I think 90% of my gripes with how modern anime looks comes down to flat color design/palettes.
Non-cohesive, washed-out color palettes can destroy lineart quality. I see this all the time when comparing an anime's lineart/layout to its colored/post-processed final product and it's heartbreaking. Compare this pre-color vs. final frame from Dungeon Meshi's OP.
So much sharpness and detail and weight gets washed out and flattened by 'meh' color design. I LOVE the flow and thickness and shadows in the fabrics on the left. The white against pastel really brings it out. Check out all the detail in their hair, the highlights in Rin's, the different hues to denote hair color, the blue tint in the clothes' shadows, and how all of that just gets... lost. It works, but it's not particularly good and does a disservice to the line-artist.
I'm using Dungeon Meshi as an example not because it's bad, I'm just especially disappointed because this is Studio Trigger we're talking about. The character animation is fantastic, but the color design is usually much more exciting. We're not seeing Trigger at their full potential, so I'm focusing on them.
Here's a very quick and messy color correct. Not meant to be taken seriously, just to provide comparison to see why colors can feel "washed out." Top is edit, bottom is original.
You can really see how desaturated and "white fluorescent lighting" the original color palettes are.
[Remember: the easiest way to make your colors more lively is to choose a warm or cool tint. From there, you can play around with bringing out complementary colors for a cohesive palette (I warmed Marcille's skintone and hair but made sure to bring out her deep blue clothes). Avoid using too many blend mode layers; hand-picking colors will really help you build your innate color sense and find a color style. Try using saturated colors in unexpected places! If you're coloring a night scene, try using deep blues or greens or magentas. You see these deep colors used all the time in older anime because they couldn't rely on a lightness scale to make colors darker, they had to use darker paints with specific hues. Don't overthink it, simpler is better!]
cause i see the words on the page, read each word in my head, and simultaneously see it all play out like a movie inside my head, but im recently finding out that not everyone subvocalizes and it's tripping me up
"Omg Alastor, Vox, and Adam all getting redeemed would be the best thing ever! I mean it would really go to show how anyone can become good no matter what they've been through!"
Okay, but ... Lilith, Sera, and Lute all being 100% evil is fine.
Eh fuck it. I'll just make The Discourse Post and just not have it be a fucking text essay.
One of my biggest issues with TME/TMA discourse is how much its based on assigning who is affected by oppression, in ways that are just FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG ACTUALLY.
If your method of analyzing oppression is built on a premise where you if you met the author of "I Am A Transwoman. I Am In The Closet. I Am Not Coming Out." you would look her directly in the eyes and say "You aren't the target of transmisogyny, actually" then quite frankly... your method of analysis sucks shit.
My OTHER big issue is... every fucking post about it sounds like this fucking tweet tbh.
Yeah, I'm sure that the dickhead looking to curbstomp someone who falls outside of gender norms entering a public restroom, is gonna go "Oh! You are a tranny with LADY PARTS! My mistake!"
one of my least favorite themes about the internet lately is non-american people complaining that americans are talking about american-centric issues on the internet and being like "nOt EvErYtHiNg ReVoLvEs ArOuNd YoU iDiOtS" and it's like. yeah buddy. that's why we didn't apply it to anywhere else in the world. we're talking about the specific issues we are facing as americans living in the states. the reading comprehension is atrocious
possibly a hot take, but if Charles (particularly First Class “I’m going to drink and party all night in-between writing/defending my dissertation for my PhD” era Charles) appeared alongside any other characters, he’d come across as the Matt Murdock of the group—the lawful, good-hearted but chaotic and somewhat unhinged guy who cares more about others than his own safety—but because he’s surrounded by Erik and Raven at all times, he comes across as the only sane one in the group
hey! just wondering if you sell prints, saw that hayley williams piece you did and id love a print of it, its fantastic
Hi!! Thanks for reaching out about this, and I'm so happy you like my work. I'll answer this publicly if you don't mind, because a few other people have asked as well!
I don't currently have an online store set up, but I can make and have made individual prints for people on demand before! Anything 8.5x11 inches or smaller. I usually print these myself on card stock; there are other customizable options since I only do these one at a time, like adding holographic film to the print or making stickers. Right now I can't really do clothing or tapestries, but anything you can run through a printer is theoretically possible?
If you'd like a print of a specific piece (like the one I did of Hayley recently), I'm pretty sure I can figure it out for you! Just DM me for more details and I'll see what we can work out :)
Art is not my job so I'm still figuring out a work flow... if this all sounds too complicated don't worry about it! I'm grateful you would even ask!
actually in relation to the previous post asking 4 haterisms. i really don't get why people talk say that like, "ohhh x character should be portrayed as human because that makes it more impactful". I've always kind of hated the implications of that. while non-human designs often get to have dehumanization made literal as a theme so it makes sense where this comes from, i just don't really think it holds up in reverse
this is just an observation I’ve noticed for a while, but... what is up with the Lord of the Flies community continually erasing or vilifying Piggy...
he’s one of the major characters in the plot and isn’t even THAT bad morally, yet he seems to get little fanfare compared to everyone else, even relatively minor characters. it’s... odd, to say the least.