulsive things like larvae and blood and there is something very eerie about him in general. These kinds of emotional reactions of repulsion and attraction are essential to horror. The audience sees that everything isn’t definitely quite right about him but it’s also understandable that the audience (and Viren) find him fascinating. I think the key word for these scenes in the season 2 is “ambiguity“. Even if you aren’t invested in these characters this show would be much less fun without all the nuance their interactions have.

In a good story everything isn’t just literal. Especially since TDP is a fantasy story- A genre that’s traditionally been all about symbolism and intertextual references. I could go on and on about the genre traditions with similar flavour to what Aaravos and Viren have. Michael Moorcock’s classic sword and sorcery antihero Elric of Melniboné and his pact with the demon Arioch comes to mind.

Something Something Fandom

Viravos as a ship lives in the subtext but the subtext isn’t always black and white. Fiction uses metaphor and other storytelling methods to create meaning- To give a narrative experience. The queer subtext in TDP feels very elaborate to me and while I’m dissecting these scenes more analytically here my emotional reactions are the original source of that interest. No matter how much time passes I’m still a morbid teenage goth at heart and that part of me loves the dark fairytale aesthetics akin to TDP season 2.

I didn’t even touch on the element of Viren giving into a “forbidden desire” (literally his desire for power but- you know- multiple readings etc.) when making a deal with Aaravos. Something very typical to the horror genre as well. It’s a “deal with the devil” -sort of situation and those stories often paint the agreement as something corruptive and sinful and therefore transgressive. This post by Tiredsunrisesmeta got you covered on that. Also queer coded villains something something- Anyway, read Tiredsunrisesmeta’s blog for more.

Pictured: Yours truly

Last and Least

I remember when I saw a post here saying that “Viravos couldn’t be canon because it’d be too sexy.” and that’s just the funniest way to put it in my opinion. Their relationship feels a bit too, I dunno, mature? for this show. But what does “canon” even mean? Is a gay ship canon when two characters of the same gender kiss and declare their love? Get married? Have kids? Personally, I don’t want to see LGBT+ characters’ stories just copy straight romance tropes beat by beat all the time. I want something that feels authentic and what’s more authentic than Viren being a cringefail bisexual getting rejected by men and women and then getting his life ruined by the sexy femboy elf satan? Kinda iconic honestly.

[umbrvx]

i like ur art. its great and interesting!! i really like your artstyle and i really like the way u draw hsy, yjh, and kdj. you captured them so well in terms of vibes/character. also i was wondering do u have any advice to improve on drawing anatomy/poses/faces?

wahh thank you so much...!! i feel like im still trying to figure them out in a lot of ways but i do really like ironing out my visual interpretations of them so im really happy to hear if people like what im coming up with

also anon you super activated the part of my brain that cant help but yap about art theory... i spent some time writing as many tips as i could think of. unfortunately i dont think i have the time currently to do a fully illustrated guide, but ill still try to include some visual examples:

[incoming wall of text lol]

ANATOMY:

to preface i think that like 100% of the time you should reference a real life photo for anatomy rather than other artwork or drawn references. the best way to learn the body is by… well, actually looking at the body! but also artwork is informed by a person's own artistic ability/stylization choices/sense of idealism, so while looking at art can help give you an idea on how to break down forms, i think you would be best served observing real life references. i labor on this point because i do think that having over relied on drawn reference material and avoiding photographic references on the basis of not being interested on realism hindered me as a largely self-taught artist as a kid, so i want to encourage live or photographic reference since anatomy is one of the foundations from which everything else is built on. that being the case, all of my doodles i'm doing for this are going to be for the sake of example rather than to strictly say how you should or should not be drawing something

-> when you are doing a study of a photo, just try copying it as best as you can. pay close attention to the natural lines and shapes of the body -- the S-curve shape of the leg, the triangular shape of the forearm, the trapezoid shape of hips/thighs when they sit, and so on. note where the body folds or squishes or pulls; how mass will shift to accommodate a certain position. if a form is hard to visualize, focus on the negative space and carve that out, rather than strictly drawing the positive space.

don't expect to get it perfect the first time. in fact, iterate on it multiple times to build understanding. try doing it to a timer of 15, then 10, then 5 minutes. doing this will force you to have to prioritize the most important shapes. you can help reinforce this by using a thicker brush or a brush with no pen pressure (no joke ms paint works great for this) to force you to be loose and not become preoccupied with details.

-> pinterest is a great resource for finding and compiling photo reference material

-> organic shapes are curved, so embracing/emphasizing that (particularly for the extremities) can help make your drawings look more natural or fluid

POSES: -> it all begins & ends with contrapposto… you've probably heard of the line of action, which is related. if you're offsetting the shoulders & hips, it: makes poses more natural, more dynamic, and helps the pose sort of "draw itself" -- the legs will follow the direction of the hips, and you can use the arms to reinforce the angles

-> context is key. don't ask: what pose should i draw? instead ask: what do i want this character to convey? what does happiness, anger, sadness, and so forth look on this particular character? how do they express that? consider these drawings: these are both ostensibly the same pose, but look at how changing just the shape of the spine recontextualizes it.

for more on pose design i recommend watching Tracer & Pose Design 101 - The Animation of Overwatch by New Frame Plus (i promise this is a genuinely super informative video).

to expand on this, in general, all of the components of a piece (background, composition, pose, etc.) are best considered in conjunction rather than separately. it is difficult to choose a pose and then choose a background because they are missing the context that would make a piece cohesive. when you are planning a drawing, try to begin with your general concept/idea/prompt and then do several thumbnails -- small and quick doodles that should take no longer than 5 minutes each -- developing it: you may find that the pose and bg will naturally fall into place.

-> silhouette: the degree to which you need to push this varies by style but generally speaking the pose needs to be readable; i.e. instantly recognizable. try to keep important elements of the gesture outside of the silhouette. for example, if the character is pointing, keep that arm out of the interior of the body. the same pose can be more or less readable or dynamic depending on where the character is pointed in relation to the viewer

-> exaggeration!! goes along with the previous point. push the pose as much as you can (and what makes sense for your style) to communicate your pose as clearly and as intensely as possible.

FACES: -> i highly recommend the app Handy Art Reference Tool by Belief Engine for all things related to drawing hands/heads/feet. its on both android and ios. it isn't free -- it costs around $3 -- but that is seriously such a small price to pay for the amount of utility you get out of it: the hands models are fully poseable (there's also pose presets), you can rotate the head models however you want, and there is 3-point customizable lighting. it is really helpful for getting those super tricky and hyperspecific head angles that you just can't find a real life reference for. that being said given that there's only a few different head model variants, bear in mind how differences in features can affect what exactly a face will look like in those angles.

-> i still recommend doing studies of real people. as with anything else, learning generalized proportions is important, even if you are going to later on bend or break this depending on style

-> as for my own approach... it kind of depends on the style i'm doing at that particular time. for my paintings (what id consider my main style) i approach a character with a few real-world features in mind and then apply them to the best of my ability. it usually will take a few iterations to land on an interpretation i really like as i try out different things. a lot of the face also gets developed during rendering rather than through my initial sketch too, as i adjust for lighting and correct proportions on the fly

(look how much this image changes between sketch and render lol)

if i were to recommend anything, i think it would be to nail down your most distinct features first -- the ones that will make your character's face recognizable, and could apply regardless of art style. in my case with kim dokja, i knew when i first started drawing him that i wanted to give him a longer face and down-turned eyes. when i decided to do the disco elysium inspired set, in which i was breaking out of my comfort zone by letting go of any idealizations focusing on conveying characterization/making them feel "real", i landed on some more specific traits (defined lower lids/perpetually tired eyes/eyebags(?) the crease there idk how to describe it) which i continue to try to evoke even if im drawing something much more cartoony

(pictured are my first kdj -> disco elysium style -> my post de-style kdj)

as a side note, this very same process changed yjh much more dramatically

(^ that first guy is mad someone else)

those handful of key features will be the thing that you can then take into a simpler style and simplify or exaggerate to whatever degree suits you. you can also play with shape theory (square = sturdy/solid, circle = natural/smooth/welcoming, triangle = energetic/dangerous). shape theory doesn't necessarily need to be so rigid -- you can combine shapes as you please to convey whatever vibe you're going for -- so please think of it as a tool that may help rather than a rigid law you must abide by.

-> expressions: exaggerate them. thats kind of it!! make it big!!! you wanna be able to really feel those emotions. the principles of squash & stretch help here: think of how the muscles move when you, say, open the eyes or mouth really big. as one side of the face stretches open, the other side squashes to accommodate it

even without changing the position of the jaw here, moving the nose and scrunching the eyes will sell the expression

you can also play with squash/stretch to break proportions to sell a feeling more

since expressions are just, well, poses for the face, everything else for poses applies here (and facial expressions & pose should also be considered in tandem). while the term contrapposto itself just refers to the offset of the shoulders & hips, the similar principle of asymmetry also carries here as that will help make the expression a bit more dynamic.

and i think... that's it!! all i can think of at least. i hope it helps anon!!!

[animehouse-moe]

Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-Kun Volume 3: Flowers Blossoming In The Night

God, it's been two months already? I'm so used to the typical quarterly release of series that Kodansha's catchup schedule with Iruma has caught me completely off-guard, but I'm all for it since I get to read more of this series! And what a trip down memory lane it is. Crazy to think that it's only been 4 years since the anime started airing, it feels like it's been much longer than that. Anyways, enough of my reminiscing, let me talk details with this volume!

The more I tend to read in a single sitting, the more I tend to compare the art of various series to one another. It's not a great practice, as each artist is aiming for something different in the mix, but sometimes it can help in making me aware of things that I wasn't previously.

A really great example of this is character blocking or posing. It's definitely something you can easily take for granted, and might not always feel like something noteworthy to share (unless it's really good). But anyways, the point was in my reads throughout today, I read a few series that had rather stiff characters and designs. Comparing that with Nishi's already incredibly fluid art, I could really feel the difference and effort that went into character posing to match that fluidity. Something that really puts effort into providing a dynamic feel where applicable, which plays really well alongside Nishi's static and delayed approach to humor.

I know it's really bad to try and talk about something that's so difficult to properly be aware of and to explain, but just the posing and the little details with lines and whatnot adds a lot to how you perceive and react to the poses and drawings.

Also, the Clara moment is this volume! But before that, some anime content (since I've gone to grab a screenshot). The anime actually adds content to this sequence/chapter, and it's a really great addition in my opinion. When Clara's down and out after being mocked by her classmates she returns home, rather deflated. To cut a long story short, it's a really great addition that drives home the importance of family and how they can reflect on/help with the confidence of a high school student and the troubles that face them at school.

Also an all-in-one seduction attempt from Clara that proves nearly fatal for Kalego.

But! The all-important question, how does the anime version of the Clara scene compare to the manga?

Well, I don't want to say it's a non-contest, but I think the manga has the strongest essence and feel to it. For me, it mostly lies in the eyes. The manga version is just that bit more squinted/narrowed, which makes it feel more happy and playful, resulting in a far more effective and true visage for Clara.

Now, that's not to say that the anime's version is a wash, it's still great and really close to the manga. It also has the advantage of being able to build up to the moment better.

Moving on, I've talked at end about the expressiveness of Nishi's art, and how willing they are to get down and dirty with little differences in art and approach to characters and whatnot. With that in mind I'll spare the trouble of re-hashing that and instead turn my attention towards the messages of this volume.

Okay, maybe I lied a little. I just can't get enough of Nishi's range. Five total characters on the page, and all of them look so different. The shading, the use of color, they're all so varied. And most importantly, they're all so cute and fun.

Anyways, there's just so many and they're all so natural and well integrated that you can easily miss them. Things like Iruma starting to take agency in his own decisions and life (even if it is in the underworld where he may be eaten alive).

I think my two favorite moments from this volume in regards to messages though would be Iruma's run-in with Kiriwo, and Sully's conversation with the big 3. Both present such simple but impactful aspects for the characters and story at large.

With Kiriwo, while it is about Iruma finding someone "like him", it's got way more to it than that. It's about finding your place to belong, somewhere that you feel that it's okay to be yourself. Add on top of that its emphasis on equality and a desire to let everyone be equal, and it just speaks so much to Iruma as a character (thanks to his terrible childhood where he was powerless against the life he was forced into). Also, something something acting in an expected manner for the sake of popularity and acceptance.

Now with Sully, it's not really something directly relating to Iruma, but I still love it so much. With the chance to unanimously take the Demon King's Throne and rule over the underworld, something that countless Demons aspire towards, he casually shrugs it off for the sake of his (new, and definitely not kidnapped) grandson. Especially these days, and doubly so under the guise of Japanese work culture, denying an effective promotion that would (as Sully puts it) "take me away from my Grandson" just carries so much weight. Choosing family and happiness over accolades and achievements, it's a really admirable and heartwarming piece.

Just to re-wind a little, it's super great to see how strong and important Kalego's established to be as a character so early on. His hardline on the students about the importance of education, and the dangers of the world really is very strong right out the gates.

Anyways, I think I've made my point on this volume very well. It carries everything that I love about this story, and even without motion or all the other addition of an anime, displays and depicts it wonderfully to the reader. It's got the same energy and excitement, and all the same important and valuable pieces to it as well. Just always, always a good time. Can't wait for the next volume to drop (in two months!).

[rookflower]

do you have any tips or tutorials for anatomy and poses? you always make it look natural and fluid!

hiya! I'm not really a professional so take this all with a wee grain of salt, but beyond the two common tips of "practice" and "use references" that I would second, I find it's always helpful to keep the skeletal structure of legs in mind when coming up with poses for cats! Simplified, a quadruped's legs look something like below- keeping these joints etc in mind, you can then push poses while keeping limbs (vaguely) on model!

I usually start a sketch by laying out a pose, planning where I want to put these Z-shaped legs, as well as aspects like a character's head, muzzle, ears, and tail. Think about expression here too- is your character feeling tense or relaxed? Shy or confident? Grumpy or cheerful? Try to accommodate for what you want to get across in posture, stance, and tail position.

Then, build over that guideline and add details!

[tubbytarchia]

your art is. So lovely. I just love it sm like your poses????? They’re so fluid and natural looking and you colors are always so cohesive and your rancher arts are SO CUTE and your expressions and angles and eye shines and shading is all just *chefs kiss*(and your Etho drawings for the April fools thing are. So nice to look at.)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This really means a lot to me to hear, I'm so happy that you like my art that much 🥺 Fluidity and expression is the absolute priority for me in my art, though I really struggle with it in human art, so if that sticks out at all and is acknowledged, it absolutely makes my day!!

[sleepsentry]

Hi hello I just popped by to tell you just how much I absolutely LOVE your art. The dynamic poses, the color, your shapes, you’re very much an inspiration to me for my own art. I was curious if you’d be willing to share your own inspirations/process in drawing? No need to if you don’t feel like it though. Again, thank you for sharing your art with the world.

Gosh, I'm not sure where I'd even start for that...

I don't think I can get into process atm because it changes so much in such tiny ways all the time. I have a basic skeleton of a process, but the rest is all over the place.

As for insperations:

I follow many many artists online and have picked up many small things just from looking at their work and trying to "reverse engineer" their process in my head.

I've noticed I tend to subconsciously "study" artists just by thinking "how do I draw this? Oh this artist drew it that way! Lemme try..." and I do that many many times while drawing.

Example: I look at the way an artist draws hands, then I look at my own hand and try and mimick the position in the artwork.

I study both and try to connect the dots between them. I feel the way my hand moves and the way the bones and muscles flex and relax.

I try and draw broad shapes, then the underlying mechanics of the hand, then I finish things by drawing what we actually end up seeing on the surface.

I dont draw the bones and muscles of a hand and then the skin just to be clear! I just try and keep them in mind as a draw the outlines.

Like a sculpture having a "skeleton" made of two bits or wire. I don't draw the skeleton, I draw the rough blueprint of where everything goes in quick simple lines. Then I build the "clay" on top.

I don't go that in depth every time but it helps to stop and "be more considered" if you have the time and energy.

Now that I think about it, watch sculpting videos!

It's a very similar process to drawing but 3d instead of 2D! I recommend clay sculpture but I'm sure 3d modeling has similar principles too, even if a very different approach overall.

Here are some channels I recommend:

For cute character dioramas with ridiculous fidelity while being very stylised

For impressive fake food that really shows just how much of an illusion art is

For amazing Dino statues with an eye for detail and convincing naturalism

For 2d artists I follow current professional and/or hobby artists, or even old masters who's work is archived in artbooks and social media accounts. All ranging a wide variety or styles, cute, horror, cartoon, realist, ect... and most importantly, the styles wich aren't as easily definable.

The variety of influences is great! As long as you figure out how to pick and dissect the elements that drew you to the work and how to apply your findings to your own work.

My biggest inspirations as a kid where animation (Disney, pixar, ghibli, ect...), manga, Belgian/French comics my dad had as a kid.

I didn't have the patience or means to learn to animate, but these comics had so much life and motion in their panels! I always found American comics really stiff and more difficult to read because of the detail and "realism". I know American comic art can be very expressive and fluid, but for my undiagnosed eye/brain issues...

This:

Was leagues more "readable" than:

They where literally easier to read.

That comic cover takes me a good few seconds to dissect and process, whereas the two examples above it are instant.

I'm terrible at studying from life due to my poor eyesight and spacial awareness issues, also I have ADHD so, not only is the information my eyes are giving to my brain suboptimal, but my brain is also terrible at processing and reconstructing that information.

Also tracing is a valid way of studying btw, that's how I learnt as a tot and it can be great to try and reverse engineer a finished peice and break it down to it's construction.

Obviously it's not the same as building something from scratch but we're talking within the realms of practice.

I also started trying to "re-learn" some art fundamentals in ways that work better for me, and it's been massively helpful.

I'm already working with fuzzy simplified abstractions of the world around me, so it's horrible trying to see accurately and THEN re-simplify it onto paper.

So something that has helped a lot and I mean A LOT with teaching my brain art basics in a digestible, step by step way, has been:

ART ACADEMY for the DS!

It's great for walking you through art fundamentals in a way that is digestible and no where near as overwhelming as just jumping straight in to a massive, complex, digital art programme.

It gets all the fuss of materials and subject and reference out of the way and let's you just focuse purely on the process of making art itself.

THIS:

WAS MADE WITH THIS:

This is the first drawing lesson:

This is the lesson after that:

This is all with the original DS version!

On a tiny screen with very primitive approximations of pressure sensitivity and no opacity or pen size options.

It mimics traditional art making in the sense that you make what you can with what you have and that limitation allows you to focuse on practice rather than get overwhelmed and over correct everything digitally.

These where tiny, crunchy, microcosmic, simplifications of digital art making back in 2009!!!

It's so refreshingly accessible and manageable.

I haven't even started the newer 3ds game that came out.

So if anyone reading is struggling with their art I highly recommend this little art exercise giver! It's helped me a lot.

OK hope that's readable and helpful. ^^

[hdsudsfest]

HD Sudsfest: Week Four

We've sadly reached the final week of this year's Sudsfest. We're excited to share a full list of all the works published in the coming weeks, but for now, here are week four's treats. If you haven't yet indulged, what are you waiting for?

[FIC] Steamy Encounters by @drwhoisginnyholmes { E, 2.3k }

Draco wanted to try something new and Harry being shameless when it comes to Draco, heartily agreed. Cue sex in a hot tub. Pissing off Blaise was just an added bonus.

❤️ "Mmmmmmm how sexy and very 🔥🔥🔥" —lijahlover

❤️ "This was hot and sexy!!! I loved Harry taking Draco apart and how much Draco enjoyed the exhibitionism. Fantastic work!!!" —nv-md

[ART] his love, it comforts me by @veelawings { M, Digital Art }

After a long, hard day's work, Harry stumbles home and into the arms of his husband.

❤️ "This may sound unhinged but literally my brain started making goose honking noises about this, which is a bit strange because it’s the opposite of this vibe which is so soft and ethereal and sweet and not goose-like at all." —phdmama

❤️ "oh this is so soft and comforting! The overhead shot of Harry in the bath is particularly lovely 💖 thanks for sharing!!" —innerlilith

[FIC] The Strange Case of Draco Malfoy’s Underwear by @dracopetal { T, 12k }

Harry spies something strange in the showers after Draco Malfoy joins his professional Quidditch team, and it sends him spiralling down a familiar path of obsession.

And this time, Malfoy’s hot.

❤️ "Oh my gosh! I loved this! It was just so cute. Harry is so dumb. 😂 How dare he not know every single thing about Draco." —podsgirl

❤️ "aaaaaaa i love this so much" —pitzer

[FIC] the crack in the ceiling by @brightluminae { M, 1k }

Draco's showers are always quick, efficient. Harry listens to them from the other room.

❤️ "Argh. Come on Harry! Be brave! So heart-breaking 💙" —blueheart_v

❤️ "oh wow, this was heartbreaking 😭 ... But really, the way Harry stares at the crack in the ceiling, his dissociation, the strength of his pining—beautiful!" —innerlilith

[FIC] Of Double Trouble and Bubble Baths by @drakaina101 { E, 26k }

Having not seen Draco for ten long years, it seemed like a great idea to offer to cat-sit for him. Harry could never have known what it would lead to, or that one of the hairless demons would be determined to kill him.

❤️ "Oh oh oh oh….. this is fantastic! Hairless cats seem like a very Draco thing lol, and the way you changed years was lovely, it felt very natural and flowing" —big_biscuit

❤️ "I loved this!! Hairless cats are perfect for Draco, omg, and Harry's relationship with them was just *chef's kiss*... Just so lovely and fun with fantastic visuals and humor. ❤️" —oflights

[ART] Lover’s Falls by @slytherco { E, Digital Art }

During a covert romantic getaway, Harry and Draco find their own slice of paradise on the other side of the world.

❤️ "absolutely gorgeous!!!!! the poses look so fluid and natural, the rendering of their hair is especially beautiful, the complex background and bright colors are joyful, and the idea to have multiple scenes in one cohesive background is inspired! i adore this piece!!!" —okaysky

❤️ "Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous! The linework, the colors, the steam! I love the arch of Draco's back and Harry's expression. This is so sexy" —reliand

[FIC + ART] in his hands by @babooshkart & @softlystarstruck { E, Digital Art, 3k }

Harry gives Draco the gift of letting go.

❤️ "Oh this is so soft and gorgeous!! I love how tender they are, in both fic and art. The absolute trust Draco has in Harry, and Harry’s unwavering care. And that art, holy fuck boo!!" —basicallyahedgehog

❤️ "Omg I love it when you two work together and this was GORGEOUS! It was so tender and hot at the same time. The art took my breath away, and the story matched that soft take on bondage exploration. I loved all the pink: pink skin, pink rope marks, pink water." —lqtraintracks

[FIC] 100 Beats per Minute by @oknowkiss { E, 14k }

When Draco left the Magical World behind at nineteen, he didn't expect the cusp of thirty would find him comfortable and secure, with a stable life and a successful career as a sex columnist. Stable, that is, until he meets the subject of his newest column -- a stranger calling himself James, who has dragged them both to Ibiza on a sex quest of epic proportions -- and everything Draco ever knew turns upside down all over again.

❤️ "I have slaked my thirst, I have perished, I refuse to reread a single word of this comment to keep its integrity though I'm sure I sound deranged 😘" —skeptique

❤️ "i'm eating thanksgiving leftovers as i read this and i am very thankful for you. thank you for your consistently incredible takes on these stupid slutty idiots. also, for you consistently sending me into fits of screaming laughter with a single line..." —geesenoises

[FIC] Paragraph Twelve, Clause Four by InnerLilith { E, 15k }

Harry loves nothing more than a nice, leisurely wank in the bath. He thinks Draco can’t hear him. Draco can hear him.

❤️ "THIS WAS SO GOOD AHHHHH!!! The setup, the tension, the exquisite writing, HOT DAMN. Loved it!" —mx_maneater

❤️ "oh my GOD LILITH. i love this SO MUCH!!!!! i actually had to take several breaks just to stare at the ceiling and try not to scream. the alternating POV is absolutely genius. the way you unfolded the entire story through their perceptions of the same circumstances… brilliant!" —oknowkiss

weekly roundup art by fictional, do not repost

[domirine]

You probably do a lot of life drawing seeing as how perfectly fluid your art always is so this ask might be redundant lol but,, i was wondering what kind of references you usually use? Do you just google similar poses, does it come from your mind, or do you have a go-to app to look through like pinterest?👉👈 i ask bc I struggle a lot with poses and usually when i look them up i end up drawing nothing bc its not. Ever good enough for me/what im looking for lol😔 still not sure how to even draw characters smoochin, rip

thank you, nonny!! i do a lil bit of life drawing, but man i really do feel the same way you do. while i'm happy to show some art when i get it done, the process can be a real struggle.

sorry this is gonna be long and all over the place lol hope it helps tho:

life drawing good: i recommend ditching the idea of finding the 100% Perfect Ref right off the bat. studying anatomy and life drawing (this site has a range of body types and fun poses) somewhat regularly, therefore growing my mental library so that i can try and make whatever pose is in my head happen later, has been more viable to me than spending hours looking for the Perfect Ref.

drawing a bunch of generic people skating without pressure of creating proper character art is good practice, and it primes me to then come up with a skating pose of my own.

ref hunting: i save pictures i might use as refs regularly in a browser folder - good refs, bad refs, boring refs - losing a ref standard can be helpful because at the end of the day it’s what you make with it, so it doesn’t have to be particularly mind-blowing to begin with. you don’t wanna reinvent the wheel or create the most never-been-done-before pose, you just wanna get a thing right.

pinterest is very good for poses, yes, though you have to know how to look for them - i.e. i found that typing out "dynamic pose" will not yield organic results, as opposed to looking up people in motion like athletes, boxers, skaters and such. for fighting, i recommend using photos or clips from (ideally staged lol) fights, as opposed to stock images where the models are standing for a while posing - the former preserves a lot of the movement. i also recommend looking up group photos from events or shows for interesting natural poses and people interacting.

best hot tip of all tho: what helped me most is to not treat references very religiously. don't be tied down by what's in your ref, or not finding the perfect one, because then you're focusing on accuracy and not necessarily on what you wanna communicate with your drawing. if you can't find what you're looking for in full, just use a part that you find interesting, and then bullshit the rest and revise accordingly.

idea-generating can be very hard but you can practice it like any other skill, because having a decent idea of what you wanna draw is helpful - you don't have to have the whole pose visualised 100%. it's the mood, body language and expressions, that i think are more important. looking at refs can help reveal your ideas and intentions, but i will not create them for you i’m afraid.

for example, speaking on characters smooching, i've drawn these using refs in   pretty uptight way with no ideas beforehand - and i find them painfully boring because they're not rly communicating anything aside from a anatomical accuracy (more or less);

i was being too intent on staying faithful to the reference, and they're looking kinda stale to me. the only one that was done without any ref, was the bottom left - which i like! bc it's got spice and it’s portraying some emotion.

but i wouldn't have drawn it if i hadn't already started on the others, so maybe another good tip is to trust the process and not give up mid-work!! drawing stuff you’re not proud of is still drawing stuff, and not everything you create is gonna be satisfying. things are gonna click here and there, but you never know when, so don’t give up on your ugly artsy ducklings!!

[eternal-savvy-blog]

What's your favourite artist?

Oh many!!! Buckle Up cos I'm going all in on this one I'm gonna include SFW and NSFW artists haha. I'll mark what each of them do so you aren't blind sided. And of course there wont be NSFW images linked here. Their names will have links to either their main Twitter, or other primary site you can find their art. And I'll @ their tumblr if I know it below that For sure Junji Ito for horror stuff. That almost goes without saying and I don't think I really need to link his stuff xD he's an absolute titan of horror art

MackleNG (SFW & Horror)

Absolutely amazing linework and generally incredible vibes. They are drawing a webcomic called CHOKEPOINT i have been meaning to check out but I adore their art just in general. I've been using a lot of their art as inspo lately and can't get enough of their cyberpunk designs, horror vibes, and use of pops of colour to emphasise and showcase their incredibly in depth line work and details!

QSY (SFW & NSFW) @qsycomplainsalot

I continue to come back to their art and they are also a huge inspo for me. I'm generally trying to find a way to adapt their colouring into my own style because it's absolutely gorgeous! The way its simultaneously crisp and crunchy, while also soft and expertly blended! It's like candy for my eyes! Add into it their fantastic expressions, excellent pallette choices, incredible weaponry, and of course some excellent NSFW with really great curves, colour, and characters, and they're easily one of my top 3 artists

Tyto_Alba (SFW & NSFW)

Do you like Mecha? Do you like guns? Do you like cute girls and/or boys!? Well, hot shit, me too!!! You NEED to check out Tyto_Alba! Straight up, another one of my top 3. He has legitimately changed the way I do my lineart, the way i draw soft shapes (like butts and stuff :3c) and my god the mechs as well! I legitimately had a hard time finding a good singular piece of their art to use here cos they are so fantastic at both sexy art AND mechs that i really had to find something that showed off a little of both! Something that I personally have noticed with their art as well is just how fuckin incredible they are at drawing HANDS! I am obssessed with their skill with hands and I hope to match up to them some day in that regard! I feel like I'm getting there but I LOVE the way theyre always so Shaped and well posed. As well as how detailed they manage to be without being too attention grabbing unless intentionally in the focus! What's more, they use simple colours so effectively! Much to be loved here! And of course, their NSFW content is top tier! Really excellent soft shapes and squish and really fantastic context and intensity!

RizDraws (NSFW)

Listen... LISTEN OKAY!!! We're hitting the NSFW exclusive part of the list and you have to understand that NSFW artists are just as incredibly skilled as any other artist and that porn is FINE AND NORMAL! Having sexual interest is not unusual. Having a desire to draw these things is a human and regular thing. I could talk for paragraphs about how puritanism is harmful and ultimately denying something natural and inherently human and anyone telling you otherwise has ulterior motives. But that's not what this post is about. I say this because an artist showcase tends beat around the bush with this stuff but I am unwilling to be vague about this. NSFW art is valid and, what's more, Important! That being said, Riz is incredible! The squish! The faces! The fluids! The Dicks! All so good! They somehow straddle the line between pinups and porn in such a brilliant way that I would be happy to have their art on my wall and I'm not kidding haha! The particular way they colour with the chalky texture is often sought after and I see why! Personally I don't look to emulate it myself but I most certainly enjoy looking at it! The way Riz uses their lines and their particular style of chalky colour to make the squish of clothes against flesh really look real! It's somethin else!

Andava (NSFW)

Now where Riz does the mid point between pinups and porn, Andava is definitively porn haha! xD That being said. Hot damn dude! In particular the way they do bodies and have a variety in body types, shapes of boobs and faces. Especially faces. Their characters are really good too and it's very easy to develop a favourite (for me it's Erika and Alexis) There's a reason people have cosplayed their characters and it shows! Absolutely love the variety, the situations/positions they draw! Theyre incredible as making stuff feel messy as well! Highly recommend browsing through their stuff and finding a favourite OC of theirs haha! I was lucky enough to get a commission off them years ago when they were still fairly small in terms of following. So long ago that Tumblr still allowed porn at the time haha! I dont think Discord even existed yet! Still wanna grab a commission off Andava of the same character one day! ALRIGHT I think I will leave it there for now! I could absolutely go longer and talk about even more of my fave artists and why I like them, and how they've inspired me but I get the feeling I should hold off haha (unless of course people would like to see more) I hope this has thoroughly answered your question. Though I know for a fact i will kick myself over not mentioning an artist i should of included later but forgot to lol

[parvuls]

Can we talk about how much Ngozi’s art changed just over the first year??

YES, we can.

ngozi's art style changed a lot over all four years (by which I mean... seven years, irl). it matured the most throughout year 1, became sharp and fine-tuned between years 2 and 3, and then became more efficient throughout year 4.

(1.03 / 1.22)

it's literally impossible not to notice what drawing hundreds of comic pages did to her lines. they're much steadier, finer, and she has a lot more control over her movements, which makes the characters look less bulky [left], and more fluid and natural-looking [right]. but maybe the BIGGEST change is in the coloring. the first half of year 1 was flat and unsaturated, with minimal play of shadows and depth. in the second half of year 1 the color palette for each character was finalized, and is a lot richer than in the beginning.

this skill set also extends to angles: while on the left blurry lines are utilized to mimic perception, bitty still looks more or less in the same dimension as the background. on the right the angles, shadows and proportions do that work, and it's clear that bitty is standing closer to the viewer than the window.

and perhaps inevitably - ngozi just became a better comic artist. bitty's facial expressions in the beginning are exaggerated and unrealistic (to serve a specific goal), but as the year progresses ngozi managed to express micro-expressions far better, and tiny shifts could suddenly convey fear, or shock, or pain.

(2.05 / 3.13)

the changes between year 2 and year 3 are the least obvious. I'm almost tempted to throw in here the matter of technological advancements - there are exactly two years between these two updates, and things like photoshop versions or new editing apps can mean a lot in art quality.

but regardless, you can see those same things still getting better (albeit less dramatically). around year 3 ngozi stopped color blocking and started using more gradients, which gave even more depth to the characters' appearance; her lines were still getting finer; and drawing even MORE comic pages means the characters' fluidity is now perfected, and their poses are less comic-y and almost completely natural.

if it isn't obvious: year 3 is my fave, art-wise.

in year 4 we see a reversion. if you look closely (or even not that closely) you can see ngozi went back from using gradients to using color-blocking, and the lineart is more reminiscent of year 2 than it is of year 3 (heavier, less integrated with the coloring). still, the quality of the art makes it clear that this is not a reversion of skill; this is a conscious choice.

(4.02 / 4.25)

I have some theories about this choice - all revolving around the fact that coloring is incredibly time-consuming, and omgcp was already taking longer to complete than probably anticipated. maybe people who were here before me heard about it on patreon and could correct me, but my guess is that either she was working on other projects at the same time, and this art style is quicker, more efficient and requires less laser-precision to complete, or, possibly, she hired someone to help her do the coloring (which isn't unheard of nor unreasonable, when you're putting out SO MUCH art), and it'd be nearly impossible for them to get close enough to her style so she had to simplify it. this possibility is reasonable, but considering that she was still doing fanart for fun in other fandoms, also less likely.

all these changes mean that year 4 is neater and cleaner in appearance than year 2 or 3, and some slight changes to the color palettes also help smooth things out.

[majoraop]

The Young Revolutionary

Chapter 5 ON THE MORNING of their departure for the mission, Koala has to muster all her self-restraint to drag her eyes away from Sabo.   While her heart still pounds like crazy in her chest, she sits on the wooden bench of the small boat they would use to reach Goa and starts rowing energetically.   At least, now I’ll have an excuse for the colour on my face.   She can feel the blood rushing on her cheeks and them turning red. She glances at Sabo, who sits before her nonchalantly with his usual cheeky expression as he begins paddling too.   I wonder if he noticed my embarrassment...   From the way he stares at the sea, he probably hasn’t. Or, maybe, he’s having mercy on her. That would be two days in a row already—Koala isn’t used to him not teasing her for more than 24 hours straight and is starting to wonder if something is wrong with him, despite the grins and the fluid motions of his arms.   His... arms.   Now that she notices it, muscles have become more visible under his scars. He still has lean arms, but they look more... mature: not like a man’s yet, but he has definitely hit puberty.   Koala tries her best not to look at him again, but it’s hard. Earlier that morning, Sabo surprised her with a new outfit. Long pants with a blue gilet over a white shirt, plus a handkerchief around his neck—a new one without tears and holes.   Looking so elegant while posing as one of those nobles you resent so much...   “Your... choice of clothing surprised me, Sabo,” says Hack, echoing Koala’s curiosity. He’s swimming near their boat, checking the sea for any possible impending peril (as a Fishman, that’s a natural thing to do for him, and underwater fighting is his speciality).   “Well, we’re on an undercover mission, so I need to play the part...” The grin is still on Sabo’s face, but his eyes spark strangely for a moment. Koala isn’t sure if it’s sadness, anger, or maybe something different.   “Couldn’t you use your Den-Den Mushi to change your appearance?” asks Hack after emerging from the water again.   “Koala will need it. I don’t think her current looks would help her infiltrate the royal palace without being spotted.” Sabo’s grin grows larger, whatever was in his eyes just a second before disappeared already.   “Wait... that’s not necessary!” Koala pouts, but she knows he’s right. She is fond of her more confident looks—and deeply grateful to Sabo, Dragon, and Iva for gifting her with the clothes she’s now wearing—but she has to keep a low profile for the mission.   Sabo chuckles. “Don’t worry! I like these clothes... it’s strange, I know. But they feel somewhat... familiar?”   Koala stays silent for a moment. Sabo still lacks any memory of his childhood, but he never seems bothered about it... or he may be good at hiding his real feelings. Maybe, what she saw in his eyes before was melancholy for whatever he lost?   Did you have friends? A family? Siblings, maybe?   Koala can envision Sabo growing up with an older brother. Or a younger one. He’s outgoing and social—traits not often associated with people raised as single children.   Like me.   Koala feels sad all of a sudden. She wonders what it would be like to have a sister. She would like to have an older sister—she decides. A strong woman she could look up to, a woman who loves books like her, and who is sympathetic with Fishman and other people enslaved by nobles or, worse, forgotten by history.   Yes, I would love to have a sister like that.   “Koala, are you ok?”   She sighs with a weak nod. “I think you’re right, Sabo. I’ll use your Den-Den Mushi.”   He smiles at her—a kind smile for once, not one of his usual brazen grins.   For an instant, Koala sees something deeply hidden within him: is it fragility, or that kindness he only shows to a few selected people? In any case, she feels she has to protect that side of Sabo at any cost.   Huffing for the extort as salty droplets splash on her face, Koala focuses on the rowing as she looks beyond Sabo at the vast land emerging on the horizon.   The Goa Kingdom. Our mission starts now. [TO BE CONTINUED]

I skipped the #saboala_hd27cmday event again last month, but not this one! I’m posting a bit late, but I finally finished writing the fifth chapter of this canon-divergence SaboKoa story, I hope you’ll keep following them in their adventures! (You can find all the previous chapters linked in the comments.)

[doodlejoops]

Hello!! I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your art and I think it's absolutely lovely <3 Just the way you draw expressions and anatomy, specifically how you capture the musculature of your subject and how expressive you make mouths and eyes and how fluid and natural your poses are, and like the little details you include are just so so neat. I especially love how you draw bakugou, whether it's an au (that amazing demon version you created is just absolutely wonderful, 10/10), pre-war, or post-war (the scar you gave him and the way you make the eye on the scar side lighter and the color of the pupil inverted is just so so wonderful and neat), you always make him look so beautiful and wonderful and amazing. Genuinely I aspire to one day be able to draw him as good as you do. Just in general all of your art is so amazing and lovely and I think it deserves a lot of love and support and admirition <3

Thank you thank you thank you!!! I read this before work and it honestly put me in the best mood, so thank you thank you thank you thaaank you for that! And I also wish you the very best with your own art journey!

[thewatcher727]

Our New Life Together: Chapter 9 Preview

There was something magical about the way Blaze moved when she danced. She was a mighty warrior, a fierce guardian who threw herself into the heat of battle without hesitation. Watching her move like this was nothing new. Silver had seen her move like this in countless fights, but never in both of their lives did he see her dance for fun. She was a force of nature in motion, moving with such fluid grace. On occasion, she jumped and twirled, landing with hardly a sound.

Silver watched her with amazement, captivated by her graceful movements. The two were alone within the ballroom of the castle. He sat within the corner of the room, unable to take his gaze away from her incredible performance. This was one of the rare opportunities he got to see her having fun. Blaze didn't enjoy many things in her life, but nothing in her existence has ever brought her more joy than to dance.

She danced to become beautiful and graceful, yet she was a warrior too. Dancers were tough. It took a resolve of iron to get this far, a resolve that can never be stolen, begged or borrowed. Silver could never imagine anyone moving like she did. To be both graceful and fierce, that was a skill no one could mimic.

Blaze skidded to a halt within the centre of the ballroom and struck a pose, crossing her legs and striking her arms above her head with a playful smirk on her face. Not a single trace of exhaustion plastered her expression. She could have continued going for hours if necessary.

Silver's eyes widened like they were about to burst. Without warning, he suddenly stood up and clapped his hands like a sea lion on a sugar rush. "Blaze, that was amazing!"

His smile, that kind expression, was always so infectious that she felt her own lips curling further. She didn't need his applause. The stage under her feet is the only applause she ever needed, to feel that strong support beneath those heeled shoes. Her true love is always the act of dancing, the feeling of being able to make those leaps and twirls look so easy, as if they cost her nothing at all and it is only her pleasure to give.

"Thank you, Silver," Blaze replied, bowing her head lightly with genuine gratitude. "It's been a long time since I got to practise ballet."

Full Chapter Coming To FanFiction On Sunday!

[umityusufogras]

Serving Excellence: Craft Your Ace with Techniques from Tennis Titans

In tennis, the serve is not merely a routine shot; it's a strategic maneuver that can turn the tide of a match. Aspiring players often look to tennis titans for inspiration, seeking to unlock the secrets behind their impeccable serves. In this exploration of serving excellence, we delve into the distinctive techniques of tennis legends, offering a blueprint for players eager to refine their serves and dominate on the court.

The Art of Placement: Precision a la Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi's serves were a masterclass in strategic placement. Instead of relying solely on power, Agassi meticulously aimed for specific areas on the court, exploiting his opponent's weaknesses. Aspiring players can incorporate this technique by practicing targeted serves during training sessions. Agassi's emphasis on precision over brute force showcases that a well-placed serve can be just as effective, if not more so, than a booming one.

The Graceful Glide: Emulating the Serve of Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis, known for her finesse on the court, brought a unique grace to her serves. Her fluid motion and impeccable timing allowed her to deliver services accurately. Players aspiring to incorporate elegance into their serves should focus on a smooth transition from the trophy position to the point of contact, ensuring a seamless and controlled delivery. Hingis serves as a reminder that elegance can coexist with power, creating a potent combination.

The One-Two Punch: Sampras' Blend of Power and Precision

Pete Sampras, one of the most outstanding servers in tennis history, perfected the art of the one-two punch – a lethal combination of power and precision. Sampras generated immense power through his explosive leg drive, seamlessly blending it with pinpoint accuracy. Players seeking to emulate this dual-threat approach should build leg strength and refine their serve motion for consistency. Sampras' ability to marry power with precision exemplifies a well-rounded and formidable serving strategy.

The Serve-and-Volley Mastery: Stefan Edberg's Tactical Brilliance

Stefan Edberg's serve-and-volley game was a sight to behold, characterized by tactical brilliance and impeccable execution. Edberg's serves were the catalysts for his aggressive net play, keeping opponents off balance. Players eager to master the serve-and-volley should focus on developing a reliable serve that sets them up for swift and effective net approaches. Edberg's course showcases the significance of tailoring, which complements a broader tactical game plan.

The Lefty Advantage: Drawing Inspiration from John McEnroe

Left-handed players often possess a natural advantage on the court, and John McEnroe's serves capitalized on this inherent benefit. McEnroe's left-handed delivery posed unique challenges for opponents, particularly regarding ball spin and court positioning. Left-handed or not, players can learn from McEnroe's strategic use of his natural advantages and work on incorporating spins and angles that exploit the weaknesses of their opponents.

The Mental Mastery: Serena Williams' Unshakeable Confidence

Serena Williams' serves are not just a physical display of power; they embody mental fortitude. Williams approaches each serve with unwavering confidence, often turning crucial moments in her favor. Players looking to enhance their mental game should adopt Serena's pre-serve rituals, positive affirmations, and the ability to embrace pressure. Williams' mental mastery demonstrates that serving excellence extends beyond the physical realm and into mental resilience.

In the rich tapestry of tennis, the serve remains a canvas for players to express their unique styles and strategies. By studying the techniques of Agassi, Hingis, Sampras, Edberg, McEnroe, and Serena Williams, players can extract valuable lessons to refine their serves. Whether precision placement, graceful motion, a one-two punch, serve-and-volley mastery, lefty advantages, or mental resilience, each aspect contributes to serving excellence. As players integrate these techniques into their training routines, they embark on a journey toward crafting their ace and joining the ranks of tennis titans.