#so smeared when I erased the pencil sketch :/

[pandakong]

Botober day 14 - A kraken… but tiny

[babykittenteach]

Welp. Some art rambling below.

So, any time I've ever posted ink drawings here, they did not involve a pencil sketch. The reason for this being I've found time and time again that the pens I most like will smudge and smear when I go to erase the pencil underneath, so I freehand a lot. Or I do an initial drawing in a lighter ink and come back in a darker one. Yes, fineliners don't do that but they're not the kind of pens I like working with; I tend towards gel or, for a while now, fountain pens. Today for the first time in a long time, I gave a pencil sketch another go because I haven't tried it on this kind of paper, and lo and behold! I could erase the pencil with very little smudging of the ink.

But instead I wound up tearing the paper whilst erasing. *hands* Since it was ruined at this point I went ahead after taking this pic and did some experiments with alcohol ink markers --a medium I'm largely out of-- and got some odd results. The paper is Iroful, which fountain pen nerds have probably seen talk about in recent times, and strangely the alcohol ink did bleed through but not at all like you'd expect for paper this thin and not enough to touch the blotting page underneath. So that was interesting. It did make the colors much fainter though, and it utterly donked up the one non "anime girl white" skintone brown I had on hand, so that's never seeing the light of day.

I might try doing the sketch in alcohol, coloring blocks and then doing FP as liner next time, but we'll see. I would actually like to have an idea of what kind of process I wanna use for inktober this year if I'll indeed be sticking to ink instead of throwing up my hands and saying artober and doing digital.

[cuntycheol]

Passion Pallette (Y.JH)

Summary: You need an inspiration for your next artwork. Luckily Jeonghan has a lot to spare.

Genre: Artist!Reader x BF!Jeonghan

Themes/Warnings: Boyfie, slight long hair Jeonghan (we must prioritize his sexy lil evil mind babygirls) , the following contains NSFW content(heavy on smut, straight to the point, love use of cameras, , mature language, overall it's just things we good girlies want men like Jeonghan to do) MINORS DNI!

Songs- Angels by Chase Atlantic, So Wet by Elita, Often by TheWeeknd, Feel That by Junny, 34+35 Ariana Grande, Close with Desires by Thuy, Wet by Jooyoung&Superbee,

WC: 3.5K

A/N: Happy Hannie Day<3 speciaIly for our 1004 boy. Tbh I don't think so I'll ever be sane when Jeonghan's got black hair. Blonde Hannie drives me bonkers but HIM? I would devour every single pride of his phhhew~~ enjoy this lowkey philosophical scrumptious piece caratdeuls!! Hanniehae💜💜

"Fuuu-uuck This won't do" you let out an agitated, low yet soft grumble resonates in thick air among stenches of erasers, fresh papers, acrylics and graphite pencils.

With tousled hair and pencil smudges on your hands, Y/N definitely embodied the tormented artist archetype in a world where questionable AI and digital art has taken over. Your eyes darted critically across each failed attempt, a mix of determination and irritation etched on her face. Despite the exasperation, your sketches hinted at an inexplainable beauty that seemed to elude your grasp. The past hour unfolded with a string of complaints, grappling with the current sketches, that seem to fall short of expectations in a creative mind disrupted by the stark reality of the artistic struggle.

Meanwhile Yoon Jeonghan, your smart-mouth, overly encouraging, sharp yet short-tempered boyfriend provided a contrast as the calm in your artistic tempest; occupying the quiet corner of the room perched on the bed in his usual white shirt-grey sweatpants, with his phone in hand and snacks as companions.

It wasn't a brand new thing for him to see you covered in pencil smudges, a few shavings stuck to your wooly clothing and beads of sweat, followed by smears of paint intact on your skin. Swallowing the last bits and dusting the crumbs off his finger, Jeonghan, engrossed in whatever had captured his attention on the screen, abruptly paused. He clears his throat, as a sign for you to turn around in his chair, and lean back, both of your hands on the arms of the chair; a worn-out disappointed expression plastered on your face meeting Jeonghan's unaffected lazy sunday cool and chill vibes, all while fidgeting a pencil between your fingers.

Somehow, a minuscule atom of irritation seemed to dissipate from your demeanor just by seeing him exist.

He arched an eyebrow with a playful smirk gracing his lips "Perhaps the profound muse for your next masterpiece lies in the gripping scenario of that snobby neighbor attempting to assemble something, which seems like a drawer to me. That's interesting. Hanging a hammer be pulling his jeans though" Curious, you turned your head to observe exactly whatever Jeonghan had claimed the neighbor to be doing. Tucking a strand of his newly growing hair behind his ear, he wore a lazy smile on his everlastingly beautiful face.

He continues, "well, since you're seeking for your savior, I'd say you take a good look around this room. Maybe your next stroke of genius could be inspired by the epic tale of my lone sock that always goes missing in the laundry. A true masterpiece in the making" He bites into his crackers whilst he rubs his chin and you roll your eyes, silently comply according to his suggestion. Your gaze shifts from the failed crumples of sketches on these white sheets, to the walls adorned with your vibrant creations among ivory canvases.

You realize that you do,have a discernable mood to your work. Your artistic endeavors, mostly landscapes with a touch of fantasy or nature, displayed a restraint from the chaotic realm of "multicolors on a canvas." Unless a particular idea sparked your imagination, your aesthetic embraced simplicity, classic elegance, and a penchant for monochrome. Safe to say your aesthetic was always something that's not too much work. Something that radiates simplicity, classic and monochrome.

Your distinctive perspectives, where focus and pressure converged on the canvas, propelled you towards an 8-week apprenticeship among renowned artists in the enchanting city of Paris. During this artistic sojourn, you didn't just participate; you left an indelible mark with your meticulous approach and unwavering passion.

Jeonghan as well tagged along your journey. He possesses an enchantment for photography, turning moments of your artistic journey into captured treasures. His lens became a portal to the nuances of your triumphs, framing the dedication etched on your face during meticulous strokes, the palpable joy of artistic breakthroughs, and the undeniable chemistry between you and your boyfriend amid the vibrant backdrop of Paris. What went on in the streets were no secret, but what went under those sheets certainly were.

Each photograph was a narrative, telling the story of your artistic evolution. The peculiar enchantment of Jeonghan's photography wasn't just in freezing moments; it was in capturing the soulful connection between artist and muse, the shared joy, and the unspoken dialogues spoken through brushstrokes and stolen glances. Among these visual tales, a particular photograph held a special place. Attached near your Paris Masterpiece artwork, it became a center of the collage photo-set. This photograph encapsulated a moment of shared triumph, where you and Jeonghan, in the city of love, converged in a harmonious blend of creativity. The collage itself became a visual symphony, each candid frame resonating with the echoes of your artistic journey, all with the ever-present, enchanting gaze of Jeonghan.

Your boyfriend's sharp remarks were that each of your piece has always radiated not just simplicity but a timeless beauty, where the pressure on the material seemed to extract the essence of your creative soul.

However, on this particular day, a subtle roadblock seemed to challenge your artistic flow, leaving you searching for that elusive spark amidst the familiar canvases that held the stories of your passion and precision.

Following Jeonghan's suggestion, you survey the room until your eyes land on him. He's immersed in his phone, savoring the crumbs off his lips with a casual yet endearing demeanor. In that moment, a realization dawns – a silent connection between the imperfect sketches scattered around, the vibrant stories on the walls, and the living work of art himself, your boyfriend, on the bed.

He, the constant cheerleader, has observed your artistic reverie. According to his shrewd observations, whenever you zoned out, you stood in a particular position-arms crossed, head tilted at a precise 75 degrees, and your lower lip caught between your teeth. All accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of your right foot. According to him, it's the hottest and weirdest thing ever.

"What?" He questions, because at this point you've most certainly lost in your thoughts. He rise on his knees,adjusting his waistband while calling your nicknames. eyes still didn't move. "Y/N? Hey Y/N? Babe? Baby!!" His soft vocals exhaust on the common affectionate names he often calls. Finally, you snap out, a downward smile suggesting a revelation.

You meet Jeonghan's gaze with eyes that now hold a bright spark, silently claiming, "Well, I have an idea." Clasping your hands together, you take a deliberate breath, a pencil poised smirk slowly overshadows your expression, "I've found my muse. And it's you!"

Jeonghan, who was now sipping the life out of his juice raises an eyebrow as loud as an 'objection' in court, "Oh, have You now? Think you can capture my snack-induced radiance." You flash him a teethy grin, "I don't think so, I know so. Your carefree vibe is a challenge, but there's nothing I can't do."

Jeonghan can be a hassle sometimes. When he willingly agrees to something, he plays hard to get. It's so frustrating at some point you have to fuck it out of him. It makes him equally attractive and annoying. You toss your book onto the white blankets, with the title "Simplicity meets Seduction" which is a part of your new artwork theme. Lets be honest, nothing ignites the fire- a lava in you unless it's Jeonghan. The warmth of lust pools in your body whenever he gazes at you, touches you. You don't boost his ego much but the way he handles you, forces you to do add some catalyst in his already sky-high mentality. He's equally the meanest and the kindest person you've ever known.

"Simplicity and seduction, interesting" he scoffs "you definitely know how to take a challenge. Since you're adamant, I'll let you do the honors. Ask and you shall receive my permission for a tester sketch" he fixes his posture, grabbing a lollipop from the jar of candies he loves to keep at bedside. You lean towards him, capturing his now frozen body between your arms, and meet him at eye-level, "Hannie, do you mind being my model for my artwork.." you move towards his ear for a whisper "please?"

The effect is immediate – a swallowed gulp, a beetroot red face, and his gaze darting toward the window as if seeking refuge in the bright corner of your creativity sanctum, all while holding the lollipop between his lips, contemplating the fragility of his sanity.

With a wicked grin, you add, "Oh, I can already see the artistic brilliance oozing from this 'tester' sketch. Brace yourself for your immortalization, Hannie."

Sitting between Jeonghan's legs for the next hour, capturing every meticulous details. Defined face, long lashes, gravity defying, soft loose strings of hair. Cheekbones subtly accentuated, with the faint mole that adds the sophistication. He looked a whispered tale of care.

Throughout the process, Jeonghan couldn't help but steal glances at you, his gaze lingering on your focused eyes and the loose button-up cardigan that slipped off your shoulders, revealing collarbones equivalent to a blank canvas begging to be painted.

"Here," you say, breaking the artistic spell, showing him your sketchbook. "Took you forever...phewweee" you hand it over, both of your hands linger dangerously close to his middle, a move that was evidently driving him crazy. Another strong gulp betrays his inner turmoil as he shifts his gaze to the book, his lips parting in anticipation.

When he sees your work, his eyes widen, and for a moment, he's utterly speechless. The sketch, beyond expectations, captures not just the physical features but the essence of Jeonghan's charisma. The defined face, the playfulness in his eyes, a shade of graphite to enhance the blush he had earlier, the tousled crown of hair – it's a mirror reflecting the unique cocktail of sophistication and mischief that makes Jeonghan, well, Jeonghan.

He continues to examine the sketch with an appraiser's eye, and his expression shifts from playful to genuinely impressed. "This is more than just a sketch. It's like you captured the essence of a moment, frozen in time. The daisy, the playful expression – it's a piece that breathes life."

As he sticks it over the headboard, he adds, "Perfection deserves a place of honor. And this, my dear, is perfection." His compliment is laden with a sense of appreciation that goes beyond mere words.

"This is simplicity at its finest, and you know how it meets seduction?" He smirks, that is a signal of danger His tone holds a hint of admiration, his eyes lingering on the sketch as if unraveling its secrets. "Follow"

As you follow him, his grasp on your wrist adds an unexpected thrill and the exact "warmth of lust" pools in your veins. He leads you to his perfect yet contained studio.

"You're an artist with a wicked touch, turning the ordinary into a seductive masterpiece." He continues, each remark a dance of words that adds another layer to the charged atmosphereIn his studio, surrounded by the remnants of his photographic pursuits, Jeonghan's remarks don't cease. He positions his camera at a distance on the tripod, capturing the two of you against a rich, simple pearly beige background. Jeonghan's scent wraps around your senses, leaving you without control over your escalating feelings.

Standing behind you, he wraps his arms around your body, creating an embrace that feels like a hypnotic spell. It's more than a mere hug; he decides to unravel layers, unbuttoning your cardigan to expose the glistening skin of your collarbones and shoulders. Soft, sloppy kisses descend from your ear to your neck, rekindling familiar sensations. Without hesitation, he nibbles on your skin, each touch tinting it with the subtle intensity of his teeth, and a soft whimper of pleasure escapes your lips, the dance of his actions rendering you momentarily lost.

The timer he had set on the camera, ticking away while you were in a delightful haze, finally clicks, capturing the perfect shot – a half-shot from the nose. His slender fingers rest on your left side, and his mouth on your right collarbone, creating an intimate composition that radiates a sense of closeness. Another timer is set, this time his arm wrapped around your shoulders, his thumb teasingly between your lips. The camera goes off once again, capturing a moment that transcends the boundaries of conventional photography.

Jeonghan, with a voice laden with appreciation, murmurs, "This, my dear, is the beauty of our connection. Every click of the camera is a testament to the warmth we share, frozen in time for eternity. You're a canvas, and we're painting a masterpiece of shared intimacy." Once again the camera goes off. The final shot was a distance shot of his deprived lips between your breasts, while he fists your hair. Again the shot comes out perfect as ever and he didn't stop.

With a jerk he lifts you up, and kisses you feverishly. Desperation dripping the dews off the fresh grass. You could almost feel his erection had he held you a bit lower. Everything about a horny, flushed, swollen lips Jeonghan drove you insane. "Yoon Jeonghan" you moan.

"You're truly an artist" he pants, "to be making such fuckable faces"

"What's stopping you from fucking me then?"

"You're right" he smirks "it's been a while I've heard you beg, and rammed myself into that cunt of yours babygirl" Against your better judgement you began imagining it. Jeonghan's large hands squeezing your thighs, peeling them apart. His mouth on your breast, biting and sucking in turn, tongue running over your hardened nipples. Nails digging into your skin, shoulders wedging between your legs. Fingers working you open just enough to fit his dick without causing you pain, careless otherwise. Life does flash beneath your vision.

"Want it?" You could only nod in response.

Jeonghan definitely isn't the most patient one. One moment your tongues dance against each other as he keeps you distracted, while he takes you upstairs, which isn't a long journey from his studio, to the next where you're already out of breath, and lay flat naked on your bed, while he tosses his clothes off. Chilly air and his lustful gaze have your nipples hardening and a shiver running down your spine. As if he can sense your thoughts, his eyes move downwards, onto your breasts before going lower. He hums, pleased. He holds up his camera, and gets another shot, and all you see is flashes. Placing the camera aside, his attention draws all to you, for you, towards you. You could read his mind through his eyes.

 You gasp as he tugs at your legs to pull you closer. His face hovers over your covered core as you feel his warm breath and it is enough to make you lose your mind. “hannie, please.” You plead.

He grins evilly, clearly enjoying this as he presses a kiss on your covered pussy. Then his mouth trails down, between your thighs where he takes his sweet time nipping the flesh, making you whine in pleasure.

pulling back just a little and thrusting back in. “Feel good?” He breathes. You almost choke on your words. "Stop being a ppm.pp.paintbrush" He laughs; movements are slow, taking way too long to mark the sensitive flesh of your inner thighs. He licks and sucks at the blooming marks and stops when a wet patch forms in your panties and your moans increase their pitch. “Desperate, aren’t we?” He whispers, hands reaching for your soaked panties to peel them off. The cool air on your core makes you shudder and release another whimper. “I- I need you Jeonghan, please.”

He hums and suddenly licks a stripe from your core to your clit, eliciting a scream of surprise from you. Your hands immediately fist in his hair to pull him closer and you are scared he is going to ask you to let him go but he doesn’t, busy sucking your pussy. He devours you with no break, tongue working skillfully to tease your opening and your clit. Your pussy gushes more and more at each of his movements as you keep chanting a series of pleases.

He slides a finger inside you, slowly, as your cunt greedily takes it all in. He curls it inside you simultaneously tonguing your clit and you wail in pleasure, tears brimming in your eyes. He enters another finger and then another before moving the three of them tirelessly inside you, curling them against your sensitive spot that has your whole body shivering. That feeling paired with him torturing your clit brings you close to your orgasm.

“J-Jeonghan…I'll cum.” You breathe and much to your disappointment, he gives you one last suck before pulling away with a satisfied smirk. “Jeonghan!” You call for him, half wanting to smack him from taking your orgasm away from you. The man has the audacity to laugh. “That’s what you get for being too perfectionist. Being mine"

"I'll blow...hnmmmmmmmmyour brains" you roll your eyes, in pleasure.

His habit of pushing your buttons to your peak irritated you so much, you muster your fucked-out energy and pull him by the neck over you, and swiftly roll yourself on top of him. Your sweaty body slithers down Jeonghan's pale, beautiful body down towards his cock, and as you promised, it was Jeonghan who was so loud with his whimpers, moans all while he was helpless and feeling his senses pop out of his ears. He was melodic. He was whiny. You loved to take him all your capable of.

Oh fuck-” Jeonghan grunts, head lolling back as you feel the grip on your hair strengthen. “Fuck, that feels so good.” His praises make your pussy leak as you start bobbing your head with new vigor, one of your hands trailing down to rub yourself, the sinful sight of Jeonghan moaning making you extremely needy. That one shiver he does, is a clear sign he's dangerously close and with a pop, you move your mouth off. He opens his eyes, moving the sticky hair off his forehead to look at you.

"Hannie" your soft voice, paired with the needy, doe-eyed look you give him is enough to make Jeonghan lose his damn mind. With a growl, he captures your lips in a bruising kiss as his hands move to line up his cock to your pussy. “You asked for it.” He warns and that’s all you get before he’s pushing his entire length inside you, a high pitched shriek falling from your lips as an overwhelming feeling of fullness consumes your entire body.

He pulls you on his chest by your arms, and rams himself in you. "Ride it" he whimpers and you do not hesitate to hold his hands and bounce on him.

With a swift turn, Jeonghan turns you, pinning you below him. He increases his pace, his sharp thrusts hitting so deep inside you, your whole body shakes. Mindless babbles fall from your lips as your hands clutch into his back tightly, your nails digging into his skin which makes Jeonghan hiss in pleasure. His sweet words paired with the way his lips venture down towards your breasts, sucking and biting while one of his hands plays with your oversensitive clit make you release a loud cry of his name.

Soon after, you come for the second time, your orgasm brain numbing, making your toes curl and your whole body twitch. Jeonghan feels you tighten around him as you come and he can’t hold back either as he fills you up for the second time, calling your name softly, his warm breathes fanning your face.

“Fuck, I don’t think I’m gonna last long.” He mutters, eyes moving onto your face, the fucked out look on you making him groan, as he buries his head in your neck, painting the skin with pretty marks. He didn't even spare your lips and mercilessly nibbled onto them until they're red and swollen. He held pride in himself and at this rate, your heart was godspeed.

His soft whisper sends shivers down your spine and without thinking, you nod, holding him tightly, burying your face in his neck. Your brain has stopped functioning properly long ago and all you can feel are the way Jeonghan’s hips snap into you and the warmth radiating from him. You feel vulnerable yet safe at the same time as you hold his body close to yours and breathe in his sweaty scent.

Soon, your orgasm is brain numbing, making your toes curl and your whole body twitch. Jeonghan feels you tighten around him as you come and he can’t hold back either as he fills you up for the second time, calling your name softly, his warm breathes fanning your face.

Your ears ring and you are too tired to move a muscle as you lie there, with Jeonghan panting harshly on top of you, careful not to crush you with his weight. For a while there is silence, nothing other than the harsh breathing of you both before you feel Jeonghan soften and slide out of you, making his release drip down your pussy and you wince. "No paint is of this consistency as my cum" even with zero energy, he made you laugh a little too hard, your ribs ached. The "tester sketch" had long fallen on the carpet, and the sheets were wet.

He helps you to the bathroom, carefully takes care of you and himself and back to another lazy position on the couch, because none of you had the energy to deal with the bedsheets.

"When simplicity meets seduction..." he strokes your hair, hugging your tinted body closer to his stiff chest "an artistry in shared intimacy blooms" he completes. "Those photos, are your reference for the artwork. Make better use of it, babe" "I don't see why wouldn't I" you snuggle closer "anyways simplicity and seduction won me a good sex and dirty sheets"

"That's the harmonious convergence of elements that generate a symphony"

There he goes. Good thing is you've love him endlessly.

[shadowfreak98]

PART 1 of ART TRADE

I am doing a trade with my buddy @tepidti and I decided to do a little more for him than just a simple exchange of oc x canon digital drawing(s). I decided to make Shrinky Dink keychain charms for him as a little extra bc he is my oldest online buddy, and he deserves a lot of nice things uwu

Disclaimer: Plz do NOT request art trades with me. Trades are exclusive to my friends. If you would like art from me then plz check out my pinned post for commissions. That would be greatly appreciated :')

DETAILS / PROCESS

Sooo, I was there for the conception of Dragonsteel (OC featured above), thus he holds a very special place in my heart. I LOVE how beautifully disastrous MegaSteel is... I cannot get enough... They are just SO CUTE and HILARIOUS.

As for the process, I am gonna make posts about each one I do, that way everyone can see the WIP... this is also so my buddy knows my process without me text dumping on him in our DM LOL

Redesign - I tried not to change too much on him. All I really changed was the positioning of his horns slightly, as well as some details on the helm itself, but other than that, I wanted the silhouette to be roughly the same. Dragon's art is a pretty simplistic style already so he was really easy to adapt into another style.

Color - I leaned closer to a more purple primary on Dragonsteel. I added some blue in and blended it to give it a more cool undertone, as well as to better shade the piece (dunno bout you guys but shrinky dinks are really hard to shade with pencils on qwq). I also opted to make the glass on his chest pink like his optics to balance and diverse the colors a bit more. I think the touch of yellow in the pink optic really help balance the look too. (I actually hadn't noticed the yellow in his ref sheet until I started to REALLY analyze his design and colors. I worked so seamlessly o.o)

Technique! Technique! - So I basically just started on normal printer paper for the sketch, and then transferred it to tracing paper, and lined/traced that onto the Shrinky Dink sheet.

NOTE: You can technically line with permanent marker on the slick/glossy side of the shrinky dink sheet, and it gives you a really NEAT look of 3D when it comes out cleanly, but it's such a risky process bc even the perm. marker wipes off/smears too damn easy. Doing it on that side will likely ruin the design altogether, so I suggest lining on the rough side.

Colored pencils grip to the rough side excellently, but once you start adding layers of color, it proves to be quite challenging because of how smooth the surface gets. It's easy to erase the colored pencil on them though, so mistakes are easily remedied in that regard.

[foxglovefaun]

Hey yo!! I was just lookin over ur sketchbooks stuff, which is,,,,so grand and soulful I can’t put much words to it and wanted to ask do u use a specific type of pencil? Or any special thing like that?

thank you so much!! <3 ;0; my sketchbook is my safe place rn, so this means a lot. and i do! i have a lot of specific pencils. i have a series of tools that are in my everyday artbox, and i've narrowed down a collection that's been pretty reliable for me. i can introduce you! :) ...ok but r u ready for a infodump because

ok this is my everyday Graphite Mechanical Pencil Squad. I always have them in my box and i use them for just about every pencil drawing in my sketchbook.

(I added a post break because I didn’t think about it before :3 )

from top to bottom: - Steadtler: Mars Technico 2.0 -> used for longer pencil studies and anatomy stuff, as well as experiments with comic-style hatching. has a tiny built-in sharpener! I like using this for drawing the base for portraits coz it's got a real consistent value - Sakura: Sumo Grip 0.7 -> comfy. :) big. :) - Tombow: Mono Graph 0.5 -> my current baseline. I've used this pencil since 2021 when i first started recovering from burnout. I really like its weight balance, as the feed end is quite heavy. This pencil was engineered for writing though, so while it has a "rotating lead mechanism", it doesn't activate while I'm drawing. Apparently it's supposed to rotate the lead as you write so it stays sharp. :0 - Uni: Kuru Toga 0.3 -> very lightweight, sometimes feels fragile but is durable as hell. I use this for really fine lines, like details in the eyes or hatching around the nose in really small portraits. I used to use this size more in college, but I use it less nowadays.

speakin of that damb MonoGraph, i have S e v e r a l

I have six currently, which feels like a bananas number of mechanicals to carry at one time, but five of them carry different color leads that i use super regularly so i ignore this.

you probably are familiar with my multi-color sketches with blue and red and pink n stuff, and these are what i use for that. sometimes i use light blue to sketch, then clean it up with the dark blue, and then add portrait details with red. Other times i sketch with pink and then define everything with purple. anyway

i load them all up with Uni Nano Dia color leads. Historically I've used Pentel red leads and Prismacolor Col-Erase wood pencils, but these are my favorite now. They are all erasable and erase pretty well! (The lavender does not specify that it is erasable, but i assure you, it will submit to an eraser.)

speakin of erasers. This has actually been the most difficult squad to narrow down, as erasers are all super different from one another, even within the same brand. Sometimes they smear my shit, sometimes they rip up the paper, sometimes they lift okay but still leave a ghost. not these. These guys are reliable. They help me move. They text me back. - Muji: plastic eraser, hard type, black -> this was my biggest most recent surprise. Muji has very affordable minimalist materials that can look cheap on the surface level, but tbh I've never had an eraser serve me so well. When it comes to erasable marks, it lifts EVERYTHING off of my Talens sketchbook. I wish it came in a stick format for more control, but the brick will have to do for now. - Tombow: Mono Stick, plastic eraser -> bless. Soft to the touch but doesn't need a shit ton of pressure to lift stuff out and clean up. Performs consistently and creates a super clear surface. My favorite standard-sized stick eraser, hands down. - Tombow: Mono Knock -> badass. I've had this thing in my arsenal since 2008. I found my first pink one in Japantown San Francisco and carried it all the way to QC with me in 2020. It was finally put to rest after it broke in 2022, and was immediately replaced with the green one. It's kind of hard for an eraser, which is good because the skinny ones can tear under pressure, but it's precise, clean, and usually lifts everything out. Excellent for portraiture. It's also great for drawing on its own and I'll draw highlights or carve out shapes in big smudgy fields of grey. I highly recommend this tool. - Tombow: Mono Zero, elastomer eraser -> weird. so smol. does cool shit tho. This is my smallest eraser ever, and it took a while to find one in stock. It is so very fine that it has its own refill method and part of it is reinforced with plastic. It's clean tho, and so goddamb precise. - Kneaded eraser, brand ???? i dont remember, probably Mars : I love my kneaded eraser. I've always used it to press and lift when it comes to sketchbook stuff, but i recently learned that you can just kinda ROLL IT across your surface and it will lighten EVERYTHING, EVENLY. I lost my shit tbh, nobody ever told me I could use it like that and now I get legit excited to use it. Very satisfying. But also very sticky and sometimes Bad Texture, so I keep it in a little tin. along with the whole series i described, I also carry these with me in my box. Just misc tools that also live here. Tiny sharpener, blenders, supplementary erasers and pencils.

I also have a small frame-style box that I keep my basic wood drawing pencils in, as well as the tiny eraser and the 2.0 pencil because they fit. :)

Everyone lives in here, and i like that the box can sorta serve as a work surface too, using the lid like a lil table. It's also easy AF to just toss everything in there, so cleaning up my workspace takes less than a minute now.

i use all of these whenever doin sketchbook stuff. I always keep them in my newest travel box, which has served me very well when going down the avenue to draw outside. :)

i hope this gives u some feedback for choosing your own tools! :D I get my materials from all over the place, but when I was picking up the Mono Graphs en masse I was getting them from Stationery Pal at a pretty significant discount.

thank u for ur interest. :3 I have been wanting to assemble a post like this for a while and it felt good to just sit n think about my tools for a little bit. anyway. :3 take care. thanks <3 Hope this answered your question! (and hope it wasnt too much lmao sdfjkgskdjhfkjshd)

[tailsdollr]

your art is really coool! im inspired! do you have any art tips?

Thank you so much and yes I have a bit of knowledge since all the work I have done over the years. However, I understand everyone does things differently. So perhaps not all I will share will benefit you much. Especially if you already knew it BUT I will try give as many I can!

I saw that you mostly do traditional drawing, so I will keep it mainly for that. However I will mention some digital tips but will have them related to traditional in some way.

Pencil types. There are many types of pencils and most depend on darkness or light. I usually have a 0.6 and 0.9 on me. A step further is charcoal however I'm not as experienced in that. Something I often do in case of smearing is lightly dabbing my finger on the art. This can work for many tools but I think a pencil smearing can just be annoying lol. How far you press can be very important too as going to hard can leave lines into the paper that will permanently be there and affect your art in case you wanna erase. I usually go light first then dark then work around. It's okay if it's messy at first if its light as that can be a lot easier to clean.

Paper. Paper is very important to me at least due to how much it can vary. For certain tools, I'd prefer certain types of paper. Always check texture and thickness before buying. Don't just buy random sketchbooks. I've regretted many times of getting paper far too thin or way too much texture.

Texture and thickness all depend on what you'll use on it. Thicker paper can handle wet bases like water, paint, or markers. While thinner paper is much better for pencil. As the more texture the more difficult it becomes to not make a mess of extra that might smear if you're not careful.

If you have thin paper and are using markers, make sure you know when is too much for the paper. It could tear or eat a hole in it if not careful. I don't think it depends on art supplies either. I just think it depends on skill and paper. Like, I would not use Crayola markers on printer paper. But I would on card stock since it's more likely to handle it. Speaking of card stock, it can be really good for just sketching. However I don't think it takes pencil very well depending on it's texture. Since most are usually kind of glossy on top.

Thin paper can also be great if you want to transfer a drawing over. Imagine a digital sketch that you draw over. Thin paper can be used in the same way so I'd never fear messing up when you can easily get it onto something else and start over. This applies to tracing it in digital.

Speaking of tracing, I would not be afraid of using it as a learning tool. I've used references but sometimes I cannot see exactly how to draw that. So I trace and see what it looks like on its own. I don't think using something traced in your final piece is practical or good. But I think learning and guiding yourself with it is an excellent thing and I want more young artists not to be afraid of it.

Poses and certain features can be quite difficult for some. I think the best way to build up on these is to break them down. Like making the person who is doing the pose into very simple shapes.

This like all off the top of my head. If you want to ask something specific like, painting for example, feel free and go ahead! Or need further elaboration I can certainly try!

My biggest art tip of all tho, is to have fun. Draw whatever you want. Make yourself feel happy and don't let others dictate what you do.

I think cringe culture really hurt a lot of learning and growing artists. People who just inserted themselves into stories, made strange aus. They all were just having fun. I let myself not show that I loved things just for others comfort and you know what fuck them!! So what if evil teletubbies is weird?? Why are you upset that I'm having fun!

Love what you love. Draw weird and strange things and never give up on yourself when you feel disappointed.

You will get there with your art. You will if you feel love and passion for the craft.

[mithclearwell]

Just out of curiouse, do you have any tips for beginner artists? I would really appreciate one

Of course! ^-^ I'm more than happy to help!

Let's see...without the ability to have a conversation, I'm not sure where exactly you are in skill level, so I guess I'll start with some basic quality-of-life tips.

General:

You don't have to go to college to get good at art. I didn't go to art school!

Watch youtube videos from good artists, or those you admire!

What kind of art do you ultimately want to produce? This isn't an instance of "I can only pick one thing", it's more like...each type of art requires different skills, and if you know ahead of time what you want to do FIRST, you can narrow down what you have to learn.

learn proper sketching and use of circles and other shapes to build the figure, don't just jump in making the final lines right away! It's not a "cheat", it's proper technique. It's "caring about your work".

Same for references. Google up some images of what you want to draw and look at them while you draw your own picture. It's not only okay, it's what professionals do. You need to train your EYE as well as your hand.

It's okay to mimic styles you like! But be aware that each artist may stretch or squish or exaggerate proportions to fit what they personally like to see. This is why it's IMPERATIVE that you learn realism alongside any manga style you want to try. Once you learn where the eyes sit on the face, the different facial planes and what bones they relate to, and different sizes and builds for the face, you can then manga them up to any style you want!

For real paper:

Use a protector sheet, or wear a glove on your drawing hand. You want to make sure you don't get graphite or colored pencil on the side of your hand, and then smear it on your drawing. Placing a piece of paper under your hand will protect your work!

Don't touch your art with your fingertips. Fingertips have oil and gunk on them, and will smudge your drawing. (If you're working with charcoal, this could work to your advantage! But you're probably not using charcoal. It's messy and usually limited to college art students.)

Get the right tools! You can buy a small eraser set in the art section of Wal-Mart for like $3 -- it has a polymer eraser, a smaller white eraser, and the all-important KNEADED ERASER. This thing can be squished and torn apart and it'll pick up graphite like a champ! Do not bother with hard pink erasers, they're trash.

You don't need special paper to learn. I used to draw on the backs of my dad's extra math photocopy papers. Copy paper is smooth and not too fussy and I like it. "Sketch pads" usually have a rougher grain, and I hate the way the paper feels. Also there's a lot of ugly white spots when you try to shade or use colored pencils. Only use that if you're keeping a cute little book or using pastel crayons or something (or it's all you have). Don't fuss over it too much while you're learning. It won't make much difference until you're ready to specialize!

Blending stumps are cool and even pros use them.

Get a small electric pencil sharpener. They're less than $10 at places like Dollar General, and those stores are literally everywhere.

If you get a manual sharpener in an "art set", that's fine, too, but it hurts my hand to do it manually. I like the ones that have little covers.

It DOES matter what kind of ink pen you use. Gel pens will smear. Most markers are washable, and you better believe they will run at the first hint of moisture. India Ink also smears and runs with water. I recommend Sakura Micron pens, Zig Mangaka pens, or my favorite --- the Kuretaki Bimoji felt tip brush pen. You can get all that on Amazon, and it's like $6. I got the superfine tip.

LET YOUR INK DRY BEFORE YOU PUT MARKERS OR WATERCOLOR OR ANYTHING AT ALL OVER IT. It takes maybe 20 minutes.

If you don't plan to color it, you CAN draw with a ball point pen and it'll look just fine.

Do a tiny little water streak test with any markers you plan to use with watercolor. Just brush a tiny bit of water over the mark after it's dry to see if it bleeds. I use that bleed to my advantage sometimes, but you just gotta be aware of what's what.

Digital:

You can buy a small, cheap tablet from HUION for less than $40. MAKE THE INVESTMENT. IT'S WORTH IT.

Clip Studio Paint is EXCELLENT. Well worth the $50-$60 price tag. I think you can try it before you buy it, too. It gives you access to the Asset Store -- which is the single greatest artistic sharing tool I have EVER seen, and I've used SAI for ...probably a decade... I've used dozens of custom brushes and even made my own, and I just can't even believe what is available with CSP. Do yourself a favor and get it.

"But I can't use a tablet! I can't look at a screen while I draw!" Yes you can. YES you can. Yes you can, if you'll just try it. "but I tried once and it didn't work" Well YEAH, if you only tried a handful of times, OF COURSE it didn't work. Do you know what practice is? HUION screen tablets are over $300!!!!! Do you have that kind of disposable income lyin around? (plz donate some to me if you do lololjk =u=; )

Start saving a folder full of refs.

Ask people to tell you what to draw. Let them request something for free. This makes you draw things you wouldn't normally draw, and there is INCREDIBLE value in stepping outside of your comfort zone. You will level up in no time.

Whew...that covers most of the basics, I think. If you have something specific you want me to go into more detail on, please let me know! I love helping ;w;

[laz-exe]

Sketch I just whipped up! New YBG oc sneak peek :)

Still working out her personality, background, hobbies, etc. I’ve also been thinking of some names for her. One I’ve thought of is ‘Bambi’, ‘Bee’ for short. Or ‘Bo’. Haven’t decided yet!

I feel like Jessica Rabbit’s infamous quote, “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.” Fits her perfectly. Because I feel like when people first see her, they think she’s a stuck up bitch because of her constant >:( face haha.

Admittedly, she does have a bit of a feisty personality haha.

More sketchy sketches from awhile ago :)

I’m so awful when it comes to traditional drawing (´Ａ｀。) Pencil lead smears and eraser marks everywhere omggg! I can never make it look clean

[freebooter4ever]

Is drawing rami online just as easy drawing him on paper?

(previous anon who asked a few weeks ago about how to draw him/his facial proportions)

Heh, is this a hint for me to draw him with pencil and paper? I mean i guess i could, although i promised myself that bread would be the only non in-person portrait sketch in my little sketchbook. I'll think about it :P

In general, i find that any new medium gives me trouble no matter what it is. I've been sketching on the computer seriously since 2017ish when i went through the process of moving across country and having to tear out and recycle 10+ of my hardcover sketchbooks from college till then (shipping was too costly and my car was FULL). I just decided then and there that i wasnt going to sketch on paper anymore (and then my friend bought me my little sketchbook so now i HAVE to fill it lmao).

But its been HARD trusting pencil and paper again. I have had to get used to the hardness/softness of the lead, and the eraser and the lack of an undo button. But by the same token, jumping from using only pencil to the computer was hard for me too. Switching right now from my old computer to my new computer with a higher pressure sensitivity and a non-grooved screen has been hard! Figuring out how much i hated coloring by the usual blur/smear/blend techniques people do on the computer was hard! Coming up with something i liked (hard edges, hundreds of layers with light opacity) was hard and i'm still learning!

I would say that difficulty lies in the mark making, though. The proportions and likeness skills you develop tend to transfer. I think for me personally one of the weird quirks of drawing on the computer especially is that it helps my anxiety/perfectionism - if i can 'delete' a bunch of scribbles before starting the 'real' drawing it takes a lot of pressure off!

[captain-alex-grayson]

Nobody has permission to use my art. Don't repost it. Don't save it. Don't fucking cross post it. Do not fucking use my art. Unless I give explicit consent nobody can use my art. Anyways...

Just a painting of Dante that I did. Used a screenshot I took when I inevitably went down during the Vergil boss fight. I was testing out my new Cotman Watercolors. I got the smaller travel case bc I was on a budget. I also used Windsor and Newton titanium white and lamp black to mix the greys. As well as zenacolor watercolor pencils for ya boi's hair.

Basically I can't draw realistic people, I do a lot of tracing to help with that. I used Canson tracing paper and a pencil to trace over my screenshot of Dante after flipping the image. Then I went over the tracing and added as much graphite as possible. I taped the tracing down graphite side to watercolor paper. Then, I traced over the image again to do a carbon transfer. I did it this way instead of scribbling over the tracing bc scribbling like that can leave indents that can't be hidden should I need to use my watercolor pencils. When I thought I had traced well enough I removed the tracing sheet and set it aside, still haven't decided if I'm going to reuse it. I taped my border down (first time ever doing that bc it never occurred to me that I really don't need to fill a whole 9x12 page). Then I went over what I had transferred to my paper; basically drawing Dante yet again. After making that sketch and adjusting for things that didn't completely transfer I used my General's kneaded eraser to gently lighten the sketch to prep for painting over. I worked left to right since I have known myself to fuck up and smear my paint. It took me 20 minutes to mix as close to his skin tone as possible and I believe I made at least 7 different shades of grey. I was going to do more shading and little details but quickly realized if I didn't chill on the details, I would start to fucking hate my painting. I used Strathmore 400 series watercolor paper, I don't remember what kind of press the paper is but I do know it's not cold press. I used a set of watercolor brushes that I got for Christmas (all the packaging is written in Japanese) and two really really tiny 0000 and 000 cotman round watercolor brushes.

I will say the Windsor and Newton colors carry a lot of pigment so less is very much more. I was constantly replacing my water and diluting my colors.

[godsandcrows]

Karst Stone Paper - journal review

Decided to try out a new brand of journal and thought I'd post a lil review. I didn't find one when I was ordering it, so maybe someone else will find this helpful (:

I bought a Karst A5 dot notebook. Mostly because it was the only really good color red notebook I would find and I was looking for red. Also though, I was really interested in it because the paper is not made from trees. It's made from sustainably recycled stone! I thought it was super cool and ya know, save the environment.

I did a light sketch using a Blackwing pearl pencil. Even with very light pressure, the pencil goes on suuuuper dark. Extremely smooth, zero drag. My pencil was super sharp, and you can tell. There's a lot of raised through on the other side of the page, though it does taper off later in the drawing as my pencil dulled, so if you don't go in with a freshly sharpened, or if you aren't a pencil person, you'd be alright.

Now, my biggest complaint. (And probably a deal breaker for its intended purpose as my daily journal, still trying to decide.)

I tried to erase my sketch to go over it in pen, and it will not erase. Not even with ole betsy Staedtler Mars. I eventually gave up trying and just started inking because I was like whelp might as well make this a test subject instead of a sketch in a journal I use every day, at this point.

Ink goes on really well. Honestly, surprisingly well given how much smeared lead it was going over. You can see the ink through the other side, but there is zero bleed through to the other side.

So if you're ink only, and don't care about being able to erase or use a sharp pencil, this could be the journal for you. But I wouldn't recommend it to a pencil artist or someone wanting to be able to edit their to-do list.

[lilahaze]

"bury me on i90"

i once knew an old friend named september

he swallowed his baby teeth on a dare and feigned ignorance when presented with the empty jewlery box

coffee remained as bitter to us as it always had

i frequent a cafe and envision his disdain with my order

september glued his heart valves closed with poplar sap

his limbs branches of oak, he tore me from the grasp of my mother

i howled and pounded upon her weathered bedroom door as she yearned for sleep

september heard of my aspirations for fame and slipped me a twenty to tell him the color of my panties

i once knew a girl named october

october hired stage lights as background dancers and busied me with delivery of awe until i broke the soles of my heels in delight

i posed for the front row, heels in hand for the headlines

unbeknownst that this show would serve as my final headache, unbeknownst that my face wouldn't grace the 7pm news

october and i sat cross-legged behind the curtains waiting for a ride home

she painted drugstore blush onto my cheeks and shoved lip liners into her bra

i promised i'd see her next fall and that i'd answer when she called

we split a ham sandwich and left mustard smeared on the handrails

i once knew a man named november

november kept peanut butter crackers and bic lighters in the pockets of his cargo pants

he aimed to lure bluejays only to singe their wings as they cried

i found a body limp in the kitchen sink and it felt like mine:

damp hair that smelled of lemonade and bruised thighs

november held my hand as our feet sent echoes down the hallways of the middle school

we took the steps three at a time and slid down the banisters long after the lunch bell had rung

he called me a sky-leaper; i called him turbulence

i once knew a thief named december

unbleached hair billowed in the gusts as i crouched at the end of a rotting dock, my hand stretched into the waves

his grip was malicious and i'd quickly be spitting up sea

we spent my brother's birthday in a cold auditorium watching old films

i ate shrimp for dinner that night and wondered if i could drown from the oil

the sun went down as i sat in december's lap in a waiting room

i sketched my sorrows into his shoulders and stabbed, "i can't diagnose" into the back of his neck

i buried his body in a snowdrift off a buffalo exit and mounted the pen above my mantle

i once knew a woman named january

she purchased colored pencils for me and i drew the person i wished she could have been: waist-length black curls and irises of chocolate bark

in shame, my friend shrunk behind the christmas lights i'd left hanging long since the holiday

i would remain weak so long as my body continued to prove itself incompetent

the scent of medicinal tragedy left my lips chapped and hives across my cheekbones

january and i were newly self conscious of our wardrobes and threw my clothes into the hallway to be stepped over

ashamed of how my birthday suit did not age as i did, i waited until she left and took my sweatshirts back from the hall

what did my age matter if i had nothing to bear ?

i once knew a daughter named february

february struggled in my grip as i laid against the glossy wall, bathing in the glow cast from pink lights

i thought of her mother with her back to the gymnasium door, cold sub in hand

february screamed for her persecutor and threw her closed fist into my eye

she bore red wrists and disdain for the men in office chairs that surrounded us

i brought my first crush tulips from the garden and left them to wilt in my locker

he found my painting in the hundreds lining the tile so i erased my name from the label

i was willing to bargain in order to soon find blood in my sheets if it meant i had grown

i once knew a boy named march

his fingers, filthy with dried mud and fairy dust, turned white whilst he gripped his father's baseball as if it was the clarity that had escaped him

march perched atop drainage pipes to write letters he would never dream of mailing

he wrote of worlds locked behind heavy oak doors,

of shabby houses where he would drink grape juice and chew his fingernails until they bled

march and i caught bullfrogs in the afternoons

he'd speak as if we were lovers; i dared not speak of mine

i'd allow him the simple pleasure of curling irons even though we both knew that the curls never held

i once knew a lady named april

april cradled me underneath a hydrangea tree in my babysitter's front yard

her wrists bled from run-ins with thornbushes and stained my tee shirt

our laughter upheld the spring currents; i didn't mind that she'd ruined my clothes upon disgorging her guts

april offered me her condolences as i dropped childhood tendencies into the fire pit we crouched overtop of

i fumbled with the task of lighting a match, leaving her to burn my soul

april fished blades from the ashes and pressed them into my palm: a reminder that embers merely smolder

i motioned towards the gorge and asked if i'd return; april refused to respond

i once knew a soul named may

she spit fire at my feet, unconnected to my mother's god

we stood in front of the looming medicine cabinet, leering at the bottles

she mused over pills of my favorite color and wiped the mucus from my lip

i knew that may didn't mind my skinned knees

for lava coated her eardrums and she hadn't fallen victim to my cries from the sidewalk

asking, "mother may i, mother may i?"

all in effort to lay in a bed all too large for us

i once knew a friend named june

she watched flower buds reopen from her class seat at the window

we spoke on our walk out of school; i told her where i buried her brother

june bore no halo

she graduated without a forlorn glance although i stood in wait near the flowerbeds

i did not care to admit that june was undeserving

that she was unregretful of the number of abandonments she had executed or that she refused to acknowledge the passage of time

i crept into her house through the side door and unpinned her diploma from the master bedroom wall; i had always deserved it more

i once knew a mother named july

she drained the blow-up pool in my backyard and scolded me for trampling through her lilies

desperate, i imagine we are in walmart; she pushes the cart and people stop in admiration

july kissed me cheeks raw and permitted the rough summer to steal my tears

i sand alongside the radio forgetting i was singing to static

whales breeched the surface as we stood at the prow of the boat, boxed lunches in hand

july never forgave me for throwing her overboard in lieu of my chips

i realized i'd forgotten to tie her ankles to an achor and hid in the cabin

i once knew a ghost named august

we resented the very fact that the sun must, each day, fall

crows decided against cawing as i skidded across damp grass, august always a step ahead

silent except for ragged gasps; earth laid still in anticipation

i hid pills in august's desk drawer and when my father found them i said they were hers

simple pleasures at the side of the road occupied the recently stranded

i did not wake early enough to escape the ambulance she called

i woke again strapped to a stretcher, stuffed rabbit in hand as i caught my last glimpse of clouds

i met september once more after my thirteenth birthday

he burned my mother's ford at the end of our driveway

september had fallen ill; his dying wish to see me in lace briefs

he slipped a fifty in between my bony hips and the tattered waistband of the pair i wore to the hospital

orange suns rose and fell from my view on the sixth floor; i licked the window out of hope i would taste rays

for i had forgotten that wind existed and of a time when i laid on my rooftop

september watched me from across the street upon my release

i stood at the entrance, spine ablaze

[lansingbunny]

08. Toad

Turns out ladies love a toad that’s a snappy dresser.

I had a lot of fun sketching this one up, because at first I had no idea what to do for it. (Mainly due to keeping the bunny theme so far)

Then I figured why not have a Mr. Toad like character interacting with a bun, played with a few ideas and then came up with this. I think I did a better job of using my line weights on this. Though I’m still managing to smear some ink when erasing pencils at the end, even after letting it dry a long time. I’ll have to keep working on figuring that out.

I need to work on taking pictures in better lighting too.

[dragonmuse]

what's everyones handwriting like in the Leda verse. (and if you have opinions what kind of writing utensils do people use)

Ah great question to end the night on! (Nearly bedtime for me). For the record, I'm disgraphic and pretty much type exclusively, so no handwriting judgement from me!

In writing this list, turns out Izzy notices handwriting the most.

Stede- Absolutely lovely slanted script, very legible and he loves a fountain pen complete with ink cartridges. He has Opinions on ink.

Eddy- According to Izzy in You're Awful, I Love You where he collects her notes, it's got 'odd loops and swirls'. Eddy likes writing in script, but adds a lot of flourishes and doubles back a lot to make corrections. She'll use whatever is around, but naturally steals Stede's nice pens on the regular. He buys her her own which she loves and goes on stealing his too.

Lucius- Very functional and neat, his signs in script, but otherwise uses print. He likes a good blue ink pen with a rollerball for notes. Black is for sketching.

Pete- Moderately legible mix of script and print. He likes a good pencil, useful for marking things when making patterns and he likes the feel of having one behind his ear.

Frenchie- Pretty script, but rarely writes anything down so that's hard to prove. Uses whatever is at hand and has dashed off notes in eyeliner and eyebrow pencils more than once. Usually adds doodles.

John- Print only, messy and rarely in a straight line. He bought a pack of cheap black stick pens years ago and somehow they still work. Life's little magic tricks at work.

Izzy- Eddy describes it in 'just like a one-winged dove' as 'unmistakable spiky handwriting' and Izzy himself describes about Lucius' tattoo 'the sharp spikes of his handwriting'. So yes, very spiky print and he also likes a good black pen and will buy packs of the good kind for the office.

Jim- Izzy describes it as 'copperplate'. It's perfect print, all the letters even and straight, like it was typed. They'll use whatever is around, but they like the office pens and often take them home.

Oluwande- Serviceable print with a bit of a slant to the letters, everything listing to the left. He likes a good fine tip marker because he thinks it looks better, but the stolen office pens are good too.

Roach- Just a massacre. He can write neatly if he goes slow, but he never does. Letters crash together or are separated by a mile with no rhyme or reason. He likes whatever free pens he has around.

Read- Izzy describes it as 'crowded like she worried about running out of space' and 'hard to make out'. She has godawful handwriting, and going slow doesn't help. It's just bad. She smears the ink from the office pens and it annoys her, so she just uses pencil. And highlighters sometimes, but that's mostly to give Izzy twitches.

Anne- Very nice script, almost as good as Stede's and probably more legible since she uses fewer flourishes. She has gotten used to the pens from the law office which are also high quality, but on her own, she'd use whatever was handy.

Alma- In Sing a New Song, Frenchie describes it as 'spiky, letters jabbing up and down like the paper was someone that just wouldn't listen'. It's also a spiky print, though hers is both less legible and more bearable to look at than Izzy's. She likes her father's pens and has also stolen them. Eddy gets blamed and she gets new pens.

Charlie- Izzy describes it as 'chipper' and 'chunky script'. It's very bubbly basically and fairly easy to read until he gets rushed and then it's impossible. He like pencils because Charlie has a deep need to be able to erase.

Felix- Very tight cramped together letters. Not impossible to read, but too small to be easy. He favors mechanical pencils.

[nayialovecat]

Would you mind sharing how you bring SATIM comics to life for us? ^_^

Ha, ha, I've been waiting for question like that. Okay... *stretches the clasped hands, you can hear the crash of knuckles* Here we go.

--------------------------

First of all, at the very beginning I would like to point out that each comic I make has a completely different method of creation. I draw a comic strip othey way (like SATIM), than comic page (like Kuro and Ninja or Before Henry). The former are characterized by great chaos, while the latter do not often differ from the final versions.

But let's focus now only on the comic strip for SATIM.

It all starts with an idea. I usually come up with ideas when I'm away from home and beyond the ability to save an idea, so many of them, unfortunately, are lost forever (sometimes I compe up with them again). However, if the idea is not forgotten and I return home, depending on whether I have time to draw or not - I either start sketching it right away in the form of comic frames or just writing the idea on a piece of paper. Apart from single exceptions (e.g. Radio strip), I do not write a script for a comic but I draw it straight away. The sketch is my scenario XD

For this reason, sketches can be very chaotic - sometimes the frames are completely out of sequence. I rarely sketch backgrounds at this stage (I rarely sketch them at all XD) - they are created only in the final stage of making the lineart. Let's see it on the example of Bacon Soup, part 1.

Sketches are often very simplified, I do not play with details (e.g. stripes on Sammy's harness). In addition, I draw comic strips without dividing them into individual parts at first - so on one A4 page there can be frames from two different parts of a given strip (like here).

I also use what I call recycling, i.e. reusing a frame - when I know that the frames will not differ too much, I very often draw only those differences...

The second point in creating the strip is rewriting the texts from it. Since I draw in English, often without access to a dictionary, my sketches are often very linguistically incorrect. At this stage, therefore, I initially correct dialogues, vocabulary, grammar - and then send the rewritten text to one of my English proofreaders. Each strip goes through two people - they are usually Titatotrix and Ozio, but sometimes when either of them has no time, I turn to my husband. Discussions about dialogues are very often carried out here, sometimes it leads to minor changes in the structure (e.g. adding a frame or removing it) or dialogues.

Above you can see corrected text of strip.

After linguistic proofreading, it's finally time for the lineart. This is probably the most important stage, though not the most time-consuming. I correct the sketches I made previously, usually starting with the speech bubbles and adding backgrounds to them. For this purpose, I use my UniPin fineliners, which have been proven for years and do not smear when using an eraser. Each part of the frame has its own fineliner - for example, speech bubbles are made with 2-thick fineliners, the foreground is 1-thick, but further plans and sometimes the background is 0.5 mm thick.

When the lineart is ready, there are two steps that I honestly hate - wiping the pencil lines with an eraser and scanning. Scanning a single page can take up to an hour, 'cause if it turns out that the lines that should be perfectly horizontal aren't that in relation to the edge of the sheet, the fun of arranging the sheet on the scanner begins. I honestly hate it.

After scanning, we have the stage of cleaning the lineart in the computer. I'm only human, you know, I make mistakes and errors. But since I process the strips on my computer, I can afford it. The graphics program I'm using is GIMP. I start by reducing the brightness and increasing the contrast and of course the desaturation. Then I erase all the unnecessary lines, correct mistakes (all red loops on screen above), and sometimes add in pieces that I have forgotten (e.g., I always forgotten about the patch on Sammy's trousers).

Next comes what often takes the most time - that is, arranging and placing frames. It sounds simple, but it is not. Frames must look aesthetically pleasing, the comic book must have internal symmetry - or just express controlled chaos. Setting the width of the frames, arranging them, creating recycled frames, adding backgrounds (if they were drawn separately), sometimes moving the speech bubbles... it can take up to several hours!

The next stage is my favourite - colouring. In the case of SATIM, where I really only color black and sometimes the shining elements light yellow or darker ones in dark yellow, this is also the shortest step in making the strip.

Usually, at the end, I leave myself to make bright contours on a black background. Working on them mainly involves manipulating the eraser tool, and then change colour to the background's. After this stage, sometimes there is play with details - light effects, Bendy's spots, etc.

When the strip is ready, there is only one thing to do - importing to a graphic file and zooming out (I work on a high resolution, which is inconvenient to read). Et voila!

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I hope you'll enjoy this "secret of SATIM's strips making". I've wanted to do something like this for a long time, but I didn't feel like doing it myself, so thank you for asking, @sobercupcake ^ ^

[acetechne]

I really love your art! While both mediums that you used are amazing I am fascinated by your traditional art! I was wondering what supplies do you use? I think you watercolour for colouring instead of gouache since it looks much thinner but I could be wrong.

Hi there! I’m so glad you like it :D

I’ve been neglecting traditional art a lot since I’ve moved all around the country in the past three years, so some pieces might look vastly different than others because I have access to different spaces and materials at different times. Tbh, I reaLLLY would like to get some gouache, it’s just that I have been living out of a suitcase while I was in school and wasn’t able to get any ;;

The Secret

GENERALLY however........... my secret is that I’ve been using the same watercolour palette I’ve had since high school :’ ) and I dont know what brand it is because the transparent lid literally fell off and vanished ages ago, it was something that my art teacher had picked out.

(As you can see, my yellow is almost completely gone which is a Huge Problem because I use yellow as a base for a lot of things Especially skin tones. It’s great to have other colours, but a lot of art i do relies on just mixing the three primary colours.)

Most watercolour art I do is using this palette, like this or this or this. Since I brought it with me while I was studying in Toronto, nearly all of the art I’ve done in the past three years with some exceptions has been done with this old boi. I wish I knew what it was because I’m going to have to replace it eventually... I’m back home now so if the art stores here still carry it, I can investigate.

(THIS GOT LONG SO I HAVE SOME MORE SUPPLIES AND RELATED THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT) (feel free to ask for clarification on anything) (And if you ever need watercolour tips I cannot recommend Watercolour by Shibasaki enough, the man is a god, LISTEN to when he says to use a Big Brush he Means it)

Pricier Stuff

The great thing about watercolour is it’s a cheap and highly accessible medium. If you want strong pigments that last for years, by all means please get something a little pricier. I use a Sakura Koi field set for painting outside or in cafes, like this, this or this or even doing comics like this. Although its great for small paintings, a lot of stuff I do with these tends to turn out a bit washed out because I’m Afraid of using too much pigment which I have to get over. Also, Daniel Smith gives you rich, buttery colours and you don’t need very many tubes to get a gorgeous range of colours and you can even get a “dot card” which is like a little paper palette with a few smears of paint on it for a more affordable price. My tubes have been in storage until just a few weeks ago, so I don’t really have many examples of using them... but I think I used them here. (I even had some dried up paint on my palette when i got back and used it for this and look how rich and vibrant that blue is after sitting dried up in storage for three years).

The Secret... Part Two

However like i said, the brilliant thing about watercolour is its affordability and accessibility. Whether you prefer tubes or pans, you’ll probably find something in your price range thats easy to use and gets you the results you want as long as you practice. I have a set of Staedtler student watercolour tubes I haven’t used much yet that I picked up on a student sale ages ago (art stores, especially ones near art schools, sometimes have discounts for students of all ages at the start of the school year). But you know, if you just want to add a pop of colour to a page in your sketchbook and you’re not too worried about something fading, use that old crayola set from kindergarten! I mean it! If you have one around, dig it up and play with it. This is Crayola, and so is this and this and this! Kids paint works a little differently than other paints (and it fades like HELL if you leave it in the sun, so dont hang it on your wall too long), but it’s great for confidence boosting and livening up your sketches (or drawing attention away from sketches you dont want people looking at lol)

PAPER!!!!!!!!!!

You can get away with using dollar store paints to make good watercolour. You can’t get away with using copy paper. If you have to spend money somewhere, spend it on good paper.

Great news: Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbooks are cheap, come in all different sizes, AND THEY ARE AWESOME!!!! There are haters out there (including Quatsch, who much prefers the Strathmore Soft Covered Art Journal). The paper crinkles because it’s not as durable as Actual watercolour paper, but its fantastic for practicing and putting a light wash on other types of drawings. I love it.

Other stuff I use

- INK: Most of my inking has been done with Staedtler Fineliners. These are good quality pens, especially for technical drawing, because you can paint over them no problem, they dont get mutilated by erasing, and they draw crisp straight lines. However, they don’t angle or turn corners super naturally like a Fabercastell might, even if they are more durable and leave stronger marks. I only just started using Sakura Microns (which I’ve coveted for a long time) and as long as you are gentle with them, I think they’re the best of both worlds.

- TEXTURE: You’ll notice a lot of my art has pencil crayon (CoLoReD PEnCiLs, sorry Americans) on top because i like to beef up the colour and detail. You can use pretty much any kind for this, but I use Laurentians which sadly are no longer produced even though they were THE staple, default pencil crayon brand for Decades in Canadian schools. If you’re lucky enough to find any, hold on to them!

- WHITE: Uniball signo white gel pen babyyyyyyyy

- BRUSHES: I don’t... know, i got my acrylic brushes from high school and I just pick up a watercolour brush or four whenever I feel the need, you can’t really go wrong here. I use waterbrushes for travel which are good as long as you keep them clean (because stagnant water Will go mouldy so don’t leave it in there)

- OTHER: When I get tea from a take out place I sometimes save a paper cup or two and wash them out after i finish, they’re handy for water. I also use glass jars for pesto that I’ve cleaned out because the lids make them easier to sneak into school xD Use one for clean water and one for dirty water P L ea Se

GO FORTH AND CREATE!!!!!!!! Especially now that there’s more hours of sunlight, it’s night to sit outside or in a window and do some painting.