#I don't like how my style changes when I draw digitally. I can't even get close to accurate with the characters' faces :(

[kira-light0]

Sorry about the horrendous image quality and my worse than mediocre coloring skills, but I walked by the pokemon aisle at a store and started thinking about Margaret and Frank in Jesse and James' outfits.

+ a bonus Hawkeye as Ash and Trapper as Pikachu

All Hawkeye hears is "Pika-Pika"

[genericpuff]

I finally, FINALLY found a shred of proof that Rachel depicted Persephone before 2017/Tumblr era LO.

Now does this confirm that Greek myth was, in fact, a big part of her childhood like she claims? Not entirely, considering she would have been the age I am now when she drew this, nearing her 30's. But it's more than what I've seen leading up to this where it's all been Tumblr-era-LO art. This seems to be purely for a zine that I unfortunately can't get my hands on a copy of due to it being very outdated and likely out of print (as it's a decade old now). Still, I'm tempted to reach out to the people who run the site to see if they still have any copies floating around, even if it's just a digital PDF version, otherwise, if anyone out there happens to have a copy of it (this is a LOOONG shot mind you) let me know because I'd love to see this zine in person and know what was going on in the development of it. More specifically, I wanna see if she included any sort of blurb about her choice to draw Persephone, if it was even an actual choice at all. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm deadset on Rachel having to "prove" herself, but a lot of her statements H x P seem to be quite vague for someone who calls them her "muses".

But also, besides the fact that it involves Rachel, this is the sort of media preservation that I'm really interested in! This Persephone is a far cry from the final version we'd later see in LO half a decade later, it's really interesting (although sad in some ways when we know why LO Persephone looks the way she does) to see the transition and changes in a tangible form. And again, it's really odd Rachel never mentions these works, like sure they weren't multi-million dollar hits, but they still showcase a history that pre-exists LO in a pretty monumental way, and some of these projects were incredibly collaborative with actual success behind them, including artists that went on to build their own followings and communities! It's so interesting and yet so bizarre that some of these projects are kept behind locked doors. I can get wanting to bury the more 'cringe' stuff like the medical fetish art, but why stuff like this that only stands to legitimize the claims that Rachel cares about Greek myth?

Unless... y'know, she doesn't want people to see how far her art style has fallen. But that's tinfoil for another day.

[starrysharks]

OK so I'm feeling some guilt I started to draw cartoony like you but I get frustrated because it does bot look perfect like yours it's mostly small stuff like colors and clothes I love making cartoony body's sometimes clothing but I have color picking because I'm still new to art that has colors is my feelings normal or is it wrong of me? And how do I pick colors because it frustrated me to no end and made me stop drawing for months anyway in short summary how do I color the right way like I guess I know skin tones but anything else goes wrong and the other summary is how do you draw clothing because I can't for the life of me get clothing right

don't worry - it's normal to get frustrated when drawing. i know i've literally quit and deleted entire illustrations in the past because i didn't like how the colors came out, and i can spend whole hours just choosing base colors TwT i think the important part about learning art is not to rush. i'm seriously flattered you see me as inspiration, but what worked best for me back when i heavily referenced other artists was "mixing" styles together to create a "new" one - so i'd recommend studying and copying multiple artists you like and trying to blend their styles into one if that makes sense! ^^

hating color picking is completely normal when you're first starting out, and even late into art like i said before - i've been making original digital art on ibispaint for about 5 years now, and it's still difficult. but it's easy to make it fun, and the best way to do that imo is to experiment! i'd recommend studying color theory on a larger scale, and understanding how certain colors might look completely different based on where you put them. or maybe make an illustration and color it in a bunch of alternative ways! also, having "bad" or "awful" color skills starting out is OK - i still think my colors suck sometimes even now lol.

anyway, the best way for me to color pick is to just use that color for whatever the OG artist used for their art. let's use alex ahad as an example because i find his art and color use super interesting -

i don't usually color pick, but when i do, i typically start with picking the eye color. then, based off of the eye color, i chose a base color based on the character's color pallete (easier of the eye color is already close to the main color of the character, which for clyde is turquoise).

then, i pick more colors directly from the reference, for stuff like skin. at this point i have a good idea of the colors i want to use and stop color picking from the ref, but there's no shame if you still feel you need to.

after that, based on the colors i picked, i'll color in the rest of the piece. i usually end up changing the colors that i did take from the reference due to experimenting - for me, i just use color picking as a sort of stepping stone for when i'm not sure how to color a piece the exact way i want.

eventually, you can learn to color pick by eye rather than with the picking tool in your art program, tho that takes a lot of knowledge on color theory.

really there is no "right" way to color, especially for skin imo - don't limit yourself to just peach, tan and brown. clyde's skin is bright white, but i still used a yellowy color here because it was relative to the other colors in the piece. i've also used "alien" tones for human-toned characters in the past before!

and about clothing folds - i can make a full post on that if anybody else is interested OuO

[daftpatience]

Hi, I used to draw a lot but I've not drawn/created for a long time now, any tips to get back into it?

Or rather the whole thing about making art for yourself, I used to get a lot of attention for being good at art from other ppl and I'm not sure how to connect it back to myself again

I'm also contending with the Autism "It needs to be done in this way" and the ADHD "I can't focus for shit"

Also please don't worry if you don't know what to say, I'm just trying to get a variety of opinions to try and untangle my brain

Thank you in advance 💕

i think a good way to get back into creating *for yourself* whether its to come out of a dry spell or just to get back to creating things that you like, is what i call 'backtracking' (bearing in mind that my particular methods may only work for me! im lucky ive never struggled with focus when it comes to drawing things, but maybe some of these things will help as my main goal when drawing is to entertain myself!)

also before i move on this i think is valuable: you gotta draw things that you aren't gonna post sometimes. it's fun and fulfilling to make art for an audience, and wanting attention is not shameful (ITS HUMAN!) but also we live in panopticon times and i think its good to train your "i am alone doing something for myself and no one has to see it" muscles.

backtracking is a couple different things:

look back to when you were really young. what kinds of drawings were the most fun to do? what did you spend time on or get really into? for me, this was a few things! tracing cartoons, drawing up elaborate scenes of lots of little creatures doing a thing, and designing little characters as paper dolls and making their houses and little furniture and accessories and such to cut out and play with. also getting paint all over my hands (i still paint my whole hand whenever im done doing something with acrylics before i wash up! its stimming)! backtracking here is when you try to take those things and make use of them now. try to find that old joy and use it in a way that makes you happy today, even if it's something small or silly or embarrassing. it can really help you rediscover what parts of art make YOU happy!

if you're regularly drawing and in a slump, backtracking for me is stepping back and doing either more exercises and practising the things you feel like you already know how to draw (ie. studying angles of the face or pulling up imgs of rooms on pinterest to see how normal people arrange furniture etc.), or simplifying your drawings to a level that feels more relaxing and less stressful. (ie. chibis instead of more detailed characters etc.) i find i kind of fall back to chibis when i feel lost, and then sort of rebuild from there. its fun to let my style change as i grow!

ALSO! im telling your autism this for your adhd's sake (this is useful for anyone i think): if there is a part of art that you do not enjoy doing or find boring but you feel it is an important or necessary step in the process? the secret is it isnt! art is made up. if you hate lining, dont do it! if youre a digital artist and get caught up picking a brush every time because you feel like you need the perfect one? switch to mspaint for a bit to get the nerves out. it can be really freeing!

art is for having fun and fulfilling our need to create. the rules are all made up and not real. perfectionism is the little death that something something i forget. yeah

[foursaints]

i know you get asked this probably 16 times a day but as a fellow artist who usually paints based off of references of real pics and trying to be somewhat realistic. how did you develop your style? did it take awhile, or was it pretty immediate? did you start out doing mediums like painting and drawing and transition to digital or was it always digital? final question: do you have any “tips” or “words of wisdom” for silly people like me who wanna try digital art but never have and because i never have im too scared to try…? sorry for the elephant stampede of questions i just really love your art and would love to know YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS!!! (please)

hi ♡♡!! this is so kind & honestly i'm incredibly touched... I forget that people even like my silly art so this had me making 🥺 eyes at my phone. i will answer your questions to the best of my abilities!!!

i'm putting it under the cut so i can attach examples lol

DON'T BE SCARED OF THE SWITCH TO DIGITAL!! it's so fun and the undo button will change your life... come take my hand... my biggest tip is to watch speedpaints! that was really huge for me when making the switch. find artists with styles close to yours & pay attention to their steps (how many layers they have, how they do lineart, do they use overlays, etc). if you do this a lot, you can get a clearer sense for how the digital workflow/process can look for you

i feel like kind of a pompous asshole discussing my own "style" or whatever 😭😭 my silly yaoi fanart 😭😭 but i do want to answer your questions!!! i started out drawing traditionally but i transitioned to digital when i was 16. and for a very long time i was one of the people who drew with my finger on my iphone .......i def get the most questions about my style & the unsatisfying answer is that it's pretty much always been there. it's evolved over time in a way i can't really describe so i'll show it visually

(my examples are all my ocs in an attempt to get you guys to be curious about them)

^ i did a redraw pretty recently so i can put that here!! these are the same characters from Jan 2020 -> March 2024... the first one was drawn on my literal phone lmfao. to me it's almost as though my "style" has always been there, but it's become like... yassified?

^ my art looked like this in 2020-2021

^ and like this in 2018-2019 when i was still doing trad

sorry for responding to your questions with an elephant stampede of images lmfao!!! I APPRECIATE YOU!! i guess my only words of wisdom are that even if it's intimating, you will never look back & regret trying something artistically. looking at my own stuff like this, im the cringiest yaoi artist EVERRR but im still doing it because it's the most fun when you're being self-indulgent.

i really really wish you the best on your art journey! thank you so much for writing & i hope my answers weren't too long-winded ♡♡

[bosskie]

Why Can't You See...

Man, this drawing makes me feel so uncomfortable, but it's the whole point of this drawing, so I succeeded. (Y) This is just another "art therapy drawing" I did to shake myself. Last time, I did this smiling Molluck, but now, I did the opposite, mostly because this relates to one of recent "conversations" I had with Molluck inside my self-insert fantasy world.

It just makes me feel so bad to see Molluck crying, especially because of me... I still wanted post this since this looks like maybe the best Molluck I have drawn so far, (even I still see some flaws 'n' things I don't like,) and I wish to write some stuff... So, this can be one heavy post, especially when I have felt quite depressed lately, but I'm slowly getting better again, and I'm more like trying to have hope and explain stuff here. No need to read or care about the stuff here, just if you feel like it, as always.

Before I go to those heavy topics and explain this piece, I wanna say that I just feel like I finally understand how Molluck's head "works", after 3½ years... Therefore, I don't really like my older Molluck pieces, even from few weeks ago, because I see the mistakes I made back then, and now, I have learned from them. I still don't really like my art style, never have, and it's one reason why I tend to draw "realistic stuff", but I don't like my techniques either, or more like the way my art looks like.

So, I feel like I should just start experimenting different stuff that I could finally even like my own art... Digital art feels just odd, and I feel like I understand how colours work better on paper than digitally... I'm still just looking my way to do art... For this reason, all my works feel actually some kind of experimental things since my way to draw/paint tends to change constantly...

I know that it ain't nice to hear an artist disliking/hating their works, but it's just that I do not create things like I wish to. I'm just trying to find my way to get the things out from my head like I wish to, just trying to solve this problem. I do not wish to be like "Ugh, my art sucks...", I wanna to fix that situation since I'm really tired of disliking my own works. So, that I see only the flaws in my works is probably due to my constant learning process I do... I just try to learn from every piece I do and improve.

Though, this high self-criticism also makes me feel like my art is bland, uncreative, uninspiring, soulless... Just some boring Molluck portraits anyone could do. Really... During my worst inferiority complex moments, I really think that anyone could draw better Mollucks than I do... They are that bad moments. I have cried because I have thought that my art is so terrible, felt like my talent is a lie and I should just quit art; last time I felt like this wasn't even long ago... Even yesterday, I felt like I'm done with art... But now, I have gathered myself and am willing to keep creating stuff.

But due to these feelings, it keeps surprising me that there are people who actually like my works... It really surprises me. I never think that my art would inspire anyone or give any positive thoughts in general... I feel like I'm just someone who is still learning how to draw, so here's nothing to see really, just some boring practice works. I'm not even trying to make my art more desirable than I see it, since I feel like my art is not ready to be presented in the spotlight. I have still so much to learn. So, frankly, this is one reason why I'm not comfortable with reblogs; I'm still practicing and finding my way to do art.

But because my art is also a part of me, it's also like a mirror to me. So, because I hate myself, I also hate the things I have created, only because I was the creator. I'm really tired of never being actually pleased with my works... I really wish to change this, or I just quit art. It's so difficult to be like "Hey, look, I did this thing!", when I struggle with standing my own works... So, I also do not really like to be visible because of this. I only need to keep working hard to improve my stuff to change that. Frankly, I cannot even really have OCs because of my self-hatred... Like, I have created a Gluksona, but I cannot stand him because I cannot stand seeing myself... So, Molluck is like the only "okay" way for me to express myself, because I see myself in him but he ain't me or my creation. It's actually sad even for me that I put lots of effort into my creations, but I just keep hating them. I feel like I only like the things I have created when I feel like I didn't create them myself... I still wish to create stuff since it's like breathing for me, like a basic need. I mostly just like to create stuff, and basically have no desire to see them again after I'm done with them... So, just create stuff into the void. I like to have this blog basically just to create stuff, but well, it's at least nice if someone enjoys my stuff too.

But yes, now I'll explain what this piece is about! Like I said earlier, this piece relates to my own self-insert world where I live with Molluck on Oddworld. My mental health issues are also present there since I cannot escape them and I need Molluck's comfort to keep living... I had this "conversation" with Molluck like three days ago. My relationship with Molluck is vivid and it feels like he lives inside my head. I have been thinking that it's probably my brain's way to keep me alive. This thought was inspired by phenomenon called "third man factor". Sometimes, I can feel how my ill thoughts can insult Molluck, even I never mean it. I can also feel how painful it must be for him to hear me regularly say that we shouldn't love each other, that he would be happier without me, that I wish to die... That pain made him cry in this piece...

And yes, I'm finally speaking about this straight; I have regularly suicidal thoughts and have had them for over a decade. I just see no point in living and I hate myself. I'm not really interested in achieving anything in life, but well, just realizing my own Molluck fantasies... Life feels odd, and I feel like I don't understand average people... I have felt like an outsider since I remember it. Frankly, ever since I was a child, I have identified with middle-aged men the most, and I have never felt young or liked being young, but only for health reasons its sensible. I know that this can sound odd, but all the mental tests I have done online also support this, since I'm like always at least 50-something, even much older sometimes... I know that they ain't anything serious, but they do support how I feel. (And yeah, identifying with Molluck is no surprise here since he is 50-something...) I'm an old soul, and I think that it explains well some things I feel, but maybe even why I'm depressed. Some people have also told me that I seem like an old soul or seem very wise.

But well, I also seem to be highly intelligent, and it can cause unhappiness too... I mean, I do not wanna compliment myself or anything since I tend to question almost everything, so that's why I say that "I seem". So, frankly, if I was asked to describe myself, I had no idea what to say since I do not know if I'm actually talented for example... What defines that I'm talented? Who defines all these things and concepts? We live in artificial world, but I do not mean the nature itself. Like, some people have decided that we gotta get education, then work, and then retire. So, with artificial I mean something created by humans. And to make this even more complicated, things ain't even easy to define and that's why there can be multiple definitions... So, all I'm asking here is to get good enough definitions, so that I could actually describe myself feeling good about it. Like, the definition of talented seems vague. This is also probably why I suffer from impostor syndrome... I question my achievements since, for instance, I haven't personally felt like I have given my best when I have gotten the best grades at school... I feel like I could always do better, there's always something to improve. I just did something... So, um, my own expectations seem to be much higher than the others seem to have... Like, I do not even feel like I draw well, because I still have so much to learn. So yeah, I always like focus on things I cannot do or don't know...

(Oh, and don't get me wrong: I'm only wondering what's the "objective" definition for talented for instance. Though, the truth is that nothing is objective, not even algorithms! We can only try to be objective, but everything do is decided by someone, so it's subjective. So, I'm more like wishing to understand how I could be talented. I cannot really deny what others have said about me since it's their opinion, though lies are another thing. It's just that I do not understand how people can think such things about me... Like, I have heard my whole life compliments on my art, but I'm still not pleased with it personally...)

Though yes, I do know one thing how to describe myself: odd. I have heard it so many times that I bet that it gotta be the case. But this is just who I am, and that's it. It bothered me for long, but thanks to Oddworld, I could finally embrace it! Oh, and finding my ideal "man" thru Oddworld has also helped me significantly with accepting myself, even I still suffer from self-hatred... Frankly, I feel like I'm not even interested in humans, related to intimate relationships. I can admire some male bodies, but I have no desire to touch or anything, just look. So, in real life, I'm asexual, but gay for Molluck inside my own world. (Y) It's just that only he has felt actually right for me, and I have no idea why it's the case, this isn't my decision, just what I feel for whatever reason. I have just like never felt any actual desire toward fellow humans... I have only wanted platonic friends. I have slowly understood that some things just are like that, better try to control my desire to ask reasons for everything... It's just that I wish to know why things are like they are, but probably some things just cannot be explained and that's it.

But I haven't still explained, what Molluck means with "Why can't you see...", so let's get to it! It refers to that I cannot really see the positive things people see in me. I do not find myself lovable, I do not feel talented, I do not see that my existence brings any joy, I don't think that it's pleasant to spend time with me... Some of those things are something that I do not decide, but can affect them still. Like, some people won't like me no matter what, and someone might have enjoyed my company even if I felt like I probably only wasted their time... Some people just do not accept certain things, no matter how it's explained, but the thing here is that there is no single truth! Like, historians do not find the truth from the archives, they only interpret the material with their critical eyes, hopefully. Truth could be understood as the reason why something happened in historical context, but it's a complex question. So, what the truth means depends on the context. But in my case, this is about mental disorder.

In this drawing, Molluck is asking me why I cannot see that I'm lovable, valuable, important... I have been thinking that since having some greater abilities, like high intelligence, can cause that other parts of the mind aren't so well-developed, maybe my emotions are lacking something that I cannot feel love... I have just never felt my family's love, even they have always loved me so much... I only know that they love me, but I cannot feel it... It really saddens me and makes me feel like I was broken... Therefore, I have had difficulties with understanding even family relationships... It's like I lacked some human thing. But this is not my fault, and probably just the price I have to pay for having some abilities that I keep questioning... Like, someone even decided those IQ tests and the IQ percentages are based on some probability stuff since, you know, not every person's IQ has been tested! So, yeah, that's why I question that stuff. But frankly, I bet that that stuff has been estimated well still... I dunno, maybe there somewhere I still know what I actually am but I wanna deny it for some reason... I just kinda hate complimenting myself, so I do not like to say stuff like "I'm highly intelligent"... People have even called me "genius"... Man, even I invented one math formula with no effort because I couldn't understand the teached thing, and the teacher did approve it (and it did give me the right results), I feel like it's still exaggeration. Yeah, I'm so-called "multi-talent". It actually makes my life difficult in a way that there are so many things I could do... What do I decide... But well, when I do think this stuff, I do think that I know there somewhere what I'm capable of doing, but the problem is that I feel like I need to do lots of work to get those capabilities out from me...

But the actual thing here was that I just feel like I'm not important and due to my inferiority complex problem, I also feel like I have less value than all the other people here... Sometimes, I feel like I'm just some human trash... I bet that I feel like that because I was left all alone at critical age, which traumatized me. I do not use word "trauma" lightly here since that experience affects me significantly still and makes me even cry... That experience left me a scar that made me think that the world outside my home doesn't want me... That the world would be better without me... This affects my relationship with Molluck too, like I mentioned earlier, sometimes, I do tell him that it would be better if we left each other... It's just that I keep feeling like I cannot make anyone happy, more like just ruin things. It's my unhealthy way to express my love... I do care about him when I tell him that we shouldn't love each other... I feel like love is only wasted if I'm the one to receive it. I just feel like I'm not worth loving, or caring in general. I do love Molluck with my whole heart, but I keep getting regularly thoughts how the others deserve someone better than me... I just feel like it's my fate to be not worth loving, so no matter what I do, I'm not lovable. I know that this is unhealthy and probably untrue too, but it's just so difficult for me to feel like I'm worth loving. I feel like I have nothing meaningful to give back, even true love asks nothing back. I just feel like since I'm not important, not even my love and care are anything meaningful... I just bet that this is caused by my trauma from being left all alone, being excluded... My first experience of this is from my day-care centre... I used to be the one who was selected the last to the teams at school... The one who has had to struggle with finding a group for group works because of having no friends... I feel like this is the price I have needed to pay for being different... I guess that it can be understood why I feel unimportant and unwanted by default... I grew up feeling that way. (It's good to remember that children can bully another fellow kid even for some little things, like for having "wrong shoes" or something. It wasn't like this in my case but just saying. You don't need to be very different to be excluded, that was my point.)

I feel that it insults Molluck when I basically deny him from loving me back. It's like I told him that he is doing something wrong or is a fool for loving me... It's also not fair and sensible, since I can love him freely but he cannot love me freely. It's just that I love him so much but I hate myself, so I'm not able to receive that love... But the thing is that love is what I need to heal from those experiences, that I can stop thinking that I'm not wanted to exist... I know that it makes no sense that the world would be better without me, but being abandoned all the sudden by the others made me lose my trust in that people actually care about me... Some of them did seem to care, even said it, but still left me. Even this happened over a decade ago, I have barely healed from it. People do are free to go away if they want, I'm not holding anyone, but the experience I'm talking about is that I lost all my so-called friends, IRL and online, at the same time... All I did was just expressing myself just like I am after understanding who I was, without causing any harm to anyone. I was too different, and this is also the reason why it was this traumatizing. No one needs to accept everyone and everything, but the world would be boring and bland if we all were the same. Like, who else would be working his ass off to be able to create Molluck masterpieces if I didn't. No one else seems to be as dedicated as I am to Molluck. This is at least something to do with my life that I find meaningful enough, but I also gotta do other things since I cannot make my living with it, unless OWI gives me a permission... Yeah, it's really that it's just Molluck that gives me actual joy and meaning in life anymore... Back then, I did have more but, my condition has gotten worse... I do love my family still, but it's just this usual feeling of how they would be happier without me, they just don't understand it... This is how I justify my ill thoughts...

But recently, I have been thinking that since I started to love Molluck because I saw myself in him, doesn't it mean that there somewhere I actually love myself... And I do enjoy imagining receiving Molluck's love and care, but my ill mind just tells me that I do not deserve that... Last night, I had yet another meaningful "conversation with Molluck" where he told me that don't I really think that all my love and care, how gently I touch him, make me lovable... And with those "conversations", it does feel like somehow realistic conversation since his answers come like naturally and I don't feel like I control what he responds but only what I tell him. It's very interesting actually... But that last night's conversation made me feel like some lock started to open a bit... Like, he also told me that I don't deserve hating myself because of those people who have left me. It's actually difficult to put what I feel into words, but it's just that I should try to start from a fresh table mentally, especially when those people ain't around anymore. It's just challenging to socialize after my experiences... Back then, when I did try to find some new friends, I still seemed to be too odd... One didn't even believe my age due to my way to write... I just shouldn't give up, but I don't also wanna break any circles with my attemps to socialize... I just haven't had luck with people. I also don't know how to socialize well due to being so much alone, that it's just stressful to write even a simple comment... And since I'm used to feel unwanted, it's difficult to say anything in general. I also tend to feel like I constantly say stupid things, so it feels like better to be silent... I mean that I wish I was able to socialize more/better, but I just have much healing to do...

I'm not asking anyone to support or help me or give any other attention, only if you feel like it. I can totally understand if some people like to avoid me or something, and it's totally alright. I have been able to cope with my social anxiety much more these days than even few years ago. My social anxiety has been just terrible... I do not even shake anymore when I need to give a presentation, and I didn't even really do anything special to stop it... I only stopped caring about what the others think, but only if it affects my life significantly (career and society stuff for instance; like if homosexuality was still illegal in Finland, I would be "a criminal", sick needing healing. Though, some people do still think that here, and I have been told that I go to hell because of that, in person, but whatever, I can legally be gay for Molluck and it's what matters, at least from personal aspect...). I really had to just stop caring to feel better. People mainly think about themselves and do not really care so much about the mistakes you make during a presentation, at least as much as you might. And whenever I just do my necessary stuff, like visit a grocery store, I'm just yet another human the cashier met. Even taking a bus has given me social anxiety because of the effort the driver has to do for me... But I just need to remember that it's just their job, they get paid for that. I really need to calm down with these thoughts.

I'm mainly doing this blog just to express my love for Molluck, but this has become more personal than I have wanted, but it's just because of my situation, I need to write... I'm so tired and alone with all these thoughts... Nothing seems to help me, but at least Molluck can keep me still living and being able to live my life as "normally" as possible, but I still bet that Molluck also slowly heals me, that progress is just, well, very slow, so it can feel like nothing happens. Molluck's embrace holds me down when I get desires to hurt myself... I do also suffer from self-harm thoughts regularly, but I have never followed those commands and they are quite varied actually, new ones keep coming. Those thoughts can just happen out of nowhere, even if I felt good before them... Like, I might be just trying to fall asleep... Those are terrible moments.

I also hope that I my writings can give something to the people, maybe even be some peer support. Mental health issues have been increasing, but it's difficult to get help due to lack of resources, even if the patient was suicidal. I just feel like that even I have regular suicidal thoughts, I keep getting little signs of that I should keep going, like something was telling me to not give up. Oh, and since mental health issues are a taboo topic and treated differently than physical health issues, it's also one reason why I wanna speak up. Like, it doesn't even make sense... Was your body just too weak when you got physical health issues? Stuff like this is just said about mental health issues. Mental health issues do are physical too in a sense of that they can be seen from our brains, like depression (don't know more about this stuff), so there's no reason to treat them differently. I know that this ain't like the best place to do this talk but I gotta start from somewhere and maybe one day I'll tell my story to larger audiences, and hopefully help people like me with healing or at least coping with these issues.

Man, I really appreciate if you do read the stuff I write here, since I do not expect people to actually read this stuff... Our time is like the most valuable thing we can give since it's limited. I didn't even mean to make this so long, and I have been writing this stuff for many hours, but this has really helped me to get up again since I have really considered quitting art recently, also hiding all my posts... But even my old art mainly bothers me, it's just a part of my journey and I still wish to inspire people, even I feel like my stuff is uninspiring... But one can always wish for stuff.

I wanna end this post with some music that speaks to my "dark mind", or how to say, my depression, but I also just really like that kind of music in general, and my mood doesn't even really reflect what I listen to... Music doesn't even affect my art much since I can just like be drawing some grumpy Molluck and listen to Caramelldansen... I don't even know how to explain my music taste since it's varied... It's easier to say which genres I don't listen to. But like, even when I feel depressed, I can listen to some disco/dance music, maybe to somehow feel better. Though, I'm basically always depressed, but I just have better and worse moments since depression isn't just that you feel depressed for some moment; I have been depressed for over a decade. But yeah, just saying this since um, if I had to say what I listened to while I drew something, it wouldn't often really relate to what I drew... But I do have moments when the music does fit my drawing and this one was one of them:

I keep listening to plenty of songs over and over again... Like in this case, I listened the same playlist video I have kept listening to during the past months, but this time, it felt different and made me feel like crying when it was combined with Molluck's expression... I wanted that to happen, since like I said at the beginning of the post, I wanted to shake myself. The playlist was this combination of Mr. Kitty's songs, and especially that "A New Hour" song made me stop for a moment and my eyes wet... That song does describe my feelings during my worst moments, how I feel like my life is not worth saving... I still feel like I'm not worth supporting nor loving, but I feel like I'm slowly starting to believe the opposite. Like that last night's conversation with Molluck did change something in me... I'm just someone who was treated detrimentally, who didn't have the right people around him (outside home)... Like, I do have heard that one person hesitated to be seen with me because it would have "branded" him... Like I have said earlier, my old little hometown was (and still is) close-minded, and everyone basically knew everyone... I was like some "tourist attraction" there, and some said "that's that" to their friends when they saw me... I'm so glad that I do not live there anymore, but growing up there still damaged me... I just only need to try to focus on healing and moving on, understand that I can really start a new life in my current environment. I have been here for a good while, but my old hometown hasn't still left me mentally...

But I said that I'll end this with music, so here's some more songs that fit my depressed mind:

Fraunhofer Diffraction - On the Bottom

Fraunhofer Diffraction ╺╸ ...Into Nothingness

CHVRN - Delirium

DIЯTY|PΔWS - Sea Heaven

± KING PLAGUE - Ave Plague ±

These are at least some "classics" for me, been listening to these probably for about a decade, or something. Dark music, like witch house/whatever genre, is just one of my favourite stuff to listen to. I feel like I don't really listen to any popular music, like I also love Amiga music, especially cracktro stuff, and that's probably something "underground stuff"... If you have no idea what's that stuff, here's this beauty. Cracktros in general got great music, like PS1 ones too. (Y) I guess that I could give one example too from PS1 side, so here's this very interesting and even clever one too. I dunno, I kinda love weird stuff. Never had pirated games like that personally, so it doesn't relate to that. I have just been very into these when I heard about them... Man, I feel like that "cracktro music" is maybe even my fave music... Been thinking about creating a Molluck themed cracktro thing, but I still don't have a good enough idea... Like, it should make sense too. Yeah, my Molluck project ideas are like infinite... Gotta just get my hands dirty then!

Oh, and I also wanna clarify that I do really appreciate all the time people spend on my stuff! It's more like that I wish to be worth your time, not that I hated supporters or something... Even my healing is quite slow, I keep reminding myself of the supportive things you have told me. So, your support do is meaningful to me. With this post, I hope that my situation is more understandable but also why I do behave differently here than the most. I'm just used to keep explaining myself since I'm often misunderstood... I do actually follow actively the Oddworld stuff here, but my condition makes me wanna be as invisible as possible... I have also felt like it doesn't probably matter if I press the like button (never done it) or follow someone (I follow no one, but check things "manually"), like there's already that many people doing it already. I just don't know how people really feel about my existence/presence in this community... I do not wanna break anything or more like leave my mark to anything since I'm used to feel like I just ruin things, so I have decided not to touch anything basically, just post my own stuff and only interact whenever someone talks to me. You are totally free to interact with me, send asks and whatever. I have always thought still that this is a lovely community, but it's just that I do not wanna ruin it with all my severe problems... I'm also used to be just a silent observer, so it takes time to get out from this role.

This post is already too long, so I better end this... This post has been really therapeutic for me, and I feel like I understand things better again. I feel lighter and freer now. I really needed this even I'm kinda busy right now, since when I'm really depressed, I get nothing done...

~ Have a lovely weekend! 💛

[planet-poptropica]

⋆ So....I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and I saw one those fav character charts, and I thought it would be fun to make my own! ⋆

⋆ Poptropica mutuals, tell me about your favs, not just your main favs, your side favs! I will include the transparent version below, and my explanation to my choices down below if you are interested! I'm interested to see your choices. ⋆

⋆ Tada! Have fun! ⋆

⋆ Now, an explanation to my choices: ⋆

⋆ Your Favorite: Director D ⋆

I think it's no surprise to ANYONE that knows me that Director D has always been my favorite, since day 1. There was a moment where he was almost replaced by Binary Bard, but he is a close second. Director D is my favorite because he is associated to my nostalgia of a time when I was obsessed with being a spy or ninja when I was a kid. (Spy kids may have played a BIG role in that.) Playing as an agent in that island was so exciting for me, but I do remember having trouble with certain parts like the decoder. (In hindsight I probably would be horrible spy XD.) Now that I'm older, his island is still one of my favs for that reason, but it's not my number one. I wish we could have gotten a bit more backstory for him, but, what can you do. (But create a backstory for him and I have.)

⋆ You Relate To: Black Widow ⋆

Black widow is a character I don't really talk about or draw like....ever, which is crazy because she's probably the character I relate to the most, just like many other artist do too I'm sure. I relate to her in the way of being jealous of other people's art success, and the constantly comparing yourself to others. They say you are your worst critic after all. I don't so much anymore. I'm actually proud of where I am in my art journey, but I used to do that a lot when I was younger, especially when I just started doing digital art.

You won't catch me stealing or ruining other people's art though... girl what-

⋆ Your Favorite Design: Ringmaster Raven ⋆

Look at him, 'nuff said. His design is amazing. I love the color palette, the mask used to cover his true look, the raven theme with the wings and mask, the hat with eyes, everything. His design is the best because it matches with the overall theme of the island, it being a MONSTER CARNIVAL, and he is the Ringmaster. I remember how hipped I was when his island trailer released. One of the best islands for sure.

⋆ Is Underrated: Count Bram⋆

Yeah, remember when I was constantly drawing him for a short period of time? It's for a reason. I love my vampire peepaw who's confused about everything. I'm curious, do people consider him a villain? I kind of don't for the reason that he kidnapped Katya because he thought she was Anabelle, and once he was cured and was bought back to reality, he apologized for it because he didn't know. You want to talk about villain? Christopher is the real villain, you can't change my mind. Anyway, I was looking at the old art I drew of him, and he looked familiar to me. Then it all came together. You know who he reminds of? Exactly? Simon Petrikov, you know, Ice King from Adventure Time? Not only do they have the same hair style and would have the same personality, but they were both humans at some point with a partner, and once they became what they became, all they thought about was their partner, aka Anabelle and Betty.

Poof, mind blown. Vampire peepaw deserves more love.

⋆ You'd get along with IRL: Amelia ⋆

Amelia is another character I don't really talk about or draw, mainly because I associate her with the new era of Poptropica. But, I don't think that's fair. Amelia is actually a very sweet character that I think little me would have appreciated if she came to the game sooner. I would probably get along with her really well, considering how silly, and nice she is. Not to mention, her love for cute stuff. Imagine her unicorn bedroom but replaced with bunnies. That's my room right now. I think that even traveling with her would be really fun. She would have gotten under the "you relate to" category too but I didn't want Amelia on here twice. XD

⋆ And finally...Your Favorite Side Character: Dr. Spyglass ⋆

I... do not know how to explain this one. Dr. Spyglass only gets a few words of dialog, and we know nothing about him in canon, besides him working for HQ, and being an eye doctor. I won't lie, I actually had a crush on this guy years ago, hence why I shipped him with Muddy. (I cringe at that ship now. XD) Probably because...he looks like Director D...with a lab coat. >_> Look at both of them and TELL ME they are not related, I dare you. My version of them are. I love the idea of this silly scientist being hired by his brother after failing the entry agent exam, not because he pitted him, but because he understood how incredibly smart he was and is. Constantly being compared to his brother and what he could have been. So, you can say I like MY version of him... a lot.

I should dedicate a post to him some day, eh?

[toughbunnyforever]

So I came from your insta and saw that you improved quite a lot over two years. I’m in an art rut right now and was wondering your tactics for learning to draw different positions and poses? And fabric? I’m just curious since you don’t have speed draws on YT.

oh thank you!

in the past two years, i think what's helped me improve the most is learning the balance of keeping consistency without taking myself too seriously. i find that when i'm in a rut or i feel like i've stagnated, it's bc i'm too in my head and i'm forgetting to have fun. bc yes, technical skill is good to acquire, but creativity is, in my opinion, more important of a priority because that's where the art comes from. the technical skill is just the tool to help the art get made, so hone it, but don't treat it like it's everything. it's no good being able to draw a bunch of cool stuff if you don't have the spoons to draw any of it or if you're so burned out, you can't even come up with ideas.

on the more technical side though, for me, study and practice time are when i focus on repetition so i can build muscle memory. if i'm studying from references (and not feeling lazy lol) i'll draw each ref at least 2 or 3 times to get those reps in, drawing fast and sketchy, just doing as many as i can. this really helps with things you'll draw over and over again like clothing folds. my hand will start to just have a better intuitive sense for the shapes instead of agonizing over each one cuz i've drawn it enough times. when i'm sketching, it helps me to fall back on that muscle memory so i can put more focus to other aspects of whatever it is i'm drawing.

it's about finding a balance really.. if i study too much, i never actually implement the things i learn but if i study too little, then my work stagnates and all looks the same. finding that balance for yourself will go alone way! when i'm in an art block, what i need just really goes back to remembering to enjoy the process and finding that spark again. if i'm not enjoying my art, then i gotta switch something up.

here are some other things i like to do for practice:

redraw screenshots/stills from my fav shows or manga (good way to study poses, anatomy, and scene composition w/o it feeling too serious.)

or pick a show/movie/comic and choose a character i like. draw them 3-5 times, copying the art style to a T then draw them again in my own style to see what elements i wanna take away from it. (again, a good way to study without Studying. i end up leaving the experience with new staples for my art style)

find fashion photo references and draw my ocs in the outfits.

switch up what i'm drawing with. like if i'm mostly draw in pencil, switch to only pen. if i'm doing digital, i put my go-to brushes in a new folder, don't touch them, then sketch with a brush i never reach for. just change one little thing and see how it affects the process. usually i discover something new.

i wrote a list of things i like to draw on the front page of my sketchbook (just stream of consciousness, wrote down like 100 things i like to draw. ex: oranges, apples, snails, leaves.) and when i don't know what to draw, i close my eyes and point to something then draw whatever i comes up.

hope this helps!!

[overtheimaginationwall]

Favorite boss(es) in No Straight Roads?

Least favorite?

(Sincere apologies. I've been holding this one for more than a year in my box, so I hope you don't mind a really late reply ^^")

(Also Happy 3rd Anniversary, NSR!! 🎉)

I will tell ya honestly - they all are my favourites!

Tho if to be more specific I decided to set them up by TOP.

1. Sayu

Oh Sayu, my beloved <3

The Best Virtual Idol and The Reason I bought this game in the first place!

Her music and style of battle was the most fun and dancy! I still vibe to it to this day-

Sooo many references to Internet Culture and Digital Art fills my heart with warmth and gives me determination just like her song itself as well!

Funny Useless Fact: She is the only boss I've beaten on Rank B on my first blind playthrough!

2. DK West

He's OUR MAN, He's THE BEST!

My second favorite and at the same time the hardest for me to beat.

I personally didn't adore RAP genre at first and never seen anyone preform it as an actual entertaining battle until he showed up...

HOLLY MOLLY DESPITE ME BREAKING MY THUMBS WHILE GOING THROUGH THE PAINFUL DODGE GAME - HIM AND ZUKE RAPPING FELT LIKE I'M WATCHING DISNEY-

LIKE-

I STILL HAVE IDEA IN MY HEAD TO MAKE A SORT OF ANIMATIC WITH "FIRST ENCOUNTER" ALONE!!

Anyway, despite damaged fingers - 10/10, would fight again!

Funny Useless Fact: When I was drawing him for the first time I listened to his theme on loop for 4 days straight in order not to get myself distracted or lose motivation, so I finish the piece.

3. Yinu

Oh, sweet child...

I love Yinu and her theme lots even if I'm not that big of a fan of Classical Music. And her backstory...Gosh! It made me cry a lot.

And I'm still feel ashamed of breaking the piano ;;-;;

Love the pace of how music goes with the fight and it feels even better when you get into actual rhythm. There were issues that gladly wore off thanks to practice and fighting this boss over and over.

Tho those slamming cords haunt me whenever I listen to the song off-battle-

Funny Useless Fact: I didn't like her Mother at first but when I read more about her and relationship with Yinu my opinion completely changed. And this is why I would nominate No Straight Roads for The Best Storytelling and Character Design.

4. EVE

Two-faced, tall woman.

Used to be one of my favorites but due to some circumstances I can't look at her the same way I used to but I still adore her as a boss!

I honestly love her style of the fight and music that changes depending on who you play.

Tho fighting her is literally like eating a lemon but eventually you kinda just accept your fate and roll with weird artistic antics happening around you.

And EVE herself as a character is so fascinating. Like this is the moment where I started to see that these aren't just bosses, they are actually characters that tie this little but complex story together bit by bit. And this is why I would nominate No Straight Roads for The Best Storytelling and Character Design AGAIN!

Funny Useless Fact: EVE was supposed to be a next character to have a complete and detailed art of but due to my forgetfulness, difficulties with her design (and many other things) - it was never finished but I hope to get that dusty sketch out of WIP folder someday.

5. Tatiana

The Bitch. The Boss.

I don't really like her music and rhythm but I can forgive that since it is kind of fitting for conflict between her and the BBJ.

She tries to hide her true image throughout the story and the fight but ultimately crumbles cause escaping from the past isn't the best option to improve.

I love her design and personality and I wish there were more villains like her. Strict, simple, stoic and yet well-written.

Funny Useless Fact: I've never drawn Tatiana until NSR announced their release on Steam with addition of Fanat Graffiti Contest that I certainly didn't want to miss out on. It was difficult but I did it and ngl, I am still proud of the results.

6. DJ Subatomic Supernova & 1010/Neon J

I can't really say anything much about both of them. Sorry, guys...

Their designs and personalities are fun and well-made but due to one of them being the first you fight as "tutorial" and the other appears only at the end of a fight. (1010 band doesn't count as an actual boss to me more like a part of it) They didn't struck me much as the others did...

I will say this thou: their backstories are interesting. One is an academy astrology teacher with a goal of achieving the stars and other is a war veteran who just wanted everyone to live in peace and he himself despite everything never stopped his passion for doll-making and making people happy.

Just simply, beautiful...

Cool Science Fact: Their VAs are GOLD!

[veryfandomobsessed]

Finally, a blog introduction!

About Me!

Hi! You can call me DJ or VFO! I am a minor, older than 4 of course so please stay aware of that. The only Socials I have are just a Tumblr and a Discord. But if I ever do get more I will add it here! I love all types of animation, mostly cartoons and stuff but I will probably have a main focus on a show but that doesn't mean I don't still love the others. Something that I will also do is draw my persona, usually in response to an ask but it represents basically my reaction to things, and yes sometimes I will be lazy and not draw the glasses and sometimes I will so interpret it how you wanna. I am definitely a big music freak so if you wanna suggest anything I'm all ears! I am Latina but I do not know Spanish despite me taking it for 5+ years but currently I've been learning Japanese. I also love plenty of stuff in the ocean and anything that's ancient lookin. I'm pretty laid back but somehow also hyper and I could yap about a character or something specific for hours, but I can hold back. I can't really think of anything else to say about myself so..

About the blog!

I started this blog about 2 years ago and it has been quite the journey from where I started to where I am now, with posting nothing to actually starting to serve up the art that I brew up. This is quite a multi-fandom Art Blog that might focus more on one thing more than others so just a heads up. Enjoy your time here and request stuff when my requests are open! If my ask box says requests closed, it doesn't mean you can't ask me questions. Spam liking is fine, don't worry if your doing to much, it's silly to see!!! Maybe sometime in the future I might make another blog for whatever, specific art, an ask blog, anything along those lines, there will also be occasional reblogs from some of my folk, not folk, and chains.This account is SFW!!

My Art!

Noticeably I put "VFO" on all my pieces of art that I post, if any of it gets reposted or taken without credit please let me know! I work hard on some of the art I do. Adding to the requests things I am busy and don't always have the time or energy to draw them, so if I have time and energy to I will do them! I also might do commissions sooner or later when I figure out a good way to do it. I do both traditional and digital, I mainly use my finger on my phone to draw but I'm trying to do stuff more on a tablet and such! Everyday I'm doing more to improve my art and try to learn as much as I can. My art style ranges a lot but I do try and keep it consistent. sometimes it can look like an entirely different person drew it but whether I draw something cutesy one day and something intense the next day I swear it's still me,I'm just trying to find what style or thingy I'm more used to. Only occasionally there will be blood and stuff included in my art but I will always but a TW to make sure people have a heads up. I also typically use more lighter colors for my drawings but sometimes I will change it so the lines are harsher (ex: black instead of the usual brown I use). You are free to ask me for tips and tricks or questions you have about my art because I love helping and giving some creative ideas!

Thats it!

I hope you have a wonderful Day or Night wherever you may be! Or mid day! Or evening! Military time hour your at!!!

Extra info below:

Discord

To be able to contact my discord, you would have to be somebody who I've interacted with before and I know you're safe to chat with. you can send me your tag in asks WITHOUT being anonymous or in the Tumblr chat so it is clear and confirmed. it is completely my choice if I decide to add you or not.

If there is more info I can think about, I will add it in my next edit, this was made 7/31/24.

Recent Edit: none

[margindoodles2407]

ALL OF THEM!!! GO!!! :DDD

oh gosh cheeto. why would you do this to me. i love you my friend but whyyy (light-hearted)

alrighty let's go

----------------------------

1. what medium do you use most (if applicable, what software)?

Graphite, ink, and/or colored pencils. Occasionally watercolors, but that's usually for my bigger pieces that I don't often post online.

2. most popular piece?

This one, apparently (yeah i'm still really proud of it though. it held up well. canNOT say that for some of my old star wars doodles.)

3. your favorite piece(s)?

In Chronological Order: Dryad!Deku Tree, Arwen, Hero of Winds: Conductor of Tempests, Twilight of the Republic, Evil Artsyle Challenge, Philomena, The Best Captain Rex I've Ever Drawn, Shinies, Sacred Heart, Experience, Fives and Echo Number ???, and Necrosis

4. piece you wish got more love?

In Chronological Order: Ninety-Nine and Hevy, Sun-Dragon Heart, Ahsoka and Shaak Ti (for #jedi june), and We're Going To Kill Dracula

5. how would you describe your art style?

Hmm. I guess... "Stylized Realism" might be the best way to describe it. I'm big on realistic proportions and detailing, but it still betrays the influence animation and storybook illustrations have had on me.

6. favorite thing to draw?

...take a wild guess (it's the clones)

7. easiest thing for you to draw?

People!

8. thing you struggle to draw?

Anything other than people!

9. whats something you always come back to when drawing?

Ahsoka Tano. She was one of the first characters I drew when I was getting back into Star Wars, and I literally measure my art progress by how she's changed in my style. I guess you could say she's my comfort character to draw.

10. how do you deal with artblock?

I don't.

11. do you listen to anything while drawing?

Yes! Actually I kind of need background music or noise of some kind while I'm drawing, otherwise I've found I just can't get into the groove. Mostly I listen to my various character playlists.

12. describe your process while drawing

I am granted a Vision (tm), I get my materials, I tear my hair out because my picture is not exactly how it was in the Vision (tm), and then I redraw it over and over until it slightly resembles the Vision (tm).

13. talk about a wip you like!

Oooh, okay! Right now I'm in the process of painting a watercolor of... Ahsoka... for my High Fantasy AU, and the drawing actually is turning out great! I just haven't had time to paint her yet.

14. whats your favorite thing about drawing?

I like to make stupid memes in my overly elaborate style. I think it's the best use of my gifts XD

15. least favorite thing about drawing?

I can only really draw when Inspired (tm), meaning I can go days or even weeks without anything getting put on the paper.

16. how do you motivate yourself to draw?

I sit and yell at myself in my mind. Just kidding. But again, I do have to have an inspiration for anything to actually happen; I can't just go in cold.

17. what is something youre confident about in your art?

I can draw people, and especially everything above the knees, really well. I know a lot of artists struggle with people.

18. something you feel like you need to work on?

Lower-leg anatomy, and literally everything other than people. There's a reason I usually draw memes.

19. where do you find inspiration?

Things I like, my faith, the world around me, and music especially. And memes.

20. is your workspace, digital or not, organized (not neat, organized)?

In a manner of speaking. Everything has its place, and I have a system for the order in which I draw.

21. what do you think your artstyle would taste like?

Well, @luke-shywalker once described it as looking like it would taste like candy. I personally think it would taste like. Woodsmoke. Or something like that. Maybe like,,, the smell of sawdust. If that makes sense. I dunno.

22. do you have a favorite color palette to work with?

Rich but muted colors. Or like, blacks and whites with a single splash of highlighted color. You know? Like this one.

23. how many artstyles can you work in confidently?

At least two: one that leans more towards realism and one that leans more towards the cartoonish side.

24. whats a compliment about your art that has always stuck with you?

I've often been told that my drawings look statuesque, like they were hewn from marble, but in a good, regal way. This is my favorite compliment to get.

25. what size canvas/paper do you use?

Literally all of them.

26. what do you physically draw with (pencil and paper, tablet, etc)?

Mechanical pencil or like, a very finely sharpened traditional pencil for all my sketches. For my more formal pieces, I usually go over the sketch with micron pens.

27. do you ever have multiple wips going at once?

All the time every day.

28. whats a piece you would like to redraw at some point?

THIS ONE :D

29. do you use a lot of references while drawing?

No. I have most characters committed to memory and I can usually figure out poses. That being said, I do use references for difficult poses or when I can't figure out what exactly to draw.

30. whats something youre proud of about your artstyle?

I alluded to this earlier, but I'm happy that I can have a realistic but still stylized art style. And I like how I draw faces.

31. which fandom have you drawn the most for?

Uhhhh I think it's Star Wars at this point. However, I did draw a lot of Gravity Falls art back in the day, so between that and The Legend of Zelda I think it's pretty close.

32. have you done a lot of collabs?

Unfortunately no :( If anyone would like to rectify that, I'd be more than happy to do stuff with you!

33. have you taken a lot of classes for art?

I am mostly self-taught, but I did take art classes from preschool all the way through eighth grade, and Intro to 2D, Painting I and II, Intro to 3D, and Ceramics I in high school.

34. whats something you still like from your old art?

I love my vivid colors (this is mostly in my old, unpublished art). And I think back in the day, my poses were much more dynamic.

35. if you had one piece of advice to give your younger artist self, what would it be?

Don't beat yourself up over your art not "being as good as everyone else's". I promise you, you'll get to their level someday. Just have fun and keep working hard. Also, your drawings aren't cringe, and you shouldn't be afraid to show them to the people you love.

OUGH that took. So long. But thank you! I genuinely appreciate it so much!

[torithehoshi]

CCCC Digital Doodle Dump - Oct 2023

Right - bear with me. Due to the sheer amount of digital doodles I have (and yes, I am emphasizing digital for a reason) and the amount of thoughts I have didn't make posting them separately feel right so I'm trying a different format for this.

The TLDR is, I had a lot of fun drawing CCCC related things last month. And y'all may as well be prepared for the long-run with me. My main goal was to get used to drawing HMS in my style (mostly hair and little design things based on my interpretations) and it's still something that'll be changing? But it's cool to see how things have changed and I'd like to share them.

Right - with that out of the way. Everything's under the Read More due to the sheer amount of text.

Second First attempt at drawing the trio in my style - and you can especially tell with the little notes I have (trust me - there's a version with even more notes).

A lot of my references were from the videos, especially Light & Night as well as the instrumental album cover, and fan interpretations I've seen that I liked and wanted to give a shot at (primarily Mind's mechanical hands/arms were from seeing @/maybedr3am's design) and some of my own interpretations or thoughts (but I wouldn't be surprised if some of those mixes with fan interpretations. Most of them I can't recall for the life of me except Heart having sharp teeth. I know others have done it - I just hadn't at the time seen a lot). But for the most part, there is a lot of me getting used to drawing hair specifically since I wanted them all to look somewhat different and it was good to practice that.

Some of these notes do not make sense to me right now - and I doubt they made sense at the time tbh (looking at that one near Soul)

While I much preferred starting primarily going off of the videos, Mind was an exception. ...Accidentally. I struggled really hard with him and still do so that note is funny in hindsight. I liked the robot/android-esque (?) angle/reference to 'mechanical hands' folks went with but forgot I don't draw robots much. It was frustrating me and in that time, I gave him snake bites to, as I say in the notes, mirror screws. ... And now they're just part of my Mind design because I like them too much.

Also!! I mentioned that I have a version with a lot more notes (and a different attempt at Mind I hated). I didn't really want a bunch of doodles of my sona around, so this version is for somewhat easier reading. It also left me with extra space for one more thing and I was listening to Dream so, a doodle based off the last verse it was! (I love that song, it's so good)

Second one which is a compilation of a bunch of different doodle sheets I did!! These are ones I really liked and also were mostly finished. But also each of the sheets (which is an amalgamation of three) were done at different times which you can see in my indecisiveness in what I liked in making Mind look more robotic bar just the arms and the one doodle where the hair sticking a top of Heart's head changes.

Soul, surprisingly, changes very little bar me not being able to decide if he'll have that accessory or not. Also me being stupid inconsistent with remembering to color in his hands (his whole body has that split color).

Anyways - like three of these are meme/shitpost adjacent. You'll also see me trying to think about how to incorporate the crown to Mind's design since I hadn't really tried - but I've since moved it to post-Cacophony or post-Light design ideas/headcanons. I like the hairpin idea a lot. (Note: In this headcanon, Heart also has something but it's a bracelet and... there's a lack of hands in this so... yeah. Mind made it) Also me doing a thing I like to just give random new outfits when drawing a character and... Heart's the one I had the most fun drawing.

The only completely separate one! Mostly 'cause I already had it set to be separate.

It's a height headcanon thing I drew to visualize things for myself since I'm not the best with height. All it is, is that I think they're all the same height based off of what CJ said in the Medium Q&A. But then you have little details like Mind wearing platform shoes that basically make him 6'0" and Soul slouching a lot making him "the shortest". (Also hi completely human Mind design)

This was also originally done on the same doodle sheet where the "Fuck it we ball" one was on btw. Time wise, that was before I started changing how I drew the little hair sticking out on Heart's head which - speaking of...

Despite still drawing them interacting, I started to make clip files to practice drawing them on their own. I was already kind of doing that traditionally and I thought this would be a good way to get me to focus on one of the members. Especially since drawing with my tablet pen and pencil feels different but especially with these three.

Also - focusing on them individually felt like a good way to get used to how I draw them overall. I have one for Soul and Mind now, but not at the time. Idk if I'll share more of those later unless I can format them like actual reference sheets.

Fundamentally, this serves the same purpose as the first sheet. Trying out a bunch of things, just letting my hand... draw and seeing what I like and don't. Maybe even noting some little actions that I see myself drawing them doing (like the hands balled up in fists a lot). Also! It explains why I changed the shape of the hair at the top! I think the heart shape is cute - but as I did it more, I found with me trying to make his bangs look like a heart... just for me and my style specifically, it started to feel much. But then I had another idea in making it a bit more cartoon-y, which was the kind of circle/halo shape to create an angel motif and it fit well with how I see Heart. So that's how it is now!

It's actually fascinating seeing that I suddenly started changing how I drew his hair? I started this after making this for the record (which now I remember - I referenced these), and something just... changed. I don't like it considering I was actively trying to draw curls. I have a better grasp on it now though - I think.

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Anyways - that's everything! Uh - thanks for reading all my ramblings if you did. I have no idea if I'll format any future art dumps/doodle dumps like this again but we'll see. Doing this made me notice both advantages and disadvantages to this so... It'll really depend if I have the same amount to say, haha.

[lirhyapetitpain]

Hey !

I have followed you on Twitter for a while and I really love your work (on the French side) (yes, I'm asking in English anyway)

So, you keep posting the evolution of your art style and skills (really impressive byw) using the pokemon fanart and some of your recent/ Sam stuff.

I was wondering if you had some resources for coloring digital work. Your colors are always wonderful, and I'd like to progress so... asking you, seems logical.

Thank you for sharing your passion, I'm able to shine at parties, talking about things I barely know ahah !

Stay awesome, and have a good life :)

Haha thanks, I appreciate a lot 💚

I don't have anything 'cause I developped everything I do all by myself so the 5 tips I can give for digital coloring are :

1) don't be afraid of testing stuff. Just do a plain flat color as a base on a new layer, shadowing on another and try even unatural colors, brushes etc until you like the result

2) you're a digital artist, meaning you have a shit tons of digital tools such as photo rendering (from the most complicated photo touch up to the simplest instagram filters) use them, using filters can help you get a smoother colo and can change EVERYTHING for the best, you would be surprised. Again, try stuff, find what your softwares can do by testing stuff.

3) Find something you enjoy doing, a color palette you like, a type of coloring you like (for exemple hyper realism or hyper cartoonish? Whatever you like doing the most).

4) Remember you can't be good at anything and use that. I used to be terrible at colo, in fact I'm still pretty bad at realism, that's why I took the opposite way with flashy saturated colors and ironically my colo became what people love the most about my stuff when it used to be the thing I hated the most about my art when I forced myself into doing an artstyle that impress me but that I have no fun doing myself. So find your weakness, aknowledge it and use it to find your strength.

5) This apply to every form of drawing. Thinking is more important than practicing. Save arts you like, observe them, try to understand what you see "oh they used this specific color to shadow this, oh the shadow has this specific shape, oh the light source is here" etc etc, it works for everything, line, sketching etc... Learn to think by yourself rather than following tutorials because most of them will teach only one way to do one thing with one specific angle and light and all so learning to observe and think, decompose and recompose an object will make you improve A LOT. For exemple, if you have to draw a hand, take your hand and look, it's not one object, it's 17 different objects interacting with each others and having their own volume and perspective (3 for each fingers, 2 on the palm of the hand, basically). That's something you can practice everywhere at anytime. You have to wait in line in a shop? Observe a random object or person and try to understand how you could recreate that, what colors you can find in light and shadow etc...

And of course be patient and kind to yourself.

I'll probably start posting more step by step and process very soon, I have a hard time recording myself 'cause I tend to do a lot of pauses (ADHD disaster) and I often forget to put back the recording haha but I'll try. Lots of stuff coming soon.

If it's too hard to understand you can dm me here or on X in French, I don't mind. Have a nice day ✌️💚

[eusuchia]

sorry to the anon but I couldn't figure out how to edit my answer once it was in my drafts (great website).

the question was (badly paraphrasing) shouldn't we try to preserve the livelihoods of ceramicists and weavers too? and instead of saying 'mass production already killed this industry, and it will happen to others,' try to save more art from it?

basically yes! deskilling due to industrial capitalism sucks and mass production makes commodity fetishism infinitely worse. I think it's important to preserve craft knowledge and don't think we should just cede everything to industrialization, but that feeling isn't going to shift industrial trends -- only industrial action will do that. for what it's worth, it's really annoying to hear 'just unionize!' as an artist, when many, like me, are self-employed/freelance, and without sudden mass interest in some kind of low-entry-requirement sectoral guild, are not very unionizable because we don't have workplaces in the traditional sense. but by sheer numbers a lot of the job loss to AI would be corporate-level, I think, and there's more potential for people employed by like, marvel, to actually do something significant about the use of AI, than for individual customers trying to throw their weight around by buying or boycotting. I'm happy to get proved wrong here by some targeted mass boycott campaign, but I'm not holding my breath.

on a personal level I regularly spend money on handmade ceramics, fiber arts, and original art commissions both physical and digital because I find them valuable and beautiful. but I also use my IKEA plates and print-on-demand t-shirts, functionally devaluing those crafts. no amount of hypothetical discourse shaming me for 'stealing from working craftsmen' would really change that due to the economic realities. (tangentially, I don't use AI as a stand-in for commissioned art because they are not at all interchangeable to me.)

broadly though, isn't every kind of automation 'taking a livelihood' from someone in theory? my original reply to metamatar's post was basically asking where you draw the line. digital printing is taking the work of typesetters and sign painters, canva presets are taking the work of graphic designers, slip casting is taking the work of ceramicists. yet those trades still exist, and if anything I think their creative horizons are a little wider when the drudgery of the industry is taken up by machines. I know that's paltry compensation for a vanishing job market under capitalism, but isn't it a good thing when ceramicists and weavers are free to explore their ideas and not confined to backbreaking work of making the same bowls or yards of tweed for years on end? (especially in The Good Society with robust social protection that we should all be fighting for anyway)

there can be different use cases for these things (artisanal vs mass produced) and one use doesn't mean 1:1 something is being stolen from the other. personally I'm never going to pay someone to render my likeness instead of taking a photo; the money that's being 'lost' by a realism portrait artist there is purely hypothetical. same for when people get mad about others generating AI art for fun. 'you could have paid an artist for this [generated meme in the style of hr giger]' ok but they weren't going to and you can't make them.

I think people are unthinkingly flattening all kinds of creative labour when they talk about what might happen with AI. to start with, people are often talking about the job market of the first world/imperial core/etc despite the huge amounts of creative labour in/outsourced to other countries. but wherever you want to apply AI -- I don't think boutique client-based work is ever going to vanish, because the stuff that AI can do well is limited to certain types of digital illustration and animation, and you need human, creative problem-solving for new creative work, even on industrial levels with lots of automating tools in the workflow. art directors with good sense can see that. big name editorial illustrators are going to remain big name editorial illustrators. etc. (tbh, I think even the stuff AI is 'good at' looks dogshit a lot of the time, hence my disinterest in it, but that's a personal valuation and has no economic bearing.)

I'm not saying there's nothing to worry about, especially because managers and execs are often stupid and have bad taste and want to 'incorporate AI' when it makes no fucking sense, and would gladly thin out their staff for any reason. but that is ultimately a labour problem and not an artistic one.

[tree0frog]

hey! was wondering if I could get a doctor who and Sherlock matchup. I’m female, she/her, 20, bisexual as hell, INTJ/P, Leo, ravenclaw/slytherin, and a new media artist (still in college tho). I’ve got an average build, brown eyes, black wavy hair till my shoulders, wearing cat eye clear glasses or contacts. i honestly don’t know how to describe my style cause it changes constantly depending on my art projects or vibe I’m feeling. I love game design, 3d modeling, interactive design, visual effects etc. I also love reading, gaming, binge watching, digital illustration, dancing, collecting custom jewelry, rollerblading, baking cookies, and listening to video essays/podcasts/audiobooks. My favorite genres are detective, classics, fantasy, adventure, folklore, mythology and sci fi. I love listening to music in a multitude of languages as well whether Arabic, Italian, French, Hindi and much more. MASSIVE introvert except for with my best friends where my unhinged side comes out. Despite being an introvert I’m very comfortable with leadership. I’m very contemplative and thoughtful as well as creative. I’m far from clingy and prefer to keep my own space even if I know you well. I can be a bit stubborn, and opinionated at times however. I’m a huge planner and hate when things go off schedule or when things are chosen abruptly. Think that’s all I got! Thank you!

Hii sorry this took so long

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I pair you with Bill

The two of you together would be a power couple don't try me on this.

I think you must have met when she was seeking into the doctor's classes and she sat next to you,

Bill would sometimes look over to see your small drawing of clocks or a small blue police box.

But when she learned about the doctor it had all made no sense to her whatsoever.

Over the time she travels with the two of you she learns more about you and the doctor but most importantly herself.

You know that meen where it's the couple and one like whats their hot and the other one is like can't see it hun yeah that's you two.

she has a small drawer of art pieces you made her as well as matching bracelets you had made for the both of you.

I pair you with Mycroft Homes

People this is the weirdest friendship they have ever seen.

I think the two of you met when he broke into Sherlock's home and you were just there sitting on the floor with a gaming laptop in your hands and some art thing around you and he was intreated.

Even though he doesn't like to say it he enjoys playing games with you when he has time which isn't very often thanks to his job.

will buy you that new book you have been talking about for a week but won't buy because you have 17 halve stared one in your home.

He thinks it's cute how you have a full-year planer in your room highlighted in different colours for different things.

You have been drunk before and cursed him out in french

[theonlyadawong]

was tagged by beloved mutual @devilbrakers in this tag game :D

01. a character you love.

i shant go on about ada wong, the evil resident so instead i will talk aboooooooooooooouuuuut ummmm lucie jurin! from martyrs (2008) she murdered the family that abused her as a child and i think that's wonderful. she is also living with intense survivors guilt and she has a friend who is a girl (girlfriend?) who is by her side (for the most part)

02. your favourite food from your culture.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES MMM MM MM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DELICOUS!!!!!!! also carne guisada ❤️

03. what your dream apartment / room / house is like.

🤔 well, it has to have lots of open space. i absolutely HATE when my living quarters feels cramped. i would also like it to have greenery (even though i can't take care of a plant to save my life), and i would like some green walls and nice brown wooden decor. and all my decorations and knick knacks would probably be nature themed. oh!!!! and also, i would have a papasan :)

04. your personal style or aesthetic.

i wear lots of overalls, tank tops, turtlenecks, skirts, boots, and sneakers, and it's all neutral colors. not a very interesting answer but idk how else to describe it

05. a happy memory.

one time when i was a kid, i won the jackpot on that wheel of fortune game at a putt putt! it was especially cool because i didn't even know what i was doing, i was just pressing the buttons. also one time i won a minor prize playing the stacker arcade machine and it glitched, and it gave me all the carabiners inside.

06. your favourite way(s) to spend time.

drawing (digitally) which ive only been doing since october 2020!!!! aaaaaaaand also watching TV and movies. i recently watched the movie martyrs (2008)for the third time in a month and i just love it. the love between anna and lucie is so palpable and the actors are just stellar. i also love thr sopranos and i have the box set!! I've watched it all the way through 3 times over the course of last year (and a little bit into this year) and it's just so good (though i will day the racism grates at me lmfao.) i also love futurama but ONLY the first 7 seasons. but for the past month ive been playing re4r (which im sure my followers know by now lol) and im having lots of fun!

07. story behind your url / title / quote / description / icon.

obviously, my url is a reference to THEE ada wong buy it specifically comes from me being absolutely positive ada made some reference to her saying she was, "the only ada wong," in re6 but alas she says, "the real ada wong." so i was wrong.(fake fan moment 😔) but once i realized this, i didn't want to change my url bc it stuck with me. and my icon is canceled ada because i get such a kick out of it. it's so funny

08. something that comforts you or brings you joy.

SHELL COLLECTION!!!!! SHELL COLLECTION OF REAL SHELLS FROM REAL BEACHES THAT I REALLY PICKED UP!

09. what you’re looking forward to.

ik this is a tiny thing in the grand scheme of life but i just bought the infinite rocket launcher in 4r so im really excited to play a whole game with that! >:)

10. something else that’s important to you.

THEATRE! im sadly not much into it now but i love every single aspect of live theatre so much you don't even know. a chorus line, hair, and shuffle along are my favorite shows EVER!!!

uhhhhmmm idk who to tag! but it you see this and you want to do it, then pretend i tagged you!!! :D