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#you want to sketch using simple shapes??
beansprean · 2 years
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Rhys has the most baffling nose I have ever attempted to draw it’s thin then it’s wide it’s long in profile but also kinda flat the bridge is concave but the tip points down but the nostrils are higher and every time I’m struggling with it and need a new ref it somehow looks completely different from my prev sketches!! The man has a new nose for every angle and I for one am SICK OF IT SIR.
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shokupanko · 7 months
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Today is Mayu Monday! ~(‾⌣‾~)
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luveline · 8 months
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Omg ok Jade my love can I request a princess soulmate au with Steve? Where reader is Prince Steve’s soulmate but maybe she’s not royal herself and is struggling a bit with being the future princess?
Almost like similar vibes to some of the loser gf with rockstar Sirius things you’ve done
thank you sm for your request! (sci-fi fairytale au) prince!steve
cw talk of losing weight to fit into a dress 
Prince Steven sits across from you with a bowl of grapes and a pair of embroidery scissors. He's going to stab me, you think morosely. I'm wretched and boring and he's going to stab me and then the stars will give him another soulmate and he'll forget this whole misfortune.
He seems lost for words as you are, or uninterested. You think he's going to talk and he eats another grape instead, hair fluttering in the breeze that filters in from the balcony, his eyes trained on the holoscreen. He's pretty —soft face, softer hair, almond shaped eyes that seem perpetually amused— but more alarmingly, he's fit. Physically fit from years of sports. Royals do all manner of olympiad competition, evident in his toned shoulders and his sun-kissed skin. 
"How's your embroidery?" he asks suddenly. 
You startle, pretending you'd been attending to that rather than staring at him uselessly. "It's going well, Prince Steven," you lie. You've never embroidered before —you have practical sewing skills for darning scuffed trousers and patching elbows, but embroidery is a labour of time. Time is a luxury you haven't had. 
"Steve," he corrects. 
"Do I… Is it really okay for me to call you that? Won't people think I'm presumptuous?" 
"Ten dollar word." He slides the bowl toward you, a beautifully glazed ceramic piece that likely cost more than your month's rent. "Well, they usually let me have whatever I want, and I want you to call me Steve. And to relax. And eat more." 
"I can't. They said I need to fit into my wedding dress." 
"The wedding dress needs to fit you," Steve says, the simple cut of his button down pulled snug to his chest as he leans back in his chair. "Not the other way around. Is that why you didn't eat much at breakfast? Or was it just gross?" 
"It wasn't gross," you say softly. 
"You don't have to do any of that stuff, either, if it's boring." 
You run your finger down the creamy linen stretched between your bamboo hoops. "I don't know if it's boring. I can barely do it." 
"You're too mean to yourself," he says. 
Steve stands and puts his arm behind his head, pushing his elbow until something clicks. Embarrassed by his dismissal, you stare at your hands and fume at yourself when they begin to tremble. 
It's too much. All of it. The cruel Palace attendants who know you're not good enough. Steve and his good nature. The wedding dress, the fine China, your wonky stitches. 
Steve steps to your side. He holds out his hand, and you pass him your embroidery without meeting his eyes. Your mood worsens at the sharp slink of snipping, sure that Steve will cut your pattern from the sketch and tell you to start again. 
"Sorry, your white knot at the back was bothering me. Pass me a slimmer needle? I'll tuck it behind your stitches." 
Astonished, you pass Steve a smaller needle from the pin cushion. His brows creases gently as he works, rewiring the white thread with patience and efficiency. 
"There. It looks really nice, honey. You're a fast learner." He passes you the hoop. You take it a beat too slow and he either doesn't notice or doesn't make a fuss, chucking you under the chin softly. "Don't worry so much. I'll talk to Cordelia about your wedding dress, the idea that you need to fit into it like it's one size fits all is dumb. It's made for you. Like, what are they expecting?" 
"They're probably hoping this is all a big mistake." 
"Did someone say that to you?" 
"Nobody had to say it to me, I can tell from the way they look at…" Steve takes your face into his hand, effectively killing anything you'd been trying to say.  
He seems royal, then. Used to getting his way, maybe, the disapproving lining of his otherwise sweet eyes. You get a flash of a memory, the morning you'd been presented, Steve in his finery with his platinum crown like a beacon in brown hair, you in your best dress, embarrassingly drab in comparison, your hand offered. He'd been meeting with eligible women all week. 
You were there as a formality. Never for a second did you think your soul mark would react to his, lines of light around your opposite wrists. 
To think you'd worried about touching him. You could never imagine how beautifully careful he is, how tender. You didn't know men were like this until Steve showed you, his niceness apparently bone deep and in everything he does. 
"If people are being jerks, you have to tell me." You never imagined how casual and vulgar he'd be either. "What's the point in being a princess if people don't respect you?" 
"I'm not a princess," you say. Your heart is a hummingbird as he turns his hand and strokes your cheeks with the backs of his fingers. 
"You will be. Nothing can change that. You're going to be a princess, and you can do as much or as little as you want, because those dorks left me in charge and I say so. I can decree it, if that makes you feel better," he says, dropping his hand, the phantom of it lingering like static shock. 
"What if I'm not meant for this?" you ask quietly, shy but terrified enough to ask. 
"I was meant for you," he says, tone matching yours in timidity. His sleeves rolled up as they are, you can see the soft light of his soul mark taking a pink hue. "Right?" 
Your soul mark glows a gentle pink to match his. Because you and Steve don't know one another well, not yet, but the feeling is there, thrumming under the skin like a pulse. Not love, not not love, a glowing desire. A want to know him.
There have been moments where you wished he wasn't a Prince, but then there's no guarantee you ever would have met. 
"Right," you mouth, offering him a small smile. 
"We were meant to be together…" Steve bends at the waist, meeting your eyes. He's yet to kiss you in the week since you met, but his touches come braver everyday, the unfamiliarity between you melding into butterflies. His smirk shakes them awake. "So let's be together the way we want to. Think of princess-ing as optional." 
"And you as mandatory?"
"I'm also optional," he says with a warm laugh. "But dinner is not. I need to know what you like, if we're going to get married."
You practically gulp. Right. You're going to be his soulmate, his princess, and his wife. 
"Don't be scared. I'm not cooking it, chef Joyce is." Steve brushes hair from his eyes like a model from the giant holo screens, unaware of his own attractiveness. "I'm a shitty cook. My talents lie in other things," he drawls grandly, "like lacrosse, and neck massages." 
He winks. You laugh genuinely for the first time since you met him, and his face splits with glee.  
if you want to request anything for this AU please do! steampunk princess soulmate and her smitten prince is my new fave thing
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shkretart · 3 months
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Hi! I absolutely LOOOVVVEE your art, the color, lighting, and very animated facial features are all stunning. On top of all that, and what I most admire, is the posing and anatomy. It all just looks very candid and natural, especially the scenes with multiple characters, and I'm wondering what your process is for building up a human body - like, do you use references or programs or just fuckin go for it... if so where do you like to find references? i really love to draw and I'm especially looking to improve in these ways so i would love to hear about your process! xoxo
Thank you for the nice words! I try to always study colors, lighting, shapes, etc. This is very important for me to hear, thank you.
In fact, I don’t always use references, although I should. It's just that sometimes what I want to draw, I can't find a reference. I rarely take pictures of myself for reference, but it happens. I think you can find references in many places, even around you, when you look at people or in photographs of models, or on some sites for this, or on Pinterest (everyone praises it, but I’m literally not looking for anything there, it’s just difficult for me to find something interesting there).
I draw anatomy in a very standard and mediocre way I think. I start either from the head or from the line of the shoulders and the direction of the center of the body (I’ll attach an example, otherwise I don’t know how to explain).
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The main thing is to set the direction of the shoulders and center, exactly how the pose should go. And everything else consists of simple shapes that are superimposed on those same lines. The main thing is to feel and understand the shape of the object.
I don't know much about anatomy, so I need more practice. But I'm lazy and don't draw enough. There are a lot of tutorials on drawing anatomy, I think you can find how and what to draw correctly. I'm not a teacher, you don't have to listen to me heh.
Sorry it took me so long to explain. So here's a little sketch as an apology 👇
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deblklesb · 8 months
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[Head Over Heels — Abby x Reader Oneshot]
[rugby player!abby, artist!reader, fluff, pining]
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cw: reader is a total mess, abby is brother's friend. there's not explicit content but still MDNI.
a/n: I've put my whole simpussy in this, like... reader is a loser lesbian and this fact is totally self-inserted, sorry not sorry. again, so so sorry for the wait! this is just some fluff with reader being a simp, a mess, all over the place for abby anderson teheehee 👉🏾👈🏾, i hope you like it anon!!!
word count: 3,4k | not proof read
!reblogs are highly appreciated!
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The cool winter wind was reaching your face as you pedaled to your class, high speed across campus because you were late. The alarm didn't clock, you took too much time eating breakfast, and now you wish to all the heavens the teacher has not arrived yet.
Your brother was very much confused when you started to run around the house this morning.
"I didn't know you had class, you usually wake up first so I assumed…"
"The alarm didn't clock", you yelled from the bathroom, brushing your teeth as fast as you could, but decently.
Now, the open buttons of your shirt allowed the wind to come in so you wouldn't be as sweaty. Fixing your hair after parking and locking your bicycle, you greeted someone working and headed to the room, so frustrated to get late to your favorite class.
"You're lucky our model for today is more late than you", the teacher said as soon as you got inside.
"Sorry, Ms. Addams", your smile was weak. You wanted to disappear, that was your favorite teacher.
The only tripod available was in the front, no one liked it because the lightning from there was so confusing it messed up every sketch. Lucky for you, during winter the sun isn't that bright, so you fixed your stuff and just got a moment to breathe. Being a teacher's pet didn't mean sitting in the front, that was new for you.
"Hey, what happened?" Gloria, your friend, reached out. "You're never late"
"My alarm", you shudder, sighing. "Well, I'm here now. We just have to wait for the model"
"I heard is some girl from the rugby team"
Well, that's news. Your teacher is doing some work indeed, trying to expose her students to different body shapes and all.
"Nice. Perhaps she's nice and will carry me around, my legs are burning from pedaling so hard", it was a joke, a silly one, but as soon as a woman who wasn't enrolled in that class got in, you knew she could definitely carry you around. You also knew that because you knew her.
She was probably the biggest woman you've seen in person, and absolutely the most beautiful.
Freckled, creamy skin on her arms and face, honey-blonde hair in a braid that fell on her shoulder, a firm and strong body worthy of an athlete. Her clothes were simple, just cargo pants with a plain shirt and boots, but boy, oh boy, she was looking gorgeous. As always.
"Sorry for the time, boss, I had to get out later from early practice", for some unknown reason, her voice, too, sounded too good to be true and made you melt inside with just a simple phrase that wasn't even directed to you. "Hope it doesn't mess around with the class"
"It's okay, Abigail. And you don't have to call me boss, we've talked about it", your teacher smiled fondly, hugging the tall woman and making obvious the size difference. You were probably the same height as the dark-skinned woman, so that means you were as high as Abby's chin. Being next to her on other situations made you very self-aware of that fact.
This useless information would always make you squirm. This time it was on the chair in the middle of the class, hoping for all the God's nobody noticed.
"Kids, this is Abby. She will be our model for today and two other classes, so make use of the anatomy to study properly", she was very comfortable next to the rugby player, which made you deduce they knew each other well. "Well, now go prep yourself, darling, we have to start"
"Do I… Take everything, or something?" Just the mention of her being nude made your mind buzz around and it wasn't a good sign, considering you had to focus to draw.
"Keep your underwear, please", the older woman smiled sympathetically, turning around and heading to the back of the room, her usual initial spot in every live reference class.
Abby took off her boots and left next to an empty chair, starting to undress then.
Nobody was looking at you, but you tried to keep it cool and professional. Ignoring the heat on your face and the sweat arising on your palms, you looked at Gloria to hide your embarrassment and noticed she was looking back at you trying not to laugh.
"You're very gay", she whispered, making you roll your eyes and then look at your empty sketchbook. She wasn't wrong, though, you were very much a lesbian and it was obvious.
Those type of reactions were normal whenever Abby was around, but you could definitely go through that class without it.
You put effort into abstracting the sensations and feelings that make room into you as soon as Abby stands in the small, lifted platform in the center of the room, the ambient light hitting her just right. She positioned herself in a simple form, waving briefly at you from there when she spotted you in the front. You did the same back, a small smile to be nice - but not too big to give it away that being around her made you almost piss your pants - and then you all started to work
It was a figure drawing training, something you usually hated because you had to think too much about form, proportion, perspective and lightning. You loved to do loose sketches and grew very fond of gesture drawing, too much for your liking, so that now that you had to stick to the forms and not the rhythm and movement, your mind froze a little. Despite that, you loved doing art and loved that class even though it had nothing directly linked to your major.
Abby had strong features, in the sense of focus. The muscles of the arms and legs, the shape of her face, the abdomen and her whole posture caught your attention too much. It wasn't just the imagery, but a whole set of little elements that formed a distinctive energy. Even the braided hair was part of that, and at each second, each line traced and marked shadow, you tried to remind yourself that it was a class.
After 10 minutes or so, she took a break - admittedly, you had no idea how those models stood still for so long. While she stretched and relaxed her muscles, people started to talk with each other around the room, the small buzz of conversations surrounding, as you turned to Gloria.
"I'm dying here", you whispered, stretching your hands and fingers a bit. "She's so pretty"
"I have to admit… She is very handsome. I don't usually hang out in your brother's dorm so I don't see her often…"
"They're together all the time, I am very lucky to have my face shoved into a book all the time because then I don't have to have buckled knees around her" Gloria laughed at your despair, the whispers almost a cry for help.
"Let's gather our focus, people", Ms. Addams called, and just like that the break ended.
Although the object of analysis was Abby's body and structure, you just had to make a small drawing of her face. Shading and putting too much effort, you ended up doing another one. And by the time the class ended, you had a main figure drawing of her body in the first pose, two others of her face and another simple sketch. A very productive class, and you felt yourself bursting with inspiration still.
"I have a class in five minutes, so I'll have to go now, boss!", the blonde reached to her clothes as people started to pack their stuff. You tried not to look at her figure too much, but took your time putting the material in place just because, y'know… Care. It had nothing to do with the possibility to look at her from afar a little bit more.
"That's okay, Abigail. Thank you for your help, same time next week. Send a hug to your father!", Ms. Addams waved goodbye.
"Hey" you looked up from your backpack when Gloria tapped your shoulder. She pointed to the door, where Abby was standing, ready to go. The blonde was looking at you, a smile on her face. "Tell your brother he owes me twenty bucks. See ya!"
"Okay, bye", you nodded and chuckled lightly at the comment, imagining the type of bet they both must've done this time.
As soon as the other students started to get out, your friend gave you small punches in the arm, giggling.
"Stop!", you felt your face warm, it was so fucking ridiculous to be like this around her every time. And the worst part is that she didn't even notice you that much, so you were a head over heels with zero hope.
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
"What do you mean you were naked around my sister?!" You rolled your eyes with the discussion, ready for the mess your brother was about to make.
"Nobody was naked, I had underwear!" Abby's voice was playful, but you knew your brother was two steps from going serious about it.
"Stop being a drama king, asshole", you grunted while going to the kitchen, not even looking at them to escape the risk of drooling over the tall woman sitting on the couch.
"Hey, I'm the big brother here, I was supposed to be looking over you!" His voice started to get a pitch higher, you could imagine the indignant face already.
"You don't even give me rides home, too busy with your flings", you shout from the kitchen now, filling up your bottle.
You were trying so hard to focus on studying a subject you were not interested in, ready to throw it in the air to watch some Ghibli movies instead. Filling the water bottle was almost an excuse to get out of that madness, but having to hold your reactions because of Abby's presence was not ideal.
"That's right, get him again! Get him for me!" And now her voice is closer, almost like she's in the kitchen with you. It makes you flinch slightly, almost dropping the bottle before you turn around to see her strong figure on the entrance.
"Look, you touch her and I will fucking throw that rugby ball right into your face!"
"Jesus Christ, Matt, shut up! Nobody is keeping you from your shit, leave me alone?! It's just Abby!"
Your mom would be annoyed to be around you both, good thing you lived together alone.
"Yeah, Matt, it's just Abby!" She repeats.
You finally look at her properly. She has a simple shirt on and sweatpants, it's casual but it looks too good on her - as usual. Her hair is down - you loved her hair down - and a scrunchie lies on her wrist. Her freckles are so visible from where you stand, it's almost like cute details painted directly on her face to compose the most beautiful work of art.
"I would like to see it, by the way", you snap out of your trance with her words directed to you.
Her hips touch the kitchen counter when she's one step closer, a sympathetic smile making your hands tingle and her tone weaker now that she's just talking to you.
"What?"
"Your drawings. From the class"
"Oh-", you look away, trying to come up with an excuse. "But… We still have other classes to go. It's better to see it at the end and all… And they're not even that good", you're holding that water bottle for your dear life, afraid that it slips from your hands due to the sweat.
"You don't wanna show me, that's fine", she chuckle, hands up in acceptance.
"It's not that, it's just-"
"No, I'm not being funny, it's serious. If you don't wanna show me, it's okay. Was just curious y'know, after all I'm just standing there. Don't know how you do whatever you're doing"
That's the most you've ever talked to Abby, and she's so nice. Genuinely trying to make you comfortable. And it makes you fucking sick, you just wanna spit out that you would like to have her posing for you every day for ever, to have her like your muse, to kiss her face after drawing it millions of times- You're such a loser.
"Oh, I get it…" you nod, trying to come up with a good response. "Well, I guess after the classes, I mean when you stop posing for us, I could show you whatever I did. Just wanna be more confident, it takes a little bit more of time to be familiar to the subject"
"If that's your saying, boss lady, I absolutely believe it", she's smiling wider now and you just wanna scream into a pillow about how incredibly cute her cheeks are.
"Okay, ahm… I have to go back to the room… To study other stuff that is not art, unfortunately", you point to the corridor, mind going blank with the mere proximity between you both. "So, uh… See you later?"
"Hope so. Good study session", Abby gives you space to get out of the kitchen.
The rest of the afternoon you keep repeating that interaction in your mind. Analyzing you every word and wondering if she thought you were, like, embarrassing.
Still, the image of her cute cheeks when she smiled at you and the way she seemed really interested in your drawings took over your attention, it was all you could think about the rest of the day because you're such a simp and she's so beautiful. Fuck this.
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
It's now game season, which means that the college campus is a mess. Everybody seems so agitated, a buzz surrounds each corner while posters adorn the walls and murals, calling for the next big rugby game.
The hype around the event kinda mobilizes you too, even though you're not even that into sports. You're actually so out of this type of entertainment, but eventually if you sit to watch with your brother you get so excited and exalted that it almost looks like you've been following the teams forever. Matt actually thinks it is so funny that you keep asking him the rules and then start to scream at the TV once you'd pick it up enough to finally enjoy the match.
"If they don't kick their asses I'll actually lose fifty bucks" Gloria reveals as you both enter the building for the art class.
"Fifty?!" Your eyes almost jump from your skull. "Do you have that much faith in our team?"
"Well, don't you?"
"I don't know", she laughs. "Really, I don't follow them… But if you bet fifty bucks, they must be at least decent"
"Your girlfriend is a good player, if that's what you wanna ask", the taller woman smiles at you with that suggestive manner.
"I didn't ask!"
"But you were thinking about it"
"Shut up." You definitely were. "And she's not my girlfriend" Unfortunately.
As you both enter the room, early enough this time, you recall the fact that it's your last class with Abby as a model. Something inside of you mourns the future absence of such a big source of inspiration for you. Your sketchbook (the personal one) has pages filled with drawings of her - you didn't tell anyone, but you went through her instagram page and used some gym photos as references.
One night you brother stormed in your room and you had to close the book as fast as possible, trying to mask your embarrassment. If he knew that you were so into Abby, he would be a hundred percent more unbearable.
"Hey, teacher", the tall woman soon walked in the class, backpack and a massive bottle of water on one hand. "Last day, uh?"
"Yes, dear", people started to settle for the beginning of the session, fixing materials and angles. "I would like to thank you for your time and disposition, I imagine it isn't easy to stand in front of a class of stranges that are meticulously looking at you", everybody chuckled. Abby took her shirt in the corner, putting the clothes on a chair. Against your will, you absolutely checked on her. But life wouldn't let you have it, and so, like being conscious of your actions, the blonde glanced back at you, which caused you to face away immediately. Jesus fucking Christ, could you be more obvious? "So thank you, again, and I hope you somehow enjoyed the experience"
"I certainly did, boss" She smirked friendly, going to the small platform in front part of the room and standing with arms on her back, legs slightly spareted. Why on earth was she so good looking? "I don't really mind the looks, after all there are dozens of people staring at the games and judging us all the time, so… Well, thank you too for inviting me, it was truly nice! Needing againg, I'm here for it!"
You felt a tap on your shoulder and looked to the side, Gloria was smirking like she knew something you didn't.
"You'll get your pages wet with all the drooling", she muttered.
"Wanna see who gets the pages wet?" You playfully put a hand on your own watter bottle, having her giggling.
"Well, let's begin, shall we?"
Einstein for sure had a point with relativity, because that class flew away like a lightning for you. The biggest pity of all, since Abby wouldn't be there after that day.
Once again you end up doing a main drawing of her body, using the remaining time to put some doodles of her face around it. It was like this for every class, different than the ones she wasn't the model. However, by that time you were already used to sketching her - hence the alone sessions in your room - so you could do much easier work now. You hoped no one noticed this fact, because a question about how you got so instinctive when drawing Abby would be blatantly dodged.
You already could tell in detail the difference between her arm muscles and the last model, for example, but not only the imagery of it: you thought about the biological singularity of her muscle development.
As soon as the class ended, you closed the sketchbook and tried not to think too deeply about the whole situation. It would be fine. Abby would stop being the model and so you would see her less, consequently thinking about her less and moving on so easily. Like, so easily.
"Hey", you froze with her voice, more specifically when noticing that it was almost next to you. Her face was the first thing you saw when looking up from your backpack. "Are you coming to the game tonight?"
"Should I?"
"Well… I could use some cheers", she was still shirtless. Heck, she was still in her intimate clothes.
You were not thinking about how she used a simple bra and nice black boxers.
"I thought you had plenty. With all the staring", why were you being so sarcastic?
"Your staring is kinda different, if that's what you wanna hear", she smirked, crossing her arms. Good lord, save me from barking in front of her with all this attitude. "And I would like you there"
"So maybe I'll go", you shrugged, trying to be cool about it. Something inside of you said that maybe you were being too cool about it, maybe she would think you don't really care; that's not what you want her to think. Shit, were you doing this wrong?
"Don't tell your brother I asked you this while almost nude, I don't think he would let me get close to you ever again", her chuckles were so cute, she was so cute. You were so done.
"Oh, do you want to get close to me again?" Abby stepped back while still smirking, everybody seemed to be out already - though you couldn't tell exactly, she was still your main focus.
"Maybe" Now she shrugged, finally getting close to her clothes again. "Preferably when he's not around"
What was that? Oh, probably your heart skipping several beats.
"Talking like that, I might as well think you're hitting on me, Abby" The most surprising thing was how you weren't laying down on a puddle at this point. Instead, you were chuckling back, hands sweaty and stomach twisting in a rush.
"Am I?" She grabbed her pants. "You'll probably have to come to the game and see!"
After another smirk from her, you just shook your head and walked away from the room with a simple "See you later then".
The interaction started to play again in your mind, Gloria was standing outside with wide eyes and a smile fighting to appear. That adrenaline rush made your mind a whirlwind.
"What the fuck was that?!" Your friend whispered, holding your arm and following your steps.
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[png dividers by @cafekitsune]
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ruija · 3 months
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So! The evil art challenge! Thank you everyone who gave their input, you wrote really nice things💙💙 and you've definitely picked out my habits pretty well, lmao. Below I'll write a breakdown of my style and thoughts behind the "evil" version.
Aesthetically I love pastel and saturated colors and I'm 100% biased toward cooler tones. Regardless of color, whether it's red or blue adjacent, I'll always pick the cooler variable of it. I tend to avoid using black and I particularly have an aversion toward basic red. I have a short attention span and limited reserves of energy, so I try to work fast and stick to simple techniques; hence the sketchy linearts and mostly flat colors. I also just visually like smooth surfaces and gradients.
I want to convey the shapes and weight of the things I draw but with a minimalistic amount of lines and shading. This ties into putting emphasis on anatomy and muscles. I do tend to spend a lot of time sketching, because I usually have a very specific pose or vibe in my mind, and I want to be able to capture it.
For the "evil" version: - I sketched Raph and Leo a lot faster and attempted stiffer poses than in the normal one. - Thick and non-sketchy lineart - Dark and reddish color scheme - More rendered, airbrushy and kinda messy shading (I suffered) - Slightly less defined muscles...?
At some point I thought I should make them sharper, but then I just forgot lol.
Also, here's a flat colored version of the evil art because I like it 100% better. (Works better with the lineart style)
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I picked Leo and Raph for this challenge for the opposing red and blue color schemes. As an extra, I put them in Fast Forward gear, as its blueness and the season's more saturated look are very fitting for my style. And then I'd get to make it work in a warmer tone.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed my ramblings and art~
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trinkerichi · 3 months
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How I made my own vintage Pomni!
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Based on this tutorial, with my own modifications and sewing pattern!
Let's begin!
Here's a total list of the things I used here.
Shiny fabric: blue and red
Acrylic paint. Colors: White,red,blue,black
Gold ribbon
White sculpey clay
Tin foil
Mod podge (for sealing the paint)
Jingle bells
Dark brown yarn
Glue
And depending on how you want to handle crafting the body you can either follow the original tutorial and make one out of any fabric you'd like, filling it with plastic beans and stuffing,
Or you can do what I did and cheat a little! I actually used the body of a beanie baby to save time. You'll find tons of these guys at the thrift store, usually for about a dollar each. The one I used for Pomni looked like this.
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All I did was carefully undo the stitching on the bear's head and set Pomni's clay head in the opening!
Now for the steps! The first thing I did was gather my materials and make a concept sketch.
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Then since I already had a body for Pomni, I rolled a ball of tin foil slightly smaller than I wanted the head to be, and covered it in sculpey clay. Then I molded the face into a nice cute shape! Don't worry if the back of the head is lumpy, you won't see it under the hat and hair.
Make sure to add a neck that tapers outwards at the bottom so the head stays in the neck hole of the plush body!
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After baking the clay, I painted the head white and sketched out the face lightly with pencil before painting on the details. I even added a little bit of glitter to her eyes! Then when I was satisfied with the face, I sealed the paint with mod podge. It added a nice shine to her face which adds to the porcelain look!
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I'd bought a clown doll at a thrift store with a similar outfit to the one I wanted to make for Pomni, which I reverse engineered to make my own pattern! Here's In-progress Pomni wearing the other doll's outfit.
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I cut out these patterns to use for the outfit.
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After cutting out the pants they should look like this when put together and folded. Turn them inside out and sew them together at the middle, including the crotch. Leave the top and the pant legs open.
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The sleeves should look like this cut out and folded. Make sure they're inside out just like the pants, and sew these at the sleeve openings at the top. Remember to leave the neck hole open!
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Here's where we add the ribbon at the ends! Fold up the base of the pant legs and sleeves to hem the ends, and scrunch up the gold ribbon to sew around the borders while you're hemming them. It'll scrunch the ends a little bit, giving the outfit that poofy look.
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Then turn it inside out!
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I sewed the bells on and put the outfit on pomni! Then I simply cut another piece of ribbon and made a little ruffle for her neck. It's not sewed to the outfit just so it's easier to take on and off.
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For Pomni's hair I got the yarn and combed it out with a fine tooth comb until the texture became softer, and then used a flat iron on it (VERY briefly. just for a second!!!!) to straighten it out. For more tips on this look up yarn doll hair tutorials on youtube! Then I just glued it to her lil head and styled it like so.
I don't have any progress pics for the hat but it was pretty simple. Just cut out the shapes and sew them up!
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Then add the hem with a ribbon folded in half, and the bells!
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TADAA! A baby pompom for you!
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canmom · 3 months
Text
Comics mini-Comints: Dungeon Meshi
reread dungeon meshi through to the end. still such a great manga. here are immediate thoughts - if I end up having time and energy I hope I can write something that goes deeper!
ironically i was only a few chapters from the end when I stopped keeping up, but I was struggling to remember all the characters and context, so reading it through in one go was definitely an ideal way to achieve maximum impact there.
ryoko kui does a very elegant job of handling a transition from 'silly antics' to 'big dramatic fantasy' while still keeping the central thematic throughline - eating and being eaten, belonging to an ecosystem, the significance of sacrificing others to achieve your own desires. a lot of setups pay off in a way that feels meticulously planned - and of course the crux of the final showdown revolves around characters attempting to eat each other, of course the big payoff is a huge feast that symbolically unites all the conflicting factions. it is maybe a bit too neat and happy for my taste, but it's undeniably tightly executed - it never loses sight of what it's about. especially compared to something like Frieren, it's an incredibly coherent serialisation, up there with e.g. Fullmetal Alchemist.
kui's art style deserves all kinds of praise - it feels effortlessly simple, but it clearly communicates all sorts of different shapes and body types and it's really fun to see her play around with remixing the different visual elements when she switches the races around. in general Laius's autistic monster loving ways clearly reflect kui's own deeply felt appreciation for all the ways people and animals live (accentuated further by all the extra sketches the scanlators tuck in). in a way you could kinda call it like Parts Unknown the fantasy manga.
the stakes of the final conflict are interesting - there is much to be said about the framing of 'desire' and its fulfilment, of this occult idea of 'the infinite'. lots you could put in relation to other manga, and also buddhism. (in particular I really want to develop a comparison to Made In Abyss, there are so many parallels, it just might be too spicy for tumblr lmao).
one thing I really like about it is how much its fantasy dungeon-exploring setting owes to D&D and other TTRPGs, rather than videogames. monster ecology has been a fascination of that game since the early days of Dragon magazine, and Kui sharply zeroes in on some of the intrinsic conflicts baked in to that fantasy milieu, notably the lifespan thing, while smartly avoiding the traps of 'evil races'. there's some really fun nods to the weirder monster manual entries. and in a story with so many characters and factions, it does a genuinely incredible job of furnishing everyone with understandable, reasonable motivations, conflicts drawn from their context just like the monsters are explained by their ecology.
and one thing that I particularly appreciate is like... how much it is able to simultaneously understand and sympathise with a character and also show us how and why they'd rub others the wrong way. it's impossible not to like our main group, they're all such charming dorks and the manga leads you along with all the crazy rpg party shit they do, but at the same time you definitely find yourself thinking 'guy's got a point' in the kabru chapters lmao. I'm projecting hard bc i don't really know a thing about ryōko kui but laius def feels like the sort of depiction of having an autism that you can only do if you've lived it.
but yeah, it's a fuzzy ending where it all turns out well. but what's the deeper thrust of it all? there's a funny moment where marcille is like 'maybe in the end our journey is about learning to accept death' and the grouchy old gnome guy completely laughs this off as naive, because death doesn't mean anything. and indeed their big plan pays off, and falin does indeed come back just fine. but still, through all of this it asks you to bite the bullet that being a living creature means eating to survive, at the cost of other creatures, with the other side being that one day you too will be eaten. in contrast to this honest way of being is the beguiling fantasy of infinity, where all your desires are immediately fulfilled - this is shown as a dangerous path of corruption that produces madness and manipulability. having limits and rubbing up against the wishes of others, or 'doing things you don't want to do' as izutsumi's arc puts it, becomes necessary for having some kind of definition as a subject. the thing that makes the demon concrete as an entity is a desire, or appetite, that can't immediately be fulfilled.
of course we can connect this to the idea of narrative conflict. a standard advice for putting together a plot is to ask what each character wants and why they can't get it. wanting something implies movement. and indeed over the course of this story, we see that while having too many desires fulfilled too readily leads to incoherence and callousness, equally a character who is left catatonic as their desires have been eaten by the demon must be reawakened to activity by finding a new desire.
it's kinda Buddhist innit. neither the opulence of the palace nor asceticism. desires are what tie you to the world. but mixed with ecology: what a creature does to find the energy to live is what defines its lifestyle, its form.
this is probably where I'd start talking about entropy gradients and shit if i wasn't typing this on a phone at 1:30am lmao.
but yeah - it's a powerful move to go from 'D&D monster recipe show sendup' to 'living with the inherently violent nature of being an organism fated to live in a finite sum game' and yet Dungeon Meshi makes it feel natural and convincing, while remaining tremendously charming and funny throughout. ryōko kui is definitely some kind of genius, and I can't wait to see what her next act is gonna be. it's all definitely making me appreciate the act of eating a lot more.
next story on my plate is probably The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere, which sounds like it will present a very gnarly thematic contrast.
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meruz · 1 year
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sorry if this has been asked before, but i wanted to ask about your lineart! the weight and line economy are just so nice, i get stars in my eyes looking at your lineart and doodles. could i ask what your approach to lineart is and what tips you might offer?
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Wow I love these questions - Line is so interesting!!! It's a really big topic so I feel like any tips I give will be just barely scratching the surface. It's like deceptively simple...any given line drawing is essentially taking all the information we glean from seeing something irl ie light, shadow, dimension, texture, perspective, etc and boiling it down to the simplest possible visual information.
I think most commonly my line is informed by light source so like. thicker more continuous lines face away from the light and thinner more broken lines towards. and a lot of my spot blacks r simply cast shadows.
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here's a more extreme example
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BUT like everything to do with art there's no hard and fast rules. I use blacks when I think it'll be effective or interesting and I leave them out when I don't need em. umm couple things I find myself doing a lot... using spot blacks to make the separation between characters clearer. I like casting shadow in between characters so its easy to separate and read their silhouettes even when they're mashed together.
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u can go even further to purposely create a silhouette like
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to draw attention to a finger or tongue LOL. There's some comic book artists who are absolute masters at this type of stylization. Alex toth and his spiritual successor Chris samnee come to mind for me right away.
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(toth)
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(samnee)
I feel like I'm also often using line weight to separate planes receding in space
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im naturally a really heavy handed and scribbly drawer(...?) draftsman. and im nearsighted so when i see things i percieve and break it down into big shapes over thin contours. so stuff like spot blacks and shadows came easy to me, the tricky part was making the rest of the lines lighter when they needed to be so the blacks could actually have impact LOLL. a lot of effective visual communication is about balancing contrasts. like I had to really train myself to press less hard on the pen. I think this is actually really evident if u go back in my archive to older sketches LOL
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I actually feel like a lot of how I trained my hand to tackle line weights was thru stuff like hand lettering where you rly have to focus on being sensitive to that kind of thing.. contrasting strokes etc.
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also exercises like figure drawing will have you flexing those muscles constantly
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I'm starting to just regurgitate lessons from freshman year of art school so I'll stop here with the demos but yeah...I hope this was helpful!? I love line!!! I want to get even better at line work so I can feel confident posting work that's only line no color or value... I'll leave you with a bunch of artists who I think have particularly expressive and beautiful linework (not including toth and samnee who I already mentioned and who's work I love so much). You can probably learn much more from them than you can from me...!
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Charles dana gibson LOL
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Matias bergara
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tonci zonjic
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naoki urasawa
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Daniel warren johnson
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shiyoon kim
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michel breton
also yoji shinkawa, tomer hanuka, leo romero, I feel like I'm gonna post this and think of so many more. there's so many good artists...!
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ghcstao3 · 6 months
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Soap likes to draw. It’s a simple fact of his life, and just about anyone who knows him knows it too. On or off base, he’s usually never without a notebook and an apparatus of some kind, because it passes the time, and it serves well to document his missions in further detail for both himself and debriefing.
Everyone knows this, and Soap is aware of that. What no one knows, however, is Soap’s favourite subject, because that’s a notebook that’s kept secret and often left only to be used on leave.
The only person who knows is Ghost, whose form fills those pages in some way or shape, because Soap knows damn well no matter the effort he’d never be able to hide such a thing from him, especially not once they’re living together beyond work.
(Of course, it doesn’t help, either, that Soap prefers to study Ghost while he sketches, rather than drawing solely from memory—because how else would he capture the most intricate of details?)
That being said, Soap could trace the fixation back to a single moment in time, where an itch to scratch branched off into a near obsession from only a couple of seconds, and that moment is the first time Soap ever sees Ghost’s face.
It’s unexpected, the way Ghost pulls off his mask in front of the 141 and company. His eyes are almost squirrely, never quite meeting anyone’s gaze, but Soap doesn’t think he’s ever been so in love.
He doesn’t get quite enough time to memorize, however, before another mask is being slipped over mussed blond hair and pale scarred skin, and suddenly Soap is overcome by the desire to draw Ghost.
To draw Simon.
When they finally arrive back on base following the Las Almas operation, Soap doesn’t waste any time pulling out his notebook and drawing Ghost to the best of his memory. When he finishes, he knows he’s gotten some things wrong, but he hasn’t much to work with. He erases and pencils in new lines tens if not hundreds of times trying to get it right, but it simply isn’t possible.
It’s too bad for Soap, because he just isn’t satisfied with his current result, and it’s too bad for Ghost, because Soap is a persistent, stubborn sonuvabitch.
They’re not quite on leave when Soap begins his endeavour, just between missions. He starts by making a purposeful show of drawing the 141, forcing them to sit so he can, supposedly, get everything perfect. It’s under the guise that he sucks at drawing people (a complete and utter lie), and what better way to practice than with those waiting around.
Soap saves Ghost for last, and it’s a damn good thing he does, because what a difficult affair it is convincing him to sit for, what Ghost deems, “a stupid art project”.
“I have better things to do, Johnny,” Ghost tells him. “And you do, too.”
Soap shrugs. “Maybe. But I won’t stop asking ‘til you agree, Lt.”
Ghost would continue to push off the request—a true testament to his resolve, really—but Soap would continue to insist, so finally, eventually, Ghost breaks.
The encounter is more than reluctant, but Soap figures that Ghost has realized it's either now or later that it happens. He still wears his mask, of course, but it’s only the balaclava—so at the very least, Soap could get his eyes just right.
And that’s a better start than none.
They’re tucked away in a quiet corner of the base for Soap’s “stupid art project”. Ghost shifts constantly while Soap scribbles away in his notebook, first unsure where to look, then unsure of where to put his hands. Soap wears a smile the entire time.
“You’re allowed to move, you know,” Soap says after much too long of a time. He keeps himself from laughing. “It’s better if you do, really.”
Ghost glares daggers at Soap. “You didn’t want to tell me that sooner?”
Soap grins at the Lieutenant but makes no further comment. He’d rather have his life spared for the time being.
Once Soap has finished, he doesn’t say anything. He just sets his pencil down and closes his notebook and makes to leave. Ghost watches every movement closely and remains silent himself. Only, he doesn’t move from his spot, and Soap can almost feel that he has a question he’s debating to ask.
It never ends up phrased as a question, but Ghost’s hesitation is so palpable it might as well have been.
“Let me see.”
Soap hadn’t expected Ghost would want to, though a part of him had most definitely hoped otherwise. He doesn’t put up a fight for such a reason, instead wordlessly passing the notebook to Ghost to browse.
It’s Soap’s turn to fidget as Ghost flips through pages. Most take only a few seconds, nothing more than an impassive look, but Soap knows the moment Ghost stumbles upon the page of his face, sans mask. There’s an instant of realization from them both, and the world feels at a standstill.
When Ghost clears his throat, Soap does his best not to flinch. Maybe this endeavour isn’t worthwhile. Maybe it’s nothing more than an invasion of Ghost’s privacy. Of his person.
Finally, Ghost looks up at Soap, his hardened gaze no different from the one he always wears. There’s no emotion in them, and Soap doesn’t know if that makes everything better or worse.
Soap doesn’t notice how tightly Ghost grips the notebook until later, when he spots the accidental smudge of graphite from the Lieutenant’s thumb.
“When did you do this, Johnny?” Ghost asks. His voice is low and steady as usual, but there’s a near unnoticeable strain that sends guilt through Soap’s body. By now he’s certain he’s made an irreparable mistake.
Soap swallows. “When we got back from Las Almas, sir.”
Ghost looks back at the drawing and nods. He does as Soap had and closes the notebook, sliding it back and standing from the bench where Soap had told him to sit. Soap waits nervously, impatiently, for Ghost to say anything, to curse him out, to tell him to get rid of it, but soon it seems like he would do nothing of the sort.
“Not bad,” is all he tells Soap, before walking off to disappear to God knows where. Soap stays glued to the spot for a solid five minutes following, until he finally feels like he can breathe again.
Not bad. Soap supposes it could’ve been a lot worse.
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modelbus · 8 months
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Heyy! Could you do Wilbur x artist!reader dating hcs because a musician and an artist? I feel like Y/N like Wilbur makes so much art of him to the point she actually probably made one of their lovejoy posters!! And Wil would teach Y/N guitar and Y/N teach Wil how to draw and its so SDHDSGJ
I'm an artist and I think this would be cute! Hope you can answer this ask <3
- 🍄anon :D
I’m not an artist myself, but my two artist friends came in clutch here!
Pairing: Cc!Wilbur x Gn!Artist!Reader
Adored Artist
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Idle drawings of Wilbur completely fill your sketchbook. Him playing guitar. Him sitting there. A specific doodle of him with a large forehead— for the joke.
The two of you tend to sit together without talking. You drawing, him creating Melodies and lyrics.
Getting showered in compliments.
He talked about decorating his guitar once, and you drew nothing but guitar designs for the next week.
His callouses and your graphite-stains are jokingly called “battle wounds” together.
When Wilbur buys you art supplies as gifts, he is painfully meticulous in making sure the supplies are good and ones you like.
Him peering over your shoulder to see what you’re working on, always delighted when it’s something related to him. Whether that be a simple guitar sketch for practice, or actually him.
And 100% yes he’d be yoinking your drawings to use for Lovejoy or merch reasons.
“Hey Love, remember that drawing you did the other night?” He asked, leaning against the couch where you’re curled up with a sketch pad. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that, Wil.” You had laughed, finishing part of the sketch and looking up at him. He laughs too, leaning down to kiss you. “The one with the Lovejoy mascots. And our skull.” He had elaborated for you. Your eyes had lit up, flipping to the page for him. “Yes! That one. I was thinking, maybe it’d be cool to use as a design for merch?”
You couldn’t believe it, that he actually wanted to use your drawings. But, when you realized he was serious, you jumped at the chance.
(He insisted on paying you for it, too, even though you assured him you were perfectly happy giving him the designs. For two weeks you played a game where you passed the money back and forth until you gave up and just accepted it)
He doesn’t shut up about you or your talents ever. Met someone new? He’s pulling out his phone to share your art. Saw someone online talking about art? He’s tagging you to say you’re the best artist ever.
Teaching each other <333
Wilbur had made a small comment, and you jumped on it.
”I wish I could draw like that. You’re so talented, you’re incredible.” “I can teach you.” “What?”
Did not go well at all.
“Imagine that the light is here, okay? So you have to shade where shadows would be, making it darker there.” You explained patiently, gently tapping the areas you’re talking about.
“Shadows. Darker. Shading.” Wilbur repeated, looking up at you. You were leaning on him, your head on his shoulder to see his drawing. A very… admirable attempt at you.
“Go for it.” You encouraged, and he blinked.
“What?”
“…Were you listening?”
“Of course I was, love.” But the way he had leaned in to kiss you—to distract you—certainly said otherwise.
Since you “made” him draw, he convinced you to learn how to play guitar.
You protested (secretly loving the idea of learning from him) but in the end he got you to agree.
Sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped around you to help you form the chord shapes. It’s cozy, and you’re absolutely failing.
“This is a G—“ “My fingers don’t do that, Wil!”
In the end, it turns into him playing a song for you. But only after you manage to make that G chord, finger pain be damned.
He loves putting up your art on the walls. Taped.
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whipped-cheese · 1 month
Text
FINALLY FINISHED THEM!!
Grrrgrgr it has been a wip for decades-
My fish babies!! Aaaa :D
Esmeray!!
Aaaaaaaaand Sulien!! :]
[click for quality]
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Fish Duty au
EEEEEEEE!!! *Confetti!!*
Ramblings of a madman underneath-
-So, originally- just going to make sun- since I drew him in the little comic I made a while back, but then I decided , why not make a moon too
because-
you know-
no sun is complete without their Moon /silly
So rambling rambling rambling time, info dumping mmm
Wanted to distinct them with their own names-
Esmeray! (or just Ray) -(Sun)
Sulien! (or just sully/sul) -(Moon)
Esmeray means dark moon and Sulien means sun born c:
Sometimes I'll forget so if a say sun and moon at some point it translates to Ray or Sul-
-So the same logic as last time applies,
the lighter size of their face and body is damaged/very sensitive, so the eye that's on the lighter side of their face is very very foggy so essentially, they're blind on that side of the face, soooo half blind. Often causing them to bump into fish or other random things in their enclosure sometimes.
-Usually you only see ONE at a time, but NEVER BOTH.
Often leading visitors to assume that there is only one clownfish in the enclosure that transforms or something when it's night, but really, when it's daytime Esmeray is out y'knoww, entertaining, doing tricks, swimming around while Sulien sleeps and when it's night time, Esmeray sleeps and then Sulien is entertaining, or just glowing around, looking pretty.
You never see them both out at the same time, rarely.
Really unless it's something important or it's something special.
Sometimes they'll both cuddle together in their little cove..🥺 on their sea anemone bed
usually in the late evenings 4-5pm before Sulien gets to go out and roam for the night.
(ray can't fall asleep comfortably, without being close to his brother [happening since they were young] so sulien snuggles with ray until ray falls asleep)
-as I said before- later on down the line, when y/n begins working at a janitor at the exotic fish aquarium, our lil fishy frens kinda gets the memo after a while and starts to draw on a little area of sand that's infront of the glass to communicate and y/n started fogging the glass and writing on it to communicate, Ray (sun) doesn't understand words so they both do little drawings instead.
No one really knows where he learnt it from- but Sulien (moon) knows a bit of English, only a few simple words (hello,bye, mad, you, me, us, angry, food, help, feel,etc.) he also uses the sand.
Performance wise, esmeray does lil heart water bubbles, (or really just any shape, kinda like how clowns do balloon animals and other items) it's something he usually does for visitors, kids mostly. He'll wave, bow, press his face against the glass to be funny, do silly faces that makes the kids laugh, even some regulars that really want to become marine biologist, etc. that often visit the aquarium on weekends that he's very very fond of. He does loads of shows and tricks for people when they walk up to his case, very very active lil fella
the clown fish must perform!! :]
Sulien on the other hand, usually comes out when it's night time, so it's quite rare to see him considering he's mostly active during practically closing time- up until opening hours.
When people do have the rare chance of seeing him at the front of one side of their enclosure, he's not really that active in terms of show BUT he will put on a very pretty light show.
It's absolutely mesmerizing.
Those who get to stay and finish watching it atleast-
The guards are pretty avid on getting everyone out of the aquarium at the designated time.
He also sings sometimes, which is extremely extremely rare-
Guards working there for years have probably only ever heard it twice-
I'll be drawing (mostly sketches) more of them for a little<3
Also- before, I'd prefer posting stuff about my other au 'A Bad Teaser au /lust au' somewhere separate because it's slightly,eeeehhh just a touch suggestive- BUT
I'm gonna redraw and start posting stuff about it here.
Sooner or later (very soon- like I have loads of drawings of them but no where to put it, and I wanna share my suggestive whore men /pos /silly )
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soundbluster · 21 days
Note
for a while since i got into transformers 3 years ago and i loved the franchies instiantly even since i was a kid especially the designs of transformers and Seeing fan arts and fan Designs and fans make thire own continuity made me me want to start learning to draw when im ready but i don't know how to draw cybertronians so do you have any tips and advices for someone who want to learn to draw transformers characters both Traditional & digital art?
Biggest advice I can give is: "Break a character apart into simple components!"
Drawing bots is honestly not that difficult, I find it much easier than people because you can more easily break a character apart into simplified blocks.
When it comes to designing characters it can take a few times to get one you're happy with so doing lots of basic sketches can help. References are always useful too! Every artist uses references.
Here's how I do it (In this case I'm doing an alt design for tfe Nightshade):
(It's not a definitive guide as you kinda have to figure out what works best for you both in terms of technique and art style. I'm aware my art style is definitely not for everyone, as it veers more on the cartoony side. I've had comments about how my faces all look effed up etc XD)
Initial sketch
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Break a bot down into basic shapes, circles and sausage shapes for more rounded characters and boxes for squarer ones. I normally start with the head and draw the rest of the body down from it (torso and arms then legs then any back kibble that might be visible) Think of it like the protoform beneath the armour.
To help with figuring out a pose I'll often use my toys. It can help you visualise where their arms and legs etc go along with whether part of a bot is actually visible from a certain angle. For example in this case:
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(Yes that's my cat chilling in the background)
This can help you to figure out if a certain design can pull a given pose, for example would a bot with kibble on their hips or arms be able to move their legs or arms a certain way. I used POTP Elita one as a reference for my SG Megatron a lot for example as they've got very similar builds. But this is not essential.
(There are mannequin apps on mobiles etc. you can use to help with pose references too, and image searches are always useful for references.)
For more dynamic poses it helps to think about how the character is moving, so add a curve to the torso/spine to add to any implied motion etc.
Details
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Once I'm happy with the basic shape and pose I typically add the armour over the top. Again the head is usually the first bit I do. You can see I got a bit lazy with their left hand and just did a scribble here XD
Inking
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Normally when inking I do the edges of each armour piece first then add any details on afterwards in a finer pen. Generally I'll do one body part at the time eg. fully ink the arm before doing the head etc. Its best to make sure you do parts that are in front first!
Here's the finished picture:
Though it'll need some digital cleaning up at another time.
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As for digital art...
I can't really give much advice on starting a drawing digitally as I never quite got the hang of it (colouring and corrections I do digitally but all my line art is traditional), I need the feedback of a pen in my hand and pressure on the paper to get it right.
These days the Hardware I mainly use is a refurbished huion art tablet (it was about £120 when I bought it) that's probably the cheapest your going to find a graphics tablet with a screen. BUT it's really not essential to get one especially if you're just starting out. Basic graphic tablets without a screen (just a pen and a pad) are much cheaper or you can use a mouse. I used a mouse for ages when I was first starting out.
In terms of software, for colouring and edits on the PC I use GIMP (I've been using it since like 2009 so I'm not really going to change any time soon!). It's freeware software and can do a lot of stuff, but it's user interface isn't the most user friendly especially if you're not familiar with graphics software but there are plenty of tutorials available for it. I'll try to remember to make a post showing how I use that another time :) as I'm not at my computer at the moment.
There are plenty of alternative image manipulation/graphics software to use as well, some free, some free but with ads, and some paid for (either one off payment or subscription). It's best to see what other artists have to say about them though as I've never really used them!
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cryptidclaw · 4 months
Note
hi ..! sorry to um bother you but you made a map of your clans territories a few days ago its reallyyy cute your art is so nice by the way <- not flattery just saying things. well you drew the map in a really clear Easy to Understand way and i was wondering if you had any tips on that ? ive always struggled trying to think of how the territories can fit together yknow its hard for me to visualize exactly how they all work ..
I can try to give some advice tho this was the first time I tried drawing a map so it was really just trial and error heh 😅
Layout wise:
It took me VERY long to figure out how I wanted the territories to fit together. What I did was make a rectangle frame and then I sketched a lot of different ideas of the border lines and layouts for a while to figure things out!
The main things I thought about were: which clans need to border eachother for the plot? Ex: i needed Roar, Sing, and Growl to border Whisper! I then planned around that! I also thought about the clan's relationships to eachother and to the land, like I knew I wanted Singing to be friends with Weeping do I put them next to eachother. And I knew I wanted Singing to center around the river so I placed them so the river went right thru their territory!
It takes a lot if trial and error but I got there eventually!
Style and readability wise:
I went through a few different versions of what style I wanted, but I settled on it being more representative rather than super size accurate. I think this helped with giving it some whimsy while also making is easier to read!
For example: I made the mountain really tall and pointed, would that actually make since size wise? Probably not, but it helps show the viewer the vibes of the territory and the difference between it and the other clans' territories!
I also used a lot of simplified items , like the trees are all one blob shape with little sticks on the bottom, this was so the map wasn't too busy and you could see the basic shape of where the forests were.
I also left out small things like extra little shrubs or trees to keep things less busy as well, like there are probably a few more plants in Whisper, Roar, Growl and Echo territory but I left it more flat and plain so things stayed simple and easy to read!
I also used the different color pallets of each clan to color each of the territories, which helped in keeping each separate and showing where each clan border is! Not very realistic but who cares it helps with labeling!
Idk if any of this is helpful, but this is what I got hehe
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ruija · 2 months
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Well I really love your art, may I ask how do u color? I struggle with coloring turtles and I wasn't to know how do u do that?
Hi anon! That's a very broad question, so you've given me a great excuse to ramble anything I want about my coloring, eehehehee~! This will be in two parts and I'll start with talking about my simpler coloring style.
As in, when I color characters on a white background, with a limited or light palette.
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The driving force behind this style is me being lazy. My time, energy, and attention span are pretty limited, so if I want to finish anything, I gotta do it fast. And with fanart, I'm usually just doing it for fun and relaxation, so there's no need to push myself to polish it too much.
Despite that, I rarely post just black and white sketches or line arts. I always try to add at least a little bit of toning or shading, because that makes the image easier to read. The characters and their shapes pop out and catch the eye of the viewer better.
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However, in this particular example, just the couple toning colors don't quite do the job. The way Don and Leo are entangled makes the center area of this illustration very busy and hard to read.
As a comparison; this pic has only one tone + mask colors, and it works. This is because all the characters are standing separately and their poses are very stationary and simple.
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So for the Don + Leo pic, adding some shadows helps in bringing out shapes and depths. Also in general, if you don't feel like drawing BGs, it's good to at least add a shadow below the characters. It grounds them and makes them feel like they exist within a space.
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Sometimes if the posing looks too complex and busy, it might just be best to color in the characters fully.
However, even if I do full flat colors, I tend to use a lighter palette. Putting characters in their neutral/default color on a white BG can look a bit jarring as if they're floating in a void. It feels less immersive and like the picture is unfinished.
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Using lighter colors makes the image more cohesive, and fits the characters into the white environment a bit more naturally.
If I'm too lazy to draw a BG, I prefer using stylized and limited colors. It feels deliberate and that the whiteness is just part of the palette, whereas the character-accurate colors on white don't match as well, even if they're more pastel.
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That being said, there's nothing wrong with just slapping the flat-colored characters on a white background. As you know, I do it too. I'm just exposing my 'fancy coloring style' for what it is; me being lazy, hah!
Limited and monochromatic palettes are a nice shortcut even when you do actual backgrounds. It's faster and you don't have to worry about clashing colors. And you can still convey atmosphere and mood.
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Also, on the topic of conserving your time and efforts; I think it's very common among younger/less experienced artists to think that the amount of time you spend on your art piece = how good and well received that piece will be.
Which has some merit to it of course, but it can lead to putting too much effort into areas where it's not necessary. E.g. filling the piece with tons of details and clutter that don't serve an actual purpose, but rather make the image hard to read. Or doing really complicated shading for a meme/comic, where simplicity would deliver the joke better.
So whenever I'm drawing something I intend to publish, whether it's a quick doodle or a more polished piece, I try to follow these two principles: Make it easily readable and do the bare minimum that needs to be done to convey what I want to convey.
Putting time into practice is important, but if you draw for work, it's also crucial that you know how to prioritize and use your time efficiently!
Anyway, thanks for reading! In the next part I'll go into how I do my fully colored pieces, so stay tuned for that!
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boltedfruit · 2 months
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COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN!
FILL OUT THE FORM TO COMMISSION ME
I'm opening commissions again to get some last minute surgery items (meds, pillows) before my gender affirming facial masculinization surgery on March 19th 2024. I also want to try and raise enough ($400) to get my corn snake, Olive, a bigger enclosure that she will use for the rest of her life.
RULES:
Fandom, original characters, furries, self/reader insert are allowed
NSFW is allowed
Up to two characters included in the base price
Payment via PayPal, required at time of invoice. WIP will be started and sent to confirm before moving on to lines and colors.
First come first serve
PRICES:
FLAT COLOR:
Half Body: $50
Full Body: $70
ROUGH COLORED SKETCH:
Half Body: $50
Full Body: $70
FULL COLOR:
Half Body: $100
Full Body: $150
BACKGROUND:
Simple: Included in base price (typically a shape/color)
Detailed: + $20 - $40 depending on detail
Everything helps! If you can't get a commission right now, please reblog to spread the word!
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