#th: drawn from life tófi

[veevacious]

Vee nods. Right. Okay, so oils, probably. Vee wonders if they could steal some time to work on it in the art studio between classes. But, then again, they could work on it late at night at home, too?

"I'll get your approval on the initial draft, then," Vee says. "And then I can choose based on what it is you like? Cost-wise, oils would be more, but I'm a fairly inexpensive artist. Still a student and all."

Which was true. Vee wouldn't completely undervalue themselves, but they were no professional. They were in school for this! So, they could ask for about the minimum that was expected of them and still feel like they were being fairly compensated.

"With a photo reference, I'm sure I can get you that portrait quickly. But I still don't mind trying without a photo if you're not opposed to the description." Vee smiles. "That sounds really nice, though. A portrait-- I feel like people don't commission as many portraits these days. At least traditionally. It all feels digital. Not that it's bad."

Vee had done a fair share of digital art in their life!

Art was a thing that just, somehow, clicked. Back in Gravesfield, Manny and Camila encouraged Vee to learn to do. Be. Live as a normal teenager. So art classes as an elective and they took off from there.

Besides the enjoyment of doing art and making others happy, there was the fact that it seemed to be worth getting to know Tófi. For multiple reasons. He was interesting. He was also -- like Vee thought -- possible like her.

"Right now? Just the references. And, if you wanted to send me-- uh--" Scribbled down on a sticky note that Vee had pulled out of their bag... a sketched up mockup of a business card. (A draft for their graphic design class from before.) "You can email me here, and -- uh -- we can talk about pricing. Like I said, I'm pretty affordable, since I'm a student. I don't want you to feel taken advantage of."

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

"A landscape?" Vee asks, eye brows raised. They don't know why they're surprised. Tófi could very well enjoy a landscape. Maybe it was because Vee thought Tófi would be the type of person to have -- like -- paintings of gothic skulls or something that Vee thought was technically more difficult or refined.

Landscapes, however, Vee felt pretty confident in. "Usually I do landscapes in paintings. Oil or acrylics on canvas, would that be acceptable to you. Or would you prefer something else?"

Vee thinks this could be it, but then Vee is surprised that Tófi is asking them for a sketch of a person without references. Vee doesn't know about that one… but at the same time, Vee had done that sort of thing before, hadn't they? Made art based on words on the page to capture the sort-of likeness of fictional book characters.

"I'd be interested to try!" Vee says, "I'd definitely give it my best shot. I'd just hate if you came away from a session disappointed." Vee admits. "We could start with some sketches to try to narrow down the likeness and if we get it to your liking, I can paint it for you? I just wouldn't want you to feel like you wasted your time."

So, ultimately, Vee nods.

"I don't think either of those things, a landscape and a portrait, are outside of my skills. Yea, I can do those, that sounds right. And we can talk about the specifics of style and color as well. Would you want to meet somewhere to talk about the portrait in the near future? I'll bring my whole travel art set so we can have all the tools to try to get that likeness down? And then, of course, if you're unhappy, we could either figure out something else and focus on the landscape?"

They just… don't want to let them down.

It's such a silly, dumb thing… but Vee thinks Tófi has to be like her somehow. There was just this Thing about them, and Vee didn't want to lose their approval. Which, she could dig into that later, but she won't. Not now. Vee didn't have people to interact with -- besides their colony -- until they were older. It was hard to figure out what other people thought of them. It caused a great deal of anxiety. But Vee wasn't a quitter! Vee could do this!

"So, uh…" She takes out one of her sticky notes and scrawls her phone number and personal art email -- "Here's my contact information. For when you want it! And, uh, if you want to email me the landscape references..."

Maybe Camila would remind her of 'stranger danger' if she ever heard, but… it was fine! This was a window of opportunity!

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

"Oh? Oh. Oh good. Good, good, good. I'd hate if you did, yea, sorry," Vee says, trying their best to just recover what they're trying to say. Anything is better than stumbling through this conversation and bumbling through the buzz of words. "Yea, I'm bad at rolling with it. I overthink everything, but, I mean, it comes in handy sometimes. I am often overprepared! Except now."

She looks around.

"With this conversation. Which I'm taking up by talking too much."

…

And the moments of Tófi's contemplation strike total fear into Vee that 'oh my gosh, he hates me, and not only that, he's not like me and actually I have to go tell Mama that we have to move again because I'm a big dummy' but actually no, that's not what happens.

Tófi is very nice and tells them that he's honored to have been a model. Vee wouldn't go so far, but they do beam back. And stand on their toes to try to figure out what it was that interested him in her sketchbook.

Was it still the blocky-ness of their shoulders? Vee could probably also grab a white marker and try to reshape it. She liked working in all sorts of mediums. Despite her digital arts major, she was very much into traditional drawing. Just not…. for class credit.

It felt restrictive, but she knew it was for the sake of fundamentals. Still, she liked throwing inks and paints and mixed media into Strathmore or Canson sketchbooks -- whatever was on sale -- or trying her hand at watercolors in Arches, or sometimes she grabbed markers and Bristol pads.

Her eyebrows raise.

"Oh, um. I have before, but I guess I'd want to know what you'd like? I mean, the answer is 'yes, I do,' but I have a strict policy that if I don't seem like the right person for it, I'll politely decline because I would want you to get what you wanted. Not something that wasn't right for you."

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

He's weird. Uncanny. He gave off similar energy to how some other Isles creatures did... without the brimstone. But he wasn't a creature. He was a person-- a human. Or...

"Well, you look great for your age..."

Could he be that old if he was something else? Basilisks have a generally similar life expectancy, compared to humans. Other facts, like the consumption of magic affected that, but overall, Vee doesn't expect any sort of additional longevity for their basilisk status.

When Mr Tófi concedes the point, Vee thinks they've broken through and they could talk about the things Tófi did that were artistic. Quite different. She feels a little bad, actually!

Mr Tófi was convinced and convicted in the fact he was not artistically inclined. But that didn't mean he didn't think he was good at other things? Vee just placed soooooo much value in art, she couldn't think of a world where she wasn't artistic, or pursuing being better. If Tófi was confident in their status...

"Oh, um," Vee starts, trying not to sound too rude or pushy now, "I mean. I hope you don't feel a pressure to entertain me. I mean, if you want to talk. I mean!! I like talking to you. You're sort of like me, I think!" What exactly that meant, Vee didn't elaborate. But... "Or not, but I think we could be alike! This conversation is good. I can talk to an Appreciator, I'm not better for being artistic at all. And I -- uh -- can fix the shoulders in the picture. Let me just, uh, I can do it if I block in the edges and make it more of the empty space. Oh, wow, I hope I didn't offend you, Mr Tófi."

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

'but I just happen to be a boring old man that would much rather appreciate other's work than do it myself'

"Okay, but you can't be that old," Vee says, tilting their head. If anything, Mr. Tófi seemed a bit too self-deprecating. Sure, intelligent, but maybe they just needed to be reminded that they, too, could be creative, if they wished it. "And I wouldn't call you lazy. If you don't enjoy it, you don't enjoy you. But that doesn't mean you can't do it. There's a difference, see?"

Maybe Vee shouldn't be lecturing the self-proclaimed old-man about art, but this was something important to Vee. They spent their whole life at the mercy of others and their free time at the mercy of survival. Now that they could pursue art, they would! And they'll tell others that art and storytelling and all these other things were worth pursuing if they wanted to!

Vee shakes their head, intrigued by Tófi's ideas. "I think it could be a bit of both, then," Vee says, "at least a little bit. Sure, you could study the evolution of humanity, but stories are also part of that study. People can dissect why and where great epics come from, but those stories are still stories that are told and passed down and around... Animating and Illustrating, in some ways, are adaptive as well. It's translating them into another medium, right? Translation is an art. Adaptation is an art. Oral tradition is an art, and a history much more fragile but just as important as the written ones."

Vee smiles.

"You don't have to be artistic, but I think you can be or might be if you really thought about what you consider art."

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

Trust the process. Easier said than done but that was something Vee always had to remind herself when working on their underpaintings or sketching their concepts for 3D design.

Vee didn't really think Tófi was lying when they said that Vee's work was good, but the reinforcement was nice. Vee knew there were more prescriptive art styles, and Vee wanted to keep their art organic. Though, their face does tinge red as Tófi points out a few of their errors, but that's okay! Vee was open to feedback, however awkward it could feel to do so.

"Oh, you don't do anything artistic?" Vee actually finds that hard to believe. To her, everyone had some artistic or creative hobby, even if they didn't realize it. Storytelling, or visual art, or music -- listening or maybe analyzing, sometimes dance... "Or just visual art? I mean, there's lots of ways to be creative, Mr Tófi," Vee says. "I'm a digital arts and creative writing double major. You don't like telling stories or anything?"

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

Vee can't help it. Beaming, they say, "well, I'm glad! I'm always afraid because everything is a work in progress somehow." Which sounds pretentious, but it's how they were taught. Their mama -- Camila -- always said as much. Manny always said something similar, but maybe not so concise. "And, I mean, I'm a student, but maybe one day I'll be really good."

Illustration wasn't their area of study, but they really did want to be good at it. They were moving towards sculpture and video, separately, but illustration always had a place in their heart.

"Not really. I only started real art study in High School -- American, I'm sure you can tell -- but then I got accepted into the Art Department here and now I've sort of taken it and run. But I've always 'been artistic', to a degree. Before that, I didn't have a whole lot of time to study it," Vee admits. "What about you. Are you an artist of any kind?"

Which seems like a fair question, considering Tófi's interest.

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

Reader, Tófi wasn't special. Vee was nervous around everyone. SO! His off putting manner wasn't the reason Vee was nervous, it was everything about the situation!!! It would be the same with anyone!!!

Handing over the sketchbook, Vee didn't realize how much they were holding their breath. Oh wow, okay, this was fine. She had to turn in sketchbook reviews anyways. Other art students saw her stuff, a random person with a dad joke wasn't going to kill her.

No, the mortifying ordeal of being known would.

"Um... yes. Does that... offend you?" Vee asks, knowing that it wasn't so much that she found Tófi blocky, it was because it was a gesture drawing and it was a general shape and-- "I don't mean to offend you. It's really just supposed to be quick observations, and you've got sort of -- well, not broad -- but good shoulders so I---"

Shut up, Vee.

"I can redo it if you want."

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !

[veevacious]

How would Vee express their feelings if these were outside thoughts they were feeling? AHHHHHHH? Or dissolving into a puddle? Or running away? She stays rooted, though, trying not to just bolt.

Even if the dad joke wasn't to egregious. It reminded Vee of Manny. That was the only thing about Tófi that reminded Vee of Manny, though, besides the magickal feelings.

But the funny thing was... Tófi wasn't a sorcerer. Vee could usually feel a certain vibe -- Basilisk Perception and all -- from Sorcerers. Even if they were wrong sometimes, it was usually some sort of magical approximation.

Tófi was different though. Tófi was unsettling in a certain way, and Vee couldn't place why. Like magic existed within him (them?) in some nebulous, abstract way.

"Uh!" Vee starts, having been surprised by the request. "Y-yea, yes. Of course," she says, holding the sketchbook out. Pages of messy sketches in lead and pen, gestures of people that she really didn't want to have to be making. But this was a class assignment. "Um, I'm Vee, Tófi," Vee says, trying not to be rude.

@ofseptarsis

Drawn from Life || Open !