#society if i could just channel my feelings over my ocs into answering oc asks 🏙️���

[mattodore]

now that the edit is done i will not be thinking abt it ever again. here’s a screenshot i took to test new world lighting. theo joy 💓

[vorta-whore]

Personal Log of First Ridok’tala

Notes from the personal log of one Jem’Hadar First in the early days of his species’ initiation into the Dominion, detailing his dealings with a particular Vorta by the name of Weyoun.

Weyoun 1 x Jem’Hadar OC

Entries 1-5 | Entry 6 | Interlude | Entry 7 | Audio File Review

First’s log, personal. Stardate 01.651.7.

It is not my place to question the will of the Founders in any capacity. But I have found myself irritated lately at every turn due to this most recent change. Each rotation of our crew seems to be ordered just as we had begun to develop the efficiency of a cohesive unit. It seems every other week I am staring into a room full of unfamiliar faces. How am I to maintain trust and respect within my unit – loyalty among my men – if they are perpetually strangers among the ship? Moreover, how am I to develop an understanding of how best to serve my field supervisor if I am given no time to establish a working relationship with them before I am whisked away to another assignment?

It has been an acceptable-enough series of reviews from each supervisor so far – I would not be First if they did not recognize my ambition – but I am not given enough time to develop to the best of my abilities. I do not think this current system is conducive to allowing me to serve my Founders adequately. But there is no channel for me to voice these thoughts; it is the will of the Founders and so it is done. I will endeavor to do my best regardless of the circumstances.

 --

First’s log, personal. Stardate 01.653.4.

Field Supervisor Keevan, to my great relief, was promoted to Sixth Fleet Overseer and so we were reassigned once more. It is jarring to be shuffled around so much, but I am happy to be free of that ship. I and my new unit have been placed under the command of a Vorta named Weyoun.

Over the course of my five years of life I have known many Vorta. They do not differ very much from one another. They display cunning, pettiness, manipulation. Their dealings with us are tinged with disdain and contempt. Some, like Overseer Keevan, even tend toward outright abuse.

This Vorta is very different.

He greeted my men kindly and in his voice I detected none of the usual hints of sarcasm. He has so far been patient as the crew has spent time becoming acquainted with the new ship over the past several days. He has not leveraged the White as punishment, which by this point into an assignment would usually have transpired at least twice.

I am not used to such...soft leadership. None of us are. The men don’t quite know how to respond and nor do I. But to say this is an unwelcome change would be a lie. I look forward to seeing how the situation develops.

--

First’s log, personal. Stardate 01.662.8.

My men try their best. They really do. We are all still trying to adjust to this new order of things, Vorta and Jem’Hadar alike; it will take time for the road to become smooth of obstacles. Remnants of our previous life in Jem’Hadarian society, before the Uplifting, still linger in the fringes of our species’ subconscious. We had no need to forge alliances; matters were handled simply, with action rather than with words. And when words were required, they were not tempered with tact or subtlety. But now, before the elegant, intellectual Vorta, my people appear clumsy, uncertain. They interrupt at inconvenient times. They convey rudeness and disrespect where none was intended. They respond to every conflict with violence. It is no wonder the Vorta perceive us as nothing more than feral beasts.

Weyoun does not seem to hold this opinion. It is difficult to tell exactly what opinion he holds of us, but I do not think it is negative. There is a degree of...respect in our interactions. He does not pry for details when I assure him I will see to a matter, looking for holes to poke as the other Vorta have. He has allowed me to handle all disciplinary actions and to my knowledge has not been unsatisfied by the results. He welcomes my input in combat situations and, on one occasion, even thanked me for it.

The men are appreciative as well. He is endlessly patient with their social fumblings. He has not threatened to withhold the White at any point and does not treat the ritual as a burden. I have made it clear to my crew that we are to reciprocate this respect by striving to improve ourselves and our conduct as much as possible. For their part, they have shown progress. I caught two of them yesterday practicing conversational skills. This morning I overheard my Fourth advising the Fifth on techniques he utilizes to quell his anger in inappropriate situations. I have every confidence my people can grow to become something more than the dogs at the Vorta’s heel; if only there existed more supervisors like Weyoun to encourage this development to foster.

--

First’s log, personal. Stardate 01.670.1.

I have been steeling myself for some time for another reassignment, but our orders have not changed since we boarded this vessel. This afternoon, while discussing tactics with Supervisor Weyoun, I made an offhand comment about the matter – another small luxury afforded by the supervisor’s lenient attitude – and he responded with nonchalance that he had personally requested he be allowed to keep his current crew, at least until the next rotation cycle. I wished to know his reasons for doing so, but out of fear of impoliteness I did not press the matter. Still, I remain curious. Perhaps it is related in some way to the recent change in his mannerisms; I have noticed his smiling growing more frequent as well as a tendency to hold eye contact with me for lengthier periods of time. Perhaps he is simply becoming comfortable with my company.

--

First’s log, personal. Stardate 01.673.9.

My men and I underwent an exercise in patience today. Weyoun found himself engaged in animated discussion with a foreign dignitary at the usual time of the White distribution. I do not know if he had mistimed his communication or simply did not plan for it to take quite so long, but it does not matter; we needed the White. No matter how anxious my men grew, however, I did not allow them to interrupt the proceedings. After several hours the Vorta finally stepped away and I immediately made him aware of our need, which he wasted no time addressing.

However, there was an...incident.

Some malfunction caused the lockbox containing our White to fail to open. After several unsuccessful tries, Weyoun admitted with apprehension that he could not produce the White, and my Fifth lost his patience.

The Fifth has had a difficult time adjusting. More so than the others. I was unfortunate enough to serve beside him under Keevan’s command and I witnessed firsthand the injustices he’d suffered as the Vorta’s “favorite.” The experience has left him scarred and he refuses to accept that Weyoun’s kindness is genuine. He can see only snakes in the grass.

This happenstance seemed, to him, evidence to justify his mistrust. He accused the Vorta of toying with us purposely just before he lunged. I caught him easily and no harm was done – moreover I do not believe he was aiming to actually attack the supervisor. But such a display of threat was still unacceptable. I punished him by denying him today’s supply of White, since it was the cause of his unruliness. He will have to learn to deal with his emotions when they are not easily controlled.

Perhaps it was a soft punishment, but I do not feel the need to tarnish the admiration my men are beginning to develop for me with unnecessarily severe consequences. Time will tell if it is a successful tactic. I am only grateful to be able to serve on a ship that tolerates such experimental leadership methodology.

Weyoun, for his part, was sufficiently grateful for my interjection. He did not say as much but it was clear in his eyes. Times such as those remind the Vorta of their nature as prey animals, alone on a ship of predators, and though it is rare for Jem’Hadar to utilize violence against their superiors, it is not unheard of. Sometimes I pity them for this.

Weyoun was able to get the lockbox operational again and he delegated out the White. As I was leaving we had a strange interaction. He stopped me – first to ask if he could speak to me about a personal subject, a qualifier with which most would not be deigned to bother – and upon my approval, asked me to describe what it feels like to crave Ketracel White.

At first I did not know how to answer. The feeling is intrinsic to a Jem’Hadar warrior, and no other race has ever had interest in the process. I have never had need to put it into words. But I found some that I believe did the concept justice. I described to him the anxiety that fills us when we are without it. The thirst that becomes, eventually, overwhelming. The inability to focus on anything else. These things he seemed to understand. But I do not know if he truly appreciated the extent to which I emphasized the sensation of a hit of White. How it rushes one’s veins – fills one with warmth, with clarity, with life. There is no feeling like it in the world. Not even killing.

He seemed distracted as he considered my words. Then, inexplicably, he approached me and touched a hand upon my abdomen. I allowed it, but did not understand the gesture, and when I asked for clarification upon its significance he withdrew, apologized, and dismissed me.

I do not understand Weyoun in the slightest. I wonder if perhaps he is abnormal in some way. But I am finding more every day that my curiosity outweighs my apprehension. I am eager to see how these events will continue to unfold.

--

[pens-swords-stuff]

Hello! and Happy New Year btw. I wanted to ask, how do you convey magic? For example, my oc would make a ball of fire in her hands.. how would you put that into words, with the bright light effect and other stuff. i'm sorry if this is confusing btw.....

Happy new year to you as well, anon! I hope 2019 is a fantastic year for you.

Hmmm honestly, I’m a little confused by this question. Are you asking me specifically how to describe a magical fireball? Or making it clear that something is magical? I’m not really familiar with what you mean by ‘the bright light effect and other stuff’ either, sorry — are you talking about the glow of a fire, or is this bright light effect something magical and different from natural light provided by fire? What’s the other stuff??

This is also a question I have difficulty answering because I don’t know the context or magic system you’re using. I don’t have enough specifics to give you any detailed answer.

That being said, I can definitely try to describe how to convey that something is magic!

How to Convey Magic in Writing

Casting

Most magic systems have a method of casting. Things don’t just happen, something has to be done to make the magic happen, especially if someone is using magic because they presumably have some sort of control. Writing about the process of what it takes to cast a spell or whatever it is can make it really clear that it’s a deliberate use of magic and not just some freak accident.

Having a clear method of casting lets the reader know that something is going to happen, and it’s magical.

Examples of casting

In Harry Potter, characters have to use a specific wand movement and incantation to cast a spell. Magic is conducted and channeled through the wand for the desired effect.

In my WIP Wanderlust, my character Aiden uses sigils to help him use magic by drawing symbols on himself with marker, usually. These symbols help channel and externalize his magic to that specific ability (i.e., throwing fireballs) so he can use it with ease as long as that symbol is somewhere on him.

In Avatar the Last Airbender, elements are controlled via movement. Waterbenders can’t just sit and stare at a river to control it, they have to move their entire body to manipulate them. Firebenders kick, punch, breathe, and use other movements to generate fire. If they can’t move, they can’t ‘cast’.

In Naruto, characters have to go through a complex series of hand motions to use jutsus (spells) as well control their chakra (magic) output to fuel that jutsu.

But what if your magic system doesn’t use wands/symbols/movement to channel and control magic?

Using magic tends to be a deliberate action. Your characters have to will it to happen somehow. If there is no physical method of casting, you can still show them ‘casting’ by writing about how they mentally caused that to happen. If your character is telekinetic and can move objects with their mind, chances are they still have to look at the object, and visualize it moving for it to work. If they’re conjuring fire, they need to do something to make it happen, even if it’s not waving a stick at it and saying a spell.

Just because your magic doesn’t need a thing to channel with doesn’t mean that you can’t give your character one. I don’t know about you, but if I was telekinetic and didn’t need hand motions to move things with my mind, I might still dramatically use my hands. I might not need to snap my fingers for something magical to happen, but I still might do it because why not? It’s cool. This depends on your magic system and character personality of course, but it’s something to think about.

Even when magic use is involuntary, there’s still a cause. For example: a character has control over weather and accidentally causes a thunderstorm when they’re upset and crying. Maybe they weren’t consciously thinking about creating a storm, but it’s happening because they’re upset. Maybe there’s no deliberate method of casting, but you can still make it clear that this storm is magical by describing the ties it has to that character’s emotional state.

Drawbacks and Costs

Another really good way to show that something is magical is through drawbacks, if your magic system allows for it. 

For example: A character is holding up a crumbling statue by magic. There was no visible method of casting, and they’re doing a really good job of supporting the statue, so it’s not immediately apparent that they’re responsible for holding it up via magic. If there is a drawback however, like if the character can’t sustain the spell for long, that character will reach their limit eventually. They might collapse and pass out because they’re overexerted themselves by using too much magic. Without the magic supporting the statue, the statue crumbles down, just as the character does. Now it’s made clear that the character was doing something, and the moment they are unable to keep doing it, the statue breaks apart.

The character had to pay a price of some sort to use magic, and it can help be a clear indicator of magic happening.

Examples of drawbacks:

In Life is Strange, Max can use magic to go back in time. However, she often gets a bloody nose when she does because it’s straining and has a physical drawback. Using her powers also has a huge effect on the environment around her, like snow in the summer, or a storm that will destroy an entire town.

In Naruto, they have a limited amount of chakra (magic) that they can use. It replenishes itself through rest and other means, but once they burn through too much of their chakra, not only can they not use jutsus (spells), it also fatigues them to the point of collapse. Additionally, if they deplete their chakra completely, they die.

If a character messes up the casting, the spell could backfire violently.

If magic is a finite resource, using it up will mean that they can’t cast spells in the future.

Have a clear set of rules

Magic systems have some sort of rules that guide their usage. It’s not always fun to be able to do anything and everything because magic exists. Even if you don’t write the rules down explicitly for your readers, you should write them down for yourself so you can remember what your guidelines are. Implying these rules of magic consistently can give your reader a sense of what’s possible in this world, and what they can expect when it comes to your magic, thus making it clearer when magic is happening.

A basic list of questions to ask yourself to help make rules:

How do you use magic? What fuels it? What abilities does it give your character?

How is magic learned? Do you have to be born as a magic-user, or can people learn to use magic? 

What are the limitations of magic? What can’t it do? Is it a limited resource?

Can magic be used maliciously? What dangers are associated with magic? Can it be dangerous for people to use it? How does society view magic?

Where does your magic come from? Why/how does it exist? Are there different types of magic?

Describing magic

What does magic look like? Does it have a distinct appearance? Is there an obvious indication that magic is happening that can be perceived by the five senses?

If there is, including that in a description of magic can be a really effective way to make it obvious that magic is happening.

Color is a really big one in media for a visual indication. In Harry Potter, spells are often accompanied by a color. Anime also tends to have a lot of color to convey magical casting.

Smell is one that I haven’t seen used very often, but it’s one that I like a lot. Does magic have a distinct smell that people can recognize when it’s being used?

Sometimes magic can be felt as it’s being used. Like static electricity, maybe people can feel it building and building and building until it’s finally released. Maybe magic usage makes the immediate area hotter or colder. Maybe magic has a feeling associated with, like it’s running through your body, and if you focus, you can feel the undercurrent humming within you.

As for describing a ball of fire that you specified in the ask… This might be how I would write it out.

She flicked her hand open when she felt the magic settle and charge in her palm. A spark of fire appeared, barely larger than a candlelight. She leaned in and breathed life into it, channeling more of her magic into the flame until it bloomed and grew. There was a distinct smell of ozone crackling through the air as the magically fueled fire flickered and gleamed — it was alive like a real fire, even if it had an unearthly glow.

I guess that could be an example?? I’m not terribly great at descriptions.

But here, there was a method of casting (flicking her hand open when enough magic had accumulated), a way to fuel it (channeling more magic into the flame), and a couple of physical indications that it was magic (ozone smell, unearthly glow, feeling magic in her hands).

I’m not entirely sure if this was what you were looking for, but I hope it helped at least a little bit!

If you’d like to ask me for advice on writing or running a writeblr, please check out my Ask Guidelines and FAQ first.

Ask Guidelines | FAQ | Advice Masterlist

[tinypurpleparrot]

Fanfiction Writer Asks

Fuck it, I’ll do it myself, because I know I can’t count on you nerds to actually ask anything. :p

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction?

I really don’t know. I’ve been writing creatively since I was like 6. I don’t really remember writing for fandom until Pokémon, but I’ve been in fandom since the original Sailor Moon and Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers.

 2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one?

I guess the Yogscast. Except I only really like a few of them, and it sure as shit isn’t the main channel people. I haven’t found a new obsession because I can’t sit still for tv anymore, and I’m a patient gamer/reader. So once I find something I like, it’s probably old and everyone’s already moved on.

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

OCs. I am boring, shy (and thus no fun), and quite good at ruining the moment.

 4) What is your favourite genre to write for?

Action/Adventure. Fight scenes. Getting out of dire as fuck situations. Underdogs.

 5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why?

I have so many… XP I guess a story I wrote in called Royal Infamy. It was literally hundreds of pages long, spanned at least 4 different fandoms, and could’ve been a standalone series if I just changed the names. Unfortunately it’s been lost to the ooooolllllddddd (and I mean 2001) internet. I like to think that maybe it’s on some ancient server, saved by those sorts of people who try to archive the entire internet and have literal exabytes of hoarded data. It was also how I met my SO of 13 years.

 6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

A Prince of Persia fic. I don’t even like Prince of Persia.

7) When is your preferred time to write?

I never get as much inspiration as when it’s 1am and I’m supposed to be going to bed like a normal person. But never at a normal hour in the evening unless I’m inspired at work and have to rush home before I forget.

 8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

It used to be from all the anime I used to watch, now it’s cobbled together from fantasy books and video games.

 9) In your xxx fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote?

Like erotic fic? Eeeh. I’m so terrible at it that I literally only have one, I’m writing it right now, I’m not finished, and I don’t particularly like it because I keep subconsciously writing away from the part where they hold hands because I’m conflicted and discomforted by the whole thing, to be honest. Like, even when I was adolescent and supposed to be thirsty as teenagers are, I just wasn’t and couldn’t. My ex tried to get me to write something for him, and I still couldn’t do it. *shrug* It doesn’t help that I’ve never been big on shipping. …Those characters sure are standing next to each other, yep.

 10) In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind?

Hahah… endings. That’s good. (Also see previous question.)

 11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Not that I can recall, unless you count ‘stop doing that thing’, ‘okay’ *does it more*

 12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

Rythian. Fuckin’ edgelord. Just everything about him and his OC is *kisses fingers*.

 13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why?

Unfortunately Rythian is usually entangled with other people from the Yogscast. :p

 14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx?

Current project doesn’t even have a title, that’s how non-committed I am to it (she says even though it’s fast approaching a novelette.)

 15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

If it’s an OC of a particular universe, there’s probably a naming convention, and I go by many names. If it’s just generic freestanding story, I keysmash and pick through it until it rolls off the tongue.

 16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx?

Classic ‘rivals who hide their sexual tension behind their distaste for one another.’

 17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.

“I haven’t seen your face since when you first came back from The End. And the … incident with trying to rid you of your curse.” He chuckled. “I’ve actually seen a lot more than your scars.”

 18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Like 75% of my work is abandonware. I have ADHD, I get bored, and I usually take so long, the fandom “dies” before I can finish. And the moment is gone.

 19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

Royal Infamy. And make it mine this time.

 20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Probably Royal Infamy.

 21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Ilona Andrews. Her style is exactly what I aim for. …Okay maybe not the monster fucking, but the rest of it. Exciting, tense, a little bit scary.

 22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

The Prince of Persia fic. The first draft of the erofic. The weeb crack.

 23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Silence. My brain goes 100% towards analyzing music and then I can’t focus on anything else.

 24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes?

Eeeeeeehhhhhh *whines* I don’t wanna…

 25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Nope. I don’t write that kind of pain.

 26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write?

The part where these two people who’ve tried to murder each other could even reasonably be in each other’s presence, let alone fuck. Also eternal hatred for evasive genital description brought on by a broken, puritan society.

 27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I should start making outlines. My current three projects keep going off the rails.

 28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

To go in with no expectations of people ever responding let alone giving feedback to anything. You’re just tossing shit in a hole and for every ton, one flower might grow.

 29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I did a thing about how Lalnable Hector created Echo, and *crickets*.

 30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Twenty years later, I still get emails about a fic I wrote about Birdy the Mighty (C-tier anime about a dead boy soul-sharing an intergalactic cop’s body.)

 31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see! (The asker is to send the rec not the answerer)

-

32) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Other than putting slivers of wish fulfillment in, no.

 33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Someone found a fic I wrote in two weeks in an archive over 20 years old and sent me kudos. Like, that shit should’ve been buried. But they found it.

 34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

Mary Sue. And you’re goddamn right she was. And I’ll fucking do it again.

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

Nope, not for fear or anything, I just don’t think to share before it’s done because I’ll probably abandon it anyway.

 36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s?

You’ll be unsatisfied with the ending.

 37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written?

You fucking made me open one of my old Gundam Wing crack fics to check. Now I don’t know because I’m still cringing.

 38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name it.

*shrug* Like… I haven’t done a collab in *checks calendar* 17 years. I don’t have any live fandoms. I’m not big on trying to meld with other people’s styles.

 39) Do you prefer first, second or third person?

Third.

 40) Do people know you write fanfiction?

No.

 41) What’s your favourite minor character you’ve written?

Can’t think of one. I usually don’t have minor/background characters?

 42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song xxx for xxx.

…Okay, now I seriously can’t tell if xxx means erotic or a particular example. 😐 Anyway, I for some reason lost the ability to link songs to fics/personalities. I just don’t think of any particular person when I hear a song and vice-versa.

 43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it?

That would imply enough people cared.

 44) What is the last line you wrote?

Despite the queen pushing him, he couldn’t move even if he wanted to (which he didn’t.)

 45) What spurs you on during the writing process?

If I don’t fucking do this it’s going to bother the fuck out of me for weeks, even if I don’t finish. Just get it on paper so it goes away.

 46) I really loved your xxx fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it?

More action and intrigue.

 47) Here’s a fic title - insert a made up title. What would this story be about?

 -

48) What’s your favourite trope to write?

The antagonist finds the protagonist’s berserk button and realizes that maybe they should not have pushed it.

 49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I can’t remember fics I wrote. And shit, that was at least 23 years ago. (She says even though she can perfectly remember her first fantasy novel 30 years ago. (The Gammage Cup))

 50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Angst. I think. I’ve gotten good feedback from my more serious stuff.

[sheepishartist]

☆ Art Tips From WonderCon 2018! ☆

Hello! So yesterday was the last day of WonderCon 2018, and I had the privilege of attending panels, and looking through artists alley! One of the panels I attended was “Making a Living Off of Your Art” and some of the panelists included Lee Kohse, Brendan Hey, and Sean Glumance. There, they gave out tips on artists’ lives, struggles, and requirements to success. I took notes during the panel, and I thought it’d be nice to share them with anyone who was interested ^///^ 

☆ The numbers in bold are the ones that were most highlighted upon the panelists, and were told to be the more important take aways of the panel!

1) The most important thing when it comes to success as an artist, sadly, isn’t how well you can draw. Its how you market yourself. There are tons of people in the world who are successful because they know how to properly display themselves in the eye of the public. One of the panelists said that when they were younger, they witnessed a individual who drew and was selling fan art at a convention was making more than they (who was selling original pieces) were at the time. They figured out it was because the person was physically standing up and engaging with their audience.

2) MAKE A BUSINESS CARD! One of the panelists claimed that they had gained many clients just from that little slip of paper. I’m still a minor in high school, so after the panel was over, I asked if I could still make one. They claimed that if I was 16 or over, then yes, he recommend I make one.

3) This one was furiously highlighted by one panelist in particular who mentioned it all throughout the panel. GET ON “LINKEDIN” it’s basically a job hunting site from what I’ve gathered from it, and it was described during the panel as a necessity. During the Q&A part of the panel, a girl came up and asked what her first move would be when she graduated. The immediate response was Linkedin. Everyone laughed because how fast the answer came, but the panelists then said he was not joking, and that that should’ve been her first move even before she graduated (It sounds a lot meaner when I type it out, but they were totally friendly with the girl). Linkedin website: https://www.linkedin.com

4) This one I understand isn’t accessible to everyone, so if you don’t (understandably) have the resources, you can skip over to the next number. One of the panelists mentioned CTN Animation Expo in Burbank. It was my first time hearing about it, so I had no idea what it was about. From what I’ve gathered, its a convention that brings animators together so that they gain knowledge from one another, and offers workshops (if I’m wrong on any of that info, I am so sorry). Here’s their website: http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/index.php

5) Don’t be shy...make connections! Be friendly! More often than not, this along with marketing yourself is one of the more important ones. One of the panelists claimed that he was teaching art, and that he mentioned to his students that he had a friend that worked in (I believe?) Pixar. He told his students to go home that night, email his friend, tell them that they were his student, and ask him if they could buy him a coffee, and sit down with him. He then said that his friend had gotten into contact again with at least five of his students after their first meeting. It was emphasized by all of the panelists that making connections was extremely important!

6) Make sure all social media is u to date! One of the panelists had claimed that they had a friend who was discovered, and hired via Tumblr, and that you never know how your art gets seen.

7) Research about types of jobs! A different girl during the Q&A portion of the panel had asked that she had no idea what type of artist she wanted to be when she was older, but that she loved doing art, and definitely wanted to go into that direction later in her life. One panelist said that if she wasn’t sure at the moment, to take some time to research jobs (animator, story board artist, etc.) and their descriptions to see what they had to offer, and then evaluate from there.

8) Focus your portfolio on what you want to go into! If you already know what type of art you want to do when your older, then be sure to fill your portfolio with it! It’ll more often then not catch the attention of where your applying to, and be a nudge on the shoulder of “please put me in this department!”

9) Take initiative!  If you’re already an artist working at a professional job, and a new job position opens up, don’t be afraid to say “Do you mind trying me out for that position?” If you’re good at what you do, and like it, then chances are there won’t be a problem.

10) Make sure you can replicate styles! While I don’t remember the exact scenario that was described, one of the panelists had said that one day they were asked to draw in a similar style of manga, instead of their everyday task of drawing comic book style. They then said yes, they could do it, and wounded up doing manga style for awhile, and it ended up being a success (They said that some of the notes they received was “make the hair bigger, make the eyes bigger” lol). Also, bonus tip: if someone asks you, “can you do this?” SAY YES!!

11) Use your tools/resources!! One of the panelists says that their kids were trying to learn how to draw, and that were constantly on youtube or twitch looking for inspiration, references, etc. They also claimed that in modern society today, there is almost no excuse as why you haven’t been using these resources (a funny side note was that they mentioned that they offered to teach their kids to draw when they had taught figure drawing classes for years, to which their kids replied, “no, that’s okay”, lol). You also have to know how to use your tools. For example: if everyone else is doing their portion of work for a project digitally, but you don’t know digitally that well, and are a top notch painter, THEN PAINT YOUR PORTION (if its permitted of course)!

12) Try out “Unity” for game development. Unity is a game engine that allows an individual to develope 2D and 3D games, they have videos for beginners, and one of the panelists mentioned that it’s great for those just starting out! https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/topics/developer-advice/how-start-your-game-development

13) Put time in! Discipline! YOU HAVE TO MAKE TIME FOR ART. YOU CANNOT MAGICALLY GET BETTER IF YOU ARE NOT CONSTANTLY DRAWING! DO NOT STOP DRAWING/PAINTING/CRAFTING!! One of the panelists said that if your art looked fantastic 3 weeks ago, and you haven’t drawn since then, then of course your art isn’t going to look as good. The problem is that your brain has set a standard for itself, and becomes stressed and discouraged when that standard isn’t met.

14) Set calendar reminders, and put on timers for yourself to help manage your time better (this can also tie into using your tools/resources!)

15) Don’t worry about rejection! Rejection is actually the first step to success, and that’s not just art. Ask others for positions open, opportunities, collabs, partnerships, etc. If they say no, THAT’S THEIR LOSS!! NOT YOURS!

16) Never apologize for your work! If its something you love to do, and it’s not harming anyone, then you don’t have to apologize for your art!

17) Know your audience! If your audience is fond of your fanart of one particular show or comic, and you love what you’re doing, then keep doing it! If you want to change that fanart to OCs, (and of course, vice versa) then maybe start a new account, and notify your followers!

18) Go under your own name (if you’re comfortable of course)! Feel confident and okay, because you owe no one an explanation! You can’t get discovered if your name isn’t on the art!

At the beginning of the panel, they announced that one lucky attendee would win one year access to Adobe’s creative cloud, which ended up being yours truely! :D It was fantastic timing since my subscription had JUST ended! One last side note is that Lee Kohse has a twitch channel and does creative streams every now and then! https://www.twitch.tv/kohseart

That’s all of the tips I was able to gather from the panel! I hope someone found this helpful!