#the instant i touched pen to csp

[softgrungeprophet]

thinking out loud about art process/medium

pros of tablet (screenless):

-no art supply costs after initial cost (in my case it was like 80 bucks cause i use an old bamboo pen&touch)

-hand doesn't get in the way of seeing

-1 physical tool for everything (pen)

-can resize, undo, erase ink, and very importantly use bucket tool

-coloring is easier (see bucket tool)

-hotkeys (ctrl-z....)

-no need for scanner, digital only takes up less physical space

-pattern brushes! 3d models! assets!

- rulers, grids, snapping etc. shift for straight line, line tools

-change colors easily

-choose canvas size arbitrarily and at any resolution i want, plus cropping and cutting, copying, pasting etc.

-screen doesn't need a light on to see (at least not these days lol)

-text tool

-some tablets come with free software bundles (mine came with photoshop and corel, though not the new ones lol)

-if tablet is durable, may be cheaper in the long run (my first lasted about 5 years? i think? only busted because cable got damaged; current one is still fine)

-weird filters and effects, blur, etc.

-bitches love layers (i'm bitches)

-i can resize shit when i inevitably fuck up proportions

cons:

-upfront cost is expensive if it breaks (tho there are more cheap options on the market now)

-less intuitive for my brain-to-hand connection and coordination personally... harder for me to recreate lines digitally --always impressed by people who can follow their sketch precisely cause it's literally impossible for me 😂 i've gotten better at the intuitive stuff since i first started 10 yrs ago but it's still always a liiiittle awkward haha... but tbh this is still true for traditional to a lesser extent

-i get tangled in my cables a lot 😂

-digital storage on pc only, have to have printer for physical copies and colors can come out weird since i draw in rgb lol, risk of deletion or file loss or corruption

-using refs can get cluttered on only one monitor

-handwriting becomes even more illegible and calligraphy pens are kinda meh (at least defaults are)

-hand hurty because cramped space

-future...? longevity not any clearer than physical media tbh. might last forever or might be gone in an instant, even before considering future of technology... shrug! lol

-screen colors and brightness?! girl help my art looks different on every device i own 😂

-if you forget to save it's gone (luckily i save compulsively)

-csp text tool kind of mediocre tbh

-companies want you to buy new programs, stop supporting old ones, charge subscriptions, etc etc etc....

pros of traditional art:

-tactility and naturalness of hand on paper makes lineart and stuff a little easier--i'm still not very coordinated though so i still have issues with this regardless of medium...

-can look at reference on screen separate instead of swapping between tabs or cramming on one screen or canvas (physical references like books or objects make this moot for either medium tbf)

-medium experimentation easier than digital in that it lets you feel the different textures and behaviors in a way that's less functional digitally (tho there are some great brush sets) and more tactile or even potential 3-dimensional (ie thick layers of oil paint or mixed media painting with sculptural techniques)

- handwriting is (marginally) more legible...

-physical object, already exists, cannot be deleted (but ...)

-color not completely dependent on screen (but can still be affected by lighting or fading, in fairness)

-i like doodling with ballpoint pens (i do all my thumbnails with bic pens and yellow legal pads or sketchbooks lol)

-if you don't save, nothing happens because it's just an object you made irl lol there's nothing to save; it exists (see physical object)

-no cables

-no download or program (or subscription) required (not that i use Photoshop except the free copy that came with my tablet but it's relevant as a digital artist)

cons:

-buy new art supplies constantly cause stuff runs out; markers are expensive (though ink refills in long run less expensive than buying new markers, still needs frequent replacement for certain colors such as skin tones, still adddds up)

-have to buy or otherwise acquire everything separately, can't experiment in different mediums without buying more stuff... different paper.... different pen types... ink types.... etc. and then if you don't like it or use it, it's like.... ok i'm out $20 (or more)

-hand is always in the way! ahh!

-no undo or any of that and no saving copies unless manually tracing or you scan it first

-if you are bad at letter placement you can't move or resize 😂 i def have trouble with this sometimes lol

-i don't like coloring in traditional mediums and filling large inks is time consuming and generally unpleasant... alcohol markers are better but i am just not a colorist at the end of the day... obviously other people like it more (i enjoy abstract watercolor though)

-can't change colors after the fact... (probably good to swatch huh)

-erase erase erase ugh i hate erasing...

-can't hide layers or group together cause it's all one layer (at least, in practice. i'm sure it's technically scientifically in layers of ink, paint etc.)

-white gel pens never work 😂 and i can't do large areas of white on top unless I'm using opaque paint (not always feasible) (maybe i should have become a painter, huh)

-shitty or cheap materials feel tangibly worse to use; also my inking pen of choice is microns and similar felt tip technical pens, and they can feel unpleasant on a lot of paper types, plus fast lines are harder to do without skipping and scratching, and larger nibs often aren't very good tbh (maybe my pens are just cheap?)

-have to manually measure out frames, panels, borders, use physical ruler for straight lines, often with pen bleed if you do it wrong....

-doesn't have any of those easy assets, models, pattern brushes etc. (well, partially; they do make stuff like screentone, manga background assets, and you can do collage in theory or trace stuff if you have a lightbox)

-messy or smelly depending on what you use (paint pens, alcohol markers etc), sometimes requires extra ventilation or working outside for safety (tho really at that point you probably wouldn't be using a technique that works digitally anyway so i guess it's an inevitability lol)

-some materials take longer to dry than others, need protective coating or are not archival/will fade

-physical object, requires scanning and editing (esp to make copies), takes up space, can be destroyed or lost (not so different from digital in that regard) also takes up more physical space to store lots of drawing or paintings, art supplies, etc.

-requires working space especially if you work larger or are using lots of colors etc.

-needs light (... usually. i did make a painting in the dark once but that's usually not practical lol)

-cannot type on drawing (well. you CAN but it's less straightforward than clicking a text tool)

-hand still hurty

-no resizing! have to live with fucked up proportions 💀 (i'm working on it)

no point to this just thinking about things i like and dislike about both ways of creating

when it comes to writing i will take typing over handwriting any day though

[shih-coulda-had-it]

So I got one of those blind bags, only one and I got one of the rare ones for everyone lives AU I can see one of the grandkids bring these for nana just for the gran torino keychain

OH MY GOODNESS (I’M LATE, BUT ALSO, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING SO LUCKY)!!! If this was available in canon, it would definitely be a one-of-a-kind collectible. Probably a fan-made collectible, as it were...

Hana!POV in the Nana Lives!AU. Everything is fluffy, there’s no violent and catastrophic deaths here. :)

//

“Obaa-chan,” says Hana sweetly, like when she was six years old and wheedling extra strawberry sweets from her poor old grandmother. She is twenty-three now, a college graduate with nothing to do but visit her grandparents and poke at the overcrowded job market for openings.

Hana and her grandmother sit across from each other, enjoying tea and pastries at a tucked away coffee shop, just down the block from U.A. They’re waiting for Hana’s grandfather, who is ostensibly playing substitute teacher for Class 3-A. Hana hopes he’ll meet Toshi-ojisan, and report back to them about her favorite (and only) uncle’s adventures in student-teaching.

“Yes, Hana-chan?” says her grandmother, a quick smile twisting her lips.

“You know how ojii-chan doesn’t have any merch?”

There’s a pause. Her grandmother blinks, processing Hana’s sly question, but then her silvered scars crease into an anticipatory grin. Hana recognizes it from Tenko’s face; when he gets excited over something new, his whole spirit brightens.

“Pro-hero merchandise didn’t become a thing until All Might happened.”

“Well, yeah, but once All Might was on the scene, every other pro-hero followed suit. You couldn’t name a pro-hero without comparing their brands or licensed products.”

“Except the underground ones--”

Hana interjects, having prepped for this whole conversation in her head, “Who have unofficial fan-made content!” She twists around and digs into her purse, soon withdrawing a small box, wrapped in yellow paper and topped with a ribbon bow.

“Is this for my birthday or his?”

“Ah-h-h-h,” says Hana, who had perhaps forgotten both of her grandparents’ birthdays, and did not even have the excuse of an early Christmas (it is closer to Halloween than any other notable date; not for the first time, Hana curses her sense of time-keeping). 

“I kid. How old are you again? Six and a half?”

“Obaa-chan,” Hana whines, and she scoots the present to the center. Her grandmother carefully picks at the ribbon and pops open the lid. She watches the glee rise, slow and miraculous, as her grandmother’s hands pluck a small keychain from the box by its yellow plastic loop.

Now, Hana has seen photos of her grandparents in their prime. But she’s only ever known her grandfather as the stooped cranky figure who nevertheless spoiled her and Tenko with delicious home-cooked meals and straight-shooting advice. His continued career as a pro-hero is an open secret in the family, and one her maternal grandparents secretly disapprove of.

Nothing good will come of it, her grandma had advised her grandmother. It’s not like the two of you need money! And he’ll never be honored for it.

He’s never done anything for the sake of recognition, her grandmother had cheerfully said.

Hana has seen some of the tributes to underground pro-heroes. Said pro-heroes are treated as cryptids most of the time; the press reports the names, the forums discuss whatever information is made public (title and Quirk name), and the fans go rabid over any sighting.

Gran Torino is the most cryptid of all the cryptids; he’s one hero amongst many. Without any indication of his age, his longevity goes unnoticed. Without any reports of his work, his fans are limited to only those that know him.

Hana had once spent an entire weekend trying to dig up old photos and videos of her grandparents. Her father had eyed her - after primary school, Tenko was the only one to retain and pursue his dreams of being a pro-hero - and then helped her sort through the albums.

“Hana-chan!” her grandmother cries, delightedly holding up the mini Gran Torino figurine before her eyes. It bounces with the force of her jangling it. “He’s so cute! How’d you make it?”

“My college still lets me access the 3-D printer,” says Hana cheerfully. She pokes at the figurine. “Do you think I got his face right?”

“Oh, yes, absolutely. Ah, you even got the buttons on his cape!”

Hana sits through her grandmother’s cooing with a smug expression. She loves it; she’ll probably attach it to her purse, so all the world can tell that she is Gran Torino’s #2 fan--

“Number two?”

“Well, the title of number one belongs to you now,” the old woman teases. “I would never have the incentive to make a little keychain of your grandfather, y’know! His ego would shoot through the roof!”

“What ego,” says a familiar voice, warm and worn-through, like it had spent the whole day yelling at teenagers. “What the hell is that?”

Her grandmother spins the keychain’s face towards Hana’s grandfather, making kissy noises. “It’s you! Look how cute you are, old man!”

Hana snickers and slips out of her chair to hug her grandfather. “Hiya, ojii-chan!”

“Hana,” her grandfather greets automatically. He’s out of his gear; the only things connecting him to the little figurine are the wooden cane and jagged tufts of hair. The difference is that his hair is gray. Silvery at best, but not pure white yet.

(Hana had not wanted to pay for an excess of colors. The green buttons were the little bit extra to give the keychain some pizzazz.)

“Sit, sit,” she ushers, and pats her pockets down for her wallet. “Let me buy you a drink. Taiyaki’s gone cold, I’ll buy some extra…”

//

Later, after Midoriya Izuku (her new cousin? Hana’s father was a little unsure, and Toshi-ojisan had only gone very pink) spends a week with Hana and Tenko’s paternal grandparents, Hana receives from him a polite commission for two figurines: another of Gran Torino, and one of Seventh Wonder.