#When I first created it I thought I'll just be making doodles but now I'm making?? comics???

[chocobje]

Would you guys mind if I start posting small quick doodles of my DWFR AU.. Sometimes I tend to just mindlessly doodle but they're not significant lore stuff.. Mostly me messing around or just scrapped concepts.

Same goes for ramble posts(with no art), don't wanna clutter my blog too much for the sake of people scrolling lol.

[darqx]

HEEEY MACARENA (ALRIGHT!)

Here's some long overdue BP and HH asks :) I tend to combine the two since there's not as many as the RADs, so this starts with BP and then moves into HH/Gen qs.

BP

MUAH ~ (I actually doodled this some time last year for fun and whimsy, based on those long mouth kiss meme pics XD)

A very quick overview of these types!

Vescordem: Maneaters/cannibals, excessively tall and strong.

Aleores: Minor dealmakers (goods and services). Jaw can unhinge and has venomous bite.

Sollicio: Major dealmakers - soul stealing ability. Often very good looking, has ichor powers.

Voxter: Ability to project 'thoughts' into someone else's mind - you ever have an intrusive thought? Same concept. All have a unique mark across the top part of their face.

Caumacies: Maneaters/cannibals, very strong. Has a third eye which sees only in heat vision - rarely opened simultaneously with normal eyes.

Hmm M or MA15 i think 🤔

You know, i actually have an idea for a game that has nothing to do with anything I'm currently doing XD One day i'll actually have time to make it, maybe. But anyway currently my actual project is i'm planning on making a comic \o/

I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE that i have thumbnailed like 70 pages of this bloody thing and i'm still only in the first quarter of the planned chapters lol OTL Once i finish thumbing the chapter I'm on I plan to go back and render the pages properly before starting to post them :D

...which should hopefully give me a buffer as i repeat the process for the next chapters |D

You know, the concept of my characs being comfort characs for someone will never get old for me. It just tickles me pink ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ This answer will have two levels to it.

It's fine to RP or ask blog with Rire - he's one of my more "known" characs thanks to BTD so as long as credit is given (and it's made clear I'm not running the blog so it's not canon) then it's cool.

I'd prefer if no ask/RP blogs are created for any of my other BP or HH characs, as they are not as known yet. This may be revisited once i actually get the BP comic out but for now it's a no, sorry! (Though, if you are RPing in like...a private Discord with other friends who know who the characs are then I'm a bit more lenient with that.)

The reason for the BP/HH level is that ages ago when I had started establishing my own characs more, I randomly happened to find a forum where someone was RPing as Izm and .D but no one else knew who the characs were and so they clearly thought the RPer was the original artist and creator. Said RPer was not dissuading anyone of that notion. That has stuck with me for forever because at the time i never anticipated that someone would...actually try and do that with an OC. Like, bro srsly?!

One pet peeve for everyone:

.D: Willfully stupid people

Izm: .D smoking. He could care less if anyone else smokes but .D is not allowed on his watch

Marcus: Having decisions made for him without his input

Zeke: "How's the weather up there?"

Wei Ren: When people think he can't understand English cos he has an accent and so they deliberately speak slower and louder

Geez Caleb why are you damn RUDE

Here's one i prepared earlier! 😌

I'm not sure why you included Marcus as a demon, he's a human lol.

HH/More Gen

There are clubs which are created by students but need approval from the adults to exist.

HH is one of the better boarding schools which generally turn out successful alumni. The "obvious problems" we see are not actually obvious lol.

He doesn't need such manipulations.

Thanks! I hope you are inspired to go forth and create stuff! :D

One of the only perks of being a prefect at HH, really :d

Absolutely not lol

↓

4. These types of qs are always amusing to me only because you guys expect me to know but i absolutely do not XDD. Do normal people actually have a fave animal?? I dont even have a fave animal!! Anyway offshoot aside sorry that i can't even randomly assign anything, but if you are interested here is what they might be AS animals lol.

They actually don't have names because they were randomly designed NPCs i drew as like, placeholders |D;

Not including Rire or Nurse Isla:

.D is asexual, Izm is bisexual, and everyone else is straight probably. Caleb and Desmond are violently straight (as in Des is like very 90s stoner bro adamantly vocal about being straight and Caleb will actually try and break your neck for insinuating anything).

I have some female characs but I dont draw them that often as they are more side characs in BP and HH. The ones ive's drawn at least once are Isla (who looks like this, also doodled above), Tish (Des's sister) and Kenzie and Kelly (Zeke's sisters).

Every once in a blue moon i get an ask saying this but whenever i go to check nothing is wrong, so...nothing is wrong they do work |D; As the age old tech saying goes have you tried turning it off and on again? :d

Aren't those kind of things supposed to be...based on yourself??

[egophiliac]

I was wanting to try doing an art piece in the style of the signature spell poster art pieces you create. But I’m not really the best at coming up with a composition for such a thing.

Do you have a process for how you come up with the compositions for them?

oh, awesome! it is an INCREDIBLY enjoyable style to work in; I hope you have fun with it! :D

I'm not great at putting my thought/art process into words, so my apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'll try! my first step is always to do a LOT of thumbnails to figure out both the idea and how I want to show it; not trying to do a real sketch or anything, just little doodles to figure out what exactly I'm trying to portray. (I also call these "garbage passes" because they're not meant to be any good, they're just there to throw things out. aha. ha. ...anyway.) I think it's important during that first stage to really focus on the idea and the layout and not to get too bogged down in the actual drawing yet!

I tend to save my final thumbnails, so I'll use 'em as examples (I posted the ones up through episode 5 here if you're interested!) (and, uhhh, spoilers through episode 5 also in this post, hopefully that won't be an issue!)

the main thing I try to think about in composition is balance -- not necessarily in terms of symmetry, but in where each element is placed and how much space it's taking up. remember, empty space is still space! it's also really important to think about the parts that don't have anything in them, as much as the parts that do!

personally, I like to divide things up roughly by both halves and by thirds -- there's a lot more in-depth info out there on why the "rule of thirds" in particular works well visually, but in short, our brains tend to focus on things that are placed closer to imaginary division lines, instead of in the exact center of an image. so even when I'm doing something that is very centered and symmetrical, I try to keep that in mind and generally aim around those for landmarks like faces/eyes (or...where they would be, anyway) and other focal points.

it's not a formula of "the character's face should be in this division of this grid" or anything, more like "our minds like to focus on these areas, let's think about how to use that", if that makes sense! and of course rules are made to be broken, art is lawless anarchy, and so on. but it can be a good starting place for deciding where you want to put things!

(blue - thirds, red - half)

and against the finished versions, because they do usually end up changing a lot (including the empty space of the border):

(...these actually lined up a lot better than I thought they would. :') it makes me look like I do things way more intentionally than I do.)

other stuff I just try to keep in mind is that our eyes like following arcs and paths, which can be a good way to guide the eye:

and frame and control the focus:

honestly, composition is one of those things I feel like I struggle with a lot, so I'm not sure how much of this is helpful or actually makes sense outside of my head. but hopefully it helps a little! it's all just stuff to think about while drawing and not anything hard-and-fast, so don't, like, stress out about making sure things are lining up exactly on the thirds or anything. again, it's more "our brains think these are the dopest parts of the rectangle" than anything else! take advantage of the cool parts of the rectangle!

NOW GO HAVE FUN DRAWING seriously though, it is always super cool that other people like this idea and style enough to want to do it themselves and for other/their own characters! thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 3

Identifying Limiting Beliefs

Hey Goddesses! Today we're going to talk about something that might be holding you back without you even realizing it, those sneaky limiting beliefs that like to camp out in our minds. You know, those little voices that whisper "you're not good enough" or "you'll never be able to do that"? Yeah, those ones. I've been there too, and I want to share some things I've learned along the way.

First off, what exactly are limiting beliefs? Think of them as those stubborn thoughts that pop up whenever you're about to try something new or chase after a dream. They're like those well-meaning but overly cautious friends who always tell you to "be realistic", except they live in your head rent-free.

Think of your mind like a garden. Some thoughts are like flowers that help you grow, but limiting beliefs? They're like weeds that can take over if we let them. Today, we're going to do some gentle but necessary weeding.

The Beliefs Audit

Grab your journal or open your Notes app (seriously, do it right now, I'll wait!). Let's start with a simple but powerful exercise. Complete these sentences honestly:

"I can't achieve my dreams because..."

"I'm not good at..."

"I'll never be able to..."

"People like me don't..."

"I'm too ___ to..."

Notice any patterns? These are your limiting beliefs showing themselves. And hey, recognizing them is already a huge step forward!

Where Do These Come From? Take a moment to think about when you first started believing these things. Maybe it was:

Something someone said to you long ago

A past experience that left a mark

Messages you absorbed from family or society

Past failures that you're still carrying

Understanding the source helps us see these beliefs for what they are: stories we've been telling ourselves, not unchangeable facts.

The Belief Breaker Challenge

Here's a powerful truth: just because you've thought something for a long time doesn't make it true. Let's try something: Pick one of your limiting beliefs and ask yourself:

Is this absolutely, 100% true?

What evidence do I have that contradicts this belief?

Would I say this to my best friend?

How might my life be different if I didn't believe this?

The Belief Makeover

Once you've spotted these limiting beliefs, it's time to give them a makeover. For every limiting belief you've identified, write down an alternative perspective. For example: Instead of "I'm too old to start something new" Try "My experience gives me unique advantages in learning new things"

Take each limiting belief you wrote down earlier and write its opposite. Feel resistance? That's normal! We're challenging thoughts that might have been with you for years.

Here's your action plan for today:

Choose ONE limiting belief to work on first (don't overwhelm yourself!)

Write it down

Write your new, empowering belief

Each morning this week, read your new belief out loud

Keep a small note in your phone of evidence that supports your new belief

Take one tiny action that proves it wrong, for example, maybe you've always believed you're "not creative", try doodling for five minutes today

The Permission Slip

Here's something fun: Write yourself a permission slip. Seriously! "I, [your name], give myself permission to believe that I am capable of [whatever you're working toward]." It might feel silly, but sometimes we just need to give ourselves explicit permission to believe in our potential.

Remember, gorgeous, your limiting beliefs are not facts. They're not your destiny. They're just thoughts, and thoughts can be changed. It takes time and practice, but every time you challenge a limiting belief, you create space for something better to grow.

You might be surprised at how many doors start opening once you begin questioning these old beliefs. And hey, if you're reading this and thinking "This won't work for me", congratulations! You've just caught your first limiting belief in action!

What limiting belief are you ready to let go of? Drop a comment below, sometimes just naming it publicly takes away some of its power. And, you might find others are working on the same things.

See you tomorrow for Day 4 of our journey to become our best selves before 2025!

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[your-girl-mj]

whiney when drunk [1610!miles × drunk!reader]

summary: [name] drinks too much, and miles has to face its consequences.

warning: mention of skintone, but i think it was harmless. kinda cringe, but she's drunk, so what can i say?

note: based on a scene from "Hidden Love" when the girl got drunk. she/her for reader, he/him for miles

created: august 7, 2023

published: august 9, 2023

first part | second part

miles were in the middle of his homework, and the paper is consist with equations and small doodles on the side. his head booping at the music from his headphones, tapping his pen every now and then.

his work came to a halt when his phone rang and the music stopped. the device moves the slightest as it vibrates on the hard surface of his desk.

checking the caller id, a smile tugged his lips, seeing it was his girlfriend. "hola, mamí." he greeted his eyes, caught the clock, and it was already nine, almost ten. "are you finished hanging out? want me to pick you up?" miles asked, already standing up from his seat.

miles knew it was [name] and her friend's outing since they all passed their finals. she asked him to come as well, but he still needs to finish his homework for college. "..hello?" a slur voice erupts from the device, making miles frown his brows in confusion. he struggled to put his suit on with one hand as the other held the phone.

"[name], are drunk?" he frowned. It's not like he's not allowing her to drink. he just doesn't want her to get drunk and feel horrible in the morning after. and of course, especially when there are boys in her friend group. "you said you don't drink."

"...i don't." she answered before a little giggle followed right after. "i miss my boyfriend..." her hand was leaning on a table. her vision is blurry, and her body seems to be disobedient today and does not help her balance. "my... adorable spidey—"

"okay, okay!" he cut her off his nervousness are rising up at the thought of his girlfriend exposing his identity because she's drunk, quickly putting his jordans in a bag as well as things he knew she'll need, then rushing to get his keys. "don't drink anymore, okay?"

"mm.." she hummed, looking around the restaurant. picking a food from her plate and eat it. her head is too fuzy to think straight and following the first thing that comes to her mind.

"can you tell me where you are?" miles rubs a hand over his face, a little disappointed that she drinks a little too much than she couldn't handle.

"[adress.]" she said in a slow and low voice. her eyes were dropping as it was only two hours before midnight.

"wait there, I'm on my way." he puts on his mask and jumps off his window. his other hand still cling on his phone.

"whhhyy?" she squint her eyes, tilting her head before she soon feels like her head is weighted two times heavier and presses her temple on the cold surface of the table, resting it there.

her friends calling her name in the background, but she paid no mind to them, wanting to only hear her boyfriend's voice.

"because I'm going to pick up a drunkard." with that miles hangup. leaving a very confused [name] on the other side.

"a what?" she sat up straight, migraine swirl in her head making her massage her head. "miles? hello?" looking at her phone, the girl only saw her lockscreen of her and miles. [name] clicked her tongue, "you can come here and you'll see me, but when i come there, i won't see you." she frowns at the image of miles in her phone. "you're so weird..."

"i'll be off," she announced to her friend group, taking her bag with a drowsy action. as she stood, her feet were giving her a hard time to walk straight.

a series of goodbyes are heard as she slowly walked her way out. pushing the door with all her left out strength, it didn't budge as she thought it would. "girl, how much did you drink?" the voice of a friend came to her side, helping her pull the door open.

"i don't know.." she blurb out, "miles is going to..pick me up, you don't have to come.." [name] lightly push her friend back to the entrance. "have fun in there.."

"no, no, no. I'll get back when your boyfriend shows up," her friend insisted, holding her arm to steady her body. "you okay?"

"no," [name] answered, getting out of her friend's grasp and crouching down with her head leaning on her knees. "i feel like throwing up..." her voice coming out as mumbled, her friend slowly rubbing circles on her back.

miles, finally in his civilian clothes; jogged up to where the said place is. a sigh left him as he saw his girl sitting down on the floor with a friend by her side.

"oh, hey! you're here," her friend greeted, noticing miles, standing up straight. [name] leaning her body into her friend's leg. "it was a mistake to make her drink, we're sorry."

"nah, it's good." he nods, then meets his girl's eye level. [name] slowly lift her head up and meet his disappointed face. the girl only scoffed at him, frowning.

"who are you?" her eyes squinted as she tried to look harder and tried to figure out why he looked familiar. miles couldn't stop a chuckle to get out.

"your boyfriend." he answered, his negative feelings are now gone. he waved back to her friend as she made her way inside.

"no, you're not." huffing, she turned away from him. still sitting down on the street.

"then, i'm a friend of your boyfriend."

"no, you're not... i only know one."

"and who is it?" he started to get along with whatever she had in her mind. slowly taking her hands, and tried to pull her up.

"ganke, and he's asian.. and white." she mumbled, standing up as he pulled her. miles came to a conclusion that she'll be an easy target for kidnapping. "and you're not white..." she leaned her body into his, taking a short nap. her voice is now talking nonsense.

"no, i'm not." he laughed, slowly taking her arm and guiding her on the way to take a cab. his other hand held tightly on her waist, not wanting her to fall. "you're whiny when you're drunk." shaking his head, a smile still plastered on his lips

it only took a short while before she protested, "don't touch me," scolding him, [name] pulled away from him and sat down once again, "i have a boyfriend. and i'm waiting for him.."

miles are smiling ear to ear as she refuses to take his hand because she thinks he is a stranger, "but i'm your boyfriend." he sat down as well. it was a good thing they stopped in a park with no people around.

"you are..?" she tilted her head, looking at him clearly now. miles only replied with a hum, nodding. [name] took his face and observed it carefully. miles thought she's getting more adorable as second pass by. "miles!" she broke into a grin, squeezing his face.

"hey!" he lightly greets her, mimicking her beam. "you finally recognise me," placing his hand aboves hers, he caresses the back of her palm.

"i missed youuu!" [name] whined, the alcohol is taking major effects. as tears coming out of her eyes, pouting at him, "but you don't miss me.."

"aw, mamí.. i missed you every day. " bring her hand to his lips, and he kissed her palm. smiling at her with a lovesick grin.

"you don't..." she cried, taking her hand away; wiping her eyes. miles blink at her, confused why would she think that way.

"i do, [nickname].." he took her hands again, rubbing it gently.

"you don't." her face is flushed, hazy eyes are fighting for consciousness. "you said we're gonna— we're gonna have a date and then... you cancelled..again!" she started to cry for the second time tonight. her voice cutting off on its own as it was hard for her to talk while sobbing. "you don't love me anymore..!"

what makes it worse, her sobs made her migraine throb much more. miles can only feel guilt in his chest. he chose not to explain it tonight since he knows she'll not remember anything and that he can focus on taking care of her. but how?

his head was in a fuzz, not knowing what to do. is this why she doesn't drink? "i do love you, [nickname]." she cried even harder, making miles in a full panic. "don't cry, don't cry, baby..." he pulled out wipes from his bag and wiped her face gently. "...how much did you drink?"

"dunno'... it was on a small cup. hehe, cute cup.." [name]'s face is red from her cries and the effect of the drinks. she stays still as miles clean her face, "i feel sick..."

"i know you do, let it out. you'll feel better," her boyfriend pulled out a plastic bag and held it for her.

"no! it's disgusting..." her eyes are now close, her head bopping before miles catching and made her lean into him. "i love you..." she mumbled, nuzzling on his chest. a pout is still present.

"i love you too, [nickname.]" he kisses her forehead, giving her a tight embrace, rocking her back and forth in slow motion. the guilt is still present.

"kiss?" she perk her lips up, wanting to give her a peck. miles waste no time to fulfil her wish and give her a short yet sweet kiss.

"you taste like booze." he commented. she's so wasted that she can't even feel her own feet.

she suddenly opened her eyes at him, her lips started to wobble and started to cry again, "i'm sorry...! i didn't mean toooo!" she sobbed.

miles could only blink at her, and a chuckle escaped him. "it's okay, mami. you're okay," a snort followed.

[name] looked at him betrayed, "you're laughing..." this made miles purse his lip, taking all his might to not laugh. "you're making fun of meeee," she then layed down on the cold floor, lazily swinging her arms.

who knew booze can change a whole person's personality?

miles did his best not to laugh, "no, i'm not laughing, [nickname]," he took her hands and carry her to her feet, the boy is biting down a grin as she kept looking at his face, "i'm not making fun of you, it's okay you got drunk."

"but you're mad!" she throws her head back, huffing. her head feels heavy all of a sudden, and everything is blurry like before. miles was quick to put a support behind her head, confused by what she meant.

"mad? why would i get mad?" Scooping her by her hips and back, miles carried her like a princess. he made sure his girl was comfortable before walking, doing his best to not sway too much.

[name] snuggled into his arms as he carried her, "on the phone.. you're mad because i got dru...nk ..." her voice trailed off, slowly getting others taken by sleep, "but i love you so..." with that, she's finally sleeping soundly on his chest.

miles smiled at her, she looks so beautiful even with a rough night like this. kissing her forehead, he replied to her words. "yo tambien te amo, mi vida." [i love you too, my life.]

should i make a "morning after" part?

edit: morning after part <3 here

[captain-clandestiny]

made it another year.

a bit of a personal comic, but just some feelings i wanted to get out.

I've... been kind of lost lately. I'm far from abandoning the development of Bluesleeves and the other stories i've been managing on the side, yet i just cant find it within me to create actual art lately. Something im proud of, not just a doodle or scribble or joke. And as i celebrate another year of life, it gets heavy. The guilt of inaction weighs more on my head and my heart with every day that goes by. But... I cant change.

Thats not to say i havent tried. God, ive tried more times than i can count. Ive tried more things than i can remember. Nothing works.

Or... nothing has worked.

And im starting to realize thats the key. Not some trainer on my ass, or another bummy improvement app. But hope. Hope, when kindled right, feeds to so many other things. Resilience, in the hope that things will improve. Discipline, in the hope that it'll all pay off. Sociability, in the hope to make some friends. Kindness, in the hope it can help.

But hope can lead you down darker paths too. Hope, burning bright, is ambition. But ambition, overwhelming, can turn to desire. And i let my hope get ahead of me. Looking at everyone else in this insane online world, my hope was changed. I began with a hope to create a story. Which turned into an ambition to amass an audience to love it as much as i did. And, as expected, kept evolving into a monster of jealousy, inferiority, and doubt.

Why can't I reach heights like them? Is mine not good enough? They have it all- why can't I just do what they did? Why won't it work?? How do I get them to listen? Something I'm doing wrong? Maybe I'm the problem? What if this is where it ends? Did I peak here? Did I do something wrong? Does this really matter???

It goes on and on. A monster, really. And when your passion project becomes an objective- a chore, is it really still from the heart?

...

this birthday has made me realize that i've gone down a wrong path. I got distracted, turned around, and now lost. but coming to that question- if any of it really matters, its never me that answers. rather. its my creations. why would they be here if it was all indifferent? why go through the labor that is constructing a story if it never meant anything? the sleepless nights of storyboards, countless sketch pages with a thousand portraits of one character? obligation does not drive that kind of devotion.

so for the first time in a while i looked inside my head for the answer. ignored the demon, the likes and ratios, and focused on this mysterious force instead. and there it was.

all of this was for hope.

my hope.

that my dreams would become real. my visions realized. and most of all, that somehow, it could help someone. anyone. even just one. because all i'd ever wanted was someone to help me. and if i could keep just one more person from growing up like me, that would be worth it all.

the purpose of Bluesleeves was not to attract fame, attention, or money, but to help. To convey a message (more like several, actually), to help people learn, and to make them wonder. entertainment is a powerful way to communicate knowledge, after all.

and while i can spend my birthday with this burden, wallowing in guilt over all the time i wasted and my simple misdirection, that wouldn't accomplish much. What matters is that i found my hope again. inevitably, i'll lose track again, and ill be lost once more. but what matters is that i dont stay there. that i keep moving. keep falling, but lifting my chin after every stumble.

this sounds sappy and awful, and honestly im losing my train of thought now, but i just needed to express this. for me. from me, to you. this is what ive been dealing with, and im sorry i havent been so active lately. it may be a while, but i promise you, im going to make it happen. i just need a stable mind before i keep up a stable posting schedule, haha.

some of this may help other people struggling similarly, or just be complete gibberish, i dont know!! because im sure not going back to read allat!! thank you, YOU, for reading this far. or if you skipped ahead down here, um, hi i guess.

thank you, every single one of you for your love and support. At the end of the day, no matter how hard, it still seems so impossible knowing that i've reached some of you with my stories. so out of this world that i could make you laugh, cry, smile... that i could make you feel. and that very impossibility means more than you could ever know 🫶

[snoodls]

2024 art year in review ↫

Wow. Here we are again. Long time no see or speak, friends. Hope you have all been doing and keeping well!

This past year has been the strangest and most onerous yet for me yet. I'll get into it a bit in this post but fair warning that I may mention difficult, emotionally charged topics. If you're not in the headspace for that, no worries, you can skip to the other symbol. I'll see you next year.

∵

Art was extremely difficult this year. I really struggled even finding 12 pieces to throw into a collage like this. I tend to keep a steady pace of one medium-largeish, "postable" piece a month, interspersed with little doodles and sketchbook scribbles here and there. Therefore, it's usually fairly straightforward to compile these. I scroll through my digital art folder, pick out the best or my favorite piece I made within each designated month, sometimes sprinkling in mini works or traditional pieces when applicable. This year, I only made about 8 that I would consider posting--some of which are featured, most of which are actually not. Why? Why am I so hard on myself? (A rhetorical question, but one I ask myself every day and have yet to find an answer to.) Online platforms have become a formalized space for me--a "only the polished enter the portfolio" kind of mentality. I can't quite figure out if that is something to wrestle with or listen to. On top of the usual frustrating strain of perfectionism, I haven't felt the desire to post anything at all this year.

This reticence was mostly due to deep and inordinate amounts of interpersonal stress from changes in a community that I loved and had a huge part in building. I grew fearful to be perceived publicly online and to share any part of my art or life. February and March were black holes. I felt alienated from my identity. I didn't know who I was anymore. It got so bad, I was suicidal. Truthfully, the only thing that stopped me was knowing I had to live until April.

In April, thankfully, I went on a massive trip I had been planning with all of my best friends for four years. (vlpn, Kiire, 1ore, I love you so much!!!) I traveled out west to watch the eclipse and go on a road trip to a national park that I have always wanted to see. Better yet, I was surrounded by so much restorative, healing love. I sat on Kiire's warm leather couch soaking in the real, tangible community that I had built, and drew for the first time in ages. Kiire also gave me the most thoughtful gift--a little hand lino cutter and some vinyl squares. We all gathered at her kitchen table, carving away, laughing and sharing stories. Part of me is still in April, I think.

In May, I started a summer-long pottery class (turned residency, let's be real. I lived in the studio.). It was my first time working with real clay, after dabbling with oven-bake polymer clay and play-doh before that. Since it was focused on handbuilding, I didn't get the chance to use the wheel...which I desperately want to do this summer if I'm still in town. However, even if I was only making pinch pots and tiles, I felt myself grow by leaps and bounds as an artist. Not just in technique, but also in the conception. Why am I doing xyz? What does it mean? What does my medium add to my work? I enjoy working with my hands at a physical craft, but I still wrestle with creating stuff. I love physical objects, but have no space for them at the moment.

I lived more in my sketchbook this year, continuing the trend from last year. My former boss gifted me a shitty little 5.5 x 8.5" journal that I've been using as my work sketchbook. It helps keep me sane at my desk, and my creativity muscles exercised, but does not keep me from still drawing on lined notepads...lol. That work sketchbook has truly helped me break even further away from the trapping of art perfectionism. More and more I am embracing the messy, the ugly, the unfinished. I love drawing in ballpoint pen now, and have started Yet Another Sketchbook of pen plein airs. Okay, some pencil doodles here and there. But mostly pen.

Despite having an upward swing mid-year, my world kind of collapsed in on itself September onward. I don't want to go into too much detail about everything, because it's a little personal and frankly, there's too much to go over. From housing precarity, major random trauma-related panic attacks, a natural disaster, nasty people rearing their heads in my life, grief over losing family land, my grandma getting cancer, my job being so soul-crushingly frustrating and about to become much worse in the new year...it's been so much for me to handle. I'm tired, uncertain, quaking from what has and what may be. I'm creeping through the loamy undergrowth towards 2025, trying to drag myself towards what I love. I want to forge a better life for myself; I just want to live again.

Back to art, as all things seem to go--last year I wrote that I wanted to experiment with new mediums and techniques. Good news, bestie, you absolutely did. From linocut to pixel art to markers to to clay!!!, it has definitely been an experimental year at least. In 2025, hm...I think I want to keep at studies and focus on light and depth. I also want to keep up the trend of getting weirder and less literal with my work. I'm interested in trying out some interesting compositions and having patience with myself when stuff is not turning out. Turns out you can put down the pen and pick it back up. I also miss zines and want to make more...and also I want to keep up valuing my creative time and mini projects (like my tarot journal & my media journal).

I did hit some other interesting art milestones this year--I was rejected from some zines and even gallery openings. There's this great song off the new John Craigie live album that especially resonated with me. Listen to the whole song and whole album if you've got time. "If you haven't been failing, you haven't been trying." / "Maybe the cool thing was that even though [Van Gogh] wasn't successful, he still painted, every day, all the time, right up 'till the end. I wondered why. Probably for the same reason I was driving to these coffee shops. 'Cause it felt good to swing." / "As I passed under that sign, I could almost hear the tired voice of Jiffy Lube call down to me. "Oh Johnny. How long must we watch you fail?" And as I raced past into the unknown darkness, I called back, "Oh Jiffy, how long you got? We gon be up for a while."

∵

To close, I've never really done this before, but since I haven't posted much this year, I thought I'd go through everything pictured for some context. This is generally left -> right, top -> bottom...

A panel from my comic for Commander of your Heart zine, featuring Ximone and Sappho. I was also published in 2 others this year; very cool! A tiny doodle of Wideeyes from my mini sketchbook. A gift for my friend's birthday of his cat, Lily. Her muzzle really does look scrunkly like that. Ahku, sweet Ahku, from when I did a challenge to draw with your Least Favorite Brush. I still hate the brush. A linocut stamp I made of Xiyu using the aforementioned supplies. One of many stamps I carved this year.

A piece for Archalyte to gift a character to 1ore. Fletcher, my Wermz NPC and the mascot of the summer event I ran this year. Getting into pixel art! A goofy paintover of a guinea pig featuring Nickle. A study that I did using a tablet in the studio I helped build--my third time ever working with one! I think it came out alright. Work notebook doodles for a self-published zine I'm working on. Copic markers on trading cards, featuring two of my Neopets and a Werm of mine. Ora's was done freehanded with some leftover acrylic paint I had after painting a sculpture. Since this year has sucked so bad, I've been self-soothing in silly ways; namely, spending some time on Neopets and getting wildly back into Pokemon cards / into Battledome cards for the first time. I've been enjoying tiny scene compositions and collecting little art prints.

Daihei for Artfight for 1ore...I did this while on vacation with my family and it was my first digital painting on my computer in months. Tiles from my ceramics class; my first project! I wish I could show my final project, but it does not photograph well. Ceramic coaster I painted with The Archivist. Doodles of The Sphinx and The Archivist I unearthed today. Marker drawing of vlpn's character 6298.

Vent painting from October. Painted sculpture of Starrain. Ink painting of Ahku surrounded by stuff.

Onward, blinking towards the sun...

[youreyeson1y]

now that all the mvs are out, how would you rank all the skz members' solos? my personal favourite has got to be hold my hand because han is my favourite ❤️ do you have or plan to have emoji anons btw?

noo you cannot be asking me to rank all the solos (i cannot for the life of me assign rank because i myself feel bad when i rank something too low) so let's see how this goes 😭 (under the cut as it's pretty long!)

(and obviously this is not a rank based on talent or to determine who's better but rather just my personal preferences and thoughts; if you do not agree with me, that's fine! let us support all the boys and stream hop instead of arguing online <3)

#1 as we are - kim seungmin

easy first spot. i fell in love with this song from the first listen, and when I saw him perform it? i was on the floor. just something about just him and his guitar on stage, plus the set was really really pretty too, so he simply stole my heart. (and i also love that part in the song near the end when he goes "hey!" and the drums start playing and the songs speed up like ugh. pure perfection. i sometimes still tear up listening to it idek why i just admire him soso much)

fun fact: he's actually my lockscreen lol

i can't believe my rant is so long already and i haven't even mentioned the mv, so i'll keep it short lol. but im a sucker for the high school setting (i mean if that doesn't help me romanticise school idk what will atp) and even still his mv is just such a masterpiece.

like it's an actual 2010s coming of age you cannot convince me otherwise. i love how it's so deeply personal and i feel like you can see how he actually cares about what he's creating. just him being himself and playing and singing and just idk existing makes me so happy. and that last panel of him adding the music doodles alongside his player sketch destroyed me. safe to say, someone was def cutting onions.

#2 youth - lee know & hallucination - I.N

the youth mv just simply blew me away. i was obsessed with the concept ever since the teaser dropped and the mv did not disappoint. i'm in love with his long hair, the boba eyes, his outfits, his acting, EVERYTHINGGG. and watching him perform it live and his interactions and dance alongside the other dancers is just so cute and makes me happy everytime i look at him.

believe me when i say this, but i would be lying if i said i didn't get wrecked by jeongin after watching this performance. this was i think the first performance video i watched from the tour and i was obsessed since the first watch. (i literally learned the choreo of the chorus literally weeks after his performance, yeah) i just love the vibes of this song + his siren like vocals so much. the mv was also so artistic and pretty, i loved it! and the thing is, one of my closest friend is jeongin biased, so i get to obsess over his performance a lot with her lol

#3 so good - hyunjin & ultra - changbin

SO GOOD IS MY JAMM!!!! literally always on the top of my hype playlists and always just gets me so energised and hyped up. same with ultra, these songs just give me the biggest serotonin boost. and watching them perform it is just a spiritual experience. hyunjin's dance break has me with my jaw open and changbin's body roll is nothing short of iconic. i only feel that maybe their mvs couldn't do the songs justice (but they both looked so attractive my god), but theres nothing like a live performance so i get it.

#3.5 hold my hand - HAN & railway - bang chan

han is such a superstar. the song is good, no doubt, but there's something about him performing it live that just makes it a 100x better

and um as a bang chan girlie i know this is surprising but just hear me out okay! it's just that i dont really listen to like smexy songs that often and like you'll only find me listening to this song on very specific times, so thus this ranking lol. the mv was also CRAZY. like goddamn, i think it's time you own up to your grown ass adults songs christopher because the only train i saw was the one with my sanity leaving me apparently. yeah anyway so it's just that i don't listen to this song as much as the others, but it's still such a good song though like sometimes you just wanna feel like that girl? this song with give you that.

#4 unfair - felix

before you come for me, i know. believe me putting his song here is hurting me almost as much as it's hurting you but probably not as much as lix when he was writing this song cause damn brother, who hurt you?? 😭😭😭 so yeah the only reason this is here is because it's a sad song, and i rarely listen to sad tracks because i use music as a way to like uplift and motivate myself, so i just don't listen to it much.

but other than that, this song is nothing but straight out of a fairytale. the whole beauty & the beast backstory works because he looks nothing but majestic performing it at the concert (i think he has one of the prettiest sets) as well as in the mv! i just love lix's voice so much— i remember making my non-stay friends listen to this and they were genuinely surprised when they got to know that this song was actually sung by one guy.

now that i think about it, this is one of my fav skz sad song (another one of my favs is also deep end!) but it's low on the list because it's just such a sad ass song lol. (but again I do love a good plot twists in songs heh so i love how the chorus and tone of the song changes after the "meeting belle" part)

so that was that! i would love to talk more about it and learn about your thoughts too!!! thank u for sending in the ask nonnie this was so fun 😭🫶🏻

and no i don't currently have any emoji anons but i would love to interact! my inbox is always open to feel free to drop by if you want 😼💥

[doughguts-art]

Okay okay back with more Bandit questions and observations now!!! Hi!!! First off, what's the model of his gun? Literally just curious, really doesn't mean anything unless I feel like drawing it lmao. Secondly, what's his thoughts on the people in power/the guardians + the queen (I'm lumping the Judge into the guardians)? You said he won't work when he can survive well on his own, but does his dislike stretch out to even wishing harm on the guardians? Actually, does he know if a guardian dies, their Zone dies, too? How knowledgeable is he on the world of OFF's lore and how it functions?? Thirdly, does he have any friends I should know about? You drew him interacting with Project Goldfinch/Just Finch to break up the text in my first ask, what's their relationship? Does Bandit scam him to hell and back, or do they just casually chat every now and then? Fourthly, I VERY BRIEFLY checked out Ask Bandit and here are some observations I made: Uno, how come you ship him with Red from Animal Crossing? Is it cuz they both steal and resell?? If so, that's hilarious and I love your sense of humor. Dos, when drawing him with Elsen 7 I did not know Bandit currently resides in Zone Three, because 7 lives in Zone One. This whole time I was under the impression he travels through Zones for some reason lol? I guess that's my curse of having a handful of ECU Elsen that do that themselves lmao. Last but not least, not something Ask Bandit related, just generally speaking, would you like to see any future doodles I make of Bandit, whether he's interacting with my own OCs or otherwise? If not, I totally get it lol. Sorry if this is too many questions btw!! You're free to infiltrate my inbox with silly questions too if you want, just to make it more fair. Thank you! :]

Apologies in advance, I didn't make any new Bandit art for this post so I'm just linking something I drew in April that I don't think I shared to tumblr XD Answer time!

I modeled Bandit's gun after a Glock?? Kinda?? I didn't really reference a specific model, more like loosely inspired. I probably should create a prop-reference for it, but I haven't yet.

Bandit's dislike for authority does not stretch to wanting to take out the guardians. It would be counter-intuitive to his role as a merchant to kill off his customers by killing off the guardians. Bandit cares too much about profit, and although the guardians are annoying, without them he wouldn't have profit.

Bandit is fully aware on how the world of OFF works, it's inner workings, and other meta things.

Bandit will say anyone is his friend, even if they clearly hate him. Louis would be the only one that would truly think of Bandit as a friend (except maybe my elsen-sona, but they're a mary-sue type oc and should probably not be counted if we're talking in-universe/story lol)

As Finch is the protagonist in my game concept, Bandit will be the merchant selling them items. Finch is distrusting of Bandit, but sees him as a necessity in their mission. I do have an idea where Bandit does steal something from Finch to propel the plot, but who knows if that'll stay in the final lol

Bandit x Redd is a joke ship created by @brandy-elsen (tagging the account it was posted on and not your current account because I do not wanna waste a tag on this I am sorry Brandy AHHSGFG). All the credits to her for the comedic genius. I think you guessed right as to why that ship exists tho. I just drew it for that post because it met the "two pieces of fanart" criteria I set.

Bandit travels the zones, your initial assumption was right. He is only in Zone 3 on the askbandit blog because of the story being told on there. He's gotta refill his stock of sugar manually since sugar happens to be one of the things he cannot magically pull from his pack.

I would love to see future doodles you make of Bandit! I like collecting all the fanart I get and posting it (with credits/links) to his gallery on toyhouse.

I'm terrible with asking questions, but I'll keep your offer in mind if I have any in the future! :D

a dapper Bandit in a suit

[kiiyome-art]

I've been thinking a lot about destiny lately, and how I want to go about writing and drawing out my warlock, Vienna's, story, now that the light and dark saga is coming to a close. I was a bit late to the destiny scene, all things considered, and between my creative struggles and (trying) to be a functional human being, I've not created as much as id have liked to. So come along with me on my little rant as I think allowed my thoughts, if you feel so inclined.^^

There's still so much I want to write, and stories to tell within the destiny universe.

I started playing the game during season of the plunder, when my friends introduced me to it, and we became a glorious fireteam! I was drawn to the pretty warlock space magic immediately, and thus, Vienna was born. ( Though I've since become a hunter main, she's still my favorite blorbo. )

I quickly fell in love with the story and it's characters, dug deep into the lore and since then, her story has gone through a LOT of changes. I try to stick close to the canon story for the most part, in my universe Vienna is the young wolf who was risen in D1, and has since gone through most of what we see throughout the dlcs and seasons past then, I'll probably elaborate on that further at one point.

Most of my drawings that I've posted here are fun little doodles, occasional quips between characters, and overall "for fun" stuff. The majority of what I've thought up for Vienna has been confined to my own head and the rare rants to my friends. And now with final shape being so close, I feel myself pressured to know, and write down, everything that I can. Which, realistically, is silly.

I had plans to make a three minute animatic of Vienna during forsaken since it was a MASSIVE turning point for her, have it out by final shape, then make an entirely NEW animatic based off OF final shape, mostly inspired by Caydes return. Whilst I had mapped out most of it and gotten some rough sketches down, I didn't even begin on the actual project. Could I have? Probably. Do i feel guilty about it? Yes. Will those projects still happen? Hopefully.

I know for all you creatives out there that might be reading this, the feeling of having plans, and not being able to carry through with them, or it not turning out how you wanted, is a shitty feeling, not foreign to ANY of us.

I felt myself compelled to write this in the first place because I know that, well, I'm not alone.

There's many creatives out there feeling the same pressure to get stuff done as I am, even if we don't say it. We want to have everything figured out, to create something wonderful, with the final shape feeling like "the end" of destiny as we know it and all. So this is me calling out to whoever might be listening; be nicer to yourself.

You have all the time in the world to create that animation, paint that painting, write that story. Just because final shape is "an ending," doesn't mean you can't still work on and have fun with the story beats you have in mind prior to Final Shape. No ones gunna call it silly, were all equally starved for content here. And who knows, once we all know how final shape ends, it might inspire you and help your story flow together better.

I'll try my best to tag my posts relating to Vienna and her fireteam with time stamps from now on, as I tend to jump all over the place and it could get really confusing really fast. The TLDR of it all;

Don't feel guilty about unfinished projects. Final shape isn't the end, dont let it be, and dont feel confined to just creating content relating to post final shape.

That's all! I appreciate you reading if you got this far, and im excited to see the amazing things the Destiny corner of tumblr will come up with next.

See you starside! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[alphabetboyluvr]

Hey Holly😬😬😬

So I wanted to ask have you ever come across things like copying stuff and ideas from one book?? I mean if you read a book or you get inspired from a particular scene/dialog that you re-write it but you still get called out because of that??? Do you get bothered by that?? I mean there is this😅 bunch of teenage indian authors on wattpad that every now and then starts blaming and fighting that they copied their stuff,book name,dialogues. What do you think of this??

You probably have seen the viral orange peel theory that is going viral on insta/tiktok. I was talking about that😅😅

heyaaa !!

i've seen a lot of discourse around the concept of copying / plagiarism recently and I do have some thoughts on it.

i assume you mean if i get bothered when i see people have clearly taken inspiration from my work?

i keep my feet firmly out of the fanfic reading space for a variety of reasons and one of those reasons is because i've seen how easy it is to pick up inspiration and sprinkle it into your own work without even realising—not maliciously, or ill-intentioned at all, but undeniable with retrospect.

i don't ever want to find myself in the position of having spent hours writing something only for it to be reduced to nothing because of innocent mistakes (as I've seen happen with other writers) so yeah, i don't read within the fanfic space (which is also why im terrible with recs haha).

NOW in regards to people taking inspiration from my stuff, i'm well aware that it happens. I first noticed it happened with you up? and its never really stopped.

there's a handful of stories i've seen on wattpad from people i know read my work, who write in a very similar way to me. things like plot, narrative voice, character arcs, relationships, even the way i doodle at the start of my chapters—if it can be lifted and reworked, it has, and im sure only seen the tip of the iceberg.

similarly, i've also seen big writers write scenes in their stories with an almost identical play by play to some of my scenes, but i have no way of knowing if they've read my work—but it has made me go back and check the dates of my uploads to make sure i have my 'well actually...' response ready incase any of their fans try and come for me hahaha.

i've had extensive conversations with my writer friends about this and my general thoughts are: i don't care.

i could go on a big old rant about it all, but i know my opinion is a bit odd considering i'm a writer.

writing is a deeply personal craft, but it's also something that we learn and develop through time. if people are inspired by my work, then it must mean I'm doing something right. in time, they'll develop their own style. I encourage them to continue writing until they find their own voice.

history and literature is full of reworking and retellings. Shakespeare was notorious for it!

I'm not gonna get pressed if someone is so moved by my work to the point they wanna create their own version. I'll be honoured to be a part of their creative process. of course there is a limit to this—I know there's at least one story on wattpad floating around with a similar dynamic to BD with origami being used as a crux for fears, which does make me raise my brows a little bit, but at the end of the day, I'm the one who chose to upload my fanfic for free on a website that is known to not be exactly the most original of places.

someone else writing a similar concept to mine doesn't take away from the value of my work. if anything, it just proves that my writing has had an impact.

so yeah if you ever see someone and think huh this reads a lot like hollys work, or anything like that, just leave it be. don't run people off of a site, or force them to stop doing a hobby that likely causes them joy, for my sake.

it's funny because a few people have actually asked me to write an orange peel theory fic haha. we, as writers, don't own concepts and we also write about the same seven men. there will be inevitable overlap. it's all just pixels, at the end of the day.

[darby-draws]

1 and 12 for Quinn, 18 for Andre ?

Thanks for asking! [questions]

Read More for big long post! <3

1 What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

It was right after Art Fight and I desperately wanted a Queer Horror OC before Halloween season. There was a lot of talk about what kind of horror we wanted to go towards. (which maybe still is not quite settled as there are multiple "Horror Movie Plots" in our Whorror Movie story.) But we settled on demon possessed with some religious trauma and a bit of delicious revenge, and Darla and I both worked on designing our own guys separately and see how they would fit together. I sketched these:

I thought the demon might be similar to an AU demon we have, Goopy, who possesses Lucky and Nate in a story, so that's why I have the drippy drawing in the corner and the inspo for the top surgery tattoos. That's how Goopy was! But Quinn's Demon is a bit different now! Black hair with horns was a must but it mostly became spiky hair with the Vibe of horns. (… unless! rule of cool: draw them as horns anyway its badass!!)

In an early iteration of the story Quinn and Parker were going to find a baby possessed by a demon, from an Evil Cult Town. Quinn's demon and Parker's strength (and bloodthirst) destroyed their Big Bad leader who was doing the baby/demon sacrifices, and the baby was abandoned, maybe thought to be dead? They were like sure… We'll see what we can do with this little thang. They named it Blair Belladonna. They knew of an older witchy/demon knowledgeable grandma figure (literally Domino's Grandma before Domino was a character) who could help them learn about this baby's demon and how to raise a little demonling. BUT That never settled into canon, there is no baby Blair. (However! Much of the baby demon possessing cult thing turned into Domino's backstory. 👀)

12 What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC?

Remembering the dripping perma crying eyeliner down his cheeks. Yes it's supposed to be a permanent feature. 😔 Also figuring out how to draw the hair in between the "horns", how to make it spiky but not distract from The Big Spikes, which direction its going off in, etc. Otherwise I think Quinns pretty easy to grasp for me! 🤔 I love when I get to use flat black for hair and clothes when I'm just doodling so thats always a relief.

18 What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

This was trickyyy ahh Andre's such an old character that hasn't been the main focus lately, so a lot of thinking of him recently has been like. Reminiscing on old facts and not necessarily bringing in anything new. If theres something I've recently discovered of him, I can't think of it!

One thing I've recently decided after some consideration is that I'm going to fuse the Original Andre story where he adopts Delilah the robot and the AU where Andre has an Actual Human Baby instead of the robot together. So now, Delilah and baby Leia exist at the same time! Yay, two of them!!! It's gonna have to make me rethink and plan out his timeline a bit differently and see how he reacts to things now. I just haven't actually set out the time to plan the combined story yet. I feel like I softened up Andre's story a bit in the baby AU, (less drug use, less bad relationships with sketchy people, etc) so I'll have to see if I end up keeping it slightly more balanced or if it'll stay more true to the Actual Canon events, maybe just pushed around the timeline a bit.

Something else that feels new from semi recent times: I thought of an AU where all three of his parents actually like. Get together/stay together polycule it up and raise Andre together rather than the usual backstory of:

two good friends in college befriend and get a crush on the same woman

the guys start a business together

one of them marries the woman and they have a kid together but he gets way too into his work and neglects his wife, oops :(

she then goes to their friend for comfort, which leads to cheating, which leads to she GETS PrEGNANT (WITH ANDRE!) (NOT her Husband's child!) oops :(

she tells her husband the truth and they talk about separating

The Friend leaves The Business and is told to basically never speak to them again

Husband decides will simply raise this child as his own and works on bettering himself and the marriage (if only for appearances and/or for their older daughters sake) and he will simply Not resent the New Child for any reason, it's That Easy! (he said, you know, like a liar.)

Andre finds this out (Accidentally! From his SISTER) as a full grown ass adult and it fucks him up for a bit. oops :(

⬆ this is a lot to Get Into. And also it's Not the new stuff, although I probably haven't actually delved into it before…!

But basically, all this to say, this New 3 Parent AU leads to Andre being much more well adjusted, because so much of his… THing in his life (in canon timeline) has juust been. family treating him unfairly for something he had no part in and resenting/reacting to that. 🥴 And his two dads are such opposite strict/lenient personalities that they'd balance each other like, reallly wellll if they had that opportunity to both raise him from the start, and Andre would have someone in his corner when he's Going Through rough times in life. AUgh. If only… (Also his bio dad is … probably autistic like him so I think someone would like, UNDERSTAND him and the way he does things while growing up which is like, wow groundbreaking.)

[pushing500]

I absolutely love your Rimworld saga, I've always wanted to do something like it for one of my colonies but I'm a better writer than I am an artist. Any tips for someone not used to drawing people?

Thank you for the great stories and adorable artwork 💕

Ah, thank you so much!! I'm glad you like the Rimworld stuff, I really love making it, and I'm happy it seems to have found an audience that enjoys it.

As for art tips, here are three things I always try to remember when I'm drawing:

1. It's okay to use references!

I see a lot of people worried about art theft, tracing, and stealing, which are important issues to keep in mind. No artist wants their work stolen, and nobody wants to be accused of tracing or things like that. Certainly valid concerns for all parties.

However, I've noticed that a lot of people avoid using references because of those concerns. It's alright to use references for your artwork! You can and should look for references to practice with. It's not easy to make up every single pose from nothing, but I've seen a lot of artists give up because they can't figure poses out without looking up references, and they feel like that means they're not real artists.

I'm partial to stock photos personally. There are stock photos for every conceivable situation. Behold, one I used just yesterday:

References are good and definitely okay to use. Use them a lot! They're a wonderful way to practice, and it's much easier to make up your own poses and draw people once you're used to drawing the human form from your references.

2. Don't be afraid to be silly!

Not every piece of art needs to be a serious and carefully thought-out commentary on the nature of humanity or society or things like that. Not every piece of art needs to be beautiful, or perfect, or even comprehendible. When I first started drawing art for a Rimworld colony, I was sitting beside my little brother and watching him play. I was doodling pictures of his colonists, and do you know what I ended up with? Nothing deep and meaningful, that's for sure.

I ended up with memes. Memes that are still blu-tacked up where everybody who comes into my house can see them.

I love them. I had so much fun drawing them. That's the important bit! They're ridiculous, silly, stupid memes, and I love them so much because I loved drawing them. Have fun with your art. Don't make it a chore. Be silly. Let yourself enjoy the act of creating, even if you end up with something dumb. That's the best kind of art.

3. Do so much art! So much of it!

The old saying says practice makes perfect, and it's not entirely wrong. I don't think I have ever met someone who has ever created something and decided it was perfect, no matter how much they practised.

However, the more you practice, the better you will be. I would post pictures of my older art to demonstrate the improvement, but I still haven't quite managed to choke back the gag reflex that comes with seeing the old drawings I have tucked away.

Maybe one day, when I'm braver, I'll show you the wonky caricatures of people I used to draw, and you can see for yourself that the more you make, the better you'll get. For now, though, I shall leave you with a tiny sampling of my sketchbook collection and one (1) spooky boi:

I don't know if any of that was helpful. I'm not much of a teacher, I'm afraid, but I do wish you the best with your artistic endeavours! For what it's worth, I'd read a written story about a Rimworld game just as eagerly as I would absorb pictures of it.

Thank you for your lovely compliments, and I wish you the loveliest of days! 💕

[the-narrators-ramblings]

Every time I think of this blog, I always go back to the beginning. Not like, mincident beginning, but like, the beginning beginning.

Last year - can you believe that? It's been nearly a year - I stumbled upon some game I'd vaguely heard about in my dad's massive list of Steam codes. And I went, "Sure. I'll give it a shot," and loved every second. I went on to get the demo just because I'd 100 percent-ed the main game, and a friend even bought me Ultra Deluxe.

Not long after, I made my way deep into the tsp tag and ran into a little askblog. It couldn't have had much more than thirty followers. But I liked this blog; the admin was cunning in a way I'd grown to somewhat expect from Stanley, and despite the few posts, there was something so fun and light-hearted about the blog that drew me in even closer.

Out of the blue, then, came a post - jokingly asking for a blog posing as the Narrator to accompany the existing Stanley one. I entertained the thought for the day, but by the next, I was setting up a brand new Tumblr.

The rest? Is history.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, this one askblog is nothing but a droplet of water in the sea that is the universe. But even if Tumblr fades into obscurity, and memories of this place fade alongside it, the impact that was made will not.

I remember, when I made this blog, it all felt so big. Now I realize that I may have just been caught up in the moment, but what a moment it was. So many of you - one hundred and sixty-six (166) as of today, March 10th, 2023, and more just keep coming.

I'm sorry to those that have joined recently, as our curtains are drawing, but I hope you've enjoyed your stay, however short it be. I'm sorry that you came across this blog as its ashes have picked up in the wind, but I am so thankful for each and every one of you, whether you've vowed to never touch a mint sandwich or you have no clue as to what that could mean.

For the individuals I cannot exclude...

ABPA, holy shit, I love you. You're like a childhood best friend, accompanying this blog as it grows and shapes and lays itself down to rest. Watching Dan run through life and cause chaos with Stanley and sing karaoke with their coworkers brought me joy I could've never realized in the moment. Thank you for being there.

WIP, my beloved, my belothed, my arch-nemisis and my muse. What would my galley be without every single little post you've made? What would I be, without them? I still have that ask saved, from when you first gave yourself a name. I still feel bad for never answering, but the relic remains, hung in a frame of gold in a private gallery. Thank you for giving me strength to keep creating.

NYNA, named with no name, the little cat that's gained permanent residency in my dash and my notifs. A voice of reason and safety in a world of uncertainty. Another wing in the taspblog art gallery, small, priceless feel-good doodles up high next to the Mona Lisa of the taskblog (whatever that may be). Thank you for the little things.

432, I'm about to be very blunt, and very honest with you. I didn't like you, at first. But over time, your goofy little personality attached itself to me, like a little parasite growing harmless gumdrops in my garden. You didn't even need a blog to make yourself an essential part of the story. Thank you for being the book without a cover.

For those I couldn't make this post even more of a mouthful for, I still thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, named anons, not-named anons, and those who just liked and reblogged (don't think I forgot about you, Stanley-Central).

And of course, Ivan. Without you, this blog would have never existed in the first place. Without you, this community would have never come together. Without you, who would we be?

Thank you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being you.

[trashyandtiredsol]

Okay @kredena-dark you have unlocked an unskippable rant!!! :D

Some of this is just me explaining stuff, so don't mind that- actually idk I'm just info dumping rn, it explaining everything in full detail, but still explaining :P

Idk how long it'll be so- CUT TIME

💚Okay- posca pens!! Fuckin love those!! It's a liquid marker of sorts and there are thinner nib ones and thicker nib ones. There's also a very limited amount of color options. Which include pastel like colors, black, white, gray, silver, gold, basic color saturated colors, forgot if the green is more of a forest green or a more vibrant green tho :P

They can be so smooth and solid looking!! Which is what I like about them!! It's like markers but better!! :D

Really wanna get every single color for myself instead of only using them at school :/

💚 Woodworking has been going really great so far!! For woodworking 1 I took last year, it was introducing all the machines, taking safety tests on those machines plus ones for how to be safe in the workshop. It's where I made a box and a shelf were the drawer is now stuck in, which sucks, plus a phone holder with 2 holes for pencils.

Woodworking 2- very nice~ I'm working on another shelf, this time with 3 drawers!! And hopefully they won't get stuck :P. We also make a bowl, which I'll fully fully work on once my shelves done!! We actually learned a new machine for this!! It's able to make the wood rounded, so we can make a bowl and practice making the wood rounded.

💚Ink is a very nice tool for traditional art in my opinion!! You can put a blob of sorts and shape it however you want, then once it's dry you can use a sharpie or a pen or a fineliner sharpie pen to make something out of it :D

You can also just use the line pens and sharpies by themselves and create different values with thicker or thinner lines and I have shaky hands!! Which can really make your lines feel more organic in a way!! Also really helps me feel loose drawing!! But then sometimes it's rather annoying, like with digital art and when I want to make smooth straight and curved lines!!

💚 Speaking of digital art~

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW THAT'S BEEN GOING FOR ME SINCE I'VE STARTED DIGITAL ART!! :D

I think it was..... Less than a year ago? Around that long ago :P

Anyway- I've made myself my own Sona and it's great!! My hair color and just having a pixie cut hair works quite well with the cat ears!! And all the markings and just- everything that's gone into making them has been so great~

And the art apps I use!! It took a few tries with multiple other art apps and looking up which would work for a phone and what was free to use. But I found Infinite Painter and HiPaint and they are so great!!

I found Infinite Painter first off, and it's worked splendidly and hasn't crashed or glitched on me at all!! And the brush options are so nice!! It's a great beginner digital art app, it doesn't overload you with so many brush customizations!! Even though there still are plenty of customizations, you don't have to adjust them if you don't want to!! You can just change the opacity and size of it if you want!!

And then there's HiPaint!! I REALLY like the brushes this app has, it's actually so much better than Infinite Painter!! And you can customize the stabilizer!! I currently have it a 20%. I actually thought I'd have it at some higher percentage since my hands shake, but it's quite comfortable at 20%!! I could maybe slide it to 21 -25% , just for a bit more smoothness. And- this app has glitched out once before and it wouldn't let me do anything at all!! So I tried restarting my phone a couple times and that didn't work so I uninstalled it AND I FRICKIN LOST MY PROJECTS ON IT AJSJDJFJFFKDJF that fuckin sucked, but luckily I already posted the doodles I did on there and I screenshotted the sona sketch I did, but I did loose my linework and the start of me coloring it :/. But I did redo the linework and finished it all and it looks very nice!! So didn't really lose anything permanently!! It hasn't glitch again so that's good~

💚hmmmm I'm running out of what to add!! Might just leave this as is~

Idk I wanna show this as soon as possible so I can talk more about this with you Kredena!!

(this is mainly for Kredena, but to anyone else reading, I hope you like this all!!)

Ye you know what idk what else to add, probably all my head cannons and such for every fandom I've ever been in, but I don't even remember all of that rn so- this is it I guess, maybe at least for now!! :D

💚Update: BANNER IDEAS FOR MY BLOG HERE :D

I have some very nice ideas!! There's one with my sona wearing my in progress green scarf!! There's another with a winter setting with a certain way the trees would look that I really wanna try doing!! There's a flower pattern idea for spring!! I also wanna do one with a pattern with better pumpkins and fall leaves and candy corn!! For summer I'd probably do a Sona drawing with a sunny background with my sona wearing shades and, OH OH MAYBE STANDING IN AN OCEAN!! OH I LOVE THOSE CONCEPTS SO FRICKIN MUC AJSJDDJFJajsjsjdjsffjdjAHSHDajsjdhASJDHDjajsdj!!

[devisopod]

Hey I really like your art style I find it pretty and unqiue when your draw your art! I hope it's not too much to ask but what type of programs do you use in your art and what are your techniques when drawing your art. I just really want to learn and explore through different digital artist's art style so I can improve and be comfortable with my own art style.

I also hope you are a wonderful day too

Gonna use this opportunity to start a FAQ tag because I get a lot of similar questions:

I appreciate the compliment! This post may get a little long, and likely full of things you've heard other artists say, but I'll organize my thoughts to the best of my ability -- excuse me if I ramble.

To answer your first question, I like to stick to Procreate since it's simple and the GUI doesn't make my eyes want to explode, but I have picked up CSP recently and somewhat enjoy it. I like having access to new brushes through the launcher.

I feel like the next question isn't so easy for most artists, including myself, to answer. I've been drawing for a long time on and off, so when I sit down to make something, there isn't a lot of intention or technique behind the way I do it; it's more like muscle memory. I wish I could explain it better than that.

To tell you the truth, I'm in an art slump! So, I've been trying to return to more basic practices again in hopes of improving and actually being content with my art again; I can't even remember the last time I rendered, let alone finished, a real piece; that's why I only post sketches and doodles. Anyway, for a long time I neglected using references, but now I realize they're vital to improving on the muscle memory I already have. I'm even finding myself messing around with landscape studies to throw my characters in.

So my advice is to study aspects of media or artists you like and use it in your art. Most artists' "styles" are basically an amalgamation of traits they saw and adapted to fit their skills.

Sidenote: frankly, I don't believe in having a single art style, but I do give a couple of mine preference over others.

Hope that mostly answers your questions!

TL;DR

1.) I use Procreate and CSP

2.) Practice! Remember to return to the basics if you feel stuck!

3.) Study art you like to form a style (or styles) that you can create comfortably