#have a wonderful day and good luck to the participants!!!💖

[mel-loly]

–I am back!!!✨

ANDDD since the majority voted “yes” in the last poll I did, I’m going to do a dtiys! Which will be this one:

Oh, and the rules and explanation of tdiys are in the text below (click for 'more' ↓)! Good luck to the participants, I love you all so much!!❤️

Explanation:

DTIYS stands for “Draw This In Your Style”. It's a popular art challenge where artists redraw a piece of art in their own style. DTIYS challenges are often used by artists on Instagram to celebrate milestones or to support other artists [which, in this case, I am celebrating my “return”].

How it works:

An artist chooses a piece of art to redraw.

The artist sets instructions for the challenge, such as the medium to use or the overall aesthetic.

Other artists create their own version of the piece and post it with the specified hashtag.

The artist selects the winners and announces them.

Now that you guys know a little about how it works, I will tell you some simple and “already expected” rules:

You can't steal or do it the same way as me, you have to do it YOUR style (because that's the challenge).

The redraw must have the same characteristics as the original drawing. For example, the colors must be similar or the same.

You can add and change things, but don’t “stray” too far from the original design and features.

Don't forget to tag me AND use the hashtag '#melloly dtiys'! Or if you don't want to post, just send me a private chat or ask! (and if you don't want me to say your name if you "win", please let me know and I'll make the drawing's artist anonymous!)

About the winners and the end date of the competition:

The competition will end on 03/23/25. There will be 3 winners, however, I will only draw (their own) OCs!

An art of your OC in my normal and detailed style (example (↓).

An art of your OC in my normal but simple style (example (↓).

A art of your OC in my chibi style (example (↓).

Thank you very much for reading and, again, good luck to the participants!!! (and if you still have any questions, just call dm and ask!!)💛

-Melissa, Designer.

[rutobuka2]

hello ruto!! i’ve been such a fan for a long time, and i was wondering (if you’re open to giving advice) — what things have helped you balance consistent artmaking with other demanding life stuff?

hello!!! thank you so much for the support!! glad you've been going along for the ride! 💖 I would love to try to give some advice!

1- when I was in school, college, uni, etc, I had a lot of energy and health and used to draw all the damn time! In class, at home, etc. So I bet most people in that situation don't need help finding time to draw, since work isn't mostly expected of them.

2- nowadays, since I work with art, I have a strict schedule I have to maintain so I can create, edit, post art consistently. I believe for me, though, even before having a work relationship with art, it was about a self-feeding loop of being surrounded by fans, wanting to participate, to share new ideas, see what folks think of my art, what they want to see next... I would have a lot of trouble creating consistently if I didn't have the constant feedback. It's something that brings passion and drive, and it makes my hands itch to draw! So perhaps finding a niche, responding to comments, being social with fellow fans or artists will help you find that desire to create art!

3- don't force yourself too much. It's so easy to get repetitive strain injury, since nowadays we're always using our fingers and wrists for every task! Also, life is so important! If you need to stay away from making art for a while to take care of friends, family, yourself, it should take priority. You'll find it easier to find inspiration if your life is going well, too, there won't be a looming cloud of dread and anxiety around you if so!

4- try different things to see what feels better! I like changing materials, theme, so that things feel less monotonous in the actual "builder" phase of art. So using a different sketchbook, using loose paper, different media, etc will make the bored side of your brain be more focused! (If I didn't work with art, I'd also try to finish a 30 day drawing challenge, for once! They're so demanding!)

Anyway, good luck! If you have any more questions, please send them my way! 💪