crystalpepsiman

[crystalpepsiman]

More medieval dyes for y'all!

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[crystalpepsiman]

i watched one (1) video on how to draw hands that changed my life forever. like. i can suddenly draw hands again

these were all drawn without reference btw. i can just. Understand Hands now (for the most part, im sure theres definitely inaccuracies). im a little baffled

#resources

[crystalpepsiman]

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

#resources

[crystalpepsiman]

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

#resources

[crystalpepsiman]

PSA: Mapmaking / cartographic brushes for Photoshop

I just want to point people at these (which are beautifully made and organized!) from @kmalexander.

I'm working in a different idiom of mapmaking at the moment—more USGS-modeled than anything else, as the ultimate goal is constructing a whole alternate-Earth planet that'll look good viewed from space— but these would be fabulous for other things. And they're CC0-licensed, and free!

If you're at all into digital mapmaking, particularly for imagery meant to go with fantasy or historical works, you should have a look at these.

#resources

[crystalpepsiman]

E.J Sue’s “Mechaforce” is one of the few “How to Draw” books I would point newbies looking to get into drawing robots to. It emphasises knowing the basics (Very difficult to draw a robot properly if you can’t use perspective) and fundamental shapes and even arm techniques, and gives a neat insight into how mechanical forms work in art. 

These are just a few of the examples from the anatomy section of the book. It’s currently on sale on Amazon and worth checking out, though I will note it is not a “be all end all” resource, thankfully you can fill in your knowledge gaps elsewhere. 

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[crystalpepsiman]

hi bear, remember when you made post about horses hooves being a toe? im drawing a centaur rn and remembering that helped me

so i had struggles with how certain horse leg position would look like and so i brought my finder up and looked at it, and turned out to be kinds similar you just need to add shoulder joint in end

hold on ill doodle examples

anyway thank you for horse toe

Oh heck that cursed thing actually seems pretty useful

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[crystalpepsiman]

Tips for Dealing With Writer's Block!

Writer's block is something I have struggled with a ton so I thought I would share some of the things that help me get out of it when I'm really stuck. Hope these help y'all!

Write through it. I know this may be annoying to hear- but seriously, just write through it. Just write whatever comes to mind. You will have pretty of time to revise and edit it later

Figure out at what times you're most creative! For me, I find that 4:40 to 5:40 is when I I’m most creative

Try changing something about the scene to see if it helps unblock anything for you! I’ve often heard people suggest that you should try changing the weather!

Read!! Reading good books can help to inspire you AND see what writing styles you like! Reading is food for the brain

Take a break. Sometimes, the best solution for me when I’m stuck is to just shut my computer and go do something for a while. Usually it really helps my brain refresh and recharge!

Sometimes it’s helpful to not name your project or WIP. When we place names on our works, sometimes we subconsciously put pressure on ourselves to make it perfect. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just open a doc and write

Have a friend or peer read over your work! My friends have legit proposed ideas for me that completely got rid of my writer’s block

Try free writing! Just write whatever comes into your head 

Write for only a certain amount of time! Set a timer for 30 minutes on your phone and then write that whole day. Once that timer ends- take a break! And then write for 30 minutes again

Write in bullet points what you want to happen in the scene! It can help sometimes to have an outline of what needs to happen. Check it off like a checklist!

Change up your location! Maybe you write better on your bed or at a table, or outside!

Try switching up what you use to write! If you always use your computer, try using a notebook!

Watch movies! Listen to music! Engage with anything that inspires you!!

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[crystalpepsiman]

“Notes on skirts and pants”

Source: miyuli on twitter

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[crystalpepsiman]

I made an art/anatomy tutorial about birds! I hope people will find it helpful!

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[crystalpepsiman]

My collection of clothing references for writing. 

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[crystalpepsiman]

Symmetry Move Brush for CLIP STUDIO PAINT

I've just released this free "Symmetry Move Brush" tool on Clip Studio Assets.

Check the link for more info on what it does and what it's for: https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1974271

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[crystalpepsiman]

Fantasy Guide: Horses, Steeds and Mounts

Horses are a staple of fantasy. Instead of writing them as emotionless vehicles lets give them life.

Horse Terminology

Mare: female horse

Gelding: castrated male horse, big boned and gentle

Stallion: male horse, more agressive

Foal: baby horse

Filly: girl baby horse

Colt : boy baby horse

Yearling: a horse a year old, too young to ride

Pony: small, smart and sturdy,

Colour

When writing horses, we like to colour them in. Make sure to have a look at my colours post for some symbolic choices.

Appaloosa: white hair and dark patches

Bay: red-brown, dark, mahogany bay, red bay, sandy are all common shades but bay must always have a hint of black.

Black: black but keep in mind that pure black is very rare.

Chestnut/Sorrel: reddish coat, may have brown/rws

Dun: yellowish commonly but can be reddish yellow horse

Paint/Pinto – white patches

Palomino: golden coat, white mane

Piebald – dark-skinned, with large splotches of black and white

Roan: blue or strawberry; mixed colored and white hairs. A blue roan has black and white manes, red roans have white manes.

Physical signs

These all tell you what the horse is telling you. Listen to your horse.

Blow: exhaling through the nose. This indicates curiousness and often followed by nuzzling.

Breathing: Yes, check if the horse is breathing first. Always a good point. But yes, horses have a resting breath that is relaxed. Changes to this could mean anxiety or fear.

Ears are up and pointed forward: alert and interested

Ears are pointed out to the side: Sleepy, tired, unwell or submissive.

Ears are pointed up: unwell or bored

Ears are back and pinned flat against the head: angry and aggressive. Fuck off right now or you’ll catch these hooves.

Neigh/Whinny: a sound made to look for company in people or horses.

Nicker: usually means “hello” in either a friendly context or a mating context. Mama horse will nicker to their kids.

Scream: usually while fighting some other horses.

Snort: exhaling through the nose sharply which is code for where’s the danger.

Feeding time

Horses need to be fed and it’s expensive. Horses are the most costly thing for a castle or army to have. It takes money to field a large calvary so make sure you have some food on board.

Apples and fruit.

Barley

Bran

Grass

Hays

Oats

Root vegetables – beetroot, carrots, parsnips, and turnips

Tack

Corn

Tack

This is the term for your horses kit. This will be a basic list.

Saddle: Your seat on the horse

Stirrups: supports that hang from either side of the saddle to support the feet.

Girth: A belt that fastens the saddle to the horse.

Bridle: The bit that goes over the horse’s face

Reins: connected to the bridle and ensures you have a grip

Bit: this is what the horse has between its teeth.

Horn: a raised portion of the saddle that sits at the point where the saddle is close to the neck.

Blanket: a drape of fabric used to warm a horse or stop rubbing from the saddle.

Things you ought to know about horses

Riding bareback (i hear you laughing, pervert) is actually quite hard and dangerous

Horses have limits and most can’t gallop all night without a break

Horses often break legs and sometimes must be put down (honestly fuck you Veronica, #cobalt deserved better)

Horses die in battle, not all horses make it out (you go, Joey)

Common horses mentioned in fantasy

Destrier: The most popular war horse of the medieval era. These horses are only ever really used by knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. It was not the most common horse but it was considered the desired of horses even being called “the great”. Usually male, these horses were renowned for their agility able to turn quickly making it suitable for battle. Destriers are expensive. When one looks in the histories you seen them going for almost ten times the price of another breed. The breed has since died out but scientists and equestrians have since been trying to reproduce them.

Courser: This was the more commonly used and available war horse. It is fast and strong horse ridden by knights and men-at-arms. They were not expensive than the destrier but still would cost a pretty penny.

Rouncey: A commonly used horse used anything and everything. Mostly used for riding, the horse could be trained for battle.

Palfrey: Would be an expensive horse for riding. It was a slender horse with an ambling gait so it was prized for traveling over distance.

Hunters: Or more commonly called Thoroughbred. The Thoroughbred is a fast horse and an agile one. Though vest for racing, the thoroughbred was mostly used when the nobility went riding in hunting excursions.

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[crystalpepsiman]

A great Twitter thread on character-driven stories, character arcs, and agency by Naomi Hughes

(The link she referenced is this article)

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[crystalpepsiman]

how to hit your guys with the crust rays

a friend of mine was having trouble with a character of hers, he was middle-aged but looked too young, so she came to me for help. i'm something of a middle-aged-man-fan so i whipped up this quick thing to help her out. it might be useful to somebody out there so i'll share it here too!

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[crystalpepsiman]

“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.

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[crystalpepsiman]

Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning:

In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a writer. It shuts down possibility, and interesting directions you could take a character.

A better question, I believe, is "What would it take for Character to do X?" What extremity would she find herself in, where X starts to look like a good idea? What loyalties or fears leave him with X as his only option? THAT'S where a potentially interesting story lies.

In practice, I find that you can often justify much more from a character than you initially dreamed you could: some of my best stories come from "What might drive Character to do [thing he would never do]?" As long as you make it clear to the reader what the hell pushed your character to this point, you've got the seed of a compelling story on your hands.

#resources