#I want to redraw the first one but I can’t get the pose right

[thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls]

I think I got gayer and thats why her design changed actually (oldest drawing on my phone versus the newest one I drew just now lmao)

[tryingtolearnartsob]

DAY DIDNT START OFF SO GOOD… 😔😔😔😔

—since I was already drawing from last time I thought I might as well continue into next day and do some figure prac and sIGH. watching the time lapse of my fix redraw honestly bothered me. it felt like I was better than…. and I don’t think how I adopted drawing the ribcage lately is something im a fan of. it’s just something I picked up and I don’t think I like it…

—anyways from that and seeing how my first figure prac wasn’t amazingggg well. it just got to me and then when I tried to draw in my second figure using the way I used to draw in ribcage and stuff it really wasn’t going in great and ahhhhb I was really started to feel depressed about my arts again and all sorts of sad 😭😭😭😭 but I persevered and yayyyy things picked up REALLY nicely in the third one……

—I was drawing from ref but got an idea for how pose could go and so changed it to the idea and oh mannnn it came out so nice ♥️ im so happy ♥️

—but yeah the other two just sucked so I gave up and mannnn it got me sad about my art. maybe drawing character art would cheer me up but idk man. I couldn’t just draw more stuff. I think it’s cuz I feel like I’ve regressed in my art which make me sooooo sad. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 it doesn’t help that I want to draw more nicely but am not at that stage and I just feel frustrated I guess and want to just be more good at art…. SIGH…….

—-oh well. we’ll see how things are a few hours from now. I think I just should just take break from art right now. I did want to focus on my writing lately but haven’t gotten to. maybe I should do that hmmm.

00.40

okay I did have a strong moment where I was really gonna give up on art and everything and then towards end of the day I realised how ridiculous that notion was, considering how I still partially was thinking about art and stuff and cuz I know myself and how many times I wanted to draw my stuff so I know I will be crawling back to art eventually. either I didn’t feel like drawing any more stuff today OR SO IT WAS…

—until I came across this animatir(?) Art of boru+his mom and I had the sudden urge to draw them together now and so I got my iPad to satisfy this bizarre urge and… end up doing some more figure pracs.

—okay tbf, the figure pracs were… already there when I opened procreate and so I just got down to doing it. had realisation I just like.:..? doing these kind of poses () and also man legs are hard and I think I forgot how pelvis looks like and where they are placed and man im terrible at stuff where pelvis justs out… and also at angles where rib is more angled or whatever…? I have struggled with that

—also lol at one point I gave up properly doing these and turned really into more scribble-ly fun… also I was trying to shrug off these being serious stuff and just have fun drawing…. I think I needed that

—I got bored then… and went off to draw the boru+mom idea I had… I didn’t really have an actual idea tbh….. but then I realised I probs should get in some face pracs since I haven’t really drawn hina… and uhhhh yeah it’s been a hot while since I drawn boru and I have been thinking of prev art that made me feel sad when I think of it cuz I feel like my art has not been as good at drawing faces and so I thought to go back to prev brushes but before that in the naru folder I saw some gaa+love face doodles and these weren’t bad….?! anyways after one hard brush face doodle that wasn’t bad (but man do I need to practice drawing shoulders/bust up shots. I went to this other brush that I can’t spell…. And THIS IS WHERR THE MAGIC HAPPENED!!!!!! YES THIS WAS IT!!!!!!!!!

—and well of course not all the drawings were good…. and ahhhhh yeah I need to practice on side

—I wanted to do some skkr practice as you know what happened……yesterday…. I wasn’t gonna do it since it seemed a pain to switch to my ss folder but I just did it. And at this point the better in my pen was fighting for its life so I was quickly trying to get it down and hello??!??? while this is still not reaching the idea way I want to draw her. ITS SO MUCHHHHH BETTERER THAN PREF ATTEMPTS….. IM SO HAPPY…… also I think issue might be her longer narrow face…..? but I am very very pleasantly pleased at how she turned out overall. So happy. These day really turned around in the best way ever and im very happy heh.

[vargaslovinghours]

Half a dozen in one (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5)

Oh no the Apotheosis is back and it wants to play, that’s never a good thing

Scriabin is not into it

I wanted to draw King Scriabin but I goofed up the crown so bad lol, at least his face is cute ✨

Pokemon Vargases! From that time that I forgot how to draw their Pokemon versions lol. You have to approach Espeon!Edgar gently, he’s easily spooked

Sylveon!Scriabin is such an attention hog, poor Edgar haha

*puts my feelers around you condescendingly*

Sleeping on each other, always ♥ Even sleeping, they’re still intertwined lightly, Edgar’s hand on Scriabin’s shoulder and Scriabin’s on Edgar’s arm ♪

I had an idea about Scriabin “reading” Edgar’s mind by guessing how he feels about something, but I unfortunately forgot the specifics just as I was writing it down, so frustrating

I do remember that it was something a lot closer to how Scriabin felt about that thing and he was describing how he felt, not just Edgar, but he realized too late

Made him feel isolated :(

Apology hugs 💕

Who wrote this eviction notice, this is a cave?? I just think they turned out really cute here haha ♪

Stop being naked >:0

Don’t wanna get used to it >:(

After all the Father and Daddy puns, I had to lol. Lady!Edgar with her hair down is just so prettyyyyyy

Two mops, makin’ out

For whatever reason, I started a teeny tiny little ScriAnimal series - first up is Scriabat with hand-wings because lol

I was watching a video of someone with their bird who was munching on the inside of their glasses stem haha

Scriabird is here to scream and knock things off the counters

And cutely chew on things

We are stopping this sketchdump for a Jake appreciation minute ♥ Thank you for appreciating Jake, now back to our regularly scheduled programming

A quick and silly digital doodle - waxing via tape is not recommended

Got the urge to draw dragons again, Scriabin needs to settle and Edgar is in protecc mode. His hugs are even harder to escape than normal!

The original sketch for sleepy Edgar - I couldn’t decide whether to use “World’s #1 Dad” or “World’s Best Dad”, so I just used both for the final version lol. Did Todd give it to him? Did Scriabin? Did they both get him nearly-matching mugs??

One of the early drafts for the ‘17 redraw; this was actually all drawn on one layer (on purpose! lol), which was a really fun experiment with some brushes I rarely use. I liked the angle of Edgar’s face too, he looks so smug haha ♪

Tiny Edgar doodle for a quick reference, he’s so cute ♥

I wasn’t kidding when I said it took a while to get Alone Together right, I was this close to giving up and just doing it the easy way several times before finally getting the trick down - I’m glad I didn’t but sheesh!

I started a pretty long mini idea that I managed to get like 90% of the way through before deciding I didn’t like it lol, but there were still some really fun poses and expressions

“What is it?” Light concern Edgar ♥

Probably the most complex panel of the set, as much as I like the leg poses I’m also frustrated by them lol - didn’t help that my page smudged >:P

A little bit of expression practice, the cute thing is Scriabin

I heard it, we all heard it, everybody saw!

Couple’a Scriabins to practice hair differences. I’ve gotten used to making him simultaneously fluffy and sleek like on the left, but I really love a True Floof look too, with many more starts and stops, it’s really fun ♪

Uppies!

Oscillates between “Why” and “You can’t tell me what to do”

Brain baby Weirdly enough, this was actually inspired by a skin-horror idea I had but decided was a little too body-horror-y and so I repurposed it lol

Some goofy matryoshka dolls haha. They remind me of Near’s finger puppets from Death Note somehow hmm

More hair differences, using opposing methods of line directionality while shading and texturing Scriabin’s hair. Pushing up from under gives this really nice line weight; it’s harder to do consistently because I keep wanting to sweep down, but when it works, the shadows fall exactly where they should and it’s lovely ✨ And like I said, pulling down is a lot easier, and because of that I can get these really uniform lines - I prefer the tapered effect, but pulling definitely has its uses and-

Hey wait a minute-

Golden floof ✨ This is actually really hard to see IRL lol

Edgar Warmup to see if my tablet was working properly, didn’t have time to pull up refs so from memory it is!

And that’s February through May again! Lots of silly little things, and a surprising number of scrapped larger ideas hmmm

[rwby-necro-au-archive]

Ozpin week day 3: Childhood/Mistakes

——————————————————————————

Glynda: who are you?

Ozzy: ah! Sorry! Wasn’t trying to do anything wrong, I just accidentally slipped on some ice…..

Glynda: I asked who you are, not why you were here.

Ozzy: oh….uh. My name is Ozpin

Glynda: Glynda goodchurch.

Ozzy: nice name

Glynda: thanks….I don’t really like the last name though…..anyways, I shouldn’t really be out here.

Ozzy: why not?

Glynda: mom and dad don’t like me talking to street kids…

Ozzy: they the one’s who gave you that nasty scar too?

Glynda: . . . Yeah…

Ozzy: they sound like real pieces of shit.

Glynda: *snickers* you’re funny, a lot funnier than the other rich kids.

Ozzy: *poses dramatically* why thank you!

Glynda: you know, I don’t mind getting in trouble a little bit if it means we can be friends. I-if that’s ok….

Ozzy: sure! You wanna go run around the city?

Glynda: I can’t run from home….mom and dad will find out….

Ozzy: well I can bring you back before morning and we can do this every night, a chance for you to do what you want. Not what those rich fuckers want.

Glynda: …that sounds nice

Ozzy: great! Here, I’ll show you how to climb the fence!

Glynda: by the way…..I’m sorry for bringing up my parents, I’m just—

Ozzy: —scared of them, I get it. My parents aren’t super great people either. But hey! It’s alright, you’ve got a friend now, right?

Glynda: yeah!

——————————————————————————

This is a redraw of a drawing I made a while ago! And I’m really happy with this version of it.

Anyways, this is when N! Oz and N! Glynda first met!

[project-rosewood]

Picking things back up

Whew. 2019 ended up being a busy year and 2020 threw yet more curveballs my way.

I’m working on Project Rosewood again, but I can’t promise regular blog updates at the moment. I’ve done some light on and off work over the past 1.5 years, but I won’t lie; I didn’t get super far. As a result, I cannot yet predict when I will be able to put out a demo, never mind a full release. I am hoping to increase development pace, though. Fingers crossed it works out!

One of the things that is definitely slowing me down compared to other game projects I have worked on is my desire to make the game look as good as I can manage, which means it’s not even remotely as quick and easy to develop as Lavender was. (I ended up redrawing Lucille’s dialogue art, for example, and am drawing multiple poses per character instead of just sticking a different facial expression on the same art.) The upside, however, is that my investment in this project is strong enough to pull me back into working on it after a break, even if life gets in the way or I admittedly get distracted by other hobbies of mine sometimes. This has not at all been the case with most of my previous game projects.

At the moment, I am working on the introduction area and first big area of the game. The plan is one (short) introduction area, three main game areas and one late-game area. This might change for the full release, but I would have to restructure the game entirely if I go that route, so it is very unlikely. I’ve also been drawing portraits for another major character, whom I might show a sneak peek of once the first main game area is done. In other words, stay tuned!

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around and is still interested in this game. It means a lot to me!

Also, for those interested, surgery-related updates are below the cut. (No gory details, for those worried.)

My surgery in 2019 went well, though not without delay. There was a surgery scheduled before mine that ended up taking way longer than expected, meaning that because my surgery was seen as non-emergency, it got postponed to about a month later. This was frustrating as it meant I would have to deal with the stress and preparations to get to the hospital all over again. Since said hospital is a 2 hour drive from my home in a big busy city, travelling there was not easy for me. (The country I live in is pretty small, but it’s jam-packed with inhabited areas and not always easy to navigate because of that.) In the end, the surgery itself went smoothly and there were no complications. There were some physical actions I wasn’t allowed to do for months and I still have some slight after-effects that I’m dealing with, but none of it is serious and I’m basically back to normal health.

I might get some follow-up surgery for cosmetic reasons, but that is unlikely to throw me out of the loop completely like this one has. This is for a later time, however, as I do not want to take resources that are best allocated to the pandemic right now.

[munettieart]

Processing a panel

As I’m in no way a professional comic artist, I still want to share some of my process in drawing a panel. Maybe in the future I’ll change my way of working but for now it works for me. 

So whenever I finished designing the page layout, I’ll usually sketch the most crappiest storyboard you’ll ever see and place the speechbubbles. Getting the speechbubbles in right place is important as they take a lot of space. So it’s not about getting the details right but moreso the right idea, setting and character traits for the dialogue.

My first storyboard, contained a dissapointed Damiane and Elena having some attitude towards Damiane. 

At first it was fitting with the dialogue because the original dialogue contained:

Damiane: Then stop doing charity work. 

Elena: Can’t do. That’s basically the purpose of my existence.

The reason why I changed the dialogue and also the composition/storyboard of the panel was because of their dynamic in the previous pages. The story I wrote before starting this comic is the guideline but within the process of the pages, I’m willing to change the dialogue into something else because I think it fits more natural within the panel or character.

So I changed it into this: 

The main reason I changed this panel is because I wanted them to be nicer to each other, while still having a bit of the original dialogue. 

I’ve also changed the composition because a composition where two characters are standing next to each other is less interesting than a composition with a different angle. 

Something to keep in mind is that after a few pages it’s becoming a bit boring if the characters are constantly having the same pose. So that’s also one of the reasons why I’ve changed their poses.

Last but not least: when making these changes, I always check if the panel still fits with the panel that comes before and the panel that comes afterwards. 

So when the set up is right I’ll focus on the anatomy. I’m going to be honest with you. I think I’ve used 10+ layers to get it in this condition. Each time I just redraw the pose with better adjustments. I usually check references such as Pinterest and the Morpho anatomy books to get the anatomy right. I know a lot of Webcomic artists use 3d-models that come with Clip Studio Paint and sometimes they’re great! But I always have the feeling the anatomy gets either stiff or just wonky when they are traced directly.

Clean up sketch. This is the process I always do when going towards the final lineart. I usually do this step in 3 or 4 times and when the most important details are right, I’ll start lining it. 

I also drew Elena quickly. As her pose is less difficult, I started later with  her. But since she’s at the foreground. She needed to be done before Damiane. And yes I draw the characters always seperate from eachother.

So this is why Elena needed to be finished first. She’ll cover Damiane mostly and I didn’t want to erase his pose because she’s infront of him. 

Because I could see how Elena was infront of Damiane, I could also resize him so that it fitted the composition better. 

And I was also lazy with his foot because I knew Elena was going to cover that part of his body. 

Fully colored. Also when colored drawing can change. So sometimes I need to adjust the final lineart. Which sucks. Especially when it comes to their faces. But this one came out alright. :P No face.

So now you have the two characters together. Last thing I’m going to add is the background. If the background is complexer, I’ll start with the background first and then add the characters. Sometimes I want to move the characters a bit (yay for drawing them seperately) and when I haven’t draw the background first. Well I get an ugly blank space I need to correct.

Since I knew the background was easy, I just drew it later. I always make a grid for the background to get the perspective right.

And done. In the end, I’ll just let it rest. Sometimes I’ll go back and edit minor details like the sizes of their eyes, color or background details. I’ve also completely removed panels and redrew them with a different angle (sigh). Really editors stuff. 

Fully page: 

Thank you for reading :-D!! 

[bevvydraws]

This is going to be my feelings/opinions towards all of the main characters in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. This is directly related to my interpretation of events in the series! If you disagree with my thoughts/feelings that’s totally cool but this isn’t meant to be a debate! 

A lot has been going on right now and I don’t have the energy to do much digital art right now, so I figured I’d just open up a little more about one of my favorite series! Maybe I’ll do my opinions on characters for the other games next. 

** This post will contain information that will spoil the series for you, so continue at your own risk**

Makoto Naegi:

Honestly I really like Makoto. He is really average but honestly I think that’s what makes him so appealing. Not only that, but he comes off with a type of charisma that only “average” people can pull off. He has a base knowledge on a variety of subjects that allows him to talk to the other students. That and I find the concept of his “luck” very interesting. Also, side note, but that sprite of him focusing with his finger under his chin is probably one of my most favorite DR sprites ever. It’s just so cute! (I might redraw it someday hehe) 

10/10 

Aoi Asahina: 

While I adore Hina, I really wish that they would have made her more than just a ditzy character who was obsessed with donuts in this game. I loved her energy though! Her interactions with everyone always made me smile. My appreciation for her character just increased exponentially after watching the Despair Arc of Danganronpa 3. All in all I’m super glad that her character survived in THH.

8/10

Byakuya Togami: 

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about Byakuya. I think he’s a great antagonistic character, truly, but beyond that I’m not sure. I definitely think that his character is humbled throughout the course of the game, and in later games/animes he seems a lot less asshole-ish, but I’m not sure if I like him or hate him. I guess that just goes to show just how great he is as an antagonist. One thing I thought was hilarious though was how he casually admitted to being a true-crime nerd. I’m really glad he survived because I think his “talent” was really important for the Future Foundation. 

6/10

Celestia Ludenberg: 

Okay so real talk, I used to be a huge Celestia fan when I first stumbled across the series. But now, I don’t really like her character all that much. I think that out of all of the killers in THH her motive was the most shallow and that really is terrible considering how much potential she had. Her disconnect with her true identity could have made for an interesting character arc. And I really hate how they gave her literally the most complicated murder scheme when it would make sense for her to take a little risk as possible. Her character design is really cute though. 

5/10

Chihiro Fujisaki:

I think Chihro’s death was one of the hardest for me in the game. I played through all of his freetime events and was super attached to him (I know, a horrible idea in a game like DR), and as soon as he died I was just in shock. One thing I love about how they portrayed his character was truly allowing the brilliance of Chihiro shine through even after his death. He created the AI that not only helped aid in their escape, but ultimately saved Makoto's life. I also really liked the juxtaposition of Chihiro and Mondo (the seemingly weaker one ultimately being stronger after all). All in all, Chihiro is a great character. 

10/10

Hifumi Yamada:

I’m not really a fan of Hifumi, but I definitely think he gets wayy too much hate or just gets overlooked completely. I think that the creators leaned a bit too far into the stereotypes for him, and that made him come off as stiff and just… there. I knew from the very beginning that he wouldn’t survive, and honestly he’s the only character I had that feeling with (minus Leon). There are some quirks about him that I like, though, like how he never fails to refer to the others politely.

4/10

Kiyotaka Ishimaru:

So I originally found Taka annoying but after playing THH again he became one of my favorite characters. I find his enthusiasm adorable and his free time events boosted my admiration of him. He’s the only Ultimate that makes a conscious effort to prove himself and not rely on his prodigy-type status. And his relationship with Mondo, albeit short-lived, was so pure. It was so obvious to me that he was happy to have a friend (because Mondo is the first friend he’s ever had), and having that suddenly ripped away and listening to his desperation at the end of chapter 2 made me sob. 

10/10

Kyoko Kirigiri: 

Kiri’s background made me feel really sad for her. I first thought she was just the aloof, cold, smart type that was a bit snobbish. But then you realize that she’s been raised to not be in the spotlight, to work alone and without credit behind the scenes. Detective work is basically her birthright and she’s clung to that like a vice. Her character development throughout the game was really nice, and I think her and Makoto are super cute for each other. The side plot with her and her dad in DR3 made me really sad, too. I really liked overall that she was unapologetically holding true to her beliefs, even if it made her come off as cold. She was a solid, strong female character. 

8/10

Leon Kuwata:

It was super obvious from the beginning that Leon was gonna die. There was 0 attachment to his character for me and he just came off as just...kinda there. I don’t really have much to say about him, other than that I’m not a fan.

1/10

Mondo Owada: 

Mondo was such a big sweetheart in his freetime events. I thought his character was really well rounded and I was so sad that he ended up killing Chihiro. Despite that, I thought it worked really well for the story and played off of both of their weaknesses. Again I really loved his friendship with Taka, and having it formed and ended so quickly surprisingly hurt. 

8/10

Sakura Oogami: 

Honestly I didn’t like how they made her character the spy, because it seemed ridiculously out of character for her. Honestly I think this would be something better suited to Celeste, as she would view it as a way to increase her chances of living if she’s in “kahoots” with him. I dunno, I think the spy thing was unnecessary anyways. I loved her character though and her friendship with Hina was super cute. I also loved how they mentioned that she wanted to embrace her femininity while also not wanting to give up being the strongest person in the world. 

7/10 

Sayaka Maizono: 

Honestly even though I’m not the biggest fan of Sayaka I really like the role she played at the beginning and I think they played it off perfectly. Her desperation fueled by the fear and harsh reality that comes along show business and easily being forgotten really works in the narrative. She seemed like a well-rounded character but I think that if she had lasted past chapter 1 I would have liked her less. All in all her character did a great job of kicking off everything. 

6/10

 Toko Fukawa: 

I hate how they portrayed her character in THH, but her obsessive and odd behavior (outside of her split personality) is easily explained by her traumatic past. She obviously has a warped sense of what “love” is, and that plus her intense delusions turned into obsession for Byakuya. I started loving her character a lot more in UDG, when she started becoming more well rounded and open around Komaru. 

Also, I loved Genocider Syo’s personality. While I obviously don’t condone serial murders, I think that her character is extremely interesting. She doesn’t try and condone her own actions, admitting there is no rhyme or reason. Plus I think it’s really interesting that she considers herself a “professional” and is incredibly particular about the details. 

Overall 6/10 in THH

Yasuhiro Hagakure: 

I feel like Hiro gets a lot of shit as a character because they think he doesn’t contribute anything. I think he adds a lot of much-needed comic relief. Also I think that everyone glosses over the fact that once Taka goes silent he actually tries to encourage him to speak up again. And then tries to do his part and keep everyone together and upbeat. I really think that Hiro is a fun character who deserves more love, even though I can’t say he’s one of my favorites. 

7/10

Mukuro Ikusaba:

I wish Mukuro’s personality would have been able to actually show through in the game. The only glimpse we really see of it is in the bonus school mode while she is still posing as Junko. I wish in the anime they’d have harped less on her odd obsession with Junko and focused more on her internal struggle. I think her character has potential but I can’t say I was particularly attached to her (I suppose that was kind of the point, though). 

4/10

Junko Enoshima: 

Junko is probably one of the most well-written villains I have ever seen in a series. At first I thought it didn’t make sense, and was confused how one person could have so much influence on a mass amount of people. Then it was revealed in later installments that Ultimate Fashionista was not her real talent, just a cover she forged for herself to help her blend in to the school. Her real ultimate talent as the Ultimate Analyst allowed her to predict people’s actions and more importantly, their reactions. Her innate ability and incurable boredom made her seek out something unpredictable: despair and chaos. I think what made me love her as a villain was the line “You can’t argue with me, because there's no reason for anything that I do.” 

As a villain I give her 15/10. If I were to rank her as a person? -11037/10

Overall Opinion: 

I really find most of the characters charming but it’s super obvious when comparing this game to the others that these characters were not as fleshed out as characters in other games. I found it hard to be super attached to most of them and felt that some of their actions were really uncharacteristic. However I really do like the characters and what they add to the story, even if some of it doesn’t add up completely. I’m the least attached to these characters out of all of the characters in the DR series, although there are obviously some exceptions. I think there couldn’t have been a better opening cast of characters.

[masterfuldoodler]

Here's for all my artist followers/mutuals. Some positivity and tips on art, even if you already know some of this here's your reminder so you don't forget, cuz this is important. ;)

• Be ambitious but don't expect perfection.

It is okay to sit down with a great picture in mind, or a brilliant idea. Go ahead and draw it. But don't get upset with yourself if it doesn't turn out exactly how you wanted. It's a hard thing to learn but your mistakes truly do teach you. Very rarely do you get things right first try. First you have to learn what you can't do before you realize what you can. And that can be different for different people. Some might trip over the same thing many times while others don't and that's just something about being different people and having different art.

I believe that there is no "perfect" art. There is always room to grow and more things to learn. So don't "expect" or "hold yourself" to a level of perfection if there is no such thing.

• Milestones.

Now, you can push yourself to a certain place. Set smaller milestones for yourself leading to the place you want to be. More like steppingstones through art. Start smaller and at the level you are, there's no shame in that. Stretch yourself slowly and more gentle and you'll have a better time, emotionally and in your actual art.

Set a milestone for starting, set a milestone for drawing half bodies, set a milestone for full body, a milestone for hands, a milestone for profiles. And each one of these doesn't mean perfection or exactly to your liking, but actually trying to do it and making the effort. And when you reach the point when you're ready to try hands, just draw a bunch of hands, let a lot of the pictures you have, have hands in it. But don't feel like that's all you have to draw too.

• References.

There seems to be this thing that if you can't draw without a reference you're not making real art. That the only valid art is reference free. BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE. It is very not true. Art IS an expression of your surroundings, you are allowed to use your surroundings or pictures of them to help you. So don't feel bad. Look up the shirt you want to draw. Look up a picture of the pose, look up the hand in that position, it's valid and fair.

• Consume art.

Now I don't mean literally go eat art but I'm pretty sure you got that. I mean look at art, study it, look up different artists. You know how when you're learning a new language it helps to hear natives speaking it, even if you don't know those words they're saying right then? You're in all it, it's being spoken around you and you can hear the accent and you get a better grip on it. Art is the same way. You get to see the other artists work, see how they tackle the kinds of things you're doing, and how they created stuff. So not only are you making things, but you get to see all the amazing things other people have. And it can inspire you. Be in art and it will help because! Onto this next point-

• Art Study.

Study the art you like. Or study famous artists. If you see a piece you like don't just stop at "oo I like that!". Stop and actually look at it, take the time to realize why you like it. Look at how they drew their lines, look at how they colored it, look at the different shades they use and how they portrayed they light and shadows. Look at how they expressed what they did. How they drew the eyes, the nose, the mouth. Figure out how they conveyed what they did. And then apply it to your own art. It will help you grow in your skills. And it will also help you appreciate art more! So win win.

• Be diligent.

I know that everyone always says "practice art and you'll get better." And the thing is they're not wrong. It's only annoying and not useful when they don't say anything else. The reason practice is so useful is because when you are practicing you're doing it everyday consistently. Practice drawing the shape of the head, the hand, folds of fabric. But don't just redraw the same thing! Try drawing the hand in a different pose, or the folds falling in a different way, or the head at a different angle. That is practicing, that is stretching your skill.

But a very important thing though. You do not need to be practicing everytime you draw. And you do not need to practice everyday. You are definitely allowed to draw something just as a doodle for fun, and you're allowed to not draw that day, it's all fair. Don't ever push yourself to learn and grow so much so that it becomes a task and not something you are doing because you want to. If you push it that far you'll loose the fun and love you had for it and you'll never feel the enjoyment of it, it'll just be something you can't get right.

• Draw what you want.

I can guarantee you that if you draw what you actually want to draw you will have much more drive and motivation to finish it. If you draw it just for the sake of doing it you might not ever draw it, or finish it, or be proud of your accomplishments. Draw the things that you think of and want, the ideas you have, the stuff you love, and you'll have much more success.

• Don't worry about your style.

You might look around you at other artists who have their own style, nice and polished, and then look at your own that's changing all the time and doesn't seem to be consistent. You want to have your style ™. Don't worry about your style! Your style comes with you through your art journey, and if you try to get a style right out you'll actually hinder yourself. While styles can help you express things differently or quickly, they can also stop you from progressing. You'll be stuck drawing in the "style" and won't be free to shake things up and broaden your skill. You'll find your quirks and art style as you learn how to draw, and how you want to draw.

• Have fun.

Enjoy the drawing while you're doing it! Have fun! Drawing is a joy not a chore.

If you ever feel like it's becoming burdensome or difficult and you're just not having a good time anymore stop. Set back. Relax. Do something else for awhile. And come back to it later, maybe even a different day. You don't have to finish every piece when you start it. So just enjoy drawing while you are and stop if you're not! Having fun is more important.

Thank you for listening to me ramble, have a good day and enjoy it!

[comicteaparty]

Art Resources

Check out this plethora of art-related resources archived from Comic Tea Party’s Art Resources Channel!

RebelVampire

starting this channel off with @Kabocha 's site http://www.shooting-stars.org/ lots of fantastic brushes and materials to use for both photoshop and clip studio(edited)

https://inkarnate.com/ - a nifty site for creating maps. while there is a pro version, the free version still has a lot of features if you just need a map for personal use to reference for your stories.(edited)

https://bodykunposeoftheday.tumblr.com/ - lots of pose photos of the SH Figuarts Body-Kun figures. really great if you want to get some anatomy and pose practice in!(edited)

http://blog.studiominiboss.com/pixelart - if you're a fan of pixel art, this is a hugely great collection of tutorials by Pedro Medeiros. it's got everything from process explanations, animation tips, shading, and more.(edited)

http://terawell.net/terawell/ - Design Doll, a great 3d program solely focused on doll posing. learning to pose the dolls can be a bit of a learning curve, but it can be fantastic if you really need a specific pose reference.(edited)

http://www.yeoldemapmaker.com/ - another map making website. this one is a lot better for interiors, especially if what you want is to just understand the base layout of a room for reference.(edited)

https://www.textures.com/ - a good site for textures. you have to make an account to download them, unfortunately. however, theres tons upon tons of them. for comics they should be safe, but would recommend checking terms for other things.(edited)

Kabocha

Free Software: I have not personally tested all of these programs. Download at your own risk. indicates that I have used it. Pixia: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mighty/knight/index.html Artweaver: https://www.artweaver.de/en (has paid version) Medibang Paint: https://medibangpaint.com/en/ Krita: https://krita.org/en/ MyPaint: http://mypaint.org/ (Pressure does not work properly on Surface devices newer than the Surface 3) SmoothDraw: http://www.smoothdraw.com/sd Paint.Net: https://www.getpaint.net/ GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/ Pinta: https://pinta-project.com/pintaproject/pinta/ Inkscape: https://inkscape.org/en/

RebelVampire

https://nattosoup.blogspot.com/ - If you aren't familiar with Becca's blog yet, it's really great. while there is an emphasis on watercolor and traditional art supplies, theres honestly just great information all around. processes, supply reviews, and so on!

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

http://leifandthorn.com/2018/07/resources-for-making-webcomics/ - resources I've collected over the years. Mostly art stuff (fonts, color harmony, body types, etc), plus some help with website accessibility and some general webcomic podcasts.

Desnik

This is not a free resource so I hope it's okay, but in just a couple of days poring over the first two pages of this book, I'm really feeling a difference in the elasticity of my character's poses. It doesn't get bogged down by medical terminology and sorts parts of the body by 'landmark' instead: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23580472-anatomy-for-sculptors-understanding-the-human-figure

this is speaking as someone who has multiple years of figure drawing practice from life...I wish this book had been out much earlier, it's just amazing

JaSketch

https://www.calligraphr.com/en/ Here’s a free to use website that turns your handwriting into a legit text font, and it works too!

keltyzoid!

speaking of fonts i've actually made a few that are free to use. there's a couple of webcomics i know of that use them. should can i post them?

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r8wmj4kp2566jbn/AACCrP70zPVLr8h2f5F4d6BIa?dl=0

they're free, no license or credit necessary

kayotics

this is a pretty basic level "how I do comics" but i like to reference these how-to's from Mad Rupert sometimes as a refresh on comics: http://mynameismad.tumblr.com/post/163801383099/hello-in-case-you-havent-heard-the-sakana

lonelytuatara

for any fellow photoshop users who wanna get better at perspective, this video's been really helpful for me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upxBGNcryRs

Delphina

Really helpful Twitter thread about effective paneling! https://twitter.com/h0lysarthole/status/1117464886123089921

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Install old versions of Adobe products for free: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/cs2-product-downloads.html?promoid=19SCDRQK There are terms & conditions, but the programs don't actually check if you fulfill them. It's up to you to know how much money you've given them, and what you're ethically clear to download in return.

Kabocha

If we're talking about Image Editors, a not-free alternative is Affinity Photo, which is reasonably priced. (I'd look for it to go on sale, but $50 for a perpetual license isn't bad at all!) https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/ Their indesign competitor is in free Beta right now, too: https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/publisher/

Paint.net also still exists: https://www.getpaint.net/

https://www.patreon.com/posts/26834357 In the meantime, here's a post for alternatives to adobe.

https://twitter.com/robochai/status/1124044195092672515

JUNK

https://blog.reimenayee.com/graphic-novel-outline-onion-method/ neat

Hey, I'm sure everyone already knows, but clip studio is on sale for $25 right now! It is (imo) one of the best programs out there for making comics! https://twitter.com/clipstudiopaint/status/1169159411304210432?s=19

MJ Massey

if you're looking for a new display tablet, I found this useful site with tons of tablet reviews! They're organized by size and look at several different brands http://brad.site/reviews/wacom-cintiq-alternatives.html

Attila Polyák

How to draw good looking lightning/electricity! https://www.facebook.com/leesartandmore/photos/a.1370091679712083/2411389295582311/?type=3&theater

seetherabbit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk

DaeofthePast

Free to use comic font http://purastik.net/ames/e.html

MJ Massey

If you haven't watched Jake Parker's videos, I highly recommend them. They are very informative AND relaxing and encouraging https://www.youtube.com/user/jakeparker44

MJ Massey

GESTURE DRAWINGS! They're important for art practice, especially if you are looking to improve your forms! https://www.quickposes.com/en is my favorite. It has a feature where you can set it to show you different photos every 30-300 seconds to practice gesture drawing!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Just saw this on Twitter. Haven't actually gotten a chance to look at it closely, but I thought other people might also want to take a look https://twitter.com/Worstwizard/status/1183475129084329984?s=09

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

https://twitter.com/noahbradley/status/1185286707819827201?s=09

Attila Polyák

Loads of useful facebbok stuff I meant to post a long time ago, but never got around doing it: https://www.facebook.com/AikaLockheart/photos/a.413147142066258/2235198713194416/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=472362883489284&set=a.130547804337462&type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/geektower/photos/pcb.1089341477902964/1089341267902985/?type=3&theater

MJ Massey

picking pens! From Jake Parker himself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNgYvTI09XE

MJ Massey

for anyone who likes podcasts, I enjoy 3 Point Perspective, particularly their most recent episode on building an online store and making sales https://open.spotify.com/episode/2twCBBjRWZlmzbvWkRoARG?si=N7PiY3UoTJCzq0zZovXsdg

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Here's a good reference generator: https://line-of-action.com/

SAWHAND

Hope this counts as a resource, here's a list of Best Comic Covers in a given month by Paste magazine, it goes up to June 2019. It was really helping me get ideas for covers! https://www.pastemagazine.com/search?t=Best+Comic+Book+Covers&m=Galleries

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

This is great!

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Ooh, yeah, those are great.

I did a redraw where I added another 7, for shots that aren't in the original that I also get a ton of use out of: https://www.deviantart.com/erinptah/art/29-Panels-That-Always-Work-748887838

carcarchu

ooooh https://twitter.com/cathygjohn/status/1216093817734139904?s=20

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/ClipStudioTips/status/1217058241613651969

renieplayerone

This may have been shared before but i am a HUGE fan of SenshiStock. Their references are so good and ive used their stock photos for a ton of studies and practice too https://twitter.com/SenshiStock

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/celesse/status/1219674655663042561

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/dankelby/status/1220254171049418752

mariah (rainy day dreams)

https://kingofooo.tumblr.com/post/161105648449/by-storyboard-supervisor-erik-fountain-a-few

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

https://twitter.com/ImRachelBradley/status/1216042005698174977?s=19

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/cyanparade/status/1229450046480867328

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

@Feather J. Fern This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEvMHRgPdyk

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

@Javi An oldie I still find useful for learning how to draw people: https://archive.org/details/andrew-loomis-drawing-the-head-hands/mode/2up

Nutty (Court of Roses)

https://twitter.com/Lowtwait/status/1232479451721502725

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlh4PO-ISCA

video that looks into this current humble bundle pack

looks kind of interesting

doomedfrgarden

I'm not sure if Borodante's Over-Paint series has been posted here (I didn't see it, but I don't have my glasses so I can't promise a thorough search), but his digital painting tips have been incredibly helpful and inspiring to me, so I hope it helps someone else here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDKgohjbwY8&list=PL26-CxnLWOfD_h42yjpO44dPAo3-pijgb&index=23

Feather J. Fern

Found something that explains Bleed for comics. https://makingcomics.spiltink.org/pgtemplates/

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

A soft-shading demo I made for@Feather J. Fern & @Artem Ficta (Ring Spell) Sorry this took so long to complete! https://youtu.be/Cyc9EVissw0

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/hanari0716/status/931463182354227201

Mei

For people like me who mess up their bleeds and have to fix them in post, I had this lying in my bookmarks! https://twitter.com/TheDamnThinGuy/status/1190321427314032646?s=20

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

There are lots of guides to tangents, and here is one I like a lot! http://curiousoldlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/schweizer-guide-to-spotting-tangents.html

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/Sasquatchiix/status/1236987090874667008 This is a visual novel zine but section 2 on resources actually has a lot of cross-over in terms of usability for comic creators, check it out if you feel like testing out some new tools! Update - I read through the articles now and I actually really recommend checking them out too for advice when it comes to story-writing and how to lay it all out(edited)

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

Want to share this with you all! https://creatureartteacher.com/product/fundamentals-of-animation/?fbclid=IwAR0ahSOtdTBPmi0cHQlBpyMK7RveLZXptqcLrFX559KQMOkp-oLjGG9JA_0 Fundamentals of Animation Course Aron Blaise a big disney animator, has an animation Course that take you through the princibles of animation. This course is free for a limited time if you want to learn about animation!

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Really cool video I found about pricing your commissions: https://youtu.be/pN4P82Y_3k0

carcarchu

a handy tool for those who work in clip https://twitter.com/2TooToo2/status/1243101802435727360

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I'm not sure if this is the right channel, but I'm going around shouting about how Adobe users can get two months free because of the pandemic this morning. Here's an article about how to do it! https://www.creativebloq.com/news/adobe-payment-holiday?fbclid=IwAR108UH-2fQfvQzyc2STIHZh9H7LOzr1xvOoLPM_7pylHNoQ9isvMDT4wRw

I also made a tweet for easy sharing if you don't want to type your own. https://twitter.com/RainyDayMariah/status/1243573425697742848?s=20

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

https://twitter.com/metalsorcery/status/1247930202073829377?s=19 This is a survey to answer for webcomic creators to get their work featured in this newsletter! Open to every one!

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

@Miranda (Into the Swell) This one's pretty good: https://www.deviantart.com/theinkyway/art/Manga-Studio-5-Clip-Studio-Paint-Brush-Pack-619455926

carcarchu

@Miranda (Into the Swell) this is my ultimate fave http://fav.me/d7s799d

carcarchu

this is handy reference image account that only posts pictures of suits and mundane things https://twitter.com/madarameBK

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Follow Art of Webcomics (on Twitter) which help independent creators host a site and share your page updates: https://series.artofwebcomics.com/(edited)

carcarchu

https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1725189 a handy sfx brush for clip studio paint that can help save some time with your process (it's got various effects built in the brush itself so you don't have to have several stroke layers to achieve the effect) it costs 2 dollars

SaltySalmonella

I made an SFX (sound effect) booklet for comic artists who are having difficulty visualizing sounds for their comics. It's free to download on Gumroad! https://gumroad.com/SaltySalmonella#VOZQM

Elliot

https://twitter.com/nicparris/status/1253710231781036043

CoppertheCarutor

I'm not sure if this goes in writing or art resources because it's art based, but the focus is on using colors to aid the story, but I thought this was a pretty neat video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXgFcNUWqX0&feature=emb_logo

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I was looking up some moonlight tutorials for an illustration last night. Figured I'd share~ https://tips.clip-studio.com/en-us/articles/1684

https://www.deviantart.com/ryky/art/MOON-easy-tutorial-399161176

carcarchu

https://youtu.be/LokpJy7KHpE Shilin talks about her thought processes when laying out her comic panels

carcarchu

some free flower assets for clip https://assets.clip-studio.com/ko-kr/search?user=miyage3&order=new

carcarchu

Reimena Yee did an interesting thread on the visual language used in comics https://twitter.com/reimenayee/status/1263755464853995521(edited)

sierrabravo (Hans Vogel is Dead)

yess I was hoping someone would put that up here!!! such a good resource

that reminded me of the 22 panels that always work, something I've been trying to utilize more when I get stuck working: https://cloudfour.com/thinks/22-panels-that-always-work-wally-woods-legendary-productivity-hack/

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

It's so reliable, last year I was able to recreate the whole thing using only pre-existing panels from Leif & Thorn. (Then added another row because there were a few other shots I keep coming back to...) https://leifandthorn.com/comic/erin-ptahs-29-panels-that-always-work/

(Note, there's a horizontal scrollbar under the image, since I uploaded the big version.)

DaeofthePast

found this tutorial/tips on drawing scars that I found useful https://jetfeather.tumblr.com/post/163383759536/i-have-a-hard-time-drawing-scars-how-do-you-do

carcarchu

For those who suffer from pain while drawing: https://twitter.com/lost_paw/status/1271540123688210433

Evil_Chippy (My Hero!)

https://twitter.com/Darchala/status/1272257378881175552?s=20

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

@Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§ Here's the brush pack. The one I used is called "Pensona": https://www.deviantart.com/theinkyway/art/Manga-Studio-5-Clip-Studio-Paint-Brush-Pack-619455926

carcarchu

How to draw a lot of books https://twitter.com/yoshida_seiji/status/1200432951671939073

carcarchu

Mentorship directory for this interested in that kind of thing https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vfcr_F0utixw7D-rsbUoId1kwU2Ee_c_jXy2r5df-Jc/edit?usp=sharing

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

https://www.lackadaisy.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=333 A fun tutorial on drawing expressions

carcarchu

A really comprehensive look into the panel border tool in clip https://professorfaf.tumblr.com/post/178927411355/comic-paneling-tools-in-clip-studio-paint Great for beginners but even if you're already acquainted with them it's helpful for finding out things you may not have even realized

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED289uthfNQ&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1ka0j6gwtFcj5aXS8wIj-zpgwaYiI2ncP-g4Tn6hL0h4VFa-rKn6MM_1Q this is my old illustration instructor who did a tutorial on watercolour if anyone was interested in the medium! her stuff is so vibrant and solid, and i was so happy to have her as my old prof!

CoppertheCarutor

Light bounce! https://twitter.com/KikiDoodleTweet/status/1276565894051753984?s=19

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/Ghadaaax/status/1277158331761807360 helpful tips!

cAPSLOCK (Tailslide)

Colorist K Michael Russell has been streaming nightly as he colors pages from comics he's working on, while giving tips and insight into his thought process: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCps08eOJfFRm00TE5LStIIg

carcarchu

Advice on how to utilize speedlines https://youtu.be/Y_3Rbjn_0r0

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I just have to plug this amazing program here: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/publisher/ It's basically a replacement program for Adobe inDesign, but waaay cheaper. If you're like me and have sworn off Adobe, I highly recommend it. I've been messing with it all day to begin setting up my first volume for print, and I love it so far, especially after trying other budget publishing softwares. Can't recommend it enough.

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

hii! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/m8yv10gevqv2x5s/AACVoWTvK-B7qB1yRGUZadB5a?dl=0 Here is a little gallery of fat bodies!

carcarchu

world building tool thing https://www.worldanvil.com/artist i haven't tried it out yet but it looks interesting!

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/soteikat/status/1285036231592558592 takie made some free to use comic resources!

carcarchu

https://twitter.com/aeipathea/status/1285048061518061569

carcarchu

it is a website that shares dimensions for things. Helpful for referencing proportions https://www.dimensions.com/(edited)

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I don't necessarily agreed with everything they said, but it's still a good video, and I definitely agree with many of the points they brought up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZQKeHnKK90

Especically the "stop drawing _" advice

I dealt with that a lot in school

[sharpen-jadescythe]

Some notes about Sharpy’s facial features

I meander for a while about drawing facial features, my novice sketching process, and the best drawn male eyes I’ve ever seen.

For fun, and because he is so adorable (sigh, I can’t trick anyone into thinking I’m not a girl gamer for five seconds--not that I want to but it’s pretty funny that I couldn’t for the life of me do it, oh well), I wanted to point out some things about this sketch (and a few Sharpen sketches I’ve done so far). I’m sure that others do this as well... To make Sharpen more unique and seem like an individual, I’ve placed some tell-tale features in every art of him that I do.

Curl in left eyebrow

“Elvis” curl at his hairline, helps make him seem playful and even himbo-ish, since that’s his personality

And I can’t explain it but the imperfect hair makes him seem more approachable, like any one of us

Tiny scar on his top lip on the left side. I haven’t decided headcanon for that scar yet; it’s just something that I really wanted to do. I think my pencil slipped once and I was like ‘Yaaaas, don’t change that!’

Square-ish forehead. You see the lines there as he turns his head

Some musculature over the eyes

Extremely careful little dots in specific places to indicate more musculature on face. Getting annoyed and erasing the dot and putting it back a milimeter further out is like... WHY do I do it? But I keep doing it, I want them

Lightly defined, high cheekbones (Trixany’s are so strong, I had to really train myself out of giving him super stand-out ones)

Boxier eyes... they do not at all resemble the original inspiration for these eyes when I started sketching him, but I maintained a little of the ‘mystery’ of unusual eyes and strong lashes on a guy (see more below)

Eyes set wide apart

Together, the larger, wide-set eyes give him a kind of baby face? That happened on its own, it wasn’t planned. Sometimes I can see the lil’ Gerber baby in there

A little divot at the top lining of his ears

What else... Well, Tumblr is here to let us indulge in our art and our creativity. I guess I just wanted to say I like how small details like these work together, almost as a unique fingerprint, to keep your character, especially their face, looking like... well, themselves.

Just curious--anyone out there want me to draw Sharpen in a specific setting? I’m getting better at it; I think I can take on a request, though I’m kind of intimidated. I don’t think I’ll do commissions at any point in time. But a prompt for sketching practice? Hell yeah.

These art pieces take me a really long time to do, but the way. I’ll outline something then get kind of exhausted or this uneasy feeling? Like I’m not sure if I really want this, or if it’s right? If it does feel right, then I’ll come back weeks later when I have free time, and at that point, sit for hours sketching and filling in everything else.

Then I get mad when all the little nuances I put on paper get lost when you scan... anyway.

Hope you guys are enjoying it!

Image source: Basilisk Wiki

Okay so I almost forgot--these are the prettiest, coolest eyes I’ve ever seen on a male character, ever. EVER. Obviously, I didn’t re-create these all the way (and not really at all) for Sharpen, but I did go with a boxier style, rather than completely round almond eyes. Gennosuke’s eyes were actually central to the plot of Basilisk, I found out later. Here’s another great pic of Gennosuke--now this wallpaper is badass. I remember I had this one for a long time; it was too, too perfect.

Now that’s the power of detail. Yes, there’s a sword and it shines and it’s at the heart of the picture. But the only thing you need, the only thing that matters in this entire artwork are actually those eyes. Blue and white coloring throughout, but then wow, those golden eyes. And the gold isn’t what does it really, it’s the powerful dark lashes that encircle them more like calligraphy, the eyebrows that unite with those... less human, more wild. The man is practically a tiger. That’s the kind of ferocity you’re hit with, the kind of wonder you’re filled with here.

Image source: hip wallpaper website

Someone also clearly sat down and thought about how breathtaking it is when you’re right across the table from a guy with eyelashes longer than yours and then you feel that stab of jealousy, along with admiration. Sounds odd, but I think some folks out there know exactly what I mean...

It’s that split second before the instant crush happens. I try to make Sharpy’s eyes do that penetrating ‘instant crush’ thing whenever I draw him. Less because it’s sexy, more because it’s... personal? This is hard to explain. But it feels like he’s having a conversation with you and it’s okay that you’re there with him. He expects you to respond and participate; he thinks he’s your friend. I believe I draw Trixany’s eyes the same way if she’s not posed doing something over-the-top. If she’s just relaxing and sharing herself with you, then it’s a friendly, loving gaze.

The gym t-shirt sketch is the first time I didn’t make Sharpy ‘penetrate the camera’ as they say. It was hard not to redraw it so that he was... decided he was looking in the mirror or something instead.

When I look at Sharpen’s sketch at the very top of this post, I keep wanting him to stop looking elsewhere and look right at me. Right at the viewer. What a cool effect that is. What is that? I don’t know if it’s the context of the other drawings or what. Well, it’s not some magical work of art, only something curious I noticed.

Okay, I could ramble forever. I like art and I like to write so that’s a super-intense combination. I’d love for other artists on here to talk about their process, actually write it out and blather on creatively like I just did. It’s fun. And you learn about somebody’s personality too.

Yes, it’s definitely nice to talk about sketching and the special rainbow of things that go into it sometimes.

Tah!

[tryingtolearnartsob]

today’s art:

—okay so I just did really VIDEOS!!!! and then went to through this rabbit hole and found.. well I guess first I should start with. I really needed to learn how arm connects to the shoulder asince I think I just forgot????and my gosh I found this super good comprehensive video that did demonstration and everything. it was really good

—honestly after that I went through rabbit hole of seeing his other videos and then well… I found this super long skull video and was watching and then it started to do a draw with me sides of skull and I did want to follow through so I just decided to do that later when I could draw with… and well then.. I just went off to do other stuff

—i don’t plan on drawing today and if i was, probs just general studies but ahaha i was on x and it really inspired to draw my otp and SO I PLANNED TO. but then it turned into redraw of someone else’s art and then into prac ahahah.

—the first one wasn’t great at all… and I just wanted to focus on the pose instead!!! and see what I was doing wrong etc. One of videos I watched made me think about that. Talking about focusing on analytic and like looking at what you drew and finding out what you did wrong and etc. And I do think that was good thing to be aware off and so I did that… and well even if I don’t think the last one turned out amazing or anything I do think it made me realise stuff. like how in the pose it was the arm that was stretching out to the knee…

—and so since I liked doing this n thought was fun/nice I did another pose study! And oh man the hands were HARD tin this one I still have no idea on how to fix it and just gave up in the end lolllllllll. Arms. Arms were hard. Why do I keep saying hands when im talking about arm lollll

—but one think I did realise that I was doing wrong was when drawing lower part, in trying to get the legs right, I forgot about the butt that was actually sitting down. and cut it off since the crouch wouldn’t be visible… and so it was helpful in remembering stuff like that. and trying to visual posing better: like it made next time to remember to think of whole pose and how it interactions with whatever it’s doing and even bits that can’t be seen. like being aware of stuff like that is really important.

—and well after that wasn’t feeling like doing any more pose studies and well… I SKETCHED IN THE IDEA FOR THE COMIC I HAD???? very happy about that

—okay lol I did think of doing some kind of script but cba to and was keeping in mind this comic tips/tutorial I came by that stuck with me yesterday. for first panel I very obviously can’t draw backgrounds and just couldn’t be bothered to look up refs and just scribbled in general idea I had for it. and for the next one I tried hard to make sure my figure was reading well (to me) like the general idea I wanted for it and later in did feel in general idea of background which im happy about.

—the initial idea that started this was the next two panels. ahaha I really just wanted to draw him being tied. can’t believe they did that. I mean I can but still lololol. and I do like the close up in next panel from diff angle. also this made me concious of how expressions ain’t my strong suit lmaoooo.

—and well after that is where things started to fall apart. like I had general idea in my head of what I wanted but I feel like the pacing n etc wasn’t great at all but I think it was good to get the general idea and everything tdown… so im happy that I actually sketched in the idea for comic. soooo happy. ^^

—and welllll remember juv art from yesterday. I realised after a bit that she doesn’t like she was sitting at all lololol despite that being intention. cuz I feel like I was so focused on getting the length of leg correct that I forgot that she was sitting so her knee would be higher. and well. I just wanted to fix that.

—added a bench because why not. and honestly im…..not sure that I did fix it completely. It still seems off…? but ehhhh i got her to look like she was sitting so that’s a win.

—I wasn’t planning to draw anymore but while taking screenshot for this post…I ended up just drawing some figure pracs and ahahah these didn’t go well at all. it was alright. But like mabnnnn even while keeping in mind what the video said (the dots around the arm meaning to represent scapula so just to keep in mind while drawing the arm) but ehhjhhhb I feel like like my arms isn’t at alll good. like I feel like I just forgot everything. so I think it’s best to watch videos of people drawing …. that always helps.

—and well but I didn’t want to end it there and wanted to draw something nice……to finish the the day with… something that would feel nice about. and yeah no that didn’t happen. 😔😔😔

—I thought while it’s been a while since I drew my lil srda too<3 I should do it but yeah no. it went horribly. well that’s kind of an exaggeration. more like I just…? don’t like….? I think it might have to do with the brush and how out of prac I man with drawing her hair… cuz man I have def drawn better srdas in my time. I feel like it might be her expression so. I changed it but it wasn’t. So I did an overdraw just because but it wasnt lollll. and I do think it’s funny how her expression gets more sadder. like the way I felt (more disappointed) when drawing it LMAO

I actually like the first one drew the most…… 😔😔😔

[cosmicbash]

How did you start learning how to draw? ( cause all your stuff is really cool )

Ahh thank you 😊😊

I dunno, I've always just been one who sits down and doodles. It stopped for a good 5 or 6 years or so, due to being in a very dark place mentally and physically too (shitty relationship)

So when I started back up last year it was kinda like starting from scratch in a way.

One thing I've found super useful is reference pics. They dont even have to be actual photographs, they can be other artists drawings or tutorials that I found that I liked or matched an expression or pose I want to draw and I will just pull that up on my phone while I draw to keep comparing to.

Patience is super important. Because I can draw a nose 20 times before I finally get it the way I want it, then go and draw the eyes and have to start all over again on the nose! Ahaha.

But really I started by just pulling up photos of Kells and the gang and just trying to redraw them. I have never been good at following tutorials with the whole, draw a circle for the head, then map out the eye level, eyebrow, mouth, nose, etc. I'm (ironically) to impatient to sit there and do all that. So I kinda just began winging it. First I would copy the head shape but then filling the rest of the face never seemed to go the right way so I moved on to trying to.draw the eyes first, same problem.

One day while I was looking up all kinds of different nose references (trying to practice and figure out just how to draw the bastards) I said fuck it and decided to try and start nose first and move out from there on the face. (Made sense at the time, afterall the nose is at the center) and it just kinda worked for me.

So i guess what I'm saying is, you gotta find what works best for you. Don't solely rely on tutorials and get yourself frustrated because you can't get the same results despite how simple the videos or panels make it seem.

There's alot of trial and error that comes with figuring out how to draw. I personally think I'm still shit at it, because so far all I can really draw is profile, and mainly front view cuz I'm still practicing and figuring out different angles for everything.

The only way to learn is to keep on trying things until you find what works!

[official-michael-afton]

hey!! just wanted to ask if u got my submission (for quiptid) and if slightly changing panel layouts is ok (so following the same vibe/story and dialogue but like different angles/poses or whatever)? And ik u got a massive response to it and idk if I got in in time :,) so can I ask if u know when you’ll be letting everyone know what’s going on? Anyway no pressure to answer and thanks for hosting this, it’s v cool of u :)

Got your submission! 

For changing panel layouts- I’m going to say you can make little minor tweaks, but please try to stick to about the same poses/whatever as the original. We still want it recognizable- we’re redrawing, not rewriting ^^

For when people will know... weeeeeell, so here’s the thing. Original deadline for applying was the 18th, and that’s going to be the absolute deadline- i.e. asking people to do multiple pages if we don’t get enough artists by then since I don’t want it to be open for ages. That being said, I may close applications early if we hit ~190 or more before the 18th. 

Right now we’re at 158 responses- I know one is a duplicate, one may drop out, and one didn’t want to be an artist(helping out in other ways), so that’s 155-156 artists(I haven’t verified all of the responses yet tho- like I know some people put “I don’t have a tumblr” so idk how they expect me to be able to contact them but yknow), so it’s like- really weird. We got 130+ in the first 24 hours and then things came to a near halt, I was caught off guard by how much it picked up AND how it suddenly calmed down

So I can’t GUARANTEE a set time, it all depends on how quickly spots fill, but expect me to give a major update by the 18th at the LATEST

[kinomiakai]

i know it's a lot to ask but i'm very sad at the moment and don't know how to handle it - and i have birthday on the 9th august. would it be possible to get a (vampire) one shot from you? it would be so great but i understand if that's too much to ask for. ahh its a dumb thing to ask but it would make me very happy so i wanted to try sorry!!!

    Sasuke was tired.

    Not because of the night classes—no, he was pretty well-suited to those. He’d been nocturnal for as long as he could remember. And what they were doing wasn’t particularly challenging—just some poses, and Sasuke was acquainted well enough with the human body. It was nice to look at, Sasuke thought, and he liked to spend the time to learn all the different shapes that people could be. He liked to spend the time to look at them. There wasn’t much that made him feel motivated, nowadays, and it was hard enough for him to live on the schedule he’d come to have as it was. This was the first hobby he’d managed to have since…well, it was the only one he had now.

    So—no, Sasuke wasn’t tired from class.

    He sighed again, forcing himself to move on for once. He’d spent thirty of the last forty minutes drawing and redrawing the model’s neck, over and over again. He already had a tendency to do that, and he was trying to learn not to. Everyone else had managed a full…

    “Alright, that’s it for today!”

    Crap.

    Sasuke sighed, and packed his things into his small, well-worn bag. He’d quit his job last week—or, well, they’d politely asked him to get the hell out of there once his I.D. had finally fell through. He’d very much appreciated the dim lights of the bar, especially alongside the added bonus of drunk, half-conscious people, but Sasuke had been starting to think the constant alcohol was getting to him. It tasted worse from them. Easier to get, though, and he didn’t have to hurt anyone too badly to get it, but he tended to need…more of it.

    He hadn’t liked that.

    Of course, now, he didn’t have that option as accessible. It was still there. He could still do it—still prowl the streets to look for easy targets and stifle the part of his mind that hated every second of it. It was a last resort, though, which is why he was so…

Tired. 

Tired and hungry and a little bit dizzy, and staring at a naked man’s neck for the past three hours really hadn’t helped. Go figure.

    He put his hood up and slipped through the door, keeping an eye on the ways everyone went—groups of three, four, five, six—one person there? No, a couple. Shit. 

    Sasuke leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone—which he’d naively continued to pay for, with the little money that he had, in spite of having a grand total of zero numbers to call—pretending to scroll his way through some screen or another. There were still a few students left in the class, so with just a bit of luck—

    A body breezed past him, tucking two earbuds in. Good sign. A casual jacket hung off his shoulders, left unzipped—no necklaces to watch out for, either. Sasuke watched as the man walked a few more lazy steps, staring down as his phone as if picking a song, before promptly turning down the alleyway Sasuke had had his eye on for weeks.

    Alright, then. The blond it was.

    Sasuke pushed himself off the wall and imitated his own slow, distracted walk. He turned his phone screen off as he continued to stare down at it, letting his eyes get used to the night again—it took longer when he was tired, when he was like this, and he only had about another two minutes before the two of them would be back in the public eye again—he sped up his pace. He had almost mastered getting to them before they could notice—

    “Wh—hey, the fuck are you—”

    Shit. Sasuke was sloppy and stupid and the man wrenched his shoulder from Sasuke’s grip as soon as he’d felt the heat of his skin at his lips—Sasuke grabbed at him but only caught his jacket—the man spun around with a punch that Sasuke would have dodged if not for the jacket wrenching him in—

    His nose would have bled, if he’d had enough blood left. As it was, he was dizzy and desperate and too far in to—

    The man pinned Sasuke to the wall with his forearm, keys in his other hand. And a swiss army knife? For god’s sake. Of all the—

    “Picked the wrong person to…what the hell?”

    The man flinched back. Whether it was Sasuke’s eyes or his fangs that did the trick, he didn’t know. At least he hadn’t stabbed him, though.

    Still—

    “The hell’s wrong with your eyes?” the man asked, eyes wide, brow furrowed, knife in his hand.

    “Probably the same that’s wrong with your brain, moron,” Sasuke snapped, sliding down the wall. He’d barely had the fight in him for that, and now his nose fucking hurt on top of it all. He felt slow and exhausted and fuck this—

    “Wh—you—I’m the moron?! I just kicked your ass!”

    “And you’re sticking around to find out what happens next?” Sasuke spat, pulling his hood back up. “Get out of here.”

    Sasuke closed his eyes.

    “I’m not going to turn my back so you can get another go, you know. I’m not stupid.”

    “Great,” Sasuke said, tucking his head between his legs. “Stay here forever then.”

    The pain pulsed between Sasuke’s eyes—in time with his consciousness, waving in and out. He’d been spacing out and losing his vision and—

    “Are you…okay?”

    Sasuke looked up, incredulous.

    “Are you serious?”

    “Well I’m not gonna let you die here—I’ll—there’s a hospital near here—”

    “I don’t need a hospital,” Sasuke snapped, “either kill me or leave.”

    There was a pause.

    Sasuke closed his eyes again.

    “What were you going to do to me?”

    Oh, for god’s sake.

    “What do you think, genius?” Sasuke asked, keeping his eyes closed. Maybe if he just fell asleep…

    “You—come on. There’s no way.”

    “You’re right,” Sasuke said. “There’s no way. So you should leave before the unhinged lunatic wakes up again.”

    “…Is the unhinged lunatic going to wake up again if I leave?”

    Sasuke opened his eyes only to glare.

    “Your eyes are back to normal,” said the blond, knife still in his hand.

    “And yet your brain remains firmly rooted in insanity. Leave me alone.”

    “I’m serious,” the blond said, stepping forwards—and Sasuke flinched back, hitting his head to the wall, as the knife moved closer, “I—oh, shit, no, I’m not gonna—I mean I—”

    The man’s mouth opened and closed, as if trying to decide whether to appease Sasuke’s delicate sensibilities, or continue to defend himself from an obvious threat.

    “You know I attacked you, right?”

    The blond continued to watch him.

    “You don’t look too happy about it.”

    Sasuke rolled his eyes.

    “Yes,” he drawled. “It ended rather differently than intended.”

    The man’s head inclined to the side, as if he was scanning Sasuke for something—

    “I would have expected you to run,” he said, “after I—y’know—pulled a knife on you and all that.”

    Sasuke didn’t reply.

    “You can’t run, can you?”

    Sasuke didn’t reply.

    “Can you even stand?”

    “Are you getting off on this?” Sasuke snapped, the wave of anger making him feel even more light-headed than before. “Leave.”

    The man crouched in front of him. Sasuke flinched back.

    “Hey,” he said, reaching out an empty hand. “Make your eyes do the thing again.”

    Sasuke stared at him. The man’s wrist came closer. And he could hear the blood humming under his skin, feel the heat of it, he—

    “You don’t know what you’re doing,” he said quickly, desperately—

    “Hey,” said the guy, “they do glow. Cool.”

    “You’re insane,” Sasuke breathed.

    “I’ve still got a knife and I’m not gonna let you die. I save your life and you won’t turn me into one, yeah?”

    “I have no idea how to even do—are you—” Sasuke stared at him, “are you serious?”

    The man waved his wrist in front of his face—Sasuke snatched it out of the air before he even had another thought.

    “Ooh, fangs too—wh—o-oh…”

    Finally. Finally. Sasuke nearly collapsed with relief—he fell forwards, clutching the wrist to his mouth, groaning into the warmth—god, he’d been so—

    “Okay—that’s—that’s enough. That’s—”

    Sasuke let out a small half-strangled noise as the wrist pulled itself away. As the man pulled his wrist away, fuck, it was like he lost it in moments like this—

    “That’s—I mean, uh, was that enough…?”

    The haze in Sasuke’s mind slowly, slowly cleared.

    “I…” he said, staring up into the blue eyes he hadn’t even noticed before—and the marks, on his cheeks, oh— “oh. You’re the one who’s always in class.” 

    The blond pulled back.

    “Wh—yeah, ‘cause my dad owns the place—that’s the thanks I get for saving your life?”

    The man waved his wrist in the air and stared Sasuke down expectantly. 

    The corner of Sasuke’s lip twitched.

    “…Thanks,” he said finally. 

    “That’s better. S’weird though,” he said, bringing his hand back to him, “it didn’t hurt at all. I barely felt anything.”

    Sasuke let out a breath, feeling the weight in his body slowly, slowly draining out of him. He hadn’t felt that bad since he’d woken up.

    “That’s the general idea,” he said quietly. At least, he thought it was. He hadn’t gotten good enough to pick the arteries from the veins, but he’d at least minimized his impact as much as possible…when he wasn’t entirely desperate. “You should go.”

    “Hm?”

    “You’re going to be light-headed for a while. Go make it home.”

    “Oh—well—yeah, I’ve donated blood before, I know that. Are you gonna be—?”

    Sasuke snorted and shoved himself off the filthy (and wet, ugh, he hadn’t noticed it had been wet) floor.

    “I’m fine,” he said, giving the blond a challenging look. In debt or not, Sasuke was dangerous. Surely the man knew that.

    “Hey—can I see your teeth again?”

    What the hell—

    “You have the self-preservation of an opossum in the middle of a road.”

   The man laughed and moved closer.

   “Yeah, I’m a real dumbass—my friends tell me all the time. Open your mouth—lemmie see.”

   He moved closer, and—

   “Oi—you—” Sasuke said, flinching back, “get your hands out of my mouth—”

   “Ooh, they are kinda sharper, aren’t they? Not as much as when you bit me, but—”

   “They will be in a second if you don’t stop shoving your fingers at them—”

   That did the trick, and Sasuke stared him down with a significantly sharper gaze. Just because he was satiated didn’t mean he was full, and this idiot was waving himself in front of him like a—

   “Oh,” the man said, staring at him as if— “you’re scared you’re actually going to hurt me.”

   “Wave a steak in front of a rabid dog and see how it ends for you.”

   The man’s head tilted to the side, watching him with eyes that seemed too serious for that smile—

   “You don’t seem too rabid to me.”

   “I just,” Sasuke started, speaking slowly as if explaining something to a small child, “drank your blood. As food. With my mouth. I attacked you about two minutes prior to—”

   “And you let me win. You could’ve bit me anywhere—I only punched you once and you backed off.”

   “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

   “Yeah, you were,” the man said, “you were making sure you didn’t hurt me. You didn’t want to do it unless you knew I’d survive.”

   Sasuke glared at him. Fine. Fine, yes, he was utterly terrified one day that he’d completely lose himself, and he’d spent more than a few hours in a night making sure every person he knocked down could get back up again—

   “Fine,” Sasuke said, clenching his teeth together. “You’re right. Are you going to let me go, now?”

   “What am I, holding you hostage? You can go any time.”

   “You had a knife.”

“Still do, actually,” the man said, flicking it into his hand only to fold it away, “so don’t try anything, vampire.”

   Sasuke rolled his eyes.

   “Hey,” said the blond, “wanna help me find the headphones you so rudely ripped out of my ears?”

   He stuck the keychain into his pocket and shot Sasuke a wide, innocent grin. Sasuke sighed, but let his eyes flicker to life again, just for a moment—

   “They’re over there.” Sasuke nodded at them.

   “Aw, fuck that’s cool,” the man said, trotting over to unabashedly grab at the disgusting floor. “What else can you do? You got like—super speed or something? Do you age? Wh—I feel like we would’ve noticed if you had no reflection in class—”

   “That’s only a thing if the mirror is laced with silver, idiot.”

   The man’s mouth made a small ‘o’ shape. Sasuke’s lips twitched again.

   “And, uh, if it is?”

   “I don’t know,” Sasuke said. “I’ve never found one where I know that’s the case.”

   “Huh,” he said, “don’t you guys have like—a coven or some shit to teach you this stuff?”

   Sasuke’s good mood faltered. (He hadn’t known he was in one.)

   “None of your business. I’m leaving.”

   Sasuke turned on his heel, walking back the way he’d come. He’d be fine for at least a few days, now—and he really needed to find a new job before he was kicked back the gym membership he’d called rent—

   “See you next week, vampire!”

   Sasuke flipped him off.

    And he’d have to find a new hobby.

[standfortheangels]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S3 Ep 43: Tea Can Just Knock Over Joey Wheeler With Her Index Finger

Guys guys guys, my favorite Character is back. That’s right--the storyboarder!

So this episode looked helllla nice for a Yugioh episode (again, this is Yugioh, it will win no awards.) It wasn’t as nice and fluid as the episode where they temporarily killed off Joey Wheeler, but I give it a good 2nd place.

You can tell we’re getting to the climax of the season because they’re throwing down their most entertaining art people onto the screen, giving us about 5 zillion dutch angle fashion close-ups of Marik’s cabbage face, and a whole lot of zany and hard to very hard to draw fish-eye lens angles of Pharaoh.

Also, everyone wears flared bell-bottom pants now. New stylistic decision, as decided just now. Everyone in pants now has flares. Even if their pants are cargo pants. How very 00′s. (my pants were flares from like birth until 2006, it was a good trend, super comfy, bring it back.)

(read more under the cut)

First off, Evil Marik decided to rewrite Marik history a little bit with some hilarious retconning that only the most evil Marik would think is legit.

I mean I was there when Marik was introduced and was a complete asshole all of S2. I remember when Odion considered murdering the hell out of his little brother because this Marik guy was such freakin tool and his Dad was an evil cultist bastard. I...I’m gonna go on a limb and assume that calling Marik a “loyal servant” is a freakin stretch. Marik made his choices. Yes, his bad side killed his Dad, but they have made sure to indicate that yes, this is the evil inside of Marik, something that he himself caused--but most of the things that Marik has done (with the exception of killing his own Dad) is still Marik. He did that.

The fact that his evil side can’t quite connect that his good side and evil side are at all the same however, is fitting for an evil Marik to think. More and more, Marik and Marik are becoming 2 different people, and this game is the deciding factor to finally give this guy full autonomy of his other half.

We’ve seen this type of contrast before with Bakura and Ryou--where Ryou and Bakura don’t really get along but have always been clearly different people, so the culpability of what they do tends to fall on Bakura. (which is a pretty GRAND assumption, I still think Ryou is a precious but absolutely still shady little bastard) So, it’s a little different that Marik considers himself two completely different people when it’s just...not the same. Marik’s alter ego is just an ego. More like how Yami was in Season Zero but a little bit more evil. Both Marik’s have the same upbringing and the same source.

It’s been kind of an interesting progression now I can look back on it, where slowly the two have been clashing to the point that they are in fact different, disparate people now. The fact that Marik points out how his situation similar to Yugi and Pharaoh being a host is almost like “well yeah, it would have been nice to see how the whole Season Zero Yami evolved into more of a separate person over time, I’m glad you inferred that, and I’ll never get to see it, thanks” But again, all that is inferred. Whether Yami Yugi eventually became Pharaoh over time or whether Pharaoh is a big retcon of Yami Yugi for the new series in order to keep the culpability for what he does off of Yugi Muto was never directly spoken in the show so it’ll be left to your fanfictions.

Meanwhile, Yugi has decided that they’re going to try and purify the Marik situation and save the good side. This is sort of the Yugioh thing, to dispel the bad forces from people and leave behind hollow husks, so yeah...it tracks. I mean...there’s very little Marik left to save, but it’s better than a husk, amiright? Better than what happened to freakin PaniK, RIP. I’m sure erasing over half of your identity will go over real well for Marik and be absolutely painless.

And then we had a lovely scene that, for those people doing scene redraws from anime, as has been a popular trend on art blogs lately--this is your episode for Yugioh. This episode’s got moody lighting, we’ve subdued all our weird ass colors into one concrete palate (remember how green the carpet used to be?) we got interesting elements of Marik being here despite being chopped into pieces. We got so many ellipses drawn in perspective (y’all I could write an entire posts just about ellipses but I’ll spare you). It’s like Yugioh gave itself a redraw.

I can’t believe this shot came out of freakin Yugioh.

Also, this guy was an ASSHOLE for the past 2 seasons but the show was like “time to make him likeable” and so they dropped some good ass cinematography and sung that sad backstory tune on the trumpet and you know what? It works.

+++++++++++++++RANT ABOUT REDEMPTION ARCS FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS MASSIVE WALL OF TEXT++++++++++++++++++++++++

Now I think the arc of Marik is pretty simple and people are pretty chill with it. But, I’m gonna talk about villain redemption arcs just in general--gonna sidetrack a little from Yugioh for a moment. Partly because I watched 6 seasons of Once Upon a Time, which is basically Villain Redemption Arc Controversy: The Show.

It bothers a hell ton of people when TV shows have to make a villain redeemable, but there’s only one episode left so they put their hands up and say “but I swear the good side of him was always good” But, does that mean Marik’s going to make up for all the murder and sending people to the shadow realm? No. He never will. Even if Marik was completely his bad half the whole time, it still wouldn’t make up for the damage done. Dead people are...DEAD.

Marik can’t actually make any choices right now to redeem his character. All he’s doing is accepting he will never be a full person ever again. Hence why he is in slices and pieces, and in several shots is trapped either in an empty glass or a window. The choice to redeem him is entirely on other people.

And that’s the thing about redemption arcs that I want to bring up--how much of a character’s redemption relies on what the villains do to “Make up for what they did”, and how much relies on everyone else to redeem them. I think the tendency is for people to assume that the villains should be doing 90-100% of the redeeming, but unless they have a time machine--they can’t do any. Even if they freakin die to sacrifice themselves it’s still like “that character was basically little Stalin, right?

I’ve seen like a million ways to write a redemption arc, but none of them, not a single one that I can think of, can ever truly make up for the things the villian has done. There’s no way that Darth Vadar was suddenly going to become a good Dad, no matter how many Palpatines he can toss into a...whatever that was at the end of that movie. That’s the riddle behind what makes redemption arcs so engaging--By all cultural standards these villains should always be tagged a “bad guy” but, we, the audience, are being challenged to ignore those standards.

And I know a lot of people see redemption arcs as a quasi-religious sort of adventure into atonement, where we’re supposed to see ourselves as the villain searching for some type of forgiveness from a higher, most-likely-a-reference-to-Jesus-power, but I don’t really see them that way. Maybe it’s because, I dunno, I haven’t killed anyone recently or possessed other people’s minds or strung them up to anchors and dropped them into the ocean. But if you see yourself as a Marik, then go for it, I won’t stop you.

But, to me, a redemption arc is more of a question posed for us as viewers. Since it is impossible for the writers to ever fully redeem a character, the only ones doing the redeeming are the people watching it, who’s reaction will differ wildly from person to person, and that’s what makes it fascinating.

And like, that’s my thesis here at the very last paragraph of this long meandering rant. Redemption arcs aren’t about “hey is this person good enough to be redeemed (because that will never happen)” it’s “are you too good to redeem that person?” It’s a large scale experiment on the viewers watching and that’s why it makes people so freakin pissed and uncomfortable. Every redemption arc calls them out directly, and for some people it’s just like--the world ends or something. I have seen actual internet mobs develop over...a villain redemption arc. Which is weird.

And so I’ll leave it with my other spicy take that...you don’t have to redeem every villain when the question is asked. I mean these aren’t real people. The questions of “would you redeem this person” is asked entirely hypothetically. And that’s what makes up stories, not just the interaction of the people inside the stories, but when it affects the moral structure of the readers directly, and seeing how for some people, that can be a very intense and deep reflection. (which usually leads to a hell ton of either retconning fanfiction or a hell ton of really, really angry posts)

bro’s just told me that Yugioh is just a redemption arc for season 0 Yami Yugi. Bro and his spicy headcanons. This one holds some water though, lol.

++++++++++++END OF A SUPER LONG RANT ABOUT VILLAINS THAT I HELD IN FOR THE ENTIRE 6 SEASONS OF ONCE UPON A TIME, WOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD OPINIONS ABOUT CERTAIN CHARACTERS THAT THEY JUST EXPECTED EVERYONE ELSE TO HAVE, AMIRIGHT????+++++++++++

Anyway, back to jokes.

Again, Storyboarder just...nailing these weird ass shoes that are somewhere between a dress shoe and a boot. Shoes are hard to draw, y’all. This storyboarder. And they even made sure that the shoes looked very small and precious the way Yugi shoes would be. Little Cinderella size 5 Yugi shoes.

Oh finally.

So it was only a matter of time before the people who actually care about being possessed noticed this situation, it just took like...a season longer than I thought it would. I’ll be honest it was quite cathartic for them to actually address for the first time in what feels like a long time “SHOOT, GHOSTS!?!?”

Although it was kind of funny that the biggest reaction to all of this came straight from Joey. Yugi still doesn’t care, Tristan’s decided to just accept this, and Duke is just slowly backing away. But Joey’s going to try and do the work that Yugi should have done last episode.

HOT DAMN.

So, lets go over the Yugioh power chart here. Tristan can punch out Bakura. Tristan can also defeat Seto Kaiba with a broomstick. Joey can kick Tristan, even when Tristan is armed with a broomstick, so hard that Tristan flew through a metal door and bent it completely over backwards. Tea, however, can knock Joey completely over with one single index finger.

How has this girl ever been abducted? Was she just bored?

Bro wants to bring up that she once incapacitated a man with her butt. Just falling on top of a guy and hitting him with her butt of steel. Was she even in danger from the shipping container when she could just bat it away? She once choked out Season 0 Yugi Muto. She was always fine.

Credit to Joey, he keeps trying, and it gives us, for the first time, a sneak peek into what it must be like for Yugi and Joey to hang out on the offtimes that Yugi switches over and Pharaoh hasn’t quite gotten the memo.

This is in fact, the second time that she’s done this.

(meanwhile, sitting next to Odion, is one single cargo pocket floating in the air, gently smoking a purple haze like incense)

Welcome back Odion! I only now just realized how freakin jacked your neck is.

Like y’all his neck is wider than his head, hot damn.

Anyway, this show is secretly all about the power of big brothers, so I assume he’s going to start the mile long crawl to the top of the tower and then just...walk in...just walk right into a shadow game...?

...no one thought to stay with Odion? Like not even Serenity? Or at least leave him a weelchair? what the hell?

Odion always gets the worst wrap, this poor guy.

Anyway if you just got here, this is a link to read these recaps in chrono order from the beginning and watch my progression of knowing nothing about Yugioh to knowing a lot about random facts about Yugioh but still knowing absolutely nothing at all just like Socrates.

And here’s that shot of Marik for y’alls anime scene redraws, knock yourself out.