#so i got out the ole paint swatches again

[dailyzawa]

july 3

[enniewritesathing]

discussion post #2 (i think?)

This may have been a small update but More Things happened and we gotta talk about it. (Or, I'm gonna talk about it.) More like a ramble, really.

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Speculation? Let's talk about it. 🤔

Behind the Scenes stuff:

first off, I wouldn't have the ability to even remotely do ANY of this part without @anothersimsstory's CC conversions and I'm glad I had the foresight of downloading it when I did. (they didn't delete their shit or anything but you know how it is sometimes) and the monitor by Theraven (I don't think they have a tumblr? they have a forum tho), and the EKG leads by @jellypawss. It really pays to make niche CC!!

I had to make swatches for the monitor since it is an important visual thing... but it was wholly contingent on me finding something that's close to actual vital signs and I looked everywhere but they were all stock images and obviously didn't work for what I needed. I then had to search high and low for for it, but I found it. For real!! I had to use TWO laptops (one for settings and the other for the actual monitor) and I screenshotted it, slapped it into paint to save it, make it a swatch, rinse/repeat for I think 15? idk how many

you may think, Ennie, that's a bit much, and I say, my attention to detail game is insane when it doesn't need to be but dammit, the visuals have to make sense from a glance. That and the offchance of someone who knows read the monitor would point something out about it. That said! I tried parcing out what EtCo2 is but all I got from it is was "high number bad".

seriously, I spent... a Stupid amount of time setting that up. 🅱️lease clap for me -- I can safely say that I don't think anyone else would go that far.

I told myself after finishing The Incident I was not gonna be doing 5/6 rigs all in one shot again. (🤡)

The lighting situation drove me up the damn wall and after a point, I just said fuck it. What I didn't anticipate was the stark contrast of John and The Werewolf talking and the memory in terms of setting. It's really cool, I think.

I fretted over this part the whole time because I didn't know what order I wanted and what I was going for, but I think I escalated it properly.

For The Werewolf's veins, I had to do the ol' S4S shuffle, but they are a combination of 3, maybe 4 and ofc had to make outfits for the progression, which is why he's still rocking the half-sleeve look (and from an age/timeline stand point makes him 21/22ish). You know what, let's look at them again!

it's a good look

Speaking of... I had to make a lot of The Werewolf solo poses and I found out that uh, it's all in the brows; they can completely change the meaning. It's bad enough with the angles and the general body language. (Or maybe not? Eh.)

Another visual thing -- The Big Scene... that one, I had going back and forth with it until I decided going all white for The Werewolf's eyes (or lack of pupils). It was far more striking and way scarier than the 'blank' eyes I tend to go with.

seriously, I contemplated on tagging it as a jump scare.

Oh! and the shaking of 3 pics, that was spur of the moment because I really kept going back into the post and something was just missing. I have a (cracked) PhotoMosh and I played with the setting a bit and bingo.

It is probably my favorite post so far. I had to settle with the fact that it's not gonna be the one to be spread around. Or any of it really.

Story Stuff:

There's so many crumbs in this! So. Many. There's even a loaf of bread or two. If you tell me what you're picking up on and you're on some kind of track, you get a cookie (🍪). (I'm serious, btw)

John's clearly shook. This may be the first time we've really seen him like this. And The Werewolf is nonchalant... (I will admit John looks very pretty when he's like this lol)

...or is he? I think there are more cracks in the dam than you'd think. A while back in a post that's somewhere on this blog, but John has a tendency to play with his hands when he's anxious.

Another thing that I just noticed is that they didn't really look at each other; I wonder what that's all about?

I've said it once and I'll say it again; even though they share the same body, John and The Werewolf look very different from one another, and I think that's neat.

Jordan being real about taking advantage of the fact that they're getting paid $$$ and they'd be dumb to not take up the offer.

I had to remember that Brian did not know John was a werewolf at this point in time, or even begin to really put 2+2 together. I call it a bit of genre blindness, helped by the fact that this didn't happen all the time. He just rolled with it. Also, wow he looks very young without his tats; ofc this was the college years and he was beginning to fill out/eating good.

Mark is the smartest dude in the whole story. He said, nope, nuh uh, I'm OUT. IYKYK.

There were so many pics I wanted to take of Daniel punching The Werewolf right in the solar plexus (or thereabouts it might've been slightly lower than that). As they say in the FGC, he failed to block that overhead.

I'm glad I decided to leave in the fact that The Werewolf couldn't see too well.

The Werewolf blew his vocal cords out screaming. He said that shit with his soul. Rarely do I go with the funky text with him since that's his "big scary werewolf" voice (that and he rarely speaks like that). My man said "I'll make you suffer my pain." Beautiful. Can't wait to see how that plays out.

That said, The Werewolf did work himself up to the point of nearly killing himself on accident. But as Charles predicted, his body hit the emergency button and shut that shit down.

I spent the most time worried about this part because it needed to get the point across without it being so... cheesy?

also, I have to say? The Werewolf is a Swearwolf. *rimshot*

The Fucking Around part has ended... The Finding Out part is really going to be fun to watch. (I mean, you can already do this if you haven't but now you have way more context.)

There's something about The Werewolf that's becoming apparent (to us). He's still holding back on his actual feelings. Not only that... he hasn't gotten to John himself and I think that's where it's really gonna go down. John knows this; he's not naive to think that he didn't have a role in all of this too. Something to think about.

Charles is a flat out Nasty Man (very derogatory) and yet, I kinda enjoy writing it.

I do love how he is formal with names, "dear ____" and referring to John's formal name Johnathan.

which I always forget this mfer is named Johnathan. Nobody calls him that.

[dausy]

Well I drew this guy the other day. I purchsed ClipStudio Paint while it was on sale. Primary goal was just to show some random stranger on the internet how drawing works on the s22 ultra phone but ended up testing it out a bit more extensively than expected.

Been feeling kinda poopy. Really wanted to take a girls trip and I got the ball rolling and then the primary reason I wanted to go got cancelled anyway.

I did get some additional paint tubes in the mail. I really enjoyed my other PASS paints and the ones I really wanted came off backorder. I'm otherwise not sure what I was thinking with the other 3. This is my first schmincke gouache. The brown pink honestly just sounded weird..brown pink..brown..pink..and it does look like brown pink too when I swatched it.

The funny thing is is when I painted the other day I still didnt have the colors I wanted and these still wont help. Thats how companies perpetuate an addiction tbh.

I would like to paint, I was just in such an icky mood yesterday I couldnt manage it. Today so far I've woken up with a headache and more than likely its going to take me down again.

I've been playing Elden Ring as well and I have to admit I was kinda mad when I turned it on because it is indeed like Dark Souls and yall lied to me. DS traumatized me. I don't think you understand lmao. My brother had to get on the phone with me to help me accomplish something because I was getting frustrated.

and lastly, good ol work is trying to force us into mandatory extra shifts again. I'm so tired and frustrated being sneakily mandated to do things against a contract I signed. I just want to work the contract we agreed upon. No holidays, no call, no nights, no weekends. The guilttripping "but think of your coworkers" yeah well other departments are open 24/7 with a shift who can replace them. Mine isnt. I dont want to work 24 hours shifts because yall dont have anybody to replace me. I have a contract. This is why my head hurts.

[skinkcare-blog]

90 Questions, Beauty Edition

Helloooo, I’m starting to jumpstart my blog here. I really miss it, and a few encouraging people from my school have told me to start blogging and posting about what I love which is skincare and makeup. I saw two tags on tumblr and decided to form this 90-question tag. You’re free to take this if you want it, but I’d love to see your own answers!

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?

My first makeup item was most likely a cheap kohl liner that costed me like 20 pesos or something. Bands like Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Greenday, etc. were really famous when I was in elementary school and my best friends started getting into putting heavy black eyeliner... of course, I had to follow!

2. Describe your perfect mascara?

I’ve got straight-ass baby lashes, and I think I’ve found my holy grail: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara! It’s really good and doesn’t smudge on me. The first time I put it on I was aoskdfasdfjhaeuirjhj!!!!!! WOW!!1 Are those really MY lashes! Wow! I put it right before my law school finals and was really happy the whole time because I felt so stinking’ cute with my lashes, lol.

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?

Full-ass coverage to hide my imperfections. But that’s usually uncomfortable, so when I just have school or stuff, I do like light coverage.

4. Favorite high-end makeup and skincare brands?

For makeup, I have a favorite brand for each item like eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. It’s hard to choose. But I freakin’ love everything that Anastasia Beverly Hills releases. For skincare, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Herbivore Botanicals. Everything seems to work for me and my collection of theirs is growing.

5. What cosmetic and skincare brands have you always wanted to try but still haven’t?

Boscia. Vinter’s Daughter. Sunday Riley (I keep canceling my orders because I just can’t justify the price tags. Ugh). Laneige. Indie Lee. Chanel. Giorgio Armani. Guerlain. High-end stuff my broke ass can’t ever afford, lmao.

6. Favorite drugstore brand?

Maybe L’Oreal. I love their clay masks and the Miss Manga mascara too much.

7. Do you wear fake lashes?

Yes! But they’re such a hassle, so only when I’m going to some party (or when I’m taking selfies lol)

8. Is there any kind of makeup you can’t leave the house without?

I would say lipstick, but the brows really make the face and these days I really can’t leave the house without putting on some dip brow. :( Kilay is life.

9. What is your most cherished beauty product?

I’ve got a lot since I’m finally, finally (after 120312932 trials and errors) finding my own holy grails, but it’s probably Glossier Cloud Paint in Haze. Started my whole “drunken blush” thing going on lately. It also lasts forever even on my oily skin. I put it on in the morning once, and when I went home my mom asked me “why are you so red? are you drunk?” And I just. Yassss.

10. How often do you shop for beauty products?

Too often for someone who’s kind of dirt poor and in law school, tbh. I pick up one or two items every week or two.  But again, as I’m discovering my HGs, I’m trying to cut down on my impulsive buying. (It’s hard.)

11. Do you have a “beauty budget” or do you spend freely?

As long as my parents are in a good mood I spend freely... just not excessively! 

12. Do you utilize coupons, reward cards and sales when you shop for products?

Of course, I try to. But sometimes I can’t wait to get my hands on a product so I just pick it up already!

13. What type of product do you buy the most of?

Lipsticks. I’ve got way too many. (70-something.)

14. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics and skincare?

Avoid parabens! And sulfates! And weird things like bird poop and horse fat! (I know right?)

15. Do you have a favorite place to shop for makeup?

Yes! Russian’s The Beauty Source in Makati! Super friendly people there. The sad thing is though, it’s all high-end. I mean I do tend to buy high-end stuff but things like La Mer are... phew. Never in a million years.

16. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you stick to a routine?

I love trying new skincare products because my skin is so problematic and I’m always trying to find things that’d work for me. 

17. Favorite bath and body brand?

I like The Body Shop, but my favorite scents are from Bath and Body Works.

18. Are you clumsy applying makeup?

I’m clumsy in general. So!

19. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation?

Foundatiooon. Duh.

20. What do you love about makeup?

It’s therapeautic for me, I found out. Like it makes me feel happy and calm whenever I do my makeup. Or even just do a swatch party.

21. Lipstick, Gloss, Lip Stain, Balm, or Lip Liner? 

I just discovered Peripera’s Ink Velvet tints, and though they’re a bit drying I love them. So I’ll go with those since they’re the only ones that stay on after I eat and stuff, lol.

22. How do you make your Lipstick / Lip Gloss last longer? 

I use lip liner, usually. And to make them last extra long you gotta stop licking your lips!  23. How do you pick a Lip Color that looks good on your skin color? 

I tend to not go for super light shades because those wash me out and just don’t look good at all on my skintone.  24. What are some cheap ways to take care of chapped lips? Good ‘ol lip butter and some sugar scrub. Or vaseline.

25. Favorite drugstore lip product? EOS lip balms are nice.

26. Favorite brand name lip product? Kylie Cosmetics (for liquid lipsticks and lip liners), Fenty Beauty (for dat mf gloss bomb!), Peripera (tints)! 27. Do you usually play up or play down your lips? Play down. I love MLBB shades. 28. Eyeliner in Pencil, Gel, or Liquid? Liquid. B-) 

29. How do you do a cat eye? 

I just... wing it! Honestly. I’ve been putting on fancy eyeliner since I was like 13 so I’ve got the hang of it now. (Still mess up sometimes tho. Blame the shaky hand.) 30. What do you use to remove eye makeup and mascara? Right now I either use Pixi double cleanse, Skininc coconut cleanser water, and Maybelline oil-based makeup remover. The Pixi one works the best but kind of stings my eyes. 31. How do you make your eye makeup last longer? Good eyelid primer! Setting powder!  32. Cream or Powder eye shadow? Powder since I have yet to try any cream eyeshadows. I tried using Glossier’s cloud paint in Dusk on my eyelids once... it was a weird, sticky mess. #nope 33. What tricks can you do to make your eyelashes look longer? If you’ve got baby lashes like me (who am I kidding, even babies have longer lashes than me), just use false lashes lol. 34. How do you brighten up your eyes? 

Glitter eyeshadow, inner corner highlight, concealer, nude kohl liner and black as FUCK mascara. Yes.  35. What color(s) go with your eyes? 

Warm shades. 36. Favorite drugstore eyeliner? 

I don’t use drugstore eyeliner!  37. Favorite drugstore eyeshadow? 

I also don’t use drugstore eyeshadow. I’m picky as hell. 38. Favorite drugstore mascara? 

L’Oreal Miss Manga voluminous mascara forever. 39. Favorite drugstore eye pallette? Eh, pass.

40. Favorite brand name eyeliner? K-Palette eyeliner! Asia represent!

41. Favorite brand name eyeshadow? Anastasia Beverly Hills for powder eyeshadow, Stila (Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow!) for liquid eyeshadow. 42. Favorite brand name mascara? 

Marc Jacobs’ velvet noir saved my life. 43. Favorite brand name palette? 

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour palette helped me lose like 10 pounds. 45. If you can only use one eye makeup product, what would it be? 

Mascara, okay. 46. What is the difference between an eye primer and an eye base? 

Imo eye primers are more of like the “glue” that holds everything together and an eye base is what goes over the primer as like. The base color. Makes everything bolder, brighter and last longer. 47. Any tips on applying falsies? 

Pray. 48. Favorite brand of falsies? 

I really love Lilly Lashes but they’re mad expensive (like $30). 49. How do you pick your shade of foundation? Whatever says medium lmao I go with that. I’m shit at picking foundation and concealer shades but I’m usually like a pure beige/medium/warm beige/nude warm vanilla things like that. Yellowy. 50. What's a good foundation for oily skin? 

ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLEWEAR FOUNDATION SAVED MY OILY ASS SKIN. 51. What's a good foundation for dry skin? I’m not sure.

52. What's a good foundation for normal skin? 

Probably the Fenty Beauty foundation and every other foundation in the world, you lucky ducks. 53. How do you pick a foundation for your skin color? You pick one blindly and hope it’s a match. Hehe. 54. Tinted Moisturizer, BB Cream, or Foundation? Foundation. I love tinted moisturizers in theory but they don't work for me (for some reason the NARS one stings?) and BB creams are TOO white for me. 55. What is a BB Cream? Blemish Balm cream. Also known as the culprit for my ghastly white face in old pictures. Boo.

56. What do you use to apply your Foundation? Either a beauty blender or a foundation brush by Artis, BH Cosmetics or Real Techniques.

57. How can I make my nose look slimmer or straighter? 

Contour, boo. 58. Cream, Powder, or Liquid Blush? 

LIQUID BLUSH CHANGED THE GAME FOR ME. 59. Favorite foundation? 

Estee Lauder doublewear. 

60. Favorite concealer? The Tarte Shaptape is real good imo. Not sure if it’s holy grail material but it’s good for what it’s worth. 61. How do you conceal a pimple? I fail at that.

62. How do you conceal dark circles? 

First you gotta color correct (I use the LA Girl pro concealer in the orange shade) and then you put on the concealer. Use a beauty blender to blend the orange color corrector first then the concealer.  63. How do you get rid of or lessen dark circles? 

If you know the answer to this that doesn’t involve water or sleeping early, please hmu. 64. What is your daily skin care routine? Morning: wash face with my The Face Shop Dr. Belmeur foaming cleanser, tone with witch hazel, put on vitamin c suspension (The Ordinary), then Hyaluronic Acid (also The Ordinary).

Night: remove makeup with the Pixi double cleanse, cleanse with The Face Shop ^ cleanser again, use a mask, tone, put caffeine solution (The Ordinary) under eyes, put hyaluronic acid, then rosehip oil (The Ordinary).

65. What is your weekly skin care routine? 

Theta’s it. I use masks like Herbivore’s Blue Tansy as often as needed and advised. 66. How do you prep your face for makeup? 

PRAYER.  67. How do you take off your makeup? 

Double Cleanse, wipes, and Micellar Water (Garnier). 68. What are some DIY face masks? 

Honey + avocado + apple cider + oats.  69. Where can you buy face masks? 

I usually purchase mine from The Face Shop, Herbivore Botanicals, L’Oreal and just korean brands. 70. What facial moisturizer do you recommend? 

I don’t know. I want to try the Fresh Seaberry oil though. 71. How can I get rid of or shrink my big pores? THAT IS MY CURRENT PROBLEM. :( 72. How do you highlight your face? 

I use a good high-end highlighter (my favorite one is from OFRA), wet my brush using MAC Fix+ after dipping it into the highlighter, and bam. Cheekbones, nose bridge, tip of the nose and cupid’s bow. 73. How do you contour your face? 

I use either Kat Von D’s contour palette, or Too Faced’s milk chocolate soleil. 74. How often should you clean your makeup brushes? Depends on how much I use ‘em.

75. How do you clean your makeup brushes? I either use some soap + olive oil or the Daiso or Beauty Blender cleansers. 76. What are some inexpensive makeup brushes? BH Cosmetics’ are really nice!

77. Do you prefer matte or shimmer eyeshadows? I used to love matte shadows but now I super love shimmer shadow. 78. Do you prefer matte or dewy skin? Can I have dewy skin that doesn’t look oily, please.

79. Do you prefer matte or shiny lipstick / lipgloss? Matte because it lasts longer. 80. When did you start wearing makeup? Officially started getting really into it when I was like 13. 81. Who taught you to put on makeup? Myself. 82. What is your favorite brand of makeup? Already answered this!

83. What product do you never leave home without? I always have lipstick in my bag, powder be damned.  84. If you only had $50 dollars for makeup and skincare, what would you buy? I’d buy all the shit I have in my Althea cart (all skincare)! 85. Who is your favorite beauty guru on youtube? BRETMAN ROCK. Does he count? 86. How long do you take to get ready in the morning? Like half the day.  87. What online makeup store is your favorite? Sephora! 88. Who are your favorite beauty blogs on tumblr? Temptalia. Does that count? 89. How long should you keep a product? Until it ain’t spoiled, lmao. 

90. What product are you hoping to buy next?

Honestly, I really want the Fresh seaberry oil and I’m waiting for it to be in stock again. 

[mysticsparklewings]

Dancing Beads

I'll be honest with you guys, I've had a rough past couple of days. Heavy anxiety hanging over me like a thick fog, making it difficult to think straight, let alone work. That's why I submitted a WIP shot of this drawing earlier in the week. It was technically finished, but I just didn't have the stamina and focus to get it ready to post on Wednesday, and I pretty much knew that I wouldn't have it in me to make something else new to go up today. That said, I am feeling a little bit better and I hope that means I'm coming around the bend and will be truly back and ready to rock in another day or so. In the meantime, let's talk about the artwork, shall we? This is sort of an extended OOTD (Outfit Of The Day) drawing in a similar vein as this first OOTD drawing I ever did, OOTD: Witch Socks. I say extended and cut "OOTD" out of the title this time because of A. This drawing was done over 2-3 days and B. I obviously was no longer wearing the outfit by the time the drawing was finished. And also, secret reason C. I didn't actually wear this outfit out of the house; I just liked the way the colors worked together and thought it would make for a cute drawing. And honestly, even for someone like me who enjoys dressing eccentrically, I think this would've been a little too far over the edge to wear out and about anyway.  (I promise it looks a lot more socially acceptable in the drawing than it did in person) It's funny though, my last OOTD drawing was heavily inspired by the socks I was wearing that day, which looked like witch boots (hence the title it had), and this time my funky socks are once again a key point, but this piece got named after the pose and a different accessory. ...And I just noticed that this OOTD also has a pose where my head is in-profile facing the left...huh... Anyway; the key player here is the little plastic shiny red bead necklaces. They aren't much here in the drawing, but they're what set this whole thing in motion. My mom was cleaning out her purse and found them, remembering that she'd meant to give them to me when she initially brought them home from something they did at work, and since I was right there I just slid them on until I could put them away properly. (I have something of a small collection of bead necklaces like this for reasons unbeknownst even to me.) And at some point I was just feeling really good and kind of cute/kooky that day, and that's more or less where the idea to draw my outfit was born. From there, I'm not really sure where the pose came from other than the very loose/swinging nature of the necklaces and I wanted something fun and dynamic. And I swear I've tried to draw or seen this pose somewhere before, but if I did it must've been something I never posted because I sure can't find it in my gallery.  (Although it was at this point that I pretty much knew what the title for this was going to be ) And to be fair, I'm not sure the proportions/anatomy came out exactly right. At first, I thought the legs (or at least the calves) were too short, but then I re-evaluated and decided the arms were too long, so I shortened them and I feel like for the most part that fixed/evened things out. I just really didn't want to have to re-draw the feet because I felt like they (especially the one on the left) came out really good the first time. Weirdly enough, the hands didn't give me a ton of trouble the second time around, as I worried they might. And I also didn't have that much of a struggle getting the profile of the face right, which is unusual because of all the ways to draw a face, that's usually the one I have the most trouble with.  Then again, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised since a while ago when I was last drawing people more consistently I did do more profile faces and hands than usual, but I don't know. It's just kinda weird to not have that much trouble with them when in the past they've been main problem areas for me, at least during the sketching phase. Either way, as far as the actual drawing part goes, I think the most difficult thing this time was the bodice area because I wanted to get the proportions pleasing to the eye, but the tank top to still have reasonable folds, and the overall flow to work with the rest of the piece. But even that still wasn't too bad. The beads also took a while, since I was indeed fully committed to drawing every individual bead, but that really wasn't difficult, it just required patience. Little did I know, the difficulties would come in transferring the sketch to where I wanted it. I think I've gotten my fill of alcohol markers, given three of my most recent drawings were little kitties done almost exclusively in those, and so that combined with just not having done much with colored pencils in general lately (other than as smaller detail things or using water-soluble ones more like paint than pencils), I decided to do a bit of a return-to-form and make use of an extra piece of toned gray paper I've had waiting around to be used since like March, and do some good ol' colored pencil work. The joke was on me because I was very quickly reminded why I haven't used the gray paper a ton, especially compared to the toned tan paper I have; for reasons I can't figure out, it's incredibly hard to see through the paper to transfer lines, even with my lightbox on the brightest setting! So after several minutes of disappointed pondering, I dug out a charcoal stick I've had sitting in a "junk" art supply box (of which I have two; they're just boxes where the random stuff I don't really use or reach for very often that I don't have a good way to organize ends up) for the last half of forever and scribbled on the back of where I'd already transferred the lines once onto a regular piece of white paper (having hoped the black ink lines would be easier to see through the gray paper, which they were, but it still wasn't enough) and then used a mechanical pencil with the point shoved in to transfer the lines onto the gray paper. It's a very round-about way to do it, but it worked. And I went with the charcoal this time instead of trying the gelato trick that I learned with my Fly By the Moon piece because I thought the gelatos might not work all that great with the colored pencils, and I also thought they might make more of a mess trying to transfer onto regular paper instead of onto canvas. This ended up being a good choice also because the charcoal I was able to mostly erase/lift after I touched up the transfer in a few places and then I went back in with proper ink lines to make sure I wouldn't lose them once I started coloring. The lines finally taken care of, I could finally get to the fun part: coloring. And after some behind-the-scenes swatching experiences made them seem better than I had previously remembered, I decided to use my Schpirerr Farben colored pencils. Though I did make the mistake of using my white Prismacolor as a base for the skin. Not that it was a mistake because a white base wasn't needed (it was, and for everything else I used the white from the Schpirerr Farben set as a base), but because the Prismacolor pencil being wax-based, where the Schpirerr Farbens are oil-based, there was a conflict of texture in the layering. Kind of luckily though, I went too dark with the shading on the skin originally and had to work in more layers to fix that, and in that process, I think I managed to get the texture thing mostly under control. I did purposely use that in the hair though, since hair normally has...well, you know, noticeable texture. Otherwise, coloring was a pretty basic colored pencil experience (for me, anyway). I'd put down a base, then the base color, then work on the shading, and as I did certain parts I'd go back and adjust others based on what felt right. I have to say, I think the main drawback to the Schpirerr Farben pencils is really that they only come in 72 colors. I was able to do some mixing and shading and things to get the colors to where I needed them to be (the purple-y blue and red-orange colors on the socks, in particular, I had to mix to get), but I was really missing the wider selection I get from Prismacolor (150) or the Faber Castell Polychromos (120). Which isn't a huge deal, but it is a point for having multiple sets of pencils (or if you're the brand and not the consumer, making larger sets/adding new colors), even if you're loyal to a particular set/brand. Especially if the pencils play well together; the more you have, the wider color range you have to pick from. Other than that, I can confirm they do still layer and blend really nicely without much fuss (as had been my impressions back when I first talked about them). They're just soft enough that it always surprises me when I go to add a layer and the color goes on better than I thought it would because I figured I'd reached my limit on layers already.   Considering they've recently branched out and made a watercolor set recently, I'm not sure as to how much stock I should put in Schpirerr Farben possibly returning to their pencils and making more colors...Does the watercolor thing mean they've closed the book on the pencils and want to focus on other supplies now, or does that mean there's hope that they'll continue to innovate on their products, including potential upgrades to the pencils? I'm not sure. Either way, once I finished coloring the figure in, I went back over the ink lines where I'd gotten colored pencil over them and they'd faded/washed out as a result, and then did the white outline with my white gel pen. Then I left the drawing alone overnight because it was missing something, but I wasn't sure what and I couldn't think of anything that night. When I came back to it the next day, I ended up deciding on something slightly complicated; A soft purple PanPastel background with one triangle shape masked/blocked out, and one triangle done in washi tape. This would end up evolving from the second triangle just being bigger to it being a slightly different kind of triangle and going in the opposite direction. And also I changed my mind on which washi tape to use about three different times, finally settling on this metallic-printed on for a little more intrigue when you see the piece IRL. (Even though here on the scan it just looks dark and borderline out of place ) Then to "blend" the metallic into the drawing as a whole better, I added the little dots in the background around the head with a gold shadow gelly roll, since in-person the color looks really close to the metallic print on the tape and the dots kind of tie in the "beads" theme a little better. (Again, this doesn't translate as well into the scan, but I kinda knew that was a risk with both things when I put them down.) And I did go over a few of the beads on the necklaces with the same pen to tie everything all together. Then I signed it with my white gel pen, and I felt much better about calling it finished. And you know, it has its flaws and all, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out anyway. It's a little more simple and there's not a ton of deep meaning or impactful influence behind it or anything, it's not terribly experimental, but it's still a fleshed out, polished drawing. And I really enjoy that, as it gave me more room to just kind of hone in on and practice skills I'm already fairly comfortable with, and sometimes that's just what you need in art, you know?   I'm not sure what I'll end up making to post next--I've got some ideas, of course, (never a shortage of those around here ) but I've been a little too muddled to settle on anything just yet, so we'll just have to wait and see. For now, I'm trying to focus more on being gentle with myself until I seem to be back up to snuff to really buckle down on stuff. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[connorrenwick]

Being Your Own Creative Boss with Desi Moore

The following post is brought to you by Squarespace. Our partners are hand picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.

Becoming an established professional in any line of work can be a long road traveled, but what if you want to really niche down? We reached out to talk to Desi Moore, aka Dude It’s Desi, about how she not only got her foot in the door of creating in the entertainment industry, but also what’s kept her there. Squarespace is the website building platform that has helped Desi out by getting her portfolio site organized in a way that represents her brand and welcomes new business with vigor, letting her quirky and fun personality and style shine through!

Back in 2003, Desi found herself in a place lots of us have been – young, undecided on a future career, and having a good time living a fun, carefree lifestyle. She had just relocated back to Los Angeles from Brooklyn and had the realization that a plan was necessary for the next steps she was hoping to take as an artist.

“I just thought artwise, without a college degree, who would hire me and for what? But I swore when I moved back to Los Angeles that I would not work another day in a restaurant, and that I had to get something legit in the entertainment biz on my resume to get some sort of foot in the door. The movie advertising agency Trailer Park hired me to be their receptionist, and I did that for about a year.”

Just before Desi planned on submitting her two weeks notice to take a position as a film director’s personal assistant, Trailer Park opened a print department specific to movie posters.

“Of course I thought that was super cool, but again why would they hire me when I had no experience. However, when the print department found out I was leaving they offered me a job. Apparently my goofy illustrated company newsletters, cut out 3D lunch menus, and all the weird arty shit I made and surrounded myself with in my reception desk area caught their eye and they saw potential in me – which to this day I am still very grateful for. So, I turned down the personal assistant job and immersed myself and became completely obsessed with learning and succeeding in being an Art Director. I worked really long hard hours and will never forget how stoked I was when I saw my first official movie poster printed.”

There’s usually that moment that stands out, the one that makes you decide to commit to what you’re doing and have a go at it with everything you’ve got in you. For Desi, it was a specific movie poster that ended up being more of a lesson than a success.

“I made a poster for Mad Max Fury Road that was super time consuming because I constructed a giant mass of people, car parts, motorcycles, smoke, destruction, skulls, etc. Each piece had to be painstakingly and intricately masked out (that is where you cut something out of its environment). So halfway through I was like ‘Oh my god this sucks, my hands and eyes are killing me, what was I thinking?!’ But I kept on going and finally finished it. The client and I both thought it turned out really cool, but in the end it didn’t end up getting used for anything, but hey that’s showbiz for ya!”

Being a creative individual in a business world can sometimes be a struggle, and you’ll often find yourself at a crossroads trying to balance both sides of a company.

Desi says, “I do find it a struggle. The business side of things: discussing money, paying bills, finding the time and energy for paperwork, etc. has always been a struggle for me. Being such a right brained individual it’s not a natural forte for me. But I absolutely love being my own boss. In my art career it offers me the freedom to work on such a variety of projects: huge movies, indie movies, album covers, gig posters, clothing brands, paintings and illustrations, whatever! So I never get bored or feel pigeonholed as an artist.”

She also owns a gallery – Showboat – in Los Angeles, an entirely different creative outlet. “As far as owning the gallery, my favorite thing is it’s like I have a big ‘ol rubber approval stamp for any idea I may have. The show concepts and artists are all decided by me. Once I even painted the whole space purple, rented a clawfoot bathtub, and exactly replicated the When Dove’s Cry video set to a tee – purple roses, smoke machine, faux doves, stained glass windows, and my friend dressed as Dr. Fink. Dan Monick beautifully lit and shot portraits of people in the bathtub all night. Carmen Electra even showed up and stole the show! Basically I spent a bunch of cash to create the raddest free Prince photobooth ever. Business-wise nobody else would have ever probably approved that idea but I did, and so it happened.”

This spring, Desi is stretching her creative legs even further and releasing a children’s book – ABCs of the 80s – in collaboration with a former coworker from her Trailer Park days.

“Erin (Campbell Dunkerley) has a young daughter and really wanted to teach her about all the cool eighties things she grew up with along with her ABCs at the same time. Being an 80’s kid myself, I was totally onboard! Erin had some letter ideas and even a few clearances already in place. She was super cool about giving me creative control of the drawings and layout of the book. We were basically on the same page as far as the letters went (although for ‘N’ I did begrudgingly draw The New Kids on The Block instead of the Nancy Reagan / Mr. T D.A.R.E program, but in return I got to do payphone over Pop Swatch so it’s all good – teamwork making the dream work!) I’m not used to working on one single project for so long and I had a hard time focusing at the start of it. So me and my little dog Crackers went up to my friend’s cabin in the mountains in California for a month last year to begin it. So very cliché I know, but it was awesome and I now get why people seclude themselves when working on a book. It hits stores everywhere March 5th and a limited advance amount are available now via http://abcsofthe80s.com!”

When it comes to choosing a favorite project Desi has worked on, I’m willing to bet you’re already familiar…

“I really love when someone says ‘just do your thing’ and I can execute my vision on a project. Being micromanaged or being used as a tool to create something I don’t believe in is never fun. As far as my favorite project to date, I would say it was working on the poster for the movie Bridesmaids. I got to see it through from start to finish, beginning with creating the concept, to art directing the photoshoot with Mark Seliger, and on to constructing the final poster. The cast were all so sweet and hilarious. We shot several setups that day and one included going to a park with Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and the rest of the girls to pose with a whole bunch of puppies, bunnies, and swans in bowties and berets. The bunnies wouldn’t stop humping and right then I knew it was career highlight for sure. In the end, we went with the original idea of making the girls look like badasses posing against a brick wall, juxtaposing the whole typical demure bridesmaids in a cupcake dress thing. The original copy line I came up with that almost made it was just simply ‘What?’. Shoutout to Damon Wolf and Maria Pekurovskaya from Universal for being a dreamteam and letting me do my thing and have fun with it!”

When it comes to searching out inspiration for her work Desi says, “I really love to travel and have my eyes opened to new customs, colors, and patterns. I travel often and try and be as porous as possible and stow it all away in my brain to subconsciously draw inspiration from when I’m just back in LA working in my studio. I like when the inspirations all get mixed up together and create a whole new vibe of their own.”

Further inspiration comes from a source that’s right at our fingertips, literally.

“On a daily basis, I would be lying if I didn’t say Instagram. There are so many amazing accounts that lead you down rabbit holes of incredible art that I would never be exposed to otherwise. I also have made friends with some wonderful and inspiring artists via Instagram and we share what we find and dig, weaving the web further. I would also be lying if I didn’t say I go into very deep Instagram meme holes on a daily basis – but hey, no shame in that game – humor is the icing on the cake of life!”

It’s clear that Desi’s outlook on the world, her eye for art, and her inherent creativity know no bounds! Squarespace has helped her corral all of the bits and pieces she excels at into one amazing site that shows all of her hard work and long hours off in a cohesive, beautiful way.

Ready to get to work on your own portfolio? Take the first step with a Squarespace website. Use coupon code DESIGNMILK at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/28/being-your-own-creative-boss-with-desi-moore/

[mysticsparklewings]

Tombow Recycled Colored Pencil Review

Look! I finally got some more colored pencils to try out!   This time we're looking at the Tombow Recycled Colored Pencils. Tombow is probably best known for their water-based dual brush pens, which I have a few of, but these and their other line, the Irojiten colored pencils (which are a bit fancier and noticeably more expensive than these), are more intriguing to me. These pencils specifically are called "recycled" pencils because if you look closely at the pencils in person, each one has a couple of zigzag lines dotted along the barrel/wood casing. These are "finger joints" where partial pieces of wood have been joined together to make a piece the proper length for making colored pencils, whereas most normal colored pencils just use whole pieces of wood and, apparently, thus generate a lot of wood-waste. But what really caught my attention about the recycled colored pencils, and why I ended up getting them before getting the Irojitens even though the packaging and idea behind those are ridiculously attractive to me, is because the word on the internet is that the core of these pencils used the exact same formula as the Irojitens. This is important because the 24 set of Recycled Pencils goes for about $14 on Amazon, and anywhere from $13-$30 depending on where else you look. But any of the three sets of 30 Irojiten pencils can go anywhere from $25-$50 depending on where you look, and while there are only 24 Recycled pencil colors, there are 90 Irojiten colors (the full set going for about $80-$100, again depending on where you look), so you'll end up paying a lot more to get the full set of those. What that means then, if they are indeed the same core--I couldn't find confirmation on Tombow's website or the Amazon listing, so it could very well just be a very strong rumor--that these are a cheaper way to try out the formula for the Irojiten pencils to see if you even want to invest in them. Hoping this was one of the times the internet is right, that's what I did. I'll get my big complaints out of the way first: I wish there were more colors, the pencils are a bit of the harder side (but not to the point they're painful to work with), and the white and metallics fell a little short for me. But, even so, I think the pencils are pretty nice for their price point. So let's take a bit of a deep dive and I'll address those things as they come up. The first thing I noticed once I actually had the pencils in my hand is that they're designed similarly to the Caran D'ache Luminance and Faber Castell PITT Pastel pencils, both of which are considered high/artist quality pencils and their price points reflect that very strongly. (Translation: Those pencils are hecka expensive). Most of the pencil is the naked wood casing, but the very ends, about 1/4 of an inch, are dipped in what's supposed to be the color of the pencil. The pencils, as well as the hinged tin they come in, have a lot of either Japanese or Vietnamese printed on them. (I've heard multiple times that Tombow is a Japanese company but these pencils both on the packaging and on the pencils themselves say there were made in Vietnam, and as uncultured American swine my untrained eyes can't tell the difference between the two written languages) This makes figuring out which color you have a wee bit tricky, but the color names are printed inside the lid of the tin and each pencil is numbered and they're laid out in the correct order, so if you can remember which color is which number, you should be okay. This problem could also be eased by some washi tape either on the tin with the number or one the pencils with the names (or both), but I got used to the numbers/placement to figure out which ones I wanted pretty quickly. This would be a much bigger problem if this was a larger set, though. Speaking of which, about those colors... For a 24 set, I do feel like you get a pretty good range; There's a white, black, pink, peachy/light skin tone color, even a gray and two metallics: silver and gold. Comparing this color range to both the Prismacolor 24 set and the Crayola Artist/Blend & Shade 24 set, I do wish they'd swapped one of the yellowish colors for a light turquoise/blue-green color like the other two sets have, and if I'm really splitting hairs then swapping the metallics for another lighter skin tone/peachy/tan color and/or light purple/lavender would've been really nice. But this set has a nice gray, which neither of the other sets do, and otherwise is pretty well-rounded for a small set, in my humble opinion. There is one thing that bugs me about this color selection though; there's one pencil, 16 Ultramarine, that from the paint on the pencil looks like the typical darker warm blue color you'd expect Ultramarine to be, but when you swatch it out, the color is noticeably lighter. So, in reality, it's about the same darkness/value as the regular 15 Blue. This is disappointing because that means unless you use black there's not a good darker blue in the set to shade with. The irony is that another color, 23 Magenta, is a lot more saturated/vibrant on the pencil than it is swatched. This is less disappointing because the slightly darker, more muted hot pink color is arguably more useful that the brighter, more fuchsia-ish color would've been. Otherwise, the colors on the pencils match the swatches fairly well. But I think the disparity is largely because there's no white base layer between the wood of the pencil and the color dips, and so the colors on the pencils are all slightly tainted by the color of the wood. Even with a layer of white pencil, with these or any other pencils, my tan and gray papers always affect the final colors, so it does matter. Anyway. As for performance, for the price point--which I'm garnering as the $13-$14 range because that's what I paid, even though it can be higher--they do really well. They're not as soft as Prismacolor, but from my pre-purchase research, I had already expected that for both these and the Irojitens. And I mean, if we're being realistic as this point there's only like two pencil brands I will ever expect to be as soft as good ol' Prismacolor--the Caran D'ache Luminance and the Holbein pencils from Japan--but those are ludicrously expensive and so it will probably be quite a while before I can see how true that impression holds. Unless the pencils are so hard/unpigmented that it hurts my hand to use them when coloring for long amounts of time (20 minutes or more sessions), I typically don't count that super harshly against the pencils. But I digress. It is a little queer though because these pencils--it's like they're somewhat soft at the same time that they're noticeably rigid, which reminded me somewhat of the Faber Castell Polychromos, which are an oil-based pencil. I couldn't find a definitive answer--on the Tombow website or the Amazon listing--on if these pencils or the Irojitens are supposed to be oil or wax-based (though I could have missed it somewhere), but this combined with the more creamy feel on the paper makes me think they're actually a strong wax/oil hybrid. When they go down on the paper, the amount of friction and general feel is nearly identical to wax-based pencils (creamy feel as opposed to oil pencils having a silky/gliding feel), but the more rigid nature and the fact that these prefer to be layered up slowly rather than trying to go right for a heavy pressure layer to get the best color pay-off is definitely more in the family of oil-based pencils. And they don't have as much a of a "waxy" sheen when you move them in the light, again like oil-based pencils. I'd almost say they are oil-based, but there's just enough feel of a wax-based pencil, and the way they look on the paper, I don't feel comfortable sticking them squarely in that category. As for layering and blending, my research had also pre-cautioned me that these do better to layer them up slowly instead of trying to burnish them in right away. And that does indeed seem to be the case, just like with the aforementioned Polychromos. You can get decent color pay-off from going in heavy straight away, but it's easier on the hand and I would say looks and feels better to use layers instead. They do blend better than I expected from the way they felt; it's not super-duper smooth like Prismacolor or like I've had with Schpirerr Farben sometimes, but it is pretty smooth and as you can see here is very workable. It helps that they do appear to have the layering power you'd expect from other oil or oil-hybrid pencils, meaning while the first couple of layers look a little rough and concerning, once you've built them up they smooth out and you can keep going to build them up for noticeably longer than your typical wax-based pencil. All this in mind and backing up a little bit, the white was disappointing to me because it's not that strong/pigmented on its own. It's not the worst I've ever seen, but unless you put the white down first and pre-plan where you're going to want that strong white highlight and avoid going over it with other colors, it's not very good for adding strong white color back into a drawing over other color layers. But it is pretty good for blending, which I find tends to be the give and take on white-colored pencils: if they can't stand strongly on their own they usually work better as blenders. You'll also notice that despite my earlier comment on not having a proper darker blue/Ultramarine color, I was able to fake it pretty well here by layering up purples, blues, and a bit of black. And overall I'd say they do mix pretty well to make new colors, so the smaller set size is a little less of a problem than I initially expected. I also have to mention that in testing they have some of the best erasing I've ever seen for colored pencils that aren't specifically marketed as being erasable. Naturally, they don't erase 100% completely just like no colored pencil does, but it did really surprise me. Also, my white gel pens were a little fussy over top of these pencils. Not as bad as some other pencils I've tried, but they responded very similarly to how my other wax-based pencils do. But obviously, I was able to get them to work without too much headache. Overall, I give the pencils a 3.5 out of 5, which is pretty good as far as my standards for colored pencils go. I did take into account that I'm not crazy about the hinged lid on the tin them come in, but that's not a huge dealbreaker as it doesn't make the tin annoying or outright unusual to me, unlike other packaging issues have in the past. Also, of course, I took into account the other issues I mentioned, along with even my beloved Prismacolors only get a 4.5 out of 5 for minor issues and there always being room for improvement, even for favorites or "the best." Like I said earlier, the pencils really did surprise me for the price that I paid. That said, this does make me want to get the Irojitens to compare and see the proof in the pudding as to whether they really are the same core or not, as well as if they are to just have many more colors at my disposal to pick from, as in the end, I think that really was my biggest problem with these; 24 is just not a huge range of color to pick from. And, like I said at the very beginning, the packaging gimmick for the Irojitens constantly calls my name, but I'll save talking about that for the day that I actually have them in my hands, whenever that ends up being. I'd say if you want an experience that manages to hit somewhere between Polychromos/oil-based colored pencils and Prismacolor/wax-based colored pencils, that are still pretty nice quality and won't totally break the bank, these are very much worth a try. And now if you'll excuse me, I have some other supplies and some backlogged art on my to-do list that demand my attention. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram