#i really wanted to study his art style as i find it wonderful

[404chm]

matching house and wilson icons in the style of alberto mielgo 💕

[theoldkyokodied]

Hello! I really love your art! I was wondering if you have any tips on how to capture the person the facial features of the person you are drawing so well?(!) Your Billy and Stu are is amazing! Although it is in your style (which I absolutely adore) you still keep their likeness/resemblance which is very hard for me to do when trying to draw them in my style! (Sorry if the wording is confusing, any tips?) Thanks!

Ah thank you so much and sorry for taking so long to reply, but I needed to figure out how to answer this.

I have put some general tips together, but I need to point out that none of these replace the time investment of learning art. It is merely a suggestion of direction for practice, and I don’t want anyone to feel discouraged if any of these tips don’t immediately make them into a master of arts. Art practice is not easy and it can be frustrating to not be up to your own standards yet, but you will get there! :) In the meantime: be kind to yourself!

That said, let’s get to the tips I can share:

1) Use references!

I usually create a reference sheet for any character I want to draw more often, with their face in lots of different angles. Being able to know how, for example, someone’s nose looks like from the side and from the front can be essential when it comes to recognition. You basically want to be able to create a 3 dimensional object with these references. I tend to need the references less the more I draw the character, after a while i just memorise their key aspects for drawing them from most angles :)

2) Figure out key-features of a person

Try to figure out how to simplify someone in a drawing. What are their most striking features that NEED to be included? Sometimes it helps when you try to think of what features a caricaturist would accentuate in a caricature of them. Here you have some features that I personally try to focus on when I draw billy:

As mentioned in the bottom right corner, the placement of these key-features is also important. Try to figure out where things are placed in relation to other facial features and mind their size as well. this becomes easier the more you do it!

If you struggle to find out what features are important you can also look up other fan-artists stylised work you like and try to see what they chose to highlight :)

3) Do studies!

4) focus on values and contrast before considering color

doing a study without a sketch by blocking in shapes can help you figure out the planes of a characters face

as you can see here, stu’s eyebrows kind of blend in with the shadows of his brow bone, which is why I usually draw his eyebrows pretty light/in a color that doesn’t have high contrast with the skin tone, it makes him instantly more recognisable in my opinion

5) Draw (a lot)

I have been drawing basically every day since I was a child, but my ability to actually draw someone recognisable has only developed in the recent years. And I don’t think I’m done with learning. In the undying words of Bob Ross: “Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do”.

I hope my tips can help a bit and and perhaps lend you some motivation for the never ending practice that every artist has to face :’) <3

[blanchebees]

Hi ! Just wondering how do you draw vessel's mask ? I love your art style, it's awesome and I tried to draw the mask the way you do it but I keep struggling

Hi there! I don't really have a process, i just draw it very loosely and then kind of fix it along the way? Most of the time i start from pics. I have A LOT of references to help me with getting the angles right so i would start with gathering those.

I can't stress this enough, create a reference board with all the pics you need to learn how to draw him right! The eyes work the same as the ones on a face, tilt the head down and they'll bow etc. They wrap around the mask.Tilt his face up enough and you'll eventually see his nose.Tilt it even more and you won't be able to see all the eyes.

And to end this, please don't try to go for someone else's style, this is how i do it but what you really want is to develop YOUR own take of Vessel yk? It's only a matter of repetition and studying, understanding how he works! :)

Here's another brief tutorial i made

Tips are highly appreciated if you find these tutorials helpful!

Tip jar

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 17/11✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: (Baby Mk trying to wake up macaque) Macaque: Wukong your son's awake Wukong: Before sunrise he's your son. Lol lion King reference

Aaaaaaahhh I love it! I was thinking the same!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I wonder if MK is experiencing any other Yaoguai urges? Besides his crush instincts and fun Monkey habits and behaviors.

mmmmm I think he mostly sometimes starts a tantrum in monkey style, where he starts to move a lot and jumps around

Anonimo ha chiesto: So like do macaque and wukong have rings or anything like now I think it would be cute if they renewed their vow.

I think I need to go study traditional chinese weddings traditions

l@ovingshadowpeaches ha chiesto: Ohhh my gosh i finally have the balls to send you this ask!! I adore your shadowpeach bio parents AU SO SO SO MUCH, your art style is so satisfying and mesmerising to look at, the plot is chefs kiss and I hope you know I LOVE all the soysauce duo content i am being fed and our Macaque introject adores it because the MK he knows is his son and your comic makes him feel a lot more valid and closer to his boy, your comic is so comforting to both him and me. I can't wait to see how it all plays out and I can't express enough how much we love love this comic!! All the love!!! GAH!!!

awww tysm for your ask!!!! :')

Anonimo ha chiesto: I think that is hilarious that macaque yoinked the great sage. Also other demons jealous Mac?!?! I need more jealous mac. I can only imagine it went like, Here is a basket of delicious peaches for your enjoyment. Excuse me while I go beat the shit out this demon for trying to take you away (Not that they could even if they got past Macaque).

hehe meanwhile Wukong's ego grows tenfold

Anonimo ha chiesto: SHADOWPEACH BIO PARENT AU The last question had me saying: what was Pigsy's and Tang's reaction to Mk's l̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ crush on Red Son? And also the court napping thing?

I think at first they didn't believe it, then they realized what happened, and didn't know wheter being shocked or not since they should have absolutely saw it coming.

@vex--lynn ha chiesto: Do you find it crazy how much you've affected the Fandom, like you've taken it by storm! It's kinda like when "Garden across our collarbone" took over the Fandom. In the end, we're left crying happy tears. I'm so happy to have found this comic while it was still being made cause I feel like I'm part of the adventure of these crazy monkies! I wish you nothing but the best for you!! <3

BRO u CAN'T JUST PULL OUT THAT NAME AND MINE IN THE SAME CONTEXT. That fic is like an atomic bomb I'm just a humble artist drawing gay monkies.

Anonimo ha chiesto: I just want you to know that your LMK comic is getting me through a really hard time in my life right now. It really helps to have something to smile about and look forward to. Thank you so much for all the recent fluff. It brings me a lot of joy. 💕 Awwww tysm!!

Aww that's so nice to hear!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Okay since mac has 6 sensitive ears... wouldn't be sometimes hard for him...? l mean what if there was very strong noises like fireworks or smt around!? U know what is the best solution for this!! Mac lying down between wukong's arms and put his head on chest and listen to his heartbeat!!! This will absolutely will calm him down right? I WANNA SEE THIS IN YOUR COMICS PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAASS

askjcbaicbasc that's sooooo cute! Maybe, perhaps, in the future, who knows....

Anonimo ha chiesto: Is it slowly building back up to shadowpeach getting back together or? 🤔 idk their relationship status rn

situationship so bad these 2 are sleeping together and have a kid but still are allergic to flirt like normal people.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Got a question about Sun Wukong being trans. I know he probably uses glamour to hide his ✨✨boobies✨✨. But like, is he also using tape or are they kinda just... Out Cause now I'm thinking about the times we've seen him shirtless so like... ???

before he learned to shapeshift he mostly used bandages since that's all he could do at the time. Now MK is teaching him what binders are and he couldn't be more grateful.

@ayrza ha chiesto: I know you may not share it, or even read it, but I need to get it out of me. Do you realize that MK has only had father figures and no mother figures? Which means that the simple word "MAMA" carries too much sentimental weight and that's... 🥹 THIS COULD NOT BE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN YOU ALREADY MADE IT!!! MY BABY SAID MAMA!!!! 😭✨💖

o my gAAAAHHD I THINK THAT WAS UNINTENTIONAL OF ME BUT THIS CHANGES EVERYTHINGGG

@s-p-r-i-n-g-t-i-m-e ha chiesto: question: what does MK call Pigsy and Tang? Anonimo ha chiesto: I love the new post i am crying 😢 😭 But I do have a question is mac mama and wukong Baba, or is wukong Mama and mac baba this is an important question I have for you???

Pigsy is "Dad" and Tang is "Papa". Mac is "Mama" and Wukong is "Baba"

Anonimo ha chiesto: I’ve seen many many drawings and intereptations of Mac being all piecered, especially on his ears cause if you have six, you gotta use em. Does macaque have any piercings in your au or is his ears too sensitive for that in your mind? Does he like to fidigit with them or any body else?

mmmm he can perfectly have it. I think he would have a few, but only rings and like each of them is far from the others in the lobe area because I can imagine someone with sensitive Hearing wouldn't like to hear the sounds of metal or earrings tingeling every time he moves around.

@alchemical-spill-on-aisle-three ha chiesto: In your shadowpeach comic, is Mei going to help MK with his crush? I just think it would be really funny if they got into hijinks while trying to get MK and Redson together lol

Mei is the one who organized their sparring meetings in the first place. She was Spicynoodle number 1 fan since the beginning.

@straightally2001 ha chiesto: Hmm... if Kai is gonna be MK and Red Son's son does that mean that Nya is gonna be Mei's daughter?

Omg yes. But guys don't tempt me or I might make a "Spicynoodle 50 years later/ninjago crossover" comic the size of the shadowpeach one if we go down this path

Anonimo ha chiesto: If mk is a trans does he still get period?

yes

Anonimo ha chiesto: what is MK’s favorite thing about red boy?

The fact that he tries to hide his emotions but his fire powers reflects them out of his control. MK thinks it's very cute.

Anonimo ha chiesto: So, are you ever going to make a sick episode for the bio dads? I am asking because I am sick, and it would be interesting to see what they are like when sick.

nope sorry. donesn't fit in the current schedule. But MK will go at the hospital at some point if that's of any reassuring.

@sokda-lal-ashes ha chiesto: Do you have why doodles that aren't exactly in the stories but that fits your bio parents au? I love your art so much!! Especially your redson design!!!

Yes but they are spoilers. Sorryyy

Anonimo ha chiesto: Wukong: hay don't forget to eat breakfast. Macaque: what are you talking about I just ate Wukong: you had espresso & anit depressants that is not a meal. Macaque (repeats mocking Wukong) I don't need your judgement I feel like the whole being revived thinks makes macaque sometimes not realize he's hungry or thirsty

ahah how much I relate (I don't take antidepressant but a lot of magnesium bc of mood swings)

@astro-lmk-enjoyer ha chiesto: Wait… if macaque gets his power from a lunar eclipse, does that mean that wukong gets his power from a solar eclipse? Bye <3

Anonimo ha chiesto: Oh so I just had a thought! Since the light hair streaks are being caused by a lunar eclipse because Macaque draws his powers from the moon, is the opposite true for Wukong? Are any of his powers from the sun and would something happen if there was a solar eclipse? Love all the world building in your comics its all so good!!!

mmm I don't think that's how it works.

Anonimo ha chiesto: wait, so since the brotherhood knew about Macaque courtnapping Wukong, did they ever have to witness the monstrosity of cuddles and affection you describe Shadowpeach when they’re together? I could only imagine the awkwardness. Or many they’re totally cool with them being open with each other right in front of them. I know th3 brotherhood won’t show up in your comic as you’ve said before but a fan can only dream.

Oh yeah. O yeah they did.

@shamelesschopshopwasteland ha chiesto: How are Macaque and Wukong? Do they spend time with each other outside of sleeping? (Also I love you AU!!! <3)

Macaque still works from time to time to the Dojo in weekdays, and also likes his alone time, but has been spendind more time with Wukong to help the other monkeys and telling stories about what happened in all those years they missed when they were still enemies.

Anonimo ha chiesto: (I LOVE YOUR ART SM IFDJKEWVJHA, make sure to take breaks!!) Considering Macaque doesn't like the cold. (I love that HC so much, especially because I like to HC that he's freezing 24/7 can only warm up with hot springs and touch but not actual heat/the sun) How would Macaque react in a snowstorm/winter. Would he just bundle up a lot or lock himself in a room or something similar?

3 layers of jackets and self-heating socks when he's going around, otherwise Hot springs every evening.

Anonimo ha chiesto: what other nicknames/pet names does SWK and Macaque have for one another beside peaches and plum?

mmm I think Sun and Moon

@patienceandpokemon ha chiesto: Okay, rip my heart out with happiness in P7 of Monkie trio with the moonlight reveal why don't you?! THANK YOU! But in seriousness, in the latest bit . . Are Mac and MK recharging their shadow powers under the moonlight? Is that why Mac never really attacked in season 1-3 in your AU of LMK, unless there had been a full moon prior? Or am I snowballing into unrelated territory? Anywho, love the comic! He's so fucking fluffy and white like a pearl! And MK, baby fluff!!!!!

Wait he actually did it in the series?? I never noticed!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Soooooo we know Macaque did the courtnapping for shadowpeach so who did the courtnapping for the demon bull family? PIF or DBK👀

I think PIF did?

@boonalina ha chiesto: Question: In your AU, when exactly did Mac and PIF become sworn siblings? Cuz we know Wuk and Mac were sworn bros with DBK, and then DBK "betrayed" them by getting together with PIF. So when exactly would Mac have become sworn siblings with her? Was it like during the time Wukong was under the mountain or smth? Cuz it does seem like Mac drifted apart from the Brotherhood when Wukong was imprisoned.

this is a fandom headcanon, but I believe it was a little after Wukong was imprisoned, and a little after Macaque was revived

[dyemelikeasunset]

Hi! I just wanted to say I love your art and your characters so much their like some of my favorite ocs I've ever interacted with. But I was wondering if you don't mind answering what do you do when it comes to drawing different body types, I struggle a lot with that in my own art

Hello and thank you both for liking my characters as well as the fanart!!!

For drawing different body types, I studied lots and LOTS of anatomy for a long time. It can be daunting, but it takes a lot of dedication, study, and practice. Here's some stuff that I hope helps!

[sorry, edited for fixed links]

If you are looking for a more realistic style:

The Morpho Books for muscled and fat bodies are great. There are PDFs online too, but you didn't hear that from me

A drawn guide about how fat sits on the body

photography series about different types of olympic athletes

If you'd prefer to do a more stylized look, then focusing on shapes is really helpful! I find it's easiest to study other artists and surround yourself with diverse art. Here are some examples!

Stylized drawings of many body types!

More stylized body diversity

Even more diverse bodies!

A guide for how to draw fat women, by my wife!

And a guide for how to vary the ratio of muscle and fat

[mothiepixie]

Hi Mothie, Uh sorry to bother you. I really love your art, it's such an inspiration. I want to get better at drawing the skeletons (and even try my own self inserts) but I often find myself struggling so was wondering if you had any tips? Like how did you practice drawing them at first? Sorry if you've had this question a million times, I couldn't find anything on your blog.

Also your colour placement, shading and BG's in all your comics are incredible! Thank you for sharing your amazing art with us <3

Hey there, thanks so much!

I never really answered anything like it, because what I'm going to say is going to be annoying

but PRACTICE.

I am so serious, you have to take these characters (be it skeletons or your own creations) and become so obsessed with them that you draw them over and over.

You will not see your growth and it will be frustrating. I feel people get trapped at seeing the finished product in their mind rather than focus on the steps to get there.

My art was definitely a rough start. I didn't know how I wanted to draw them and I just kept drawing them. I eliminated elements that didn't work or appeal to me over time and then did what would be easier for my wrist.

Examples

2022 vs 2023 Red looked SUPER ROUGH.

And Swap! 2022 vs 2024!

It took me a few years to draw them even close to how I wanted and I'm still figuring things out.

If you're looking for a distinct style, then you have to play with your style. And you have to embrace inconsistency.

But if you want to get better at drawing more realistic skeletons, I highly reccomend using Sketchfab and look up skeleton anatomy. (You can look up about just anything there and get it in 3d for all sorts of angles)

I also say definitely just practice gesture drawing and figure drawing. You can apply this tools to your OCs. And if you want to get better at expression then I recommend studying Tracy J. Bulter's expression tutorial. I still stand by this tutorial today.

I hope this helped some 🙇‍♂️

[oililylou]

hi!! i love your art so much, i’ve been wanting to try digital art more myself and i was wondering how you find your art style? i’ve tried drawing a couple times on procreate but it all comes out more realistic looking than i want it and i was wondering how to make an art style!

hi !! tysm <3

(little disclaimer: english isn’t my native language so i hope everything makes sense and i apologize for the awkward wording sometimes ! also obviously this is all from my own experiment)

first of all, it will take TIME to find an artstyle you really like and want to stick to, and it’s okay !! i have been drawing for years and i’m still not completely satisfied with my style, don’t be pressured into immediately finding a style :)

here are some tips i can give (if anyone has any others feel free to comment) : 

EXPERIMENT ! i think it’s the most important one, experiment with brushes, download brushes pack you find cool, try out color palettes, play with layers mod and filters,…

as an example here are some of my warmups doodles where i experiment new things, you can see how it impacts my artstyle !

watch videos ! speedpaints, tutorials,.. of the art you like :D if there is anything from the videos you like, try it out on your art !

draw what you LIKE !! if you like the color blue, go use blue in your art, if you like stickers, why not putting stickers all over your art ? 

analyze your own work : what do you enjoy in your art ? what would you like to change ? if you don’t like how you draw noses for example, it’s fine, try out another way ! 

analyze other artists’ works : what specific thing do you prefer on this artist’s work ? is it the way they line ? the way they color ? the way they draw something specific ? try it out on your own art ! it’s like taking pieces of puzzle there and there, and once all the pieces are stick together you get your own art ! if you study someone’s else art and decide to post it, please don’t forget to credit the original artist !! a lot of people study other people’s arts, you can find plenty of videos on youtube, generally under the title of « art style study » « how to draw like (…) »

my artstyle was mainly built on little things i picked up from my favorite artists and experimented on to change it in my own taste (does that make sense ?), i made a little drawing so it’s easier to understand

that’s all i can think of for now !

don’t forget, finding your artstyle will come with time, it’s all about experimenting, finding what you like drawing and how you like drawing it :]

[nadinefromwhere]

Self aware (rafayel x reader) part 2

word count: 1.1k

HI GUYS IM BACKKK I JUST WANNA SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! PLUS CALEB GIRLIES HOW WE FEELING RN plus enjoy this fic!!! next one will be a xav oneshot~ BUT ITS FLUFFY I PROMISE

Warnings: none

FANFIC UPDATES!!!! ao3 wattpad

Everytime he sees you, the only thing he just wanted was to hug you and never let you go. Sadly, It couldn’t happen since you were both separated by a screen. Yes, a screen.

Today was just any other day for you, Log in the game, do dailies and weeklies and maybe even farm a bit. But now it seems really weird ... .For some reason. Well not the game but its Rafayel.

Usually he’d just say something or probably be reading or sleeping but it's weird… maybe you're just hallucinating? After all, you haven't been sleeping well the past few days since you’ve been working on an art project that's due soon….

“So this is due next week, the other later, and the other….” You count how much was due, maybe around 5 - 10 projects? You slowly start regretting for procrastinating, using that time to farm in the game for rafayel’s latest banner, into the canvas. Make it even worse there was a quad banner after and you only having 300 gems was the worst…..

“I'm sorry raf but i might have to skip this incoming banner” you say sighing in defeat, turning off the game in your phone to start finishing another art project…..

Meanwhile

Rafayel pouts as he sees you close the game, The only thing he wanted in the world right now was to just hug you, not the game you but the real life you. He did notice how stressed you were nowadays, especially the fact that your schedule was packed. Sure he did see the amount of effort you did when farming and also he did find it a coincidence that you went to art school.

He waited…..and waited…..and waited….

Seriously, are you just going to be gone for the next 800 years? (even though it's only been 2 hours but still)

He kept spamming you with messages on the phone, which was very usual of him to do. While you on the other hand was focused on finishing as many projects as possible.

“If only i was there with you….i could’ve helped you out but no, i'm stuck in a screen” he says pouting

.

.

.

.

.

.

A few hours later…

“Well I'm finally done with half of it so maybe i’ll just…. Sleep it off first….” You say as you started to fall asleep while listening to one of Rafayels 4* memories..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It was so comfy, like really comfy. You know the feeling when somebody’s beside you and then it’s a rainy morning? Wait. wait this is wrong.

You live alone,

You don't even remember letting anyone sleep beside you yesterday,

NOW WHAT WAS THIS!?!?!?!

You open your eyes in panic just to see him. No other than Rafayel, the very same man that you wished to see in reality ever since you started playing love and deep space.

“Morning cutie” he says, and immediately you smack rafayel immediately, throwing him off guard. 

“Hey why smack me when you could give me a kiss :(“ Rafayel says pouting confusedly on why you would do that to him first thing in the morning. Don't you miss me?? He wonders

“You're real?” you say as you kept touching everywhere, the face, nose, hair everywhere./

“Yes I am real, didn't you sleep well yesterday?” rafayel asks, even though he knew that you probably spent studying until 3 in the morning.

“Uhm of course i did-” you say before rafayel cuts you off

“Liar i know you slept at 3 am so thats means you don't sleep well 😠” rafayel says as he looks at you as if you committed a crime or something.

“Wait how do you know-” you ask confused on how the hell did a fictional character that you loved knows you slept very late in the morning

“Because you left me all alone in the cafe to study silly girl, that's why i know” he says winking at you

“But- BUT-”

“No buts, the only thing i want to do today is just spend time with you” rafayel says as he picks you up bridal style……

The entirety of the day was spent in laughter and enjoyment, visiting the aquarium, painting with rafayel, having dinner with him and the last thing on the bucket list for today is watching the sunset at the beach.

“You know everytime i see the sunset, the first thing that reminds me is you,” Rafayel says, as he interlocked his hands with yours. 

Looking into his purple - magenta eyes before you could even say another word, suddenly you felt like you were falling into the abyss, as if you have gotten knocked out or something….

“WHAT THE-” you open your eyes just to see yourself back in your good old bedroom, same home, same lifestyle. 

“So it was just all a dream?” you wonder, as you stand up from bed. 

As you sigh and get yourself ready for uni, you find yourself lost in the moments where rafayel was doing everything with you…it felt so real you swear that it all happened….

Sometime later you find yourself in the middle of a lecture until you receive a message from an unknown number….

Messages

Unknown number: hey cutie when’s class going to finish?

You're scared. No creeped out to be exact. Who is this? How did he/she find your number? How did the person in question find out you're in class right now? Your breathing becomes heavy as you debate whether to reply or not. At this point the class wasn't the topic anymore. It was about who that was and how creepy they are.

You: who are you? If i may ask 

Unknown number: it's me cutie, the name's rafayel. Did you forget about me? 

You: yeah no way you're actually him creep. Hell no way i'm believing that easily

You close your phone as you block the number, hoping that everything won't escalate later on…..

Rafayel on the other hand, was to say driving to the art school where you study. Having a bouquet of flowers at hand as he was almost near….

“Yeah yeah whatever besides I already blocked the creep so there's nothing going to happen next right?” you say chatting with one of your friends as you walk outside the school.

Suddenly a sports car pulls up at the entrance, before you could react to anything you see a young man in his mid - twenties purple hair and purple - magenta eyes get out of the car with a bouquet at hand as he immediately spots you.

“Hey there cutie, how's life in art school?” rafayel asks, smiling as he gives you the flowers he bought earlier

You missed him. Missed his touch, his whiny voice everytime when he loses the claw machine, and how you and he would tease each other at times.

“Rafayel you jerk” you said as you immediately hugged him, not caring about anyone right now except  for him. 

“I finally found you, cutie. Don't leave me again” He says hugging you back, he finally found you. Maybe waiting for 800 years really was worth it. 

_________________________________________________________ Taglist: @ladyof-themoon

[s1l]

Jackson and Holt headcanons

- they both use xenogenders. I don't care, it's true.

- Jackson constantly wishes to know what music sounds like and feels like he'll never truly live without such a grand experience. It's something that all normies and monsters alike adore, and he will never even touch.

- Jackson loves scene clothing, but he can't dress the way he wants because of anxiety. He buys a lot of scene accessories and makes kandi bracelets himself, but never uses it. Holt on the other hand will raid their wardrobe and go to concerts absolutely DECKED out in Jackson's stuff. Jackson started wearing his own stuff because Holt kept leaving him messages about how many compliments he would always get for the clothing! ❤

- even though he doesn't need to, Jackson takes way too many precautions to keep himself from transforming. He reads a lot and rarely even scrolls social media in fear because there always seems to be music in every video!

- Jackson has a lot of mental health issues, and the discovery of Holt definitely didn't help. To know that there was a cooler version of him that everyone loved that constantly replaced him? It was horrible. However, Holt isn't the type of guy to leave another man kicked down. He constantly leaves notes on the refrigerator for Jackson to cheer him up with cute doodles, and he always tells his friends about how 'awesome this one Jackson fella is!' And how 'you just gotta meet him!'

- Holt has multiple Pinterest board of tattoos he wants in the future and hair styles he wants to try out. Holt actually really enjoys fashion, almost as much as he enjoys art and rock n' roll!

- You'd think that since Jackson is the 'nerd,' he'd be doing all the work in school to keep their head above water. However, Holt makes sure to pull his weight. He's the top student in art class, music class, and doing very well in gym too!

- Not a headcanon but a question; where are their parents? Why the hell did they never tell them about the transformations??

- Jackson is only able to watch Nature Documentaries because the background music is too peaceful to force Holt out.

- they send each other stupid tweets they find 😭 they actually have a very similar sense of humor, however, Jackson's is a bit more witty and sometimes dryer.

- Jackson used to study astrology when he was younger, but eventually moved onto other things such as science and psychology. He'd love to make a blog like Spectra or even become a journalist, but he doesn't feel like his anxiety could handle it. Nevertheless, he's determined to follow his dreams. He gets a lot of help from Frankie, as well as Clawdia too! Clawdia taught him a lot about writing and even promoted him on her blog! Now, his blog is linked in Spectras bio as a recommendation and they do a lot of collabs. Jackson helps a lot with Spectra because he's good at getting the facts and preventing her from providing senseless rumors. He also writes a lot with Venus about climate change and the environment, and assists to start a lot of movements and fundraisers.

- Everyone has something they're insecure about, even Holt Hyde. You might be wondering however, what could he of all people possibly be embarrassed by? Well, since he goes to a lot of parties away from home, he likes to bring a small plush princess goblin with him to keep him company. He spends a lot of time buying little clothes for it and even makes extra food so it can have a plate at the diner table.

- A lot of things play music, but Holt definitely has a favorite. He owns his own CD player that he's decked out in colorful stickers, ESPECIALLY puffy ones. He loves puffy stickers, fuzzy stickers, glittery stickers, scented stickers, all of them!

[hemi-demi]

Hi! I absolutely adore your art style and was wondering if you have any tips for a beginner?

Hihi! Honestly, I thought about it for a bit, and I think my tips for new artists aren't much different than the ones for established artists. I've been making art in one way or another pretty much my whole life, but I still feel new to it half the time, which in all honesty I think is how it should feel.

So, some general stuff that I hope helps:

1. Don't spend a lot of money on it when you start out:

Super tempting to buy a bunch of expensive tablets, software, etc, but can be daunting when you're brand new.

Just start with whatever you have! Pencil and paper, or even drawing with your finger on your phone (like my friend @the-awful-dread-that-leaves, wtf how do you do that?) just use whatever is available to you!

Also, pen and paper can actually be great practice. Can't undo your mistakes, gotta work around them. Flexes a lot of creative muscles.

2. Study real life and study other artists:

Figure drawing from photos or real life, still life's, perspective practice, all that stuff helps a ton. Even if you like very simplified styled which stuff like mine tends to lean towards, it helps so much to know what realistic proportions should look like before you go messing around with them. A big chunk of my early childhood work was pretty much all charcoal and pastel portraits, trying to be as realistic as I could.

But I also really loved anime as a kid and would try to match people's styles, and that's the second part of this. Just look at and dissect as much art as you can. Find out what you like, what you don't like. Try to draw something just for yourself in those styles, feel the way your hand moves when you do.

Try to reverse engineer how they did something, or if the artist is active on socials, just ask them! Can't speak for all of them, but many are happy to talk about their process. And getting helpful feedback from other artists makes a huge difference, no matter how long you've been making art.

3. Just draw as much as you can

I was doing vector art mostly for several years before the TMA brain worms kicked in, and starting to draw again when I would just passively doodle in sketchbooks felt like I had to retrain all my muscles.

My hyperfixation has helped so much, honestly. Gave me something very specific to want to draw again, and I try to draw at least a little if not every day, then every other day.

I do try to branch out and draw other characters, or incorporate environments so I'm not stagnating myself to the same poses and blorbos forever, but I also let myself indulge when I just want to get something down on paper. Whatever gets you drawing more is going to be good for your skill over time, so just chase whatever drives you!

Hope these are helpful!

[fandrawsart]

Do I know you?

So I have been experimenting with art styles, and when I was making this piece I wasn't all that happy with how it looked in my usual colouring style. I was like- I really really want it to look like it was plucked straight out of a comic. So I thought might as well hit two birds with one stone, and make this piece a Style study as well. The artist whose style I tried to study is one of my favourite One Piece artists. Their Shuggy art just gives me the butterflies. Shoutout to @huyandere

I have fallen in love with the fem Naruto design that I made for @bugbeee 's 'In Sound Judgement' and I adore creating fanart of her.

So here is a continuation of the Mission disaster - wherein Kakashi and Nana get separated from the rest of the team 7 and are attacked. In my mind, they were hit by a stray jutsu and were blasted to the past. The scenario was also influenced by that one Boruto episode, where he and Sasuke go back in time and meet 12-year-old Naruto. And I know we already have the Lost Tower and Road to Ninja, but that’s different. In them, Minato was older and there was a criminal lack of Kushina. I was like damn, what if Naruto/ Nana were to meet their parents when they were 12? Before they got together, and Kushina still had a major chip on her shoulder, and Minato and his team were- according to my timeline calculations- freshly abandoned by Jiraiya in favour of the Ame trio in the middle of a war.

I included both Kakashi and Nana because they are both Minakushi’s kids and deserve to know more about them. Kushina is this shining beacon of wonder in Nana’s mind. Someone whom she admires and who can do no wrong. She is the parent whom Nana has yearned to meet and make proud. Vs Minato who, she wants nothing to do with and ignores so much that she doesn’t even see him as her father, much less process the messy feelings she has regarding him.  

Nana knows when she meets Minato he will find her lacking and doesn’t bother, but she fears what Kushina will think. Because Nana knows without a doubt that Kushina loves her child, and that means a lot to a kid who keeps getting abandoned by the people around her. Kushina is a part of Nana which she selfishly guards, but if Kushina were to reject her then it would kill Nana.

This experience would make Nana realise that she is a lot more like both her mum and her dad than she realises. It would also make Nana get to actually know who Minato was before he was shaped to be the co-dependent martyr he was by the major traumas he suffered.

Same for Kakashi who thinks, he is the only unlucky bastard who got screwed over by a benign village, and much like Nana and Minato refuses to process the trauma.

I must emphasise- that this is a hypothetical scenario and is not canon to the actual fic- In Sound Judgement.

[forrpercyy]

Hey! I recently started creating some fanart (only Annabeth yet) after wanting to do so for years. I'm not really good yet though since I suck at anatomy/ bodies and drawing anything other than still art in general.

I've been following you for a while and I REALLY love your art style. I was wondering if you had any tips for newbies like me?

P.s. Here's a pic of my first ever Annabeth drawing! Pretty generic but I think it could have gone worse.

Hi!! first of all that’s so adorable and I love it ur art style is so cute!!

Secondly, im not very good at tips haha i’m honored you even asked me! But the advice I can usually give is study anatomy and always use references! Developing your own style takes time, and it’s ok to experiment and figure out how you like to draw.

Every artist has their own way to color, sketch, lineart, shade, etc. Finding your own way to draw bodies and faces is an amazing part of learning how to draw, it doesn’t always have to be realistic as well! Figuring out your own style and little tips and tricks is what makes art so beautiful. Every persons drawings are different, and it’s ok if yours don’t look exactly like the reference 😊

Also, be patient! Art takes time. It’s a skill that requires a lot of time and effort. I still get frustrated when my art doesn’t look like someone else’s and it’s extremely draining comparing your work to others. Starting to draw is the first step in creating your own unique style, dont focus on how your art pieces don’t look exactly like others

I hope this was a little bit helpful, pls keep drawing!! you’re already so amazing at it

[ravenbloodshot]

Ran Takahashi (Volleyballer).... Personality Reading

- I kept seeing him wearing a Canadian suit (Denim on Denim outfit). So that could be a style he likes a lot or he's just very fashionable in his day to day life. I also kept seeing him being recorded (like in a retro style)

👇This is the retro style I'm talking about. He may like to vlog/video in this manner, may have interest in photography. Check this video out to get the energy I'm talking about

- He could be a mommas boy or just has a lot of love for his mother. (I saw an image of him kissing , I presumed to be his mom on the forehead). He can be very sweet to her

- He's quite intelligent and definitely the type of person to love school, learning and reading. Like someone you can find at a library. (Idk if he's in college rn, but he's studying a lot of subjects, he could be just doing it for fun). He loves to learn about new things and is the biggest nerd + bookworm.

- He's very calm and reserved. But almost too reserved to the point that he retreats within himself a lot. Like, not going out a lot and not really having any friends (he's not exactly happy with this situation but he's not upset about it either, he probably wishes to be around ppl that are nice to him but he's scared of coming across those that aren't). I wonder if he had a bad experience when it comes to him interacting with ppl, like him being misunderstood or maybe even bullied. So he just sticks to himself, which is what he's use to

- Once again I'm seeing he's very artistic and creative. Has a love for the arts, music, poetry, videography etc... But I'm seeing that he could have possibly wanted to make a career as an artist and didn't make it (or switched to volleyball bc it was a safer option). So he could have this pity for himself that he never succeeded in his first goal/dream but had to settle for a different thing. I don't think he hides his desires to be an artist and he may come off as ungrateful and blind to his present opportunities especially since he's quite a gifted volleyball player so ppl may not get why he's crying about his failed artistic dreams when he's fulfilling an athletic career that many could never dream to do.

- This guy is giving solo adventurer vibes, like he's really on his own and he behaves in a way that protects his energy/essence since he knows he's the only one that can really look out for him. However, he's not selfish. He's more a self preservation type of person than a selfish one. Like he looks out for himself when it comes to basic survival but he's still willing to risk himself for things/people that matter to him.

- This guy has REALLY good energy, it's sooooo chill. He really makes sure to keep toxicity away from him so that probably reflects on why his energy feels so warm and calm. If you guys want to follow a 'celeb' that you know won't be some narcissistic, asshole irl, follow this guy, he won't disappoint.

- He's quite clumsy and may say nonsensical things at times. It makes him come off very cute and innocent though.

Grand Finale by Studio Killers is a song that fits this readings energy

[oxavierart]

Hi there! Your art is amazing and I'm in love your style! I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing your inspirations/resources you used when you were learning art? Even if you can't your stuff is great nonetheless, keep it up!

Thank you!! I'm always getting my biggest art inspirations from video games. Like in elementary I'd always trace official Pokemon art, that was one of the first artstyles I remember wanting to emulate.

Pokemon is Still one of my biggest inspirations, but also games like Ghost Trick and The World Ends With You, with their strong shapes and bold lineart; Psychonauts' artstyle is always in the back of my mind, very iconic; The Mario & Luigi RPG games were another very early influence.......

Other than video games, there's also painters/illustrators like Joe Demers and Mac Connor that I really enjoy, and Robert E. McGinnis, and Jean-Pierre Gibrat, and Kurt Ard......

Not even counting the thousands of artists on Twitter and Tumblr that've influenced my art in so many different ways. Like, I kept finding artists who use very thick lineart in their art, so one day I decided "let's try that. I hate lineart, but let's try that thick lineart." And then it just stuck, now it's alllll I've been doing

My biggest piece of art advice is to Literally Always Be Experimenting, analyzing/cherrypicking parts of art you enjoy, and trying to replicate those parts in your own art with your own flair, even if they don't end up sticking. Not only because it gets you to constantly try new methods and techniques, but because it's the most fun way to go about art, at least for me. Consistency be damned.

As for additional tips/resources I used when starting out (other than just Looking At As Much Art As Possible, and Constantly Drawing All My Favorite Video Game Characters), sites for timed gesture studies are always good.

Adorkastock.com has a bunch of pose references, plus a "sketch" tab up top with timed gestures. Quickposes.com, Line-Of-Action.com, and sketchdaily.net also let you do timed gestures, some with sections for animal/environment/still-life studies too.

Also, stockpile your favorite pieces of art, your biggest inspirations, put them all in a folder on your desktop. Organize them if you wanna. This will be your inspiration folder, gotta have an inspiration folder.

I'm gonna include a few more of my absolute favorite artists under the cut, I've already rambled so much as-is:

-

Naoki Urasawa

I read Naoki Urasawa's "Monster" and haven't been the same artistically since. I'm so thoroughly obsessed with the way he draws faces, especially noses. The way he draws wrinkles and bodyfat too, every single character looks so unique from one another, it's outstanding.

I used to be very self-conscious about the way I draw eyes; AKA, I hated how "simple" they were. The way Naoki draws them though, how he manages to make them so expressive, I love it, I gotta channel that, I GOTTA learn to emulate these faces

Tatsuyuki Tanaka

Fantastic expressive faces yet again, but also the way he draws bodies, arms, legs, clothing folds, poses, it's so insanely masterful.

With Naoki's art, I focus on the faces as a point of interest, but with Tatsuyuki's, everything about his art is so good I can't pinpoint just one thing about it that I love. OH and the backgrounds he draws, all the robots and machinery, shit's Gorgeous

Heather Campbell / Literally All The Artists Involved With The Team Fortress 2 Comics

I <3 TF2 COMICS these comics are the reason why I shifted away from drawing the same anime boys over and over in middle school, and instead started to learn how to draw muscles, and fat, and old people, semi-realism, cartoonism; VERY crucial part in my art journey.

Getting to see the art develop over the course of the mainline comics is awesome. The sketchier art from the older issues, compared to the cleaner art in the newest, I love both eras so much.

I'm running out of time, pretend I put Ryoko Kui down here too. OH honorable mention to Pop'n Music's art too. Aaaand also Guilty Gear.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I gotta go eat dinner now YAHOO

[ionlybleedbubbles]

Writing tips deep in my heaps of cringe, that are actually good (imo) :

When writing in third person, don't say what a character cannot do while talking from their perspective. Frame the idea by telling us what they can do, or through the opinion of other characters. For eg. Instead of saying "Mattie was bad at flying planes", say "Mattie preferred cars to planes, and would much rather his brother do the plane-flying." See? Now you've even managed to drop in a nod about his brother. You could also say, "Kevin felt safer when Mattie's brother flew the plane than when Mattie did." Put the blame on Kevin - don't judge Mattie yourself. As a narrator you must pretend to always be on your MCs' side. Ofc, this would vary with different styles of narration, but this is a general rule.

Show how important a character is by how much time you take to talk about them. You would describe your MCs well, and bring up their hobbies and interests. You wouldn't describe a background character as much. You can use this to humanize or dehumanize characters. You may initially talk very little about the main villain yourself, and rely on dialogue among the other characters. This makes the villain feel like a force rather than a person. As the story progresses though, and you decide you want to drop in a *hairflips dramatically* sad back story, you can humanize the villain, and make them more understandable as a person.

Learn from art. Try describing different sceneries or portraits as practice. Also practice writing comic books or manga as stories. Visualizing your story as comic or manga panels can really help you understand pacing and paragraphs. Take note of their vibrance and positioning.

Learn from people's mannerisms and how they are received by other people. For eg, when we ask my dad a question, he pauses to gather his thoughts before speaking. Out of respect, we wait silently during this pause. This shows how confident and charismatic my dad is. A friend of mine only verbally roasts people within our friend group, and apologizes profusely after. This shows she is both empathetic and extremely quick-witted. I could create well rounded characters based on just examples as simple as these.

This tip is what I like to call 'the fake solution' and is employed by many famous authors. For this, you force readers to make assumptions. Maybe about how the magic system works, or about who the villain is. Make it seem like the characters have come to a conclusion and that conclusion is the final solution to conflict. Then tear down those assumptions and create a whole other ending. Similar to the red herring, except this time it's all in the characters' heads and dialogue. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy is a good example of playing with assumptions forced upon readers by the writer.

In your first chapter, focus on creating potential. You don't have to jump into the heart of the action right away, but you have to make sure your readers understand the potential for this action. For example the opening chapter of Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys is relatively low paced, but it leaves you with questions. It makes you wonder who the boy who talked to Blue is, and how Blue will deal with life after such a strange prophecy. This makes you need to continue reading, to find answers.

For good worldbuilding, study at least a little bit of history. Wars and military tricks make for good free prompts. If your world contains vibrant races, make sure you research and incorporate the history and implications of racism, social hierarchy and trade. Understand how this will impact travellers and mercenaries (audiences love those). Make up your own old wives' tales and coping mechanisms.

Understand that the best stories are written around an idea rather than a character. Your protagonist is simply the face of your story. The weather of the world reflects on the protagonist's choices and health. Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games focuses on the dark side of media and politics and how they are used to control a people. Notice that by the third book, Katniss, our protagonist, is doing very little herself, though her few moments are loud and powerful. Katniss could achieve nothing alone. It takes a whole bunch of people to fuel the revolution. Note that it is completely okay to write a character based story, if that's what you like. But there are tons of those. If you really want to make an impact, make an idea-based story.

Respect all your characters equally. You may love some characters more than others, but remember all your characters are representatives of people. Make sure each of them has a voice and a chance to prove themselves.

Use prose to your advantage. Let the length of your sentence define whether the sequence is fast paced or slow. For example, if your want to show surprise, your sentences must be short. Instead of saying "She snatched the last dagger and stared at it, observing each engraving", say " She snatched up the last dagger. Each engraving was sick, gnarled. "

That was a heck of a long post, but that's all from me. Feel free to add your own or contradict anything I've written.

[tamelee]

Hi Tamelee!

I was wondering if you could give me some tips/advice about color theory (in art/illustration specifically)?

Anyway, hope you’re doing alright! ( how’s life post uni if that’s not too intrusive?)

With luv <3

Hi @bruitdevague !!

No problem! ^^ I mean, with AI and all, things have changed a lot since my previous plans fell away. It's a bit stressful to say the least... But I don't want to stop drawing, and I really want to dive deep into storytelling (I also can't wait to share my SNS stories with all of you 💕) so, we'll see!

And yeah, sure!

Color theory is a massive subject though, is there anything in particular you want to know more about? For me personally, I think the best thing you can do is to simplify your learning process. I've ignored color theory for a long time because I found it complicated and overwhelming and always just thought I'd wing it. The main reason being that color is relative: it changes depending on the impact different interactions have with the subject: material, color temperature, transmissions, reflections, etc. And my brain can't really handle "well, it depends" when it comes to learning new things. But the result is obvious; I think some of you may be able to see at which point I finally started to learn it a bit on my own journey. ><

Of course, you’re completely free to use whichever colors you want and experiment to develop your own style regardless of theory, but understanding how colors interact is helpful, and in some cases, crucial. Some things are just more visually appealing together and more effective to suit the mood you're going for. (Look for complementary color theory, here's a helpful tool.)

I think, above anything else, the best thing you could do is start learning how to cell-shade until it becomes easier. (It's the art/shading you see in anime, webtoons, and comics.) This also helps you with forms and shapes.

Open a document, add a screenshot, and take your color picker to study the color wheel and take notes on saturation, hue changes, and light. 

I've done this many times until things just started to 'click' in a way. But take your time, it can take a while. For some this also might be overwhelming, in which case I recommend doing this while studying the theory together.

When it becomes easier and you want to take it a step further, then look at the famous ball that explains other lighting:

And honestly, also take your time with this.

Take any term, learn what it means and implement it one by one until it starts to make sense.

One thing I'd certainly learn first, or which one has been the most helpful for me is learning about color temperature. Since color is relative, shadows/highlights can become cooler or warmer (it's the shift in hues), which is a much more efficient way to look at it than determining whether something is just darker or not. When I started, I learned greyscale values at first, and although it helped me a lot regarding readability, it never taught me any of this, setting me back for a while. If you want to learn more about the theory itself, I'd recommend: "Color and Light" by James Gurney, and follow along while reading with a document to experiment. Or watch YouTube tutorials for free, but definitely scribble along while you do so! I think, even if you watch YouTube tutorials, it's important to have some kind of goal, or steps you want to take, otherwise you'll drown in all the information. So, this is what I'd recommend:

Cell shading (like in anime, webtoons or comics)

Learn about color temperature and experiment with casual scribbling.

Study the relevant terms which you see in the circle (sometimes they have slightly different names though. "occlusion shadow" can also be referred to as "ambient occlusion")

Implement them one by one into your art/illustrations if you want. Maybe just add highlights at first, then maybe consider focusing on the terminator if you're interested.

Practice a lot and whenever you find something you like, use the color picker to see what happens to the colors. You don't have to copy it, but you can copy the changes within your color wheel and see what happens!

Like I said, it's an incredibly large subject, but I hope this can at least give you some direction ^^💕