#but now it feels more intentional / almost like watercolor! something that mixes itself into a new thing; bright and bursting w/ it all.

[swordheld]

how did u choose your username?

oh, this is a fun one!! i think i considered being swordtold at first, for that very ancient myth vibe of the sword being this narrative tool for adventure and structure and physical time, the parable being passed down through the centuries until it meddles into modern day rhetoric and ideology – a kind of fantastical tool, a spark of magic, of possibility.

i like the arc of the story of a place being physical / having it be held by time and hand alike, wearing with the years and having it become something different to each holder, each reader, each experience fantastical and individual.

having that kind of physicality to it; swordheld is the action of taking up and holding the sword yourself, choosing your own narrative, leading your own story. self-identity has always been something i struggle with (a novel concept i know, i know), so it felt right for this blog, since most of my older blogs before this one have been just me silently reblogging and never really posting anything myself, and i wanted this to be the change to that.

i've always had trouble wranging my social anxiety, esp. on the internet, and previously thought that keeping my words to myself helped keep the timeline cleaner, in a way, no messy thoughts for others to sort through, especially ones i believed no one would want to read anyway? but it never felt right, keeping myself apart from it all, esp. not in the way i so avidly enjoyed reading others' posts and additions, keeping their words close to my heart.

i wanted it to reflect that this was a space i was holding for myself? and i'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but this - this i think i got right. i love being here, on this blog, and the joy that it brings me. everyone else enjoying it too has been a wild ride that i never expected, and still surprises me, one that brings a little extra thrill to my heart whenever i think about it.

i had other urls that i liked, but i didn't want this blog to be tied directly to any of my fandom/story interests, since i wanted it to really just be a sort of archive of artistic inspiration and resource, like a little library or museum. i use them now as lil sideblogs of more niche interests now, which is rather lovely.

it hasn't always felt like it fit perfectly, the way that i'd like, but for some reason i can't think of really wanting to change it anytime soon. it feels mythic yet modern in a way that feels like puzzle pieces finally slotting into their place, something my own and inspirational to me, like a lantern i'm holding to make my way by. my own kind of light, if that makes sense – a star i know by name.

[tangibletechnomancy]

The biggest reason I've believed even before I started this project, and believe even more now, that AI art, in the long term, isn't going to be a threat to conventional art, is because they occupy different places in The Sensorium(TM).

Typing in words, and doing math, and generating, and regenerating, and digitally stitching - is a very different sensory experience than scratching at a screen with a tablet pen. Which is a different sensory experience than pushing oil paints around on a canvas. Which is a different sensory experience than watercolor, which is different from fluid art, which is different from photography, which is different from assemblage...

And hey! Whether you consciously recognize it or not, whether you're creating or just observing, the sensory experience is what makes art a Thing!

It's why I'm a mixed media artist. I will never give up my physical paints or digital illustrations for AI, I will not stop doing those until my hands well and truly crap out and I can't do them anymore, because they provide a different experience. I take my AI-generated pieces and add physical human touches to them because the variety of methods just Feels nice and well-rounded and complete.

And the more I experiment with this, the more confident I feel in the fact that the people handling AI maliciously will burn out and give up and move on to yet another attempt to do the impossible and turn the very concept of art itself into an asset they can control, because 1) I...literally saw it happen before when digital painting and illustration was just becoming widespread (and I'll probably write more on THAT later) and 2) people will ALWAYS gravitate toward other methods of creation too, because people will ALWAYS have varied needs out of art.

There is a unique kind of sensory satisfaction to abstracting what you want into a form a computer can understand, and conversing with it in both words and numbers until it gives you what you want - or, often, what you didn't know you wanted. Or in giving it a general Vibe and refining whatever it gives you until you have something you love. Or so many other approaches you could take with a computer. But when what you need to really feel like you're getting your intention across is to physically poke, cut, stack, or squish something, it can't replace that.

...which, in fact, is a argument that's been used against both AI art and digital illustration and painting, completely missing the fact that...that's not a bad thing about whatever new medium we have! That just means we have MORE tools that give us MORE kinds of satisfaction!

And I'm not saying this as some "oh well art itself will be fine so nothing else matters, what do you mean you have bills to pay, fuck your groceries, art should be about love, what kind of sellout are you to not want to die in a hole" - remember, making AI art spaces hostile to the types who would say that or worse is half of why I'm here.

What I'm saying is that resisting an emerging medium's existence, not just its misuse, for fear that something about it as a whole can and will replace something entirely different that people are always going to want, is 1) an exercise in futility, 2) almost always misguided ESPECIALLY in art, and 3) ultimately a weak stop-gap measure for dealing with any actual issues with the production of the medium or the sentiment that drives misuse.

[eorzeasntm]

ENTM Tumblr Cycle 10 Round Seven Results

Hi folks!  Last week we sent our models out into some bad weather.  This round presents some unusual challenges, specifically capturing the environment and balancing dimmer lighting against the gloomy background.  

While all the models emerged from this round slightly damp (or dry if they were smart enough to get out of the rain), the model whose photo most captured the hearts and minds of our voters this round was:

Odharnait “Ona” Greene

Congratulations!  Rongi Pongi was so impressed with this picture that he said it will inspire a future round of ENTM called “Doors.”  The judges and community agreed that this shot was lovely and a fantastic use of the watercolor filter to brighten the stormy night. 

We have one more week in Tumblr Cycle 10.  In the meantime, ENTM Instagram Cycle 1 is in Week 2 and community voting will begin shortly!  Please visit our Instagram Page for more information. 

Also the October Haukke Manner challenge will be closing at 10 PM Eastern TODAY (Oct 24th) so hurry up and get your entry in for a chance to win a minion from the Mogstation.

Our judges have feedback for our models after the cut. 

Judge Kai

Adam: This is a nice shot. It looks like you're trying to outrace the coming storm and reach a safe haven before getting drenched. You did a good job with the lighting, and used the surrounding area to your advantage! It was a very smart decision to have those glowing flowers in the shot and surrounding you. I can believe that the light that is hitting you is coming from them, and that is why the area (and you) are brighter, despite the darkness that seems to be engulfing the area. There are only two things I can think to suggest. The first is I wish you were just a little closer in this image so we could see you better. Which also leads to my second. I might have gone for a slightly lighter outfit, color wise. Because the image, and the background, is so dark a lot of those black tones start to blend in with what's behind you. Overall, you did a great job!

James: First off, I don't know if you did this on purpose, but I find it very amusing and great timing that it looks as if the lightning is coming right down to touch your hand. Moving on from that, this is an image that, to me, seems to hold sadness or loss in it. It's like the rain is reminding you of something from the past, and it's very lovely is a melancholy sort of way. You definitely pop against the darker background, sticking with the blonds, white and lighter grays are helping you a lot in this image. The lighting is very good as well, but I am wondering what the source of the light is? Perhaps a lightning bolt? While the lighting is well done, it just seems a bit overlit for not having a light source in the area. I think you could have pulled back just a bit, and still gotten away with this image. Other than that, I think you did a very good job!

Ni'ko: I am going to assume, from the way that you look in this image, you're the type of cat that doesn't like to get wet. Well, I don't blame you and that doesn't look like the type of storm I would want to be hanging out in either. Overall this is a good image. The lighting is believable for the time of day. It could be a fire burning just out of view, and it's casting its light on you. I also like the outfit that you picked for a few reasons. It matches the surroundings very well and seeing that this is a darker image, your skin tone pops. The dark purple of the swimming trunks is a good pick, it stands out from the neutral earthy tones around you and gives something that draws the eye to you. The pose is a little awkward as if someone caught you in mid-run,  and you're leaving a lot up to the viewer in this instance with the story you're trying to convey but overall you did a good job!

Judge Vederah

Cowbot: There's a really great, almost ominous feeling to this screenshot. Positioning of your character to the object he's looking at is spot on and helps bring the eye across the entire image. Only issue I have is this image reads way to dark. I think if a bit more lighting was used then your character wouldn't blend into the background as much, and we'd be able to more clearly see the rain effect. That detail was almost completely lost with how dark this picture was. Ona: This is, in my opinion, the best use of a gpose filter I've seen in this entire competition. I love how the water color effect really amplifies the rain effect in the background. I also really appreciate how the cool and warm tones of this image come together in this shot.  The only thing I could think of to change is possibly a very small light used to the characters right- the only downside of the watercolor filter is it blurs a lot of the smaller details. Here it cast a very dark shadow on her scales, losing the definition in her face. Wren: This shot reminds me of the scene from the original, cartoon Snow White as she's making her way through the haunted forest.  I just love how innocent and genuinely frightened your character looks against such a foreboding backdrop.  Lighting is the only issue I have here. The background on the right portion of the screen is so dark that just reads as empty space. I think if you had upped the intensity of the lighting on that half of the image just a touch, it would've popped those details in the foreground.

Judge M’Telihgo

Nadede -  I like this.  I love how you stand out against the background.  I also like the umbral static weather effect very much.  I enjoyed playing with different settings and see how images turned out.  Have you ever done that?  It could be fun.  I do wonder what you are looking at while doing your chakra, you seem so intent on it.  I think the bright colors of your armbands and your pants pop against your pale skin.  Which leads to my only real criticism of this picture and is minor.  While your top has some color in it, I think it blends into you a little, not too much but another color may have been better.  Still, you look awesome!

Chee – I love the background.  I like dark colors and things that seem kind of spooky, and this has that for me.  I approve of the location.  For all of that, I like it very much.  Your outfit in a lighter blue makes you stand out against your very dark background and I think the colors suit you well.  There is one thing that makes it so that I cannot enjoy this picture as much as I would like to.  I’m not sure what happened, but there is a ghosting around your face as if you were caught between frames of an animation where it is starting to draw in the next one.  Sadly, that blur makes it so that looking at it for more than a moment makes my eyes water.  It’s a shame too since I really like it overall.

Lantis – Ooh.  I do like this spot for exactly this reason.  FIGHT!!  Anyway, there is a negative though when doing this at night.  Dead space. ��I see where your addition of the sakura effect may have been used to try and counter this and it does help.  I also think that a little different timing of your sparring partner would really make this pop much more.  As it is right now, you are in action and your partner is looking away, at their shoes.  If you could have caught it where they are looking at you, it would definitely sell the action seen much more like they are trying to parry your blow by timing their draw.  Adventure on the high seas!  Kind of anyway.  I still give you credit for catching the lightning bolt just right, I’ve done it and I found it to be a chore.  Well done!

Judge Kusuh

Azalea: I'm a huge fan of the overall "mood" of the picture- a paladin standing in a dark storm; did they recently fail a mission? Are they brooding? Is this where the orchestra swells to give a tearful moment? As I've said before, when I'm left thinking about the possibilities behind an image, it's a good sign! This may be one of my favorite pictures from you so far. The setting, the use of the pencil filter to add more of a "rain" effect, and the overall pose show me that you've given some real thought to everything that goes into this picture. The frame choice is also something I love, but it also comes with this one small critique: when you use this frame, you are using it to trick the viewer into seeing three separate pictures in a single shot. When you have parts of yourself spilling over into the other two frames, this kills the illusion and just leaves the picture looking disjointed. My advice for a picture like this would be to play with your zoom and pose options so that you can fit yourself into a single frame! You're improving every week, I can't wait to see what comes next!

Haila: You have a wonderful sense of visual flow going on in this picture. At first glance, I can easily follow from the spark in the top left corner, down the spear, to your face, and then follow your eyes to your fingers and then off the right side of the image. The choice of color (and the limit of color) were also a smart choice here; the limited palette really adds a sense of impact. Something to think about: This is more on the side of a "high fashion" shot as opposed to a story shot. Don't get me wrong, I very much like both kinds, but one of the things I've seen many ENTM models get pointed out (myself included) is when a shot lacks a story. Your shots in the past have always been a mix of both fashion and story, and this one feels like it shoots straight to the side of fashion. Once again, this isn't really a bad thing, but it's something I want you to be aware of as you plan your final shots in the upcoming weeks. Excellent work so far!

Judge Rongi

Lily:  With this shot, I think you found a really great lighting that makes your character look gorgeous. You could crop out this whole shot and just have it on you, shoulders up, and it'd be a beautiful head shot. The shot itself fits the theme of the week, but I wish it had a little more oomph! to it. I have "Summertime Sadness" stuck in my head now thanks to you though. Haha. I would have loved to see more posing, a stronger background choice, and a clear reason for why you are standing in the rain. Rymm:  These colors are everything. Great choice in gear. I love that the backshot is 3/4 of the way so we can still see a bit of your face. I wish we could see more, but its just enough to not be a backshot dead on. I usually would be against a solid black background, but using the lightning and your outfit colors to pop out like that is amazing. Had you been wearing all black, this wouldn't have worked at all. I love the pose of both you and the lightning. It creates a really interested shape in the middle, like dancing. Ysildor: You are going to get electrocuted waving that pick around like that! I love the idea as it beckons to Thor's hammer. I wonder if you had tried or could use an hammer instead. The background has those nice buildings in it that creates a line across the image that leads the viewer straight to you. And then we follow your shape up in to the sky and back down with the lighting. Really well done composition wise. 

[derneue3-blog]

7 Tips for Incorporating Texture in Your Illustrations

Looking for ways to add visual interest to your illustrations? Follow along as these pros share their favorite tips for using creative textures.

In this digital age, handcrafted imagery is a rarity, but image-buyers continue to crave designs that seem homemade and tangible. This year, Shutterstock named Digital Crafts as one of the top emerging trends in illustration. The Digital Crafts movement combines the convenience and efficiency of modern technology with the tactile, authentic mood we associate with traditional art forms like embroidery, origami, or even watercolor painting. The difference between a mediocre image and a great one can come down to one thing: the textures.

By successfully tapping into this trend, leading illustrators and vector artists produce images that seem timeless and cutting-edge at the same time. But creating two dimensional designs with a textured look is a challenge. Often, it means thinking outside the box by combining totally different methods or even inventing a whole new technique. We asked seven top illustrators from the Shutterstock collection to share the secrets behind some of their most successful images. Read on to see how they've updated fine craftsmanship for the 21st century.

1. “I add small, intentional defects and imperfections to emulate the look of manually cut elements.”

wacomka

Image by wacomka.

What's the story behind this illustration?

As a designer, I always pay attention to unique, handmade things. On my wedding day, there was a wall decorated with big, oversized, handmade paper flowers. I later decided to incorporate this feeling into my 3D graphics. Adding the paper texture was a simple and elegant way to make my botanical digital designs look like real handmade paper craft. There are a lot of 3D renders of paper flowers in my portfolio. I like to play with shapes and colors, applying textures and arranging flowers into different compositions.

Image by wacomka.

Pro Tip:

When modeling 3D elements, such as paper flowers, I prefer not to create mathematically precise or symmetrical shapes. I add small, intentional defects and imperfections to emulate the look of manually cut elements. It works perfectly with the texture of real paper.

2. “Find something that fascinates you, apart from drawing, and incorporate it into your work.”

Sopelkin

Image by Sopelkin.

What's the story behind this illustration?

I have always been inspired by painting, and embroidery is tangible painting on fabric. It is diligent work that requires a lot of patience, and I could not allow myself to devote the time to this activity. The other day, it occurred to me to draw embroidery in vector. It was exciting, and I was satisfied with the result. I began to embroider more using Adobe Illustrator. I like that my vectors are similar to embroidered paintings or watercolor sketches; I think there is a soul in my electronic works.

Image by Sopelkin.

Pro Tip:

Look for something that inspires you in real life. Find something that fascinates you, apart from drawing, and incorporate it into your work. The result will be twice as interesting.

Instagram

3. “My trick is drawing lots of strokes with a liner on paper and then photographing and tracing it. It is rather laborious, but I like the result.”

mamita (Marina Vorontsova)

Image by mamita (Marina Vorontsova).

What's the story behind this illustration?

This pattern was created from drawings that I initially rejected. I planned to throw them away because I didn't like them very much. This often happens. After a while, I look at them with fresh eyes. This time, I decided to revive these old works. I slightly modified them in Photoshop and created a pattern from the individual details. It turned out a little boring, but I remembered the coloring of Chinese and Japanese lacquer miniatures and decided to apply it here. With the help of gold, black, and red colors, it became more expressive. Now it is one of my bestselling works. Such stories teach us not to stop halfway but to carry everything out from beginning to end.

mamita (Marina Vorontsova).

mamita (Marina Vorontsova).

mamita (Marina Vorontsova).

Pictured: [1] mamita (Marina Vorontsova). [2] mamita (Marina Vorontsova). [3] mamita (Marina Vorontsova).

Pro Tip:

My drawings are all handmade. My trick is drawing lots of strokes with a liner on paper and then photographing and tracing it. It is rather laborious, but I like the result. In the past, I looked for a way to reduce the time needed to create an illustration. I applied readymade textures to my drawings and used scripts, but the automatic texture is poorly controlled, so I wasn't comfortable with it.

The handmade nature of my work may give the impression that I am stuck in the last century. Today, artificial intelligence writes poetry, makes music, paints, and so much more. But there is a charm to drawings made by hand on paper. There is a soul and a trace of personality. I adore the artists who use new technologies, and I admire their achievements, but the work of the old masters is more inspiring to me.

4. “When I make textured elements on paper, I usually make them larger than I expect them to be in the final image because it allows me to save more details when scanning.”

Ms Moloko (Nadezhda Shikina)

Image by Ms Moloko (Nadezhda Shikina).

What's the story behind this illustration?

In this pattern, I wanted to play with a combination of floral and geometric elements. I decided to make the geometrical elements more relaxed to give the pattern a more natural, casual look, as if somebody had drawn the stripes with a paintbrush. In order to do that, I used a handmade textured brush stroke, which I scanned and edited a little bit digitally.

Image by Ms Moloko (Nadezhda Shikina).

Pro Tip:

Often the shapes and lines of vector art are regular, perfectly precise, and clean to give the impression of a geometrically ideal image. That's great, but sometimes we want images that seem a bit more tactile and handmade. I look for ways to combine digital and traditional art in one image. When I make textured elements on paper, I usually make them larger than I expect them to be in the final image because it allows me to save more details when scanning. It's also a good idea to have a collection of simple textured shapes and strokes to use as additional elements in the future. You can use them later to make more complex objects or to create digital brushes.

5. “When you use a very dense pattern, you always run the risk of getting a rather flat and uninteresting image, so I play with the contrasts created by direct lighting, and I focus only on one area.”

Gualtiero Boffi

Image by Gualtiero Boffi.

What's the story behind this illustration?

I have always liked the different effects that carbon fiber can create. According to the lighting, the image itself can change radically. It can be opaque or extremely shiny, and it can change if you simply move the light or the observation point. It's very versatile, and in this case, I wanted to create an image that had a modern atmosphere that recalled the sci-fi style typical of video games. In this case, I could not resist the addition of the glowing light strip!

Gualtiero Boffi.

Gualtiero Boffi.

Pictured: [1] Gualtiero Boffi. [2] Gualtiero Boffi.

Pro Tip:

When you use a very dense pattern, you always run the risk of getting a rather flat and uninteresting image, so I play with the contrasts created by direct lighting, and I focus only on one area. In the image above, I created a hexagonal grid to break the homogeneity of the carbon fiber. I wanted to play with different levels of depth to accentuate the three-dimensionality.

6. “One of my favorite tools is the Blend tool, which is great if you want to create a repetitive texture (like for feathers), engraved elements, or precise hand-drawn details.”

mashakotcur

Image by mashakotcur.

What's the story behind this illustration?

This is one of my best-selling illustrations on Shutterstock. I live in a small, forested village. Near my house is a big meadow with a lot of wildflowers. Almost every summer morning, I drink coffee and go walk there with my Canon. One morning, I noticed a lot of small butterflies on the grass with wide open wings after the rain. They couldn't fly away, as their wings were still wet, so I was able to carefully shoot them on my camera. The tulips from the illustration are from my small garden. The idea was to create something pretty and fresh but at the same time nostalgic and vintage-inspired.

mashakotcur.

mashakotcur.

Pictured: [1] mashakotcur. [2] mashakotcur.

Pro Tip:

Pay attention to small details and textures for a realistic, lively look. I love to mix different textures from real source materials. One of my favorite tools is the Blend tool, which is great if you want to create a repetitive texture (like for feathers), engraved elements, or precise hand-drawn details. You can also create your own customized tools. For me, it was a bit of a problem finding good brushes for vector drawing in Adobe Illustrator, but I thought, “Hey! If I can't find what I need, why not create it?” I took real brushes, pens, and inks, and I made a few basic strokes on paper and then shot them. I edited the resulting image and traced it in vector to create my own brushes. Now I use them again and again in all kinds of different illustrations.

Instagram

7. “Textures are everywhere around us: wood, paper, fabric, leaves, grass, flowers, stones, etc. Just look around and pay attention to everything.”

Le Panda (Elena Efremova)

Image by Le Panda (Elena Efremova).

What's the story behind this illustration?

In this illustration, I mixed textures from different parts of the world. The texture of the tree I photographed was on an old door in Provence, France. The ornament was from the time I studied how to paint with henna in India on the island of Diu. I drew the flowers in a blooming park in Moscow in the spring. The result is a mixture of styles and textures.

Image by Le Panda (Elena Efremova).

Pro Tip:

Do not be afraid to play. Textures are everywhere around us: wood, paper, fabric, leaves, grass, flowers, stones, etc. Just look around and pay attention to everything. Mixing different textures is interesting and fun, like a game.

Instagram

Top Image by Le Panda (Elena Efremova).

The post 7 Tips for Incorporating Texture in Your Illustrations appeared first on The Shutterstock Blog.