#and a blue crayola little marker

[oozeandgoo-art]

Sketched a very old oc before class.

[zerobasekazuha]

Pizza delivery person Venture x reader (Amab venture x GN reader)

This is more of a modern AU

For Sloane working at a pizza place was one of the easiest side jobs they’ve had yet. Besides working on archeology whenever they could, during the week they spent a majority of their time working at a pizza place. Granted it got the bills paid but it wasn’t as exciting as digging and finding rocks.

They worked specifically in pizza delivery. It wasn’t what they applied for, but it paid more than the kitchen staff and they received tips on top of the regular pay. One particular Tuesday it the temperature was quite high for this time of year. They sat inside the restaurant fanning themself with one of the plastic menus they kept inside. They hoped to have gotten a chance to deliver an order so they can sit in their car with AC and relax.

Eventually they received their first order on their shift. It was two large pizza’s, two sodas some breadsticks and the stores cookie dough. They waited around communicating with their coworkers as per usual when it came to orders they had to deliver. They didn’t want to receive the heat of the blame if something were to have been messed up. There have been very hard shifts for them. After the staff finished the food, Sloane packed everything up into the bright red pizza bag to keep everything warm and up to temperature. And they were out the door.

It was beautiful outside, the sky was a bright blue and the clouds almost looked dreamlike in the sky. They opened their car door sitting inside and turning on the AC almost immediately. They then began to drive to the address on the GPS. The trip wasn’t far, only around 10 minutes away from the restaurant. They knocked on the door and tried to present themselves as nice as possible.

Sloane had messy brown hair and this bright red cap that sat on top of it. The uniform they wore was a red button up with the logo on the left pocket. They were required to either wear black or khaki pants. They chose the khaki. They also wore a nonbinary pin on the hat just to remind people what they went by without them having to say it.

The order didn’t take long and they received a $20 tip. Making their way back to their car they received a call from the kitchen staff that they have another order. They picked it up and it was pretty simple. A personal pan pizza, a sprite and some breadsticks. They followed the GPS and ended up at an apartment complex.

Once they got there and knocked on the door they looked at the person who came. They were attractive beyond means. They began to blush and stammer over their words. “I uh, I have a pizza for you!” How embarrassing.

“Thank you, how much do I owe?” Y/n asked as they grabbed their wallet. Sloane grabbed their phone to look at the price. It was only $20. “20 dollars.” They said trying to avoid looking at the person inside the home too intently.

“Oh shoot I don’t think I can pay..” Y/n said looking down at the ground before at them. They gave a smirk before an idea formed in their mind. “How else could I pay you pizza delivery person?” Y/n asked coming a little closer to them. Sloane didn’t think this was real. Their mind short circuited and they had the bright idea to use their tips to pay for it.

“Nah don’t worry about it I can use my tips, I mean pause not like that, unless-“ Sloane had to stop themselves. But it seemed to have amused Y/n. Hearing them laugh sparked something within them. They wanted to be the one to make them laugh all the time. “That’s sweet of you.” Y/n would peck their cheek making their cheeks as red as a crayola marker.

On the way back to the pizza place Sloane didn’t care that they had to use their tips to pay for the pizza, they had a newfound obsession in which they hoped they would see Y/n again as a more dominant pizza delivery person.

(Sorry if this isn’t the greatest, I seen a post on Twitter about pizza delivery Venture and had to write something about it. I considered making it smut however I’m not sure if I should. Maybe I could make a part 2 that is.)

[livwritesstuff]

part 3 to eddie’s tattoo saga, feat. girl-dads!steddie

part 1, part 2

The first time Eddie’s oldest daughter draws on his arm with her Crayola markers, Eddie immediately gets it tattooed onto him permanently. 

She’s barely two so it’s mostly scribbles, but she’d never done it before, and she’d looked up at him with this big, proud, cheesing smile when she was done, and Ed had been caught so off guard with just how insanely much he loved her – that indescribable love parents felt for their children that, before becoming a parent, Eddie had thought he’d be able to beat the stereotypes and describe, but Moe proved him to be incorrect just about the second she came along – and he hadn’t known what else to do. 

He doesn’t even really think about it, just takes a photo so his artist will get the colors right and has her put it in an empty spot on the sleeve he’s been working on for years.

With Eddie and Steve’s second daughter, Robbie, it goes mostly the same. She's just about two years old and draws a collection of swirling scribbles on the back of his hand. Steve advises him to not get it tattooed in the same spot, and Eddie can understand why it might not always be opportune to have permanent child-scribbles in such a visible spot, so, again, he has his artist use it to fill in a gap in the sleeve on his left arm.

When their littlest girl, Hazel, is born, Ed intentionally leaves a spot on his bicep open for whenever she feels so inclined to draw on him like her big sisters had. She takes her sweet time, so much so that Eddie starts to get nervous that she might never end up doing it at all, and he wasn’t going to ask her. It had to be a natural thing, obviously. In the end, she’s nearly five years old, sitting in his lap with a pack of markers while he reads a book to her (Charlotte’s Web, because it was the first chapter book he’d read aloud to both Moe and Robbie, and now it's Hazel’s turn), coloring inside the lines of the tattoos he already has when she gets to the empty space on his arm he’d left just for her. A little bit later, it’s filled with a marker drawing of a blue house next to a green tree, with a yellow sun above the chimney.

“It’s our house,” Hazel tells him.

Eddie calls to schedule the tattoo session the second he finishes the next chapter.

He gets the okay from his artist to bring Hazel with him to the appointment, which he hadn’t done with Moe and Robbie because they’d been too little. They hadn’t had the disposition for it either, but Hazel is their sweetest baby, all solemn and shy, and the session is right before her usual naptime, so once he’s in the chair, she just sits in his lap and quietly watches his artist work until she dozes off about halfway through the process.

Eddie spends much of that session lost in thought – he’s becoming introspective in his old age (forty-five and some change).

He’s thinking about all the tattoos he’s gotten, all the spontaneous ones he’s gotten for Steve and for their girls. He’s thinking about what that means. 

In the family that Eddie and Steve have built, Steve is the one taking all those pictures and home videos and stuff. He’s the one who gets photos printed, framing their favorites and hanging them around the house and setting small ones on side tables, sticking others to the fridge with little magnets they’ve collected over the years, storing the rest in overstuffed shoe boxes he swears he’ll organize into photo albums someday (but their life is so hectic he probably won’t ever get around to it).

This is Eddie’s version of that.

This is his way of displaying to the world how much he loves his family, this thing that he’d spent years pretending he didn’t want because that was easier to sit with than the belief that it wasn’t even attainable for him, that now he gets to have.

It’s fucking incredible, is what it is, and it deserves to be documented.

[pttwice]

middle!mina giving herself a tattoo with sharpie since shes a little rebel and little!chaeyoung sees it and points it out being all loud about it and cg!jeongyeon is not happy about it

hiya anon :) absolutely! middle!mina would definitely be a little rebel at times

penguin tattoo

|| middle!mina, little!chaeyoung, cg!jeongyeon ||

As a middle, Mina was used to having more independence than her little sisters. She was able to stay up an hour later than them, she could watch more things on TV, and she had a bit more of a say in what they ate for their meals.

However, there were still limits to what Mina could do as a middle. She couldn't watch anything that was PG-13, she had to ask her mama's permission if she wanted to go out with her friends, and she did still have a bedtime. If any rules were broken, Mina would usually lose her Switch privileges for the day or be sent to her room for a few hours without any screens.

Mina was sitting on the couch, playing Super Smash Bros on her Switch when she looked down at Chaeyoung. The little was happily coloring a blue and orange butterfly, humming a little song to herself that her mama always sang to her whenever they were getting ready for bed.

Mina paused the match she was in and slipped off the couch to sit by Chaeyoung. "Whatcha coloring there, Chaeng?"

Chaeyoung looked up and smiled, holding up the butterfly she was coloring. "Butterfly!" She pointed to the colors she used and talked about how proud she was that she stayed in the lines for the whole picture except at the bottom.

"That looks great, Chaeng." Mina encouraged the little and watched her for a few more seconds before she noticed that a blue Sharpie had gotten mixed in with Chaeyoung's Crayola markers. Mina knew that she and the littles weren't supposed to use Sharpies without supervision since they tended to ruin clothes.

Mina kept glancing at the Sharpie every once in a while, temptation finally getting to her as she picked the blue Sharpie up. "Uh I'm just gonna put this back in the kitchen, Chaeng."

Chaeyoung looked up to see what Mina was holding and briefly nodded before looking back down to her picture. She was almost done, and she couldn't wait to show her mama.

//

After a few more minutes, Chaeyoung finally finished the best butterfly picture she had ever colored. She carefully ripped it out of the coloring book and got up to show Mina her masterpiece.

When Chaeyoung walked over to the kitchen, she stopped in the entryway, her mouth open as she saw Mina drawing on herself with the Sharpie. Chaeyoung knew that Mina wasn't supposed to be drawing on herself because she got in trouble one time for drawing on herself with her Crayola markers.

Chaeyoung watched Mina draw a penguin on her arm and color it in. She really wanted to show Mina her picture, but she also didn't want to get yelled at for watching Mina draw on herself. So, Chaeyoung did the only thing she knew.

"Mama!"

Not so subtly, Chaeyoung walked into the middle of the living room and yelled for Jeongyeon. With the way she yelled, Jeongyeon sprinted out of her bedroom, convinced that someone was getting murdered. She looked around frantically but calmed down once she just saw Chaeyoung standing in the middle of the living room holding a picture she colored.

"You scared me, peanut. What's wrong?"

"Saw Minari drawin' on her arm. Bein' bad." Chaeyoung turned towards the kitchen and pointed to Mina who was mid-stroke with the Sharpie.

Mina didn't notice Chaeyoung standing in the archway when the little first got up so when she heard her name, her head flew up. She quickly tossed the Sharpie in an open drawer and hid her arms behind her back.

Jeongyeon's eyes went wide as she walked into the kitchen, standing in front of the middle with her arms crossed over her chest. "Mina can you please show me your arm?"

Mina gave Jeongyeon a shy smile and held out her arm that wasn't covered in Sharpie.

"Your other arm, young lady."

Mina groaned and slowly moved her other arm into Jeongyeon's line of sight, causing her mama to gasp. Along with a blue penguin that Mina had drawn on her arm, there were a few other little shapes and doodles littering her arm from her wrist to her elbow.

"Mina, you know you're not supposed to draw on yourself."

Mina pouted and looked behind her mama, shooting Chaeyoung a small glare. "Well Chaeng had the Sharpie in with her markers! And she shouldn't tell on me! That's mean!"

Jeongyeon shook her head and pulled Mina over to the sink. She started to wash Mina's arm with warm soapy water as Chaeyoung stood a few feet away, watching cautiously.

"I agree that Chaeyoung shouldn't have had the Sharpie in the first place, but that doesn't mean that you can draw on yourself." Jeongyeon sighed as the Sharpie started to slowly come off of Mina's skin.

By the time Jeongyeon got most of the Sharpie off and lectured Mina enough, the middle had lost her Switch privileges for the rest of the day.

"But that's not fair! Chaeng didn't lose her coloring books whenever she was drawing on her arm." Mina whined and stomped her foot, looking up at her mama.

"Chaeyoung also got a timeout, and she didn't have her entire covered, sweetheart. It's only for a day and I promise I'll give you the Switch back tomorrow once you've had time to think about what you did."

//

While Jeongyeon made dinner, Mina grumbled on the couch, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the back of Chaeyoung's head. So what if she wanted to draw on herself? She was old enough to do that if she wanted to. She wasn't a baby like Chaeyoung.

While Mina was busy angrily sitting and thinking about how Chaeyoung told on her, Chaeyoung finished coloring another picture. She got up and slowly walked up to Mina, inching her way closer as she held it out for Mina.

Mina looked up as the picture came into her line of sight. She looked down at Chaeyoung, a small glare still on her face. "What?"

Chaeyoung was a little scared, but she laid her picture on Mina's lap, feeling guilty for getting her in trouble with their mama. She waited as Mina looked at the picture, letting out a deep breath when Mina's expression softened.

Despite Chaeyoung getting her in trouble, she couldn't stay mad at the little for long. Chaeyoung had colored in a blue and pink penguin just for Mina and messily wrote a little "I'm sorry. I love you" at the bottom.

[inspectorlyfra]

hi i just swatched ~500+ gel pens and water based markers. here are some things I learned!

- the most likely gel pens to develop air bubbles right next to the nib and thus die are any pink colors, and specifically ultramarine glitter

- of markers, crayola pretty reliably has a very good shelf life (most of these are probably 10+ years old)

- with the VERY NOTABLE EXCEPTION of the heads and tails line. each of them had intact nibs but gave little to no ink. Except one of the orange ones, which had orange mold growing on the nib. i did not test that one.

- roseart had an ok shelf life EXCEPT for thin markers. across different eras, too, those were the most likely to be gummy and disintegrated

- across all brands, though, brown markers were the ones who most often turned gummy and crumbly. they still gave ink, yes, but the disintegrating nib is not worth it. one brown marker had its pigment divide into sections of brown and gray, which was kind of cool, but also concerning

- one green roseart marker was growing tiny crystals on its nib! what the fuck!

- yellow markers have very good shelf lives. the only yellow markers that didn't give good ink were the Crayola head+tails

- there's this one specific blue Crayola marker i have that's probably older than i am, its label is 70% rubbed off, but it still has perfect ink coverage. im keeping this one

- you either die a green marker or live long enough to see yourself become piss yellow

here are all the swatches, too, for anyone interested:

[artsupplies-battle]

Art supplies battle

blood of my enemies VS synthetic voice bank

Glitter gel pen VS mayonnaise

Glass dip pen VS shitty cheap half empty pen

Graphite pencil VS Ribbon tool

Highlighters VS acrylic paints

Camera VS tones

Ballpoint pen VS vocoloid

Kneadable graphite VS watercolor pencil

Charcoal VS paper

Silver wire VS the shitty dried out markers from the artist briefcase

Digital pen VS the kickers brush they made

Nail art brushes VS hair

Glue dibber VS bleach

Blend tool VS found objects

Kneadble eraser VS harmonica

Yarn VS the sharpener on the back of a Crayola crayons 64 box

Water colors VS mouse (computer)

A cats little foot VS knife

Dirt VS Bobby pin

Rocks VS bow rosin

Photoshop VS Bic Atlantis ball point pen

Sketchbook VS knitting needles

Crochet hooks VS cintiq

Oil pastels VS washi tape

Bic mechanical pencil VS uv resin

Crayons VS disk (like a CD)

Sumi brush VS scanner

Ukulele VS rubber (condom)

Bass guitar VS roofei art kit

Waterproof pens VS Wacom drawing tablet

Fluffy watercolor VS gumi

Charcoal VS gold leaf

The notes app VS pencil (not specific)

Fingers VS toothpick

Tipex VS big tubs of paint

That dry pen you have VS processing

Saliva VS melted chocolate ice cream

Sugar VS prismacolor alcohol based markers

Money VS electric guitar

Rubber (eraser) VS kum pencil sharpener

Hatsune miku VS epoxy resin

India ink VS Copic markers

Tattoo machine+ tattoo ink VS MS paint

Lead pencil VS printmaking ink

Needle threader VS flip a clip

Curved needle VS vantablack

Sewing machine VS artists loft dual tip

Blue print VS my tears

Glitter glue VS beads

Ruler VS origami paper/ patterned paper

Prismacolor pencils VS sculpey

Macaroni noodles VS Mr. Super clear matte

Brain VS blood

Sharpie VS bark (wood kind)

Utau/ open utau VS the good pen ™️

Fake blood VS clay

Wooden human model VS fire

Icing bag VS clip studio paint

Posca pens VS cable needle

Fishing line VS ctrl +z

Rattlesnake VS human

ASCII VS 5$ crappy sketchbook

[littlekittenfairychubbybunny]

Babie! Rohan Kishibe headcanons

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For starters I think he’d be a bit bratty, from Thus Spoken Rohan Kishibe there’s a scene where one of the characters say that she thinks Rohan acts like he’s better than everyone, and I think that’s why he’d be a bit bratty

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*Rohan currently drawing a couple of puppies* “pubbieess” Rohan babbles out

“Wow baby! Such cute little doggies! Just like you! But I’m sorry times up kiddo” Goes his CG (imagine this as anyone you want sorry)

“nooooooo..!” whines Rohan “don’ wanaaaaa!”

“Come on baby, it’s almost bed time and I told you to get ready for bed ages ago!” CG says

“No! No! No! I don wana! I do wha I wan!” Rohan whines out, CG sighs and says “Alright, alright, if you get ready for bed I’ll let you draw a little bit more before bed” “Otay!” Rohan says before running out the room to start brushing his teeth. “My goodness… What will a do with him?..” CG chuckles out.

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Next, he’d obviously have any sort of craft or art toy. Like the washable markers from crayola or I think he’d especially have the bathroom crayons. And honestly he’d have the invisible paint that like only appears on paper if anyone remembers when that came out.

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I don’t really know much about rohan but I’d assume his favorite color would be green or maybe any cool color (blue, purple, like that) and that’d lead to him having maybe a green paci, sippy, etc etc. And maybe even a little frog stuffie he brings with him everywhere and when I say everywhere I mean EVERYWHERE.

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“Alright Rohan! Come on hurry up we have to go!” CG yells out looking for their little one.

Meanwhile Rohan’s trying to look for Hoppers, “Ughhh! Where is he!!” Rohan starts throwing his blankie off his bed and messing up the room for his frog stuffie Hoppers. CG walks in and look around in disbelief. “Rohan! What do you think your doing?!” CG grabs Rohan from behind and holds him up. Rohan starts flailing around with tears in his eyes “I can’t find Hoppers!” Rohan says in a wobbly tone. “Then tell me baby, don’t start tearing up the room” CG says with a soft look in their eyes, as they put Rohan down “Where did you last see him honey?” Rohan catches his breath in order to calm down, “I had him when I was eeping an an now he not here!” Rohan says panicked “Well then let’s check underneath the bed then, maybe he hopped out of bed” CG says as they get down to check, “There he is! Rohan look!” Rohan walks over and gets down to see what his CG was looking at. He lets out a gasp “Hopper!” He says excitedly as he grabs Hopper from underneath the bed and hugs him tightly. “I thought you were missing!” CG smiles “Alright kiddo, let’s go now we’re about to be late!” As CG grabs him by the hand and starts walking out of the house.

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Hi! I hope you guys liked these headcanons, hopefully they’re not ooc by that much! Have a goodnight/day xoxo - Espurr <3

(sorry for any misspelling or any of the sort)

[writers-ex]

Hey there I know I'm asking a random Tumblr writer but I saw y'all talking about studying and such,can you guys please give me advice on studying effectively? My parents don't know how to help and I'm genuinely like..dumb, but I will try my best , I am trying my best but it's just not working,I'm at the brink of giving up but I believe that I can do it but the goal is soo.far.away. , great now I'm teary eyed. Academically sexy people please help

i LOVE giving study tips <33333333 no one usually listens to me but maybe these will help you ^-^)

depending on the subject its best to have a color system with pens or markers/highlighters, keep it at 3 colors to start and then add more as you see fit YOU DON"T NEED NO FANCY MARKERS GO BUY CRAYOLA OR OFF BRAND MARKERS AINT NO ONE JUDGING YOU///ex. blue-review/exam questions you got wrong to go back and study, red- impt terms/remember this, black- examples/dates/names/lecture notes

PLEASE- write a mini review/summary of what you learned that day/ch like on a sticky note or make a journal/google doc just for reviews or even on the textbook, having smt to look back on will help refresh your memory b4 the exam VS being like me and spending a whole weekend reviewing 80 chapters but not being able to really understand it and failing my exam by a point UGH

if you fail just suck it up and keep going, i still need to remind myself this but like as long as you pass be it the lowest score possible or the highest as long as you make it by the borderline score that's all that matters

READ THE CHAPTER/MATERIAL B4HAND, omg this helped me soooooooo much and also on a sticky or separate sheet of paper/or like doodle a question mark write questions abt what you didn't understand and then see if the teacher answers them during class, if they don't ask them after class

there are no dumb questions period, its the teacher's job to help you learn as a student, say your question no matter how silly or simple bc chances are there are 5 other kids thinking the same thing, if the teacher gives you attitude abt it bc there are some that do ask the internet and others in class maybe they'll be able to help/

make a study playlist/collection, i have a youtube playlist dedicated to classical music, lofi, video game soundtracks, or chinese instrumentals to listen to while i study bc it just makes it more pleasant and my house is too noisy so i just listen to music and study

DRINK WATER!!! and snack on smt too

do yourself a favor and try the 25 min study and 5 min break method, just when you do your break actually get up and walk around or use the bathroom don't just sit there, and come back ontime

do a little tracker thingy, like make check boxes/list of what you need to do and give yourself the joy of filling in all the boxes with a check or sticker and reward youreslf afterwards

keep track of your deadlines <333 like make a reminder on your phone or sticky note it

if you geniunely can't study or feel stuck stop for the day and take a shower, go watch smt nice, play your pizza game on your phone, or eat a meal, you shouldn't be studying 24/7 you're only human

i can do more but i feel like you'll get too scared but one more impt thing is to never ever ever call yourself dumb or look down on your progress, the you you are now is completely different from january you, acknowledge what you've done and take a moment to feel proud of yourself, you did good <3

if you have any other tips and tricks that've helped you plz share in the ask box or comment on this post plz and thank you, hope this helps anon

[katbelcreates]

Valentine’s Day!

I did a couple art pieces for Valentine’s this year and I am pretty pleased with how they turned out.

First I did a couple painting for my sister and I. We grew up watching Pokemon and enjoyed the theatrical antics of Team Rocket. I went for a silhouette look and I absolutely love the finished pieces! I have used this technique before with Sailor Venus, though I did need to do some touch ups for these, overall it worked out fine. I may use card stock next time or go a little lighter on the background color in order to keep the paper from getting wet and sticking to the previous layers.

I am also determined to finish my Wreck This Journal by years end and decided to do some prompts that I had ideas for that were love themed. I was gifted the journal by my aunt for my birthday back in 2018 and honestly most of the finished pages were done around that time. I think the reason I had so much trouble with it is that I had too many ideas for the prompts and so many people had such cool journals that I wanted mine to look good too. I have come to terms with the fact that I am just a hobbyist and my art may not be perfect, but better it exist at all than simply be a perfect idea in my head. The idea is the WRECK the journal anyways, so the art will come out how it comes out and I have accepted that truth.

I started with the Trace your hand prompt with Love & Peace in homage to Vash the Stampede from Trigun. My trusty old Crayola marker betrayed me a bit, but I still overall like the piece 

For the prompt Find a way to attach these pages  I relied on the red string of fate tying my OTP Ran (Rachel) and Shinichi (Jimmy) from Detective Conan (Case Closed) together. I used references from the first movie The Time Bombed Skyscraper including the red and blue wires from the final bomb.

And finally for the Draw with glue prompt I did a faux stained glass rose referencing Beauty and the Beast. It came out a little messy but after it dried I really liked the feeling of the page!

[westiec]

[ID: Photo of a crayola marker drawing of a wizard with long white hair and beard shooting lighting from his fingertips. He is wearing, from top down, a blue pointy hat with stars (like Mickey's from Fantasia) and a long sleeved robe in the same pattern... which has been cut into a crop top to reveal a little blue pair of high-cut panties with a star over the crotch, two fabulously toned hairless bare legs, and blue high-heeled pumps. /end ID]

Art can be whatever you want it to be

[yashkhanna2042-blog]

Why creativity is important for early child development?

Why creativity is important for early child development?

In search of new ideas, children keep their minds and hearts open, experiment with ideas, and build connections. Kids have the ability to see things in a fresh way, find a problem that nobody can think even exists, and come to an unusual, still effective decision to solve it. It brings out new actions in kids, which boosts self-confidence and develops a form of self-expression between them. The importance of creativity in preschool education plays a huge role in shaping a child's thought process and developing fine motor skills. Creative activities for school-age learning and development have many advantages, whether it's creating little clay sculptures or colouring with crayons, precisely folding paper to create origami patterns, or creating a homemade birthday card. Why Creativity Matters and How We Can Nurture It? Creativity is a mix of nature and nurture. Some form of creativity is inherited, but it is also majorly influenced by various activities and experiences. It is like the muscle of your body; you have to work at it. It contributes to the role of creativity in early brain development, developing fine motor skills, Building confidence, promoting self-expression, problem-solving and making a kid innovative. • Role of creativity in early brain development: Being creative activates a variety of brain regions, boosting neural connections and mental growth. Neural pathways are created in the brain when a kid is exposed to experiments, problems, puzzles, etc. Engagement of the brain in various activities like art, craft, music, puzzles, games, and painting helps them explore unused sides of the brain and develop them. • Develop fine motor skills: Fine motor skills, which are little, precise motions like writing or picking up small things, and gross motor skills, which are larger movements using the entire body, like running or jumping, are examples of motor abilities. As most of the activities involve hands and fingers and recognition skills, they help to build hand-eye coordination even in simple activities like painting, drawing etc. • Building Confidence: positive response that a kid receives from doing any creative activity helps to boost the kid's confidence. It motivates them in a very nice way and brings a sense of achievement which is important for mental health these days in the long run. • Promotes self-expression: Getting a child involved in a creative activity like arts and crafts gives him a chance to express his emotions in a meaningful, concrete, and uplifting way. He finds satisfaction in creating things on his own as well. Below are top 3 creative activities for children in learning and development. Art Craft 500g 3D Animals Modeling Play Sand Set -Art Craft 500 g3D Animals Modeling Play Sand Set (playanddream.ae) • Art Craft 3D Animals Modelling Play Sand Set Can Be Squeezed And Does Not Dry Out. It enhances motor skills and develops muscle movement hand eye coordination. • Most importantly, it brings out the creativity in the kid.

Crayola - Scribble Scrubbie, Peculiar Pets – Crayola - Scribble Scrubbie, Peculiar Pets (playanddream.ae) • In this package, you get our peculiar pets, a sparkling scrub tub, a scrub brush, nine washable markers, a standing play mat, and an instruction sheet are all included in this pet care toy. • Play, Wash, and Color: Playful Pets: Color and customize your pets, then wash them and start over. • Features One Unicorn, One Dragon, One Narwhal, and One Yeti Toy

Mideer 3 in 1 Level Up Artist Series 4 Puzzles Blue XS/M, Learning – Buy - Mideer 3 in 1 Level Up Artist Series 4 Puzzles Blue XS/M, Learning On Play and Dream • The Mideer Level Up Puzzle Series is an innovative instructional game that's entertaining and has attractive graphics. The seven levels in the series are organized from easiest to most difficult, which will gradually assist your child's intellectual capacity development. • Promotes development of motor abilities. • Improving hand-eye coordination • Develop your problem-solving abilities by Increasing self-assurance.

[buggxd]

RORY KEANER X GN! READER

The reader in the story is gender neutral soo yeah this is rly bad I wrote this when I was half asleep soo yeah :0 ALSO this was longer than expected ☠️☠️

I’m making this at 5 am and it’s ass I’m bored and can’t find anymore Rory fics on here or Wattpad or even ao3 soo yeah. Also kinda off topic but his hair is so cute in the movie🫶

Summary Ig: Rory has a crush you and gains enough courage to tell you how he feels with a letter.(THERE IS A TIME SKIP WITH HIS AGE BUT THIS IS A FLUFF!!)

Rory and you had been friends since grade school you’re both now in your sophomore year and he’s slowly been growing a crush on you for about a year or two now quite a while he honestly thought it would go away like every other crush he’s had but it hasn’t he really feels like he’s grown a connection with you.The two of you are really close you always hang out and cheer him up when Benny and Ethan don’t wanna hang with him or when he’s feeling down and he does the same with you, Your both always there for each other. He’s been feeling more attracted to you lately the way your hair bounces when you walk or your hand when it brushing against his fingers as you both walk to each of your classes or the way your leg touches his when you sit with him at lunch or the way you meet him every morning and smile or hug him tightly before taking the bus home or the way you call him late at night just to talk about the most random things he can go on forever thinking of all the things he absolutely loves about you and the things you do, He honestly feels as if he needs to tell you his feelings towards you. It was Sunday around 3:23pm and Rory was thinking of how he was gonna confess to you he thought of a couple different ways like texting you,telling you on the phone, telling you in person and meeting up before or after school or even on the weekend but he finally thought of something that would help him fully express himself using his words, he was gonna give you a note! He was gonna write how he felt about you and then get an envelope and draw hearts and stuff on it and then he could just get to school early and leave it in your locker. He got his school binder a blue pen and crayola markers he started to write down all the things he likes about you, or well most of the things and then he started to draw little random things on the bottom half where there was already 5 lines left he drew cats Hearts stars smiley faces and a ton of random things and then drew you and him as little stick figures holding hands once he finished he folded the paper and got a baby pink envelope and put the note inside and wrote “to:y/n from: Rory AKA R-dog!:)” He glued a paper heart the was a pretty red color to seal the envelope and neatly in one of his backpack pockets being careful not to crumble it at all after he zipped up his backpack and started to play some random video game to pass time until he eventually fell asleep. The next day he woke up extra early and made his way to school there were maybe four to 6 people roaming the halls he made his way to your locker which was conveniently next to yours he took the envelope and tried to slip it into your locker through the hole/slit (idk wut their called?? If they have a name) he looked around the halls making sure no one was in there and tried to get it in again he finally got it after struggling for quite a bit after he was done he went to go find Benny and Ethan to tell them his plan but waited a bit since he got to school a little too early After finding the two brunette boys and telling them his idea Benny and Ethan stayed quiet for a second and then they started to laugh Rory went from a smile to a slightly annoyed face “what?! Why are you guys laughing?!?” He asked half annoyed half embarrassed “she DEFINITELY doesn’t like you back man” Benny said “yeah her with you?! She probably like you like a brother type friend y’know?” Ethan said slightly out of breath “C’mon guys she DEFINITELY is into ME!!” Rory said sounding for embarrassed and sad this time “yeah sure ‘r-dog’” Benny said laughing a little and emphasizing on Rory’s nickname “forget it!” Rory said annoyed and walked to his locker and saw you already had opened the letter and we’re smiling ear to ear with the darkest shade of pink on your face while reading it he walked away slightly nervous to approach you he ended up walking into the bathroom. Soon the bell rang and you made your way to your 1st period class along with other students you walked in and saw Rory sitting in the spot next to your usual seat.

You smiled at him and sat down class was going by painfully slow your 1st period was math and you had a sub and the class working on a stupidly easy math packet for extra credit it had about 4pages and you finished mid way/almost the end of class you had seen Rory was struggling so you gave him you packet and he gladly copied once he was done you asked him to turn in both of the packets he did as you asked while he was turning them in you pulled out your notebook and a pink ballpoint pen and started to doodle random things onto the paper and when he came back at peeked over and complimented you’re mini doodles “hey y/n/n can I borrow a pen?” Rory asked you nodded with a slight smile as you reached into your bag and pulled out a blue,green and red ball point pen and placed them down on the desk you both drew on the paper and you had an idea you tore a little piece of a different paper and wrote ‘I like u 2 :)’ with your pink pen and drew you and Rory as stick figures holding hands and drew hearts around them you had leaned your head over the desk so your hair and shadow was blocking the pierce of paper once you finished you folded it and waited til the bell rang to hand it to him once you did he read it immediately and his face felt so warm and he felt all nice and fuzzy inside.

TIME SKIP TO LUNCH!!

Rory got his lunch and sat with you the two of you talked and ate your food and all of a sudden Rory said in a soft happy voice”sooo.. you like me?” You looked at him “yeah” there was some silence before the blond boy spoke again “wannagooutwithme” he said all in one breath “of course!!” You said a little too loud out of excitement he schooled closer and the two of you held hand and talked til lunch was over, Throughout the rest of the day the two of you were super close holding hands giggling and blushing and overall being one of those cheesy couples but neither of you cared.

I HATE THIS SM BUT IM RLY BORED AND THIS TOOK SUPER LONG AND IDEK HOW TO END A ONESHOT TBH OR FF OR ANYTHING☠️ ANYWAYS YEAH UM THIS PROBS SUCKS LIKE RLY BAD BIT WHATEVER IG ANYWAYS UM BYE IG ?!?!XP

[osamusbigtits]

he built it when he first found out he was having two kids. twins was a surprise to him and his long-term girlfriend. they were both happy, nonetheless.

the boys didn't play in it until they were four years old, their parents a little nervous to let them out on their own. but the boys climbed up into the tree house, claiming it as their own. they even made a flag- crayola markers of blue and green and purple on a piece of notebook paper. it was ruined by rain, but their mom had sewn something similar and a lot neater for the boys to use as their flag.

their dad had helped decorate. hanging lights and setting up bean bags. a volleyball was always in the corner unless they were playing in the backyard. a rug was put in, family pictures hung, and even some shelves made by their dad to put up some knickknacks.

around six years old, the boys noticed less and less of their dad. always at work. when he was home, the twins always felt like they were impeding. some nights, the sound of their parents arguing would get too loud and they'd sneak away to their tree house.

their mom vividly remembers the first morning she awoke to find absent from their room. her panic as she thought the worst, only to find them in that damned tree house. she also remembers how undisturbed their dad was about it.

fights between the twins were common. she couldnt count the fights in one day because it was too much. she'd shoo them outside. let them fight it out, because in the end they'd come in and grab popsicles and go into the tree house to play a card game.

and then the worse day of the twins lives comes. eight years old and their dad walks out on them.

their mom misses seeing their smiles, the laughing and joking. she resents the tree house in the yard. a stab to her heart, a painful reminder of the dad who had once cared. guilt stings the wound because it's her fault their dad left, isn't it?

it's two years before atsumu steps foot inside of it. he cleans a few things out and uses it as a space to get away from his brother for a while.

osamu doesn't go in it until he's in high school. when he brings home a friend who asks about it. his mom watches as osamu fights an internal battle before he takes his friend outside.

it warms her heart to see atsumu and osamu slowly spend more time in the old, small tree house. her sharp, stinging pain slowly heals to a dull ache. nothing but a bruise that needs to be prodded to hurt.

she's relieved to see atsumu turn it into his own space. the pain put past him. he stepped up in more ways than his mom would ever ask of him. but she's more than happy to see him be so brave and strong.

she worries that osamu will never have the same. the knife will stay in his heart and he'll just leave it in, leaving an open, gaping wound that hurts and hurts and hurts. but seeing him give into friends and even atsumu's pushing, it helps her see that osamu's suffering, but he doesn't want to be. he just doesn't know how to reach out.

of course, she offers her love and care at every step of the way. she holds her boys hands through everything, she picks them up when they fall, and is always there to clean their wounds. she wants to hold them tight and never let them go. give them back that sweet childhood innocence.

she looks out the window, seeing the old, sun faded flag she once sewed when she was so young, almost too young to be a mom. she smiles as her beautiful granddaughter climbs the ladder with her son, osamu. the tree house has been revamped, fixed and repaired. osamu had a heart attack when she had suggested kanako play in it.

it warma her heart to know that osamu's doing better after all.

ooohhh hold on... miya twins with the tree house their dad built for them and their uneasy feelings about using it after he leaves

[golbrocklovely]

tattoo smile // colby brock

A/N: first off, sorry this took forever for me to post. i ended up writing half of it and then falling asleep for a nap. then when i woke up i had to make dinner real quick. so fun fact, this idea came to me bc i used to give ppl tattoos back in elementary school with glitter gel pens and i thought it would be cute as a fic with colby. also, i’ve noticed colby allows ppl to draw on him and honestly... i kinda want to too??? anyway, hope you enjoy this ! happy late vday !

prompt: one drunk night, you ask colby if you can color in his tattoos. he says yes. cuteness ensues. || (non-gender specific) reader x colby

trigger warning: the absolute fluffist, maybe cursing??? but probs not, also a lot of soft touches

word count: 1511

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Can I color in your tattoos?"

It was a simple question, one that slipped from your lips before you had even fully formed the thought. Hanging out with Sam, Colby, and Kat all night had been super fun. Kat wanted to have a wine night, and all of you were down to drink and just chill in the Trap House. You guys had drank enough to be tipsy, for the night to feel hazy. Colby was wearing his infamous black tank top, showing off all of his tattoos, some newer than others. You stared at them all night, commenting occasionally on them.

You noticed that none of them really had any color to them, aside from shading and some white detailing. When you were a kid, you remembered giving your friends gel pen tattoos, and how fun it was to color those tattoos in later with markers or the pens themselves. So now, glancing down at Colby's arm, all you could think about was coloring him in like a coloring book.

Colby stopped his conversation with Sam, gazing over at you confused. "What did you say?"

A heat rushed over your face, embarrassed by having to repeat your words. "I said... could I... color in your tattoos?"

"With what?" Colby asked calmly.

"Um... I don't..." You stuttered, unable to finish your sentence.

"Sam has some markers upstairs in his room!" Kat exclaimed brightly.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I used them for a video one time. They've been sitting there in my drawer since."

"I'll go get them." Kat beamed, rushing out of her seat with her wine glass still in hand.

You stared wide-eyed at the floor, unable to pick your head up. Why were you so embarrassed? Maybe it was the fact you didn't mean to say that to Colby. Maybe it was the fact that now you would have to be super close to him to do the coloring, and on top of it, you would have to touch him. Or it could be the fact that he hasn't even said yes to this happening and all you could think is how weird he thinks you are.

Kat came back down the stairs, smacking the pack of markers on the counter and sliding them over to you. The Crayola markers looked up at you, the yellow box making your heartbeat pick up.

What the hell was in this wine?

"Have fun." Kat winked, whispering into your ear.

Damn her for knowing about your crush on Colby, and damn her for knowing about Sam's markers.

And fuck Sam for having markers.

Colby hadn't stopped looking at you, or at least having his head in your direction; you hadn't met his eyes yet, still uncomfortable about this whole ordeal. He cleared his throat, causing you to finally look up at him.

He smiled sweetly, his dimples appearing and making your heart race. He lightly placing his arm in front of you, turning back to Sam and continuing where they had left off.

You quickly reached into the box and pulled out a blue marker. You grabbed his forearm softly, and began to trace his water droplet wrist tattoo. You went slow at first, going over each line with blue. You didn't want to color this one in, deciding only to outline. Colby flicked his wrist inward, making you almost mess up the tracing.

"Keep your hand down." You mumbled towards him, lightly holding his hand down with yours.

Holding Colby's hand, you felt the blush come back to your face. His palm was soft, his fingertips being a little callus; probably from all the years of being in band and exploring. His skin was warm, warmer than yours; making your skin feel hot.

You moved down to his next tattoo: the two skulls.

That one was one of your favorites. His friendship with Sam was always something you were a fan of, especially now that you were close to both of them. This tattoo representing both being together through life and death almost made you want to cry from the sheer sweetness of it.

The stars had to be yellow, so you took that marker from the box and did them quickly. You pulled out the black and outlined the skulls, deciding that they would look better in grey than black. You took the grey marker out.

Kat laughed suddenly. "Why are you drinking your wine like that?

You gazed up at Colby; his left hand was gripping his wine glass uncomfortably. You snorted when his eyes made contact with yours. You dropped the marker and it slowly rolled over to Colby.

"I wanted a drink but Y/N's still coloring my arm!" He shouted jokingly, matching Kat's loud laugh.

"If you wanted to drink, you could have told me to stop for a second." You replied.

He bit his lip, turning to you. "Okay... I need a drink."

You let go of his arm, allowing him to take his wine glass correctly and take a big swig from it. He then placed his glass on the counter, followed by his arm.

Your eyes met for a moment, and he smirked, handing the grey marker to you. Your fingers brushed each other’s as you slid it from him. You looked away, unable to help the butterflies that flew in your stomach.

Where were you again?

Right. Grey marker. You filled in the skulls, feeling Colby's arm flex under your hand as he laughed at something Sam said.

"What should I color the wings?" You muttered out loud.

Colby leaned into you. "What did you say?"

"I don't know what to color the wings." You stated.

Colby gazed over the markers. "Um... pink."

"Pink?" You questioned.

"Yeah. Do pink." He repeated, giving you a soft smile.

You returned the smile, going into the box and grabbing pink. You lightly went over the wings, Colby now watching you color his arm. When you looked up at him, you realized how close to your face he was. You gazed away quickly, not needing him to see you blush for a third time. After you finished the wings, Colby dragged his arm away slowly until you nodded. He picked up his wine glass again and drank the rest quickly.

He stretched out his arm, shaking it a bit.

You cocked your head to the side. "Is your arm cramping?"

"Yeah, it's just because it's at an odd angle. It's fine." Colby admitted.

You shook your head. "No, I'll get closer."

Shimmying your chair close to Colby, you placed his arm in your lap. You took the red marker and colored in his heart tattoo. Colby's hand lightly cupped the side of your thigh, running his thumb back and forth over your skin slowly. You prayed he couldn't feel the goosebumps he was causing. After finishing the heart, you colored the scythe’s handle in with brown, choosing to leave the blade colorless. You went back down to the heart and filled in the lock and chain with grey. Then to finish it off, you did a gradient of red, orange, and yellow in the flame.

“Your tattoos on the back of your arm… I’m gonna leave out.” You mentioned.

“Why?” He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“First off, I can’t really fill them in since one’s shattered glass and the other is a black wolf. Second, if I do them, you won’t be able to see if you got all of the marker off when you shower.” You informed him.

Colby sat there, staring into space, contemplating your words. Finally, he spoke, “Thank God you’re smart.”

You giggled. “Exactly.”

He gave your thigh a little squeeze, squinting his eyes at you playfully. You felt your heart jolt at his expression, taking a ragged breath inward.

The last tattoo you colored: the hourglass. You colored one side in yellow, and the other side in purple, two complementary colors.

You grabbed the black marker and decided to draw one final tattoo at the curve of his shoulder. Two little dots for eyes, and a half circle.

Colby peeked down at your creation, humming. “Cute. Just like you.”

“I’m all done.” You responded, ignoring his words.

He twisted his arm around, bringing his forearm close to him so he could take in your coloring.

“Honestly, this is so dope. Thanks, Y/N.” Colby marveled.

You lowered your head bashfully. “No problem.”

“What do I owe you?” He joked.

“Uh… draw something on me.” You grinned.

Colby winced. “Oh no, you don’t want that.”

“Why?” You argued.

“I suck at drawing. Ask Sam.” He explained.

You chuckled. “It doesn’t have to be big or crazy. Just do something simple.”

He thought for a second, scrunching up his face. Then he relaxed, grabbing the black marker you had in your hand. He took your other hand in his, and lightly drew a smile, matching the one on his shoulder.

Then he brought your hand to his lips and kissed your knuckle softly.

“There.” Colby whispered, his eyes meeting yours again.

And the butterflies came back.

[samingtonwilson]

Sticks and Stones

previously: little blue boy / little bo peep

next: a was an apple pie / it’s raining, it’s pouring

Summary: you fix bucky’s boo-boos with goofy bandaids.

Pairing: bucky x reader

Warnings: language (this reader curses like a sailor)

a/n: i’ve had this done for a month but didn’t think to post it until now because i wanted to tweak things. this is a part of the nursery rhyme one-shots and comes after little bo peep but you don’t need to read that if you don’t want. just know reader is pepper’s adopted sister and she’s a teacher and you’re all set tbh. if it feels a bit disjointed from the previous 2 it’s just because these are not chapters but separate one shots and the last 2 were to establish character.

also, let’s all try to be better about reblogging fics. writers spend a lot of time trying to put out content and, while we do write for ourselves, we post so the writing is seen and shared. so do that, bbys. i’m trying to be better about it, too, since 3 extra seconds to reblog something and maybe add a comment isn’t much of an imposition. especially when it can make someone’s whole day. 

Take-out containers. Six of them, stacked in two piles of three. Four made of compostable plastic, two of thin cardboard. You’re forced to consolidate them to a single pile, held by one of your hands as you struggle to open the door with the other. 

You’ve asked FRIDAY to keep the lights low. Keep things discrete and quiet. No need to awaken tired Avengers. Especially at such a late hour. Especially after a mission. Especially when they would be audience to your shame. 

A teacher. A sweet first grade teacher with stickers pasted to your hands and smudged Crayola marker ink across your fingers like permanent tattoos. A pair of flower-shaped, or animal-shaped, or planet-shaped earrings clasped to your earlobes on any given day. Color-coded folders, notebooks, and binders in your bag. Organized. 

Or so it seems. 

Your quarters have been a mess since the third day of your residence in the Tower. Your clothes carpet the hardwood floor of the expansive closet, blankets like dunes on the bed. Books you’ve read eight times over and books you aren’t able to start form towers of their own on the desk, pens and pencils scattered over the surface like debris after a demolition. 

You’ve hidden it well. 

You’re sure to show Pepper and Tony your face enough to avoid doorstep visits, spend enough time with Sam in his room or in the common spaces to quell his need for socialization with a non-super and your need for socialization with a non-child. 

Steve optically dreads— but internally loves— your company and advice in the kitchen on his culinary endeavors and dating life, you’ve even begun workouts with Natasha which she seems to enjoy and you cherish. 

Bucky keeps mostly to himself. You’ll run into each other and exchange pleasantries, trade smiles at dinner and across the gym. He’ll sometimes brew an extra mug of coffee in the morning so there’s enough for you and sit with you and Sam while you watch movies or binge shows on Netflix. It’s more than enough contact for him. You wouldn’t even be surprised to learn he was entirely tired of you. 

In all, no one feels the need to come to your door and that, therefore, keeps your sloppy truth an absolute secret. 

You shut the door behind you and tip-toe down the hall. Only Wanda and Steve live on the same floor as you, but Tony once told you super-soldier hearing amplifies light steps to an elephant tread— something about a prank with Dum-E gone horribly wrong as a result. So you barely breathe and balance on the balls of your feet, even down the staircase leading to the kitchen. 

You hold the containers off to the side, eyes on the stairs to make sure you don’t trip. A little less than graceful when you stumble. Even less so when you nearly slip from the last step and the topmost container clatters to the floor. 

“Motherfucker,” you hiss. It’s a muted thump, cardboard falling against tile, when the second container falls and your voice is a whisper as you continue with a, “Fucking fuck. FRIDAY, raise the goddamn, fucking stupid, shithead lights a little.” 

There’s a rustling a few feet away, a soft chuckle and an even softer wince. Noises you barely register even as the lights come up less than ten percent. 

Bucky, from his seat at the kitchen island, watches as you look up to the ceiling, kneeling. You’ve got an apology in your features. “Thank you, FRI. You’re amazing. An angel.” 

You snort to yourself, “An AI-ngel.” 

Immediately, you frown. Scowl in disappointment and self-loathing. “That was terrible, I’m sorry. Keep up the good work, FRI. I’m gonna go fuck myself.” 

The containers are divided into two piles again. You struggle to stand as you hold them and wobble a bit as you straighten. Looking up from your feet, you jump back and have to stop a reflexive scream. 

Bucky would be offended if he wasn’t entirely aware of what a sight he was with his leaking injuries and slowly yellowing bruises, tac jacket tossed onto the stool beside his, shadows in his eyes. The missing bottle of Tony’s Scotch— which Tony had announced the kidnap of over the intercoms— sits before him, a matte grey mug in his flesh hand. Vibranium index and middle fingers to his forehead and he gives you a brief salute in greeting, the smallest, barely-there smile to say sorry. 

He’d usually offer to help you, maybe jump into action without waiting to ask. But he’d barely made it to the kitchen without groaning loud enough to wake all of Manhattan. So he watches as you stagger over. 

Your cheeks are warm and you offer him the barest smile as you draw closer. You set one pile of containers onto the counter and carry the others to the bins. The compostable plastic is tossed into the appropriate trash can. “I’m glad you heard that.” 

“Glad I heard it, too,” he agrees despite your dry tone, voice thick from disuse. He doesn’t say more. Just takes another sip from the mug. 

Once the cardboard is broken, folded, and thrown away, you take a mug of your own out of the dish basket. Matte pink. The bottle of Scotch is picked up next, set before the empty stool beside Bucky’s jacket. 

He watches from the corner of his eye now. A bit slier than before as you sit and fill a third of your mug. Your hands are barely visible, shrouded by the black waffle knit fabric of an oversized henley, but he catches the purple enamel painting your nails and the shine of rings he’s never seen you without under the dim lights. 

You take a sip. A long one. And he has to keep himself from smiling, lest he endure the wrath of his busted lip. 

A sigh as you swallow, and you sit back. Slouching a bit. It’s minutes before you say, “You found my hiding place.” 

He doesn’t reply verbally. Merely cocks an eyebrow over eyes only slightly bluer than the mug in his hands when you glance in his direction. There’s a mischievousness in the curve of your lips and there’s a sting in his as he smiles minusculely to himself. 

“I’m the kidnapper. I took this bottle from Tony’s bar three weeks ago,” you explain with a nod toward the bottle. “Hid it in that hollow space behind the broken baseboard in the pantry. But I guess you knew that part.”

“S’where I keep one of my knives.” His impressed frown deepens the sting and, when he notices the look you give him, he adds, rough as gravel, “Just in case.” 

“It’s a big space just for a knife.”

He blinks. Turns to look at you fully when you trail off. “You tryna get information outta me, Potts?” 

“Figured I’d try my hand at interrogation,” you laugh and shake your head. The sound is deeper than usual, voice a bit raspy. Perhaps in exhaustion. He notices the slight swelling under your eyes. “Keep your secrets. This whole place is full of ‘em anyway.” 

He nods to himself. Peeks at the digital clock on the oven. 3:29 AM. Out of habit, his fingers move to tuck long waves behind his ear, but he only brushes skin and the ends of newly shortened hair. “Awfully late.” 

“Hadn’t noticed.” You laugh again, though softer this time, when he looks at you skeptically. “I couldn’t sleep, decided to clear some of the clutter out of my room.” 

“The take-out boxes?” 

“I am ashamed of them.” Another sip. “S’why I waited until the middle of the night to get rid of them. Didn’t want anyone judging me for it.” 

“If it’s any comfort, m’not judging you.” 

“Of course you’re not. You’re just drinking all of my stolen Scotch when you can’t even get drunk.” You bare your teeth in playful anger as he slides the bottle to pour more into his mug, holding your own mug out so he can add a little to yours, too. 

His stare is curious. A little reprimanding. Disappointed. It’s a look you give your students multiple times a day. 

Your fingertips skim the porcelain rim of your mug. In reply to the look, you explain, “It’s a three-day weekend. Indigineous Peoples’ Day.” 

 “I looked for you this morning.” You nod when he lifts a dark brow. “Yeah, I couldn’t get a jar open and—” a motion toward his vibranium arm, “built-in jaws of life.” 

He chuckles as you giggle— an actual, bubbling giggle unable to be held in even as you bite your bottom lip. The ache in his lips is easily ignored now. “Nice to be of some use.” 

You’re still smiling as you lift the mug again. You’re a bit disheveled. Hair messy, clothes creased. And there’s a heaviness to your eyes, to the slowness of your movements. 

It should be dulling. It should make your laughter less potent. The light of your smile should not still resemble a full moon. But, as per usual, your laughter manages to zip up his spine like cold electricity and your smile is just as full of light. 

It’s 3:33 AM but you have the brilliance of sunrise tangled all around you. He feels his breath stutter. 

It’s been weeks of this— of transfixion and a sweet kind of confusion— but he can’t keep away. He’s expected himself to shell-up a little. Hide it all, and himself, away. 

But he can’t. He can’t help but act a fool every time he’s near you, yet can’t help wanting to be near you anyway. He doesn’t mind feeling foolish as he makes your coffee or watches films he doesn’t understand with you and Sam. 

In fact, he’s happy to feel foolish. Excited to. 

Some of the shadows have faded from his eyes, but many remain. And you notice. You always notice. “Awfully late for you, too.” 

A glance at you. He settles for something simple, “Can’t sleep.”

“Sam said the mission went well.” 

He shrugs. His eyes are fixed on his mug. On the blood under his fingernails. Well. It’s a relative term, he supposes. “Guess it did.” 

You wince to yourself when Bucky combs his fingers through his hair only to come back stained crimson. “You’re bleeding.”

“Sometimes it takes the night.” He wipes his fingers on the lap of his tac pants, rough black fabric growing invisibly dirtier. “Fuckin’ head wounds.” 

His jaw clenches beneath a layer of stubble, you can practically hear the grind of his teeth. His eyes are still downcast. He remains perfectly still, his breaths barely audible as his chest rises and falls imperceptibly. Drowning in shame, holding his own head below water as self-inflicted punishment. You’re sure he’d be able to stay that way for hours— in fact you’ve seen it. 

A drop of blood trickles from his hairline to roll down his forehead. Before it can splash against the counter, “I can fix it.” 

Slate blue eyes, shades far darker than usual, meet yours. “What?” 

You glide a bit on socked feet when you leap from the stool, taking your mug to drain it of what little Scotch remains. You nod and point to your own hairline. “That. I’m gonna fix it.” 

“You?” 

“Yeah.” 

He’s skeptical. It’s in his narrowed eyes, in the lift of his brow. “Are you a medic, too?”

“No, but I deal with bumps, scrapes, and boo-boos all day.” 

Once the wood and frosted glass door of the pantry is slid open, you kneel, leaning forward to fuss with the broken baseboard Bucky is all too familiar with. 

You throw a playfully patronizing smile in his direction. “I’m sure I can fix your little boo-boos, too.”

“My boo-boos?” He’s still skeptical, voice too level and controlled, but you can hear a bit of humor under the veil. Something hopeful. 

The dark wooden panel comes loose and is set aside as you shift your weight so you’re on all-fours, head ducked to squint into the hollow space. 

Bucky forces himself to look away when tired eyes trace the curve and arch of your back, lingering on the swell of your behind hugged by those black cotton bicycle shorts for a little too long. As if the purity guarded by soft fabric would be tainted by his gaze. The holding of you in his sight something sacrilegious and undeserved.  

You reach into the wall, tongue peeking through your lips in effort, to dig around. A triumphant smile when he hears the sound of your nails striking hard plastic. “There it is.” 

Sitting back on your heels, you set a bright pink lunchbox in your lap and hold it there with one hand while the other puts the baseboard back the way you’d found it. 

When you round the counter and come to a stop before him, silently asking permission to move his filthy jacket, he nods and picks it up for you only to toss it onto another stool. You then place the lunchbox on the speckled stone surface as you sit and Bucky nearly laughs aloud. 

“Aladdin?” 

You smooth your hands over the faded sticker covering the lid and nod. Your smile matches that of the creased and slightly torn depiction of Princess Jasmine. Sweet, a little regal. “Have you seen it?” 

He shakes his head as you pop the latch and flip the lid to reveal several boxes of adhesive bandages, colorful tape, packets of gauze, alcohol wipes, and a small bottle of iodine antiseptic. “Steve says it’s the best movie he’s seen since comin’ outta the ice.” 

“Steve’s a man of good taste.” 

You pause your movements as you consider your own words. A dry look has you wrinkling your nose. “But not in food. What the hell was the shit he made last Tuesday?”

“Soup?” Bucky guesses with half a shrug. His expression is one of disgust. “Maybe pasta? Some kinda mash?” 

“Why was it beige?” 

“Everything he makes is beige.” 

As you laugh, you tear open an antiseptic wipe and lean toward him. Hand stopping mid-air, you meet his eyes. “Is it okay if I—” 

“Yeah.” 

If his reply comes too quickly, you give no indication— perhaps sparing him the embarrassment. A light pink dusts itself over the highpoints of his cheeks nonetheless.  

You nod with a soft smile and push his hair back with your fingers to see the healing gash clearly. 

Bucky feels cool air against the wet and still-oozing injury and withholds a hiss at the sting of the wipe. “You keep a first-aid kit in the wall?” 

“I do.” A squeak of surprise leaves your lips when he pulls your stool closer to ease the strain on your arm. “I’ve noticed you all hate going to medical and you’re too proud to keep first-aid kits everywhere you should. I put this one behind some of the dishes but it was mysteriously returned to my door a day later so I hid it.” 

The wipe comes away tinted a weak red and is tossed onto the counter. He smiles, a bit sheepish, when your eyes lower from his hairline. “Guess that means you know what else is in that space.” 

“I’ve known since my second week of living here.” 

“And you didn’t say anything?” 

“Can’t reveal everything I know, can I?” you ask, grinning at the impressed frown which pulls at his lips for the second time tonight. “I’m surprised you didn’t know this was there.” 

“Musta been too distracted to notice.”

“Yeah? By what?” 

He holds your gaze for perhaps a second too long. And his answer comes only in the form of a shrug. 

After a beat, you hold up two Band-Aid packets. Both, currently being shaken before him, are larger than the majority scattered around the kit. “Cartoon Cap or Bugs Bunny?” 

He snorts, sifting through the thin wax paper packages himself. “You ain’t got any normal ones—” 

“Just trust me on this. Cap or Bugs?” 

“Bugs.” 

“Wow,” is your teasing remark, a lopsided smile on your lips. You tear the packet open and shake your head. “Okay, Judas.” 

He rolls his eyes before they shut of their own accord at the feel of your fingers, gentle and a little cold, brushing his hair back again. “You know, I’ll heal in a few hours.” 

You hum as you smooth the bandage down. “I do know that.” 

“So why go through the trouble of alla this?” 

“First of all,” you begin as you remove a small white tube of bruise cream, squeezing a small dollop onto your fingertip. It’s too small a drop to cover the expanse of the bruise stretching over the bridge of his nose— you know that. But, for your purpose, it’ll do. “It’s no trouble. I’m not really doing much to help healing.” 

A questioning brow lifts. 

Featherlight, your finger glides over his smooth nose stained by gradually yellowing purple. It stings a bit, but he doesn’t mind. Especially as your voice grows soft, albeit a little distant, as you focus on the task at hand, “My second week of assistant teaching, this kid named Leo tripped and fell on the rainbow rug. His knees were a little red, one had a light abrasion, and he didn’t cry. He was just upset for the rest of the day. Glaring at his Cheez-Its during lunch like they’d pushed him over.”

Bucky’s lips turn up on one end. 

“I asked him what was wrong and he said, ‘Nothing,’” the voice you use to imitate Leo is high-pitched, a little nasal, and full of the same childish attitude as your scowl. Bucky’s grinning now. “His teacher— this piece of work named Kimmy Kazarin, which should’ve been my first clue as to what kind of person she is because no one nice can be named Kimmy Kazarin—” 

The two of you laugh, your laughter born of the contagious nature of his. Hushed giggles like a secret between you. 

“— she told me to ignore it. That Leo is sometimes a little dramatic, kind of ‘difficult,’” you whisper the last word, eyes narrowed. “Which is just Kimmy Kazarin speak for ‘brat.’ And I wasn’t buying it. He’s a sweet kid, he was just upset that he was hurt.” 

You sit back to sift through the lunchbox. “Anyway, I took him to the prep room because I remembered I had Band-Aids with me. Tony had given me a box of Iron Man Band-Aids in an Iron Man themed school supply gift basket,” you explain, snorting to yourself as you tear another Bugs Bunny bandage open. 

“So I sprayed both of his knees with antiseptic even though he didn’t need it and stuck two Band-Aids on each knee even though he definitely didn’t need those either.” The bandage is smoothed over his nose and you smile to yourself. “And he was smiley again. I mean, he would’ve been damn near ecstatic had Tony given me some Falcon Band-Aids but Tony is Tony.” 

“Tony is Tony,” Bucky, with a long-suffering sigh, repeats in agreement. 

You meet his eyes when you lean away, finality in the slouching of your posture as you decide it isn’t your place to sooth the injury on his lip, and notice the dark rain clouds which had occluded the blue of his irises have parted. Though not wholly clear, his eyes have brightened. 

“Basically, it doesn’t matter how small the boo-boo is physically. People want to be cared for, no matter how proud they are to ask for it, and that goes beyond actual medical care. It’s more emotional than that. It isn’t just a boo-boo.” 

He looks away again and you try to keep the disappointment from seeping into your demeanor as you say, “I’m not ignorant enough to think it fixes everything. It doesn’t. But it helps, makes the weight somewhat lighter. Just like the goofy bandages do. Although, I don’t know if it’ll work for you.” 

His chuckle is self-deprecating. He’s staring at mismatched palms. “Yeah? Too beyond help?” 

“No,” is your simple reply. There is no pity in the word, nothing sounding like exhaustion either. Just casual. “The purpose is to make you look so ridiculous that you laugh when you look in a mirror, but you don’t look ridiculous. It’s actually kinda cute.” 

Your nose is wrinkled when his gaze finally lifts, your own gaze light with fondness. His breath stalls. “Cute?” he asks, barely recovered. 

“Extremely.”

—

It’s hours later when Bucky catches his reflection in the mirror. 

Inadvertently. 

He’d woken from restless sleep. Eyes practically sealed shut with dried saltwater from rain clouds which had burst under the pressure of harsh dreams, dark lashes webbed together. His lips had fallen into a deep frown the moment he’d retired to his bedroom, all grey walls and silence to augment a grey mood hidden behind the hard-earned joy, and seemed to linger through the morning he’d spent tossing and turning in bed. 

He straightens posture askew under the weight of his left arm. Gunmetal fingertips shine under the light of cool white vanity bulbs as he traces the edge of royal blue latex. Narrowing his eyes, he leans toward the mirror.

A series of grey bunnies stare back at him. Large eyes, goofy grins ranging from smug to delighted. A bushy tail is visible in some images, others close-ups of Bugs’ face and a half-eaten carrot. All pasted to a forehead and nose creased in exhaustion, just above a frown of oceanic depth. 

He leans back. 

Bucky Barnes is all hardlines and harsh edges. Sharp, rough. Strength and speed unmatched. Lethal through and through. 

And his injuries— long-healed only to reopen in subsequent battle— are dressed in Bugs Bunny Band-Aids.

The sight pulls a chuckle from deep within his chest. Quiet at first. A bit surprised. But suddenly, all at once, it gives way to booming laughter. 

It’s laughter which carries him through a shower, during which he peels the bandages away and scrubs stray glue from his skin, sobering to a smile as he folds the strips of latex and tucks them into the drawer in his nightstand. 

It’s laughter he tries to hide as he takes soft steps down the hallway leading to your room. Laughter he muffles with three short knocks to your door. Laughter which dies down when you open your door, his eyes drifting from your sheepish smile to the mountains of clothing marking off a jagged trail to an unmade bed. 

“I might be judgin’ you a little now, Potts.” 

[cricketdrawings]

Traditional art supplies I like: ✨Cheap Edition✨

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤

I noticed my last post had a lot of more expensive materials, which are great if you save up or are able to get them more easily, but I figured I’d make another post about more affordable materials for my friends out there who don’t have access to an employee discount at a craft store like I do, or family members who like to give gift cards and such!

Pens:

1. I mentioned this in my last post, but ballpoint pens will never fail you. I recommend BIC if at all possible. You can get a pack of 60 in red, blue, and black for around 6 bucks, as well as just a 60 pack of one of those colors for the same price. You can get some really nice shading out of these, surprisingly, and a pack that big will last you years!

2. Paper mate flair felt tip pens. I used to love these growing up!! They still hold up pretty well, and have the same basic effect as, say, a tombow brush pen, which is my favorite. A pack of 3 in black is around $3-4, which is half the price for a pack of tombows! You can also get them in a lot of different colors. A 12 pack in rainbow is about 12 bucks. If a dollar per pen seems a little much, trust me- if you’re able at all to save up for these guys, they’ll last forever and won’t let you down!

3. I also mentioned pentel sign pens in my last post, and they are just slightly more expensive than the paper mate flair. You can get a box of 12 for $14, which is still more on the expensive side, but if you’re able to then these guys are really fun to use and really reliable!

Pencils:

1. In the school supply section of walmart, you can get a pack of generic HB pencils. They usually have either stars, pastel or neon colors, or are holographic on the barrel. Especially in the back to school season, go and get you a pack of these; any sharpener will do. They are surprisingly soft and lay down pretty dark! I get a pack every year and they never fail me. A pack of 20 is only a couple dollars. (Dixon and ticonderoga I do NOT recommend. Ticonderoga has great colored pencils, but their regular pencils are WACK. They’re way too hard so their lines are way too weak for my taste. As for dixon, they don’t erase cleanly, and splinter when they sharpen. No bueno.)

2. BIC mechanical pencils. These are probably the best mechanical pencils on the cheaper side. They write nice and dark, and you can get a pack of 40 for about 8 bucks, which will last you literally years!! Just like their ballpoint pens! If you really want a good cheap sketching set, I’d get a pack of their ballpoint pens and pencils. Basic as basic gets, but it’ll get you far.

3. For colored pencils: I swear, you can never go wrong with crayola. They’re not the softest or most pigmented, but when you’re balling on a budget they’re perfectly fine! I also love crayola crayons. They are my #1 most favorite affordable art material!

Markers:

1. Back to crayola: crayola super tips markers. These are PERFECT for sketching. You can layer the colors pretty nicely with these, and they start out nice and transparent, almost like watercolor. With the shape of the nib, which is almost cone shaped, you can get some pretty nice line variation! I recommend a pack of 50, which is around 7 bucks, and if you’re feeling really fancy, a pack of 100 is about 14 bucks.

2. Artist’s loft fundamentals triangle markers. When I was in high school, I had a pack of these that I wore absolutely ragged. They are pretty much always worth it, and also perfect for sketching. I even still have a set today, along with the super tips! They’re just that good! These babies are skinner than the super tips, so they’re more like the width of a pen, but not exactly like the penmate flair, which you can press down like a brush. With these you can also take a brush with water and use them like watercolor pencils and get some beautiful results! A pack of 36 is about $5 at michael’s. Probably one of the best purchases you could ever make at that price and I cannot recommend them enough, no matter how experienced you are.

3. For alcohol markers: Ohuhu is fantastic. They’re a bit on the pricier side, but that’s mostly because alcohol markers usually are compared to water based markers. A pack of 60 is usually around $20 on amazon, which is how much I got mine for, but I just checked and they’re about $25. Don’t panic though- prices change all the time! The colors on these are absolutely lovely, and it comes with a nice carrying case with a handle, and a plastic sheet you can place underneath the paper you’re working on so it doesn’t bleed through to your desk or the next page of your sketchbook. Absolutely worth the price tag. Ohuhu also has water based markers for slightly cheaper, but I can’t speak for those since I haven’t tried ‘em.

4. Sharpie is a household name, and there’s a reason why! I don’t always prefer them since at times they CAN be overpriced, but depending on which set you get, the price tag becomes more reasonable. For regular black, I recommend getting a pack of 6 with 2 chisel tips, two fine (regular) tips, and two ultra fine tips for around $7. They last forever, and that way you’re getting a pretty wide range of lines you can get! As for their colored markers, I honestly can’t recommend them as much since I find their colors to be a little darker than I’d personally prefer as compared to the ohuhu markers, but if you so choose you can get a pack of 12 for about $9 on amazon! My favorite color has to be the fuchsia. No matter what they’re fun to color with and easy to obtain just about anywhere!

Sketchbooks:

What’s this? A sketchbooks section? (You didn’t have that in your previous post, Cricket! Well, no, I did not, but I’ll have to fix that soon!)

1. Artist’s loft hardbound sketchbooks. You can get these at michael’s for about $6, and they pretty frequently go on sale for bogo or bogo 50%. The paper is actually super nice, a little on the smoother side, and just thick enough where you’ll feel pretty fancy using it, and also not guilty if you need to tear out a page. They’ve got classic black, and also currently they have a lovely pink, blue, and green. The inner cover page is the same color as the cover, and it gives for a more professional, almost published feel. They come in 6x9 and 9x12 sizes. Artist’s loft is generally a pretty reliable, affordable brand!

2. Pacon sketch diary. If you prefer spiral bound, these guys are also pretty nice! They’re about $5, and there are other similar generic brand sketch diaries you can get that will never lead you astray. Walmart has some pretty good ones too for around the same price, and some even have a clear plastic pocket on the front where you can insert whatever you like!

3. Spiral bound notebooks are easily accessible, and during back to school season in certain places you can get them for a dollar or less. There’s no shame in needing to use lined paper! It works just as good as other paper when it comes to needing to draw something, and no matter what your art is your art, no matter what materials you use! I love getting lisa frank notebooks or notebooks with puppies or kittens on them during the back to school season. (Walmart back to school season SLAPS for cheap art supplies if you can’t tell already.)

4. Daler-rowney simply soft cover sketchbook, 3.5x5.5 in. I list this one because it’s the nicest cheapest sketchbook you can get at Walmart for about 2 bucks. It’s a much smaller size and very flat so you can keep it in your pocket or bag and take it with you. The hardbound 5x7 is also super nice, and it used to be my ultimate top choice. It’s about $4-5. I would get one like once every 3 months, and if you’re able to afford it, they’re great for stocking up and great to take with you anywhere. The paper is a pretty unusual texture that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and in my experience there’s very little transference from one page to another if you’re using pencil, which is always pretty annoying and great to avoid when you can.

5. Royal and langnickel essentials hardbound sketchbook. I came across this one when I was shopping at Ross. Yeah, Ross!! A good tip for cheap art supplies is to check Ross! I’ve gotten some pretty great things from the art section there for very cheap. Since it’s a discount store though, it’s usually a crap shoot regarding what you might find. These sketchbooks have pretty similar paper to the daler and rowney, and you can get a 4x6 for about $3 at Walmart. A larger one, depending on where you look, has pretty inconsistent pricing, but when I was at Ross I found some 9x12’s for 2.99. Although I can’t promise you’ll have the same luck as I did!

Paints:

Watercolor:

1. Jerry Q watercolor palette. I had one of these right before I first tried gansai watercolors, which are my favorite and a little more expensive, but the set I had I kept for around 2 years with almost constant use. They can be a little light and not super pigmented, but if you’re able to get something like a spray bottle and wet them before hand, let the water soak in a little bit, they’re much easier to activate and you’ll get brighter colors out of them. They just need time to soften. You can get a 24 color set for $14, and a 36 set for $18. If you’re able to, I recommend the 36 set since that’s what I had, but 24 works just fine and it’ll be better for learning color mixing!

2. Rule of thumb is crayola is usually the way to go if you can’t afford much else. I will say the older formula for their watercolor paints was much better. Brand new is still good though, and you can’t go wrong with a regular 12 set. (I do NOT recommend prang, which is their similar competitor. Their paints are sticky as hell if you use too much.)

Acrylic:

Craftsmart or apple barrel craft paints. These guys were my first acrylics I ever used, and I still have some older pieces that I made with them that still hold up in my eyes today. They have a much different formula than most acrylics, and are powder based, so you’ll notice they sort of have a different texture. Careful not to glob it on too thickly, however! If you do the paint will form huge cracks in it when it dries. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the formula and that it shrinks when it dries, which can also make thinner paper buckle. Also, if you’re painting on paper, if the paper is on the smoother side, areas where the paint is thicker might crack and flake off. It’s still good reliable paint just as long as you’re able to avoid this! You can get a set of 16 colors for $11, or if you’re able to, a set of 36 for $25 at michael’s. You can also buy them individually if you’re only able to afford the primaries like red yellow and blue, or cyan magenta yellow and black (CMYK.) The individuals sell for about $1 each, and the craftsmart paints in particular come in a few different finishes like matte, satin, and metallic. I recommend just the matte to start with though.

Paper/canvas:

1. Canson XL watercolor paper. You can get a pad of 30 sheets in 9x12 at walmart for about $5. The 11x15, if you’re able to afford it, fluctuates from $10-18 depending on where you shop, but michael’s often has a sale on this particular brand of paper pads for bogo or bogo 50% off. They also now have spiral bound books of the same paper that you could tear the pages out of and display, or use as a watercolor sketchbook. Canson also has mixed media paper for about the same price, and the spiral bound book is a very popular choice for a sketchbook, although I’ve used it and I personally prefer the watercolor paper texture much more. If you like your paper on the smoother side though, the mixed media is probably the way to go!

2. Creatology is, I think, a michael’s brand of kids’ art supplies, and they honestly make some pretty nice paper. If you like to draw on thicker paper, they’ve got a paint pad that you could use as just mixed media or regular drawing paper. It’s nice and thick and smooth. Their watercolor paper is also pretty nice! The 9x12 pad is around $3, and has 40 sheets. It’s slightly thinner than the canson watercolor paper, but you get 10 sheets more and it’s cheaper! Also, most regular price items at michael’s (there are a few exclusions, such as their artist’s loft value canvas packs, and their sets of rolling shelves, and cricut products) can be discounted with a coupon! Pretty much every single day the site has a 20% off regular price items coupon, for in store and online (the online code is usually 20MADEBYYOU), so you can always get basically anything for a discount! If you have a rewards account, which you can access through the site or on the app, you’ll get points with the more you buy, and you’ll eventually get $5-10 vouchers! If you’re still trying to be frugal, it’s great for getting basically free items. But I digress.

3. Canvas is expensive as hell, I know. I barely buy it myself, and only started getting it recently, since I mostly worked on paper beforehand. But if you’d like to hang your work easily and are able to put pins/nails in your wall or use command strips, you could get a value pack of canvas from michael’s. I mentioned these before, and they’re one of the items that can’t be discounted with coupons, but they work great and you can get a pack of several at a time. Each pack is the same exact price- $12.99- so it’s easy to remember since it’s consistent. The smaller the size of the canvas, the more canvases you’ll get. For example, in a pack of 8x10, you get 10! If you want the best value and want to create more pieces for less, that’ll be what I recommend! You can also get canvas panels, which lay flat and are easier to store if you’re low on space. The best value there is a pack of 5, size 9x10, for $10. So, it’s not as much material for the price, but if you need the canvas to be smaller, that’ll work just fine!

4. Copy paper!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get a pack of copy paper!!!!!!!!!! It’s literally hundreds of sheets for very cheap, like $5 or less!! Walmart has a pack of 500 for $5. That’s 100 sheets for a dollar. While it won’t work well with paints, it’s great for drawing with basically any drawing material. It’s thin and more fragile than most art paper, but if you need to discard it you won’t feel bad, and there’s literally another sheet right there if you gotta start again. I had a period where I would only basically draw on copy paper when I lost access to free art materials from art school, and it’s fantastic for sketching. Just get a cheap paper folder for about 50 cents to keep your drawings safe, and you’re golden. It’s also great if you don’t wanna use lined paper but can’t afford a sketchbook.

As for digital art; digital is often the most affordable option for a lot of folks, since it requires only, at the minimum, a computer or phone and a drawing program. I’m not as experienced with digital art, but I highly recommend the XP pen tablet. It’s a 4x7 inch little usb tablet, and you can get one on amazon for $20. One purchase that will last you a long time! I’ve had mine for 2 years now, and I haven’t even had to replace the nib yet! For a drawing program, I recommend Krita, which is the only art program I’ve ever used other than microsoft paint 3D. It’s completely free, and has some really lovely brushes. My absolute favorite is the 4B pencil tool, which I use for basically every single digital drawing I make, no joke.

I’d like to also mention that if you’re not able to buy art supplies at all, recycling is a great way to gain materials! Go dumpster diving! Cut open a cereal box and draw on the inside! Draw on old envelopes! Paint on cut open cardboard boxes! Borrow a pencil or pen from a friend! There is sooooo much waste in this country (USA), and even if you’re not on a budget, if you’re able to reduce and reuse, you’ll feel better about reducing your carbon footprint and giving back to the planet.

Lastly, I just wanna say that you don’t need fancy materials to make wonderful art. Nice art materials are good to have, but they’re absolutely not a requirement. You don’t need to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to go to art school, most often just to get torn down by instructors who don’t care about you or your well being. YOU know what’s best for yourself. Do what feels right. Make art however and whenever you like. Make it for yourself. Learn from yourself and which materials you prefer. I’ve been making art for a long time so I’ve tried a lot of things and a lot of materials, hence why I can make these recommendations, but you might discover something completely different that you really love! Materials do not make the artist, full stop. The art you make will always be valuable and important, no matter what. If you’re still in school, live at home, don’t have a job, or are just not able to buy art supplies for whatever reason, there’s always, always a way to make art. You might have to get a little creative in finding out ways to make art, but I promise you there’s always a way. If later in life you’re able to afford having art as a hobby or a career, you’ll look back on the time you could only access these cheaper materials, and cherish the work you made then. Especially if you’re just starting out, and by the time you’re able to afford higher quality materials, you’re a more experienced artist. I personally think it’s so important to remember where you’ve come from, so you can feel proud of yourself as you grow. There’s nothing more fulfilling than looking back on everything you’ve done and the improvements you’ve made throughout your journey. And like I said, you don’t need to spend thousands on art school to learn. The internet is an amazing resource for tutorials, and there’s no shame at all in using any resource you can to learn and expand your skillset. You deserve to create. You deserve to learn. You deserve to feel proud of yourself and what you make.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤Art is for everyone.🖤🤎💜💙💚💛🧡❤️