#it's the first time i'm not picking colours off the ref and honestly i think it's helping?? since i have to Actually Look at the colours

[gwinverarrouz]

I've decided to try to do another monthly challenge! This time it’s “photo studies but I’m not allowed to use the eyedropper tool to pick the colours” which I came up with because backgrounds and colours are still intimidating and I would like them not to be so much. X)

Figured I would go with landscapes for the first batch, and probably building or interiors for the second, and then maybe portraits? We’ll see!

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

(1 hour each, references from pexels.com, putting some comparisons under the readmore if you want to see how well I did with the colour matching) 

:>

[jjinomu]

How do you feel about using Tda when lots of people talk bad about them? I used to like making Tda edits but people started hating Tda edits so I stopped. I want to start making edits again but I feel like I have to use something else or people will think I'm bad.

HMMM SERIOUS QUESTION TIME and also super mega long post wow i didn’t expect to write an essay i’m so sorry

welllll honestly to start off, i don’t often let people’s opinions on whether they hate Tda edits or enjoy them to dictate my own personal fascination with the style (like when i used to do LAT edits and like… a lot of them), in fact i often use that disregard to fuel my own drive in order to manufacture a style of my own, while regarding and respecting the Tda-style itself!!! (which is why if you compare the original Tda to my own Tda edits it’s quite different but the textures and mesh-styling are pretty much the same)

basically what i mean is that, (by pure observation, i don’t really speak for the masses) people don’t really dislike the Tda-style more like the abundance of generic Tda edits and how they all relatively look the same (i.e. appends, the same miku face over and over), which is something you can use to your advantage in this community!!! as a Tda editor myself, i’d like to think that i stand out more rather then blend in because i’ve developed a personalised style??? which takes time and effort and personal enjoyment (other Tda-standouters are the ones who edit the textures, i personally edit mesh because i suck at textures) and because of that, people enjoy (i hope) what i do and i appreciate that kind of shit and it motivates me to continue to improve and improve with each edit (since none of my edits are the same as the last- im pretty sure all my tda meiko faces are different in some way)

and to be frank, you shouldn’t have a need to let people’s views influence and demotivate you from editing a specific style, that’s like someone going up to me and telling me that studying physics makes a bad student and if i study physics then i’m a bad student- you should just try and be motivated to y’know not be a bad student and not be generalised in that way.

in fact the only person who should influence and demotivate you is yourself!!! you shouldn’t look at yourself and think “wow people don’t like Tda edits and i edit Tda which means people don’t like me” you should be thinking “ew gross this is horrible wtf is wrong with me, my Tda edits are blending into the crowd and they’re kind of crapping out on me, im not really getting noticed but i still like the Tda style….. how should i improve this” 

you’re your own cheerleader and bully my friend. 

for example, if i rewind a couple of years back, my very first Tda edits were suuuuper generic, minimal editing to the face and hair (literally transform slider’d that shit) but the only reason i did well  was because i knew how to meta-make clothing (and my meta clothing sucked back then): 

you probably might look at this and be like??? that’s okay??? that’s an okay edit but not to me!!!! i see this and im like that’s generic tda miku face with doubt and blink slider??? what is that poop colour hair, what is going on with my textures, why are there no obvious seams in the clothing that isn’t how clothing works, why are her arms so scrawny, where are her full tiddies, why are her eyebrows default, why are her eyes default, her hands are small, her face is too big, is that a SKIN SPA WHY ARE HER CLOTHES SHINY etc etc and once you realise this upon yourself you start to develop and improve to something like this:

looking at the released v3 meiko i did 2 years ago im like EW wtf is that colour palette that’s not pleasing to the eye??? her skin tones is mismatched, her hair is so not fluffy and textured, wtf is that face texture??? im not fond of her upper arms they aren’t full enough for my liking, that skirt isnt even accurate, that collar is TOO BIG

heck i could look at my most recent v3 meiko and think ew that skirt is kinda gross????? and heck the EYE TEXTURE IS STILL THE SAME so don’t be afraid to think and pick at yourself (even if others pick at you) because you’ll improve!!!!!! AND the best way to improve is to criticise yourself, even if a lot of people are like WOW she’s so good, you can still be like zzz this is still not right…… but be appreciative of people and their kindness and don’t be cocky and arrogant and think you’re better than everyone else because you’ll never improve if you think you don’t need to improve!!! just be humble and modest and think to yourself, “this edit is better than the last and i think it’s okay so i hope everyone else likes it” because that’s what i thought of my first Tda edit, and a few years later i’m like ABOMINATION!!!!!!!!!!

AND it’s not like i also stick to Tda (i use it the most because it’s the easiest to manipulate i reckon and i just liKE THE STYLE OF TDA A LOT OK), though it makes up 90% of my edits, there’s the odd 10% where i visit other model styles and my own modelling (i.e. kio, koron or my own scratch models), which further allows me to experiment to my own satisfaction (esp when i feel like im doing too many Tda edits (i often feel uncomfortable) that they start blending into one another- i often take breaks with different styles so when i return to Tda, i’m more evolved in my styling and my edits turn out better) for example, after that first Tda Meiko that i did, i switched to kio and started editing the binan boys, and then when i reverted back to Tda i suddenly??? vomited out pretty decent and different kinda face edits (at that time) it really helps!!! so always always always let yourself be opened to other model styles and not JUST Tda!!!! because if you stick with Tda too much, you might not be able to see past the scope of Tda Miku’s face and you’ll continue to shit out generic Tda edits and as a bonus, with other styles, you’ll see more tools that you can utilise to create a new style for youself (when i say tools, i refer to how other modellers style faces i.e. Tda miku doesn’t look like say, koron miku). and ALWAYS look at refs for inspiration!!!!! don’t just try to morph on your own because you’ll be too scared to experiment, refer to a reference and challenge yourself to imitate it as much as you possibly can!!! don’t be afraid to challenge!!! (that’s why i do anime edits sometimes!!! it’s just a challenge to see if im able to edit and replicate)

tbh i even took a year off editing so i can start coding layouts and watch a lot of animes which is how i learned colour palettes and what colours look best with what (though that was a few years back and my colour sense has improved since)

basically what im trying to say is that, whether you come back to editing Tda or another model style, it doesn’t matter because you’ll evolve and continue to improve, we all start in some shithole or another and it just takes time and patience (for me it was years) and a really apathetic nature whereby you should be your own worst enemy and not the rest of the audience. 

you’re not bad if you edit Tda, you’re not bad if someone else says you are (though do take criticism (harsh or gentle) with a kind and open heart and figure out how to improve accordingly), you’re bad only if you, yourself as a person, think you are, and when you acknowledge your faults- you’ll begin to improve. (applicable to real life situations as well lmfao)