#im not me if my art isn't incredibly messy...

[llemon-soda]

if you could see yourself through my eyes...

[vonlycsnn]

✧ — PICTURE PERFECT

~ VON LYCAON X GENDER NEUTRAL ARTIST! READER.

SUMMARY: You're a famous artist/illustrator in New Eridu, absolutely tired of trying to deal with recent problems. then you decide to call Victoria Housekeeping Co. for some help, it was the best decision of your life.

- cw/tw: none.

- A/N: im so obsessed over this man its genuinely concerning, pls help. also this might be messy/ooc(?)...it's my first time writing this kinda stuff so bare with me.

Being such a well-known artist in New Eridu is tough work. Not only do you have to keep up with your clients' demands and expectations, you also have to deal with thieves trying to steal your work. 

You were thankful that some of your most valuable artworks were in museums that had incredible security, but even so, those bastards are still trying to break into your mansion and steal your canvases that have yet to be delivered or even unfinished.

Understandably, you grew tired of all the stuff you went through, slowly becoming restless from the amount of sleepless nights you had to fight through. To the point where you wanted to quit art completely but you just couldn't. Art was your passion. You've been drawing for nearly your entire life; you couldn't quit now.

Thankfully, a kind client of yours took notice of your situation and recommended Victoria Housekeeping to you. At first you were skeptical; there's no way a housekeeping company could help you with these problems, right?

—

"I don't think they'll be able to help me..." you kindly said. The client merely smiled and gave you a pat on the shoulder.

"Just give them a call. Trust me."

—

And here you are now, constantly being served and protected by the members of Victoria Housekeeping. You were extremely grateful for their service; they've made your life so much better than you expected. 

You've grown so close to them that you became one of their most respected clients, having to be close friends with each of the members. You didn't want to say that you had a favorite attendant, but you do have a preferred one. 

Rina, although her general services are incredible and you'd always find yourself having a great time with her, her culinary skills are...questionable at best, but still, you didn't want to upset her by any means. 

Corin is a sweet girl. When the two of you became acquainted, you saw her as a little sister. Although you were surprised at how strong she is for her age, you didn't think much of it. The problem with her is how much she doubts herself; you'd have to constantly remind her that she's not doing anything wrong, and as much as you hate to admit it, you were pretty annoyed.

Ellen, well...she isn't too enthusiastic about regular housekeeping jobs, not to mention she's always low-energy. But the number of times she saved you from the most dangerous situations was enough for her to gain your respect. Plus, talking about internet trends with her is always fun.

And there's Lycaon. Oh, did you have so many words about him. To keep it simple, he was just right. His services are always near perfect; he has saved you countless times from hollows and thieves; he is elegant; he is a gentleman; you could ramble about him all day for all you cared.

To be perfectly honest, you grew a crush on him. Every time he'd lean behind you to see what you're working on, you'd always freeze in place. Too flustered by what was happening. Every time you'd hear his voice, you'd melt. The way he acts just makes your heart flutter...He was perfect.

As your own personal request for him, you wished he'd spend more time with you. Be it in the mansion or outside. He smiled, bowing down in front of you.

—

"As you wish, master. I'm more than happy to spend time with an amazing artist such as yourself." He said. You saw his tail wagging ever so slightly, but decided to say nothing; you merely smiled.

—

Every now and then he'd come to your office to check on you; he'd bring you food every time you lost track of time; he'd give you a massage whenever you had free time.

"It's always important to maintain a good posture, master." As he would say.

But being an attendant for a full-time artist comes with its own challenges. Other than having to constantly be on guard at night for possible thieves, he'd always let out an irritated sigh whenever he saw your workspace covered in paint. Especially when you're making abstract art. But he understands that art can be messy sometimes, and that's fine.

Every time you get a commission to make abstract art, you'd always rent a workspace outside of the mansion. Just so Lycaon doesn't have to deal with the mess.

But other than that, the two of you were grateful for each other's company.

Much to your dismay, however, your feelings for him grew the longer you spent time with him. You became so close to Lycaon than any of the other attendants; he knew your weakness, he knew your strengths, and he even knew some of your secrets.

You couldn't express your feelings for him with words, and so you did what you knew best: to draw. As a request, you asked Lycaon if you could take a few pictures of him. Of course he obliged. Amidst the photography, he asked.

"If I were to be bold to ask, master, what is the purpose of this?"

You merely smiled at him, saying that it's nothing important. A part of him knew about what you're planning, but he decided to keep quiet and merely chuckled.

After the interaction, you quickly but stealthily took a small canvas and a few of your painting supplies.

—

Days passed, and the painting was finally ready. You have pulled many all-nighters to finish this; you spent so much time carefully adding details and capturing his looks to the formerly blank canvas. And you couldn't be happier with the results; you just hope it was enough to make him understand the message you're trying to pass.

You took a deep breath and finally called for him. He quickly arrives at your workspace, noticing the medium-sized easel and the small paint stains on the floor. Your back was facing towards him, trying to hide the painting from his view. Realizing what to do, you flipped the canvas and turned towards him. He was understandably confused, and you were too nervous to say anything. You quickly walked up to him and handed the canvas to him.

"Here. I...made this for you." You said in such a shaky voice, he was almost concerned. But he gently grabs the canvas, and finally, he turns it to reveal the drawing. He was... speechless. Absolutely speechless. Just standing there, appreciating what he's seeing. You stuttered, trying to get words out of your mouth.

"...as a way to express how much I'm thankful for everything you've done. You're an amazing attendant, and I wanted to repay you somehow. W-well, other than using money." You awkwardly laughed, fidgeting with your fingers.

Lycaon continues to silently admire your work of him. You captured his features so well; the colors were so nice to look at, the pose, the lighting... it was so beautiful. He always appreciates the time and effort you put into your artwork. Secretly, he has been going to your workspace at night to admire all of the work you've done. He couldn't help but laugh once he saw how red your face was.

"My sincere apologies, master. But if I may ask, what are you trying to say?" He asked, almost in a teasing matter. Oh, he knows.

You panicked, so overwhelmed by the situation at hand. A part of you is trying to come up with lies, but ultimately, you gave in.

After taking a deep breath, you officially admitted your true feelings. Well, in the simplest way possible. You couldn't help but cringe at what you've said. This is so embarrassing, you thought.

Lycaon smiled, looking back at the painting to caress the sides of the canvas. He chuckled once more.

"What an astonishing way to express such feelings towards someone. I must say, master, I'm truly impressed."

The thiren carefully puts the canvas on a small table next to him, then he walks towards you. Gently grabbing your hand.

"As for what are my thoughts regarding all of this," he then proceeds to kiss the back of your hand. You jumped to his action, watching every move he made. He looked back at you softly.

There you heard it—the words that'd make you fall to the ground instantly.

"I'd be delighted to be more than an attendant for you, my dear."

[nicosraf]

Hello! I hope this is not an odd thing to say—but my husband and I were talking about how art is not dead and there is so much genuine art in the world if you look away from most big corporations, and I brought you/Angels Before Man up in conversation.

So genuinely, Angels Before Man is one of the most gorgeous art pieces I will see in my lifetime, and I’m 21, so I hopefully have a long road ahead of me. There is just so much creativity and prose and feeling behind it. It is truly a representation of the artist’s mind. It couldn’t be done under some big corporation or done right under one. It is such genuine, heartfelt, religiously made art. We have SO many amazing, talented artists when we look away from some of the more heartless corporate-made things they keep pumping out, and I genuinely think Angels Before Man is at the top of my list and will be for years to come.

I hope this isn’t too much to say—even then, I feel as if I can’t get my point/appreciation across enough. You jumpstarted a writing career that I thought my concepts were too dark to carry. And I can’t thank you enough for bringing my career and such art to life. Keep doing what you’re doing, you’re one of the many talented artists that make life beautiful and worth living. This is what human beings are made for. Thank you.

Hello! This is incredibly sweet of you... Sometimes I fall into the spiral of my work not being "good" art, and then I have to remind myself that there's no such thing as good art anyway. There's formulas and rubrics and mass-appeal checklists but art isn't for a grade and measures of goodness or skill are all fake in the end. Even still, I have a complicated relationship with being so alone when I write. Sometimes I do wish I had a corporation/publisher to hold my hand and make my work "good", but then it would become soulless probably.

I'm really happy ABM has made you feel comfortable writing about dark/messy things. Im so honored its helped you... Don't be afraid! If you think something's gross or too vulnerable, take it another step further. Some people aren't going to like it, but they won't forget it.

Thank u again :)

[gwaaaaar]

MazM Metamorphosis thoughts

mazm look away im gonna be saying some shit.

SO. I haven't finished the game yet unlike hns which i speedran in 3 days oops. But im getting through it when i do remember.

For starters let's do some positives. I know I'll be getting... pretty negative soon, so I'll at least be nice at first.

Good art! This is one of the first MazM games which maha and crack haven't worked on. I MISS THEM!!! But the new artist, martin isn't half bad at all! I think their art is super charming. They have good shapes and expressions. Something really cool MazM did with the art style was having the metamorphosis episodes translate the irl characters into a sketchier art style to illustrate the fact that its a story. Its really creative and brings some uniqueness to it. The cg cards are in a goregous messy sketchy style thatnreally shows the turmoil in Kafkas heart I love it so much. So not lacking in that department.

Nowwww I don't know how much I can judge historical fiction/rpf. I always function under a basis of as long as its respectful (especially considering it's Kafka... poor dude went through a lot) that it's fine. So far I think its quite alright. The portrayal of emotional abuse is really chilling. Honestly scared the shit outta me... good writing. Ill come back later to this once I'm done.

Nowwwww for my negatives...

You can tell mazm lost half their employees . Adyu (the animator) left the team in janurary. They did all the chibi sprites and live 2d rigging in previous games so all the characters movements are bc of them. If they don't have an animator they can't do the chibi world things they did in previous games. People complained abt mazm games lack of gameplay before but this takes it to a new level. They made do with what they had in a visual novel format but I just don't think it's as engaging as what they had before. Especially considering the fact that we don't have diverging options. Lessa Checkmate is in a similar format but I recall they mentioned it had multiple endings and alternate forms of gameplay involving chess iirc. Which is a fair compromise. But here it just feels a bit empty without extra gameplay. Like. It's ridiculous seeing the Kafka sprite just lie in bed or have a desk in front of him thats like a wide piece of wood. Theyre not animated properly like the Hyde and Seek live 2d. Which is a damn shame! Martin did such a wonderful job on the art and it should have been brought to life by good animations.

I understand MazMs going through reforms and shit rn, but we had it good with jnh/poto/pechka that was PEAK. HNS/pechka was actually on top and while Thy Creature lacked in plot, everything else is really incredibly like the lore and worldbuilding and the characters. If MazM works on dracula, id rather it be a thy creature than a metamorphosis.

[greetingsfromuranus]

Your art is incredible... what was the most useful resource to you when you were learning? What kind of exercises did you use?

My response ended up quite long-winded and all over the place, so TLDR:

1: study other art and the processes the artists use (look at sketches, watch videos of people drawing/painting, look at how different industries handle learning and teaching stuff)

2: figure drawing is always good for you (humans AND animals) + a good warmup I sometimes use: draw cubes and stuff from different angles, try out different types of perspective, and try bending and stretching them all weird, playing with the shapes as much as you can

3: experiment with different styles, subjects, and mediums so you can learn different things and find what you're most comfortable with

4: draw what you LIKE because passion makes art good (also RELAX and don't get too caught up in things, just chug things out for a bit and get your hands warmed up)

5: this one isn't mentioned below but you'll have to make 1000 crappy drawings before you make good ones so just muscle through it until you get where you want to be (it'll be ok)

6: oh oh and I like to make lines that feel good in my hands specifically, do whatever feels natural it'll be fun. Don't always dwell on your weaknesses, explore your strengths and expand them.

7: also I've gotten good by physically drawing things bigger, zooming out and all that. Dont get stuck with regular notebook paper, get a sketchbook and make your art feel special (or if you're doing digital art make a special folder or somethin)

8: only take advice from ARTISTS that you KNOW AND TRUST, not some jackass on YouTube, or your parents (this has held me back the most)

I'm gonna start out by describing what I've done to learn, and then talk more about the mindset that REALLY got me where I am. I will also mention that I'm very much still in the process of learning, there's so much more I want to be able to do, and I am by no means an expert.

I've gotten my art where it is recently by studying how other artists draw - specifically looking at the processes they use, different methods of sketching what different materials/tools they use and WHY, etc etc..... I've experimented with a variety of subjects and styles over my life, and learned different things from each one. I think that's really important to do, because it allows you to find out what you're most comfortable with, and learn the different methods that you can even apply outside of the medium you learned them from. With how much art is out there,it can be intimidating and seem like too much to grasp, but you just gotta muscle through it. Learning is fun!!!

My biggest inspiration to my current style is definitelyed edd n eddy, and especially the art of Raven Molisee - I look at his art specifically because you can often see the sketches behind the lineart, which is super useful in figuring out what his drawing method is like! Specifically the thing where you sketch in a different color than you do lineart in, it's really obvious honestly but I've just never done it! But sketching with the same pencil i line with can be restricting, and end up just looking messy, leaving me less satisfied with the result and less motivated. Anyways, I think it's good to study the art you like, and find exactly what it is about it that you like so much, so that you can take those qualities and put them into your own art!l

I've also done a decent bit of figure drawing since I was a kid - understanding the structure, musculature, movement, etc... of human and animal bodies helps immensely with the styles im often going for - but understanding those specific things isnt required! I think having a good grasp on forms and silhouettes is equally important, and im currently working on getting better at that. I've been looking at cave paintings and other prehistoric art, their grasp on form is incredible, and the more conceptual view on figures is really interesting! While we're on that topic - I think it's important to study art from other time periods and cultures!! That's where you'll find the greatest variety in methods, mindsets, and completely different ways of making and viewing art. (I reccomend looking at some pre-rennaissance art.....incredible stuff out there...)

Now as for the mindset side of things:

I'll start out by saying: I've never taken an art class past middle school, so my technical knowledge is very lacking... one thing I was told early on was "don't use art as reference, only use real life-" But that's bogus!!!!! The way I've gotten my art to improve so much is by looking at other artists work and seeing what techniques they use to get their stuff the way it is. Humans can be as incredible as they are *only* because they can pass on knowledge to eachother. When it comes to cartoons/animation specifically, the the absolute best way to learn a certain style is to copy it over and over until you can get it the way you want. And study it on a deeper level of course. Get your favorite character and draw them over and over and over until you really understand their movement and volumes and expressions, that's what I do lol.

I would recommend taking some sort of art course, or following one of those youtube series where they teach you stuff, it would REALLY speed up the process of fixing the things that hold back your growth as an artist, but dont let other's critiques get to you (ive heard thats the problem with many art classes). I think the best way to get gud is to figure out what YOU want your art to be, and only take critique from yourself so that you can make the art YOU want, not what somebody else wants. Audiences are fickle and they don't actually know what they want, so never listen to them (ive learned this from some of my artist friends)

ALSO don't watch those YouTube videos about how certain art is BAD and this other art is GOOD, if you take their advice, you're just gonna be sad and you art will get boring.... draw the things you want like you're 8 years old and drawing your same favorite animal every day. MLP oc critics are the reason I can't color for shit, I took their advice and limited my colors to a certain amount and now I don't know how to use more than 3 colors at a time. So I just dont color. Which I'm sad about lol

[devondespresso]

i think its also possible that the lack of confidence comes from (or also comes from) that sort of inner perfectionism, that feeling that the fic has so much potential but the way its turning out isn't lining up with that you know it could be, and maybe that dulls your excitement for actually writing or finishing it.

at least thats the type of confidence issue im most familiar with xynxngxngxng. if this is at least part of it, theres a couple things i do to make it easier to keep going

first is the whole trust-the-process mindset. i remember seeing something along the lines of "the first draft is to make it exist, the second is to make it functional, and everything after is to make it good" and i think with pantsing its especially important to keep your first draft(s) low-stakes because the point of them isn't to be a whole fic, the point is for you to discover what's going to happen. its going to be messy, could be completely out of order, incoherent and honestly appalling because its not the final fic.

but the whole trust-the-process thing can be pretty hard to really believe in at the start, especially without any personal proof that it is real. i think drabbles are a good place to start. really really tiny stuff, aiming 500 words but anything under 1000 words, because those words go by so quick you can only focus on one really specific idea and its quick to play around with and refine to your liking! my absolute favorite fic ive ever written is like 800 words, but even if you don't make your favorite masterpiece ever its a solid low-stakes warm-up.

the second thing is some I definitely have to keep working on, but it is essentially redefining what "perfect" means for the fic your working on. because in art perfection is less an achievable quality of the work (because like, theres not a single piece of art out there that everyone agrees is perfect, its all too subjective) and more like a feeling. you look at the work and you notice things and depending on what your focusing on it either feels amazing (reading other ppls fics usually jztnxn) or feels imperfect.

and to help with that, i try to think about all art (especially my favorites and my own work) in terms of what the appeal is, what makes me and other people love it. its applying the thought process you use to appreciate your favorite fics to your own fic, taking off the nitpicking-hyper-critical author glasses and see your art more clearly. i love analyzing media anyway, but i feel like seeing flaws in art and understanding that it doesn't have to detract from how incredible it is has helped me be more forgiving with the imperfections i find in my own work.

and reallllll quick last little tip: if you can, find a writing buddy!! it doesn't have to be a big group, just one person to cheerlead while you build your writing confidence back up!! there are betas out there that help cheer you in while writing or you can ask a friend if they wanna trade cheering (you hype them and they hype you, if you're the type to feel kinda bad about asking for betas/cheer-readers, ive totally been there). it helps so much having a strong positive voice as backup while you're wrestling with that nasty little mean one in your head

its totally cool if none of these help fix the problem entirely, every writers different, but there is going to be some way to get through this, even if it takes a lot if trial and error and digging, even if you end up pioneering a technique or thought process or habit to figure out how to get your feelings on the same page as the things you know logically.

you're doing great and i wish you the best for getting back into writing again!! 💕💪💥

Hi! I have a writing related question. I have a major problem finishing things, specifically the second half or last third. I'm a pantser, and have tried planning to help fix the issue, but it's just...not my style. I plan and it all changes anyway. This problem has been going on for a long time and by now I'm fairly sure the culprit is psychological/lack of confidence. I know logically this is a common occurrence and I likely just need to push through, but I simply can't do it, most of the time even with shorter works (I then feel worse about myself as a writer, which makes the problem worse, etc). I guess what I'm asking is, if you or anyone has been in this situation, and some general tips or words of wisdom lol. I know the issues, but still can't seem to fix it. It's affecting my ability to write and now I can't even start stories like I used to either. It's making me miserable. I love writing and want to have it "click" again; right now I just feel sort of broken, creatively speaking.

I'm not very fandom social but I do read this blog all the time, it's a gift. So helpful on so many different topics, and I felt comfortable finally reaching out here ♥️ Thank you for everything you do here

I think you know part of the issue. You know that you can't finish works and you know that planning doesn't help you. You think there might be a lack of confidence, but you don't seem all that certain about it.

I think you should dig in a bit more and see what the actual culprit is.

Are you worried that your writing is bad and will be poorly received?

Are you worried your story is too niche and no one will read it?

Are you worried that the things you write might lead to harassment or bullying of some kind?

What you'll notice about all of those things is that the worry is about how other people will react to what you've written. That's something that's completely out of your control.

To get back to the joy of writing, try writing something just for yourself, with no intention of posting it. See if that helps you get to the end. Often people who have issues with perfectionism or shame or anxiety will put off finishing projects because they want to avoid the judgement that comes after something is finished. If it's never done, no one will tell you that you did a bad job.

If you're like me, then planning is the opposite of helpful because as soon as the plan is in place, it feels like the story is already written. Instead, try working with a plotline that has lots of different ways that it can go. Make it into a kind of "choose your own adventure" but for you, the writer. As you get to each stage in the story, leave choices open so that you can go left or go right - but you can also go up or down or swing in a circle.

Refocus on the parts of writing that feel more like play than like work and do more of that. Reconnect with the joy of it. Then, when you actually like it again, you can figure out whether you actually still want to post your works and how you can deal with your worries then.

*hugs* it's a rough spot right now, anon, but I think you'll get through it. Let's see what advice the rest of the blog has to give.

[averlym]

hi you're rly pretty and ily -🤡

w h a t

thanks? ilyt?