#I built a reference with most of the details in clip studio paint

[kuschelkissen-art]

oooh for a link click drawing request: the trio having hot drinks together (maybe a little tea party type vibe :D) <33

ANON YOUR TIME HAS COME!!

It took me forever to finish this request, and I'm sure once you see it, you'll understand and forgive 🙏

I hope you'll like it, even though this is a very loose interpretation of your request 🙏

I tried my best with the image description (in alt text), but I'm not good with describing my own stuff, so please be kind.

I tried to put all the details in it, but especially those deliberately chosen ones (like the time on the pocket watch, the chess pieces, etc). It would mean the world to me if you'd take a closer look because I - for once - put a lot of thought into the background 🥹🙏

I have a soft spot for Alice in Wonderland themes and I'm kinda sad that the official designs are only for these little dolls, not even a chibi drawing, so especially for cxs I changed it a bit because it just didn't look that great in non- doll form 🙈

Closeups are under the cut

[helencake35-blog]

how does anime work?

I think it is important and interesting to find out the fundamental aspects of the environment that we most have a passion for, and one of the most critical questions is: how is cartoons built? For me, specifically recently, this became a using up question and I ended right up doing some detailed analysis. For the sake involving other anime followers together with the same question, My partner and i thought about sharing my own benefits. So if you want the bullets in order to fire again the subsequent time you receive ensnared upward in a debate with regards to the merits of anime, or you want some sort of new way to watch cartoons, I hope this article is useful to you. In often the last year roughly, my personal growing interest in this kind of side of points seriously opened my eyes to the skill, art, passion, and splendor found within Japanese animation. This great article will focus on anime-TV manufacturing, but the same general process can be applied to videos in addition to OVUM. That claimed, there can be numerous variations between studios and even individual musicals or plays. The approach of doing an anime is difficult, with quite a few steps and development. This specific graphic from the AIC English website is the good image image involving what I will certainly focus on: The cartoons generation course of action. Preproduction: This process will depend on which promotes an concept in addition to who supports this, they can be animation companies, coupled with sponsors, although quite a few animes are manga arrangement or mild novels, throughout which case in advance writing costs (including costs). proven on television stations). This production corporation (eg Aniplex) gathers personnel, sponsors, and even looks at adverts together with merchandise. While numerous persons describe the galleries because cheap, only about half the budget is often this anime studio, the sleep is handed down by exhibits and other giving companies. Streaming costs are surprisingly high, according to this ghost blogger of roughly 50 million yen for an evening schedule in 5-7 discussions for a good 52-episode line. You can certainly see why anime is usually an expensive company. For instance, Whole Metal Alchemist, which will acquired a space in Saturday on 6: 00 p. n., had a good total budget of five hundred million yen (before more costs). When the core staff is arranged, these people meet and plan his or her anime, work on collection make up (how the cartoons will play in each tv show as well as throughout the series), and select bigger employees, such as character or maybe mecha designers.. One connected with the most crucial employees is the director. In order to fully grasp the role involving film fans, you can consider of them for the reason that film fans of a movie, yet instead of dealing together with the celebrities, they deal with the computer animators that make the characters inside the movie. Their participation is frequently attending conferences and producing decisions to manage the particular anime's schedule, budget, and even level of quality. After the 1st panoramic sessions, models will be created (character, mechón, fancy dress costumes, etc. ). Types will be obviously an important factor within developing a good cartoons. Character designers are requested with simplifying manga / example of this designs to turn out to be suitable for animation or maybe, in the case of the original anime, for you to create a fresh character placed based with director / manufacturer information. Character creative designers generally keep on to advise animation film fans on toon fixes, which must be made for you to stay near their character models (in which circumstance they are normally credited as animation movie director intended for the series). Once typically the tale and drawings can be attracted, the first episode is managed. production: The first step is in order to write down thier script for this episode. Following the synopsis and plans for your episodes, this entire sets can be prepared, both by a single person with regard to the entire series, or perhaps by means of several different writers based on the outlines of the script's normal examiner (staff credit: composition in the Serie). The examples are usually analyzed by means of this movie director, the suppliers, in addition to possibly because of the author of the original get the job done before it is completed (after 3 or maybe 4 drawings, often). The episode movie director, supervised by the CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, takes this backbone on the instance and has in order to plan exactly how it will really look on tv screen. Even though the home has the last word and participates in production gatherings, the particular episode director features the many involvement inside the development of often the tv show. This stage will be expressed as a storyboard (a visual scenario), plus the storyboard marks typically the beginning of actual animation manufacturing. https://www1.gogo-anime.ac/ to draw: Often the script is created by often the director, which means that an event is really that director's perception. But generally, especially around the television anime, separate storyboarders are used to be able to attract them. This can be because the pieces of software usually take around 3 2 or 3 weeks to make a normal duration television anime tv show. Art work meetings and creation appointments are held together with the instance director, collection director, yet others about this specific episode. The circumstances happen to be drawn on A-4 papers (in general) plus incorporate most of the vital obstructions of a anime: lower numbers, movie star activities, digital camera movements, such while zoom or even pan, normal gardening to organic (taken in the stage) together with the span of each one photography (or cut). ) throughout terms of seconds and even glasses (which we will explain later). Because this number of drawings readily available for an episode is frequently determined for the sake regarding budget management, the particular number of frames can be also carefully considered from the storyboard. The cases are usually more or less drawn and are seriously the key to deciding how an cartoons will play. The clippings send to the single picture through the camera, in addition to a good average television cartoons event will generally consist of all around 300 discounts. More cutbacks don't necessarily mean a better quality event, although will generally indicate considerably more work for the home / writer. Illustrations involving storyboards from To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. Anime stories have 5 copy. From left to best: the cut number, the style, the action, the discussion, and ultimately the runtime (in time and frames). Types are drawn nearly since they are managed by different designers in the future production step. factors: Not as much well known is the particular set up process, which grades quick imaginative production. Within simple terms, model enhancement refers to the location with the cylinders to turn out to be used in the slice and the background approach that is required, offering typically the ultimate model of what the final photos can look like. Discounts happen to be made exactly the same size while the computer animation paper and include cell phone location facts, accurate points of digital camera movement, and other options. In relationship with often the director and maybe the manufacturers, the lead animators draw models (or occasionally employees are credited especially with design drawings), and the photos are named where typically the figures / characters will certainly be positioned and the way a cut will stick to... to be framed. The basic structure of the qualifications art (for example, a new shrub here, a good mountain there) is drawn, plus the factors in this storyboard are indicated within the design to support express the cut. Sometimes various stages of often the script could be expressed inside a single drawing, providing it's not too complicated. The pv cells are shaded around hot colors, the backdrops can be dark in nice colors. Once approved by simply the director, these themes are copied and switched in to the record department (receiving originals) plus key animators. The art work director and assistants work towards painting the background works based on the model's rough images, whilst the rest of the production process remains at the same time. Right now the shape of every trim is decided: the roles of the characters, the setup, what they may do and how the photograph will be captured (camera angle, zoom and even panorama). Although one associated with the most expressive plus vital parts of the production continues to be: animation.

[pipepump9-blog]

How animation work?

I think it is definitely important and interesting to find out the fundamental elements in the environment that we almost all like, and one regarding the most critical inquiries is: how is cartoons built? For me, mainly recently, it was a using up question and I ended right up doing some detailed research. For the sake connected with other anime lovers together with the same question, We thought about sharing our benefits. So if you want the bullets to fire again the subsequent time you get found way up in a dialogue concerning the merits of cartoons, or you want some sort of new solution to watch cartoons, I hope this article is valuable to you. In the last year possibly even, our growing interest in this kind of side of items actually opened my eyes to be able to the expertise, skill, love, and splendor found around Japanese animation. This content is going to focus on anime-TV creation, but the same general method does apply to videos and OVA. That mentioned, there can be quite a few variations in between studios together with individual stage shows. The approach of making an anime is intricate, with many steps and periods. That graphic from the AIC English web page is a good good visible image connected with what My partner and i will explore:

The anime development course of action. Preproduction: This process depends upon that promotes an concept in addition to who supports that, they can be animation dojos, alongside with vendors, yet quite a few animes are usually manga changes or mild novels, in which case advance building costs (including costs). displayed on television stations). Typically the production firm (eg Aniplex) gathers staff members, sponsors, and looks at ads and even merchandise. While quite a few folks describe the galleries like cheap, only about half of the budget is often the cartoons studio, the majority is passed on by shows and other adding corporations. Streaming costs are interestingly high, according to the cat blogger of about 50 million yen regarding an evening schedule around 5-7 posts for a good 52-episode set. You could see why anime can be an expensive business enterprise. For case in point, Entire Metal Alchemist, which usually acquired a new space about Saturday in 6: 00 p. e., had some sort of total budget regarding 500 million yen (before additional costs). When the primary staff is arranged, they meet and plan their particular anime, work on line composition (how the cartoons will play in each instance as well as throughout the series), and select larger staff members, such as character or perhaps mecha designers.. One of the most crucial employees is the director. To understand the role associated with administrators, you can assume of them as the administrators of a movie, nevertheless instead of dealing with the characters, they cope with the computer animators which make the characters within the movie. Their assistance is generally attending group meetings and doing decisions to manage typically the anime's schedule, budget, plus top quality. After the initial panoramic sessions, models happen to be created (character, espiga, fancy dress costumes, etc. ). Versions will be obviously a essential aspect within generating a good cartoons. Character designers are tasked with simplifying manga as well as illustration designs to get suitable for animation or maybe, in the matter of a great original anime, to be able to create a fresh character arranged based in director / manufacturer descriptions. Character makers frequently proceed to suggest animation administrators on cartoon fixes, which will must be made in order to stay nearly their identity models (in which case they are commonly awarded as animation home with regard to the series). Once often the tale and drawings happen to be sketched, the first event is sorted out. production: This first step is to help write the script for often the episode. Following synopsis / plans for your episodes, typically the entire sets are usually published, either by an individual regarding the entire series, or perhaps by way of several different internet writers based on the facial lines of the script's standard boss (staff credit: make up with the Serie). The situations will be analyzed by simply the particular representative, the makers, in addition to possibly by author of the original get the job done prior to it is completed (after 3 as well as 4 paintings, often). The episode home, supervised by the BOSS, takes this backbone from the show and has to plan just how it will certainly basically look on monitor. While the overseer offers the last word plus participates in production gatherings, the episode director provides the many involvement inside the development of the particular episode. This stage will be expressed as a storyboard (a visual scenario), plus the storyboard marks this beginning of actual movement production. to draw: Often the script is created simply by the particular director, which means that an episode will be really that director's perspective. But generally, especially around the television cartoons, different storyboarders are used to be able to attract them. This will be because the scripts commonly take around several months to make a normal length television anime episode. Fine art meetings and generation appointments are held along with the episode director, sequence director, as well as others about this particular episode. The examples will be drawn on A-4 paper (in general) and incorporate most of the important blocks of a good cartoons: trim numbers, movie star activities, photographic camera movements, such because zoom or perhaps pan, dialogue (taken from stage) and the period of each one image (or cut). ) in terms of seconds together with frames (which we will reveal later). Because often the number of drawings available for an episode is usually determined for the sake associated with budget management, typically the number of support frames is usually also carefully considered in the storyboard. The examples will be more or less drawn and are also really the key to be able to deciding how an cartoons may play. The clippings direct to the single photo from the camera, in addition to a average television anime show will generally include all-around 300 discounts. More slices don't necessarily mean a better quality event, although will generally suggest more work for the home / writer. Examples involving storyboards from To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. Anime stories have 5 posts. From left to right: the cut number, the appearance, the action, the discussion, and ultimately the runtime (in time and frames). Designs are drawn about because they are managed by some other designers in the future production step. aspects: Much less well known is often the design process, which marks the beginning of imaginative production. In simple terms, unit progress refers to the positioning on the cylinders to be used in the cut and the background procedure that is required, offering the defined model of precisely what the final photograph may look like. kiss anime Discounts are usually made the exact same size like the movement report in addition to include mobile location details, accurate explanations of photographic camera movement, and other judgements. In cooperation with this director and possibly the companies, the lead animators pull models (or sometimes staff members are credited particularly with type drawings), and the photographs are named where typically the character types / characters will be located and the way a cut can abide by... to be framed. The essential structure of the history art work (for instance, some sort of sapling here, the hill there) is drawn, in addition to the elements in this storyboard are stated inside the design to guide identify the cut. Occasionally several stages of this script can be expressed in a single drawing, so long as it's not too difficult. The cells are shaded around warm colors, the qualification are dark in awesome colorings. Once approved by way of the home, these layouts are duplicated and changed in to the qualifications department (receiving originals) and even key animators. The art work director and assistants work with painting the background is effective based on the model's rough drawings, even though the rest of the particular production process continues with the same time. Today the shape of each one slice is decided: the positions of the characters, this settings, what they will do and how the particular photograph will be caught (camera angle, zoom and even panorama). Nonetheless one associated with the most expressive plus vital parts of typically the production continues to be: animation.

[gear-project]

Hello this is one who ask about K, Kyo and Sol earlier. I was wondering if you can check out my comic that I am working Unbelievable at jcphotog wordpress blog and give me your opinion? it is still rough around the edges but every bit of advise helps.

Let it NEVER be said that I don’t support fan-based works inspired by Guilty Gear!

My initial advice would be to organize your thoughts and story expression better and get better Comic-creation tools like Clip Studio.

Drawing is one thing (which takes a TON of practice), but writing is another (and possibly easier to work on).

Making things coherent, easy to read and navigate, not to mention elements found in other comics like proper speech bubbles, readable text, correct viewing perspective, anatomy, proper divisions and transitions between one scene to the next, expression techniques, and most importantly a means of telling the order of the story’s pages in an organized fashion are all key parts to telling not just a good story, but a compelling one.

Artwork has some creative leeway, certainly, but for storytelling you might want to consider getting better tools for the trade.

Instead of writing your dialogue by hand with a pencil, consider using text-based Comic Sans fonts that are easy to read.  The easier it is for people to read your comic and access/navigate through it, the more likely they’ll read it.

Also, instead of using a blog to display your comic one page at a time in different entries, you might want to consider using a proper PDF or Comic Reader.  There’s programs out there than can help better organize your drawings in an easy-to-navigate manner.

That way people aren’t being forced to look up seperate posts just to read the whole story (I should talk, lol, I need to fix my posts a bit too!)

I know all this information may sound daunting to you, but I was just like you at one point (I was very young when I wrote a few fanfics back in the day, I won’t say where though!), I wanted to make things and create all kinds of cool stuff too.  I just spent a lot more time reading books on the subject before making progress.  I’m still learning more to this day and doing what I can to stay in “artistic shape”.

This being tumblr, it’s a great place for looking up Art Tutorials as well as, YOU GUESSED IT, COMIC TUTORIALS!

https://www.tumblr.com/search/Comic+Tutorialhttps://www.tumblr.com/search/Comic+Writing+Tutorialhttps://www.tumblr.com/search/Anatomy+Tutorialhttps://www.tumblr.com/search/Manga+Tutorial

Like I said, this is all daunting stuff, but if you piecemeal what you learn together and practice what you want to do on a regular basis a little at a time at YOUR pace, you can only grow and improve.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are the greatest stories written or drawn.  Don’t rush it, but don’t be afraid to get criticism, and just keep at it.

Talk to some Artist friends when you get the chance and ask them what methods they use to draw.  What programs they use, what art inspires them, and every trick they use to produce their work.

The only one who gets to decide the work is done is YOU, so work hard, learn hard, and keep it up!

If you don’t have a PC you can regularly use, I suggest investing in a few Manga and Comic drawing books for starters which not only give drawing and art advice, but also show you what art tools you’ll need if you plan on actually using ink and pencils and paint to make your works (How to Draw Manga is a pretty common book series, but it has a lot of good technical info for beginners).

Find a good hobby shop or anime/comic book place that sells things like T-Square-rulers, paper, and other things you’ll need, you might also want a decent sketchbook to practice your artwork in.

For writing, you might want to consider putting everything in a seperate notebook so you have all your plot elements more organized.  Break it down in to chapters, details on every character, how they’re involved, what they’ll be doing, powers they have, personalities, weapons, etc etc… having these chunks of info will be indispensable later on as reference material as you continue to craft your story.  Describe the world, describe it’s politics, describe what food people like, currency, education, whatever you think is relevant to the story you’re making.

Consider reading other manga online and using THEM as reference!  Is your story a battle manga?  I recommend Bleach by Tite Kubo.  There’s other Shounen action comics out there too.  I’d also recommend more darker works, but you might be too young for Seinen adult comics just yet.  Study other people’s works to get a better idea of what you can do, it’ll give you ideas and you can write those ideas down!  Get in the habit of doing that, you’ll be learning a lot from now on.

I know this post is a VERY long read, but I hope it gives you a stronger idea of where you need to go from here.

It’s a long road ahead, but BEST OF LUCK!

[the-space-case]

Hi! First of all I love your art and I love you

Hello and Thank You!!!! I’m not sure if you’re talking about a fan comic or an original, or long or short but I’ll give you some tips. GRANTED I am not a professional and you may find a different way that is easier for you.

1.) Think of a basic storyline or prompt. Like, “Man is dying and is going to a mountain to see it before he dies and meets his DESTINY???” it can be stupid. It can be silly or vague so long as you have something to start with.

2.) Think of the protagonist, as well as a bit of the timeframe or universe. Are they human? Alien? Medieval? Elf? For our example here lets say its a medieval man from a heavily forested area. He is a lumberjack who hates potatoes and his old man told him stories of the mountain in the west that holds a magic temple; only the pure of heart may enter. He is dying, and wants to see this mythical place before he passes. Draw a few examples. You’ll want some basic refs to look back on.

3.)Think of the antagonist. It can be nature, machine, man, elderich horrors, etc....(typical story tropes are something like man vs. machine or man vs. nature). For our case lets say its mainly man and nature. Bandits, bad weather, illness, etc...DRAW SOME OF THOSE REFS. These beginning ones don’t have to be in depth. just basic stuff.

4.)Hash out what you want to happen in the BEGINNING, MIDDLE and END. These are kind of the most important parts. Its definitely important to think of the end ahead of time instead of thinking about it when you’re halfway through; thats a quick way to never end it at all. Our lumberjack begins his journey selling all he owns and getting a horse to set out to the mountains with nothing but a bit of gold, an old axe and a sick ride.  In the middle he encounters various trials that test his “pure of heart”-ness. Probably three, they can be as long as you want so long as they are generally even alongside each other. (3 or 7 are magic numbers WINK). In the end he reaches the temple and is welcomed inside due to his good deeds and it was allllll along a metaphor for the journey to the afterlife.

5.)get some good references. You have a time period set, a scene in mind, and some tools. Gathering from our example, we’re going to want; various forest scenes of pines, plains, dirt roads, medieval towns, mountains, temples, animals, people, cultures, etc. We need refs for our horse, axe, and gold. Remember those quick refs of characters you made in steps one and two? Now is the time to finalize those. They’ll have developed with the level of detail in your story. Add background nonsense no one else will notice but will enliven the story like how our axeman always ties his beard when mad or how he prefers apple cider over beer anyday. Give those fuckers some names. Bandit Bill challenges Axeman Abel for his horse and loses his head (literallly???)

--if you can go to like, museums or lectures or fairs about these things and take notes. USE YOUR RESOURCES!! ASK QUESTIONS!!! (For ilulatte I visited a couple of coffeeshops and roughed out some cafe drawings haha)

7.) Separate events into chapters. Generally theres a prologue, chapters 1-whatever, the end, and an epilogue. Our axeman has a prologue of starting out on the road, chapters 1-3 depicting pure-heart-trials, climax/end of reaching the temple, and an epilogue of someone else starting their journey to the temple based on his influence on the world because this shit is cyclical, baby. 

6.) make a fuckton of thumbnail drafts. You know these characters now; you built em out of your own head. You know how they move and talk, so slap down their journey in tiny pages. add minor details to the sides. (Here’s a shitty example of mine from ilulatte!!!!!)

7.) finish allllll of them. or at least the first few chapters. Its good for you I promise. You’ll notice the pacing much better this way! You can add a bunch of extra details in the margins like extra panels and bg notes. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the direction of your story, but try to keep the overall plot the same! (sticky notes are great for this!)

8.) start roughing out the actual pages. You’ll change things from the thumbnails (like I always do haha); thats okay!!! They’re more of a helpful guide than solid stone rules.  It’s like making the scaffolding to make the base for the rest of the building.

9.) do the lineart, bgs, text, etc. There’s tons of helpful art programs for this like CLIP studio paint or medibang if you’re doing it digitally. Remember those refs you collected for our horse, axe, and bgs? Now is the time to use em. BE VIGILANT. Keep copies of the originals. Go back frequently to look for mistakes or missing details. Keep a check list. Freckles? check. Scar on nose? check. shading???? UHHHHHH----SHIT.

10.)you should probably number the pages. keep em in a nice sized resolution if you want to print but lower it if you’re posting to the internet to dissuade reposters. keep em all in one organized folder if possible. Slap your signature on em for extra safety.

11.) ????? Sell it on gumroad idk.

GENERAL TIPS:

-start with short stories. Build your own stamina.

-have relatable characters with flaws. Tumblr seems to hate “problematic” characters but thats literally the point of character building and narratives. THEY’RE RELATABLE IF THEY’RE FLAWED. If a story doesn’t have characters that conflict with each other its a boring one. Axeman Abel wants to help everyone; Bandit Bill wants to help himself only. LET THEM HATE EACH OTHER.

-its also good to have characters that are friends but still conflict with each other. The Dragon Age series is phenomenal with this (their characters are good in general, take notes!!)

-theres a lot of shitty people out there. USE THEM. (seriously though examine other peoples interactions and you’ll make better characters. )

-bad things happen to good people. Bad things also happen to bad people. Bad things just sort of happen. Don’t shy away from unfortunate events; your story will fall flat without conflict both planned and random.

-Obviously you don’t have to share the same world views as your characters. (dont let the antis fool you.) Axeman Abel can hate broccoli but you can still enjoy it. Bandit Bill can be a racist piece of shit but that doesn’t mean you are.

-have characters of various personality, body type, race, height, etc….it really livens up the story.

-generally you don’t want the bg to overwhelm the characters, so most people do a sort of painterly bg against the solid outlines of the characters but thats all really up to you and how in-depth you want it to be.

-you should also make a regular schedule, if you can. Say, something like “twenty finished pages a month” or “four pages a week” depending on the level of detail. Simplistic style and palettes of course take less time to make than full color/heavily detailed pages, so plan accordingly to prevent burnout. If you post weekly, having a few pages done ahead of time will be good in case you need an emergency break.

-be open to critique but don’t be a doormat, either. ESPECIALLY if you’re doing it for free. People will try to take advantage of you; don’t let them. Block them and move on.

-above all; BE DEDICATED. Comics take a great deal of time by yourself, but doing them helps you develop important skills in the end like time management and general technical know-how like digital programs and writing. It’s not just art, though that’s a major part of it.

-probably should’ve said this earlier but make what you enjoy??? People can generally tell if you dont enjoy your own work. There’s less effort there. 

THIS WAS REALLY LONG SO I HOPE IT WAS HELPFUL IN SOME WAY ILU HAVE FUN BE SAFE OUT THERE

[rescuesirens]

NC Mermania 2017, part 2 - Mermaiding

From Jess (originally posted on rescuesirens.com, January 31st, 2017):   It’s hard to believe, but I haven’t written yet about my mermaid tail! I’ve posted a handful of tail photos here on the “Rescue Sirens” website as well as pictures and video clips on Instagram and Tumblr, but this is the first time I’ve blogged about it, and I don’t know if I can do it justice with mere words. My mermaid tail is a wearable, working piece of art.

Although it’s been around for decades, the sport, performance, or hobby of mermaiding has really taken off in recent years. Today, you can buy an affordable fabric tail that slips over a plastic monofin (a device, as the name suggests, that looks like a pair of fins fused together, designed to contain both feet and keep a swimmer’s legs together to aid in the dolphin kick), or you can spring for a variety of other materials, varying in price up to $4,000 or more. One of the most popular materials is silicone, and there are multiple tailmakers who create truly stunning silicone mermaid tails for swimming. My tail and matching top were handcrafted by Raven and Tyler Sutter of Merbella Studios Inc., based in my home state of Florida.

The story behind the creation of my tail is pretty magical. On our family vacation to Orlando in August of 2015, Chris, his daughter Nicole, and I made a side trip to meet Raven and Tyler at historic Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Florida’s “City of Live Mermaids.” There, I got to view the fabled springs for myself for the first time -- I grew up in Florida and spent a lot of time at Ginnie Springs over the years as well as Silver Springs and Homosassa, but, almost unbelievably, I’d never visited Weeki Wachee… and now here I was in this iconic mermaid mecca, with Mermaid Raven, seeing one of her gorgeous silicone mermaid tails in person! Wow!

I was so impressed with her handiwork’s artistry and flawless construction, and even more impressed with Raven and Tyler themselves: they’re brilliant, beautiful, fun, and phenomenally talented people who I feel very fortunate to call my friends today.

That first meeting. As you can see, we all got caught in a Florida thunderstorm!

Before we parted ways, Tyler and Raven took detailed measurements of my lower body so they could custom-build my tail, and I left Weeki Wachee looking forward to the day when I could try it on and go for my first swim.

Both the tail and the top that went with it were going to be designed as a “realistic” version of Nim’s, the Rescue Siren whose appearance Chris based on mine, and I was curious to find out how Raven would adapt Chris’s drawings into something that had to obey the laws of physics and look like it “belonged” on a real human being (as opposed to a cartoon), while still retaining the spirit of Nim’s design. Over the next eight months, Raven periodically sent work-in-progress photos as she sculpted Nim’s flukes and fins as well as the leafy, kelp-like halter top that Nim wears in her undersea home, Lophelia. Even in humble gray clay, everything looked amazing.

In April of 2016, Chris and I took another trip to Florida, and we made plans with Raven and Tyler to spend some time at Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Center. The Y features a seventeen-foot-deep dive well, and I was beside myself with excitement at the idea of hanging out with Raven again and even getting to swim together. I knew that she was close to completing my tail and had already finished my top, but I wasn’t expecting to receive them until May, so I figured she’d bring one of her extra tails and I could borrow it for our swim. Imagine the look on my face, then, when Raven unveiled my very own Nim tail in the YMCA’s parking lot! It was so unexpected that I actually didn’t register what I was seeing for several moments, and then I squealed and squeezed Raven half to death.

Raven had taken the images of Nim that Chris had drawn and she had made them real. The delicate curling fronds of Nim's seaweed top, with sparkling green crystals imbedded amongst the gentle floral curves... the sweeping lines of Nim's graceful tail -- "blue as the ocean in the morning," scales glittering with iridescent shine -- from the flawless transition at the blended waist to the lightly ribbed dorsal, adipose, and ventral fins, all the way down to the immense flukes: three feet wide and ingeniously hiding a Finis Competitor monofin within.

Raven still had some finishing touches to put on my tail’s paint job, but I could try it on and go swimming with her!

I didn’t truly understand the phrase “fits like a glove” until I put on my Nim tail. It was made to conform to my body exactly, and, boy, does it do that. Even with Raven’s help, I swear it took me something like an hour and half to wriggle into my tail that first time. I’ve since gotten it down to under ten minutes (again, with my husband Chris’s help), but, if I hadn’t had Raven there to show me what to do at first, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve believed I could get into that tail. Once it’s on, it fits like a second skin, which makes moving through the water effortless. (Loose tails can flap around a person’s waist and legs, catching water as they swim and creating drag.) And once it was finally on that first time, I took off into the dive well… and I felt like I was flying.

When you’re wearing a mermaid tail, you can’t really get a good look at yourself while you’re swimming, so what made me do a double-take was seeing Raven (who can get into her tail in, like, two minutes!) glide past me in her own tail. The illusion is flawless; the blended waist effect that Raven can achieve with her tails is wholly convincing, her tails’ flukes bend and flow realistically, and Raven herself is so fluid and graceful in the water that you would swear she’s a real mermaid.

A post shared by Rescue Sirens:Mermaids On Duty (@rescuesirens) on Dec 22, 2016 at 1:33pm PST

Chris and Tyler, watching us, discussed the interesting quirk about mermaid tails: when a Victoria’s Secret model wears angel wings, she can’t fly, but, when someone puts on a mermaid tail, they really can swim. The fiberglass Finis Competitor monofin built into my tail is rated for ocean swimming, and I can cross a pool in only a few dolphin kicks. I went from the dive well’s surface to the bottom at seventeen feet below in the blink of an eye. I felt strong, powerful, and beautiful -- just like I imagine the Rescue Sirens in my stories -- and I can never thank Raven and Tyler enough for that.

My Nim tail has already been on a number of adventures, from Orlando to two Hawaiian islands to Weeki Wachee Springs and back here to Los Angeles, but those tail-tales will have to wait for another day, because today I want to write about mermaiding at NC Mermania!

The main event of NC Mermania was our time at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, affectionately referred to as the GAC (that’s pronounced “gack”). Merfolk took over the facility’s dive well, which, just like Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Center, is a whopping seventeen feet deep and twenty-five yards wide; vendors (like us) set up on either side of the giant body of water. Chris and I readied our table with books, buttons, and Diving Belle motel key tags, and then I “turned tail”… with the help of Chris (who is an incredible husband for many reasons; this is only one of them) and a whoooole lot of coconut oil.

Although the tail is a challenge to get into, the reward once I’m in is well worth it: I get to go swimming! It’s so refreshing, both physically and mentally. I feel like a little kid again, only I’ve leveled up the way I “play mermaids” in a manner that wee Jess never could have imagined. I've always been a water baby, and swimming in a realistic mermaid tail is a whole new way of interacting with the element I love so dearly.

I recently had rashguards screen-printed with the “Rescue Sirens” logo, and I wore those stretchy lifeguard tops as part of my Nim outfit for both days in the dive well at the GAC. I was so tickled every time someone recognized our property! I loved talking to people, answering their questions about the books and the world, and spreading the word about this series that means so much to me. Because NC Mermania attendees are passionate about many of the same things that I am -- the ocean, marine conservation, water safety, and mythology -- that made everyone easy to talk to, even for an introvert like me!

Besides talking about "Rescue Sirens," conversations involved admiring and discussing one another's tails (Merbella Studios' tails like mine, Finfolk Productions, Mertailor, Mernation, any number of commercially available fabric tails, and even handmade), swapping water-friendly hair and makeup tips, learning new tricks (I was taught how to blow bubble rings!), and simply having fun swimming together. There was an innocence to the event that I found really charming. When was the last time, as an adult, that you really just enjoyed splashing around in the water with friends the way you did as a kid? I didn't realize how much I'd missed that.

While I played in the dive well, Chris was a rockstar and, as usual, a phenomenal husband: he not only sold copies of "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist" at our poolside table, but he also took lots of photos and videos to remember our time at NC Mermania. The only thing that Chris couldn't do was take photos from in the water (since he had to be able to return to our table at a moment's notice), but the wonderful Karsten Shein of Mountain Mermaid Photography had that covered, spending both days suited up in scuba gear at the bottom of the dive well with camera in hand.

Here are some of my favorite candids shot by Karsten (thank you so much!):

In addition to Karsten's underwater photos, I chose some of the best pictures and videos that Chris shot from the pool deck and compiled them into this short video, which follows me around a bit during our time at the GAC on Saturday. Huge thanks also go to Tom Cardwell for graciously sharing the underwater footage that he recorded of me swimming, and to Mermaid Aria for the photo of her, Mermaid Jolene, and yours truly. I'm so grateful for everyone's help!

Next in this series: it's time to make legs and dry off for NC Mermania's social events and panels!

[connorrenwick]

Where I Work: Sarah Yarborough of Raleigh Denim Workshop

When Raleigh Denim launched in 2007, their goal was simply to make a great pair of jeans. They made every pair by hand out of their apartment, initially selling to friends and family and then expanding out-of-town when they received an order for Barney’s. Over time the brand organically grew and with growth, their need for additional sewing machines sent them down the rabbit hole of North Carolina’s prominent textile industry. Today, each pair of jeans is made on their old textile machines they’ve restored by expertly trained jeansmiths, each of which are taught to make the jeans from raw fabric to finished pair. The brand hasn’t stopped at jeans though – they’ve been collaborating with Bernhardt Design for the last few years on textiles and a recently unveiled work table and seating collection. The co-founders behind the Raleigh Denim Workshop brand, Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko, are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and today, Sarah is graciously giving us a look behind the scenes at their workshop, home studio, and her work style, in this month’s Where I Work.

What is your typical work style?

My work style is a mash-up of regimented and haphazard. I block time off on my calendar for different parts of the job – I schedule design time separate from time for more admin/operational work; paperwork and spreadsheets can put a real damper on my creativity. Within those blocks of time, especially the creative, I’m not very regimented. I do make tons of lists, though! They’re all over the place…on Post-its, notebooks, Google docs, and the back of my hand. I have trouble remembering everything I want to remember without some help.

I work both on-site and out of office, again, depending on the kind of work I need to do. I love when I can work from home in the mornings, knock out a bunch of emails and get my head right for the day. Then I head to the shop where my work is much more team, machine, and materials oriented. Our production team works on an earlier schedule. When the workshop is quiet, late-afternoon/evening is my most productive time. I’ve got a pretty sweet gig, having access to so many different ways of working.

A repurposed machine in the workshop

What’s your studio/work environment like?

Our workshop environment is pretty wild! It’s a good kind of chaos, I would say. When you walk into the workshop the first thing you’ll see is our retail store called The Curatory (Editor’s note: The Curatory is featured in our Raleigh/Durham travel guide!). We carry our collections there, as well as other lines we love. When you walk into the shop, the first thing you’ll hear is the sound of machines sewing and cutting fabric (if it’s during the week). We cut and sew most of our line on the other side of The Curatory wall. Our workshop is full of old, salvaged and restored sewing machines, most from the 1930’s-1960’s era. There are jeans being sewn at different stages, with parts and pieces everywhere. We also have two huge cutting tables on the workshop floor; that is where everything starts and ends when it comes to design. It is where we make our markers and lay materials for cutting. It’s where we pack massive orders. We basically do everything in this space – make patterns, store material, cut, sew, finish, inspect, pack and ship, etc. At first, it might look chaotic or messy, but there is a flow within the space and a method to the madness.

Sarah’s sewing corner in the workshop

I have a little corner on the main floor that we call the “sample corner.” This is where I stash all of the bits of materials I want to hang on to and the end of fabric roles that I love. I have two machines in there and a tiny table so I can prototype samples before they go to production floor for more development. Then in the very back of the workshop is a cozy open office where we have our pin-up boards and desks. That area is where planning, finance, logistics, production organization, etc., happens.

Studio at home

Sarah working at home

As for my personal studio space in our new home, we’ve designated one “studio” room in the back of the house. Our house is a very traditional house built in 1919. Victor and I have been busy remodeling it and we’re getting close to finishing; I can’t wait. I just finished painting it black and it feels really cozy. I have inspirational material, things I’ve collected, reference books (design, fashion, drawing, art), art supplies, and a clear space for sketching. In a perfect world, my personal space is a little more quiet and orderly than the workshop, basically the opposite environment.

Another repurposed machine in the workshop

How long have you been in this space? Where did you work before that?

Raleigh Denim is actually celebrating our ten-year anniversary this year, which we are incredibly excited about. Victor and I started in a tiny apartment in downtown Raleigh, where we made our first jeans on machines we set up in our living room, before moving into the back of a friend’s warehouse on the edge of town. We posted up in that old warehouse and built a tiny workshop there for about two years. Eventually, we outgrew it and moved into our current space, in the Warehouse District, seven or eight years ago.

When we moved in there wasn’t much going on in the neighborhood. There were a few great art galleries and a really good restaurant, but that was about it. The area has grown a ton over the years; it’s been awesome to be a part of that evolution. We’re neighbors with the CAM Raleigh (the Contemporary Art Museum, of which I’m proud to be a board member), Videri Chocolate, creative agencies, a flower shop, a brand new train station and (soon) a grocery store. It has been really interesting to see it all evolve.

If you could change something about your workspace, what would it be?

Haha, hands down it would be the need for more storage space. It is hard to keep things clean and neat with everything going on in the workshop. We are bursting at the seams. Storing raw materials for production is tricky; we work with everything from tiny needles and rivets to 400 lb rolls of fabric, and all sorts of things in-between. And things are always moving. All the physical parts move through a line to become a physical product, and that line ebbs and flows depending on how big a batch we’re making. I’m happiest when everything has a home and for space to be orderly, so that would definitely be my wish.

Is there an office pet?

No, sadly, we don’t. But we do have the best cat on the planet, Magneto, who enjoys being involved in whatever I’m working on at home.

Do you require music in the background? If so, who are some favorites?

Oh yes, music is a big source of inspiration and motivation for us. Early on, when we were bootstrapping the company, we listened to a lot of Outkast and Kanye (and still do today). Both artists are great to listen to when we want to crank work out. Our entire workshop loves listening to Sylvan Esso, especially if we stay late for a big order or a project. We’ll turn it way up and sing along.

I have really big JBL Everest headphones that I wear a lot, with or without music on. They say “don’t interrupt me; I’m in the zone.” When I am listening to music personally, it’s all over the place. Anything from ridiculous pop music to classical. My recently played list on Spotify reads: Daniel Caesar, Big Thief, Aldous Harding, Glasser, Solange, and Vince Staples.

How do you record ideas?

I have to write things down. That is how I learn best, so even if I never see the paper again, I have a better chance of remembering the idea if I actually wrote it. And I do a lot of really crappy sketching. I keep at least one notebook with me all the time, but I usually have two: one for productive/work lists and notes and one for personal/inspiration. Rollbahn makes the best notebook I’ve ever used, but I sometimes strike out and try a new one because I love good notebooks and smooth paper and sharp pencils and pretty pens.

Do you have an inspiration board? What’s on it right now?

Yes, I definitely have some inspiration boards. In the office I have two boards in the corner. One is straight inspiration that is always evolving and the collection growing. Photos, notes, old drawings, packaging inspirations, etc. that I pin to the wall. The other board is more organized with material and swatch inspirations that are lined in a row. I really like to touch fabrics as much as possible, so I have to feel the materials while developing the samples.

A “superstar” repurposed machine in the workshop

What is your creative process and/or creative workflow like? Does it change every project or do you keep it the same?

I think I keep the broad strokes of my creative process pretty much the same from project to project.

I begin by taking in as much as possible. I need to touch and see things, spread them out and soak them in. I’ll pull out stockpiled ideas and artifacts – things I found on a hike, materials I’ve collected, old garments with important details, photographs, clippings, and drawings. I’ll compile new material selections and recent inspiration, and see how all things get along. Initially, it helps me to talk things out a little. Brainstorming helps me get familiar with the parameters of a particular project. I (usually) think designing within limits and according to rules is much of the fun.

Once I have swatches and artifacts and drawings and stimulation and collaborative input and lots of information, I work solo, processing what I’ve absorbed. I’ll test and sample, compare iterations, respond to how things are working together (or not). Nothing beats actually working with the real materials, so I start making prototypes as soon as I can. At some point, a few things – either ideas or materials or silhouettes – start to stand out and a bigger picture takes shape. I love that moment when all the bits and pieces that used to be a jumble become clear.

After development, comes refining – lots of fittings, culling the line, dialing in the details and trims – and then we field test the final pieces and get feedback. This last step – feedback about how our pieces exist in the world – is one of the most important to us because we generally design things that get better over time.

What kind of art/design/objects might you have scattered about the space?

I think my favorite piece is one my grandmother had hanging in her office for as long as I can remember. It’s a series of butterfly wing photographs, taken at such close range that the pattern in each wing looks like a letter of the alphabet. The images spell the sentence “All finite things reveal infinitude.” There’s tenderness to having this message, from my grandmother, in my space now.

I’ve always collected things like feathers, wings, shells, etc. because they exemplify the relationship between two things that are seemingly at odds. In hanging the butterfly wing picture, I realized: it’s the finite and infinitude coexisting together in one object that I’m drawn to. I’m also fascinated by the relationship between the natural and industrial. I’m continually collecting examples of these things and keep some of them out around the room for inspiration.

In terms of proper art, Shaun Richard’s car crash painting is one of the first pieces we ever purchased and its as powerful now as they day we first hung it. And for Christmas, Victor gave me one of Bill Thelan’s illustrations (of a pickle) because I’ve got pretty serious love of pickles.

Sarah’s quilt

What tools do you most enjoy using in the design process?

My shears are beautiful, and perhaps the most important tool for a clothing maker. I rely heavily on my industrial single needle sewing machine; I’ve sewn almost every prototype and every special project we’ve made with it. And thread. I love picking the perfect color from a rainbow of spools of thread.

Tell us about a current project you’re working on. What was the inspiration behind it?

I’ve been working on this textile piece that has turned into a quilt. It started with two tiny scraps of fabric I loved, sewed together. I’ve been adding to those initial pieces, whenever I have time, using darker material as I go. It’s become a denim blanket with an almost white center, an almost black edge, and beautiful blue gradient in between. I’ve been working on it for about a year now. It almost has become a meditation.

Is there a favorite project/piece you’ve worked on?

Another piece that’s dear to me is my pair of broken-in denim jeans. I’ve been patching and patching, and I will keep patching for as long as humanly possible. Someone recently offered to buy them, but I’ve given them so much time and so many stitches, I don’t think I’ll ever part with them.

Do you feel like you’ve “made it”? What has made you feel like you’ve become successful? At what moment/circumstances? Or what will it take to get there?

I don’t think a whole lot about “making it.” I feel successful when I’m making progress, able to enjoy my work, and when the people I work with are proud of and enjoy their work. I think that’s the case most of the time, so I feel successful to some degree. But I feel success in moments; it isn’t something I dwell on or a mindset I stay in. Sometimes it’s gone almost as soon as I recognize it, and then I focus on what’s next, how to be better. I know I’m in a good spot when I look back and feel proud of what we do and am simultaneously excited about the future.

What’s on your desk right now?

I just cleaned it off, so probably some jeans, a stack of papers, Post-it notes, fabric headers, rulers, scissors, pens and pencils, and two or three tiny things that make me smile.

Do you have anything in your home that you’ve designed/created?

Other than clothing, we have an old school chair upholstered in the material we designed with Bernhardt Design. It’s a pattern that evolved from an old sketch I had from my days in Design School. We also have some pottery I made at Penland, a table Victor made, and so many other small things, it’s kind of hard to keep track.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/where-i-work-sarah-yarborough-of-raleigh-denim-workshop/

[meghanmcclellandj463-blog]

Final Reflection

Throughout this term in J463 Audio Storytelling, I learned a lot about how to paint a picture using just sound. My focus in the field of journalism is news/editorial, so I’ve never really worked with audio. This being said, I was somewhat nervous about coming into this class. My experience working with and editing audio doesn’t go past two courses I took at the end of freshman year and the beginning of sophomore year, so almost three years ago. On top of that, the work we did with audio didn’t go beyond the extent of very basic tools, such as fading in and out and using other various effects. With my lack of experience, I was happy to come into class and realize that I was not alone, and that Damian was well-aware of the varying levels of experience among the students.

I think that the best way to go about explaining what I’ve learned in this class is to go back through all of our assignments and discuss the knowledge I gained throughout each one:

One Minute Opinion/Passion Piece:

One of our first assignments was to conduct a passion piece on whatever topic we wanted and were passionate about (sorry, obvious!). I think it was a really good assignment to start with because it was just clean audio of our voice, so all we had to worry about was writing a good script and delivering it with a clear voice. I, being the weirdo that I am, decided to do my passion piece on my fear of horses because they are TERRIFYING! I really learned a lot of from assignment because I was able to gain experience writing a good script, which is such a key part of creating good audio. Being concise and using descriptive language is so important and I had to learn those two things to do this assignment well. Also, I realized how fun it is to use your own voice – and not just literally! Writing something you think is fun and getting to put your own sense of self in a project is a really great experience.

Historical/Contemporary News Piece:

For this assignment, we were asked to do an audio report of a news event and use 1-2 sound clips. I was NERVOUS for this assignment because I’ve never used sound clips and I didn’t have a ton of confidence in myself when it came to editing and incorporating other sound. On top of that, I couldn’t think of a single news event I knew well enough to talk about for a minute and a half. Luckily for me, I also took a history class this term so I just talked about a lesson we learned in that class more in depth – the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. When it came to writing the actual script, that part was fairly easy, especially building on the skills I learned in producing the passion piece. After writing, reading and recording the piece, it came time to integrate the big bad sound clips. I used Anchor FM to edit everything, and it didn’t go very well. BUT, one of the cool things about this assignment was that we got a chance to redo it, which helped a lot. Once I redid it, I was able to really get the hang of using sound clips that were not only relevant, but also ones that actually add to the story – not take away from it! I also learned to really use editing skills and finally not be so scared of them!

Chumcast:

This was one of my favorite assignments! We got to produce a 10-minute podcast in a group of three about any single idea, but it was supposed to be in a fun, informal way – making it a “chumcast.” I really enjoyed getting to choose to talk about anything we wanted and working with a group, as well as getting to further my audio skills. My teammates were Ian and Mai, and lucky for us, Ian has access to the KWVA studios on campus, so we were able to record in a studio which was very cool! To do the assignment, we decided to have the podcast revolve around our favorite guilty pleasure reality TV shows and watch clips that were either really funny and ridiculous or just explained the show well. I decided to choose America’s Next Top Model because I grew up watching it and I love it, BUT I am well aware that it is an absolutely fantastically bizarre show! So, we played clips and just kind of talked about what happened in each and talked about how funny it was. Not only did I learn a lot from this assignment because it built on all of the skills we’ve already learned, such as writing a good script and editing audio with other sound clips, but I also learned a lot working with other people. Working in a group with audio is sooooo different than doing it by yourself, and it feels a lot more natural so I liked it a lot!

Field Reporting Exercise:

To do this assignment, we were put in pairs and asked to go to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the U of O campus and produce a report on any aspect of the museum of our choosing. This assignment was particularly helpful because we really had to focus on using descriptive language and painting a picture with just words and sounds. My partner, Anna, and I decided to do our report on the little courtyard in the middle of the museum because it was soooo beautiful and peaceful and, as we referred to it, “a hidden gem.” I think this assignment made for a really good learning experience as we had to write our script with as detailed wording as possible! I learned a lot because it is fairly difficult to describe something so aesthetically pleasing without being able to really show what’s going on. However, it ended up working out nicely and I learned a lot about editing from Anna as she is very experienced!

A Day in the Life:

Our final assignment, and definitely my favorite to carry out! We had to produce a profile piece on anyone or any place in Eugene that we felt would be interesting to do a report on. I chose to interview a woman named Liza, house mom of the Chi Omega sorority on campus. It was really cool because I got to learn more about Greek life and was able to see the inner workings of controlling a house with 65 girls in it! I learned a lot in doing this assignment because I had to use good interviewing skills in order to produce an audio report wherein the subject is saying something interesting and very descriptive. It was also some of the most work I’ve done alone in this class regarding editing the audio – scary but it worked out!!

 All in all, I really learned a lot in this class through our major assignments and I feel a lot more confident in my ability to produce a sound (ha!) audio piece.

Thanks, Damian!

[tvsoundbar-posts-blog]

Which capacitor pen is easy to use and recommended?

Today I see so many people in the discussion of capacitor pen related topics. Before a friend gave me an article, the Verge on a large long text, detailed analysis of the foreign market performance of 20 capacitors, very reference value. This is because the content is more, and some pen is not worth recommending, had to go to the rough to fine (selected at the end of the article is very different evaluation of the five different capacitive pen, plus a more common, evaluation scores are relatively high, a total of six support.

Entry Style: Wacom Bamboo Stylus

FiftyThree company, which is the development of Paper this app company, in his home site and video are highly recommended this The Wacom Bamboo: it is the iPad can be equipped with the best of a capacitive pen. This capacitor pen can be described as low-key gorgeous, and the traditional concept of "pen" is very fit, no cumbersome. Its style and Bic pen like, but the length is about one inch short. Bamboo is very light, you can not in the pocket; at the same time it also has enough heavy sense, caught in the hand is very comfortable. I personally prefer to Kensington brand pen length and weight ratio, but Bamboo this has been done very close. On the pen tip, Bamboo's diameter to do smaller than similar products, which is its killer. (Can be removed, in order to replace), with very light and sensitive, I tested all the rubber head in the pen can be ranked No. 2 - the only thing that can beat it is Kuel H10 (described below) The In addition, if you wish, you can remove the small clip on the back end. But like other rubber head capacitive pen as a common problem, the rubber head is relatively soft, can not provide the normal writing tool "hardness". However, in the final analysis, this is already very accurate writing, and more importantly, writing recognition is also high predictability. And this will cost you less than $ 30.

Rating: 8.6 / 10 【Score from the Verge, there are only 6 models, each have their own characteristics, so there is no comparison of the meaning; the original text of a total of 20 capacitive pen, so the score is easy for everyone to compare horizontal】

Above this Bamboo is a more common a capacitive pen, the following five, with different characteristics, we can take their love.

  Writing: Adonit Jot Pro Character recognition is extremely accurate

Adonit Jot Pro from the appearance point of view, the industrial design is very praise, looks very fit the architect of the range of children. The body is made of aluminum alloy - the tip of the tip with a piece of plastic discs, use close to the iPad screen slide. The other end of the pen is a knob-style pen cover to protect the fragile pen when you are not in use. In addition, this pen has some features, including rubber pen body, built-in magnet for adsorption on the iPad. Magnets are small but very effective.

But in the final analysis, this Jot Pro is still used to write a painting. Transparent plastic plate (detachable replacement) allows you to accurately determine the use of pen and drop point - this point in the pen in the capacitance pen only dominate - but also allows you to use the time to adjust the pen down angle. I test time, the vertical pen to recognize the rate is almost no flaws, but the tilt of a certain point of pen or the actual location of the pen point some impact. In contrast to Bamboo's experiment, Bamboo is slightly inferior in accuracy, but Jot Pro is slightly behind if you do not consider writing. But then back, Adonit this pen, to talk about "I want to go where to write pen, where to go pen" ability, or few opponents.

Jot Pro is not the kind of pen like Cosmonaut can be used in the old little bit of the screen. In fact, Jot Pro when the pen is still sounded, just like the same with the nail click on the screen. Jot Pro price is 29.99 knife (with Bamboo the same), and Adonit quality can be described as rocket. One thing to ask, although we did not encounter any big problems in the test, but in the Adonit forum, several customers complained that the plastic plate off the problem, they used a few weeks or even days found plastic disk off The. Obviously, they have to go to Radioshack site to buy accessories.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Cartography: Studio Neat Cosmonaut "fast, simple, low fidelity"

The problem is that all the capacitive pens on the market are more like a pen, why? "The problem is that Studio Neat is proposing when designing Cosmonaut, Oh, Cosmonaut is a heavy and full grip, the body wrapped by rubber iPad pen. Do not talk about its size and appearance, it is the most wonderful work to be regarded as its hard rubber head, and to know all the tests I have before the rubber head of the pen can be soft ah. This means that, unless you remove the weight, you use Cosmonaut when you use Bamboo or other rubber head when the pen, the pressure down the pressure to be greater. And before that Adonit Jot Pro is simply not under pressure.

Cosmonaut is designed to be more like a rubber that needs to be manipulated but easier to grasp. Thus, Cosmonaut can write very smooth curves and straight lines straight. The price set at 24.95 knife, feel is not very flexible, but it is all the pen is the most difficult to bad one bad. So this stuff thrown into the bag a little bit do not have to worry about the pen bad or pen body folded. Studio Neat's slogan for Cosmonaut was "fast, simple, low fidelity", and at some level they succeeded. And therefore do not expect this can be embroidered to live such as notes or fine things. Use it to draw fine things is basically a fantasy, because it is relatively large, very rough to draw, you want to figure out where the pen, where to run really hard

Rating: 8.3 / 10

Skip: SGP Kuel H10 Compared to Bamboo, H10's pen tip is very fine, and more accurate

Kuel H10 is very much like the middle school students commonly used needle pen, this is great. H10 looks very cheap, but it is really heavy, very feel. Pen body lines, to prevent skaters. The cap can also be plugged into the headphone jack to prevent it from being found after use. But if you want to use the headset interface, it is a bit too much trouble. Good operating performance, thanks to the H10 has a slender pen as Bamboo, and compared with more refined, and this point you can clearly understand the writing process of the hard part of the pen tip. However, the pen body is too short, writing painting for a long time is not very comfortable, even if you use the accessories to lengthen it, or can not solve the problem. If you want a small portable section, 12.95 knife H10 will be your dish.

Rating: 8.3 / 10

Paintings: Sensu Brush Powerful artifacts on the iPad

Photo courtesy of Sensu Brush looks like a space pen, but unplugged the pen cover, revealing it is a brush / capacitor pen mix. Put the cap into a plug, this cargo is the total test of the longest pen in the pen.

As they propagated, Sensu's brush was very conductive and had some extra effort to use. As the iOS system for the sense of touch is ring-shaped, rather than the brush of this shape, so with a brush to really is a bit strange. But in some specific occasions, for example, when painting background or shadow, with a brush or so cool! Because you can use the pen cap lap pen body, so a certain angle to grasp the pen with a little bit of feeling. The other end is the traditional rubber head capacitive pen, you can more quickly complete some of the specific painting lines.

Pen as its name, Sensu Brush is a pure brush. In view of the performance of the end of the rubber head is also good, if you want to buy the brush to the iPad that is it right. In response to this demand, Sensu Brush is very appropriate, but looked up at the price of 39.99 knife, many people can only sigh.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Almighty: Applydea Maglus It must be your next Active Stylus Pen

This design by the Irish company Applydea has a strange name, Maglus. The same strange and its hand-held part. Overall, the appearance is like a carpenter with a pencil, both sides of the flat on both sides of the circle. If you hold the pen posture correct, this pen is very handy; but if you are more pens gesture more wonderful, it will be very awkward to use up. But I think you will love to use this pen, because it is the pen I used most of a pen. Its writing is not as sharp as Wacom Bamboo or Kuel H10, but the courage to recognize the rate is also very high, very accurate, due to its pen tip of the rugged and highly sensitive. We do not know what type of rubber is used by Applydea, but Maglus does not need to use it at all, it is very smooth and where to write it. You can feel the feeling that Maglus is speeding on your screen, which is the experience of other soft-end capacitive pens (but they are also pretty good), such as Wacom Bamboo. One of the only negative factors is that Maglus is not as good as other pens when drawing straight lines. So the painter shaking wrist painting skill in Maglus can not be reflected. But if you really can feel the accuracy of its painting, the drawbacks may be diluted many.

Is the pen tip to make it stand out with Adonit Jot Pro the same, Maglus also have a magnet, you can tightly adsorbed on the edge of the iPad, even if you use the Smart Cover. Because Maglus has two sides are flat (deliberately designed so), so more fit. Magnet exists in the middle of the pen under the rubber part, but also look very beautiful, this point is better than many other aluminum pen body pen.

Then finally the last, or to say that Maglus' tip makes it stand out. It is excellent conductivity, and the use of basic do not need effort. Most of the pens I test need to use the effort to pressure down to write - with a long time will feel difficult, especially when you encounter some sensitive to the application of the touch, the problem is more prominent. The pen tip is larger than what I expect, but the overall size is still very suitable. The price of 20 euros (that is, about 26 knives), the price is also other pen can not compete - the premise is that your hand to be able to adapt to Maglus this strange shape.

Rating: 9/10

Said the above more representative of the capacitor pen, hoping to give you the choice of some help. Of course, in the end, the capacitor pen this kind of accessories is also benevolent see benevolent wise see wisdom, I translated this article the following comments, but also public said that the public rational woman that is reasonable, As long as their own study clearly, according to their own needs, combined with the use of other people feel, I believe we will be able to choose a most suitable for their own capacitance pen.