#and even if u dont actively draw yourself over my art

[crescentfool]

my art summary for 2023! this year was very all over the place for me, but i'm glad to say that i've created despite personal hardships (that were mostly unrelated to art) 🥺 thank you everyone for taking a look at my work this year! 💙 i hope 2024 will be just as fun! 🎉

some documentation of my feelings about art this year under the cut:

i think i was way too hard on myself this year with my art. and i am sitting here like. "goddamn dude. why would you do that to yourself for. stop that LOL"

honestly i would go in a time machine to give myself a pat on the back for drawing SPLATOON for the first time in like 6 years or something. trying to learn the proportions and figuring out how i wanted to draw splatoon was very hard. and i still don't know what i want my splatoons to look like!

i remember back in late 2019 i would bitch to my friend that i didn't understand how face anatomy worked and i would tell her how it was the end of the world. but as i drew more i eventually understood faces better (and i'm still learning!). funny how that works! so i like to think my sploons will be like this too :D

the other thing i would have told 2023 me: overthink less about the learning process. maybe it's because i have way too much free time on my hands but. when i'm not actively drawing i have a lot of analysis paralysis and perfectionism. so i end up not starting anything out of my comfort zone even if it's just for practice because my brain is so hung up on trying to "learn new things optimally" and making things "good enough." and. i. guys.

pleasepleasepleaseplease don't do that to yourself its NOT GOOD!! give urself permission to fuck up and make pieces that dont work out!! u can always revisit the concept later u dont have to do it perfectly the first time!! please!!! i am giving myself and anyone else reading permission to fuck up in creative endeavors. woo!!! i love making mistakes and fixing them later!!

THAT SAID for the things i did sit down and do, i like them (like the pieces here!)! and i'm glad i did them because its like! woaw! more data to work with! so im hoping to do more of that next year! sit down and let art come out! not everything needs to be bangers! things will click eventually! trust!!

so my goal for 2024 is to draw things out of my comfort zone (mostly backgrounds, maybe comics) even if it looks shite!!! no more fucking grid and gradient we are putting characters in LOCATIONS!!! and as a fun bonus it would be funny if each of my pieces in my art summary next year looks like it was made by a different person. because i think its funny to do that. and u should make urself laugh while doing anything :D (i love silly!!! yay!! yipee!! wahoo!!)

#lizzy does art #lizzy speaks #the december one is unreleased bc they're part of a thingy im working on. they're just extracts from my current wip compiled on a grid #as u can see i don't have a consistent style (that's the goal babey!). or maybe you think it's consistent! idk! i look at my own art more #than anyone else would probably FKLDHSLFDH #idk i went and said drawing this year is going to be like jumping up and down on a mattress LMAOO. whatever that means #anyway SERIOUSLY THOUGH LIZZY LOVES U ALL VERY MUCH. thankie for the fun tags and nice words and any support! #i wish every fellow creative a good brain year ahead and that ur brain is ur ally! do shit scared! yipee!!! learning!! wahoo! bye!!! #and maybe i'll do other fun things next year too! like more video editing. it was really nice to rediscover my love for it again!!

[straycalamities]

Do you have any suggestions for someone new who wants to join camp weehawken or truffula flu? I wanted to create some Onceler to join the rps, but every idea I have has been done already

you don’t have to create a onceler to join either of those! there’s plenty of ocs (deloraxed or not) that are in both of them :3

but if you rly wanna do a onceler, i think it’s okay if your gimmick matches an existing onceler, especially if the blog is no longer active. like how many oncelers themed around being monsters or curses do u think exist?? so many. countless, but they're all kewl bc what matters is how you approach the character and give it your own twist! unless it’s something super specific, i don’t think anyone would mind if another idk retail onceler existed for example (thinking of retail bc i’m at work rn abloo bloo)

if this is your first time joining, i'd definitely try to pick something you're passionate about as a theme or set of personality traits! it'll keep you going and strong at the start of it all before the ball officially gets rolling.

also idk if you plan to do art or not but dont be discouraged if you dont! or if you dont think your art "is good enough"!!! some of the biggest oncelers in the fandom (swag and gent are the immediate first to come to mind) had mods who didnt draw for their posts and they still were well received! what matters is how much the concept means to YOU and how much passion you put into it. and ultimately: what matters most is if you have fun with it! :3

so like if something isnt' fun anymore. change it! or dump it and start over! it's okay!

and if you do draw, just..draw...like idk maybe its just a me thing, but i sabotage myself hard if i focus too much on my askblog/rp art being like...good lmao. i just get it out there. what matters is im enhancing the scene/perspective/emotions of what im doing and adding to it so it can be as quick as a doodle, or something fully rendered that took me hours, what matters is that i dont get too hung up on how "good" it is and if it IS something that takes longer, that it's not making me miserable to work on it. if it is? fuck it, we doodle.

also, put yourself out there! approach people with ideas or whathaveyou. test the waters to see where the chemistry lies and if those characters' mods would wanna plot w you! or even just do one-shots to see have some fun/see where things go. the worst favor u can do urself is to sit there and like...stew in fomo and let shyness/fear/whatever hold you back. and if you dont have ideas or dont get any hits back, focus on your own plot for awhile, let ppl see your character in action, it might spur some inspo

idk if that stuff was what u were looking for but its stuff i generally recommend to anyone wanting to start rping and/or askblogging in the fandom (and everyone reading this totally should if u dont already)

#kaydensawfullarts #asks #i think thats a good general overview??? #feel free to ask more questions if you have any #i'll do my best to help! :3

[plinkcat-gif]

Hi kirpy!! Congrats on 300 followers!!!!!!!!!!!! I love your writing sm,, and im obsessed with ur newest kkobrin story. They make me sooo feral. I also want to mention I really like your taste in music.

So I do have a writing idea, if you are interested. It's basically just punk! kkobrin. I drew some art for this idea myself, but I can't write for shit. Itd be really cool to see you write a short drabble about them in this au being punks and fighting the problematic shinobi system. I dont rrally have any specific prompt about it tho so it might be too vague sorry. If u want to see the drawings and hcs I made for more info, theyre on my art blog @seoz-seoz. And if you don't like this concept, I totally understand!! No pressure. This may not be for everyone. Lol.

Either way, thanks and take care of yourself!!! Congrats again <3

HI SEOZ!!!!!! so i ended up having a lot of fun writing this even if it didn’t display their punk-ness very well, so i’ll just explain my vague ideas for them here AKDJAKDH

rin and minato are both very overthrow the system, but in a legal way. they want to pry power from under danzō’s feet like stripping paint off a wall. rin helps out in the hospital of course, but also plans a lot of educational activities for children of all ages, and underhandedly radicalizes them that way SKDKSK

obito is far more direct, and will attack root agents, destroy root hideouts, and in generally just more uh. violent. but he also participates in rin’s activities because he loves working with kids :3

kakashi just likes to go around vandalizing things with graffiti and yk. openly threatening root agents because he can. he also helps with rin’s stuff, and more often than obito. he also hosts his own art classes where he teaches older kids how to identify root hideouts and get away with vandalizing them SKDBSKDJSKDJ

all three of them only don’t get in more trouble because minato’s the hokage and he turns such a massive blind eye to their activities to piss danzō off dkdkskkd

ok here is the story i love them and i love ur art sm!!!!! <33333 also this isn’t 1k it’s 947 words which is. so annoying. but ik jack shit ab punk anything and couldn’t think of anything else to add :(

Rin let the door to the Hokage’s office slide shut behind her and took a seat on the couch next to, to her surprise, Obito. He glanced up at her, then grinned both in greeting and like the cat that’s caught the canary.

“Whatre you doing here?” she asked, noting the dirt on his clothes, like he’d been up to something. He probably had; Obito was like that.

“You first,” Obito responded, crossing his arms. Rin leaned back on the couch, realizing what Obito meant: he thought she was in trouble. Ah, then this would be news to him.

“Minato’s gonna help me plan an activity for the students where they can learn about the rivers and fish and stuff. Science-y stuff, you know.”

And if watching Obito deflate wasn’t the best thing she’d ever seen. Minato shuffled the papers on his desk, stifling a chuckle. “What’re you in for?” she added, because she wasn’t nice.

Obito slumped deep into his seat, sending the Hokage’s desk a burning glare. “I attacked a ROOT agent with a lead pipe,” he grumbled, and Rin reached over to grab his head and pull him into her chest.

“Awww, and Minato got you into trouble?” she cooed, petting his face as obnoxiously as possible. Obito groaned, long and loud, but made no attempts at escape.

“He broke their arm and leg,” Minato said, raising an unamused eyebrow at their antics. “They had to be hospitalized. According to them, Obito attacked unprovoked, too.”

“They were spying on me!” Obito retorted, spluttering and finally fighting his way free when Rin accidentally stuck a finger in his mouth. “I was only acting in defense of myself,” he added when he was sitting again, glaring at Rin.

“You were vandalizing a building.”

“It was abandoned!”

“I’m pretty sure trying to destroy a building is still illegal, Obito.”

“Well it was obviously a hideout for Danzō’s goons, so really, I was doing you a favor.”

Minato looked up from his paperwork, meeting Obito’s eyes with an icy glare. “Right. My former student wreaking havoc on an abandoned building looks great on my image as a Hokage.”

Obito opened his mouth to retort but Rin grabbed his ear and yanked on it lightly, scowling at him. “He’s very sorry,” she said, rolling her eyes when Obito didn’t take the initiative and instead snapped his mouth shut. She reached around him to grab his lips and, in a poor mockery of his voice, pinched and opened them and said, “I’m so sorry, Sensei, and I promise not to destroy any more buildings for at least a week. Or attack any more ROOT agents. Also you’re the greatest Hokage ever and I’m very thankful you’re going to let me off with only a slap on the wrist and a disapproving glare.”

Minato frowned at Rin’s antics, his disappointment changing none when he shifted his gaze from Obito to Rin, and she grinned in response. “You’re on Naruto duty for a week, too,” he finally said, looking back at his paperwork, and Obito groaned loudly.

Not that he didn’t like Naruto, but Rin understood. He was a handful without his parents around.

“Okay, both of you out please,” Minato said, waving them off, and Obito gladly stood and quickly made his way out.

“Ah, the field trip?” Rin asked, and Minato continued to wave her off.

“Whatever you have planned is fine, I’m sure. You have my permission to do whatever you want,” he said.

Well, not like she expected anything else. “Thanks Sensei!” she exclaimed, following Obito out with a wave to Minato.

It was getting close to dusk, which meant that they needed to find Kakashi because he was on dinner duty tonight. Sometimes it was easy, but other times Kakashi didn’t want to be found. Whether it be a bad mission or he was too involved in his current piece to be bothered, he would be hard to find.

Luckily, today was easy.

“That’s the building I was vandalizing!” Obito yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi, who was detailing some fur onto a wolf with electricity in its eyes and a bloody ROOT vest in its mouth.

“Subtle,” Rin called, following Obito.

Kakashi looked over at them, then very obviously grinned at Obito who was marching over angrily.

“So you can get away with threatening a ROOT agent in a permanent mural but the second I get caught attacking one, Minato’s about to flay me alive?”

“Maa, favorite’s privileges, I guess,” Kakashi responded, smoothly leaning away from Obito’s attempt to grab at his jacket collar.

Obito growled in frustration at his failed attack, but pushed it no further. “Tch, whatever,” he said, swiping a spray can from the ground. He walked over to the mural and sprayed a small red heart in the corner, before Kakashi could stop him.

“Ah, right over the water details,” he lamented, placing a delicate hand over his wounded heart. Rin grabbed a can and did the same right next to Obito’s, in pink. “You both wound me.”

“I think we should have fish for dinner,” Rin said, ignoring Kakashi’s whines, and beginning to help him pack up his supplies. Obito nodded in agreement, gathering Kakashi’s brushes into a pile. Kakashi worked on transferring his supplies back to his scroll, and then ended their familiar dance.

“Do you want grilled fish?” Kakashi asked, pocketing his scroll. “You guys keep telling me you regret not asking for it every time I make dinner.”

“Eh, I’m not really feeling it right now,” Obito said, and led them out of the alley. Rin snorted. They would absolutely regret not asking for grilled fish again.

#kirpy answers #kirpy writes #I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEY R SUCH DORKS OK!!!!!!!! #they are so annoying to each other and they love each other so much SKDKAKDJ #kakashi #obito #nohara rin #obkkrin

[sketchesandnonesense]

God I hate seeing pr o s h i p posts so much. Bc like. All the ones that get popular have the nuance of an unbaked potato.

Like.

if someone writes a story where bad stuff happens like pedophilia n shit, and it's v obviously not romanticized

im uncomfortable, but whatever. Not my thing, I'm gonna move right along.

If it's romanticized and "shipped", then im stealing shit from your house.

Ships are meant to be "i ENJOY seeing this happen and these characters together"

n if you try n say otherwise you don't know fandom shit or you're twisting words because it's what's nifty. Ships are something you enjoy seeing to the extent you're giving it a lil name or some shit so you can find MORE. that is the point. that's how it's always been. I've been in fandom for far too fuckin' long n never seen it used otherwise.

And it's fucking creepy if it's a ship w/ a minor and an adult. Drawing romanticized ship art n writing fic where it's totally normal and okay and there's none of the moral and ethical issues is gross.

That kinda shit is what led me to being groomed twice n almost taken advantage of. Because my teenage ass would see that shit and think "oh well it's fine if they understand eachother soooo well and they REALLY love eachother"

like.

Yeah yeah dont censor yourself for kids or whatever but also like.

if VNs in the yandere boyfriend genre can put disclaimers that they contain shit typical of the genre you can put a disclaimer on your trash ship shit lmao

I'm not gonna send anyone hate over it bc fuckin'. I just do not care enough. But I am gonna avoid you and send only the most rancid vibes your way. I will feel nothing if I hear you fell down a manhole.

this kinda shit just fuckin pisses me off so bad lmao.

One of those things that makes me actually violently mad because so many pr sh people are like. SO fuckin high horse-y like "haha im so cool and unique bc im PrObLeMaTiC lmao get triggered snowflakes <3 ur a stupid idiot if ur uncomfortable fiction doesn't affect reality sweaty <3 even if u mention how ur life was actively harmed by this kind of thing idc <3 me jacking off to underage characters is more important than anything else <3"

like

"lookit me im so ACCEPTING and MORALLY SUPERIOR than these PURITANS"

when like.

the "puritans" are just "hey can you not be weird about underage characters n shipping them w/ adults?"

like. do your kink shit. Do your questionable relationship dynamics between grown adults. explore darker subjects. just don't romanticize adults fucking minors.

the bar is in hell but some people love to play fuckin limbo

#no reblogs and typed it funny to avoid The Discourse #I do not give a Shit #'oh it's a coping mechanism' then keep it to yourself #theres lotsa dumb arguments n im exhausted #do you i guess but if people dont wanna be near you dont get fuckin' surprised

[frecklystars]

God it feels really!!!! uncomfortable!!!!! when people reblog my art where I’m kissing Starscream and they tag it as “this is MY husband!! <33″ “[insert F/O tag for Starscream]” “oh that person looks like ME and starscream!!” like. no. no???? no??? My self insert is NOT an x reader experience for you and my art ESPECIALLY isn’t something for you to project onto! 

He’s even one of the F/Os I’m not comfortable sharing and I wish other self shippers would take the time to be like “hm maybe I should check op’s F/O list and see if, y’know, they’re okay if I’d reblog their shit and tag it as my F/O” and even if I WAS okay w/ sharing stsc I would NEVER be okay with someone tagging MY ART as “oh this is MY f/o and me” like??? how fucking rude can you possibly be. my self insert is literally ME. she isn’t you, she isn’t anyone else, even if you remotely look like her -- even if YOUR name is Keri and you have brown hair and brown eyes and freckles and you wear a spongebob t-shirt every day that does NOT mean that you can tag my art with your s/i tags. I am not something to project onto and I’m so fucking tired of repeating this

#this shit drives me up the wall im so TIRED #this is the only reason why i get so uncomfy sharing specific f/os #because people will just! draw themselves over mine! or rewrite my fics w/ THEIR name #its stealing! #and even if u dont actively draw yourself over my art #if you just tag it as 'oh ME and starscream! this is MY husband :)' #that feels so goddamn uncomfortable #if someone else ships w/ him thats fine but dont tag that stuff onto my own drawings?? #dont tag that onto ANYONE'S drawings that is so fucking rude #a good majority of this community needs to normalize checking caards/abouts/whatever #or even just ask me first if im comfortable sharing #but dont fucking tag my art as your own self insert?? thats such bullshit #i know my s/i is incredibly common/average looking but thats no excuse #she is literally just ME #god #vent #woof

[littlebabycrybtch]

bro..... im sooo tired of ppl being whiny freaks about ppl liking fictional shit ‘~too much~’. like bitches are literally fully convinced if you prefer acting out certain ideas in fiction but not irl, thats not your normal preferential boundaries but rather your brain is a mental illness BOMB and you need to be fucking hospitalized for being imaginative and having autonomy. like yall if its not taboo or smth shut uuuuhp man you’re not ‘concerned for their health’ or w/e you’re fully just tryna get away with being a nihilistic asshole who lacks sympathetic reasoning skills. listen to me. fiction is valuable. the thoughts we have on it are important. the personal lack of value you happen to put on a media is next to worthless. its not a fuckin waste of time dude, creators are people, who live in the real world, they experience it and have ideas through it and about it, they form and tweak their ideas while still definitely existing in the real world, and then put that back into the world with a new angle and new perspective, to share with other people definitely encountering it in , you guessed it , the real world. thats not disconnected. its not nothing. these things do not magically appear from fairytale land, they are created. stories mean smth, people tell them for a reason, its ok to feel smth for any story, why would we even tell them if not with the intention to impact others emotionally somehow i mean??? fiction does not Just affect reality, it is valuable to real life society, it is a functioning thriving part OF reality. 

humans have told stories since the dawn of our existence. it is literally all but an inherent species trait for us to imagine things, its tied to each and every one of us, and to reject ‘fantasy’ as smth worthless to human life is frankly just fuckin wrong and weird of you. bitch we are Supposed to get outside the box, the fandom ppl you cringe your pants over arent thinking abt fake shit too much, you guys very often just arent exercising abstract thought and imagination enough, which actually hurts your ability to engage with it critically in all the ways its meant to be. if you dont see the value in fiction its because you put in no effort to form the analysis skills. in other words, you idiots dont get the hype bc you’re too stupid to get how you're supposed to compare a book to the real world it came from. ‘uu but cmon not everythings valuable what about [tumblr designated cringe media]-’ 1. ok! somehow you havent come to this conclusion yourself yet but thats not real, whatever ppl get to enjoy is not all abt you, your bias means less than dirt to others outside of hivemind social medias, you can keep it to yourself, ppl shouldnt care about it bc it means nothing outside of ur own space, its literally funny to me that you’re so elitist you want me to cater my interests to you, Your Standard Of Quality Isnt Universal, 2. ranking the values of fiction is the waste of time here, if you compare mlp to pride and prejudice ill dissect your teeth, different emotional impacts from tragic to funny to Just A Vibe are all able to be assessed as ‘valuable to somebody else so leave well enough alone’ if you dont have 2010+ funnyman brainrot disease that makes you incapable of reflecting on anything you can find a way to joke abt first.

i mean seriously like. whenever randos start engaging with medias you ppl dont like or in ways you dont get, the strawmans yall make up to get to be cringe culture vultures abt such benign shit, and almost Always at the expense of neurodivergent people with a deeply rooted undertone of extreme ableism might i add..... its just so selfish. u have a brain ok, you’re manipulative but we both know you dont Actually think ppl automatically default to being a waifu obsessed incel rotting away at their basement computer, stagnating their social skills and straying further and further from reality with each passing day, a poor disturbed wretch that you just HAVE to save from themselves, all bc they say they. prefer fictional porn or w/e to having sex irl. buddy thats not a big deal, theyre normal, just different from you. theyre fine, you’re just uncomfortable. as a functioning adult you’re gonna have to try and recognize that sometimes that feelings gonna be 100% on you, and you cant always just lie abt the validity of it to make ppl feel obligated into agreeing with you. this is gonna be one fragment of their personhood and your self obsessed brain imploding over how unrelatable that is doesnt fucking matter, grow up bitch like. how detached do you have to be to think thats so unstable or morally wrong.... its just a completely inconsequential preferential decision that only affects them and isnt a wrong choice at all cuz nobody has to get their dick wet if they dont wanna for any reason ever and thats gotta be that tbh.... and it kills me cuz they still inherently experience the real world and are capable of thinking abt it critically,,, even tho they... masturbate to drawings or w/e the fuck ppl think is unhealthy ???? like? imagination is just fun we dont need to moderate it anymore than we moderate other fun activities i mean lol ksdjfsd this is the DEFINITION of ‘just vibing’ no one FUCKING cares and it deosnt fucking matter the way you desperately try to make ppl think it does just so u get to be loud abt ur shortcomings as a decent understanding person. 

‘uuuuuu im sorry but thats unhealthy :///’ you sound like a goddamn maniac dude stories are not unhealthy having feelings abt them is not unhealthy thinking some anime bitch that was DRAWN TO BE HOT , IS HOT, is not UNHEALTHY and you clowns arent convincing anybody you ‘care’ abt that concept anyways !! im losign my mind here skdlsdfsd medias are literally DESIGNED TO DO THIS TO PEOPLE... WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL THINGS FOR IT.... IT IS WHAT MAKES THE ART WE’VE TAKEN PART IN FOR CENTURIES, “ART”.... ITS JUST... HAVING IDEAS AND EXPERIENCING IMAGINATION..... whats wildly unhealthy actually is yalls toxic obsession with ‘harsh truth’ and validating your stupid ass cwinge feewings to the point where everything that gives your underdeveloped selfish ass hives has to be a matter of health and morals and whats ‘best’ for everyone. u dont know that shit!!!! ur a petty brat and im not ur mommy ok i wont baby you so u dont feel like the shitty whiny person you are, you need to grow and do better and think outside urself already, dont put the responsibility of making u feel right for judging somebodies benign hobbies on me. i wont bc its wrong and unnecessary. you’re not a savior no ones falling for that lmao you’re just a bitch girl xoxo get over it shit truly does not matter. let them write nsfw self insert fics instead of banging !! 

to make it real do yall really not Get that basic consent kinda doesnt just mean ‘no when im not in the mood at the time’ but it means ‘no if i just dont fuckin feel like having sex ever for literally any reason at all bc i choose what i do’ and pressuring them, even with what your warped brain translates as the best of intentions, is inherently disgusting? especially with the ‘i know how to help you’ attitude like......... ohhh die soonly ew lmao! lay off this nasty shit already please it doesnt matter! stop trying to make it matter!! its not hurting you or them you stupid tumblr phd ass!! and like again yeah some media shits just truly gross but tbr now its like even That kind of shit, the Real social issues caused by Actually problematic media that ppl should discuss Genuinely without ulterior motives, is being used more and more rampantly as just a stepping stone to get to the needless mockery of other harmless things in the media they want an excuse to bag on.......... like a bitch cant just be grown and talk about problems at face value without getting a bully jab in. smhhhhh you all fuckin suck please just stop talking already. so anyways yeah being attracted to fictional characters instead of real people or w/e IS funny, funny how many boyfriends they have when u have none xoxo theyre having fun and you can die sad abt it they get to die 5 times in an angsty fantasy fic and be brought back with mouth to mouth by fuckin kakashi every time and then they go get lunch irl while ur updating tinder bitch ... different fucking strokes ig !

#long post// #i would like one free ticket to pop off please. thank you #can i cash it in immediately if you dont mind

[juni-ravenhall]

im gonna start this year actually watching the horse drawing tutorial series i bought some months ago but didnt have enough spoons (meaning energy) to study from!!!

i mean ill prob only get thru a part of the first vid but i want to try to get through the whole series over the next months and improve at drawing and modelling horses!!!!!!!

i will fill out my own horse art style meme too while i study, but it might take a while ofc. basically everything for me takes like 100 times more time and energy than it does for someone whos not sick, so when i say like “ill try doing x challenge” or “heres my to-do list” its with keeping in mind that even if i aim to do something in 1 month it might take 10 months.... but this is fine all that matters is that im alive!

all that matters is our health, at the end of the day thats all we have, so make sure to get enough sleep, water and nutrients in 2021. its ok to skip school or be late on work or whatever it may be if you need that break to protect your health. its ok to not reply to people if you feel like you cant and you need a social break. its not your fault if you feel exhausted or have anxiety. love and protect yourself this year!!!

also if all u rly care about is horses thats ok!!! i just want to put this here bc honestly it took me so long to fully realise that im still as much of a horsegirl (old man) as i was when i was 8 and in the past couple years ive been actively reading horse fiction books targeted to kids (and ofc most horse games r targeted to kids too) bc it makes me happy. u dont have to feel weird about being “childish” whether its about horses or any other interest. just enjoy urself and love what u love.

and if anyone set a new years resolution about things i happen to know about like drawing, animation, 3D, and other random creative stuff lol, feel free to write to me if u feel stuck or need help! i like talking about projects and im one of those ppl who watches a million tutorials and am good at finding information (bc high Te out of being intj dfkjhg) so i can help u find tutorials or other resources u need if u struggle with a creative interest ❤️

#personal #text post

[brinytrolls]

heyy!! i really like your work and think you're SUPER MEGA cool, and hope you get REALLY good at animating!! drawing is the first step, so making it move is the next haha. (once i save enough for a tablet i'll practice a lot!!) but i have a question: how do you improve as an artist? do you actively seek out critique or does it come with time and sub-conscious decisions to not do the bad thing anymore? what did you do? love you, keep fredding on!! ----some stupid idiot who wants to be anonymous

thank u anon this is super sweet!!! it means a lot<3 

also ive been an animation student for 5 years now so i know a little bit but probably, less than i should.....i do Not practise enough

as for tips! let me try and compile a short list of things that help me! 

• u hear it all the time but its true-practise practise practise!!! sketchbooks, digital, whatever strikes ur fancy. practising is the MOST important thing u can do 

• understand and research the basics. you dont need to be an expert on anything, god knows im not, but its good to know a bit! this includes but isnt limited to: 

colour theory! why colours go together, what colour schemes look good, etc. heres some basics on it! personally

[i also find symbolism of colour just as important. obviously symbolism varies from person to person and culture! but heres a quick guide on the usual symbolism of colour. if something sounds wrong to you though, mess with it yourself!] 

tthe form of subjects-this means drawing basic shapes, and using them to construct [basically] anything! the idea is its much easier to draw and move around a series of cubes and cylinders, than a whole human body. heres a guide on how form works. 

draw a box is a challenge recommended to me by my lecturer for improving on drawing shapes and forms! i highly recommend it!

value and lighting are important! heres an explanation on value. im not sure much can be done to cheat lighting and value, except for master studies (we’ll get to that shortly!) and observation. 

the most useful tip on value ive learned, is to turn your art black and white, and see if it all has enough contrast without colour. if not, time to work on the values! 

composition, babey. how subjects are arranged in a piece. heres a bunch of stuff on it [im still learning this one...rule of thirds i will Die for tho]

anatomy! this is the hardest shit. i still dont get it. my lecturers recommend andy loomis [heres a pdf of his figure drawing book] idt his way was quite up my alley, but u never know! 

• speaking of anatomy-life drawing is an INCREDIBLY useful reference. so goddamn useful, u dont even know. they help u figure out anatomy! this includes gesture studies, and more detailed things. i recommend googling how a typical life drawing class goes down/tips for it

life drawing classes are very difficult to access atm, so here are a couple of online resources! [all of these will obv contain nude bodies]

croquis cafe-contains free videos that simulate a life drawing class! videos are more useful than images. has a variety of ethnicities and body types, which is wonderful!

line of action- a site with a variety of images on figure drawing, animal drawing, as well as hands & feet, expression/face focus, and environmental things. you can set it to play as a slideshow for as long as u like, or set it up to be similar in timing to a real life drawing class

online stock photo artists such as senshistock, who has compiled a useful little list of similar accounts over here!

•  reference reference reference!! references are so incredibly useful, and anyone who tells you using a reference is cheating is wrong on every conceivable level. reference from photos, from movies, from videos, everything. 

something ive had to do in every level of art education is recreations and master studies. 

this means collecting artists work from professionals-be it historic painters, movie screenshots, concept artists, anything! 

it makes you focus on their compositions, how the lighting works, the colours used, pretty much everything. 

this is useful bc it can 1: get you out of your comfort zone and 2: make you use new techniques you might never have considered 

online tools such as designdoll and justsketchme have poseable models for you to pose as you please and reference from! suuuuper useful, especially for perspective poses.

• experimentation! fuck around. use brushes youve never used before, try a new medium, collect every free sample from the craft store and just Do Shit with it. 

•  absorb every goddamn piece of art u have ever come across, and save what you enjoy. 

and i mean save everything you enjoy. u like a movies lighting? a certain shot? an outfit? a random piece of fanart u came across? save it! look at it, figure out what it is u like 

make a private pinterest board or a folder on ur computer, save everything.

absorb and yank bits from art u enjoy. obviously dont imitate someones entire style, but if u like the way someone draws hands, or noses, or eyes, reference it. recreate it. see what u like, and incorporate it into ur own art

art is a big mess of taking things u like and making it ur own 

•  study professionals! animations, artists, illustrators. they know what they’re doing. 

heres a useful resource with a lot of rare concept art from animated movies! i go here a lot.

buy art books, or acquire pdfs of them, im not a cop, i dont care 

• as for critique, i do look for critique, and pay attention to it, but it’s important to know not to take it personally. and i recommend asking people whos opinions you value! 

i think thats all i can think of right now in terms of General Art....

if u want me to elaborate on anything or show me art, ask for help or just talk art stuff [character design is my fav and my speciality, ive been studying it for a while 👀] please dont be afraid to dm me or just send me another ask! 

best of luck anon, i rly hope this helps! :D

#thats a lot of writing im so sorry #fredspeak #long post #Anonymous #ask #text

[spearxwind]

it’s cool dude you’re good theres a very specific brand of people i meant and you’re not one of them 

ah, thank you! I’m assuming you mean my old pencil art of werewolf!en though, which has somehow made its way to the top of my art tag for no discernible reason????? (hurr hurr tongle dot hell is a functioning site™)

but uh. yeah I havent drawn wolves in a long ass time so that’s hella outdated now haha

uhhhhhhh well. i can tell u i got absolutely no idea how to do that. i also have no idea what you even mean?? 

being on deviantart is not pointless even if youre a sfw artist, theres a lot more of them on there who are happy and successful. literally any site ever is rife with nfsw artwork so it wouldnt even matter where you go really. If anything deviantart is worth fleeing from because of the community and bc it doesnt really serve as a social site but the same can be said for any other site as well 

but yeah like ?? business?? im just here to have fun I couldnt help you if i wanted

also like.. there’s genuinely not a law ever that says you have to draw things that make you uncomfortable. like.. if anything have a list where you specify things that you are/aren’t comfortable drawing and people will respect it, unless they’re assholes (but if they are then you’re absolutely not required to draw anything for them either)

but yeah like. there’s gonna be a lot of nonsense wherever you go you just have to sift through the garbage and surround yourself with things you like. be chill/friendly with others but dont take any shit

i do, but im very very tied up at the moment and i cant do any

also yeah i favor mutuals/friends over random people and people i see in my activity or have interacted with me on a good level (honestly just not being weird) over people completely out of the blue or that don’t follow me

#ask #ask dump #anon

[citadelity]

First off I have to say I just absolutely love your art style goddd and the way you make characters interact with each other is just 💯😩 please keep watering my crops like this.. especially considering that I feel the fe:a fandom is kinda dying out.. but ok I actually had a serious question; I reaallly wanna learn how to draw but I have ADD as well, and everyone is just like ‘keep practicing!!’ but idk how to.. start drawing? Any tips for an add sister? Thank u

omg thank youuuuu :D (also i feel like the fe fandom has just migrated over to twitter, if that sparks some hope for you. we’re pretty active over there!)

well, drawing and art (uh, and chrobin) are hyperfixations of mine, so i dont know if i can be significantly helpful, because drawings always been second nature to me!

i think the thing thats going to help you the most is how you think about drawing. us with adhd absolutely hate anything that feels like a chore, so taking joy in your art or looking forward to it is a great way to get drawing! and comparing yourself to how others draw is just discouraging, you should try to have fun with how you draw now.  

another way to go about drawing is using it as a tool to stim. we usually have to be moving or preoccupying ourselves as we do any given task, so i use drawing to do that. this results in basically drawing 24/7, and its especially good in school. i used to be scared that my teachers would yell at me for doodling in class (or when bored), but honestly, most of them understand when you tell them that you have adhd, and you can still listen as you draw–and even help you focus! (drawing and listening to things is a golden combo for me. i usually lean towards video essays, so i can draw, listen, and think, all at the same time.)

but being an adhd artist can be a gift. we can hyperfixate for hours, and we never forget to take breaks because we feel like we have to get up and move at regular intervals! but if youre talking about the actual, literal concept of how to start drawing, then you cant go wrong with grabbing a pencil just going at it--or pic a reference photo and draw it! theres also plenty of videos out there.

#lightningeek #adhders lemme hear ya say Chrobin #deli help desk

[franeridart]

I don't know if you're still into servamp and the c3 ot3 (was that what you called them? lol). And I also don't know if you read fanfiction, but there is like one now on ao3. I just thought I'd let you know about that

Thank you!!!!! For letting me know!!!!!!!!!! Holy heck I’ll be sure to read it asap!!! *O*

Anon said:the other day I was listening to the weather forecast on the radio and they talked ab it very poetically, at some point they said "we might get the appearance of a shy lightning in the afternoon" and I just... Denki.

This is THE CUTEST THING I’ve read all week thank you oh my g o d ............. a shy lightning........................... so cute.........................h e c k I’m smiling so hard r i p

Anon said:Fran thank you so much for existing! Love your art! And thanks to you I have so much more Kiribaku songs right now. Your posts always brighten my day. Again thank you and love you ❤❤❤

You’re SO SWEET oh my gO D S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I’m happy you enjoy my (not-so) subtle song recs hahaha 

Anon said: I sometimes feel anxious but recently your bnha fusions manages to make me smile and seems to be amazingly therapeutic making me relax and enjoy things again. I've been researching dances, names and experimenting with the ideas of quirks and I was wondering if you would mind if I wrote a little fanfic about it or maybe some hcs? I wouldn't dare to do it if it made you uncomfortable so I guessed it was better to ask first

I don’t mind one bit!!! I’m glad that AU can make you happy, and if you end up posting anything I’d very very much like a link to it, if you don’t mind!!! :D

Anon said: I just wanna tell you that I love you and your art style! I hope you'll have a good day!

Holy smokes, thank you!!!!!!! I hope you’ll have a great day too !!

Anon said: ur punk kiri gives me life

T h aNK you omfg though I might argue that Kiri is kinda punk in canon too!!

Anon said: I gotta say until recently I was most involved in the v*ltron fandom but now I'm most active in the bnha fandom and it's like jumping out of a burning building into a pool. I'm loving it.

Ohhhhhhhhh I feel this a lot hahaha the bnha fandom is overall real nice though, right? It has its issues but it’s definitely one of the chillest I’ve been in a long while~

Anon said:I just saw your post abt Ojiro and i'm sc r ea m i n g bc i love him so much and i love seeing him being drawn in your art style??? Heck i love bnha in your art style, i love your art in general, everything you draw is just.... precious and amazing and you're amazing and thnak you so much for everything youve drawn(esp ojiro, love the ojiros)

Ojiro is pure and great and amazing  and I’m SO GLAD you like him this much anon he needs ALL the love!!!!

Anon said:bless ur soul for ur tamaki art and bakushima man, i cry

Thank you for liking them!!!!!!!!!!! I cry a lot too t b h

Anon said:Love all ur art but especially livin for the bokuroo

THANK!!!!!!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:did you hear that kami has his own appreciation week coming up?

WHEN I didn’t!!! know!!!! When is it happening!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:Todoroki and sero? Ooh never considered that one! Do tell 😁

Well, I would tell but all in all it boils down to the fact that I kind of really like Sero with... anyone.......... rip he’s so pretty and Todo is also pretty and their rooms are next to each other and when I saw their “fight” in the anime again I kinda went why not t h o?? I dunno I’m weak to nearly all Sero ships SO!! it’s nealy purely aesthetical lmao

Anon said:fun fact : kiri means penis in iranian

..............what am I gonna do with this information now a n o n

Anon said:i finished writing a wedding fic and posted it, and im still crying over my own words. i made it so sappy and untraditional but thats just how kiribaku goes right?? when do they do things traditionally?

Traditional and krbk definitely don’t go together!!! Being emotional over your own stuff is good though, let those emotions be free anon!!!

Anon said: frrraaaaaaan i'm dyyying from uni but thank god there's your bakukiri art because it keeps me going alive in this dreary and cold period where i am dying but i see life at the end of the tunnel OTL (legit losing it from stress)

BE STRONG ANON!!!! I’M SURE YOU CAN DO IT AND COME OUT OF IT VICTORIOUS!!!! *patd playing in the distance* no but seriously I’m glad I can help you destress a little! Channel the Kirishima in yourself and hang in there!! 💪💪💪💪

Anon said:I love shinsou so much but I can't seem to convince my friend that he isn't creepy ;-;

There’s???? Nothing creepy about Shinsou??? He’s just a stressed and tired cat loving disaster???

....hm. When you say it like that he’s just like Aizawa isn’t he. Anyway! Nothing creepy about the lavander son!!!

Anon said:^^ I love your art, man. Though i dont really understand most of whats happening in the comics anymore considering I never watched/read anything bnha related, i still find your content charming. Thank you for making so much content :'>

Oh my god!!! Thank you for sticking around even though I fell in the bnha pit then orz I’m actually so happy to hear this!! Thank you so much seriously!!! ;u;

#fran answers #ship asks #that shy lightning ask man.... #man........................... #why did it get to me so much oh my gosh.......................... #so cu t e.................... #i can so see kiri calling kami that...................................r i p #tho kami isn't really all that shy is he #it's okay it's sweet anyway im weak #rip me and my soft disaster of a self lmao #kirikami #is that my tag for them #kamishima #??? #either of the two #lol #my sketches #anonymous

[noxiim]

(1/3)Okayyyy so i mightve sent a few asks abt this before but this topic is really now bugging me cuz i have depression and im sensitive to like everything. Im starting to take this "not getting notes on my art" thing really personally and i know it sounds childish (and i laugh at myself for it) but i cant help but get upset when i spend so much time and effort and get like no feedback. And i know people say not to draw what u love and not for attention but honestly i dont even know what

and i dont even know if im drawing what ilike sometimes. Yeah i love bts but i dont know if i like what im drawing or ifim just doing it for notes???? And i have a lot of anxiety too and thats wherei feel like im taking this too personally. Cuz im starting to think that my artdoesnt get notes cuz its straight up not good which leads me to think ishouldnt even try to pursue a career in art anymore. But im not good atanything else so wtf am i gonna do if i dont succeed in art???? Like i said i laugh at myself for thinking like this and iprobably sound like a fuckin child but i cant help it???? Like i think my artis decent???? But maybe its not???? Idk like this was really hitting me todaycuz i feel like im wasting so much time and im probably gonna be one of thosepoor college students cuz i decided to focus on art more rather than taking ajob cuz i thought i could make money off of my art but yknow clearly its notgoing so well and im scared for my future U dont have to give advice to all of that i just needed tolet that all out 

Aw dude don’t worry I get what you mean,I actually experienced something similar when I first started posting my art totumblr, and even recently when I first started posting bts fanart. It’sperfectly normal to want recognition (in this case in the form of notes) forsomething you worked so hard on!! I think one of the major issues with postingto such a big fandom such as bts though is that there’s so many peopleproducing content at any given time, that it’s incredibly easy to get drownedout. Especially since tumblr changed how search and track tagging worked, itmade it that much harder for people to get noticed for their content.

When I first switched to drawing for bts,I found it hard because I also focused a lot on my note count. For someone whowas originally well established in a previous fandom, the move to bts was quitea jarring experience. I had built my following on tf2 art, and used toconsistently get a couple hundred notes, but one of main reasons why I left wasbecause of the dwindling of note counts. When I first left, overwatch had justcome out and a lot of attention shifted towards that game away from tf2, andalthough I still love the game, the dramatic decrease in notes on my art fortf2 really made me sad and I ended up deciding to leave the fandom after 3years of drawing tf2 art. I hopped around a bit, before eventually getting intobts. Even then, my first few pieces (they’re not on my #bts fanart tag so mostpeople wouldn’t have ever seen them) either got no notes at all or only two orthree. It was easier for me to establish myself in a fandom such as tf2 back inthe day since it was such a small, tight knit community with limited contentcreators, but now with bts there are so many more people and it just seemedhopeless for a while and I lost motivation in my art. I stopped wanting todraw, since it felt like nobody cared. Art is the biggest hobby I have, solosing my confidence in my art was crushing.

Now you might be wondering how I got towhere I am today. I’ll be completely honest with you. For me, I highly doubt Iwould be anywhere near where I am if it weren’t for networks. I had neverjoined a network before, but decided to join armiesnet and jimin network one daywhen I saw that applications were open. I got accepted, and I joined theirrespective group chats too. I met lots of great people on those chats, and madea lot of new friends which was nice after having moved fandoms and lost touchwith many previous mutuals. I’m so glad I joined networks, because not only doyou have the chance to make mutuals who will support you and your art, thenetwork blog itself also reblogs all its members’ content which gives youexposure to members of the network through both the network tag and through thedashboard. It’s a perfect way to get started, rather than hoping that somebodywith a decent following will happen to stumble across your work in the tags oneday and reblog it.

That being said, unless you’re like somesort of godly human being I don’t think we can ever get over how note countsfeel as an artist. We need something to gauge people’s response to our art, andthat tends to default to note counts. I can assure you that the feeling of disappointmentwhen your post doesn’t get as many notes as you want/expected it to is a thingpretty much all artists on this site shares. People always say “you should drawfor yourself, not for other people” but that’s the equivalent of like say themona lisa being painted and then left to rot in Da Vinci’s closet or something.The whole point of art is sharing your ideas/love for something through yourdrawings with other people, and so it’s perfectly normal to want therecognition you deserve for working so hard and putting so much love into yourcraft. When it feels like you’re all alone, you have to remember not to giveup. Creating art in such a big fandom can be unforgiving, but just rememberthat your art is never the one at fault. It’s all about finding that littlegolden window of exposure, whether it be through one big blog or a couplesmaller blogs reblogging your work. Those kind few people will be what helpsyou grow, and you have to keep posting for that to happen. If you water a plantbut it doesn’t bloom the next day, abandoning it will get you nowhere. If youjust keep going, keep watering it, results will come. Keep reminding yourselfthat you’re doing well, and you can compare older art to your current art tosee the progress and keep you motivated. Don’t force yourself to draw if youaren’t feeling it – art is something that should make you happy. I used to drawbecause I felt the pressure to put out content, but that just resulted in mefalling into a negative spiral of art block, limited motivation and generalunhappiness with my art as a result. Remember that there’s no such thing as adeadline when it comes to posting art on tumblr – work at whatever pace suitsyou and if anybody tries to rush you, shut them down. You’re the artist, youget to choose what you do with your art, how you do it, and how long you spendon it.

If you truly have your sights set onbecoming an artist full time, then by all means go for it! I can’t give muchadvice in that area since I only plan on keeping art as a hobby, but justremember that art school is always optional. In the end, working as an artistis all about the portfolio, not where you graduated from. It’s more importantto work on your art than it is to get in to an amazing art school. Sure, artschools can be useful, but in the end they are simply tools, sort of like atutorial rather than something that will magically turn you into an amazing artistwith amazing job offers. At the end of the day, it’s all up to yourself to workhard and promote yourself. Since art is all about reaching different audienceswith your work, promoting yourself is essential, even if it’s just casualfanart on tumblr. Feedback can’t come without exposure, and exposure can’t comewithout self-promotion.

Lastly, remind yourself that there’s nosuch thing as ‘bad art’. That might sound like a stupid statement, but inreality art is a constantly changing thing. There is no pinnacle of perfection,no model artwork that represents the most perfect drawing out there. Everyonehas different styles, everyone has different approaches, and most importantly,everyone is still improving. I’m still learning and trying to improve my ownart, and there’s no shame in that. It’s easy to perceive someone else’s art asbetter than yours which would lead to some self-critical thoughts, but you haveto remember that the other artist is probably looking at their own art andpicking it apart, thinking “aw man there are so many mistakes here.” It’s fineto make mistakes, after all, that’s how we learn. Just because we see mistakesin our own art doesn’t mean that everyone else will too – nobody looks at artand their first thought is to list all of the mistakes present. As long as youare aware of what you are less confident in and actively work to improve it,you can quickly surpass even the people you look up to.

So yeah, sorry that this is hella longlol, but in all honestly I can understand what you’re going through. It’seasier said than done, but even though it might feel hard - don’t give up. Youmight feel like you’re not getting anywhere at the moment but I assure you thatif you just keep going, things will only get better. That’s the thing abouttumblr, if you keep posting art your audience can only grow. For now, I would definitelyrecommend joining some networks, and making some friends. It’s not uncommon forpeople to promo their own work in the network chat occasionally, as long as youdon’t spam haha

Anywho, I wish you the best of luck withyour art journey. If you need me you know where to find me 💕💕💕

#long post #sorry I kind of rambled #but anon if you want to talk to me don't be afraid to message me instead #I'm always here if you need to vent 💕 #asks #Anonymous #art asks

[nchyinotes]

How to launch an independent magazine, by Delayed Gratification

February 22 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-launch-an-independent-magazine-22nd-february-2018-tickets-40937174190?aff=es2

In this class you will:

-Learn how to turn your magazine idea into reality

-Find out how to identify a successful editorial niche

-Understand the nuts and bolts of commissioning writers and designers

-See how to pull together a winning subscription, distribution and marketing plan

-Discover how to survive and thrive beyond the first year

You will leave with a good insight into the independent publishing industry and a strong idea of how to set about launching an independent magazine.

 Thoughts: I actually found this event on eventbrite a few months before it happened, sent it to my friend who I knew would be interested (hi Ayesha!) and then forgot about it. Then the day before, she asks if I want to go because her friend cancelled so she had an extra ticket, so I ended up going with her haha. I’ve always been vaguely interested in starting a magazine, and was actually the co-editor of an online art magazine aaaages ago with my online friend (hi Angela!), but was never really serious about it. While some of this information was not new for me (a lot of it overlapped with your typical entrepreneurship/startup advice, ie. finding a niche), the advice that was specific to launching indie magazines (logistics and business aspects) was very useful and interesting, and I really appreciated the numbers they threw in from their own business. Overall, was a very fun and honest look at the business, and the organisers were super friendly. Also left with a free copy of Delayed Gratification (their mag), which was cool to read.

  EDITED NOTES

 Introduction

Met early 20s in dubai, journalism students, working as time out editors, learnt how to make print mags together / fell in love with it

Went in different directions, and then all ended up back in london at 30

Just over 7 years now

Named independent magazine editors of the year 2017

Most independent magazines are losing if not hemorrhaging money - lots of vanity projects, made as a shop front for creative agencies.

Attrition rate is extraordinary. Intense desire to make them, but the number that make it past issue 2 / 3 is very low.

Lower barriers to entry than ever before - people are used to them, a lot more need for them (solace in print from digital world) + tools are there + there are all these places to sell them now (mag culture!)

Bad news: will probably break your heart, high failure rate, odds are against you, difficult economic model to make work, are not immune to pressures in mainstream press (but don’t face: massive debt built up in 80s/90s for rapid expansion, pensions liabilities, offices)

Were dreamers + journalists: novices at nuts and bolts of making money/funding

90% of success is turning up - determination to keep going even in early years

Maybe expand into documentaries / books in the future

Key lessons

1) you probably shouldn’t launch an independent magazine - sink which you pour your money, dreams, hopes

Brainstorm: Why do indie mags fail?

Not thinking about how you pay for issue 2 → run out of cash v quickly (where frequency comes into it, ie. weekly)

Just getting visibility: Hard to find your audience - with so much competition, etc

Often have expertise in one area, but lack expertise in another function that’s vital to bringing product to market

Content burn out, esp. If you make big commitments (launch with huge interview etc) - second album syndrome? Not to create too many structures that need to be filled in early days.

2) ^ can be overcome with a niche - you need a niche

Fat brad magazine

Terrible people magazine

Slightly foxed, nutmeg (scottish football periodical), mc1r (only about redheads)

Their niche: slow journalism, something to champion

What it did for them:

issue 1 cover was by obama’s hope poster artist (+ issue 5, limited edition posters, interview = all for free)

Content by Interviews (henry kissinger, etc) + writers - because it resonated with them, wanted to support it = can use those people’s credibility to add to theirs

Coverage + press: something to talk about (today program on radio 4: one 6 minute interview got them ~400 subscriptions = able to be condensed and easily explained/summed up)

Could have been slightly more bullish about fast news in the start, should you be worried about alienation??

Brainstorm: A name and niche

Colors magazine - activism & protest issue

Trend (mindfulness) vs Niche

Helps to sort of person we appeal to, what need am i filling that hasn’t been filled, what is my spin

Need to be passionate (committed, reason without a doubt), not egotistical, believe in your idea, ask for help a lot, honest

3) you need to think about the business

Beyond issue 1, what it is to run a magazine business (VAT returns, subscription systems, fb ads)

Frequency & cost

Weekly or monthly is really really fast. Always easier to go from quarterly down, because it shows you’re getting better, etc (awks if you have to go the other way).

Issue 1: 12 pounds, issue 2: 10 pounds.

When setting price for individual issue, what would you charge for a year’s subscriptions? You want to offer subscribers an appealing discount (that you’re not losing on each subscription)

Christmas is key for the indie mag industry - big burst of subscriptions as gifts. So don’t launch in jan or feb lol, christmas run is key, be well established for this! 50+% this year was from last 5 weeks of sales

Don’t launch in summer - nobody gets subscriptions then, more newstands then

Print, digital, or both?

People don’t want to pay for digital issues, not that captivated by complicated stuff you can do on there.

You have to charge VAT + pay percentage to platform for digital copies

People expect to pay less for digital copies

But there are some digital projects that are fascinating - de correspondent (similar premise, crowdfunded, purely digital in dutch, really collaborative / self contained digital ecosystem. / community driven)

Physicality - You can get people to pay for a physical / tangible object that they just don’t for digital, they have relationships with them.

Latterly (weekly newsletter, after building huge online audience for free, now printed publication)

^ merits of this?? Passion project more bc of time sink??

Subscriptions vs newsstand

Subscription systems

Gocardless (pay direct debits)

Chargebee - portal

V difficult to make money out of newsstand sales - 50% of the cover price, 3-6 months after mags are sold, and they generally only sell 60% of the ones you’ve sent them. Treated as marketing for subscriptions.

Not difficult to set them up

In London / UK: Ra&Olly, MMS, Smiths (difficult + unresponsive + dont fulfill, but have a stranglehold on mags in country)

Paid: gold star media (get you in to salons, hotels, airport lounges, etc)

Is your magazine one that a company would like to support? Team up because they really like it

Customer

Site sales: shopify

Fulfilment: newsstand

Adjust your expectations

4) take subscriptions!!

Newsstands are hard

It’s money upfront, will help with print bills, cash flow, etc

Community building

More chances for someone to like someone

Alternatives: Kickstarter, indiegogo (to test out if appetite is there)

Subscription renewals / Direct debits ?

Do not build your business model around advertising, it’s so diffused + competitive, can’t do trackability on print issues

No ads > bad ads

Corporate work - if you prove you can make mags, you can make them for other people too

Magazine as a broader way of selling your skill set

plan for issue 2/3/4 already + worst case scenarios

5) you need to make something special

Making your magazine:

Commissioning editorial content

There are a lot of really good writers out there desperate to work for you

Draw up a commissioning form - rights and responsibilities, deadlines, etc

Approach writers that you like - tell about mag & ask them to pitch OR give them a story and ask them to write it

Longer form + freedom

Always pay! You have a contract, leverage, etc

Editorial pagination * av word count * word rate = commission

First: 10p/word

Now: 25p/word

Industry average: 30p/word

Interviews / verbatim interviews: with an expert in the subject. Get it without having to pay a word rate, take what you need from it, may tighten it up for free anyway when you send it back for approval  

Ask people who just brought out a book

Finding a designer - they expect a very carefully designed product

Don’t be afraid to let things evolve - keep moving/changing things around

First issue is not going to be perfect, important thing is that it exists

Look at magazines / things you like + get in touch with them

Have your favorite designer create a template (or a regular design) for you - easier for recent grads etc to follow, at a cheaper price

Design software: considerable expense

Indesign, photoshop - creative suite, expensive monthly. Worth looking at older versions (old DVDs on ebay - work with designer to save it down a version)

Pagination (80-100), size (delayed gratification is too big/wide to fit through most letterboxes, something smaller / standard sizes are better), GSM (cyclical trends), binding (perfect bound, saddle stitch / staples are much cheaper)

Costs of the last issue, excl. Wages (which has come up a huge amount, 7-8k in the beginning bc lots in house and paying less) : 23.8k pounds

West ale ?? printers company

Approach the printers

The only thing that’s going to push your price up is if its special paper they have to order 4 u

You’ll get inundated with calls once you start up

You want a printer that will work around you (missed deadlines or changes post-proof stage)

6) you need to tell people about your mag

Brainstorm: how are you going to get noticed?

Making waves - Print someone controversial, getting into mainstream press

Power of positivity vs negativity (attract passionately negative people? In emails? Lol. prepare yourself for backlash)

Collaborating with influencers / people with followings / associations that make sense / endorsement (within the niche) - genuine

Loving print means embracing digital - lots of new people come from digital content

Weekly newsletter : manageable amount of content, keep engaging (mailchimp), moving people through the marketing funnel

Events - sense of community, benefit for subscribers.

Free is not recommended. Commitment.

Indie mag community - swap inserts in different titles/issues/newsletters, nicer fit, more interest

Podcasts

Questions

Usually print about 1000 copies of issue 1

Issue 0 - proof of concept (rarely done in indie mags)

Limited run projects - must be pitched to advertisers / subscribers before hand as such (will probz break ur heart at issue 6)

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