#But I do still have my portfolio itself and all the art pieces

[solradguy]

Being an otherkin bastard's fun actually until someone asks you a sorta deep question about it and then you're confronted with The Horrors of Introspection

[teaboot]

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get a tattoo but is *astronomically* indecisive?

When I was about to get my first tattoo, I was really worried about getting something I'd grow out of and learn to hate.

I think if that's your concern with a first tattoo, maybe get something that represents a good memory, or someone who's passed away, or a place you've been. Something you have positive associations with that aren't likely to change, so even if you eventually hate the art itself someday, the memories attached remain pleasant

Alternatively, just get something you think looks cool. Ideally not a trendy tattoo you've seen a lot of- my personal rule of thumb when I want to get something that's really popular is to wait a year. If I still want that peacock feather, or infinity symbol, or tribal pice a year from now, we'll come back to it.

Third, just browse artists in your area or in places you may end up and go through all their portfolios. Good way to do that is to search parlors in the area, make a list, then visit each one's website one by one. If you like a particular artist's style, check out their insta. Thay's how I got set up with my favourite tattoo! Sometimes you don't know what you want until you see it.

I have a couple tattoos that I'm kinda meh about, but they're more sentimental pieces than show pieces. I don't hate them or wish they were gone. They're part of me, right? Like a scar or a mole.

Essentially the best advice I can give is to just wait till you find something that speaks to you. Or just rip the figurative band-aid off and get something small and simple and meaningless that you think is cute! (After researching to make sure it isn't a hate symbol or something, of course. That shit is insidious.)

Also, look into getting a henna kit, or temporary tattoo pens, or even just a sharpie marker and doodling on yourself to see how you feel about it short-term.

Hope I could help?

[princeoferror]

Zelda's Steed

I'm so excited the horses look so cute in this game, what kind of horse would you wanna get?

Commission info | Buy a Print! | portfolio | Twitter | insta | Discord server

Progress pics below!

Princess zelda is a confirmed horse girl! I'm already late to the hype train so let's immediately get into it!

Sketch:

I wanted a dynamic shot which focuses mainly on the horse itself. I've shrank zelda a bit to make her look younger but I think its made the horse's head look slightly too big- proportion is my biggest enemy in art its so hard to get accurate sometimes.

Line art:

Basic lineart process. Thick lines and contrast for the focal points and thin lines for the less important details.

Flats:

The colours are the standard ones from the official art since I'm just planning to do bright sunlight.

Finished render:

I painted the background first so I have a better idea of what colors need going on the main subject. I went a lot more painterly with this, just kinda happened I didn't plan for it. Tho I think because of that the painting has become ever so slightly disjointed from the lineart. For the way I draw I need a lot more hard edge shadows or pure cel shading compared to this softer render I did.

Well it's all a learning experience on an endless art journey- that was poetic.

The drawing part is still very fun, I like the action shot and Zelda's determined expression.

More echoes of wisdom pieces to count down to release day are on the way so be sure to follow.

Prints and commissions are available, linked above

Thanks for reading! Oki bye!

[sakarrie-creates]

It’s that time of year! Here’s my 2023 art summary! After two years of having to include non-colored pieces, I finally did enough ‘full’ pieces to fill my art summary template! I did have to get a bit creative with the months since I was able to draw a LOT more during the summer, but I’ll take it! Sorry it's a bit blurry. I'm not sure if that's just for the preview or not, but it was a smaller file than normal and since these reflections are 99% for my own interest, I decided it wasn't worth trying to change.

As usual, I got rambly so reflection questions are answered under the cut. The template I used is available here in case anyone else wants to make their own! My fic summary will be coming in a week or so, so stay tuned for the stats and round-up there. :)

What events did you participate in (with art)? Player Appreciation Week, Fandom Trumps Hate, Dear Fellow Traveler (Animatic), Weird People (Editing), SPN Comfortably Queer Zine (dropped), and lots of zine applications for page artist, merch artist, comic artist, and spot artist roles!

What was your biggest challenge this year? While time, like last year, was still a challenge, I think my biggest challenge was a mix of low motivation and an intense perfectionistic mindset. At the start of the year, I got super into TOH and was super hyped about all the zines with apps opening. I really REALLY wanted to get into them and figured I should apply for art too just cause it would increase my overall chances of getting in. After the finale, I did a screenshot redraw that ended up being absolutely fantastic for where my skill level is. I went deeper into rendering than ever before, and somehow it worked for me. 

That probably was the start of my unreasonably high expectations, and I got it into my head that maybe if I could make a whole portfolio of artwork at that quality level, I actually stood a chance at getting into a zine as an artist. From then on, I was hardcore crash-coursing perspective, rendering techniques, and generally trying to improve without allowing room for mistakes. While I do think it helped me grow a lot, it burnt me out so I struggled to work on stuff past summary (when all the zine apps were) and even dropped from the SPN Comfortably Queer Zine cause my imposter syndrome was so strong. (Though that was also partially because it was a ‘sign-up and you’re in’ zine, so they never saw my art during the application process and had no way of knowing if I was good enough.

What was something you were surprised by? I’m pretty sure I discovered the perspective tool is CSP this year! CSP has so many tools I’m not aware of (despite watching tons of tutorials and guides), so it wasn’t super surprising but it was nice. I have to say, they’re a serious hassle to work with and require a higher understanding of vanishing points and such than I currently have, but I could see it being very useful for future scene art pieces.

Did you try anything new this year?

Yes! This year I kicked down the door to the merch world and have been collecting and designing throughout the year. Though the designs have mostly just been for zine app portfolio’s, everything has worked out really well for me and I hope to produce charms for my collection as I improve my skills. Where do you think you most improved? Definitely my confidence in rendering! And probably my rendering itself too. I did a ton more pieces with it this year and it’s definitely a favorite part of the art process for me. I think I’ll have a lot more fun with it this year too, since I’m trying to keep it lower pressure, so I can experiment more to find out what brushes and styles I like most. What are you most proud of? I think I’m most proud of how ambitious I was with my zine apps. Though I didn’t get into any for art and it burned me out a fair bit, I did a lot of hard work and made pieces I can be mostly happy with. As for specific pieces, I’m very proud of my animatic clip for the Dear Fellow Traveler MAP (which is what the Belos art from the summary is from). My portion was about 5 seconds with 24 fully colored and shaded frames. A few of those were moving frames too, so the end result is the closest thing to actual animation I’ve done. I also really like the rendering on the Huntlow Epilogue art and generally how the Steve&Matt hug turned out.

How’d this year compare to your 2023 goals? I honestly couldn’t remember what my goals were, but all things considered, I didn’t do too bad! Thankfully past-Sakarrie was wise and made it a bullet list so I can just check things off. Met: -Player Appreciation Week -Add to zine portfolio -Apply to at least one zine as an artist (fine if don’t get accepted) -Keep experimenting with backgrounds and shading -Pull out some old WIPs -Build more consistency of style

The checked off ones I definitely met, so good for me! This was a very zine-focused year, so I way exceeded those goals. The last two I did do, but they’re a bit subjective. Specifically, I think the ‘WIPs’ I was referring to were old sketches, but most of the old WIPs I revisited were already colored and I was either adding rendered or cleaning them up for zine usage. As for style, I’m REALLY bad at telling haha. That said, my characters seem reasonably similar when I draw them, so I’m going to tentatively count it. Kinda: -One fully colored piece per month

I’m gonna give myself a half check on this one. I didn’t have a fully colored piece every month, but I did have over 12 fully rendered pieces in the end, several of which had backgrounds. So while I didn’t meet the letter of the goal, I feel like I met the spirit of it.

Did Not Meet: -Finish Huntlow comic -30 minutes animatic digitalize rough draft -Maybe make some fanart of my favorite fics

These don’t shock me. They’re all personal projects and this was a very external-goal-driven year for me. The Huntlow comic is a big love of mine but it’s definitely ambitious for where my skill is. I’ve got the whole thing messy-sketched and most of it has been clean sketched, but the jump from that to lineart is gonna be hard, and I have no idea what I’d be doing with color since the panels don’t have a background. That said, I do feel like it’s some solid work and I adore the angst vibe of it, so maybe I’ll get it done one day. I could also see myself posting it as a messy lineart comic so that others could enjoy the concept being executed in case it never gets finished.

As for the 30 Minutes animatic, I still 100% intend to complete it eventually. I love the way it fits to the music and I’m so proud of the thumbnails. Even if it never becomes a full animatic, I want to digitize the frames and line it up with music so I can share the concept I see in my mind with others. My brain was somewhat overtaken suddenly by TOH this year, so now that that’s settled and I’m hoping to follow my muse more this year, maybe this will be something I can get excited about again.

The fanart for favorite fics is no surprise since it’s kinda the tack on. With low motivation and projects with deadlines that needed my focus, personal art like this was buried way below other priorities. It’s a nice though for sure though.

Alrighty then, now it’s time for 2024 goals!! Oh goodness, I really don’t know what to expect of myself. I definitely am going to try to allow for more personal projects with lower pressure, but I do still have some goals. Hopefully most can be accomplished without applying big pressure though.

2024 Goals:

-Number One Priority: Create for my and don’t put myself in a place to get crazy burnt out and still have requirements. If I meet this goal, then it’s okay if I don’t meet any of the others. (It would be sad.... But I would still count it as meeting overall goals.) -Participate in Summergen and PAW Week (Art or Fic) -Design Handplates charm as anniversary gift (November) -Design CS Charm -Have a fully usable Zine Portfolio (Currently need more merch samples and rendered pieces with backgrounds) -Apply to new TOH Zines or other loved fandom zines. If I end up getting into any, I can pull back, but since that doesn’t seem likely, I want to get into the habit of always being ready to apply with what I have. -Make an ongoing project list to pin to my tumblr. This applies mostly for fics, but that way people coming to my page can see what fandoms I’m actively creating for and what they can look forward to (as well as have an opening to ask questions if they’re interested). -Post more (at least 10 times throughout the year) and add my best pieces to instagram (8+ pieces by end of year). -Do ONE of the following:     1. 30 minutes digitized so it can be shared with music      2. Open Up Your Eyes fully thumbnail      3. Fanworks for other people’s fics      4. Participate in an extra bang or exchange with art      5. Design and manufacture a pin -Play with different brushes and rendering styles -Draw something from scratch every month, no matter how small -Not exactly art, but I want to have a finalized long-term merch display plan for all my items Overall, how’d the year go? I think I did well! I didn’t meet all my goals and I pushed myself too far, but I learned and improved a LOT this year. All things considered, I made pieces that last year me would be blown away by, so I think that’s an automatic win. I’m pretty uncertain on how this next year will go (even more so than last year, which is surprising since I was changing schools last year), but I’m hoping to enjoy what I do and create art semi-regularly. Here’s to 2024!

[singsongraptor]

So this is my little kalanchoe plant. This is the only indoor subject I've had to photograph in at least 2 years. The flowers are the size of pennies.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of the shots I made with my camera and which you'll get to see on my side blog @lunarrisephotography when the queue spits them out. You can also see many of the pieces I've made with outdoor subjects, which make up the bulk of my portfolio

I'm posting this just to say, photography is an art, a conglomerate of skills, both technical and artistic, and I work hard at them. Just as anyone can pick up a pencil and doodle or write, so can anyone pick up a camera, but that doesn't necessarily make them an artist/writer/photographer. That isn't wrong or ableist to say.

Yes, I'm still upset that people have insulted me and my craft by saying that AI art is "just like" photography and that photography is merely allowing the technology to create an image via button press, simply recording information, nevermind that cameras aren't stealing thousands of pieces of other people's creations and compiling them.

I didn't spend two hours with this plant friend and my tripod and camera in front of a window to be treated with such contempt, or 3 hours editing after the fact. I don't spend hours outside, with my disabilities no less, taking photos of the tiniest flowers and plants, growing from lawns and sidewalk cracks, holding my breath and fighting the wind for clear shots, to have my work reduced to a button press that I'm barely responsible for.

This photo was taken with a phone camera, but compare it to my morning glories, or my other cellphone photos on my page, all taken with the same phone as this photo of my kalanchoe. The difference is my effort and my eye, my skill and artistry with my tools, and whether or not I used them vs recording information, not *only* the technology in my hands.

My Olympus, my fancy camera, means nothing without the skills I cultivated and am still cultivating. You can see where I've learned something new just in the last year with my Olympus, just by comparing my macros last year to the kalanchoe! The improvement wasn't just getting a new lens, I learned a new shooting and editing technique too!

Even if you only compared macro shots from 2022, you can see where I learned new editing techniques. I am almost entirely self-taught, as many artists are, and like most, if not all, artists, I constantly seek to improve. AI art steals from the hardwork, dedication and love for art. It does not improve, it only steals someone else's improvement and claims it as its own.

I shouldn't be surprised since the technology was created by entitled tech bros and the colonizing impetus among that group is strong, nevermind that they are often rather lazy, but my point is this: support actual artists and stop insulting those of us that do digital art.

Also consider, AI stealing photographers' intellectual property and art is also being used to create propaganda and is destroying the ability to utilize photography for *actual information recording*. Comparing photography work to their theft is going to end up destroying the ability to use photographs as evidence and in journalism. It's already casting doubt on genuine historical photography as the artifacts from digitization, decay of film and photos, and the limitations of historical photographic technology have similar looks to the mistakes that AI makes when it fakes a photograph, and that will lend itself to revisionism and propaganda as well.

[hardwiredweird]

What you don't see.

I've been doing a lot of fundamental practice lately. You know, the boring, annoying kind that really helps you, but is just ... tedious and not 'pretty'.

And doing that, I've been thinking about how much of an artist's progress people don't see in a time where we all so carefully curate our online presence.

You guys see stuff like this:

from me and even if I might not be 100% happy with some of these, they are still finished pieces, pieces done for 'practice' in some cases, sure, but still. Finished. 'Polished' in a way.

But some of my practice also looks like this:

Quick gesture practice to capture motion and silhouette and perspective practice.

I think a lot of people, especially those who still hold onto (even if only a little bit) the idea of inherent 'talent' completely underestimate the amount of practice some of us put in. Deliberate, careful practice.

And I want to use this as an opportunity to reiterate a few things:

1. Art is a skill that needs to be honed. It is as much a mental as well as a physical skill and both of those aspects need training. It's a long and tedious process, but you CAN learn it with patience and effort.

2. What you see in an artists online portfolio is usually the best of their best. It's carefully curated and not a 'true' representation of everything they make. I will eventually find a few of my 'failures' to post, too, because they still happen, even after five and a half years of intense practice and they will continue to happen. Failures are good actually. If you know how to analyse them and use them for progress (and that's a skill itself).

3. Going back to point 1 a little: Art! Takes! Time! and not everyone has the same amount of time they can dedicate to practice and study. Don't compare someone else's progress to yours. They might have more time to put into their practice.

4. Jumping off point 3: everyone learns differently and nobody will have the same process. For example, one of the most popular methods for constructing heads, the Loomis Method, just ... does not work well for me. I find it leads to overthinking which leads to stilted, crooked heads. Once I realised that that was not the be-all-end-all method of drawing people and moved to a sight-sizing approach, things became a lot easier for me. I learned by observation first and then added construction and anatomy into it later. It gave me the best results and kept me going with early successes. Someone else might really appreciate the structure of the Loomis or Riley methods. Finding what works for you, trying different approaches can be tedious but worth it!

Don't be discouraged by all the 'cool art' you see on the internet if you're not there yet. You're not 'lacking talent' if you're not improving as fast as someone else. We all learn differently, at different speeds. And that's okay!

If you have trouble improving, you might want to look at where you are, how you have been practicing and you might find that you have been staying in your comfort zone too much. You can take that step outside of it that will bring progress, I promise!

[terraliensvent]

https://www.tumblr.com/terraliensvent/749097590215376897/why-do-i-need-permission-to-void-a-terra-i

I’m actually in disagreement with this sentiment. I wouldn’t feel very comfortable if someone voided a design I made specifically for a species without permission. If it’s a character that YOU designed, then sure. But if we’re talking about adopts, then that’s a different story. It’s honestly about respecting the original artist’s wishes and comfort level. The sirfluff situation with chams seemed more like heavy entitlement on their end, and they kept pestering several different mods until someone said ‘yes’ because they didn’t want any trouble (but it happened anyway when fluff made a huge stink about it).

Anyway if you can’t void a Terra, just simply make a one-off version of it. I’ve done that with designs I can’t void with no issue. I just don’t use the official /CS design itself.

post related

ehh, i still dont really vibe with this side of the argument

like, with adopts and things it really is more of a product transaction than a piece in an art gallery. if someone owns the character by paying for it, it should be fully theirs.

going back to the mug analogy since its a more tangible and easy to comprehend form of art, if i made a beautiful ceramic mug that was part of a larger “series” of similar mugs that all share the same theme, and sold one of them to someone, that person now can do whatever they want with it. they could smash it in front of me and i cant do anything about it because its not mine anymore. yeah, it might break my heart to see this thing i worked hard on be removed from the collection of other mugs, but thats the price you have to pay when you sell art in this way.

i think that you as the creator should still be able to use the “unvoided” design to showcase your design examples (unless you and the new owner have an agreement to keep it private but thats neither here nor there), but as for the actual design they can do what they want. again, with the mug thing, you should be able to have like a picture of the mug you created to use in your portfolio of beautiful handcrafted mugs, but the buyer still owns the mug they bought.

i feel like if you cant completely disconnect yourself from what a new buyer may use your design for, then you shouldnt be making adopts, which is ok, but a lot of people dont want to have that realization within themself that even though their art can be personal and they can be attached to it, when you sell a design as a product to someone else you have to accept that you have no say over it anymore.

[demonfuck]

thinking about making art that is patient

being the way that i am, this maybe kind of comes naturally to me

as a teen i found it interesting to make art with no audience in mind. as in, NO audience. it will sit on a server somewhere gathering dust

and it doesn't try to make you feel guilty for its isolation. it was never your responsibility to find it and interact with it and understand it. it's patient. it makes peace with itself

i'm happy with that process making it kind of timeless. there were never any references or details that demanded that it be read this week, or this year, or within this lifetime. i've always been fascinated by outsider art, including stuff that doesn't get found until after the artist has passed away

it makes MAKING art feel less urgent to me. to be able to make something, "put it out there", and then continue making it. i feel the URGE to get wrapped up in expectation and disappointment. to say, why did i make this if no one saw it? should i continue making it? if i continue making it, will resentment seep in to the text? what good are my good ideas if no one is looking at them?

i think there's a part of me that deliberately tries to avoid the pain of disappointment and unpopularity by expecting to be discovered long after my death. to say, well, wouldn't it be exciting if someone discovered my weird art blog or my unfinished book sometime in the future? i know of lots of comics and anime that have meant the world to me, that i didn't get to participate with in real time

still. it's all too possible to go too far with this sort of thing. i appreciate when this way of thinking let me work on art one piece after the next without stopping myself and forcing myself to try something different because this wasn't Doing Numbers. but doing it like this forever would cut me off from lots of wonderful experiences within my lifetime. to be able to learn what works and what doesn't. what's too difficult to parse, what's boring, what's annoying. unintentionally anyway. i don't mind making something difficult, boring, and annoying, but i rarely want to make something impossible to parse that puts you to sleep

when i was making art for myself, for my own needs, i'm glad i made it in a way that was criticism agnostic. and while i'd like to allow myself to maybe, advertise myself more, consider an audience more, i really want to retain the lessons i've learned in making patient art

idk. i want to push myself more this year ! because there's a major keystone of motivation in the back and forth conversation between audience and creator. i work faster when i know, specifically, that someone will see and respond to my work. and criticism plays a major role in becoming more effective at achieving whatever your art was meant to achieve. comforting someone, discomforting them, sharing a lesson, imparting a warning, or just helping them lose track of time safely in a world full of demands and danger

and then there's the money game. the "make something that will fund your next something" type game. make a portfolio of things that communicates what you're about, what your capable of now, that makes people imagine what you would make in the future if you're allowed to continue creating without starving to death. this basically runs in the opposite direction of my entire spiel about patient art, but i don't think it contradicts it. potentially, anyway

generally i think i've turned myself into that portfolio. when i talk to people, i'm showing them my Self as the thing i'm capable of. my problem solving, my comfort, my patience, my passion. i practice being valuable as a person and i hope sometimes that maybe that will be the avenue which sees my life get funded. "if you like talking to me today," i imply, "you should buy me dinner so that i am around to keep talking tomorrow!" is this normal? is this moral? join my patreon

[thoughtportal]

I should not know who David Zaslav is. I didn’t know who any of the big media CEOs were back when I was a happy little child, and I shouldn’t have to know who any of them are now. I should be able to fire up HBO Max, see that it’s still called HBO Max, treat myself to two horrible, horrible hours of a “Batgirl” movie, and then read a satisfyingly catty review of it in GQ.

Alas, I’m not that lucky. Because Zaslav is the man in charge of frankencorp Warner Bros. Discovery and, in an impressively short period of time, has managed to f—k up nearly everything within its considerable portfolio. Freelance writer Jason Bailey attempted to note all of those f—k-ups for posterity just this week, when he wrote an article for GQ excoriating Zaslav for his pathetic stewardship of WBD. It noted all of Zaslav’s lowlights, which I will repeat here for reasons that will soon become evident. 

Zaslav wrote off that “Batgirl” movie rather than formally release it. He did NOT write off and bury “The Flash,” even though its titular star was an allegedly choke-happy asshole and the movie itself was something that even McG wouldn’t have put his name on (it tanked). He hired a clearly in-over-his-head Chris Licht to oversee CNN, only for Licht to destroy morale within that company even faster than Zaslav could have on his own (Licht has since been fired). And it’s not like CNN was my favorite news source in the universe prior to this. You have to really try to make CNN more inane than it already was. Zaslav did.

FILE: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav visits “Mornings With Maria” at Fox Business Network studios on April 10, 2019, in New York City. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

All of these changes were not only unwelcome but also NOTICEABLE. Same as if Dan Snyder owned your favorite NFL team. That’s why Zaslav got booed by students at Boston University while trying to give a commencement speech. It’s why striking Writers Guild of America writers, myself included, have made him the face of studio bosses who want to reduce TV and film writing jobs to gig work. It’s why Zaslav’s crimes against both art and basic consumer preferences need to be put on the record. It’s why Bailey wrote what he wrote, and why he was right to do so: posterity, so that we all know who’s to blame for this f—kery and why they deserve to be remanded to a space prison.

This was a damning blog post but also still just a blog post. All damning stuff but all easily ignored if you’re a captain of industry. Lord knows such men have capably ignored similar attempts to own them online.

FILE: David Zaslav attends the 2022 Time 100 Gala on June 8, 2022, in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME

Knowing this, GQ could have, should have, stood by its reporter, especially given that he was a freelancer just trying to earn a living. Maybe if former Editor-in-Chief Jim Nelson was still in charge of the place, it would have. That GQ was both thorough and undaunted. But Variety just reported that current Editor-in-Chief Will Welch is attached as a producer on an upcoming Warner Brothers film that’s based on a GQ story and that he was one of the editors Zaslav’s stooges complained to. So it’s not hard to connect the dots as to why his GQ would abandon its journalistic principles just to please Zaslav. (Multiple sources within GQ told SFGATE they weren't even aware of the controversy until it became public; Bailey politely declined to talk to me for this piece.)

As someone who adored working at GQ, I cannot begin to tell you how much all of this disappoints me. I worked for Nelson. I also worked for the people who annihilated Deadspin and just published their first post written by a bot instead of an actual person. I know the difference between these two leadership styles, and it is stark. You can see it right in the product, and you can see it everywhere in Zaslav’s leadership. Not only is this man a terrible CEO, but he’s also an imperious coward who’s more than willing to swat down anyone who dares question his authority. Our worst kind of rich person.

Maybe Zaslav was able to get Welch to back down from public criticism, but my bosses here at SFGATE won’t be similarly cowed. So, for the permanent record, let me state all of this again flatly: David Zaslav is an eel who sucks at his job. He’s destroying HBO. He’s destroyed what bare credibility the DC Universe had left with moviegoers. He’s forced GQ to willingly debase itself. He’s destroyed TCM. And while he couldn’t get Licht to destroy CNN, he’ll find some other pair of docksiders to finish the job. 

It’s a fact that, in an age of mass consolidation, no one person could possibly run all of a billion-dollar entertainment conglomerate effectively. But David Zaslav has distinguished himself not only by being unable to run ANY part of one but also by being such a brazen coward about that fact. I shouldn’t know who this man is. But here he is, and now he should deal, in full, with what he’s wrought. He’s a parasite: a terrible CEO, an enemy to artists, and a lousy, horrible graduation speaker to boot. I hope he’s strapped to a chair and forced to watch “The Flash” on repeat for the rest of his pathetic little existence. And no, I’m not deleting this.

[em2dplatformer]

Pixel Art: The Basics

By playing pixel art games, I can get a better idea of what type of styles can be achieved and what styles I want to use for my game.

Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss

3-D WorldRunner

A Boy and His Blob

We can also get a better idea of how to make pixel sprites by researching other pixel artists.

Army Of Trolls:

Army Of Trolls is the site of Gary J Lucken's portfolio where his designs for games, YouTube and festival banners and commissions. His work features very bright and bold colours and focuses on 2D settings such as his London Games Fest art and his GDC 2018 brochure art. Specifically, his settings our done in the isometric pixel art style.

Octavi Navarro:

Octavi Navarro Art & Games is a studio based in Barcelona. Octavi Navarro himself is a pixel artist and game developer who creates narrative driven games. A lot of his colour palettes are more muted and he uses a lot of clean angles in the settings of his art pieces. His art also has a strong use of dynamic lighting with the use of spotlights and smaller light sources that blend nicely in the environment. These unique light sources also create strong shadows across some of his pieces.

Derek Yu:

Derek Yu is the creator of many popular games such as Spelunky, and Aquaria. He has a site called 'Make Games With Derek' where he has tutorials on how to do pixel art as well as examples of his own and other's work.

Both Spelunky and Aquaria have pixel artstyles, making them good examples to look at.

Spelunky is mostly underground and so has a limited colour palette. This, however, does not stop the game from being colourful. From gold ore scattered about to brightly coloured enemies and characters, Spelunky is made visually engaging by its use of colour.

Aquaria is a lot less pixel-based. It takes place underwater, meaning its much more visually cluttered than Spelunky. The colours are still bright, but a more dynamic use of lighting makes the colours have more depth.

Johan Vinet:

Johan Vinet is a pixel artist who recently released a mini-game called Castaway. Castaway is a pixel game with bright graphics, smooth animation and a fun mixture of puzzles and action.

After testing out some pixel art games and doing my own research on other pixel artists, I moved onto making my own character in pixel art form.

64x64:

I personally really like the level of detail that 64x64 allows me to put into the sprite. This, however, comes at the cost of time which means 64x64 will likely be unsustainable for this project (1 1/2 roughly).

32x32:

I first did not like 32x32 but as I kept at drawing my character I began to prefer this to the 64x64 version. The 32x32 both is detailed enough to keep my character distinguishable but also can be done a lot quicker than the 64x64 version (15 minutes).

16x16:

16x16 is too small for my character. Because of her limited colour palette and her requiring an outline to be distinguishable, this option is not viable. The time save was also not worth it (5 minutes).

8x8:

Definitely not using 8x8. My character is requires some form of gradient as well as enough room for an outline to be distinguishable. Animating this would also be a very difficult task. (45 seconds max).

4x4:

4x4 becomes a colour palette rather than a sprite. 4x4 is mostly used just to find the main key colours of a character. This doesn't effect my character particularly as, due to her limited colour palette, all of her colours (even the gradient and outlines) fit cohesively on the 4x4 canvas. (15 seconds).

After choosing the type of resolution for my character, I decided to upgrade the sprite itself. I wanted to give my sprite a more dynamic pose that felt more alive than the previous one. I also wanted to add some darker colours to the parts of the character that were further back for more depth.

[project-skyglow]

An update

So... my mental health's in a considerably better state than it was near the beginning of the year. I've actually started doing some art again, so that's good. Right?

I'm still not enthused about the whole AI art situation with online spaces in general, but at least this time I can make sure I'm already opted out of it through site settings before I post my art here. It was really the rug-pull itself that upset me all those months ago(particularly after what happened with deviantART...).

I have in the meantime been trying to learn how to make a custom website on the side with Neocities to create a portfolio for my art. I don't have all of my old art there at the moment - just a handful of pieces from 2023 and 2024 - but it's something.

The site is currently functional, but not ideal. So I might upload some of the pieces I've made this year here again soonish, or at least re-upload some of the older ones from last year to match what is also on that linked portfolio website.

[vampireantihero]

It's May Day. (Newsletter)

This year feels like it’s flying by. Buckle up, y’all; this is going to be a slightly longer newsletter, so I hope you all stick with me.

It’s May 1st; and it’s snowing here in Wisconsin. To be honest, that feels like the perfect metaphor of this year for me. Winter has been hanging on to the year like a heavy weight; far past its time, and bad for the things that are trying to grow, bitter and cold, and refusing to die. Spring is trying to establish itself hard, and the flowers are in bloom despite the snow. This year has been a lot of shakeups, stepping back, and reassessing for me. Most of the first quarter of the year was spent caring for my mental health, and now I am working hard on putting together a new portfolio in a different facet of my art career. I’d love to do illustrative work for companies and not just private sector commission-based work. I’d also love to work on videogames, or maybe films or television as a concept artist (I like creatures and environments best). So, since the beginning of April, I’ve been revamping old stories and rebuilding the worlds in order to be clearer, and drawing concept art for the environments and characters.

I’ve been working quite a lot, and have forced myself to reassess that too. I think now I’ve found a bit better of a balance and better know my limits, so I can stop myself from doing too much at once. If I connect back to the metaphor I started this newsletter with regarding the weather, the “winter” would be my unhealthy work ethic and tendency to try to please everyone and be totally available despite my own energy levels. For the past few months, I have been giving myself time to breathe and being less available in online spaces, because I’ve been extremely tired. I’ve lost friends and connections because of this, and I do feel guilty for being less around, but also I recognize that if I keep going at the pace I was, I’ll make myself ill the way I did in college and I don’t want to do that again. It would also (and has in the past) make my content suffer, and you all deserve quality from me.

Plans Going Forward

As it stands, I’m distancing myself from streaming because I just do not have the time to give to it. I may still pop up from time to time for art streams, but I am focusing on my art and career change this year. You can still see my art in the discord, in social media spaces, and on youtube. I’ll also still be keeping up with this newsletter, social media, and the Youtube uploads. I’ll likely also start working on story-based content to upload to Youtube, though I don’t know how far down the line that’s going to be. And I’ll still have commissions open, and I’m working to get myself organized enough to offer my services over on Fiverr and Upwork.

Once my portfolio is completed, I think I may give creating the comics one more try. I feel like I’m on stronger footing with some of them now that I’m establishing the visual assets a bit better for my portfolio. Though this time, I won’t start publishing it (or even announce it) before I have a significant amount of the pages done, and am far enough into the story that I have quite a decent buildup of content so that I can post regularly. I’m also going to be revisiting the tarot concept I started creating back in 2021; redraw the two cards I’ve got done and go back to concepting the rest of the cards.

Portfolio

The first portfolio piece I finished went well! It’s also been added to a concept art contest in one of the art discords I’m in. Here is the drawing, as well as some backstory on some of the characters:

Setting: This story is a historical fiction, in which the humans are in a religious monarchy called the Abbey. Inhuman and humanoid creatures need to hide at night in order to avoid being captured and either used for their powers or murdered by the Abbey and the human settlements surrounding them. In this world, spirits exist, but they have to be bound to something in order to inhabit the physical plane.

Characters (and backstory):

1. Ghost. Our protagonist, a reluctant hero. Previously human, but has been dead so long that he has long forgotten his original name. He was sickly as a human, and learned how to project his spirit from his body as a child in order to escape the constant pain he was in. One day as he was astral projecting, his body died. Desperate to find a way back to life, he contacted his family; only to be betrayed by them as they tried to capture him and sell him to a High Warlock within the Abbey. Ever since, he has been looking for a way to bring the Abbey down. His tether is the clay pot he carries, faithfully made for him and repaired by his friend, Hyacinth.

2. Hyacinth. Our Tinkerer/Support character. Hyacinth is also a spirit, though she died way more recently than Ghost-- having been murdered whilst praying in front of an Abbey altar. When she died, her spirit was so terrified to disappear that she inhabited a nearby gargoyle. In life, she was a tinkerer, and in death, she was is much the same -- she spends her time looking for ways to enhance her party's gear, and to strengthen both her and Ghost's tethers to their physical objects. She is the only one in the party that cannot participate in combat-- because of the nature to her tether to her gargoyle and her death circumstances, if she takes a significant amount of damage, her soul will disconnect from her body.

3. Silas. Our Mage/Necromancer. Not much is known about Silas. He doesn't speak much, and chooses to help because he likes the spirits of the group. At first glance, he looks like a human in a plague doctor costume, but if it's too light or you look a little too long, his mask starts to look a little too real...

4. Vesper. Our Tank/Heavy Hitter. She's a vampire type creature from a long line of reclusive vampires. Though, her species is fruititarian like many natural bat species. Because of the expansion of humans into her family's forested spaces, her family was hunted and killed for their pelts. Devastated at their loss, she traveled to find a master who would teach her to fight and learned how to wield a scythe really effectively. She joined our squad when Hyacinth found her, injured, in the forest, and nursed her back to health. She heard what Ghost was planning, and decided to help them with their journey.

They are from one of the three projects I’m developing for my portfolio; they may be popping up from time to time as I go through and create more of these worlds. If you’re interested, they’re a set of characters that shows up in one of my vampire stories that the actual main character of the comic spends a good deal of time with.

Theatre (And Other Life Updates)

As you all know if you’ve been keeping up with the newsletters, the past month or so has been extremely busy both on weekends and week days. The theatre I’m a part of has been working hard on painting our more permanent space for the theatre. We’re working in conjunction with a local-to-us church in order to have this performance space. Me, my husband, and another member of the theatre have spent the last month between rehearsals and after work painting this room, and it’s finally done. And it looks so good!

We’re really excited to have this space. And, I’m really happy to no longer be painting, though I’m proud of us for putting in the work in this room. We’ll be announcing our next play very soon. I’ve been making props for the last few weeks (in fact, you can kind of see one in the bottom of the 3rd picture — a chunk of styrofoam I’m painting to look like a busted piece of concrete) and, have quite a few more things to create. One of the coolest aspects of this play is that we’ll be performing it in pride month, and it has a lot to do with LGBTQIA+ history; some of the props I’ve been creating have been exploring the culture surrounding these topics and it’s been a lot of fun! But, some of it is also very heavy. I’m also assistant directing this show, and it’s been interesting to learn how directing works.

All in all, I’m almost caught up with the stuff that I’m behind on, such as the commission terms switching over into the shop, and I should have more to share with you all soon. I’m hoping to have Youtube stuff done earlier as well, so that I can give earlier access than a single day for Ko-Fi members. I’m sorry for the delay on these things, but with the painting done in the theatre room and most of the props we need finished, I should be a bit more productive during my week day, and a bit less busy on the weekends.

Lastly, I want to take a moment to mention the Discord. Today the newsletter is a bit late because I took a little bit of time to rearrange the Discord and make it less Twitch-oriented. Now, it’s much more art and content creation centric, so if you want a place to talk about art, content creation, or just hang out with our growing community, check out the discord here. I also ask for feedback here, and you can sometimes see things earlier than they’re released there as well. If you’re a Ko-Fi member or subbed in some way, then that’s also where a lot of the rewards get put as well. If you join, just make sure that you let us know why you’re there (Check the #start-here channel.)

So, even though this was a large update, a lot of it is positive. If I’m going back to the metaphor at the beginning of this email, then I can confidently say that I’m shaking off the winter of bad habits, self-doubt, and overworking to burnout. Now, I’m doing my best to let the spring take over and let me grow; as a person, as an artist, and as a worker. And with that, I’m signing off. I hope that you all have a fantastic week. Remember to take care of yourselves, drink your water, and do what you can. I love you all.

(Friendly reminder: You can sign up to get this newsletter directly to your mailbox by subscribing here.)

[celestial-kestrel]

AI already changed the art community years ago

So I've been in a lot of AI art conversations of late and the thing that keeps popping into my head during these conversations is "Okay, but AI systems changed the course of the art community years ago and very few of us noticed or are too young to remember."

And that is the AI that makes up a lot of social media algorithm systems. Now I want to say this early but there's nothing wrong with being a social media artist and playing into the algorithm when you're creating. For some people that's their whole jam, they love it and it works for them. That's not the issue. What is the issue and caused the overall change was how many artists who should of never been social media artists or working for the algorithm were encouraged and told they could only make it as an artist if they played into it. Which wasn't and still isn't true. But yet, I see so many artists tell newer artists they HAVE to be on social media and how to churn out art the algorithm will push. That they need to be posting constantly and having a strong social media presence. That, in essence, they need to work to the AI computer systems to be successful as an artist.

Social media is really good for certain artists. If it's what you aspired to be or do art that was predominately hosted online (youtube animators, fanartists, online commissioners, webcomics, etc) then having an online social media presence is good! But for a lot of artists, it's counterproductive to both their learning and job prospects for the industry they want to work in. But yet, how many of us artists have heard we HAVE to have a social media account that we post regularly to and all this advice about how to get noticed online? To this day when I tell other artists that I don't post my art online outside of my portfolio, it blows their mind. Because they can't fathom how, in this day and age, that can still work.

But that's the thing, being a concept artist I don't have to play into the algorithm. Spending all my day trying to get likes or shares on social media is counterproductive to my time. It can be a good motivator for some who like that instant feedback, but for me all it did was dishearten me and stifle my learning. Because I couldn't make the mistakes I needed too. Because every art work I didn't post was a loss in likes and shares. I couldn't do the things that, understandably have a negative response online, but are good practise for learning artists in personal private time like tracing or photobashing. I had to pay attention to what was trending. Was there a meme template or trend I could partake in? In the hopes I got noticed? Was my art style good? Was it desirable? Was it sharable?

Instead of learning the trade I wanted to go into, honing my skills and getting to know the pipeline of the industry. I was instead playing to a computer system I didn't want to work for. Changing my process, my art, my relationship with creation, etc. I was becoming what an AI was going to push to people long before it learnt to create that very thing itself.

To this day, nobody has asked me for my social media accounts in the industry. They'll ask for my portfolio (Which it looks more professional if it's hosted on artstation or my own website!) and email. I don't post every piece of art I do to my portfolio. Maybe one to two artworks make it there every few months if I think it's my best work. Because quantity is damaging to a portfolio since it should only show the art you think really shows what you're capable of and proud of. Even when I've talked to professionals in the industry, even the ones with strong social media presence, very very few actually got there from social media posts alone. Instead they were doing way more like networking, applying for jobs and working on their portfolio.

So to new artists, really sit down and ask what you want to be as an artist. Heck, even hobbyists who don't want to work in the industry at all, do you really need to work and put all these hours into an online presence? And for those who want to work, do you REALLY need to put all this time into making art that a computer will push? Will it make you standout in your chosen field? Or will you be putting more time into something that, in reality, will not get you noticed in the industry or gain you a job even if you end up getting thousands of followers? Are you changing your creative process and style to what a computer wants rather than doing the things that make? Or what your industry actually wants? Does this, at the end of the day, make you happy? Or is it counterproductive to your very nature as an artist?

[rudojudo]

Next Episode Trailer

So I figured instead of looking back at the last year, I’d get more out of thinking about my plans for the next one. So here’s everything in the works from me/Rudo Judo Games in 2023! I hate being so transparent about it, but I’d love it if this got shared around a bit for the people who’d be interested.

Giant of Light

This is the big one! My love letter to the modern incarnation of the Ultraman series. This is an adventure game about being someone who either turns into a giant superhero or has access to a portfolio of kaiju. You investigate trouble and when the time comes, the action shifts to a grid-based battle system for the super-sized action. It’s probably 90% written and I want to get some more art for the interior, then it’s out there.

The Hard Way

This one’s less an adoring homage and more a shitpost that came to life. The core concept is playing through an entry in the SAW series, with the intended vibe of the table being friends watching a trashy horror movie with snacks. I thought this one was done, but then I ran a session and realized that it needed refinement, so now I’m refining! Still coming soon, though.

Santa Carla at 4AM

Another joke that possessed me suddenly (shout out to Lil), this is a short, possibly even one-page RPG about being one of the Lost Boys before/outside the narrative of the movie itself. You play as a beautiful, immortal dirtbag looking to amuse themself and help eternity pass faster. Pull big stunts, feed on tourists, get in fights, and most importantly of all, have profound homoerotic tension.

Further Down the Pike

Not projects I’m going to probably get finished this year, but here are the ideas I’m most interested in working on when those three are done:

Free Lunch for Magic Users: in a magical post-apocalypse, players are con-men and odd-jobs using their extremely limited magical powers to make a living. Think Fallout, Cowboy Bebop, and Adventure Time, but starring people on the level of Arataka Reigen or Peter Venkman.

V/H/Essence: play as a movie monster in a world that hates you for existing. Less X-Men, more a thesis statement about being Queer in America. Comes from the fact that almost all the people I know who really, passionately love horror are gay and/or Trans.

Demon Castle Dracula: a team-based game inspired by the Castlevania series. Work together to map the castle, slay the coterie of monsters from world mythology living there, then take on the dark lord and break his curse on the land.

Sentai Squad (working title): each player gets their own team of brightly-colored heroes who work together to defeat monsters, but you’re also making sure that your team is the most beloved, the most famous, and the top seller of merchandise. Maybe being a hero can get a little cutthroat.

Journey to the Quest: an adventure game inspired by Shonen Jump comics like Dragon Ball (not Z) and early One Piece. Play as a heroic child on a quest for greatness, making the world better as you pass through it.

Things That Aren't Games

As though that wasn't plenty. But I do want to try to do more, since hanging all my hopes and dreams on a single hobby/subculture is asking for trouble. But I have three other big goals, things that will probably get priority over a fourth game.

A novel: I have an idea that I've been nurturing for a while and I think it's really coming together. I think I can manage a first draft of a short novel in one year, even working around the games and day job.

A short story submission: this one's a bit fuzzier, but I'd like to have some published fiction I can point to if I'm going to be shopping a novel around for publication, so it makes sense to have more work in print.

Podcasting: I want my games played. I want people to hear how they work and I would love to connect with the massive talents out there in the Actual Play space. So I want me and/or my games to make two appearances on shows this year.

SO! High bar. I know. I didn't get a quarter this much done in 2022. I know I won't do it all unless I really put myself into it, but if I can even come close, this will be my best creative year yet. I hope you can join me.

[dfoanthology]

Vault Interviews #4

We're almost at the end of pre-orders! Get your copy of the zine today! Click here for the link.

Contributor: Raven

How has your experience with being a contributor been? 

I’ve really enjoyed being a contributor in this zine! Y’know, it’s nice to be able to do something like this, dedicate time in a group to creating this kind of labor of love. The work environment ( for lack of a better phrasing ), really reflects that too! The vibe has been very positive from the get-go, and that really never changed. If anything, I’d say it’s actually gotten more positive as we’ve all gotten to know each other, and worked hard to bring this project to life!

Have you learned anything new about the Zine process or about your own skill process? If so, what? 

I’ve been in a few zines already, so in terms of the zine process itself, nothing was new. In terms of my own skill process, via collaboration, I’ve really come to realize how much further I can go by working closely with someone else! I’ve never collaborated with a writer in any past zines, so having someone wonderful who is equally as invested in bringing my art, and our zine piece, to life, has made me realize how much further I can go skill wise with some outside help!

What advice would you give to others about being a contributor? 

Know your time limits! Zines do work on a schedule, and every mod team handles late check-ins differently. I’ve always been pretty good at gauging how much I can get done in a certain time frame, so I thought taking on more than I’d ever done for a project like this before would be a little more time consuming, but still an overall easy goal to meet. But I forgot to factor in the possibility of surprise extenuating circumstances, of which I ended up being hit with many, and ended up cutting things pretty close. The mod team was very understanding, for which I’m truly grateful, but you can’t rely on being able to push late check-ins. So I’ll repeat this again: know your time limits!

Anything else you would like to mention? (A thanks or last piece of advice) 

I think one last piece of advice I’d have is that, when putting together a zine application portfolio, ask for outside opinions on what should go in it! From friends, family, or even followers! I’ve found I’ve had a much easier time discovering what my strongest pieces are this way; I’ve always been swayed by personal factors when I’m the only one making the decisions on that, so I always ask multiple people to get a better idea. P.S., if you can get help from some folks focused in the field you’re applying for, that’s a big bonus, because they can provide feedback on why it does or doesn’t work for your portfolio

[junebuggeryy]

Oh, wow, I always love hearing about your art! 1, 5, 25, for the ask game?

aww, thank you! :D

1. Favorite drawing from this year

"Don't come any closer" has specifically taken root in my heart? im pretty happy with it on a technical skill level, but- also? it got this earnest reaction that i wasnt really expecting?

i think there is something in the story it tells, the question of who (the character, or "you", the viewer) is the one in danger here. a whole room covered in hazards and warning signs, but the person at the center of it all is backed in a corner, looking up at "you" with wide-eyed terror. "Don't come any closer" becomes both a warning and a plea- it could be threatening, but mostly its just... scared.

it's one of the pieces who's tags i scroll through when i need to remind myself why im doing all this.

also i drew a version of it where xe is holding a stuffed animal, and that in itself has become a sentimental in-joke

5. Favorite little detail in a drawing you did

more of this fella. are you tired of this fella? im not tired of this fella

anyway. ive become very fond of this composition? it ALSO tells a story, in case the caption "SPLIT YOURSELF IN HALF AND CALL IT FISSION" didn't drive it home. taking an impersonal diagram of a neutron firing into an uranium atom, that burst of nuclear energy- and making it explicitly self destructive, more like a bullet through the head than an act of invention.

i should possibly be nice to xeno.

anyway! i might do something more elaborate with the idea, since im still fond of it, and this was somewhat loose and sketchy?

25. Best advice you've received this year or something new you learned about art

oughifohggskdflgjskl;dfgjlsmv,.h;'.nfhgnh.,

this one's the hardest, because im certain ive said and heard smart things about art at some point, but i cannot recall them at this juncture. UH

THINGS I LEARNED IN 2021

1. wanting to draw the same character over and over again is a blessing, not a curse! the process of being possessed by your own art while creating it is a thousand times more rewarding than stifled moderation 2. i have been more inspired by people below my skill level being audacious and having fun than i have been thumbing through artstation portfolios of people who've been in practice for 30+ years. the act of creating something that is a little bit too ambitious will actively uplift the people around you, while uplifting your ability as a creator. you are capable of a thousand things that you havent tried yet 3. uh. people like mad science meow meows