#pro of Chalk Paint

[mahjastrax]

[SONA ART] Sinner

this drawing didn't came out exactly than what i've envisioned for it, but i'll take it lol

[spacecowboy6780]

Me when I forget this place exists

[carpentrytools]

The Pros and Cons of Chalk Paint

You've probably seen chalk paint in all the trendy home decor stores and on Pinterest. But what is it? And more importantly, should you use it? 

In this blog post, we'll explore the pros and cons of chalk paint to help you decide if it's the right choice for your next project.

What is Chalk Paint?

Chalk paint is a type of paint that gives furniture and walls a matte, chalky finish. It's often used to give new life to old pieces of furniture or to add an interesting texture to walls. Chalk paint is available in a variety of colors but can also be easily made at home with some plaster of Paris and water. 

Pros of Chalk Paint

One of the biggest advantages of chalk paint is that it doesn't require any prep work. Unlike other types of paint, you don't have to sand or prime your surface before painting it with chalk paint. This can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you're repainting an old piece of furniture. 

Another pro of chalk paint is that it's very forgiving. If you make a mistake while painting, simply sand down the area until it's smooth again and start over. This type of paint is also easy to distressed, which can give your project an antique look. 

One of the reasons why chalk paint has become so popular is because it gives furniture and home decor a beautiful vintage look. If you're going for a shabby chic aesthetic, then chalk paint is definitely the way to go.

Cons of Chalk Paint 

Although chalk paint has a lot of advantages, there are also a few disadvantages to consider before using it. One downside is that chalk paint can be difficult to work with if you're not used to using it. Because it dries quickly, you have to work fast and be careful not to glob on too much paint at once. 

Another con is that chalk paint isn't always as durable as other types of paint. It can scratch and chip more easily than latex or oil-based paints. If you're planning on painting something that will get a lot of use, like a kitchen table, you might want to choose a different type of paint. 

Conclusion: 

So, should you use chalk paint? Ultimately, the decision comes down to personal preference and what you'll be using the chalk paint for. If you're looking for an easy way to give an old piece of furniture new life, then chalk paint is definitely worth considering. Just keep in mind that it might not be as durable as other types of paint and take some time to practice using it before starting your project.

Relevant article :  Does chalk paint need primer?

[galactic-berries]

Absolutely obsessed with this art of Jax (below) from the TADC café that Glitch posted about, so I had to make an outfit for Luna last night. Maybe I’ll do more if I have time later today…

Also bonus Jax doodles!! I was playing around with the brushes on Medibang Paint Pro cause I usually stick to using the chalk one (but i used the pen one for some reason for the Luna doodle…i’m weird). Idk why a lot of them are him grumpy. maybe i like drawing grumpy/annoyed Jax. ALSO one of them is a quote Gooseworx has stated Jax will say in episode six I think (the “That’s…cringe” one)

TL;DR I made Spudsy’s Luna art and bonus silly Jax doodles with different brushes :)

(Luna’s an oc for anyone who sees this) (my lil bunny girl)

[blakbonnet]

ARTIST OF THE WEEK @midearthlingart ✨

This week's AOTW is Laz aka midearthling, and any AOTW event intending to bring classic ofmd art back into circulation would be incomplete without them <3 She agreed to answer a few questions for me and shared some great tips for beginners:

- Which do you use to draw (app/digital or traditional)?

I think everything posted here is digital, done mainly on Procreate, although I have started using Art Studio Pro more recently and I really like it (also an iPad app but available on other machines afaik!). I do like to doodle and do studies in my sketchbook though, I think it's good to keep me sharp and for a change of pace! And sometimes ideas come easier that way. But any completed pieces tend to be digital.

- Fave brushes/pencils/mediums (links/screenshots?)

On procreate I'm partial to using jingsketch basic’s flat brush, it’s so versatile for sketching and painting! Other brushes in my regular rotation are the default chalk and 6b brushes from procreate. I also have a soft ‘photoshop’ brush that I use to flat in colours, and a round brush I downloaded that I often use for sketching too; unfortunately I can’t remember where I got either of those ones but I’m pretty sure they were free! Sometimes I use random texture brushes, and the default watercolours in procreate.

- Your favourite piece you've drawn?

I go through phases of really loving some pieces and then hating them again (I often dislike my own art!) One of the best things I ever drew is a very nsfw comic so I unfortunately can’t share it on tumblr lmao. But in its stead, I think this and this have a special place in my heart.

- Who's harder to draw: Ed or Stede?

Honestly it just depends on the day! Both can be difficult to capture for different reasons; oddly I think for me I don’t have Ed’s face pinned down as much as I do with Stede’s. I’ve drawn them so much at this point I can bang them out without reference most of the time, but every now and again I’ll have a difficult angle and need to reference again! Stede’s nose is my absolute favourite to draw though.

- One essential tip for beginner artists?

Keep going! References and 3D models are your friend! It’s okay to make studies of other people’s works in order to learn (just don’t share and try to pass it off as your own!) Tracing photos to learn is also fine too, these are all just tools to help you hone your skill.

- Why OFMD? 🥹

It did something to my brain! I remember watching it back in March 2022 when there were only 6 episodes out at the time, I binged in one go and then the very next day watched all of them again. It just felt so cosy! I watched initially when I heard about it because I already loved Rhys and Taika’s works so needless to say it was hook, line and sinker from me from the start—I did not stand a chance! When it turned out to be a queer, middle-aged love story I knew it would be special to me forever.

[sarnai4]

Back to Medibang Paint Pro. I love this program so much! It's really fun. Here is Dracula from the Netflix version of Castlevania. I wanted to do a bit more of the glow effect for his eyes and also tried the blur tool for those little embers around him. The background has a mix of brushes that I'd never used before: the fluffy brush, oil paint, chalk, and watercolor.

[barrenclan]

I’m not sure if you’ve answered this before, but how do you do you pages? Do you use one program or several? I wanna use the format but I’m baffled XD

It’s so good! Also Pinemorant FTW!!🏳️‍🌈

I've briefly discussed my process in making issues, but I can go through the whole thing for anyone who is interested in making a comic like this. It's not complicated at all - I only use one program (technically two, if you count Google Docs), Medibang Paint Pro. It's free to download and I've used it for years, it's a medium-level digital art program.

I'll take a page from the last issue, 26, to demonstrate. So if you haven't read it yet, do that before reading this.

My first step, which is already completed for every issue, is to write a basic summary of the things I want to happen. If I have a specific dialogue I want to use I'll include, but normally it's just descriptions.

I don't always use everything from my summary, or I'll add things in the final written draft. You may notice a line about "he knew of some cat in Fire", which was about Cormorantpaw knowing of Rainhaze but not actually who he was. I took it out because I couldn't seamlessly work it into the conversation.

2. The stories themselves are written in Google Docs, in the format of any short fiction. My process is pretty short - I'll write out a rough draft, leave it alone for a day, then come back and clean it up. Here's the section from the page I'm showing.

If I use speech bubbles on a page, like this one, sometimes there will be descriptive language in the story that's not in the page, like "I said, relenting and leaping up next to him."

3. My first compositing step is to lay down the text and sketches, so I know where everything goes and ensures the page flows nicely. Medibang has a feature called the "Text Tool", which is what I use to lay down text. I can't say my fonts exactly since they're mostly Korean characters, but they're part of the default Medibang font set.

4. After this, I add lines and colors. It's pretty simple.

I have a specific color scheme for borderlines; black is normal, present drawings, reddish-pink is flashback, blue is fantasy/imagination.

5. After color, I draw the backgrounds. All of my backgrounds are painted using the Pen brush and the Watercolor (Wet) brush, sometimes with Acrylic or Chalk for texture.

6. My final step is to add a gradient multiply and overlay layer, since I don't cell shade or paint shade the characters. It saves a lot of time! I also add final cleanup like sound effects, whiskers, and speech bubbles, if they're needed.

And that's a page done!

[cosmicpoutine]

PLEASE im begging if anyone knows where i can get default chalk pastel brush from sketchbook pro FOR CLIP STUDIO PAINT i will draw you a profile pic for free PLEASE

csp default brushes fucking suck pls help

[pearwaldorf]

cw: the state of things, Gaza protests, respectability politics

Like many college campuses, there is an encampment of pro-Palestine students at Portland State University, my undergraduate institution. They were occupying the library, but the police have been clearing them out since this morning. I am heartened that many people have turned out to voice their disapproval of this action.

Because college students are fucking nerds*, somebody painted "May thy riot gear chip and shatter" on a wall in the library. And then this fucking square had the gall to be like "B-but the property damage!"

I want to make very clear this fuckface does not represent most of the profession. Nobody I went to library school with would give a shit about property damage in the face of something as important as protesting an ongoing genocide. Hell, most of them would be joining the students.

Librarianship is, at its heart, a radical profession. It involves creating space for people who might not otherwise have it. There are very few places where you can just go and hang around for hours without paying. Libraries are places that provide resources (not just books!) to populations that would not otherwise have access to them. People think of libraries as places to turn for help of all kinds, to the point where some library systems have hired social workers.

A library is not just the four walls and the media contained within. It is also the community it supports and nurtures. And it chaps my ass there are librarians out there who seem to have forgotten that.

--

* I remember attending a protest decades ago (about the second Iraq war maybe?) and seeing "The spice must flow!" chalked on the ground. The more things change etc etc.

[em-marti-capstone]

Week 8 - November 1

When I started to think about prototyping, at first I thought I should have gone the digital route with me practicing some basic animation on Procreate. Honestly. So time consuming and did not feel so into it either. After some feedback, I was guided to look away from the digital and work on physical paper prototyping and testing out one of my other ideas, which was creating some sort of comforter or quilt. I created a VERY ROUGH first paper prototype, where I did a dozen squares (squares being a common shape/pattern on quilts) of different memories (heavily inspired by Faith Ringgold and her quilts). Some of these memories were drawn based on photos from things like my mom's Facebook, some were purely from memory or how I perceived that memory, and a couple were recreated drawings of my own old drawings from about second grade. Almost half of these include my younger sister, who I don't think I would've had as fun of a childhood without.

In order from top left to right:

from memory, being pushed on a swing by my grandmother, who taught us how to swing and have fun whenever she took us to the playground after school

recreated drawing I made of my aunt and I (full photo below)

I suck at drawing people so this will be super fun when I possibly do some face drawings/paintings on future prototypes/final quilt, but this is from a young photo of my sister and I

from a photo, playing monopoly with family during Hurricane Sandy, where we had a power outage for almost 2 weeks

from memory, playing Just Dance with my sister

from memory, roasting marshmallows when we would go upstate to our grandfather's camper

recreated a drawing of a desert that I did in second grade

from a photo, me winning first place at the science fair

recreated an assignment/drawing from second grade

from memory, sort of a first person perspective of hopscotch; my grandfather loved buying us chalk to draw the hopscotch and anything else that came to mind

from a photo, making pizza from scratch with my sister

from memory, decorating the Christmas tree with my sister

There's a lot that I want to do from this point on.

Of course, adding more memories; however I don't want them all (maybe any) to be super realistic (partially because I am not a pro at realism but can definitely try for some memories)

I want to test out different orders on how these memories are laid out on a quilt (how would this feel in a chronological/linear order, another random variation, mixing in solid color or patterned squares or keeping those only as a border for the quilt)

Abstracting some of these memories by using squares of different colors or significant patterns that relate to my childhood in some way (maybe they represent a person, a feeling)

Testing out how cropped these memories are on the square (do they reach the edge of the square, fade towards the edges, overall how much space does the memory take up? how much detail or coverage is really needed?)

What kind of text can I possibly include, if any?

This will probably not be something I do this week but maybe next week, but testing scale and materiality, like making one of these memories into an larger square on paper and/or on fabric (I did already buy fabric so I can test this)

What types of fabric or material overall can I use? Buttons? Sequins?

Overall, a lot to think about, but lots of ways that I can test things out and help me figure out how I want the final quilt to be in the future.

For this week, I'm going to try out how reorganizing the memories feel, add some more memories or work on solid color squares with patterns, and maybe try a larger scale square (we'll see).

Nancy also showed me this beautiful website of the many, many quilts that have been made in honor of those who lost their lives to AIDs. Hopefully this link takes you to the interactive quilt display:

My sister and I. I am obsessed with how proud she looks of her work.

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Worldbuilding issues in the Shadowstruck universe:

Can I get away with the concept that people with heartlights cast no shadows and only people without them (shades) do? Wouldn't that vary based on the brightness of the person's heartlight vs. the brightness of external light sources? Can I just chalk it up to "it's a magical side effect that we don't understand"?

How does the fact that most people (or rather, all the people who are considered people) serve as a light source affect lighting technology in this world? I imagine you'd still want external lighting to light up a whole room, or to have streetlights to illuminate an entire area so you're just not navigating by the small window of light cast by your own faint glow, but would there be less external lighting? How bright can a person's heartlight be without putting too much strain on themselves? Would lanterns be a thing? Are they considered assistive technology that's only for shades?

(How does a heartlight affect art? Does the look of a painting change when the artist themself is a light source?)

Does having a heartlight affect sleep? Are there ways to dampen ones own heartlight when you want a dark room, or want to move around without being seen?

If being ill can diminish or temporarily quench a person's heartlight, how do you tell the difference between someone who's been born a shade and someone who's dealing with a temporary illness/disability? Can shades take advantage of this if they're trying to escape slavery/imprisonment/death?

Does it diminish/overly complicate the pro-life message if a lot of people believe that a heartlight is the external sign of having a soul? This is a heresy, but a widespread one that has been taken up enthusiastically by several governments/societies that find it much more convenient to believe that the people who need extra care aren't people at all. But could I make the fact that they're wrong about heartlight being linked to the soul clear within the story? Would it make it look like all religious people are monsters who think shades should die?

Even if I could make it clear, would mixing religion into this make the too complicated? You'd have religious people who think that shades are abominations--an empty vessel that's like a person but is walking around among us with no soul--and should be killed/prevented from reproducing, while other religious people believe a lack of heartlight is a disability like the loss of any other sense, so shades have to be treated as people, while other people are like 'Hey, convenient labor source," and don't think too deep into it. And then there are atheists who scoff at the idea of the heartlight being tied to the soul because no one has a soul, so it's stupid to think shades are worth any more or less than anyone else, while other atheists are like, "Why should we have shades straining society? It's better to have them die out and rid the gene pool of this weakness." Does this make it realistic or too complicated for the length of story that I'm likely to write?

[spacecowboy6780]

mob <3 tried something new ^^

[mythicalmeowz]

oomf idk if youve posted before about it or anything but what brushes do u use ... and or do you have any special filters or auto actions .... i want that texture in my Bones immediately

hi oomf!! i don't have any specific brushes that i use,, i normally just use whichever feels the nicest in the moment. but some of my favourites right now are: Greg Rutkowski's photoshop brushes, True Grit Chromagraph, Artemus chalk (2018139), realistic ballpoint pencil (1844622), intoxicate pencil set (1740419), (all for clip studio paint, apart from the first one). i also really like clip studio's default brushes i don't have any specific autoactions or filters, but some of my textures are added in Rebelle Pro. i'll copy and paste my art from Clip Studio into Rebelle when i'm finished working on it, and i'll add a paper texture or thicker paint textures there hope this helps !

[that-gay-jedi]

Pros of existing:

A cat may sit on you and purr

Watching Revenge of the Sith

Blankets and pillows

Faggotry & dykery

Hot tea

There's caves full of paintings and handprints, chalk horses, pottery with stories on it, ancient pet burials with loving epitaphs and skeletons holding hands

If you're lucky you can shape your body to fit you

If you're very very very very VERY lucky you may have a best friend

Cons of existing:

Exploitative power structures

Capitalism

People who suck

Getting out of bed on a cold day

Chronic pain

The Workplace(tm)

[therappundit]

*The Best of the Bestest!: The Rap Pundit’s Picks For The Finest Rap Projects of 2022

*Just a list of MY favorite favorites from a year filled with a lot of damn good music.  

What else needs to be said at this point?  You have probably seen at least a dozen “Best of” lists by now, with many of the same albums cluttered near the top....but this is THE Rap Pundit’s list, so you know you’re bound to find more gems than chalk.

In a historically deep year for rap music (a topic worth profiling in the future), the headline story was probably the numerous side stories.  Be it the explosion of great music coming from areas that had a previously under-reported wealth of talent (especially Wisconsin and Florida), the underground scene getting more high profile exposure than it has in years (artists like billy woods, Fatboi Sharif and Lungs/Lonesword being shouted-out by numerous mainstream outlets!?), sample-driven drill officially becoming the preferred drill-flavor (at least on the east coast, shout-out Shawny Binladen, Four50, Big YaYa and the YTB), and of course the simply inescapable rise of club music’s influence on rap right now (Bandmanrill is clearly the master of this lane, but this style isn’t going away anytime soon)….if you couldn’t find something you loved in 2022, you might not actually like rap music.

But the proof is in the pudding, let’s get into it.  Here are my personal picks for the most impressive albums/mixtapes/EPs/projects/whatever of 2022…

***High Honors***:  Beware of the Monkey by MIKE, Motion Not Emotion by DB.Boutabag, Playing With Fire by ShooterGang Kony, Crack Music 2 by Skilla Baby, Beyond Belief by 38 Spesh & Harry Fraud, Gold Bricks by ElCamino, and Formal Intro by dp0mmy [+about 100 more that I plan to shout-out on future posts!]

100. VACABULAREE by Valee

99. The DogFather by Paco Panama

98. u be ight by QThree

97. Traumazine by Megan Thee Stallion

96. Metatron’s Cube by Aj Suede & Televangel

95. Spaceships on the Blade by Larry June

94. Scorpion Eyes by BandGang Lonnie Band$

93. Raw Extractions by Lukah

92. Marlowe 3 by Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham)

91. SNOFALL by Jeezy & DJ Drama

90. Tales Of A Yung Son by Four50

89. Ima Island Boy by Pros AP

88. WHERE ARE THE BUGS!? by Cise Greeny, Phiik & Lungs/LoneSword

87. Let’s Do A Drill by Asian Doll

86. GRIPTAPE by the grittiest, Raz Fresco, Eric Right

85. Triple Black Diamonds 2 by al.divino & Estee Nack

84. Where The Shooters Be by SleazyWorld Go

83. As Above So Below by VIP Skylark

82. ONLY BUILT 4 DIAMOND LINKS by Peezy

81. Deutsche Marks 3 by Willie The Kid & V Don

80. THE LIZ 2 by Armani Caesar

79. Wordly Ways by Archibald Slim

78. I NEVER LIKED YOU (Deluxe) by Future

77. MARTINELLI MAC-ELEV by Willyynova

76. Jungle Life by DCG BROTHERS (DCG Shun, DCG Bsavv)

75. FACE (Deluxe Edition) by Babyface Ray

74. What They Hittin 4 by Jay Worthy & DJ Muggs

73. Sedale Threat by Wrecking Crew (Zilla Rocca, Curly Castro & PremRock)

72. Dollar Menu 4 by Mach-Hommy & Tha God Fahim

71. On High Alert, Vol. 4 by Real Bad Man

70. EA Monster by Young Nudy

69. Back For Everything by Kodak Black

68. raja’s sun by iblss

67. BussaBrick Vol. 2: BussOne 101 by Chicken P

66. 2 Headed Goat by 1100 Himself & Mitchell

65. The I&I by Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious

64. COTI 2:  The Course of the Inevitable 2 by Lloyd Banks

63. The Broadcast by Fil Jackson

62. The 13 Tape 2 by Jugg Harden

61. HTR Vol. 1: The Legend of Tawny Tone by Koncept Jack$on

60. MEMPHIS MASSACRE III *or* CRUNKSTAR [I still can’t make up my mind!?] by Duke Deuce

59. BEFORE SHIT GOT WEIRD by The Cool Kids

58. ENDLESS by evrymN

57. 25 Features, Vol. 2 by Los & Nutty

56. SLANG CASINO by YUNGMORPHEUS & Obijuan

55. Before The Winner Comes The Fall by Grunge Gallardo

54. Valley of Dry Bones by Stik Figa & Conductor Williams

53. Paint the City (Gangsta Grillz) by Icewear Vezzo & DJ Drama

52. Lost In Austin by kingdoughmane.

51. Gold by DJ Muggs & Rigz

50. Black Vladimir by Meyhem Lauren & Daringer

49. Dog$hit & Ammunition by WTM Milt

48. Laughing so Hard, it Hurts by Mavi

47. Metal Lung by Shrapknel (Curly Castro & Premrock)

46. Da Under Dog by MarijuanaXO

45. The Forever Story by JID

44. SHADOWSELF by Sleep Sinatra & Ohbliv

43. CHAINLINK by Phiik & Duro

42. $oul $old $eparately by Freddie Gibbs

41. Church by billy woods & Messiah Musik

40. RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART by Vince Staples

39. SOGW2: Estee Nack & The Order of the Golden Fleece by Estee Nack & Sadhugold

38. Blame Kansas by T.F, Roc Marciano & Mephux

37. Joe Fog by Errol Holden

36. ill be right back! by amani & robalu

35. LIVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE by Mikem Nahmir & The Fades Formation

34. The Elephant Man’s Bones by Roc Marciano & The Alchemist

33. Her Loss by Drake & 21 Savage

32. Frank by Fly Anakin

31. SOUTH CENTRAL by G Perico

30. Sewaside II by Mike Shabb

29. King’s Disease III by Nas & Hit-Boy

28. Cold Cuts by Wiki & Subjxct 5

27. Melt My Eyez See Your Future (The Extended Edition) by Denzel Curry

26. Intros, Outros & Interludes by Domo Genesis & Evidence

25. Few Good Things by Saba

24. BABYST5XNE GORILLAS by Baby Stone Gorillas

23. Fair Exchange No Robbery by Boldy James & Nicholas Craven

22. Continuous Improvement by Papo2oo4, DJ Lucas & Subjxct 5

21. Kiss The Ring by Rome Streetz

20. MOB by Babyface Ray

19. I Love Y.O.U. cuz Y.O.U. Ugle Vol.1 by Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire

18. It’s Almost Dry by Pusha T

17. Smoke Detector by Rich Jones

16. The Soufside Villain by Marco Plus

15. Tana Talk 4 by Benny The Butcher

14. Continuance by Curren$y & Alchemist

13. Cheat Codes by Black Thought & Danger Mouse

12. Languish Arts and Woeful Studies by Ka

11. Spirit Roaming by AKAI SOLO

Aaaaaaaaand now, my top ten...

10.  I Told Bessie by ELUCID

[A well-oiled machine of an album, I Told Bessie lurches along from one ear-grabbing soundscape to another, each gifted contributor putting their stamp on some precious reflection from ELUCID (all producers were in top form here, but Child Actor, Messiah Musik and Sebb were especially potent).  As one half of Armand Hammer, ELUCID has no trouble being a tour guide through his own stroll down memory lane.  He is a superior narrator that knows his way around a vast array of different styles of instrumentals, which means that Bessie never gets too dark or too bright, adding easy replay value to even the heavier moments of the album.]

9. Component System with the Auto Reverse by Open Mike Eagle

[Open Mike Eagle has circled around the epicenter of the underground rap scene for some time now, always a worthy contributor, albeit not one to necessarily be recognized during award season. That should change with his latest effort, a brilliant piece of nostalgia, personal reflection, and an earnest love for hip-hop.  Also, great writing aside, the beats on here are simply phenomenal.]

8. SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt

[Forgot that this dropped in 2022?  The first AOTY contender to drop is all too often the album ending up with the short end of the stick come December, and that seems to be the case with SICK!.  Less sonically aggressive than much of his previous work, Earl still manages to cram so much thoughtful writing into quick, fun-size doses.  The most effective music isn’t always the music that begs for our attention, and this feels like an album where the listener is fortunate just to catch Earl’s thoughts before they float away, to make room for more poignant passing thoughts.  Perhaps Earl’s best gift as an artist is his ability to leave fans wanting more.]

7. Bokleen World by Mike Shabb

[By now the buzz is just starting to nip at Mike Shabb's heels. The Montreal MC/producer was not on my radar before this year, but hot damn has he made an impact in 2022.  If it wasn’t his TWO great solo albums that he dropped, it was the acclaim from tastemakers like Westside Gunn, who got his production skills the attention they deserve.  More importantly, Shabb is coming out of Montreal, Canada, making him a representative of a scene that is starting to make waves well outside of the Canadian border.  I loved his release from earlier this year, but for me it was Bokleen World that showcased all of the many dimensions of an exciting young artist.]

6.  MOOR CHORES by Lord Kayso

[Another artist that I was completely unfamiliar with at this time last year, Brooklyn’s Lord Kayso is closing out this year as one of my favorite artists.  There’s something about his delivery and the way that he colors in his world that feels simultaneously intimate but distant, much like how a young Nas was portrayed as a writer’s-writer, watching events in his community unfold from a project window.  Kayso reflects on his world with a casual delivery that doesn’t seem to be emotionally affected in the moment, but the fact that he’s sharing these personal stories at all confirms that he’s a man with a great deal on his mind.]

5. For All Debts Public and Private by Defcee & Boathouse

[Last year Defcee & Messiah Musik really surprised some folks (myself included) by dropping Trapdoor, one of the best albums of 2021, in December...so let that be a lesson to anyone that thinks they can finalize their annual Best Of lists by the time Thanksgiving wraps up.  That's a tough act to follow, but Defcee & Boathouse managed to strike in 2022 with another fantastic project in For All Debts Public and Private. An impressive list of some of the underground's finest join forces with Boathouses impactful backdrops and Defcee's revealing bars, all to create an album that is as thoughtful as it is prone to high levels of replay value.  When it comes to dissecting one's life and perspectives, I don't know if any MC's pen is touching Defcee at the moment.]

4. Deathfame by Quelle Chris

[Detroit's uber-talented virtuoso Quelle Chris has been accumulating one of the deepest catalogues in music for some time now, but Deathfame is truly one of his finest works top to bottom. An under-reported trend for Quelle is that he somehow finds a way to become more and more versatile as a producer with every album.  Never allowing his sense of humor to drown out his messages, and never being so devoid of humor that his messages come off as bitter, a great Quelle Chris album has become a most welcome tradition over these past few years....and I hope it continues!]

3.  Aethiopes by billy woods & Preservation

[Gonna keep it moving here��billy woods is just flat out the most prolific writer in rap music right now, Preservation is a genius and their chemistry is off the charts.  Add a handful of standout guest verses - EL-P, Boldy, Breeze and hot damn, Despot!? - and you have an AOTY worthy album.  Too many memorable quotes and verse of the year contenders to list, but for some reason there’s a special place in my heart for “trying to pay rent - but that’s not black empowerment, that’s you trying to pay rent”.]

2. 10 (a.k.a. HWH10) by Westside Gunn

[Maybe my favorite Westside Gunn project since FLYGOD, which for me (as a bit of a Griselda stan since 2015), is saying a lot.  Reminiscent of Kanye’s “anyone around, come to the studio right now!” energy during better times - his MBDTF G.O.O.D. Friday roll out - for the latest (last??) installment of his controversially titled music series, Gunn managed to pull together a somewhat surprising list of features for a mixtape of loose and FUN bar-fests over the most varied, ear-grabbing production that we have heard from the Griselda collective in a minute.  I’m not actually sure who was in the studio and who wasn’t, but when the outcome puts Run The Jewels, A$AP Rocky, Doe Boy, Black Star, Busta and Rae & Ghost together on the same project, you get a straight-up dope tape that reminds me of why I fell in love with underground rap music in the first place.  Classic Soundbombing vibes, for me.]

1.  Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

[When it comes down to releasing new albums, no other rap artist needs to check as many boxes as Kendrick Lamar.  JAY-Z, J.Coke, Drake, you name it - none of them have to incorporate mainstream bangers, nuanced “conscious rap”, alternative choices, catchy lyrics, superior production, clear expression of ideas, and manage to touch the bar set by fans with incredibly high expectations for an artist that doesn’t release new music as often as his peers…but such is the life of anyone who is considered to have the highest ceiling in their field.  Yet with Mr. Morale, Kendrick unleashed the album that *he* wanted to release: a sprawling conversation piece that stumbles through dozens of sticky topics without digging his heels into any one stance for too long. 

 It’s the perfect expression of ideas from anyone that came out of the last few years of isolation with a creeping sense of doubt, mistrust for the information circling around him, and a general awkwardness for how to interact with the world once again.  I’m not sorry that many of the thoughts he shared on this album weren’t met as “correct” based on our expectations of what many of us want him to represent, but more importantly, Kendrick shouldn’t be sorry either.  Much like other prominent people of influence in the world today, we should be discussing the nuance of everything we’re told, and the great points often come from those exchanges - way moreso than the regurgitation of curated policy that is deemed acceptable by the loudest of audiences.  So yes, I believe Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers to be hands-down the best rap album of 2022.  All messages aside, how anyone could miss the well-crafted delivery and high quality production that is easily the most engaging of any mainstream rap album in 2022, is still pretty surprising to me….but I suppose conflicted opinions are exactly what should come from a talented artist stewing in his own conflicted opinions in recent years.   Oh well, I guess even the best in their field can’t please everybody.]

Next stop....best songs. 👀

[kifu]

Heya thank you so much for the art advice earlier! I was wondering if you had any specific suggestions for programs and/or brushes (you know specifically for someone whose only fine art experience has been in pencil and charcoal 😭) .

I’m currently using iArtbook because it’s free. I know Procreate is probably the most popular program but I’m literally -$300+ in my bank account right now, so that isn’t a current option 😅.

However I do believe you can upload brushes to the iArtBook app, honestly I’m not sure, I haven’t tried but you can edit the brushes in a very similar fashion to Adobe Photoshop. So I’m assuming you can also download and upload brushes. I actually really like this program because it has a similar feel to Adobe programs and as a Photographer I’m very experienced with Adobe (I have an Adobe Cloud Account).

In all honesty I’ve never been a good illustrator (since my main focus in my fine arts education was always photography) , but I find the activity meditative and I’m ALWAYS looking to improve.

(Also I was gonna DM you but cant so sorry for the long question 😅)

Yo, it's all good. No apology necessary.

I can only suggest what I know. I've never used Procreate, and I've never even heard of iArtbook. I'm also one of those that absolutely will torrent my art program of choice. And have.

A long, long time ago (like probably thirteen years), I got a copy of Corel (Coral? Idek anymore) free with the purchase of my Wacom bamboo tablet. I didn't know what I was doing yet and I hated it. My laptop hated it. It was very heavy and lagged big time.

I switch to Gimp, which is legally free and open source. I used Gimp for years with zero problems. You can import a lot of Photoshop brushes into Gimp without issue. Compared to Photoshop and Paint Studio, it's incredibly underpowered. Looking back at the art I made, however, I was not poorly off.

From Gimp, wanting more, I then switched to Photoshop CS5. It was incredibly easy to find and install. Personally, I say screw Adobe, since their current model is subscription based. I hate that. I used PS for yearsssssss, up until last year, I believe. It wasn't too heavy for my laptop to handle unless I used too big of a brush. It allowed me to expand my knowledge of digital art programs. It has way more to offer than I'll ever use. But as i mentioned before, the natural art brushes are ... okay, and the blending tool is awful. I learned to NOT ever use the blending tool because of PS.

Throughout time in my PS years, I switched from a Wacom Bamboo tablet to a Huion pen tablet (three different ones) to a Huion Kamvas 16 Pro tablet. With my family's help, I put money towards improving my art by way of hardware, and each tablet became significantly better. A good tablet will help TREMENDOUSLY, but by no means does anyone *need* to splurge on a screen tablet like the Kamvas series. I recommend Huion. It's hard to go wrong with them. In case that ever tickles your fancy.

Like, I'm pulling examples of art I've done with these programs and tablets, specifically unshaded pieces, to show that the software and hardware doesn't necessarily make the piece.

Now, I'm using Clip Studio Paint because it comes with so many native traditional brushes. Again, the company switched or threatened to switch to a subscription pay, so I have no qualms in resorting to circumventing their purchase page.

I will say, I think I love Clip Studio more than I ever did Photoshop. The brushes are just ... perfect.

Like this. This isn't pencil and paper! It's the pencil brush that comes with Clip Studio. It draws JUST like a pencil and I feel like I'm in my natural element when I get to use it.

If you do decide to use PS, or a program that is PS brush compatible, I'll have to find that set of brushes that works similarly to these.

These pictures both used one of the pencil brushes from that set in PS. The horse was painted with a watercolor wash brush; the human with a chalk brush. It's nowhere near as versatile as what can be used in Clip, though.

But I'm sure you could find many brushes through dA and gumroad to use until you find the one that works for you, too!