#Its a good exercise for me to draw characters better

[nothingbizzare]

Drew some characters for the first time !

Feel free to request some characters from mp100 that i could try to draw them for the first time !

[splankie]

guys i got called in for yuri duty

[httpvomitello]

Helloooo, can I request something for the 2018 turtles (ROTTMNT)? The reader arrives with the guys to show them the softshell turtle they got as a gift at a school science fair. Since they're not very sure how to take care of it, they go to the guys for help. And the turtle... it looks just like the one from The Amazing World of Gumball. I just think it would be fun to see the turtles (especially Donnie) interacting with the evil turtle haha 😭

OMG NOT THAT FREAKING TURTLE 😭😭 When I learned that Donnie is a softshell turtle, my mind immediately went to that turtle from Gumball. Like... Seriously??? That turtle is the reincarnation of evil, that's for sure. Anyways ~ i hope you like it! ♡♡♡♡

Leo is so pumped when you show up with a turtle

He’s already imagining the epic sibling turtle bonding he’ll all have, and he’s definitely scheming ways to turn your new buddy into his own personal sidekick

But as he leans in to get a better look, he catches the turtle giving him a super intense, villainous stare

"Uh, why is he looking at me like that?" Leo laughs nervously, tapping the glass of its little tank

The turtle does not break eye contact

In fact, it somehow looks like it’s plotting something

After a long, intense staring contest (which Leo loses), Leo's more hyped than ever

“Oh, we’re keeping him. This little guy’s got edge.”

He decides to call it something like "Sidekick Jr", and he tries to train it to glare on command, thinking it’ll be perfect to bring it to battle with him

Obviously you don't let that happen.

Raph’s eyebrows shoot up the second he sees the turtle

“Whoa. That turtle is… cute.”

Lying is not Raph's focus

He is all in for helping you take care of it

But as soon as he leans in, the turtle levels him with a stare so intense that Raph is slightly taken aback

“This guy looks like he could plan a heist,” he jokes, but he’s half-serious

He’s convinced the turtle has some secret agenda and will not let it out of his sight

Raph takes pride in helping you build a “fortified tank” to protect it from any “potential escape attempts.”

He even draws up “exercise drills” to help it “build character.”

He ends up calling it something like “Lil’ Warrior”

The turtle's name is Bob

And he spends a suspicious amount of time training it to recognize commands, because “A turtle like this needs discipline.”

Donnie’s reaction is extreme caution

Like... wtf? How is this turtle so ugly?

(He completely forgot that he is also a softshell turtle)

He’s thrilled you came to him about turtle care, especially because this guy is a fellow softshell

But then he notices the turtle’s… ominous glare

For the next ten minutes, Donnie just stares back, analyzing every detail

The turtle doesn’t blink

It feels like a showdown

"This isn’t just any turtle, you know," he mutters, more to himself

He immediately runs diagnostics on it, pulling out his tools to test its temperament and intelligence level, just in case

Donnie takes the turtle care seriously, sets up the perfect tank, gets the optimal UV lamp, and is constantly researching enrichment activities, but he still doesn’t entirely trust it

You catch him putting up tiny lasers around the tank "just in case."

And he insists on renaming it something like “Professor Menace” because, in his words

“Look at that face—he’s clearly up to something.”

Mikey’s reaction is pure delight. “Aw! Look at the lil’ guy!”

He immediately wants to hold it, but as soon as he picks it up, the turtle gives him a side-eye that could curdle milk

Yes, the turtle is judging Michelangelo

He tries everything

Offering lettuce, sweet-talking it, giving it little pets, but the turtle just stares, expression unreadable but somehow… sinister

“Why does he keep looking at me like that?” Mikey wonders, confused but determined to win the turtle’s affection

He’s convinced it just needs a bit of “good vibes,” so he tries playing calming music, talking to it about his day, and even painting a little flower on the tank

Despite the turtle’s apparent indifference

(And slightly ominous glare)

Mikey’s convinced they’re best friends

He starts calling it “Lil’ Grump,” swearing it’ll warm up eventually.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Winter's King 21

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, cheating, violence, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You are a maid to the Duke of Debray, a lord of the Summer Kingdom. That is, until the king of Winter appears with his particular air of coldness. (Medieval AU)

Characters: Geralt of Rivia

Note: I am very tired.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

As promised, the king acquires you a full outfit to face the cold. A fur trimmed hat to replace your standard linen cap, a pair of lined hide gloves, and thick boots that go to your knees. He has bolstered you to face the elements but you are wholly unprepared to face the corridors as the glances of soldiers and servants meet you with a new glint of judgement.  

You wear the king’s cloak as before. You keep your head low under the hood as he walks ahead of you. It is a farce. A poorly acted charade. How naive you’d been for so long not see through it all. You were the perfect fool for an intent audience. 

You descend and come out to the west of the castle, through a door beneath a sharply peaked arch. The snow continues to heap over the land though the winds have relented. The king pauses as you emerge and reaches to take you by the wrist, as if he fears you might be lost in the powder. 

He walks you across the yard towards the stables built across a flat of land nestled along a curved rock wall. The doors creaks as he pushes through and the heat of braziers and horses’ bodies greets you within. Sniffs, snorts, and knickers rise in the air as you walk between the stalls. There is one in which a single horse resides, the rest crowded in pairs and trios. 

You look up at the steed’s dark snout, it’s eyes even bleaker as it snuffs out harshly. It’s nostrils flair at your approach and the king clicks his tongue at the beast. It raises its nose then shakes its head. It’s ebony iris fixates on you as its master touches its braided mane. 

“Roach,” you murmur into the dry air. 

“You remember,” he comments gently. 

“Yes,” you watch the horse as it watches you. It bows its head, nose coming close to yours, fuming hot breath around you. It sniffs the trim of your hood. 

“Let the animal see you,” the king advises. 

You bring your hands up and push back the hood, letting it hang over your shoulders. You stare at the dark eyes. Roach continues to twitch his nose in your direction then further dips his head, pressing against your chest. Uncertain, you bring your hands to touch his soft ears. 

“Ah,” the king sighs, “Roach is rarely partial to any but me. Even I receive a nip or too from the curmudgeon.” He chuckles and touches the horse’s thick neck. “others have nearly lost a finger and even sacrificed garment or two.” 

“A creature so volatile, he makes a good war horse?” 

“She,” he corrects you. 

“Oh, apologies.” 

“I doubt she minds,” he muses and pets her long nose as she raises her head. “She is restless. She would do good for the exercise.” 

He lowers his hand and unclasps the stall door. He pulls it out as you step out of the way. The horse clomps through, kicking impatiently as it blows through its lips. The king moves parallel to you and draws you before him. Before you or Roach can react, he has you aloft, urging you onto the horse’s unsaddled back. 

“Hold tight,” he girds and puts his hands to the horse’s shoulder, “come, Roach.” 

The horse starts and you press your hands to her back, clamping on with your thighs. You rock with her motion to keep from slipping. You duck with the mount as she bends through the door the king holds open. The winter snows dusts down on you as you emerge. 

The king drags his palm along the horse’s side and swings himself up with little effort. He sit behind you, Roach not missing a step or buckling at his ascent. He pulls you snug to him, tugging up your hood as the chill nips at your cheeks. He wraps his arms around you and clutches a swathe of the horse’s braids. He whistles and leans, guiding the horse away from the castle. 

“She is obedient,” you remark at her agile response. 

“I prefer mares for that reason,” he returns. You wonder if it is a quip meant for the queen or yourself. Perhaps both. “It isn’t very far, though the path is steep.” 

You nod and stare at the white expanse, a few jutting rocks pocking out above the carpet of snow, leafless branches reaching out here and there. The horse carries you to a ledge, narrow and treacherous, and you lean back into the King Geralt as the edge has you dizzy. He slips his hand beneath your cloak to squeeze your hip. 

“I have you, treasure, you needn’t fear,” he assures.” 

“Yes, your highness, thank you,” you touch his knuckles and shiver. 

“Sweet summer maid,” he purrs as he draws you snugger. “This winter is harsh but I will keep you warm.” 

You shudder and hang your head. For so much comfort as he offers, you find little. It isn’t only the snow which chills you. 

You ride on, the impact of hooves softened by the layers below, the air hollow and biting as it seeps beneath your hood. The sky ripples grey and seems to darken as you descend the curling path along the cliff’s edge. At once, you are plunged into thick blackness. 

The world levels out and the king shifts, sliding off the mount to land on his feet. You peek over your shoulder and see the grim light through the mouth of the cave. The king touches your leg and you turn, letting him help you from the height. Roach kicks and spits. 

The king frames your waist before he releases you. You listen to his steps as he moves through the dim. There’s is a scratch as he strikes flint and flame illuminates his shadow. He bends and takes something from the ground. He pauses and works with one hand, wrapping something around the thick stick. He lights the length of linen around the wood’s tip, a torch to see you along. 

“She will stay, she is not keen on confinement, especially underground,” he girds and removes his own cloak, draping it over the horses back, “the air enlivens me, I shouldn’t need that much.” 

He wears a leather coat, sewn of thick strips of black and studded with silver. He approaches you and bends his arm, offering it gallantly as a gentleman might with a lady. You hesitate and hook your arm through it, hugging his elbow as he leads you deeper, the torch flickering with each step. 

You enter a tunnel with rocky tendrils stretching from top to bottom, encased in layers of ice and frost. The flame illuminates the frozen layers. Deeper and deeper you go, quiet as your curiosity mingles with concern. Where are you going? 

Your boot slips on a slippery patch but the king keeps you upright. You thank him and bring your other arm across to steady yourself on his bicep. You feel his muscle bulging beneath. You do not doubt his promises. He will keep you safe. Down here, but you doubt what he might do without. 

He raises the torch as the air thins and you the cave opens up. You look around as the walls lay beyond the breadth of the torches glow. Your eyes are drawn by the icy fingers hanging from the ceiling. There is one close to you. You reach to touch its pointed tip. 

“Icicles,” the king says, “be careful of the thin ones, they might fall.” 

He moves the torch to show more, all around you, light fangs the line the cave, lining the edges. The flame sparkles on their eerie translucence. Then the king lowers the light and you look down beneath your feet. You’re stand on ice! 

“Your highness,” you instinctively pull yourself closer to him, your soles sliding as you try to walk further. 

“It will not break,” he assures you as he urges you on, “this cave never thaws, even in the warmer months. They call it the Moth’s Den.” He leads you across the ice and your eyes catch on the icicles, thick and thin, some pointed, some reach to touch the floor. You hear an odd hum, almost a buzz, and he sweeps the torch before you. 

You stop to gape at the wall before you. It looks soft and fluffy, almost like fur. Then you lean closer and see the wings. Pale silver moths, fluttering in place, clinging to the wall. Their fuzzy bodies line every morsel of the space. 

“Snow moths. Harmless creatures. Unlike their summer counterparts, the detest the light,” he extends his arm and a circle along the icy wall is sudden bare as the moths move to avoid the glare. “When I was a boy, I always wanted to have one as a pet. I could never get one past the entrance before it escaped and flew back to the depths.” 

You blink and lower your hand from his arm, though you stay hooked onto him, “I didn’t think this was your home.” 

“As a boy it was. At least, that’s how I saw it. My father, king of the day, sent me here to train with Lord Vesemir. As much to keep me out of trouble. I am not unaware of myself. I was not the best behaved. Vesemir took me in and he bides no mischief,” King Geralt explains, “though he does not rule without compassion. He taught me many things more than discipline. He taught me,” the king peers over at you, “that my heart should be heard just as plainly as my mind. If you do not balance them, then it will all topple.” 

You look back at him. Your chest aches deeply. Doesn’t he know you don’t have that privilege? Can he not see that you do not get that choice? Even for a king. 

You might never had cared for Lady Rezlyn and her gossip. You think it cruel and unkind. Often you wonder if she spoke less of others, if she might gain more friends. You never engaged much in Merinda’s whispers either. But you heard them and you know what becomes of mistresses. 

The other woman. That’s what you’ll become. A whore. A name to be spat. A figure to be avoided. A maid might be ignored but she neither favoured or despised. She just is. She has her purpose. A mistress only has the stain put upon her. The one who taints who my walk away, but she never will. 

“The ice becomes you, treasure. The cold it... pales to your beauty,” he smiles down at you. His gold eyes are vibrant and his fine features are even more admirable in the limn of the flame. 

He lifts his chin and takes steady steps away from the wall and leads you towards a jutting stone at the other end of the cavern. He bends to plant the torches base in the crevice at its foot. The torch leans but stands on its own. 

He faces you, untangling from your arm, and puts his hands on your shoulders, “I want to know what you think. Tell me. Do you like my homeland? Do you like the winter?” 

Your lips part and you glance up. Your eyes wander around the space and you turn your head. You raise your hands to touch the king’s leather gloves. 

“I think I do,” you answer. You can’t deny the beauty even if it is deadly. “I might think differently should I meet a bear or a wolf.” 

“It is why you must stay close, treasure, I would never let a beast get anywhere near,” he avows, “I refer to all beasts. Be it man or animal. You will always have me. You needn’t be afraid.” 

You lower your eyes. You can’t say the truth. He knows it but he refuses it. His is a king, he might bend even the world to his whim. You let your hands trails down his forearms. He drops his hands and takes yours. 

“Will you tell me more? About when you were a boy?” You ask, hoping to forget the present a little longer. You are intrigued to think of this man as just a child. It is a rather impossible concept. 

“Hm, well,” he lets go of you and moves around you. He comes behind you and presses himself to your back. He rocks you as he turns you to admire the cave, “I would come to these caves and talk to myself...” he laughs rockily, “you see, if you holler loud enough, your voice bounces back at you. Lord Vesemir, he is not always in the mind for conversation and horses can be just as finicky.” 

He continues to turn you with him. Even without his cloak, his warmth seeps into you. 

“And I would gather bouquets of frostwart and white willowrods for they are the closest to flowers that grow here. I would put the bunches all around, as if I was too be coronated. I was told every day I would be king and I wanted to be ready, but mostly, I’d pretend I was at tourney. I would have my practice sword and I would parry with the air. The air was not so mean as Vesemir with his jabs.” 

You listen, closing your eyes, trying to see it in your head. A white-haired boy with his golden eyes and flowers and swords. Now a man who’s marched through blood and dirt. How time changes more than the seasons, it transforms all. 

“What of you, maid? I want to know of you. When you were a child, did you frolic with the rabbits and the squirrels?” 

You go rigid. You try to pull away but he has you caught. You lean back and exhale heavily. 

“The life of a maid isn’t very interesting,” your murmur. 

“You were always a maid? Even when you were young?” 

“Always,” you affirm. “I emptied pots, brought Lord Dustan his boots, though at times, Lady Jazlene required a playmate...” 

He’s quiet at the mention of his wife. You feel the crack in your heart. Your nose is numb and tingling. 

“Yet, how did you become a maid? Before that, was there nothing?” He asks. 

“Please, your highness--” 

“I bid you call me by my name.” 

“Geralt,” you utter, “please, I beg you, I wouldn’t speak of before.” 

“Did you have parents? Siblings--” 

“None of it,” you hiss and elbow away from him, throwing your arms out to keep balance. You spin and shake your head, “please. My parents are dead. Long gone. And the memories I have of them are nothing more than that. They’ve only ever been dead to me.” 

He is taken aback, his face pale and cheeks tight, “treasure, forgive me, I only... I want to know everything of you--” 

“You know what I am. I am a maid. That is it. That is all I can ever be. I am not a lady, not a wife, not a queen,” you clap your hands together, the impact softened by your mittens, “you cannot make me anything different, king as you may be. I will only ever serve, and you will only ever command.” 

His lips part and he steps towards you, “that isn’t true.” 

“It’s what must be true,” you look to your feet, “might I make a request?” 

“Anything,” he says. 

“Take me back to the castle,” you raise your eyes.  

He nods solemnly and reaches for you, “as you wish.” 

[t34-mt]

Hello! Hope you're doing well!

I wonder how you can make your nonhuman characters so distinct from each other? The way you see that they are the same species, but still different characters?

Hello, i hope you're doing well too, and thank you! I often worry that they look very similar, but it is nice to know that others see them as distinct Surprisingly enough, studying variation in human facial structures helped me with making different faces for my sophonts. Even if you aim for an art style that isn't on the realistic side, learning how something works before stylizing will help immensely. This goes for learning to draw the anatomy of animals your nonhuman characters are based off of, when you know how they work its easier to bend around and imagine new traits.

Maanuls are easier for me to make distinct because they have some humanoid features. Figuring out how facial structure of your sophont might vary can be tricky the further they look from us. Personally, playing with moles, the way feathers are growing on their face is a good start before i think further. i'll often just doodle quick faces on my canvas here and there, it doesn't have to be detailed or professional, just make it exist, you can make it better later even if that may take months or year

draw your sophonts side by side for the sake of it. i have dozen of this type of doodle where i draw them fast, note down their difference, and keep it in mind going foward. i don't have much to say apart from drawing your sophonts a lot, like a lot, will make you more comfortable with bending their faces and features in a way you find it to be satisfying. you might do a facial trait and look back at it later and think "that was stupid, that's too x not enough y" and its ok. just do it anyways, because you'll learn something in the process

I have a habit of never drawing my own ocs, where i might draw them for an au, then realize i haven't draw canon in over a year. What i'm getting to is that drawing one of my characters as a human first, then drawing her as a maanul after helped me to make her face different than it used to be. Translating human features into maanul version is a fun exercise that i recommend doing with your own sophonts! here's the difference after doing so (last pic is old one) first pics are from jully 2025, last june 2024

[urautismdiagnosis-wistie]

what do you think the Octonauts like to do in their spare time?

thanks for the ask!

Sorry this took forever to answer i haven't been well recently but I'm doing better

I've talked about this on some different octonauts octo headcanons posts but ill make a nice neat list! These are a mix of Canon and headcanon <3

Barnacles:

he enjoys attempting to play the accordian, traditional inuit soap stone carving (not something he does often, most of his room carvings are from his childhood), using charcoal and oil pastels to paint scenery as a way to wind himself down(sometimes he'll do people but they don't look very good), sport competitions and exercising, and writing small short screenplays about the characters hes made for his carvings <3 the screenplays are usually very soft and light hearted or deeply sad.

Kwazii:

ok our undiagnosed adhd boy let's go: anything competitive or exciting! I'm talking chess (with inkling), ping pong, any type of sports competition, board games, card games-

He also has a hyperfixation on historic miniature model ships- and some modern too. Bro also LOVES to cook with the vegimals! (Even if his cooking skills are... debatable) hell often teach them (the kid friendly) version of the shanties he grew up with. Funnily enough he doesn't really share his shanties with the rest of the crew,not really...

He does enjoy girls night, esp with jewelry and claw care 💕 dashis been showing him movies and teaching him stuff about pop culture and land culture in general

Also he loves comics <3 and book kwazii enjoys long baths so I gave him a whole long self care routine.

Peso:

making stickers 🥰 playing his xylophone <3 reading all the gossip in his family group chat and trading it with dashi <3 watching inaccurate medical drama shows and making fun of them with dashi <3 knitting !!!💕 he likes to make little stuffed animals and scarves <3 also hats sometimes

He likes reading chiikawa (kwazii recommended the comic to him) and talking to his mom about their favorite romance dramas together

This last one isn't really a hobby but he does enjoy listening to pinto yap about whatever video game he's hyperfixated on lol

Dashi:

Ok speed run, yoga, photography, making tiny dumb video games with tweak (they once made one where its just the gup b and it was basically like flappy bird lol), ROOM DECOR AND PINTEREST BOARDS OH MY GOODNESS (my friend is like that lol I love it when she sends me her stuff), SURFING, BASKETBALL SHES SO COMPETITIVE IN EVERY SPORT, listening to horror podcasts and cursed pov asmr at night <3, talking with shellington about tiny random creature species!!! Also stimming <3

Tweak

: LEGOS(miniatures of the gups) 🗣 CLASSIC VIDEO GAMES( stuff like the og metroid and space invaders) 🗣 NOT SLEEPING (gurl ur room is a depression cave PLEASE get a bed frame PLEASE (dashi probably)) 🗣 GUPS GUPS GUPS she lives and breathes em baby if she's not working on a gup she's developing an idea- 🗣 she really likes cute baby animal videos 🗣 reading alternative fashion magazines 🗣 MONSTER TRUCK LEGO 🗣 dying hair with dashi occasionally (this entire post is so dashi filled loll) 🗣 LISTENING TO MUSIC 🗣🗣🗣

Shellington:

He breathes his hyperfixation about creature species. He and tweak and literally EVERYONE is SO autistic and/or nuerodivergent in some way. Anyways so I'm talking drawing sea creatures (hes a pretty good artist ngl, barnacles could take notes), researching them, comparing them, studying their biological abilities and the chemical components and possibilities of it- literally his entire job is just him having an autistic blast like good for him

But most of his free time is very much spent with the vegimals XD whether its playing with them, trying to teach them things, or just talking with them.

He also loves drawing hyper realistic animal drawings saying very very stupid silly puns. The vegimals internally react to them like dad jokes but they pretend they're very funny cuz hes SO. PROUD.

Inkling:

He enjoys doing very deep dives into topics, deep cleaning, chatting with min on video call, conducting psychological social and behavioral experiments on the octonauts, competing with kwazii and the other octonauts to challenge them (he slays),

Journaling, and even his actual job of organizing their discoveries and getting them ready for scientific peer review as well as handling all paper work sides of thibgs

He really enjoys spending time with thr other octonauts, they are ALL his children(in a "my fascinating lil creatures!! I must teach them and challenge them so that they can grow!) to him and he adores them all immensely. He likes to make photo albums with dashi.

He also enjoys not having bones because apparently when mammals and avians get old their bones hurt all the time??? So he's pretty happy about that ngl

the vegimals all have different interests: whether its having certain genres of media they gravitate too, different aspects of gardening they enjoy,or joining different octonauts in their own tasks! But they'll always love making their own songs and working together <3 also experimenting in recipes lol. A few will often join the other octonauts doing their own hobbies or try to do the hobbies they see the others doing. They are kids after all lol

This could mean tominnow joining peso and dashi while they watch their dramas, barrot being very excitable while playing video games with tweak, tunip learning how to play chess with the professor, grouber being a little princess and enjoying self care, coddish trying to learn how to sword fight with kwazii pretending to be a silly monster, or halibeet curled sleepilu next to inkling as he reads and explains what he's learning- and so on and on and on.

:3

[loganrestarts]

My DIY Art Degree

Some people think there’s an arbitrary marker where you’re finally a self-taught artist, that you eventually reach a point where you’re done with your art education. But I think we spend our whole lives learning, so my goal for my 37th year on earth is to start being a committed self-teaching artist. 

I have so many interests I want to improve and learn that I can’t predict what my progress or end result will look like, but some of the things I want to explore are:

Sketching and drawing

Coloring techniques and color theory

Painting with watercolor and gouache

Painting on the Procreate app

Creative Journaling

Handwriting, hand lettering, and calligraphy

So I dug up a bunch of books and videos to make up a curriculum and planned out my own DIY art degree to start learning them all! 

Each month has its own focus:

Learning About Learning Art 

Mark-making, Sketching, & Basic Shapes 

Perspective

Figure Drawing & Anatomy 

Gesture Drawing 

Character Design

Color & Light 

Composition 

Landscapes & Environmental Design

Using Markers & Colored Pencils 

Painting with Gouache & Watercolor 

Digital Art

I don’t have a syllabus for the full year planned out yet, but here’s a rough draft of the materials and activities I want to try out for Quarter 1:

❄️ January ❄️

✨January Focus: Learning About Learning Art✨

📚 January Materials 📚

Drawabox.com: Lesson 0

[Book] Art & Fear by David Bayles

[Book] Debt Free Art Degree. Foundations in Drawing by Marco Bucci: Chapters: 1

[Book] Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

[Book] How to Keep a Sketch Journal by Marisa Lewis

[Book] Sketching from the Imagination: An Insight into Creative Drawing by 3DTotal Publishing

[Book] Art Fundamentals: Theory in Practice by 3DTotal Publishing. Chapters: Fundamentals & Critical Thinking

[YouTube] Veritasium: The 4 Things it Takes to Be an Expert

[YouTube] Ian Roberts: 5 Principles to Master Anything

[YouTube] Proko: Getting Better Faster - Painting with 80/20 Rule

[YouTube] Proko: How to Hold and Control Your Pencil

[YouTube] Sycra: Iterative Drawing

[YouTube] Love Life Drawing: 10 Stages of Learning Any Art Skill

[YouTube] Love Life Drawing: Practice Like a Pro - How Steve Rude Improves

[YouTube] Sinix: Art Theory Tutorials Playlist

[YouTube] Sinix: Art Warm Up & Exercises

[YouTube] belartsy: the “right” way to start learning how to draw

[YouTube] Paintable: Sketching For Beginners

[YouTube] Marc Brunet: How to Draw Anything - The 7 Fundamentals

[YouTube] Marc Brunet: How to Draw Good Lineart

[YouTube] Marc Brunet: Stop Learning to Draw the Wrong Way

[YouTube] Marc Brunet: The Most Important Art Skill

[LinkedIn Learning] Drawing Foundations: Fundamentals

[Gumroad] moderndayjames: Intro to Dynamic Sketching ($8)

[Reddit] r/ArtistLounge: How to get better at observing the world around me?

✍️ January Activities ✍️

Set a baseline by making whatever I want

(I know January has already passed; I'll post an update with what I actually managed to get through.)

💝 February 💝

✨ February Focus: Mark-making, Sketching, & Basic Shapes ✨

📚 February Materials 📚

[Book] How to Draw and Think Like a True Artist by Warren Martin. Days 1-5

[Book] Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink. Chapters 1-2

[Book] You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler. Lessons 1-7; 10-13; 15; 19

[Book] Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling. Chapters 1-8

[Book] Art Fundamentals 2nd Edition by 3DTotal Publishing. Chapter: Perspective & Depth

[Book] Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

[Book] Debt Free Art Degree: Foundations in Drawing by Marco Bucci. Chapters: 1, 3

[Book] How to Draw by Scott Robertson. Chapters 1-2

[Reference Pictures] Fundamentals: Shiny Forms

[Reference Pictures] Fundamentals: Basic Forms

[YouTube] Uncomfortable: Drawabox Videos Playlist (Lesson 1)

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Perspective 1

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Perspective 2

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Perspective 6

[YouTube] The Art of Nemo: The ONLY Box Rotation Exercise That’s ACTUALLY Useful

[LinkedIn Learning] Drawing 2-Point Perspective

✍️ February Activities ✍️

drawabox.com 

Lesson 1 & Homework

250 Box Challenge

🍀 March ����

✨March Focus: Perspective ✨

📚 March Materials 📚

[Book] Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling. Chapters 9-18

[Book] Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink. Chapters 2; 5

[Book] You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler. Lessons 22-27

[Book] How to Draw and Think like a True Artist by Warren Martin. Days 6-14

[Book] How to Draw by Scott Robertson. Chapters 2-7

[Book] Art Fundamentals 2nd Edition by 3DTotal Publishing. Chapters: Perspective & Depth

[Book] Framed Perspective I - Marco Mateu-Mestre. Chapter: 1

[Book] Debt Free Art Degree: Foundations in Drawing by Marco Bucci. Chapters: 3

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Perspective 3

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Perspective 4

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Perspective 5

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Visual Library I 

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Visual Library II 

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Visual Library III

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Vehicle Sketching I 

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Vehicle Sketching II

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Vehicle Sketching III

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Vehicle Sketching IV

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Sketching Figures in Extreme Perspective

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Emulating Even Amundsen Series

[YouTube] moderndayjames: Becoming a Gi Series

✍️ March Activities ✍️

drawabox.com: Lesson 2 & Homework, 250 Cylinder Challenge, Begin 25 Texture Challenge

100 Rotated Objects - based on moderndayjames Visual Library videos

100 Unique Studies (machinery, vehicles, plants, animals)

🖌️ Some Ongoing Activities 🖌️

50/50 Rule: 50% studying, 50% funsies

[Book] 30 Days of Creativity by Johanna Basford

[Book] 2025 Johanna Basford Wall Calendar

[Book] The Lost Art of Handwriting by Brenna Jordan

[Book] Spencerian Handwriting: The Complete Collection of Theory and Practical Workbooks for Perfect Cursive and Hand Lettering by Platts Roger Spencer

[Workbook] New Spencerian Compendium Plate 2 Practice Sheets (Found on PDF Drive)

Hand lettering worksheets I made in Canva

This is by no means a comprehensive education, but I feel like I came up with a good introduction to the things I’m interested in. I’m not going to learn everything about all of these topics in just a year, and I know I'm not going to get through all the resources I found.

I also want to make this process as cheap as possible, so I’m using a lot of free stuff from YouTube and my local libraries. Many of the resources came from radiorunner’s Curriculum for the Solo Artist and suggestions I found through the almighty social media algorithms. 

If your libraries can’t get the books on order or Inter-Library Loan, or if you’d rather just buy them to keep, I’m including Amazon affiliate links. (Many can be found as PDFs through other free methods but I definitely don’t recommend looking for the books on Demonoid, Mobilism, or PDF Drive.)

What do you think I'm missing? What do you think is too extra?

Learning is a life-long process, so even though I gave myself a year to restart, it’s just that: my restart. 

[nariul]

"The ashes remain stagnant. Will it stay forever hidden in the past? Or will it soon scatter to the winds?"

OC by @silly-npanc !!! omgg i loved drawing this, gave me hella good exercise to draw ur oc and layton better and hands😭, its so fun!! ight have more of my doodles

i imagine them touring around the mansion. man i wish i could draw good bg

NAHHH FR @imagingchamber omg because of this i couldnt get yhis out of my head so i had to DRAW ITTTT

+ bonus flusterous why not.

I SWEAR IM GONNA DRAW THE OTHER CHARACTERS I SWEAR

[indignantlemur]

Hello lovelies! Who wants a nice, cozy kitchen scene? I'm not back up to snuff, but as part of my physiotherapy I've been encouraged to draw and write and generally give my arm and hand a good work out with all kinds of horrible contortions and exercises. I'm far from at my previous level, and I can't tolerate the kind of shading I preferred before my injury, so for this piece I experimented with a more cell-shading like style this time. I think it turned out alright! A bit rough, sure, but not bad for a first attempt!

I still can't draw a smooth lines without leaning pretty heavily on stabilizers, but I am improving a little more every day. While I'm not completely happy with parts of the overall piece, I think I managed to more or less hit the target!

Detail shot and rambling below the cut, as per usual!

So the main idea behind all of this was a series of slice of life snapshots that felt cozy and comfortable, focusing heavily on the interactions between characters over drama and big scenes. I didn't have a particular location in mind with this one, but I have always thought that Dagmar's Andoria apartment would be conspicuously corporate-bland, the way a lot of common spaces are in Star Trek - and probably the most common examples Andorian architects would draw from without knowing any better.

In the background, we have Dagmar's little notes and reminders, as she's always struck me as the sort of person who uses her fridge like a personal calendar and organizer rather than a showcase for sentimental things.

Transcribed, they read:

[To Do: - Groceries!!! - New books ] [Language Lessons - High Vulcan!!! (<-Email Comm Lorik @ embassy again) - Coridanese - Refresh Klingon - Aenar dialect?] [DRINK WATER - NOT coffee] [Appointment w/ Miraal @ [indecipherable]]

Food in all its varieties has been a big part of Emigre from the very beginning, and I thought in particular that it would be nice to capture a scene with Dagmar and Thelen focused around that point. After all, if Thelen can teach Dagmar the ins and outs of Andorian cooking, why can't Dagmar return the favour?

So, working off of that, I wanted to try for a scene that feels mostly familiar. As much as I wanted to feature familiar objects and tools, owing to Dagmar's past origins and preferences, I also wanted to add little things that are just a tiny bit alien, too. We have the half-drunk drinks of familiar blue ale; the datapad, forgotten, going into screen-saver mode; the cream tarts in unusual shades; and even some odd little fruits that look like cherry tomatoes and come in dull Skittle colours, for example. Then, there's the ulu-style knife just at the edge of the frame. It's an unusual choice over a standard santoku knife or any other perfectly serviceable kitchen knife, but given its resemblance to a ushaan-tor it feels oddly appropriate. Providing my recovery continues to go well, I'm hoping to do a few more cozy scenes, but I can't promise anything just yet!

[crazysodomite]

the problem is that i feel that no matter how much i practice i dont get better and in fact get worse. and each time i try to go above and beyond and try something grandiose it looks so laughably bad that i dont bother finishing. i still havent the mastered the simple principles of placing things in 3d space. foreshortening/perspective/etc. and i've done so much studies and practice to no effect. i try to be positive towards my work but like. its bad. anyone who isnt trying to sugarcoat me would tell you that. it's deeply amature. and i feel like i can't move past that. in fact it feels the more effort i put into something the worse it looks. all my attempts at scenic art are straight up cringeworthy. i can't even get to the stage of rendering because the fundamentals arent good enough or worth finishing. basically all of my art has no depth and feels like those orbs you draw as an exercise.

all my art is basically this in different configurations and every time itry to stray outside of that it falls apart. idk lol. i cant take my art seriously because its bad. not to mention my complete lack of mastery of values and color. i always need to fix my values after im done rendering something because i just don't see or notice that my values are off unless i literally fix them in photoshop. and when it comes to color its honestly laughable how little i understand about anything. i can't even render a character thats a single color in an interesting or good looking way without overblowing the saturation. its literally mindless and bad and anyone with even a basic grasp of color theory would be able to tell you that. but like. i dont know what to do with all this. ideally someone whos a good artist would tell me what all my problem areas are and how to fix it but its not like i have money to pay for an apprenticeship or whatever. i literally need to start learning to draw from scratch like i dont know anything lol

[harleyshahas]

How do you personally get over writers block?

I really don't know! I do find that breaks from writing are often needed during these times. Like, oh, the well's dried up, time to go do something else! I'll spend the time reading or rereading fanfics to maybe hopefully spark some inspiration, but I still need a break from fandom spaces, so I'll play some video games or watch a movie/show, and if im lucky I'll be inspired by one of those things!

But more often than not, my writer's block hits for months at a time, so I definitely recommend picking up another hobby or two that aren't necessarily fandom related. I don't have very many hobbies, and certainly not ones I'm any good at, but I do use these times when I want to be creative but know how to be to explore other options. I'll look up tutorials for different crafts like knitting, crochet, I'll watch shows like Drawfee, and even if I know I'll never actually start these hobbies for myself, its nice to see others create. The downside is that it makes me want to create more, but the upside is I'll give myself little challenges to do. Either I'll come on here and beg for some attention or prompt ideas that I'll pick away at, I'll return to one of my wips and write a sentence or two (and if im lucky, I'll even write more!), or I'll decide its time to doodle and just try to get better at that by drawing hands or faces over and over.

I don't have any technical or professional advice when it comes to writing. Lord knows plenty of people on this site have said it better than me, but I do know that breaks are necessary. Put the pen down for a while and let your brain recharge on something else like mindless television or an old favorite game or something. Put some poppy music on and clean your kitchen, channel that energy into something else, and maybe your brain will jumpstart on some knew inspiration!

That said, here's a prompt for you, just to exercise:

Pick two characters from your current fandom. They can be your favorite ship or enemies/rivals or friends. Just pick two. Now pick a video game. Let's go with Silent Hill. Those two characters are now stuck in Silent Hill and have to survive. What are they there for, and how will they work together to get out?

[wordsandrobots]

I've been mulling over the GQuacks designs that have been revealed so far, especially in light of more kits being announced, and I'm trying to work out if I have any coherent thoughts on them. Because I *like* them, and the more that I have seen, the more I am convinced my problems with the GQuuuuuuX itself do entirely come down to the colour layout/lowered contrast on said colours. Slap some more traditional blocking on this style and it looks much clearer to my eye.

But actually, the interplay of 'tradition' and 'innovation' here is somewhat interesting. It puts me in mind of the design work for the first live-action Transformers movie, back in 2007, where the Autobots and Decepticons receive an extreme makeover in the name of making them more 'alien'. Or whatever the preferred excuse for reimagining them as exploded cutlery drawers was. There is a school of thought that treats revisiting designs from cartoon media as an exercise in increasing the complexity of those designs because that is more 'realistic', by whatever metric we are judging that today.

Taken to its extremes, it can lead to a total disconnection from the source material that, depending on what you are aiming to achieve, can invite very unflattering comparisons. But it's not inherently a bad thing to push things into new aesthetics and see what happens, and I do kind of like where a lot of this has ended up.

One thing they've done very well here is distinguish the mobile suit design philosophies very sharply, with the Zaku and Gundam looking like they belong to completely different schools of mecha construction. I love the Zaku redesign overall, with all its bell thrusters and fuel pods, and its stodgier build. And, actually, it's got a touch of a G-Reco Grimoire about it, which I whole-heartedly approve of. But then I do have zero attachments to Zakus in the first place, so doing anything other than just turning up the definition knob gets my seal of approval.

The Gundam(s) though . . . I think I like the idea more than the execution. We're kind of butting up against humanoid mecha are inherently ridiculous so if you try to over-engineer them for realism, you land in an odd variation of the uncanny valley. Slimming the RX-78-2 is a canny move and there's some nice negative space in there. However, the head design feels like it's got at least one too many things going on at once and like it won't dovetail with the more traditional approach taken with the GQuuuuuux (which I like a lot). Love the Guncannon though. That looks top-notch and I'm curious to see how much action it will see, given the dearth of details so far about what the main characters will actually be doing in the long-run.

My biggest complaint here is the externally-mounted thruster flange thingies. They're just . . . inelegant. Jarring, in fact. They draw the eye way too much for a minor detail and seem far too easily knocked off the physical models. I love the idea of extra verniers (look, the Leo influenced me hard at an impressionable age and you're all going to have to live with that), but couldn't they have been more closely integrated into the body? Again, it's something the GQuuuuuux does much better and while I get that the Gundam/Guncannon have a prototype vibe going on, I would have much preferred following the hero mecha's lead here.

My biggest nitpick is the interpretation of the RX-78-2's colour layout. Again, the blocking is good, but something about the prominence of the yellow on the upper chest doesn't quite work for me. You kind of lose the rather natty recessed yellow vents under the equally yellow frame. They might have been better off keeping all that detail but extending the blue to more closely follow the original layout.

All this being said . . . I'm still not convinced any of this will look especially nice in motion. Which is a whole other kettle of kippers in terms of the way CGI and traditional anime styles do and don't mesh easily. Just as long as they remember to turn up the contrast for any night/dark scenes, it'll probably be fine. *scowls at Gundam Hathaway*

[tmgefan]

Love your art <3! Do you have any tips to share with us? You’re a big inspiration so I’ll take what I can get lol. Have a great day ❤️

Thank you! It means a lot to me that I may be someone's inspiration.

As for the tips I find it hard to come up with something out of my mind (i usually provide tips with specific topic) so this post will be quite random

How I learn muscle anatomy when Im bored (or when nothing is drawing out properly

Here's a file for a random study with some heavylifter that i was turning brim into. I never got to actually draw it and i still dunno if i ever will, but his musculature will help me make a couple of points

When i start a study drawing the first thing i do is finding the spine of the person (taking that i am making a study of a character ofc) sometimes it doesnt matter much, but as an exercise to see through something its a good thing.

*Vsauce voice* But what if... You have no idea how to see through something?

In this situation when even I can struggle I decide to make a fast set up with a model (here I used web version of Magic Poser, there's also an app)

You set the model to the pose from the ref as close as you can and then try to understand how their spine works. Honestly, in general if you even already have a ref, sometimes its good to make a model set up for it to get multiple angles and full understanding of shapes. Even better if you have models irl, but those quite expensive. Add. info - I started college this year and its my first ever year to sculpt with clay and i found out that if you try to sculpt anatomy YOU immediately get a better understanding of where what should be after a couple of tries to make an arm or maybe a face (shocker). Its another great exercise. Anyway

The next thing i'd do is to make a kind of a stickman model over the photo, to get a better understanding of simpe shapes like the tubes for arms

Dont get scared because i skipped a lot. but Its really not that much. What I like to do is to trace the silhoutte of the character and then provide myself with references for muscle, so after that i can also look at the photo and try to make pathways of the muscle tissue over what is already drawn. Tracing like this helps a lot to understand how musles work. At this point you can also stop and maybe move on some other study.

I also recommend using brushes that react to pressure you apply to the stylus both in shape and transparensy. Take any picture with pronounced muscle and just try to make out every shape you see and seperate them from each other.

also dont ever underestimate drawing when you're bored on paper. Just drawing your own hand sometimes will help you understand a lot about the way how skin works, or how muscle tense, etc.

[dross-the-fish]

Warning you that this’ll be worded weirdly in advance (I’m not good with wording)

I don’t know how to describe the phenomenon but how do you avoid art style envy? Or keep motivation when your art style isn’t where you want it to be?

(Because I feel as though I need to justify everything here’s an explanation) I often use your art as a reference because I like the style and it helps me get a basic idea of the anatomy of some characters (Adam, Jekyll, Hyde, Erik, for example) and then I get art block because it doesn’t look good to me (and then I remember your twice my age)

Sorry the wordings weird and sorry if it’s long

Honestly I think the reason I manage not to get wrapped up in my art not being where I want it to be is down to the fact that as I've gotten older I've started giving less fucks about drawing for an audience. I like to draw, and even if there are people significantly younger who are a lot better I'm drawing primarily for my own enjoyment, not to compete with other people. I also try to be kind to myself, I drew pretty irregularly over the years and went through long dry spells and if you'd seen my tumblr pre 2022 I have maybe 5-6 drawings per year and now that I'm drawing on at least a weekly basis I'm seeing rapid improvements in much shorter spans of time. Practice will pay off. You just have to commit to it and let it do its thing. There's no deadline to get good at something, some people pick up a skill right out of the gate and others don't discover how passionate they are about hobbies until they're older and everyone learns at their own pace. Don't stress over your art being perfect or "measuring up" and even if your drawings don't turn out great at first keep practicing. A hobby that brings you joy can be a wonderful and fulfilling thing regardless of skill level. When I was probably close to your age my own art looked like this. this is a drawing from a really old sketchbook and as an exercise I sometimes go through and redraw old art just as a fun way to test my skills. Seeing your own improvement is a good way to get out of feeling discouraged.

I have learned a LOT about drawing since I was in high school and so will you. I promise.

[rusty-courage]

Hi, I love your work and art style, it is so cool. I was just wondering what animation program you use? and any tips for beginner animators or artists?

Hi, thank you! I work in ToonBoom Harmony.

I get asked a lot to give advice for beginners, and there's a lot of different skills that need to be developed to be an animator.

The first one is just a general skill in drawing. Drawing from life (looking at an object in real life and getting its likeness down on paper) is one of the biggest ways to learn. If you want to be a character animator, that means drawing people. Over and over and over and over again. In different poses, different body shapes, different mannerisms, etc. There are websites that give you figure drawing references that are super helpful. Challenge yourself- try to get down difficult poses. draw those hands.

(And when I say draw from life, I mean either irl or images of irl things. Learning from life is much much better for your foundational skills than trying to draw based on other people's drawings. However when you have achieved the basics and are looking to cultivate your style, looking at other artist's styles and their depiction of people can be useful to help find yours.)

When I was in college I took a figure drawing class that had us sit in a theater with a model on stage who constantly changed poses for us to draw. We would do timed challenges: Draw their pose in 5 minutes. Their next pose, draw it in 2. Then 1. Then get their pose drawn in 30 seconds. 15 seconds. 10. 5. And then start over.

I think doing that exercise was one of the best ways I learned personally. Because it taught me not to hesitate, to not overthink what I'm doing, and to put down lines with confidence. I also drew with a pen so I couldn't erase anything. Building drawing confidence will make your projects look better.

After gaining foundations in drawing people, the next step would be to research the principles of animation. Here's a good reference video that explains them better than I could: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDqjIdI4bF4

In my opinion, the most important principle is the slow in and slow out, explained at 11:17 in the video. While the other principles are still important, I find myself always falling back on this one. Having a character's movements ease in and out is crutial to making something really come to life. Otherwise things look very mechanical.

And of course, practice practice practice. It will be bad at first. That's normal. But keep going. I have a folder full of old animations from before I got to college and learned the principles, and it made a world of difference.

Good luck!

[jovanaslair]

decided i want to do art

yeah so i want to draw more specifically, and painting also seems cool. purely digital because i really dont want to deal with like paper and stuff but i figure art is art. so for a bit of background i havent drawn much at all since i was really young and ive always been in awe with like drawing and the process and i really, really just wanna do it you know? i also love character art and want to draw myself as a character and draw my favorite characters and all that. so im starting simple, drawabox and doodles. im trying to be lenient on myself, and try to take this healthily and not put too much pressure on myself. Exercise 1: Superimposed Lines so for this first one i wanted to really practice like just accuracy and i also wanted to push myself a bit further than like what they recommended with different angles and such. i stopped when i got tired. im not super happy with the result but i did feel myself becoming slightly better as i went on which is always good. this is also where i was like "okay i really need to practice drawing lines at various angles" so i started doing that and you can tell by which end the lines fray which direction i took each of these. if i were to rate this from where i would like to be, i'd say this is about a 1. not too terrible.

Exercise 2: Ghosted Lines this one was definitely kind of a mess and i got tired of it quick. not a exercise i think im gonna be repeating, but it did help a decent amount with understanding some general concepts in how i should be making these marks. it was also at this point i realized my hand was sticking to my tablet which made it a bit difficult to make clean lines so right after this i got a piece of paper and put it under my palm, which didnt help a ton but it helped enough. 2/10 i would say.

Exercise 3: Ghosted Planes i liked this exercise because it didnt feel like a complete mess. i definitely messed up a couple of times and its not a great result but i liked the exercise (my favorite one being the superimposed lines exercise) and i could feel myself getting better, especially with ghosting the lines in which i realized i wasn't ghosting enough. 4/10

Exercise 4: Small Doodle and i figured what is the point of drawing if you're not gonna draw anything. this is kind of why ive been so averse to drawing is i always was like "i have to draw it right" and i could never draw right but i figure doodling is enough to intentionally supposed to be like "throw out the rules" that im a bit more comfortable doing it. i was actually super happy about this doodle, its a kind of charming doodle, and i just liked doing it which is the point, of course. 5/10

"fox on a skateboard" overall im enjoying this and hope to see some decent results. i think i should take the time to draw like faces and stuff because that kind of seems like a rite of passage and seems to be great practice as well

makes me wonder the philosophical implications of why everyone chooses to draw faces