#and then YouTube was a thing and then I got a drawing tablet and then smartphone

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

Pets can be destructive, and kids can sometimes be well behaved, but my cat can’t make flamethrowers in the backyard and bite door handles so idk

[meanbossart]

Hey, I was wondering if you had any starter tips for digital art? I'm a traditional artist and have been for years, but I was recently given a tablet and clip studio. I am having SUCH a hard time getting anything to look right: shaky lines, flat/too soft pieces, just an absolute childish mess every single time. I see all these gorgeous digital pieces and have NO IDEA how to get there.

Heya!

So, it's been a very very long time since I transitioned from traditional to digital art, but I DID do proper traditional for a few years; we're talking ink pens, color pencils, markers, watercolor, fancy papers, the works. I did some acrylic painting too but only monochrome (and before anyone asks, these works no longer exist so I can't share them) all that to say that I do have some experience with the former and definitely felt the learning curve when I changed to a tablet.

To get the unhelpful advice out of the way first: It's a different and unfamiliar medium, and there is probably nothing significant that you're "missing" about it except time and exploration. There are pillars to digital art just like there are in traditional art, but when it comes to personal process everyone has their quirks and habits - you gotta mess around and find what works for you. I suggest looking up tutorials and speedpaints on youtube even if you know all the basics or if the style you see doesn't appeal to you; just watching how others do their thing might help you figuring out how you would like to do yours!

Now, for the more practical advice:

-I don't know what kind of tablet you got, but assuming it's a non display, that's an extra hurdle you have to get over in developing the eye-hand coordination necessary to use it. This feels very alien at first but it shouldn't take longer than a few weeks to feel completely natural.

-On that note, if there is a significant size discrepancy between the tablet and the screen you are looking at, that might mess you up. Try adjusting the size of the CSP window so it fits the size of the actual drawing surface you are using more closely.

-Every drawing tablet's pen has pressure settings that can be tweaked to your liking, I for one always make it a little softer than the default.

-BRUSH STABILIZATION! That's a setting every individual brush (and almost every tool, I believe) on CSP has. It does as advertised: stabilizes your brush strokes. A lot of people like this set between 8-20 depending on the brush, and it can make a huge difference to the way you draw.

It is usually always visible in the tool properties, but if not, you can toggle it on through the "sub tool details" menu by clicking the little wrench symbol on the bottom right.

Hopefully this has been helpful at all. Good luck!

[abisalli]

I was wondering, because I see your art, it's amazing and you're clearly well taught (either self or by an institution) on digital arts, so I'm curious, what led you to them? how the fuck do you do the thing?

I do traditional only, would say I'm chill since in secondary school I chose visual arts modality, but I can't or don't know how to digitalize my shit, so I'm curious about how you got here

Thanks! I'm self-taught and have learned everything via books and the help of the internet :) I don't remember what specifically led me to digital art. I just always liked how clean it could look and how there's so many different tools you can use within a program!

As for how I got here: my first tablet was a simple wacom tablet (I think it was an intuos one for like 50 bucks). Then I downloaded Paint Tool Sai and watched some YouTube tutorials on how to use it... and then just dicked around for a long time (like using different brushes or which canvas size to use so my computer won't crash, etc.) Basically a lot of trial and error.. A few years ago I switched to an iPad and Procreate and haven't looked back since <3 Digital art is just like traditional art in the sense that you first have to familiarize yourself with the tools and try out a lot of different techniques until you find what works best for you!

also just for fun, here's a comparison of a drawing I did in 2016 (when I first got into digital art) and one from 2024 :)

[marte-14]

Lorule (aka Hyrule’s Ravio)

PREVIOUS/DOCTOR

Got my tablet to work, so here we go with the next Ravio!

The Hero of Lorule is young capitan of the royal guards.

Very confident of himself and his role, sometime arrogant and he can be a bit harsh with his words,(The new recruits that are trained by him can confirm). Still he has a kind heart who just wants to be someone his people can look up to.

While Hyrule’s world is a dangerous place, where civilisation is limited to a few villages, Lorule’s world is flourishing.

He grew up in Castletown, he isn’t a survivalist like the Traveler (just the training he got in the military)

Lorule is also half fairy (just like Hyrule in this headcanon) but he isn’t good with his magic, he doesn’t know how to use it in battle and he struggles to control it.

He has two Hildas, just like Hyrule has two Zeldas. The first Hilda he met was at 10 years old when he discovered to be the Hero, he met the second Hilda during a Quest, when he saved her.

He grew up with both the Hero of Lorule and Hyrule stories (Hope and Legend), he admires them both a lot, and he is the only other Ravio who knows of the existence of the world of Hyrule.

He is the cook in his group, fortunately his food doesn’t curse people even with his face blood.

He is close with Hope, but he has more of a mentor/student relationship than friendship with him, and Hope is a bit overwhelmed by his enthusiasm to change things.

He and Hyrule have a fine relationship, they are not the closest but they work well together.

The reality is that they admire each other a lot, but struggle to express it:

Hyrule admires Lorule because he sees him more similar to his companions, strong knights that are legendary. But it also make a bit self conscious about his self worth, making him result colder to Lorule.

Lorule admires Hyrule for his strength and abilities, especially the magical ones. Hyrule also reminds him a lot of Hope, both of them shined light in their kingdoms that were is chaos, kind hearted people in an unforgiving world. He thinks that Hyrule doesn’t like him, mostly because how close off Hyrule is at times. Lorule knows that his enthusiasm can be a bit much at times, and he believes that Hyrule finds him a bit annoying.

He will ask advice to Hope, who will teach him how to communicate with the Links, especially when they don’t talk (btw Hope helps more than one Ravio out when it comes to interacting with the Links, same goes for Legend but in reverse)

.

.

.

I want to thank @lace4forest.

You have no idea how much your video analysis helped me to write this character (your video on Wars is going to save me when I do his Lorulian counterpart)

If you don’t know about her channel on YouTube, she has a series where she analyses every Link, they are very useful for any fanfiction/fancomic writer of LU.

She also does streams on Twitch and draws (very good drawings too!)

Go check everything out!

[femboychuuya]

Soooo, here we are, a New Year

Now, this post will be different than my usual art Posts i do. A few days before the New Year hit i got kind of reminded that Art Summaries exist.

Usually people only put one Art in, i think its the "best" one which they like the most, i think.

Though i wasn't able to decide for only 1 piece for each Month, so let me take you through my whole 2024 Art Journey!

- - - ☆

Starting off, i was 19 when i started Art. Back in May was when i came up to my beloved now girlfriend Kiera and asked for Advice on Drawing and told her that i wanted to start Art.

I chose to start with Hands. (albeit i did not include those visually in my Summary)

Hands were.... well.... hands. Kiera sended me a few Videos on how to draw, recommending me a German Youtuber called DrawingLikeASir. This is where i got my basic understanding on how hands (and also Human Anatomy as a whole) work and how to draw them.

I'm very grateful that people who do Art for a long time already, share and make Tutorials to follow. It's alot easier for me when i have real time visual explanation, so DLAS's Video's really helped me alot.

Besides those Videos, Kiera gave me alot of help too. She would give me tips if my Anatomy was off, help me fixing it via voice chat or messaging and overall just helped me understand Art to the extent that i then started to do it more regularly and frequently.

- - - ☆

Now, after this Yapfest, how about we take a deep dive into my Art?

This will be the longest part, but i do have alot to share actually....

Let's start with May !

I don't have any visuals here, so i will keep this brief.

In May was the first time i actually tried learning how to draw. I did start with Hands first. Why you may ask? Because i wanted to tackle one of the presumably worst things to draw. I did a basic fanned out Hand for a few times before i started drawing Hands around things. I felt comfortable very fast with how i drew Hands back then. And that was my May more or less.

June !

Let's get a nice Picture of June out, because June is the Month i started to learn Human Anatomy. It sucked.

I tried learning Human Anatomy after i felt confident enough with hands. I experimented around a bit, tried drawing either masculine or feminine body Types, but i did struggle with both. In the end, i tried settling for more androgenous Body Types. Those were alot easier for me, and Kiera did tell me that they can be easy to work with, since i can basically "shape them like i want". So i went with it.

Pretty much my June was occupied with learning to draw a whole Human Body.

July !

In July i made alot of Progress i think, this was my Prime time for learning how Bodies work. I took Ideas from other people i've interacted with, tried a DTIYS (Do this in your Style), created a small sketch page, participated in Rimlaine Week and also started to do Digital Art!

Now, starting Digital Art was hard, it still is for me after roughly 6 months. My missfortune was, i had no pen for my Tablet. I needed to learn how to Finger Draw. It was really taxing and unforgiving on my Hand, but i still pushed through it and gave my best. I didn't wanted to stop with Digital Art just because i had no pen.

Eventually, at some point (actually 2 points, one later though) I had a pen that worked, though it broke, both of them did. So i just stayed with Finger Art.

It honestly feels more natural for me to use my Finger by now and i think i actually want to stay drawing with my Finger for now. Unless i actually get a pen that doesn't break imidiatly.

August !

Short things for August: I had an Artblock. I managed to find 1 whole picture for August.

I can't really say anything more here i fear.

September !

September.... I tried alot of new things in September! Brushes, bigger Canvases, even rendering (not visually included)

September was a nice month. I made alot of progress, pushed my comfort zones and met ALOT of great Artist's!

I tried alot of new things. Posing, shitpost doodles, multiple people, character sheets, the Nasty Dog trend (i had fun doing that) and also tried to participate in dazai hurt/comfort week, i couldn't finish it due to personal reasons.

In September, i joined a Soukoku Discord Server which is run by Kaez. I joined there with intent of talking about SKK and it developed into active talking and Art Streams nearly daily! I got ALOT and i mean ALOT of good advice and tips on how to draw from more experienced Artist's!

It truly helped me find my Artstyles and Tools i can use on my drawings.

I am very thankful that my girlfriend sended me the link to Kaez's post about this server, it has been alot of fun there and was very educational aswell!

October !

In October i still was drawing nearly every day and started to draw Characters from Kiera's and mine own Story! I also experimented with Artstyles and Chuuya's hair. His Hair was a mess, it still is, but drastically changed the way i draw his hair in that month.

I specifically also tried to stylize eyes, it failed mostly but i still tried regardless (Eyes and facial expression are hard to draw, i learned the hard way)

November !

November was the Month where i started drawing (and writing) my first AU! My 14 Year old's BunnySkk AU!

I am very proud of those beans and all i had in my brain were those 2. I did inflict pain and suffering and great Trauma on Skk, but fear not, they are well now... or are they?

Lastly, December !

Going strong with the last Month of the year, I struggled, greatly. I had alot of personal Issues coming up, but went through those with trying to do art. Art really helped me get my mind off things, due to me not having a single thought while drawing (My head is a blank slate while i draw)

But besides those struggles, i got cheered on to keep going and so i did. I delivered Art from a Ship i was first very reluctant to draw things in fear of people being well.... online people. But i eventually overcame myself and started drawing my second favourite ship... Kunichuuzai!! I absolutely love their dynamic and can't wait to get back into drawing them. I need them. Carnally.

- - - ☆

Now now, this is probably as long as it can get now, so i will try to keep myself short here. (Try is the keyword, i am a yapper at Heart)

First and foremost, i will be thanking Kiera @misterloong , for even getting and pushing me into Art. I don't think that i would have been able to accomplish what i am doing currently without your great help and Feedback!! And thank you for putting up with my sometimes breakdowns over Art, its hard and we both know that.

Secondly, i am thanking Kaez @xkaez for creating the Skk Server. I don't think i would have had such a fun time over the last months while doing art if it wasn't for sitting together in vc with everyone and equally loosing our heads over Art together. The Art struggle is real but worth it.

Third..ly? Third?.... Leaving it at that. I am thanking the VC Dwellers Soup @iwantmochisoup , Goat @thatghostinyourbog , Jema @msshinylemon , Salt @saltedbiscuiit and Killeia @nolongerforthetainted . I am thanking you all for sitting in vc together, planning things, working together on thing and just having a fun time together! I learned a shitton, and i mean a shitton from being together in VC, drawing, talking or just hanging out together. I really hope this never dies out, its really fun with you all!!

Fourthly.... Fourth....? I am thanking Rosie @anticidic , Cinny @ohhcinnybuns , Ari @nevertheblood, Brin @ediblepandas and Cryptid @cryptid-juzou for giving me alot of Ideas and talking about all the ideas you guys had. It's always fun to lurk at night in the chats and see good ideas spring in. It might be one of my favourite pastimes aswell to just lurk in :)

And Lastly, i thank everyone else who i forgot to mention, whether its Skk server people, random online people, my mom or literally anyone who sees my stuff. I thank you for being here and supporting my Art Journey in any way you can. It has been a fun half Year of doing Art and i am so hyped for creating a full year of Art this year!!

I hope everyone who wants to do Art, starts doing Art, same with Writing or whatever other creative hobbies there are. It will bring you fun and can potentially even help you express yourself more.

On to a new Year

- West

- - - ☆

Adding on:

2 more Chibi doodles for making it to the end :>

[meirimerens]

how do i get into drawing more? i've enjoyed drawing since i was a child but i never really practiced it that much and as such most of my stuff is pretty rudimentary from a technique standpoint. i only have physical supplies and i cannot afford an ipad or a drawing pad any time soon

there is no need for an ipad or a tablet if you don't already draw something expansive you don't even have to worry about that. I (and i imagine many/most artists who began drawing young) got my start on normal paper sheets the one they call "printer paper" because it's thin and textureless. Actually that might be a lie because I think that even before that I was drawing on walls so truly full circle of a thing.

The only stuff you need to draw are something To Draw With, whether it be a pencil or a pen; if it is a pencil also have an eraser, a no-bullshit rectangular eraser, I've literally never understood what the good was in the pink & blue ones beyond making holes & stamps in them, just get a normal good eraser, slightly squishy so it doesn't pull at the paper like a maniac when you use; And paper to draw in. I'd say get a sketchbook for the convenience + the chill of it all. Doesn't even have to be thicker "drawing paper" it can just be a random, lineless notebook. I like mine to have a spiral spine so I can take full advantage of the page but don't even need that. Genuinely for years this was my drawing material (+ whatever paper I found, including my school supplies)

(Staedtler eraser very good actually I've been using it for 10yrs among the better I've used if you find it get yourself one. This shit was like 1.50€ at my local papeteries and then again they mightve inflated the price)

Now I'm gonna tell you about my life because I think it colors the way I approach drawing and as such the advice I'll give you: I started drawing really young (like pre-dates knowing how to read or write) and never stopped. That means I, technically, have some 20+ years of drawing, but I still struggle with what are kinda "fundamentals". I only quite late, technically speaking, gotten into trying my hand as perspective & naturalistic anatomy. That's because I had, at the start, nothing but passion.

And that's gonna be the one piece of advice I have for you:

Get really, really into something, and start trying like the devil to get good at drawing it.

When I was a wee lad I loved horses so much (and I still do.) and all I wanted to do was get good at drawing horses so I could draw stories with horses, so I practiced drawing horses from the horse magazines i had. Around 11, I got really into manga and all I wanted to do was get good at drawing manga so I could draw my own (a lot of my actually like Formative Years of drawing was manga, and I think it's still visible especially when I draw cartoony faces these days), so I practiced drawing manga from the how-to books their were at the library (and we had actually good ones, including Japanese mangaka's translated into french). Around 14, I got really into Video Game, and all I wanted to do was get real good at drawing the characters, so i practiced from youtube tutorials & other internet finds. Nowadays I'm into art history & archeology, and go out of my way to see and grasp and understand #whateverthiswas and try to pepper it (or sometimes dump the whole bag) in my images.

If you're starting "from nothing", I feel like practicing anatomy for the sake of anatomy (for example) will just piss you off. When you get more into the groove of things, and actually want to Get Serious, you'll sit down to Actually Practice, but I personally have always found that Learning for the Passionate Goal makes the whole thing more interesting than Learning To Learn To Then Attempt The Passionate Goal.

It's gonna suck for a while. It truly will. You'll see every improvement so drastic you'll be like ewww what was that 2 months ago. But you will HAVE HAD FUN DOING IT!!!

Tldr

1) get into something. Whatever it is.

2) collect tools and tutorial to serve whatever it is you're into, and not try to get into the tools: that will come later, once you're already in the habit of drawing.

3) you don't need fancy material

4) never underestimate the power of the humble ballpoint pen and clicky pencil

5) train your brain, the muscle of your brain, to conjure up images until there is nothing you can do BUT exteriorize them lest they poison you

6) you don't have to post anything online btw. In fact, I attribute the fact that I have always loved art so much to the fact that for the first 15yrs of my life I could truly just enjoy the process and vibe. I still do, don't take me wrong, and truly I draw for myself and you're all trapped in here with me. Looking at the slop i feed you. But there is an inherent, new dimension added with Being The Blogger. So have fun and vibe.

7) the heart is the horse, the hands are the rider

[elianzis]

Hiii! So sorry to bother you but im a total newbie when it comes to digital art and animatics so I was wondering a few things if you don't mind.

1. What programs du you use? Like FlipaClip or Adobe Animate ect..

2. Do you draw with a tablet? On a computer with a mouse, or an Ipad? (Or something else)

3. Any tips for someone drawing digitally/making an animatic for the first time?

Again so sorry if someone already asked this or if you dont understand my english😭 (im not native lol)

Hi, so...I will try to answer you and not to guide you in the wrong direction 😂

So

1. I use Photoshop, for drawing and for animation. BUT I recommend you to use a Clip Studio Paint for animation because it's more suitable for that or smth closer to this. I do it in Photoshop because this is the only app I have for this and I already got used to it too much.

Of course, animation can be done in general through a variety of crutches, for example, when I had problems with the program, I saved the frames separately and put them in the video editor, but I usually did that with small animations

2. I draw on a tablet, a very simple one - One by Wacom CTL - 672 (it's without screen), I believe it's not a bad one for a beginner. I have enough of it to work with, the only thing I would like is a higher level of clicks, so you can find it in about the same price range and with a larger range of clicks if you want.

3.If you want to do animation, it's better to ask other people, I can give you not very good tips, because I started doing animation as a hobby and all I know is all the watching from anime/cartoons.

I can only suggest that you watch animation lessons on YouTube..and to train your eyesight. Start with some simple animation maybe.. my friend sent me one lesson from one artist - Howard Wimshurst, maybe you can find smth interesting there.

I'm sorry I'm not very good at giving advice to people. I'm basically self-taught in terms of drawing, so.. sorry if this is not helpful 😭

[peonypaint]

i need him to go to france and to have the worst time possible

the first drawing is way older than the other ones oops full id under the cut

[ ID: five digital drawings of enter from tokumei sentai gobusters. the first drawing shows enter standing in front of a blurry starbucks with a disgusted expression on his face, we only see enter from the chest up as he looks into the camera. the text below says "the face in the corner is me being disgusted that there is a starbucks in the louvre". the second drawing shows a thumbnail of a youtube video where enter is standing on a busy street with blurred people walking in the background along with buildings and trees. enter is holding a bag in one hand and a partially eaten croissant in the other hand. he has an unhappy expression on his face, and in front of him is text surrounded by a gold leaf wreath border which reads "really awful". the youtube video title reads "worst croissant in paris" and there is a small icon of a close up of enters face, there is text which also reads "enter. 5 views. 2 months ago." the third drawing is a comic with two panels. panel one shows escape holding her tablet and looking off to the side, she has a thoughtful expression as she says, "if paris is the city of love, then whats the city of hate?" near her tablet is a bubble which says "calling" with a small drawing of enters face. panel two shows enter standing against a railing with buildings behind him, holding his laptop with a tired expression as he says, "also paris" below the speech bubble is smaller text which reads "dont ever come here". next to the laptop is a corresponding bubble which says "calling" and shows a small drawing of escapes face. the fourth drawing is a five panel comic. panel one shows enter raising a hand to his mouth thoughtfully, saying, "hmm what should i do while im here…" panel two shows enters laptop screen with his hands on the keyboard. the screen reads " things 2 do in paris. catacombs" and the text above says "oh la la". the third panel shows enter standing in a passageway of the catacombs, which is colored in yellow golden tones while the rest of the comic is uncolored. the fourth panel shows a close up of enters face as he says, "wheres the internet connection. oh non non." the last panel shows enter laying face down with his limbs splayed out, an arrow points to him with text that reads "he got lost", the background color is light brown. the fifth drawing shows enter wearing a tshirt over his usual costume which says "i went to paris and all i got was lost in the catacombs" while he frowns. /END ID]

[cconfusedkat]

(shaking hands, functioning on three iced coffees, not beta read we just die) (LIL BRO TREATING THIS LIKE AO3Anyways yeah i did not read anything i typed here a second time so my wording might Suck Major Kuss)

Hey chat! sorry my holiday depression unfortunately kicked in, i had a ,, relatively decent Eid (cuz i dont celebrate christmas) ...? so i hope everyone had a relatively better holiday than i did… 💦

My friends often tell me i look like my art and i kinda see it. Hooray! Meeting the artist! Except i took matters into my own hands of making my own collage because I Do Not Have Enough Storage Space For Any Other Editing App

Additional shitpost ❤️ the art I've been most proud of are not actually in here, really! I'm mainly proud of the fanart i made for the few smiling critters AU's aaaall the way back feb-march but. I guess the stuff i liked the most i did this year was probably for the one who wilts? Im trying to think of stuff earlier than that. I noticed i definitely had an improvement in art, and i learned i do have a preference of drawing certain ways now too lmao- the fun of art! I hope to improve more in 2025 :-)

Herm,, all jokes aside, im glad people like my art...?? I am not a very Secure artist myself (already taking me five minutes to type that out and consider myself as an artist) so im SHOCKED when people Actually like my things. My doodles. The sometimes rare occasion of real art i put out there. Like! Wow! Thats crazy

Id have to say the same for youtube- im currently at 456 subscribers 🥺❤️ that is huge to me,, i wouldnt have expected me posting for the first time in years on youtube would result to me getting this many subscribers? ? .???

Im very, VERY thankful for the people ive met this year through fandom and generally. Unfortunately—for the past few months—Ive hit a really low stump in my mental health that limits me from talking to people without getting super drained, even on social media i kinda struggle with being active again. I am thankful for the people that continue to stick around and know im the way that i am,, one day ill be mentally stronger and everyone is gonna see my growth as soon as i can ,, Actually leave my own home and hopefully start a new. I didnt really consider that until one of my friends shared its experiences with me and i GENUINELY realized i can run away and get better one day,, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,, there IS,, but not now. Not today. Not in a few months. Itll take me years to heal but 2025 and ongoing years as i get more freedom to do so,,

UHHHH UHHH. ASIDE FROM CHEESY RANTING OF HAVING HOPES FOR THE FUTURE, YAPYAPYAP- i got a drawing tablet (again another thing my friend inspired me for- technically two major things in a row it inspired me for- hope in the future and drawing BWAHAHA-) and uhhh. HmMMOOHHH YEAH I REUNITED MY MEOWMEOWS! HOORA🎊🎊🎊🎊

my 2025 goals are not just improvement in art,, but in hopes of getting a full time job (since my last full time UMM. did NOT work out well! How am i gonna learn to pay my taxes on my own dawg,) and trying to get a place of my own since i missed out on that two years ago (or one? One year ago? I DUNNO..!!!!) , therapy and trying to heal better compared to my terrible stumps of 2022-2024,, i dunno what else but. Maybe working on my social skills at some point 🗿🗿 a far fetched goal is moving out of state completely and also going on testosterone but that is farrrr from now </33

Thank you lot for following and keeping up with my goofiness i gen did not think an animanga nerd with a passion of indie and mascot horror games could reach 510 followers within one year HELPPP thats crazy

On less serious goals though i hope on watching more animes than reading manga in 2025 BWAHAHAGAHSAJD i read manga more and anime is Extremely Rare for me to watch but both jjk and Beastars have all ive been watching as of recent lol- trust i will be such a geek (girl Please that is NAWT something to look forward to) (YES IT IS. HAVE YOU NO WHIMSY?)

[biconickyoshi]

The boys! 🔥🌪

So I got a Huion drawing tablet this summer but never ended up doing much with it due to how intimidating Clip Studio Paint is lol. This weekend, however, I finally sat down and watched some YouTube tutorials, and behold! We have Zuko and Aang as they appear at the start of my Zukaang AU, The Avatar and the Fire Prince!

Just a quick summary again for those who have not read it: this is an AU where Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg shortly after Zuko is banished at age 13 in 96 AG, so they're only one year apart. It's an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers slowburn that will eventually follow a similar course to the canon events of the show, just with more focus on Zuko & Aang's friendship and eventual romance.

23 chapters of TAatFP are currently posted, the most recent of which is The Fortuneteller (a chapter I have been so excited to adapt since I started this fic in early 2022)!

I used to draw AtLA fan art allllll the time when the show was still airing, and I used to draw more in general in high school, but this is the first time I've really tried to seriously draw in nearly a decade, and also my first time really making any art digitally that I feel looks good enough to post.

That being said, I'm quite proud of what I was able to do. I very much tried to make Zuko look like he's 13, and I think I did a pretty decent job? Also I got very lazy with the shading... I just kinda put it where I thought it needed to go, so sorry if it looks wonky lol.

I'm going to try to do more of these character sheet-ish type things to show what Aang and Zuko are going to look like as they continue to grow up throughout my AU, and if I get really ambitious, I might even try to draw pivotal scenes...

Btw if any of y'all ever decide to draw fan art of my fic, PLEASEEEE tag me in it because I would absolutely love to see it!

[kleefkruid]

okay to start my photoshop to procreate blogging journey, here's everything I already knew before even downloading procreate, and some assorted information:

Biggest pro for procreate is obviously that it isn't photoshop from a price and moral standpoint.

But what made me decide to switch now? I got the funds to get a (refurbished) iPad, and an iPad would allow me to draw in bed/on the couch, which is not an insignificant thing since I lose a lot of time bc of fatigue, when I can't sit at the table with a computer and drawing tablet. It's basically a dissability aid that enables me to do this professionally.

I tried Danny's version (I say version bc they tweaked all their tools for their tattoo design so it's not the vanilla experience) and what I immediately noticed is that the amount of times you can undo an action is a lot less than I'm used to. Make sense bc it doesn't have the power of an entire computer, but it's something I'll have to keep in mind by using more temporary layers.

I have also gotten a textured screen protector because I am used to work with my wacom tablet which also has a grainy surface. Just the iPad glass feels very unstable. I went with the fancy (an a bit overpriced) Paperlike brand but only bc if you buy them they come with a spare protector and Danny gave me their spare for free. It makes the retina screen a lot more matte but that's perfectly fine by me because wacom tablets also have that look.

I'm excited about the brushes because from experience I know there are a lot more fun ones available. My photoshop ones for flash design I had to make myself and I never truly got what I wanted. There's 100s of procreate brushes for tattooing out there.

I like the fact that procreate can screen record so easily. That gives me some new material to fluff up my content creation (I know, the horrors... they demand reels...)

I am used to having a second screen since my laptop has to be connected to power my wacom tablet. That usually has my references and a youtube video or something as entertainment. I'll have to get used to not have that at all times but at home I can perfectly just also have my laptop near.

The tablet I use is a Cintiq 16. The iPad I got now is a iPad Pro (2021). The cintiq has a build in screen so that part is simmilar (I got started back in the day on a screenless wacom tablet about the size of a big trackpad. Both machines I have now would've blown my mind)

[britt-kageryuu]

It's the Twins Birthday (or all their birthday I don't know), and they're having a blast with the party, games, food, dancing, and of course the presents!

Mikey approaches Donnie with a tablet in hand. "I want to give one of my gifts next!~"

Donnie with a small smile and a raised eyebrow questioned, "What gift do you have on your tablet Michael?"

Mikey turns on the tablet, and shows multiple sets of drawings on the screen, "Well since you wanted to restart your YouTube channel anew, I looked into some ways you could do things, and figured why not make some VTuber models of all of us! Both 2d, and 3d of course."

On closer inspection the drawings were infact reference sheets for each brother, 3D models of each brother, and 2D models separated into parts for rigging.

Donnies eyes widen with amazement at the reference sheets. Leo and Raph lean in behind Donnie to see the tablet.

"Raph would like to know what a Vee Tuber is." Raph says with confusion.

Leo takes over for the explanation, "A VTuber is a Youtuber/Streamer/content creator that uses an animated model instead of showing themself. Usually as a separate persona with a Backstory attached. They got very popular in the last few years."

"Indeed, Nardo is correct. And I love it Michael! I can't wait to start rigging these, and testing them out! Excitement Overload~~!" Donnie starts stimming a lot.

"And I will help you with backgrounds, clothes, and other art related things." Mikey chirps.

"Anywizzle~ Why did you make models of all of us if this was mainly for Dontron? Unless~" Leo starts to say with excitement.

"I want us to all be apart of this VTuber streaming thing, even if we can't all do much because of our day jobs." Mikey explains.

They all agree, and start putting together a basic plan that they will work out more another day, and not during the party.

They of course told the rest of their family and friends about their plans, and the only ones not really getting it were Splinter and Draxum.

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

Donnie and Mikey work together to set up the various art assets, backgrounds, and the starts of their models 'outfit closets' and setting up how the scenes would work for streaming. On top of the rigging and some small tests of the tracking.

It took them a bit of time, and remembering to create a new channel for their new VTuber project.

Donnie was setting up a private test stream to test out his custom full body tracking rig, and hoped things went over well for their eventual VTuber debut...

Right~~

--------------------

Masterpost

A little bit of lore for my VTuber au.

[blazingstaro]

Big changes on the horizon! DotS updates and more!

Happy New Year!! With a new year in front of us, there's new opportunities awaiting us all! This year I've decided to finally go for it, and chase a dream I've been running away from for years!

I'm finally going to launch a YouTube channel sometime this year alongside dusting off my poor old Twitch account! Right now I've got a lot to prep, but this is something I've been wanting to do for a very long time, and never thought myself prepared or good enough for it. Well, last year was all about taking big leaps and just gunning for it, so that's exactly what I'm doing

The channel will (unsurprisingly) be about games, and bringing a new method of reviewing games based on multiple factors. Throughout the next few months, I'll actually be reaching out to gaming communities and asking you all various questions to help me identify different types of gamers! I'm creating a gamer spectrum and multiple profiles to help gamers find their matches.

No more confusing numbers and biased reviews! Finally asking the most important question at the core of every game: is it fun? Visuals, style, narrative (or the lack there of) can be easily cast aside if the core of the game is just fun! That's what a game should always be at base 💖

It's a huge ambition, aiming to shake up the reviewing world, but it's something I'm passionate about! I hope it'll take off, and inspire more people to give the system a shot. I don't plan to do it forever, and eventually move on to new things or just focusing on let's-plays (which I intend to do in addition to reviews, clips from Twitch streams and the like).

This is basically gonna be my day job that I'll juggle alongside my comic, and since I won't be under time constraints or physically exhausted, it shouldn't affect my comic any!

So how's DotS:MMM going to look like going forward?

My posting schedule for DotS:MMM is going to likely be 1 page a month for the time being until I can really make headway on pages! Frankly I've been stuck on one page in particular, since I've needed to remake it entirely, and it's been bugging me for months. I believe I've gotten something down finally, so with the Holidays finally behind us, I should finally have a bit more time to work on pages. My mobile tablet setup helps so much with my art away from my computer!!

My drawing energy has been really low in past months since it was so busy, but I'm getting the itch again as I'm shaking off the holiday glaze! You guys will know I'm back in action when a page suddenly appears, hehehee!

In conclusion—

The comic won't stop anytime soon, just pages are gonna be slow for a while! I have loads of graphics to make for my new channel, and I'm also making a Live2D model to accompany. My reasons for this is simply that I don't like putting my real face on the internet, and prefer my privacy, so I'm creating a cartoon avatar that represents me— much like Saberspark has, with still images in various poses, and of course an actual live model to represent my face on both videos and livestreaming. It's a lot to learn and program, so I've got a bunch of work ahead of me!

I'll do my best to involve you guys in the future of this channel, asking questions and what you all think I should name things for the channel!! You all have been with me for so long, it only feels right, y'know?

Anyhow, thank you so much for reading!! I hope you've had a wonderful New Year, and that great things await you on the horizon!💖

[zeondraws]

I always wonder why I have been so busy the past months but then I remember all the things I'm doing with SWTD:

(this is more of a thought post about my life/thoughts/feelings than a lore post! Ignore if you are not interested in this, I don't mind)

Taking Screenshots

Multiple recording sessions (for audio or funny moments, and so on)

Multiple playthroughs of the game

Doing an AU for some reason

Drawing the characters (much art)

Also learning how to use procreate, while my big tablet is packed away until November

Working on a video project

Learning how to use OBS

Datamining the gamefiles for more info with fmodel

troubleshooting fmodel because it's showing me the middle finger for the billionth time

learning how to use a dumper to get mappings file (to view files in fmodel)

learning how to install mods and learn how to use them

troubleshooting my pc or laptop because of my silly shenanigans

rebuilding the models in blender while simultaneously watching blender tutorials to understand what the hell I'm doing

read about TCR's other games and play them (I still have to play Little Orpheus)

Trying to research movies or any blogpost/YouTube posts regarding the game

Other types of research that I can't think of right now

Sharing results with others and discuss the findings to figure lore out

confusedscreaming.mp4

????

It has a lot of reasons why I am super determined and stubborn? when it comes to something I'm passionate about. (It's really hard to explain)

Family always dismissed my hobbies and didn't support me much for them. They often gave me false promises and made me wait for nothing

Often treating me like a baby, as if I can't think for myself. I had to fight a lot for my passions the past decade or so. Even dealing with a former coworker who was very manipulative and tried very hard to belittle me.

I can't even explain all the stress I had to endure because of my old job. Constantly monitored for mistakes, constantly shoved to a corner, freedom taken away, bullied, my feelings had been manipulated so much that I just.. had entire months where I cried every single day. And I'm not even kidding, I went to work in fear, I walked home in fear, I woke up in fear. I still remember that evening where I was so afraid of everything. I was so scared to even be in my apartment, I just balled my eyes out because it was too much at that moment.

Only thing that kept me going was my determination, hope.. daydreams. . and seeking out help (therapy, friends) and using the anger I felt for my coworker to work on my art/passions and show myself that I'm not worthless.

Sometimes my coworker would treat me badly on some days, so after I went home I used my anger and sadness to make art. Even if I sat there drawing for 5h. It did help me to improve a ton in my skills.

I think that event made me go through this journey of? self reflection and growth. It's wild how much happened after that.

Family wasn't helpful in this painful time period, one told me I'll end up alone, that I shouldn't talk to people online or that I should be happy to have a job (Talking to family is like talking to a wall). Or another family member who tries so hard to treat me like an object.

It fills me with anger, but they're all I've got. I thankfully have many friends I can go to when needed, but I wouldn't be able to fully abandon my family. It's probably because I felt so down when my mother passed away over two years ago. I haven't talked to her in years because of her mental condition, but her passing hit me badly.

I have struggled for a while to work on other skillsets because I was too afraid, doing videos, blender, drawing humans idk why, maybe no confidence in myself to try it out

.. Suddenly swtd gets released and my head does a 360 and is like "I'm going to learn all of this now, hold my bear". Using my obsession about this game to learn something new, which helped me overcome so many hurdles. Like the amount of times I threw myself out of my comfort zone while I tried to fiddle with the game.

Like, look at the difference in my human art

This is the first time I drew Muir like.. I forgot when I drew this, two months ago?

And then like this is from a few days ago

... *compares* I don't know how to explain the difference, I think there is one-

Like,. It's hard to compliment myself because of the sheer amount of stress I endured over the year. I've been out of the old job for 3 weeks now. I'm so glad I'm out of there.

I remember how I always wanted to draw an entire dragon, not just a bust. And look I ended up drawing one!! Ok with Roper's head but yea!

I think family difficulties and other events made me feel very detached from others. I never felt/feel like I belong anywhere. I moved so often that this feeling persisted. And it may persist for who knows how long. I only recently got a diagnosis, I have a form of depression, but it's somewhat mild. Hence why I'm still able to perform in daily tasks and work. Tho I don't want to use my condition as an excuse, I rather just want to show that I'm capable of something. That even people who struggle mentally can find success in what they do.

Life throws so many hurdles but I think I am slowly used to living in the chaotic environment. I keep drawing and work on my hobbies while I wait to move apartments.

I try very hard to change my mindset even tho my mind had been so used to the negative spirals. But I try to stay determined and keep on learning. I am not all knowing and I need to remember that mistakes are ok and that I need them to keep learning and have progress.

I've been pushing aside so many thoughts while I messed with the game. Even tho it's 2AM I needed a quiet moment to think about it all.

I am very open with my thoughts and feelings, it's what I usually do on my Instagram account when I post my art.

Tomorrow is another day to learn something new.

[jabesa0]

Hii I amabsoloutly inlove eith your artstyle.

can I ask a few questions? :<

how lomg does your deawings usually take? and do you have any speedpaints,,, uploaded somewbere... for studying purposes

your drawings makr me want to to back to lineless art lol. and not take it so hard on myself.....

Hi there!! Unfortunately I don’t have any speedpaints seeing as I stop drawing while I’m working on my stuff cuz I get distracted easily 😭😭 so if I did you’d just have big periods where nothings happening LOL usually I post process shots on my personal irl server after each drawing session just so I can see how far along I am but that’s about it!

Also I fully support lineless!! I don’t do any lineart (clearly LOL) and it’s more fun to just paint over your sketch and make as you go!! And yeah don’t be so hard on yourself anon! Art is hard and shit takes time, so whether you take a few days on a piece or months I think you should be proud that you actually made something, even if it’s just for yourself :)!!

As for the question of how long I take on my drawings:

(More under the cut!)

As for how long it takes me to make drawings, I’d say it varies like this purple mammon I recently posted took a month but that’s because I had lots of final school work to do and I got sick twice during that time 💀💀 but this three pose page I did as a commission:

This one took me 9 days which is crazy when I think abt it actually cause there’s way more happening but yeah!!

This mammon in the back dress as well took about five days!! So to give you an estimate I’d say anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks? Most mammons I do usually end up being on the lower half of that range! Outside circumstances may make it vary but that’s usually the time it takes!!

Oh and I’d like to add that I usually am a night owl and only start working till around the evening times when I draw!! So when I say days I don’t mean like I spend d all day over my tablet, I don’t think that’d be very good for your health anyways 🤕🤕 take breaks yall play a game you like or watch something on YouTube!!! Don’t spend all your time working lest you burn out!!

I’m gonna be real with all of you, cause my friends make fun of me for it ALL THE TIME LOL but the largest majority of mammon drawing time is like 80% redrawing the face over and over and 20% the rest give or take. I drive myself crazy drawing mammon faces cause I need it to be perfect cause it’s mammon so when it’s not “perfect” I keep working at it and I don’t move on until it is 💀💀 my friends notice a cycle where it’s like:

“You guys I have such a fire idea for a mammon drawing” (makes sketch and flats in like 10 mins) —> (starts face) “wait you guys this face is kinda good maybe I won’t spend fifty years on it :D” —> “eehhhhhhgh okay face not looking good lemme see if I can tweak it” —> “okay face need to be redone.” —> “I decided against redoing it I’m just gonna fix what I have” —> “we gotta throw the whole idea out and start again.” —> “wait you guys I think I did it the face looks good asf was I crying for nothing before??” (They tell me yes I always do) —> (I move on from the face) —> (the rest is completed within 2-4 days) —> Done!

It’s stupid as hell I know LOL but when it comes to mammon if i don’t make him as best as I can I don’t feel like I do him justice. The things we do for love, right?

[nightowl374art]

how long have you been drawing for and how did you make big steps in progress?

I’ve been drawing since I was little but I started taking art more seriously in my teen years. I had some art books and used those to get going but Fanart was really the thing that got me into improving my skill. First, I spent time redrawing screenshots of my favorite animated characters so I could learn their features and expressions (that helped so much with proportions.) Then I would practice drawing those faces and expressions with pose references. Also, I found that the best way to get better was to follow, be inspired by and watch more experienced artists. YouTube helped me so much, idk what it was but watching other people work gave me insight into things I couldn’t learn on my own. Also, if you can, practice digitally—mistakes are much easier to fix and eventually you learn what works best. I learned most of my skills on a tablet.

But my best advice: Practice. Everyone approaches things differently so what worked for me won’t work for everyone. Practice is truly the only thing that will move you forward. Art takes work. Talent is a thing, but it’s better to approach any pursuit with patience, knowing that anything worth learning will challenge you. Just keep moving forward. I’ve always had a passion for art and honestly that’s all it takes to be an artist. Anyone can do it, it just depends on how serious you are about it. Just keep going even when you’re frustrated. It’ll be worth it.

Also, I know this is cliché, but comparison is literally art cancer. Stay focused on your own thing, you too will find your niche/style and originality is what moves creators forward.

Hope this helps 🤟