#leaning toward light

[kiisuuumii]

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, from "Three Sunflower Seeds," featured in Leaning toward Light

[jennamacaroni]

Of course, any garden plot is small compared to the brokenness of a wider world that can seem beyond mending. We live in a divided society. We live inside climate change, ecosystem loss, mass extinction, and racial violence, in a global community gripped by famine, hunger, and war. The heaviest days are excruciating. Yet sometimes, in the face of huge pain, the things of the earth–hummingbird and mockingbird, snail and earthworm–can help reroute any of us toward awe and fascination. They can reconnect us–if just for a moment–with the life-energy we need to go on. Gardens also remind us that repair need not be so far off: In daily ways, we can each build our lives toward greater diversity and abundance. Nobody needs to be hungry. When we work the right way, we can all be fed.

Tess Taylor, "Gardeningin Public" from "leaning toward light: poems for gardens & the hands that tend them"

[illustration-alcove]

Melissa Castrillon's illustrated book cover for poetry compilation Leaning Toward Light.

[bixels]

I think 90% of my gripes with how modern anime looks comes down to flat color design/palettes.

Non-cohesive, washed-out color palettes can destroy lineart quality. I see this all the time when comparing an anime's lineart/layout to its colored/post-processed final product and it's heartbreaking. Compare this pre-color vs. final frame from Dungeon Meshi's OP.

So much sharpness and detail and weight gets washed out and flattened by 'meh' color design. I LOVE the flow and thickness and shadows in the fabrics on the left. The white against pastel really brings it out. Check out all the detail in their hair, the highlights in Rin's, the different hues to denote hair color, the blue tint in the clothes' shadows, and how all of that just gets... lost. It works, but it's not particularly good and does a disservice to the line-artist.

I'm using Dungeon Meshi as an example not because it's bad, I'm just especially disappointed because this is Studio Trigger we're talking about. The character animation is fantastic, but the color design is usually much more exciting. We're not seeing Trigger at their full potential, so I'm focusing on them.

Here's a very quick and messy color correct. Not meant to be taken seriously, just to provide comparison to see why colors can feel "washed out." Top is edit, bottom is original.

You can really see how desaturated and "white fluorescent lighting" the original color palettes are.

[Remember: the easiest way to make your colors more lively is to choose a warm or cool tint. From there, you can play around with bringing out complementary colors for a cohesive palette (I warmed Marcille's skintone and hair but made sure to bring out her deep blue clothes). Avoid using too many blend mode layers; hand-picking colors will really help you build your innate color sense and find a color style. Try using saturated colors in unexpected places! If you're coloring a night scene, try using deep blues or greens or magentas. You see these deep colors used all the time in older anime because they couldn't rely on a lightness scale to make colors darker, they had to use darker paints with specific hues. Don't overthink it, simpler is better!]

[no1boa]

haseul 𖡼

'dall' photo behind film

[commsroom]

sweetheart, baby, darlin', and so on. 💞 (by @jamisonrivv)

[suntails]

knighted

[ai-the-broccoli]

light yagami is definitely not neurotypical, imo. I can understand conflicting arguments as to what exactly he has or doesn't have, but my belief that he definitely has some things at least is non-negotiable to me

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Howdy's rainbow suspenders.

thank you for coming to my Ted Talk-

[screechingfromthevoid]

The cape wrapping was too much for me I have to leave

[kiisuuumii]

W. S. Merwin, from "Black Cherries," featured in Leaning toward Light

[mellowmaidenhairs]

thinking about the 11th hour

[cyberneticrick]

(( Mod of this blog but for outfit themed what about cyberpunk?))

[elderwisp]

THE SCREAM THAT JUST LEFT MY LIPS NO MAMES-

[decisions-at-3am]

You gave me a nickname, One so light and free. You could say it anywhere, I'd know you were calling me.