posesandexpression

[posesandexpression]

Hey, everyone! Have this translated Studio Ghibli guide to watercolours that a classmate sent me.

#watercolor

[posesandexpression]

“Notes on skirts and pants”

Source: miyuli on twitter

#clothes #fabric folds

[posesandexpression]

Hi all! Can you boost?

I’m a severely disabled trans migrant trying to move to a safer country (away from my trafficker). My visa lawyer bill is due this week…and I’m still over 90% short of meeting my goal.

Art commissions are open here to help fundraise!

Art examples:

#boost #mutual aid #not a tutorial

[posesandexpression]

tweet

Something like this would be so colossally helpful. I'm sick and tired of trying to research specific clothing from any given culture and being met with either racist stereotypical costumes worn by yt people or ai generated garbage nonsense, and trying to be hyper specific with searches yields fuck all. Like I generally just cannot trust the legitimacy of most search results at this point. It's extremely frustrating. If there are good resources for this then they're buried deep under all the other bullshit, and idk where to start looking.

#clothes

[posesandexpression]

fast rendering tutorial for when you dont want to put in any effort

#digital art #shading #humor

[posesandexpression]

How to transfer sketches to watercolor paper

Ever created a drawing you really love, then decided that you wanted to paint it in watercolor (or transfer it to another type of paper)? Or maybe you just want to avoid smudges on your good paper? Or transfer a digital sketch onto paper?

This tutorial will help!

Start with a sketch on plain cheap copy or sketch paper (print if you need to, or photocopy your original sketch if you don't want to ruin it).

Next, flip the paper over (so you're looking at the blank side) and put it on a lightbox. Don't have one? No worries! Hold it up to a window, or put it on your iPad screen at max brightness.

Now, take an (ideally HB non-mechanical) graphite pencil and scribble all over the lines shining through, until it looks like a messy copy of your original sketch.

(First image is of just the graphite back, second is of the corner flipped so you can see the original sketch too)

Now, attach it to your nice paper graphite side down. Use tape on two corners (so it stays in place, but you can peel up the other corners to check it). 

Tips for easily released tape: Cut the tape to your desired length and put it on fabric, like your pants, and pull it off. Repeat a few times. The oils from your fingers plus the fibers will make it less sticky!

Now, trace the original side of your sketch with a ball point pen! You need a very sharp tip and to be able to see where you’ve drawn, so definitely use a ball point pen for this. Use firm pressure!! (Your hand will probably be sore if you do this all at once). Make sure you’re on a hard surface, too.

Tip: start in a corner you can flip to check, and make sure it's transferring properly. If not, add more/a softer graphite to the back and/or press harder.

When you're done, you'll have a light but visible pencil guide to paint right over!

Want other tips? Send in an ask or check out my tutorial tag!

#this stuff can be handy to look at when learning watercolor! #watercolor tutorial #traditional art

[posesandexpression]

the point of art is not to be great but to make it transparently obvious that there is something wrong with you

#text post #not a tutorial

[posesandexpression]

“Drawing techniques for the structure and appearance of the fingers when the hand is extended”

Source: Twitter

#hands

[posesandexpression]

Art Help

I redid this list because broken links 💀

General Tips

Stretch your fingers and hands

Art is for fun

Never too late to start/improve

Tumblr radar! Submit your work!?

Using a tablet

Editing software: pictures & video

Moodboard resources

Comic pacing

Storyboarding techniques

Watercolor

Coloring

Color Theory (not children's hospital)

Resources: coloring things a different color

Gold

Dark Skin undertones

Dark Skin in pastel art

POC Blush tones

Eyes colors

Cohesive Color Palette

Lights and Colors

Human Anatomy

POSE REFERENCES

Eyes: pupil shape, direction

Wizard Battle poses

Romance poses

Shoulders

Tips for practicing anatomy

Proportional Limbs

Skeletons

Hair Directions

Afro, 4C hair

Cane use

Dingle dongles: male reproductive

Clothing

Long skirts

Traditional Chinese Hanfu (clothing reference)

Cultural clothes

CLOTHING REFERENCE

Sewing information

Animals

Horse -> Dragon

Snouts: dogs, cats, wolves, fox

Foot, paw, hoof

More

Drawing references sources

Art tutorial Masterlist

Another art tutorial Masterlist

Inspiration: father recreates son's art

Inspiration: Lights

ART BOOKS

Plants/flowers: North America, Hawaii, Patagonia

Art Cheats

[posesandexpression]

Hey artists, C. Spike Trotman, founder of Iron Circus Comics, just posted an invaluable thread on depicting different types of black hair. I’d do the thing where you screencap the whole thread and post it but it’s just too long (which is great because it’s a whole lot of useful information!) Give her a follow while you’re there.

Anyway, go check it out. I just wanted to save it and share it because I didn’t know how much I didn’t know!

#black hair #hair #realism #kinky hair

[posesandexpression]

it’s time to trace~!

heads up. the charts in the middle are very rough guides. everything about copying is super grey, you need to use your own judgement…also I have more notes

Keep reading

[posesandexpression]

Art tip for developing your own style: Reference your own favorite art pieces!

If you look at the parts you love about your own art, you’ll replicate them and your style will become stronger and more consistent!

#art tip #artist tip #text post #art tutorial #style

[posesandexpression]

art tips

don't call what you create "content". regardless of what it is. that's the devil talking. call it art, call it writing, call it music, call it analysis, call it editing, literally just call it what it is

I was going to put other things but oh my god please just don't call yourself a "content creator". you are a person you are making art / writing / music / etc you are an artist an author a musician

you are not an Image Generator For Clicks And Views. please. allow yourself to connect with your work by naming it properly and acknowledging yourself in kind

#text post #art advice

[posesandexpression]

Art Help

I redid this list because broken links 💀

General Tips

Stretch your fingers and hands

Art is for fun

Never too late to start/improve

Using a tablet

Editing software: pictures & video

Moodboard resources

Comic pacing

Watercolor

Coloring

Color Theory (not children's hospital)

Resources: coloring things a different color

Gold

Dark Skin undertones

Dark Skin in pastel art

POC Blush tones

Eyes colors

Cohesive Color Palette

Lights and Colors

Human Anatomy

POSE REFERENCES

Wizard Battle poses

Romance poses

Shoulders

Tips for practicing anatomy

Proportional Limbs

Skeletons

Hair Directions

Afro, 4C hair

Cane use

Clothing

Long skirts

Traditional Chinese Hanfu (clothing reference)

CLOTHING REFERENCE

Sewing information

Animals

Horse -> Dragon

Snouts: dogs, cats, wolves, fox

Foot, paw, hoof

More

Drawing references sources

Art tutorial Masterlist

Another art tutorial Masterlist

Inspiration: father recreates son's art

Inspiration: Lights

ART BOOKS

Plants/flowers: North America, Hawaii, Patagonia

Art Cheats

#art tips

[posesandexpression]

A Bunch of Watercolor Tips!

I love working in watercolor, especially with lots of details, dramatic lighting, and vibrant colors. So, I get a lot of folks who ask me for tips and tricks…and here’s a big compilation of them!

P.S. Find my watercolors on Instagram and Twitter too :)

Understanding how the paint works:

The more watery the paint, the lighter it will dry

If you add a more watery color into a partially dry color, it will bloom (those spidery effects) outwards from the wet paint (the wet pain pushes the pigment of the semi-dry paint away

Some paints are “granulated” which means you can see the pigment in little spots (reds and blues do this a lot). This is okay, just roll with it! It’s a beautiful part of the medium.

More water means less control, but it’ll give you more of those unique watercolor effects like “blooms”

Brush tips:

Get one with a good point, as that will allow for clean lines (I use this in my art ALL the time!)

Lean towards using a bigger brush than you think you need. It’ll be more precise than you expect and that way you can paint a larger area before it dries. This allows for smoother gradients.

Synthetic and natural brushes both work well, but I find synthetic to hold more pigment and water, and to be more precise

Turn your paper as you work, so the brush tip is going along the edge of where you want to paint. Never paint with the middle/back of the brush as it won’t make a clean line.

For detailed spots, use a small pointed/round brush and not very watery paint. This’ll give you the most control.

Supplies tips:

Paper matters! So much! If there’s one thing to invest it, it’s good paper. I love Arches, but I’ve heard Baohong is great and cheaper too. 

Hot press paper will dry quick and doesn’t allow for a lot of blending, and leaves crisp lines. It’s smooth, so good for lines. 

Cold press paper allows for blending and dries at a moderate speed, but has some texture to it

Rough press paper has a lot of texture, but will allow for a lot of smooth blending

Student grade watercolors are totally fine, they just have a little less pigment to binder ratio–so you might need to use more paint to get a vibrant color. I found Cotman watercolors to be a good starting set (some people prefer pans rather than tubes, though)

Have a big broad palette, so you can mix lots of colors without them running into each other. I use a flat pan, and then have a smaller palette with separated spots for mixing larger color batches

The thicker the paper, the less it will warp (I love 300-400lb). Optionally, you can learn to stretch watercolor paper before painting to prevent warping! 

Masking fluid can be SO helpful if you want to protect spots from getting paint on them (you can also use masking tape to cover larger areas). But fyi, these both almost always contain latex–so watch out if you have an allergy!

To use masking fluid, buy a “ruling pen” that you can dip in the fluid. It’s a weird metal contraption that can tighten and loosen to make lines. This way, you avoid ruining your brushes with the liquid. 

Color tips:

You’ll keep your colors vibrant by using few layers. In the pieces I shared above, I used basically three layers max (besides a few deep shadows or tiny details)! 

Don’t be afraid to blend while it’s still wet, by adding in a new pigment–just keep in mind it will bloom out if your new pigment is wetter than the color on the paper already

All layers are transparent, so keep color theory in mind. If you have golden skin and paint purple over it, you’ll get a more brown tone, since they are complementary colors. 

Try not to use brown paints directly for skin colors (unless they are exact color you’re looking for). They tend to look too muddy, especially on darker skin. It’s more realistic to use a mixture of yellows (like yellow orchre or naples yellow), reds (like a nice magenta or rose) and blues to mix purple to darken the skin. This combo allows for more realistic highlights, shadows, and blushing/warmth! 

Never use grays or blacks to shade darker skin (unless it’s a very intentional and careful stylistic choice), it almost always makes the skin look ashy and unrealistic

Use a spare piece of watercolor paper to test the colors you mixed first, to see if it’s what you want

Keep this in mind when having a light source: if the light (and things lit by it) is warm in tone, the shadows will be cool. If the light is cool, the shadows will be warm. So, anytime you make a gradient, think of how it’s lit and go from warm to cool (or vice versus) depending on your lighting! 

It is actually okay to use colors straight from the tube/pan sometimes! Go for vibrancy. :) 

Lighting tips:

Work from light to dark, as you can’t lighten watercolor well once it’s put down

…but if you do need to lighten/remove a color, try wetting it with clean water and then lifting it up with a tissue! I’ve also heard a magic eraser works (wild)

Keep a dry tissue nearby for the above reason

Think of watercolor like working in multiply layers. They are transparent coatings of paint over each other! 

Want dramatic lighting? Check out this other tutorial I made!

Think through your lighting before you paint. Once you put watercolor down, it’s hard to go back…so mentally plan where you need to shade before you put your brush down. 

For deep shadows, sometimes you will need to use a lot of layers, especially if you’re avoiding black (which can work, but it can also create a blah visual pit). Layers here are really helpful!

Misc tips:

Try sketching with a colored pencil, so it isn’t as see through! (I like Prismacolor ColErase)

Or…draw your sketch and then roll a kneaded eraser over it to lighten it, so the pencil isn’t visible through the paint

Explore mixed media! I’ve done pen line art (microns) and then painted, and I’ve mixed acrylic and gouache for highlights and effects after the watercolor is done too. 

Let your work bloom sometimes! Roll with that unique beauty of watercolor. 

It can look really cool if you mix totally different colors alongside each other. Play with what it looks like to have an orange bloom in a blue spot, etc! :D

Play with fun effects! Drop alcohol, salt, or add plastic wrap that you leave to dry. These (and more) can all look really cool. 

You can paint in whatever style you want! It doesn’t have to be that typical watercolor look. Mine is really graphic and different, but it vibes with me!

Have a question? Feel free to send me an ask, or reach out on Instagram or Twitter! If you use these tips, tag me and I’ll totally check out your work too!

#watercolor #painting tips

[posesandexpression]

Like I promised, here’s some photos (of varying quality) and a little summary of how I made my latest space painting! It’s the first time I’ve ever done something like this and I underestimated how long it would take. Turns out “making art” and “explaining how you made the art in a coherent fashion” are two completely different skills. 

#watercolor tutorial

[posesandexpression]

30% off all watercolor commissions: Only until November 30th!

I've been dealing with a hearing issue and am trying to raise money for an assistive device, so signal boosting is really appreciated. :)

OCs, fanart, real people (with consent or for family), and full illustrations (like of a DnD party) are all things I love to make! N$FW is okay too, with some limits (just ask).

Direct discount link is here!

#not a tutorial #signal boost #mod art #commissions