#actually used the same brush just changed the pressure and taper settings a lot

[nightly-ruse]

Little Siphonsnap fantasy version just bc I’ve been thinking about her. She’s so cool

[artvaris]

Hi Riikka, I stumbled across your art recently and am just blown away. It's absolutely gorgeous! *0* I am pretty new to digital art and was wondering what procreate brushes/settings/textures you use, especially for sketching (but also for painting)? I tried searching around your blog/links to see if you've answered this before and couldn't find anything so I apologize if this is a repeat question. ^^;

Hello hello! I'm so glad you enjoy my artwork so much! Thank you so much for your kind words - I try my best to level up and draw cooler every day haha Now about my brushes: I mostly draw in Paint Tool SAI 2 actually (I currently only use Procreate for simple sketches), and I've been meaning to make my SAI 2 brushes available for purchase for some months now since you are not the first person to ask me this. I mostly use textured, bristled, and round brushes, often with a custom brush shape. Nothing super "fancy", just a few versatile and functional brushes. But this is still a work in process since collecting and organizing my rather messy brushes into a nice brush set takes time, plus I also tend to change my brush settings a lot depending on what I need. So I've been creating and saving the brushes as I work (plus I've been rather busy with freelance work as well).

I also use the same brushes for sketching and rendering, because the way I render nowadays is more like drawing than painting. At least that's how it feels to me. I just change the brush settings (opacity, size, tip tapering, texture intensity, etc).

But I will post about this when the set is finally ready! But I also sketch in Procreate, and lately, I've been mostly using:

B Rough - as my main sketching pencil - from this free set: https://ghkim0045.gumroad.com/l/FREE_PencilSet

JF Grungy dilute ink Wash - I use this to fill in light gray values - https://jasonheeley.gumroad.com/l/keasb?layout=profile

I have also been experimenting a bit with this "PSKI" set, mainly using "PSKI pencil large rough" (a nice hard/soft edge brush): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0vkcsrnf4wvtal5/AAAlVQYZGP4ZGHNMQ6kZwCTta?dl=0

I have also used the standard Procreate sketching brushes a lot, such as the 6B pencil (my favorite). I often like to amp up the texture intensity of my brushes though.

I have also used a brush called "DizzyTara's Oval Sketch 2" for sketching, but I've altered this brush a bit to fit my own taste (more texture and bigger max brush size). It's basically a pretty "basic" and textured oval brush, but often brushes like this are the best and most versatile tbh!

Other settings: In Procreate, I've also adjusted my pen pressure curve to be more sensitive so that I don't need to press so hard - this will save your hand and wrist as well!

[quarterfromcanon]

Evading

Heather & Valencia - Femslash February - Day 27 - Quiet [2,207 words] 

Valencia sank onto the outdoor lounge chair with a weary sigh that seemed to rise from the depths of her soul. She shut her eyes and tried to let the pleasant evening temperature mute her thoughts. The glaring sunlit afternoon gave way to a moderate nightfall around her. Splashes of warm colors seeped across the faded blue sky.

A sliver of tentative optimism, or at least the willingness to fight for a brighter outlook, had at last been restored inside the house. Their friend had accepted her recent diagnosis and was prepared to seek treatment. It was the most hope they’d had since before Rebecca disappeared, but such a potentially fragile thread did not provide the type of irrefutable comfort Valencia craved. 

She reached for one of the throw pillows and clutched it near her chest. Even though she had finally allowed herself to cry, Valencia’s throat ached from the countless times she’d suppressed sobs over the past six days. She hid her face behind the fabric of the cushion and curled onto her side.

“Hey.”

Valencia tensed. She sat upright to turn toward the sound. Heather leaned against a nearby pillar with her arms folded over her stomach.

“Hi,” Valencia replied softly.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Valencia tilted her chin at the vacant lounger. Heather shucked her jacket and swung it across the chair. She reclined to observe the lingering clouds. They were stretched thin and etched in purples and grays like the passage of hours had left them ashen and bruised. Valencia studied them too, but doing so left her feeling small and overwhelmed all over again.

“God, this has been the longest week of my entire life.”

A humorless laugh puffed out of Heather’s chest on an exhale. “Same.”

The two shared space without talking while the gradient above deepened its hues -- carmine becoming vermilion yet somehow blending seamlessly with saffron and amber.

“V?”

“Mm?”

“Are we okay?”

Valencia smoothed the ruffles on her shirt. “I don’t know,” she admitted, “... but I want to be.”

“Me, too.” Heather pushed stray curls aside and grimaced. “The past one hundred and forty-nine hours have really driven home how everything can go from fine to fucked up with no break in between.”

“You counted?”

“I’ve had a lot of spare time on my hands once it gets dark. You weren’t wrong about that... during our fight last night... I haven’t been sleeping. Like, almost at all.”

Valencia craned to look at Heather, although her view was limited given the angle of their chairs. “Yeah, well, I can’t take too much credit for riddling that one out. The shadows under your eyelids gave it away.”

Heather rolled over and propped her chin on both hands. “I’m surprised you didn’t throw some new concealer at me from one of your swag bags.”

Genuine giggles felt impossible to muster, but they offered each other feeble smiles.

“I really spiraled, didn’t I?” Valencia tucked her lower lip into her mouth.

Heather brushed Valencia’s forearm with her fingertips but did not allow the caress to linger. “We both did. Yours was just on a broader scale.”

“Global.”

Heather inclined her head in recognition. “Even when you’re avoiding your problems, you don’t do anything half-assed.”

“No. That wouldn’t be on-brand.” Valencia’s expression was self-deprecating. 

Heather put a pillow under her face to take the pressure off her palms. She wrapped both arms around the cushion and stared into the middle distance. “I shouldn’t have brought Hector to the hospital,” she declared without preamble. “He was a distraction, like you said. I needed to be there physically but not mentally, and he was the only person removed enough from the situation that I could do that. I was able to talk about something else - anything else - and I couldn’t pass it up because that little waiting room made me so antsy. The thing is, I already wasn’t alone before he tagged along. I had you. But once Hector came to keep me company, you didn’t have me. And that wasn’t fair. Paula was keeping watch; I was checking out, and there you were, dealing with a lot of this by yourself. I should’ve realized that before, but it didn’t register until after everything. I’m sorry.”

Valencia blinked and inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry, too. I took it all too far. The vlogs, the way I’ve been acting around Hector, how I’ve treated you -- everything.” 

Their eyes met. For a moment, the events prior to the crisis hung in the air between them and they paused, motionless. Valencia fought to avoid the memory of their kiss, but she felt the contact as vividly as if it were happening again in the present. 

Heather gulped. Her response was so faint that Valencia read her lips to verify the words. “It’s okay. I forgive you. Do you forgive me?”

Valencia’s eyes burned but she held Heather’s gaze. She nodded as her vision swam.

“Good.” Heather turned to the side, concealing her features from scrutiny.

Their conversation tapered off once more. The night descended in earnest, leaving their surroundings shrouded, and Heather briefly departed to turn on the courtyard lights. When she returned, she pulled the jacket onto her shoulders and rubbed the sleeves.

“It feels weird. This is the first time since it happened that the silence hasn’t made my skin crawl. Living with Rebecca, there’s kinda always a lot of racket, y’know? She’s making a reference, cooking up some scheme, going on a rant, or nagging me to try something new. It never stops. So, when it did, when the house was actually quiet...” Heather shuddered.

“It was a constant reminder that she wasn’t around,” Valencia supplied, “like her absence left a void of white noise and emptiness.”

“Yeah.” Heather jammed both fists into the pockets of her shorts.

Valencia drew her knees up to her torso. “I kept wanting to go outside, thinking it would help me breathe, but for some reason it only pissed me off.”

“Why?”

“I hated that nothing was different. The weather was good. The people passing by were busy with their own business. The planet just kept spinning the same way it always does. For all of them, existence was the same, but for me, everything was a single sentence away from falling apart. It made me want to scream.”

Heather joined Valencia on the second lounger. “I don’t think any of us would’ve blamed you if you had.”

“I was just afraid that, once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.” Valencia watched as a few stars winked into visibility beyond the glow from the city. “The only thing I wanted, all this time, was for my life to go back to how it was. But now that our routines are picking up where they left off, and we have to go back to work, I don’t know if anything will ever be truly normal.”

Heather mirrored Valencia’s seated position and draped her elbows over her kneecaps. “I think what we consider ‘normal’ changes with us. There’s not a set standard. I mean, think about the years before Rebecca. Would literally anything that’s happened since have been ‘normal’ to you back then?”

Valencia’s mouth twitched. “Not at all.”

“Exactly.”

They adjusted by degrees until they were angled toward one another, almost facing directly but not quite.

“Heather?”

“Yeah?”

“I really need a hug.” 

Heather glanced up to see Valencia looking so weary and forlorn that she couldn’t help but give her a sympathetic pout. “Fine. The sad Tweety Bird eyes are wearing me down. Scoot over here.”

Valencia gratefully did so, and Heather draped an arm across both her shoulders. Heather’s cheek rested atop Valencia’s hair. Though Valencia attempted to keep her voice steady, fresh tears spilled along her cheekbones. “This friend group... what we have... it’s what matters most to me. I can’t lose that now. I just can’t.”

Heather tightened their embrace while the bridge of Valencia’s nose pressed against her neck. “I know,” she whispered. “Neither can I.”

Valencia succumbed to helpless weeping for the second time that day. The warm droplets fell onto the skin pressed flush with her own. Heather’s breathing became uneven yet she somehow maintained her stoicism. Her knuckles rubbed Valencia’s shoulder blade in absentminded ellipses. 

The curtain over one of the double doors folded away and Paula appeared on the other side of the glass. Heather awkwardly raised her free hand in greeting.

Paula jerked a thumb in the direction of Rebecca’s bedroom then lifted folded hands beside her cheek, pantomiming sleep. Heather nodded in response. She pointed to Valencia and dragged a fingertip down her own jaw to indicate crying. Paula moved her index fingers back and forth in a gesture that clearly said, ‘Should Mama Paula step in?’ Heather subtly shook her head and rested a palm over her chest. ‘I’ve got this.’ Paula gave an encouraging salute. She held her fists at ten and two while mouthing, ‘I’m going home.’ Heather waved. Paula blew them both a kiss even though Valencia wouldn’t see and then departed.

“Is she heading back to her house?” Valencia mumbled.

“Who?”

“Paula.”

“How--”

“I could feel you moving,” Valencia explained. “Also, Rebecca would’ve come outside if she knew Heather hugs were available for a limited time only.”

“She does appreciate a good cuddle,” Heather acknowledged.

“We’ll offer her a rain check for tomorrow since she missed this one.”

“Deal.”

They let the tension leave their muscles while the sounds of distant cars and a neighbor’s muffled music drifted through the night. Valencia leaned away just as Heather looked down at her. She noticed how Heather’s gaze drifted to her lips and found herself similarly distracted. Her pulse quickened and Valencia shivered with fear and longing. Heather’s expression changed in a way that brought about a stomach twist of guilt, a frown-forced-into-a-smile that Valencia had learned to recognize as the instant personal feelings were put on the back burner in favor of sympathy. 

“We should probably go back.” Heather let her arm fall to her side and stood.

Valencia worked to ignore the tingling left behind by Heather’s touch. “Okay.”

They went inside but only took a few steps before their movement stilled again. Heather glanced in the direction of the bedrooms while Valencia reluctantly peered through the darkness at the front door. 

“Does it make me a coward if I really want to put off going to my apartment for one more night?”

Heather hooked her thumbs in her pockets. “Is it pathetic that I’m so tired my vision keeps going out of focus but I don’t think I can sleep in my bed?”

They answered one another in unison: “No.”

Heather walked backward and held up a hand. “Wait here.”

She returned a minute later with two pillows from her room, a sheet, and a quilt. Heather dropped a pillow on the right side of the couch and, after brief hesitation, let the sheet pool beside it. She put the second pillow and quilt on the chaise. 

Valencia accepted the unspoken invitation and stretched along the sofa. “Thank you.”

Heather shrugged. “We can navigate the revised definition of normal tomorrow, right?”

Valencia gave an affirmative nod as she slid under the sheet. “The world can wait just a little longer.”

Heather spread the quilt across her legs and gripped a corner of the cloth in her fist. “Cool.”

Valencia situated herself more comfortably. A familiar blend of outdoor smells rose from the satin case when she nestled against it. She circled her arms around the pillow and relaxed. Valencia crossed the line between waking and dreaming without marked delineation, but her return to full awareness was easy to pinpoint due to its catalyst. 

Heather was stuck in a nightmare.

The sharp gasp roused Valencia first, followed by a nearly imperceptible whine. She twisted to squint through the gloom. Heather’s body twitched and her fingers clenched by her sides. Her face angled into the moonlight, and Valencia thought for a second that she saw moisture glistening on the ends of her eyelashes.

Valencia’s mouth formed her name without sound. ‘Heathe...’

She untangled herself from the sheet and knelt on the floor. Her hands flitted through the air with uncertainty. The simple act of drifting off had been so difficult for Heather lately that Valencia hesitated to wake her, but leaving her tormented by a troubled mind was out of the question. Valencia tucked the quilt more securely around Heather’s restless form, cocooning her, and ran a soothing palm over her furrowed brow.

“Everyone’s all right. Just rest. It’s all right. We’re all here.”

Heather’s features smoothed and her breathing slowed to a steady pattern. Valencia sighed with relief. She waited on the ground a while longer, just to make sure no further distress arose. Heather remained serene, mercifully restful after an exhausting ordeal.

“Why do I get the sense you’d be angry your subconscious made you vulnerable?” Valencia joked in a gentle murmur. She shook her head and returned to her spot on the couch. “Well, for what it’s worth considering you’re too fast asleep to hear this right now, I’ll keep your secret safe.”

[vondehnvisuals]

Hello every One, and welcome to the Fabulous Free Lance Friday Edition of the Good News Journal where I wield My S-Word (Sean’s Word) fearlessly.  Thank King You for joining Me, I have an unusual and interesting Edition for You today.  I Will be tall King about some of the Ways I Mind My Father’s House, both with respect to the Kingdom God Gave Me and the Land where I am tending My temporary Keep.

I had two new thirty day challenges set out for My Self this month; one was an hour a day dedicated to Art, the other was fifteen minutes a day dedicated to learning Latin.  My Latin challenge lasted only a day, My Mind was just not into it (though I was rather impressed with how much I remembered, so I am inspired to pick it up again soon).  My Art challenge has been successful, though I Give My Self a lot of leeway because painting is something I really need to be inspired to do.  I am also more inclined to paint when I have empty canvas for new character portraits (por-traits, for traits) waiting in the wings.  With the whole covid thing it hasn’t been easy to get new canvas, I’m pretty fussy about what I Wish for when it comes to Art work.  So I allowed for anything Creative to be considered My hour of Art, which might even include gardening because that really is something of an Art, too.

I got some baking done, I’ve been war King on colouring (painting with watercolour) a picture for My niece and hope to get three done to send out before the end of the month.  I had no Idea I would enjoy something as simple as colouring so much but I really do and I have a beautiful set of watercolour felt markers with paint brush-like tips, so it was Good to find something useful and Creative to do with them.  I’ve also spent some time organizing any plants the squirrels haven’t destroyed and always have some new seedlings sprouting somewhere.  I mentioned that gardening is something of an Art, too, and although I am very much an amateur with respect to growing a fruit and vegetable garden (because I’ve never really had a garden before), I have something of a Magical Gift for growing plants indoors.  This is one of the reasons I’m not going to let the squirrels discourage Me too much this year.  I Will come up with a solution for next season and Will just grow My plants in containers this year and bring them indoors when it gets too cold (as it’s getting late to be starting things now).

Crassula Ovata, also commonly known as ‘Jade’ plant here in Canada, is also considered the ‘Lucky’ plant, money plant, or money tree.  I find that interesting because there are no coincidences in My Universe and a pair of leaves I cut from a jade plant at My last address was the first plant to be placed in soil in My new apartment.  It did nothing for roughly three months and ‘Magically’ Showed its first Sign of new Life on My name day, June 5th.

She is now ready to stand on her own.

I have been trying to come up with a name for her, and I have decided it Will be Lady Luck.  Removing the two starting leaves Will encourage the new growth and they Will form a ‘scab’ and dry up where they were cut and eventually fall off, Creating an entirely new plant.  The leaves that were cut Will not go to waste, either.  I’m Creating a Special propagator for them.

The knife isn’t ideal, little big for what I need but it has a tapered tip which actually works pretty well and it is certainly sharp enough.  It should be sharp enough that it doesn’t crush the leaf at all.  The paper is just to keep earth from falling through the slits in the side of the container which Will allow water to drain very well.  Then I fill the container with organic potting soil.

Then I pack the soil down very firmly before adding any moisture.

Now surgery begins.

You can see that I am cutting near the bottom and removing all leaves except the top two or four (depending on size).  Removing the excess leaves makes for a longer stem so it Will be easy to stand in the soil.  As soon as the stem is surrounded by earth, it Will automatically begin producing roots.  The plants get re-potted.

Now, I’ve done all of this before and this is what works for Me, I don’t think I’ve ever killed a jade plant, they are the easiest to propagate like this.  Propagating leaves can be a little trickier, sometimes they just do nothing, shrivel up and dry out.  But any pair of leaves with just a hint of stem has always taken root, Lady Luck is an example that took three months of patience.  If they are not dying, they are growing roots.  I always water generously as soon as I do this, most People would say not to because they are succulents.  In fact, it is recommended to leave them (leaves and stem sections cut) out on a dry windowsill for a couple of days.  The cut scabs over and eventually roots Will sprout from the stem or end of the leaf, it survives by conserving the water in the leaf itself and using sunlight to grow new roots looking for soil and moisture.  I water the soil generously but make sure it is well drained and well ventilated, then I let it dry out completely for at least a full day, maybe two, then repeat.  Usually, new growth Will appear within a week if done during the growing season (now).  I guarantee every one of the eight potted plants Will survive, not sure how the leaves Will work out but I am cautiously optimistic.  Watering generously after transplanting allows the soil to set.  One of the most important things for the leaves Will be not to disturb them, so future watering Will be done with a spray bottle from above until the surrounding soil is generously moistened.

Alright, now for some health news.  One of My other activities I’ve incorporated into My daily routine is war King out.  I do push ups one day, chin ups the next, then repeat.  I mentioned I require a special diet because of My high metabolism and this is no exaggeration.  I require a high amount of fat in My diet to lubricate joints or heavy muscle load is difficult.  Sometimes I can be prone to tendinitis and other similar injuries.  Unlike most People, I believe My body Will evolve and adapt and it has (for Me) proven to be True with tendinitis related to My shoulders.  I also believe I have a high pain tolerance (although it is Truly impossible for Me to know because I don’t know what other People feel) and Will work through pain.  I believe in the ‘no pain, no gain’ theory and Trust that My body can feel the difference between ‘Good’ pain and bad pain.

Yesterday, just before doing My first set of chins, I hang and allow My muscles and joints to fully stretch out to ensure I am achieving a full range of motion.  War King out actually improves flexibility, contrary to what many People think providing proper technique is used including a full range of motion.  Sometimes joints ‘crack’ and ‘pop’ as they are stretching out, this is not entirely uncommon, especially on the first rep or warm up.  My joints did feel as though they were creaking a bit as I allowed them to fully stretch out but there was no pain.  But as I began to pull up for My first repetition, My right elbow joint felt stiff like there was a tendon or something in the Way of the motion I was trying accomplish.  Then there was a sound like knuckles cracking and I felt a wonderful release of all the tension; whatever was ‘in the Way’ felt like it broke, but it didn’t hurt and I was able to complete My set almost effortlessly.

However, a few hours after My workout, I was sitting resting My forearms on My lap, cradling My elbows with My Hands and My right elbow felt like it had started a workout routine of its own!

Yeah…  No pain though.  It sounds like bursitis, except without the pain and without red, burning skin.

Olecranon bursitis is a condition in which swelling and inflammation occur in a small fluid-filled sac (the bursa) at the tip of the elbow. The bursa forms a soft cover over the elbow tip and allows the skin to glide smoothly when one bends and extends the elbow. – Wikipedia

But “allows the skin to glide smoothly when one bends and extends the elbow”.  I could actually feel tension gathering as I was stretching out, before I began to pull up, as if pressure from further down My tendons was collecting near the tip at My elbow.  When I started to pull up, it felt like that same tension was still there and blocking the tendon.  It literally felt like something was removed when it cracked and I was able to pull up almost effortlessly, no pain at all.

I Will Keep You posted on this if it turns out I’m wrong, I’m not Giving medical advice here, just sharing My own personal philosophies.  I don’t doubt it’s bursitis, but I’m not sure it’s really a bad thing.  I had cartilage in My chest crack when I was young, too once the weights got serious, it was just My body’s Way of adapting to the heavier load.  I don’t believe this is any different.  I think I may be reaching close to a lifetime record of chins per workout (36).

I figured this was worth mentioning because it’s one example of Me not going to a doctor.  The Idea did not even cross My Mind as a serious consideration.  Now, if it continues to grow, change colour, start causing Me serious discomfort, I may reconsider but for now, I just consider it real time evolution; My body adapting to the new physical demands I am may King it do.

Told You this one would be different.  Hope You are all well, more news on Magical Spells coming Saturday.

Love and Blessings!!!

  Volume CXVII: The Fabulous Free Lance Friday Edition; Minding My Father’s House Hello every One, and welcome to the Fabulous Free Lance Friday Edition of the Good News Journal where I wield My S-Word (Sean's Word) fearlessly.