#TUTORIAL

[never-obsolete]

Microsoft Productivity Pack for Windows (1992)

[autumnslance]

How to Collect all the Framer Kits

There are a LOT of framer kits out there now for our adventure plates and dungeon portraits. But where to find them all?

You don't need to go hunting it up on websites; the game will tell you!

Open up your Portrait menu. I'll use a currently unused plate of Aeryn's.

Select "Edit" above the center portrait. On that page, where it lets you select the Presets, Background, Frame, and Accent, there are the usual arrows, but also a page icon, the Background paper button boxed in yellow below to contrast with my dark mode UI.

At the top of that submenu are options to show obtained or unobtained, and also how/where you get the various backgrounds.

Filtering out the ones I own, I see I can get A "Heaven's Orthodoxy" (among others) and at the bottom of the list, it tells me where I can get it (from Khloe Aliapoh in Idyllshire; never free of that kitten...)

There are plenty out there! Every Allied Society has a framer kit now, talking to old Jonathas in Gridania about your achievements will nab a few, turning in bicolor gems to various vendors will add a few more, PvP for Job frames...the list goes on! The second dropdown in the submenu will give you ideas of all the ways to find kits.

And yes, it works exactly the same way for previewing Adventure Plate options!

Go forth, and make your WoL's ID cards pretty!

[e-vay]

("Sonic") Hands Study

I get asked a lot how I draw hands, and particularly how I draw hands in the "Sonic" style. Let me preface by saying I am mostly self-taught, so please do your research and study what techniques work best for you. The following demonstration is what I personally use to help me draw hands in general and–more specifically–how I draw “Sonic” hands. This is less of a tutorial and more of a series of observations.

*And remember, there are always exceptions to the rules!*

I personally believe before you can go about stylizing hands, you have to understand how to draw hands in the first place. Afterall, I think you have to know the rules before you can best bend/break them. Think about super stylized hands in animation like the characters from Atlantis or Hercules. Even though these hands are unlike what we see in real life, they still look and feel ‘natural’ because the artists understand how hands function and are able to bend the rules while still demonstrating proper anatomy. 

Sources: [x] [x]

I highly recommend studying the anatomy of a hand. It’s educational and fascinating! There are plenty of free resources online!

I understand many people find hands intimidating to draw, but the best way to learn how to draw anything is by breaking it down into shapes. Everything is made up of shapes.

3 is the magic number

In simple terms, our hands can be seen in patterns of 3. Your palm can be broken into 3 segments that can move semi-independently. Your fingers are composed of 3 segments each (proximal, middle, distal). There are 3 phalangeal joints per finger. The average shape a person’s fingertips make when aligned is a triangle (a 3-sided shape), with the middle finger being the highest most point of the triangle and the other fingers cascading down (there are exceptions to this rule). Keeping the number 3 in mind will help you remember how hands/fingers articulate. 

Everything is connected

Even though elements of your hand can move somewhat independently, every movement influences the other segments of the hand. Notice when you put one finger down how (most likely) at least one other finger moves slightly? Or notice how you can only do certain gestures with the assistance of your other fingers or sections of your palm? Keeping in mind how segments of the hand affect the others will help make your drawings feel more organic and less stiff.

I usually start with the palm (or back of the hand) first and that determines where everything else falls into place.

Once you grasp how hands work, that’s when I believe you can determine how stylized you want to get. There is a very large range of drawings hands from super realistic to very simplistic.

If you’re wanting to emulate a certain style, you have to study it and learn how it works.

"Sonic" hands

As far as Sonic hands go, it depends on which version you’re best hoping to emulate. Notice how the styles vary even throughout the franchise?

In the 3D video games, Sonic characters tend to have what I classify as more ‘cartoon-y’ hands while in illustrated media, it often leans more towards realism. (Note I said ‘leans towards,’ not full realism). How and why is that?

Let’s break it down into shapes again, Sonic Style! Pt 1

In many of the 3D rendered media, the characters’ fingers are made of more round shapes. The models also don’t conform to realistic proportions. The tips of the fingers are usually larger than the segments closer to the palms (the middle and proximal phalanges), and this helps to deviate them from a more realistic look. Speaking of proportions, the hands overall tend to be disproportionately larger than the rest of the characters’ bodies. This also makes it feel more like a cartoon, even without resorting to a super simplified, 3-fingered hand like Mickey Mouse or Bob Belcher.

Breaking down shapes, Sonic Style! pt 2

Illustrated samples vary depending on the artist/studio, but I’ve noticed that in general, illustrated Sonic characters’ hands tend to have more square/rectangular shapes. The phalanx proportions often resemble what we see in real life, with the fingertips tapering down in size compared to the segments closest to the palm. The overall size of the hands in proportion to the body are still larger than that of real humans, but they tend to be closer in proportion compared to their 3D counterparts. This is why in illustrations, the characters are more capable of crossing their arms, interlacing their fingers, or making other natural hand gestures.

Also, notice in these examples, there’s more detail to the hands than what you’d find on a Looney Tunes character? There are often folds in the material of the gloves, some knuckle definition present, more natural bends to the fingers. However, the hands are almost never as detailed as that of say, a Dragon Ball character where you’re seeing muscle tendons, veins, definition of each finger segment, finger nails, etc.

Sources: Dragon Ball Z, The Looney Tunes Show

MY STYLE

With all that in mind, I happen to find the sweet spot for the Sonic character style right in this range:

Everyone has their own preferences and it’s up to you to decide what you like best, but this is what I prefer. 

MY STYLE - Cont’d

I use a blend of the two previous Sonic styles I mentioned, Cartoon-Round + SemiRealistic-Square. I like to go with a more “Squoval” shape (rounded squares) to the fingers. I try to keep the fingers in a naturally proportionate scale with the ends tapering down in size, but the overall size of the hands are still bigger than what you’d see in real life. I like to add a bit more detail when warranted, but I personally rarely resort to definition in the tendons/veins or complex wrinkles in the bends of the fingers (unless it suits a specific character or emotion). 

Like I said, this is less of a tutorial and more a series of observations. But perhaps looking at hands in the way that I do might help you with your own drawings! You should absolutely do your own studies to find what works best for you. But I hope you found this helpful in some way!

[ruthimages]

[zelda-the-sacred-realm]

Heyy !! Sorry if you already answered to that question ;-;

I'm trying to learn perspective but I'm a little lost...

Do you have any tips to draw perspective ?

And remember, don't overwork and remember to drink!

First of all, I shake your hand, you don't know how many artists say they hate perspective 😆, welcome to perspective lovers!

These are two examples, they are the two main perspectives and I recommend you start from these

Central (or one-point) perspective is the simplest: choose a focal point, which can be in the center or more to the side, then draw lines that lead towards the focal point.

Above all, remember that perspective must be followed, every object you create must follow the focal point

This perspective allows you to already see the three-dimensionality in your work

Then there is the Accidental (or two-point) perspective, this is more complex because we have two focal points, but it allows us to create more three-dimensional works

One little advice I always give is that everything you draw above the horizon is seen from below, and everything below is seen from above

This perspective is useful for everything 😄

There are many other perspectives and rules to place characters and objects, but explaining them like this would be too complicated

I hope I have given you some ideas to study it, but I invite you to do a study on the dedicated books, or from video tutorials, but look for professional artists in that case

Thanks for your ask! 💖

[moegutzz]

EXPLAINING HOW I MAKE BLINKIES :3

like these guys

websites / apps: blinkies.cafe , ibis paint x , ezgif.com !

STEP ONE !! go to blinkies.cafe and select a blinkie. i reccomend going to old and selecting one of the very simple ones !! DO NOT SELECT THE GRADIENT ONE YOU WILL SUFFER

STEP TWO !! click on it btw. anyways, since spaces won't work, put "‎ " !! it will register !! this is also how to make videos on yt title-less i think... anyways, choose the biggest size

then click generate and download the blinkie!!

STEP THREE !! import into ibis paint !!

now i reccomend putting a reference of whatever character in your ref window. won't explain that, look it up.

STEP FOUR !! choose colors and recolor with bucket tool on 0

wow, look at that !!

STEP FIVE !! import a transparent image of your character and put the text of your choice.

heres the font i use !!

advice for choosing colors of the text: make the body the color of the blinkies border and the outside the brightest light !!

STEP FIVE AND A HALF !! this is optional, but i make a very small border around the text. duplicate layer and bring it on top, make all other layers invisible, alpha lock, make it the color of the border, turn off alpha lock, use bucket tool on expand 0.5 or 1 and tap a few times on the blob, turn other layers back on, put the duplicate under the original thing and merge so it's a small border. it's very subtle but i like it.

see the difference?

STEP SIX !! download it, then flip ONLY THE BLINKIE LAYER horizontal and vertical then save again

if you want another set of words, add them now!!

STEP SEVEN !! go to ezgif.com and imput them

the click upload files. then click make a gif :3

the end (≡・x・≡)

[sourlemonsimblr]

A small but very useful tutorial

written with the help of chatGPT

Why Use Upscayl?

Upscayl is a great tool for improving textures and reference images. Whether you are working on character skins, environmental textures, or UI elements, this program helps to:

Increase image resolution without losing quality

Reduce pixelation and enhance details

Improve the clarity of textures for a more realistic look

How I Use Upscayl (look at the photo)

Finding or Creating a Reference Image I start with an image that I want to enhance. This could be a low-resolution texture or a reference image for a new design.

Adding Noise for Testing To demonstrate how Upscayl improves images, I intentionally added noise to a mask texture. This allows me to compare the before and after results more clearly.

Processing the Image in Upscayl I import the noisy texture into Upscayl and choose an appropriate AI model. The program processes the image, enhancing its details and removing unwanted noise.

Examining the Results After running the texture through Upscayl, the difference is clear: the texture appears sharper, more detailed, and free of noise, making it more suitable for in-game use.

Enhancing Existing Game Textures

Apart from improving references, Upscayl is also useful for enhancing in-game textures, such as character skins. If a skin looks too blurry or low-resolution, running it through Upscayl can significantly improve its appearance without having to manually repaint details.

[aroworlds]

I'm kicking off Aro Week with some new bookmark designs plus a proper tutorial explaining the folding, stitching and fringing techniques for making bookmarks from a single piece of aida.

This design is perfect for loveless aros, but the upside-down hearts can be filled with any three, six or nine-stripe horizontal flag. The lettering can be filled with any five or ten-stripe horizontal flag.

[seldomstardom]

hai again :3 here's the link : https://www.tumblr.com/seldomstardom/775600751839985664/beast-nakajima-atsushi-rentry-graphic?source=share

( https://www.tumblr.com/seldomstardom/775602591153438720/haii-ki-really-love-your-works-they-look?source=share <- this anon！)

aa , okai !! sooooo :

( uuu i don’t really know what i’m doin so bear with me .,…… i use ibispaintx for all my stuff !! )

blood warning again !!

dunno if i need 2 show this but this is the uncolored graphic !! the media i used was already monochrome , but i reccomend using the grayscale filter instead of black and white when you have a colored image , so the overlays actually show .. and i reccomend having high contrast ! ( the colors for the extra things in the back are #271515 and #5D2626 ^_^ )

and theennn ,, i used these three images :

order these by puttin the stars on top and the pink conglomerate at the bottom ! change the stars from normal > screen , the blood > hard mix , and the pink thing > overlay !! mess with the opacity cus it’ll probably look weird , i put the hard mix at 38% and the others at 100 ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)

( photo if anyone needs it ! )

aaanand . yjeah !! throws confetti ….. hopfully that makes sense .,. plis ask more if you need !!!!

[never-obsolete]

Microsoft Productivity Pack for Windows (1992)

[crochetmelovely]

New video tutorial up on my YouTube channel on the Braided Single Crochet Join! Find me on youtube @crochetmelovely! Like and subscribe! 😊✨️🫶

Check out this playlist featuring more Joining tutorials here!

And this playlist featuring more Textured Stitches here!

[tincanaudio]

I was wondering if there was any tab or notation in general for the guitar line in the main Camlann theme? I’d love to be able to learn it, it’s so beautiful.

I will do you one better! Here's how to play @camlannpod on the guitar! I'm not much of a guitar player and even less of a guitar teacher, but hopefully this is useful to you!

[nikoco11]

my recipe for drawing hands!

(small note that this is a shortcut that is more abt style and ease than anatomical accuracy. it helps to take time to really properly study hands, makes it easier to bend the rules a bit like this and have it still look good!!)

(learn rules b4 u break them or whatevah)

[laboratoryrats]

Excellent tutorial to drawing cubby body types

“Some chubby guide for y’all!”

Source: paggiart on twitter

[allfrogsmatter]

Finally the days of making my sims walk out doors and hoping I hit pause at the right moment are over

As storytellers, realism and continuity are important to us, and they're sometimes hard to achieve within the confines of the game. I’m personally a big fan of posing Sims in open doorways, and unless you want to be limited to the CC options that exist, you’re stuck having to make some poor Sim walk in and out and pausing at just the right moment for the desired effect. But it’s actually very easy to edit a door in Blender to make your own open version!

I initially learned about "posing" objects from surelysims' Wicked Whims posing tutorial, which I highly recommend as a whole. However, it might be a little overwhelming to learn a whole new posing system for the sake of a screenshot or two, which is where this tutorial is meant to come in. Some of my explanations might seem overly simplistic, but I wanted it to be approachable even for beginners. I am far from an authority on using Blender or making CC, and I'm sure there are flaws in this process or easier ways to achieve certain things, but it works well enough for my purposes and I hope it will work for yours too. 💗

Now, onto the tutorial...

Figure out what door or gate you want to create an open version of. If it’s from the vanilla game, all you need to do is make note of its name. If it’s CC, find the package in your mods folder, make a copy, and paste it into My Documents > Sims 4 Studio > Mods. This will allow you to find it in S4S in the next step!

Open S4S. On the main screen, make sure “Standalone Recolor” is checked under the “Object” button, then click the button.

A new window should pop up (if it’s your first time doing this, it may take a while to load). At first, it will show every single object in the game. If you know the name of the object you’re looking for, you can use the search bar to find it. You can also use the filtering options to narrow the selection down by category, game pack, and whether it’s vanilla or custom content. Here, I’ve filtered the search to only base game doors. Once I find the door I want to adjust, I click on it and hit “Next.”

This will pop up a window prompting you to save a new file. Place it somewhere you know you’ll be able to find it easily later and name it accordingly. This file will ultimately contain your mesh edit, so you don’t want to lose it! I suggest placing it in a dedicated folder, on your desktop, or in your Mods folder directly.

On the next screen, you’ll be looking at the contents of the package itself. For this tutorial, you don’t need to worry about grabbing anything but the mesh. Click on the “Meshes” tab and then “Export Mesh.” You’ll again be prompted to save.

Open the mesh file you just saved in Blender. (If the view is funky to start, I recommend hitting 1 on your keyboard’s number pad to get a forward-facing view.) [It should also be noted I’m using Blender 3.6, so my screenshots and the location of certain settings may be different than in earlier or newer versions.]

You’ll see that there are actually multiple meshes involved (and the number can vary from object to object). Right now, we’re only concerned with the “rig.” If you’re familiar with posing, you’ll know that all Sims have a rig that is used to move different parts of their bodies around. Objects also have a rig, and objects that can open will have “bones” that control their moving parts. So click on “rig” and then change “Object Mode” in the bottom corner to “Pose Mode.”

Now, if you hit A on the keyboard, it will select all bones and you can see where they’re located. As far as I can tell, all doors have two bones that control their swinging movement. They both do essentially the same thing. I tend to stick with the top bone, which is called something like “bind_doorSwing.”

Pro-tip: If you’re having trouble seeing or selecting the rig's bones, you can change the view on the right side of the screen to “dope sheet.” Then when you save the position of the bones, just like when posing a Sim, by selecting all with A then clicking I and selecting “Location & Rotation,” the list of available bones will pop up there.

Rotate the door open using this bone or bones, if it’s a double door. On double doors, I recommend rotating each side individually rather than trying to rotate them together, as you may get unexpected results. You can use the R+Z combo on the keyboard to limit the direction of movement. (You can also use this in combo with numbers to swing them more precisely. For example, if you want a 45 degree swing, you can press R+Z+45.) Specifying the Z axis allows you to only swing the doors open and closed while restricting their movement in other directions.

Once you’ve got the doors swung open to where you want them, hit A to select all bones, then hit I and select “Location & Rotation” to save the position. (If you’re a poser, this maneuver is already familiar to you - and you know how important it is! If you skip it, the new position won’t save and the doors will revert back to closed.)

That’s it! You don’t have to do anything else to the mesh. Save your file in Blender. If you want to keep it separate from the original door mesh, save as instead and name it something different. (This is why you may want a dedicated folder, since the number of files does add up!)

Reopen the package you made earlier in S4S (or simply return to it if you’ve kept it open). From the same place you exported the mesh, you will now import the edited mesh. Hit “Import Mesh,” navigate to your edited Blender file, and you should now see your edited door replace the original. Since it’s the same mesh, all the swatches will still work perfectly with it.

You’ll notice that you’ve only replaced the “LOD 0 (High)” version of the mesh. When you click the drop-down menu, you’ll see that there are also medium and low detail versions, as well as shadow meshes at all levels of detail. If you’re only making an object for personal use, you don’t have to worry too much about LODs. You can probably just import the same mesh into LOD 1 and LOD 2 and be fine (so long as your computer isn't a potato). And if this is just for you, I honestly wouldn't even touch the shadow LODs.

The only other thing you might do is go back to the “Catalog” tab and alter the object name so you can find it easily in the game catalog. You can also edit the description, price, etc. if you so desire. Hit “Save.”

Test in game! If the package isn’t already in your Mods folder, move it there. As long as you didn’t mess with any of the tags, it should still be in the door section of build mode and work perfectly as a functional door. The door swinging animation will look different, and you could probably get rid of it if you wanted, but that’s above my current skill level and I don’t think it’s really necessary for our purposes. If all you need is an open version of a very specific door for storytelling purposes, it gets the job done.

(First screenshot: doors swung open as intended, second screenshot: doors swinging in the opposite direction as they’re walked through)

These steps can also potentially be used to create open versions of other in-game objects like gates, books, chests/boxes, etc. I’m only just beginning to experiment with minor mesh edits, but once you get the hang of it they can often be faster and easier than trying to line up the best circumstances to get the perfect shot in-game. I might make more tutorials for small edits like this that help with storytelling realism and continuity in the future!