#and it did make me like the art process again

[paverage-blog]

As someone who is relatively new to fanfics, I have to say I don’t really understand some of these interactive processes. To me, a fic is like a home cooked meal. I may taste something and decide it’s not for me or I may go back for thirds — but my ability to consume or enjoy it at all is due to the person who created it. As I would never sit down and eat a meal someone cooked without saying thanks (and gushing about what I loved most), I can’t really fathom reading and just walking away without saying thanks. In all but a very few instances I hit the kudos button because it cost me $0.00. Even if I didn’t think it was the greatest thing I’ve ever read, I’m at least saying “thanks, you did the damn thing and kudos to you for putting it out there.”

It seems like a level of rudeness I can’t fathom to not say how much I enjoyed a story if I did (to the point that I’ve been mulling over a fic I read last night all and it’s bothered me I didn’t leave a comment and only a kudo - I will be fixing that when I log in tonight because even if the fic is “old” or other people already said it, the author deserves to know the story haunted me all day and that I enjoyed it.) You’re privileged enough to enjoy someone’s art (which sometimes is a huge investment of their time and efforts) for free. It feels like the least I can do is acknowledge (again, for free!) that I enjoyed it or that I want to show the author support to keep writing.

As a writer, I admit that I spend a lot of time squinting at hits vs. kudos and trying to extrapolate if people enjoyed. I assume that if my work has hits but not kudos that someone read (or attempted it) and decided they didn’t like it/it wasn’t for them and that it was so bad they didn’t want to even give me a thumbs up for making an effort. I assume this, because I assume other people consume fic like I do. Reading OP’s story really makes me scratch my head… like people may pull up a chair to my table where I’ve spent weeks “cooking up” something, enjoy it, and walk off without even saying thanks…and then go tell other people how great it was? No disrespect to people who don’t kudo/comment on everything they enjoy, but I guess I’m just stunned people wouldn’t even bother to click a button to say thanks if they thought it was a worthwhile effort.

Idk, I gotta go log in and tell someone how much I enjoyed something I read yesterday and keep being an outlier, I guess, lol.

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[stellorc]

i was holding myself back from sharing this until it was Actually Finished, but it's been Weeks and the urge to prove that i wasn't just crying rewatching old barbie movies and doing commissions is too strong. please have this snippet of a piece that's actually not fanart! i'm trying my hand at the 'painting your problems' concept. As someone who has used art as an escape since childhood it's been pretty wild. Staring at my thoughts can be scary but drawing menacing looking ladies gives me courage.

[hinamie]

"I'll show you every day that choosing to live was worth it"

some of my favourite scenes from @hijinks-n-lowjinks' fic things i would miss from the other side . this fic tore my heart out fr but like in a good way and i wanted to pay it homage the only way i know how <3

[reengeen]

I saw the response to my ask so here are the mirror pictures I drew! Please go check out @mari-lair for the au. It's so interesting and it's executed really well, I just can't recommend it enough :D

(Everyone else is smiling, did they plan this?!)

(You look so surprised! But it's nice to see everyone else happy, given the situation.)

(Also smiling now, you pocket the photo. You're glad they can still smile with you despite everything happening.)

(You see a key on the floor now, the mirror's light being reflected just right. Time to continue saving the country, Siffrin!)

[You obtained the smiling key]

(...)

(Everyone is staring at you.)

(They must be so tired of you by now, they're so strong. It feels like they could go through the whole house without you.)

(You're nothing but a liability to the team. A forgettable side character no one likes anyways.)

(You should have known that. Aren't you just so selfish? To think you mattered in this at all?)

(They look so scared. Who can blame them when you've walked into so much danger? Of course they're scared, they can't even trust you to do your own BLINDING JOB.)

(...)

(You'll prove they don't need to look at you like that ever again.)

(Smiling, you pocket the photo. At the very least, you can try and not mess anything else up)

(You see a key on the floor now, the mirror's light being reflected just right. At least you can still do this.)

[You obtained the smiling key]

[doomedclockworkdotmp3]

heeyyy gaaanggg

the pose and the background of the album version (left) are based on oingo boingos only a lad album art. not cause i think he has anything to do with it but just cause ive been wantin to draw that pose for like. weeks and i didnt know who to put there. so why not my latest bug man.

[zazrichor]

Concept process for my DABB contribution!

(1) I started with some PotC studies, followed by (2) some rough thumbnails. I did a few headshots to get a feel for both of their faces in (3). Afterwards I doodled their getups that were just for fun. I worked on their actual designs in (4). Based on the thumbnails I sketched six concepts. For the eagle eyed: I did use some Black Sails promo material as rough reference.

Link to The Dragon Age Big Bang collection!

[blae-kitta]

Zoro 🐯 Process:

Commentary below:

Notes:

One of the first attempts at sculpting the boy; the head was later altered quite a bit and the legs entirely scrapped, and the torso bulked up shaking my shoulders feverishly: we need to properly represent his 110 cm bust and what we have isn't cutting it. Scabbards were made (which survived till the end!) and the original clay swords were made by this point.

New torso and legs give (hallelujah), as well as the loops and holes for the ears (such finicky small work, fuck me) were made. Holes were first made with straight wire and dried before the hoops were gently (and with swearing) inserted through.

Clothes added, also with swearing as the clay dried and stiffened faster then I wanted to and made it hard to get nice folds. Scarf was re-made and smoothed later.

Scabbards added! Immediately drops it and breaks a piece of it off. I've glued multiple bits of the scabbards back on the flimsy bastards. He remained armless for a good while. A Venus on the shelf by my desk...

Because the clay sword (after a good hour of tender focused work) would IMMEDIATELY would break upon the lightest touch, annoying me to no end, one evening was like God I wish I had actual metal to use instead wouldn't that be cool, and then was like OH! I COULD DO THAT! So the metal is actually cut from the tin of a cat food can, straightened and sanded., as seen in photo!

The blades hilted, before placed in capable hands

ARMS! and the sculpting is finished. Onto painting!

First layers of paint on various parts; I generally paint via colours I'm using at the moment (ie, greens in this instance)

More layers laid down. I generally go for shading in rules of three (main colour, lighter, and darker hues) and apply them at different opacity of acrylic. Adjusted the green since I found it too pungent. Once the fur tones were finished I gave him his stripes (cue me searching up loads of photos of tigers and tiger fursonas to see how people have done the stripes. Did you know depending on the area they are from they have different face shapes and stripe patterns? Fascinating stuff)

Finished project! Last layers, and highlights where added, adjusted the eye and fuck-ups re-adjusted. Dropped and had to reglue things. The gold is actual gold leaf I applied using a glue you paint on but that was a bit of a whole mess and took a long time, and doesn't go on very flat on very not-flat surfaces... (Who would have thought...) In the future may instead use gold paints for metallics.

Here's also the link to the post of more photos of him finished!

[batfossil-fr]

I’ve been really thinking of reopening my art shop soon… I’ve been taking some practice doodles (hence all the posting lately) while I shake off my rust and I’m finding things I enjoy working on again. I miss trying my hand at more dragons/OCs and colors. my shop’s so broken rn lmao but that’s a problem for a later date it’s just nice getting back into art

[bmpmp3]

and lowkey the yoshitaka amano zola project designs have kind become really inspiring to me lately. i am no amano. i am no where near the same ballpark. BUT. the traditional art pencil drawing watercoloury copic marker loose sketchy fashion art vibe being used on, of all things, vocal synthesizer box art really gets me pondering possibilities you know. where can i put my funny watercolour drawrings..... what kind of digital places can they go.....

okay yeah i mean people fucking HATE this box art if they aren't familiar with amano's work. but its still inspiring. for me orz

[lynxfrost13]

Man for some reason the “not living up to my potential” in terms of my art is really hitting today which is stupid.

Hey brain you know that art is a forever journey and that it’s okay to grow and learn and not be perfect right???

[good-wine-and-cheese]

Reflections

[arolesbianism]

A mini Meiro ref

[daz4i]

yknow i noticed the small steps method doesn't help me and only stresses me out more. and like i just get stuck on the first step anyway and never move on to the next one, i'll probably even go back to the start eventually really. i'm apparently an all or nothing guy i can't think of an action as multiple actions bc it stresses me out i just need to either do it or not. the problem is i usually end up not

[moe-broey]

Doctor appointment went to go get my shots and.

A. Visual. So you know what I mean by *broadly gesturing to all of me*

^ Immune to disparaging remarks. On account of The Autism.

[sunnibits]

btw I’ll try to post some work from class soon just to keep y’all updated on my art life lol

I don’t plan to post all my schoolwork here bc I probably won’t like all of it and I think it’s been good for me to separate my art from the internet for a while but also I have been enjoying my messy charcoal pieces a lot so I wanna share some of what I’ve been doing :))

[cuteniaarts]

Fanny, my sweet, beautiful girl

17.11.2012 – 14.04.2019