#Also if anyone wants a specific pose and angle to help with a drawing and they don't have a scream hmu

[machveil]

Beautiful, cute, dulzura, A quick question, do you have any advice for drawing? I see your drawings and I just fell in love with them, I just started drawing again but it's difficult...

I don't know, sorry, English is not my first language, using translator jiji 🤎🍁

(note: this post is long, grab a snack lol) ah! no problem, don’t worry about the translator haha (pinterest link - this is my masterboard for human references! I’ll talk about it more below)

I think my best advice for anyone wanting to draw is to break down your piece into shapes! (also, depending on your style, using different line weights)

from my experience, while looking at the whole reference is good, it’s easier to break down individual parts! while some parts can look complicated, a lot of things can be broken down into triangles, squares, and circles (or half circles)

I focus on character art, so I’ll be speaking about that - but it can applied to scenery and objects too. a lot of characters clothes are broken up into colored articles already - in the top reference, Ghost has a red bandanna on his arm! that bandanna helps break up his arm: the top near his shoulder is triangular, the bandanna itself is overall rectangular, and the bottom of his sleeve is a square

of course, depending on how you’re posing the character it can change the angle of what we’re seeing - there’s also an accommodation that your art probably won’t be a 1-to-1 copy with your reference. Ghost’s right arm (bandanna) has a white rolled up sleeve - while the model’s sleeve is square, I prefer to draw rolled sleeves more triangular

I think line weight is also important depending on your style! I prefer thicker lines around the entire character, and defining qualities also get thicker lines

I like thinner lines inside the character to help define dimensional shape and form. I use thicker lines on the inside of the body if there’s a shape/area that’s more in the foreground - example: König’s chest and midsection have thick line art to help differentiate from his left arm (behind his body)

I know a common piece of advice is to use real life references, and I agree… but, I never hear people talk about how to use references in a way that actually helps (“just draw from real life”, or “drawing with a reference is good practice”). I experienced that and wasn’t able to take anything away for years!

within the past year or so I seriously took a look at how using references can help me, so I want to try and talk about that - if I had trouble learning from references I’d wager someone else has

here’s my best example of using a reference because I actually remembered to! I labeled the figure to make it a little easier to follow

(1) my first tip is using a reference to figure out how the body ‘flows’. the human body has a lot of soft, rounded lines when you look at a picture - very few things are legitimately straight and sharp. I used the reference specifically to figure out how men’s pecs are shaped (of course, this is just one reference… because this is my headcanon for König’s body type haha)

(1) looking at references can help you understand how muscles move. in the reference with the woman, you notice how her right arm (down) muscles are layered - the shape portrayed by the reference lets you see how an arm’s muscles might be laid out in that position

(2) my second tip from the König reference is to look at negative space! the highlighted red portion between the arm and midsection is roughly the same negative space as the reference. if you’re using a reference and something feels off with the placement of what you’ve drawn I’d recommend looking at the space your reference takes up

(2) the negative space trick helps me line up where proportions should meet up - the distance between her arms lets me gauge how the rest of her body should be proportioned

(2) while it doesn’t match up 1-to-1 with the reference when layered overtop, it doesn’t have to! the negative space between the arms was enough for the sketch to mimic what the reference looks like. art doesn’t have to be a 1-to-1, but negative space can help you figure out ‘why does that arm look funny?’, “that arm looks funny because, compared to the negative space of your reference, it’s too (far away/close) to the body.”

(3) my last tip is the simplest, so I’ll just be referring to the König figure! when using references I look to gauge the distance between different body parts - it helps me get more realistic proportions. the bit I specifically compared to was the man’s stomach placement compared to his waist. I didn’t copy it 1-to-1 because I like the idea König has more of a tummy, but the reference allowed me to figure out an anatomical placement for where König’s stomach would be compared to his waist

I hope my advice wasn’t terrible haha everyone’s art journey is different, but these are tips I would have liked to know a few years ago (specifically the reference material ones lol). I wanted to focus more on the reference material because when people say ‘just use a reference, it’ll help’ it didn’t do it for me

I personally needed a more in depth explanation on why I would use a reference, what should I be looking at - because just drawing a person doesn’t necessarily help, and how should I be learning from it - I accidentally taught myself negative space before I knew what it was

but uhm… yeah, I hope this wasn’t awful! good luck on everyone’s art journeys, just remember that you’re allowed to take your time and try different things

if you guys have any other questions about my art feel free to jump into my inbox; process wise, inspiration, etc - I’ll answer anything I can<3

[drpeppertummy]

ur art makes me wanna draw my own belly doodles!! do u have any advice for drawing bellies :3

oh hell yessss u should !!!!!!! ok i dont really have Much advice but heres what i got off the top of my head (& a lot of it is stuff i gotta work on myself too jghfdjfhg)

someone else (cant remember who😭) posted about this recently & its something i definitely agree with: know where the hips and rib cage are. thats what i pretty much always start with so i can get passable proportions and also start to lay out the pose

play around with different shapes, sizes, weights, etc. small taut bellies, big plush bellies, perfectly round, full of rolls, top-heavy, bottom-heavy, bellies that push out far or bulge at the sides, etc

positioning clothes, limbs, props, etc appropriately around the belly can add a lot of depth to it. think about where a shirt would be pulled taut, where the folds on clothes would fall, the angle an arm would have to be at to rub the belly, etc

think about how soft/firm the belly is. will it squish up against a surface or stay round like a basketball? how deep can a hand press into it? maybe the lower half is softer than the stomach area? much to ponder

sometimes a pose can do a lot for the belly. sometimes a cute outfit can do a lot for the belly. sometimes the context implied by props can do a lot for the belly. think about what you want to emphasize or show off, what you want to suggest about the situation, etc

having a specific situation in mind isnt a necessity, but personally i think it helps. i have an easier time drawing a character if i know whats going on and why, how they feel about it, who they might be with, etc. doesnt have to be all that involved. could just be somethin simple like "they were hungry so they made too much lunch" or "trying to get dressed but their pants wont button"

experiment with lines. clothing folds, belly rolls, lines intended to show stretching or tightness, stretch marks, etc. this can add depth and emphasize the shape or feel of the belly

this is something i Really struggle with: it helps to know how big you want the belly to be. personally i tend to go overboard and make it bigger than i wanted to. just be aware of the size youre going for so you can keep it where you want it to be

look at other belly art and take note of what aspects of it you like. theres much to be learned from watching other artists and seeing what people do differently

& if anyone else has Better advice Please feel free to add !!!!

[calithso]

do u have art tips (for like anatomy and face expressions and angles)? I was scrolling though your ACC and when I tell you I’m eating ur art, I’m actually digesting it as we speak, I love it sm 😭😭

TRACE!!!! IDC WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS. TRACE ART AND LEARN FROM IT. USING 3D MODELS IS OKAY ‼️‼️ PROFESSIONALS DO IT AND YOU CAN TOO ‼️‼️‼️

but of course, don't post it online or claim it as yours, that's just wrong 🫶

BTW THIS IS JUST WHAT I DO. IF ANYONE ELSE HAS SOME TIPS, DROP THEM IT'LL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

art rules are meant to be broken-💥💥💥

i think i'm the worst person to ask for tips cause i don't follow my own guidelines. i've only recently started to use references but i'm usually too lazy to search for them. which is pretty bad since i can't really visualize stuff in my head (your artist has aphantasia)

when i do half body to full body poses, i just use 3d models and start from there. i usually adjust things to my liking after i copy out the pose. i'm still currently learning anatomy so idk what tips to give about it rn BUT i do have some tips

i think angles helps a lot with what mood you want to convey in a drawing. it may also help with expressions. you can use boxes for drawing different angles of the head. i do this when the angle of the head i'm drawing is hard to draw.

an example on how i used it:

another thing you can try is to learn an artist's anatomy style by drawing guidelines on top of a drawing like this:

see how everything is placed and what bodypart is line with what like: the eyes are in the same height as the tip of the ears, the elbow is line with the dip of the waist, etc.

just adjust stuff to your liking. your work doesn't have to be super anatomically accurate, if it is, there's a possibility that the pose might look stiff so change up some things and exaggerate them. just practice some angles, it'll become muscle memory in time.

if it looks nice, then it's good enough 👍

observe and redraw. it's just copying art styles i like and attempting to incorporate it into my own art. my art style inspos are wildwolf_group and donaldakron (i’m also absolutely in love with their lighting and shading) on twitter because the way they draw hair is so nice.

study art styles 👍 i like looking at their sketches and studying how they do specific things like hair and faces in different angles. pinterest is a huge help if you want art inspo. it's okay to copy poses from artworks but be careful to not copy it entirely if the pose looks complicated or unique, you might get accused of theft 😓 (it's brutal out here)

if you want more art tips, i recommend watching bluebiscuits's videos on youtube. speedpaints have also helped me a lot in the past (we need to bring them back <///33) i also recommend watching art streams. i spend a lot of my time on twitch. it helps understand how an artist draws and may also provide inspo.

some art streamers i frequently watch are: uqi32, yyebuan, meanddeadlines, eo58, mikamuse, Teikki_, hazmatEN, jianrouVT, manda, KandaEm, neg_illustration, AmefuRin, owohiropon, shengtaki, thekansta, pixzli, gravitydusty. I KNOW IT'S A LOT BUT I'M ON TWITCH 24/7 😭

there's also user-cm2co1hw2u (twitter: pdman2) and kuzuvine (twitter: ksk535) on youtube

that's all for now. if some of you have more questions (whether personal or art related) just ask away. i don't bite :)

[miiukkaa]

How do you replicate the Rise style so well?? And animate so well??? Do you have any animation tips???

OOH POG POG, OKAY SO!! (also thank you ahh!!)

replicating a style

i feel the need to first point out that no one should do this to quote unquote steal someone's artstyle. being able to emulate a specific style is a good trick to learn for jobs in which you have to do just that (animation, comics etc.) i personally love being as canon compliant when it comes to fanart so i go crazy:

studying the source material! in general with drawing, you think you know what something looks like but when you draw it out, it may look weird and off!! this is when you're gonna want to hoard a lot of screenshots from the source material to study/draw over/redraw based on them. as you're drawing, you may realize that "WOW okay so i didn't know that part was so angled and sharp, i thought it was a near perfect circle!" (me when i first drew mikey's head fr).

repetition!! don't avoid drawing simply because you're thinking you're not good enough yet. art is something you get good at with trial and error so you'll only ever get better if you draw, draw and draw!!!! not only do you learn more with each drawing, you'll also get more comfortable with the overall process :)

(gonna throw in a mystery number three which is not really tied to replicating styles BUT!!! doing anatomy studies is a good way to improve your solid drawing skills fast!!! im linking my pinterest folder that i use for anatomy studies every now and then below the line to help anyone get started!)

animation tips

i'm like, 90% self-taught so i may not know the correct terminology for everything... but you're definitely going to want to study the 12 principles of animation!! there are a LOT of youtube videos available on this particular subject!! once you have gone through each principle, you may want to try and do little animation practices with these in mind!

i think ROTTMNT really kickstarted my personal learning curve as i'm just SO ridiculously eager to learn anything and everything i possibly can, i mean i have never in my life been so excited to just learn! i heavily recommend following the rottmnt animators' online profiles and go through their galleries/portfolios to study their work! it's all so amazing...

tldr, STUDY the source material and REPEATEDLY draw/animate and take active notes on what you could improve on, still. you got this!!! >:]

some links that other people have kindly compiled with lotsa references/tutorials and tips. i recommend eyeballing through them and checking out anything that interests you! :]

[herbgerblin]

That poll you reblogged got me thinking. What would you, an artist who does commissions, consider a good character ref sheet? What do you need/consider when drawing someone's oc/dnd characters/character you don't know?

Shoutout to @ceilingfan5 for that poll because I was also very interested in the responses.

I answered a question about what info to include in the description of your character (s) here. But I can definitely expand a bit more! Disclaimer: Not every artist works the same way.

Example prompt to use for requests is under the cut!

If you have drawn your own ocs, but are afraid of using them as references, don't be! I never judge anyone's examples, and I've seen references from a wide range of skill sets. I'm not an art critic, I'm just here to interpret your work and translate it to my own style. You know your ocs best, so I try to pick up on the details that you clearly want to see.

If you can't find the exact right reference, say so before I start drawing. I keep a lot of stock images on hand and I scour the internet for references all the time. I can probably get closer to what you have in mind. Or I will just model the image myself (I have used myself as a model several times.)

Write objective descriptions. Descriptions written in flowery, poetic language can be hard to parse, especially when I need to read them multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I recommend using bullet points if you require a lot of specific details.

If you have a preferred name and Paypal deadnames you, I will 100% only use your preferred name and I will ignore it on PayPal if it comes up. I don't know if there's a way to filter out customer names on PayPal. I only need the email address to send invoices. If you want to go the extra step of making an email just for commissions, that's fine with me.

I don't do a lot of dynamic scenes but if you ask, include what camera angle and POV you want the scene to be viewed from. Providing reference images of a different scene from that angle is also a huge help!

I repeat: If you have no previous examples of your ocs, I recommend using a Pinterest board or google drive folder with references. But keep them to like a 3-10 minimum (unless there are multiple characters, in which case include more than that.)

Example prompt below ->

Hi [artist]

I am requesting a [insert type of commission] for my character(s) [name(s).] I have attached reference pictures of their hairstyles, outfits, poses, and an example of the scene. I have included a description of the commission down below:

Character A is sitting at a small cafe table. They are wearing a button-up dress. A mug of steaming coffee is resting on the table near their hand. Character B is pulling out a chair opposite Character A. They are wearing a hoodie, jeans, and a silver necklace. They look a little damp and disheveled like they've just come in from the rain, and maybe blushing from embarrassment. A wet umbrella is leaning against the side of their chair. Character A is laughing good-naturedly. The background doesn't have to be detailed, but if you could make it feel like the lighting is warm and slightly dim, that would be great!

Please let me know if you would like any further details.

Thanks,

[Preferred Name]

[blaiddfailcam]

Dunno if this is really worth anyone's time, but since it's caught some people's eye, I thought I'd talk a bit about how I set up shots on console without a photo mode mod!

While it obviously has its limitations, I find there's a fun layer of diegesis that you can play around with using the world itself as your toolkit. There are a number of tricks that come in handy when setting up a shot, so I'll go over them one at a time.

General practices

Settings are limited in Elden Ring's visual department. Beyond toying with saturation and brightness (which is much easier to do "in post," anyway), there are a few basic settings to help get a clearer picture.

Turn off the HUD. This seems scary at first, but the game is actually quite intuitive without it. Having the compass ruin an otherwise pretty shot is never much fun.

Turn off camera auto-rotate. This will make it easier to record steady angled shots while moving.

Turn off wall auto-recovery. Again, this helps maintain a steady shot.

Turn on ray tracing. Really, this is fully optional, but it does make for an impressive image even if you have to sacrifice framerate. After all, framerate doesn't matter all that much for screenshots or gifs.

With that out of the way, it's onto getting a pretty picture!

◇◇◇

Here are various methods for getting some alluring angles and cinematics without use of modding:

Wall crouching

Use: Capturing as much of the scenery as possible without relying on the telescope's zoom.

Method: Get up close to a wall, pillar, or other outcropping that won't turn transparent, then simply crouch. Angle the camera away from the wall to get a wide field of view while hiding the player character. (Remove headgear or weapons that might be sticking up into your view.)

ADVANCED: Move along the wall to get a truck shot (having the camera move sideways)! It doesn't always work perfectly, but it can be kind of cool.

Wall snagging

Use: Getting a closer look at the player character without sacrificing resolution, or using them as a foreground focus.

Method: Similarly to wall crouching, position yourself near a wall or permanent object and angle the camera away from it with your player character nearby. Have them strike a pose, if you want. Crop according to taste.

Character occlusion

Use: Getting a closer look at enemies or NPCs, or angling their head for a more dynamic pose.

Method: Reposition yourself around a character, keeping them between the camera and yourself. Move closer or further depending how close a look you want at them. Crop the photo/video to your liking if the character looks too dead-center.

Mimicry

Use: Getting close to enemies or aggro'ed NPCs without breaking their idle pose or patrol.

Method: As the name suggests, use the Mimic Veil to disguise yourself, then either set up camp where you won't mind looking like scenery, or reapply until you mimic a smaller object that can be hidden using wall crouching.

Mimic tears

Use: Capturing an enemy or boss fighting "you," but from a distance, or drawing their aggro toward a pawn.

Method: This is probably the strangest on the list. First, equip the Furled Finger's Trick Mirror (the one that makes cooperators appear as the Host of Fingers online). Summon your mimic tear where applicable, and they will also appear as a Host of Fingers—more specifically, as you without their usual silver color.

Makeshift camera rigs

Use: Giving the impression that the camera is moving during recording.

Method: Hitch a ride on an elevator or other moving platform, then use the telescope, or wall crouch if possible.

"Directing"

Use: Capturing an enemy or NPC in motion, as opposed to their usual idle stance.

Method: Aggro the character you want to screenshot/record, then lead them around the environment and see how you can influence their AI so that you might be able to predict their movements. This can be as straightforward or complex as you want!

Celestial Dew not included.

◇◇◇

That's really all there is to it. I won't bother going into what makes a good composition or anything, as I'm still practicing that myself, but these few tools have helped me appreciate the visuals on a whole other level.

I hope this might help any other console players that want to jump into digital photography!

[mintybagels]

hii!! so i'm trying to learn how to draw & get better at drawing human figures, and i find it really helps me if i copy from previously drawn things in a more cartoony style rather than an actual photograph. would you be objected to me using a couple of your works as a study? i really only want to learn how to draw for fanart (ive been trying to get more into creating in fandoms rather than just reading fanfic etc.) and for art classes in school. do you have any tips on drawing/art/getting better at art in general? thank you soso much !!! - robyn

oh yea no problem! idm people using my stuff for reference although it is still important to study from life sometimes

I'm mostly self taught and learned from drawing off my fav artists like badturquoise, pegibruno (hi Stas <3), Jamie Hewlett etc. but if you only copy from artists then you'll copy their mistakes as well without knowing especially when it comes to more technical stuff like anatomy.

what's improved my actual posing/human forms the best has been learning how to think in 3D and just doodling compositions until they look right. That and taking actual figure drawing classes in the college I'm in rn has been helping quite a lot. There's lots of free figure drawing classes and recordings online, and I also really love copying poses from the rollerblading videos posted by flowskate on YouTube. cafe drawing, and just really developing your observational skills is the backbone to developing your creative eye

really try to push your angles and forms to the extreme because perspective is very intuitive when you've spent the time really learning the technical skills as a foundation

I'll also be uploading more process stuff on YouTube and more specifics on ko fi soon, and if you have any questions (or anyone reading this really) feel free to hmu !

I wish you luck with your art :)

[russenoire]

art youtube is overwhelming AF.

sifting through all the art advice available on youtube (and other sources!) can be overwhelming AF. an ocean of voices screaming DO THIS! DON'T DO THAT! YOU MUST DO THIS!

i feel like no one ever really talks about that.

also: some ways i cut through some of this noise to find signal, below the cut.

i mean, some of these videos are legitimately helpful! and many are drama about the latest outrageous, racist thing some artist *cough cough* kooleen *ahem* did or said in a 'how to draw X' tutorial just noise. still more of them contain outright bad advice, or advice that can't easily be personalized. (i can tell you right now that 'you must draw everyday!!!' is terrible fucking advice. not everyone can set aside time to do that, and guilt is the world's worst motivator for enjoyment. ever. just stop)

and almost all of it hides behind titles designed to raise your anxiety levels and get you to click. sadly, this is the nature of the platform. emotional engagement drives traffic, and every YT creator is trying to maximize that as best as they can. i don't fault anyone for that; people's livelihoods depend on these streams.

i have advised novice artists to try to narrow things down as much as possible, to 'get granular' about what they want to learn: painting skin. drawing hands, or noses, or faces, or feet, or poses. drawing more expressive lines. workflow, for traditional art or the raster graphics editor of their choice. it doesn't always help: for every subject i've listed, there exists a veritable firehose of videos about it.

so might i suggest a ruthless pruning here?

just go with whatever thumbnail looks interesting and is the least shouty/dogmatic about what it promises to teach you. you will probably miss out on some good advice, but the effect of all the preaching is cumulative. and your sanity is worth it. i promise.

if you don't have the time or patience for hour-long videos, either watch at 1.5-2x speed or skip ahead for the content you want.

look for specific solutions for your specific frustrations. and emphasize the process. how does this artist accomplish what you want to do? how do they lay out lineart, begin the rendering process, and why? can they explain that in a way that makes sense for you (if this is something you need)? if not, don't waste your time watching. i remember breathing the world's biggest sigh of relief on hearing a professional animator confess that shadows don't always have to make sense for a piece of work to look right.

look for ideas on how to break what you see into scaffolding. by this i mean 3D approximations on a 2D surface, on which you can draw guidelines for proportions. ultimately, this is the key to 'drawing from imagination' and even to successfully working with reference photos. videos on how an artist draws eyes from one specific angle will not necessarily help you draw eyes from other angles. not unless they also touch on eyeball shape and position on the head. and how perspective changes the shapes you see. and...

lastly, how do you feel about the video you're watching? if the creator's voice or sense of humor annoys you, or you don't love the stereotypical way they draw female bodies, or they're actually kinda racist/ableist, or whatever–you're allowed to nope out and look for another source of info. there is a lot to be said for the skill of picking diamonds out of manure... but you can find diamonds of similar quality that aren't coated in shit, too.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

I need to make book covers for the Curse Words ebooks and I'd like to put character art on them, but I can't draw for shit. I'm therefore on the lookout for people who do commission pieces of original characters. Anyone who knows such artists, can you link me to their commission pages?

I'd rather shop around until I find an art style I think will work for the covers, so links to people with examples of their art on their page would be helpful (doesn't have to be a whole portfolio, I'm not the fuckin Art Pope, I just want to see how they draw). I am also looking specifically for people who can draw in poses and angles that aren't "mid shot facing the camera", as these are for book covers, not profile pics, and can draw backgrounds.

And obviously I'm looking for artists who are happy drawing for book covers. Some artists prefer their art to be used only in specific circumstances, which I respect. I intend to buy art to make book covers.

[artobotsrollout]

MY SON ARRIVED EARLY!!!!

Merry Christmas to me!

This is my first transformers toy (not counting the small one step transform McDonald's Shockwave I found frozen in ice one time znshsjej.) and I love him already!!!

Now some collectors out there would probably fight me for opening a still in package dark energon Starscream but I'm a collector who has to TOUCH ALL THE THINGS. I'm very tactile and also, as an artist I need my Starscream refs and pose refs ( yes it's a weak reason for justifying it but I'm sticking with it)

Also I preserved the card cause the Starscream render fascinates me cause he's slightly see through.

I LOVE THAT FOR HIS TRANSFORMATION his feets are tucked under kinda like birds. LEGG PLANE!

THE PAINT JOB IS ON POINT! So many toys the paint is OFF but his lil face is perfect ;w;

HE EVEN HAS A LIL SMIRK!

My abandoned TfP storyline arc sense is tingling with this logo and description HMMMM. Also fanfic inspiration??? In MY transformers toys? It's more likely than you think.

His LIL MISSILES ARE SO Cute! ❤️ ❤️

OKAY THO BUT I AM SO SURPRISED BY HOW GOOD STARSCREAM IS IN BOT MODE? Hasbro has good toys no doubt about it but with how cool it changes from plane to bot already it would be really easy to just slack on the joints and pose ability of the figure itself but NO THEY DIDN'T SLACK. Like... I've played with art mannequins, figures, dolls, yadda yadda and now I'm left wondering...

WHY IS THIS ROBOT MAN WHO TURNS INTO A JET SO MUCH BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER figure that doesn't do any shifting?

Like for real. He has tiny peets but he can stand on his own fairly easily and he can stand on his own in several different poses because of the weighting of the toy and maneuverability of the limbs! The joints are easy to move but not so easy it buckles under pressure. The weight is so well distributed. Hasbro may be many things but boy oh boy they do NOT skimp on the toys they make huh? At least the first edition ones

I also. Love how his signature hunch is part of his transformation! And he has two sets of wingies!!

I don't really talk about transformers with my family much cause there's different levels of acceptance you must reach before discussing politics about transforming robot cars makes sense but my dad comes over and goes "Oh is that Starscream?"

And that's when I remembered "Oh yeah Transformers has been around since the 1980s and my dad is 65 years old and raised 3 children so inevitably he's at least heard of the names." I just love how my Dad sees a stick bug looking feral creachure and immediately, with very little former transformers knowledge was like "Ay its Starscream!"

But I think he astral projected into another dimensional plane while I tried to explain what Dark energon was.

In conclusion I love my Scream and he's grabbing my wallet and clicking on Ebay. I should stop him but like.... That Optimus Prime tho...

[system-of-a-feather]

can i eat your anatomy skills? yes my style is much more cartoony but you managed to make really good muscles on your characters and i need to learn how to do that.

saldfjlkadf thank you thank you

I honestly just really like drawing muscles and admittedly looking at them and building them look collectively as a system we are muscle heads don't @ me too loudly its 100% part of that whole meme of someone who draws feet TOO well but me @ muscles

Currently I'm kinda in what is probably best summarized as a "study period" of drawing in the sense that I'm mostly focusing on doing things with heavy references and reviewing / polishing how I like to go about doing things and trying some more experimental things rather than explicitly necessarily going in with the intent to draw something in specific.

Usually my art during study periods are either moderate flops or some of my best things I draw until i cycle back to another study period.

(For the record, I don't plan study vs practice periods, they just follow with my mood as I get tired and loose interest of both if Im on one long enough; I don't recommend anyone study if they feel its something they "have" to do)

But like the one - if you mean the Xiao one where dudes fucking shirtless cause I had too much fun with the anatomy - that one I was partially doing specifically to review muscles and to also try to use them in a bit more of a like... odd / dynamic perspective / camera angle

I usually spend a good time looking through pinterest and google and stuff for things I'd like to study, reference, and do an artwork based on during study periods and then I pick one of the like 80+ OCs that I think would work well with the thing I felt like studying

In that case I found this (image below the keep reading, cw shirtless man with male presenting nipples) on pinterest and I REALLY liked the pose and how the chest and waist were connected in a much more fluid manner than the standard poses + the not-standard camera angle and really wanted to play with it

Best thing for learning muscles though is to reference nude / partially nude photos of people, unironically looking at muscle group diagrams and seeing the general shape of muscle groups in the body, and HONESTLY looking at other artists and how they approach drawing muscles and meat on the body

I'm honestly not the best with more cartoony (and even anime since I consider mine like anime-esque semi realism) so I don't think I can give any direct advice on how to do it in a less-realistic manner cause I struggle with the concept of less-realistic styles but if I were to guess it'd be to learn the general muscle areas and their shapes and see how you can incorperate those shapes into your art ^^

Also this is generally a description of how muscles work which can help kinda figure out what might be off with a drawing of muscles - but honestly this is just a kinda more niche formal knowledge thing

-Riku

[splatreference]

Splat Reference F.A.Q.

This FAQ will be updated over time as questions arise. Feel free to ask questions in the replies of this post, or directly through the ask box!

This blog is entirely a passion project. Its purpose is to serve as an archive to get references and images for Splatoon-related art and writing in an intuitive way and with everything in one place.

General

Q: What is this blog? A: This is Splat Reference, a blog for archiving photos and material from the Splatoon series. The purpose is to include lots of resources that you would normally need to go digging for conveniently in one place.

Q: How should I use this blog? A: This blog is mainly intended for artists, writers and other creatives for reference or inspiration purposes. Of course, anyone can use it, but keep in mind the kinds of things archived here heavily reflect it being mainly for art reference.

Q: How do I find what I need? A: The Quick Navigation page has links to everything you need, as well as links to external resources that may be helpful. Other than that, everything is sorted through tags.

Q: What should I do if I spot a problem with the blog? A: Send an ask telling me what’s wrong and I will attempt to fix it quickly.

Q: What do you post here? A: Mostly references for the world and environments as well as details from stages and maps. Weapon poses are also an ongoing project.

Q: How does the tag sorting work? Where should I start? A: Weapons, stages and locations are mostly tagged with their own names, so for the simplest answer just look up the name of the thing you need and see if it pops up.

Q: Where can I find Weapon references? A: Weapon Directory. Note that these are mostly POSE references for said weapons. For references purely for drawing the weapon, try Inkipedia or The Models Resource for full models.

Q: Where can I find references for a map or location? A: World Directory.

Q: I clicked on a tag and there’s nothing there. A: Chances are there’s no references yet. There’s a HUGE amount of things to be documented and I’m literally one guy. But if you suspect that the tag or link is misplaced or has a typo, send an ask!

Q: Can we use these as resources in our own projects? A: Yes, quite literally the point of this blog is to be useful for artists and creators!

Q: Do we need to provide credit if we use these as references? A: Not really, but it’s recommended as it would let more people know this blog exists!

Q: Where do you find your resources? A: Most of them are pictures taken by me inside of the game, some are pictures from the official art books.

Q: Do you run the blog alone? A: At the time of writing this, yes, and most if not all of the photos were taken by me. You might see friends helping in PBs though! And of course, viewer submissions are welcome and appreciated through the Ask Box!

Q: Why are you doing this? A: This is a resource that I always find myself needing and to my knowledge nobody was doing it yet. I couldn’t begin to count how many times I’ve wanted to draw something and been frustrated because the angle that I need of a location doesn’t exist or I don’t know how a specific weapon would be held or I don’t know what the streetlights at Flounder Heights look like, so I thought to myself, man, I wish these obscure references were just archived online and I could pull them up easily without having to go on a 20 minute image search/out of bounds video hunt to find what I need. And then I realized I COULD just do it myself. So here I am, doing it myself. You’re all welcome! Now none of us have to die mad not knowing what kind of ground tiles they use at the Reef! Artistic accuracy for the win!

Will you cover...

Q: ....a specific weapon that’s not covered yet? A: Very likely yes, if it’s a multiplayer main weapon in one of the games.

Q: Special Weapons? A: Yes, but they are harder to document because you can’t use specials in Photo Mode, so you need to hold a private battle. Shoutout to @tokopng for modeling the Splatoon 3 specials for the blog! For Splatoon 1 and 2, the references will be there, but unfortunately much more limited due to no photo mode.

Q: Sub Weapons? A: Yes, whichever ones I can. But for sub weapons, you should just be able to find the models online - again, for Splatoon 3 the documenting is easy, but games 1 and 2 no such luck.

Q: Canon characters? A: No. Those aren’t obscure at all in most cases, are very easy to find references for already through image search in any browser, and also have downloadable models if you REALLY need the deets.

Q: Salmon Run maps? A: Yes, shoutout to @fishsticxz and @smolnsalty for helping document these. I don’t know about Splatoon 2 maps because private jobs aren’t available, so no promises on those right now.

Q: Singleplayer hubs/levels? A: I am going to focus on covering the hub worlds and some stages, but the stages and levels are not going to be covered in much detail.

Q: Victory poses? A: For Splatoon 3, I am covering the weapon victory poses. Not doing the same for the other games, and for other victory poses you can find them on the net as is.

Q: Clothing/gear? A: Absolutely not.... there’s hundreds of pieces of gear - but if you need references look no further than Inkipedia! However, I will be posting clothes that are more obscure sometimes.

Q: Out of bounds? A: I have no means of going out of bounds, so unless someone submits their own photos this has to be a no, excluding stuff like jumping off the stage if there’s anything interesting under.

Q: When is (x) going to be covered? A: Hard to say, I don’t do this on a schedule. However, I prioritize Splatoon 3 as it is the easiest game to document things from and follow internal game order (stages and weapons).

Q: Can we ask for something that hasn’t been covered yet? A: Yes, but I won’t guarantee it’ll happen. However, if something is asked for and would normally be ages away, I might prioritize it over the actual order. If it’s on the list here and I’ve answered no, then no, I’m likely not going to cover it.

[with-the-same-tattoos]

what brush do you use for your lineart? it looks so good ;;

AAHDSHD;;;; TYSM FOR ASKING IK THIS IS A SIMPLE QUESTION BUT I WILL USE ANY CHANCE I GET 2 RAMBLE ABT ART TECHNIQUE & WHATEVER BC ITS MY FAVE FUCKING THING IN THIS WHOLE WIDE WORLD

My brushes r actually quite simple !!!!!!! I built them to compliment my very freehand/sketch style. If someone is interested, feel free to ask, I can check how to make them downloadable/whatever, but really I have just a couple things that I focus on when it comes to them!!!

Square tip. I use one in CSP called quadrado, I think its in the original set, I'll have to check that out later? But yeah I feel a square tip allows for some fun angular spots to really come through !!! This is also super popular in painting I think, angles & sharp edges r super important there

Shape dynamics. The super basic stuff. I have two main brushes; my basic square, which is for draw flow stuff, and a rough square, which i mostly use to fill in bigger areas / do some extra shading with. My basic square has more flexibility (a bigger range, a lower minimun value) and the rougher one is less flexable and most of the time chunky.

Density. I find density options more appealing to me compared to opacity, but I cant tell why? exactly???? yk???? But yeah. Again, basic square has more flexibility, and rougher less. I find the flexibility & range in my basic brush SUPER important, since i like sketching within my linework and erasing it away/cleaning it up. (difficult to explain- if someone wants a video feel free to ask)

Basically:

oSoOther settings go a bit more into semantics. I also use a blender tool to sometimes soften areas, and often my eraser is set to erasing on all layers so I can kinda build my linework ON my sketch layer and use it in the back as some extra flow.

My current style of drawing is inspired by som rly specific artists that I can talk abt if someone wants 2 hear. I do intend to experiment w stronger lines, im just a wuss and like all... squishy stuff ; v ;

U DIDNT ASK, but again bc i just loooove rambling abt this shit, some additional things that have personally helped me w linework!!!

Those super basic linework practices !!! Just drawing straight lines endlessly, drawing a squicle and trying to replicate it now w a slower stroke

Forcing urself to sketch fast; croquis !!!! I recommend croquis cafe for anyone looking to do this kinda stuff online, its GREAT. Just focus on the time, not how good the sketch is. Croquis is FANTASTIC. it helps u develop muscle memory for unique strokes, develop understanding of what u need to pay attention to (are you paying attention to shadow, light, where the weight of the body is, the squished parts, the stretched out parts, the skin, the muscle, the hair, etc) (ive personally done sessions just focusing on darkest shadow, midtone shadow etc, or light, or the stretched out parts, or just like, a few lines to give the idea of the pose ((eg 5 sec croquis)) ((tho i havent seen those in any web stuff, i had a class where we had those and they were fantastic))) anyways DO CROQUIS AND ALLOW URSELF 2 SUCK AT IT DO IT UNTIL UR HAND HURTS AND UR HEAD HURTS (dont actually do that please) (drink water, take breaks, stretch ur hand)

Warmups !!! before i take on a serious linework, I ALWAYS DO WARMUPS. Some lighter line stuff, flowier line stuff. I often do croquis for this. If i dont do this i get more severe hand cramps, because.... yeah

Traditional sketches w different pens. Preferably ones that u cant erase. Kinda similiarly to croquis, this is super good to just develop more confidence w ur lines. U cant go back and erase them so... U just have to learn to get them right. Im bolding this bcs this is probably the one tip i heard that has helped me the most. All my traditional sketches w pens r ugly as hell but they seriously have helped me so much to get some more freedom and have more fun when drawing & not worry all the time, and its made the process way more enjoyable !!!!

Also please take breaks and stretch ur hand !!! THeres a lot of good guides for artists to stretch their hands :> Seriously. Take care of urself.

[shadowed-dancer]

My Thoughts on the New MHA Opening and Ending

I have thoughts, and I will share them because oh boy if I don’t get this out I’m gonna explode

Vague Spoilers for the manga (up to chapter 258 and vigilantes) because I discuss the upcoming arcs, but I don’t discuss any major plot points in detail. Still, proceed with caution if you’re anime only

Keep in mind, this OP and ED will cover the Endeavour Agency Arc and the MVA Arc, so I will be judging them accordingly.

First, the OP

This is a good OP... in theory (that’s going to become my catchphrase for this post). It’s nice to look at and flows pretty well, but my biggest problem is that it doesn’t do it’s job. An OP is supposed to be a sort of... summary (?) of the Cour it plays for. That means any cool plot points, emotional beats, and important characters should be featured in some way, shape, or form. We’ll talk about that more later, but first let’s discuss the music.

The song is really good. I have a feeling it will continue to grow on me as I listen to it more often, but yeah my first impression is that the song sounds great. My only complaint about the music itself is that it ends kind of abruptly (I noticed this is the JT opening too). The previous openings used to have a bit of instrumental to “play us out” and lead us to the end card, but this one feels like it ends very suddenly and unnaturally.

As for the visuals...

Yeah alright I’ll admit, the visuals are stunning... in theory. I appreciate the variety in backgrounds and colours, it makes the OP really interesting to look at. This was actually one of my biggest problems with the JT Opening, it all took place on the training grounds, so there was no variety (everything was metal tubes with a blue sky, with only 3 shots set somewhere different). I appreciate the style of this OP.

But like I said, that’s only in theory, as in, through screenshots these are all pleasing to look at. The pacing of this OP is wild, and I truly don’t know who to blame for this.

That sunset shot above? It lasts approximately 12 seconds, zooming in every few to make it seem like something is happening (when in reality it’s still the same poses, angles, etc). While there’s nothing wrong with a nice, drawn out shot, it becomes irritating when compared to the pacing of the rest of this op.

At the 41 second mark, we are given the shot above. It has flowed directly from the previous sunset scene. We still have not moved away from the image of the trio (aside from the opening shot and the title card) yet we’re approaching the halfway mark of the OP.

The next shot is the MLA, which lasts about 5 seconds. Ok, perfect. Not too long, but also not short enough to be confusing. It cuts away a little fast once the dude on the far left appears, but does anyone actually know who that is? No, seriously, I’m asking. I don’t remember his name and he’s not on the wiki, so I can only assume he’s not important. Therefore, it’s not all that bad if the shot cuts away shortly after he comes into frame. The audience is able to take in the scene without having to pause...

... And then the problems start

While this shot is fine in theory, it pans up fast and  cuts away quickly. You know how hard it was for me to get this screenshot? Really hard. You want to know why I struggled so much? Because, due to the timing of the cut and the way it pans upwards, it’s almost impossible to pause on Dabi’s face. I literally had to go frame by frame to get it, because he’s in shot for so little time that naturally pausing is guaranteed to miss him.

When watching this in real time (without pausing) the cut away makes you feel as if you missed something because “something was there, I just couldn’t register what because now it’s gone”. Unlike Compress, who wears a very colourful coat you can recognize the entire time, Dabi’s pants are more blended into the background.

It also doesn’t help that this shot is literally composed to draw your attention away from Dabi until the last possible second. Due to framing, your eye is naturally drawn to the brightly coloured Toga in the foreground, making it super easy to miss Dabi in the back (until, of course, his bright face appears and contrasts against the background, drawing your eye just in time for the scene to change, leaving you to wonder who or what you missed).

I know this sounds like nitpicking, but this shot is the only group shot we get of the League, and is also the start of a seriously weird trend for the villains in this OP getting the short end of the stick.

Anyways, then we get what I’ll call “The Carousel Shot” in which every Class 1A kid shows up and poses dramatically, as if they were on a carousel. It’s a lovely sequence and I really enjoy watching it but... why is it in this OP?

Seriously, this is a genuine question. Class 1A barely shows up in the Endeavour Agency Arc, and NONE of the students are in MVA. This sequence (not counting the three boys at the end) lasts 8 seconds. Why is this much time dedicated to characters who are barely in the arc? (Unless Studio Bones extends their work studies into fuller plot lines which oh my gosh please don’t do that, or if they do, do it quick).

We then get what I call the “Oh God I Blinked And Missed Everything” sequence, which lasts 3 seconds (not including the longer, moving shot of Shigaraki at the end) and features NINE INDIVIDUAL IMAGES, none of which are related to each other. Not only is this 3 images per second, but the fact that they are all unrelated means you can’t even use previous information to fill in the blanks.

What do I mean by that? Well, imagine if I show you 9 images of various pro heroes posing. If I play that in 3 seconds you’ll absolutely miss some of them, but as long as you catch some you’ll still get an idea of what I’m trying to show to you. Your brain is able to fill in the gaps that “I recognized 4 pro heroes, therefore the rest must have also been pros” even if you didn’t register every single frame.

That doesn’t work if every frame features a completely different subject. The shots in this sequence vary so widely that it’s impossible to find a through line. Some feature multiple characters, some feature one, some are closeups, some are super far away, some are character’s we know, others are characters we don’t. It’s impossible to get a solid read on what you’re being shown.

Now, again, there’s nothing wrong with these super quick shots... in theory. The problem comes from the fact that these shots are the only indicators for some of the major themes that will be explored during this Cour (like Twice’s growth and young Shigaraki).

That being said, let’s move away from criticism and talk about speculation, because hidden amongst this sequence are two... interesting images.

This All Might one is very reminiscent of the shot in Chapter 257, where Aizawa and All Might have a conversation while staring up at the stars. However, this is technically the start of the “War Arc” (or the “prologue”, if that’s what you want to call it), so this might indicate that we’re going to get farther into the series than a lot of us guessed.

(Many people suspected we’d get to that cliffhanger at the start of the season (if you read the manga you know the one), but after seeing the pacing for JT a lot of us assumed we’d be lucky to even finish Endeavour Agency. It seems we’re back to the cliffhanger now though lol). 

This is another really interesting shot because it’s indicative of Shirakumo, meaning we might get to see Aizawa and Mic confront him some time this Cour (this also makes sense, since this confrontation technically happens before that All Might scene I mentioned in the previous paragraph).

But the cat specifically is a really strange addition. That cat is named Sushi and, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Sushi is ever mentioned in the main series. I think he’s only in Vigilantes.

This might just be a little Easter Egg for Vigilante readers, but I’m personally hoping that they’ll add at least a few Vigilante shots in there to really tug at the heart strings. I’d say I want a whole Vigilante episode but I don’t think they have the time (unless they really cram MVA, which I do NOT want).

I don’t have much to say about the last bit of the OP. The action shot between the 3 boys was nice, and it follows the sort of narrative through line they established from the early shot of them sitting at the sunset. I also like the shot of Endeavour fading in to replace All Might, even if it’s very simple.

But I want to talk about an overarching problem I touched upon earlier in that villain shot: the way the villains are handled in this OP.

This is a good OP... in theory. The problem is, it doesn’t represent half the arcs in the cour! Every shot of the League is so rushed that you can barely register that they were on screen before they’re gone.

I have no idea how many Episodes Endeavour Agency will take, but I’d assume 3 (4 if you count the Christmas episode). 12 episodes for this Cour minus 3 for Endeavour Agency = 9 episodes left. If we truly do get the prologue for the War Arc (and if we assume it’s only 1 episode) that leaves us with 8 villains episodes.

8/12 episodes (aka two thirds of the Cour) will likely be about the villains. And yet they’re pushed to the background so hard in this OP.

I want to dream, and I want to believe that this OP is going to magically change when MVA starts. The song fits super well, and I can imagine like an inversion of the OP but from the Villain side! Wouldn’t that be neat? Imagine right after the “it’s alright” part Shigaraki just freaking decays the title card... oh man that would be so cool. But, alas, I highly doubt they’d do that.

Side rant, but you know what was so fun about MVA in the manga? It’s that, for 21 chapters, we leave the kids behind and the villains become our protagonists. Suddenly Shigaraki is the one we’re rooting for, suddenly we’re learning backstories for everyone, and suddenly we find ourselves just as attached to the villains as we are to the kids. It’s an inversion that’s SO RARE to find, and I think many people (myself included) were hoping it would be reflected in the OP.

A big part of being the protagonist means featuring heavily in the OP, and a lot of us just wanted the villains to get that honour, even if only once. As is, the OP still treats them as the antagonists when... really they aren’t. Not right now, at least.

So yeah, final thoughts on the OP are that it’s good, it’s just not very representative of the arcs it’s supposed to cover. If this was just for Endeavour Agency, I’d say it’s actually really cool, but if we assume that this is what will play for the Villain Arc, then it simply doesn’t do it’s job. And it makes me sad to say that because, again, this OP is really well done.

If I had to rate it? Hmmm

If Studio Bones actually grants my wish and creates a different visual for the Villain Arc (while using the same song) and then this version only plays for the Endeavour Agency Arc and the War Prologue? I’d give it an 8/10. It’s really good, but it could use a few more elements that are clearly derived from the Agency Arc (ahem, Todoroki siblings).

But if this is the OP that will play for the entire Cour? a 6.5/10. It’s nice, but it’s not representative of one of the arcs it’s going to cover. And, unlike other arcs like Pro Hero or Summer Exams, the villain Arc is so important and takes up so much time that it honestly feels like a bit of a disservice.

Now for the Ending

I want to say that I appreciate how soft this ending starts. This cour will likely feature a lot of episodes that end on... heavier themes, and I think the sight of peaceful, falling raindrops is the perfect way to let the audience process their emotions before starting the ending in earnest.

The song itself is very nice, and I like that it’s a bit slower than the more recent endings.

(Side note, but the FUNNIEST moment in the entire series is when Sir Nighteye dies because it’s so emotional and everyone is standing around his bed in his heartwrentching silence, only for the ending to come BLARING IN out of no where. If you forgot how jarringly hilarious it was, go listen to the Eri ending and tell me that’s not the funniest thing this series ever did. Anyways yeah I’m glad that’s not gonna happen this Cour).

This ending is a bit all over the place in terms of it’s visuals, but honestly I think it works. Most endings usually have a theme tying them together (all the Class 1A girls, a fantasy AU, old photographs, planning a party, etc) but this ending’s theme is a bit harder to identify.

That being said, I think it’s just supposed to show everyone going about their day. It’s calm, it’s peaceful, and it’s just very sweet to think about

I like this shot. Actually, scratch that, I like this whole sequence. I enjoy anything that allows Class 1A to chill and have fun.

Hawks is featured quite heavily in this ending which, fair. He’s pretty important in this arc.

I really love the shot where Endeavour immediately switches to Hawks, I thought that was a lot of fun, and very good symbolism on how Hawks wants to be like Endeavour. I also love all the shots of Baby Hawks, because it’s adorable.

Something about this shot is just so cute. It’s the little domestic things like waiting for a bus that make this ending feel... idk the word, real? It shows a side of the characters that we’ll never see in the episodes, but we know have to exist.

Like yes, of course the kids have to wait for the bus. We never see it, but of course there are those moments of quiet. Agh, I love it.

The villains also make an appearance and I’m very happy about that (I’d love to see more of the villains just chilling around, I think they deserve it). I kind of wish they weren’t sitting in a dark room for the sake of being edgy, since I think it would be nice to see the villains just... sort of existing, but honestly it’s still a nice shot. I also like how this shot sort of mirrors the first one with Class 1A (someone coming in while everyone else is sitting and waiting for them).

That being said, as much as I love looking at Dabi and his stupid face (affectionate)... why is Dabi the one getting the closeup?

Mind you, endings don’t need to be connected to their Cours (they can be, like the Eri one, but they don’t have to be). But this ending does seem to be connected to the arcs it intends to cover, given all the Hawks appearances, the boys wearing their work study scarves, etc.

So, I ask again, why Dabi? Out of the six League members, we learn the backstory for four of them in this arc (Shigaraki, Toga, Twice, and we very briefly learn about Spinner). The only two left out are Dabi and Compress.

I can only assume they chose Dabi because he’s constantly in contact with Hawks, and therefore that makes him important? If the OP told us anything, it’s that Bones values the Endeavour Agency Arc over the Villain Arc lol...

... Oh my gosh please tell me that’s not actually the reason Dabi is focused on here BONES WAI-

Anyways, the ending comes to a close with Hawks watching over the kids and Endeavour. The relaxing time is done, it’s time for work studies.

Overall impression? It’s great. It’s hard to screw up an ending, so as long as you have something pretty on screen, it’s wonderful.

I’ll give this a 9/10

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Helllooo May i request a fic where the reader is an art student in the university of oxenfurt and Jaskier come in as a model one day. She falls in love with him immidiatally and just cant stop painting pictures about him. Later Jask visits her in her studio and see all the stuff about himself. Then love confession( maybe he's been writing songs about her) and some soft kissing😇

Fandom: The WitcherPairing: Jaskier x ReaderWord Count: 2,099Rating: TTaglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak @whatevermonkey @mynamesoundslikesherlock @magic-multicolored-miracle @writingstudent @mlleecrivaine @coffee-and-stories @ultracolorfulnerdcollection @astouract @your-not-invisible-to-me @kemmastan a/n: This was a lovely prompt, I hope you like what I did with i!

“Hmm… I don’t think you’ve quite captured me.”

You shook your head and a little smile turned up the corner of your mouth but you kept your eyes focused on your canvas.

“You are supposed to be a model and models don’t speak,” you murmured quietly.

“I’m so bored though.”

You glanced up at the man who posed in front of you. Jaskier was hunched over, chin resting on his fist. He looked more pouting than pensive as he was supposed to be but the moment your eyes met, he perked up a bit.

There was no one else in the art studio since it was after hours, class having ended long ago. You’d been sick one day and Jaskier had graciously volunteered to come by and help you catch up on what you’d missed. You were in week three of the “month long strip tease” as he called it, taking a layer off each time. This week he was down to a loosely untucked chemise, sleeves rolled up to the elbows and pants whose laces were undone but still rested just at the hip. Boots were long gone, leaving him barefoot. Indeed, if anyone who walked by the doors saw him in his attire and you, a bit sweaty with disheveled hair, tired after a long day of classes made longer by this extra work, they would have assumed something unsavory was happening. They would have been tragically mistaken.

“You didn’t have to agree to this. Hell, it was your idea,” you reminded him, extending the handle of your paintbrush to gently position his chin back to where it was supposed to be. He playfully nipped at the brush but then moved back into position dutifully.

“Hmm, yes, and why do you suppose I did that?” he asked. It was the same flirtatious tone he used with everyone and you knew that, but still you felt a little shiver of excitement at the tone. Perhaps one day someone would use that with you and mean it but it wouldn’t be Jaskier, the traveling bard with a thousand muses around the globe. He had no need for a simple art student with barely enough life experiences to count on one hand. That would change when you graduated, though. You were determined. Though as the day came closer you grew more anxious about those barely conceived plans.

“You are a patron of the arts of course,” you replied, mixing the shades of blue together. You’d known the first day he walked into the classroom that those eyes would torment you as you tried to create the right shade to capture them. You knew you’d never feel you truly got it right and so far you’d been correct. You’d made far more paintings than the three you’d done for class. In your personal studio you had what appeared to be a shrine to the bard. You just couldn’t get him out of your head and your fingers itched constantly to paint him again, to try and capture his likeness better, more accurately.

“I suppose that must be it,” Jaskier said in somewhat plaintive tone. Yet when you looked back at him again he gave you a little wink and you stopped worrying, rolling your eyes again and setting to get the portrait done.

You were finished before another hour passed and though he tried to catch a glimpse you successfully hid it from him.

“I offered you a deal,” you said, “You show me the song you’ve been working on and I’ll show you the painting that I’m working on. A fair trade of artistic sampling.”

“Perhaps another time,” he said, “May I walk you home?”

Since meeting in that first class nearly a month ago the pair of you had struck up an easy friendship. In truth you felt much more than that for him but you were happy just for the chance to talk with him, much less anything else. He was brilliant and funny and endlessly encouraging. When you told him of your dreams of traveling he’d insisted that you do it and even offered to introduce you to some nobles who had a keen eye for artists they wanted to support. In all of that time, though, you’d never seen each other away from the sprawling campus of Oxenfurt University.

“Alright,” you said a little reluctantly, nervous but also unwilling to pass up a single opportunity to spend more time with him. He gallantly offered you his arm and the pair of you walked through the streets. It was twilight and lamplighters were roving about to light the lanterns that would keep you safe as you walked, the skies bathed in a soft golden and pink watercolor.

“Are you excited to be finishing classes soon?” Jaskier asked.

“I should be,” you said. He laughed, but not unkindly. It was a laugh of understanding.

“I felt much the same when I approached graduation,” he said, “Sometimes I think that’s why I come back so often to lecture and just visit. I felt safe here.”

“Do you not feel safe out there?” you asked.

“No. But that’s part of the fun of it, right? The uncertainty, the potential for danger which makes it exciting,” he mused.

“I suppose so… But I do wish there was a way to both have adventures and be safe or at least feel safer,” you replied.

“Travelling with a witcher has helped a bit. You’re much harder to kill with one around,” he said.

“You’re also the target of more attacks though,” you countered. You’d heard him tell stories about his adventures to breathless students but you hadn’t joined in on their glee. Instead you’d grown more and more worried about the bard’s safety and whether you’d ever see him again once he’d left the school to join Geralt on his next hunt.

“Well there’s always a tradeoff,” Jaskier said glibly. You walked in silence for a time and when you reached your home you realized that at some point during the walk your hooked elbows had slid down to clasped hands. You both noticed at the same time and laughed a little nervously.

“Would you like some tea?” you offered instinctively, not wanting the moment to end. Jaskier eagerly agreed and followed you into your house. It was a humble place but he praised it as though it were a mansion, and he’d likely seen many in his time. Hell, as a viscount, perhaps he had even been raised in one.

“Make yourself at home,” you called as you walked to the little kitchen to get the fire going. Jaskier didn’t need telling twice, already walking around the room, looking at book titles and little drawings. He smiled at what appeared to be an early art piece of yours that had been lovingly framed by a family member, a drawing scrawled by a child that seemed to be… a dog? An elephant? Some animal. He continued to walk through the little house, glancing into the open door of your bedroom. There was a closed door and though he knew you probably would rather he didn’t, he couldn’t fight back his curiosity and opened the door.

—–

“Jaskier? Tea is ready! Jaskier?” you walked back into the little living area and saw no sign of him. You poked your head down the hall and almost walked back away, thinking he may have left suddenly, and then you saw a sliver of light coming from the door you knew had been closed. Your heart leapt to your throat and you ran towards it as though you could outpace what had already occurred.

There stood Jaskier, staring at a portrait you’d most recently completed, surrounded by sketches. Not all were of his entire face or body but you knew that he knew exactly whose disembodied hands and eyes and mouth and other randomly positioned angles of body they were.

“Fuck, ok, I can explain,” you began, heart beating a mile a minute. Jaskier turned to look at you but you didn’t see fear or disgust, just a soft look of surprise.

“Y/N?” he said.

He was giving you the chance to explain like you said you would but no words came to mind. You just stared at him blankly, panicking, feeling the walls close in around you.

“I think… I may be able to help,” he said. He walked past you and you waited to hear the front door open and close as he left, possibly to get the guards but most likely just to escape you. But then you heard him walk back, holding the leather notebook he drew in often but never showed you. He opened it to a page and handed the book to you, a nervous, expectant look in his pale, blue eyes. You took it with trembling fingers and at first you weren’t sure why he was showing it. Perhaps he thought that he should offer some exchange of art since he’d seen yours. Maybe he somehow didn’t recognize the man in the pictures as himself. Maybe this could all blow over and be nothing.

And then you saw your name.

“Jaskier what is this?” you asked, flipping the pages and finding more descriptions, not with your name specifically, but of a woman who sounded unmistakably like yourself.

“This is the bardic version of what this room shows, I believe,” he said, his voice soft, “They’re pieces dedicated to someone I have fallen very much in love with over the last few weeks.”

Your wide eyes tore away from the journal to meet Jaskier’s. Now he was the one who looked uncertain and scared, waiting for you to run from him.

“You don’t think it’s weird then?” you asked, gesturing to the room as you placed the journal on a shelf nearby, hands trembling too much to keep a secure hold of it.

“Oh no, it’s very weird. But love makes you do weird things. Like fill a journal full of half-formed songs about someone or stay late to pose for paintings or snoop in rooms you know you shouldn’t because you just can’t resist getting every little bit of them you can,” he replied, moving a bit closer and gently brushing his fingers against your cheek. Though he’d thrown on his doublet again the chemise was still unbuttoned and you rested your hands against his chest, fingers twining in the dark hair.

“Whoever said anything about love?” you teased, “I could just be incredibly enamored or perhaps a very artistic murderer.”

“Well I was speaking for myself mostly,” he answered, “But you’re right. I should be concerned. Shall I call Geralt to defend me against you and your wicked brush?”

“Ooh watch out, Jaskier, don’t sass me! You may find yourself having a brush with death,” you said, emphasizing the pun unnecessarily. Jaskier groaned and shook his head.

“Shut up and kiss me before I change my mind.”

You opened your mouth to make some other, terrible joke but he stopped you with a kiss, mouth brushing against yours with the barest touch but you recaptured his lips with yours and felt him card his hand through your hair as yours tightened against his chest. His kisses were soft and tender and nothing like what you’d expected the renowned rogue to offer but then the people who spread those rumors hadn’t known him like you did.

“Come with me,” Jaskier whispered against your lips.

“What?” you breathed back. His eyes found yours and you were struck again by the puzzling color. Was it blue? Or was it grey? Was it even the same thing all the time or did they change on you? You would spend the rest of your life trying to figure it out but oh what a happy quest.

“When you graduate you said you want to travel the world. You’re graduating soon. Come with me when you do. I’ll take you everywhere. I’ll show you the world. I can’t promise to keep you safe, there is always a tradeoff, but I will do everything I can and I promise you it won’t be boring,” he replied, words spoken in a hushed tone like someone offering a fervent prayer. You considered his words, thinking about the risks but more than that, thinking about the things that are worth taking risks for. And the people.

“Ok,” you breathed in response, “Yes. Take me with you. Show me everything.”

“Oh love,” he said, licking his lips which quirked into a wicked grin, “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

[standfortheangels]

the way you draw hands is amazing! do you have any tips for how to?

Ohhhhh my goodness thank you so much! I’m freaking out a little (a lot), I think this is the first time I’ve had a message about my art from someone I don’t know x) So thanks for dropping in!

The first part of my answer is going to be to look at references, but don’t worry, it’s not just a throwaway line x)

If you know roughly what position you want a hand to be in in what you’re drawing, seriously, don’t be afraid to find photographs similar to that to guide you~ (and if anyone tries to tell you references are cheating, print it out and make them eat it or something)

I’d also recommend that whenever you find a photo with a good shot of hands, save it into a folder somewhere (just for your own private use of course). Sometimes searching for something specific can be awkward when you’re just looking for hands, so having a collection saved can be useful~

Something else I do as well pretty often is ‘life drawing’, using line-of-action.com. You can select the option for ‘hands and feet’, choose one or both, set time limits, and off you go~ These are some of mine:

They won’t always turn out the way you want, that’s the nature of art after all, and I tend to find that I draw in a more realistic style here than the way I usually do hands, but it is really useful for getting more comfortable with how hands work in general. Plus, you can reuse your sketches as pose references later!

Okay, that’s the ‘boring stuff’ over~ Now for the more... hands-on approach? x‘D_______

For my own art style, I don’t tend to think about it too much, but there are a few key things I tend to do or pay attention to. I sketched up a couple of quick examples too that should illustrate all these points~ (plus a cupcake. Just because.)

Try to avoid straight lines where you can.Obviously this doesn’t mean never use a straight line. Sometimes, you can’t avoid it. But you can exaggerate curves, or invent them where it looks natural, which just helps your hands not to look too stiff. When I draw the ends of fingers for example, I curve them inwards a bit where the nail would be.

Fingernails are optional for me, you have to use your best judgement in each thing you draw. Maybe the angle makes the nail look weirdly thin, or adding a nail might make the position of the finger or thumb clearer. Try it and see! The only clear-cut rule I use is that I don’t outline the nail the whole way around. It makes them more subtle, and when combined with soft curves for the fingertip, it gives the hands a more gentle feel to them~

Anatomy-wise, a good rule of thumb (no pun intended), is that while fingers do technically have 3 sections, you don’t always need to draw all three. If a finger is bent in the middle, but not at the tip, it can work to just show that one bent joint, and ignore the one nearest the tip. And a straight finger might not need any joints at all if you can get away with curving it backwards. Just simplify wherever you can~

Draw through! If one finger or an item passes in front of another, I’ll faintly draw some lines to guide me, and then erase them afterwards. In the example hand on the left (under the cupcake), I left these lines behind to show you. One is just the finger as it bends behind, and the lower line follows the general curve of where all the fingers should be starting from.

Always remember to start the thumb further down (Closer to the wrist), or it’ll just look like another finger!

The wrist and the hand sit kind of off from one another. If you look at the two block shapes on the top right (which is based on the sketch on the left), you should see what I mean. There is no perfect corner between the wrist and hand either, which is why they meet with two lines that curve inwards towards each other.

Fingers typically take up around half of the hand’s length. It can vary depending on your art style- I tend to make my fingers slightly longer than the palm.

Lastly, if it isn’t working, don’t stress out~ Hands are one of the most infamous challenges for artists of all skill levels- it isn’t a sign of your worth as an artist. They’re just plain hard to draw! So if it just doesn’t seem to be going right no matter how many lines you redraw, set it aside, take a break, and come back later with fresh eyes.

(I actually recommend doing this with any art thing. Sometimes our brain gets so used to the image we’re seeing, that it just stops telling us if there are problems with it, or what they are. You might come back to it later and see something that needs fixing, or another way to make it look better, and it can often feel so obvious in these moments that you wonder how you missed it the first time.)_____

Well, this turned out to be a bit long, so thank you if you read this far~ I hope it all made sense. But if it didn’t, I’m always open to more questions about this- or any other topic- so feel free to stop by again if there’s anything you’d like cleared up or anything else you’re curious about! And again, thanks for your support and for sending this message in~ It really made my evening~ ^u^