#first watercolours painting in forever

[sicahyart]

Summer vacation ☀️⛱️

[sticksandsharks]

congratulations to the newly wed couple

thank you to everyone who has not only purchased the comic, but also had kind words to say in tags and through asks!! I am away for holiday for most of this month, and I have been/will be largely offline on account of this*-- but please know that my heart is incredibly full to know people like this story!!

(*any posts that go up here have been scheduled before I left)

A few recurring questions I'll answer here real quick:

Will Sacred Bodies have a physical print? Yes! I would like to self-publish this book after the fair is concluded and sell it at conventions and through my online store.

What are the Ba'It based off of? Their body/limb plan is based on pteradons!! with some bat and bird anatomy thrown in. Garaang are semi-bipedal so that makes the silhouette even weirder, but you see some quadrupedal stances in the comic and it might make more sense then. I don't want to post or talk too much about some of the minutae of their design, as it is part of the story itself. :}

What medium did you use for the comic? It's all digital; I used Clip Studio Paint to draw the entire thing. I use the base watercolour and design pencil brushes that come with the programme. How long did it take you to make the comic? It's a little hard to estimate-- initial ideas, visdev and writing drafts were intermitent at the start of the year; once I landed on the story, finalising the script would've taken no longer than a week of recurring writing and editing. It's the actual drawing that takes forever, unfortunately. I started thumbnailing around April, and pencilling, colours and painting were a 10-11 hour work-day commitment for most of June and July. (I lost a lot of work-time in May cause I fell ill, womp womp). I'd probably say it was 4 - 5 months of labour. Are you going to write more stories in this world? I would really like to! I have a lot of ideas rattling in my head for the Valley of the World-- the place that the folk of the Spire have escaped. That being said, I have a whole graphic novel to finish first! It has been pushed back on account (but not exclusively because) of me working on my SBCF entries the last couple years, and I don't want to neglect it any further!! (it's 350+ full colour pages though so it was always going to be a huge undertaking)

Thank you again for the outpouring of enthusiasm and support; it means the world!

[sunshine304]

FTH Fanbinding: "Concord" by Deastar

@youhideastar won my FTH auction and gave me a great gift: She wanted me to bind her CQL fic "Concord" including the thorough author's commentary she'd done. I was so happy when she chose this fic because I'd loved it so much and had pondered doing a fanbinding of it at some point anyway. 😄

Now that the book has finally arrived (spending two days in the air even, I guess, at least when one looks at the tracking info 😆), I can show it off here!

I tried some new stuff on this bind and also some things that I'd only done once before and that definitely need some, uh, perfecting. 😅 But overall, I'm very pleased with how this book turned out, as it's pretty close to what I'd imagined when I started it.

The fic is set in Cloud Recesses and Dea and I agreed that the colour blue should be prominent in the design, as it not only fits the setting, but also is of significance in the story itself. As the rules and traditions of the Lan sect also are quite important, I wanted a very clean, simple style for the case, a bit reminiscent of traditional Chinese bindings.

I did the title as a cut-out and used Japanese transparent paper for some extra flavour. The paper shows up inside the book as well early on and I liked the recurring motive of it. I'm also really pleased how well the hot foil came out on it! I was a bit scared that it might rip or something, but it's quite sturdy, after all.

I thought about doing a faux stab binding with red thread to get even more of a traditional feel, but then decided against it as I'd wanted to use two different blue book cloths and I felt that it might get too busy. Instead, I used the red ribbon as a nod to Wei Wuxian.

The little cloud illustration is used several times in the typeset and I like how it comes out in the title. I didn't even mess up this title, yay! (Mine's got a few tiny blotches but uh well, better mine than Dea's!)

I painted the edges with metallic watercolours - the second time I tried painting edges, but this time with several colours and trying to do a little illustration as well. Big thanks to @zhalfirin who quickly answered my question about how to get the paint to actually stick. 😆 I'd read several posts about how awesome water colours are for foreedge painting, but none mentioned that this kind of paint just rubs off again (I am no artist and have no knowledge of different kinds of paint). Zhalfirin told me to mix in glue and also wax the edges afterwards, which I both did and I think it's fine now. At least my fingers didn't turn blue. 😅

I really love how the shading came out on the head/tail; it could've been better on the foreedge and it looked great while the paint was still wet. Steep learning curve, this thing. I also died trying to sand the edges and I didn't get them completely smooth, but at least smooth enough to work with. That also needs some more work, I guess.

First time I sewed endbands with four different colours! I think they came out quite well! I also forgot the second row of dark blue on Dea's book and had to unravel half the endband again when I noticed at the very end... 🤦‍♀️

Nice marbled endpapers. For the title page spread, I used part a very famous Chinese painting, as it not only reminds me of the Gusu mountains but also, again, is very traditional. I played around with the colours to give the picture a bit of a bluer tinge.

The typeset itself was very straight-forward. There's the fic without commentary, and then the second part with it. I used a grey background for the comment parts to make it stand out from the actual story.

I had lots of printer issues with this fic (my copy actually had even more issues because the printer treated every page as an image for unknown reasons and therefore it not only took forever, it's also a tiny bit blurry. Hmpf.) and the greys tended to have a bit of a blue tinge, which was not my intention. But at least it works with the overall theme, I guess! 😅

I also did an extensive Appendix with all the meta links mentioned in the commentary as well as cut scenes and a little "praise for the author" section.

Last but not least, I decided to try making a slipcase for the first time! DAS_Bookbinding on youtube has good tutorials on that and I used one of them. It worked well on the first try. The second try, I used sturdier cardboard and should've added a few millimetres to the width, because the book didn't fit - the ribbon got stuck and I feared that it might get damaged. So I had to redo the case and then it was perfect.

I used wallpaper as cover material. 😄 The one you see on the outside? That's my living room wallpaper, a light blue with a lovely pattern and soft shimmer to it. My camera unfortunately is refusing to get the colour right.🤷‍♂️

The assembling process went well, for the most part. I'd forgotten to shorten the endpapers a bit which I only realised after I'd started casing in my copy. I carefully separated the textblock from the case again and then, in a moment of complete mental blackout, tried to cut the wet paper. 🤦‍♀️ That didn't go well. I managed to salvage it, mostly, and of course didn't repeat the mistake with Dea's copy, but ugh. 😆

This was a super fun project and I'm very happy with it! Thank you again, Dea, for your faith in me and your super generous donation! 💙

Materials used:

Printed on Clairefontaine DCP 100g

Case and endpapers:

booklinen Colibri cornflower

booklinen Paradise aqua

marbled paper 120g

transparent Japanese paper

Hot Foil (Memory Keepers)

Slipcase:

fleece wallpaper Newroom Nisa lightblue

fleece wallpaper grey glitter

[iyunia]

Look at this guy!

At the very end of 2021, I picked up a watercolour set that had been left unused for three years. As you can guess, this wasn't my first attempt at painting my cat. He's so pretty in real life! If I didn't finally post him now, the internet would probably be forever deprived of his glorious presence! :D

A photo of him under the cut!

[lolasimms]

a lots gonna change pt.19 [alternate ending]

Summary: Married life isn’t great, infidelity ensues and things change.

next chapter

3 years later

"Ellie?" you whispered.

"Hmm?" She groaned groggily.

"It's Christmas." You began to rub her chest, and she turned onto her other side to face you.

"Already?" She was smiling at you.

You nodded and moved the matted strands of hair from her forehead.

"When will Joel get here?" She checked her watch.

“He’ll be here at around 12. We have some time for just us," you scooted in closer, pressing your body against hers.

"I'm grateful for that," her arm wrapped around the smallest part of your waist. "I wish we had the whole day together."

“I know, but let’s use what time we have right now”

-

"Hey Joel, Merry Christmas!" You smile, opening your arms and enveloping him in a hug. He ruffled your hair and then smiles back at you.

"Merry Christmas Y/N" He hands you three medium sized boxes, each with a sticker that displayed your names. You take them in your hands, and place them under the tree before Lila woke up.

"Ellie, Joel's here." You call out to her and she immediately comes bounding from the kitchen into the living area. You leave the two of them to mingle and go upstairs to wake up Lila. She hated being woken up, but you knew today would be the first time of the year she'd happily be awoken.

"Lila honey, time to wake up. It's Christmas!" You sit on her bed slowly, gently whispering as you stroke her face lightly.

"Hmmm? Sleepy." She moves her face from your hand and snuggles further into her pillow.

"Lila, you've gotta wake up so we can open your presents. Santa came last night!"

"Santa isn't even real." That woke her up, you thought. You watch as she pushes off her covers and moves into your lap. You kiss her cheeks, as she nuzzles into you. Forever a mommy's girl.

"How about we brush our teeth and go open the presents huh?" You move her hair out of her face, looking at your tired child and she hesitantly nods.

"Take me to the bathroom please" You sigh and oblige, standing with her in your arms and helping the sleepy child get her teeth clean.

-

The living room looked dreadful; festive wrapping paper was strewn about the carpet, ribbon all over the floor and instruction sheet paper from Lila's new bike thrown everywhere.

"Alright, Joel and Lila you're on cleanup duty, while Y/N and I get lunch ready." Ellie said placing the box of expensive watercolour paint and brushes Joel had gifted her onto the coffee table.

"Why do I gotta be on cleanup duty?" Joel asks, hands on his hips.

"Because you're not the best cook and we all know that." Ellie smiles, patting his shoulder and then walking away.

"Lila, help grandpa clean up and then we can eat." You smile at the two of them who were clearly not excited to do the cleaning and then exit to the kitchen.

"I think I'll pop the ham back in the oven for a few minutes, just to get it hot." You call over your shoulder to Ellie, as she whips the potatoes in a large glass bowl.

"Sounds good honey, hey can you pass me the salt?" You grab the salt from besides you on the kitchen counter and walk over to her side of the island.

"Here you go baby." You hand it to her, she takes it from you and then plants a sweet kiss on your mouth. The action causes you to smile and then you move towards her, she places the whiskers inside the bowl and then envelops you in her arms. 

This mornings session clearly not being enough for the two of you, as you were now having a full on make out session in the middle of your kitchen.

"I want you so bad right now." She whispers, tongue forcing it's way into your mouth. You feel a wave of pleasure shoot throughout your body. Your core aching for her touch again.

"Me too Els, I'm so wet." She moans at your words, bringing her knee to your core and pushing it into you, just how you liked it. You grind against it, getting off on how hot she looked right now. Something about her being so domestic always sent you into overdrive. Just as you felt that familiar bloom in your stomach you were interrupted.

"Oh fuck, shit. Sorry" Joel immediately backs out of the kitchen, making his way back to the living room. Cursing himself for walking into that, he felt the need to wash his eyes from what he had witnessed.

“Ellie oh my god, I don’t think I can face him.” You cringe at the thought of him literally having seen you two in action.

“It’s fine baby, our clothes were on.” She assures you, going back to the potatoes and nodding to the ovens alarm that was now ringing.

“If he brings it up I don’t think I’ll ever recover I swear to god Ellie.”

-

After lunch, a few board games, a movie and dessert. Joel had taken his gifts, some leftovers and bid the family goodnight. Lila was also tucked in and sleeping, leaving you and Ellie in the dimly lit living area all alone. The room was dark barely any light, save for the low burning candles that Ellie had lit up.

She leaned over and grabbed the bottle of red wine that you her and Joel had been sipping all day and poured the last of it into your win glasses.

“I have one more gift.” She said placing her glass on the table beside the armchair.

“Ellie, we agreed not too many gifts. You’re making me feel bad now.” You complained, she knew you didn’t like being one-upped.

“Trust me baby, this is worth it.” You roll your eyes and grunt a small “fine.” Your confused when she gets on the floor, hand reaching into her pocket and eyes already watering. It doesn’t hit you until she’s opened a small velvet box that housed a glistening diamond ring.

“Ellie?” Your mouth refuses to shut itself and you feel dizzy from excitement.

“Y/N, I made the biggest mistake of my life the day I decided to be unfaithful to you. You’re my everything, mother of my child and future children, love of my life and best-friend. You gave me another chance and I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my life making yours beautiful because of that. So will you be me wife again?”

“Yes, oh my god. Yes a thousand times.” She places the ring onto your finger. The two of you sharing what felt like the most intimate kiss you’d ever experienced. You cried in her arms, happy that everything had turned out okay. Sure it was a long time in the making but finally your family was back together.

taglist:

@moonlightdivine @maybe-cece @macaroni676 @sawaagyapong @katiemars @ellieseater @dakota-dream @joliettes @hebrokeimup @bratydoll @wakasaaa @catostrophiclesbian @dinas-a-bird @lazyunknownwerewolf @h3sitant-alien @ceo-of-ellie-simps @mechetegirl109 @kashoot-me269 @lonelyfooryouonly @ellieswifee @doodlebob-mp3 @ellieismami @sl-ut @starhrtz

[medeaft]

"Come find me where burns the mystical Sun" 2023 Watercolour and ink on paper

This is how I imagine Strauss in his personal quarters writing a letter to the PC to give directions to the Chantry (such as they are). He is now done, and he stands up and looks over it once again, and decides that yes, this will do, he can send this.

For some reason, I find something endearing in the thought that there is this person whom I admire with all my heart, who has my loyalty and whom I would follow anywhere, and the first interaction I ever had with him is the one where he sent me bad poetry that he wrote. But if it was real, I would treasure that letter forever, no matter how it was written.

As for the picture, this wasn't the plan. The plan was that, for experimentation, I would try out a new method of painting, where I first place the shadows, and then go over them with the colours. But when I did place the shadows, I liked it too much as it was to add the colours. So this is the painting now. Nonetheless, I will perform the experiment again, and do so on something that I know I really-really want to be in colour.

[wordslikesilver]

I think so much about this one watercolour comic about the first dark souls game narrated from the PoV of Velka, Goddess of Sin, and it’s lived with me forever. I just love it so much. The symbolism is so heart wrenchingly perfect. The words, the art, the colour, you FEEL you tranquil rage, her vengeance against Gwyn, her husband who practically has purged her name from history in every possible way he could conceive of, and yet shrines to her live on. The crows live on. Her vengeance, her godhood, lives on. Gwyn committed the first sin and Velka, she lives to punish him for it. Forever. The rage is so perfect, elegantly written to paint such a raw image of this betrayed and hurting mother’s rage, the pain of someone who’s felt this rage a long, long time, to the point where it stains her to her deepest depths and merely feels like the norm now. Gods how I love it ♥️

[starlight-and-whiskey]

More People Than Ghosts: Ch2 - Hard Road

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

First OFC fic in a long time. Also posted on AO3. 18+ from here on out. TW for abuse, SA and PTSD.

Here's part two. I hope you enjoy. Please like/comment/reblog and feed my dwindling passion!

Prompts open should anyone find my brain ramblings satisfactory.

The first tendrils of dawn stretched across the camp, the sky painted as if in watercolour. All muted pink and burnt orange, burning away the last remnants of stars. Arthur had been away almost a week, and it had felt like the longest week of his life. The reason for which he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Or he wasn’t sure he wanted to. A week since he had found Miss Moore staggering, bruised and bloodied, in the dense copse of trees.

Uneasy thoughts of her had plagued him whilst he’d been away, forever present in the depths of his mind. Often, he’d be lying on his bedroll, thoughts swirling about what she must have been through. The mere thought of it made him angry enough to keep away sleep.

Arthur sat perched on the log by the dying fire, attempting to busy his restless fingers by sketching in his journal as he nursed a tin cup of coffee. The early hour was a friend to him – a few stolen moments of peace before the rest of the camp roused. He’d been working on this one on and off for a few days, attempting to capture Eleanor’s terrified gaze from memory alone. Somehow it never seemed quite right.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Eleanor, paused meekly a few feet away. “Oh, sorry”, she mumbled, hand scrubbing sheepishly at the back of her neck. “Noone’s normally about at this time.”

"It’s okay. Been away a few days”, Arthur mustered a smile, stealing away his journal into his satchel and waving her over. “You're up early."

Eleanor paused, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Don't sleep much anymore," she admitted quietly.

Arthur nodded in understanding, his gaze meeting hers with a solemn reassurance. "It'll get easier," he offered gently. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Were you drawing?” Arthur felt a flicker of embarrassment in his gut. “Ah, ain’t nothing. Just keeps my hands busy.”

Quickly changing the subject, Arthur offered her a place by the fire, handing her his cup of coffee as she hesitantly settled beside him. She took a grateful sip, the warmth spreading like embers through her chest and into her bones.

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan”, she said gratefully, her fingers curling around the warm mug as she looked at him with a hidden hint of admiration.

"Arthur," he corrected with a faint smile. "Just Arthur."

She nodded, a hint of colour touching her cheeks as she corrected herself, smiling softly as the name formed on her lips. "Arthur."

"You look better.”

She did. Her skin no longer sallow, colour blossoming on her cheeks and her eyes more vibrant. Her hair, once matted with twigs and leaves and blood was now pinned up, rogue curls escaping to frame her soft features. With her now healing cuts and bruises hidden by skirts and her shirt sleeves, she almost looked radiant. As though life had been breathed into her.

Eleanor chuckled softly, a nervous habit she couldn't shake. "Couldn't look much worse," she replied, fiddling with her fingers.

"The girls looking after you okay?"

"They've been very sweet. You all have," she replied, her gaze nervously dropping to the tin cup in her hands before handing it back. "Anyway, I should get on. I don't want to bother you, none."

Arthur chuckled softly, taking a sip of his coffee and shaking his head. "You ain't bothering me," he reassured her, his voice low and steady.

He reached into his coat pocket, withdrawing a crumpled pack of cigarettes, and deftly plucked one the carton with his teeth before offering her the pack. After hesitating for a moment, Eleanor drew one, leaning forward for Arthur to light it.

Arthur felt his lips curl as he watched her take a long drag, eyes closed as she pushed out wispy plumes of smoke, her features relaxing.

"You hunt?" Arthur inquired casually, his eyes flickering with interest as he studied her reaction.

She shook her head, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her features. "Miss Jones - Karen - offered to teach me.”

For some reason, the remark made Arthur laugh. Eleanor's heart lilted as she drank in the way his eyes crinkled at the edges, that flash of white teeth. There'd been no laughter while she'd been captive. Not without the heavy tinge of malice hidden within. Arthur's laugh was different. Genuine. Comforting.

"Oh, Karen can hustle with the best of 'em. But she ain't no hunter," Arthur chuckled, his laughter rumbling deep in his chest. "I could take you out of you'd like? Teach you. Gonna need to know how to survive."

Eleanor hesitated, picking nervously at her fingertips. "Oh... I don't... I don't know if I can go out of camp."

Arthur's smile had faded, replaced by a solemn expression. "You afraid?", he asked quietly around the cigarette dangling from his lips.

He could read the unspoken fears on her face as easily as reading a book. The way her fingers trembled as she brought the cigarette to her lips, taking an unsteady drag, eyes fixed on the dirt. What if she was seen? What if they found her again - dragged her back and locked her away?

Her voice was meek when she finally answered, barely a whisper. "I don't want to be."

Arthur regarded her quietly for a moment, weighing his words carefully. "It's alright to be scared," he said finally, his voice gentle yet firm. "But you gotta leave camp sometime. Can't stay cooped up here forever."

"I know. I just..." she trailed off, puffing out a long, shaky breath, taking another hasty drag to busy her fingers.

"How bout this? You just give me a holler when you're ready."

 She met his gaze, uncertainty flickering in her eyes before a tentative resolve settled over her features, a small hint of a smile. "Okay," she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur.

Arthur nodded approvingly, a small smile touching his lips. As they both sat there in relatively comfortable silence, camp began to awake around them, all bleary eyed and mussed hair. A groan as Hosea stretched his back. The chink of coffee mugs.

"Thanks, Mr Morgan. Arthur", Eleanor corrected as she stood, offering a small smile over her shoulder as she turned to leave. "For the cigarette."

Arthur nodded in acknowledgment, finding his gaze following her as she walked away, the morning sun casting a halo of light around her figure.

"Sure," he replied quietly to himself, the smoke from his cigarette trailing lazily into the sky.

[nooonbinaryyyy]

[ID: The first image is a photo of a collage journal spread for two OCs.

The second image is a closeup on the left page. In the middle is a purple oval, with the words "Flora Vim" and "Aldgold" written on it in white. Written along the edges in purple pen are "any pronouns" and "1.2.2022". In the top right corner is a character made with astrolavas's picrew. The character has long purple hair, a cocky grin, a moustache, pointed ears, and a large scar on its face, with the ace flag in the background. Along the top is their name, "RuleBSA," spelled with letters cut from a magazine. There are several stickers and little drawings around, including flowers, a rainbow, and a pink minecraft potion. A little note in purple ink says "Best Friend" with an arrow pointing at the next page.

The third image is a closeup of the right page. The background is painted light orange with watercolours. In the middle is a square of blue scrapbook paper with a flower design. Written on it is "Flora Vim + Nexus Craft". There is some illegible cursive writing behind it. Written along the edges in plain black ink are "they/them" and "1.2.2022". In the bottom left corner is a character made with GabbyDaRienzo's Cottage Cuties picrew. Their face is an orange slice. They are wearing a light blue dress with a white colar and holding a knife. Their name, "Blinkam", is spelled next to them in blue letter stickers. In the top right corner is a fake stamp with a teacup on it and a sticker of a minecraft sword. End ID.]

Journal page 1.2.22

Some minecraft OCs I made forever ago. Haven't thought about them in awhile but this is still one of my favourite art journal spreads.

[laspocelliere]

Day Six: Ring

She didn’t have a wedding ring.

They’d married each other under the pines, in the clear winter air, when the sunset had painted the sky in watercolours of saffron and rose. Pressed together against the cold, they’d ducked into the long-forgotten ruins of an abandoned church on the hillside, its abandoned, broken stones draped with an eternal blanket of clean, new snow.

Around them, nothing but silence.

Alone in the world together, they’d stood bathed in ruby winter light, whispering promises only meant for each other. They’d slipped out of Ishgard like ghosts, shedding their titles and responsibilities, leaving them behind like weapons dropped after a battle hard-won. With naught to offer each other save the insubstantial, unbreakable contents of two hearts beating in time, understanding still dawned that they needed no one’s permission to do what felt most natural in the world. 

Nothing else mattered.

Alone and in secret, a girl with no family wed a knight with no name. They spoke hushed, fervent wedding vows to each other, sealed with lips and deed alike, binding them together with an oath more sacred than any church across the star could have provided.

They hadn’t planned a wedding. He’d asked under the pines, and she’d agreed under the sunset, and in the same moment they made it so. Unable to stay, and unwilling to leave, standing dangerously on the precipice of the unknown, she’d taken his hand and his promise both; that regardless of where she found herself in the world, she would have him, and he would have her.

With nothing at hand, he’d twisted his own ring off his forefinger. It had been given to him by his father, in great ceremony, as he’d stepped into his title, risen up from lowly bastard child to the highest rank of the holiest knights in the land. A holy relic of the church, passed down through generations over thousands of years in careful tradition. And now it was hers. The ring held the light of a thousand dragonfires in its stone heart, the impossibly rare blue shade of the diamond shining the deep blue of a wine-dark sea in the waning winter sunlight.

The knight had no name, but he did have authority, undeserving as he felt it was. He called it forth with his half-smile that thawed the ice around her heart, and he dared the gods to question what they themselves had brought together. With his eyes on hers, he’d slid the ring on her finger, and called her beloved. 

Called her his wife.

The girl had no family, but she could have him, and having him was as natural to who she was now as the very skin she inhabited. The ring didn’t fit, but she never hesitated, sliding it carefully on her first finger instead. A secret token, known to them and them alone. With her eyes on his, she promised herself to him, body and soul and whatever was left between, and called him beloved.

Called him her husband.

The mountains and the wintery forest were their witnesses, and the distant call of lonely birds were their wedding bells. They kissed in the dying sunlight, keeping each other warm, and steady, against whatever was to come. The stone on her finger winked softly in the fading glow of the sunset as she pulled him to her, holding him for as long as possible, for as long as he held her in return.

Forever, he whispered against her lips, again and again until she could never doubt it.

The girl with no family and the knight with no name had never belonged to anyone, until they belonged to each other.

Stars shone bright over Coerthas by the time they finally slipped away again, fingers delicately linked. Ready to drop carefully apart as soon as they were in view of the city, as though nothing had happened out there in the snow. Bonded, instead, in a new way that would never be severed, no matter how severely they would come to be tested.

She didn’t have a wedding ring.

She didn’t need one.

[chaoticaptendyte]

Get to know me :3

Was tagged by @grippysockgang :3

1. Are you named after anyone?

Apparently after a sri-lankan first lady

2. When was the last time you cried?

Uhhh well yesterday afternoon i had a terrible bout of acidity after lunch and everything hurt so bad that tears came to my eyes, does that count?

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, i mean i am only 20. But i want to one day, two kids, I'd love if they're twins too

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Uhhhh not really no, i use it to the normal extent ig

5. What is the first thing you notice about a person?

Hm, damn i people watch on the train everyday and yet i cannot for the life of me tell u this. I suppose the way they're dressed? And then their hands maybe 👀

6. What is your eye color?

Dark chocolatey pools for you to drown in :)

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

I am actually scared of horror so no, not scary movies EVER unless i have someone to cuddle into and can hide my face in their chest okie. Once my friends forced me to watch conjuring, i spent a month thinking my mom's possessed. Happy movies ftw. Forever.

8. Any special talents?

Hmmmmmm, idk lemme see. I think I'm kinda a decent photographer. I can cook well, don't do it often cause college and I'm kinda lazy and my mom does it for us anyway but yea. Oooohhh, I'm the official taster in our family. Anytime anyone is cooking anything and they need to know if the balance is right or something they come to me :3 which is pretty cool, i guess that counts as special.

9. Where were you born?

In an operation room ✌🏻. I was a C baby. Refused to grow any further so they had to pull me out.

10. What are your hobbies?

Um well it's been a while since I've done some of them tbh butttt- cooking, painting(watercolours), writing poems and fanfic and stuff, origami?, stargazing on my roof, doodling(which i do all the time actually), uhm watching shows and listening to music if it counts? There's prolly others too, just can't think of it rn. Ooh reading too, but it's been a while.

11. Do you have any pets?

Nope🥲, I've always wanted a dog though, a little shih tzu or fox terrier. And somehow my feed everywhere is always full of cats. I used to have goldfish but they kinda died extremely brutal deaths 💀💀💀 they kinda got sucked into the water filter cause the suction was too strong and got kinda uh shredded and another time one of the fish kima uhhh ate all the others 💀💀💀 so haven't got anything after that

12. What sports do you/have you played?

Rn i don't play anything, but i used to play pretty much all of em in school- badminton, tt, basketball, throwball, volleyball, football, cricket. Oh and i played pool once tho idk if it counts. Board games too lol.

13. How tall are you?

5'6 ^w^

14. Favorite subject in school?

Science :3 especially physics and biology. But i also loved English just as much tbhhh. Had a phase where i was super into history and geography too and also in like the fifth grade and twelfth i was super into math, like the satisfactionnnn of solving a problem is just *mwa*

Basically I've liked everything at some point

15. Dream job!

Honestly, not having one. That's my dream. I just wanna live in a nice little cottagecore world and bake pjes and cookies and just take care of the house and chill in the farm and look out at the world everyday and be content. If i could I'd love in the 'Anne with an E' world. Or in the hundered acre woods in a treehouse with Christopher Robin <3

This was funn, @astr0-j4y @gamerboyafterdark @alt3r-ego wanna join in?

[lexiklecksi]

15 questions, 15 mutuals (tag game)

Thanks for tagging me @captain-kraken and @novel-emma @elizaellwrites

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope, my name is so unique that I've never even met somebody who has the same name as I do.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Probably just a few days ago ... I cry a lot when I'm stressed or very anxious. I'm currently studying for my exams, so it's a constant stage of being on the verge of crying to relief some stress.

3. Do you have kids?

Oh gosh no, I feel too young and immature for that. But I am getting married next year, so who knows what the future might bring? I can't imagine having kids yet, but I have no idea how future me thinks.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Yes, to the point where my general tone sounds sarcastic and people think I am being sarcastic when I'm actually serious, which is annoying for everyone involved in a conversation with me.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Their eyes (You know, window to the soul) and then their hands (Do they work with their hands? Are their hands rough, soft, pretty, moisturized?).

6. What’s your eye colour?

Brown is the short answer, but let me be poetic about it because I am a writer and brown eyes deserve better descriptions:

"When the sunlight hits my eyes directly, they shine light brown with golden specks like forest honey. On cloudy days, they are hazelnut or chestnut brown, like a beautiful walk in the forest. When the light is dim, my eyes seem dark brown like melted chocolate."

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I can't watch scary movies, I get easily spooked, and every jump scare makes me scream so loud the neighbours might call the police. But I'm not a big fan of happy endings either, I like bittersweet endings that make you swoon and mourn at the same time.

8. Any special talents?

Err not that I can think of? Does being neurodivergent count? I mean being able to recognize patterns, see little details others miss, daydream a whole book, feeling connected to the universe, think nonlinear and in many circles about 5 different topics simultaneously, talk for hours with a good friend about everything all at once. Though sometimes, all this feels more like a curse rather than special talents.

9. Where were you born?

In the most beautiful city of the world: Munich!

10. What are your hobbies?

Oh I've got too many hobbies, but they are all about getting creative and creating something. Writing poetry, short stories and rarely my ya fantasy novel, painting with watercolour or acrylics, crocheting useful stuff or stuffed animals, making jewellery, collecting stuff (sea shells, gem stones, etc.) and use it as room decoration. I don't know if designing stuff counts since it's my field of study and work, but I also like to design as a hobby. Should I show more of my creations on my tumblr blog?

I'm tagging @eos109 @azriel-alexander-holmes @soonshuas @holdenmarrswritings @silversynthesis @cirianne @simkarta333 @nerdragons-hoard @forever-and-almost-always and whoever wants to talk about themselves!

[sunshine304]

Another Fanbinding Post!

My latest project was @dragongirlg-fics's “Don’t Forget” and now that the gift copy has arrived, I can finally post about it! :D I read this fic very early on when I came into the fandom and it’s been in the back of my mind ever since. When I was suddenly hit with an idea for the case design, I decided to spontaneously do this binding because the idea was taking up too much headspace. XD

My camera always struggles with capturing the blue of this particular paper, and that ribbon is silver silk.

I’d also gotten it into my head that I wanted illustrations for the chapter headers and so I went and drew them myself. I hadn’t drawn in forever and it’s not like I was ever really great at it, but I think they turned out well enough.

I also drew the title picture to resemble the painting mentioned in the fic, though I couldn’t do the watercolours as I didn’t have the right paper for that. A bit of editing in Photoshop it was, then.

It was the first time I tried a three piece bradle binding and the paper for the case fought me a lot… My copy has some wrinkles and stuff because of it, as the way the case is assembled did not sit well with the paper. It might also be that I didn’t let the paper rest enough after putting the paste on, IDK.

I did all the case titling and decorations with a hot foil pen and that fought me, too, as all those parts that needed colouring in didn’t work so well on the first try. Second time worked better, at least, as did the cover assembly in general, as I now knew what to look out for.

That second time around, for dragongirlG's copy, I also pressed the shit out of those case boards after I'd glued the paper on. XD

With the case design, I wanted to lean a bit into the bunny theme of the fic, because those bunnies show up all the time. :D There's a lovely, important Chinese quote as well that seemed to fit onto the back cover (and OMG I'm so happy that I managed to write it straight! XD).

The typeset wasn’t too difficult, overall, though Open Office did annoy me at the beginning as it refused to format the pages correctly, which led to me just deleting the whole thing and starting over. XD

There are some things that didn't work out perfectly, like a crease in the endpaper that should not have been there. But luckily, the pattern on the paper kinda hides that. XD My copy also has some little hot foil smears here and there because OMG people, I was really struggling there. XD

Overall, though, I’m really pleased with how this book turned out! I added the silk ribbon on the cover because I felt like there was something missing with all that dark blue… It also meant going hunting for the right silver ribbon. XD

Materials used:

Printed on Clairefontaine DCP 100g (long grain)

Case + endpapers:

- booklinen Brillianta - Efalin paper - French marbled paper 120g - hot foil (on brand)

[rinaririr]

I thought it would be kinda fun/ interesting to show a general process behind most paintings that i do as i work on the Tanabata-themed illustration 👁️👄👁️ so i present to you:

✨CONTENT✨

as i cry over my research and not drawing

Drafting out ideas and compositions.

When i settled on a certain theme, i’d first look through my watercolour paper stack and find a size with good ✨vibes✨

Thumbnail sketches are done within the general ratio of the paper size. Composition is something i struggle with, so i spend a lot of time thinking about spacings when i work with bigger and more detailed illustrations. This Tanabata one is meant to be simple and small (A5 paper size) so i settled on a composition pretty quickly.

I was almost ambitious enough to attempt a viewer-insert comic. I quickly gave up as i realized i’m going to need more than 1 page to have a decent flow 💀

Colour draft

Once a composition is figured out, i do a quick sketch on this watercolour sketch book to do some colour drafting. Here is where i swatch some colours, draft out a colour palette, and test out some techniques i might want to use.

This helps me get a sense of what my final piece might look like colour-wise, and it allows me to make notes and adjustments. For example, the bamboos and tanzaku on the upper left hand corner is too distracting, so i made a note to remind myself to blur it out. Ideally, i should have another draft that has all the adjustments needed, but i’m ✨lazy✨

and also my attention span is too short so i need to keep it moving or else this is going to sit in the WIP piles forever

And that’s how i prepare for a painting ✨ Thank you for reading this nonsense

[ames-draws]

What brought you to digital art? Follow up, did you/do you still work with physical mediums as well, and if so, what are your favourites?

ooh good question!

I've been drawing forever and, because my mom retrained as a computer scientist in the 90s, I was also introduced to computers and the internet when I was pretty young. I posted my first art online in... let's see... 1998!

being an artist online early, I was exposed to a ton of digital art and I first got a tablet and digital painting program when I was 15 😅 I was inspired by the amazing art I was seeing online, and wanted to participate in the webcomics and digital art boom (alas, adhd)

so I started out with traditional art - moved to digital art - and have really done both since then! these days most of my traditional ("analog") media art is acrylic painting, but I'm trying to get myself interested in learning watercolours 🤞💕

ps - while in uni for art, I produced so many sketchbooks of traditional pen and ink drawings that i ended up exhibiting them in a huge pile as part of my final exhibit

[delulluart]

do you have paper recommendations (for both drawings and watercolor paintings)? i want to get back into traditional art and don't really know were to start. also what pencils do you use? and watercolors? or do you use guache? what brushes should i get? sorry i know this is a lot of questions but it is a bit overhwhelming and i really liked you're ghost paintings 😊 and i don't want to buy bad things

oh dear, first of all: thank you, I'm very happy to hear you enjoy my silly stuff! And it is always great to hear people getting back to traditional art, since it seems like almost everyone is doing digital art exclusively these days (this is NOT me shitting on DA, i love you digital art people).

Anyway, yes, there's *a lot* of options out there and it is so, so important to get at least okay-ish quality equipment.

Paper

Paper is, in my opinion the most important factor, especially for watercolour works. switching to good quality paper was an absolute game changer - 0 exaggeration!

Watercolour paper:

I use mostly Hahnemühle Britannia 300g/m² cold pressed with matte surface. it comes with different surface options, depending on the effect you want (rougher surface etc., but i don't vibe with that). it is still relatively affordable, but still, hurts the bank account quite a bit.

If i want to go for some more silly stuff, i use Hahnemühle Burgund 250g/m². because it's thinner it is cheaper (you just can't put as much water and as many layers on it, which, for my use case is usually perfectly fine).

If i want to go full fancy I use the Hahnemühle mould made 300g/m². It's handmade paper, not from trees but with fabric, it is incredible how well the colours work on this stuff. Many people use Arches paper, but that is way too expensive for me. and I'm very happy with the Hahnemühle.

The difference between cheap as shit no-name watercolour paper and some good quality brand paper is, and I cannot express this enough, incredibly big. those ugly rims and splotches and uneven colour fades? that's the cheap paper's fault, not yours. It made me really desperate thinking I'm just too stupid for art, when it wasn't my fault.

For drawings I also use Hahnemühle:

my favourite is Skizze 190: very smooth surface, very white and very affordable!

another is Nostalgie: It feels even smoother in a different way, is less white. at first touch they seem identical, but handle very differently. this one is just as affordable as the Skizze 190 one.

Cheaping out on paper means you'll pay with happiness, really. save your nerves and motivation and spend the money on nice paper. trust me.

I'm not sure, Hahnemühle is available wherever you live, but go to an art supply store (a good one) and ask for help there!

Pencils

I exclusively use Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils these days. They are very consistent in their...abrasion? there's no hard chunks in the lead, and they cost very little. They also have the Lumograph Black pencils which have a high charcoal level, which is super cool when you have very dark areas, because it won't get super shiny!

Watercolours

I got myself a set of Lukas Studio Watercolours and added a few more that i use often/ needed more than the ones already included in the set. They're not very expensive (compared to other big brands that everyone seems to use) and i like them. I never tried the expensive Windsor etc. paints, though. The price is very attractive and I never had any problems with them.

I also have a Gouache set that I got second hand from my sister by Caran d'Ache. I don't know whether it's good or not, because I rarely use it, mostly for accents on my watercolour paintings.

Brushes

until very recently I used rather cheap but good synthetic brushes for ethical reasons. I accidentally bought a natural hair one and it was....extremely good. With a heavy heart I now switched full time to much more expensive Kolinskis. Ethically this is an absolute nightmare and I will try to buy as few as possible and use them forever before buying new ones. But they are, unfortunately, much better. I wouldn't necessary recommend the brand I used because they're bad at keeping a tip, though.

But if you're just starting: go to an art supply store and get 3 synthetic ones in small, medium and slightly bigger with a nice tip and you'll be very happy for quite a while, i promise!

I also highly recommend getting a Pentel Aquash as a starting tool and for painting outside (don't buy a cheap fake, they're terrible)

alright, I hope i could answer your questions and if you (or anyone else) wants to know more, just ask :)