#i'm a lot better at doing landscapes with paint on canvas but i want to get better at doing them digitally so

[merlyn-bane]

I wanted to try practicing painting/landscapes digitally, and I thought--what better than the view from Cody and Obi-Wan’s bedroom window on Perseverance from @lttrsfrmlnrrgby 's Homecoming, from their series When Duty Is Done?

So here you go!! I really hope you like it. The series as a whole but especially Homecoming have become some of my favorite comfort fics that I go back to and reread all the time. I love the way that you write Cody and Obi-Wan both as characters--Obi-Wan's journey of learning to accept and live with his disability especially showed a grasp of his character that I haven't seen often--and as partners, and Homecoming is just so good for the warm and cozies. I want to wrap myself in it like a blanket igloo.

[tolbachik-art]

How does one become good at drawing planets

Hey, thank you so much for the kind words & the question!

I'm still definitely a beginner, and have a long way to go, but it really warms my heart to hear you say that. For starters, getting over any perfectionism you may have is a big must!

I know a lot of people always say this, but practice, time, patience, doing studies, and having fun are the most important ways to get better!

I'll walk you through my progress, and what I've done to get where I am today with things! I will warn you, it did turn out to be a long winded post. If you want the jist of it, you can scroll to the bottom!

So, I've been doing digital art since say, mid 2015 or so. I didn't have much of a grasp on art, and while I grew up loving space and space exploration, I didn't quite understand how things worked.

On August 2nd, 2015 (when I was just 15), I posted my first piece on DeviantArt.

This was my first foray into space art. It may not be the best, but I remember being very excited about it, and actually making a piece like that.

This first piece is a big sign of what issues I would face with space art until very recently; a lack of detailing, leading to a soft appearance.

This would plague me for quite some time; I would put very little effort into detailing, and wouldn't even zoom in on the canvas for quite some time. I would do things from afar, not wanting to zoom in for some weird reason. This can be seen in the following paintings, as well.

This one, also of Neptune, was posted two years after the first one. The framework is kind of there, but only barely. The perspective is off, and once again, the detailing is too minimal and too soft. On top of that, the shading isn't nearly as harsh enough. Compositionally though, I was starting to get a grasp of some basics.

There would be a brief artless period in my life from 2017 to 2020; every once in awhile, I wouldn't do art for a few years. Then, suddenly, I would get back into it and put out several pieces, all before growing quiet once more.

2020, once Covid-19 started happening, would see the return of me to the world of art now that I was suddenly without a job.

Once again, Neptune will be a demonstrator of how my skills changed.

I was starting to get there; in terms of composition, much better than my older works. Coloring is a bit off, but overall, I was starting to actually understand how art works, and why things like detailing were important. One big thing here though; I was still painting with color. That would be one of the last big things for me to get over, although I didn't even know it then.

From the period of 2020-2021, I made a lot of paintings and mission patches for my one friend's KSP youtube series (seen here).

Doing what were essentially mini paintings, I learned a *lot* about composition and detailing. I think the one I spent the longest on was Heywood, in which I did my best to follow imagery from Voyager. Looking back now, however, it isn't quite accurate; that's the south pole! I still had a lot to learn in regards to doing accurate portrayals of celestial bodies, down to inclinations and the like.

Anyways, doing all that really burnt me out, on top of doing free art for people I didn't even know. That's another big lesson; only do gift art if you feel up to it, and for a friend. Do not do it for strangers.

It wasn't until late 2022, in September, that I actually finished a piece again. My illness had been pretty bad, leaving me bedbound for quite some time. However, during that time, I hadn't lost my skills thankfully.

This would be one of my first somewhat decent portrayals of Jupiter and one of his moons, using SpaceEngine for getting reference images and making sure all the parts were in the right place. This would set the groundwork for later paintings, as I always use SpaceEngine now to make sure I have the orientations and sizes of things in the sky right! It's been an invaluable tool, I quite literally don't know where I'd be without it.

Anyways; after that, it was very sparse once more, up until quite literally this year. Sickness sprung up again, and I had a rough winter due to the loss of my grandfather to Covid-19, among other things.

2024 saw, in my personal opinion, the biggest and best change to my art yet.

PAINTING IN VALUES!!!!!!!!!

I cannot stress this enough; understanding what values are, and how to see them in every day life literally changed my entire perspective on things. On life! I cannot go outside anymore without comparing and contrasting values of objects and natural phenomena.

This was before values. Not bad, but still not great. Detailing was getting there. This is from March 27th, 2024, and was part of an art trade with @dan-asd of their worldbuilding project.

And this, this is 3 months later, from July 16th, 2024. Commission for @corvidist, my very first. This was a massive leap in the way I understood and processed the world around me, and in turn, what my art looked like.

Everything is in values. Your phone, with the seemingly pure black LCD touchscreen to the blue and purple phone case. The clouds, with their bright white tops and dark bottoms. The river, with the murky green waters contrasting with the bright orange stones. All values, just differing shades of gray with color added! Everything is light! Everything is the absence of light! Light is the entirety of your piece; you just have to understand where light falls, and where it doesn't.

Apart from that, everything is just rudimentary shapes and lines. The universe is made up of different kinds of lines and shapes. Entire worlds can be reduced to light and lines, people can be too. You just need to know what to look for, and how to process that into artwork.

I cannot stress how much understanding that, and doing tiny little paintings really helped me get a much better grasp on things.

Take some time, get a small canvas out, and paint your favorite celestial body. Take as much or as little time as you need, and just have fun with it. Play with color, play with values, whatever your heart desires!

Once you're done, take a step back, and compare it to the picture. Analyze what areas you didn't enjoy, and what areas you did. Look for what doesn't line up with the picture, and think of how you could better approach it. Think of how you can change the lighting to make it seem more real, what effects are needed to bring it to life.

Art is the process of taking what you love, and putting it to paper (digital or not!). Focus on what you enjoy doing; it will all come naturally with time. You'll start to pick up on things, big and small, that will bring your pieces closer and closer to what you want it to be.

And please, for the love of everything that is holy, have fun with it and don't overthink it! You will be so disappointed in yourself if you hype yourself up for a piece, only for it to come out not the way you expected. That's ok! That's part of learning! It can be disheartening, but if you take the time to look at how and why you don't like the piece, it'll come out so much better next time around!

Talk to people, too! Talking with my dear email-pal Eduardo was my first step into understanding astronomical art, and thinking on how to improve my work. He really helped me step into the right direction when I was just starting out, which I am still eternally grateful for to this day. I think of him and his work often; he really was a massive help.

In more recent times, talking to @whirligig-girl helped me to get a better grip on realism, and how better to portray celestial bodies. She was a huge help in giving me pointers for fixing up my View From Amalthea piece, as well as the ones that followed after. Talking to artists more experienced than you and getting critiques is always a huge help; it can really show you things in a new light!

Speaking of, don't be afraid to let a piece rest and marinate for a bit. A day, a week, or even a year. It doesn't matter. You will come back to it, and you will see new things you never saw before, and think of new ways to improve upon it. I have a piece that's been in limbo for YEARS, and I still have yet to actually get to paint it (the top one, the alien one (i will never finish that Uranus piece though lol)). I have it perfectly envisioned now, so waiting really did pay off in the end.

Essentially, it all boils down to this:

Everything is light, or lack thereof.

Don't overthink it, and have fun.

Do not do free art for strangers.

Everything is shapes and lines.

Step back and look at your pieces, deconstructing them in your mind or on paper.

Examine your everyday life, and see how everything interacts in terms of values and color.

Do studies, please god, do studies they're so fun and eyeopening

Warmup! Warm! Up! WARMUP!!!!! They are critical to getting your mind in the art headspace! You will feel less interested and less focused otherwise!

Don't worry about your medium, just do what you enjoy and works best for you! There is no such thing as a perfect brush!

Talk to other artists in fields you enjoy!

I love talking about art, I really could go on for hours, but I will stop myself here.

You decide what you get out of art; it's your skill, your time, so do what you desire! These are only anecdotes about my experiences with art; they aren't universal, but I do hope they've helped. If you have any questions, any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out!

Lastly, here are two resources for you for any future artworks you may do:

I got this book many years ago, but the lessons it gave me were invaluable. I mean it; they helped me to understand the importance of doing studies, and for detailing!

Paid membership, but an organization dedicated to doing astronomical art. I have yet to join, but I've heard lovely things about it! Hoping to join later this year, funds allowing.

I will finally end this here. Thank you so much for the ask, and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!

[crispinablr]

Movie date

I make a stroke trying to imitate the lines of the sunbeams coming through the window at dawn, warm and comforting, feeling the brush dancing on the canvas aimlessly, I just let myself go with the moment, no thoughts or worries, just the brush, the painting, and me wandering, existing.

When my brush reaches the end of the canvas, I wake up from the trance as if someone had been immersed in a dream and someone had snapped their fingers, I simply retract my hand with the brush and observe the landscape I was drawing. A room with a black kitten enjoying the warmth of the rays passing through the window, I smile and look behind the canvas, and there was the little ball of fur, belly up and stretched as if it were a human sunbathing.

I stare at the bundle of love that was my kitty while I think about everything and nothing, she must notice that something is going on and decides to get up to jump into my lap. I smile weakly and delicately stroke her little head, feeling the vibrations of her purring and how she starts rubbing against my hand asking for more attention. Suddenly I feel two arms embracing me and I almost scream in surprise. I feel Kai laughing on my right shoulder at my reaction and I just give him a look of "here we go again."

-Do you think it's nice to scare your partner like this, huh Kai?

Kai kept laughing as he tried to calm down to say something.

-I'm sorry, I just wanted to give you a kiss and see how you were, I didn't expect to scare you. But seeing you stroking Melinda made me think of giving you a surprise hug, I swear by Jett. - he gives me a kiss on the cheek trying to appease my "anger" and looks at me with a smiling puppy face.

I just shake my head as I release a little joke at his reaction.

-You're lucky I love you - I joke - Lucky me - he lets out a little laugh as he runs his nose along my neck.

-I'll assume you've finished working for today - I say smirking

He makes a sound of affirmation as he pulls me close to him - And what better way to spend my free time than to come see my favorite little star.

Melinda jumps off my lap and goes to her bed under the sunbeams.

I smile slightly at Kai and decide to give him a little surprise. I cup his cheeks with both of my hands, feeling his cheeks blush and his eyes widen. Before Kai can say anything, I close my eyes and our lips meet in a soft and slow kiss. I hear him make a small sound of surprise at the sudden kiss, feeling his heart racing as he happily returns the kiss.

After what felt like seconds, I decide to break the kiss with a smile, as much as I enjoyed being with him kissing today, we had planned a movie night at home and I didn't want to miss it for anything in the world, plus I'm sure Andrew would remind us of it for the rest of our lives.

-We should get ready for tonight, we agreed to watch Dungeons and Dragons the three of us together. - I remind him as I adjust his bangs.

Kai was still recovering from the kiss and suddenly opens his eyes wide remembering our night plan.

-I'll go get Andrew and you shower and change clothes. - I say as I put everything in its place.

-At your command, boss - he gives me a goodbye kiss and quickly goes to get ready.

Once I've tidied up, I go to the bookstore where Andrew works and see him chatting with Vince while sorting books, both hear the sound of the door and turn to see who had entered. Seeing me, they greet me and I approach them.

I go to Andrew and give him a hug from behind while Vince smiles shyly at my display of affection.

-How are my two favorite introverts? - I joke.

Andrew laughs at my joke and Vince just rolls his eyes teasingly.

-We were talking about Vince's new song, you should listen to it, it's to die for - says Andrew as he places the last books he was carrying.

-You're exaggerating, I haven't even finished it and it still needs a lot of polishing, and besides, I don't think it's that good - says Vince timidly.

-You should have more confidence in yourself Vince, remember even Wyatt's music partners all wanted to hire you for little and almost pulled each other's eyes out. - I laugh as I remember when Vince participated in the music festival where he had decided to bring his industry music partners to look for new talents for their companies.

Andrew and I laugh while Vince blushes and hides his face in his hands not wanting to remember that memory that was quite embarrassing for him, it's not every day that when you decide to sing in front of an audience there are businessmen fighting like a group of fans fighting for the love of their favorite idol.

Andrew finishes placing the books so he stands behind me and gives me a kiss on the head.

-I think it's time for both of us to go home, it's getting late and it's time to close the store.

-I should go too, Jean said he would be waiting for me for dinner - says Vince looking at the time on his phone - see you.

Andrew and I say goodbye to Vince and head home together, we always went together to pick up Kai from the workshop or Kai and Andrew came to the restaurant to take me home.

-Where's Kai? - Andrew asks curiously.

-I told him to start getting ready, I bought the drinks, some pizzas, fries, and drinks. - I said proudly.

He just smiles and looks at me happily.

-Tomorrow I'll make breakfast for the three of us, I can't let you do all the work, it would be pretty bad of me. - he says smirking.

I vibrate with excitement at the thought of what he would prepare for breakfast when I woke up, I was looking forward to seeing him with his hair messy and still in his pajamas. When the three of us were together, it seemed as if we had been married all our lives, I wouldn't change all this for anything in the world.

-I can't wait to see what you'll prepare for us, oh great Chef Mitchell - I say playfully.

He laughs as he hears me calling him by his last name as we continue walking home together. Finally, we arrive home and both Melinda and Chipoki greet us happily at our return, I give Melinda a few kisses on the head after they both receive their share of affection they go straight to their beds to snuggle together. Andrew and I race to our rooms and before I can even touch the doorknob of my door, I feel arms wrapping around me and lifting me into the air. I turn my head and see Kai and Andrew, they had joined forces so that I couldn't win the race.

-That's not faaair - I say laughing and trying to wriggle out of their grip.

-Nuh uh - they say in unison.

They trap me in a bear hug and seeing that I couldn't escape so easily from their trap, I decide to play my ace in the hole.

-I bought a jumbo bag of butter popcorn, whoever gets them first keeps them. - I say with a smile.

At this new information, they look at each other as if they had heard about the treasure of El Dorado, they release me quickly but gently and start running like crazy while playfully trying to hinder each other. Finally, I enter my room to put on my favorite polka dot pajamas and slippers, once I finish changing I take the butter popcorn out of my hiding place and go downstairs in search of the boys.

I laugh seeing them looking inside the kitchen cabinets like children looking for their Christmas presents. I decide to end their suffering and tell them that I had them hidden in my room all this time.

-Hey guys!, look what I've got - I say holding up the popcorn bag.

They turn at the sound of the bag and look at me with surprised and betrayed faces seeing the promised popcorn bag. They look at each other and laugh unable to believe they fell for my little trap, Andrew finally goes to his room to change clothes while Kai and I arrange everything for our date movie. We put both the popcorn and the other snacks in different bowls, we put them on the living room table along with the glasses we were going to use, the napkins, and the bottles with our favorite drinks.

Finally, we finish positioning everything and even have the movie ready, we just needed to lie down on the sofa together with the giant blanket, turn off the lights, and press play. We wait for Andrew to come down and join us, Kai and I choose our seats and I cuddle up against him while we talk a little about our day.

-I see you've already started without me - he says teasingly - I'll have to settle for being the third wheel of the night - he says hurt, but he was only pretending.

I roll my eyes at his antics, look at Kai conspiratorially, we grab Andrew and throw him on the couch. I surround him with my arms and legs while Kai and I cover him with kisses all over his face, Andrew starts laughing.-

-Oh noooo I'm being attacked, helppp - he says dramatically "making the move" to free himself from us.

-You won't be able to escape our love - I say as I hug him like a koala.

-You better surrender, Mr. Mitchell - says Kai teasingly.

-I surrender I surrender - he says laughing.

The three of us laugh as we lie on the couch hugging, cuddling, and looking into each other's eyes, I could see behind their eyes the love they felt, whenever they looked at each other they made my heart race a thousand times faster and I remained enraptured looking at them while smiling like a silly in love.

Since I ended up in Brian Bay because my car broke down due to technical problems, I never thought I would make so many fantastic friends like: Vince, Jean, Chris and even though it's hard for me to admit it also Kevin and Wyatt, those two no matter how stubborn and eccentric they were good friends, no wonder the two ended up together as a couple.

But what I never thought possible was falling in love and even less that someone would fall in love with me, my personality, my flaws, and my everything, I just thought those things happened in otomes or in the fantasy books I read thinking that only in fiction could I find something so special and unique. I still remembered the tears I shed from happiness for the first time in my life, hearing them both say they loved me all of me even my imperfections of which I had always felt ashamed.

From the day I met both of them I knew we would get along well, we both shared similar tastes, Kai and I liked video games and Andrew and I liked to read books, basically I talked to both of them in my free time. I even went so far as to introduce them to each other, it even seemed strange to me that they had never met, but I guess they were both too busy to meet every person who lived in town, I planned some get-togethers to exchange hobbies and felt that with each get-together we got a little closer.

I even saw how Kai visited Andrew at his work or how Andrew sometimes brought him something he had cooked himself at his house. I was happy that they got along well, but I saw how they started to look into each other's eyes like a couple of teenage lovers I knew I had to step aside and give them space. I felt like my heart was breaking into pieces and I knew I had fallen in love with both of them without realizing it. But that ended some time later when they both came together to tell me they loved me and wanted the three of us to start dating together as a throuple, I just threw myself into their arms and that day I felt as if I had won the lottery. I just remembered old memories and simply smiled nostalgically.

The two of them look at me intrigued to know what I was thinking, but I just tell them that I was just thinking about how much I loved them and how lucky I felt to have them in my life, they smile and kiss my cheeks. After a while of being silly the three of us together, we decided to turn off the lights and start with the movie date between hugs and smiles.

[likeafairytale]

“ You can rest, Princess. Nothing will happen, I promise. ” – a guard to Calypso

❛I am not tired.❜

This was an obvious lie, followed by a yawn. Calypso shook her head, in hopes to shook her tiredness, but she knew it didn't work that way. Looking at the canvas she was painting, she tried to stay focus on in, but it was so obvious that she was falling asleep. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, just to rest, and the next minute, her guard rushed to her in order to prevent her to fall on the ground, lying her there. Blinking several times, she looked around when she noticed she was lying on the ground, the guard visibly worried, next to her.

❛I insist, you should rest. You stayed up all night just to paint.❜

❛I'll rest when my husband will be there with me.❜ Calypso sighed while standing up.

❛Princess Calypso, this could take days...❜

❛This could be tonight.❜

❛Or in two weeks. Are you really going to stay awake for two weeks straight?❜

The little mermaid sighed and sat on her chair, looking at the guard. He truly seemed worried, but she knew better than trusting faes. He wasn't really worried about her well-being, but more about his job. If ever she came to die, he will be to blame because he didn't take good care of her needs. Calypso never saw more selfish beings that faes.

But she had to admit that he was right. The reason she was up all night was because Aeron didn't come back last night, and she was scared. She knew, deep down, he was alright, she already was warned by him, and her brothers, that you don't have the certitude to come home every night. Sometimes, you have to stay in the battlefield a little longer. Days even. And it was stupid to say, but Calypso couldn't sleep without the warmth of Aeron next to her, and her anxiety prevented her to sleep anyway, which is why she painted all night, and all morning. She was exhausted, that's for sure, but each time she closed her eyes, she saw horrible things, and no one to reassure her once she's awake. She did not know how long she could keep going without her husband here...

❛Are you giving me order?❜ She suddenly asked, and she could see his expression changing, which amused her.

❛No, I wouldn't dare, Princess!❜ He immediately said, stepping back. ❛I'm just... I'm worried about you. Your paintings are more and more gruesome...❜

She frowned at that. It's only when she looked at her painting, that she was almost done, that she understood what he was saying. Usually Calypso painted landscape, memories of her childhood, some rare happy memories of Yasmeen's, some of Aeron's travels, in other terms, happy things. But this painting looked like someone else painted it. She remembered using a lot of red, but she didn't notice at the time it was to paint blood. What she painted was the death of someone she did not know, agonizing on the ground, in the middle of a raging war. She took a deep breath, startled by what she was seeing, what she had painted.

❛Shared vision...❜

❛Excuse me?❜

❛That's Malachai's view. Or it was at least... We have shared vision with my siblings, but we turned it off when I got married... Why did he turn it on now?...❜

❛Princess...❜

❛I'm fine. Bring me my crochet, I can't do bloody things with that, can I?❜ She said, but he did not move. Calypso frowned when he seemed nervous, not willing to obey. ❛Did I stutter?❜

❛I think you need to rest, Princess Calypso... And eat.❜

❛I told you I'm just fine!❜

❛Well, if not for you, for the baby, then.❜

Saying that the mermaid was surprised by his words was an euphemism. She was speechless. Her heart beating faster and faster, and she had to fight the urge to touch her belly when he mentioned her unborn child. She wanted to cry. She put that on the hormones and the fact that her own guard was dismissing her orders, even though she understood now it was just for her own good.

❛How do you...❜

❛I am married and I have children, Princess. I know a pregnant woman when I see one. I supposed it is just the beginning, for you go a lot in the bathroom. Morning sickness?❜ He asked and all she did was nodded silently. He dared coming a little closer to her and kneed in front of her. ❛I know you must be scared right, a war is always scary, especially this one, but you cannot be selfish right now. You are with child, and you must think of it too. The lack of sleep and food is dangerous. If you want to keep it, y-❜

❛I will!❜

Calypso almost shouted, and she was herself surprised by that. It's only been two months and a half, and she was still in the blur, not knowing what to do, who to talk to, how to handle things. She was lost, a poor little pregnant princess lost in a war that everyone thought she caused. She had no allies, at least none near her, and she was in her enemy's castle, like a prisoner. Thinking about her baby was the last thing in her mind, but the simple idea of getting rid of it was too much. She never truly thought of it, maybe she thought it will go away as easy as it arrived, but the idea of losing the little being growing inside of her, the proof her Aeron's love for her was too much. She only now realized that she wanted to be a mother, especially if the child was her husband's.

❛I'm sorry I shouted. What I meant is that I want to keep it.❜

❛Then, you have to start sleeping regularly, and eating more.❜

❛Alright then.❜ Calypso sighed and finally left her chair for her bed. ❛Why are you doing that? Being nice to me?❜

❛I...❜ He started, and Calypso saw how embarrassed he seemed. Now, she knew he couldn't lie, as all faes, and she prepared herself for a selfish reason he was helping her, a reason that will hurt her. ❛You remind me of Princess Lyra...❜

❛Oh, that's true. You were her personal guard. She liked you a lot.❜

❛She was a real sunshine.❜ He said while coming closer to Calypso, and she could see pain in his eyes. He did like the princess very much, she could tell. This thought smooth her, before bringing anxiety.

❛Do you think I killed her? Are you trying to make me sleep just so you could kill me?❜

❛No, of course not!❜ He answered, and he seemed offended, which Calypso did not understand. To that expression, he explained: ❛I watched over the princess and you when you were playing or talking. Your feelings for her were true, I can tell, I don't think you are the kind of woman to kill someone you truly like.❜

❛Thank you for your kind words.❜ He nodded, and finally, she was relaxed enough to close her eyes without fear. ❛Please, one last thing... Do not tell the High Queen about my pregnancy... Neither to Aeron..❜

❛He does not know?❜

❛How am I supposed to announce it to him in the middle of a war? Plus, I don't even know how he will react... I suppose I'm scared of that...❜

❛I won't tell, unless they ask me a specific question, in that case, I cannot lie. Now, stop avoiding sleeping. I'll make sure nothing happens to you as long as I am your guard. I promise.❜

[mistydeyes]

Hallooo :DD I wonder if your pairings are still open so could I gracefully have a COD pairing? Ty<33

Pronouns: She / They

Appearance: Medium black hair with dark brown eyes(almost looks like black—) a thin like hourglass body shape. 5'5(HELP...) Mostly wearing turtlenecks, hoodies, n' oversized stuff.

Personality: I am an introvert and sometimes panics when ever I talk to someone I don't know. I keep myself reserved and dislike going out as much. When you get to know me better I lean onto the extroverted side and likes showing you stuff I made. A very moody person at times and my friends, based on what they say, I am a chaotic yet mother like friend. I am very easy to talk to and easygoing, I overthink a lot which usually leads to panic attacks. My friend say I laugh at the wrong time and I am not so proud of that—I am also easily distracted and place my focus on something I like rather than something I dislike. I could be manipulative at times as well as having trust issues because of past trauma :')). I sometimes have a flirting demeanor and tons of playful flirting to my best/friends and sometimes I come off as secretive based on my friends words. I prefer to care for my friends other than myself, once again trauma, and I seem to be a trustworthy friend. I have a goldfish memory which shocks me hoe much I know myself despite forgetting everything from the apat 3 hours. Also I'm very artistic! But I still suck at it smh 😔

Hobbies, Interests, work(?):

Drawing, Listening to music, Singing, and dancing! My interests are probably painting, collecting random stuff I found, playing the piano, and learning new languages! (I wanna be bilingual) I favor dogs a lot and probably adopt every dog i see which is a problem cause I can't handle so much 😭 I am currently studying in psych! Becoming an actual therapist because my friends need help, so do I.

John Price

How you met: Civilian You weren't sure what to tell people when they asked how you and John met. Technically, you didn't meet face to face until about three months after you stayed talking. You were connected through a friend of a friend due to your hobby of painting and him wanting to have a new landscape piece of artwork for his flat.

When you first heard of the request, you thought it would be simple commission. However when you talked to John and he revealed his laundry list of details, you knew this would not be something you could complete overnight. He wanted a specific landscape of a lake with trees and rolling mountains but also asked for details such as a man fishing in a boat and wildlife poking through the trees. If that wasn't bad enough, he also wanted it to be gigantic, a piece that he could display in the main foyer. If he wasn't so kind with your timeline and also the payment wasn't lucrative, you would have referred him to someone else. But unfortunately, you found yourself continuously buying paints and moving furniture around to fit the gigantic canvas in your flat. After exactly three months, you sent John a picture and agreed he would pick it up the following week. The day came and you heard your doorbell ring. You excitedly ran down the stairs to see your client in person. "John, so nice to finally meet you," you greeted as he shook your hand. "Can't thank you enough," he continued with a smile, "it was exactly how I remembered it." "Oh so this wasn't just something you found inspiration for online?" you questioned as you led him to the wrapped and packaged painting. "No, it was actually something I remembered when my Grandad used to take me fishing as a young lad," he said as you helped him to carry the large item to his car. "Well, I was happy to make that a reality for you," you replied and you both shared a tender moment. When you finally managed to get it secure on the bed of a truck, John asked if he could treat you to a meal. Maybe it was because you wanted to learn more about his past, but you readily agreed and the rest is history.

A peek into your relationship: "Y/N, we can't," John said as he tried to lead you away from the window. "But sweetheart, look at their eyes," you pleaded as you leaned down and held a hand to the window. The absolute sweetest English terrier was looking back at you and excitedly wagging his tail. John knew he was doomed as you looked at him and practically pleaded just to stop in the shop. "It's just to say hi," you promised as you entered but that was a complete lie as you fell in love with the excited puppy running around you and almost jumping into your arms. John tried to supply you all the reasons why you couldn't adopt a dog. "You don't time!" "Yes I do, I'm done with uni and plus I specialize in virtual therapy." "What if you forget to feed him?" "John, I have a goldfish memory but I would like to think I would remember to feed a pet that's right in front of me." "It doesn't make for a good guard dog" "Okay fair, but thats why I have you." No matter what he said, you always had an answer. Plus, your fiancé could deny that he loved the small pup as it pawed at his leg. With a sigh, he said you could adopt him and you peppered him with thousands of kisses. While John had to now buy all the amenities for a new pet, it was a noble sacrifice to see you so happy.

[lueerhythm]

Completion of Colors

Rook comes back from Ramshackle with a strange black portrait with a pale girl(?) drawn inside. And lo and behold, it's alive.

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┊Loosely inspired from the game Death Palette, Fluff?, Yuu can be you I guess, Yuu is a painter, UiO is not a puppet but a painting instead, Rook has some few loose screws, I mean who's normal?

┊ OCs as of now: UiO, Jiyoon (mentioned)

┊A/N: Happy Birthday Black/UiO, I'm sorry I took so long, I hope you like my gift for you :) also thanks to @kiranarina for helping me with this, you're the best bud

┊1.6k words

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Rook was ecstatically rummaging through one of the rooms of the Ramshackle, one could say an art gallery. Full of arts that the prefect has hidden away.

Of course he asked permission to look through the room!

It was a begrudging decision seeing Rook did not take no for an answer.

{"Though there's just that one painting that I can't find a way to finish I wish to give it colors to make it more lively but I seem to can't do it... Do you think Jiyoon could finish it?"

"Though I'm unsure if she'll accept the work of portrait, I'll see what I can do for my underclassman!"}

The reason how he found out that the prefect could draw was during the visit in SDC. A lot of unfinished arts were lying on the ground as if the prefect rushed to finish it all up.

Each of them were either portraits or landscapes, including the Night Raven College.

The talent of the prefect was something to be applauded. He could even be on par to his fellow underclassman who is dedicated to drawing landscapes! (Although she seems to be actively avoiding drawing portraits)

While Epel was curious, Vil was unamused how messy it was but Rook paid no mind, there was a hidden beauty the prefect was hiding! The anatomy study, the rough sketch that captures the nature beauty, how could he not fall in love in such arts that are so lovely?

And that is why, right now, Rook is rummaging through the prefects art room, to find more art worthy of bringing in Pomefiore as a souvenir. For them (him) to admire and praise.

Everything was drawn with full care, each stroke held elegance. It was such a hard decision to pick considering Vil could only allow one piece to be brought back. Should he bring one of the portraits that the prefect had drawn for Vil? Though there was a one canvas covered under a cloth, placed up the art stool that makes him compelled to see. The other canvases were scattered around the room, but the one placed the stool seems to be something important, better yet different?

He feels an energy coming from the canvas. Intriguing! He lets his curiosity deep, peeping through the the cloth.

Is this what the prefect mentioned?

What would be the beautiful art? Would it be an animal? A landscape? Or a portrait?

All the possibilities were running through his mind, making him more giddy than ever before.

But once the cloth was taken, what surprises him was how black the canvas is! His expectations made him feel bad.

Why was it black? Was it unfinished? Was it natural or abandoned?

If so... Just what did the prefect had to go through to erase their art, their masterpiece? Guessing that there was once an art portrayed but is now erased with black paint. It's not everyday you see a blank canvas. So that's why he wanted to give it to Jiyoon.

"Ou, what a sad sight!" Rook gestures. He was excited for nothing, he guessed he better look around to get a piece that everyone would take a liking.

"Ugh." A grumble of voice was noticed by the hunter. Where was it coming from? There is no human here apart from the prefect that is on the living room with his partner. Who is this person that can absolutely hide from him? His hunter instincts was excited, his senses heightened, all in while he looks around for the voice—rustles anything that makes a noise.

"Yes yes, you can say that again. Welcome painter, you're finally back. Did you have fun with your friends that you started to forget about--" An exasperated voice echoes in ire.

His eyes widened.

A girl appeared in the black canvas. The painting in front of him, it was moving, alive and breathing. With monotone colors and an eye-catching blue, her hair was a mess at the same time befitting. The moment the girl in the painting noticed something was off, widens her eyes inspecting Rook in every aspect she could find.

"Me... Who are you?" She questioned. She eyed him cautiously, "You're not the painter."

It's a live painting! How did the magicless prefect make this? Maybe the prefect has a magic for the creation they make!

"Noo... I was starting to like that painter... How did they die!? No! I haven't even done anything to them yet! They were doing a good job too..."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Rook blinked owlishly then shook his head. "Non! Why would Monsieur Trickster die?!"

"Oh... Really? The overblot thing did not get them? Hm, Good.." The girl seemed relief as she smiles sweetly.

Rook blankly stares at the girl in the painting. "Why do you need Monsieur Trickster?" At his words, the girl pouts.

"A painters job is to finish a piece. Look at me, do I look finish to your eyes?" The girl in the painting spoke, clearly annoyed as she points to herself.

Rook smiles. "Oui! Even in the gray and dull color, you're quite eye catching despite having to no color. But having an attractive blue to your palette, enhance your beauty more dame dans le portrait!" Rook happily chirps as he dramatically gestures his hands and winks.

The girl stares at him aghast having no words said. "..."

Like a fish out of water, her mouth kept opening and closing.

"Huh... Uh. Oh, I- wow." The girl was loss for words, stammering, wincing away from Rook who watches her reaction amused. "It seems like I have a poet as a visitor..."

She sneers, looking disgusted as she averts her eyes away from Rook. He looked dejected but it seems the girl was not having any of it.

"Do you not like my praise of you? Do you want more--" "No! NO!! SHUT UP! I HAVE NO NEED FOR YOUR PRAISES! THANK YOU!" The girl in the painting frantically hushed him. With wide eyes and a deep frown, she glares at Rook who only smiles back.

"Sigh, anyway, who are you? It's not everyday someone is not surprised to see a talking painting. Though I think the painters reaction is better than yours..." The girl in the painting remarks while continuing to examine Rook throughoutly.

"Well petite dame," Rooks smile gradually widens as he bows to the painting, tipping his hat over his chest. "Let us begin over our introduction."

"Bonjour, dame dans le portrait. I am Rook Hunt but you can call me Le chasseur d'amour, I hope to see more of your beaute once you're finished." His eyes glisten the more he examines her.

The girl in the paintings eyes narrowed.

"...I was not created in France to talk in French." She mutters in a weary voice. She ignores Rooks curious stare, holding her forehead with her pale arm before straightening her back in a not-so-delighted manner.

"I am UiO, you can refer to me like anything you want." She bows haggardly, forcing a smile to appear to hide her displeasure. But no detail was spared from the hunters eyes.

As the more Rook inspects the girl in the painting, he wonders how can a painting have such deliberate movements? Unlike the paintings scattered around the school, they could only move in a specific set, but her?

It seems like whatever magic the prefect has for creation, their creation can move as if it was a living being in the first place! But how could they not finish such piece and give it away to Reine des Arts? "How did Monsieur Trickster create you? Their talent is no joke but making a living portrait despite being magicless is manifique!" Rook happily cheers while the girl-- UiO blinks owlishly. His words clicks in her mind before her face fell disgruntled.

"Excuse me? What? Who? That painter? Haha, no, no way." A disbelieved look scrutinized Rook, who in back stared at the girl confused.

He tilts his head. "...Did they not?"

"Of course they didn't!" She complained in such a straight forward way, she did not notice the door creak slightly.She huffs arrogantly, crossing her arms before her shoulders loosened up.

"Though I quite say, my present painter has some fiery determination. They're quite adamant in finishing me, so I guess I'll place my trust in them." She says in a nonchalant behavior before smiling widely in a grin.

"I like them, they're interesting. Talented and beautiful."

'It seems the prefect is truly magicless.' Rook muses. Despite having to no identification to see if the girl was truthful, Rook was sure it was coming from her heart. (if she ever have one)

'But as Monsieur Trickster say... They seem to can't find a way to give her color?'

"Hmm~" He hums playfully with a grin, sending shivers to the girl. She backs away in worry and confusion seeing him with the expression. "Say petite dame, can I take you?"

"Hah?" She raised a brow confused. "Are you a painter? Or a collector?"

"Oui! I am a beauty appreciator! and Non, I'm not a painter, but I have an underclassman who can paint really well, she's worthy of praise!"

That seems to excite UiO when she leaned up close. Her eyes sparkles as if asking for more information but Rook only left it at that and smiles with closed eyes. She wince noticing her behavior before standing back straight.

"But... "

"So... Rook-senpai, you're taking her?" The door creaks revealing the prefect of the Ramshackle who stood by the door. UiO tilt back her head questioning what they meant.

"I'm sure Roi du Poison won't mind and I'm certain Reine des Arts will find a way to finish dame dans le portrait."

"...eh?"

The prefect only smiles with undertone sadness that made the girls smile fall.

"..." She pursed her lips turning away from the two hiding her contorted expression. "I knew you wouldn't be able to finish me."

The prefect flinched. Biting their lips, before looking away.

"...I'm sorry." Rook only watched in the sidelines with a mixture of pity for the prefect.

Ah, what a bitter way to part ways.

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┊I admit, I don't think I can finish it anymore lol, Maybe I'll just draw snippets because that seems easier (famous last words before disaster)

Tagging

@authoruio @lilinxx @kouxiijinx

[wellmetmat]

This was enjoyable to read. It can be nice to get a fuller idea of people's preferences than is usually expressed in in-person conversation. "There are few more cheering sights than someone bearing some swish whiskers who's pleased about it" - 1) agreed; 2) this sort of goodwill-to-others'-happiness (opposite of schadenfreude - is there a single word for that?) is nice to be around and on a less moral level the assonance and pictorial quality of "swish whiskers" make it a most satisfying phrase.

Some more chatting below, in case you'd like.

Tattoos: I like the idea a lot. I like face/body-painting even more: not make-up, mostly, and not usually henna (blobby, a stain rather than a paint, almost a normal skin colour but a bit off, not glorious at all); but war-paint and costumes and body glitter under blacklights, and the tradition of children's face-painting at fairs, and getting to draw on people with coloured zinc cream by way of sun protection, and smearing my face and limbs with ochreous clay or ashes from a campfire, something I have a strangely recurrent urge to do and feel modern urban life is rather impoverished for lack of. I liked Darth Maul's appearance. I think most people look better in eyeliner, and would look even better again with their faces transformed into unearthly blue-black masks of woad and ashes, at least on special occasions.

(Sunscreen does nothing to assuage this largely-unsatisfied want.)

But tattoos, though limited in brightness and fixed in content compared to paint, often look good too, and are desirable for different purposes. One sees some impressive ones, although they do look best when fresh. Even those that aren't good-looking are likeable when they're meaningful; when they're a record and a declaration of significance, like a winter count. They make people less of a blank canvas, and conversations about why people choose their tattoos are generally enjoyable, because they usually bring up something the speaker likes or cares about. I like textual tattoos, provided they're earnestly-held mottoes or other text the bearer seriously wants to make part of themselves, and also, having simple tastes, like pretty pictures pretty much wherever they are.

Despite that, I don't have any. Partly because of pain and needles (significant deterrents! I'm not brave), partly because as of last year I have a skin condition which can be pretty wretched and the thought of voluntarily seeking more skin misery for any reason at all is offputting (and I have a lot of little discoloured patches from it now, and they look distressingly messy, and the addition of tattoos would probably increase the general look of disorder); and in the main because I'm very indecisive and slow to commit to anything.

I have daydreamed extensively about tattoos I might get in a braver and healthier state, though! They are as follows:

A dandelion in cutaway illustration with its full root system. I imagine the above-ground part on the side of my ribs (which everyone says is particularly painful) and the main taproot going all the way down to an ankle. Dandelions are hardy little gutter champions, wayside gold, symbols of resilience and good cheer, the Robin Hoods of flowers. I have a vivid memory of walking through a smog-brown landscape in a drought year, when even the air was grey and harsh with bushfire smoke, when all the public grass was brown and dead, and in it - dandelions. Golden and alive, making beauty out of starvation rations. I admire them very much.

A small pigeon. Maybe asleep and fluffing on my shoulder. Pigeons have much in common with dandelions, in fact - common, innocent, downtrodden, still lovely, still here.

A pair of curved brackets ( ), my favourite punctuation mark, in a normal font size, perhaps at the base of a thumb. These express digressions, reservations, second thoughts, points that don't smoothly fit into a narrative, and pauses for rest from the running stream of an argument in the stiller pool of an idea worth expanding. I think all those are fairly characteristic of the way I think. And Erasmus, master of hesitations, called them lunulae, little moons, back when they were quite a new punctuation mark just finding their functions, which is cute.

A personal winter count, as above, feels fitting for art expected to be lifelong. Ordered pictorial representations of the significant points of that life. I like the spiral arrangement, where you get born and events spiral outward from there.

It would be cool to see future tattoo developments with trick inks and healing agonists and things, which indicate medical information to the bearer by changing colour, or darken to show you're losing your temper, or which actually heal scars beneath them, or are bioluminescent at night.

(Could go on about hair and heraldry and sex hormones, but this is probably long enough already. Thank you for this prompt to reflection, it was fun.)

Here's a little breakdown of my personal relationship/non-relationship with various types of aesthetic self-modification (?, I feel like there might be a word or at least a more elegant phrase to denote this category). The point is not to offer my "take" on each thing but to express the different feelings/desires/inhibitions my psyche manifests around them. Some of these will approach awkwardly personal territory, fair warning! You may notice that basically none of them are especially positive; I'm going to leave off from analyzing that pattern for this post.

Tattoos -- I think tattoos as a concept are extremely cool, frequently they're cool in practice also and I like seeing other people's, but I don't think I've ever had even the smallest urge to get one for myself. I'm not totally sure why. The lack of an obvious thing to get is one factor, I feel like "band tattoo" would be the most likely thing for me to have but I don't like the idea of directly lifting a band logo or album art and I really don't like the idea of a lyric tattoo (I offer no justification for these prejudices), so I'd have to get clever with it if I'm doing that and I'm not very clever. More broadly, I predict that my enthusiasm for any artwork I put on my body would fade through overexposure in a matter of weeks if not days--other people describe "barely knowing it's there" after a short time--which on top of making the value of the project seem dubious, I feel like having a permanent image on my skin that I don't actively love would be something I'd feel bad about rather than neutral. Like "man, that thing's on my arm and I don't care about it at all, that sucks" rather than just not noticing it. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

(Tattoos are the one that got me thinking about this whole subject I think, it feels like they're reaching a ubiquity in the culture where it's almost like you're expected to have a reason not to have one rather than a reason to? Maybe that's just a people-I-know thing, anyway it got me thinking about why I don't want one.)

Piercings -- An interesting thing about me and piercings is that it's virtually impossible for me to notice when somebody has them unless I'm like, actively consciously scrutinizing their face (or whatever it is). When I was about ten months into my current job I asked my co-worker who I worked closely with almost every day "hey when did you get that septum ring" and she was like "well way before I met you". That is simply how it is with me and piercings and I make no apology.

If my inability to perceive piercings (perceirvings...) makes me indifferent to the idea of getting one, what makes me actively hostile is the total certainty that I would fiddle with it constantly if I did. I know these hands and their ways and there would simply be no dissuading them, it would be so bad you guys, oh my god. This is probably the hardest no on the list I think, although I haven't finished the post yet so idk maybe I'll think of a worse one.

Makeup -- There's undeniably a lot that's very beautiful in the universe of makeup and there's also the weird dark side, I have dabbled a little in this area and in my heart I feel more positively than not about it, but it's just never going to be a sustainable part of my life because (not unrelated to previous para) I am a perennial and unrepentant face-toucher. I will be itching and rubbing my face-skin and also inflicting other hard-to-characterize punishments upon it (is this "stimming"?) until the day I die and anything that wants to be on my face has just gotta deal. It would probably be better if this was not the case but I don't make the rules, sorry.

Haircuts -- When I was a child I haaaaaated getting my hair cut, like the physical sensation of it? Was so horrible and would usually make me cry and always ruin my day (is this "sensory overload"?), I didn't understand why I was being made to go through this ordeal and basically as soon as I reached an age when I realized my mom couldn't literally force me to do it if I just stubbornly refused hard enough--that age was 13 I think--I stopped. I haven't had a professional haircut since that time although I'm sure I could cope with the sensory aspect at this point, it's just not a habit I ever picked up again (I've had a couple of non-professional ones from my ex who just kind of wanted to try it, in a not particularly ambitious or dramatic fashion). Sometimes I feel like I should, but idk. My hair as it stands is not optimized for making me look hot but I don't think it looks especially horrible either, it's just kind of whatever I think.

Complicating factor here: I've had trichotillomania since I was 15/16, and it's hard to imagine it going away at this point but it's a lot more under control than it used to be, to the point where you can't really tell just from my appearance that something's up now. I say "under control", I have very little conscious control over it and usually no conscious awareness that I'm doing it, but over the years the compulsion seems to have unconsciously settled into a routine where it's just kind of... sculpting my hair into a more-or-less normal silhouette? Like I sort of have a fringe and stuff despite no haircuts. Oh I guess this doesn't make sense unless I clarify that I mostly break rather than pluck the hair nowadays, that's a big part of the gradual unconscious shift that's occurred.

A fun thing about trichotillomania is that it often makes people really uncomfortable when you talk about having it, which sucks for me because it makes me feel lonely, but I guess it sucks for the person feeling uncomfortable too in a smaller way. If you're one of the people who feel uncomfortable around this topic, sorry! Quite genuinely.

Gender transition in general -- I feel like I'm just, just on the boring side of cis-by-default. I think about transitioning shockingly often for someone who's never gonna do it, like it's not searing a hole in my heart or anything like it is for a lot of people but it occupies that "it would be cool to learn an instrument" kind of niche in my thoughts, if that makes sense? (Probably a bit stronger than that analogy makes it sound, it's on my mind frequently but not with a massive sense of urgency attached I guess is what I'm getting at.) I can see myself taking the plunge if the medical technology was like 10% better, or the social technology was like 20% better, or with some medium-sized changes in how my personality was configured, but this life being this life there's no way in heck the juice would be worth the squeeze. If I had one fifth of the executive function required to do all of that lying to doctors and learning how to clothes shop and having awkward conversations with people in my life and all the rest of it, well I can list like ten things I'd rather spend it on first. And I don't!

Glasses -- Love wearing glasses, 10/10 no notes. I knew since I was like 11 that my face should have a pair of glasses on it and I was very smug when the optician agreed (I did not cheat on the eye test in any way for what it's worth). The only times I'm not wearing glasses are sleeping and showering. I don't even carry a case because there's no point because I simply don't ever take them off. This is probably overkill, I think as a kid I was instructed to only put them on when I need to see something in the distance, ignoring that and just wearing them permanently has probably led to my vision weakening to the point where they're now pretty much mandatory in every situation, but I don't give a shit about that because just let me wear my goddamned glasses okay, fuck off. It's actually crazy how much I like wearing glasses, this is the only true thumbs up on the list.

I remembering trying to explain how I like my glasses to a then-close friend of mine many years ago when the subject of laser eye surgery came up in conversation, he said I should get the surgery and then just wear glasses with non-prescription lenses. When I tried to explain why that wouldn't be the same at all he was adamant that I was just being stubborn. That guy was a wonderful person in many ways and I loved him very deeply, but man what a dumbass thing to say.

Facial hair -- There are so many great beards and moustaches in this world, there are few more cheering sights than someone bearing some swish whiskers who's pleased about it, but personally I don't wish to be involved in that business at all.

I never learned how to ride a bike -- Obviously this one doesn't belong on the list, it doesn't fit with any of the other categories, and yet I feel compelled to include it here. And why should I resist that which compels me? This is my post. Yeah, I'm the oldest of four siblings, we were all given bikes at the appropriate kid-on-bike age, the others picked it up but not me. I liked it when I had stabilizers on my bike, then they took them off and I started falling off the bike, and after a very short amount of time I gave up. Like I didn't get mad injuries or anything, it just felt like I wasn't improving at it quickly enough and I didn't feel like keeping it up so I didn't. Early indication of my bad personality.

Fashion in general -- Clothes shopping has always been extremely aversive to me for whatever reason, it's gotten a little better in recent years, I have been able to exist inside clothes shops for long enough to purchase a small thing or two, but eh. Most of my tops are band t-shirts I bought at gigs, most of my bottoms are exactly identical pairs of jeans, there's just not much going on you know? But unlike with most of the items on this list I would really like to be doing this properly. I would like to wear cuter things with prettier colours and designs. This one's an actual goal. But so far I haven't really made progress. The aforementioned shopping sucks thing, plus a fear of being so aesthetically clueless that I just make myself look like a big idiot if I try anything risky, plus the fact that doing things that are not my established routine is tricky in general--these are barriers for me. I guess another barrier is that the things that would be most interesting to try out and therefore most potentially motivating fall into the wrong-gender-clothes category and therefore bring into play some of the barriers from that other category a few ones up. I did actually somehow get myself to dabble in that area some years ago to a modest but positive degree of satisfaction. It'll probably happen again. The patterns and causes that determine whether I can or cannot find motivation to engage in a thing--they are mysterious indeed.

Like horn implants or whatever other crazy miscellany -- I don't want anything in this category and don't have any non-trivial thoughts about it either. Including this section for completeness only.

---

Well, there you have it, that's the post. Now you know a bit more about some of my little weirdsies. If you actually made it through the whole thing, a) how interesting and b) why not tell me a little weirdsy of yours in return, whether it pertains to the above list or not? Why not get all antiphonal on my post, that way I'd get to know a thing about you as well, it might be a whole fun kind of deal. You don't have to though, I didn't make this post to try to snare people into letting themselves be known, I just kind of made it to be a post mostly. I make all sorts of kinds of posts you know? And so I thought I'd try one that's like this.

[a-sadnoodle]

Hey Noodle! How's life been? I was wondering a few things...if you wouldn't mind answering a couple of questions!

What kinds of landscapes do you really enjoy painting/drawing?

Are there colours you find yourself really gravitating to?

What do you reference when drawing/painting? Your own pictures? Other peoples? Real life subjects?

Favourite watercolour method?

Do you pick out the size of your canvas/paper or just grab one on a whim?

What kind of subjects draw your attention? (e.g Happy people, colourful flowers, or maybe even still life's you create yourself?)

Favourite pencils/charcoal for drawing?

Do you have any tips for younger artists getting into traditional art? Anything you wish younger you knew?

:] No pressure to answer all of these, if any, btw! Have a good one :D

Hello there :D life has been decent and I hope you've been well too!! Let's see

-i really like to paint very green and saturated landscapes. It can be anything from flowers to trees to mountains, I just love it when there's lots of strong colours. But I mostly like to paint landscapes that are a bit messy? It helps me be a little looser with the painting and not obssess over details, if that makes sense. I try to use techniques that give the illusion of details and depth, though i don't know if i succeed but I try lol

-at the beginning, when I started out with art, I was always quite worried about it being realistic. But after a while I now feel that real life is quite desaturated, everything in nature is a tone of grey, and absolute colours are not very common to find. So I now try to make my art as colourful as possible for it to look lively and more my style, becasue when I was aiming for realism, all my art would turn out dull and muted and I couldn't figure out why. Some colours I really use a lot are greens, all kinds really. I love all colours, but I think green is the colour I enjoy using the most these days.

-i use a lot of places to find my reference photos- pinterest, tumblr, Instagram, Google, and my mom is always sending me random pictures of clouds and landscapes and mountains too. Sometimes when I'm drawing people and I need to understand anatomy I use myself as a reference, although I don't really draw full human anatomy much, only portraits. Sometimes I use my own pictures of flowers and clouds and all that as reference too. I actually have a folder in my phone gallery for references, and I put at least 5 pictures I find in it everyday, because I'm always finding weird things to use as references. I save a lot of old paintings by classical painters too so that I can study them later, learning from the masters is the best way to learn :)

-ehh I don't really know the formal names for methods, you know? But I do like the wet on wet method, I love the look of it. I also like making clouds in watercolour, also fun hack- put down a wash of your blue watercolour, take a paper towel and blot where you want clouds to be-voila pretty clouds!!

-i just grab stuff on a whim and use whatever I feel like whenever I want and make it fit to my art, I don't really plan much, although I'm trying to do that more lol

-i actually don't have a definite favorite subject, I think it really depends on my mood, but I think most of the time I really like making simple things you know, like goats, urban sketches, simple portraits. I don't try to overthink about it, and just draw whatever I feel like. Although in portraits I really love drawing people candid lately

-i use the Staedlr pencils and Faber castle Matt black hb pencils for graphite drawing, and for charcoal pencils I use a local brand. I also have charcoal pencils from General Pencil Co. And they're really good too

-well I think one thing about traditional art is it can be expensive. So what I used to do when trying out a new medium was buy a cheap one and if I like it then get a better quality one. Also when it comes to brushes, I think it's best to buy good quality brushes. I used to buy cheap brushes and use them until they were in horrid condition and then buy new ones every few months. It wasn't a very good system, so I bought better quality brushes and learned how to take care of them and now I have had some of my brushes for years and they're still in really good condition. So learn how to take care of your art supplies!! Also do research about art mediums and supplies, so that you know what you should start with when you're trying something new and don't get overwhelmed

When trying out a new medium, don't feel bad if you don't get it at first, it takes time and the first painting will probably be muddy, but don't give up without trying your best!!

I also think that when it comes to art, it's very important to practice. So draw everything! Fill lots of sketchbooks. And not everything has to be good or perfect, it's quite cruel to expect such perfection from yourself. I still struggle with practicing regularly but it really does help.

And as I mentioned earlier, learn form the masters! Whatever art style you're trying to do or learning, studying and drawing older artworks of masters will help you a lot

thats all I can think of now, thank you so much for this ask galen, you have a good one too <3333

[isolaradiale]

The small 'ahem' and the dimming lights brought the attention of the closing party back on the podium. On it was Janus, looking a great deal better than he was a few minutes ago (when he was practicing his closing speech on a statue when he thought nobody was looking.) On the stage, he took a deep breath and brightened as everyone turned in their formal evening attire.

"Thank you all for coming to the Closing Party. It's been a pretty busy week, and all of you have made such beautiful and wonderous pieces of art. I'm overjoyed that they're on display tonight, and I thought there wasn't any way to view all of them in the span of a couple hours. So this last night of the museum will be going on until the sun rises again. You don't have to stay the entire time, but--"

"Well, sure they do!"

The interjection startled the AI at the podium, and he jumped a few feet from his spot. The chipper voice started again as one of the other statues on the stage moved, revealing the form of a marble-sculpted woman covered in holographic stickers.

"After all, each and every one of you put in so much effort into bringing your imaginations and inspirations to life, haven't you? So we thought we might return the favor, that's all. And you're all invited!"

Punctuating her statement was the sound of the large wooden doors, now slamming shut inward with a reverberating BOOM that bounced off all the halls of the lobby, even from the auditorium.

"I hope you all put everything into your masterpieces! Because your masterpieces will put everything into annihilating all of you~"

With another delighted laugh, the lights in the auditorium shut off, leaving everyone with only the light of their phones and watches. And as the murmurs began and hands reached for other hands in the dark, there was another THUNK near the wall as a framed portrait fell off its anchor. From its canvas, it began to look at the crowd, eyes now glowing in the light of everyone's flashlights. One hand crawled out of the frame, then another. Nails sank into the floor with terrifying ease as the subject of the portrait pulled themselves from its frame, marble cracking at its fingertips.

The next sound was a scream, and the sound of a woman falling onto the floor as the portrait pulled at her ankles. And then another. And another still as the frames began to move off the walls en masse, attacking anyone unlucky enough to be in their sights. There was a panic in the auditorium as people tried to flee and fight, falling over each other to escape the room

But it seemed that no matter where anyone chose to run to, or where they thought to hide, there was always something in the shadows.

Waiting.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Welcome to Part Two of the event!

As stated, the artwork in the Tempus Museum has come to life--literally, in this case. You've been challenged to survive until the next sunrise. To do so, you must evade, capture or destroy the horrific objects that have come to life.

Most of the artwork in the museum is hostile, and will attempt to un-alive your characters as best they can.

These generic museum monsters can be found everywhere wandering around, but are more common in areas they originated from:

Subjects and people in paintings will crawl out of their canvases to chase and eliminate anything they see moving. Their sharp nails can pierce through marble, so flesh and bone is probably nothing to them. Humanoids are not exclusive to this class of monster--painted animals, creatures and other things will also hop out of paintings to come after your muse. You can capture a painting monster by smacking it with a canvas, or destroy it with paint thinner (or water, if it's a watercolor)

Framed sketches will behave similarly to the painting monsters, and will leave lots of thin scratches as opposed to big ones. Capture them with paper, or destroy them by rubbing them with an eraser.

Statues of any material will chase your characters and attempt to injure them with their fists (or if they were holding a weapon, they'll use that weapon). Catch them by making them run back to their plaques, stands and pedestals, or destroy using a hammer and chisel.

The Parlor Dolls have now, unfortunately, all grown sharp teeth. They've all taken on ghastly appearances, and if they swarm around you, it might as well be the end of you. You can capture a doll by chasing it back into a display case, or destroy it by carefully ripping their seams.

Dancing Dresses in the painted ballroom will beckon people to dance with them, and will attempt to catch people in the folds of their fabric to immobilize them. They're not lethal on their own, but they'll hold your muse in place for something more dangerous to come along. Capture them by hitting them with a dress form, or destroy them by ripping their seams OR cutting them with scissors. - NOTE: Characters who bowed and danced with any of the ghostly gowns at the Gala XY will not harm the people who danced with them, and will instead, keep dancing.

Decorated Weapons made in the forge will take a life of their own and will seemingly float around, looking for battle. Sometimes they'll team up with Statues, making them especially deadly companions. Capture them by hitting them with a weapon rack, or destroy them with a hammer or any significant heat source.

Baked Goods and Pastries made in the culinary courtyard will not get up on their own, but a good many of them have become poisoned. The severity and potency of the poisons varies, with side effects ranging from an upset stomach to a sudden case of death. They don't move, so you don't have to capture them, but... maybe don't eat them, no matter how good they may smell and look.

Paintings on the street have come to life, making hazards of their own outside of the museum. Street-painted landscapes have become very tangibly real, as well as anything sprayed on the walls. If there was ever a time to regret the giant mural you painted on the side of a building as it crawls from its spot to squash you like a bug, now's the time. You can destroy these with water.

Landscapes will attempt to draw your muse into their world, sealing them in their frames. Your muse will be helpless to do much other than look through the painting like a window. The only means of escape is to have someone else drag you out of the landscape!

In addition to these generic museum hazards, there are a few specific hazards depending on how your muse behaved in Part 1 of the event:

If your muse created something with love, adoration, feelings of happiness, or any other intensely positive emotions, it may help them instead of hinder them. This can be anything from alerting them of danger to protecting them.

Your muse's own creations may attack them, too, aside from the generic monsters in the museum.

If your muse stole any artwork from the museum, it will hunt them down with special vitriol and hostility, and will stop at nothing to destroy your muse.

Similarly, if your muse attempted to destroy any of the artwork in the museum, it's going to target them specifically and attempt to return the favor.

Any art your muse made as a gift to others will either hurt OR help them, depending on individual mun preference.

Have fun! :)

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Frequently Asked Questions

"How long will Part 2 of the event last?"

The event will run until 00:00, June 18th

"Are the optimized tools still here?"

Shockingly, yes! And so are the regular tools, too. How you use them to survive is up to you, but building a door might be the fastest way. However, be warned that drawing a door on a wall has just as big of a chance of sending your muse to a different random room than it does outside the museum.

"Can we still do Part 1 threads?"

Yes! If you would like to keep your Canvas experience monster-free, you can continue making Part 1 starters until the end of the event.

"What about the art my muse took home?"

It has also come to life! So while the museum is certainly dangerous, there are random statues, paintings, dolls and other monsters roaming around OUTSIDE the museum, too.

"Can we destroy the paintings NOW?"

Unfortunately, they're just as invulnerable as they were before. Bummer, huh? Unless they're hit with their specific weakness, the monsters are invulnerable to attacks that damage them. (However, they can still be hindered by traps, and while strong attacks won't destroy them, they'll knock them out of the way!)

"Can we interact with Capella or Janus?"

Poor Janus is trying to put all the artwork back where it belongs by capturing them. He's in no danger for this, as the art in the museum will not attack their curator. Interacting with Capella the Statue might bring the wrath of her giant cat out to you, so. You've been warned!

"What if my muse saw something from their own world in a painting or a statue?"

That's incredibly unfortunate--those might be hostile too, and are subject to the rules that follow the other genuine painting monsters (meaning that the portrait of that character will not have any of their original powers or abilities.)

Whether the subject of the art your muse is familiar with will help or hinder them is up to mun discretion.

"Can't we just bust down the museum and escape?"

And destroy the biggest piece of art in the area?! (No, they won't budge. You'll have to draw your way out if you want to escape, either through a door or some kind of tunnel or something.)

"When will the sun rise?"

Not for 24 hours in-character (though the event will last until Jun 11th). Extended night time, woo!

"What happens if our muses get got by the museum?"

Muses that were defeated and failed to survive the challenge will have their portrait put up on the Wall of Shame, reflecting how they lost the challenge. They won't respawn until the sun rises, either!

"What if I have a question that's not listed here?"

Feel free to direct any questions you may have to the Masterlist!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"I thought you said everything would be fine!" Came the panicked footsteps of Janus, running to grab the frame the portrait monster crawled out of, picking it up with surprising ease.

"In my defense, I assumed everything would be." The statue of Caelum replied, furrowing his eyebrows and scrolling through a wall of code. Other statues of a Goddess-like Pleiades and an Antiquated Attired Alathfar, joining as guests, seemed to realize the issue before their older companion did.

"...Yes, nothing in here changed. But I don't see anything about..."

From the other side of the stage, Capella's statue pranced forth, stickers still glittering in the dark, somehow.

"That's just the first page." "The first page?" Caelum and Janus echoed back in confusion. "First page!~"

The grin still stayed on her cheeks from sticker to sticker, while Janus' increasingly scrunched in accusation.

"...I'll be damned. There were two pages after all." "DAD!" "I didn't see it, honest!" "I can't BELIEVE you!" "Now now, it was an honest mistake, really--!"

And as the old man's statue got quite the scolding from his son, Pleides and Alathfar stepped aside, meeting with Capella.

"Was there really a page two?" Pleiades asked, adjusting her comically large, rounded glasses. To that, Capella merely rocked on her heels, smile never fading.

"It's entirely possible Caelum got so wrapped up in helping Janus plan the museum that he overlooked it. Which is endearing, in a way. But..."

As Alathfar trailed off, the three of them looked back at the other statue trying to placate his agitated son, and grimaced in unison (except for Capella, who still seemed to be beaming with delight.)

None of them seemed keen on getting in the middle of the quarrel, and were only relieved when Janus stormed off with his empty frame.

[fel-mi-er]

"Mm... Painting a nature landscape relating to my homeland, so Sunset Savana. Though you have to include theory on why you chose to represent your homeland with that particular scene." Oh, that sounded like a nice activity. Epel would have liked to do a project like that himself for Harveston-- he could already see himself swishing deep reds and vibrant greens on a canvas, capturing home on a square. He could smell the appleblossoms already. Did they make scented paint?

It seemed like a pretty fun project, and he was sure the idea and effort put in was more important than any technical skill. He wondered why Zacaraya would delegate this to him instead of just painting it himself, even if it was true that he wasn't a very good artist. "Oh, and it's due in a week." A week? Zacaraya was quite the slacker... though Epel could sympathize with wanting to put off doing things you didn't like. It explained the outsourcing, at least.

A week... between spelldrive, instruction from Vil, and regular classes, he didn't know where he'd find the time. He could get it done for sure, but he'd be pretty ragged by the end of it.

"Though, I suppose I could give you what theory I have already done if you reveal what's in your box. Are you scared I'm gonna laugh at you or something? Please, I've already seen you at your worst."

Many would consider Epel naive for even considering showing Zacaraya the box. He already had it secured, he was home free, why push it? But something about this seemed different... since Zacaraya gave it back to him willingly, without forcing him to show, Epel felt more trusting of him. That, and the scene just felt a lot calmer, Epel felt more secure. The tension had seemingly been sucked out of the room, Epel wasn't angry or anxious or defensive anymore. So he was a little more open to the idea...

That didn't mean he was going to, of course.

Though... it sounded like Zacaraya wouldn't laugh at him. That's not exactly what he said, but... and he had already shown Zacaraya a less than cool side of himself. Leaning on Zacaraya, crying and thrashing as Zacaraya held his hands above his head... ugh. Though he definitely wouldn't call that 'his worst'. He at least did some damage, if anything Epel wanted the opportunity to swing at someone again-- maybe just, not where he'd get in trouble for it this time.

And if he got to use what Zacaraya had already done so far, it'd make his job a hell of a lot easier, which meant he could manage his time better... but he couldn't, it was just too embarrassing, too personal. But maybe, since he was actually having a chill moment with Zacaraya, he should capitalize on it and get closer by sharing a secret? Epel didn't have many friends. Did he want to be Zacaraya's friend? He was thinking that maybe Zacaraya wasn't as bad as he originally thought, but let's not get crazy here... Epel still probably couldn't trust him.

Epel mulled it over as he continued thumbing over the yarn of his knit bag. He looked pensivley at the ground in front of him. It took a minute, but eventually he shook his head. "I... I really can't. I'll just come up with something on my own, if you tell me where it was exactly you were born." The entirety of Sunset Savanna was too broad for this project, he needed to narrow it down.

Zacaraya opened his mouth to speak, and Epel was ready to fiercely insist that he was not going to open it for him. He didn't care what he said, he... he...

Was it just him, or did the air around them change suddenly?

He was really expecting Zacaraya to give him some push back, to threaten him or dangle it over his head, to ask him why he wanted to keep it a secret so bad. But instead he... just stared at him. He didn't say anything. Somehow this was more unnerving. Like when Vil was really angry at him, so angry that he was past yelling.

Epel caught a glimpse of the lion beastman's shiny sharp teeth. In the glow of the fire, he wondered what those would feel like in his neck. Probably worse than his own human teeth, flat and dull in comparison.

He could feel the arm falling across his back, and watched as Zacaraya reached down and grabbed his bag. Epel stayed still, not wanting to make any sudden movements and disrupt... this. He still didn't know what was going on, exactly, but the moment felt fragile.

Zacaraya placed the bag on his lap and shifted away from him, finally giving Epel some space, leaning back with his eyes closed. He was really hard to read at that moment. Epel didn't know what he was thinking, or why the sudden change in attitude. But Zacaraya had motioned for Epel to open the bag, so he did.

His hands immediately went to the bag. His bag. With the box poking out.

He held it close to his chest, curling in on himself as he held it tight, a wave of relief and joy washing over him. He could finally breathe. A few tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over, though he was smiling, a surprised laugh bubbling out of him. Great seven. He could finally breathe. The panic he had felt ever since he had realized he had lost it was gone now; the fear that had shaken him at the thought of someone finding it, at the thought of having to show Zacaraya-- it all melted away, replaced by a feeling of safety, and a determination to never lose this again.

Gosh, if he had known it was this close the entire time, just right inside Zacaraya's bag-- well, he wasn't gonna jump to taking it and running first, but if talking to Zacaraya hadn't gone well, he would have had the option.

He didn't need the option, though. Zacaraya just... gave it to him. Just like that. Epel sat up and looked at Zacaraya. Epel thought it was really out of character for him, but... he had only had the one interaction with Zacaraya, hadn't he. Maybe he had just caught Zacaraya on a bad day, back then. Even though he was being a jerk, he did carry Epel down that time. Maybe... maybe Zacaraya wasn't so bad?

Still holding the bagged box close to his chest, he ran his fingers over the clumsy stitching like he had a million times. "Thank you" he smiled up at Zacaraya. An unsure smile, but a grateful one nonetheless.

He wiped at his face, "What's the art project? I'm better at 3D stuff, but I can draw and paint a little too" of course, he fully intended to complete the project, as agreed upon.

[pitviperofdoom]

Wedding fic? Also if you want to share more about the TAZ au I'm 👀

I just realized I’ve already talked about the wedding fic in a past ask game; I posted a snippet here a while ago, and talked about the premise here a few months ago.

So! Have another TAZ snippet. Unfortunately I only have two of them, but I’ll probably write more if inspiration strikes.

---

“I can’t help but feel like you’re making me look bad.”

Gerry finished off a delicate bit of texture work before he looked over. “Hm? Oh.” He blinked, leaning over in his seat for a better look at Oliver’s canvas. “Don’t sell yourself short. That doesn’t look half bad.”

The landscape was simple, the brushstrokes slightly awkward and unpolished. But it was perfectly recognizable as a mountain range with a little stream running in the foreground. He’d even added ravens in the trees, as a little personal touch.

For his part, Gerry had followed the instructor for a few cursory strokes before getting bored and doing his own thing. Now his canvas was covered with an evening sky, streaked with dark sunset colors and framed with treetops. Instead of stars, he’d painted countless eyes of all different colors, arranged into uncanny constellations.

“Is that supposed to mean something?” Oliver asked.

“Not really,” Gerry said with a shrug. “Thought it’d look cool.”

“You’re very skilled,” Oliver went on, and Gerry tried not to analyze the quiet thrill that ran through him at the genuine admiration in his voice. “I never took you for a painter.”

“That’s fair. I’ve never really considered myself one.” Gerry rinsed and wiped his brush. “Haven’t even taken lessons before, if I’m being honest.”

“Piss off,” said Oliver. “You’re serious?”

Gerry turned to look him in the eye. “Oh, I’m dead serious.”

Oliver laughed as he went back to adding more ravens. Gerry gave his own painting another once-over. There wasn’t much else he could do, but with painting it was better to quit while you were ahead. Add too much and you’d only ruin it.

…He was pretty sure, anyway. Again, he’d never taken a class.

“While we’re on that subject,” Oliver said suddenly, as Gerry lowered his brush. “There was supposed to be a purpose to this meeting, was there not?”

“Guess so.” Maybe one more eye? Just one couldn’t hurt.

“Gerard,” Oliver sighed.

“Gerry,” he said, more out of habit than anything else. “And if you want to say something, then say it. You’ve got more stakes in this meeting than I do.”

He could feel Oliver’s eyes on him, probing for answers before he’d even asked anything. “Is that really true? Considering the setting you chose, I have to wonder if you had business or pleasure in mind.”

Gerry shot him a grin with all his teeth. “What, can’t it be both?” He was rewarded when Oliver’s eyes widened slightly, before the reaper hastily turned back to his own work.

“I… suppose,” Oliver said hesitantly. “It’s never simple with you and your lot, is it? It’s just one damn thing after another.”

“Understatement,” said Gerry. “The damn things overlap.”

Oliver laughed again. Gerry didn’t bother smothering the urge to smile.

“I do have one question,” Oliver said after a moment. “It’s… you don’t have to answer it, if you don’t want to. It’s not about your deaths—I’d say we’re past that—but it’s… really more my own curiosity than anything else.”

“Ask away.”

“Why?” Oliver asked.

“Because you clearly want to.”

“No—” Oliver shook his head. “I mean… why do this? Why do any of it?”

Gerry put his brush down.

“We’ve met twice now, because of your… mission, or whatever it is,” said Oliver. “Meaning you’ve met a reaper twice, within a year—within a few months. And something tells me it’s only going to continue.”

“Getting tired of my face already?” Gerry asked with another grin.

Oliver squinted at him. “You—tell me you’re seeing the symbolism here. You’re literally flirting with death.”

This time, it was Gerry’s turn to laugh.

“Again,” Oliver went on. “You don’t have to answer. I’ve just… never met someone like you before. This many times, without…”

Without killing you, he didn’t say.

Gerry grabbed his wine glass and took a swig. He was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to swig wine, but who was going to judge him for it? “You want to hear something hilarious?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“If you’d found me a year ago,” said Gerry. “If you’d—fuckin’ descended from the heavens with all the—the skull face and ravens and everything, and told me I’d died twenty five times and you were here to drag my soul to the afterlife… I’d have gone with you.”

Oliver blinked.

“Probably wouldn’t have even questioned it. Would’ve shrugged my shoulders, taken your hand, and gone.” Gerry swirled his half-empty wineglass. “’S different now, I think. I’ve got… I’ve got people now. I’ve got a goal. I’m not just…” He gestured vaguely with his free hand. “So really, you’ve got Tim and Sasha to thank for me being a contrary bastard.”

“The professional in me wants to resent them for it,” Oliver admitted. “But mostly I just feel relieved.” He paused, thinking Gerry’s answer over. “So is that it, then? You’re in this job because you wanted a purpose? Because you care about your friends?”

“Dunno. Maybe?” Gerry set his glass aside again. “I mean, I do. Care about them, that is. I care about the mission, too—always a good thing, saving people. It’s worked out better for me now than it did when I was alone.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but,’” said Oliver.

“But… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know… what?”

His hands felt restless again, now that they no longer had a brush or a wine glass to occupy them. Once again, Gerry found himself reaching for his lighter—which had, thus far, been sitting on the low table alongside his paints. The metal warmed instantly at his touch, as if welcoming him as he picked it up and drew it closer. The stylized eye carved into the case seemed to follow him, even when he turned it.

“You know that feeling?” he went on. “Where you want something, so desperately you ache for it, but you don’t even know what it is?” He swallowed hard, forcing himself to turn the eye away. “Like there was something carved out of you, long ago, and you’ve gotten used to living without it but every now and then you still poke the gap it left behind?”

“I… suppose?” Oliver said hesitantly. “I’ve never felt it quite like that before, but… it sounds an awful lot like loss, and I’m plenty familiar with that.”

“Nah.” Gerry laughed without mirth. “Can’t lose what you never had.”

“What about your friends?” Oliver pointed out. “Tim and Sasha?”

“That’s how it’s always been, Tim and Sasha,” Gerry replied. “Gods, you should’ve seen it when we all met. It’s like they just… fit. Instantly. And don’t get me wrong, they’re lovely, I’d die for either of them, and I think they’d do the same for me. But I’m not—we just don’t…”

His voice trailed off.

Oliver shifted, hand half-raised to reach across. After a moment he put it back down. “I’m… sorry, I suppose.”

“’S alright,” Gerry said, forcefully light. “I wouldn’t know what to say to that either.”

Oliver looked less reassured than he would have liked. “Is this part of your answer to my earlier question, about why you’re here? Because you want a connection like the one your friends share?”

“Because it’s right.” Gerry’s voice cracked, which was embarrassing on several levels. “The way they—they’re not in love, either of them, they’re just—they’re just so right, together. It feels right to see them like that.” Gerry sat back, still turning the lighter over and over in his hands. “It feels so right that I can’t help wondering why I don’t have it, too. That’s the worst part. It’s familiar, and it shouldn’t be, because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that I have always been alone.”

“Not… not really, though,” Oliver said hesitantly. “Not now, I should hope.”

His first instinct was to scoff, but the weight and warmth of magic at his fingertips kept him grounded. “Guess not,” he admitted. Like I said—I’m better than I was.” He sighed, running his thumb over the engraved lighter again. “I guess, to answer your question… I’m here because it feels like where I should be. There are still things I’m missing. Maybe if I stay on this road, I’ll find them.”

They were quiet for a moment. Oliver drained his own glass, raised his paintbrush to the canvas, and put it back down again.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, and a servant of death itself shouldn’t sound so painfully awkward. “I’m glad your road led to me. I’m glad you found your way here.”

“What’s the symbolism of death flirting back?” Gerry asked with a grin.

After a moment, Oliver returned it with a softer smile. “No idea. Maybe it’ll come to me if I keep at it.”

It was a nice smile, Gerry thought. It didn’t fill any of the empty gaps in him, but it found its own snug little spot, somewhere beneath his ribs.

He wouldn’t mind seeing it a few more times, before the night was up.

[cqtlatte]

damn your art style is so pleasing to the eye :0

do you use any particular art software, brushes or technique? I'm a beginner at digital art, so I'll take all the advice I can. thank you for your time!

Hi anon!! Thank you so much, it really means the world to me <3

There’s so many tangents I can go on to give different advice for you, I think because we often think there’s a concrete formula to improve. I hope the advice I give here will help down the road, and that I don’t sound too all over the place here! (lol)

As for programs and such, I use Clip Studio Paint EX. I used to be a PRO user for quite some time but upgraded for the extra features (mostly for webtoon creators/animators), it isn’t a necessary switch at all if you only want to focus on illustration.

Paint tool SAI is also a good lightweight alternative! Before I got a better laptop, my old HP couldn’t really handle CSP; it lagged a whole bunch.

---

I tend to jump around a LOT between brushes to toy around with effects and stuff, so it’s hard to give a specific set, however I use these the most:

https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1697201

https://graphixly.com/products/theonewithbear-sumi-brush-pack-for-clip-studio-paint

Along with the darker pencil (default brush in CSP)

and a few brushes from the DAUB brush pack.

I don’t use every single brush in every set all the time either though! Usually when it comes to picking brushes for yourself, it 100% relies on how comfortable you are with using them. You'll definitely know what feels good for you, and what doesn't when you try them out!

Some people (like me) enjoy more textured brushes, and others are comfy with clean brushes for lineart, and others like soft watercolor brushes or oil brushes.

Don’t be afraid to tweak brushes either! It takes some time to learn how to do this, but there are lots of tutorials out there.

---

I think the most important thing is to first find something that you enjoy drawing/painting a lot, and experimenting a bunch on that. Don’t be afraid to try new things!! You don’t always have to follow the basic workflow of sketch > lineart > color > shading. Mix it up a bit! Include colors in your sketches, paint over your sketches if you don’t like doing lineart! If you do like making super clean lineart, work on different types of lines to make it more fun! Art is like a form of play and messing around, it shouldn’t feel stressful. Be willing to make lots of bad art (even though that can be hard sometimes), so that in the future there’ll be less bad art and tons of good art! Don’t worry too much on developing a style, since this will come naturally the more you draw.

---

(also, a word to those who post art on social media!) -

Don’t ever forget to draw what YOU enjoy, rather than focusing on what you think others would like to see!

For a long time before this year I felt like I was constantly hitting a brick wall, and I didn’t know why I didn’t like drawing as much as I used to, and why my character art felt so boring to me. When the covid pandemic hit, I was forced to take a loooong look at my art, and decide ‘I still have a long way to go..’

Something clicked when I sat down to work on some acrylic paintings on canvas for my uni portfolio: I wasn’t allowed to include fanart, since the university didn’t accept that. I also didn’t want to only include digital art either, so that I could add some variety! So, I painted.

I was forced to think more about colors (something I was neglecting, since it’s much easier to color digitally and hit the undo button 10000000 times when I wasn’t happy with something)

During that time, I found that I really REALLY liked painting landscapes and working with bright colors, so I also started to incorporate that into my digital art. Turns out other people enjoyed that as much as I loved creating it, so from there on out, I’ve just been toying around and experimenting on new things ever since!

---

Anyway I hope this doesn’t sound too abstract. This is my first time giving formal advice so my brain is going into overdrive mode.

[madsraa]

hey! i can't get over how incredible your background perspectives are! i'm aware of drawing different guidelines for 1 point, 2 point, 3 point perspectives, but how do you get your art to look so naturalistic when doing so (especially for environmental art)? would you mind walking us through your process?

Hello! And thank you :) I’m surprised you asked about perspective because that’s something I’m constantly working on. Planning a painting’s perspective is always a struggle for me but I do have some tips that might help!

Here are the big things for me:

- Feel it out! Most of the time I just kind of wing the perspective which is terrible advice haha. But!! I think artistic license is helpful when working with perspective because then it comes down to what looks good - not what’s technically right. I start pieces with tiny, loose sketches that are usually never accurate when it comes to perspective. But I think that things like composition/shape arrangement are much more important than perfect perspective. And in my experience I think that if you stick too close to the rules of perspective, things might start to feel a bit stiff. That also kind of reminds me of the saying “don’t sweat the small stuff”. If something feels right, people will probably never take the time to actually check if it’s accurate! I should also mention that getting to a point where you can “feel it out” comes from knowing a bit of perspective rules and practicing from life/reference. Another thing worth mentioning is that you’ll probably be more confident about feeling out the perspective after you’ve built up your mental library - certain things will come to you naturally.

-  Use lots of reference!! This one is pretty simple - you can’t draw what you don’t know. It can be difficult to imagine the idea you have in your head without using reference and if you try to cut corners by not using them, you’ll probably make more problems for yourself later. And there’s nothing worse than having to make changes to the perspective after you’ve started painting!

-  Try setting up a grid on the ground plane. I think technically this point is the most helpful one for me when it comes to planning perspective that feels natural. In past pieces, I would roughly draw one in but these days, I’ve been taking more time to properly set up my perspective which really helps in the long run. I start with my horizon line, find my vanishing points, and then draw a grid using those points. I’ll have an example below! And for landscapes that aren’t a flat plane, I find it really helpful to draw lines over the surface. There’s also an example of that below! But in general I think having at least some marking/design on the floor to indicate a ground plane/form helps immensely instead of trying to arrange objects on an empty plane.

-  Along with feeling it out - flip the canvas if you can! And if you’re drawing traditionally, look at it with a mirror. Once you flip your drawing, you might find that a part of it feels weird that you didn’t notice originally. 

-  You can also create a tiny mock-up from objects around your house. Anything that you can physically manipulate and then take pictures of is a big help! 

And here’s a quick breakdown of two pieces in the sketch stage!

This one was pretty much felt out. The main sketch is suuuuper messy but I went with it since I liked the movement/energy. I had a couple of reference photos to go off of but didn’t end up using them as much - they were more for the general feel. This was a case where I had the movement and composition of the piece determine the perspective. I remember moving the horizon line around a lot but wanted it a bit higher so I could paint more of the ground. And I wanted the hills to go back and forth like they were woven, leading your eye down to the castle. The grid thing I mentioned before could also be applied to the hills here - warping the lines over each hill could give you a better idea of how they actually blend into each other/sit in the environment. And again just having those lines makes it much easier to place things like trees/figures/etc.

This one wasn’t too bad since it’s a level ground plane with normal 2 point perspective. I started with a very rough sketch which had the horizon line with that in place, I could then mark the two vanishing points and make a grid based on that. Then I started to add in everything on the ground and worked my way up from there. So before I even started drawing the wall of the temple in perspective, I wanted to make sure the grid on my ground plane was in place. The ground plane is great because it really gives you a feel for where everything should sit even as it recedes to the horizon line. And it’s super easy to make changes/move things around because all of the information you need to know where to place things like pillars or rocks is there!

I also want to add that even though I say I find the horizon line, vanishing points, and then draw a grid - it’s not always as simple as that and I rarely figure out what I want in one go. I’m really indecisive and it can take me a bit to nail the perspective I had in my head. So that’s why I start with a bunch of tiny sketches before I spend more time on a clean sketch and make sure to try out a couple combinations of horizon line heights along with different vanishing point placements. 

There’s also a helpful set of images by Thomas Romain on perspective. I always think about the last set of images where he draws the floorpan of a room, then transforms that into perspective and starts drawing based on his flat floorplan. Something like this is probably best for interiors/rooms which have more structure - but I’m sure you could also get it to work for environments with a more natural/hilly terrain.

And in addition to that, Matt Laskowski put out some great videos on perspective.

And just a little last note: I think there’s a ton to learn just looking at a bunch of different environments! I feel like no one really talks about it, but you can absorb a lot and add to your mental library just by taking time to look a little closer at the world around you. And that’s all without ever drawing! Usually when I’m not doing anything and am sitting for a while, I’ll look at wherever I am and ask “how would I draw this space?”. I’ll run through where the horizon line would be, how I’d draw a grid on the floor, how certain objects are distorted from perspective. And sometimes when I don’t feel like drawing or doing a study, I’ll look at photos and really try to understand and internalize what I’m looking at. So it’s great when you need a bit of a break!

And please take this all with a grain of salt since I’m no expert on perspective! But I hope that answered your question! If not, feel free to send another ask if there’s something more specific you were wondering about.

[heritageofazerbaijan]

Painting of Azerbaijan: "Tears of Kapaz" by Sattar Bahlulzade

Sattar Bahlulzade (1909-1974) was an Azerbaijani painter.

Article: Historically, artists become famous either for their unique style or the character they exude to the world of art.

Sattar Bahlulzade a living legend, a painter, who in the literal sense of the word is the face of the Azerbaijani lyrical landscape, and, importantly, unique in his soulful qualities was an artist the importance of whom for the national art is difficult to underestimate.

Love of drawing appeared in artist’s early childhood. After his father gave him colored pencils, the boy drew everything that surrounded him. He was surrounded by various beauties - bright holidays, nature of Absheron, household items decorated by folk craftsmen. In one of his diaries the artist wrote:

“Everything was in the right place in the house. She (the mother) located the items like an artist. Blankets and bedspreads folded so that the color gamut coincided. For her, it was a work of art, it was a beauty.”

Bahlulzade is an artist, famous for his strangeness. He had a habit of suddenly leaving home and sometimes being absent for months. He did not sell his work, he gave them disinterestedly, although he was not a rich man.

The artist was in love with nature, considered himself a part of it. Actually, most of his life passed in the bosom of nature in order to be closer to it, to understand it deeper, adequately perceive and depict it on canvas. He could better express and realize himself as an artist in unity with nature. This is clearly seen in many famous paintings of the master.

“Many people think that when I want to, I take a blank canvas in a frame, a palette of colors and without any difficulty I depict various moments in the life of nature. This is a misconception. I originally had such a habit: I did sketches in advance to some of my works, and in some cases I remembered what I saw. For example, over the paysage "Tears of Kapaz" I was painting what I remembered, I did not make a sketch in advance of it. Actually, at that moment I had no such opportunity,” the artist admitted.

Bahlulzade was a thinker, he always avoided trifles and focused on the transfer of the deep essence, character, poetry of the landscape. Because of this, his works are saturated with colors, energy emotionally and musically, are full of completely unexpected turns and magic.

Working on the canvas, however, was given to Bahlulzade by no means easy, he spent a lot of time and effort to catch the right moment and to convey the unbridled power of nature and its unique charm as colorful as possible.

About this emotionality, philosophical and aesthetic elements in the works of Bahlulzade much is said and written. Some assume that these qualities in his work are the result of the influence of the medieval art of Tabriz miniature, others think that this is the result of the influence of impressionism.

It is noteworthy that musicality is the very essence of creativity of the artist. When you look at his paintings, it's difficult to get rid of the feeling that this is a kind of symphony written not with notes, but with colors. On artist’s paintings, colors radiate light and a melody, they seem to sing.

It is necessary to dwell on Bahlulzade’s colors that he used in his paintings, about which so much was said. Like many specific features of this artist's work, the colors on his paintings are also unusual and incomparable, his palette is unique. The impression is that he created these colors himself and only he works with them.

Bahlulzade, however, himself did not agree with such statements and remarked: “I'm not looking for colors and do not create them. I just try to portray things the way I see them. Let's not forget that everyone cannot see things equally, everyone has his own angle of vision, his own visual memory. One sees and perceives yellow, blue, pink, orange colors like this, and the other - quite differently. Therefore, these colors look different on the canvas.”

The artist preferred yellow, blue, pink, orange, lemon, orange and dogwood colors in his works. It is interesting that these colors, noticeably predominant in Bahlulzade’s paintings, do not bore at all, do not bother, on the contrary, they seem to illuminate the soul with a certain special light, and fill it with joy.

Paysages dedicated to the Caspian Sea, oil rigs, occupy a special place in the artist's work ("Caspian beauty", "Evening over the Caspian", etc.). He used spent whole days at sea, with oilmen on boats, platforms, overpasses, towers. Despite the similar coloring of these works, the artist was able to masterfully convey the contradictory nature of the Caspian.

Solo exhibitions of the artist were held in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Norway, Bulgaria, Germany, Iraq, Cuba, Canada, Belgium, France and Japan.

Currently, the works of an outstanding Azerbaijani artist are kept in galleries and museums of various countries. Honored Art Worker, laureate of Azerbaijani State Prize, People's Artist Sattar Bahlulzade died October 14, 1974 in Moscow. He is buried in his native village of Amirjan.

Article by: Aygun Salmanova.

Painting: "Tears of Kapaz" by Sattar Bahlulzade.

Photos: Photos of Sattar Bahlulzade.

[recurringwriter]

If you were looking for prompts. I like "arcuate."

Okay I struggled a little with this prompt, because I don’t often use prompts and also i wanted to go the obvious route just as much as I wanted to pick an option that wasn’t exactly ‘on the nose’. and here we are!

Arcuate (arched; bow-shaped)

Certain that he'd heard a ghost, Ashe decided that it was time to hightail it out of the cathedral.  He should have known better than to come out here so late at night, but somehow he always found himself tracing the same steps back.  He didn't know if he was searching for answers, or whether, deep down, those answers involved the memories and fears that haunted him.

His steps rang out loud on the stones, leading him further from the grand structure behind him.  The bridge that connected the cathedral to the monastery was too long for his liking, and the way the wind sometimes whistled around it only served to worsen his fears.

Thankfully, it was quiet this night.  Ashe pulled up his hood and made haste, the autumn air sharp in his lungs.  It raked against his throat, catching when he saw a strange silhouette ahead of him.

Ashe froze, quivering with anxiety.  No one came out here this late.  He never passed anyone.  And this shape, it wasn't human.  It was bulky and strange and in the seconds in which Ashe failed to identify it, his mind conjured one horrible possibility after another in rapid succession.

Part of the thing turned, slowly, hideously, and a trembling voice called out "W-who's there?"

Ashe exhaled and dropped his shoulders.  "It's just me, Ignatz.  What are you doing out here?"  His heart was still pounding, so Ashe laughed nervously as he crossed the distance between himself and his fellow archer.

"I'm, well," Ignatz said.  "It's nothing, really, to be quite honest--"

"Are you painting?" Ashe asked.  He squinted at the thing that had distorted Ignatz' silhouette so badly--it was an easel and canvas.  "Can you even see out here?"

"The sky is so clear," Ignatz said, like he was admitting to a crime.  "When your eyes adjust you don't even need a lantern."

"I suppose that's true," Ashe conceded.  He leaned against the stone railing of the bridge, looking out over the dim landscape below.  In the sky, the moon was a mere crescent, looking for all the world like a bow pulled taut, ready to let an arrow fly.  "But it still can't be easy to paint in this light."

Ignatz set his brush down.  "No, it isn't.  But the way this place looks," he trailed off, and when Ashe turned to see where the other archer's sentence had gone, he saw that Ignatz was staring into the distance.

Ashe let the silence remain.  After the battles they'd fought, after every horrible thing that had happened, silence was something Ashe could contemplate.  It was peace, as much as it was the holding of a breath before the next round of violence.

"It's so peaceful here at night," Ignatz said, and Ashe couldn't miss the wish in Ignatz's voice, his tone almost like a prayer.  

"You're right," Ashe agreed.  Especially tonight, when the air was still and cool.  "You know, the longer I stand here, the more I can see.  For such a thin sliver of moon, it gives off a lot of light."

"It's perfect," Ignatz said.  

"Am I keeping you from your work?" Ashe asked, standing up straight as the realization hit him.

Ignatz shook his head.  "No, no, of course not!  Actually my hand was cramping up right when you came by, so perhaps you were a sign that I need to take a break.  And I like to just look sometimes."

"Oh, good," Ashe said, relaxing again against the cold stones.  "Maybe it was a sign for me, too.  I always come out here and I'm never quite sure what it is I'm looking to find.  Maybe it's just company."

"You're welcome to stay," Ignatz said warmly.

The two of them looked out over the bridge in silence, the moon still shining brightly down on them.  Underneath its silver curve, they didn't have to worry about tomorrow's battle, about who they wanted to be and who they were expected to be.  They simply were.

Ashe saw from the corner of his eye when Ignatz went back to painting, but didn't ask to see it unfinished.  He went on watching the moon's slow, aching progress across the night.

"It's such a thin sliver," Ashe said.

Ignatz looked up from his palette.  "Arcuate," he said.  "Oh, sorry--"

"No, that's the perfect description.  It really does look like a bow pulled back."

"Yes," Ignatz said, sounding relieved.  "Maybe that's the Goddess' bow, ready to protect us."

"Maybe that's why it feels so safe out here," Ashe agreed, even though personally, the reason was his human company.  

"Maybe!  Or maybe it's having a knight near me," Ignatz said.

Ashe laughed.  "I'm not a knight yet."

"You're well on your way," Ignatz assured him.  "Here, what do you think?"  He lifted a lantern that had been set at his feet and stood to the side, offering Ashe room to look at the unfinished painting.

"I'm not so sure," Ashe began, then gasped.  "Oh, Ignatz, that's--"

The other archer fiddled with the paintbrush still in his hand.  "It's not my best, and I could have taken more time with the foreground, but--"

"It's incredible," Ashe breathed.  "The stars--"

The stars had been painstakingly painted, and Ashe recognized the brightest ones as the real constellations above them.  However, the minor stars, swirling and spattered across the canvas, suggested a form just behind the moon, drawing that heavenly body back like a bow.  It was subtle, but beautiful, and when Ashe looked again at the sky, he could almost feel the Goddess in the place where Ignatz had painted her.

"I love it," Ashe said, simply.  

"Really?"

"Of course.  Wait--in the front--"  Ashe leaned forward, squinting at the silhouette of someone standing in the painting's foreground.

Ignatz looked down.  "I hope you don't mind me adding you."

"I never thought anyone would ever paint me," Ashe laughed, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"It's hardly a painting of you--just a dark patch on the canvas," Ignatz said, "but well, we both know it's you.  And when you've been knighted, maybe you'd let me try to do a proper portrait."

"Wow," Ashe said.  He stared at the painting, all the little details that probably wouldn't be truly noticeable until daylight.  The addition of the silhouette seemed to make the sky that much larger and more majestic.  When Ashe remembered that Ignatz had essentially offered to paint his portrait, he tried to snap back to reality.  "Of course!  It would be an honour to have you paint me!  I don't see that you'd want to--I'm sure you'll have so many commissions after this is all over."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Ashe said.  "But if you really want to make time for me--then I'd really like that."

Ignatz smiled, as bright as the moon was.  "Me, too.  Let's make a promise, then, to do just that."

"Agreed."

[postmortem-bookworm]

Bright - Bucky Barnes - Part Four

Fandom: Avengers

Type: Series

Word Count: 2818

Character(s): Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, Shuri, T'Challa

Warning(s): Cussing, Mentions of attempted suicide (but shouldn’t be anything triggering), smut (maybe), mentions of X-Men, Steve is crushing

A/N: This picks up almost right after Black Panther, but before Bucky is awake, there is no Thanos, and everyone is alive.

The entire day with Maeve, Natasha, Steve, and Bucky seemed to brighten Maeve's depressive attitude of the last week. Bucky and Maeve were able to introduce Steve and Natasha to the Wakandan food and culture, and a few of their friends in the food stalls. The biggest surprise for them all, was the smile on Maeve's face when a gaggle of children came giggling and shouting for her, spinning and dancing around her. They all gave her squeezing hugs before they run off, causing her smile to grow about 10 times the size of before. Natasha has watched in wonder at her adopted sister's laughter and happiness with the children, and the obvious loneliness she felt when they all run off. After leaving the town, they join the royal family for dinner that night, before they all walk back to the Quinjet to say goodbye.

"So, I'll see you in a month?" Maeve asks as she hugs Natasha, the hug is tight as if neither of them want to let go. "You promise." If possible, the hug is getting even tighter for them.

"Yes. I promise!" Natasha answers, hugging her back as they sway back and forth, Steve is watching from across the helipad as the two girls bid their good-byes, when Bucky walks over to smack him on his shoulder.

"You're gonna miss your shot if you keep waiting, Punk." Bucky points out, causing Steve to huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "You aren't going to ask her?"

"Buck, what kind of life can I give her? She's here for safety, and I'm on the run day to day, trying to have a relationship with her... It's not a good idea to even try." Steve shakes his head. "I can't give her what she deserves." Bucky frowns as he looks at Steve, before he pats him on the arm.

"You never know, unless you try." Bucky says, causing Steve to shake his head.

"No." He shakes his head, looking at Maeve and Natasha, the latter is lifting Maeve off the ground. "She deserves better."

"Well, I'll continue to keep an eye on her, for you." Bucky offers, causing Steve to smile as the two of them watch the girls. "She does need someone. We're too much alike."

"She told you?"

"About what she remembers. I woke her from night terrors." Bucky watches as Natasha picks Maeve up, and spins her around, the two girls laughing.

"She hasn't told anyone but Nat about her past." Steve pauses, looking at Bucky. "She trusts you."

"We have similar pasts, that's all." Bucky says, trying to reassure Steve, who just shakes his head.

"I know. Just... Don't go falling in love with her." Steve looks at him. "Not for me, but for you. That's too much baggage for a couple."

"Even if I weren't to fall in love with her, it's not too much for two people to carry alone. Especially with friends like you and Nat." Bucky points out, causing Steve to look down in thought, but before he can say any thing more, Maeve is running over with Natasha following, and Steve catches the smaller woman in his arms, bringing her in for a warm hug.

"I'll miss you, doll." He whispers into her hair, but Maeve hears anyway, the emotions he's feeling are echoing in her chest, but she clamps down on them as she closes her eyes, and hugs him tighter.

"I'll miss you too, but we'll see each other soon." She promises as she leans back to smile at him, his arms are still around her as he looks up at her. "By that time, maybe this-" She rubs his bearded cheek. "will be gone." He pouts playfully as she laughs, pressing a kiss to his cheek before he puts her down, and he leans in to kiss her cheek as well.

"Be good." He says as she gasps, putting a hand to her chest.

"You wound me!" She cries as though she's aghast. "When have you ever known me to be anything but!" Steve rolls his as she starts to giggle, dropping her pose as Natasha shakes her head. "Hey," She sobers up to give him a side hug. "you be good yourselves. Also, be safe!" She warns as Natasha gives her another squeeze.

"We'll try." Natasha says as Steve pats Bucky on the back.

"Don't do anything stupid, until I get back." Steve says.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." Bucky retorts in a playfully sharp voice, hugging Steve.

"Jerk."

"Punk." Steve chuckles as he backs away, both he and Natasha practically force themselves away from their friends, climbing aboard the Quinjet. Bucky watches Maeve as they Quinjet takes off, her smile that was growing all day, only fading after the kids left, almost completely disappears once the Quinjet is out of eyesight, leaving behind Bucky, Shuri, and a very sad, and lonely looking Maeve. "Maeve?" She looks over at him, slapping a smile on her face as though she's try to please him.

"It's okay! I'm okay!" She answers with a cheerfully squeaky voice, he takes a step towards her, but she turns on her heels, and walks back to the palace, her fist clenched at her side.

Watching her under the pergola, her brush strokes from where he's perched are sharp, angry, jabbing and zipping across the canvas. The goat he's dubbed as Sam, bleats and headbutts him through the bars of the gates, causing him to stumble forwards, shooting the goat a dirty look, which it ignores in favor of frolicking off with the goat he dubbed as Steve. Clenching his hold and black hand, he walks over to the ivy strown pergola, leaning against the white post as he reaches back to ruffle his hair. "So, uh, Maeve... Is everything, ya know, okay?" He asks as she looks up at him with the end of the paint brush in her teeth, a nervous habit he's noticed. "You've been off now, for about a week and a half or so- since Nat and Steve left." The minute he points this out, her cheeks turn pink, and she drops the brush in her hand.

"I-I-Th-" She drops to her hands and knees, scrambling across the grass to look for the brush, the tip is died a black color, and the handle is green. It blends in well with the setting sun, across the landscape. "I-I'm fine! It just- the trip around town just brought somethings to mind!" She squeaks as she grasps the brush, climbing to her feet again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offers, causing her cheeks to become brighter, making him almost speechlessly stunned as she stands there, stammering and blushing and gaping like a fish out of water. What could she even say?

She looks at him once more, before a small squeak leaves her mouth, she drops the paint brush, and dashes into her hut at once. Bucky is left standing beside her art easel, very lost and confused, before he walks over to the animal pin to check on his goats again. He's roused from his thoughts at the sound of Maeve's door slamming open behind him, before promptly being slammed shut as he turns, seeing her cross the grass to stand right before him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Can I help you, Maeve?" She turns bright red, turning to stalk away, she barely gets five steps, before she turns back to him with her mouth open. She clenches her mouth shut as she turns and stalks away again. She does this a few times, before she seems to relent herself to staying silent, and shuts herself up in her hut once again.

The next time he sees her, is three days later, contently painting outside under the pergola as though she never left, causing him to remember her almost comedic display from a couple days before. "Are you going to runaway from me again?" Bucky inquires as he approaches her again, she glances at him as he looks over her shoulder at the painting. It's a landscape, but it's not one of their current landscape, rather of a landscape in Paris, the Eiffel tower is set against a pink, purple, and orange skyline, buildings of all different kinds are black silhouettes.

"Not today, I'm afraid." She answers, snapping him out of his reverie, causing him to look down at her from her side, smiling as she works at blending the skyline together. "I want to finish this today, and I cannot do that, hiding away." He looks at her work again.

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Cause it's for you." He looks at her in surprise. "A late welcoming gift."

"This is what you've been working so hard on?" He inquires, causing her to nod as she slips some red around the edges of the sky, on the canvas. "I appreciate it. It's beautiful." She blushes as she looks away.

"Sorry, I was so skittish yesterday. I had... A lot on my mind." He smirks as she cleans her brush, pulling out a new one to dip into the white and blue, to begin the process of painting the Seine behind the buildings.

"At least you cleared your head. Although, I'm not so used to you bumbling and blushing. It was a welcome and adorable change." She narrows her eyes at him, elbowing him as he smirks.

"I'll have you know, that there is nothing adorable about me! I'm a vicious fighter!" She huffs with an attempt at a menacing glare, which causes Bucky to burst out laughing, his head thrown back as he drops his big hand on her head, swiping it back and forth to mess up her hair.

"About as menacing as a kitten." He teases as he pats her head, and she grabs his wrist.

"You forget, kittens still have claws." She twists his wrist, shoving it away as he frowns. "Now, are you going to let me finish this, or are you going to pick on me some more?" He grins at her, leaning back against the post of the pergola.

"I dunno, it's a tough choice." He answers, causing her to smile as she shakes her head. "I'll leave you to it. Got check on the goats before Steve decides to try and parkour off of Sam again."

"Good luck with that. You named them appropriately." Her giggling voice causes him to smirk as he walks away, shaking his head as she continues to paint. She continues to paint as the day continues, occasionally her gaze trails over to Bucky as he whistles at and works with his goats. The sun beating down on her throughout the day, causing her to wipe her face more than once, paint smearing across her cheeks and forehead when she does it.

"You're a mess." Bucky points out as she serves lunch on the table that Bucky built. She grins as she places a plate of food in front of the brunette man.

"Best part of painting, is getting dirty." She retorts as she sits down with her own plate. "I'll take a bath in the stream, after lunch." He pauses at that, the food on his fork falls as he stares at her, mouth gaping. "What?"

"You bathe in public?" He asks, causing her to huff, leaning back in the chair as she spears a mushroom, popping it in her mouth. "I me-mean, fresh spring water isn't bad." He says as he runs his metal hand through his hair, before he pops a potato into his mouth.

"I just am lucky you have yet to venture into the woods, when I have been bathing- I don't do it very often, but still." She says as he clears his throat and nods.

"Yeah." He nods. "I guess so." He shifts in his seat, before he continues to eat. "How long have you been working on the painting?"

"Going on 18 hours, all together." She answers, smiling up at him as she kicks her legs. "I remember Paris from when I was younger, the sights, the smells, and the food!" He watches as she smiles dreamily. "The food was delicious, but the art? Ah, the art was beautiful! The Louvre is definitely the best place to see the most amazing and wonderful art in to world."

"So, you really love to paint, don't you?" He inquires, causing her to biting her lip as she nods with a sheepish smile on her face. "The works I've seen you do are beautiful." He confesses, causing her cheeks to turn pink at that.

"Th-Thank you." She murmurs, her eyes falling to her food. "I'm still learning. It was just something I picked up, after years of stress it was a kind of... Meditation. The methodical stroke of the brushes, it was calming when I was at the school." She explains, and he tilts his head in curiosity.

"You've mentioned that before- "the school". What is that?" He asks. "Is it bad?" She shakes her head, perking up with a bright smile.

"No no, not at all." She bites her lip again, looking off towards the woods. "The headmaster was a man named Xavier- We called him professor. He's a telepath that built a school out of his childhood home, a place where people like, well me... Mutants, would be safe to learn and hone our powers." She explains as she runs her fingers through her hair. "Safety towards ourselves, and others, while keeping our anonymity, and our powers secret."

"Why did you leave?" He asks, causing her to pause with a sad smile on her lips.

"I had... a history with one of the teachers there, after I graduated. He was one of my teachers, and we never wanted to let that come between us. But, he always had feelings for... another woman, another teacher there. She... died and something happened, it... changed him, and I couldn't handle the way that he changed. He was just too different. When the bad things that happened came along, he wasn't really there for me... It broke me." She clears her throat as she pokes her food. "So, I left. I knew a couple of the guys that were joining the avengers, met Nat, and a friendship sorta blossomed. But, things were just too much, my powers are a bit too erratic, and that's why I am where I am today." He nods as he takes a sharp bite of his food.

"I'm sorry. That sounds like a lot." Bucky says as she shakes her head.

"Yeah." She sighs. "A lot more than I thought." She points her fork at him, a button mushroom on the end of it. "If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely have to introduce you to a couple of them." She says, smiling happily at the thought of doing so. "You might like Hank. He's big, blue, and furry." He looks at her with his brows raised, and she giggles. "He's kinda like an uncle figure." She bits the mushroom off her fork, as he nods, biting into his own food.

"Could be fun." Bucky answers as she pauses, her smile fading as she looks down, frowning at her plate. "What?"

"I forgot... Legally, I'm on the run. I can't bring them here, and I can't go see them." She sighs as she pokes at her food. "They were my family, for so long, and now I-I can't even see them. A call is easy, because it's untraceable here, but it's not the same. Living with the Avengers was easy, the mansion was a car ride away, even if I didn't want to see them after everything." She bites her bottom lip, worrying at it as she picks at her food, staring at the dish like it holds all the answers in the world.

"Steve is working to clear all of our names. It'll be okay, you'll see them soon." Bucky promises as he reaches out to rest his hand on her arm, and she looks up at him with a smile.

"You're right. I guess it's just been bugging me more than I thought. Thanks Bucky." He clears his throat at the bright smile she's directed at him, the surprise of the genuine happiness and hope behind it takes him off guard.

"Ahem, uh, our agreed upon lunch time is almost up. Let's eat the rest of our food, before it gets cold." He says, causing her to giggle as she nods.

"Right." She watches him dig into the slapdash of food. "Thanks." She murmurs as he swallows, taking a bite of her food as he look at her in confusion, before shaking his head as he continues to eat, a comfortable silence falling over the two of them.

Happy Holidays! I'll be back next year!