#funny how i like traditional art more but i keep doing digital art

[agtavio]

idk lads, BUT the reblogs reminded me of my crusty bracelet traditional art from MAY

I AM PUSHING MY BRACELET AGENDA !!!

[pup-pee]

i drew this last yr & i have no idea whats happening

like ik theres words n stuff i just dont get y i drew it,,,also its drawn on tt so like wtf

pretty sure morishiges saying; "wait a few secs b4 u kill some1 else?!"

mori; "i want more pictures"

kiz; "no u homo, weve discussed this i need 2 keep killing or it messes up my sleep schedule"

THEN 4 SOME REASON "uve seen jjba yk how this goes" IDK WHAT THIS MEANS OR THE REFERENCE IM MAKING

anyways heres kizashige shit from 2022

[elianzis]

Do you have any tips for beginner artists dealing with art block?

ah, good old art blocks...

In general, you probably need to understand what it was that drove you into this state.

Lack of inspiration, dissatisfaction with the results, exhaustion, etc.

Inspiration is unlikely to come on its own, you have to look for it. Pinterest, movies, games (someone recommended dnd and I think it can really help), music.

Sometimes it's possible that you're just exhausted and only a break from drawing and a change of activity will help you, this also applies to finding inspiration. You don't know if playing a game will give you :D (doesn't always work with burnout) If you're comparing yourself to other artists, you need to take it a little easier on yourself. Don't say to yourself “he's so great, I'll never be able to do that”, you can just analyze how the person achieved such a result, what he did and what you did. Plus we often have a tendency to compare ourselves to artists whose skills are MULTIPLE times superior to us. I know its hard, i still doing such mistake when i look at my friend's artworks.

OKAY, SORRY, SO, TIME FOR SOME TIPS i will write in text, but also will attach videos with it ( some of them in russian, but auto generated subtitles are good enough)

1. Don't draw a picture, but put it into words.

There is a few different approaches to that. The first is when you create a blank canvas or taking blank sheet of paper and just cloud draw the location of different elements and label them. Smth like that.

Another approach is my friend told me its when you collecting key words for artwork that you wanna draw. For this one like: dragon, two people hiding, caves, adventure, fantasy, gold, dim light. (at least this is how i understood that)

2. Try new things and practice in other directions

Sometimes you just getting tired from everything you drawing. So its good to try new things. For example im getting tired from my usual art, and its good when you trying smth new, like, landscapes, more realistic portrait/animated style, re-draw some screenshots from movies. Yeah, practicing and studies can help too, because you don't need to create smth, you just learning

3. Create smth from chaos (?)

Its more about traditional art, but i believe you can do it in digital too. We used to do this in college when we would paint on glass with watercolors and then put a sheet against that glass getting a chaotic print. After the sheet dried, we would take a liner and try to see some kind of image in the chaos and draw. Sometimes its funny of some sorts. this is not much, but i hope it will help you

Also a few words.

Its okay when art is bad. We are humans after all, and this is important to remember because -> Don't forget you need to rest. Don't forget to eat, drink (GO AND DRINK ON GLASS OF WATER RIGHT NOW) and sleep. (Take this advice srsly from someone who suffers from this). Take days off, you've worked hard for two days, it's time to take a day to rest.

I will attach some videos about art block in general and with some tips how to fight it below the cut for you, its have some more info that i haven include from them, because the post might be bigger... here it is ->

ARTBLOCK // Creative Crisis // 4 ways to beat non-painting

Motivation, artblock, burnout: how to keep creating

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ARTBLOCK

[cogmented]

hi cogmented! love the art. do you have any tips for beginners? thanks and have a good day

HI YES YOU TOO i think most of these are applicable to beginners and non-beginners

i learned these tips from two low level art classes based on charcoal so i find some of these a lot easier through traditional means, but the skills learned from them should be transferable through any medium

i wont be touching on color or perspective too much, here's a past post i did on colors.. more so values, but it didnt go in-depth as i would have liked

shape and form are fundamentals for visual art. you need to think of form to get your shapes around it

mass and additive are kind of the same thing, just the filling of the shape, no lines involved. gesture is more so for the feeling of the same, and line gets further definition

here are some of my digital examples:

mass, gesture, line

subtractive

the top left drawing started as mass, where i formed the two people's positions into one blob and then colored over it

once you start getting those down, you can start applying it. but, you may want to look at what other artists are doing too

tracing, doing master copies, and using references are all fair methods of learning off of another, just dont pass off traced or copied art as your own

tracing tends to make your lines appear stiff, especially if you are tracing a more gestural drawing. you don't get the same motion as when you are simply referencing

mastercopies are replicas of the art work, made to look exactly like it in an attempt to emulate the same techniques the original artist might have used. i find this personally the most tedious, but beneficial method, but it may not be the easiest thing to do as a beginner who is not used to quick hand motions or confident lines.

this mastercopy sucks because mimicking traditional on digital is not the easiest thing in the world, and i on god just fucked it up, but you can see how that form and shading is much more similar than the other two

using an image as a reference is the most widely known method, but it may not look exactly how you want it to at the start! you might simply not know how line weight, textures, or line methods work yet, which is something figured out through practice and observation

and speaking of observation,

this looks okay, doesnt it?

but there is something much more structured to this, right?

it is hard to not assume you know how things look. you see things every day! your reference is right there! but really think about what you're drawing, and what it looks like.

references are always helpful, be sure to glance back frequently and really look at the distance between things, how things are rotated, how things curve around each other, and where shadows add definition

and even the bottom drawing does not capture everything correctly (the top left is not pointed enough, the middle is too high, the bottom right back fabric is too low, the bottom left is missing a fold, etc etc) i gave myself 5 minutes max for these, but it certainly looks more correct and it is not just more well developed shading

(the box is something i do often to get the size of shapes down, or to see how much space something will take on the canvas)

and always always always experiment

you do not have to draw every line, you do not have to put every detail in its right place, you are only trying to get visual information across in a manner that you enjoy

if you have an idea, but dont think you can do it, the most important thing is that you try it anyway. if it looks like shit and you dont like it, try again another day, just dont stop drawing because one day you will be able to do it

dont be afraid to erase things, to start over if you dont like it, even if you spent time on it, because you can always redo it better the next time and each time it is another thing learned or whatever. or keep it cause it looks funny or interesting who cares, as long as youre doing something

[collectingsorrows444]

Hey guys! :) Just drawing more silly stuff (fan art/doodles or sketches)

*drags myself from out of my grave of schoolwork*

Operation Ichor AU! By @slumbrr-r (GO CHECK THEM OUT!! Make sure to take breaks too, Slumbrr :D )

CHARACTERS INCLUDED:

Lumine by @gyan81 (sorry lol, I’ve never drawn characters holding any guns or weapons similar to such)

Wafi and Lina by @segagrimreaper (digital and traditional versions bc I personally think the traditional one is better but I really wanted to color it digitally)

Atri and Achelois by @theinfamousmaybelle (SEND MORE OF THE CUTIES PLS)

Carne by @youlookveryinterested (I kept frustrating myself with how the butcher knife would be held and which way, so I gave up sorry if it looks a little funny😭)

Cherri by @lilatheglitchybunny (every time I try to draw her smile, I start getting Sans AU/Undertale war flashbacks. 😭)

Holmes, Toots, and Shrimpo by @genderlessjacky (I owe you a real piece of art for them, just not this one)t

Teensy by @a-peanut11 (SHES SO CUTE OMG??)

Periot by @frenchcowws (my gf :D she finally has a blog now :> encouraging her to post/do art! She’s a very good artist :D )

POV: When your traditional art is better than your digital art 😔 (or the other way around)

One of my favorite girlbosses

Yeah so, basically another summary of the two I guess? (I bet there at least a bit of mutual understanding for each other. I promise real art will be made of Holmes’s family soon.)

Kiran thinks very highly of others around her.

CAPTIONS + ADDED COMMENTARY: a fucking termite bomb (or hornets) || *a dick move and she knows it! However, she does have a pest problem. Besides, if you (usually being a customer) don’t like bugs, she’ll try to keep them out of sight.*

(Idk, don’t ask me. She said she wanted to have a bomb and came up to have termites in them?? We both thought it would be funny and fit Periot’s character well. RIP if you don’t like bugs)

Canonically, she’s supposed to have a bounty or target on her head :)

“Mama, I’m in love with a criminal—“

My stummy been hurting a bit this week so :( But I promise you I have been drawing concepts and will add more lore for both Kirans (OG and Operation Ichor!version) soon! :)

(literally keep getting sick everytime I start to get better.. JUMPING)

[featherwingfox]

Yay! It's the guy with a bunch of power and has no idea what to do with it! 🎉🥪🎊

Our powerful friend here is one of the goofiest characters in the OG series as well as stupidly strong! I tried to give him an outfit that looked as epic as his position in the world but a pose and expression that captures his personality. I have a very interesting arc for him, oh, it's one of my favorites for sure! Can't wait to get to that part!

His drawing was one of the best ones I've made in this sketchbook and of course it had to be one of my favorites, I love this color palette! The purple as the main focus and working with complimentary colors, they support each other really well. I love color theory if you couldn't tell, so if anyone has questions regarding that subject on art I would love to ramble about it! 😁 Anyway, I knew what colors I'd use, his Minecraft skin being the main reference, but I did use some freedom of design! I did not want him to look too complicated but also not too simple. Of course with colored pencils my creativity was limited, there are things I want him to have that you won't be able to see until the digital art, but this will suffice for now. I'm not going to give you spoilers on what you're missing out! I want it to be a grand reveal now!

I had a bit of trouble with his shirt. I couldn't figure out how I wanted the opening to look like so I found a good reference by reading a comic on Tapas, I believe it was Wicked No More, I recommend it as it is very sweet. Moving on from my side tracks, I am pretty good with drawing ruffles, that part was easy and helpful as I thought his shirt was a little plain. It decorated his shirt well, and now the sleeves! Those were looking plain too, so I experimented with space patterns and decided constellation like patterns were good. It was worrying to color around as I wanted them to be white but I managed without a mishap. I decorated the side of his pants with stars as well as his black boots having a giant one. The little... What are they? There are little rhombus things that tie the front of his majestic cape, they might be buttons??? This is bothering me! What are they?! I think you can clip them on the other side of the cape to keep it wrapped around his shoulders, but I'm unsure. Whatever, he can just lift it up if he wants to take it off! His head can fit through the opening! He has big fluffy hair but don't worry, it'll just, fwoosh, slip on through too. He has it tied in the back, if you can see it, but when he undoes it his hair will puff out, like an afro almost. Big fluffy hair seemed like a common interpretation the fans had so I kept it. While adding my own interpretation of it being tied down in a ponytail... Do I like giving strong beings long ponytails? Well of course! They look cool in it and Galaxy here does too! Speaking of cool, I loved coloring his hair and cape, probably my favorite parts of this drawing. I smudged spots of gel pen ink to make the blurred colors, I'm so proud of it! It looks awesome! Adding some dark blue and a bit of the pink I smudged the ink here and there, adding some more space like color. Guess what? His hands weren't a problem! Of course I always have to redraw hands to look right but I consider it troublesome when it takes more than ten times, or if I feel frustrated. So these were pretty good and they look great. His pose was made to look like he's being scolded by Sabre. I really like drawing his nervous expression. He may have impressive powers but he doesn't want to get on his friend's bad side! I loved the interactions everyone had with him, he's funny. AUGH! BUT I DID MESS UP HIS EYES!!! 😭I wanted them to be brighter! But the yellow in colored pencils, crayons and other traditional art materials always get tainted so easily! The eyes were okay in the final results, I've colored better, but I messed it up and accidentally made them darker because I wanted to use my gold gel pen, but I forgot to test it on my test color page and now they're darker than intended. Which isn't the worst, but I wanted them to be brighter... It's not that bad of a mistake at least, UNLIKE SOMEBODY! Glares at Nightmare

Back then how I never really colored my art so I did not have an idea of how to color in his skin until I looked at other fan art. I'd probably just draw him with a dark purple color, which did look nice, but I also liked the dark skin. So I blended the two colors brown and purple, not sure if you can tell, but I think I did alright. I enjoyed drawing this character a lot, he was fun to design! I will say, when it comes to beings as powerful as Galaxy, I think they'd be taller. Some are taller but still short enough to be about face to face, using Sabre as an example, while others might look over him. Like a certain somebody I won't mention yet, I haven't even finished his scribbly sketch.

But someone I did finish and can't wait to show you tomorrow is on the way! You'll love this next character and his angelic design! 🪽

Story: Steve Saga (Fan Rewrite)

Character: Galaxy Steve

Abilities: can fly, teleport, use lightning, create things... (It's difficult to explain everything he can do because he's very powerful and can do a lot of stuff, mostly related to the galaxy, time and space, and it's existence... I'm ending it here, thank you for reading! He's complicated.)

Personality: goofy, cheerful, hungry, friendly, clueless at times, troublesome, powerful to the point it's frightening, sometimes gullible, a loyal friend, easy to make him cry, simple-minded, and does things that make you wonder if his head is empty! But we love him all the same. 🥰

[shroomerr]

what brushes do you use on procreate ((if you use it)) and how do you get your lines so smooth ?? :0

Im dabbling in digital drawing but it’s still kind of a struggle for me shshs so if you have any tips I’d love to know ‼️‼️ also your art is amazing again 💪😫

Oh my first brush question!!

So I mainly use this brush called the "Funny Haha Brush." It's completely free on gumroad, but you can tip the artist if you'd like!

https://oryozema.gumroad.com/l/YQWUE

It's my go-to brush for both sketching and inking! Inking with it is really fun, and when I sketch with it, I lower the opacity all the way down. I like the sort of "crunchy" look it has and the texture it gives me! Though if you're looking for something cleaner, like a G-Pen, maybe this isn't the one skfdhlj. Try it out and see if you like it though!

Though in terms of getting better line quality, im afraid to say that just comes with practice 😭 im getting flashbacks to when i was younger and i'd ask artists i looked up to how they got so good, and they'd just respond with "practice"... SO IM NOT GONNA DO THAT AND INSTEAD YAP ABOUT IT

So the thing about getting smooth lines is that you have to be confident with your strokes: big, quick and broad lines. For example, chicken scratching is a habit I see a lot of younger artists do (not to say this is something you do! just something I've observed).

This is something you'll just naturally get better with over time as you become more confident with your lines, but a good exercise you can do to see improvements quickly is practicing drawing shapes like ovals, circles, parallel lines in quick succession and as cleanly as you can (and in the case of the parallel lines, making them as parallel to each other as you can). Ex:

What this does is you're essentially developing your motor skills to create cleaner lines, and training your muscle memory. Speed isn't the key here, it's more about precision! But you'll naturally get faster over time. Another good exercise that I also learned is where you create two random dots, and try to make a line connecting the two dots and make it as straight and clean as possible! I like to do "ghost" strokes where I plan how the line's going to move before I commit to paper.

Honestly these are just a couple of the exercises ive learned and picked up on over the years, but even I don't do them myself SJLFHKDJL which something I really slack on. But this is definitely for if you want to see results in your improvement faster!! And also, these are also great for warming up before you start drawing.

I totally get the digital art struggle ;; it was SUCH a learning curve for me, going from predominantly traditional to digital. Honestly, the most important tip I could give you is to just draw and have fun! There was a point where I didn't draw (apart from very small homework doodles) for 3-4 years, and in that time I never tried going out of my comfort zone out of fear that it would bad. And even after I started art school, I still wasn't able to draw at the level I thought I would be at. The gap between my perceived skill vs my ACTUAL skill was so big, I kept getting tripped up and being upset about it. The fear of failure was so strong, that I was more comfortable not trying at all. In fact, it wasn't until July that I started seeing improvements in my art!! Just a couple of months ago, I couldn't draw guys for the life of me, and now all I ever draw is south park boys sfljhjl. I'm still not entirely satisfied with how my art looks, but I'm much comfortable and happy with my art now than I ever have been in the last 7 years (holy shit its been 7 years).

So, TL;DR,

1. Line exercises are your friend!

And 2. Have fun! Find your muse, and just keep drawing that!! Find ways to insert your muse in everything!! DRAW TO YOUR HYPERFIXATION'S CONTENT!!

[bakathief]

I'm a little shy! But I would like to express my amazement and admiration! A while ago I found your Shadow Chase art, I loved it and became a fan, you create very funny stories and your art is beautiful, but that's not the point, I started following you because of that, but then I realized that you have many others projects and You are also very busy with your personal life. My question is how is everything organized and planned to advance a project despite academic/work responsibilities? I've seen that you even have collaborations with others and I keep thinking "this person is great." As a final note, I just want to leave my good wishes and hope you have a nice week. <3

Gosh, so many compliments in one ask, I‘m still a little loss for words. Thank you so much for reading my work and looking into my other projects, collabs and art! I hope you‘ve been enjoying them. ❤️ 

I think there is no denying that I need to organize myself a little bit to make everything work. I think I‘ve always used drawing, especially drawing comics, as a way to breathe and when I started uni I promised myself I would continue drawing somehow. The first semester was hell, but I finished all the way. 💪 And I had the same mindset for working, so when I started this year I was very motivated to draw. Lol I think it also helped that I had several different projects to work on so when I wasn’t in the mood for black and white I would move to something colorful. Comics also offer the possibility to work on different parts. Do I want to work on the story, on the storyboards, on the actual drawings or just editing…? A lot of options. And this is something which I heard on a video on AI but artist and creative people in general don‘t create in other to have more content but to get something out of their head and feel the satisfaction of creating a certain idea and I felt that very much. And then there is the joy of collabs and while there were unfortunately more failed attempts at collabs I’m very glad for those which eventually resulted in great projects. ❤️ I might have to take actual breaks from drawing when I get back to my thesis. I finished all the work but need to write the discussion part and wow, how much I don‘t wanna work on that. 

Currently I use my time on commutes for drawings digitally or making storyboards. In the evening I finish private stuff and when time is left I work on traditional art. Shadow Chase is the only project where I try to have an overview on how many pages I have done and want to finish before the next upload. Other works can usually go up once finished. When I create something for fan projects like zines, bigbangs, etc. I usually just try to finish said project right away. I don‘t like procrastinating (except my thesis I guess) and rather have stuff than can be finished done right away and focus on my other projects again.  Shades of Tourmaline was definitely my biggest collab project yet and with the amount of art planned it took like 3 years to finish because that was something I couldn‘t get done right away. 😂 fortunately clef was very patient with me (and kept me distracted with new collabs, oops). 

The short answer would be I try to draw as much as possible because it is just a lot of fun with the additional bonus of entertaining a few people. ❤️ 

[dumb-duxky]

ngl, you are GOOD at traditional art!!! HOW??! but anyways uhhh THIS ASK HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY funkycrabturtle1035's TUMBLR PAGE!!!!!! plenty of art to discover and much much MORE (if you go to my strawpage and check out my old acc too) when you start following me, all you'll get is this: yeah that's it. MINI ME + my shared gratitude

but anyways have a nice day/night!! i've been crawling around on my floor and dragging myself by using my arms since my legs are lazy-ass and they cannot function properly

Lmao thank you, your drawing is super cute 😭 I hope your limbs function properly at some point trust 🤞 and to answer the thing about traditional art, it's because I've been drawing on paper for years[like, as a kid up till now], and never even tried digital art on a fr scale until recently [i thought you could only do it on a tablet or computer, and i have neither of those]☠️

Like I'm so bad it's not even funny ☠️ I tried ibispaint and I hated it, and my angry rant wasn't even warranted because I was messing around with the place I lost all my progress and I FOUND THE SAVE FILES??? WHY DIDNT ANYONE TELL ME I NEVER ACTUALLY LOST IT ALL 😭

Ain't no way I'm gen z and that bad with digital art 💀 and tbh I don't actually know how tumbler completely works either... [I'm 17 I'm supposed to be a pro with the internet 🪦][+this blog isn't my prime account ☠️]

Anyways thanks for the question! I keep scrolling up to look at your drawing it's actually so cute 😖

Goodnight! (It's 1 am but I ain't going to sleep yet 👍)

[angkis]

I hope you don't mind, but do you have advices for other artists? I try to draw too, but my drawings never come out looking like the reference, like I'm unable to draw something alike Derek or Stiles, that's frustrating hahahaha

The colouring, the anatomy 😩 you are so fucking amazing!

Thanks for sharing your art pieces with us ❤️

First of all, I'm honored that you ask ME this question, because I'm not very confident (working on it 💫) and it's like a huge compliment that you would even ask.

Llike every other artist, you and me are both gonna be the biggest critics of our own drawings!! I just want you to know that before I say anything else! If you ever feel like you're not getting any better or not fast enough, take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture, go back, look at where you started, it's only a question of time, you're constantly evolving!! <3 Be patient with yourself ~

I'm sure you were thinking of actual advice not the mental part, so I thought of some, but for real, most of what formed my art style (that is constantly changing and is gonna continue to change until I die 👁️👁️) was TIME. I don't always love to draw but when I have these periods of drawing a lot it's always because I'm hyperfixating on something, so finding something you can fall in love with and obsess over is gonna make time absolutely FLY BY.

Don't get discouraged when you're not nailing a character the first time you draw them. I personally only get it somewhat right at like the fifth try (funny enough I'm an impatient person but when I love something I seem to be able to be patient 💀💫) if anything Do it out of spite!!!!!!

Practice is a funny word, I don't like it because it seems like you have to know what you're trying to achieve if that makes sense. Maybe that can hold you back too. Drawing something and failing still counts as practicing. Finishing the best painting of your lifetime counts as practicing. Every time you draw you get better.

Ooooooh an interesting one that I only figured out this year: SPEND (if you can) MORE TIME OUTSIDE AND AROUND PEOPLE because your eyes notice lightings, movements, expressions, COLOURS that you then unconsciously (subconsciously?) keep in your head for later!! And when you are drawing you're gonna UNCONSCIOUSLY use that information??? It's wild (says the person who spent years barely leaving their bedroom) I'm not even exaggerating, my art got out of the blue so much 'better' (different) when I started leaving the house more often. (You might not have this issue tho!! 💫)

Also I started drawing when I was watching a lot of animated movies/shows and it influenced my art so much. When I got hooked on shows with live actors everything changed (again, your brain is putting away so many details for later) I started seeing anatomy more realistically.

One last tip before I stop rambling (and make another coffee 💫) Find a pen that WORKS FOR YOU. My stuff would look so much different if I was using different brushes than I use now. Try as much as you want! Do you prefer traditional or digital drawing? Both have cheaper alternatives (I understand this hobby is not a cheap one in general) I have a bunch of tips for Clip Studio Paint for example! Idk, let me know, I would love to show you my favourite settings that actually make my life easier!! ❤️

Sorry if I'm all over the place, I'm not too good with words 👁️👁️ I hope it's not gonna be like 'I really read all that for nothing' for you sgsggshshsgsh in which case I'M SO SORRY SFSGGGSGSGSG and again, thanks for your question!! I wish you luck!! Keep drawing!! You're gonna surprise yourself how far you can go I'm so serious!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

[turoce]

Seana’s 2020 art highlights (a thread)

(Note: this is a reupload of a thread i did on twitter a few years back. so these are really old.)

January: i didn’t draw anything complete that month.... closest thing i could find to finished is this art i made of my OC, Angelord. man. remember when i drew my OCs? [2023 note: it's..... funny you say that. you would try to start up an original comic for the entirety of next year.... not that it ever came to fruition.]

February: i finished Link’s Awakening that month. i drew Marin bc i thought she was cute. i wish i could get motivated to draw fanart of recent video games i finished more... this is probably the last proper traditional art i made this year... after this, it’s mostly digital.

March: look. i’m attempting anatomy... and i failed lol. i remember being like “how do you draw woman” after drawing this... i mean. i still wanna know how to draw woman, so i guess i haven’t changed lol. [2023 note: I STILL DONT KNOW HOW TO DRAW WOMEN]

April: wait NVM here’s another traditional piece i made this year. he was an adoptable i made... but nobody was interested in them so he’s with me for now. i’ll try and redesign them, either to sell them or to keep him. [2023 note: i never sold this guy.... i was lazy and nobody values points these days. probs for the best because scamming children with virtual coins is probably not a good idea lmao. at the same time, i wish there was an easy way to buy and sell designs+commissions without having to get a credit card or paypal or something.]

May: another month where i didn’t draw anything. buuut i did some plush sketches to reference so das dat. [2023 note: you'll probably be able to name most charas here, but who's the guy i drew the most? that's Matteo, he's a little pink vampire and i made him through Gatcha Life.]

June: ah. the month where i started digital art. this was fanart for my friend’s OC. i didn’t know a lot of features of digital art so it looks like shit LOL not the first digital art i made ever, but it might as well be. [2023 note: i actually received my tablet around 2018, but i never had time to draw on it because i had 1 hour of screentime every day. this restriction was finally lifted in 2020 (because online classes) and i finally had time to venture out into the world of digital art...]

July: i made a lot of stuff this month, but to shorten the list... i finished the plush of my OC, Matteo. i wanna make another plushie... maybe with Suitcase.

this was also the month i joined the OSC... oh hell. it’s been 6 months?? [2023 note: 2 YEARS BITCH. ITS GONNA BE YOUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY if i didn't get so tired and started to hate the community so much.]

August: ...ergh. lets get over with this month quickly... Object OCs this. Object OCs that.

occasional Algebians.

i do not like the art here... it really shows that i’ve improved. ok let’s get outta here. [2023 note: i fucking despise the person who asked me why "they were old" to my humanizations of the Dangos. this is why i refuse to join another public server ever again and might have contributed to the delay of my human drawing skills.]

September: lots of Taco II. i seriously liked her a lot. still do, but the love is a bit more spread out between characters.

oh. and i watched ONE that month. cool.

October: i finally found a style that i could weld. hooyah.

don’t ask why i drew my friend as a cat maid... i thought it was funny ok.

September: the month of gift art. nothing else to say, but i like the thin lines. yes, ‘thin’. ...god i need to think of better things to say. [i would then realize i said the wrong month, and unlike tumblr, i cannot edit tweets once published, so my only option was to delete the whole thing and start over. or just say this:] did i just say September... oh for fucks- no i am not fixing this i’m already tired of this just imagine i said November ok

December: best art of this year so far (doh) nothing to say. just... happy that i improved. can’t wait to improve even more.

[hey look! i was in the 2020 JnJ christmas video! thats me! me!!]

aaand, that’s all for this year! man, i thought i was done with improvement. i can’t believe i proved myself wrong. usually other people do that for me lol. lets see if i can disprove myself again in 2021.

[midasmagus]

This was trending around bsky, so I ended up doing it! Might as well post it all here as well for reading ease. I'll leave my answers below!

Do you prefer traditional drawing, or digital Digital is my fav nowadays! I do have a warm spot in my heart for pencil and ball point pen sketches though

How long have you been drawing? My earliest memories are of drawing! I’d say… maybe 24-25 years?

How many classes have you taken? Outside of mandatory art classes in school, I took additional classes in printmaking, metal work and ceramics all in high school. I did have ambitions for going to college for art, but ended up unable to proceed due to money.

What is your favorite thing to draw? My favorite thing to draw is my OC’s! Been a big fan self indulgent drawing since the dawn of time. If I had to be specific -my faves are my persona, Katsuo and M’yareh uwu

How often do you use References? Not often enough! But I’m really trying to change that habit. When I look through my portfolio I can always tell my pieces made with references outshine the others.

Whats your least favorite thing to draw? Backgrounds!!! They make me cry even though I know they're important 😩

Do you draw professional, or just for fun? Pretty much just for fun! The tiny bit of money I make from my creative endeavors just goes to savings or a little treat for myself.

Are you confident about your art? As confident as I can be! I feel happy with where I am, but I've noted the things I could improve at

Do you prefer to keep your art personal, or do you like drawing things for other people? I mostly draw for myself, but I do find joy in drawing for others as well

Do you ever collaborate with others? It's pretty rare, but I'm not against it!

Show a WIP/sketch/something that never saw the light of day. 1st design I drafted for my persona, Midas! Completely different vibe, and funny enough waaaay closer to irl me visually 😅

How long does an average piece take you to complete? Probably 8+ hours if I'm putting my all in it. I work slower than I'd like to admit 😅

Do you draw more today than you did in the past, or do you draw less? I'm in my late 20's and my life has put me in various stages of creative rennisance and horrid Art block - so, depends on what age you're comparing me to? Overall, I think I'm pretty middle of the line now. I don't pump out a finished piece a day, but I also draw regularly enough that I'm happy!

What are you currently trying to improve on? I've been interested in creating on more illustrative works - so I've been digging back into strengthening fundamentals like values, color theory, and composition.

What is most difficult for you to draw? I love the human form - hate hands. like - I like having them, but they're frustrating to make look right and match my style cohesively lol

What is the easiest thing for you to draw? Faces and hair - which I'm sure surprises no one.

Do you like to challenge yourself? 50/50! Challenging myself is cool, but I gotta make sure to remind myself that I am good at some things when I struggle lol

Are you confident your are improving steadily? I'd say yes! Even just checking in with myself every so many months I find things I note to myself that I've gotten better at.

Do you feel jealous when you see other people's art, or inspired? I’ve always been inspired to see others art! Art is a language of the heart, and I love to see it spoken. I can’t ever recall a moment where I was ever truly jealous- if there was an aspect I liked from s omeone’s work I would just dive in and study it

Do you like to draw in silence, or with music? Music all the way - or at the very least a podcat/audiobook/video essay in the background

For digital art, what program(s) do you use? Clip Paint Studio is my go-to. I do look fondly back on Paint Tool SAI though.

For traditional art, what medium do you like most? (Pencil,watercolor, etc) My fave traditional medium would be Ink in like… it's forms. I love inking, I love doodling with pens, and I adored the process of print making (ex Linocut, Copper Etching, etc)

What inspires you to not just make art, but to be a better artist? Maybe its cheesy but connecting with people, creating friendships, and sharing parts of myself to allow those connections to flourish have helped me the most find the will to improve.

[kairiaka]

Building a Portfolio

Somehow, I feel it's gotten harder to make a portfolio than it was a decade (or even two decades) ago.

Besides from potential employers and clients not wishing to pay a fair wage (and convinced that a computer can/should do what artist do), they also want a one-stop-shop kind of artist.

I've pretty much given up on the idea of a traditional/digital art job, but here were some funny things I saw while looking for work this week:

Job Board postings offering to "pay in exposure"... Paying in "exposure"? In 2025?

Job Board postings hosting art contest in the guise of "Show us how you would make the ___". This is so predatory. They're literally getting free work, and they can decide to "do it themselves" without paying anyone.

"This __ will be commercial, so we'll pay you $20 for your time".

[Solution: Employers/Cilents… Just, don't do this. Pay your workers, and don't post jobs like this. And Freelancers/Employees, it is your right as a human being to be pay for your labor. Also -- always state your terms when it comes to Commercial Work and don't be afraid to get it in writing.]

A person was making a webcomic. They hired an artist... and a writer...and an outliner... and a person to run the socials... and a director to keep everyone on track... (It was weird, but-- oh well, it least it looked like it was paying well. )

[This one was actually funny] A cilent who liked my writing style, but couldn't possibly hire me because I had never written about [insert baseline monster here]. I won't put the creature, but just know: whatever you're thinking, it's probably correct. It wasn't a skill issue, it was a matter of fangs. (And yes-- I can write steamy romances when I have to.)

I had a potential employer state in their job description that the Artist needed to have their own website because they, and I quote: "didn't feel like logging in anywhere".

[Costume Commission] I had a potential client discuss a cosplay idea with me (I was going to sew the main garments and props). The budget had been stated prior. When I told them the price, they said: "Oh, it's that much? I could get on AliExpress for $15. Would you be able to do it for $20 so I can buy locally?" Mind you: the cosplay in question was from a very popular mobile game-- one with a lot of cute outfits and accessories, and not-so-cute weapons. The material they wanted would cost way more than $20. Needless to say, I declined.

[Another sewing commission] A client wanted to get something made. We discussed the price, the turnaround time, and the item's specifics. They seemed thrilled that their project was getting off the ground. But when it came time to pay, the client deleted their socials and ghosted me. Strange, but all I lost was about an hour's time.

[Final Sewing Story] Client: "Hey, I want to get this __ made. I want it like this (shows picture), but I want it a little smaller." Me: "Okay, I can make that! What's your budget?" Client: "Well... That depends on you." ... Okay-- peachy! I don't need to respond back then.

So here is my Portfolio To-Do List (semi-sarcastically):

Write Monster Smut

Draw the Entire Pokedex (with some Digimon thrown in for good measure)

Record a Demo Reel

Create a Successful YouTube Channel (Self-Managed)

Work on my Shop -- I think I'm going to start with Ko-Fi for now. It can act as my "no-login-required" portfolio and Commission hub.

[noisycowboyglitter]

"Funny Wedding Signs: 'Beer Me, I’m Getting Married!'"

"Beer Me I'm Getting Married" is the rallying cry for a new wave of wedding celebrations that put craft brews front and center. Gone are the days when champagne was the only bubbly option for toasts. Now, couples are tapping into the world of artisanal ales to add a hoppy twist to their nuptials.

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Imagine a rustic barn wedding where instead of a champagne tower, there's a magnificent beer can pyramid. Or picture a "Beers Around the World" themed reception, with each table featuring a different country's brew. Groomsmen gifts? How about personalized beer steins or a six-pack of local IPAs with custom labels?

The trend extends beyond just drinking beer. Creative couples are incorporating beer into every aspect of their big day. Beer-infused wedding cakes, hop boutonnieres, and even beer unity ceremonies (where the couple blends two different beers to symbolize their union) are becoming increasingly popular.

For the eco-conscious couple, breweries make for unique and sustainable wedding venues. Many offer tours as part of the package, giving guests a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing process between the "I dos" and the dancing.

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But it's not just about the party. "Beer Me I'm Getting Married" captures a laid-back, playful approach to wedding planning. It's for couples who want to celebrate their love without taking themselves too seriously. After all, nothing says "happily ever after" quite like clinking bottles of your favorite craft beer with your newly minted spouse.

So, if you hear someone shout "Beer me, I'm getting married!" don't be surprised. It's just the sound of love brewing.

Craft the perfect present for the ale artisan in your life with these thoughtful gifts for beer brewers. For the novice, consider a comprehensive homebrewing starter kit, complete with fermenting bucket, airlock, and essential ingredients. More experienced brewers might appreciate specialized equipment like a digital refractometer for precise measurements or a stainless steel wort chiller to streamline their process.

For the tech-savvy brewer, a wireless hydrometer that tracks fermentation in real-time via smartphone could be a game-changer. Personalized wooden tap handles or custom bottle labels add a touch of individuality to their creations.

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Books on advanced brewing techniques or rare beer styles can inspire new experiments. Alternatively, a subscription to a hops-of-the-month club keeps their ingredient stock fresh and exciting.

Don't forget the fun factor – a "Brew Master" apron or a set of beer-themed coasters made from recycled grains could bring a smile to any brewer's face. These gifts are sure to have them raising a glass in appreciation.

Beer Lover Day is an unofficial holiday that celebrates the world's most popular alcoholic beverage and those who cherish it. Typically observed on September 7th, it's a day when beer enthusiasts around the globe unite to honor their favorite brew.

On this day, beer lovers might explore new craft breweries, attend beer festivals, or organize tasting events with friends. Many bars and pubs offer special promotions, showcasing unique or limited-edition beers.

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It's also an opportunity to learn about beer's rich history, diverse styles, and the art of brewing. Some enthusiasts use the day to try their hand at homebrewing or to perfect their beer and food pairing skills.

Beer Lover Day isn't just about consumption—it's a celebration of craftsmanship, tradition, and the social connections fostered over a shared pint. It's a day to raise a glass to the simple pleasure of a good beer.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hi raven !! do u have any moots who are people u looked up to before u became moots with them? just curious :-)

Hmmmm... 🤔 A good question!

When I first started out writing, my two inspirations were twstpasta (Mac) and panacea-wishes (Lily). Mac had a very clean and simple interface and a whimsical way of writing, whereas Lily edited together her own banners and focused more on pretty descriptions... I wanted my writing blog to have its own unique flavor like Mac's and Lily's did!

You'll notice that I wrote the last paragraph in past tense, and that's because both of those writers have since terminated their respective blogs and moved elsewhere💦 but to this day, I still really love them and the work that they do! If you’re interested in continuing to follow them too, you can find Mac at @mcdonaldsnumberone and Lily at @fairlyabookie. However, please note that they no longer take writing requests; they only write what and when they wish to.

Another predominantly text-based blog I enjoyed (and still enjoy!) reading is @pianostarinwonderland. It's mainly a dumping ground for TWST thoughts and theories, which I do also sometimes share on my own blog. It's a place I go to when I need to get my brain juices flowing, and sometimes the things they point out make me develop more of an appreciation for the details of TWST! (I also used to be an Azul stan, so I'd run to a fellow Azul stan to feel validated in my screaming, ahah~)

Back around the start of my TWST journey, I mainly relied on @kibadreams and jmee for story translations and rough summaries, respectively. Kibadreams does their best to retain the original “voice” of every character when they translate, and they’re very open about the potential translating mistakes they may have made and they’re striving to improve! Jmee really goes in on the details and the deeper meaning behind character relationships and TWST lore. I really appreciate the work that they have done for the community!

Special shoutout to @mysteryshoptls, whom I first got to know as a friend before they initially set up their translation blog. They’re a great source for vignettes and character lines; their translations really retain the spirit of the original characters in Japanese.

There are also a lot of artists in the TWST fandom that I admire! Seeing their posts always puts a smile on my face, and it inspires me to work hard at my own things too. I especially like seeing their own OCs and takes on certain scenes and characters from the game. It gives me confidence to share my own original works~

@4nimenut (They use very delicate brushstrokes that remind me of watercolors or traditional Chinese paintings! The lighting in their pieces is also very atmospheric~)

@airin-queenz (A very bright and cheery art style! The colors and the shading really pop out.)

@beth-lau (I love how they draw expressions! The arrangement and details... they really bring out the emotions that every character is feeling.)

@k0ushii (Their sketchy art style and color choice is very soft and easy on the eyes! They've also done gijinkas for Cookie Run and FNAF characters, which I absolutely adore the designs for!)

@lolitsleia (I love how dumb their OC Alex and Ace are together! lolitsleia really does a bit of everything, from nice fully rendered pieces to funny little sketches and comics of the characters interacting with each other!)

@myuunji (Their Yuu is really adorable and clumsy! It's lots of fun keeping up their shenanigans in the little doodles and comics they make.)

@pearlwhitecats (Their love for Silver is really pure! I can feel it come off in every Nahime x Silver work they make. I'm also a fan of their cutiepie OC Neviah~)

@renniecirque (Ren has a really unique art style! It almost looks like traditional art instead of digital because of how soft the colors and the line art is. It gives me cottagecore vibes! Very soothing to look at~)

@shimmeryspark (Kana's art is both cute and detailed! While their fully rendered pieces are a treat, I also really like their chibis--they look so round and squishy, I just want to pinch them with my fingers! Their shrimp-based OCs and Kana (the Yuusona) with Floyd and Ruggie are also adorable and pure~)

@stupidneko (I like how big and expressive their eyes are! I also really love the little details they add to accentuate various pieces, like tiny sparkles or little tuffs of cotton.)

@suiiseis (We share a mutual appreciation and intense brain rot for J word I like how dainty their style is, from the lithe forms of their characters to the way they draw eyes and hair!)

@teuffels (Their vibrant, bouncy colors really bring pieces to life! They also get really experimental with poses and compositions, which always keeps you guessing. Plus, their love for Lilia and Xiao is just so wholesome and endearing!)

@tinyfantasminha (I adore their OC Vic's sass and their breakdowns over Jack Howl! They're very talented with drawing poses and coloring in a way that mimics the TWST style!)

@yttrocen (An artist with a very soft and pastel color palette, mainly doing comics and doodles. If I'm not mistaken, they mainly do Tweels, which I can appreciate~)

@zariyen (Yuu Yumehara my beloved he's so cool and hot and-- I'm a huge fan of zari's work on alternate outfits for Pomefiore! Everything they do is really gorgeously detailed; I could stare at their pieces forever and ever!)

It feels like a really big honor when someone you look up to follows you back! It's like one of those "wow, senpai noticed me" moments you see sometimes in anime or manga. Of course, I'm not super close to everyone that I listed in this post, and I’ve also met a lot of amazing people and made friends that I didn’t include here (since they didn’t quite fit the parameters of the ask)!!

Please consider checking out their socials and supporting them!! Let’s keep exploring this twisted wonderland together 🎵

[tostada-turtle]

I don't usually post my artistic ventures on here, but here's my 2022 artist summary!

January: Armoire! One of my favorites lads I've made, with all the bug details and many, many feet.

February: A commission. Money is nice, but the commissioner was very picky lol

March-May: Though started it in February, my Doc Ock cosplay totally devoured all of my time. I was very proud once it was finished, even though it ended up breaking at the con.

June: A piece to bounce back from my dry spel! hadn't done a decent digital painting in ages, and was pretty pleased with it, despite not liking how Stede's face came Out.

August: Just some sketchbook doodles of characters from my funny vampire show, the top of which is later seen during inktober.

October: Did my best to keep up with Inktober, did alright. tossed boobie plant lady in to mix up all the lads in this summary lol.

November: another physical item. Tooka lot of time, only because had to sow on 32 separate squares, but sold for 75$!

December: At long last, a full sketchbook piece. I tend to avoid traditional pieces for fear of messing up, but stuck with it and ended up with a piece was very pleased with!

In the following year I'm gonna try to do more art, or atleast do it consistently lol

Here's to hoping for a good 2023!