#and go with my usual “flat color with one of the mid shadow tones add shadows add light”

[mazken]

brush test slash rendering practice with ayem

[chiaroart]

Hair Tutorial!!!

I had an anon ask for a few tips on how to draw hair, and I uh-- I might’ve gone a little overboard. SO HERE’S STEP-BY-STEP HOW I DREW THIS GIRL’S HAIR WITH PICTURES

1) Disclaimer

Everyone draws hair differently, and there are HUNDREDS of ways to do it. I developed this method through experimenting, and years of Hodgepodging together various tutorials and things I’ve learned over the years. Don’t be afraid to go with the flow, or to change it up a little. In addition, different hair styles are drawn differently. Curly hair, short hair, various lighting-- it’s all a little different, so this is an okay place to start your knowledge!

AND, last but not least-- references. I think a lot of younger artists are afraid to use a reference because it makes them less of an artist if they can’t just draw it from memory. THIS WOULD BE FALSE. Even professional artist use references. The key is to make the art your own, and not to copy it EXACTLY. So pull out a few references to look at for your hairstyles <3

ONTO THE TUTORIAL!!!

2) Block in the general shape of your hair

It doesn’t need to be exact, just the idea of it. Use a middle-tone, or the true color of the hair. Make sure to keep in mind the general shape of your skull-- the hair isn’t plastered to it, but it does fluff out a little.

3) Sketch the flow of the hair

It’s vital to have a reference for this part. Hair flows, clumps, twists, separates, overlaps-- it’s not solid or still. Think of it like pouring spaghetti on someone’s head. You also want to remember that each strand has to start and stop somewhere, because you don’t want to accidentally have hairs vanishing into thin air.

Have a line where you want your hairline, and make sure you have hair that’s growing off it.

4) Detail the hairline

There’s skin under all that hair, and that’s one of the things the hairline shows! draw some lines in your mid-tone down onto the skin in short lines, following the flow of the hair that you sketched earlier. I also use a skin tone and reverse the action, drawing short lines into the hair so that there’s not a solid hairline. Don’t be afraid to let your lines be different lengths or shapes, it looks more natural!

5) Establish a light source

Your light source determines where you put your lights and darks, so this part is important! I’ve represented the light source with this dot. From there, i drew straight lines out from the center; that’s the angle the light is hitting her hair at! This part can be a little tricky, and will take practice. Just think about what hair is hidden behind the shadow of her face, what hair is shadowed a little bit by other hair, and what pieces are the most visible.

6) Values

Pay attention to your values! If your colors are too dark, or too light, they stand out too much. I like to establish my values off to the side, and try not to include any true whites or blacks (they stand out a lot.)

7) Block in shadows

Some artists like to start with their highlights, but I prefer to start with the darks. Take a shade just darker than your mid-tone, and lightly color over the parts of your hair that will be in shadow due to the light source.

8) Dark chunks

Hair is not usually flat, so there will be large pieces in shadow. Take the next darkest tone from your last one, and paint in some longer thick strands, following the flow of your sketch. Typically you’ll have thinner or fewer of these lines in your light areas, and more in your dark areas.

9) Blend

Very lightly blend these strands, while still following the flow. You want to soften the light, not completely erase it (this was one of the things I had the hardest time with while I was learning).

10) Add fine dark hair

Take a darker tone and a thinner brush, and delicately paint in hairs along the flow to give your hair more definition.

11) Blend

Use either a thin blend or a blender that works kind of like a rake (that’s what I used here) and lightly blend the hairs along the flow; they don’t need to be completely softened, just a little less obvious. I also took the time to blend the hairline a bit too. 

12) Add lighter hair pieces

Using a tone just a little lighter than your mid-tone, go through and add some high lights along the flow where you think the light is hitting your hair. try not to overlap the dark and light strands too much, as it can look a little muddy. 

13) Refine your highlights

Use another lighter tone and go over the highlights of the highlights. I know that can be a little confusing, but your basically just narrowing down the highlighted area into smaller strands, making them stand out.

14) Highlights of the highlights of the highlights--

Take your lightest shade, and just barely caress the peaks of your highlighted areas. this will make your hair a bit more shiny and 3D!

15) Blend

VERY LIGHTLY blend the newly added highlights. The goal of this is less to blend it, and more to fade the ends of your highlights into the rest of the hair so the lighting isn’t as abrupt.

16) Fly away hairs

No hair is perfectly smooth, so throw in some stray hairs! This is my favorite part, because I think it really brings the hair to life :D

I use the highlighter brush, and lightly brush in some thin hairs away from the head, and through the highlighted areas. In the darker areas, I do the same, just using the dark shade instead of the light. Don’t be afraid to get messy!

17) Loose pieces

I personally like the way loose hair falls, so I add a couple strands here and there, just following the same guidelines for dark and light shading I gave you!

FINISHED!

MWAH, done!!! I hope this helped ;w; feel free to shoot any questions my way! <333

[winterwitch611]

Bruises- Whumptober Day 10

Paring: Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton

Word Count: 1342

Another training session has begun and Bucky is showing off as usual. Clint has had enough of his showboating. He’s determined to prove he can do what Bucky, Steve, and the rest of the team can do. He’s not fragile damnit, why can’t they see that?

The climb to the top of one of the training structures was nothing. The leap across to a second structure was another story. Bucky and Steve raced each other, flipped mid air, landing on the other side with room to spare. It was a tie as usual.

“I can do that.” Clint huffed. “Watch.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, Barton?” Bucky asks. “You’re gonna kill yourself.”

“As many as you want because I’m not listening!”

They all tried telling him to ease up. He has nothing to prove to them; but it must be his pride that won’t let him quit. His pride is going to get him splattered on a sidewalk one of these days. Bucky is just hoping he isn’t there to see it when it happens.

“Why are you so goddamn stubborn?”

“Why can’t you have faith in me for once? Why don’t you believe I can do what you can do?”

“BECAUSE YOU CAN’T!!” As soon as the words leave Bucky’s mouth he regrets it. Clint looks like he was just stabbed in the heart. Then anger replaces the hurt. This is not going to end well.

Clint takes a few steps back, sucks in a deep breath, exhales. He runs full throttle toward the gap in the structures. Timing it perfectly he not only makes the jump across but he adds the flip in the middle. His only mistake was in the landing. The thud he made sounded painful. As he lay on his side trying to catch his breath he extends his left arm and flips Bucky off.

“Go fuck yourself, Barnes!”

“Jesus Christ! Are you okay?” Bucky asks as he reaches for Clint.

“I’m fine. Get the hell away from me!” he barks as he slaps his teammate’s hand away.

“C’mon, Barton. I can see the bruises forming already.” he says in a more gentle tone. “Can we just go get you checked out?”

“We? WE?!” he’s beyond angry now. “You just flat out told me you think I’m incapable of doing what you do. I’m worthless unless I’m shooting arrows, right?”

“I never said that! You don’t understand…”

“Understand what?? That you’d all be better off without me to worry about? Huh? Just say it!”

Bucky is visibly angry now but he’s trying very hard to keep his cool. Now isn’t the time or place to get into this any further. Steve has had enough and tries to change the subject.

“Okay, enough. Barton says he’s alright. Leave it at that. If he isn’t he knows where the medical floor is”

Clint gets up carefully and grabs his arm. The bruise, already a dark purple, is spreading from his shoulder to his elbow. He won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing his pain.  

“Go ice that arm, Clint.” Steve says as he pats the archer on the back. “If the pain or swelling get worse go get an x-ray. We need you healthy.”

“Yeah, whatever, Cap. You don’t need me at all.” Clint snaps. He doesn’t appreciate the patronizing tone. It makes him feel even more useless. All he wants is Bucky to see him as an equal. Someone worthy of being with. How can he make him see that when he’s constantly covered in bruises and bandages? Maybe that’s why purple is his favorite color, his skin is usually a lovely shade more often than not.

“Clint, c’mon, man… wait.”

Clint stomps out of the room leaving Bucky and Steve staring at each other in disbelief. This is coming out of left field. Neither of them knew their teammate felt this way.

“Steve, what the hell just happened?”

“I have no idea, pal. Let’s just call it a night. We can pick this up tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~

Over the next few days Clint made himself scarce. He ate his meals on his floor of the tower, skipped training sessions and only used the range in the middle of the night. Bucky had to ask FRIDAY how Clint’s bruises were healing since he couldn’t ask the man himself. She informed him they were healing nicely and no real damage seemed to be done. He’s relieved but still a little annoyed that the archer is avoiding him.

As the team settles into their routine one morning, Bucky sees a shadow cross the doorway. He knows who it is, the smell of Tony’s crazy expensive coffee brewing probably lured him out. He can’t take this cat and mouse game anymore. After pouring a large cup of coffee, and fixing it just the way Clint likes it, he walks to the edge if the doorway but not through it.

“I know you’re there. Will you please talk to me?”

“Gimme the coffee and I’ll think about it.”

Bucky reaches through the doorway, Clint takes the coffee. After a long pause, and an audible sip of the aforementioned beverage, the men are finally face to face.

“What the hell, Barton?”

It’s suddenly clear why he’s been dodging the team all week, There’s a huge bruise across his face. Another bruise, what else is new.

“I was pissed after that training fiasco last week. So I went to a bar to get stupid drunk.” he explains. “Well, I got stupid drunk. Then I got in an even stupider fight.”

“Okay out with it. What’s going on with you?” Bucky knows there’s something deeper at play here. He wants to know what it is. He can sense the hesitation and offers a solution. “Would it be better if we moved this discussion to somewhere with more privacy?” he asks.

“Yeah. It would. Your floor or mine?”

“Mine. I don’t think I’m ready for that much purple this early in the morning.” Bucky says with a chuckle. He hopes that lifts a little of the tension he senses coming from his friend.

~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as they’re inside Bucky’s front door Clint spills his guts. It’s almost like a dam breaks and Bucky is caught in the ensuing flood. He wasn’t prepared for what he hears. Not in the least.

“I’m sorry about the other day but I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been trying to figure out what I need to do but nothing seems to work. I finally think I know what the problem is. I’m not good enough. I’ll never be as fast or strong or perfect as Steve and Thor are. I’ll never be as smart as Tony and Bruce are. Shit, I’ll never be as handsome and smooth as Sam is. He’s a better match for you and you two hate each other. What chance in hell do I have? I thought if I could at least show you I could keep up you’d give me a shot. I can’t even do that. I’m a goddamn disaster who’s got it bad for a guy that’s one-hundred percent outta my league. And then you flat out told me you think I can’t do what you do. And that, my friend, is what’s going on with me. So now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go throw myself off the roof. Might as well, I just made a complete ass of myself. I’m babbling and you look like one of those anime characters. If your eyes get any bigger they just might pop outta your skull. See ya around.”

He reaches for the doorknob but Bucky grabs his arm before he can turn it. He spins him around and holds him by the shoulders.

“You really are a complete idiot,” he says before pulling Clint in for a long overdue kiss.

“Mmmmmm…. bruises turn you on… who knew?” his signature crooked smile is brighter than it’s been in a long time.  “I guess I’ll have to fall down more often.”  

Beta: @caramell0w

[monsterbrush]

Could you tell us about how you do your art?

Okay, whoa holy shit, I gotta answer this don’t I? This is gonna get long so I’ll put it under the cut. Sorry, it’s a lot of reading:

So, there are two ways I do my art. First: Traditional sketch w/ digital coloring. You’ve probably seen my uncolored doodle pages, which are just scans of pages from my sketchbook, nothing special. When I color them, I open them up in photoshop and, after putting down a white background underneath everything, I use this handy-dandy lil trick called Multiply:

This allows me to color underneath the drawing layer, which ends up looking like this:

Very simple. Now, onto digital stuff. 

For this, I’m going to use the fanart I made for a Mad Max: Fury Road fanfiction called Unlikely, because it’s a good example of a full blown illustration from start to finish. Brace yourself for a lot of photoshop terminology that I am not going to explain because there’s no time.

Step One: The Thumbnail

This is the initial sketch of what I wanted the piece to look like. It was very small, but once I was satisfied with it, I resized it to fill the entire canvas and lowered the opacity to about 30%. I didn’t spend too much time on this, I got the basics down and that’s it. Thumbnails aren’t supposed to be pretty, they’re supposed to illustrate the bare minimum of what you want to achieve. Every proper illustration I make starts with this step.

Step Two: The Sketch

This is drawn on a separate layer above the thumbnail, and you can juuuust barely see the thumbnail underneath. For both the thumbnail and the sketch I like to use a mid-tone gray because it mimics a 2H pencil which I use for sketching on actual paper. During this step I can take the time to adjust the size of certain elements (I made Slit smaller, for example, and played around with head size and positioning), and make the composition nicer than in my thumbnail. In my sketch I also try to include as many details as I can, to make the line art easier on myself.

Step 3: Line Art

Line art is always tricky, but thanks to my detailed sketch I can get the line art down quickly. Again, I lowered the sketch layer’s opacity down to about 30%. For crisp, sharp lines I use full opacity and a round brush. For this step I use pure black because I want the lines to show up nice and clear, and I kept the size of the brush around 5 px as the smallest, 6 px as the average, and 7-8 px at the largest, to keep the line art consistent. 

Step Four: Flat Colors

Here’s where things are gonna get pretty touch and go, these steps aren’t very well documented and I employ a method I lovingly refer to as “100 Layers McGee”, because I use a buttload of layers. During this step I carefully fill in the basic color for each individual item in the drawing. So: skin gets a layer, clothing gets a layer, bandages get a layer etc. If two items aren’t touching each other, they can be on the same layer, but if they are touching they are put on separate layers. I call this the “Can’t Touch This” method. 

This can add up to a lot of layers. Don’t ask me how I keep track of all those layers, the answer is: I don’t. If I step away from a drawing for more than two days I will forget which layer certain things are on and will spend a little while looking for that thing by turning off each layer one-by-one. Yes, sometimes I don’t find which layer the thing is on until much later. Yes, I am okay with this. This is what works for me. I am willing to suffer if it makes other things easier. 

The reason I do this is because it makes the shading process much easier using this trick:

Step Five: Shading

See this button? I love this button. When I click this button all empty pixels in the selected layer become “locked”,  meaning that I can only color on the parts of the layer that already have color. It is a godsend. This is the same technique I use to color my traditional sketches btw, in addition to the “100 Layers McGee” and “Can’t Touch This” techniques. 

During this step of the process I keep a very close eye on the color panel when selecting my colors, and I use the eyedropper tool on previous drawings of certain characters in order to ensure that I get the correct shade/hue/saturation for specific elements to avoid making things too light or too dark. I will also reference other things like screenshots from the source material, or pictures from a comic page which has a similar color palette or lighting to the illustration I am currently making. I will later adjust the color of the characters according to the lighting I choose for the scene (this scene was lit by firelight, so I made the character’s skin slightly warmer and highlighted it with yellow/orange. I also used a similar color to highlight everything else in the image). 

Now, usually I have other elements like the background/clothing etc. filled in while I’m doing the shading so I know how everything looks next to each other but I don’t have a very good example of how that looks. But anyway, this is what the “skin” layer looks like with the proper shadows and highlights.

Sometimes I use clipping masks as well. I used clipping masks on the background in order to separate the cool shadows and the warm highlights, but that was just me being cautious because I was worried about fucking up something. That step looks something like this:

The coloring and shading steps require a bit of know-how regarding color theory, composition, contrast etc. basically a lot of planning and a lot of thinking. Practice is the key folks. Practice is always the key.

Step Six: Etc…

During this step I take the time to add my tumblr url and any additional credits/captions etc. I try to use fonts that are thematically appropriate. 

For most of my Mad Max fanart I use AgencyFB Regular, the font used for “Mad Max” in the Mad Max: Fury Road titles. This time I used a font called Road Rage Regular because it looked awesome, and for the dialogue I used a font called Act of Rejection Regular, because it looked awesome and fit the mood I wanted to convey. Never underestimate the power of a well chosen font (and keep in mind it should be reasonably legible). 

This is also the step in which I added the speech bubbles as well. Sometimes I might add a paper texture on top of everything with a multiply layer, however using this will slightly darken the overall image so I don’t do it often, but I did do it for this piece, though I had to make the speech bubbles lighter.

Step Seven: Sit Back and Stare at the Finished Product for 3 Hours

So satisfying.

[hacknownews-blog]

Tracking down the best 40-inch TV can be a tough job. While it's a perfect sweet spot  size for those that want to be able to, well, see their television (any smaller gets a bit puny), it's simply not a focus point for TV manufacturers. With great screens at large sizes easy to mass produce at affordable prices now, it's become their bread and butter.

That can make for a frustrating buying experience if you're on the market for something smaller than 43-inches.  While they're out there if you dig far enough through your local A/V emporium's wares, manufacturers like LG and Sony usually only offer a couple of models at that size each year.

But don't lose hope!  40-inch fans will find joy with manufacturers like Samsung, Vizio, Hisense, TCL and Panasonic, each offering a handful of screens this year that present themselves well in the 40-inch size category.

To help you narrow down your search for a great 40-inch TV, we’ve done all the ground-work to find out everything you need to know about screens and display technology. What you’ll find below should not only help you pick out the 40-inch screen of your dreams, but also educate you on the modern audiovisual landscape. It’s a win-win. 

What TVs does TechRadar recommend? 

Ahead of the main event, let’s quickly go through what makes a good 40-inch screen. 

To begin with, the most important things to keep an eye on is the inclusion of a great smart TV \os onboard so that you can hook it up to the internet and stream shows and movies from Amazon, Netflix and YouTube; at least an FHD (Full-HD) panel, if not 4K; and how many inputs a TV has. 

That sounds like a lot to take into account, I know, but I promise picking out a screen is as easy as can be. Let’s break it down one attribute at a time. 

Ultra HD vs. Full HD: A common misconception in the TV industry is that you can’t see a difference between Full HD and Ultra HD on a screen smaller than 55 inches. Now, I’m not saying those people are flat-out wrong, but I can promise that if you take your time and really look at a picture - especially if that picture is using High Dynamic Range - you’ll see a difference. 

To that end, I’d recommend picking out a TV with 4K Ultra-HD and HDR if you can find one. They’re a bit uncommon in this screen size because the cost might outweigh the benefits for someone shopping for an ultra-cheap TV, but if you’re serious about video, 4K is vital. 

Operating system: It used to be that many of the TVs in the 40-inch range didn’t come with an operating system. These dumb TVs were incredibly cheap to make, and therefore cheap to buy, too. But there was a problem: As Netflix and YouTube became more and more popular, people wanted to stream those services on their TV without resorting to a streaming video device like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV or Chromecast. 

These days, it’s fairly common to find an operating system on a 40-inch TV. All but the most bare-bones of screens will have them. But what you’re looking for, ideally, is a well-maintained operating system like Roku TV, LG’s webOS or Samsung’s Tizen operating system. If you go with a TV that uses a proprietary operating system (basically an operating system exclusive to that one TV) you might have some serious issues down the road.

Inputs and outputs: I know, I know, this sounds boring. But trust me, this is something most folks don’t think about until they bring the TV home and get it all connected, only to realize their great new TV only has one HDMI port. 

Having multiple HDMI ports (along with options for optical audio out and RCA connectors) will really allow you to connect most - if not all - of your devices. This will save you time in the long-run as you won’t have to get up and switch the cables around any time you want to change the input. 

Phew! Got all that? Good. 

Now that you know what to look for in a TV, here are a few screens that we think might be a good addition to your burgeoning home entertainment center. 

Sitting at the top of our list is Samsung’s 40-inch MU7000. In the UK, it goes by the designation UE40MU7000T while in the US, it’s called UN40MU7000. We love this screen for so many reasons, not the least of which are its bright 4K HDR images and low price tag. 

It’s not without its flaws, but no other 40-inch TV we’ve tested that sits around this price point is even close to the MU7000 - what it’s able to do with native 4K resolution content or, especially, content shot in HDR, is simply amazing. 

If we’re being picky, High contrast scenes can look slightly grey, there aren’t as many color tones as you'd get with a more expensive 10-bit panel, and viewing angles are limited. But these concerns aren’t going to be fixed on a 40-inch screen. For the money, this is the best 40-inch screen money can buy.

Read the full review: Samsung MU7000 Series 

This might seem a bit confusing - another Samsung TV that comes right after our top pick - but hang in there with us: The MU6300/MU6400 is part of Samsung’s 6-Series TVs - which, on the good, better, best scale, the MU6300 is good. 

The UN40MU6300 (or UE40MU6400 for UK folks) offers good performance and value, but there’s definitely better out there - cough, the MU7000. 

Between the two, there’s not a major difference - they both offer 4K HDR, and a smart OS - but the MU7000 has Tizen, Samsung’s licensed, well-upkept OS while the MU6300 has something a little less powerful. 

If streaming isn’t high up on your list of must-have features and you don’t mind a drop in performance, you can save a bit of cash by going with this instead.

UK residents don’t know how good they have it when it comes to mid-size TVs. Not only do you have great Samsung screens, but Panasonic - one of the finest panel makers out there - also makes high caliber 40-inch screens at an affordable price. For example, check out the Panasonic TX-40EX600B.

The screen is new for 2017 and packs both 4K and HDR into its 40-inch panel. 

While long time Pana owners might be a bit concerned not to see the trusty Firefox OS at the helm of the screen, don’t worry - My Home Screen 2.0 is almost the same thing, but developed entirely in-house by Panasonic. 

Add to that three HDMI ports and you have a pretty fancy screen without a fancy price tag attached to it. 

If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, and you live Stateside, VIZIO’s D-Series offers great FHD visuals for next-to-nothing. 

This year’s model to beat is the VIZIO D40f-E1 (a catchy name, I know). The TV offers a 120Hz effective refresh rate, full-array backlighting and a 200,000:1 contrast ratio. 

If that all sounds like gobbledygook jargon, it’s OK. Basically the TV looks good, has a great contrast ratio and can keep up with the action if you’re watching a game of football on Sunday. It doesn’t look as good as our top picks, the Samsung MU7000 and MU6300, but considering that VIZIO’s screen usually costs less than $300, you get what you pay for. 

A follow-up to 2015's excellent 40CX680B, the 40DX600 is Panasonic's best value 4K TV. Four pegs down from Panasonic's flagship DX900 range –five, if you count its OLED – the DX600 series claims a 4K Edge LED-backlit panel with adaptive backlight dimming, 800Hz scanning and Quad Core PRO processor for super-quick smart TV navigation.

It also has both a Firefox OS (now My Home Screen) and a Freeview Play catch-up TV app, as do all Panasonic TVs for 2016, which lend it a smart, usable interface to watch Netflix or Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Read the full review: Panasonic TX-40DX600

Look, we have nothing against Full HD. For some folks, Full HD is fine. They don’t want or need the spectacle of 4K HDR and can live without seeing shows and movies ooze color, flash light and be drenched in shadow. 

If you’re not into that stuff, that’s fine. 

If you find yourself in the “I don’t need 4K” camp, I’d like to introduce you to the TCL 40S305 - a FHD screen that makes up for its HD resolution with a killer operating system. 

The biggest selling point of this screen (besides its crazy low price tag of $269) is its operating system. Far and away, Roku TV is the best smart TV platform we’ve ever used. Samsung and LG might have done an exceptional job improving their UIs over the years, but Roku TV is fast, responsive and packed to the gills with content - over 3,000 channels at last count. Not only does it have a ton of content, but that content is super easy to find thanks to its universal search feature that scans over 200 channels to find films and shows at their lowest possible price. Check and mate, other TV operating systems.

 Have a recommendation for us? Send an email to Nick.Pino@Futurenet.com. 

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