#clip studio was on sale and I wanted to try it out

[hyperanaemia]

"You're supposed to kiss a girl after you save her you know." "Oh, do I now? And since when do you need saving?"

flirty timtam for the soul.

[crownedinmarigolds]

Special Sale - Friday/Early Saturday Only!

**These are sold out for now! I may re-open again when I have some time! Thank you all for letting me practice!** Hello~! So after some thought, I would like to move away from using Photoshop for my art due to Adobe's terrible business practices. Even if they change their tune, the fact of the matter is they're untrustworthy with their users' data and will probably try again. So I've purchased Clip Studio Paint, but am still working through it and trying to figure things out. I definitely can't fully transition over until I get it all together, so for a while I'm going to need some practice! I am doing a little request sale! For $9 I will do a little black and white sketch of your character to get the feel of the new program! I may add another tier or etc if I feel comfortable with slightly bigger and more complicated pieces. I do not have a good grasp of the program so I am not comfortable taking bigger projects on it just yet - if I did I'm not sure how good it will look. I will be taking payment exclusively through my KO-FI as it keeps good track of everything for me. BUT if you can only pay through another method, just let me know and I can work it out. At this time I am opening ten slots at a time! I may open more later! :D Related but also unrelated, my normal sketch commissions that I draw in Photoshop are also reopened! (I will let people know when I fully move over.) SO if you would like a little commission but don't want my messy new sketches, feel free to take a look. No pressure either way to anyone, this is just some practice for me! Thank you all so much!

This sale will at this time only take place June 28th (Friday), and some of early Saturday June 29th! I may do limits at a time and release blocks as I go depending on interest. I assure you I'm quick!

[sneezysubbyboi]

yes pls recommendations for paid snz content! ive been somewhat interested but not had a clue where to start (as someone who only rly listens to wavs on here)

of course! First off, it depends what your snz preference is (wet n messy, cute n stifled, harsh, etc.) cause tbh, that'll greatly influence your purchase decision more than anything else — but here's a buncha good ones that I like (and most of them are women sooo sorry if you're into guys 😅)

From Clips4sale: Eliza Bea — super cute and sweet alt girl with a large variety of affordable snz clips, I especially love her scenarios and pre-snz face 💕 Princ3ss Kira — beautifully thicc with strong, spraying sneezes to match. Older clips are on the pricier side, so i'd recommend getting the ones on sale on Manyvids. Her "super sick sneezes" is my fav vid of all time. Madonna Summers — gorgeous bombshell with bomb sneezes. Literally, cause they're explosive! Ama Rio — the chhinkni queen, never fails to induce a dizzying fit every time. Alexis Rain — a studio that gets a variety of girls (and a few guys!) to try vials of chhinkni! Their reactions and interactions are actually quite wholesome haha. My favourites are Tylee, Sushii, and Vanessa :) From Manyvids: Blow Mia — has uniquely powerful rapid sneezes, always knocks it out of the park, she even has a free vid up for you to sample! LuluLoe — definitely on the raunchier side, but never have I heard such desperate, breathless sneezes 😩 plus honourable mention to @debachoory 's patreon, you rock 👏 happy exploring! and some tips — on their stores there's filter buttons to search just sneezing (cause they make other content too), and your best bet is finding clips where they use chhinkni if you want the most bang for your buck. Some peeps aren't good at inducing and only sneeze a few times. You'll generally know if the content is good if they actually put effort in their previews/branding/scenario descriptions.

[getvalentined]

One of my favorite things is finding out what software/device someone uses for their artwork and (if they're not using Procreate) being like "Have you tried CSP?" then linking them to get the trial version to see if it works for them.

Within a day they're like "Well. I'm using this forever now."

This has happened five times and it's always a great experience. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this program has literally changed my life, allowing my art to improve in spite of my physical condition continuing to degrade over the years. If you're not an iPad baby with Procreate and you want a program that is actually designed for artists, look into Clip Studio Paint—not Photosh○p.

The standard version of CSP for laptop/desktop is around $55 USD at a stretch (and it's $22 USD right now because there's a sale) for a perpetual license that is yours forever; you can get a subscription to get early access to new CSP features as they're implemented, and it's $10.99 per year for the standard version on top of the perpetual license—if you cancel the sub, you lose access to features outside the base version for which you purchased a perpetual license, but you get to keep that base program. Even the mobile version of CSP, which is on a subscription in order to stay up to date with mobile OS updates and maintain compatibility, is under $30 for a year when purchased direct from CELSYS.

The cheapest sub option for Photosh○p is currently $14.99 per month, Ad○be will charge you for six months upfront if you cancel, and you lose access to the program entirely (even though you just paid for six months) until you re-up the sub.

I'm not even gonna go into performance differences here. Just...trust me on this. If you're going to spend money on a digital art program, try CSP and see if it works for you. If it doesn't, that's fine! But you don't lose anything on a free trial, y'know?

And, before anyone tries to sweep in with some trash argument about CELSYS being in support of gen·A·I, there was an experimental gen·A·I feature that they announced a couple years ago and then immediately rolled back when the community raised objections. At the time, gen·A·I was not yet a particularly hot-button topic in Japan, where the company is based, and the implementation they had in mind was intended to assist in drafting, composition, and postprocessing, not the creation of full pieces. Rather than insisting that they were right and it wasn't their fault if people wound up using it unethically, CELSYS scrapped all plans to implement the feature and made a public apology for their negligence and lack of education on the issue. They have since even banned gen·A·I work from their asset marketplace.

Meanwhile, Ad○be uses gen·A·I slop images on their social media, their advertisements, their corporate literature, their webpage, and on Photosh○p's launcher.

If you're a digital artist, try CSP. It's $22 USD for the next two days, less than $60 even when it's not on sale, and once you have it, it's yours forever.

[crazylittlejester]

back again with miscellaneous fun facts. 2day/nite (idk when ill finish editing) episode: GameCube ✨️

ok so funny little thing, part of the GameCube's failure can be partly blamed on 9/11. 'Bea what r u on about' ok so there's this game called Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, and this game was intended to be a launch title for the GameCube. Eternal Darkness was actually originally planned for the N64, which is actually pretty important because this game was more known about. A demo of the N64 version was shown at i believe the 1999 E3.

'ok great this was a game that switched consoles during development, why is this important to the GameCube?' youll never guess, my favorite little effect i lovingly call the Resident Evil effect. this was the era were so many games were trying to be darker and edgier to compete *cough* which is why Wind Waker was so controversial *cough* (theres more to Wind Waker but ill get to that in a bit).

back to Eternal Darkness, this game was for one: a third party title, being produced by a Canadian development studio called Silicon Knights. as i mentioned before, this was during the time were third party developer and publishers weren't working with Nintendo nearly as much and choosing to work on titles for Sony's PlayStation. and two: this would be Nintendo's first Nintendo published M rated game. yes other M rated games have been on Nintendo consoles, but none of those have been published by Nintendo.

now enough backstory on Eternal Darkness, how did 9/11 have any effect on this? so there was a character named Joseph De Molay who was a Templar knight. Templar knights were known for taking part in the Crusades (spreading Christianity to the Middle East). Joseph was removed from the game to avoid any controversies or appearing offensive and was replaced. officially it was said Joseph was removed as he was "just a demo character" but he was playable at E3 2001 and was known about all the way back during the N64 development, which is a lot of work for a character who was supposedly a demo character. especially so close from release, and at the same 2001 E3, two other characters were in that demo who were actually in the game proper. (keep in mind the GameCube released November 2001 in the US and September 2001 in Japan)

there was also all Arab writing in texture images removed. this is a lot of last minute reworking for game that was almost completely, which ended up with Eternal Darkness missing the GameCube's launch and came out roughly half a year later.

because of Eternal Darkness not being a launch titles, especially as such an anticipated title, the GameCube was left with pretty much just Luigi's Mansion. unfortunately, Luigi is yk Luigi. People liked Mario and weren't super interested in a Luigi focused title.

i teased it easier, so Wind Waker, definitely a bit more of a known case. at a 2000 Space World exposition, when Nintendo announced the GameCube, there was a clip of Link fighting Ganondorf to show off the GameCube's capabilities (here). and people were excited at the idea of a realistic looking Zelda game only to get Wind Waker a few years later. Wind Waker's toon style, despite being what Eiji Aonuma was so passionate about, was not well liked by the public until years later. this actually directly caused Twilight Princess to turn out the way it did.

originally Twilight Princess was going to be Wind Waker 2, using the same toon style but was changed to try to recapture the Ocarina of Time's success and appeal to the trend of darker more realistic style games (thx Resident Evil effect).

Twilight Princess is commonly criticized now a days for being "just a OoT rip-off" or "dark and edgy" (i can go on a whole rant about that comment but i shall spare yall today) despite the fact that in 2006 that is what was wanted.

the GameCube was unfortunately doomed from the start, and attempts to boost sales/interest in the system ended up in vain.

sorry that was a lot. um. yeahh.

drink water yall :)

adding the failure of the game cube to the list of things caused by 9/11 right up there next to the downfall of Ellen and the Oppenheimer movie

[stil-lindigo]

Good day to you! :)

I’m very new here and I wanted to share how much I love your work, I’ve just recently followed you and I’m just done stalking you on most of your socials haha! I love your writing and your artwork is gorgeous; I’m still trying to find my own style (with both my hands and mind), and you’ll definitely be one of my inspirations :) (if you don’t mind, of course)

I was curious of the process of making your comics ? Do you usually start with the poem and then get to the illustration, or is it kinda the opposite?

I plan on saving a bit before grabbing copies of your two comics, but I also saw you mention another anthropology that I can’t seem to find ^^’, if it’s a Patreon exclusive I would be more than happy to join! Anyway, thank you for your time, I hope you have a good one! :)

hello! good day to you too! there's a couple of points here you mentioned, and I'll try to get to them all.

i definitely don't mind being used as an inspiration! it's genuinely an honour, and I hope the style that you end up settling on serves you well.

my comic process always starts with the poem itself. most of the time I write my poems after getting out of the shower and just chilling in bed. The hardest step of the process is almost always just fiddling with the poem/concept itself - i hold myself to a high standard for what I make so if the visual isn't strong enough or I don't like the poem enough I just don't do anything with it (the notes app on my phone is a graveyard of abandoned ideas). after that, I'll thumbnail the entire comic either in my notebook or in clip studio paint (my art program). then it's a matter of lineart, colours, shading and any extra touches i think is necessary.

the anthropology i think you're talking about at the end is the one i'm working on at the moment called hearteaters. it's not done yet since i want to make it my longest comic anthology so far (i've planned 15 comics, so i'm about a third of the way done). after it's all finished, I'll post about it on all my socials and put it up for sale on my store. thank you for expressing interest in it!

i believe that's all, but feel free to ask more questions if you have any!

[thatskindarough]

Oh it was only 3 actually, counting that one animatic on YouTube (that BTW i had no idea was yours! I was pleasantly surprised <3)

And I found it so funny that you have somewhat an idea of who I might be PFFF you can throw the guess, it would be funny if you get it right (don't have to say my name if you don't remember it, you can just go for something you remember NFKDSJ)

also time for an actual question since i'm already here, what program did you used for the animatic? I've always wanted to get into animating but most softwares cost money or are free but really bad so I could use some recommendations 👀

Good to hear there is no imposter lol. I should probably start using the false pfp so people know it’s me but I’m too lazy to change them all 💀 also my guess was right as to who you were but probably mainly because I put on my Aziraphale detective hat and you were the last notification before the ask inbox notification and your icon had a red beanie. We meet once again.

As for the animatic I used procreate for drawing and capecut for composting. Not the most efficient method but I liked it. I ended up segmenting off each camera angle into a different canvas and making any animation for the shot that way. I love capecut because the free version has every editing function you need for an animatic and the watermark only appears as a black screen at the end so it’s so easy to crop out. It’s probably the best free editing software I’ve found. (I also used a screen recording device to record the audio cause even if you buy a song it sometimes doesn’t allow you to put it in the program.)

I honestly recommend procreate if you have a device that supports it. I think it’s still only a 10 dollar onetime purchase. But if you don’t have a device that supports it, I have used things like flip a clip which is free, and the paid version is pretty cheap. I have also dabbled in an app called rough animate, also free (you don’t have to pay for the onion skins) which was also okay. I got frustrated cause of the lack of brush choice but other than that it’s not bad at all. If you can’t pay anything at all I’d recommend this because, unlike flip a clip, you don’t have to pay to unlock the a lot of the really helpful features. Ibis paint also added an animation feature I think so that’s an option. Idk if you need the paid version for it, but I remember only having to watch ads for a minute to unlock all the brushes so maybe it’s the same for the animation feature lol.

If you have a computer set up, I’ve also heard nice things about Krita for animation. It’s free and from what I remember it had a really good timeline set up. I actually tried to use it, but my computer at the time was old and slow and it lagged to much, and then I had a shitty no screen tablet and my hand eye coordination when it came to drawing and writing is quite bad, so it just wasn’t a good set up for me personally. But I know people make it work. I mean, people make this kinda shit in MS paint, if you’re dedicated enough you can technically do it in almost any program (though you may not be able to make it as polished as you’d like.)

Then there is Clip Studio Paint, which does cost money but is way less expensive than like, harmony or adobe. The EX version which gives you a second of free animation per project is a $5 monthly subscription for once device, PC MaC IOS, and the Pro version (which is more expensive) gives you unlimited animation animation access for I believe around 10 -15 dollars a month (still less than most streaming services lol). There’s also a one time purchase version that is $50 dollars, but it goes on sale A LOT for $25! Although I don’t think it gives you more than a second of animation. CSP also has a very long free trial period, for EX it was legit like 3 months. so if you try it out and like it, I’d definitely suggest finding a way to pay for it. It’s actually used in some professional studios in Japan, so if you have any professional aims for your work it’s a good starting platform to get into industry software. However a lot of the nice things CSP offers for animation are not needed in the story boarding/animatic stage, so if that’s as far as you wanna take your animations it maaaaaaay not be worth it unless you love it.

If anyone else has other cheap or free recommendations feel free to add on. I have attempted to make animatics on procreate, rough animate, and flip a clip; all of which I have uncompleted projects on. It just so happens that procreate is what I was using when I finally made an animatic I liked enough to see until completion. Whatever software you do use, just make sure you learn how to use it before attempting a big project. Do some smaller stuff before you try anything big.

Edit to check the comments! We got other good recommendations for computers!

[entryn17]

big krita lover but i want to try out clip studio paint as well esp since it's on sale so i'm gonna give the free trial of ver. 2 a try </3

[artistic-shapeshifter]

Imma complain bout Moho cause I'm getting frustrated and it aint cuz Im struggling to learn it. I'm a stubborn bitch who tries to st and learn something even if I'm struggling. This is very much a vent so if you dont wanna see it feel free to keep moving.

I bought the debut version of Moho ages ago and have been tryin to learn it for months. I kept getting frustrated and overwhelmed and dropped it for a while. Picking it back up now and sitting and watching tutorials tryin to mimic it and I can't actually do that cuz everything is for pro. Debut is so fuckin limited, and I get it! Thats the point! Give you a taste of it so you can see if you wanna buy the pro! I've seen that pro can do amazing things! But what the fuck can I even do with debut then???? I can't group layers together unless I use the bone layer which makes the masking harder. Smart bones are very limited, I can't even make a dial cuz there's just no option to.

Exporting is limited to 900 by 900 pixels. (you seriously can't make it a little bigger so it can actually look like an animated short??) You say this is supposed to be a powerful rigging system but you cant seem to do much with debut as the rigging system seems kinda basic and it looks awkward when rigging characters or at least is has every time I've tried. Even the most simplest of character is off. My friend and I have been trying to learn it together and we're just beside ourselves cuz everything we're trying to do isn't fuckin working with the 60 dollar version and I'm sorry that not everyone has 300-400 dollars they can just drop. I literally bought the debut cause I wanted to learn it in hopes to afford pro in the future. I wanted to animate a bit easier. Cause I lose motivation for frame by frame. I'm sitting here tryin to rig Bubble from TADC and I can't even make him blink cuz I cant use the features the tutorials are saying cause EVERYTHING focuses on pro. And I know there's *one* debut tutorial out there, so don't send it to me please. She helped the tiniest of bit but her I was still left confused on somethings. And I know I just sound like I'm whining, but debut just seems to be at the bottom of the barrel and so basic it makes it hard to really wanna sit down with it. And if even upgrading it from debut to pro wasn't still like 300 and dropped to like idk, 120 when you have one and go to upgrade the other? THEN I would buy it. At least when I upgraded my clip studio to ex, I paid like 80 bucks instead of the 200 it would normally be. And that 80 was when it was on sale. I know its a one time purchase. I know its highly praised. I know that if I dont like debut so much I should just upgrade. But I dont have that money and not bein able to learn debut as much as pro is frustrating and doesn't make me wanna work with the program. Thats all I wanted to say.

[snowberrydream]

Käärijä @ Puoli seitsemän - talk show 26.4.2023

Here is an english translation/transcript of Käärijä’s appearance on Finnish talk show Puoli seitsemän for the enjoyment of all the non-finnish Käärijä & Eurovision fans. I have no clue how to screenrecord videos or put subtitles on them, but I can offer you a written translation :D (if someone has access to the video and can do that, feel free to use the translation if you want to, just tag me if you do, please). If there’s anything confusing or weird, comment or message me and I’ll try to clarify it 

So here it goes, enjoy!

Käärijä @ Puoli seitsemän - talk show 26.4.2023

(hosts talking about generic beginning-of-the-show-stuff, introducing Käärijä)

host1: Today we are having a party, holding onto pina coladas with both hands (handing out drinks). These are non-alcoholic, I assume it’s fine by you?

Käärijä: Absolutely. It’s probably for the better. This time.

host2: And it’s tasty! You can try both of them.

K: Is this green one also a pina colada? (tastes)

hosts: Ummmm (unsure noises) we are also curious to know (laugh) But hey, glad you could come amidst all the hustle! You’ve been all over like a … a pina colada.

K: (sipping his drinks) (chuckles at the metaphor). Exactly. Happy to be here, thank you for inviting me. And amazing that we have these [pina coladas] here. I actually haven’t really drunk these that much, so thank you for this!

H1: They’ve gotten a lot more popular lately, the sales have gotten up. Have you heard about that?

K: Well yeah, yeah I’ve been told that there has been some empty shelves.

H1: Green yarns sold-out, green fabrics sold-out, (H2: green nailpolish too), pina coladas…

K: It’s indeed quite a circus that I’ve managed to create, but well, (shrugs) why not.

H2: And this is only the beginning, isn’t it?

K: That’s what I’m a bit scared of, really (laughs). That what else will people come up with?

H2: Right now you surely don’t have time for days-off, but when you do get to relax a bit, what do you like to do?

K: I think I’ll just snuggle underneath my Formula1 -sheets, take a little nap and think about absolutely nothing, if one is really able to do that. Or watch some series or listen to some relaxing music. But probably just be in silence.

H1: Yeah, there was a couple moments before the broadcast started, like a half a minute of quiet in the studio. You had like this serene smile on your face.

K: Yeah, I was enjoying that (laughs). I mean I of course like talking with you, too. But, when you are constantly surrounded by thousands of people, at some point it just starts to feel like you need a bit of your own space. As much as we humans are pack animals [=like and need others], too much is too much.

H2: (agreeing hums) Do you know how to take that own space when you need it?

K: Not always. Though I’ve been trying to learn to say no to things. I used to be really bad at doing that, worrying that what if I’ll upset someone etc. But now I’ve been learning, also because of this [Eurovision] that sometimes it’s just …Too bad, I just can’t do that now. That I just need to take that space (moment of realization) …And yet I still don’t have it (laughs). But, on the other hand, some things you just have to get done, and then you’ll take care of those. So… Let’s just hope that everything will go smoothly.

H1: The contest itself is about two and a half weeks away, but there has already been pre-parties all over Europe, getting people into the Eurovision spirit.

H2: Yes, let’s see how it was in London about a week ago. (cue a clip of Käärijä’s performance & fan interactions from London, Cha Cha Cha playing in the background)

(back to studio, hosts and Käärijä jumping and dancing before sitting down again)

hosts: You just can’t stay still while listening to that.

K: Even I joined in too.

H2: So much for resting.

K: Yeah, there it goes again (laughs). When I could’ve just been like (slouches on the sofa) for once.

H1: It happens to everyone! It just pulls you in, it’s such a banger.

K: Yeah, it’s quite enegetic. Though I’ve also tried to not listen to it a little bit, so that it doesn’t become completely (gun to the head -gestures). But I hear it all the time anyway. Everywhere (flailing hands).

H2: So, pre-parties all over Europe. How did you feel about those?

K: Damn good, foremost. It was so amazing to see people singing along to a finnish song. Hadn’t really even imagined that something like that could happen. Met wonderful people there, such amazing personalities, and the mood was great. It really felt like a family, everyone cheering for each other and no like, any disturbances, like what could sometimes happen in an ordinary gig, you know. Really great. I’m glad I went. At first I thought that I wouldn’t go at all (H2: to Eurovision, or…?) – No, no! I meant the pre-parties (H2: Ah, yes) so that I could rest, because they can be quite …demanding. Lots of interviews, travelling, waiting around and so on… And then during Madrid trip I also got sunburnt …roasted my skin a little (laughs) Oh well, I’ll have a bit of a tan now, no burns any longer. But overall it was really good, though also tough.

H1: So you keep a professional attitude about it all? Like, ’this is work, not partying, focus on the job’?

K: Keep focus on the job, yeah. You always aim for a win. Of course you must also remember to enjoy the experience, but the attitude is still like ”See you at the Market Square [= for victory celebrations], all of Finland”. I’d feel so quilty if I’d be just drinking and partying around amid all this, I might never forgive myself.

H2: People have been fitting the victor’s mantle on you [=predicting him to win] already. And on Sweden’s Loreen, whom we saw briefly in the video clip. How do you feel about the pressure of being a fan favorite?

K: I don’t really take pressure about it. In a way. I mean of course I feel like …I have that pressure, but, I haven’t really understood it, It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, because I’m just running from one place to another all the time. I haven’t had time to be stressed about the H-hour, because there is still so much happening before that. I don’t think that quite a panic alarm moment (slamming gesture) will happen before the contest, but some level of nervousness will probably still hit me, as it did in the UMK. But the moment you get on the stage, it’s quite an easy case from there on, in the end.

H1: Right. But hey, here we are, holding on to our drinks with both hands, but you’d actually need a third one, as you have also a cup of tea there in front of you.

K: Yes, and also a cup of water on top of that.

H1: For some voice maintenance, right?

K: Yes, as you can probably hear, my voice has taken some damage [he is sounding a little hoarse occasionally] but let’s hope it’ll get better before the contest. You wouldn’t want to attend with a voice like this.

H1: Yeah, but let’s not be too worried for now, as there is still time left.

K: Luckily there is. And we’ll make some more if we have to.

H2: Right. So, you’ll leave on Sunday?

K: On Sunday, yes. You all will be here celebrating May Day, while I’ll be packing my funnel cakes and mead with me and taking off to Liverpool.

H1: The fan phenomenon has caught everyone by surprise. It’s… I assume it has surprised you, surely it has surprised all of Finland, maybe Europe too. I mean, it’s massive!

K: Right. It’s awesome. It’s kinda funny, all the things this has lead into and like, the kind of people that have sent me messages. Like, world-class artists even from abroad and so on. It’s strange how at some point nothing feels like anything anymore. I mean, when you don’t have time to enjoy it, like getting good news about one thing, because another thing is already happening right after. And then comes another thing, and another and another and another. Because every day there is something new, cool and fun happening to me at the moment. I haven’t had time… - I’ve really had no time to properly process any of what I’ve been given. I’ve just, gone somewhere to do stuff and then been off to the next place already and been like ’ok you do that I do this’ (delegating gestures) and so on. I hope that at some point I’ll get some time to think about all that has happened. Of course I’ve enjoyed this, but…maybe not in a way that people might assume? It hasn’t been just living on cloud nine all the time, for real. Even though this is what I’ve wanted, and wanted to get my music out there here in Finland, and, now it seems to be happening in Europe and elsewhere too, so yeah…

H2: Fans have been running after you and so on… Apparently there has been some extreme reactions even? Someone had…?

K: Yeah, one person fainted.

H1: Where did this happen?

K: In Madrid (H2: so they saw you?). Yes. And… They all behaved really well, like, in Finland people just take pics and whisper to each other, but there – they’ll run after you. It’s really a shocking feeling when you step out the door and everyone starts screaming and (running gesture) they are running and then we are running (laughs). But, it’s not like …If you said no to something that they asked for, they were really respectful and nice about it [despite the enthusiasm].

H2: So, someone just saw you and just, simply couldn’t handle the shock?

K: Yeeahh. Though, sometimes I can barely handle it either, when I see myself in the mirror (laughs) (hosts laughing).

H1: The Käärijä hype is intensifying indeed. But, let’s add to that a bit more with the following clip.

(Videoclip about a family of real Käärijä superfans, where the mom had made Käärijä’s Cha Cha Cha costumes for her three sons and even the family dogs. the boys are dancing and talking about how much they like Käärijä)

H1: They are really rooting for you.

H2: Aww, such sweet boys.

K: So cool.

H2: They really got it down, dance moves and all.

K: Yeah, I’m speechless, honestly. Like, amidst all this there’s little time to pay attention to what is happening around you in the world. And then there’s kids like that… It’s truly amazing thing, thank you to them, really. All the best to them. And the parents too, truly tipping my hat to them for like, for doing all that for the kids. I remember back when I played ice hockey, it was my parents made it happen for me too, taking care of things so that I got to play. And now those boys want to be Käärijäs. Just, lots of love to the whole family. [He seemed to be quite touched about this clip. Either that or he just happens to struggle with his voice a bit right then, sounding a little quivering for a sec]  

H1: Exactly. So. Käärijä is Jere and Jere is Käärijä, is that the way it goes? Are you still just Jere for those closest to you, or is everyone calling you Käärijä by now?

K: Ahhh, well, mom is calling me Käärijä now (H2: okay). I’ve had to sometimes tell her to stop it already, or that else I’ll adopt myself into a new family to have someone who calls me Jere (laughs). Just kidding, really, she’s just proud and excited about all this. But I hear it a lot, this Käärijä stuff. It can get a little dull, because sometimes you’d just like to forget this work stuff, when you are at home etc. and talk about other things than Käärijä and Cha Cha Cha and music. Sometimes it makes me wonder like, …what have I gotten myself into?

H2: A phenomenon has been born, indeed. Well,  we asked for you to bring some pics from your home album, and you brought these two (pics of him as a kid behind a drum kit and him in his late teens wearing hospital pj’s appear on the screen). There they are… You could tell us a little about them yourself.  (H1: a little drummer boy). A little rookie instrumentalist there. A little drummer boy, yes.

K: (looking at the pic) Yeah, I’ve enjoyed banging drums since I was little. My brother played guitar and we watched some Fröbelin Palikat [a finnish kid’s music band], used kettles as drums and and, brother had this weird thingy as a guitar.  Then at some point I got my own drums, started drum lessons and eventually even taught my classmates at school how to play. My teacher assigned that task for me. But that career didn’t last, in the end. Wasn’t quite that interested in drums after all, I guess. But that’s where my sense of rhythm and all comes, surely. And anyway, where would you put those things in a small flat? Banging them in some apartment building, you’ll get evicted in a second. But, drums are still close to my heart and whenever I get the chance I do grab the sticks and see if I’m still any good at playing them.

H1: And then, how about the second pic (of him in a hospital cafeteria or some common area, sitting by a table filling lottery coupons)

K: Right, that’s an interesting one. I got sick with Colitis ulcerosa, I think that was the latin name for it. And well, I think that was taken around the time it was at it’s worst.

H2: So it’s a bowel disease?

K: Yes, my entire colon got inflamed eventually and I ended up needing an emergency operation to remove it quickly, to prevent the inflammation from spreading to other parts of the body. I was hanging by a thread, honestly. I wasn’t even going to go [to the hospital] at first, but dad forced me and dragged me in there. Packed up some The Simpsons movies and my pillow and was like ’we are going now, son’ and… yeah. Honestly the shittiest time of my life, not wishing that for anyone. But it did also make me grow a lot as a person, and I wouldn’t change anything for myself, I’m totally okay with this. I’m alive, in the situation that I’m in now, and it changed who I am. Of course I have things where to improve even now, but it took me forward at the time, regarding my values and such, I think I’m in quite a good place now. (back to describing the pic) I went to place some bets [the lottery coupons] to pass time, there wasn’t anything else to do. Friends or my brother sometimes came to watch ice hockey from TV with me while I was laying in the hospital.

H2: You are wearing hospital clothes in the pic. Did you spend long periods of time in there?

K: I was there for like two weeks at a time. Went there every now and then, had an IV drip and laid there, had some medication and such. But in the end the treatments didn’t work and had to have the surgery, remove the colon completely. So, yeah. But, it’s a thing that happened to me and one just has to learn – and I have learned – to live with it. It won’t destroy your world if a thing like that does happen, on the contrary, it can open some new doors, that’s how I try to view it. But again, wouldn’t wish that for anyone, or anything like it. Yeah. That was a tough time. Made a young guy think about stuff, how others are out there partying, going to festivals and all that, and I didn’t get to have that. It went on for about a year, and towards the end I just laid in bed. I couldn’t go anywhere because I’d be just shitting blood in my pants right away etc. I was just, bumping into doors, barely able to stay on my feet, so…

H2: And a year is a long time in a young person’s life.

K: It was, yes. I had to drop everything. All the sports I did back then. I was really into going to the gym at the time, had certain goals I wanted to achieve and was working towards them. They aren’t important any longer, guess they weren’t even back then, really, but it did hit me hard at the time, when I lost 10 kg, from that kind of body (H2: woah). I weighed 49 kg at the worst point, hemoglobin about 54, or 56.

H2: Rough numbers, truly.

K: Yeah, it wasn’t healthy at all, I was pale as a sheet. In that pic I’m actually still looking surprisingly fresh. Yeah, I was just skin and bones.

H1: And does the disease still affect your life today?

K: Well, of course in the way that I have to go to the bathroom more often, 7 or 8 times a day on average. But I’m used to it, it’s not an issue for me. I can hold it in – so, rest easy there on the other side of the camera, no need to worry that something might happen mid-performance …Well let’s knock on wood just in case – But otherwise, not really… well, I can’t eat spicy food anymore. That will surely destroy my mood and the pipes, so to speak. So there are some things, but I’ve lived with this for so long already that it’s just normal for me.

H2: Surely. Bit of a balancing act.

H1: Hey, you spoke earlier about how people want to talk a lot [about you], and we want to talk and everyone wants to talk about Eurovision, and how it would be great to speak about anything else, even about the weather. But now! Now we’ll talk about it!

H2: Yes, let’s watch the clip first, about a very fundamental question.

(a videoclip of interviewing people abouth whether winters used to be better in your childhood than they are nowadays :D Conclusion: it’s more a matter of childhood nostalgia and personal memories than anything else)

H1: Soo, Jere. Were the winters better back when you were a kid?

K: Well, yeah. Especially now that I’m thinking about all the memories connected to them. I liked snowboarding/downhill skiing [unclear which one he means] a lot back then, and i do feel that there was more snow and it came earlier, but of course my memories might be faulty and in reality we were just skidding on bare ground. But yeah, I have a feeling there used to be more snow and outdoor ice rinks and chances to build snow castles and things like that.

H2: Yeah, you must’ve been familiar with the ice rinks, since you played ice hockey for many years, right?

K: Yes, though with little success. But yeah, I did go swat the puck for a time.

H2: That looks quite proper to me (looking at pics of him in a hockey match).

K: Well, I’ve got the gear on and the puck in my control, so that helps (laughs).

H1: I gathered that you played quite many positions?

K: Yeah, I did go through them all, but none of them was my thing, in the end. But I have very fond memories from my hockey days, too. Though it was also like banging your head to a wall sometimes, too. That either wasn’t just sunshine and rainbows all the time. Very hard training at one point, and from there it swung to the other end when I was mainly just fiddling around. Like, training once a week and then playing a match. But yeah, spent a lot of time at ice halls.

H2. Yes, and speaking of halls. It was on the news today that your iconic green bolero has now been frozen and hoisted up to the ceiling of Helsinki Ice hall rink.

K: Yes, there it hangs now. Up there it went.

H2: An honorary gesture for the shirtless rager. To cheer you on.

K: Yes, my thanks for them all, too. And we’ll have a gig there at the hall in May also, so it was really cool of them to come up with such event. I guess they wanted to wish me luck and bring some joy to the people with a silly happening like that.

H1: And there’s also the positive side to it that it wont get lost from up there (chuckles).

K: Yes, it sure won’t. Unless someone finds a crane or something to get it. So I’m sure it’ll be waiting for me there.

H2: Your live performances are quite demanding physically. Do you think this (points at the hockey pic) laid the groundwork for that?

K: Yes, I’m sure of it. Like, thinking back to the time I was in hospital, I bounced back really fast and got back in good shape even though I was a total wreck after that one year. But when I got back to the gym and jogging trails I started putting weight and muscle back on quite soon. There is some, like, muscle memory to it. I can tell my sports background has it’s effect. That’s why I wish that also the youth of today would all have the chance to have hobbies. It’s not possible for everyone, but I wish it was, because it brings a lot of good, improves your health and brings new friends and so on.

H1: So then, like, most of us have only seen Cha Cha Cha from you at this point, but how are your usual gigs? How long and how physical are they typically?

K: About 45 min to an hour, around 12 or 13 songs a gig. And… yeah, they are quite a mayhem, even more than Cha Cha Cha is, some pretty fast-paced songs in there. You get to shriek and rage and run and hype the audience to your heart’s content.

H2: No wonder that your voice is a bit down, then. You aren’t holding anything back while on stage?

K: No, I think that if somebody has paid, whether it’s 5 euros or 50 euros for the ticket, I’ll give it my all every time. I don’t want the people to feel like I’m slacking off , came there to just collect some easy money, or that I’m not interested in being there. Because it is our shared experience, when the audience is there. I am not alone in there, but together with everyone, and it should be a party for all of us then.

H1: Of course. So, on Sunday you’ll be on the move, but before that a little time to rest, to spare yourself. You won’t be doing any gigs before the ESC anymore, right?

K: I won’t, no.

H1: Great. You’ll get your voice in top condition, yes?

K: Yes.

Hosts: (starting to wrap up the interview] But! BUT! Now, let’s put on some music, shall we? Just a couple little dance moves, pleeease. We can’t end this without a little Cha Cha Cha! So, good luck to you in Liverpool (K: thank you], but now, let’s head onto the dance floor (everyone running away from the sofas). Teach us some moves that everyone should know!

(chaotic Cha Cha Cha-ing ensues, until the hosts form a mini-piggytrain and Käärijä rides away from the camera view. The End.)

[choccy-sippy]

hey ya! i would like to know what program you draw in and what brush use? :D

Hi anon! I mainly use Clip Studio Paint, and occasionally Procreate on Ipad.

As for brushes, unfortunately I can’t give you a specific answer. My brush library is too big and i tend to use whichever is needed for each piece (i.e texture brushes if i want to achieve a textured painting looks, or square/hard/soft brushes for pieces that need high details rendering)

But I can give you pointers! If you purchase clip studio paint, you get access to their huge assets library, and most of them are free! Or a simple google search can give you so many free options as well

So get them to your heart’s content and try them all out, eventually you’ll get a feel of what brushes you like best. Bc imo, sometimes I don’t like the feel of some brushes, even if they were from my fav artists.

Btw clip studio paint sometimes go on like, up to 50% sale. I have some complaints on some of their recent decisions, but overall it’s still a pretty affordable software that many professionals use.

[spaciebabie]

You've probably been asked this before (sorry if you have) BUUUUUUT what program do you use to draw/what do you draw on? I want to try Art Making but idk exactly where to start yknow

i use clip studio ex! if you're starting off drawing for the first time tho it might b a lil intimidating. theres a lot of features n junk that can help with art stuff tho!! like built in 3d models for figure drawing, patterns and background stuffs. its also got a ton of different brush presets and a store where u can download other brushes ppl have made as well as make your own! its probably one of the best programs out there for art making imo.

i only recently moved ta csp tho (like last year), for years b4 i used paint tool sai! sai is a lot more beginner friendly imo. a lot less intimidating and its also a really good program in general! its good if you have a crappy laptop er smthn since its not very demanding (unlike csp). it doesnt have the 3d models, but you can also make your own brushes and get others. there's no store, but plenty of artists put their brushes out ta download. i moved ta csp cuz i found that as i was improving i was beginning to outgrow the program ^^; it was limiting my art in a way i didnt like and in order ta create the stuff i wanted i realized i needed a different program. but!! other artists find that sai suits their art better and ik a lot of great artists who use it! it just depends on you and what ur looking for :3 OH AND IT HAS A REALLY GOOD BLENDING ENGINE. ITS LIKE. THE BEST BLENDING ENGINE OF ANY ART PROGRAM IVE EVER USED. NOT EVEN CSP'S IS AS GOOD AS SAI'S FR FR SMOOTHEST BLENDING EVER

as for what i use ta draw on, i use an XP-Pen 15.5 screen display and an XP-Pen Artist 24 pro! screen tablets can be quite expensive but XP screen tablets have been a lot easier to afford (SALES. ALWAYS GOTTEN IT WHEN IT WAS ON SALE). b4 i used screen tablets i used a drawing tablet w/out a screen and that also worked out well! it was,,,,,a Tacom???? i think?? i loved that thing i got it when i was 12 and it held up really well until i accidentally broke it my junior year ಥ_ಥ idk if they sell it anymore but drawing tablets w/out screens are usually a lot more affordable than screen ones. the hand eye coordination takes a lil practice, but once ur used ta it you're golden!

[angybugaboo]

First try in Clip Studio Paint. I've wanted to check out that program for a while. And when they finally had sales, I decided to grab one.

I still need to get used to it, get comfy brushes and set everything up, but so far I'm happy with it. So many new thingies.

So, here I bring you my friend's character. She is always my test subject. xd

[thepandalion]

So as I might have mentioned I’ve been reading Homestuck for the first time

(Rant under the cut, you know the drill)

So! A lot has happened since I last uploaded art. Including, but not limited to:

- My computer deciding not to open any website that isn’t owned by Google

- I bought myself Clip Studio when they did their December holidays sale

- Taught myself to draw in a chibi/chibi-adjecent art style and now I can’t stop. It’s so simplified compared to how I used to draw look at it. Its so soft and untextured and I can just make blobby hands and feet and it works??

- After an entire week, finally fixed my computer (it just wanted an upgrade to Windows 11)

So, yeah, been a while. I’m actually working on a project for my MCYT sideblog wherein I draw all the Hermits as per my AU, the Sunbringer. I’m currently.. halfway through. It’s been a week.

Hhh.

Well, now onto actual details, starting with the fact that CSP makes it much easier to save transparent PNGs (Krita was fine, too, but it was slightly less intuitive, at least for me- I figured out how to do it on the first try- though maybe that also has to do with the fact I now have actual art experience meanwhile Krita was my second ever program, and while I’m certain the first one was fine it did not have that feature specifically... or at least I wasn’t aware I could look for it. Idk, it’s been like 4-5 years since I last used that program, I can’t even recall its name). What I’m saying is that the version above is transparent, while my new profile picture is the one with a background! And it’s space!

Anyways, figured out I really like giving characters with large, round glasses small, simple eyes, that are just colorful eggs.

So, as I mentioned, this is Homestuck stuff- apparently my last try was the wrong class, but not the wrong aspect; I’m actually a Mage of Mind. The one server I’m on where I talk Homestuck had me accidentally rant for paragraphs upon paragraphs (like I’m doing now... haha) about another person’s classpect and why their explanation for why it won’t fit them is actually the entire reason it should fit, actually.

It was a discussion on why classpects are infuriatingly confusing, so of course that “short” explanation I provided immediately cleared the issue for me, since a Mage of Mind is one who understands choice, consequence, and thoughts. So, understanding the minds of fictional characters to the point where I mimic mannerisms subconsciously, as well as understanding someone I had at most two conversations with prior... Yeah, fair enough.

That’s my invitation to anyone who’s interested to ask me to explain the personalities for various classpects, if you’re willing to read this much text (and, let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you’re probably fine with the length I write in).

Ok, final notes!

I almost gave the boots little wings- sorta like Hermes’ shoes? Because flight is my theme. I literally have never drawn myself without my signature wings- except when I was 3 and my “self portrait” was a bright-crayon drawing of a luna moth (well, it was bright pink, but it was a butterfly with crescent-patterned wings), and even then it was all about the flight. Always. It’s a part of who I am more than pretty much any other part of me.

... Now onto lighter stuff, the title of the book Mini-me is reading is “Mage’s Guide to Reading More Books”. Specifically because I thought a book on reading books is a silly (yet loveable) concept.

[o-kenki]

I decided to also share some of the one i know/use! : )

drawing/art programs: CLIP STUDIO PAINT: I use a version i got years ago, that's not relying on the subscription service, it's good as it is, it goes on sale very often (I got the studio paint full (ex?) suite, single purchase for around 60€, it was years ago) it comes with an access to an asset shop/market with a lot of brushes and other materials and a good chuck of it is FREE.

PaintToolSai (1 and 2) are around 35€/$, it's one time purchase and you can use one licence for BOTH versions. It's a more "simple" program that's more adapted to drawing/illustration than photo manipulation or design.

My Paint is fun and free, perfect for doodling around and simple to use.

Krita, i did not personally use, but many of my friends do, some for professional works, and it's free.

OpenCanvas started more like SAI, used to be free, but is now around 60€/$, i personally only used it in it's simpler/free form, around 2012, it seems to be quite similar to photshop. I'll let you investigate.

I see a lot of people saying gimp is awful, i personally don't use it for other than making simple gifs and it works fine, i never used it as a drawing program, just simple photo manipulation and image "formatting"(?). I guess it depends on the use you have of it and the "complexity" of the work you do with it. It's more on the "heavier" side for me and my laptop, so it's up to you to try it or not! it's free!

fire alpaca is free, i barely used it a few years ago and it was nice! A lot of my friend who used it back then still use it. It seems pretty light and well adapted for illustration/art.

for video editing: ShotCut is free and quite complete for simple to advanced video editing. It's on the more simple side, but has a lot of resources

Pinnacle studio is maybe more advanced, but is to be paid for, depending on the level of video editing you need, might be a good pick. It has trials version if you want to know before investing.

none of them can compare or will ever replace windows movie maker 6 and 7, but alas...

others:

to make zines and some graphics/printable, Scribus is free and do the job, I do most of my zine, pdf or to be printed with it. I find it easier to use than indesign and the results are the same. For more advanced designing, I don't know, but most printing work or page design can be done it in ok!

photofiltre if you need something lightspeedy for simple photo editing (size, colours correction, basic effects, making awful memes for your friends, ...) juste par plaisir de plug ma go sûre.

If you know more about any of those and/or if you know something "bad" about them, feel free to tell me. I'm not a huge digital art maker, so my knowledge is very basic.

take care, share what you know and teach nicely around you! if you know/think something is bad, it's good to say, but even better if you can suggest a replacement! : )

love you all, stay safe, stay curious! (just wanted to add that i personally never used adobe except at school years ago (not saying that in a "aha! i'm better than you! èwé" way, just to clarify that i don't know how they work very well, so i can't say if the alternative is as good 100%), i didn't look into the 'new adobe controversy contract' all that much (i don't care), i just want to recommand other programs to those that may be looking for some, i'm not judging anyone, i'm not saying those are the 'only good/best ones', just wanting to share some favourites that i know of for those who would like to look somewhere else, as i saw people in the replies/reblogs, asking for alternatives. it's not out of malice, some like photofiltre were added almost as a joke, it's just for sharing/caring and fun, i am just wanting to help! have a nice day everyone! : p)

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

[atvie]

trying out clip studio paint with the default brush packs, so here’s an aria~~