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Being an artist is hard

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Shout out to all my chronic pain having artists who desperately want to create, I hope you have some moments of peace soon where you can make something ♡

And shout out to those who don't know if they will ever create in the same ways again or without help. You are still an artist and I hope you find many different outlets with which you can make wonderful things ♡

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Langa fidgets with his cuffed sleeves, absentmindedly folding and unfolding them at the elbow. The real reason for showing up here – what he really wants to ask – brews beneath the surface. Letting it boil over into the open is nauseating, but he can't avoid it forever.

“The skaters that came before Miya…were they…” How else is he supposed to say it? “Were they, like…our age too?”

Langa is left unsettled after everything Adam has done to him. Kaoru makes him hot cocoa, and lets him know he's not alone.

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hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

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Palestinian Fundraisers #8

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7

Hello, everyone! I wanted to share a couple more fundraisers from people who have reached out to me recently.

Please check them out and consider donating if you can!

As a reminder, if you donate to a GFM and send me the proof, I will translate a video from Chinese to English for you! Any video of your choosing. Learn more about it here.

Amounts current as of November 11, 2024.

@fattmawurd1234 || https://gofund.me/6a6be4ab 9,007 / 50k CAD

@aboyousef1973 || https://gofund.me/4de94fec 3,078 / 25k EUR

@sondos22220 || https://gofund.me/cb615845 1,333 / 30k CAD

@majedgerbawi || https://gofund.me/abbc2759 8,557 / 70k USD

@aburakhiaibrahim || https://gofund.me/cedc0275 6,987 / 30k CAD

@karemanpaleatine || https://gofund.me/59d321bd 18,706 / 75k USD

@hanangaza1 || https://gofund.me/269b7293 19,360 / 100k USD

@ahmadwaleed555 || https://gofund.me/944ddd9b 11,542 / 25k USD

@sfaamq10 || https://gofund.me/b25cb4bf 36,703/ 75k USD

@lawyer-adhamayyad88 || https://gofund.me/dd27f564 692 / 50k EUR

@rainycollectorengineer || https://gofund.me/bda66430 3,316 / 15k EUR

@lubna-aajrami || https://gofund.me/c30e1bd4 1,897 / 16k GBP

@ahmadayman1999 || https://gofund.me/4f615392 1,011 / 35k EUR

@etafetaf1234567 || https://gofund.me/600330a0 6,920 /  100k EUR

@mahmodser || https://gofund.me/112f10c0 1,008 / 20k EUR

@moamengaza || https://gofund.me/bf54664b 40 / 50k EUR

@hamza-gaza || https://gofund.me/abf54bf1 4,582 / 100k EUR

@freepaleatine95 || https://gofund.me/19e0f69f 54,330 / 70k USD

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Write that book. Draw that artwork. Start that YouTube channel.

Corrupt powers want you to feel helpless, to strip you of your hope, so that you have no choice but to rely on their control.

So be self indulgent, be selfish as fuck actually. The most radical, rebellious thing you can do is chase your own little joys.

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well 🧍‍♀️ as a reminder this blog is NOT a safe space for trump supporters but it IS a safe place for women, queers, trans ppl, people of color, undocumented people, and any marginalized group.

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Aesthetic for my upcoming SK8 fanfic ☕️ 🌸

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Writing a SK8 fanfic about Langa coming to terms with how creeped out he is by Adam because I still hate that mf

Also Kaoru makes him hot cocoa and it's really wholesome

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LMAO so, recently someone tried to SCAM me, so i'll show you what happened and the telltales of it being a scam.

This one is quite obvious but i know people who are just starting their artist careers and might not have experiece.

Follow the thread:

🚩#1: They pick your most famous/Popular art as reference. They don't know what you actually sell.

🚩#2: They will pick a random popular character. They're not roleplayers or anything. They're not here for the art in any level

You ask me, what are the odds they really like Goku? Oh, well, you'll see. At this point i check their profile for anythign that might indicate it, but as you'll see you won't have to.

🚩#3: They say they saw my ToS. On it i state i only work with paypal and google forms.

🚩#4: Random issue with payment method. They might have a real problem with it, but see; they'll never ever accept any other payment method, such as Zelle, CashApp, Payoneer, Ko-fi, etc.

I already knew this drill so, let's continue.

🚩#5: I love playing dumb lmao. Anyway, this scam revolves on them either sending you "too much money" and asking it back or something like it. I won't be following through because i know it'll be annoying.

BE ADAMANT WITH YOUR METHODS. Do NOT EVER bend them for randos.

🚩#6: They're so ready with the info on how the payment works it's fucking funny.

The reason I PERSONALLY use PayPal INVOICES (no any other payment within paypal) is that they're safe for both me and my client. My rules are stated clearly.

MAKE A ToS I BEG YOU YOUNG ARTIST

🚩#7: They're not even a good scammer lmao they REFUSE to go on my PROFILE to get a link or read anything.

I use Forms because it collects the client requests and it's easier for me to read it all in one place. It ALSO makes scammers bored.

🚩#8: They're so disinterested on the art they don't care for posing, vibes, colors, nothing. Again, they're NOT here for art. That's hilarious.

🚩#8: Same as above. They don't care for posing or anything.

On my art they link me, i have a vampire almost staking himself in a state of euphoria.

IMAGINE VAMPIRE GOKU STAKING HIMSELF THAT'S SO FUCKIGN FUNNY MY BRO, THINK YOUR SCAM THROUGH MAYBE

🚩#9: They will price your own work for you. And they'll overshot what we, smaller artists, charge for it.

They'll overshot by a lot.

They want you to be impressed and showing "generosity" usually gets people who need monay into risky situations. That's just plain cruel.

🚩#9: Same as above. Over generosity and eagerness to pay.

They're not even with the sketch, this haven't been an hour, they don't have any work form me but OH GOD they're SO READY to pay you NEED TO KNOW they WANTS TO PAY YOU SO BAD

Lmao yeah it's working out ❤️

THIS ONE IS JUST HILARIOUS BRO I CAN'T EVEN.

ANYWAY let's continue

🚩#10: They don't know me. They don't follow me. They broke every rule on my ToS. They're making me go through a payment method i am unfamiliar and don't use.

They don't care for my process. They're not interested on my sketch.

BE. ADAMANT. ABOUT. YOUR. RULES. AND. PROCESS.

Now, for the beautiful closure of this:

Have a ToS. Don't bend the rules for randos.

Use Invoices. Be sure you're safe.

Use forms if you'd like. Requests through DM and Discord ARE COMMON FOR OTHER ARTISTS. I personally don't like it, i have ADHD.

Being an artist on an online space is dangerous. If you need help, poke an artist you know, see how they operate and if it fits you. Most of them would help you.

🚩#11: goku isn't even on their icon 😭

This is the account that tried to scam me.

#art is life ❤️

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The Truth About First Drafts

First drafts are not great quality. Some lines might be fantastic, but overall, it probably won’t be amazing. And that’s totally fine, it’s normal, it’s exactly what you want.

Our silly writer brains expect perfection on the first go for some reason?? Which makes no sense. 

They’re meant to be terrible, just thoughts spewing onto paper, really. Just get the dialogue out, get the story into a tangible, clear sequence of events that’s actually a readable story, not just an outline. You can fix it later <3

Think of it as the “zero draft” instead of the first draft. “Garbage draft” works too.

Write it out on paper with pen, or add messy notes to your documents everywhere to really reinforce the idea that there’s no pressure or expectation for perfection.

Don’t look at any of the draft as you write it until you’re done the draft. Looking back at bad writing while working on the same project can be really discouraging, so just don’t look. 

Once you finish the draft, wait a couple weeks. Long enough to distance yourself from it, so you can come back to fix it with a clear head. 

Don’t compare your first draft to published books. Ever. Those books might be on their tenth, twentieth, thirtieth draft. It’s unfair. Don’t bully yourself or your project.

Set yourself a goal, x words per day, x minutes spent writing, whatever you want. Just make sure it’s achievable. Don’t set yourself up for failure unless you’re asking for discouragement.

You got this <33 Just get that draft down. 

When you finish the draft, rewrite the whole thing, using the original draft as a reference if you like. There will almost certainly be countless details you want to change, so rewriting the story will be easier than fixing the original. 

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Palestine fundraisers with easily-achievable goals

By "easily-achievable", I mean in the 50-60K range and below. Once again, drawing from my pinned list of fundraisers, which have all been vetted by Palestinians on Tumblr (check that post for the proof next to each family name). I'll update this post just like the main list and the "under 1000 donations" list. Many of these are extremely close to completing their funding. Let's help get them there!

As always, donate if you can, reblog if you can't!

LAST UPDATED 9/5

10K range

Aya's family Goal: 15K 2/3 funded

The Saftawi family Goal: 16K 2874 TO GO!

20K range

The Sami family Goal: 20K Half funded

Zaen and Yehya Goal: 25K 1/4 funded

The Ismaeel family Goal: 25K 1/3 funded

Ashraf's family Goal: 25K 3620 TO GO!

30K range

Ahmed's family Goal: 30K 1/3 funded

The Alnabih family Goal: 30K 4176 TO GO!

The Khalaf family Goal: 30K 1806 TO GO!

Issam Aziz's mother Goal: 30K 2970 TO GO!

Amira's family Goal: 39K 2/3 funded

40K range

The Hor family Goal: 40K Under 1/5 funded

The Abushammaleh family Goal: 40K 1/3 funded

The Shaqoura family Goal: 45K Half funded

The Aburass family Goal: 45K 1/4 funded

Note: The Aburass campaign is in SEK, so the goal is technically 450K, but converted to USD it's closer to 45. Ultimately I decided to include this one since USD, CAD, GBP, and EUR will be more powerful here, and a huge chunk of the site's user base will pay with one of those currencies. The more hands on deck, the better.

50K range

Amal's family Goal: 50K Under 1/5 funded

Walaa's family Goal: 50K 1/5 funded

The Shorbaje family Goal: 50K 1/3 funded

The Aldeeb family Goal: 55K 2/3 funded

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Fans and Creators of Webtoons!

I want to talk about Line Webtoon’s new “Super Like” program and why it sucks for literally everyone.

What is a “Super Like?”

According to their website, super likes are a new way for webtoon creators to monetize their work. Readers can pay real money to buy a super like for their favorite webtoon, and the creator gets a fraction of that money.

Wait, a fraction? Not all of it?

Yep! Webtoon skims quite a chunk off the top.

30% goes to Webtoon, and then another 30% of that amount goes to the payment processor.

So what do creators get? 49 cents for every dollar their fans try to give them. Literally half.

That’s pretty ludicrous, right?

Interestingly enough, they announced that they had a “tipping system” in the works in the same email they ended the CANVAS creator rewards program (and many comic creators livelihoods)

They said tipping system in their social media posts too

Obviously this tipping system is referring to super likes right? They say they’re going to do a tipping system, and then this rolls out.

But “tips” are not something that buisinesses can just take a cut of, at least not in the United States. According to the Department of Labor, it is illegal for any amount of tips from customers to go to an employer.

Webtoon is trying to walk back this language, of course. You won’t find the word “tip” anywhere on their website page explaining how it works. But those old social media posts are still up.

This is all pretty scummy

But wait, it gets worse!

They removed the Patreon button at the end of episodes and replaced it with this:

Yep! That’s right. Webtoon really said “what if we replace the tipping system that already existed with a shittier one where you only get half of it 🥺”

Unsurprisingly, they faced a ton of backlash.

Webtoon was quick to point out that the Patreon button was only removed from the end of episodes and there was still a button on the creator’s homepage. But of course, the end of episodes is where that button matters the most.

Creators know this. Webtoon knows this.

Eventually, after days of continued complaints from creators on social media, Webtoon went on damage control mode and announced that they would be putting the Patreon button back at the end of episodes—

As of right now (May 11th, 2024) the Patreon button is still not back.

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So…Super likes are “super totally not a tip.”

But if they aren’t tips…what are they?

Well there’s a bit more to the story of what a super like actually is. After announceing the program, the app updated to reveal a new ranking category on the front page

When you click on this ranking tab, you can see that there is now both a daily and weekly ranking

If you’re a CANVAS creator, you know how difficult and seemingly random it can be to get your comic on the front page of the app—so my immediate worry was that comic creators were going to buy superlikes on their own series to get in this ranking and…

Yep, that’s already happening.

But why would webtoon even allow creators to buy superlikes for themselves? How does that make sense?

Surely goading desperate creators into buying superlikes can’t be that lucrative, can it?

No. I think there’s another, possibly even worse reason.

Fandom wars

If you’re into music, you probably are aware of how common it is for super fans to make concerted efforts to get their favorite musician to the top of the billboard charts. They coordinate over social media, stream music on loop as soon as an album drops to inflate the numbers, buy albums in bulk to increase sales, all so that they can say their fav is number one. It’s especially common among K-pop fans and swifties

This phenomena is well documented

Fans of Webtoons can be just as ravenous as K-pop, so I think Webtoon is trying to capitalize on this. They want to encourage fandom war and make money. That’s why they have this ranking. Not only can super fans brag about their favorite series topping the charts but they can wear their super like proudly on their reader profile that webtoon will be rolling out soon.

They’re just testing this super like stuff out on CANVAS right now, but once this starts up with originals? Oh. It will be a very profitable, very terrible mess.

(Oh and I mean profitable for webtoon, not creators, in case that wasn’t clear.)

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Anyway, if you’re a creator, do yourself a favor and don’t enable super likes.

If you’re a fan of a webcomic, just donate to that creators patreon or Ko-Fi to show your support. Don’t give a red cent to webtoon because they did not do any of the work to make the series you love, alright?

Also check out my webtoon haha.

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Webtoon's new age rating standards say that a comic can't be rated All Ages if it includes "Fully censored profanity (e.g., #$%^) in a few episodes". Literally more restrictive than 1950s newspaper funnies!

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You know what, I'm tired of art tutorials and higher/popular artists giving "tips" that are like; "Don't do this! Do that instead!" "No, don't do that, you want to do it like THIS" "Don't do this!!!!" "NEVER do that!"

Like... maybe acknowledge that art is subjective, different mediums and styles exist, nobody's process is the "correct" way to do it.

Do whatever the hell you want with your art. If you try to fit the mold of what's popular, you'll only end up drowning yourself out.

Do what you love and enjoy, what brings you passion, what aids you, and your niche will come.

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important tip for artists drawing male characters:

you can ALWAYS make them more cunty