#it's linked to other comics i drew but i'm too lazy to link them

[caffellatte-cosmico]

A talk about mutual masturbation

[toyotacorolla2008]

hi!!! i was wondering if you could do a tutorial for how you draw transformers? i can never simplify them like you can. do you have any tips?? also love your art sm <33

hi ヾ(•ω•`)o

I WILL TRY MY best to explain what i do… i don’t actually have a very structured system but this is vaguely how i got started and how i simplified the process

1. look up and compile a whole bunch of references

this will be useful for EVERYTHING– transfomos come with lots of shapes and gizmos and details and stuff so a variety of references from different angles and in different poses is really useful because you can see the shapes they’re made out of and also understand how everything connects with each other

trapezoid town! this is a mess but it’s a quick example of how by looking at everything you start to notice trends or details like what moves with what or how flexible some parts are

there are a whole bunch of resources very nice people have compiled on the web like here here here here and here (mainly MTMTE) and there is a discord server (this is a link to a tumblr post about it and not the invite link itself) for it too but you can always look through the source material and just start screenshotting and pasting shit into a folder. 

you don’t have to do humongous in-depth breakdowns if you just want to be able to quickly doodle robots (god knows i don’t!!) but having the references on-hand makes it easier for the times when you’re like This pose is going to be challenging and I’m not sure how all of the cuboids will be positioned.

references also help break you out of thinking of it as just drawing blockier humans because the proportions and shapes vary a looooooot

2. draw draw draw

at first i drew a lot using refs heavily to get an idea of the shapes then i got lazy and just started drawing anime girls and smacking rectangles and kibble on top BUT as you draw more and more you start to pick up on the Salient Features as well as their General Silhouette.

drawing from memory means that what makes them look recognisable will become more emphasised in your mind so you’ll naturally pick up on how you can simplify them without losing what makes your guy Look Like Your Guy. so if you want to simplify the robots just be incredibly lazy like me B)

i'm kind of horrible because i don't even do like Basic Shapes i literally just eyeball it

for poses i rectangle it out while thinking really hard

anyway when i first tried to draw transformers but Something Didn’t Look Right it was either a) the level of detail across the entire drawing was inconsistent and threw it off balance or b) proportions weren’t right and these things only got better with me finangling and doodling and learning by iteration.

of course sometimes i don’t give a fuck because no cops in transformers doodle land but yeahhhh i’m the kind of guy who only gets through stuff by throwing a lot of rocks at it. i don’t have a Method to offer you unfortunately but what i did do was

3. experiment and exaggerate and experiment!!

The First Rule of Gun Safety is to Have Fun and Be Yourself! i took a lot of liberties and rarely stayed on-model when i doodled and waffled around (and i still do…) but it helped me figure out how much i was willing to draw lol and consequently how i would stylise them.

i would play with how big or small or exaggerated or expressive they'd be… even my most detailed drawings are nowhere near comic-detail but my least detailed ones were. turquoise triangle that’s vaguely brainstorm-shaped. having fun with it and just doing it to make stupid jokes makes the practice seem like not practice.

so yeah tl;dr i started by reffing what bots actually look like, would trace comic panels to get an idea of the shapes and details and then start drawing side-by-side → drew billions of perceptors from my diseased mind and played around with lines → ??? → upgraded from goofy-looking rectangles to goofy-looking rectangles

that’s it for advice! (i don’t feel qualified to say that much)

below are just examples of stupid doodles i’d make on my ipad in class or in the margins of assignments lol, you can tell the last one is from when i still didn't understand brainstorm's build very well because the wings are placed wrongly... But i grew.

hope this was somewhat helpful! there are other tutorials from other artists that i can direct you to but this is how toyotacorolla2008 got to shitposting on tumblr dot com

[caw-rky]

Dungeons and ponies

(Disclaimer : There is a lot of reading here but there is also drawings, the drawings are lower in the post so don't hesitate to jump straight to it to avoid the blabbering) Since uni is kicking my behind (well, that and a good old bad cold), I put a hiatus on Shuffled (and have been for a while already). But that's not the subject of this post ! So, Dungeons and Dragons ! The most known system of roleplay than most fan of the genre have played at least once, right ? Not me. I have only played homemade systems since before I could read. But I am a big fan of DnD redesigns and love memes so, what did I do after watching some redesigns on youtube? Well, of course, I drew the pillars ! And since I can't do anything simply, I linked them all to two classes and made a few indications for stats and an idea for a small system to represent the elements. So a few explainations then drawings ! Each pillars are linked to 2 classes (I also have ideas for the mane 6 (7?) but I haven't drawn them yet, dunno if I will) depending of their stories (in the serie and in the comics) and what I felt like doing. Each pillars are linked to a "virtue", virtues are pretty much the equivalent of the elements but there is seven of them and are made to be "usable" for both generation. The concept of virtue is : each virtue corresponds to an ability (for example : faith would rise the critical sucess rate for difficult actions). A virtue being in a party will act on all members of it, having multiple time a virtue will reinforce its effect (two faith would lower the failure rate necessary for an action to be thought as difficult for example) and different virtues would stack on the party (if you have a faith and a diligence, both effects will act on the whole party). If you have six or more of the different virtue, once by session you could use the friendship rainbow lazer. For the stats, since I'm too lazy to try and figure out what level everypony would have, searching how exp works and all, instead there are 5 level existing : low-, low, medium, high, high+. low- is you are pretty much unable to do anything using this stat. Low is lower than the average adult pony. Medium is average. High is higher than average. High+ is "hello I'm pretty much a genius in this field". The pillars have a mean to medium where the mane 6 (and Stygian) would have a mean at low. Now drawings !

Starswirl is a wizard (pretty obvious why) and a bloodhunter ! To make a very gross summary a bloodhunter is someone who used pretty... unsavory rituals to achieve very powerful blood-related magic (generally in the goal of beating up bad guys). In this, I consider than Starswirl became one to reach stronger magics to fight against the monsters who roam during their times (that far before even meeting the alicorn sisters). I also imagine him now half regretting his choice but also being of the mind of "better me than someone else". His virtue is curiosity. (Also a thing I thought while thinking about it (I will try to keep it short) : isn't it funny than he thought than Stygian was trying to steal the power of the pillars but his last spell, when corrected, allows the caster to reach alicornhood by using the power of 5 other individuals? Imagine the twist it would have been if Starswirl had originally made the spell to become an alicorn (and so immortal) and planned to put the rest of the pillars in limbo until finding a way to make them immortal too to "protect equestria forever". Like, Stygian would have been silent and shocked cause he was in fact sent by Starswirl to make preparatory diagnostics check-up but was thrown under the bus when some of the pillars realized their missing stuff. (Funnily enough, seeing how high in society Starswirl was, even if he planned to keep Stygian, it would have been easy for him to get guards to capture him back so it would barely be annoying for him to have to let Stygian run off). Like during part of the finale, everyone thinks the problem is Stygian taking the artifacts for one thing or another and then you learn than Stygian thought he was allowed since Starswirl asked him to do it and accepted the shadows due to feeling betrayed (possibly even accepting them to escape Starswirl). And I'm beginning to spiral in possibilities soooo next character ! (also, link of the wizard reference : https://www.lolailo.co.uk/ravenloft-chapter-fourty-four-the-journey-back-to-an-illusion/ )

Rockhoof is a paladin (of the Mighty Helm) and a barbarian ! And his dexterity is low due to a certain episode and charisma has ended up low cause it was the only thing I could lower when I realized his mean was high. His virtue is diligence ! And ref of the viking palading : https://www.deviantart.com/rathnos/art/Ziggeroy-The-Viking-Paladin-or-Vikadin-563177921 .

Mistmane is a sorcerer (cause her magic is too important for her to not have a magic related class and I thought than wizard was better for Starswirl) and a druid (before thinking for this, I hadn't fully realized how much she is linked to plants). Her virtue is charity ! And old ponies are hard to draw x'DD

Somnambula is a bard and a monk ! And I tried two color palets cause I wondered how she would look with Ankha's color palet. Her virtue is Faith !

Meadowbrook is an artificer (mainly for the potion making) and ranger (partially cause Mistmane already had the bard part and also because, Meadowbrook doesn't really have the link with animals and plants I generally imagine druids having? If that makes sense?). Her virtue is Mercy !

Flash Magnus is a fighter (I originally thought to make him a paladin before thinking than Paladin of The Mighty Helm sounded too good to pass) and a rogue (originally cause I thought it funny since his "elemental descendant" is the element of loyalty) ! His virtue is Bravery (yes, I know, imagination 10/10)

Stygian is a Cleric (just thought it would be cool for him to have become it to help the pillars) and a Warlock (pretty obvious that one). Yes I imagine him having two patrons pretty much opposite. Just cause I think it would make for very funny interactions with Stygian and both patrons. His virtue is caution. I tried to make the post veeeeeeery quick and short so plz don't hesitate to send ask if interested in this xDD May do the mane 6 and/or young 6 one day. Or not. Idk yet? Will take a while either way so have a nice daaaay !

[the-space-case]

Hello, yes, hi, I recently found your art and account and I love what you do. I'm turning 14 in April and I've asked for a drawing pad, but I have no idea how to use one as of yet. Have you got any tips or anything? Because I've wanted to try digital art for a while and your art makes me want to even more lmao. Thanks! - B.A.

BOI OH BOI DO I GOT SOME TIPS FOR U

(I’m not sure what kind of comp you’re going to be using, so I’ll list for both.)

FIRST: Drawing Programs; the free and the great.

-Firealpaca: Lightweight drawing program. I draw Recovery using this! It’s easy on the RAM if you have a weak comp/are paranoid about yours like I am, it is mainly for basic comic making, and has all the basic brushes you need (pen/pencil/airbrush/symmetry/etc). You can add your own brushes as well but they’re p basic settings. Has basic Animation/Gif making as well using Onion Mode! Layout is a piece of cake. Please note that If you leave it open for a week it’ll crash on you, even if you haven’t anything on it at the moment, and sometimes the brush sensitivity just stops working so you just have to close and then open it again. (Also I have no idea how to update it aside from deleting it completely and just downloading the new version from scratch, so thats a thing.) Mac/Windows

-MedibangPaint: This is basically FireAlpaca But Better. Has tons of screen tones, brush patterns, and tools. I don’t use it much because I’m used to FA’s layout and get confused with the the placement of tools in here, so if you can I highly suggest just going with this first. Also has basic animation/gif making! Has storage for the website as well, and you can upload more preset brushes. It’s v anime. This program has waaay more in terms of basically everything, so it just takes more RAM. NBD, you don’t have to have every brush downloaded from the storage ^u^. Mac/Windows

-Clip Studio Paint: Okay this one isn’t free, it’s a pricey one, HOWEVER once a year they take the price way fuckin down by at least 75%. Sign up for the email list and it’ll let you know when that precious day comes. It’s how I got it @u@, around christmastime? This program is basically MedibangPaint On Steroids. I do all of my digital-yet-tradition-style-painting on here! The brushes all have some neat af settings to play with, you can make your own brushes, has tons of screen tones, pre-made panels, and settings. You can save projects as basically anything you need, is a hardy program that almost never crashes, and It’ll take a nice chunk of space on your comp depending on how much memory you have but hey, its worth it. It’s much more complex layout-wise than the other two here, but you get used to it after playing around and watching tutorials haha.

-Mischief: It’s a 25$ app, has like four brushes and five layers only but is vector-based with an endless canvas. Not really worth having unless you like the vector thing. UP TO YOU. I spent forever with this one doing all that homestuck stuff, so it’s not really bad so much as it is a basic bitch. Mac

-MyPaint: I used this a bunch when I still did digital art on my windows laptop before I upgraded to a Mac. It’s easy on the comp and has plenty of brushes and settings. You can also get brush packages if you don’t feel like you have enough that comes with the program! Also has endless canvas; pretty sure you can just select an area and then export as is. I barely remember the rest but It’s pretty great. Windows/MacPorts(which I hate)

-GIMP: I hate this thing. I cannot figure it out for the life of me. It’s got loads of shit though, can handle layers, has plenty of brushes, and can do basic animation/gifs if you ever figure it out. Windows/mac

I’ve heard good things from paint tool SAI and Krita as well, but have never used them myself.

***You can always pay through the nose/use a student discount for the photoshop series and pay that shit monthly, those fuckers have literally everything, but I am a cheap college kid making minimum wage with a car payment; I’d rather just pay once/not at all.

TABLETS: treat that shit like a newborn babe 24/7

-I have literally only ever owned a Wacom Intuos4. It has lasted me six years, and at least five moves across many miles. I broke one of the cord ports the day I opened it by holding it wrong, have one left, and now treat it like it’s going to die if the cord moves badly. Please be aware that if you break both ports, you better either sodder it back together yourself or upgrade to smth else because it costs about as much as the tablet itself was bought at to be fixed. Good news, though, it comes with at least six extra pen nibs, has programable buttons on the side (that I have never bothered to use) and a scroll bar in case you’re too lazy to use the keyboard (…I don’t really use that either unless I’m just scrolling through tumblr LMFAO).

-I would die for a Cintiq.

HOT TIPS: its useful.

-most of the programs listed use the same keyboard shortcuts. MEMORIZE THEM. It’s pretty easy, since you’ll use em a lot. [cntrl/cmmd+T] lets you resize what you just drew on that layer, and [cntrl/cmmd+z] is undo. I use those the most, for obvious reasons.

-vector-based programs are pretty great because when you resize an image it looks prefect. You can’t do that with a program that isn’t, so I just resize the base roughdraft and draw the lineart again on the layer above so I don’t get weird JPEG quality lines.

-You can use a ruler with your tablet, just slap it on and go, but honestly most programs have settings for that. just use those.

-You can also trace stuff on your tablet, so long as the paper isn’t too thick. I just scan/take a photo and then open it up in the program, though. much easier.

-SAVE CONSTANTLY. Art programs like to crash on you, even when they’re hardy and you have a good comp. make it a habit to quick save your work.

-Use a desk and have good posture. You’ll be able to draw a hell of a lot longer if you do. I personally keep fucking up my knees by sitting on my legs as I work out of habit, and don’t actually have a desk chair. Keep your screen at eye level and at a fair distance to prevent eyestrain and also neck-strain haha

-Chances are you won’t be used to the tablet right away. Most places you buy from say it’ll take a couple of months to get used to how weird it is to draw while not looking at your own hand, so don’t be frustrated If your drawings look a bit off at first.

-if you draw at least one thing every day, by the end of the year you’ll have improved exponentially. I literally made this blog to make myself draw once a day.

-don’t be afraid to check out speedpaints and tutorials. It’s always good to get more familiar with the program you’re using and new techniques previously unconsidered.

-get familiar with clipping layers. They are insanely useful; you clip one layer to the one below and then when you draw it only shows up on the drawing of that layer below. Shit is a godsend if you’re bad at coloring in the lines/lazy. The bucket tool is also really useful, and you can adjust the expansion by pixel so you don’t miss anything between the lines.

-experiment with your brushes, shit be fun af

-warmup your wrists before and after drawing. prevent swollen veins and such. dont want hand pain/numbness, its reaaaaally bad.

—basically if your hands hurt stop for the day.

-PNGS are for internet, JPEGS are for printing/fucking with quality (cough hack homestuck)

-resolution doesn’t have to be much more than 350 dpi if its just going to be on a webpage. Maximize that shit if you’re going to be printing, though. Especially if you put stuff on redbubble.

-DeviantArt has this thing called Sta.sh where you can dump art, keep it in perfect quality and just share it with certain people with a link instead of all of the website. Great for storing commission pieces, its the only reason I have DA in the first place.

-you get a different audience depending on what site you use for posting art, so keep that in mind for the kind of feedback you want.

-after awhile of drawing using a tablet, you may lose patience/forget that in traditional art there isn’t an undo button lmfao It’s cool; you don’t have to choose one over the other or anything.

-Honestly you can work around almost anything. You just invent new ways and techniques for yourself and you’ll do just fine.

Aaaaand that’s all I got for today! Thanks for sticking around