#I haven't had much digital art to post lately

[ryetaran]

Trying to figure out which of these designs resonate best with people for future production 👍

[meanbossart]

Another much overdue ask compilation! Some short-ish lore asks (Gale, Gort, DU drow relationships and pet-companion preferences) and a couple of art/advice ones sprinkled in. THIS IS BY NO MEANS ALL OF MY ASKS so as usual I appreciate everyone's patience!

I actually think he'd give them a pass entirely as soon as he noticed. Correct me if I'm mistaken but half-drow get No love from underdark drow and are usually surface babies right? So that fruit is miles away from the tree lol. I think he generally has a bit of a soft spot for mixed kinds since he himself feels like an amalgamation of sorts.

Thank you! They're kind of a pain in the ass to draw at times for that very reason but man I do like the look 😩if other people like it too then that makes it all worth it!

THAT'S TRICKY TO ANSWER BECAUSE OFTEN TIMES I'M NOT... REALLY TRYING. I've draw a ton of horror comics for mine and my partner's series' SAD SACK and SORTIE, so I think it just comes naturally to me 😅 also I do genuinely find expressive and, uh, rugged faces more attractive? (I think they look rugged, again that's what people tell me at least.)

I think the secret might be adding bits of realism in there. I get a lot of comments about the wrinkles and eyelashes I add to my art, as well as the way I draw individual teeth (though I've lately been making an effort to simplify my style in favor of drawing faster, so I haven't done that as much or in as much detail.)

Both symmetry and the lack of it can also add to that effect. I have employed both facial unevenness and almost point-perfect symmetry to achieve something a little frightening or otherworldly in my work. [MORE UNDER THE CUT]

Thank you so much!!! The contrast is very much intentional, that's what DU drow's character is all about ;)

Hahah well I somewhat doubt Bhaal would care that his spawn gets named, but either way he stripped himself of his name as soon as he killed his foster parents and abandoned the Underdark. He had a drow name that I jotted down somewhere but it's completely irrelevant because nobody has used it since he was a child, and he doesn't remember it (even pre-tadpole/having his brain scrambled.) Here's a little write up about his origins that might shed some more light on that: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/739688837431836672/did-drow-ever-have-a-childhood-before-the-temple

And about his original drow-given name and the reason behind it: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/741350986692591616/drow-had-to-have-been-given-a-name-by-his-adoptive

Everyone just referred to him as his supposed race, or as Bhaalspawn or Bhaal's child, and any other similar titles. Orin called him "kin" and "brother" and Gortash likely called him his associate. Post-tadpole the camp grows entirely used to calling him "the drow" and he has no desire to change that or to choose a proper name.

THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH😭 no reason to be intimidated, I'm just some rando drawing BG3 fan art LOL I've been drawing since I was a child, and started taking it semi-seriously when I was 16 years old, so twelve years ago! That's around the time where I got my first non-display tabled and used that well into my twenties, prior to that I only did stuff on paper and liked to do inks color with pencils. I never really ventured into traditional painting at all except for a little bit of water-coloring in college.

Traditional and Digital art are very much different beasts. Which one you want to start with is, in my opinion, just dependent on what you want to do. Digital art gives you a lot of tools that makes learning easier, but you might find yourself having much steeper of a learning curve if you ever decide to do traditional art instead. If you want to be good at both, you need to practice both, since the skill doesn't entirely translate from one medium to the other.

Naturally you will be able to draw well on either, it's just... Different. I will say though, that I think if you're still learning you should use whatever allows you to look directly at what your hand is doing, so either traditional or display tablet/Ipad. I have no idea what a non-display tablet would do to a beginner, but remembering my experience with it I feel like it might be a huge detriment to developing the skill (feel free to share your experiences in the replies if you disagree, as I would definitely be curious to read them!)

YOU KNOW ME BABY IT WAS MESSY AND COMPLICATED the tldr.: is that they were "buddies", absolutely no romance intended there on either mine or DU drow's part, but due to his nature the friendship was extremely weird.

Here's a couple of replies where I go into more detail about it: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/739191190871818240/i-dont-have-a-particular-question-in-mind-sorry

https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/744952815768764416/so-not-sure-if-youve-covered-this-but-i-thought

That's definitely reserved for the vamp LOL DU drow very much enjoys when Astarion teases and fusses over him, and while Astarion probably got a kick out of acting that way around such a big and scary looking guy at first, I think by "now" (later and post-game) he's pretty much immune to DU drow's looks and just enjoys doing it in earnest.

He's not at all averse to being touched (even rather intimately) by close friends, but he wouldn't be quite THAT vulnerable with anyone else.

HE REALLY DISLIKED GALE... He irked him out by seemingly fostering a rather persistent romantic interest in him for at least half the time they spent together (very much based on my interpretation of their in-game interactions at the time, though my Gale might have been a little bugged.)

But also they had a... Fairly in depth relationship still? Gale was a staple in my party, and even though I antagonized him constantly by the end of the game it still felt like they had so much weight in each other's lives, if that makes sense. I might need to do a bit of an "update" on the DU Drow/Gale lore sometime, I feel like I've had some thoughts since that warrant more exploration of their dynamic (you can find a lot of old asks about it if you just search the Gale Dekarios tag in my blog though).

The gist of it is that DU drow found him arrogant and duplicitous, his constant optimist irritated him to no end and felt like it veiled a stream of self-pity (two things DU drow despises) Gale's attempts to get through to him only added insult to injury. By the end of the game he decided to pursue the crown of Karsus and this only lost him even more respect in Drow's eyes, seeing as he doesn't value godly power at all.

I was pretty overwhelmed by the game at the start so I actually missed a lot LOL including Scratch. I did get the owlbear cub though, which DU drow gladly welcomed into camp since it was injured - but I think he would have wished for it to remain a wild animal and to return back to it's home after it had grown up a bit. He didn't really make a "pet" out of it more than he just looked after the little guy in the way it's mother might have, probably with Shadowheart's help.

He wouldn't be opposed to proper pets though if one were to stumble into his life. He'd definitely be more of a cat guy because of their independence and strong little attitudes.

It is very hard to build proper rapport with him. He will be "friendly" to most people who have a good sense of humor about them, but friendSHIP is another thing entirely.

I think it's kind of circumstantial. He's very economical in his relationships and doesn't really seek them out at all - so a situation where he's forced to be in someone's company might be the only way to develop a bond with him, as he doesn't appreciate insistence either and that's more likely to push him away. He doesn't value status or titles either (kind of looks down on them really) so that won't help.

I think he just likes people who are true to themselves and their nature, sometimes even if the nature is one he disagrees with at it's core. This is why he liked Gortash, why he and Shadowheart got along so well, and why him and Astarion fit together so seamlessly despite seeming so different. Likewise I think it's why he didn't jive with people like Gale or Wyll, because they seemed to be rather... Dishonest with themselves and their own end-goals.

[choochooboss]

Submas sketchdump! Vol. 1

April-June 2022

Literally dumping all the presentable works as promised, whether I'm proud of them or not! This is where I started, even before the first thing I posted online (That subway station one). Many of these are not on Twitter yet so there's lots to see!

The top piece above the header is my very first digital Submas artwork!! I never finished it bc I didn't know how to pull my vision of as I wanted & started modeling the train and didn't finish that either, whoops! I really want to remake this later and make it super cool!

^^^ My reaction to breaking 500 likes & 100 followers in a single day with my first tweet (the battle subway one) all the way back in May!! I was completely floored by all the attention, oh how it skyrocketed my excitement and anxiety! Crazy times, I was so super nervous to be there with so many amazing artists and doubted if I could ever survive there ahahah!! Many had joined the community much much earlier than me, so I had arrived with a late train to PLA/neo Submas hype!

Next up is a bunch of stuff I haven't posted before:

One of my fav sketches! Been saving this for so long bc I really really want to finish this one day!

One of the first submas sketches with an actual story behind it! The subway bosses are running late for their flight because they didn't pass the safety check! The irony!! This would never happen as bosses are always on schedule. But Emmet hadn't noticed a wild Joltik hiding under his coat, so he set up the alarm and they got examined and interrogated of smuggling! How embarrassing for them! The bosses resolved the situation by catching the Joltik, but will they be able to catch their flight anymore?? Maybe if Elesa can distract the stuerts performing the safety protocol for a minute!

More sketchbook stuff...

In case you can't make any sense of it, Emmet's dreaming of different combinations of pokémon. Meanwhile Ingo snores louder than the train! HONK SHOO!

Top 7 every submas fan draws at some point!

Submas trademark posing

submas sleeping in a train

sad Emmet

Emmet with Joltik

Ingo with a cool solo pose

Emmet being chaotic & Ingo reacting to it

a bunch of mirrored submas poses

I sure have a full bingo card lmao, most of them you can see here XD

Next up is a sad man...

Stay strong our friends!

My typical sketchbook pages, crammed and messy as usual. x)

Post-PLA exploration:

A few examples of how my pencil sketches evolve.

I've done so much art experimenting with submas. I really like this black & white painting but I don't think I'll finish it anytime soon.

Where did you go?

The way I draw the twins' faces has changed a lot. They started with softer features and somewhat neutral emotions, because I wasn't as familiar with them or comfortable drawing them yet. Now there's hundreds of submas sketches, and they still keep evolving! My style is also kinda hard to pull off well, so their features differ from picture to picture.

This one was inspired by some submas music videos, can't recall their names anymore. The glowing eerie eyes and yellow&orange + black&white color schemes were neat!

I keep telling myself I need to draw more butlers, these twinks look so lean and neat and have more color and are posh with their monocles and have fun tailcoats!

(...why eyeglasses are not called binocles??)

I was there for the vinegar chaos. Good times!

That's all for now, I hope you got something fun out of this! Still got loads more art to share but I'll save them for another time. Next round I'll bring in my first submas comic!

[i-ate-your-dog-srry]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to be taking a break for a bit!.. probably not too long, but I just need to stop. I have overwhelmed myself with things to do and requests I have accepted! It's completely my own fault it's just that things are feeling more stressful than fun right now, and in all honesty, I haven't been doing well lately. I've been having a hard time functioning, and I have had a lot of breakdowns, my depression feels really painful rn and I have experienced some things out of the digital realm that have made me question my entire identity. This is kinda a vent, I guess. I have been feeling like everybody is mad at me, and I have been so paranoid, so I just need to focus on what I want to do for a bit. I'm sorry if I'm making anyone feel disappointed or down. I'll be posting art occasionally, but it will be what I want to draw. Not stuff I feel pressured to. I don't think people are expecting as much from me as i think they actually are, and I just need time. It's so hard to say no and realize I don't have to do things I don't want to for people. I'm sorry. I made a lot of promises to draw people free art, but I don't know if I can get to everybody. I'm so sorry I really am :(( I'll be continuing with the daycare au again after my break because it's something I feel passionate about, so don't worry :]

So, in short, if you don't wana read all that, lol

I'm taking a small break, sorry :,3

[micahulrichdraws]

Hi Mic, hope you are doing well! What are your thouths on moving from paper to tablet, i just feel like i want to try something new but i worry that it will take me ages to learn wail everyone my age is already master of the tablet illustration (i just never had the money to buy a tablet) and now i feel tiny bit like a looser late 20s pretty close to 30 to start doing my work on tablet i feel like people will see me as a lame grandpa. Idk i just have seen that after the age of 27 people have been supper rude and judji when it comes to my life choices like they do the - arent you too old to want to live off art and that makes me feel like a mummy 🙈 i dont think i am ThAT old or idk anymore... Just seenpeople on tiktok make fun of 30 year olds and then going on instagram and seen full time illustrators with perfect tablet skill at the ripe age of 21 i feel like a looser, my family has never emotionaly supported me about my passion for art and that took a tol on me emotionally i am not using it as an excuse just i do think some people get faster and more far in life just with thanks to getting some love and affection from there tribe and when you dont have that i feel things feel wayy heavier.... Sorry for the yaping, stay awesome and have a great rest of the year, sorry for the long post i just feel less and less happy wail been on instagram and more and more calm when i am away from it

No one actually cares what age you are when you make art. People who are going to be asses will always be asses. People suck, life is short, be cringe, none of this really matters all that much, just enjoy it. Also Instagram is going to feed you content based on what you click on - so if you click on stuff that makes fun of artists, it'll feed you that crap. Just stay off the thing.

Also, for jumping from paper to tablet is easy. If you can draw or paint on traditional media, you're already leagues ahead of most digital artists. Just pick up a cheap one off eBay, they're all the same outside of branding. Start in black and white just like graphite, then introduce colors. However, I'd suggest talking to someone who actually does digital art, all my stuff is traditional pen and ink on paper. Haven't touched a tablet since 2015ish, and only did that to show how much of the painting process is automated by Photoshop and a tablet. Not having to mix your own paints, blend your own paints on canvas, stretch a canvas, worry about overworking a spot, adjust the color balance along with contrast on the spot, learn about varnishes, etc., means that the computer and tablet automate 95% of the process for you - it just comes down to your technical ability to draw and patience to learn it.

Hope that helps!

[xray-vex]

Pinned post - About me & my creations

ahoy there! this is my mostly-Our Flag Means Death account, where i post memes & art & other related fandom things.

i'm a currently out-of-work queer disabled freelance artist & designer going thru a rough patch right now (in debt - like seriously broke & ineligible for unemployment because i'm a contract worker; i had a long term relationship end; & i have to move cross country around late Nov 2024) so i am attempting to market myself better as an artist.

i mostly work in digital media - photoshop, premiere, capcut, procreate - but i have a solid foundation in traditional media as well, mostly in illustration & painting. i've been an artist for about 35 yrs, (about 15 yrs+ professionally, emphasis on products, marketing, promo materials, & branding) and have a BA with an emphasis on art, design, & aesthetics. i've dabbled in many many things.

[this pinned post will be updated as necessary]

here's where you can find me:

- My Twitter account -

where i am currently most active - https://x.com/xray_vex

- My Ko-Fi -

i accept donations if you like my work! i am currently relying on donations to help me keep my life together, it literally helps me put food in my belly right now.

- My Ko-Fi shop -

https://ko-fi.com/vex62369/shop

- My Redbubble -

wherein i have uploaded a good number of my memes if you want to have em on like, shirts or mugs or socks or whatever. i take requests, so if you don't see a meme i've made in the shop, ask me & i'll add it!

(mostly OFMD stuff but a few other things too)

- Commissions? -

yep, i've done a few! mostly for friends, so I haven't quite nailed down the process of how I want to go about accepting commissions from other people, but here are a few things I've done:

- The A to Z of Ed Teach Zine -

a huge collab effort that is now available to all for free! https://t.co/bRA2U8wcEa

-- more info about this project can be found here - https://x.com/xray_vex/status/1825633390722535576

- My Youtube channel -

all of my various OFMD-related video edits can be found here - Xray Vex - YouTube

- My AO3 -

i haven't written much fic but here's what i have to offer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xray_vex/works

[didididraws]

my tablet is currently halfway across the country for repairs (my brother's the most tech-savvy in my family and asking him to take a look at it was cheaper than taking it to a shop) so i haven't been able to draw lately. i've made a bunch of traditional sketches in the meantime, but none of them are presentable enough to post here, so i decided to take a trip down memory lane and fill out one of foxorian's influence maps!

below the cut are the names of the artists featured here, as well as a little bit of director's commentary on how they've influenced me :]

yugo limbo (website, tumblr, twitter) - some time last year, i realized something profoundly unnerving: i actually... don't like the art in smile for me's original release all that much? that's not to say it's bad, just that there isn't a whole lot about it outside of maybe its architecture that stands out to me. which is REALLY WEIRD, considering i wrote a whole retrospective about how much this game means to me. art-wise, however, it was only after smile for me's release that yugo limbo's art evolved in a way that really resonated with me; i love how textured everything is, i love the way they simplify clothing folds and the way that skin wrinkles around the joints, i love their love for puppets; all of those things ended up worming their way into my art style and tastes one way or another, and i couldn't be happier!! it didn't feel right to leave smile for me out of the equation entirely, though, so i chose a piece that was both related to that game and that i felt reflected a lot of what i love about yugo's more recent art.

echobsilly (twitter, tumblr) - oh god, speaking of yugo limbo - god. i fucking love echo's art so much i have no idea how to even do it justice in writing. like many people i first found him through his smile for me/limbolane fanart and animations - and those are some of his best work, don't get me wrong, but i really wanted to include one of his original designs to make a point that he's just fuckin great at art in general. character design, facial expressions, body language, composition, LIGHTING... he makes it all just. so so so gorgeous. i always liked "painterly" art styles for lack of a better word, but i think his art is what first pushed me to embrace that more in my digital art. i also like how he talks about dr. habit like he's his dead wife. i'm very proud to call him a friend these days :]

japhers (tumblr, twitter, instagram) - i first found japhers' art in high school and he very quickly became a HUUUUUGE influence on my taste in character and costume design. one of the big reasons i never fully bought into the idea that men's fashion is inherently harder to design is bc so much of his art is already dedicated to exploring fashion Without the restrictions of a gender binary in place which is to say that he's really good at drawing buff dudes in frilly outfits. i also think he gave me more confidence to draw more intricate costumes without having to worry about super dainty and clean lineart, bc a lot of his art looks like it's kinda been carved/rendered out of sketches, and it is Gorgeous.

moe suppe (website, tumblr, cohost) - another artist i found in high school, albeit originally from a long-gone instagram account. his art is what kickstarted my desire to have some Roughness in my art, some Texture. it may not have stuck to my lineart, but it Definitely stuck to my rendering. it helped that i was going through a pretty big angel/demon phase at the time, which meant i was pretty immediately drawn in by his delightfully weird worldbuilding. i should probably read fear not now that it's an actual serial...

val wise (website, itch.io, twitter, instagram) - a more recent influence, but a pretty significant one nonetheless. i featured the cover of délicatesse here because it was the first thing from him that i had ever read, but in general his grasp on the human body really blows me away given how deceptively simple his style looks at first glance, especially his faces. the way fat and hair sits on her bodies, and how much it varies from character to character... it's beautiful without being So glamorous that it feels untouchable. his costume design is also great. i recommend his comics for low fantasy/ursula k. le guin fans who are Dying to see more fat characters in leading roles. i also just found out that i am of two hearts is free on itch.io, so i'll be treating myself to that over spring break.

partycoffin (tumblr, twitter) - if you have known me for any amount of time at all then this should not come as a surprise to you. i actually wasn't going to include partycoffin in this map at first, because while welcome home has inspired me in Many creative pursuits, i didn't think visual art was one of them? i definitely picked up some of clown's love for dramatic lighting and thinner lines with just a smidge of well-placed hatching subconsciously, though.

ryoko kui - probably the most recent artist featured here? anyways i have a confession to make: i have yet to read dungeon meshi. i just know that when i saw a post compiling a bunch of ryoko kui's sketches from her daydream hour series, i was so overwhelmed with this feeling of, like… "oh, yeah, these capture almost everything i love about women as flesh and blood people. when i draw women this is the kind of beauty that i want people to see in them." of course, ryoko kui is a great character designer in general, but something about her women specifically really speak to me. the earthier color palettes and rendering also do a lot to endear her art to me.

shuzo oshimi - specifically his art in blood on the tracks. something that really stood out to me in that series was whenever the shadows would get really intense, and you'd get these big blocks of black with just the faintest bit of hatching to soften out some of their edges. it was always very effective in creating this sense of claustrophobia. i really want to keep incorporating that in my more intense pieces!

person918x (tumblr, instagram) - i don't work with 3d art often and i don't see myself doing so any time soon, but the composition of person918x's pieces is something i take a lot of inspiration of. i also love his sequential art, as someone who does a lot of dream journaling it's sick to see the exact Vibe of a dream be put to (digital) canvas. i also firmly believe that he's one of the only people out there who knows what he's doing when it comes to using generative AI in art.

oops i made this list too long so now i have to put the last two artists in a new block.

10. meatgiri (twitter, instagram) - definitely the artist i've known about the longest out of this selection. i think i've been following her since…. oh god. since i was in middle school. way before she was meatgiri, even. i think her influence probably shows up the least in my art, but there are definitely some characteristics that stuck with me for a very long time (the lil block of black accompanied by one or two lines for shading on the neck, the looser lineart making it really easy to incorporate soft curves and sharp edges, the Eyes, etc etc.) i chose this drawing of her oc juniper bc i thought it was both reflective of her current art And a good embodiment of a lot of things i wanted to emulate from her art as a young'un.

11. dragan bibin (website, instagram) - specifically his 'deimos' series. much like with person918x, it's his compositions that really stand out to me the most, and you probably know by now that i'm a sucker for high contrast. i find it interesting though that he uses high contrast to obscure more than he does to highlight... helps a lot with giving the deimos paintings that air of Quiet Unease. another thing i want to incorporate in my horror-adjacent art! manmade environments gone wrong!

[shiroimoyashi]

Just have to post before I start loathing my own work. 4th attempt at digital art, so the coloring is still meh. Gotta find my own style first.

My OC Sumiya & Lars, going to the cinema together. I like to imagine them going to this type of sneak peek event that I tried myself, watching a movie that hasn't been released yet without even knowing what film it will be.

The air is filled with the smell of popcorn and excited whispers of moviegoers. Sumiya stumbled upon the sneak preview by chance, and he knew Lars would definitely be intrigued, given Lars' curious nature. As they settle down in their seat, their excitement is palpable. They don't know what they are in for, and that is part of the thrill.

"I bet it's an action film. Multi-verse has been all over the place lately." Sumiya says, leaning back in his seat and letting out a slightly exasperated sigh. "There's gotta be like, at least 10 more superhero movies with that trend waiting to be dropped."

"Multi-verse, huh?" Lars chuckles, turning to Sumiya with a grin. "You don’t seem too excited about that."

"Well, it was a novel idea at first. Just... overdone. I was hoping for something new."

"Hey, what about a romance movie? I haven't seen any decent one in a while. Maybe we'll stumble on a hidden gem." Lars rubs his chin, recalling some of the latest movies that he had seen.

Then, he nudges Sumiya lightly with his elbow, his aquamarine eyes sparkling with mischief. "Wanna bet? Loser has to buy the winner an ice cream."

The black-haired turns to his friend, his lips curled into a smile."Sure. Don't regret it when I'm the one getting that ice cream."

Lars raises an eyebrow, matching Sumiya’s competitive energy. "We'll see. Just be ready when I pick out the flavor."

The light starts to dim and they settle in, their mind still racing with the thought about the movie's genre.

Turns out that they both lose the bet, as it's a horror movie. It's comical how the two men flinch in their seat with each jumpscare. Lars tries to appear unfazed, but Sumiya knows full well how the blond is just as much of a scardy-cat as he is. They magically survive until the end of the movie and treat themselves to ice creams for that. And sure enough, they still attend the next preview to see who might win.

The end.

[chyirly]

My first piece of art after disappearing for literal months.

Anyways. It's a New Year so why not start with an artpeice I'm happy with, even though i have no other wip of completed peices and barely and other drafts.

Isn't he just perfect?

I was originally going to do a second version, like most of my other posts, where Mikey had his eyes open, smirking as he looked down at you and sparks of mystic energy around him.

But I felt it was a bit too much for me to do at the time, so I just stuck with this one singular picture.

My favorite part was the background.

Man do I love drawing round characters.

I haven't been drawing any digital art lately, only traditional, and they are all about trolls and an AU I have for it.

[starryeyedstray]

thoughts on inktober/drawtober as someone who just finished it without missing a single day

it's fucking exhausting.

okay but for real here are my complete thoughts:

overview of my experience:

firstly, the way i approached this drawtober challenge was a bit chaotic bc i was trying to do a dbh drawtober here while also maintaining an inktober challenge on my other art blog. keep in mind, this was my first time trying a month-long daily art challenge type thing. so very ambitious (and a little stupid) to try to do two at the same time. for awhile, i was able to maintain it. i hadn't missed a day for dbh drawtober while for my inktober i had only missed 3 days by day 20. but i was starting to really feel the exhaustion at that point and dropped the inktober prompt after day 20 completely. i just focused on dbh for the last 11 days.

i did not prep anything in advance. though the first couple days i kinda started brainstorming ideas for the rest of the month. some days i would work on future prompts if i had extra time. some prompts fit for unfinished wips from september. but largely i was producing new art the day the prompt was due.

i haven't drawn this much in literal years. so my art was rapidly changing as i was figuring out my style and my brain was just raring to come up with ideas. which presented a problem later in the month when i had all these complex ideas i wanted to execute. instead of keeping the drawings simple and achievable to finish in a couple hours, i wanted to create pieces that would take days for a prompt due the next day. it was impossible. my desire to execute complex pieces conflicted with the strict daily turnaround.

by the end of the month i was sleep-deprived trying to finish works. a couple times i had to stop working on the piece because i realized i wouldn't finish in time. and then i would have to start a new one with a simpler idea and post a messy sketch with some color thrown on. towards the end i posted some of them late.

overall, it was a tiring experience.

what i liked about it:

i really liked coming up with ideas based off the prompts. it was fun having a guide for my art. it helped me think creatively and think of aus and concepts i normally would not have. i felt encouraged to draw characters i normally don't and just really stimulated my creative juices.

what i hated about it:

it's exhausting!!!! especially if you are doing fully illustrated pieces and starting a new one every single day!!!! i felt like i couldn't take my time on anything. as soon as it was done i had to post it. a bunch of the stuff i look back and i'm like oh i wish i had time to fix those proportions. or i wish i could have rendered it out more. or that is not to the quality of standard i have for a piece but i had to post it cause deadline!!!! i was sleep deprived for most of the month trying to finish things!!!!

granted, if i just stuck with simple line drawings i probably could have been fine. but what's the point of purposely making quick and mediocre art????? i'm supposed to be inspired to create nice pieces so why would i purposely lower my standard just to finish a piece on time??????

the daily turnaround was a terrible grind and left me posting art i wasn't really super satisfied with or scrapping wips i wouldn't finish in time in favor of simpler pieces.

would i do it again?

hell no.

don't get me wrong. love the prompts! love that it encourages me to think differently and try different things. but i don't need to be pumping out art every day to get that benefit. i think a weekly challenge may be more up my alley. or something where i'm not drawing new pieces and immediately posting them every single fucking day. idk. anything but the daily grind for 31 consecutive days jfc.

final thoughts:

i understand there's a reason the original inktober was specifically for traditional artists working in ink. its easier to not get lost in the details and coloring when just using ink compared to digital art where things don't feel finished unless you render it out or clean it up.

i understand the original inktober was really meant for people feeling blocked and unmotivated. if you already are drawing everyday, this challenge can feel like a chore bc you won't be able to work on the wips you actually want to bc you're too busy working on your drawtober pieces. i have like 15 wips that i wasn't able to touch because of drawtober.

i think this challenge has a place for certain artists, but it's just not for me. at least not at this stage in my life.

anyway, if you read all that thanks and may blessings fall upon ye. lmk if you have any thoughts about my thoughts.

[inklessletter]

Hi there! It's Vane (or Bane) speaking, thank you for coming by. I'm in my thirties, I'm from Spain (English is not my native language, so if you see something odd, you know the reason now), I've got the laziest dog in the world and I'm currently hyperfixating on Stranger Things, especifically on steddie, so most of my posts will be about that, even though the original intention was it to be more generic. Joke's on me. I should just cut the crap and just use an ST icon, I'm not fooling anyone, I'm in love now.

I've been drawing since I was a little girl, but I've had some sort of traumatic experiences showing my stuff online lately, and I'm trying to make peace with that, so I made this blog with the intention to actually be bolder and share the few things I do. I expected it to be more drawings than fics, but I guess I keep surprising myself, so, yeah, I'll embrace the change. I've realized that writing fics is healing my soul in ways I've not expecting, so, you know, I'm kind of my own target audience, but if you like what I do, feel free to comment or share my posts, or to engage in a converstion about common interests, my asks are always open. I'm always happy to meet new people and I'm glad to interact with anyone.

Above all, this blog is a hate free space. We are all here to have fun and respect each other, so, if by any chance there's someone who doesn't like what is posted here, I politely invite them to just leave. Keep the hate away, please and thank you.

Also, I must say that I'm not aiming to post +18 stuff, but I am also not aiming to stop reblogging things for adult if I feel like it, so, you must be warned about this. This means, that at some point I could post NSFW, always specifically writing down a warning, even in the masterlist. By the way, I must ask minors to not interact if in such posts or else you will be immediately blocked. This goes for blank accounts and accounts that might be suspiscious to me, too.

I feel the need to please ask people to NOT post my pictures as their own (reblogging the post is always welcome, but reposting is NOT), and if you want to use any of my drawings, please ask for permission first to know how to use it correctly. Respect the artist, please.

That being said, I'm going to proceed to make a MASTERLIST of my posts (I'm fascinated with all the talent in this site, I keep reblogging amazing things and then I'm having trouble finding my own stuff). Most of my works are on AO3 so, please, read the tags there if you want!

Fanfics

Faith, should I take a leap? [oneshot - steddie]

Back when I was living (for the hope of it all) [oneshot - steddie]

I think I've seen this film before (and I didn't like the ending) [oneshot - light ronance]

Is it chill that you're in my head ('cause I know that is delicate) [oneshot - steddie]

Laughing on a park bench thinking to myself (hey, isn't this easy?) [oneshot - steddie]

It's a love story (baby, just say yes) [chapter 4/6 - steddie] ONGOING

You drew stars (around my scars) [oneshot - mike w. & steve h.] Bonus scene!

All I can say is it was enchanting (to meet you) [oneshot - steddie]

Fanarts

Steve Harrington B&W [digital art - FINAL]

Steve Harrington B&W [digital art - WIP]

Eddie Munson B&W [digital art - WIP]

Robin Buckley [digital art - WIP]

Steve Harrington Scoops Ahoy! [digital art - FINAL]

Steve Harrington Scoops Ahoy! [digital art - WIP + LINEART]

You're dangerous, Harrington [lineart color final]

It was very metal, what you did. That's all I'm saying [digital art]

Are you real? [sneak peak lineart grayscale final]

I'm not sure if you're mine, or if I'm yours [sneak peak lineart grayscale final]

Harder, Munson [sneak peak lineart final]

Is this shit recording yet? [digital art - FINAL]

I will keep updating this list. Thank you very much, and I hope you have a great day!

(By the way, if you haven't guessed yet, yes, I'm a swiftie, too).

Love,

Vane

[kart0]

Today was not a good day and my mood is terrible and I have no money and I am barely surviving

I have been planning on opening commissions because I really, really need money. All I have, literally, is $0,053. I am not joking. I have R$0,29 ( my currency ). That's all I have on my bank account. and I refuse to use credit bc I know myself and I don't want to owe money. I'm already owing $40 to my mom, bc I had to prepare for a con, which ended up being very bad and I made no profit whatsoever. I borrowed $100 from her and all money I got, I used to pay her back. And I still haven't paid it all.

And I am. Desperate. I have to buy clothes ( haven't gotten new clothes since 2019 ) and I need new shoes ( I always ask for shoes on my birthday, bc I don't have money to get new ones by myself so I use my birthday as an excuse ) and I plan to save money to buy a new computer. I have a notebook that doesn't work, takes around 3 hours. THREE. FUCKING HOURS. to turn on and work properly. I've been meaning to switch to drawing on a pc because my ipad can only do so much ( and it does a lot, I love it, but it doesn't have a lot of options. I can't get clip paint studio on my ipad cuz it's a subscription and it is expensive. I have clip paint on my notebook tho, but it just doesn't work cuz it's too heavy, and I like working on big canvas )

Last year I was looking for a display drawing tablet ( I bought myself a Wacom intuos in 2017, but I couldn't adapt. I am not very coordinated. At that time i would prefer to draw traditionally, and if digital, on my phone with my FINGER. ) and my dad ended up gifting me one that I really loved ! I had been looking for good and cheap alternatives to wacoms, and I was so dedicated into finding one that I'd be able to afford and he ended up gifting me one !!!! I was over the moon !!!! It was pricey, so I got it as a birthday, and Christmas gift combined. My birthday is in August btw so it was toooootally fine. I don't usually get any Christmas gifts anyways. At least not expensive ones, I usually ask for underwear, or socks, or pajamas. Things I need.

I opened the display tablet and then it dawned on me. My notebook suuuuuuuucks. It will be such a hassle to work and just inconvenient. Why would I spend 3 hours turning it on when my ipad it's already there.

Ugh I am sorry I am getting so out of track, I just. I need to explain why, this matters so much to me.

The actual upsetting thing:

I will open comms, and I have been struggling to price my art because. I don't want to fail, and not get any customers cuz it's too expensive. But I can't work for free, lately I've been spending at least 2 hours on every bust I've drawn. And I know it's not the cleanest or sharpest artstyle out there. I keep doubting myself that no one is interested in my art, in me. I have some followers on Twitter, which is my main source of clients. But I barely get any interactions. If my art can barely get any comments or likes or fucking views, then most likely no one will see my commission post, and no one will buy one.

And to make things worse, I have a mutual who is super nice I really like her I think she's awesome and she has great art but she just announced she's planning to open comms too, soon. And I feel so fucking stupid. Everyone was commenting on that post saying "I can't wait" "ohhhh this will be good" "this is so exciting I will definitely comm you" and I got. Nothing.

It's my own fault. I'm the only one to blame. I don't interact a lot. I'm not a part of the community there. I don't have friends there. Even though I have double her followers, I don't have their trust, or their empathy. Maybe I'm just that unlikable. I'm not worth it.

And I feel like I could've done something about it. If I had been braver and posted my comms sheet sooner, before her post. If I tried harder to make friends there. If I posted more art. If I. If I just.

I don't know what to do, and I feel terrible about these thoughts. She deserves it ! She deserves more than I do. She's nicer and I'm just me. A prickly, bored, unfazed, egocentric narcissist who can only cry about themself. I feel such shame, and guilt, but I can't help it. I am a naturally envious, jealous, and putrid shell of a person.

I've been trying to be nicer but I don't have the energy to talk to them, and I feel too awkward. I feel so fucking lonely all the time and I need validation. I seek for love. I want to be seen and loved and cherished. I want them to look at me but I don't do my part. All I'm good is my art, and it's not even that fucking good. My worth is my posts. Gosh, I feel so stupid.

Why am I like this ?

I feel angry to myself that I can't be normal. I don't make friends I don't talk to anyone I don't make connections.

I don't post a lot and I am not that active.

The worst thing even is that I don't even have a job.

I don't want to charge too much, I don't want to get paid too little. I don't want to burn out and not be able to get more comms. I don't want to not get any comms at all.

This other artist is in the same fandom as I am ( haikyuu ) so we basically have the same clients. If I charge too high, they will compare our prices and choose hers. "Her art is better" "her art is worth more" "at least she will offer full bodies, when you only will offer headshots"

They will choose her, and I don't know what to do. I know we're in a crisis, economy is in shambles, and people just can't afford to support both artists. I know that ! I know that and I can't change my pricing because it's already cheap, for me. People always say to charge more but most people just don't want me. And my commissions always tend to look like shit because I am too afraid to upset people. I need to prove they did the right choice by commissioning me. I need them to know I did my best. I want them to be happy. But all I feel is that I'm failing !

I'm failing at everything, look where I am !

I DONT EVEN HAVE A FUCKING DOLLAR. I DONT HAVE 1 DOLLAR. One fucking dollar.

And I feel like I'm going crazy. How could I not ? I don't have a job, I will never get a job, I am barely surviving at college, I have no plans for the future, I am neurodivergent and no one will hire me, I don't work well with other people I am not friendly. I'm just.

I'm bad at being a person.

I don't know what to do. Yes I will be opening comms. And I'm considering lowering my prices. I don't blame this artist at all. It's not her fault, and I know that.

And I don't wish her any harm. I just. I feel envy. Why am I not her.

Why am I so bad at this ?

[silentwillowwhisperer]

I'm finally doing it.

Hi! Ummm... I'm pretty sure you've noticed the fact that I haven't posted the tattoo parlor thing for the past 2 weekends, but Imma do it now.

HUGE thanks to @multi-fandom-collection for their ideas!!! I'm gonna be using a few. (Some will come later though.)

I'm currently sketching out a tattoo for Lance, and I'll either do watercolor accents or just do the whole thing digitally.

By the way, here's a fun fact about me! I'd like to be a tattoo artist at some point. I have a mini-fantasy of opening a tattoo parlor that connects to a flower shop.

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

Keith spent the next half hour asking Lance basic questions about why he wanted the tattoo, and what he had in mind.

As the other man spoke, Keith found himself drawn into his bubbly personality. Sure, he came off as rude and a bit cocky, but he could tell that Lance was a naturally friendly person.

Keith still ignored the various pick up lines hurled at him, though.

Apparently Lance had been wanting to do this for a while, and his friends had taken matters into their own hands. They placed a bet with him that they knew he would lose, but everyone knows that Lance can't back down from a bet.

As Lance mentioned something about getting his ears pierced, and Keith found himself imagining Lance like that. Hiding his blush, he made a mental note to ask Shiro about that. He was fine sticking needles in people, but it freaks him out to see it come out the other side. Whenever he gets a new piercing, he has to ask Shiro to get rid of the mirror. If he can't see what's happening, then he doesn't mind the pain too much.

Keith is derailed from his train of thought when he realizes that Lance is holding a phone in his face.

As he takes the device, he takes note of the Forget Me Nots and blue Hydrangeas dotting his phone case.

The image Lance is showing him is one of Keith's own designs. Its a purpleish-gray dagger surrounded by roses.

Shut up, Keith's allowed to be cliché sometimes.

"I noticed that you put a lot of flowers into your art. Could we maybe do something with that? I was thinking about going for a blue theme. I don't really mind what flowers you choose. And could we replace the dagger with a lion?"

Keith smiles. All his last client told him was that she wanted something 'aesthetic.' That's it. It makes Keith's job a whole lot easier when people actually know what they want tattooed onto their body for the rest of their damn life.

He grabs the nearest sketchbook and doodles a rough design of a lion.

"Like this?"

Lance nods excitedly. "Yes! Thank you! This is awesome."

It's so sincere that Keith decides to give Lance another shot. He holds out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Keith, and right now is gonna officially be our first time meeting. I have had no crappy first impressions of you, and as far as I know, you have no association to Allura."

Lance grins and returns the handshake. "Oh, thank goodness. I was honestly worried that you were gonna hate my guts for the rest of time. And my name is Lance. It's nice to meet you, Keith."

The both laugh for a second before Lance glances at the clock.

"Oh crap! I'm late to help Hunk out with his baking! See ya, Keith!"

Keith chuckles as he watches Lance race to his car through the window.

Thank goodness not all cute boys are jerks.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[asterhaze]

If you get this, answer w three random facts about yourself and send it to the last seven blogs in your notifs! Anon or not, doesn’t matter, let’s get to know the person behind the blog :)

Thank you for the ask! I have enjoyed talking about myself a little bit lately.

Serious: I also art! Though I haven't posted any of my newer stuff online because my tablet broke and some of my traditional work is stuff I want to eventually draw digitally and hopefully sell. I'm terrified of AI taking away my dream of being a super cool artist writer dream before I even have a chance. So yeah.

Silly Fact: I have a horrible phobia of mascots. It inspired a comic idea that I will probably end up writing about evil mascots that try to take over the world and cause the apocalypse. It's a pretty serious phobia that councilors and therapists have tried to help me with but nothing has worked because I've refused exposure therapy. There are some masks that trigger this phobia, but honestly it's mostly helmets!

Random: I only started writing seriously last October, and the amount of progress I have made this year shocks even myself. This is hard for me, but here is an example of my writing from last October versus something I wrote a few weeks ago.

October:

Glen stood beneath the willow tree in a small graveyard. He stated down at two small graves whose names had been worn away by time. But he knew them well and kept them close to his heart.

"Maria. My love. I miss you dearly, even still to this day." Glen began, going down on one knee to brush his hands across the grass. "I wish I was there with you. Wherever you are and whatever is beyind this life. I wish we could sit beneath our willow tree and I could tell you how much I love you again."

Last week - a longer piece that may or may not make it into a final draft-

“Now your suit really will be ruined. Your socks too.” But I have the money now to buy new clothes. Who cares, Maria, about suits and pants and socks and shoes? Who cares about arranged weddings? Who cares about any of that when you’re dead, dead, dead and I’m here, here, here? I’m still here, here, here… He reached out, brushing his fingertips along the front of the tombstone, weathered smooth by time. Faintly he could see the first letter of her first and last name but the rest was worn away. He traced the letters, very gently, before pulling his hand away and putting it back in his lap. Willow had cried and cried so many times sitting here before Maria’s grave. Mourning her, missing her, wishing desperately that she would come back to him and forgive him for everything and being left with only memories. The tears had dried decades ago, but the longing in his chest and the aching in his soul still remained. Now he just stared, his eyes glossed over, his lips moving without a voice as he spoke in his imaginary world where Maria was fussing at him for this, that, or the other. He knew he was crazy, or ill, or pretending, or at least that whatever he was doing was wrong but it made him feel better. Talking there, remembering things, it made him feel complete despite reminding him otherwise and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was that people left him alone at the graveyard, let him spend however long he wanted there, or maybe it was because he was close to her again. Eventually, when a headache was starting to form across his temple, he imagined Maria turning to him and smiling. Still wearing that horrible dress that flattered only her body, sickly yellow. Maria fluffed her skirt, slapping it when she was done, before turning to walk away. Won’t you take me with you this time? Can’t we go together? I’m tired of living without you, Maria. Maria looked over her shoulder, a sad look over her sunshine eyes, as she sighed and turned away. “You’re too good.” And with that, he imagined her walking away and fading from his vision in a great glowing light that blinded him until he closed his eyes so tightly shut he prayed he would never be able to open them again. Anything else he would see would just tarnish it. Tarnish his memory of her, but eventually he did open his eyes, and there was all that was left of her before him. Faded, worn, and nearly falling apart. Here Lies M….M…. Loved Forever.

Tagging: @mthollowell-writes @rainisawriter @doublegoblin @gummybugg @veetvoojagigthemagnificent

[amserpand]

hey tumblr. i never really left. but i stopped making art for a while, and then I started again. and then some traumatic bullshit happened. i had to move and i guess i'm starting over. i'm finally starting to heal from it i think. i'm picking myself up. getting to know the shape of myself all over again. i haven't been doing much illustration lately, and only today opened any digital art, but, in the meantime, i have a lot of other little projects and practices i've been picking up. i'd like to start posting again.

it's been a hellish few months, and while i'm picking up some work, i dont have ongoing employment yet and now would be a great time to buy me a kofi so i can catch up on payments. i'm also working on getting a shop going for my print work and assorted goods, so keep an eye out for that.

if we were friends ages ago, and fell out of touch, then i'd love to reconnect, however long ago it was. send me asks. get to know me. whoever you are, wherever you are.

please stick around.

[cheeriochat]

Hiii guys!!!! Um I'm just doing a quick life update to let you guys know what's happening in my life right now since I feel like I haven't posted anything substantial in awhile.

1. Had my first mocklaw trial! We lost the case (aka our team (prosecution) didn't get a guilty verdict) but we won the overall night (got more point than the other team) which was cool since a lot of us were beginners and we were facing off against a prestigious private school.

2. My mental health has been a bit iffy lately. Not horrible like it was last year but school isn't helping me feel any better. Not quite diagnosed OCD has been running rampant and been causing me some issues, but im trying to slowly break my patterns down so they are easier to manage. Anxiety has also been bad but hey, can't do much on that

3. This is very personal so I won't get into it but a family member is unwell right now so I've been focusing on that.

4. I haven't really been drawing traditionally much. I'm just about to switch over to a new sketchbook so all my old drawings need to be photographed and posted before I can do anything, and ive been working on some digital pieces (and a secret project) and they typically take longer for me to do. (Miss Brittany Broski and her podcast has been getting me though it so hopefully I'll be done once I glaze and nightshade stuff)

5. Just, haven't been motivated. I've got pretty bad fatigue at times due to low blood pressure and odd iron levels (as well as the mental health issues) so finding the energy to put into anything has been hard. I haven't been playing my favourite games lately due to no energy (got super burnt out from genshin, stop starting my son of sparda dmc5 playthrough, getting stuck in bg3, crying over ace attorney) and I haven't had the energy to really post anything.

I know I am not obligated to justify why I haven't been posting and I know this won't get much attention but I thought I would let those who care about my art and stuff know why I kind of just disappeared.

Don't worry, some dmc, elden ring (and a super secret project) stuff will be coming soon-ish. Hope you guys aren't too mad ^^'

Plus: my cat! Who has been an old shit but otherwise helpful <3