#i've been skipping it and just cleaning up the sketch

[milkie2]

I've been really admiring your ava art; I REALLY REALLY ADORE THEM SO MUCH!!!❤️😭💕💕 and I’m kinda interested in your ava art style. Could you do tutorials with tips or techniques on how to draw in your “ava art style”? I'm really inspired by your work and would love to incorporate some elements of your style into my own art style practice. I don’t want to force you to do this. It’s fine if this is something you prefer to keep to yourself. Btw, Love your work! ❤

AAAAA HIHIII Here's my art process of how i render stuff^^^

Entire explanation and process here:

I make a sketch first and then do base colors underneath

(occasionally I might skip the sketch entirely and go straight into colors, but thats a bit more complicated)

I then merge the layers and start painting on top of it (on the same layer), using the lineart of that sketch as a guide

The reason why I am doing this all on one layer is so that the colors mix and blend together in the way seperate layers just won't do.

I paint two layers of shadows, each with a slightly different hue (usually shifted towards the cooler tones)

After that, I paint the lighting. This time the hue I will use is to a warmer one, painting over the shadows with a warmer tone for the reflective lighting as well

I also do fixing and cleaning up (which is what I really like about coloring on one layer since its easier than doing it with multiple)

Then I do shading again, this time with another layer clipped with 'multiply' on

as well as add another layer for the 'overlay' and edge the shadows

I clip two more layers, one for 'multiply' and one for 'add' for lighting using the gradient tool

Occasionally I will also add an extra 'add' layer and put a color gradient on the shadow for that extra oomph on the lighting

Final result :33

Hopefully this isn't too confusing and fast FJDKSLFLSD Im pretty bad at explaining stuff 😭

#ask #alan becker #animation vs minecraft #avm #avm purple #my art

[emmyfairy]

Hi! I was wondering if you could write some head-cannons about giving the slashers the silent treatment for Bubba Sawyer, Thomas Hewitt, Billy & Stu, Vincent Sinclair

Thank you!!!

Requested

Hi I’m Em and I am in love with Vincent Sinclair (i’m imagining all ya’ll saying ‘hi em’)

reblog if you enjoy! any other ideas?

Uh oh, big boys are in the dog house. What are they like when their lovely gives them the silent treatment? 

Bubba

As soon as you skip your usual “Good Morning” he’s in tears

Once you step out of the bathroom, fresh faced and ready for a day of ignoring your man, he’s in your personal space, whining and crying, a fistful of wildflowers gripped tightly in his hand, roots still shaking dirt onto the floor

You'd have to clean that up so….

Honestly, just take the flowers and forgive him sweetie, he’s just gonna cry and whinge until you do, and no he won't admit he did anything wrong because he doesn't care

Not in a bad way, but your anger is too distracting for him to remember properly 

Thomas

Notices right away

Is worried right away

He’s so used to and in love with your babbling, nodding his head along with you, so when it’s sudden radio silence, when all of a sudden you won't even look at him? Instant heartbreak

Did he do something? Say something? Did someone else? Don’t you love him anymore?

It hasn't even been an entire day and you have this 6’5 hulking giant of a man literally at your feet

Im serious, after a few hours he can't stand it, bails on his chores, finds you and immediately drops to his knees, hugging your legs and burying his face in your tummy

He only peels himself away when he feels your hand start running through his hair (i've decided no one can stay mad at him he’s too soft)

After you coax him off of his knees the two of you have an open conversation and communicate your feelings in a healthy way, solving all the problems and boom sunshine and rainbows baby

Billy & Stu

We all know these two share a brain cell, and once ya’ll are together its split amongst you three

They do NOT catch onto your mood for a whileee

Honestly it’s probably one of your friends, or even your mom, that clues them in

They’re used to you being a bit on the quiet side, heaven knows the pair can entertain each other for hours with dumb boy stuff, and they spend their nights, well, ya’know…

When they do realize your unhappiness and silence these boys go the wallet route

Im talking flowers, chocolate, nice dinner, shoes, that outfit you were eyeing at the mall last week, and more flowers

You do eventually forgive them, but they honestly aren't much wiser afterwards

Vincent

Ngl he doesn't notice at first, not in a bad way, it’s just he gets so invested in his art

There are many nights he stays in his workshop, meddling away at his latest project, often skipping meals unless you bring them to him

I love this man okay, but baby can be a little bit of an airhead at times

Bo and Lester have both noticed by now and let’s just say dinner time is Awkward✨ 

By now Vinny is catching onto your cold shoulder 

Good thing he wears that mask because if you could see the pout on his lil face? All anger would be gone with the wind

Vince doesn’t really know what to do, his brothers sure as hell aren't helpful, so he does the only thing he can think of

Art, art and groveling 

He sketches a portrait of you, far too well done to be a quick one, and it almost encaptures how gorgeous he thinks you are

Once the sketch is in your hands, he’s slipping into bed with you, not bothering to move the covers, just smooshing against you, every inch of him on every inch of you, holding you close

When you look down to where he is parasitically attached to your chest, his eye is shining so sadly, there is no way you could stay mad at him

He’s just too cute, sorry I don't make the rules

#my wriitng #slasher drabble #slasher fanfiction #thomas hewitt drabble #bubba sawyer drabble #vincent sinclair drabble #billy loomis drabble #stu macher drabble #thanks for the request!

[eliyips]

Can i ask how u do lineart so well,, it looks so smooth,,

I've always been very big on keeping my lineart clean and smooth! :) I'm very inspired by comic and graphic novel illustration, so naturally, I try to take notes from that sort of aesthetic in a lot of my art.

The short answer is that I just have a lot of practice, and am very picky about how my lineart looks. So, I'll often spend a long time making sure it looks just how I'd like it, before moving on, even if the lines aren't necessarily going to be the focus of the final drawing.

The longer answer kinda depends on what lineart you're asking about! The style of my lineart tends to change to fit whatever mood I'm going for, so I have a lot of different line styles with varying levels of smooth-ness.

On the super-smooth end of the spectrum, we have these bubbly, cartoony lines! These are a pain to draw, to be honest. But they really contribute to giving that cute look :) For these, I used the Clip Studio Paint G-Pen, with some minor adjustments to the settings, mainly so that there's not too much line width variation. The uniform, thick lines are important for this look! :) Drawing in this style really just a lot of trial and error. Usually when doing lineart, I'll erase away at lines to get them to the right thickness, or even just clean up a sketch and call that lineart, rather than doing lines on a new layer. But, that's a lot harder to do when the line thickness has to stay consistent. So, I end up just drawing the same line 7 times over, un-doing my work and re-doing it until i'm satisfied. Again, it's a pain! I used to draw like this a lot more frequently, but I stopped because I found that other approaches are often a lot more satisfying and rewarding. This is still great, for that cutesy look, though.

Next, we have what I would affectionately call my ref sheet lines. As much as it's probably a bad idea, I have a habit of just kinda skipping the lining stage of art. I'll just take my sketch, and tidy it up until it's clean enough. But for a drawing where there's only going to be flat colors, that sort of roughness can look sloppy, In my opinion. So, particularly when doing ref sheets, or other art which I don't intend to render, I will actually go through the effort of fully sketching out my idea and lining on a separate layer. The result is a lot cleaner and more deliberate, and looks a lot nicer when colored! Especially if I take the time to color the lineart :) I also really like doing small details with thin lines, particularly body/facial hair, elastic cuffs on clothing, and the seams of clothes, too. I like drawing those little details a lot, and I think they shine the most in my cleaner line style :D

For this, and for most of my lineart, I use these brushes which you can find on the Clip Studio Asset Store:

I'll bounce back and fourth between these, and Kozmo's Scratchy Scribbler brush, which you can find on Ko-fi!

Additionally, I have a modified G-Pen with a pencil texture that I think I made myself? I don't remember making it, but I also don't know where it came from! So i guess I did, lol.

A little more messy than my ref-sheet lines, we have the line style which you probably see most often on my page. As mentioned before, I usually kinda skip the sketch step for these? I don't encourage that, it's a bad habit of mine. But I make it work! I feel like the best way to explain my process with this is to just offer you a timelapse of my lineart process:

I just kinda... go. and it works out! most of the time. lots of cleanup and tweaking, and as you can see with Bdubs and Etho here, sometimes I do actually just. do a sketch and then line over it. So maybe I have no idea what my own process even is, LOL.

Now, to completely abandon your original question here's how i don't do smooth lineart! :D In this style, for the most part, I ignore the cleanliness of my lines, only really erasing with the lasso fill tool, when lines get too cluttered to actually read. Usually I'll only go for this when I'm already planning on painting over the lines. Because sometimes an idea doesn't need or want clean lines, and sometimes I just want to paint some values or slap some colors together and call it a day. Love my clean lines, but scratchy, messy lines are fun too! :)

Not sure if any of this really explained how i do smooth lineart, but I sure did talk about lineart for a while. I hope you could find something interesting or insightful in here! :) thanks for the ask, and I hope you have a great day <3

#inbox #digital art #art process #timelapse #lineart #another ~1k words on my art process? #yippee!!! #askeliyips #ask

[valeriapryanikova]

hihihi !! came across your tumblr while looking at hermitcraft/life series art (your art is lovely by the way, definitely going into my cool people with cool art collection) , and saw that you use/used krita !! as a krita user, i would love to know your main brushes and canvas sizes, and art process too :D would love to get into things like illustration but no clue where to start ,,

hello! since i get asked about stuff like that relatively often and i'm usually too lazy to answer properly everytime i'll use this ask to answer all of those in one big post :D

Brushes

i don't think i have main brushes? i jump from style to style quite frequently and i love love love trying out new stuff so the set of brushes i'm using for any given drawing can change drastically but there're a few that came to my mind

i've been vibing with the first brush the most lately! it's kinda has spray paint feel to it?? but not really? idk but it's fun to make messy sketches with :D 2nd and 3rd are probably the brushes i find myself coming back to most often bc they're just really basic lol

all of the brushes ^ are default krita brushes bc i dont like downloading brushes from the internet so if you wanna find cool non default krita brushes you'll need to ask sm1 else sorry

(btw my advice: don't care about brushes. limiting oneself to a certain set of brushes can also limit the creativity so don't do that)

Canvas Size

my default canvas size is 2000 x 2000 px and it usually goes up from that if i need other proportions for a piece - basically that means that the shortest side of (almost) any of my drawings is minimum 2000px (2000 x 3000, 2500 x 2000, etc). for pixel art it's the same rules but for minimum of 200px!

social media eats the quality of images really hard so i usually don't see the point of drawing on bigger canvases than that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Art Process

there isn't much to say about the art process for me bc i'm sure my process is not too different from everyone else's process lol for lineart stuff it's the usual:

super messy, super quick sketch

cleaner sketch (depending on the art style and the vibe i'm going for this step can be skipped)

messy colouring (also can be skipped sometimes; this step is just for myself to find the colour palette i wanna use and to determine whether i like the drawing so far or not so i can change the idea or completely abandon the piece)

clean lineart

flat colouring + shading

adding small details, colouring the lineart, making lighting prettier, etc. (this one cannot be properly described bc for me it's usually a mess of tweaking everything and nothing until i like the final product)

for lineless stuff i don't have a process - i put pretty colours on the canvas and just,, Pray for the best or smth lmao

it most likely won’t be helpful but i do have youtube channel where i (once in a blue moon) post speedpaints! they might help in understanding what my art process is

and that's it i think? i hope this was useful at least in some way :D it's not the best idea to ask me about any of art related things bc my approach to art can be summarised with throwing stuff at the wall until smth sticks lmao

#asks and stuff #this is a Mess #i got very sick exactly on january 1st (good start of the year) and i'm still sick #and bc of that my brain is slow at times so #if anything is incomprehensible i'm sorry

[shapelytimber]

Hi there! I am obsessed with those TES tarot cards you made. The shapes, the lines, the colors . . . I think The Devil is my personal favorite.

If you don't mind, could you talk about your compositional choices for those? Like layout, structure, arrangement/placement, visual hierarchy, color decisions? Seven years of art school and no composition lessons . . . I'm taking things into my own hands.

Hello !

First of all, omfg thank you so much ?? I'm so glad you like my silly tarot cards :D

I'm really flattered you asked me this question, so I'll try my best to answer it (I'm no teacher and english is not my first language so I hope it will be comprehensible lggklflfifkf)

When you say your an art student who never had any real composition class, I feel you- I've been an applied art student for 4 years (7 if you count design), and apart from really basic and classic stuff like dividing by thirds, the different shots used in cinema, using a little window to help frame what you are trying to draw from life (witch are all very useful), I never really had many composition tips ?

So yeah idk what I'm doing, but that's art baybee

I'll share my process when it comes to designing my cards and hope it'll help lhgktlgofk

I begin by doing little thumbnails (3-4 cm long maximum) with a non erasable pen (or if I'm doing it digitaly, I dezoom a lot, use a big brush and don't erase what I'm doing)

It helps me coming up with big shapes and an interesting compisition (if your doing this on paper, never draw the borders first, it limits your creativity by "putting your drawing in jail" (wisdom from one of my best teachers))

And I personnaly don't use black lines when doing this, because the uglier the lines the less precious I am.

And because I associate dark lines with clean lineart, and this step is about being messy ! So the uglier colors the better :) (for me)

(I'll use two cards as exemples, one I did by doing thumbnails on paper, and the other on my art program)

(And sorry I could not use the devil as an exemple, it was one of the three cards I did in class and so I skipped the thumbnailing for time saving :/)

Next step is sketching, still using my ugly colors :)

But to talk a bit more about composition, for these I always have the important element of the card near the middle (sanguine's face and his lovers head, and miraak as a whole) (I know trick of the year glgjorlfifjl)

And to help with dynamism, I use a lot of diagonal elements (sanguine's shoulders and hips, his right arm and leg, his is leaning back slightly, and his lover is laid a bit to the left. For miraak he is also laying back, his shoulders are not straight, and his to dragons are going on two different diagonals)

Next comes the line ! For this project I chose to use a pretty simple-ish and stylised look (mainly for time saving since it began as a school project)

The colors are really simple, I just do a grey scale version then apply an overlay on top :)

And as a final touch before adding the title, I add a white frame, that I always put behind the foreground to try give them a bit of depth :))

So to sum up my design brief for these :

- clean and stylised lineart

- one color for the whole illustration (exept for the devil because it was the first one I did and I did not know what I was doing glg'goflf)

- a second very saturated color used to highlight important elements (in either yellow, blue, purple or red)

-always have black somewhere

-white frame behind the foreground

-the numbering alternate between the top right and top left (exept once angain for the devil gmgkfnfon I'll have to change that someday)

-the title is always in the middle on the bottom, on top of the white frame

Hope I answerd your question ^^'

thank you again for the very kind message :)

#I hope this helps jihjhprj #tarot cards #card design #art process #my art #tes fanart

[todayisafridaynight]

so yea im here again to bother (anonymously bc thats the only true way to communicate to ppl amirite) so let's pretend rgg writers didn't pull an asshole move on him and he lives and now hes like. a side character or whatever u can catch him to chat whatever the point is hes alive AND THE QUESTION IS: do you think he keeps appearance aoki-style clean and tidy or he goes back to masato-style emo swag? or is he gonna be the most cursed mix of these both cause i can't decide what to draw and probably im gonna just sketch it all slap it on one sheet and post but i've been hit by sudden interest about what my fellow aoki fan thinks?

my heart wants him to go back to his e-boy swag ways in this purely hypothetical timeline but honestly im not sure, it's somethin i ask myself a lot also: it's beyond just aesthetics and the sort that make up masato arakawa and ryo aoki, so i can't confidently say one thing or another

if you dont care bout aimless ramblin uhh skip the Read More cause i could just wrap up this ask here :)

heh. you care about my aimless ramblings :]

'ryo aoki' represents 'the paragon of japanese men' yk: clean shaven, conservative haircut, neat and tidy (glasses are just bonus points for 'yeah he looks smart') etc etc. that's not to say ryo aoki was purely a facade or persona, masato obviously had to harbor some puritan ideology beforehand in order to pursue his career as passionately as he did (though spite and a need for love and attention are strong, he probably wouldn't have been as effective in his position if he didn't believe what he was preaching to an extent)

im rambling about all of this cause without the need to keep up that 'perfect image' anymore and being ready to start over, aoki would be free to present however he wants without worrying about his image. would he still like to be seen as immaculate ? would he be ok with that more rugged look again ? a part of me doubts it since that was 'the lowest point' of his life, so why go back to it

that's not to mention how preppy was his aesthetic from birth to his 20's, though now i ask if that was his choice or if that's how masumi thought to present him to look like a regular civilian (not saying masumi was being a control freak over him obvi, im just saying did urge masato towards that kind of style yk. it's just a things parents do, and considering masumi is aware the yakuza lifestyle isn't something to aspire to i'm sure he wanted his son to appear as detached from it as he could--but now this is turning into a ramble about masumi SORRY)

plus, by 47/48, i think he would have outgrown the gritty-yet-flashy aesthetic. if anythin, maybe he'd just dress like masumi did during his 20's- not exactly the same, but something similar

assuming he wouldn't be in jail in this timeline and he was Just Chilling, i also have to ask if he'd want to restart his political career but genuinely this time and pursuing things that would actually benefit japanese society. that's tiptoeing into greater speculations tho but it's somethin' to consider if you want to ask 'what would aoki be like in LaD8'

#snap chats #THIS ASK TURNED OUT LONGER THAN EXPECTED SORRY I JUST HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT HIM #these arent even all of my thoughts about his appearance this really is just a condensed version- which is insane to say its still long #anyway hope this helps. doubt it did i think you're back at square one LMAO #i hope at least you got a kick out of readin #now here's my question to yall: should i go out again. #i dunnooooooo i kinda wanna get A Treat esp since im finally done with all my business stuff #but i dont wanna go out too much but i also want something sweet and like a meal ig and i always like going out to places.. #hmmmmmrmraGGHGH decisions... #anyway keep me posted on what you do bestie im curious as to your thoughts on this :]

[phoenixglacier]

Tips for maintaining/building art motivation!

Want to get better at art but feel like you're not getting anywhere? Have a sad folder full of unfinished art? Does it take you three months to finish a single artpiece if it ever does get finished? Here are some tips that worked for me to keep me interested in art!

Tip 1: Notice the goal markers in each project and consider that a piece!

If you're like me and take forever to finish one piece, you're probably spending ages on each part of the project. Maybe you do just the hair, then just the face, then just the clothes. Maybe you do a sketch, then another sketch, then another sketch, then another sketch, then flat colours then rendering. Each time you hit one of those, save an image/scan/video/gif/whatever you're making of that version. Put it in that folder where you put all your finished art.

If you do lose interest in that project, one day when you look back you'll see an "unfinished" artpiece with some pretty boss stuff. It will be a more accurate record of what you actually spent your time on. Sure, this sketch doesn't have a clean lineart on it, but you can totally tell what it is! Sure, this piece has super detailed hair but flat everything else, well maybe the hair is the star of the show and for that matter that's really cool technique you used for the hair! Art doesn't always have to be finished! Just look at the work out there you're aspiring to:

Tip 2: Look at how others use art to communicate

If you're here on tumblr, there's a wide range of art out in the wilderness for you to forage. You're gonna see some people that are probably gods painting the most intensely beautiful artwork you'll never be able to fantasise - but that's just one type of content. I'm constantly attracted to art that are absolutely not in the style I lean towards, but they express emotions or pitch a new design or honestly are just about characters that I'm starving for. Not all art has to be perfectly polished, often you'll see a sketch posted instead because that was sufficient to get across the idea. Focus on the idea. Aspire to create art that gets across these ideas in one way or another.

I would also say to read comic books. Webtoons are good too - there are many stories I've read where I was interested enough in the story, and the art wasn't all that appealing to me. But if the art gets across that story, mission achieved, and it's also motivating to see the change in the artists' style over time. You're a baby deer taking your first steps but you're not the only one; artists that you look up to are all doing the same.

Tip 3: Set staggering "finishedness" goals

Okay, so we've talked about treating "unfinished" artwork like finished work, and we've talked about how artwork doesn't have to look "finished" to be enjoyable for us. How 'bout we do it on purpose now?

Again, I'm gonna assume you're like me and take several months to finish one piece that maybe has background, lineart, full rendering, the works. Well, remember that that's not the only type of "finished" artwork. Here are a couple of mild suggestions:

Draw the proportions cartoonised or chibi.

Work on creating a really pretty background.

Skip the lineart. Just colour straight over the sketch.

Skip the colouring too. Just tidy your sketch up slightly.

Instead of colouring your lineart, add some fun embellishments in monocolour and/or change the colour of your linart.

Pick up a sketchbook (oops I've been assuming you do digital all this time) and do any of these. After being trapped in digital I find physical sketching quite freeing.

Do this for a concept/design that you want to communicate. Consider this the equivalent of jotting down notes in a meeting that you don't want to forget.

Tip 4: Break up your art projects with more art projects

Perhaps controversial, but I find that forcing myself to stay on a single artpiece is the fastest way for me to lose motivation for it. Plus, our brains do like the satisfaction of having finished a project, so we can't deprive ourselves of that for too long.

So we have our staggered "goals"finishedness" goals above. The idea is to plan break projects that won't last more than a day or two. For example, I'm working on a piece that's been going for a month already. On a day that I just feel stuck looking at it, I'll choose to maybe do a design concept art for a different character with just a basic sketch and messy flat colours. This took me about two 1-hour sessions, which meant it was done after a day. After that, I'm back to the main project. When I'm out, I do some physical sketches, nothing coloured or super lined, just new characters again.

Give yourself permission to do other art, with the only rule being don't plan a project that's gonna be just as long. The timing is going to be different for everyone, but no one's keeping track except you.

Tip 5: Draw for yourself

Art is subjective. If you're planning to be a professional artist then you might have to be harsher on yourself, but as someone who draws for enjoyment I implore you to make yourself your biggest audience. You don't have to scrutinise every piece you make. You don't have to wonder whether others will like it. You don't have to heed unasked criticism. If you like it, an enormous goal has already been reached. We are all already our biggest critics. Draw the weird idea and never show anyone. It's fine. It makes you happy. Now go out into the wild and create <3

#phoenixglacier’s words #how to art

[voistly]

8 + 10 + 16 + 17 >:3 !!

8. what's the most fun and the least fun parts about your process

most fun: sketching/planning and picking colours

least fun: sharing it with others (kind of)

^ honestly the least fun parts a long time ago might've been 'lineart' but i've since changed how i approach art. I don't tend to do something if i don't enjoy it. if i'm struggling too much, i skip over it or do it differently. the only thing thats stayed consistent is being afraid if people like it or not LOL.

don't get me wrong: i like sharing my art! it's just scary and sometimes i place too much value on what others think of it. when i can't even see their reaction or know if they saw it.

10. how many different sketches do you usually have until your piece is finished

HMM. not including the pre-sketch/planning work... usually about 2-3. first one is messy, second is a polished sketch, might do a third if i need to clean up the second sketch more.

pre-sketch/planning is a toss up. can't really put a number on it. just depends how much i attach to an idea lol

16. favorite media to work with when drawing traditionally

been working with a lot of acrylic lately but i'm gonna go with gouache.

17. what do you love getting compliments about

character design <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 i always get excited when people get attached to my ocs and stories :3

[sabertoothwalrus]

do you have any tips on streamlining your comic/art making process? I colored in a doodled comic and the whole thing took me hours, I just feel like there's something I'm missing that would make the whole thing go faster? I know a part my own struggle is just learning the program i work with in the first place. apologies if this is somethin too specific to myself lmao

laziness, ultimately.

I think it's pretty universal for artists to assume they're doing something the "wrong" or "difficult" way, and that there MUST be some secret everyone else knows that you somehow missed. I know I definitely feel this way, especially about painting and layout design.

I think once I realized that the amount of time you spend on a comic =/= how much people like it, I stopped caring if I left things sketchy or uncolored or anything besides the bare minimum of what it takes to say what you need to say. I've been trying to practice skills I'd use in storyboarding, except I don't really think about it like "practicing storyboarding skills", I think about it like "what can I do to communicate this scenario as efficiently as possible". How clear are the poses? The order of dialogue? The pacing? The tone? Does the punchline land? Is the setting and placement of characters clear? What can I do to vary the perspective and angles to keep it interesting and aid the tone, without it being too confusing? Sometimes, I DO need to do a bit more with value or color or backgrounds, but I try to get away with conveying as much as I with as little as possible.

I skip a lot of steps. I don't do lineart, I just clean up my sketches. I rarely color things (but I'm trying to get better!) and when I do it's really sloppy and not at all in the lines, but it doesn't really matter. I don't think anyone cares much (not in a self-deprecating way, but a "most people are only going to look at this for a few seconds so fuck it" way)

Beyond that, keyboard shortcuts help a lot. I know screen tablets are the Hot Thing and seem like the industry standard for animation and illustration, but I can't imagine not having my hand on my keyboard the entire time I'm drawing. I use wayyy too many shortcuts to ever use the ones on my tablet, or one of those controller things.

Certain things like the polygonal lasso tool or CSP's nifty "close gap" feature on the bucket tool sure help a lot. There are somethings you'll always have to brute force, so you just have to practice getting faster at brute forcing it.

[martuzzio]

Love your drawings how do you make them?

Thank you for the compliment! I haven't done a digital drawing tech/process update in a while so this is going to be so long, sorry in advance! HUGE disclaimer: I have a steady income and like buying art supplies so my setup is NOT broke art kid friendly. However, I do have worthwhile and sometimes free suggestions!

Software: Adobe fresco and photoshop (I get them for free through my job as a graphic designer, don't come for me). More affordable options I like are CSP (one time purchase), Procreate (I've never used it, but I can't leave it out), and Krita (free!). All of these are awesome and let you do a LOT, including animation!

Hardware: Huion Kamvas 24in on an articulated monitor arm (college graduation gift to myself). In the past I've used a Wacom 13in (bought secondhand from a friend for super cheap), a surface book laptop/tablet (very generous Christmas gift from parents), and my iphone. Finding affordable options for hardware is more difficult than software, but if you have the money for it, looking for a drawing tablet on a secondhand site like ebay or facebook marketplace is worth your time.

Other drawing supplies: a random drawing stylus for my phone, a scanner, a sketchbook, pinterest, colorhunt, unsplash, dafont, and my gigantic 4gb folder of textures on my laptop. I also signed up for this freebie thing from creativemarket (and haven't been charged any money yet so that's cool) which will send me stuff like new digital brushes and cool textures to download. It's definitely more graphic design focused than illustration, but I'd still check it out if you're interested. :D

My art process in bullet points, for pieces I actually spend time on:

Sketch my idea in my sketchbook or phone, sleep on it, then actually start drawing the idea the next day

Make a tighter sketch from the loose sketch I drew the night before while using a million references from pinterest (for really funky poses) or unsplash (for scenery and background ideas) so I'm not drawing completely from my mind/memory (this is important because your mind is prone to remembering things wrong. Always always always use references)

Completely skip over actually lining my art and instead clean up my tight sketch until it looks okay enough

Fill in flat colors using a textured brush (gasp) while sometimes using color palettes as inspiration

Render colors with more textured brushes (plain hard edge circle brush users fight me /j)

Shade in a cel style on top of the rendered colors with a bright mid tone purple/blue/pink set on multiply at 50%

Clip a layer on top of my "lineart," color all of it a dark blue or brown, then start coloring different parts of it with various colors (ex: for a diamond sword, I'd color the edge hitting the light with a bright blue/green/pink. For the edge in shadow, a purple/dark blue/brown)

Forget to sign my name, close the drawing program, then have to reopen it

This is SO LONG, but I hope this gives some insight! If anyone has more questions, let me know. :)

P.S: I have so many art resources saved in my browser that I kind of want to make a whole separate post for it. Let me know if that's something you'd like to see! I might just make it lol

#asks and answers

[mrsackermanx]

18+ Minors do not interact.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝘏𝘦𝘳. (25/?)

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: A shot entirely from Levi’s POV, of his and the reader’s first time together.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6.4k

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Virgin Sex, Impact Play (Spanking), Loss of Virginity, Soft Levi, Love Confession.

I watch her as she talks with Jean and Eren, throwing her head back and laughing so carelessly, like this world we live in isn't so bad. Like we can all handle it. She has that way about her, a way I don't possess, her face invites you in, she comforts and soothes, whereas I cannot even bring myself to smile the majority of the time.

"Levi!"

I clear my throat, it's almost like she knows whenever my brain is straying to a dark place, and then she's by my side in seconds. Immediately providing me comfort with her smile.

"Want me to help you clean today? It's four and you like doing it at four, don't you? I haven't helped you in a while." she asks, beaming at me and placing her hand on my shoulder, she keeps it there only a moment, but I can feel her touch long afterward. I wonder if she knows that I'll be thinking about that over and over, until the next.

"Yes thank you." I answer, melting under her warm eyes as she looks at me with such earnest.

"Let's go!" she chirps, hooking her arm through mine, her eyes shining as she skips beside me, urging me to as well. I just shake my head at her and continue walking, and she laughs, still tugging on my sleeve.

"[Name]!"

"Hey Hange!" She breaks from my arm to wrap Hange in a hug. When Hange lets her down, pointing to Moblit's sketch of Eren in Titan form, both of them coo and screech at it.

"So cool Hange!"

"Right! Come by later and I'll show you the rest!"

"I will, see you later! I'm gonna help Levi clean!" she tells them, waving Hange and Moblit away and joining my side again.

"I love it here Levi." she muses, the way she speaks, the reflective look in her eye, the power she possesses, she's like Erwin in that way. Like life is so much more expansive and joyful, like there's more, she even makes me feel that way, and I even believe her sometimes.

"Yeah?"

"Mm."

I feel my eyes soften as I look at her, and it scares me as I catch myself for a moment, so I straighten my posture and adjust my cravat. I can't. When she was introduced here as a Captain, I had my doubts, but it's been two years and I've grew so damn fond of her, so fond that my mind often goes to lewder places, ones that I'm embarrassed of.

"You walk so slow!" she moans, locking her fingers through mine and walking ahead of me to my office. I only huff and it just makes her giggle, she never takes me too seriously, not like everyone else. I don't fail to notice how my heart jumps when her fingers entwine with mine either.

We finally reach my office and she goes straight for my cleaning supplies, grabbing my white cleaning scarf and nearing me with it.

"What are you doing?" I ask, my throat thickening as she folds it in a triangle and walks closer.

"I'll put it on for you."

"Why?" I ask, backing away to my door, she only walks closer, a mischievous grin stretched across her pretty lips.

"Can't I take care of you sometimes?" she replies, blushing slightly.

"I want to do something to you-"

To me?

"I mean for you!" she flusters, clutching her face and turning away. "For you!"

"That's f-fine...you can do what you want." I stutter, trying to keep my composure, she turns back around and hesitantly floats the scarf above my hair, before tucking it in front of my ears, and tying it securely at the nape of my neck.

I gaze at her as she does, her fingertips are fumbling, unlike when they're confidently clicking and swooshing around in the dips of the gear I've seen her expertly man. Her lips pulled between her teeth, and her throat gulping, I breathe out deeply, as the pads of her fingers fuse with the skin of my nape.

"Soft." she mumbles to herself with a sweet smile, and her eyes twinkle as she smooths them up further, right up my undercut. A dreamy expression dusts her features, as her fingers flick through it, until she looks up into my eyes and her face drops—when she realises what she's doing.

"Levi I-"

"It's fine." I smile, making her eyes widen even more, and her hands freeze their exploration. Her arms stay draped around my neck, her forearms pressing against my shoulders, she's never touched me for this long before.

"Wow! I've never seen that before." she smirks, moving a hand to pinch at my cheek before letting it fall to her side. I want to tell her she can put it back where it was, but at least there's still one resting at the back of my head, cradling it so gently. It almost makes me laugh, like she needs to be gentle with me, but yet she chooses to.

"You won't see it again." I taunt, narrowing my eyes at her, but a shred of a smile still remains.

"Nope there it is, still there." She grins, reaching up and poking the corner of my lip, her hand resuming it's gentle strokes to my hair. I twitch a little, my head moving back from the touch, but she doesn't remove her finger, she's frozen, watching my every reaction. I grab onto her wrist, and pull her hand to my lips, I kiss her finger and then place her hand back on my shoulder to mirror the other.

"I want to see more of you Levi and I-I want to be the only one that does." she blurts, my cheeks burn, and her hands move to my cheeks, her fingers smoothing across my jaw.

"You already do." I say simply, because it's true and I'd never lie to her. She brings her body closer, and I feel a need possess me to have our bodies pressed together, with no space, I want her heart to beat for me, right against mine. I want to feel the warmth of another human for the first time in my adult life, I want her.

"But not just that." she whispers.

"Then—what?" I dare ask, as she moves her face so close, I can see every freckle, every wisp of eyelash, every plump curve of her twitching lips as they wobble between her teeth.

"I want to finally know what you taste like." she gulps, before I can even process the burn that sears through my skin at her words. She crashes her lips into mine, I freeze for a moment and she pulls away, I can see fear, and it strips away the heavenly expression I'd just seen. She's questioning herself, and it's not something I see often.

"Did you not like that?" she asks gently.

"I just wanted to be the one to do it." I smile once more, snaking my hand to the back of hair to knit my hands through the strands as I pull her lips to mine. I want to taste her too.

"I want to taste you too." I pant, I savour her lips this time, slowing the pace down, letting her know I'm not going to rush, I'm going to take my time. I slide my tongue past her lips, and she moans softly, I can barely control myself, every whimpering little breath makes my head spin. This is warmth. This is what another person feels like, what she feels like.

She caresses my cheeks and neck as we kiss, and we fall against the door, rolling back and forth against it, as our lips catch each other. My scarf long ripped off and left laying alone on the floor.

"Your bedroom." she pants, I look at her and her lips are swollen and covered in saliva, it steals my voice. Like she had never seen my smile, I've never seen this face either.

"I've never done anything like this [name]." I confess, holding her gaze, I brace myself, telling myself I can accept any answer, I could die a happy man right now, just maybe, this could be enough.

"I haven't either, but we can do it together, can't we?" she soothes, falling into my arms and wrapping her arms around my waist as she nuzzles her face into my chest.

"Are you sure? You want it to be—me?" I gasp, I don't know what I expected, maybe for her to pull away, laugh? She's never mean, she's always so soft, she never demeans, never pokes fun but-

"Yes, it's only you I want Levi. You're my favourite thing..." her voice sweetens even more, I feel her cheeks raise as she surely smiles against my chest, "Person." she corrects, "Levi."

"Stop." I blush, grabbing her shoulders and gently pushing her away to study her face. I believe her, but I need to hear it again.

"So do I, but do you mean that [name]?"

"Levi, it's only you."

"Really?" I ask, she rolls her eyes, but not in the horrible way, in the way that says Levi, you're such an idiot, I'd never ever lie to you.

"You're blind." She grins, putting her hands on my cheeks and pinching them, I glare at her and it only makes her laugh, of course.

"Well then...That's my favourite thing...in this world and you, too. Obviously." I whisper, she stops to look at me, her lips curling up.

"Mm? More than tea?" she chuckles, rubbing her thumbs over my brows, and squeezing my face together.

"No." I grab her wrists, and nibble one of her fingers and this only makes her smile even more, and before I can even blink, she leans over and covers my lips with hers again. I can feel her eyelashes flutter against my cheeks as our faces smooth together, it tickles. I move my hands to her waist and slide them under her shirt, as hers lock around my neck, and I can feel the heat of her skin beneath my palms, it's calming. I'm not the only one burning up here, I'm not embarrassing myself.

I fall against the door slightly when she jumps up but I quickly grab the undersides of her thighs, not letting us fall, and hitch her over my waist.

She pulls away, and kisses my nose, "Your room." She doesn't need to tell me twice this time, I keep her pressed against me as I walk forwards into my room.

I drop her down onto my bed and climb on top of her, I sit her up, pulling away her jacket and undoing her buttons. I start to kiss her neck and her breaths become even more broken, like her body can't keep up with it, even though she's fumbling with my buttons like I'm a fire she needs to put out.

"Why now?" I groan, as she fastens her lips to my neck, and sucks right where it curves, making me groan out into her ear, only spurring her movements.

"Because I saw you, standing there watching me and I thought you looked too damn good, I thought-"

She pulls my shirt off now, just as I slip hers of her arms, she's wearing a nude pink bra, it's a dusty rose colour and her breasts barely fit it. I feel my cock throb at the sight, especially as she starts to smooth kisses over my chest, as I struggle with the clasp resting against her spine.

"I need it now, I need you now. I can't wait anymore, seeing you everyday, you're all I think about. I feel crazy." she pants, as she drags her lips down the centre of my stomach, sucking and licking at the skin, until she reaches the button of my trousers.

"I feel the same [name]." My heart warms as her eyes scan mine with hesitance, like she's revealed too much, but I can take it, I want to hear it all.

"I want to make you feel good, I think about it...often."

"Tell me more." she teases, as she unzips my trousers, my hands are still fiddling with the clasp of her bra, until finally I push it the right way and it drops, the cups bunching at the top of her chest. My mouth drops when I see her breasts, and I can't help it when my body acts for me. I grab her shoulders, push her down against my pillows, and rip her bra off. She shoots both of her arms out for me to tug it away, instantly following my lead. I then straddle her waist and grab both of her wrists in my hand and pin them above her head. She's speechless, as she nervously licks her lips, I can see she has no idea what I'm going to do, but I also worry I've went too far.

"Shit. [Name] I'm sorry." I whisper, dropping the grip on her wrists, while my eyes adorn her bare heaving chest.

"Look at me." she whispers silkily, it makes the hardness between my legs feel all the more suffocating, the way she looks at me, those eyes, I know what she's saying already.

"Have me." she says calmly, but the look in her eyes is everything but, it's wild, and it makes my blood burn so hot. I can for a moment barely keep my eyes open. My heart can barely catch up to the speed it's now running at too, fuck. "Do whatever you want, I don't care, it's you."

"Shit [name]. Tell me to stop, if it gets too much." I stammer, before thrusting eager and wet kisses all over her collarbones, while I let my hands finally wander over her breasts, twisting and circling my thumbs over her nipples. The louder I groan the more turned on she seems to get, as she grinds against me.

"I won't." She smirks, lurching her body up to match her crotch with mine, she knows what she's doing. She whines so perfectly below me, its making me so much harder, because I can't imagine what she'll do, and how she'll sound when I really touch her.

I spend time sucking and kissing her breasts, closing my teeth ever so slightly over her erect nipples, only to soothe the sensitive buds with my tongue seconds after. Every time I encase my teeth around one, I trail a light fingertip down the centre of her chest, while I burn my eyes up into hers, daring her to move. A few of the times she can't control her body and twitches, moaning when she moves her nipple closer between my teeth, the sting making her cry out beautifully.

I pull away and look at her skin covered in dents and marks from my teeth in delight. I want her to touch me now, feel me beneath her fingers as I explore her more. I lean back and tug off her trousers, and we laugh as they bunch around her knees and then her ankles, until I rip them off. I try and control myself, bunching my fists atop of my thighs, when I see the gusset of her underwear flat with damp, sticking to her folds. I can see every curve of her pussy, and it makes me shiver, because is all that for me?

"Is this all for me? You really want me to have you like this [name]?" She parts her legs for me in reply, and my cock throbs even more, so much more it makes me feel dizzied with lust, she's soaking wet and spreading herself so open for me I can barely handle it.

"I want you to have all of me Levi, please."

"Fuck. I don't think you know what you're doing to me [name], you're, dripping." I shakily exhale, she only laughs, her lidded eyes soft, as she taps my shoulder with her toes.

"I think I do Levi." She grins, singing my name, and following her eyes down to my cock, until now I didn't know she could see it and I can't help but blush, quickly covering my eyes with my forearm.

She kneels in front of me, prying my hands away.

"It's okay, let me see." she soothes, kissing down my body with loud sucks and hums as she forces her fingers past the layer of my trousers and boxers, her knuckles against my hipbones before she roughly tugs them down. My cheeks burn as I realise she'll be seeing me first, but I let her anyway.

"Please." I groan, as she crawls back to rip them off entirely.

"Say that again."

"Please [name]." I watch her face as she reacts to my cock as she pulls my clothing free.

"Damn Levi. I did say I wanted to taste you, didn't I?" she hums, grabbing my knees and kissing my thighs, she lets her tongue lap over every patch her lips memorise first. I watch her in awe, as she tastes at my skin, but I wanted to taste her first.

"Sit back." I command, I'm used to telling people what to do, so the words feel right on my tongue, and luckily she receives them loud and clear, as she breaks away from me and sits back against the headboard.

"Carry on." she urges, the same glint flashing in her eyes. I grab onto either side of her pants, and rip them down slowly, she winces as the fabric burns her skin as it twists slowly down her thighs. My cock grows even harder below me, as I finally see her cunt, it's beautiful, I've never seen one before, but now I don't ever want to see one that isn't hers. It's pretty, and I can see she's in need because it looks swollen, in all the right places. I heard men talk about sex so brashly when I lived underground, but Furlan, he used to tell me about it, and he told me, the top, that's where I need to touch, if I ever make it there, that is. And that's where it's swollen, so that's exactly where I'll put my mouth, but for now, I want her to squirm.

I rip away her underwear, and throw them behind me, before I stroke my hands up her calves to her knees, and push her thighs apart, she'd clenched them together when I'd removed her panties, and it made my heart flutter.

"You don't need to be embarrassed."

"Levi." she blushes, covering her face, I reach over and pull her hands away, kissing her forehead,

"It's pretty." I whisper, this makes her press her thighs together even more, making me smirk, she's so sweet.

"Levi!"

"Kiss me."

She leans up and presses her lips to mine almost instantly, lapping her tongue across mine, "Levi, please." she moans breathlessly.

"I'll help, but first I want you to show me [name]."

"Show you what?" she stammers, her hands stroking my face as I trail down to kiss and suck at her chest once more. I run my rough thumbs in circles, making her hips raise and clash into my torso as I make her whine so prettily into my ear.

"Show me how you wanna be touched, and I'll do it." I taunt, biting down onto her shoulder to make her squeal before pulling away. I wrap my hand around my cock in anticipation, waiting for her.

"Open your legs [name]." She slowly opens them, and I cannot control that noise that slips from my throat when she does again.

"Hurry, I want to know how you taste." I breathe, palming myself slowly, for once I don't hate the sensation, not when she's sprawled so beautifully for me like art in front of me.

"Fuck okay." She moans softly, as she clutches one of her breasts and follows her hand down to her dripping pussy. She takes two fingers and starts to rub them circularly on her clit, it's right at the top, where Furlan had once told me it was, it calms my nerves, I don't want to disappoint her.

"Levi." she mewls softly, as she rubs even faster, and I do too, matching the pace of my hand to hers.

"Fuck you're really wet." I groan, as her cunt starts to make soft lapping sounds while she rubs herself.

"It's all for you." she groans dazedly, as she moves her hand so fast now, in my state I can barely keep up. I stop my hand for a moment in awe as I watch her body writhe, her thighs twisting and kicking, her toes curling, and her body start to shake from her core. She calls my name with every pass of her wrist, and it makes me grunt in desperation as I start to palm myself in time with her again. Her breasts snapping up and down, and her face contorting so beautifully when she cums.

"Levi, I'm—fuck!"

"Fuck [name]." I gasp, as her hands slip against her cunt, the wet noise when she pulls her hand away is sinful. And I groan as I watch a bead of cloudy white cum drop out of her, and trickle down her ass and below her on the bed.

"I'm gonna make you feel so fucking good, I'll make you cum, gonna use my tongue."

"Levi!" she squeals, as I latch my hands on both of her ankles, and pull her down the bed to me, grabbing onto her ass and lifting her body up before I attack the back of her thighs with hungry kisses.

"What are you doing?" she giggles.

My hands grip into the pillowy skin, it's hot, and I let my nails dig into it, "Don't move, gonna put my tongue where it feels good." I moan, as I start to plant soppy kisses around her inner thighs.

"Shit Levi, I can't believe you."

"Get used to it." I groan back.

I notice her opening clenching and unclenching, the cum still gleaming against her folds, mixing with a clear slick that makes me shudder. I start to lick at the oozing liquid trailing down her pussy, and she mutters and groans curses below me. "Mm [name]."

"Levi, fuck!"

"Taste so good." I moan, this only makes her curse even more, her fists clenching the sheets. Her body twitches and trashes with every drawn out run of my tongue, "You're really sensitive." I tell her as I start to lick closer to her clit.

"Oh Levi, please closer."

"Where?" I smirk, keeping my tongue planted below her dripping entrance, letting her sweet taste run onto my tongue.

"Up." she whines. "Levi please."

I run my tongue slowly up her folds, tasting more of her cum that had been dripping before my face. "Fuck, that's good." I groan, as I flick my tongue faster and make her body weaken, before I point my tongue and press her clit with it.

"Levi! There!" she moans.

I've found it, yes, I've found it.

I start to kiss it, flicking it with my tongue and sucking it between my lips, it drives her wild. "Levi, don't stop, please!" she squeals.

I hum in affirmation, before I start to guzzle on it, starting slow. And I trace a careful finger up the back of her thigh, before dragging it up and down her oozing slit as my mouth sucks on her. She rocks herself up and down against my chin and then I pull away, flitting my tongue up and down as fast I can, she moans so loud, that it kicks me into action. I carefully push my middle finger into her and she shrieks, my thick and rough digit is engulfed by her instantly and it makes me groan as my tongue works on her clit.

"Keep going!" she groans, her voice cracking and her throat hoarse. But I slow my tongue movements down, lapping up her taste for a moment, as I start to push my finger in and out.

"Another! Please." she groans, I push another finger in and her legs flail around my body, then I up the pace of my tongue once more. The noises that bless my ears feel enough to make me release all over her already, I even grunt as I speed my tongue side to side, hitting her swollen clit with every swirl of it.

"Just like that Levi! Fuck! Where did you learn this?!"

I press the pads of my fingers up and let my knuckles anchor my entrance into her, as I flick them up in springing motions inside her, the spot this touches makes her scream, and I don't let up, only carrying on.

"Gonna cum Levi! Fuck Levi I'll-ah!" she cries out, her entire body vibrating in my clutch, the palm I have pressed on the back of her thigh feels every shake and bubble of the pleasure running through her body. I can feel the burning of her skin and how much she's letting herself go. She tries to reach her hands up to push my head away, but I keep going, and she almost sounds like she's choking above me. I moan even louder into her as I feel her cum drip into my mouth, she really does taste good.

"Levi! Please I can't again!" she screams, I can't help myself as I continue to suckle up every bit of liquid I can that slips past her luscious lips, not letting my fingers stop their motions either. She pulls at my hair, whimpering senselessly as I bob my head fast against her. I slap my hand hard on the back of her thigh, and grunt louder to quiet her, this drives her crazier, as she swivels her hips, pushing her cunt harder into my face. So I lick and suck faster, driving my fingers into her with even more vigour. She groans out as she cums again, her walls gripping my fingers so hard this time I shake with her, feeling the pleasure that courses through her second hand, stealing a glance at her face, her mouth hanging open, eyes clamped shut.

"You've gotta stop now." she laughs. "I will pass out."

I chuckle as I grab either side of her thighs and pull her up onto my lap to straddle me, my cock rubbing against her thigh, my head drops into her neck at the sensation and she holds me. I hold her back tightly, running my fingers through her sweat flecked hair.

"Are you really a virgin Levi? Or were you trying to make me feel better?" she teases, planting lazy kisses to my shoulders. She sucks the skin and lets her teeth create grooves into it, as she pulls the skin between her lips and against their sharp edges.

"Oi." I chuckle, stroking her back as she catches her breath on my shoulder.

"I liked the slap." she giggles quietly.

"So dirty already?" I tease, coiling some of her hair around my fingers and playing with it.

"I think that's all you."

"Are you a virgin [name]? Because I'm sure that's what dirty girls like?" I mock, feeling her grip her thighs around me tighter at my teasing.

"Well dirty men slap." she retorts, biting harder at my shoulder, I flinch a little until she runs her tongue across the assaulted skin, blood threatening to leave it.

"Careful, cause I'll do it again." I mutter, stroking my hands down to rest on her ass, massaging and clutching the skin between my fingers.

"Do it then." she challenges.

I stop for a moment when I realise it's her cum I can feel dripping all over my thighs, I pull back and assess her face. "Don't turn away." I hiss, as I bring my hand up from her ass and run it up the centre of her chest, until it reaches her throat, I clutch it gently, and her eyes ignite. She smirks as she reaches her hand up and squeezes it over mine, making me clutch it even tighter.

"Fuck." I gasp, as she grinds herself on my thighs, as she does it I keep the hold on her neck firm. And then I finally do it, bringing my hand up and crashing it back down on her ass.

"Fuck!"

Her voice sounds so erotic that I'm sure I'm growing harder.

"Again." she gulps, her body weakening as her face falls into my neck once more, her other hand on my chest to steady herself. I do it harder this time, and she squeals, dripping more wetness over my thigh, she then reaches her hand down and grips the base of my cock, making me groan out. Finally. She then shuffles back off me and starts to jerk it slowly as she kisses up my thighs once more, her expression sending chills my spine.

"That's right, go on." I taunt.

"Gonna make you feel good Levi, I want you to cum so bad."

"Fuck [name]. Put your lips on it, please." I moan, she grins, placing teasing little licks on my tip, my hips buck forward, my cock poking her lips. So I lean down and grab her hair in one hand and keep her head still as I grab my cock and spread my pre cum across her lips, making them shine with it. She whimpers from my roughness as I keep control of her head, gripping her hair hard.

"Make me take it Levi."

"Shit [name]." I babble, as she starts to slide her lips down my cock, not breaking from my eyes as she slowly takes more and more inches with every tight pass of her lips. She tightens them around me as she bobs her hair up and down, her hand matching the pace of her lips, as it works what her mouth can't fit.

"So [name], how do I taste?" I choke out.

"Because you taste fucking good." I splutter, I have no control as her silky mouth sucks and licks at my cock, a grin to her lips.

She pulls away, a string of spit following,

"Well do you want to taste?" she hums, making my heart stop for a moment, as she sticks her tongue out at me. I lean down and grab her chin laying my tongue against hers, and lapping up my taste, before slipping my tongue past her lips to kiss her. A mix of our tastes exchange, making both of us moan as we taste ourselves.

"Fuck." I murmur into her lips, as I kiss her deeper still, we start to kiss so hungrily, it almost feels like we're getting whiplash, as we aimlessly and sloppily lock lips. Our jaws are surely aching but we don't stop. Slowly even saliva starts to drip from the corners of our mouths and gloss both of your chins, while our breaths spiral out of control. She falls on top of me, and starts to grind against my dick, her wetness covering it as she ruts her hips with need.

"Put it in now." she whimpers.

"Mm?"

"I want you inside me Levi, please." she whines, I grab onto her waist and change our positions, putting her on her back and resting my weight in my forearms as I hold myself above her.

"You do [name]?" I smile against her ear, nipping her earlobe, and before I can even process it she's grabbing my cock and guiding it to her cunt. I immediately grab her hand and throw it aside, her eyes gleaming as she spreads her thighs further apart for me, ready. "Oi."

"Put it in then."

"Be good for me."

"Always."

"I'll start slow, I promise." I soothe, placing my lips on her forehead, as I guide my cock into her slowly, I notice she feels tight, and I feel her throbbing around the tip of my cock. So I quickly and gently pull it back out, giving her moment.

I press kisses all over her face and she calms, "Relax, and breathe."

"I'm just a bit nervous." she confesses, her hands reaching up and holding my face to look up at me, this makes me blush and I hate it, but she's already seen all of me now.

"That's okay, so am I." I smile, kissing the tip of her nose.

"You promise?"

"[Name] I'm shaking."

She laughs, "That you are."

"So lets do this together, I'm here." I say softly, snaking my hand down to her pussy and rubbing her clit.

"Just me and you?"

"Just me and you." I whisper back.

"I'm ready."

I begin again, slowly working it in, watching her face screw up so beautifully below me as she moans out my name.

"You're taking it so well, we're almost there, that's it." I groan, kissing her temple, and then down to her ear, making her laugh as my breath tickles it. She then grabs onto both of my hips, and suddenly pulls me into her, making the rest of my length reach deep inside her. The strangled noise she releases, makes me fall apart against her too, so much so I barely hear the noise I make.

"Didn't want to wait." she gasps.

"How do you feel? You idiot! You need to be careful." I exhale, my eyes barely open as her cunt throbs and pulses around me.

She smiles. "I feel fine."

"And you feel fucking good, dammit Levi." she moans, pulling my face down to her neck, as she wraps her thighs around my hips, her heels on my back.

"Start slow, but remember what I said Levi?"

"Mm?"

"To have me, so take all you want." she groans.

"And I'll give you everything I've got [name]."

"Fuck, Levi."

I hold onto her waist and start slowly push in and out of her, every time I reach completely in she gasps, her hands clumsily pawing at my torso.

"You're gonna have to wait for that hm [name]?" I chuckle, watching her face scrunch with every rut of my hips.

"Oi, it's getting easier." she smiles weakly, moving both of her hands to her breasts, and squeezing, the sight of her doing this makes me weaker, especially as she starts to lurch her hips up to meet mine. She's growing so wet, it's dripping down my cock with every thrust. "You can go faster now." she moans, so I go faster, and she holds onto me tighter as I fuck her even harder. I look down at our bodies, and for a split second I almost can't tell where I start and where she ends, she feels too good, this feels too good.

"Fuck me Levi, oh shit."

"Touch yourself." I pant, she looks at me with curious eyes but reaches her hand down to do it, her sinewy fingers working magic on herself, making her moan even more.

"Give me more Levi, please."

I push her hips up, her knees pushed against her chest, and thrust into her even harder, "I wanna make you cum [name], cum on me this time, on my dick." I groan.

"Oh, fuck, Levi, do it again, slap." She moans, wrapping her arms around my nape and bucking into my thrusts. I take my hand and slap firmly on her ass, she shrieks out and her cunt grips me even tighter.

"You like that?!"

She unhooks an arm from my neck and wraps her hand around the column of my straining throat, "Do you like this?" she asks, a hint of insecurity behind her eyes.

"Don't have to be so gentle with me...love."

"Oh my, Levi!" she moans even louder at the pet name, and I can feel how red my cheeks are by how they burn. But then she squeezes harder and I slap the back of her thighs hard, and one by one.

"Again! Harder."

"Gonna make you cum my love!" I repeat and she loses it even more, her body starts to arch up into mine as she shakes. And I begin to punctuate every thrust with a fiery slap to her ass.

"Levi, you're so far in!"

"I know I am, I'm so deep inside, fuck."

"Then cum inside! Fill me up with your cum, I want to feel full of you."

"[Name]!"

"Please, cum inside me."

"Gonna fucking—gonna cum, in you love." I moan shakily.

"Levi-Levi I'm so close!"

I'm starting to feel hazy from her choking, but I tell her to do it harder anyway, I want her to finish with me, so I go even faster. I feel the fizzing in my stomach start to become more violent as I get closer, she cums first, squeezing me tight between her thighs.

"Levi, I'm cumming!" she pants, and I cum only seconds after her, filling her to the brim with my cum.

"Give it all to me." she moans, still rocking her hips up to mine slowly. I soften a little and pull out and a mix of our arousals trickle out of her.

"[Name]." I groan as I drop my head on her chest. "I shouldn't have."

"We've never gotten a pregnancy here, must be the stress, Hange told me." she pants. "Promise."

"Four eyes told you that?"

"When I hugged them earlier."

I chuckle, "I'll help them capture a new Titan next expedition."

She laughs back, and we both lie on our sides, bodies entwined.

"So, how did you like it?" I ask her, shyly avoiding her gaze.

Was I good enough?

She gently lifts my chin, and presses a tender kiss to my lips, "You were amazing Levi."

"Is it something you would want to do it again?"

"Let's go." She rolls us both over and places both her hands on my chest.

"[Name] I didn't mean now, you can rest love."

She grins. "If you call me that, I'll want it even more."

I pull her down to kiss me, and playfully slap her ass. "Is that so?" I laugh into her lips. She giggles against mine, fastening her hand to my neck before she kisses me tongue first.

"Oh yes Levi."

Previous Chapter-

24: 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

Next Chapter-

26: "𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭." {𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘈𝘶 } 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 2 (𝘙𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 )

MrsAckermanX 2021 ©

#aot smut #levi x reader #levi ackerman #aot fanfiction #levi fanfiction

[littledarlinwrites]

Ocean Eyes - Chapter 1

Burning Cities & Napalm Skies

Boxer!Bucky x Reader

Word count: 1459

Author's note: this is written for @saiyanprincessswanie, I hope you like it dear, and thank you so very much for being so patient! Also, shout out to my sweet alliebeans (@all1e23) for being my beta! I honestly don't know what I would do with you.

Warnings: abusive relationship. Yelling, cursing, degrading remark this is about 2 paragraphs long towards the end, if you need to skip this it's outlined with ~ at the beginning and end of those two paragraphs so you can skip that bit if needed. Bucky is barely in this chapter, however, he will be in the next, gotta set things up and all that jazz.

Sweat dripped from his brow, stinging his eyes. The sparring match with Steve lasting longer than most, until he saw a pretty girl walk in that caught his eye. Unfortunately, that was also the moment Steve's fist did too. 

"Oh shit, Buck? You okay?" Steve cursed. 

"Language Rogers," Bucky managed to chuckle out as Steve went to get him a bag of ice. He could tell even from a distance the girl was quiet, reserved, almost shy and meek. She was out of element, but also had an excitement sparkling in her eyes. Then he saw Rumlow wrap his arm around her waist. A sickening smirk sent Bucky's way. His eyes dropping back down to the mat beneath his feet until his trainers feet enter his line of sight.

"Time to call it a night. Pierce is here to train Rumlow. Want to grab a bite to eat?"

"Nah man, I'm not hungry." Bucky said as his stomach soured. He didn't like either man. Rumlow always was a macho alpha male, and Pierce was a slimy bastard who hasn't gotten caught working two opposing gyms, yet. Bucky had lost his appetite. 

****

You walked into the gym with your boyfriend. You were nervous, but the excitement that your boyfriend held was contagious, not to mention you hadn't stepped foot near a boxing ring since your dad passed away ten years ago. Boxing wasn't the same without him, and it always brought a bit of pain to your heart, but you swallowed it down to accompany your boyfriend to his practice session he demanded you attended. You felt his fingers grip nearly painfully into your waist, and you were sure you couldn't completely hide the grimace gracing your face. When Brock released you to go sit on one of the aluminum chairs there were set up around the ring. Your shoulder brushing the man leaving that caught your eye when you entered. He was focused, took a hit as well as he gave them, and his blue eyes were captivating. You caught his eyes once again as he apologized, his touch to you arm to steady you making your heart skip a beat, and it was gone in that same measure, almost causing it to falter.

You blinked and made your way to the chair beside a blonde man sitting with an open sketch book in his lap. The trainer that was working with the brunette that seems to have captivated you quickly. You sit down beside him, arms around yourself as you watched Brock train with Pierce. You couldn't help but glance at the sketchpad his pencil scratched against. The sketch, only half done, was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. It was of a woman, hair perfectly coiffed, captivating eyes, and the man was sketching out the makings of a smirk on her face. You couldn't help but gasp at the beautiful image.

"I hope that was a good thing." The man says with a smirk, but the brief glimpse at his eyes showed vulnerability. 

"Oh, sorry. It was. A good thing that is. It's beautiful."

"Ya think so?"

"Definitely. How long have you been working on it?"

"Started it last night after our third date. She's a helluva dame. She wants to see my artwork sometime soon. Just nervous about it."

"You shouldn't be. It's beautiful."

"Thanks. Ya know, I've seen you around here, but I don't think I've ever caught your name. I'm Steve Rogers, by the way."

"Y/N Y/L/N." You say, your trembling hand reaching his. His grasp was soft, gentle. Something you didn't realize could come from a man of his stature, let alone a boxer.

"It's nice to meet you. You Rumlow's girl?" Steve asks as he continues his sketch, his eyes glancing up every once and a while to show he was still engaged in the conversation.

"Uh, yeah." You responded, glancing up at Brock. The ferocious look on his face as he continued to practice sending a shiver down your spine.

"How long have you guys been together?"

"About three years."

"Wow, that's a while."

"Yeah. We met at a bar while I was out with the girls. Some guy spilled his drink all over me and then tried 'helping' to clean it up. Brock stepped in and the rest is history."

"Huh, didn't realize he was such a white knight. Then again he's on the other team that we usually spare against. Not like we all hang out drinking beers together after."

You and Steve continued chatting until Brock stood beside you with his hand gripping your shoulder.

"Time to go Y/N, I have an early morning." His tone left no room for argument. You stood with your eyes downcast, simply raising your hand to steve in a shy wave and began walking beside Brock into the cold night air.

That wasn't the last time you ran into Steve, you'd find him in the same spot with the same sketchpad most nights that Brock was training. You quickly learned that the nights he wasn't there were the nights that him and his friend which was also his boxer, Bucky, had a match. There was one fateful night, the night before Brock's match against Bucky, that Steve was there sketching. Your whole body was tense. You weren't sure how long you could keep doing this. Steve must have noticed since he slipped you a piece of paper with his number and a note which read, "in case you need anything." You left the gym that night with Brock as always, however, you could feel the anger radiating from him the entire way home. 

You jumped at the same of every door in your shared apartment, the sound of every heavy footfall. You knew the yelling was coming after the second slam of the fridge door. Brock must have been on his third or fourth drink by now.

You quietly left the bathroom to your shared bedroom. You dreaded it every night. Crawling into the same bed with the man you used to love, but now all you do is fear.

Surprisingly you were able to fall asleep quickly, and stay that way through the night. When you woke you could hear Brock in the kitchen. You saw his empty gym bag at the foot of the bed and decided to start packing it for him. You were almost finished when he walked into the bedroom. 

"Hey baby." He whispers in your ear as his hands run across the still tender flesh of your arms. 

"Hey." You stammer out breathlessly. You feel like caged prey, but you also can't help but relax into his embrace, one that could be loving when he wanted to be, like now. You pull out his red shorts, folding them so they wouldn't wrinkle in his bag.

"Wait. You're packing my red shorts? Are you kidding me!" He spats as his grip tightens. "You know that's the other team's colors. I wear black for matches, you know that!" You quickly moved out of the way as he ripped the shorts from your hands and tossed them across the room. You sat down on your side of the bed with your knees to your chest.

~~~~~~~~~

"You're absolutely useless you know that?" He says as he begins repacking his bag. "You knew I had a match today yet here you were lazing about in bed all morning before you decided to drag your ass out of it to pack my bag. Couldn't make me breakfast, couldn't clean. You can't do anything right!" He says as he strides over to your side of the bed after zipping his bag closed. He grabbed your still bruised upper arms causing you to flinch, but you knew better than to fight back. 

"At least be ready to celebrate my win tonight, you've slept enough for it. Unless I need to go find someone who can at least fuck me right." He spat in your face before shoving you backwards, causing the back of your head the thump against the wall hard enough to cause spots to dance across your vision. You felt yourself being tossed around, handing mapping their way across your skin in the unloving manner you became accustomed to. You heard a voice shouting obscenities, degrading you, your worth. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A while later your vision cleared as you heard the door slam. Brock had left the apartment. You struggled from your spot in the corner onto shakey and bruised legs. You made your way to the book you had stashed between the mattress and box spring, your fingers fumbling for the price of paper shoved between its pages.

"Steve, I need your help."

#bucky barnes x reader #boxer!bucky x reader #bucky x reader #boxer au #ocean eyes

[yourlocalsewerdragon]

heheheheheh hey dragon

Flynn: (narrating) This is the story of how I died. Don't worry, this is actually a very fun story. And the truth is, it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl, named Rapunzel. And it starts, with the sun. Now, once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens.

[The drop falls from the sky]

And from this small drop of sun, grew a magic, golden, flower.

[The drop sprouts the flower.]

It had the ability to heal the sick, and injured. (Mother Gothel enters the scene.) Oh, you see that old woman, over there? You might want to remember her. She's kind of important. (Mother Gothel leaves the scene.) Well, centuries passed and a hop skip and a boat ride away there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved King and Queen. And the Queen, well she was about to have a baby, and she got sick, really, sick. She was running out of time. And that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower. (Mother Gothel enters the scene.) Ahhh, I told you she'd be important. You see instead of sharing the Sun's gift, this woman, Mother Gothel, hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years. And all she had to do was sing a special song.

Mother Gothel: (singing) ♪Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine.♪

Flynn: (He narrates.) All right, you get the gist. She sings, she turns young. Creepy, right? 

Guards: We found it!

Flynn: (he narrates.) The magic of the golden flower, healed the queen. A healthy baby girl, a princess was born. With beautiful golden hair. I'll give you a hint. That's Rapunzel. To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. For that one moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended.

(Mother Gothel, aged again, sneaks into the nursery. Rapunzel is asleep in her crib. Gothel lifts a strand of Rapunzel's hair and draws a pair of scissors from her cloak)

Mother Gothel: (singing) ♪Flower, gleam and glow, let your powers shine, make the clock re----♪ [shocked gasp]

(She cuts the strand. It turns brown and falls upon the mattress, powerless.)

Flynn: (narrates.) Gothel broke into the castle and stole the child. Just like that... gone. The Kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the Princess. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Gothel raised the child as her own.

(Cut scene to the hidden tower. Gothel is brushing Rapunzel’s hair.)

Rapunzel: (singing) ♪...save what was lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine.♪

Flynn: ( narrates.) Gothel had found her new magic flower. But this time she was determined to keep it hidden.

Rapunzel: Why can't I go outside?

Mother Gothel: The outside world is a dangerous place. Filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, flower?

Rapunzel: Yes, Mommy.

Flynn: (narrates) But the walls of that tower could not hide everything. Each year on her birthday, the King and Queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky in hope that one day, their lost Princess would return.

[18 Years Later]

(Pascal hides behind a flower pot and camouflages himself)

Rapunzel: (shoves aside curtains) HAH! Hmm, Well... I guess Pascal's not hiding out here.

(Pascal chuckles, then Rapunzel's hair snatches him up. He shrieks.)

Rapunzel: GOTCHA!!! That's twenty two for me. How about twenty three, out of forty five? [Pascal shakes his head no] Okay, well, what do you want to do? [Pascal points his tail out the window, indicating that he wants to go outside] Yeah, I don't think so. I like it in here and so do you. [Pascal pouts] Oh, come on Pascal, it's not so bad in there.

{singing} 7a.m. the usual morning lineup, starting the chores I sweep 'til the floors all clean. Polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine up. Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15. So I'll read a book, or maybe two or three. I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery. I'll play guitar, and knit, and cook and basically. Wonder when will my life, begin. Then after lunch, it's puzzles, and darts and baking. Paper-mache , a bit of ballet, and chess. Pottery, and ventriloquy, candle making. Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch. Take a climb, sew a dress, and I'll re-read the books. If I have time to spare, I'll paint the walls some more, I'm sure there's room somewhere. And then I'll brush, and brush, and brush, and brush my hair. Stuck in the same place I've always been. And I'll keep wondering, and wondering, and wondering... Wondering, just when will my life begin?'  Tomorrow night, the lights will appear. Just like they do on my birthday, each year. What is it like out there, where they glow? Now that I'm older. Mother might just let me go. {end of singing}

[Cut scene to the castle. Flynn Rider and the Stabbington brothers are leaping from building to building before stopping.]

Flynn: [Standing on top of the castle] Wow! I could get used to a view like this.

Sideburns: Flynn, come on.

Flynn: Hold on. Yep, I'm used to it. Guys, I want a castle.

Sideburns: We do this job, you can buy your own castle.

[Inside the castle]

Guard: (Sneezes)

Flynn: Oh, hay fever?

Guard: Yeah. (He turns around to see Flynn leaning against the pedestal, with the crown in his hand. He turns back around.) Huh? (turns around and sees Flynn, who is now escaping through the roof) Wait, what? Hey, wait!

Flynn: Can't you picture me in a castle of my own? I mean, I certainly can. Oh, the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning. Gentlemen, this is a very big day.

oh no

oh you've gotta be kidding me

#why am i being bullied rn #i didn't even do anything #dragon shows what you seek #~aravenclawdaughterofhades~

[jayce-space]

As an early present I ended up getting a new gouache set. I've been just playing with them as I don't know what to paint but I like it. I also finally got a chance to swatch my paints and compare them. I figured I'd post here as both sets are cheap and have a low entry point for people starting. I have used professional watercolor paint before but feel it's a waste as I'm still learning and don't need that high quality yet for the price.

Pentel 18 watercolor set:

This is the one I've been playing with the longest. They're tubes whice I personally prefer but you can make pans if you want as they reactivate very nicely. The colors in the set are alright but aren't super pigmented so need a lot of layers to get deep colors. The dark greens and blues are also very simular. They don't grain up so good for smooth colors . Mixing is a bit muddy but if you take it slow you can get some good combinations. I found this works nicely on cheap paper too so if you just want to add some color to sketches go for it. Very translucent. Washes off of brushes very nicely!

Reeves 18 watercolor set:

I haven't had a long time to play with these ones yet. They're very different in feel though. The texture is more grainy but the colors far more vibrant. You get two nice shades of your primaries which is nice for mixing. The pigments cling to your brush you don't need to return as often. These paints share the same parent company as Windsor and Newton which is nice as I personally found the shades simular. I look forward to playing with these more and trying a few pieces with them.

Reeves Gouache set:

I don't have much to compare to for quality. This is my first gouache set. But can I say I love it? Very smooth, very pigmented, great color range. I really like it! It's a middle ground between watercolor and acrylic and I can't wait to use it for detail work and block in color which I think is where it'd shine. Without knowing any other brands I recommend giving this a shot if you want to try gouache.

I'm not a professional, and these are just rundowns based on my dabbling. But so far I'm happy, and think if you like to use tube colors this is a great start to your collection.

I've used the artist loft sets too and hated them so skip that. They were dry and not pigmented leaving a lot of wasted paint. They reactivate awful! I ended up having to throw a lot away.

If you like pans you'll want to shop around or make your own, I don't like the mess and having to return so I don't use them much. I know a lot of people love them though.

All sets are under $20 which if you're starting is very reasonable. You need very little so they go a long way. Watercolors and gouache reactivate so don't clean your pallets just add a drop of water and continue. Plastic pallets bead up so if you want smoother looks and for stuff to stay together use ceramic or porcelain. Synthetic brushes are a lot cheaper and cleaner but don't hold water well so you'll need to return more. Natural are more expensive and messy but hold one color and water for a lot longer making them excellent fir big areas and washes. Have fun and practice!

Made using the pental set.

[josephbr911]

Build Something!

As many of you know, woodworking is one of my hobbies (chores if my wife makes me do it). In the grand scheme I'd say I'm certainly an amateur, but I've still built things that I'm proud of. And whatever your skill level may be, it can be such a rewarding endeavor (not to mention a money saver). Anyone's who's relished in the sweet smell of fresh cut cedar or had their eyes open wide when they apply that first coat of stain and watch that grain come to life knows what I mean. It just makes you want to make more. Whether they're trinkets or decorations or furniture, my house or other people’s homes are starting to get littered with products of my wood shop (garage).

Whenever I build something new, I inevitably get asked from others one of two, if not both questions:

1. Can you make me one? (Quick answer: Yes, if you help out, supply (or pay for) materials, and provide the beer.

2. How did you get started doing this (and how can I start doing this)?

I'll use this post to answer question 2 and hopefully get you on the path of making some sweet sawdust of your own!

A. Get some tools and supplies. When possible, get power tools. Power makes the world go round. NOTE: I'm only going to list building tools and supplies. Finishing supplies is a whole other can of worms.

Mandatory:

Wood -- Duh. I have found that all kinds of beautiful things can be made out of cheap construction timbers (knotty pine) with a little finesse.  Birch plywood is great for large panels and looks beautiful with stain.  MDF is also a great material for large panels, but you can’t stain it (gotta paint it), you better pre-drill your screw holes, and it makes a awful mess when you cut it.  Cut it outside and wear a mask.  Beyond that, you can spend as much as you want on higher end boards like poplar, oak, maple, walnut, cherry, etc... but prepare for a little sticker shock if you need several board feet.

Tape measure and speed square -- these will let you accurately measure out and mark cut lines. The speed square can also be used as a handy fence to make quick and straight cross cuts with a circular saw.

Hammer and rubber mallet -- uses of the hammer are obvious. The rubber mallet is very handy for "coaxing" tight pieces into place without marring them.

Safety glasses, ear protection, and shop apron -- self explanatory.

Clamps, clamps, and more clamps -- a woodworker can never have enough clamps. You can get a lot done with a variety of sizes of bar clamps, C clamps, and spring clamps. To save some dough, pick up the cheapies at Harbor Freight. I've got tons of them and they've served me well. Seriously, get a lot of clamps.

A supply of wood glue and nails/fasteners -- TiteBond II is the glue you want. Just always have some on hand. The fasteners will accumulate as you buy more for specific projects.

Cordless Drill/driver -- Any homeowner should already own a decent one. Bonus point if you pick up an impact driver. While not necessary, an impact driver makes driving large screws a breeze and makes stripped out heads a thing if the past. Once I used one I wondered how I lived without it.  Of course with these tools you'll need an assortment of drill bits and driving bits. They can be bought in affordable kits. In my experience, Ryobi bits suck.

Circular saw or Jig Saw -- A circular saw (go corded to start out) is very versatile and can perform a variety of cuts... except curved cuts. A jig saw excels in making curved cuts in thinner materials and smaller, more intricate cuts (good for arts and crafts). I'd start out with a circular saw and perhaps add the jig saw as funds become available.

Power Sander -- Some may argue this is optional, but F that. Life is too short to sand shit by hand. Get either a pad sander or random orbital sander and a variety of sanding disks or paper. 80, 150, and 220 grit (or close to those numbers) should cover 98% of your sanding needs.

Cold beer and tunes -- what fun is working in the garage without a pop and Metallica in the background?

Optional:

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig -- I suppose this is one of the "optional" items, but seriously, just spend $100 and buy the K4 system. It is basically "wood joints for dummies". Ask anyone who owns one and they'll echo my sentiments. I wish I'd have known about it when I started woodworking. it allows you to easily fasten pieces together with a fairly strong joint while skipping complex wood joining methods.  Buy it.

Miter saw AKA chop saw -- A chop saw will make fast, accurate, and repeatable cross cuts all day long. It can also make angled cuts (either miters or bevels, and both at once). Most simple 10" saws will cleanly cut up to 2x6s and 4x4s, but you'll need a 12" or sliding saw to cut larger pieces. I have a 10" and it's plenty for 95% of what I want to do. While very handy, I would not get only a chop saw and skip the circular saw. Get the circ saw first (it can perform more tasks) and add a chop saw when your ready.

Router and variety of bits -- a router is what can really take your finished projects to professional looking. While a router can perform many tasks, I mostly use it to put a decorative profile on the edge of pieces, like a table top. A simple round over or chamfered edge make your projects look finished. While you can buy a fire-breathing router with a table, I've been plenty satisfied with a "trim router" that accepts 1/4" collet bits. Getting a plunge base with it will further enhance its abilities.

Shop vacuum -- Cutting wood makes a damn mess. If you want, I suppose you could get by with a broom and dust pan, but a capable shop vac makes life easier. But which one? My answer is simple. When you're browsing the selection at your local Home Depot or Lowes, get the one that costs $100.00.

Nail Gun -- If you already have an air compressor at home (for filling tires, basketballs, blowing things off, etc...) you’re halfway there.  I picked up an open-box 18ga brad nailer off of Amazon a while ago.  It is awesome for tacking on small trim pieces and barely leaves a nail hole.  Highly recommended if you can swing it.

Advanced:

Table saw -- while many say that a table saw is the heart of any wood shop, for most of us it isn't going to be an early purchase or practical. I've been fortunate enough to have anytime access to one thanks to my neighbor (thanks Lloyd!) and recently picked up a small one from a garage sale. They excel at rip cuts and are extremely versatile. With certain sleds and accessories, you can do almost anything on a table saw. But they can be pricey and can take up a lot of room.  If you have extensive rip cuts that you need done but don’t have a table saw or they may be too big a task for your circular saw, ask the friendly faces at Home Depot or Lowes to make a cut for you.  When you buy lumber you’re allowed two free cuts per, and you can usually sweet talk them into more.  Just leave them a nice review.

Planer -- This machine let's you control the thickness of your materials. Very nice for if you're making a table top out of multiple boards and want to ensure they're all the exact same thickness, among other things. They can also remove surface imperfections and leave the planed surface clean and almost finish-ready. They also make one HELL of a mess. Use it in your driveway with your shop vac on hand.

There are of course more advanced tools you will see in professional wood shops, but I'm not trying to cover that full scope. This is for the hobbyist.

B. Get a plan. Some people are good at throwing caution to the wind and cutting wood and slapping shit together. I am not one of those people. Thankfully we live in the age of YouTube, Pinterest, and websites like Ana-white.com and rogueengineer.com . There are all kinds of plans and projects on these sources with materials lists, cut lists, finishing tips, etc... Even if the project isn't to your scale, you can always crunch the numbers and adjust to your needs. Brush up on your fractions. I have a little notebook where each page is grid paper. I like to sketch out projects to double check my measurements and make sure the math adds up.

C.  Don't be afraid to make a mistake. You learn by doing and you learn from your mistakes. I get better with each project by learning from my previous mistakes. And for the most part, wood is cheap. Of course, by this I don’t mean throw caution to the wind when it comes to safety, which brings us to...

D.  BE CAREFUL!  Power tools are dangerous.  Hell, regular hand tools can be dangerous.  I have a few scars to prove that, but thankfully still have all my fingers.  In my opinion, two tools you should have a healthy fear of are the table saw and the router.

E. A few tips I’ve learned over the years:

“A little putty and paint makes a carpenter what he ain’t”.  A sander, some putty or filler, and some paint can fix a lot of boo boos.

A sharp knife is a safe knife.  Too true.  If you try to force work pieces against dull blades, you are greatly increasing the risk of something slipping and sending that blade into your fingers.  Keep your tools sharp.

If you have access to some of the advanced tools like a planer and table saw, you can make good use of salvaged wood (just watch for nails!).  For example, the trestle coffee table pictured towards the top of this post was make exclusively from wood I found behind a dumpster.  That's right, I was dumpster diving.

Work with a friend or neighbor if possible.  It will lessen the physical load, give you another set of hands, and put two brains together when trying to solve a problem.  Besides, who likes drinking woodworking alone?

That's all for now.  Have fun making sawdust!

-JR