vox-mimicry

[vox-mimicry]

New ISAT animation, Take a Slice by Glass Animals! (Spoilers for up to Act 5)

[vox-mimicry]

for all the artists out there, here are my favorite resources i use to learn!

Files

The Complete Famous Artist Course

Art Books and Resources

Art, Anatomy, and Color Books

PDF Files of Art Books

YouTube

My YouTube Playlist of Tutorials

How to Draw Facial Features

Drawing and Art Advice

Drawing Lessons

Art Fundamentals

Anatomy of the Human Body

2D Animation

Perspective Drawing

Websites

Pinterest Board for Poses

Another Pinterest Board for Poses

Reference Angle

Figurosity

Sketch Daily

Human Anatomy

Animal Photo References

Humanae - Angélica Dass

Fine Art - Jimmy Nelson

Character Design References

CDR's Twitter Account

iamagco's Twitter Account

taco1704's Twitter Account

takuya_kakikata's Twitter Account

EtheringtonBro's Twitter Account

Drawabox

Color Wheel

Color Palette Cinema

Free Images and Pictures

Free Stock Photos

FILMGRAB

Screen Musings

William Nguyen Light Reference Tool

Animation References - sakugabooru

Animation References - Bodies in Motion

#art reference

[vox-mimicry]

Nerdy Fact #1434: Wonder Woman was originally based on two women: the wife of creator William Marston and one of his former students that both he and his wife had sexual encounters with. 

(Source.)

[vox-mimicry]

What people think why i became a bookbinder: Oh she wants to explore her artistic horizon with those pretty leather bound books of hers. She even gives them out as gifts to her friends. It most likely helps her with anxiety or maybe she just wanted a more special costume made notebook.

Why I actually became a bookbinder: I just illegally downloaded and printed out several of my favourite fanfics and books and started binding them into books cuz I love reading them but looking at screens for too long gives me headaches.

[vox-mimicry]

I attempted to make a personality quiz based off Craft types... I don't promise it's good but it is fun

[vox-mimicry]

Welcome to Build-a-Frog!

Click here to enter

[vox-mimicry]

[vox-mimicry]

My Favorite Cheap Art Trick: Gradient Maps and Blending Modes

i get questions on occasion regarding my coloring process, so i thought i would do a bit of a write up on my "secret technique." i don't think it really is that much of a secret, but i hope it can be helpful to someone. to that end:

this is one of my favorite tags ive ever gotten on my art. i think of it often. the pieces in question are all monochrome - sort of.

the left version is the final version, the right version is technically the original. in the final version, to me, the blues are pretty stark, while the greens and magentas are less so. there is some color theory thing going on here that i dont have a good cerebral understanding of and i wont pretend otherwise. i think i watched a youtube video on it once but it went in one ear and out the other. i just pick whatever colors look nicest based on whatever vibe im going for.

this one is more subtle, i think. can you tell the difference? there's nothing wrong with 100% greyscale art, but i like the depth that adding just a hint of color can bring.

i'll note that the examples i'll be using in this post all began as purely greyscale, but this is a process i use for just about every piece of art i make, including the full color ones. i'll use the recent mithrun art i made to demonstrate. additionally, i use clip studio paint, but the general concept should be transferable to other art programs.

for fun let's just start with Making The Picture. i've been thinking of making this writeup for a while and had it in mind while drawing this piece. beyond that, i didn't really have much of a plan for this outside of "mithrun looks down and hair goes woosh." i also really like all of the vertical lines in the canary uniform so i wanted to include those too but like. gone a little hog wild. that is the extent of my "concept." i do not remember why i had the thought of integrating a shattered mirror type of theme. i think i wanted to distract a bit from the awkward pose and cover it up some LOL but anyway. this lack of planning or thought will come into play later.

note 1: the textured marker brush i specifically use is the "bordered light marker" from daub. it is one of my favorite brushes in the history of forever and the daub mega brush pack is one of the best purchases ive ever made. highly recommend!!!

note 2: "what do you mean by exclusion and difference?" they are layer blending modes and not important to the overall lesson of this post but for transparency i wanted to say how i got these "effects." anyway!

with the background figured out, this is the point at which i generally merge all of my layers, duplicate said merged layer, and Then i begin experimenting with gradient maps. what are gradient maps?

the basic gist is that gradient maps replace the colors of an image based on their value.

so, with this particular gradient map, black will be replaced with that orangey red tone, white will be replaced with the seafoamy green tone, etc. this particular gradient map i'm using as an example is very bright and saturated, but the colors can be literally anything.

these two sets are the ones i use most. they can be downloaded for free here and here if you have csp. there are many gradient map sets out there. and you can make your own!

you can apply a gradient map directly onto a specific layer in csp by going to edit>tonal correction>gradient map. to apply one indirectly, you can use a correction layer through layer>new correction layer>gradient map. honestly, correction layers are probably the better way to go, because you can adjust your gradient map whenever you want after creating the layer, whereas if you directly apply a gradient map to a layer thats like. it. it's done. if you want to make changes to the applied gradient map, you have to undo it and then reapply it. i don't use correction layers because i am old and stuck in my ways, but it's good to know what your options are.

this is what a correction layer looks like. it sits on top and applies the gradient map to the layers underneath it, so you can also change the layers beneath however and whenever you want. you can adjust the gradient map by double clicking the layer. there are also correction layers for tone curves, brightness/contrast, etc. many such useful things in this program.

let's see how mithrun looks when we apply that first gradient map we looked at.

gadzooks. apologies for eyestrain. we have turned mithrun into a neon hellscape, which might work for some pieces, but not this one. we can fix that by changing the layer blending mode, aka this laundry list of words:

some of them are self explanatory, like darken and lighten, while some of them i genuinely don't understand how they are meant to work and couldn't explain them to you, even if i do use them. i'm sure someone out there has written out an explanation for each and every one of them, but i've learned primarily by clicking on them to see what they do.

for the topic of this post, the blending mode of interest is soft light. so let's take hotline miamithrun and change the layer blending mode to soft light.

here it is at 100% opacity. this is the point at which i'd like to explain why i like using textured brushes so much - it makes it very easy to get subtle color variation when i use this Secret Technique. look at the striation in the upper right background! so tasty. however, to me, these colors are still a bit "much." so let's lower the opacity.

i think thats a lot nicer to look at, personally, but i dont really like these colors together. how about we try some other ones?

i like both of these a lot more. the palettes give the piece different vibes, at which point i have to ask myself: What Are The Vibes, Actually? well, to be honest i didn't really have a great answer because again, i didn't plan this out very much at all. however. i knew in my heart that there was too much color contrast going on and it was detracting from the two other contrasts in here: the light and dark values and the sharp and soft shapes. i wanted mithrun's head to be the main focal point. for a different illustration, colors like this might work great, but this is not that hypothetical illustration, so let's bring the opacity down again.

yippee!! that's getting closer to what my heart wants. for fun, let's see what this looks like if we change the blending mode to color.

i do like how these look but in the end they do not align with my heart. oh well. fun to experiment with though! good to keep in mind for a different piece, maybe! i often change blending modes just to see what happens, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. i very much cannot stress enough that much of my artistic process is clicking buttons i only sort of understand. for fun.

i ended up choosing the gradient map on the right because i liked that it was close to the actual canary uniform colors (sorta). it's at an even lower opacity though because there was Still too much color for my dear heart.

the actual process for this looks like me setting my merged layer to soft light at around 20% opacity and then clicking every single gradient map in my collection and seeing which one Works. sometimes i will do this multiple times and have multiple soft light and/or color layers combined.

typically at this point i merge everything again and do minor contrast adjustments using tone curves, which is another tool i find very fun to play around with. then for this piece in particular i did some finishing touches and decided that the white border was distracting so i cropped it. and then it's done!!! yay!!!!!

this process is a very simple and "fast" way to add more depth and visual interest to a piece without being overbearing. well, it's fast if you aren't indecisive like me, or if you are better at planning.

let's do another comparison. personally i feel that the hint of color on the left version makes mithrun look just a bit more unwell (this is a positive thing) and it makes the contrast on his arm a lot more pleasing to look at. someone who understands color theory better than i do might have more to say on the specifics, but that's honestly all i got.

just dont look at my layers too hard. ok?

#save for later #art reference #im in college so i cant look to closely but this seems helpful!

[vox-mimicry]

A Comprehensive Guide To Color-Coded Characters

Red: Somewhat crude and feral, low-key wise but also Mad Dumb. Acts confident but secretly super insecure. Tactile, strong fashion choices,takes naps. Big Gay Energy. Eats food straight from the can. Needs and Deserves love and kindness. Please adopt them. Guilty of arson. Voted #1 most likely to have a mullet as a teen. Needs a dog.

Orange: Energetic Wild Card, but 100% whatever the fuck they are. Only unpredictable when they’re Quiet. Loud Boi™. Probably a little too trusting of authority. Danger Baby. Craves Destruction. Fine on their own but could probably benefit from the direction of a group. Should always be supervised in the kitchen.

Yellow: Dumbass with a good heart, the first one the fandom forgets about. Deserves better. Probably knows how to bake. 1000% Done With This Shit but also yes I will help you commit felonies. Needs a nap. High-strung. Deserves more quality attention in Canon but probably won’t get it. Divides the audience between Love Them and Irritated By Them. Mom Energy. Knits.

Green: Outward personality is mostly a façade. Simultaneously Most Likely and Least Likely murder suspect. Trauma. Probably needs a hug. Trans Icon Energy. Gamer. Good with either gardening or tech, sometimes both. Needs to be patient and kind to themselves. Holds a grudge forever. Eccentric. Reluctant Pet Owner becomes Diehard Pet Parent. Will Stab You.

Blue: Whatever they are on the outside is softer and sadder on the inside. High-Key Acts Wise to cover up the Big Dumbass Energy. Sweet Tooth Skincare Routine Instagram Diva. Snark. Always knows best. Aloof, bad with feelings, may have a stick up their ass. Family Issues Energy. The physical embodiment of Conflict. Needs Friends, or will devolve into a trash monster. Slight Bastard Energy.

Purple: 30% Fashion Icon, 30% early 2010’s “U Mad, Bro?” Meme in physical form, 30% Insecurity And A Desire To Be Loved And Understood. Remaining 10% dedicated to coming off as way cooler than they actually are. Bedhead. Not a morning person. Little Shit Energy. Younger Sibling Energy. Flushes the toilet while you’re in the shower.

Brown: Deserved more/better attention in Canon. Absolutely Batshit but Knows What They’re Talking About. Will Survive The Apocalypse. Probably could be mysterious and elegant if they wanted but isn’t really feeling it. Strong Commitment To Aesthetic. Feral Badass Energy. Lived in the woods before it was cool.

Black: Big Scary Softy. Fully capable of killing you and everyone you love but probably won’t. Stealth Meme. Seems like a Lawful Good Paladin but is surprisingly chill about doing crime. Reluctant Dad Energy. May or may not have committed assault. Do as I say, not as I do. Secret Knitter Energy. Why Do People Trust Me To Be The Responsible One, I Did Not Ask For This. Tempted to let the kids stick their fingers in the electrical socket, just once. Tired. I Love My Partner So Much

Grey: Sad Things. Press F to pay respects. Can’t help but like them a little. Could probably benefit from having a large, kindly dog. Needs more friends. Cannot survive on beef jerky alone but By God They Will Try. Either is a mom or needs one. Needs to braid hair and talk about feelings. Not allowed to die. Possibly magical. Neglected in fan fiction.

White: Either Big Serious or WeedFiend420; possibly both. Either way, Bisexual. Highly competent and strict. Parties Rarely but Parties Hard. Went Buckwild in college, somehow still graduated. Big Bitch Energy. Should not look as good as they do. Guilty of war crimes. Consumes a truly alarming amount of caffeine. Possibly immortal.

Pink: Can, Should, and Will kick your ass. Overachiever disguised as a quirky oddball. Your death will be neither swift not merciful. Highly competitive. Full of both love and rage. Their mouth is for Cake and Screaming. Optimistic. Baby Bi Energy. Loyal as hell. Has A Dark Secret. Tempted by the dark side. Talks to their plants

#save for later

[vox-mimicry]

hi! i noticed your recent post recommending the fic natural satellite and i think i've noticed other isat fics around your blog too. because of that, i was wondering if you had a list of recommended isat fics! i will admit i am not someone who just peruses around on ao3 but i love reading about these characters so if you have any recs, i would greatly appreciate them! thanks and i hope you have a lovely day :3

I love ALL isat fic - each and every one is so special and wonderful - but if I listed the whole archive that wouldn't really help huh... So! Im going to list just some off the top of my head., this is in no way definitive. Isat spoilers ahead - get all the way through the game and the secret before proceeding.

Big recommendation list below:

Additionally, mind the tags for each fic - I wont be specifying the content warnings here.

(don't just read the complete ones!!! Incomplete fic is just as delightful I promise :3)

Complete: Bloom - Level99Eevee Most people know it, it sits at the top of the tag! It's my every wish fulfilled for post-cannon moments.

Memories of defeat - dirtbagtrashcat Stuff in and immediately after the loops, fantastic extrapolations!!!! Very much Loop <33 I find this very grounded and realistic!!!!

Emotion Sickness - dirtbagtrashcat Post cannon fun/trauma with siffrin and the gang.

Memories of Touch - dirtbagtrashcat look i just really like their work sjkdjkfjkasdf its all good go through their profile. This is Isa thoughts.

And if I were not myself, would this be easier? - rabbit_soup Post-game! I love how they flesh out the world.

The Understudy - kittyorange Suuuuch a loop fic I love it to bits. Post cannon loop and the gang stuff.

Star-Speckled Skin - Lora_Blackmane Funn angsty moment, title is very descriptive. Lives in my head rent free.

Clinging to dying embers - Coffeewolf67 Odile's perspective of sif using the dagger. appropriate content warnings apply :)

between the end and a new start - glowingjellyfishtreelights SICKFICCC I had a very funny experience with this one where due to memory mishaps I got to read it for the first time twice! Absolute banger.

What's in a name? - Raaj Explores siffrins love of plays. I have to regularly reread this for my brain to function.

Starstruck - Dusk_Illusionist Isa yearns. The fic. It rocks.

Saturn Devouring His Son (Time Choking on Stone Choking on Blood)- BasilPaste Post cannon moment... I like it...

(Why) you can't let them know by Mayasynth sasasap fic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i like it. i hold it. i like it. UGH theres more but I have already listed so many.. my other favorites... im so sorry.,.. i love you guys too... Incomplete:

How To Rest by rabbit_soup Sequel to "And if i were not myself, would this be easier?" Loop is here and I love violence.

TRY IT AGAIN, CHEATER! by discatded "[Loop returns to their own universe after everything. It's hard.]" - from the summary. Love it love it. I will never get enough of this premise.

To Extend our Reach to the Stars Above by Cinnamin_Is_a_Star "Sif if he was team rocket" and is so fun. Very excited to see this one pan out!

until we move on. by Anonymous (also known as lozy) LOOP MY BELOVED..! loop returns to their universe and promptly looses it like the universe intended. Cant get enough of it.

Natural Satellite by dirtbagtrashcat If a single fic makes me the Most insane its natural satellite if I'm honest.... like bro... It just gets right to me...

Sunder by Miranda_tries_their_best Post-cannon Loop fic!! They travel on their own for a bit (but not forever), and I love it dearly.

Face the Light by Kaimiiru Post-game, I hold it close to my heart.... Ah... It's so dear to me.

These next two are sloop so if that's not your thing you have been warned :]

raconte-moi qu’on puisse crier tout bas by bibliomaniac I'm holding this high above my head so everyone can see it the characterization is off the charts.

To Cut You Open With a Knife and Find Your Sacred Heart by Hexea_Art Changeling Loop fic!! What a fun concept. I am excited to see where it goes. yay! AGAIN... THERE ARE SO MANY I LOVE SO MUCH but im forcing myself not to look through the tag else I'd add everything. Honestly, I do recommend just launching right on into the ao3 tag for ISAT even if you aren't super familiar with ao3. Just be sure to filter out anything you don't want to see!

Consider this a good starting point ^^

#save for later

[vox-mimicry]

PALESTINE UPDATES 🇵🇸

Updates from Nusairat Refugee Camp 🚨

#free palestine #palestine #free gaza #gaza #from the river to the sea palestine will be free

[vox-mimicry]

After some time reading I've finally put together a list of few fanfictions. I present to you AroAce Alastor fan fiction list:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MAio4S_ZrIhR9Nqd84b7XvPtFV_lnpdIkfMKHKvibw4/edit?usp=drivesdk

I'll add more as I read and probably format it better but I had to get it out because I felt a bit fatigued thinking how I should add descriptions etc... so I decided to put it out in the open as it is.

Enjoy!

#thank you

[vox-mimicry]

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

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

#art reference

[vox-mimicry]

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

#tumblr folk stories

[vox-mimicry]

I MADE A GAME! it's a short little walkaround adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, set in a dying apartment tower, with a whole host of characters who you may or may not recognize. Music, art, and writing all by me - you can play it here, either in-browser or downloadable (although I've been informed that if you download it, the fonts may not function correctly).

It may receive updates in future - I made it in about a month for a class assignment, so I didn't have time to include everything I wanted to, and the music is all taken from various other projects of mine - so stay tuned for whenever that happens! For now, enjoy a 30-40 minute game with a single, inevitable conclusion. And do let me know what you think.

#oooohhhh #for later

[vox-mimicry]

I did a thing :)

#Amphibia!!! #I've missed the funny frog show #The animation is so nice to #I like how squishy the art style is

[vox-mimicry]

not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing [what would happen between earth and the moon if the earth stopped spinning as illustrated by xkcd randall munroe]

#:)