#e.g. conde

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Sordidez by E.G. Condé

goodreads

Vero has always felt at odds with his community. As a trans man in near-future Puerto Rico, he struggles to gain acceptance for his identity and his vision of an inclusive society. After a hurricane decimates the island and Puerto Rico is abandoned by the United States, Vero leaves his home to petition the centralized government for aid and seek the truth about new colonists arriving on the island. But in the Yucatan, Vero finds a landscape ravaged by an ecological disaster of humanity’s own making—the Hydrophage, a climate technology warped into a weapon of war and released onto the land by the dictator Caudillo. Amidst the destruction, Vero finds both desperation and hope for regrowth as he documents the lives of the survivors. Details about the colonists’ intentions emerge when Vero meets the Loba Roja, an anti-Caudillo revolutionary who imagines the renewed power of the Maya. Intrigued by her vision of the future and her unapologetic violence, Vero is faced with life-changing questions: can an Indigenous resurgence protect his beloved island? And what must he sacrifice to support it?

Mod opinion: I hadn't heard of this book before, but it sounds so interesting, I'm excited to check it out!

[writing-relatedactivities]

So proud to see multiple Reckoning 6 authors on the Nebula Recommended Reading list!

[graceshouldwrite]

How to Write Devastating Betrayals (Pt. 2)

[FIND PT. 1 on @ grace_should_write on IG, or by scrolling through my Tumblr profile!]

Here are more elements + tips on satisfying betrayals that will destroy both your characters AND your readers! Sorry for the wait... 😅 As usual, the examples all contain spoilers!

1. How does the TRAITOR feel?

This is first because I feel it's SO so undercovered. I've definitely seen lots of tips about viscerally describing the feelings of the betrayed, but...how does the traitor feel?

Let's use the example of cheating, universally recognized as one of the biggest forms of romantic betrayal. Obviously, the person getting cheated on will probably feel devastated, but this betrayal can be made even MORE gut-wrenching if the writer explores how the cheater feels.

Maybe there's guilt that occurs before, during, and after the cheating. It might build over time, going from a small tinge to absolutely crippling shame. The cheater will probably realize what they really lost after they get caught. Maybe they reminisce on all the good times they had with their proper partner and immediately feel thrown back into reality, asking themselves how they could ever have done what they did. Maybe, after all this, it still kills them to see their partner so hurt by their actions.

Guilt is one of the most common feelings traitors have after betrayals, but a portrayal of the flip side—a ruthless, pragmatic satisfaction—can also be interesting.

One of the best historical examples I've seen of this is the life of Joseph Fouché, a French politician active from the 1789 French Revolution all the way to 1816, during the Bourbon restoration. For reference, that's a crazy long period of time for any politician to hold so much (albeit behind the stage) power.

Aside from being a master at political scheming and intrigue plots, he was known as a "chameleon"—able to seamlessly and shamelessly shift his loyalties. He never really committed to a single group or person, always joining a group as soon as it became, or had the potential to become, influential, and leaving it (often actively working against it) as soon as the group was projected to lose power.

One of the biggest manifestations of this is the juxtaposition of his own childhood to his adulthood—he was raised and educated in the Church and even taught in a Catholic institution for a while during his young adulthood. He never harboured any sort of hatred against the Church.

Then, when the French Revolution rolled around and religion was seen as highly unpopular and ultra-traditional, he was one of the most enthusiastic church ransackers and dechristianizers. He wanted to "[abandon] the role of religion in society altogether" just one year after he'd advocated for "the role of the [Church] in education." He pulled this sort of turncoat trick on group after group, even including Napoleon.

While guilt is generally recognized as emotionally effective, the LACK of guilt in a traitor is a super underrated tool. Often, a lack of guilt can be even more surprising and jarring to the reader, eliciting not only sadness, but anger, or just pure shock at how depraved humans can be. If the context doesn't really call for those emotions, at least this type of betrayal will be quite memorable.

KEY POINT: If it's something 100% morally reprehensible, e.g. cheating in a safe relationship, a parent selling a child for money, a friend betraying another purely for power, etc., NEVER justify the traitor's actions.

Showing the side of the traitor doesn't exonerate them; it just allows the reader to get hit with the full complexity of both parties' emotions. Twice the turmoil!

Of course, in more morally complex cases, you could choose to mainly explore the traitor's actions and motivations. For example, Brutus betrayed his friend Julius Caesar because he thought Caesar was becoming a tyrant who would take away democracy from the Roman Republic.

Here, Brutus' betrayal could be condemned if you purely look at it as "a friend betraying a friend." However, it could also be justified if you see it more as "a person sacrificing a personal relationship for the greater good of a nation."

2. How does the BETRAYED feel?

This point is definitely covered more than the previous one, so it will be shorter. However, here are a few other ideas of how the betrayed character can feel/react instead of the typically seen, angry "WHAT THE HECK? No way! How dare you?!"

they had suspicions very early on, and the betrayal doesn't shock them as much as it confirms their beliefs -> emotions like sadness, disappointment, and generally less aggressive forms of resentment will probably come out. (e.g. I can't remember where I've seen this but I have lol...but have a meta example. Think of when YOU see a character with major betrayal flags actually betray! Isn't that feeling just...more quiet resentment than fury? Now, think of how a character would feel)

they are understanding. Even if they're surprised, they can see why the betrayed chose to do what they did and aren't as resentful as they are compassionate. (e.g. Il-nam when Gi-hun betrays him in the show Squid Game)

they accept it. Although similar, this is still different from "understanding" because the betrayed character doesn't necessarily sympathize with the traitor; they just acknowledge that they're powerless to do anything at the moment, and they won't waste any energy getting angry. (e.g. Jesus when Judas betrays him)

quiet horror. No room for aggressive resentment, just that slowly dawning feeling of fear or hurt when they realize it happened. (e.g. Lydia Rodarte-Quayle when Walter White betrays her at the very end of the show Breaking Bad)

A diverse range of reactions can help your reader be more emotionally receptive. Seeing the same type of reaction to fictional betrayals can be quite numbing—these less commonly used ideas can feel more like cutting open a fresh wound, instead of rubbing salt in an existing one, if you get what I mean...

3. Aftermath of the betrayal

I RARELY see this covered at all, so I'll slip this in here: Betrayal is MORE than just the moment, even more than the foreshadowing in events leading up to it.

One of the most important parts of betrayal is the aftermath. The key question to ask yourself is: what is left behind?

What is lost? What is left? Most importantly, WHAT HAS CHANGED?

Now's your chance to imply, or even show, how the betrayed person/people/party will recover. Will they do it healthily, or destructively? What does this mean for the future of their relationships (existing or potential), endeavours (are plans ruined or improved?), self-image, and anything else important?

For example, lots of characters go on their angsty, "I'll never open up to anyone ever again and I'll brood forever" arc after a betrayal. Still, others try to process the betrayal as it tanks their self-worth. Of course, there are characters who process their betrayal through healthier coping mechanisms. They might choose to continue trusting and being open in the future.

For bigger parties, it can be even more complicated. Was the traitor an important person in an organization? Will the organization collapse without them, or will it thrive because they were only in it because of non-skill-related reasons? How did other people in the organization see them? So many options!

The aftermath can amplify feelings of anger, sadness, emptiness, or anything else your readers feel after your betrayal. It also allows for a more satisfying story conclusion (if that's what you're going for). It will even help your readers be even MORE invested in your characters because a betrayal is another big milestone that they've now experienced along with your characters.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

WHEW! Took a while before I finally fished this one out of my drafts and continued it. I love LOVE media and historical analysis in general, so I hope the length of this post is kinda complemented by the information I tried to provide.

I hope everyone's doing well! I'm super excited for a grad trip to ITALY NEXT WEEK!!!! As such, I might miss a post over that weekend, but stay tuned for more posts that week before then! Thank you all so much for engaging with my posts, it means the world ❤️

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[exeggcute]

sometimes i get so mad about online advertising being so lawless compared to other mediums (ex. television ads occupying specific spots in programming or a small fraction of the screen while online ads can sprawl wherever the hell they want And bog down computer performance) i find myself wishing for someone to enact legislation leading to their regulation, but how likely of a possibility do you think that actually is?

it depends tbh. we do have related stuff like CCPA and GDPR (obligatory meme that I have saved on my phone:)

...so it's not impossible for further laws/regulations to crop up down the line. my main thoughts here are that (1) adtech changes so rapidly that I think any specific legislation is almost certainly doomed to become obsolete before long (compounded further by the fact that most lawmakers barely seem to understand the internet, let alone a fucking RTB supply chain lol), (2) enforcement would be a nightmare considering there are literally several hundred billion bid requests generated EVERY SINGLE DAY (googled this stat to make sure I wasn't misremembering and got another dr. fou link lol. can't escape this guy) and (3) believe it or not, the online advertising industry is largely self-governing... or at least tries to be.

an organization called the IAB (interactive advertising bureau) sets a ton of standards around not only the logistics of buying and selling ads (they are, for example, the creators of the OpenRTB protocol for real-time auctions), but also the quality of the ads and ad space being sold. there are tons of initiatives they've proposed that have widespread buy-in among the industry, like ads.txt, which everybody who's anybody uses these days.

you do, of course, have to buy in to what the IAB is metaphorically selling, but their decrees hold a lot of weight among all sections of the ads supply chain—both reputable buyers and reputable sellers regularly adjust their behavior based on IAB guidelines. for example, two of the things you mentioned:

"ads can sprawl wherever they want": the IAB has about a million guidelines for where ads can physically go on a page, how they can run (e.g., video ads must be muted by default or they aren't IAB compliant), and what percentage of the visual real estate they can use up. publishers obviously can and do violate these guidelines, but third-party tools exist to make sure your ads aren't running on pages that pull that shit. and as a rule, advertisers actively dislike buying ad space on awful cluttered pages because they know the pages are shitty and the impressions are less valuable.

"big down computer performance": people call those heavy ads! the IAB sets standards around ad performance (the lighter the better, basically) and google chrome even implemented a feature that automatically kills heavy ads before they eat up your whole CPU. some performance based-issues are also caused by malvertising which is uhhh a whole other thing but no one likes it and everyone who matters is trying to stop it.

which isn't to be naive here or an industry shill or whatever because Fucking Obviously these problems persist. I actually had to email the advertising division at conde nast recently because I kept getting malicious redirect ads on their mobile site (they haven't responded yet... return my calls bitch!) so clearly even well-meaning reputable websites and ad platforms and advertisers continue to have issues with IVT and whatnot. the struggle is eternal.

but arguably so is the struggle against basically anything that's legislated, like property crime or whatever. I'm admittedly not optimistic that formal laws would fix digital advertising, only put a slightly hotter fire under people's asses to clean up their respective acts better. which is certainly a good thing, it's just a rapidly evolving game where the bad actors are always coming up with new tactics.

fun and related example: I read a recent retrospective about the kids behind the mirai botnet, which originally started out as a DDoS-for-hire scheme but pivoted to ad fraud when it turned out that was way more profitable. possibly the largest botnet ever (don't quote me on that though) and it was spun up by three teenagers!!!

[avoidantvoidd]

Hi, I'm Voidd! And welcome to the void :3c

This is where I post stuff about Assassin's Creed with Desmond Miles being my #1 chew toy fave, tho I plan on posting things non-AC. But Desmond will be a recurring theme around here (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ

English is not my first language, spelling is a weakness of mine, and I don't know what a verb is so some of the thing's I say will be incomprehensible lol.

I also have massive anxiety, and sometimes will delete stuff in fear of being more cringe than I already am, plus, I'm also new on tumblr and don't really know how to use it properly so please excuse me when my posts seem messy :').

And one thing I love more than Desmond are commas, I need to put them into anything I write because if I don't, the world will end.

Warnings.

I will ship Desmond with any and everyone. I mean it. It doesn't matter that the characters have never interacted or met, I always find a way lol.

This means I ship him with his ancestors, e.g altdes, ezides, condes etc. And if that is not your cup of tea I suggest you don't interact with this blog.

And one last thing, this blog will contain nsfw and suggestive themes. I know that I can't stop any minors from interacting but please be careful, it may not seem like it now, but things will get weird and... wet... and my life's a nightmare so edgy humor is to be expected.

Tags.

I will use stupid tags, and there's nothing you can do to stop me.

#voidd's art for voidd's art.

and ships are tagged as '#characternamedes' for example #altdes.

that's all I have for now. I'll update when I've posted more stuff :')

Note.

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 and kindly block me if you think otherwise.

[mmaurysiek]

a few supplementals (sorry, the infodump below grew long on me) :

- Chinese braille

Chinese braille is pinyin-based, which means essentially Latin alphabet with accent symbols, but no capital letter symbols, as far as i know; while it didn't exist in the time period the show is stylized as - that time period also had much lower literacy rates than the show suggests, so we've got some wiggle room here;

specifically about literacy: the characters used in the show are characters, not letters - so the literacy is more of a scale: learning to read means learning whole words, starting from the most common ones; a lot of people would know more common characters and be unfamiliar with the less common ones

more complicated characters have repeated elements, so one could technically try to guess the meaning, with varied (mostly wrong) results (what a woman carrying rice to a - is that a silo - has to do with maths? it's about that level of abstract)

so much like real Chinese people without access to formal education occasionally had done - some characters may invent a writing system to use between themselves; it might be even sound-based too, though probably not tied to a Latin alphabet like pinyin is, so the character length may be even more consistent there than in the pinyin-based braille; it may also be written vertically, top to bottom, like traditional Chinese writing and even modern poetry often would 🤔

braille as a tactile medium is limited to the maximum amount of detail that would be relatively easily decipherable in minimal time; it's a raised-dots sixpoint that fits under a fingertip for a damn good reason; that means a finite amount of characters - any extras, e.g. larger characters or new characters that would have a line instead of two dots - would take a little longer to read per character, but it's still plausible that people may come up with that; any indents (instead of raised bits) would take much longer time to check for, and are therefore impractical;

China and the cultural significance of paper aside, i was wondering why an earthbender country wouldn't use clay tablets (probably due to the low percentage of earthbenders in the general population). these are more suited to making indents than ridges tho, but would make sense as easily erasable (just press it blank) stuff that children could draw on, so if the characters are trying to metaphorically reinvent the wheel before finding a writing system that already exists - that could be a fun plot device

before the typing machines became the main writing method for braille, currently much cheaper braille writing tablets were a way to go - nowdays they're made of plastic; they're shaped like a book cover without any book, with one side full of rectangular holes the size of a standard braille sixpoint, the other with round indents that make sure that the resulting ridges are nice and even and pleasantly round to the touch; you put a thick paper sheet inside and write by pressing the stylus into the specific parts of the sixpoint holes, mirror-like so that the letters on the other side would be written in the right direction

these braille writing tablets can also be used to draw mazes and stuff, though the easier way of flat-drawing is to glue appropriately thick thread to a flat surface; that way of drawing allows not just for lines but also for using shapes and varied textures, too

btw, getting used to braille means training up one's touch sensitivity; new readers tend to sometimes press letters back into the paper

also, it's customary to cut or fold a specific corner of the paper sheets to quickly indicate which way the text is going; the gaang obviously didn't know that when hanging the lost Appa posters

do what you want with that information :)

- the Moses / skewer / sword-cut maneuvre

when it comes to using long cane (sorry if that's not an appropriate term in English; here the users tend to call it a long cane because it's a vibration-conducting lightweight long cane, calling it a white cane is a more of a sighted people thing - but it may be just a regional custom for all i know -- when it comes to using the long cane, there are a number of ways to do it, depending on what the user wants to achieve (e.g. prevent collisions with people? hold diagonally; check the terrain? a sweeping motion in front of oneself)

the Moses / skewer maneuver is a rare one, because it takes a really very specific kind of person to even consider it - and Toph is very much that kind of person:

we call it a Moses / skewer maneuver here because you do it to pass crowded areas by raising the cane in front of you like a sword - (which also means no tracking of the terrain for the duration of the maneuver) - and march forward at a steady pace, so that the crowd has no choice but to part aside to avoid getting skewered

Toph so would

(the question is - what would be a setting-appropriate name for this maneuver? i came up with a "sword-cut" but there may be something better.)

as for the long cane length, the standard length is a cane that reaches an armpit, shorter for the people who walk slowly and cautiously, and longer for the speedsters; i imagine that Toph may opt for one long enough to touch her face when held vertically 🤔

- the hoop and stuff

there are stand-ins for the cane in circumstances where it can't be or isn't efficient to use; the most basic ones are the back of one's outstretched hand or a stack of papers to maneuver between writing desks

since my country doesn't hand the stabby but fragile and expensive long canes to toddlers, we've got the hoops put to use - basically a hula hoop that a kid can either hold in front or around themself to avoid all collisions; there are no convenient hoop skirts in the setting, but i imagine that there must be some tools that Toph could have used in a similar manner? baskets, perhaps? 🤔

- searching trick

i think Toph discreetly does that in canon, i can't guarantee it tho - i tend to miss moments that weren't audiodescribed - the searching trick is simple - it's using a circular motion of one's hand (starting from a spot in the middle, going in increasingly larger circle) to locate a thing that should be there, or to check one's seat against pranks and leftover stuff

- pouring liquids

frankly, i don't know how how the tea was done before the battery-powered beepers that beep when the water (or touch) reaches the prongs and thus closes the electric circuit; the level of room-temperature and cold drinks can be checked with a thumb inside the cup, but hot drink may be too hot; and with how diligently China sterilised water for drinking by boiling it shortly before use -- i can't think of anything better than use an oddly lare cup and only pour in about half of it, to make the error margin bigger 🤔

- basic echoes and other supplementals

if one's hearing works fine, there are basic echoes one can use regardless of not having any advanced echolocation skills: open space makes sounds travel (like outdoors), flat surfaces make sounds bounce back (like a mostly empty tunnel / room with good acoustics), intensely patterned surfaces mute sounds (like sound barriers that cancel noise of the streets); echoes like that would give Toph information that she wouldn't be able to access through earthbending, like the long curtain separating the room in half ends roughly about here sort of stuff

along with smells, more generic noises, and warmth levels (btw, dark fabrics heat up much more in direct sunlight than bright fabrics do) -- it's going to significantly supplement Toph's navigation, both clarifying stuff she's already perceived through earthbending (like the wall that ends here is mostly bare here and prbably covered in some stuff over there) and alerting her of stuff she did not (like the soup smells ready)

- seismic sense navigation and how Toph sees people and stuff

the clarity of Toph's seismic perception depends on the quality of the ground: solid rock seems best, small highly mobile grains like sand and mud give her a lot of difficulty, and floors from non-rocky materials like wood block her seismic sense (i imagine Toph might have a love-hate-mostly-hate relationship with carpets)

Toph cannot seismic-sense flying objects, so she can't seismic sense through air; her area of earth-sight is fairly far through whatever solid rock she's standing on or touching with her hands, more "fuzzy" if she has to parse through that rock to another touching it, and her horizon ends where the rock ends and air / water / wood / etc. begins

that suggests that Toph perceives the pressures exerted on the rock and estimates the objects' qualities from that; it's very different from seeing; (that indirect perception style is more similar to echolocation than to touch)

immobile objects that aren't a stone conduct that could carry Toph's seismic perception further -- these exert a steady downwards pressure on the rock based on their weight; let's take a wooden chair as an example - Toph can see the pressure points where the chair's legs weight on the stone floor (a staple in the earthbender country); she can see how heavy is the weight on each leg based on that, but she can't directly see whether there is anything suspended between the chair's legs nor the chair's shape; but she can take an educated guess. it's light and small enough to be an empty chair rather than a wardrobe.

and if someone sits on that chair without directly touching the floor, their added weight and the uneven weight distribution (heavier on the leg they're leaning towards) -- is also something that Toph can see, and take an educated guess that either the chair is occupied or it's a coat rack with more coats on one side... nah, the coats don't just shift weight by themselves, must be an occupied chair

i don't know if she would be able to notice whether the thing touching the rock is stiff or soft just based on pressures, or is that another educated guess based on weight distribution - a softer thing creates more of a flat surface contact point with the floor, lighter pressure on the edges, compared to a stiff thing that doesn't change shape under the weight

as for the people (or animals), they move, so the pressure from their contact points with the ground isn't going steadily downwards as is the case with objects -- instead, it goes at an angle, as the living being pushes themself away from the ground / surface to a particular direction; similar as happens with objects that bounce off the ground / surface -- the trajectory of the movement is yet another educated guess

so specific people (and animals) have their own individual gaits, (and a person's gait shifts to reflect how they're feeling! or whether they're carrying bulky / heavy stuff around!), though there are some patterns -- e.g. i think Toph would be able to guess which stranger is an earthbender just based on how rooted their gait is; Aang is the opposite of that, so airbendingly light on his feet, hard to spot (which is a funny contrast with how easy he's to spot visually, with his yellow-orange clothing xD)

now, there are seismic signals that are more obvious and the subtle ones that require much more focus to notice: a person's gait is way more obvious than whether they're wearing shoes; i think it's most likely that Toph can recognise the gait of a person without much effort, but she has to actively look for more details like e.g. whether they're wearing shoes

- seismic sense truthtelling

speaking of minute details that require concentration, feeling someone's pulse through the skin which that person happens to press against the rock -- that sounds like a feat that requires a whole lot of focus! thus - probably only done on purpose; a person's gait may alert Toph that there's something to look for, though

- shape of rock

with rock being a thing that Toph perceives through rather than outside of, Toph would probably have a good grasp on volume, distances through, and maybe the mineral structure of rock she's using; quite a different perspective from the things that she perceives by either seismic proxy or by touch

i think that makes sculpting a fun challenge to Toph, that shift of perspective; i imagine it feels a bit similar to crawling into inside the empty space of a large sculpture to find these all-reversed bits that face away from you now (indents and outdents, all reversed) -- she gets this sense through solid rock, no crawl space required

- sense of time

btw, being completely can't-see-light blind, Toph's internal clock would be disconnected from the daylight cycle; there are still cues she gets from noise levels, meals (fats may make one more energetic and carbohydrates more restful), air temperature and how much of a workout she gets -- sill, Toph (given her general attitude towards society rules) might easily be not an early bird, not a night owl, but a secret third thing (sleeping when she feels like it, possibly operating on a different length of day than others do)

(for full disclosure and context, i'm sighted with visual processing issues, like, good vision with a somewhat noticeable delay in actually seeing things plus an occasional colour perception glitch; i have some training in non-visual navigation as we call the O&M here, and i had accidentally taught myself to echolocate as a kid prior to that, which totally makes sense for a kid who hears way faster than sees, lol)

Writing Toph Beifong, Advice from a Blind Writer

I’m Mimzy, an actual visually impaired writer and blogger who talks a lot about writing blind characters accurately and sensitively. A while back someone sent me an anon asking how to write Toph more accurately and sensitively.

Anonymous asked: Hi there! Your blog has been super-helpful already - I thought I knew a bit about writing with blind characters, but it turns out there was a lot to learn - but this is more specific. I’m writing a The Last Airbender fanfiction, and one of the characters is Toph. I think the fandom has done a fairly good job of respecting her blindness, but what are some things you’d like to see when people write her? I want to represent the character as best as possible; thanks in advance!

It’s taken a while for me to answer because I have a lot of thoughts about it as both a blind writer and someone who has read a lot of atla fanfiction. So here we go:

Keep reading

[littlemissidontcare]

Just admit you say she’s right when it’s convenient for you and be done with it / nah, she's never "right" on her own bc she's a talking head, a platform without any actual information. When she's lucky to pick up an actual insider, e.g., Conde Nast person who's been giving her correct heads ups about Vogue covers and MET Galas, she's "right". When people don't try to play games and simply send her sightings, she's "right". In many cases she posts whatever bs she gets and is "wrong". Anyway, she clearly still underestimates this rs, per some asks she answered this year on stories and podcast lol.

[kaitlynfernandess]

Week 12 Type Specimen Book Final

(31.05.23)

Today I had a final look at my Type Specimen and have exported it to zip my type specimen book folder. So that I will be ready to submit by the 7th of June! Here is an explanation for each page and the reason why it links to type specimen book + theme.

1 big change i made from my formative to my summative which I had discussed in previous posts, is that I changed the colour theme of type specimen book to, saffron, dark blue, black and white. This reason for this was because I wanted to relate it more to India and its flag colours which contain the same colours.

This is my cover page which consists of my typeface Museo and my sub-title name a place I call home. I decided to stay with the same layout for the Museo heading as I thought it was the best placement for it on my cover, so that it wasn't also covering the image.

The page on the left is my rationale page. I re-wrote my rationale as I got feedback it, so add more information about my chose place and the relation to the museum. Which I chose the Indian Museum in Kolkata. I kept the same layout for the title of Rationale so it doesn't distract you from the rationale information. The page on the left is descriptions about the founder of the font Jos Buivenga and how he came to creating the Museo font. And the description below that is about the Font itself and how help make it and what happened afterwards.

These pages is a display of the different families that the Museo font contains. I have not changed the layout of this page and I thought it was the easy and best way to show the different families in the font and the different weights and features for each family.

This is my pepeha spread and i decided to change my pepeha as I wanted it to relate more to my theme and wrote it about my India instead of New Zealand. I decided to keep the design on the left as I didn't get any negative feedback on it, and I like the way I have designed it. I also wanted to use Museo Sans to display my Pepeha to show how this Italic set is displayed using the Maori characters.

Here is a new page on the left, which i have displayed the Glyph forms using Museo slab to display it. I wanted to show that this font has the ability to display any glphys. I decide to also use some visuals and have picked a photo that I took on my flight to India earlier this year. The page on the right, is about an interview which Jos (the founder) talks about how he made the font and his reasons behind it. I found this important to include as it shows the behind the scenes of how my typeface font was made.

On the left, i have done another display of the Museo font using Museo Sans to display it. I wanted to analyse the Museo letters which I have written about on the right page with a continuing title of Type Anatomy next to it. I initially had this all on one page for my formative but got feedback from Emil, that I should spage information and visuals out more, so that its easy on the eye.

This is a new page that I have added to my type specimen book, which shows the different features that the Museo font offers. Also how the 2 different kind of font families display the letters differently.

These 2 pages are type experimentations of using the alphabet and the 5 different weights that the Museo font uses e.g. 100,700 etc. The page on the right is a display of the Hindi word meaning Hello or Welcome in Hindi using Museo Sans Cond Italic.

The page on the left is a type experimentation using numbers which I have displayed by using the co-ordinates of my place that I have chosen which is the Museum of Kolkata. On the page on the right, is another type experimentation using numbers and displayed with the Museo sans font. The image in the background links to my theme as it is the Mumbai museum which also reminds me of the architecture in India, and have similar colours to my colour scheme.

This is a new spread that i have made which shows my subtitle again with the words 'a place I call home'. I wanted to show how my words are shown with bold capital texts and how it is shown in the different colours. I have made 'place' and 'home' in the saffron colours as those are the words that stand out to me the most and relate to a place that i have picked called India and this place is where i call my home.

I have kept the same back cover but have changed the text and have added a 'motif' to my backcover which I have used in my type specimen book. I have mentioned footnotes which was the information that I used in my type specimen book.

PAGE ORDER:

Page 1- Front cover

Page 2- Rationale

Page 3- Founder + Font research

Page 4/5- Meet the family

Page 6- Pepeha Design

Page 7- My Pepeha in Museo Font

Page 8- Museo Slab Glyph Forms Design

Page 9- History behind the Museo Font (interview)

Page 10- Analysing the Museo letters

Page 11- Type Anatomy title with analysis explanation

Page 12/13- Anatomy letters display

Page 14-5 weights Design

Page 15- Namaste Design display

Page 16- Design display using co-ordinates of Indian musuem

Page 17- Number design display

Page 18/19- A place I call home design display

Page 20- Back cover

Reflection:

I am very happy with the way that my final type specimen book turned out. I made many improvements to this book, including listening and adapting to the feedback from my teachers. I have learned a lot from doing this course and haven't learned many skills that will help me in the future.

[johnaleitner]

How to Estimate Kitchen Renovation Costs in Metro Vancovuer

 How to Estimate Kitchen Renovation Costs in 2023 in Metro Vancouver

Renovating a kitchen is no small task. It can be costly, time-consuming, and stressful all around. It’s important to understand exactly what you want from your remodel before getting started, including the layout, style, and cost considerations. Creating a plan that considers both form and function can help ensure you get the most out of your investment.

How much does it cost to renovate a kitchen in Metro Vancouver? 

Prices for kitchen renovations vary depending on location, trades needed, and the quality of materials used. Kitchen renovations in Vancouver typically cost between $500 and $1500 per square foot. The total cost of a kitchen renovation can range from $50,000 to $150,000. Depending on your overall budget, you may need to consider factors such as an efficient design that maximizes space to make your home feel bigger without breaking the bank or materials such as countertops made with recycled or natural materials that are more budget-friendly than higher-end materials yet still durable enough to last for years.

I understand that I’m not helping you by giving a wide range of $50,000 to $150,000. So, let’s try to make sense of all of these.  Numerous factors must be considered before reaching a price tag for any kitchen renovation project. This includes the space’s size and materials, labour costs, design fees, and potential structural changes. Obtaining permits or permissions from the city can also add to the project’s cost. The age of the home and the complexity of the job must be taken into account when estimating costs as well. The length of time involved in completing the reno, as well as access to the property, could both cause unexpected expenses. As such, knowing all the details is essential for coming up with an accurate budget range.

No matter what you choose, it’s important to understand how each aspect of your renovation will affect the total cost so you can remain on top of any overages or under-expenses when budgeting and planning your project. This way, you know exactly what costs are associated with each step in the process and adjustments can be made if needed. Considering all facets, including finances, ensures that at the end of your project, you have a beautiful newly renovated kitchen that meets all your needs without breaking the bank!

Let’s assume that you have a good contractor that’s not expensive but he does good work. Also, let’s go for some sort of Formula that can help us break down the cost for a 10′ x 10′ kitchen:

What’s neededCostRip out$2000 – $5,000Custom Cabinetry $20,000 – $60,000Appliances$10,000 – $30,000Countertops$7,000 – $20,000Plumbing$2,000 – $6,000Electrical$2000 – $5,000Kitchen Design fees$1000Lighting$1500 – $4,000Permits0 – $2000Backsplash$2000 – $5,000Clean up$500 – $2,000Flooring$2,000 – $10,000Total average cost$50,000 – $,150,000

It helps to remember that things will likely cost more than expected, so try including a 20-25% cushion in your overall budget. Don’t forget about government grants and tax benefits that are available in Canada when renovating your kitchen.

The secret to accurately estimating the costs of Metro Vancouver’s kitchen renovation projects!

Accurately estimating kitchen renovation costs is a must for any homeowner undertaking a major project in Metro Vancouver. There are many variables to consider, including materials and finishes, labour costs, allowances for unexpected expenses (e.g. plumbing or carpentry related) and non-negotiable budget items. Keeping track of all these costs requires careful planning right from the outset.

Determine the scope of the work.

Estimating the cost of a kitchen renovation starts with determining the project’s scope. You might be embarking on a full-scale renovation or just making smaller changes – either way, you need to consider factors like the size of your kitchen space, its current condition and the changes you’d like to make to calculate the cost accurately.

Aim to know what kind of new cabinets, appliances, floors and countertops you’d like included in your renovation before deciding precisely how much money you are willing to allocate. Knowing what kind of materials, labour and timeframe is involved in each upgrade can help give you a better overall understanding of total costs.

It is also important to consider whether items such as plumbing fixtures and electrical wiring need to be replaced in addition to cabinet installation or floor repairs – these often come with extra expenses that should be considered during budget planning.

Set a realistic budget.

Setting a budget is an integral part of estimating kitchen renovation costs. It will help you decide which type of materials and finishes you can feasibly afford and guide the decisions made during the restoration process. You need to consider what is financially feasible, how much you are willing to shell out, and how vital the remodelling is to you.

Establishing a budget should take into account the existing kitchen structure and existing appliances; removal of old materials; installation of new appliances, cabinets, countertops, and fixtures; any extra electric or gas lines needed; painting or wallcovering; flooring; installation fees (for labour); lighting fixtures; hardware (handles and knobs); as well as decorative accessories.

Research for materials and finishes

Once the scope and budget for a project have been decided, the research for materials and finishes can begin. It’s important to list everything you need, from countertops and cabinets to floors and lighting fixtures. Look at all the possible options, and compare prices, taking into account the durability and lifespan of each material.

When researching, shop around, and read reviews online to find out how reliable each product is and what kind of maintenance it requires. Materials such as stone or natural wood might be more expensive, but they tend to last longer than alternatives like laminate and linoleum tile. Appliances should also be considered – try to find options with energy-saving features, as these will help reduce your power bills in the long run.

When forecasting costs for your purchase, consider additional expenses like delivery charges or installation fees. This will help ensure you don’t overspend on one part of the project while leaving yourself short elsewhere.

Once you’ve chosen all the elements needed for your project, remember it’s worth taking measurements several times in case there’s even a slight discrepancy between spaces in your home that may require custom-made pieces. Remember, good preparation is key so plan and factor in allowances for anything unexpected that could turn up along the way.

Plan for contingencies

No matter how thoroughly you plan, unexpected issues may arise during a renovation. To help mitigate the impact of any potential surprises, set aside some extra cash in your budget for contingencies. This will ensure that you are prepared financially should something unforeseen come up.

It is also essential to consider any possible delays and additional costs associated with the renovation. Even seemingly minor details can create significant delays or increase expenses, so it’s crucial to factor such possibilities into your financial planning.

Having both contingencies and additional costs covered in your budget will help make sure that you don’t have any nasty surprises when it comes time for the renovation. Make sure that these funds are set aside as early as possible so that if anything does come up, there is no danger of an interruption to the project due to a lack of cash flow.

In addition, having these funds set aside will give you peace of mind throughout the process, knowing that whatever happens, you have those reserves there just in case. Unexpected issues can cause delays or even derail the project entirely, but with proper planning, these risks can be reduced significantly. Make sure you plan for contingencies by setting aside some money specifically for this purpose — it will save you time and money in the long run!

Retaining the old style if you’re on a tight budget!

Keeping the old style of your kitchen can lower your kitchen renovation costs by reducing the number of essentials you need to replace. Changing the layout of your kitchen can increase costs since it involves having professionals move plumbing and electrical work. Avoid shifting appliances or staring at walls while redesigning your kitchen to avoid adding too many new expenses.

Avoiding trends if you’re on a tight budget!

Trying to keep up with the latest trends in kitchen design can be costly, so avoiding them is important to keep your costs down. Trendy materials and fixtures are often priced higher than they are worth and fall out of fashion quickly. Choose timeless designs, as they will hold up better against time and changing trends. Additionally, trendy kitchens will likely require frequent makeovers, which means more money and stress when managing several projects.

For example, patterned tiles on the backsplash will quickly go out of style, and you won’t be able to change them easily. Also, basic subway tiles will get old and outdated pretty quickly. If you want to update your backsplash, consider using a more neutral design and opt for a full-wall backsplash that extends from the countertop to the base cabinets.

Choose Canadian Home Style for your Vancouver kitchen renovation projects.

Canadian Home Style is your family-owned and operated custom cabinetry retailer with a showroom in North Vancouver, BC. We are the official dealer of Cabico custom cabinetry in the Lower Mainland, providing complete kitchen renovations with an extended lifetime warranty. We always keep up to date with the latest trends and are proud members of the NKBA, National Kitchen and Bath Association.  In addition, we have won the Consumer’s Choice Awards back-to-back in 2021, 2022 and 2023 for our commitment to business excellence. We are considered one of the highest-rated kitchen and bath design and renovation experts in Metro Vancouver. Book now to visit our North Vancouver showroom, where you can get expert advice from one of our kitchen and bath designers. We’re happy to be a part of your journey with your next kitchen renovation project in Metro Vancouver.

Our mission is to help homeowners create beautiful homes that reflect their lifestyles while reducing energy consumption and conserving resources. We do this by providing our clients with innovative products, services and education. Our vision is to become Canada’s leading sustainable kitchen design and custom cabinetry solutions provider. Our values include integrity, respect, honesty and transparency. These principles guide us as we strive to provide outstanding customer service.

We believe that our success depends on the success of our clients and their customers. We work hard to ensure our clients get the most out of their investments. Our team consists of highly skilled professionals who are experts in their field. They have years of experience working together and know what works and what doesn’t. They understand how to solve problems quickly and efficiently. We are committed to providing excellent customer service. We listen carefully to our client’s concerns and suggestions. We take these into account when planning and executing projects. We always strive to exceed expectations.

Services We Offer:

Flooring

Kitchen Renovation

Bathroom Renovation

Kitchen and Bath Design

Main Areas of Service in British Columbia:

Vancouver

North Vancouver

West Vancouver

Burnaby

Coquitlam

Squamish

Whistler

 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 5-zone cooking?

The 5-zone kitchen is an innovative design that allows for more efficient cooking with less space. It comprises five individual cooking areas: a sink area, a stove area, a fridge area, a food preparation area, and a dining area. This allows for each cook to have his or her own space and eliminates need for large kitchens with multiple appliances.

Maximil, a German designer of kitchens, invented the 5-zone kitchen. It is often used in European-style kitchens. Families who wish to save time and money by cooking together can benefit from this 5-zone kitchen.

If you are considering a 5-zone kitchen for your home, there are a few things to keep in mind. You will need enough space to accommodate all five zones. Each zone must be ventilated properly to prevent any lingering smells and fumes. Third, each zone should have enough space to allow for movement.

A 5-zone kitchen is a great option for a more functional and elegant kitchen. This kitchen can be a valuable addition to any home with the right planning.

What are the benefits of the 5-zone kitchen?

There are several benefits to the 5-zone kitchen, including:

Improved efficiency: Each cook has their space to work in which reduces the need for multiple appliances to be moved.

It is more elegant – the 5-zone Kitchen is used often in European-style kitchens.

Better ventilation – Every zone in the kitchen is adequately ventilated. This reduces the risk of lingering smells or fumes.

Improved layout – The kitchen layout should allow for easy movement between zones.

The 5-zone kitchen can offer a stylish, efficient option for creating a beautiful kitchen. This kitchen can be a great addition in any home with the right planning.

 What is a timeless kitchen backsplash?

Subway tile backsplashes are timeless. A full-height backsplash is recommended for kitchens. This would allow you to run the countertop as your backsplash all the way up to your upper cabinets. This creates a feeling of a bigger kitchen.

 How do I organize an open concept kitchen?

Organizing an open space is important to establish a clear workflow. It is important to keep all appliances nearby. Having these items close together makes cleaning easier. Keep all cooking utensils close together for easy access. Keep food storage near the point of use. It will be easier to grab what you want and place it away.

 When remodelling a kitchen, do you do floors or cabinets first?

It all depends on how you install your floor. Before installing floating flooring, your counter and cabinets must be installed first. Install your glue-down or nails-down flooring first, then your cabinets. It is a good idea to consult a professional before deciding which option you prefer for your kitchen.

 These are the basic layouts for a kitchen.

The basic kitchen layouts that are available include L-shaped or U-shaped, Tshaped, open-concept, and T-shaped. These designs will depend on the area and number of appliances. You might find these kitchen layouts useful in creating a functional design for your kitchen.

L-Shaped Design: The L shaped kitchen is the most common layout. It’s easy to customize and efficient. This layout is ideal for small to medium-sized kitchens as it doesn’t need a lot of space. If you have enough space, you can add an island.

U-Shaped Kitchen: The U-shaped kitchen is perfect for medium to large-sized kitchens because it offers many counter space and storage options. Although this layout can be modified with an island it’s not required.

T-Shaped Kitchen. This kitchen design is ideal for large kitchens. It offers lots of counter space and is very versatile. This layout can be customized with an island, but it’s unnecessary.

Open-Concept Kitchen: The open-concept kitchen is perfect for large rooms or homes where you want to create an open and airy feel. This layout doesn’t have walls or boundaries and is great for entertaining.

 How to save money on kitchen remodel costs

Here are some tips for kitchen remodeling that can save you money.

Do your research.

Before you start any kitchen remodeling project, you must do your research first. This will give a clear understanding of your goals for your kitchen remodel. Research will help you find cost-saving options.

Set up a budget.

After you have an idea of the goals and objectives for your kitchen remodel, you can create a budget. This will help determine how much you can spend on the project. It is also important that you stick to your budget to avoid overspending.

Look around for discounts and deals.

Look for bargains and savings when you shop for materials or appliances. This will allow for you to save money when renovating your kitchen.

Find a reliable contractor.

If you are looking for a contractor to remodel your kitchen, make sure they have a great track record and are reputable. You can get high-quality work done at a reasonable cost by a reputable contractor.

Do the work yourself.

You might be able do the work yourself, if you have the skills. This will save you money on kitchen remodeling costs, and it will give you satisfaction knowing that you did the work yourself.

These tips will save you money on kitchen remodels.

 Is it a good idea to leave during a kitchen renovation?

If you love to eat takeout, you don’t have to leave. If you have children or pets, it might be a good idea to stay at a relative’s house or friend’s house while the renovation is underway. It will be easier for you to keep your pets safe and not worry about them getting hurt or in danger. Also, it will make your life easier if there isn’t any construction noise or dust. If you decide to move out, get a written estimate from your contractor of how long the job will take. That way, you can plan your relocation around their timeline.

 Statistics

In the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Washington, and Oregon), according to Remodeling Magazine, that same midrange central kitchen remodel jumps to $72,513, and a major upscale kitchen remodels jumps up $11,823 from the national average to $143,333. (hgtv.com)

Followed by cabinet cost, labour, and appliance costs consume 20 percent each of your budget. (hgtv.com)

In large firms, the commission charged by the GC ranges from 15 to 25 percent of the total job cost. (thespruce.com)

Keep 10 to 25 percent of List 2, depending on the budget. (familyhandyman.com)

It’s a fantastic thing about most home improvement projects: no matter the job. It often seems like the last 20% is the most difficult. (familyhandyman.com)

External Links

forbes.com

Amazing Kitchen Remodel Ideas that Will Refresh Your House

 remodeling.hw.net

2021: Value vs. Cost

 Cost vs. Value Project: Minor Kitchen Remodel

 thespruce.com

Open Floor Plan History, Pros, and Cons

 Find professionals to estimate kitchen remodeling costs

 houzz.com

Houzz

 Kitchen Workbook: 8 Element of a Craftsman’s Kitchen

 How To

These are ten small kitchen renovations that you can do by yourself.

Ideas for small kitchen renovations you can do yourself. DIY Home Improvement Tips For the Average Joe

A small kitchen renovation isn’t always something you want to tackle. You can make your home feel brand new by doing this. There are many ways to make your kitchen more beautiful without spending a lot of money. Here are some ideas for small kitchen renovations that you can do by yourself.

You can add a backsplash to your kitchen. It adds colour and style while making your kitchen look bigger and cleaner.

Re-install old cabinets – Cabinets can add value to your kitchen. Cabinets protect walls from spills, splashes, and stains. They also give your kitchen a sophisticated look. If your cabinet doors are looking worn, it is time to replace them.

Paint your kitchen. Not only will it improve the look of your kitchen, but you’ll also save money. You can give your kitchen a new look and make it more modern by painting it. You will find it much easier to clean.

Update your appliances – Updating your appliances is an excellent idea because it won’t just increase their lifespan but also make them look newer. You can update the appliance that you are most familiar with if you have a specific appliance in mind. Otherwise, you can ask someone who knows how to install these appliances.

Add a Bar – Another great idea is to add a bar area to your kitchen. Not only does it provide additional work surface, but it’s also a perfect place to entertain guests.

To create a breakfast spot, you don’t need to spend a fortune. You only need a small table with chairs. You can also add cushions to make it more comfy.

Add a pantry – A pantry is a necessity in any kitchen. It is an ideal place to store food, recipes, and other essentials.

Install an island – A island is a great addition to your kitchen. It adds spaciousness to your kitchen, and also provides ample workspace. When combined with wood flooring, it can look very appealing.

Add a wine rack – Wine racks are usually found in restaurants and wine bars. You can also use them at home. They come in different designs and sizes. You can choose the best one for your kitchen.

 Helpful Resources for you:

2023 Kitchen design trends

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Canadian Home Style | Consumer Choice Award

2022 North Vancouver Consumer Choice Award Winner in the Category of Flooring & Custom Cabinetry.

es:

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[outofcontextbonappetit]

I'm a little confused about why some people at BA (e.g. Sohla, Carla) are very open about denouncing BA and Conde Nast, but are only leaving the videos, not BA as a whole. I'm not asking you to be psychic obviously, but is there anything you've read that could shed some light on that? Were a lot of the problems specific to BA videos? Are BA and BA videos more distinct than they seem?

This is a very good question! I’m on mobile right now so I can’t link to a ton of things, but you’re exactly right; BA and BA videos are more distinct than they seem.

So to start it seems all video contracts go through Condé Nast Entertainment rather than Bon Appétit (as was implied in Carla’s statement today). The big problem that was highlighted back in the beginning of June was inequitable video compensation, and obviously that wasn’t rectified so that’s why people are leaving BA video.

And that’s not to say the magazine is without its flaws! But it seems to me like they’ve actually been doing things to fix their issues with diversity and inclusion. Here’s some of the newsletters they’ve released regarding their plans.

So they’ve done things such as going back to edit recipes to better acknowledge the cultural context they came from, for example. And obviously a lot of leadership has changed, so for example Sonia Chopra was named Executive Editor last week.

I mean this blog was always more focused on the videos, right, so I haven’t really been digging into exactly what the magazine is doing. But it seems like the magazine is going in a good direction, especially if most of the people who’ve left video are still committed to the editorial side of BA.

[gothhabiba]

someone said you've been speaking abt issues w/ BA for a while. would you mind sharing your thoughts? thank you!

I caved & made a tag for reference, there’s not much in it

I also said a few months ago that almost every episode led by a person of colour has this very strange pandering vibe that seems to follow from the fact that they’re expected to represent an entire culture’s or group of culture’s cuisines in a predominantly white kitchen to a presumed-white audience, but I can’t find the post. plus some of e.g. Gaby & Sohla’s guest appearances / things they’re brought in to answer or explain end up feeling very tokenistic.

as Siobhan @elizabitchdarcy said, absolutely none of this is surprising given that this is content that’s being produced for profit by a subsidiary (Conde Nast) of a corporation (Advance Publications), & this is how Conde Nast has been known to be. I’ve said before that the homey-personalised-relateable-kitschy vibe is there to distract you from the fact that these are workers who ought to be afforded respect & privacy that we can see (even just on camera) that they’re frequently not afforded

[writing-relatedactivities]

Loved the Caribbean Futurisms panel! So many interesting topics, could have listened for another hour easily. Also very exciting to see E.G. Conde doing more cool stuff, I loved his story that we printed in Reckoning and will be watching his future publications for sure.

[hannahlhnd2021]

Barbara Kruger research (09/03/21)

Barbara Kruger is a conceptual artist from Newark, New Jersey, United States. Her work covers many different medias including prints, T-shirts, posters, photographs, electronic signs, and billboards. Her signature style is to apply bold text to black and white images, writing phrases that often challenge consumerism and patriarchal practices. She worked for Conde Nast and also wrote film, television, and music columns for various magazines. Kruger is most famous for her B&W imagery with the strong text but also works with crocheting, painting and sewing.

Kruger used the font Futura Bold Oblique.

The selection tools in Photoshop allow you to select an area of an image. They come in varying shapes and with differing functions. E.g. the Elliptical Marquee tool selects circular areas, and the Magic Wand tool can select an area of similar colors with one click.

Tools used to make selections in Photoshop are Elliptical Marquee tool, Magic Wand tool, Quick Mask, Rectangular marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso and Magnetic Lasso.

The invert feature can be used when you add a new adjustment layer to an image. An ‘invert adjustment’ layer. It can be applied to a whole image or just one section you have selected.

[prouvaire]

lmao i’m so old i dont know how to answer replies anymore @ourbastardofsorrows

anyways after a day of memorizing stuff and a week of prolonged suffering through the wonderful world of possession (sadly not the fun kind we briefly studied in canon law) i’m both extremely tired and angry so here’s a condensed list of fashion opinions i might elaborate on later when my one (1) braincell returns from the war 

Fashion is an art form that conjugates all aspects of humanity. It’s art, history, sociology, psychology, chemistry, biology, maths, etc. It’s not an oppressive imperative, au contraire, in it’s purest and best form it’s both an expression and a reflection.

The big houses are overrated, boring, generic, incapable of innovation, and bound by societal expectations, LVMH, and their own former glory. Oh, and might I add, their bland, tasteless, and very white patrons. And, yes, I’m calling out Chanel, a brand whose admittedly few groundbreaking contributions are greatly overshadowed by long periods of stagnation and repetition. I’m also calling out Dior because if I see another belted tulle dress I’m gonna scream (oh and lmao at their completely OrgANic and UnARTifiCiaL way to make the saddle bag relevant again) 

Louis Vuitton is boring af. That’s literally it. 

The word haute couture gets thrown in a lot when there’s a pretty garment but it rarely is ACTUAL haute couture, which is honestly a disservice to haute couture bc if u see actual (and good) haute couture you quickly realize that it’s an art of the garment. It’s no longer a dress, or a shirt, or a skirt, or what have you, it’s something much more akin to a sculpture. It’s pushing the boundaries of our notions of textiles and construction. I mean look at Iris Van Herpen, Guo Pei, old Mcqueen, Cristobal Balenciaga, etc. 

on that note, CRISTOBAL FUCKING BALENCIAGA! Even Christian Dior bowed to Cristobal Balenciaga. 

Kinda circling back to point 2, but there are so many better couturiers than Coco Chanel that had even bigger impacts on fashion (imo the only thing gabrielle had going for her was marketing). E.g. Charles Frederick Worth, Mme. Grez, Elsa Schiaparelli. Madeline Vionnet, Paul Poiret, YSL, Boue soeurs, etc 

Dapper Dan is the unsung hero of contemporary fashion and it’s only in the last 5 years that he’s been getting his dues. Logomania started with Dapper Dan, streetwear as we know it is greatly based on Dapper Dan’s Aesthetic, every ig baddie and run of the mill influencer owes 98% of their aesthetic to Dapper Dan. Fendi should’ve made Dapper Dan their creative director, don’t change my mind. 

fashion owes a great fucking deal to POC around the globe and black american culture. Most trends can be traced directly to POC and black americans. I’m no expert, but Shelby Ivey Christie has some bomb threads about this on ig and twitter. 

The fashion industry as we know it was born in the 80s and it’s the fucking worst. Here’s my controversial opinion: it corrupted the art of fashion and the notion of luxury to the point of meaningless monstrosity. Thanks capitalism, racism, and nepotism. This point in particular gives way to a multifaceted analysis that’s worth further investigation. I mean it’s the reason why things pretty much always look kinda the same, why there are only like 4 creative directors, why there are only like 4 models (and we all know who they are), why Anna Wintour is still relevant, why Vogue and Conde Nast by extension is still relevant, why for some god forsaken reason there are like 50 shows a year (haute couture, ready to wear, resort, cruise, etc.) Though to be fair, the absurd amount of shows is also kinda Lagerfeld’s fault (thanks Karl we hate it) 

Mass production is a plague upon this land. I’m not saying fast fashion, I’m saying mass production. 

Paris and Milan fashion weeks are the superior fashion weeks. No, this is not only based on the fact that those are the only fashion weeks I’ve been to, and, no, this wasn’t just a weird flex. Or was it? 🤫

And as a last and possibly the only really controversial opinion on this list: Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab are overrated. Don’t get me wrong tho’ their embroidery is exquisite (I’ve had the delight to see an Elie Saab dress up close) but they pretty much repeat the same silhouettes every season. Also my monkey brain’s pet peeve is tumblr’s obsession with these two (and with Dolce and Gabbana but this one is not at all irrational considering that Stefano Gabbana is a racist asshole who harasses people online and Domenico Dolce is not that much better, also their collections are underwhelming and repetitive) 

[jkottke]

Rookie and the Business of Independent Publishing

Tavi Gevinson started Rookie in 2011 when she was 15 years old and late last week announced that the online magazine was ceasing publication. The stories about the struggle of independent online media in the age of Google & Facebook are well-worn by now, but the first couple of pages of Gevinson's letter really resonated with me and with what I'm doing (and not doing) here at kottke.org. This paragraph specifically:

It has sometimes felt like there are two Rookies: There's the publication that you read, that I also love reading, writing for, and editing; and then there is the company that I own and am responsible for. The former is an art project; the latter is a business. Each one needs and feeds the other, but when I started Rookie at age 15, I saw the two as mutually exclusive. Rookie had been founded, in part, as a response to feeling constantly marketed to in almost all forms of media; to being seen as a consumer rather than a reader or person. In my black-and-white view of the world, the idea of capitalizing on an audience seemed cynical, selfish, and something only evil adults do. It would be misleading to say I was a total purist, though, because I also thought Rookie was really good, and that it should reach people rather than be small and struggling. I wanted it to be able to hire more editors, pay contributors more, and grow so that not everything would need my oversight and other voices could be more prominent. I also wanted Rookie to eventually be a source of income for me, which I didn't need it to be when I was a teenager and living at home. In those first few years, however, just the day-to-day running of the site was brain-consuming enough without also actively trying to make it as profitable as possible. And, that was the part I was most passionate about, and adept at: collaborating with writers and artists, curating and editing their work, and watching the conversations that would unfold around it.

Over the years, kottke.org could have gone in many different directions -- possible acquisitions by Conde Nast publications, funding, partnerships -- but I could never convince myself that any of those options would actually make the site any better or make me any happier. I thought then, and I still think now (more than ever actually), that growing the reach and operations of the site would be a terrific idea, but the business challenge is tougher than ever. Thanks to the support of my readers through the membership program (more on that in a second), the business side is stable-ish and I've been able to grow modestly here and there (e.g. the weekly Noticing newsletter written by Tim Carmody), but the scope of this enterprise from a financial standpoint is still just one person. Adding another full-time person to the mix sounds easy, but doubling the size of your business is rocket-ship growth, even when you're tiny. So I continue to put almost 100% of my efforts into writing the site and almost 0% into things like audience growth, business development, promotion, or marketing...and hoping that the product will continue to speak for itself. This feels both like the right way forward for me and also idiotic, like the foundation of this house I've spent 20 years building is slowly rotting away out from under us. It's a real catch-22 that keeps me up some nights.

But back to Rookie. I'm a little surprised that Gevinson didn't pursue subscriptions or a membership program, but I can relate to what she writes here:

I also know that the idea of taking money from readers made me feel an immediate and intimidating sense of responsibility. (In retrospect, that may have been a more manageable kind of responsibility than money from investors, and could have been a hint to how I'd feel about investors, but you can't know what you don't know.)

The first time I tried funding kottke.org with reader support back in 2005, I ended up scrapping the scheme after a year because of that same "intimidating sense of responsibility". Now with the membership program, it feels more like the site and the business part are in greater alignment...that this is something we're all doing together for similar reasons. There should have been a way for a site with a strong sense of community like Rookie to come up with a membership plan that seemed collaborative and not extractive, that felt good for everyone. But maybe Gevinson was just ready to move onto other challenges in other arenas. God knows I can empathize with that myself.

[qnqura]

Art resources and how to improve!

One year ago I started out with digital painting and made some decent progress (I think). Many people ask me, how I learned on my own painting in Photoshop in that time. For this reason, I’d like to share with you all my art resources, that I had been using and still often take a look into for repetition. If you have any other tips for us, let me know in the comments! If you don’t want to read all, just click the links! The Basics There is a ton of good tutorials on Youtube for the first easy steps in Photoshop. I started out with some, that I don’t consider good right now, so I want to recommend you another one, that I found much later. The tutorials of CTRL+Paint cover pretty much everything that you need to know about basic painting. They are easy to understand and follow. And they are completely free! https://www.ctrlpaint.com/library/ For the next step one should probably decide whether to go for a realistic look or going directly into manga/comic style. I recommend learning first the fundamentals of realism, before getting into styles. This way also your manga/anime art will look much more convincing. Starting with painting realistically The first tutorials I watched to paint humans (full body/ portraiture) were from Ahmed Aldoori (also having a great tutorial for blending!) and Jesus Conde (great skin tutorial and also environments covered!).

Ahmed: https://www.youtube.com/user/revolutions34/videos

https://www.youtube.com/user/JesusCondeArtStudio

Other great basic tutorials (but also some more advanced ones) you can find in Draw with Jazza, KNKL and Xia Taptara and Sycra. But be cautious: They are not realistic (some paintings come close though).

Xia: https://www.youtube.com/user/idrawgirls/videos

https://www.youtube.com/user/Sycra

In addition, I must say that some content is contradictory between these artists and I can just recommend to either try them out yourself and pick one or rely on only one source, that is most attracting you. I decided to rely more on Istebrak, I want to introduce as follows.

My main source for realistic painting though is Istebrak. She is doing some great tutorials, critiques and also has a google community where you can post your (realistically attempted) artwork to get critiques by her and the community. She might sound harsh sometimes, but her content is really professional and helpful. It is a great resource for beginners and advanced people likewise! I was mostly relying on her content to improve in painting and it helped me a lot! Try always to critique the paintings she is showing yourself and watch her suggestions after and you will learn a ton and also be able to train your eyes to actually SEE. Google: https://plus.google.com/communities/106157483273509078501 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Istebrak Comic Style For a more comic oriented approach I recommend Draw with Jazza and for a mixture of comic/anime styles KNKL. But I didn’t use their tutorials often.

https://www.youtube.com/user/KienanLafferty

https://www.youtube.com/user/DrawWithJazza

Istebrak also has one tutorial for a realistic approach for anime styled painting. Go and check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF05uz5fd90

I also like the art of Sara Tepes, but it is much stylistic, so I don’t recommend try out that style as a beginner. You can learn a lot from her but please stick with fundamentals first. Other than these I didn’t watch any tutorials on how to do anime style. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWgMcluGLnaVpCWmscaFs_Q

Landscape For my first paintings I needed some information about painting landscapes. I didn’t get too much into it, but I was mainly watching Istebrak’s videos on this matter or Walid Feghali, whose environments look insanely good! And also Jesus Conde, of course. I also got a glimpse on Noah Badleys Landscapes tutorials, but you will need time for these!

https://www.youtube.com/user/Feroyn

https://www.youtube.com/user/noahbradley

Animals For one piece I had to get into painting a tiger. For this I used mainly the tutorials of Aaron Blaise. He works for Disney and can do both- realistic and also stylistic painting. He is a must to check out. https://www.youtube.com/user/AaronBlaiseArt

General (advanced) tutorials you should also watch as beginner

I LOVE Marco Bucci, but he dumped me unfortunately when I asked him to marry me (LUL). But his videos are SO much into depth, entertaining, short but really really informative. You must go check out his tutorials, like NOW.

https://www.youtube.com/user/marcobucci/videos

I also liked the tutorial on how to plan lighting by Tyler Edlin. And the Tutorial series from Swatches is just LOVE (especially the one on values is really valuable… Get it? :D) It is usually for 3D modeling in Blender, but here and there are really good videos also for us painting artists on the channel Blender Guru.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TylerE2284

https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewPPrice

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiU1-5VronbfeScuABAJC4A/videos

If you are already more advanced it might be interesting for you to have a look at the levelup series on youtube. They have amazing content and feature many professional artists as well. https://www.youtube.com/user/levelupsessions/videos If you have the money and you want to get good at art really seriously, then you should consider paying for personal mentorship that many artists offer (Istebrak, Swatches, Bucci …) or to buy also purchasable tutorials. Tutorials you need to pay for

By now I only bought tutorials from Sakimichan and Ross Draws. I recommend Sakimichan, as soon as you got the fundamentals done. I don’t recommend starting with these tutorials, if you never ever painted before. It might take you longer to get things like anatomy, lighting and so on done correctly. RossDraws tutorials are more or less commented videos on his painting process, which is also really interesting to see of course. I am considering buying also Bucci tutorials and the artbook from swatches. I will update as soon as I worked with these! Getting critiques First of all I recommend joining Istebraks Community, because you can get critiques there quickly and all for free. Also, some other youtubers give critiques on Portfolios for free, but you must be really lucky to be “chosen”, e.g. Swatches (but these critiques are sooo good!). Getting critiques is really fundamental for improvement. So, you really should consider to get them, whenever you can. Depending on what you are aiming for I recommend getting one of the mentorships I talked about earlier.

Another way is to join an online class. I found some great looking ones on https://2d.cgmasteracademy.com/ where also my idol teaches. The prices are really tough though. I did not take part in these classes yet, but they look really promising. Resources that are not video tutorials

Another website I can recommend (to train many poses) is Posemaniacs. It will give you many random poses that you quickly need to jot down. http://www.posemaniacs.com/

I will also drop some links here of pages with tutorials that I looked through as well.

 https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/the-secret-to-realistic-painting-how-to-master-value--cms-23457

 https://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/13-ways-improve-your-card-art-41619873

 https://www.pinterest.de/characterdesigh/

 https://www.daz3d.com/animation-and-poses#p=7 (for getting some pose ideas)

 PortraitStudio by Istebrak (MUST GET) http://istebrak.com/store/portraitstudio General tips on how to improve (fast) First of all- ART NEEDS TIME. Stop looking for “how to improve fast” videos! And of course, you only learn how to ride a bike, by riding a bike and not watching others riding it. So, get on your bikes now! Painting every day is a must! But to my opinion there is no use to paint everyday only out of one’s head. So, my first tip is: 1. GET REFERENCE This is a lesson I had to learn much too late in my life. It always felt wrong to use references as if I was copying or stealing from others. But fact is: You need to learn seeing first and you need to see things before you can paint them. A dog without reference will never reach realism. Of course, you somehow can improve without referencing BUT it could take you years and years. Take the shortcut, look at references when painting. 2. STUDY It sounds obvious but studying (especially anatomy when painting humans and also doing form studies) is the only way to learn. Try to study everyday (by using references! GOD!), scribble and paint until your fingers start to burn! 3. GET (REAL) CRITIQUES Yes, you can show your painting to your mommy or best friend and they will tell you how amazing you are. But this won’t lead to anything. You need people to tell you what is wrong, what you need to improve. Not friends, artists. Go and ask them. I gave some suggestions in the text above. 4. SETTING GOALS You need to know why you are doing all this. What are you aiming for? Only with the right motivation you can get yourself into painting daily. Also pick some artists that you can set as your personal goal (Melanie Delon for portraiture in my case). 5. KEEP YOUR OLD ARTWORK Sometimes motivation can be a tricky thing so keep your old paintings so that you can see your progress! I even keep steps of each painting to see the progress within that painting! 6. DON’T COMPARE Motivation gets even harder, when you always compare your work to those of great or famous artists. You can get some inspiration from these or just enjoy them. Just stay on your track and focus on your art. Every great artist was a beginner once. 7. DO IT #NOEXCUSES #BECONSISTENT Last but not least, just paint, sketch and draw. Remember that bike thing I was talking earlier about? Yeah. EXTRA: Speedpaints As a general tip: Don’t waste too much time watching speedpaints. They give a REALLY fast insight in how a piece started out and developed, but you won’t know HOW they did it and WHY they made these choices. If you are liking one special artist, consider getting their more in-depth stuff from their patreon or gumroad. I know it is mesmerizing to watch, but you won’t learn much from it. And because they are so addictive, you might lose a whole day without realizing it. It is often good to watch a tutorial instead, but it is even better to just spend your time painting by yourself. Wow! You read the whole thread! GG! Thank you, for making it here. If you liked the content and want to connect with me, feel free to join me either on twitch or follow me on Instagram! https://www.twitch.tv/qnqura https://www.instagram.com/qnqura