#or work in layers or flip the canvas so I can draw something from an easier angle etc etc haha

[degen-fics]

Alright Darling, You're On The Air! [Alastor x Reader]

Rating: E

Tags: Smut, dom/sub, exhibitionism, bondage, tentacles, orgasm delay and denial, overstimulation, knifeplay, degradation, aftercare

--- [available on ao3 here] ---

All of the kicking and screaming doesn’t prevent Alastor from wrapping you up in layers of shadow tentacles and shoving you into a newly spawned chair, right next to all of his broadcasting equipment up in his radio tower. It was your fault, you figure; everyone knows not to go knocking when the Radio Demon himself is preparing for a show, lest they wish to face the consequences of their actions. Ill-advised, really, but you took a gamble and peered up through the door all the same. Alastor had promised you attention, after all, but it’s been days since you’ve seen him, and you’re not the kind of pet content to be left alone for hours on end. You need entertainment. Stimulation. Excitement. The grandeur of thrill and danger.

You’re getting those things now, but at the cost of your pride and dignity.

“Now, now, none of that,” Alastor chides, sufficiently stopping your wild thrashing with more shadows tangled around your wrists and legs. “You came running for attention, didn’t you? Well,” he hovers over you, grin wide and hands clasped behind his back, “now you’re getting it.”

“Alastor–”

“Hush, dear.” He taps at his desk, gesturing to the microphone sitting at his setup. “You can’t expect me to put on a harmonious show with your little mouth running on in the background, now can I?” Alastor takes his seat, glancing in your direction with a shit-eating smirk on his face. You’re mouthing something - are you live now? - but he pretends not to understand, opting to make this a little more fun than he initially intended. “Darling, I’ve no idea what you’re trying to tell me, but I do appreciate your complete and utter silence. Can you keep that up for me, sweetheart?”

  You’re getting those things now, but at the cost of your pride and dignity. 

  “Now, now, none of that,” Alastor chides, sufficiently stopping your wild thrashing with more shadows tangled around your wrists and legs. “You came running for attention, didn’t you? Well,” he hovers over you, grin wide and hands clasped behind his back, “now you’re getting it.” 

  You nod, frustration apparent in your scowl because he one hundred percent knew what you were asking and decided to be an ass about it. You’re not a radio host. You’re not even a fan of radio. You died listening to a podcast where people loudly played Dungeons and Dragons for the entertainment of others - what the fresh fuck are you gonna know about radio?! You figured everyone who worked radio had one of those bright and obnoxious ‘on air’ lights you see in cartoons and shit, and then you remember, oh, gosh diddly darn it, most of those cartoons were made well after Alastor’s death and may not be time period appropriate. Shoot, guess you’ll never know! 

  So you nod, and get ready to watch him work. You’ve never had the opportunity to see how things work behind the scenes; to be frank, you often fall asleep during some of the softer songs he likes to play, and miss half of what he talks about when he’s, y’know, actively talking. 

  “Do try your best to not be startled by any sudden noises,” Alastor says, turning dials and flipping switches in quick, precise order. “While my broadcasts are meticulously planned, there’s always room for a bit of sudden… chaos, as it were. Bearing that in mind…” 

  You yelp behind tight lips.

  “Hello, my faithful listeners!”

  One of his shadowy tendrils slips down your neck and underneath your shirt, ghosting over your skin as if doodling on a canvas. You shoot Alastor a glare, but he doesn't react, already too preoccupied with his broadcast to pay you any mind. He knows what he's doing to you; Alastor likes drawing faint lines on your back every now and again when he's feeling particularly playful. Sometimes it tickles, sometimes his claws leave little indentations. But in the here and now, his shadow’s tracing over a familiar scar across your back.

  A L L  M I N E.

  You shiver at the familiarity. You're in trouble. You're bound to a wooden chair in Alastor's radio tower with the strict expectation that you keep your mouth shut, and only now is he going to give you the attention you want. You're his. He doesn't like sharing. He's on air. One small moan, and it's over. Last time you disobeyed him, well, you learned just how much it hurts to be edged for days at a time. Thirsting for pleasure only to be denied at the last second. Sometimes he ruins it, stops right at the first spasm; sometimes he doesn't stop, and your pleas wake up half of the hotel.

  When Alastor promises you something, he always finds a way to follow through. For better or for worse.

  “I received quite a lot of feedback from you all regarding my peculiar sense of humor,” Alastor chuckles under his breath, “let’s dial in on that subject–” 

  A strand of shadows delicately runs over your waist. 

  “--shall we?” 

  Oh, that smarmy little prick. You hate that you like his goofy puns, and always go out of your way to stifle laughs or snipe back with a snarky remark on his age. You miss the introduction, too busy trying to simultaneously shuffle away and swallow the giggles bubbling in your chest. Even the slightest wriggle knocks your chair into something; resist too much and Alastor won’t think twice about letting you fall to the floor. You’ve mastered your breathing just well enough to resist the ghostly tickles over your navel, but let’s not forget just how absolutely hilarious these jokes are!

  “And I said, ‘darling, no matter how much you push the envelope, you’ll always be stationary.’ Haha!” 

  Heh, get it? He’s trying to make you laugh by pointing out just how silly of a situation you’re in! While clever, it’s not the wordplay that gets to you, but the feathery wisps gathered at both of your sides, running back and forth and sideways until your tiny huffs of air shift to poorly sheathed giggles behind your teeth. 

  “Oh, I do love getting you all to smile, but please, don’t hold your laughter! The only prize you get for keeping still? A frown and a-trophy.” 

  You’d know a lot about muscle loss, wouldn’t you old man. That’s it. That’s the only snippy comeback you have on the brain, and you’ve immediately lost your trophy before you even had it. Peals of laughter bounce off the tower walls as your hands and feet writhe for stability, only for Alastor to continue his shadowy onslaught. Curls of black around your ankles start sending pins and needles through your legs; stay seated, they say, we wouldn’t want you to fall over and die of laughter. 

  “My apologies, dear listeners. It seems I’m just a bit too humorous for some to handle.” 

  The shadows lift from your body, one slithering up your neck as another wraps itself around your mouth. A chill verberates through your body, skin prickling as they tighten and suppress your sudden shout of surprise. You’ve been in similar situations before; when Alastor tires of your neediness and decides to take away your voice for ‘just a bit’ by shoving one of the tentacles in (or down) your mouth. You preferred the latter, but once he surmised that it was only helping to get you off, it was nothing but traditional gagging from there onward. 

  “There, now where was I? Ah, yes, the backbone of radio!” 

  Music. He means music. You wanna shout it into the microphone because you hate how cheeky he’s being while you suffer in muffled silence. With your lips forced open, all you can do is spit into the void as it slowly tightens its embrace, and it isn’t until you try to catch your breath that you realize he’s fucking with his shadows. (Figuratively, unfortunately.) 

  “I have just the song to get us all In the Mood, shall we say.” 

  You roll your eyes and wonder how many demons even know who Glenn Miller is, let alone what his songs are titled, but it’s not like you’re in a position to give Alastor a hard time. The tentacle at your mouth smells like him, the uncommon musk that comes after a night of him actually, actively fucking you. If there’s anything close to an aphrodisiac in this hellscape, it’s the scent of Alastor after stuffing you full of his cum. Your eyelids flutter shut, eyes rolling into the back of your head as fond memories flood your circuitry. The time he held you against the window, curtains open, your naked body steaming up the glass as he took you from behind. He reveled in the embarrassed noises you’d make when others outside stopped and stared. 

  “Let them look, dearest,” he growled behind the shell of your ear. “I want them all to know who you belong to; show them what they’ll never have, make them live in fear of so much as looking at you the wrong way.” 

  Your muscles twitch, back tensing at the pleasant assault to your senses. Your panties feel damp, more of his tentacles settling against your lap to keep you from senselessly bucking forward for attention. Fuck, you can’t even get your underwear to rub against your clit anymore. You’re trapped in this squeaky chair, thinking back on the time Alastor hoisted you onto the kitchen counter, leg draped over his shoulder to better overwhelm your g-spot. You were rightfully punished later for your antics; it was his first and last time ever burning dinner, your distractions earning you a few whippings to the back. (You got into trouble again because one of the lashes left a bruise over his artwork scarred into your back. You’d still be mad about it if he hadn’t kissed and licked everything better.) 

  “Is something the matter, my sweet girl?” Alastor’s voice swims into your head, a shadow passing over your eyes. “Are you regretting These Foolish Things?” 

  No, you slowly shake your head, still intoxicated by lust and yearning. There's just something so sultry about slow, soft jazz whining in the background; it reminds you of his “first” time with you.

  “I've already made you mine. I'd like to be yours.”

  “Alastor?”

  “Love me. I want to hear you say it.”

  “I love you,” you'd whispered. He held you close, delicately, leaving gentle kisses across your body. You said it as he carefully removed your clothes. Every time he caressed your cheek or breast. You told him you really, truly loved him as he took you slowly, a bit shakily, the thought of love a foreign guest in his head and heart. “It's okay,” you'd whispered, “take it slow.”

  “Mmph!” Another tendril finds its way underneath your pants and makes a beeline for your clit. There's no going slow here; no letting up as you start to struggle against the binds wrapped over your limbs, a silent plea for Alastor to either give you what you want or stop teasing you at all. He revels in the whimpering, the raw beauty in your muffled cries. Kicks his legs up onto his desk and stares, always smiling, smirking.

  Alastor tips his microphone closer to his lips. The song’s over, but his show isn't, and he wants to make the rest memorable. “Oh, I just love that song, don't you? It almost makes me want to sing along, but I'm afraid we'll have to leave that for another day. You see, we have a special guest tonight, and she's been dying to greet you. Faithful audience, give it up for The Gal from Jyour’s truly!”

  The shadow over your mouth comes undone as the next song starts to play, a gasping cry tearing through your throat. Your lungs burn, aching for a second to breathe, but Alastor didn't put any breaks in tonight's script. Aided by your slick cunt, a second tentacle dips into you with embarrassing ease, the chilly talon vibrating to the rhythm of the song as it curls in deeper.

  Alastor's going to kill you. You're moaning over the mic, completely out of key, focusing on the thrill of finally getting what you wanted. From his perch, he curls and twists his fingers, a puppet master and his strings. A third sneaks its way under your top and glides over your chest, drawing circles and stars across your nipples until he's satisfied with your rhythm. The volume of your cries and groans only seem to get louder, the stimulation bordering on overwhelming as your clit gets more delicious attention.

  “What a stunning opening number!” Alastor swivels around to better meet your eye, his long form dipping closer to your heaving body. Sweat beads near your browline, mouth hanging open as you pathetically pant at a very familiar rate. Fuck, the little choked yelps you make when he grazes your g-spot are perfection. It's a shame you had to interrupt his regularly scheduled program, otherwise he might entertain your lusting just a little more.

  “It seems we may be nearing the crescendo, folks! Gracious host that I am, I ought to warn you about the anticipated sudden change in volume. My little star hasn't quite mastered control over her pitch, but let's see how long she can hold the same note, shall we?”

  Tendrils dig into your wrists as your arms try to shoot out and grab him. He silently chuckles to himself, shaking his head slowly. Don't do it, he says, don't you dare, not until I say so. But fuck is it hard to hold back, that familiar heated tension building and threatening to collapse in a blaze of pleasure if he so much as flicks your clit just the right way. Your eyes slide shut, hips bucking for permission; another squeezes its way into your wet, dripping hole, a crying moan following close behind as he fills you up.

  “What do you think, listeners? Should I show some mercy and put this poor thing out of her misery?” A laugh track plays - ‘mercy’ isn’t in his daily vocabulary. “Your ears must be bleeding by now, surely, and despite her rude interruption, I'm finding it hard to deny her the release that her poor, aching, wriggling body begs for as we speak.” Alastor gets to his feet, footsteps drowned out by your begging, your moaning, your writhing. He drags a lone finger over your lips, basking in your helpless state. “Fear not, I will be administering the proper punishment for this blatant disrespect, but for now…”

  Alastor swings a leg over your chair and settles into your lap. His bulging erection against your desperate pussy sends you into a frenzy. You want it. You need it. You meet his gaze and whimper when you try to make the words, body betraying you as your orgasm inches closer.

  “Let's give this little lady the fantastic, unforgettable, chaotic karma she deserves.” 

  You're at your limit and passing the point of no return, your body spasming as Alastor grabs a firm hold of your chin, demanding your undying attention. He's the one fulfilling your wishes and providing you with the ecstasy you so commonly crave. He's the one grinding into your orgasm. He's the one who spoils you, and he wants respect. Now.

  You say his name, ever mindful to avoid dropping the multiple ‘fucks’ that dangle from your tongue. You say it, shout it, scream it as the tentacles continue their onslaught, pumping in and out with precise aggression. Your clit can't take any more of the heavy rubbing. Pathetically, you try to grind against Alastor's crotch as you orgasm, your vision briefly going fuzzy with white hot passion.

  Alastor doesn't stop. Every tentacle stays in place, continuing to do their due diligence and remind you to never, ever come knocking when the radio demon is on the air. Your pussy feels tight as a third creeps inside, your clit pulsing and begging for a break when you feel a pinch at your nipples. You'd take more if it meant getting his teeth to bite at the rosy peaks, but his mouth is set in a sinister grin.

  “Alastor, please! Please, I can't, i-it’s too…! Too much, I can't–!”

  “You have before, and you will now. Take it, and enjoy it. It's the last you'll get until you've learned your lesson.”

  “I-! Fff–Alastor, please, I'm so sorry–!” 

  “Lie to my face again and we'll be having a much longer, painful conversation behind closed doors. Now be a dear and say my name, just one more time.”

  Your orgasm screeches through your core, each and every tentacle a bolt of lightning webbing across your skin in chaotic karma. Your panties are beyond useless, and far too cold once the shadowy limbs slither out of you. The last one hovers near your cheek, your scent strong on its slippery tip.

  “Thank you, Alastor.” Your head lulls back, chest heavy with labored breaths. Sweat trickles down the back of your neck, another small trail beading down your cleavage. You keep whispering your thanks as a tinny canned audience claps in the background and sings your praises.

  “A round of applause for our surprise guest! Oh, she's just an absolute gem. Unfortunately, your ears will not be assaulted by her screams later tonight, but if we ask nicely, I'm positive she'll let me tell you all about it. Isn't that right, darling?”

  You nod, finally rubbing at your aching wrists. You cast a cautious eye to the lingering shadow still coated in the product of your pleasure.

  Alastor dips his lips to your ear, a hot whisper sending chills through your back. “I want you to sit there quietly and think about the gravity of what you've just done. Once I'm finished here, you'll follow me back to our room, and you'll take everything I have to offer. You'll forgive me for my lack of restraint, won't you, dearest?”

  Alastor's shadow pops into your mouth, your taste heavy and hot against your tongue. His sharp teeth nip once at your ear, a smirk tangled in his voice.

  “Good girl.”

  You aren't, but there's no point in arguing. Praise from Alastor is almost better than sex. Cherish it while you can, dearest; your future’s looking bleak. 

[verkomy]

do you have any digital art advice?

pen stabilization is your friend!

experiment with different tools and brushes to find the ones that will suit your art style best

study different styles! it's a great way to improve and learn new techniques

remember to flip the canvas

don't be afraid to use references for poses and compositions

alpha lock on a layer will allow you to draw only inside what already exists on that layer, for example you can change the color of a lineart with it

clipping mask is also very useful

don’t use pure white as a background cause you’ll just strain your eyes

rgb mode is for screens, cmyk mode is for printing

blending modes are great to have fun with your drawing (you can use hard more/overlay to make your lineart/sketch layer blend in with the colors underneath, a layer with a color with soft mode on top of the drawing will add a nice tint to it and will help make the drawing more put together)

noise effect adds a nice texture to a drawing

you can also add paper textures!

REMEMBER to save your work regularly and make backup of your work so you won't lose it when program crashes

make mistakes and learn from them

don’t be afraid to redo something if it doesn’t feel right and start over

draw what YOU want and what makes YOU happy

and most importantly - have fun and experiment!

plus a general art advice if you decide to post any kind of art on the internet: try to not have any expectations so you won’t be disappointed. not sure if this is a good advice but the less you create something to do well with likes and shares the longer you stay away from artblock and constant burnout. it also helps with building the appreciation you have for your art from within you and not from the validation and approval of others (it's hard, I know, but it's worth working on)

[kokoasci]

hi! sorry I already asked something like this but I realise I didn't phrase it very well ;v; if it's too much of a bother you can just ignore this but I just wanted to ask how you draw heads? like the circle sticks way or just any egg sorta shape because all of mine just end up looking weird when I flip them or like a potato that got hit by a car

sure! im not nearly as technical as ive seen other people do it, but this is the process i generally follow for most angles:

start out w/ a general shape idea (circle + guidelines for angle) this is something ive just kind of gotten from experience, i look at ref pictures all the time and do general shape guidelines like that

add general stick guidelines + another oval for the head/hair shape, i find this easier to work with bc then you know how big your corpus callosum™ needs to be to fit that big brain. sometimes i do the triangle-ish method, sometimes the sticks method depending on the angle

3. add some more shaping for the general face, i like to take into account that where the eye/eyebrows are have a little dip in a 3/4 profile

4. now add features! general rule of thumb i follow is top of the eyes matches with the top/middle of the ears, eyebrows are closer in depending on expression and angle, and i erase most guidelines at this point. i like to draw everything on the same layer, so i just erase as i go

5. detail + hair! this is usually on a separate layer, i usually redo this a few times though bc angles are hard

on the note of wonky angles when you flip, i highly recommend flipping the canvas as you work. having a weird looking base will lead to a weird looking final result, so catching that it looks ok at the start will help a bunch <3 if you still think it looks weird, procreate's distort tool helps me a lot too bc that way you can fix the angle easier w/out having to redraw it

you can tell my stuff looks rlly weird at the start b/c usually build up to my artstyle (and im not professional by any means) so id take this advice with some caution, this is just the way that's easiest for me ^^

hope i understood your question correctly! thanks for asking !!

[stealcorpses83]

Your Mustsumi piece is really stylish! How did you do the backgrounds and come up with the composition?

Thank you so much! :-) I feel it's appropriate to respond to this ask on Mutsumi's birthday hehe. Forgive my weird wording btw (if it seeps in) as I am unfortunately strange like that (and feel free to ask away any questions!)

Summary: Modify already existing patterns, the darker your white is the better (trust), focus on the focal point, and Man I fucking love triangles.

First on the background (with a hint of color theory):

I took it from the Ibis Paint X image-archive-thing (???). It's actually a nice resource for stuff like this. If you use a different drawing platform try looking for your own in-app/in-program archive or consider searching online. In Ibis Paint X, not all patterns are available for non-premium users but personally it's not much of an issue (especially since non-premium versions of these textures tend to exist, with different colorings).

There are tons of these available by looking into the Japanese Texture (Color), Cloth Patterns (Color) and Patterns (Color) sections. Personally I prefer to alter the already colored ones as they are easier to work with, while the Gray/B&W ones require more retouching with blend mode layers. However, feel free to experiment and use whatever works best for you.

I was lucky to find one with a similar color palette to my drawing, but there's still some tweaking to be done to make it darker and warmer (as stated in the image). In this drawing it was relatively straightforward, though I've previously had to make more detailed modifications in other ones to make everything blend in naturally (mainly painting over different elements and particular shapes).

There's no rule for the specific blend modes –as in, they don't necessarily have to be multiply + darken, and there's no need to restrict yourself to solely 2 layers either. The same could be said about the opacity. It's merely situational. Instead, try playing around with them and/or learn how each one works to be able to pick them quicker.

For example, once I had applied the multiply layer something still felt off: there was a lack of ocre tones, which had been cancelled by the purple-ish color I painted it all over with. I especially wanted the darker colors to lean towards purple, while making the lighter ones lean towards green, so I applied a green darken layer which mainly affects the tones closer to white.

On a separate note: Color theory yay!! I freaking love color theory!!! As you can see in the bottom corner, I didn't use (and don't tend to ever use) pure white (#FFFFFF) or pure black (#000000). Actually, some artists will strongly advise against doing so, saying it looks beginner-like and muddy. I slightly disagree with this, or at least I think it's a bad way to put it (I mean, have you seen comic art? Pure black shading can look great when done well).

However, it's true that beginners won't be great at using pure black/white and it's greatly beneficial to experiment with off-white and such. Adding a slight tint to your neutrals makes a nice difference, and IMO the greater you can make it stray away from its original tone and still make it look convincing, the better!

By the way, notice how there's no "white" or "black" in the background? I reserved these contrasting tones for the figure. This is to draw your attention towards her, instead of adding more contrast to the background and making it all overwhelming.

Anyways, here are some other drawings in which I also used modified preset Ibis backgrounds:

• These KanaMafu drawings. It's the same pattern in both drawings, just flipped vertically and with inverted colors.

• This Kanade drawing.

Now, moving onto composition:

Not gonna lie, this was all a pretty subconscious process. I actively had to look for the principles I had applied, because honestly "figure in the center of a vertical canvas" seemed simple enough for a composition, but there's more to it!

I honestly feel like this is very self-explanatory as shown in the image, but if it isn't please ask me to elaborate B-).

Note: regarding the "airbrush work" mentioned, I meant I slightly painted over with a dark airbrush towards the bottom of the canvas and then lowered the opacity. Again, the whole thought process here was Closer to the focal point = lighter colors, smaller shapes and more detailed brush strokes.

But! There's more!!!:

Still on composition and color, something that is extremely useful and that I unfortunately forgot to do while working on this drawing is to check your values. This means translating the piece into B&W.

Due to the fact that I didn't check my values, the hair sort of blends in with the background. Upon noticing this, I added a highlight the same color as the angel wings (off-white). This was useful at making more of a distinction, but I could've definitely pushed it further had I followed this advice.

Onto (probably) my favorite art advice ever: TRIANGLES. Use triangles whenever you can. ESPECIALLY when there's negative space (space not occupied by the figure). This works so well to make your silhouettes more legible and dynamic. It's a life-saver.

Also, look up Sinix Design and Marco Bucci on YouTube for some great art advice.

I'm pretty sure that's all, sorry for becoming the yap monster. I really hope this was helpful! Thanks again for your ask and have a nice day/afternoon/night.

[annawayne]

Hello there!

I've been looking through your page for a while and I LOVE your art! Every piece is so stunning and detailed and beautiful and I don't have enough words to explain how I could stare at each piece for hours.

I'm a traditional artist (as far as skill goes I'd say I'm intermediate) looking to get into digital art and could use some help from a professional. I have no idea where to begin but I really wanna be like you someday!!! If you have any tips or anything I'd appreciate it a lot!

Anon T///T

You literally made me like this, and it's not even an exaggeration

I'm honestly so, so grateful for your words and I'm just speechless that you think SO highly of my arts T^T (even tho I couldn't call myself a professional...) And I want to thank you for telling me this and also for your time observing my drawings! I honestly try to put a lot into it, and I'm just so happy to know people take time to explore it, thank you!

As for your question, you know, it's quite ironic because I also started with traditional art.

And the best advice from me to you, first of all, don't be afraid. I honestly spent a lot of time being scared to start digital because I was always feeling "no, I should be better in traditional, so I can start digital". In fact, it's TWO absolutely different fields. No doubt, they have the same basic ground, however, the approaches that define your creativity flow differ, and that's why I want to advise you the next things, and, if I'm being honest, these words I wish I said to my past self, so I hope it'll help you, at least!

1.Your traditional skills are valuable and irreplaceable, that you gained by your hard work, patience and dedication, and it deserves a lot of appreciation - you went so far, anon, and congratulations on that! But... In digital art, these skills now have a new meaning: some of them, like basic understanding of anatomy, lightning, composition and work with colours, are incredibly useful, but everything else should be now renewed. It doesn't mean that your skills don't have any practical use, but it should be now reflected and fit into the new perspective. Starting from the way you hold your stylus to the way you work with volumes in your art, all of it should be now adjusted to digital, however, I'm telling you all of it not to scare, but only to support you, since when you try to adjust to these new rules, there's always some discomfort, you would compare with the way you drew in traditional and eventually, the result won't be the same as it was in traditional and it could discourage you. But it's absolutely not your problem! Any change requires some time to get used to the new circumstances, with moving from traditional art to digital - all the same! So, my first advice is give yourself time to get used to the new environment and the new challenges. With time it'll get better, no doubt about it!

2. Use ALL the possibilities of the digital software. Flip your canvas, use a lot of different layers, layer modes, use Liquify tool, transformation and move around the selected part of the drawing, and don't think it's "cheating". No! It's all of your new instruments and it's all here to help you.

3. Be prepared that your colour palette will be differently visible from different devices - laptop, phone, tablet - all of it will have slightly different colorization/saturation, so when you play with the colours, please remember to check it sometimes on different gadgets. I was a victim of it, too, and some of my arts have a very bad work with colour volumes, which resulted in a colorization mess...

I think that it's one of the most important things to start with, and especially - don't be afraid, anon! You're much more capable than you think you are, and digital drawing is just another step in your creative journey!

I apologise if this advice was not so helpful and maybe you expected something else, but if you want advice on something more precise, please ask me and I'll do my best to help as much as possible and if I'm competent enough.

Thank you once again for your kind words, I honestly appreciate it so, so much!

[onlyyouexisthere]

can you please make a tutorial for your santa gift graphics? i'm not totally new to photoshop but i could use some help <3

Ohh okay, this will be a bit long, so bear with me, dear Anon.

I'm going to use this one as an example:

You'll need three new documents: one for creating the watercolour portrait, one for the watercolour elements in the background, and a third one for the final edit.

Let's start with the portrait. I'm using a free photoshop action for the watercolour effect, which you can download here with a complete tutorial. After using the action, you'll need to make some adjustments, but it's still faster this way. Change the blend mode of the "watercolor artist" group to screen and slightly turn down the opacity if needed to make the details more visible

In the second document, use the watercolour action the same way again to create the red elements in the background. You can download the photo I used here. I highly recommend using Unsplash, they offer plenty of free high-resolution stock photos, and unlike on Pinterest, the photographers are actually credited.

Create the third document; mine is 540x750. I used an ivory paper as a background, but it should work with a canvas texture or even a simple white/light layer. Pick whatever you like.

After you're done with the watercolour actions, paste the portrait into your third document. Adjust the size and position, then change the blend mode to multiply. Name the layer "portrait."

Next, paste the background elements too, and also change the blend mode to multiply. I changed the saturation and vibrance to make the red pop more, but it's optional. Name the layer "background elements." Now that you see everything together, you can play around with different adjustment layers, contrast, colouring, etc.

Now, open the video you'd like to use for the animation, in a separate document. I used this one, but there are other similar free videos on this website, pick what you like the most. If you want to make the process quicker, pick one that's already a high-contrast black and white.

After you've opened it, you can use the timeline to cut out the part you'd like to use, adjust the speed, etc. In this case, I just doubled the speed which you can do by clicking on that little triangle, and used the full video.

Create a video timeline in the third document. Go to Window -> Timeline -> Create Video Timeline. It's an important step, don't forget about it. Once it's done, copy and paste the video layer into the third document, and name the layer "video." Make sure the "video" layer is right above the "background elements" layer because you're going to need to create a clipping mask. You can do that by right-clicking on the "video" layer and choosing create clipping mask, or you can hold down the alt key and left-click between the two layers. When it's done, you can adjust the size of the "video" layer, rotate it, flip it, etc., depending on how you want your animation to look

After that, set the blend mode of the video layer to screen. If you've done everything correctly, you should have your animation now.

It's time to add the text. I used this font, size 16. I divided the text into 4 lines for easier adjustment of the position.

Once you're happy with the layout, create the white stripes, each on a different layer. This way, you can move them around separately if you'd like to change the position of the text. I like to make the text and stripe layers into a group so the layers are less chaotic, but you can skip this step.

The only thing left in the editing part is the invisible frame. Click on the "background elements" layer and add a layer mask. Select the brush tool, 50px, 100% hardness, and set the foreground color to black. Now, draw a line from corner to corner. Holding down the Shift key, click on one corner using the brush, then click on the next one, and repeat until you're done with all four sides. Your layers should look something like this now.

Before saving, make sure that all the layers on the timeline are the same length and start/finish at the same time.

If you're done, go to File -> Export -> Save for Web (Legacy). These are the settings I used for this particular edit, but feel free to experiment and use what you like the best.

I tried not to complicate it too much, but it's difficult to explain everything in writing, so if you have any questions, I'm always available :)

[littleplasticrat]

🧠 What is a drawing tool you can't live without?

🐑 Do you listen to/watch anything while you draw?

🥦 Can you share an old piece of work next to a newer piece and say what you've learned?

Hey Kalyppso, good to see you in the ask box!

🧠 What is a drawing tool you can't live without?

I find the alpha lock function to be one of the most useful tools in any art programme - it's the one that locks the layer so you can't colour outside of the areas you've already coloured. I'm a bit of a moose, so it saves me from having to spend a lot of time making sure the edges of my figures are neat and crisp after painting them.

-

🐑 Do you listen to/watch anything while you draw?

There are a load of podcasts I like to listen to, but sometimes I'll put something on YouTube and mostly listen to it instead.

I'm a big fan of breadtubers like PhilosophyTube, Hbomberguy and Munecat. I also really love learning about obscure horror games, so I spend a lot of time listening to people like Tangomushi and Ragnarox.

-

🥦 Can you share an old piece of work next to a newer piece and say what you've learned?

I did this at the end of 2019, when I was beginning to realise I liked drawing himbos.

I did this in 2024 as part of an art exchange with @cerudinaeart. It's her OC, Sohla!

A couple of really important things I learned between then and now are the importance of using references and the value of being part of a community!

The 2019 piece is cute, but there are some proportion issues with the merman that would have been fixed if I'd used a reference, or even flipped the canvas a couple of times! When I posted the finished picture on IG, there was 0 response from other artists.

I used a reference for Sohla, and it was part of an art exchange we were doing on Discord, so I was super motivated and had a group of people who also made art themselves to share the outcome with. There's something so nice about that!

x

Take great care of yourself! ^_^

[eybefioro]

Wacky races - fairly odd parents - powerpuff girls - scooby doo - adventure time - Cowardly dog

(Kanji-less version, timelapse and ramblings under the cut)

ALSO OPEN THE IMAGE TUMBLR KILLED THE QUALITY AS USUAL

I wasn't sure sure which version was better, so here is the one without the ~~menacing~~ kanji! (And sorry. I'm sure the Kanji I did is horrible but I swear I tried my best)

So. Before Good Omens consuming my every awaken thought, the media that lived in my head was JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Because of a certain thing I am working on, my mind end up connecting the two and I HAD to do something about it or else I'd go crazy.

(Cues 3 min time lapse bc i spent -checks app- ALMOST 46 HOURS on this thing. Fuck)

Since JJBA is one of my fixations, at some point I end up watching every single interview with Araki (the author) I could get my hands into, and lo and behold he actually shared about his process quite a bit over the years. We even have access to some timelapses of him working on illustrations!!! I tried to follow a bit of his process, and one VERY interesting characteristic of his work is the JoJo pose – very dramatic covers/panels that showcase the character. He often uses fashion shoots as a references (Araki is very inspired by fashion, architecture and music and there is a million references in his work it's very very interesting and fun) like this:

So there I go on Pinterest looking for a fashion photo that inspires me (Google was shit. What is happening to that search engine?) AND I FOUND IT

YALL. IT WAS LIKE A SHOT RIGHT THROUGH MY BRAIN. I COULD SEE IT SO CLEARLY. Aziraphale and Crowley falling out of heaven together after the second coming. Azi holding him. Crowley giving the middle finger to all those fuckers bc HE GOT HIS ANGEL BACK.

But the thing is... the things is. I'm no artist. I have almost no experience drawing. And this is not exactly an easy pose, and is something pretty ambitious for a beginner like me (I can literally count on my hands the amount of digital drawings I have done. It's all on my blog even lol) so like.... the chances of this going well were very slim. But I am very happy with how it turned out!!

I have to thank @elenthyaolyenths and @gribouli LOTS for that. Elen teached me how wings worked, a bit of anatomy with that, a bit of how she makes those beautiful fluid pieces, Li taught me a bit about colors and light/Shadow. Their support was amazing and they're so so nice to me 🥹

I had so much trouble drawing this bc I'm still learning how digital painting works and how Ibis Paint works. Idk what half of the stuff there does LMAO yk the line work? All in one layer. Don't do that folks. I resized the canvas half way through and had to redo a bit of the line art bc I had to scale it a bit to make the proportions better. Half way in I figured out how to make masks (again, elenthya is an angel for telling me that exists) so I had to learn as I went how that thing works (I still don't know how to use it fully). Ibis Paint froze like 4 times bc my phone can't handle it well LMAO my precision is shit bc I mostly draw with my fingers so I had to gave up control and use the stabiliser on maximum... and so on.

I'm having so much trouble with everything in digital painting BUT IT'S SO MUCH FUN. THERE'S SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. I'm excited to keep going and learn more.

Back to the Jojo style. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I love harsh lines and shadows, the dramatic effects, the detail, the crazy perspectives, the colors... THE WAY ARAKI DRAWS SMOKE AND CLOUDS.

This was my ref for the background, and to represent the heaven Crowley is flipping off and that they're falling from. (fuck this scene in the anime broke me. BUCCIARATI MY BELOVED)

AND THE CLOTHEEEEESSSSS I HAD SO MUCH FUN IMAGINING WHAT THEY'D WEAR IN ARAKI'S STYLE. Obviously Aziraphale is once again sporting something inspired by the crepes look bc omg that was so OVER THE TOP. I'm sure araki would come up with something crazier and more interesting than what I did, but I still think this is a fair shot.

As much as I love JoJo's style I have to say it isn't really an art style made to depict softness. Like. I don't think Araki ever drew something that looks soft. All the characters are slim or super strong, and the few ones that are fat he didn't really... Well. I'm gonna say it. Araki doesn't draw fat people, and when he does I don't think they're a good depiction. As I said he doesn't do softeness lol nothing looks soft in his style, not even fabric I think. It's all sharp lines, dark shadows (again, I love it but yeah) and thin (or extremely big in the first parts) people. This fits really well with Crowley but not so much with Aziraphale. If this was a pose that showed more of him I'd probably not do a great job at it. I think I'd need to go heavy on trying to make his clothes look soft and big to try to make it better.

Now WwwwwiiiIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGZZZZZZZ!!!! Elen is such a magician at drawing wings. I can't believe she actually offered to help me with this one. I learned so much. I was taking inspiration from her work, I wanted to make them BIG and GLORIOUS as she does and I think I succeeded a bit at it (they're not as fluid and perfect as hers, obviously, but I think they still look nice.)

As she was explaining to me how the anatomy works and all we ended up talking about how they're like arms and the digits in bats and I decided to give Crowley that type of wings. I also discovered that Elenthya used to draw DRAGONS. DRAGONS YALL. SHE GAVE ME A DOODLE OF ONE AND IT'S SO AMAIZNG. So together with the bat wings I tried to give him some drangon-esque feel. And she also gave me the idea to make Crowley's wings more damaged, to give more weight to the drawing - Aziraphale helping him not to fall again, holding him in the descend.

Anyway. I talked too much already and no one has the patience for this lol I just like to register the process of me learning things. It's fun.

[nbkuhn]

The Siren's Lover, Ch. 6

Read on AO3

Chapter 5

When Friday rolled around, Finch told him to head over to his workroom whenever he was free, but the idea made Matty nervous, and the circuit he took around campus to work off his excess energy did no good. The change itched beneath his skin, so bad he almost gave in and wore his wings out. Almost.

He would be visiting Finch's apartment. They would be alone together, in private, and he was going to shift. Since meeting Finch, he’d already learned so many new things about himself. He was afraid of what he might discover when he shook off his feathers and claws and looked at Finch with fresh eyes.

Still, after twenty minutes of aimless wandering, he called himself a coward and headed to Finch's workroom. The sign was flipped over to the artist is in, and yet Matty felt like knocking. He kept waiting for an art student to stop him and demand to know what he was doing here.

Before he could psyche himself out any more, he turned the knob, opening the door carefully. The right choice, since a few students were spread out on the floor, collaborating on one enormous piece of paper. "Oh, sorry—"

"You're okay." Lee lifted his head to smile at Matty. Despite himself, he smiled back, thinking of Josh’s crisis the other day. They would be cute together. "We're the ones on the floor." He and the others scooted the paper out of reach of the door track.

 Matty needed a moment to locate Finch. Everything had been rearranged to make room for an enormous canvas, painted in various shades of dark blue and green. Some kind of oceanscape. Finch was carefully adding texture and dimension with a brush, building up layers of paint to create a 3D effect. "Matthias, good. I'm almost finished."

Trying to live up to his full name, Matty fought back a blush. "I'm not interrupting?"

"The door wouldn't be open if you were," said all three of the students on the floor in unison, and Lee curled up in helpless laughter.

Finch glanced over his shoulder with a fond smile. "At this rate, I won't have to show up. You three will be able to teach the class for me."

"Ooh, Dr. Caldwell would have a fit," said one of the girls, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Could you imagine?"

"Please don't antagonize Dr. Caldwell. He signs my paychecks."

The dark-haired girl only whispered in Lee's ear instead, making the two of them snicker.

A twist of jealousy settled in Matty's gut. He used to be that way with Ruby, always in trouble because the two of them could never resist egging each other on. Swallowing it down before it made him depressed, he picked his way around the edge of the room. "Do you need to keep working?" He tried to keep his voice down, but he could feel the students pretending not to watch.

Holding his paintbrush in his teeth, Finch swiped his thumb across the canvas instead, improving the mark he'd made. "This has to dry. I really need to stop fussing with it." Still, he made one more swipe, then tutted and deliberately turned to face Matty instead. "Could I ask you a favor before we go, though?"

"You're already asking me a favor. I'm gonna lose track of how much you owe me at this point."

“I’ll remember for you. It really is quite a list.” Chuckling, Finch walked over to the sink in the corner to rinse his hands and his brushes. "I wanted to hang something from the ceiling, but I can't quite reach, and you're taller."

Matty folded his arms. "Well, it took you two weeks."

Finch cocked his head. "What did?"

"'Oh, Matty, I just can't reach, do you mind?'" Finch still seemed baffled. "To ask me to fly, I mean."

Finch blinked, then glanced at the three students, working on their drawing again. He’d never seemed unsettled before. "No, I didn't mean—there's a ladder in the corner. And I am short."

"It's okay. I was kidding." Matty held up his hands. "What do you need me to hang up?"

Finch bit his lip, sharp teeth sinking into soft flesh. "Well—as long as you honestly don't mind. I can tell them to go, if you want."

Before Finch could fret, Matty shrugged off his backpack. Under his sleeveless hoodie, he wore a tank top with a low back, built for letting his wings out. He pulled his hoodie over his head and flexed his shoulders.

Releasing his wings at last, even in front of other people, was like working a cramp out of his legs. Like sinking into an ice bath after an intense weight session. Like the first taste of water after a long run. They flowed out from his shoulder blades, golden and halfway to his thighs. And he didn't even wonder if the students were staring at him because Finch was staring, his eyes moving over the golden feathers with something close to awe.

So close to shifting, Matty wanted to turn and preen, to show off, to answer the appreciation he saw in Finch’s eyes by giving him something worth staring at.

"Well. I suppose we won't need the ladder." Finch’s voice was faint. "Uh—they're over here." Managing to tear his eyes from Matty’s wings, he led Matty to a pile of chains made from glittery paper, interspersed with longer strands of paper and string. "There's hooks." He lifted one up to show Matty. "And you should be able to hang them from the lights." He pointed up at the ceiling, to bulbs connected by thick metal bars.

"Ah, I get it. Do you want them all on the same one, or...?"

Expression drifting away from amazement toward contemplation, Finch chewed on one of his sharp black nails. "I'm... not sure. I don't know if I want a single curtain or a forest."

"If you want me to rearrange anything, just let me know."

"So obliging," Finch said, in something closer to his ordinary tone. “You’ll spoil me, Matthias.”

 Matty gathered the hooks, careful not to tangle the strands together, and took off. One of the students gasped, but Matty barely heard it, too relieved to finally, finally leave the ground behind. He should have done this days ago. Everything made so much more sense in the sky.

He looped the hooks over the light fixture Finch had indicated, spacing them a few inches apart so they wouldn't tangle, then turned to look down. Finch flashed him a thumbs-up, so Matty reluctantly returned to the ground. Maybe he could get some more air time in at the climbing wall. It wasn't safe outside, but the high ceiling of the gym gave him a little freedom. He was tired of hiding himself away. Let people stare if they wanted to.

"So what is it?" Matty cocked his head.

Finch opened his mouth, a peculiar expression on his face, and one of the students giggled. Matty glanced over his shoulder. They were all still gawking at him, but it felt less burdensome than usual. "Rookie mistake," said the dark-haired girl.

"What do you see?" said all three students in unison.

Despite his clear amusement, Finch clucked. "If you three keep this up, I'm going to worry I've become predictable." He folded his arms across his chest and looked back at Matty. "So. What do you see?" He paused. "Actually, stand here."

He gripped Matty's shoulders—Matty almost twitched away, tail swishing out even if he did manage to keep his wings from flaring—and moved him over a few feet to the left, so the strands dangled down in front of his enormous ocean painting.

Matty swallowed, erasing the brief feeling of Finch's hands on him. Then he looked at the hangings.

From this angle, the ocean painting dominated the space, a wall of swirling blue. And the hangings twirled gently of their own accord, reacting to the air currents moving through the room. If he squinted, the sparkles became light shining off the surface of the ocean, but not as seen from above.

"Oh, is it supposed to be underwater?" Finch seemed so pleased Matty didn't even feel ridiculous for the inane question.

"Well, it is a perception exercise. You land dwellers think about the sea so strangely. This," he gestured at the strands, still gently rotating, "this is what I know of the sea."

"Wow," said Matty, because he couldn't think of anything else to say. But Finch's smile widened.

***

For the walk to Finch’s place, Matty did have to put his wings away, since he didn't feel like carrying his backpack the whole way home. But he left off his sleeveless hoodie, and the canvas rubbing against the bare skin of his back reminded him he was only hiding temporarily.

It wasn't a particularly long journey. Finch lived in the professors' district, on the opposite side of town from the frat houses and overcrowded student apartments. Here, no beer cans littered any lawns, and everything was neat and orderly. Finch's place was exactly the sort Matty had pictured: small, cozy, red brick and white shutters, with an all-weather porch out front.

Finch took his mail from the box, then unlocked the door. The end table by the door where Finch hung his keys and put away his mail was old and battered, but Finch had hung up little pieces of himself everywhere: pictures of his sisters, his mother, photos cut out from magazines with no discernible theme, and a variety of abstract paintings, ranging in size from the breadth of Matty's palm to large enough to take up the entire main wall of the living room. His black string backpack sat by the door, ready for a trip to the beach.

"Maybe this is awkward of me to say, but maybe it isn't," said Finch absently, skimming a letter. "Either way, you can hold yourself here however you prefer."

"Huh?" Matty tore his eyes away from another shot of Finch's whole family.

Finch met his eyes, and Matty bit the inside of his cheek. They were so close together in the entranceway. Either of them could close the distance separating them in less than a step. Finch's hand could settle flat on his chest; Matty's back could hit the wall. They could kiss after barely moving at all.

Ah, shit.

If Finch picked up on Matty's sudden flare of want, he didn't show it. "You seemed... well, shifting was obviously more comfortable for you, though I understand why you don't do it out in the wider world. There's a reason I take my swims at the crack of dawn, even though I would really prefer to spend my morning in bed. But you’re safe here."

Matty shivered watching Finch's mouth form the word bed. "Oh. Yeah, that would be... good. I usually keep everything all tucked away even at home.”

The little house wasn't open-plan like so many of the apartments around here: the living room was neatly partitioned off from the entryway, and the kitchen was tucked away from the living room. Still, somehow, it felt spacious. In the living room, the walls were bare but for the paintings, revealing the soft sea-green paint. There was no furniture, only stacks of books and piles of blankets and cushions scattered around the thick black carpet.

"You can set your things anywhere." Finch was halfway into the kitchen already. "As you can see, I'm not particularly attached to keeping anything in its place. The human world requires so much organization already. I don't feel like keeping it around anywhere else."

Matty, who thought of himself as a fastidious person, should have been irritated. But the idea of simply curling up on the floor, reaching for a blanket and a book, was charming, at least when he could picture doing it with Finch beside him.

Then again, for once, he would get to stretch out his wings when he shifted, flex his claws, arch his back. He wouldn't be confined to one little room like a creature at the zoo. He'd be stuck indoors, maybe, but he already knew the colors of this room would appeal to him once he changed.

Speaking of which. He rolled out his shoulders, and his wings came with the motion. The change felt even better here in private, where only Finch could look, though he'd left Matty completely behind at this point.

"I know it's what I invited you over for," said Finch, "but if you don't want to—"

"Finch." Matty interrupted him for the first time, surprised at the certain, fearless tone of his own voice. "I want to." He paused, glancing at the floor. "Just—go out of the room for a few minutes? Most people don't like watching." Finch appeared as though he was going to ask to observe anyway, and Matty blushed. "And. Uh. I have to strip. I'd change in the bathroom, but I can't open doors after. No thumbs."

Finch's cheeks turned a darker shade of teal, an unmistakable blush, and the sight soothed Matty, reminding him of the way Finch gaped at the sight of his wings, the breaths between them when they almost kissed the other day. Finch felt the heaviness in the air too. Matty just needed to be brave enough to take advantage of it. "Oh, of course. I'll—I'll be in my bedroom. Can you knock, or..."

"Give me ten minutes." Shifting took an instant, but a few minutes alone would help Matty get his head on straight.

Dark flush spreading across his cheeks and down his neck, Finch nodded. "Ten minutes." He headed down the hallway, opening the first door and disappearing inside.

Once the door shut, Matty sank to the ground, digging his fingers into his scalp. He couldn't tell if he was freaking out. Maybe he was freaking out about not freaking out, which would be a new one. So little was worth getting worked up about anymore, especially since Ruby stopped talking to him.

But Finch was. Even though he knew it couldn’t go anywhere, he was still so scared of fucking this up. He’d never felt like this before.

At least shifting would remove the need to kiss Finch for a while. But it would be there waiting when he changed back. His other form offered a break from the human world, but it wasn't permanent. He was always part one thing and part the other. And shifting made the world seem simpler—clear scent trails and air currents—but in this case, simple was bad. Then nothing would be left in his mind besides his desire, already crowding out rational thought.

***

Finch meant to spend his ten minutes organizing his materials, but instead, he found himself hovering by the door. His mind presented him with the same image again and again: wings appearing from nowhere, gleaming against Matthias’s back like beacons. The smile on his face when he saw Finch gawking.

Better that than think about Matthias stripping off his clothes, Finch supposed, or daydream about the muscles hiding beneath the thin fabric of his tank top.

After an eternity, enough time passed, and Finch emerged from his room. He opened the door slowly, in case Matthias was not finished shifting, but then he spotted the creature in his living room, and all his hesitation fell away. "Oh," Finch breathed, stepping into the living room. "Aren't you glorious."

Matthias in his griffin form was four feet tall at the shoulder, seated with his tail curled around his haunches like a housecat. His eagle’s front half melted seamlessly into his lion haunches, the change from fur to feathers impossible to spot at a distance. His wings were no less beautiful folded against his back. The feathers on his eagle’s half were all the same bright gold as his eyes; his lion parts were a tawny yellow. As Finch approached, Matthias tilted his head this way and that, keeping one eye fixed on Finch like a spotlight. The intelligence in them was not quite human, but he wasn’t simply a beast in this form either.

A few feet away, Finch went to one knee, inspecting Matthias. He would have been happy to sit there the entire day, if he didn’t know he had invited Matthias for a real reason. His smile turned rueful. "I didn't think this through very well.  I always do this to myself," he muttered, fingers worrying the hem of his tank top. "Well, if I show you some things, can you describe what it was like when you change back?"

Matthias nodded, the motion awkward like a trained dog standing on his hind legs. The long talons on his front feet dug into the carpet.

"Great. I will fetch what I wanted to show you, because for some reason I didn't bring it with me." Cursing himself under his breath, Finch disappeared into his bedroom. This was not merely a pretense to spend more time with Matthias, and he needed to act like it instead of mooning over him like a child.

He returned carrying a few canvases, repeating the process  until seven of them were lined up against the wall. As he moved in and out, Matthias nosed at the things on the floor, nudging aside blankets and rubbing the sides of his beak against the pillows. When Finch settled, though, Matthias turned to face him again, his tail flicking back and forth the same way it did in his human skin. "Take a look. And then I wanted to play you a couple of recordings. Is that all right?"

Matthias marched over to stand right next to him, which Finch took for a yes. Four of the paintings featured optical illusions, which did not seem to interets Matthias at all. The other four made him cock his head and tilt it this way and that, inspecting them more closely. Could he see the blacklight paint layered over the base color? Finch hoped he would remember.

When Matthias had studied the paintings to his satisfaction, he turned to face Finch. Finch had expected more difficulty communicating, but there was no misunderstanding this pose. "Satisfied?"

Matthias nodded. Finch wasn’t sure if the gesture was honestly impatient or if Matthias’s sharp beak and sharper focus made his feelings easy to misread.

Finch turned to his laptop. "Good. I'll play you bits of these—I haven't decided which I'm going to use, or even if I'm going to use them at all, but I'd rather have more information than ask you twice. I can’t just sit around admiring you all day, as much as I would like to." Tongue poking out between his teeth, he scrolled through files his laptop. "Ah. Here we go."

Whale song echoed through the speakers, familiar to Finch as the sound of his mother’s voice. The sound made him sigh with nostalgia, though the tinge of regret was different. Usually, any reminder of home made him wish he were back beneath the waves, safe in the arms of Mother Ocean. Now, though, he could only wonder how many land sounds he would never hear—the music he would never listen to, the voices that would never greet him.

Matthias, for his part, stretched out on the ground and rested his head on his forepaws, angling his skull to direct the sound toward his earholes.

"I can't tell if you like it." Finch rubbed his jaw. "I guess your enjoyment doesn't particularly matter, but still. Here's another."

He opened a track of dolphin whistles. Finch thought they were bright and jaunty, but Matthias immediately recoiled, trying to claw at his ears.

Finch paused it. "I suppose you did like the other one because you clearly did not like that. Sorry. One more."

He hadn’t been certain he would play this one at all. But he wanted to make up for the way he had startled Matthias, so he chose the next track and let his mother’s voice pour from the speakers. She was only humming, but the sound was still so flat and awful Finch had to bite back a sigh. He could only bear to listen to a few bars before his throat tightened.

When he paused it, though, Matthias raised his head with a sharp whistle.

"You want to hear it?" Matthias dipped his head in a nod, and Finch hesitated. Then he let the song play through, watching the waveform on the screen. His mother’s voice should have been enough beauty to fill his world. Asking for more was inconsiderate.

When the song finished, Finch put his laptop to sleep.  He had batted around the idea of other sounds, but he found himself moping, and that helped no one. Better to stop and let Matthias go. “That's all I wanted to ask you for. Let me put this back." He replaced his laptop. When he returned for the paintings, he paused.

Matthias had spread one wing, moving his beak through the feathers with intense concentration. When he noticed Finch, he folded his wing against his back again and cocked his head, watching Finch with one luminous golden eye.

 Finch dropped to one knee, moving closer. Matthias went still, only the tip of his tail flicking, staring at Finch as if contemplating whether to bite. "Can I—" Finch held out one hand, palm out.

Without hesitation, Matthias pressed his head into it, closing his eyes as Finch's fingers brushed over his feathers, tracing the line of his skull beneath the fluff. He had never touched a bird before; he hadn’t thought the feathers would be like velvet beneath his fingers.

"Soft," Finch whispered. His fingers stilled on the side of Matthias's neck, and Matthias shoved his head harder against Finch's hand, demanding more attention. "You're awfully bossy like this. That’s good. You could do with being a little more assertive."

Carefully, in case he was being too familiar, Finch trailed his fingers down Matthias’s neck to the joint of his wings, powerful and thick. Matthias turned to give Finch better access, claws digging into the carpet. A deep noise rumbled out of his chest—a purr.

Finch drew back in surprise, feeling strangely shy. It was one thing to enjoy it himself and another to realize Matthias wanted it too. "I'll let you change back—I won’t keep you too late."

He fled to his study. When he closed the door, he leaned against it, his heart beating hard. Matthias was another wonder Finch would never get to properly explore. He always managed to surprise Finch, no matter what they talked about or where they went. He would have liked a life full of those surprises. He wouldn’t get it. All he had was this little stretch of time. But maybe that meant he should seize what chances he had instead of hemming and hawing about them. He wanted to stay on land, but what if he didn’t get that chance? Did he really want to return to the ocean with so many regrets? Or did he want to lay one, at least, to rest?

[inkbagel]

I used to use flipaclip but I’ve switched to procreate dreams recently. This is what I’ve noticed about both programs.

Flipaclip (when I used it, I know they’ve made changes to the app since then) is free to use but if you pay them like 10 dollars you can use more brushes and have more layers etc. just higher quality of life. You can also save your animations without their stinking watermark. (I’ve heard they’ve switched to subscription fees though. Idk if that’s true)

It’s a pretty good animation software considering how cheap it is. You can’t have too big of a canvas or it crashes, I got a brand new iPad when I first started using flipaclip and even then anything above 700x700 would crash the app. Aside from this it runs pretty smoothly and doesn’t overheat my iPad or glitch too often. The brushes aren’t the best and you can’t customize them (to my knowledge. A LOT has changed since I switched apps) but they’re still okay and I didn’t mind them when using this program.

However, flipaclip isn’t really the best for animatics or rigging since the copy paste feature is kinda weird and hard to use and you have to manually copy paste a frame a hundred times to make it go for multiple seconds. It’s really great for frame by frame animation but anything else you have to get pretty creative with how you use the app.

And also if you want to resize something to make it bigger, since the app can’t handle a big canvas in the first place everything gets extremely blurry and you end up having to redraw the picture if you want it to look crisp. I got around this just by resizing it anyway and drawing over the resized image on a seperate layer.

Overall it’s pretty nice for like 15 dollars but not the best software ever. I liked it when I used it though and made some pretty nice animations. Here’s one from almost two years ago that I’m still proud of.

Procreate dreams is very weird and has way more features but I don’t know if I can say it’s better. It’s not free, but you only have to pay 20 dollars once. Theres no subscription fees and the director of procreate said there never will be. (It’s also anti AI.)

It’s definitely extremely different from flipaclip. You can have as many customized brushes as you want (however if you want them customized you have to customize them in procreate), you can have a big canvas and use a lot more layers, instead of drawing it manually you can just tell the program to move one frame across the canvas at any speed, you can add videos with audio, it can almost work as its own editing software, you can set the frame rate way higher or way lower, you can add filters to animations, you can stretch frames to last whole seconds (instead of copy pasting like flipaclip) you can change the color and opacity of onion, you can switch between editing mode and flip book mode (animating) it uses this track feature that lets you have multiple animatics in the same canvas all running on different times and programming and a lot more that I haven’t fully figured out yet.

HOWEVER. IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY LASSO TOOL WHATSOEVER. Flipaclips lasso tool was really wonky but it was way better than nothing. It is sooo painful for an animation software to not have a lasso tool. It’s still a kind of new software, and it’s still getting updates all the time but nothings added a lasso tool yet and I’m personally offended by this.

Also unlike flipaclip, it’s really confusing to use and you have to watch a lot of tutorials on YouTube to get an idea on how to use it. But this goes for pretty much any program you use, flipaclips just nice like that.

It also uses SO MUCH STORAGE. Every time I finish an animation I have to save the video to my phone and delete the file because the procreate file takes up like half my iPads storage and if my iPad runs out of storage it tries to kill itself (thx apple)

The way it handles undo and redo buttons is really weird. It autosaves multiple lines into the same undo click so if you hit undo instead of deleting one mistake it might just delete half the sketch you just made. (If that makes any sense) the undo button also isn’t on the screen by default and you have to tape with two fingers, but you can change this in settings.

Also, if you zoom in to the canvas while drawing your lineart is way cleaner, but if you zoom out too much al your lines will be blurry. I don’t know why it does this.

It’s also still pretty glitchy and crashes often, but it autosaves every other minute so you don’t lose any progress. You just have to refresh the app a bit.

I personally prefer it over flipaclip, but it’s still a pain to use sometimes and I wouldn’t call it better than flipaclip. Here’s an animation I made on procreate dreams that was fun to make with little to no crying over the software. It’s way less animated than the one on flipaclip bc I was way more lazy making it and also learned more tricks on how to animate without drawing every single frame.

Both programs are pretty nice and considering everything id give them four out of five stars.

okay I’ve gotta know are there any ipad animation people on here and what programme(s?) do you use because if I don’t make an animatic soon I will explode

(If it must be paid for (which I assume it will be) then I would prefer a one time payment over a subscriptions)

[applestruda]

Ok so i've gotten a couple of people asking me how i color,, so i thought i might like, drop a mini tutorial for how i draw in general. I will explain to the best of my ability, but im not super good at this kind of thing (also this is gonna be a long post)

I will say that usually I go into a drawing with a general idea of what I want to draw, the vibe I want to give, and the colors I want to work with. Of course these can change throughout the process though.

(and side tip is to flip the canvas often, that way it's easy to catch mistakes and tweak them)

So I always start with a sketch, it's not clean or pretty, just meant to give me a good base. And from there I color in the flats

Next I take some darker colors and just throw it on top of the flats, erasing where I want there to be highlights

I then specifically take the brush called stickman (on procreate), and do a wash over the art. I find that it creates a variety of interesting colors and adds some texture.

From there, I take my usual brush (chalk) and I grab the colors created by the previous step, rendering out the form with them

Next is just the highlights, where i pretty much make a good base to start adding details and messing with layer types.

Details! I use a variety of brushes, layer types, and colors, just messing around and seeing what I like. I often stumble across something I like through this method, completely unplanned.

(also to create the wispy effect like what's around the stars, I just grab a color, use whatever layer type I think looks cool, and then go in with my eraser to add more shape to it)

The final couple of steps is still me just messing around with layer types and colors, but usual to the whole drawing instead of specific spots, possibly unifying colors and or trying to push contrasts a little further (it depends on what I'm going for). And then i finish it off with another stickman layer to add more texture back!

And erm,, Yeah! That's kinda it.. In total this took 1 h 11 min.. and honestly most of it is just me messing with things until I like it..

Hope this helps,

[ffc1cb]

hello! I love your art and im wondering what app you use and what pens do you use on that app? :dD

hi! first of all, thank you :) i'm glad you enjoy my art. sorry it took me so long to answer, but here it is, as detailed as i could make it

what program:

i've been using autodesk sketchbook (for drawing) & paint tool sai 2 (for filters, cropping, etc) for several years. i'm very very fond of sketchbook and i believe it to be the best entry program for beginners (and especially people who are moving from traditional to digital art, since the majority of the brushes available for AS are imitations of traditional tools. it even has a library of copic colors!) due to its simple and intuitive interface. this is both its biggest advantage and flaw: while the brush catalog is quite big and you can play with the settings a lot, there aren't that many features you can use as opposed to something like clip studio paint or even sai; it’s a very bare bones type of art program.

some things i personally find irritating (but have learned to work around) are the lack of image flipping function (instead i have to mirror the entire layer or canvas, which becomes troublesome on canvases with a lot of layers (although i assume it’s mostly due to my laptop being pretty old)), inability to have multiple canvases open at once, lack of clipping mask, somewhat clunky process of creating custom shaped brushes (nigh impossible to make an unbreaking string of a shape, e.g embroidery or lingerie), lack of water fringe function, clunky text & color adjustment editors, etc etc.

if you’ve previously used a more complex art program you might find sketchbook lacking in a lot of ways, but personally after years of usage i can safely say that it’s my favorite program i’ve ever worked with. i really love the overall simplicity of the interface (i’ve tried to switch to csp several times throughout the years but ended up being overwhelmed by the number of features), and i’m a big fan of AS’s selection tool. if you’ve never heard of sketchbook before, i urge you to give it a try! they provide a helpful manual on their site.

now, AS used to be free for all platforms (both pc and mobile), but iirc a couple years ago the program changed owners and the new company decided to remake the pc version as “autodesk pro” & charge $20 for it (although mobile is still free). which is fine i suppose since i hear that it’s being updated again (previous owners made it free in the first place because they essentially abandoned its development & stopped releasing updates). but i’m also a huge fan of piracy so here’s a .zip file of the version i downloaded when it was still available (it might be outdated, but at least its free! and if you decide that you like the program, you can always one-time-purchise it later from their official website). the archive contains the setup.exe as well as a folder containing all of the brushes i use in my art process (i’ll talk about them further below). if you ever find the link not working anymore feel free to send an ask or message me for a new one.

what brushes:

here are all of the brushes i use as seen on my toolbar. the majority of them are brushes that i made myself, which is why a lot of them have weird names; the ones that have numbers in the title are just me writing down previous value settings (usually for roundness, rotation & edge) so that i dont forget them after i inevitably tweak the settings again. don’t pay them much attention.

left column is basically decorative brushes. here they are from top to bottom:

right column is brushes that i actually draw with:

i specified what each one is used for just so you get the basic idea but in reality i pretty much use them interchangeably for literally anything i feel like at the time. i also tweak the settings a lot so the overall look fluctates pretty often. 

the folder in the zip file i provided has the .skbrushes (sketchbook’s custom brush format) file for the entire set. here is a guide on how to upload custom brushes. 

i think that’s all! if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. i promise i will reply faster this time, lol

[littletroggo]

first, it's already a great start! it looks so cute :3 i have a bunch of tips and tricks, and i broke them down into similar categories. bit of a warning, i'm self taught, so how good/helpful these will be is uncertain

set up

this is all the boring stuff before you actually draw. the main thing is make everything easy to access for you and streamline it, so you can focus more on drawing than fiddling with settings

pen pressure setting: procreate has a universal pressure sensitivity that i recommend playing with until you find what works for you. for example, if you find you struggle with getting darker strokes, move the line a bit to the top left. the default of a linear curve from bottom left to top right works just fine though. for reference, these are my pressure curves (the right one is from a different software)

i don't recommend copying mine from the left since it's to make drawing darker without much pressure since i have tendinitis

canvas size and resolution: honestly the "screen size" preset is pretty good for anything. you can also change the canvas size and resolution once you're in, so if you realize you need something bigger or smaller, it's an easy fix. my general rule of thumb is at least 2000px for the smallest dimension and at least 100 dpi. my default is 2480 x 3508px at 300dpi, and i downscale it to about half the size at 72 dpi for posting because the files are too big. if you notice your lines look a bit "jaggy" and it's not from the brush texture, that's pretty good indicator that your resolution/dpi is a bit too low

shortcuts and gestures: highly recommend putting anything you notice you use a lot as a gesture or in the quick menu which i think is tap and hold by default. this can be actions like flipping the canvas horizontally or switching to the eraser brush

brushes: anything goes! try out a bunch and settle on a couple that are your go to's. this also applies to brush settings. tweak settings to your liking! if you didn't already know, you can have preset sizes and opacities on the slider by tap the slider and then the plus icon. if you're lost, there are only three main brushes you'd need for anything: a hard round brush like monoline (caligraphy), a pressure opacity brush like round brush (painting), and a soft airbrush like soft brush (airbrushing). the main reasoning is that you can get the variation for hard and soft edges for anything.

technical tips

these are more for tricks specific to digital art than the "how to draw X" kind

liquify: need to make small adjustments like moving the nose, but you don't want to redraw it? liquify is your best friend! it's under the magic wand/adjustments setting. liquify also works on multiple layers

reference window: under the actions setting and canvas, you can toggle the reference window. by default it shows a small version of your canvas, but you can use it to put a picture to use as reference. very handy when drawing a character! (side note: you can also color pick from your reference by tapping and holding over the reference)

flipping the canvas horizontally: also under the canvas tab is the "flip horizontal" action. it does what it says on the tin. it's benefit is that flipping the entire piece sorta refreshes how you see it. the oddities jump out more since your eyes got used to seeing it in its normal orientation

layer effects and blend modes: by default, every new layer is a normal layer, but you can change it to one of the many different types. there are way better explanations and tutorials explaining what each does, so i'm just gonna go over the ones i use most: multiply: it'll make what's underneath darker using whatever color you use. it's best for applying shadows quickly add: it'll brighten what's underneath with the color you're using. i like using it for bright highlights or lighting, but it's often too strong to my taste, so i lower the layer opacity afterwards overlay: it's kinda like a tint for what's underneath. if you use a blue overlay layer, everything will have a bluish tint to it. i use it to quickly change the setting (sunset, night, etc) and to add the bluish hue to the bottom characters and a yellowish hue to their faces

post processing: these are the fancy effects done at the very end to add the extra cherry on top. all of these are under the adjustments tool. the first four let you change the colors after the fact. again, there are much better explanation than what i can provide, but my go to's are: noise at ~5-8% and for more finished pieces perspective blur and chromatic aberration at ~3-5%. none of these are necessary. i just find them fun to use

foundational tips

these are the general drawing tips not exclusive to digital art

references: references are great! whether it's for poses, outfits, settings, or the character themself, references make drawing much easier

construction: everything can be broken down into simpler shapes, and by building off of simpler shapes, it's easier to notice and adjust things compared to something like a fully drawn face. what guidelines you choose to use are entirely up to you. as long as they're helpful, that's what matters!

stop to think: sometimes, it can be really easy to get lost in drawing and go on autopilot. slowing down and trying to draw with intention often helps to combat drawing what you think you see vs what you actually see

resources

marc brunet has been my resource for learning pretty much everything

emiliodekureart has amazing tutorials on drawing figures in movement

marco bucci has amazing tutorials on painting and lighting

chommang has easy to follow tutorials on drawing various faces and poses

proko has phenomenal and in depth videos on fundamentals and anatomy

i hope this helps! this was very long, and i hope it wasn't overwhelming or anything

I love art. I love doodling. Sketching. This took me under 3 minutes to scratch out on my tablet…but getting past this point is so hard for me!

I use Procreate on my iPad … to my fantastic, artistic peoples…what are some tips and tricks (and maybe some YouTube videos) you use that can help a newer digital artist??

[ketchupkio]

Hi! I adore your art, it’s so beautiful, and was wondering how you draw heads/face shapes? No pressure to answer by the way. I just tend to struggle with getting the face shapes to look normal and was wondering how you start at least- again you don’t have to answer!

hi, thank you so much!! i use a pretty stylistic approach to faces (and my sketches are veeery rough lol) but it does have a base in knowing what structure is underneath the skin, so anatomy fundamentals will aaaalways help (and references if you're struggling with a pose). but with that said, i used Warriors as a guide for this and hopefully this answers your questions! everything under the cut.

Step 1

i start with a circle and the standard cross shape guidelines for the face on a layer with much lower opacity. the top of the circle is irrelevant and will get shaved down/refined later when i'm ready to do the hair, but i like having the full circle when i'm starting my sketch bc it just makes me feel better. if I'm trying to block out a full pose i'll usually sketch the jawline too, but i didn't this time. (note that if you're newer to drawing and not used to knowing where the face shapes go, you can use more lines! no shame in that, whatever works for you)

keeping in mind which side of the character's face will be more towards the viewer (primary side), i draw the basic shape of the eye first-- upper then lower lash line. repeat on the other side and adjust as needed by flipping your canvas, though i usually wait till later when i have more features on it to do the first flip and something looks wonky. i did a pretty decent job this time lol.

i usually use pretty short strokes when i draw because i use an ipad and i don't like to rest my hand on the screen. this was different when i used sai, i had a lot more continuous strokes then and rested my hand on the tablet, but the change in medium/program got me to do things differently. with smooth pens you're going to want to use longer strokes usually, but with fuzzier/textured pens i find you can get away with shorter pen strokes and just erasing.

Step 2

i add the irises and nose, then draw the beginning of the eyebrows and then go towards the outside of the face, indicated by the arrow. primary side first usually. the eyebrow closest to the nose should either touch or could hypothetically have a line touching the bridge. the length of the eyebrows is up to you, but usually natural eyebrows extend a little past the outer corner of the eye, so it just depends on your character. here i sketched the jawline too on the guideline layer. feel free to adjust proportions as needed.

Step 3

jawline! all my jawlines start with the same shapes, they just vary from sharper to rounder depending on the character. Wars has a slimmer, angular face with a strong jaw and chin, so his lines are usually pretty sharp and square. sometimes i put the jaw/neck/shoulders on a separate layer than the facial features, but it just depends. here they're on the same layer.

starting from the primary side, i draw one line down, then another line down on the secondary side. then i connect them to meet the chin, which should always fall in the middle of your face's centerline (or where you've put the centerline in your mind's eye bc my guidelines don't always stay accurate). i usually fiddle with the jaw a bit with the transform tools to make sure it's where i want it to be.

i've also added eyelid creases (the top, curved line is the approximate ridge for the eye socket, i just like doing that) but i'm not fussy about when i do that, i just did it here :shrug: imo eyelid creases help the viewer more clearly see the structure of the face and where things are supposed to be, but that's just the way i do it. and it's also to fill space lol

Step 4

mouth and ear(s)! i wait until after the jawline to draw the mouth just so i know how much room i have for the expression. if you're drawing a smile or something and you want it to be lopsided, the higher side should be your primary side, just trust me. when drawing the ears (or just singular ear in this case bc i wasn't feeling drawing a second one) i usually do SOOO MUCH warping and resizing. on a real person's face, the top of the ear lines up w the tail of the eyebrow and the bottom lines up w the tip of the nose. usually with my style, it ends up being the corner of the eye and the nose, but it's just depending on what looks right. poor wars' bad ear is on the primary side so he does not get the full long hylian ear. i cannot draw upturned hylian ears to save my gotdamn life.

i've also gone ahead and drawn the neck and a little bit of the trapezius muscle. y'all i BEG of you to look up how the neck muscles, tendons, and bones work bc they are so important, i think i reblogged a post about it a little while ago? or i at least saw one. everything is connected and all of the lines lead down to the divot of the collarbone. the back line of the neck should never be before the corner of the jaw and the tendon should lead up to that corner. very very very important. also the collarbones should point to the start of the deltoid muscles and that's important for posing, but i didn't draw that much for this. neck width varies depending on your character's build, so someone skinny would have a thinner neck than a chubby or muscular person.

i added the nose and cheekbone lines i always do in this step. i think they look nice and fill space well, and they can help indicate the angle/curve of the cheekbone when the face is more tilted. just my thing i've done forever tho! sometimes i wait until after i've done the hair to draw them so i know they can be seen (and i ended up moving them for this drawing bc i didn't wait vnkdsnl)

in preparation for the hair, i added a guide for the hairline and refined the shape of the skull to where i actually want it to be

MAKE SURE TO FLIP YOUR CANVAS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING LOOKS RIGHT!

Step 5

hair! it's always on a separate layer for me, and that has to do with how i color too. i do the little floofy thing at the swirl of the hair first, at the back of the part, then i start the first line for the swoopy side of the hair (line 2), then the other side. i guess you could call it the major side (side w the most hair) and minor side (side w the least hair).

i usually use a lot of lines to indicate hair direction, but it just depends on your style. i'd recommend identifying the major shapes of your character's hairstyle and replicating those whenever you draw that person. so for wars, it's the big bump where his part starts on the major side, the top of the hair usually stays flat, and it waves out to the side. on the minor side his hair is shorter and flips out and there are waves and stuff in the back. what i didn't draw in this step that's an identifying feature is his sideburns, which curve inward, but that's next. warp tool is a godsend for hair.

Step 6

finish the hair! refining shapes, floofies, the back, you name it. it's all about filling in space and making sure the weight is right before you start erasing lines underneath it. i lower the opacity of the face line layer to make sure there's no weird/stray lines.

Step 7

add finishing details, erase lines, and you're done! at least with the lineart bit lol. if i know it's just going to be lines, i add scars here, but if i'm gonna color it, i leave scars and other face markings for the coloring stage. and that's it!

i hope this was informative lol. thank you anon for asking, i had fun doing this!

[primaverabutitalreadyexists]

Prima you're so talented! The way you do lighting, coloring, shading and even how you draw that helps guide the viewer's eye onto a focus point is just beautiful.

Is there any tips/tricks/advices you could so graciously bestow onto others who are struggling?

If there was advice you could give your past self about drawing, what would it be and why?

Thank you in advance Prima, and as always, keep up the amazing work! :)

~With love <3

Thank you for the ask, and thank you for the compliment, you’re very sweet!

Im not the holder of the universal truth, so what I’m about to say is to take with a grain of salt, but here’s what’s working well with me and what I learnt:

I know this has become a joke among the art community, but I flip my canvas a lot lol. The eye tends to get used to the image it sees, so it’s getting harder to spot mistakes as you keep working on your piece.

Learning values!! From the moment I started working in grayscale, it made me realize how important it is to understand how values works, and how they will define your entire piece. Values are directly linked to the light, which is the most important part of a painting, it’s what will give your artwork « life » and its dynamic. Lighting is my first priority when I start something, I always choose a light source first and then I start the process. Learning how light works allows you to understand how it will affect and interact with its environment, how it reflects on some objects, and it helps a lot to construct an homogeneous piece. There are different types of lighting, with variable degree of intensity, and they will set the mood you chose for your piece.

When I start a sketch, I work with shapes first, I make a very messy line work and exaggerate curves instead of trying to make a perfect lineart first. The goal is to « catch » the dynamic of the pose, and to emphasis where the eye is supposed to focus on. It helps to get the proportions right as well.

Now tools speaking, I use Procreate, and I rely a lot on the liquify tool, to make minor changes on my shapes, the lasso tool is very useful to create sharp/smooth edges and for a lot of things actually, to work on some areas without touching their surroundings, the smudge tool, Gradient maps/color balance/curve/Hue settings are pretty uselful throughout all the process, I have no real advice for that, just tinker with it and see what fits you the most. And for the layer modes I use Multiply/Overlay mainly for the shades or to add colors to my grayscale thumbnail, and color dodge/screen/add for the ambiant light, vfx and rim light.

To my past self, I would tell to learn the theory alongside the practice. It’s a lot easier to understand how things work. To try everything, even if it might fail, even if it might take time to learn it. I think that’s the only real advice I can give, try again and again, do not feel discouraged by failure and if things become too overwhelming and if you start feeling you might never succeed in the task, just take a break, do something you know you’re good at, it will boost your self confidence and you will go back to the previous task with renewed confidence, and more willing to keep trying. Learning is a long process, we learn things throughout our entire life, so be patient, you have your whole existence to succeed. Do things at your own pace and even though it’s a completely human thing to do, try to not compare yourself with the others. They also had their hardships, and they also worked hard. Do not be afraid to get inspiration from them tho, we are all influenced by something or someone, so if you want to recreate something you saw, for your own learning process, there’s nothing wrong with it.

I hope this helped, I’m sorry if some things didn’t really make sense, I suck at explaining and at synthesizing. Have a wonderful day! ❤️

[flufe]

my art process:

i usually only use the default photoshop brushes - one hard and one soft.

i don't like having lots of layers so i usually only work with 2 layers.

i used to start with colour, but these days i prefer working in greyscale and then using gradient maps to add colour! i really like the way gradient maps affect the shadow areas. it's something i find difficult to emulate by blending the colours straight onto the page.

for the hair, i sometimes use a smudge brush to help smooth out the lines (e.g. at the roots)

then, finally, i have to walk away from it for a while and come back! you can see in the final slide that i used the liquify tool to move some of the features around a bit (ear bigger, nose bigger, changed face shape). it's so easy to go blind to what's on the page. this can be mitigated by flipping the canvas etc. but honestly i think that sometimes it's best to step away and come back with fresh eyes. :)

i've been drawing digitally since december 2015 (so the 10 year anniversary is coming up next year... scary) and have used the same tablet ever since - a wacom cintiq 13hd. it's amazing and i love it and it's kept me company through a bachelors, a masters, three internships and now my job in aerospace!

humanity's strongest soldier <3