#there are some guides out there and i learned some tips in my character design class

[gunthermunch]

Hii Ai! I was wondering if you have a portfolio? And how do you choose which pieces to put there?

i dont have a portfolio because i struggle with my style changing constantly (or thats what i feel) but since my area is character design my idea is to make some character sheets and lineups using the munches or my other ocs

[writingquestionsanswered]

how do I describe things in my stories? Like clothing, room, characters etc. it feels I put in too much detail. And is it also necessary to always describ new scenary? For example, when a character goes to their friends house the first time, is it necessary to describe the rooms they enter? Because I want my readers to be able to visualise properly but it feels as though I'm overflowing them with information sometimes

Describing Scenery, Clothing, and Other Details

The amount of description varies from one author to a next, and how much or little (or often) you describe things will be part of your unique writing style. However, you definitely don't want to overwhelm the reader with a bunch of unnecessary detail. So, really the key is to do two things: give the reader just enough detail that they can fill out the rest, give the reader details that are important.

Give the Reader Just Enough Detail - Human brains are amazing. We're generally good at filling in missing details. If I show you the following image:

... your brain is perfectly capable of imagining the rest. You can imagine the mountain peaks and the rest of the lake. You don't need to see them to understand they're there and imagine what they look like.

That said, if I say, "Brenda appeared, wearing her signature torn jeans and favorite band t-shirt..." that's a pretty good image of what this person is wearing. The reader doesn't need to know what cut or color the t-shirt is, whether it's tucked in or loose, what band is depicted or what the specific design is, what color and cut the jeans are, where the holes are, what shoes they're wearing... none of that matters unless it does.

Give the Reader the Details That Are Important - If it's important that Brenda is wearing tennis shoes because later she'll be identified in a security video because of those shoes, then that then becomes an important detail you'd want to include in that description. Otherwise, don't bother. The reader doesn't need to know she's wearing white high-tops unless that's important for some reason.

So, when a character enters a new place or encounters a character for the first time (or encounters them in a new scene/situation), you want to give a little bit of detail to help the reader imagine what they should be seeing in their mind's eye. You also want to give them any details that are important for them to know later. You just don't want to overwhelm the reader with a bunch of unnecessary details.

Here are some other posts that will help:

Guide: Describing Character Appearance and Clothing The Right Amount of Description (5 Tips!) The 3 Fundamental Truths of Description Description: Style vs Excess/Deficiency Weaving Details into the Story How to Make Your Description More Vivid Adding Description to Your Writing

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

LEARN MORE about WQA

SEE MY ask policies

VISIT MY Master List of Top Posts

COFFEE & FEEDBACK COMMISSIONS ko-fi.com/wqa

[mellozheist]

hellooo!! first of all: I ADORE YOU your art is amazing and your animatics are so gorgeous and inspiring!! I'm sure you've already been asked this question but I couldn't find an answer so I figured it couldn't hurt to ask again: what program(s) do you use to animate? What's your process like?? I've been wanting to try and learn to make my own but I have no idea where to start and I figured I should ask a master :P

ello! I appreciated your kind words :D

sorry about the delayed reply, I thought I could have drawn my process out for you but it turns out I don't have enough time so here I go

I use Clip Studio Ex (still on ver.1) only Ex can do animation If you considering buying it

CSP Pro can only animate 12-24 frames which is difficult to work with

I wish to get back on Toonboom but I'm hella out of practice (It's a good program tho, though just not so friendly with beginners)

My process is to find inspiration first, for example

when I do fan animation/animatic like Hermitcraft or Life series

I just listen to the audio or songs on a loop until I have a rough idea in my head of what I want to draw

(When you start something, Just use the idea of "What you want to draw/express" not what others want to see, Just make sure you're having fun, and we can figure out along the way later)

TIP : If you don't feel like starting making animatic right away, I suggest you make other kinds of art for that Idea first, like some sketching art, illustration for catching the vibe you want to go for, or just character design as a reference! :D

after that, make rough sketches, It doesn't have to be pretty, just do a quick sketch so you won't forget the vibe and energy (it can be on paper, I recommend using a pen instead of a pencil cuz you won't have to delete and redraw, just make a new one, it's quicker)

I make re-sketching sometimes to fix composite or make a better pose sometimes, timing and spacing are also very important to make the movement smooth

I make a line of action guide for some difficult movements sometimes

When I do Lineart I just open all the videos to watch while head empty cleaning Lineart

There are many more processes for professional animators

I recommend you check out videos, there are tons on YouTube

here's some that I learned from

[blindbeta]

hi! i'm currently writing a blind character in a futuristic sci-fi setting (think fifth element). some backstory just so there's additional context: she's orphaned as a baby, and while very young, contracts a virus that leaves her with minimal light and shadow perception. she later gets adopted, and her father acts as her guide until she's 12. when she turns 12, she's gifted a droid who acts as her mobility aid (visually, her droid is similar in design/size of r2-d2 from star wars). i thought this fit the futuristic setting. here's my question. originally, i had her (let's call her C) commission a special pair of glasses that connect to her droid so it can see what she sees and better help it guide her in public spaces, especially if it's too loud for her to hear it or if they get separated somehow, because the glasses have an auditory link for them to communicate with each other. after doing more research, i've learned that the "blind character covering their eyes" trope is super common and kind of looked down upon in the blind community. i'm really worried now, as someone sighted, that i've fallen for it by designing C's mobility aid this way. have i? and if i have, what is some advice or tips for ways i could alter this to where it doesn't come across as trope-y? should i get rid of the glasses, scrap the droid idea completely, etc?

Guide Droid And Character Covering Her Eyes With Glasses

The glasses remind me a bit of the OrCam My Eye, which is a pair glasses and an ear piece. You have an already-existing precedent for this. Additionally, my main concern with covering eyes, which I discuss here, [link], is that there is often no thought or explanation behind why a character’s eyes must be covered. Narratives often twist themselves into knots simply to cover a blind person’s eyes with something like sunglasses or a blindfold, which the character never removes.

Regular glasses are, however, a different story. Regular glasses are transparent. They are usually for protection of the eyes. They may also make objects slightly clearer, which can reduce eye strain. Not that your character will need to worry about that.

The glasses are not able to correct vision. They serve a purpose, and one that isn’t covering the person’s eyes.

My suggestion is to provide an explanation for the glasses and make sure they are see-through. They shouldn’t be sunglasses unless she has transition lenses, which can protect her from damaging UV rays.

The key is not to cover up your character’s eyes. Especially for no particular reason.

However, if you are worried about the glasses, you can also simply have bone-conducting ear piece that sits on top of her ear. Avoid implants or anything that might disrupt her hearing or other senses.

The Guide Droid

Speaking of senses, having a droid as her guide means she will miss out on a lot of tactile information provided by a cane and, to a lesser extent, a guide dog. For example, a handler can feel elevation.

Walking behind a droid is not going to provide that same information.

Yes, there is a step down, but where? Is it an even step or does it curve? Are the steps the same width?

I suggest giving her a cane, as they can be used with sighted guide and to a lesser degree, service animals. Her using a cane won’t interfere with a droid the same way it might with a guide dog or horse.

Alternatively, you can also find a way to connect them so she can get tactile information. Another, cuter option might be a droid service animal with a more futuristic harness.

About Using Sighted Guide Until She is 12

Something about this bothers me.

Sighted guide is a legitimate form of O&M and can increase independence in a way only blind folks can relate to. I also know that sighted guide may be more encouraged in some cultures that value interdependence. Sighted guide is a great and should be used more in fiction. I personally prefer it in unfamiliar areas and at night time.

However, it also feels off to me that she so happens to use a human guide all her life and not a cane. It may be because I am imagining times where her father may not be able to accompany her. Or perhaps I am sensitive to the lack of mobility aids in fiction that feature blind characters.

Lastly, cane skills are a part of O&M, which is needed before being able to work properly with a guide animal. I think she should have at least some cane skills and some navigation techniques even if she prefers to have her father guide her. This also gives her more agency to experiment and choose what is comfortable for her.

Here is a post I made about mobility aids that might help.

I hope this helps.

[umbrvx]

i like ur art. its great and interesting!! i really like your artstyle and i really like the way u draw hsy, yjh, and kdj. you captured them so well in terms of vibes/character. also i was wondering do u have any advice to improve on drawing anatomy/poses/faces?

wahh thank you so much...!! i feel like im still trying to figure them out in a lot of ways but i do really like ironing out my visual interpretations of them so im really happy to hear if people like what im coming up with

also anon you super activated the part of my brain that cant help but yap about art theory... i spent some time writing as many tips as i could think of. unfortunately i dont think i have the time currently to do a fully illustrated guide, but ill still try to include some visual examples:

[incoming wall of text lol]

ANATOMY:

to preface i think that like 100% of the time you should reference a real life photo for anatomy rather than other artwork or drawn references. the best way to learn the body is by… well, actually looking at the body! but also artwork is informed by a person's own artistic ability/stylization choices/sense of idealism, so while looking at art can help give you an idea on how to break down forms, i think you would be best served observing real life references. i labor on this point because i do think that having over relied on drawn reference material and avoiding photographic references on the basis of not being interested on realism hindered me as a largely self-taught artist as a kid, so i want to encourage live or photographic reference since anatomy is one of the foundations from which everything else is built on. that being the case, all of my doodles i'm doing for this are going to be for the sake of example rather than to strictly say how you should or should not be drawing something

-> when you are doing a study of a photo, just try copying it as best as you can. pay close attention to the natural lines and shapes of the body -- the S-curve shape of the leg, the triangular shape of the forearm, the trapezoid shape of hips/thighs when they sit, and so on. note where the body folds or squishes or pulls; how mass will shift to accommodate a certain position. if a form is hard to visualize, focus on the negative space and carve that out, rather than strictly drawing the positive space.

don't expect to get it perfect the first time. in fact, iterate on it multiple times to build understanding. try doing it to a timer of 15, then 10, then 5 minutes. doing this will force you to have to prioritize the most important shapes. you can help reinforce this by using a thicker brush or a brush with no pen pressure (no joke ms paint works great for this) to force you to be loose and not become preoccupied with details.

-> pinterest is a great resource for finding and compiling photo reference material

-> organic shapes are curved, so embracing/emphasizing that (particularly for the extremities) can help make your drawings look more natural or fluid

POSES: -> it all begins & ends with contrapposto… you've probably heard of the line of action, which is related. if you're offsetting the shoulders & hips, it: makes poses more natural, more dynamic, and helps the pose sort of "draw itself" -- the legs will follow the direction of the hips, and you can use the arms to reinforce the angles

-> context is key. don't ask: what pose should i draw? instead ask: what do i want this character to convey? what does happiness, anger, sadness, and so forth look on this particular character? how do they express that? consider these drawings: these are both ostensibly the same pose, but look at how changing just the shape of the spine recontextualizes it.

for more on pose design i recommend watching Tracer & Pose Design 101 - The Animation of Overwatch by New Frame Plus (i promise this is a genuinely super informative video).

to expand on this, in general, all of the components of a piece (background, composition, pose, etc.) are best considered in conjunction rather than separately. it is difficult to choose a pose and then choose a background because they are missing the context that would make a piece cohesive. when you are planning a drawing, try to begin with your general concept/idea/prompt and then do several thumbnails -- small and quick doodles that should take no longer than 5 minutes each -- developing it: you may find that the pose and bg will naturally fall into place.

-> silhouette: the degree to which you need to push this varies by style but generally speaking the pose needs to be readable; i.e. instantly recognizable. try to keep important elements of the gesture outside of the silhouette. for example, if the character is pointing, keep that arm out of the interior of the body. the same pose can be more or less readable or dynamic depending on where the character is pointed in relation to the viewer

-> exaggeration!! goes along with the previous point. push the pose as much as you can (and what makes sense for your style) to communicate your pose as clearly and as intensely as possible.

FACES: -> i highly recommend the app Handy Art Reference Tool by Belief Engine for all things related to drawing hands/heads/feet. its on both android and ios. it isn't free -- it costs around $3 -- but that is seriously such a small price to pay for the amount of utility you get out of it: the hands models are fully poseable (there's also pose presets), you can rotate the head models however you want, and there is 3-point customizable lighting. it is really helpful for getting those super tricky and hyperspecific head angles that you just can't find a real life reference for. that being said given that there's only a few different head model variants, bear in mind how differences in features can affect what exactly a face will look like in those angles.

-> i still recommend doing studies of real people. as with anything else, learning generalized proportions is important, even if you are going to later on bend or break this depending on style

-> as for my own approach... it kind of depends on the style i'm doing at that particular time. for my paintings (what id consider my main style) i approach a character with a few real-world features in mind and then apply them to the best of my ability. it usually will take a few iterations to land on an interpretation i really like as i try out different things. a lot of the face also gets developed during rendering rather than through my initial sketch too, as i adjust for lighting and correct proportions on the fly

(look how much this image changes between sketch and render lol)

if i were to recommend anything, i think it would be to nail down your most distinct features first -- the ones that will make your character's face recognizable, and could apply regardless of art style. in my case with kim dokja, i knew when i first started drawing him that i wanted to give him a longer face and down-turned eyes. when i decided to do the disco elysium inspired set, in which i was breaking out of my comfort zone by letting go of any idealizations focusing on conveying characterization/making them feel "real", i landed on some more specific traits (defined lower lids/perpetually tired eyes/eyebags(?) the crease there idk how to describe it) which i continue to try to evoke even if im drawing something much more cartoony

(pictured are my first kdj -> disco elysium style -> my post de-style kdj)

as a side note, this very same process changed yjh much more dramatically

(^ that first guy is mad someone else)

those handful of key features will be the thing that you can then take into a simpler style and simplify or exaggerate to whatever degree suits you. you can also play with shape theory (square = sturdy/solid, circle = natural/smooth/welcoming, triangle = energetic/dangerous). shape theory doesn't necessarily need to be so rigid -- you can combine shapes as you please to convey whatever vibe you're going for -- so please think of it as a tool that may help rather than a rigid law you must abide by.

-> expressions: exaggerate them. thats kind of it!! make it big!!! you wanna be able to really feel those emotions. the principles of squash & stretch help here: think of how the muscles move when you, say, open the eyes or mouth really big. as one side of the face stretches open, the other side squashes to accommodate it

even without changing the position of the jaw here, moving the nose and scrunching the eyes will sell the expression

you can also play with squash/stretch to break proportions to sell a feeling more

since expressions are just, well, poses for the face, everything else for poses applies here (and facial expressions & pose should also be considered in tandem). while the term contrapposto itself just refers to the offset of the shoulders & hips, the similar principle of asymmetry also carries here as that will help make the expression a bit more dynamic.

and i think... that's it!! all i can think of at least. i hope it helps anon!!!

[tearsinthemist]

Want to learn something new

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

Jan 2, 2023

Want to learn something new in 2023??

Cooking with flavor bootcamp (used what I learned in this a LOT this year)

Beekeeping 101

Learn Interior Design from the British Academy of Interior Design (free to audit course - just choose the free option when you register)

Video on learning to read music that actually helped me??

How to use and sew with a sewing machine

How to ride a bike (listen. some of us never learned, and that's okay.)

How to cornrow-braid hair (I have it on good authority that this video is a godsend for doing your baby niece's black hair)

Making mead at home (I actually did this last summer and it was SO good)

How to garden

Basics of snowboarding (proceed with caution)

How to draw for people who (think they) suck at art (I know this website looks like a 2003 monstrosity, but the tutorials are excellent)

Pixel art for beginners so you can make the next great indie game

Go (back) to school

Introduction to Astronomy (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Principals of Economics (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Introduction to philosophy (free college course)

Computer science basics (full-semester Harvard course free online)

Learn a language

Japanese for Dummies (link fix from 2022)

Ukrainian

Portuguese (Brazil)

American Sign Language (as somebody who works with Deaf people professionally, I also strongly advise you to read up on Deaf/HoH culture and history!)

Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)

Quenya (LOTR fantasy elf language)

Dec 26, 2023

Want to learn something new in 2024??

Beginner-oriented video on how to sail

This guy has so many videos on baking different types of bread. SO very many.

Coding in Python - one of the most flexible and adaptable high-level programming languages out there - explained through projects making video games

Learn to swim! (for adult learners. I don’t care if you live in Kansas or Mali or wherever. LEARN TO SWIM.)

Learn how quantum mechanics works. Then read some more about it

[Learn about quantum mechanics again, but in a more advanced engineering/mathematics class. Then read more about the math and physics of it]

Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver

Something I learned this year: how to sew a quilt (Here’s a very easy beginning pattern that looks amazing and can be done with pre-cut fabric!)

How to hit the ball in softball

Tutorial video on what is under the hood of most (gas) cars + weird engine sounds and what they mean

Full beginner mechanics technical training, if you want to go more in depth

Playlist on how car engine physics work if you want to go ultra in depth

Lecture series on architecture design through study of buildings

How (American income) taxes & tax law work (choose “audit course” at checkout for free class)

Pickleball for beginners (so you can finally join your neighbor/friend/distant cousin who is always insisting you join their team)

+ Para-Pickleball for beginners (for mobility aid users!)

School is so much more fun when there’s no tests:

American Law - Contracts

Shakespeare’s Life and Plays

Fairy Tales: Meanings, Messages, and Morals

Modern Poetry

World History [Part 1, Part 2]

Learn a language:

Arabic + Resource Guide compiled from Reddit (includes info on different dialects)

Chinese (Cantonese) (audio)

Urdu (frequently recommended course on Reddit) + Resource Guide

Yucatec Maya

[rpschtuff]

Do you have any tips for decorating a blog? Mine's kinda plain and I'd like to spice it up

The RPC lately has been trending more towards blog customization with graphics -- fancy icons, post banners, etc. That is a good way to make your blog look unique and people can have a lot of fun with it. If you want to go that route, you can find lots of graphic templates both here on Tumblr and on DeviantArt.

That being said, I will always stand by having a nice blog theme. Finding just the right theme can take a while, but I always enjoy getting a blog looking just right, and I think it makes your content stand out in a way that solely post graphics can never quite manage.

Tumblr recently made it so blogs are dash-only by default, and only have a separate web theme if you enable it. To do that, you'll need to go into blog settings and toggle the custom theme switch.

My favorite places to find themes are:

@theme-hunter - they also have a guide for how to install a custom theme if you've never done it before

@roleplay-theme-recs

@codingcabin

And off the top of my head, in no particular order, some of my favorite theme makers are:

@glenthemes

@magnusthemes

@octomoosey

@ctrlsugar

@phantasyreign

@xuethms

I've got some themes on this blog as well. If you want something really unique, you can also make your own theme or commission someone, but I recognize that not everyone has the coding skill or the spare cash for those options. You can still get something great looking with free options, though.

As far as general tips for customization:

Try to think about what suits your character. What kind of colors, fonts, etc. Are they more of a light theme or dark theme character? Do they suit something more sleek and modern, or something retro, or something old-fashioned with fancy fonts?

As tempting as it can be to go for a crowded theme with lots of visual elements and colors and fonts, those are really hard to pull off well. Unless you feel very comfortable with your design skills, typically something simple but well thought out will be both more effective and easier to read/navigate.

Pick a color palette and stick to it. I typically go with a background color, text color, and 1-2 accent colors. Coolors.co is a great site for generating color palettes, and Canva can generate a color palette based on a specific image (for example, the image you're using as your sidebar or background).

Don't forget about accessibility. Text should be a decent size and have good contrast (you can use checkers such as WebAim to help there). Navigation links should be clear and easy to find. A lot of that is on the original theme maker, but you should also be mindful of it when setting things up. If you don't trust your eye for that sort of thing, having someone else look it over is always a good idea.

If a theme doesn't exactly match what you want, but is pretty close, you can usually make minor tweaks for your own preferences. Maybe you don't like the font, so you want to swap it for another. Or maybe you want the sidebar picture to be a different size. Sites like W3Schools have lots of CSS and HTML tutorials to help you figure out how to do that, and you can likely find tutorials for some of the more common changes here on Tumblr as well. (Always check the theme maker's policies before you start messing with their code.)

Custom blog pages can also be a great way to show your content -- you can find them on @theme-hunter as well -- but they do typically require more coding knowledge to customize. Most theme makers are pretty good about making them as straightforward as possible, but if you've never worked with any code before, there may still be a learning curve.

[corvidry]

Hi! I am working on an assignment for school, and I am trying to find information on how animal crossing is styled. Through my scrounging of the internet I saw a link that lead me to your website that was a "Animal Crossing Style Guide" but it no longer exists. I was wondering if you might have some pointers that I could learn from for my project?

Hi there,

You're about 2 weeks shy of that link working. I just changed web hosts and rebuilt my website and ended up taking down the blog section, which is where that content lived. The Animal Crossing Style Guide was an article / blog post I wrote a few years ago around the time New Horizons came out discussing the topic of animal crossing character designs for artists. While the post no longer exists online, I did archive it to hopefully host again in the future, but I havent gotten around to remaking the blog yet. In the meantime here's literally the entire thing in a tumblr post, and if I remember, I'll try to update whatever links I can. Sorry if it reads or is formatted a little weird on tumblr, but rest assured it's identical except for some shopping / sponsor links that dont need to be on this version. No idea if this is the sort of thing you need for your project, but good luck and enjoy!

Animal Crossing Style Guide: Artist Tips for Drawing Your Favorite Characters

Apr 24 | Written By Birdy

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Fandom Friday. If you’re like every Nintendo Switch owner  right now, you’ve been playing Animal Crossing nonstop for the last month.  And who can blame you? This irresistible chore simulator has no trouble winning the hearts of the masses by helping us fall in love all over again with our favorite animal neighbors. Nintendo found a way to make tedium fun by implementing a fun reward system and fully embracing the rule of cool, or rather, the rule of cute if there is such a thing. Why do I like it? I don’t know, man!! It’s adorable! It turns my brain chemicals into a relaxed, happy soup.

If you’re an artist it’s possible you’ve seen these cute character designs and thought “I want a piece of that for myself.” I know I have. If you love to draw the Animal Crossing cast or have some OCs of your own who you want to mesh with the AC universe, read on for some mini tips for drawing in the Animal Crossing style. I’ve been studying the style for the past few weeks and this guide is a pretty compact version of what I’ve learned, but feel free to let me know if you guys want more.  It was fun to study these characters and I’d love to expand upon this with a more definitive guide or deep dive into more specific aspects of the style!

On to the basics!

Villager Bodies

In the graphic below I describe that most animals are a little over 2 heads tall. That’s because the characters in animal crossing tend to have very large, bulbous heads as part of their appeal. You’ll find that certain species, such as eagles and gorillas, do break this convention slightly, often appearing with their anatomical midpoint lower on the chest than most smaller animals.

That said, this isn’t a hard and fast rule necessarily. While the height and shape of AC bodies is generally in the neighborhood of what’s stated above, there is some variation between installments of AC. Compare the following images and you’ll see what I mean.

As you can see, Bob’s shape and proportions vary between Wild World and New Leaf, as do many of the other characters. While many current players likely think of New Horizons as the definitive style for now, I would encourage my fellow artists to experiment here. Play around with height in the 2 to 3 heads tall range and see what you like. Stylize the torsos to your taste. It’s entirely possible to remain within the AC style of drawing while still making some details your own.

Heads

Heads of AC characters are a bit of a complex subject because there are literally so many different species of animals who all have their own goofy, lovable little faces. I’ve done my best to break them down to the basics without getting too specific about one species or another.

As you can see, even the the more complicated animals can be broken down into these simplistic, bulbous shapes that Animal Crossing loves so well. When designing a new character, it’s wise to plan their head and body using basic shapes before you tack on any other extraneous features. By doing this you can ensure that your character has the round, soft features that are key to Animal Crossing before you ever have to decide what their face looks like or what their personality should be. When in doubt, round it out. You’ll be drowning in the cute in no time.

Speaking of faces, feel free to let me know on social media if you’d like me to expand upon this guide in terms of facial features and placement. I avoided the topic in this case because I wanted to focus more on foundational elements, and animal faces felt it a bit broad for that scope. The sheer expanse of animal individuality in this game allows for quite a lot of different faces with quite varied placement. And that’s not even including the human character options!

Limbs

Arms are perhaps the simplest section of this guide because there are so few styles of arm in Animal Crossing. The vast majority of characters you encounter will have the cylindrical arm style, or something close to it. At that point, all you’ll have to do is vary the length to suit the character.

Birds and octopi are one exception to this rule, with birds in particular being the more complex of the two. In most instances, bird characters will have those flattened out oar shapes for forearms with a simple texture stretched over the shape, but on occasion some birds will have distinct feathering as part of their model, which can at times distort the underlying shape for the artist trying to make sense of it. Our owl friends, Celeste and Blathers, are good examples of this.

With birds and octopi in particular, don’t be afraid to experiment a bit with the design of the limb. Some birds, like Blathers and Celeste, have wider forearms, and many octopi have interesting textures for their suckers. In addition, don’t be afraid of extending or shortening the standard cylindrical arm shape, as this shape can be applied to all different sized animals, from cats to hamsters and beyond. Some animals will have very short stumpy arms while others will have longer ones. Some villagers have slender, delicate arms, while others have bulkier ones. You can adjust the proportions of the shape to suit the character you’re drawing.

Legs on the other hand….those are a different can of worms. I’d like to preface this by saying that legs are another topic I’d love to go into greater detail on if there is interest because this graphic could afford to do the topic a bit more justice.

As with arms, most animals have the same simple cylinder that can be widened and extended as needed to suit the body of the animal. Birds once again have a unique trait in this department, but beyond that, leg styles vary widely. Mostly in the foot department, I should say. When starting off you’ll find that most animals maintain a cylindrical leg even if they have a unique foot, and in most cases the foot can be constructed out of a dome shape attached to the cylinder. Not unlike a plunger, if for some reason the stick was on one side of the plunger rather than in the center. On top of that, human characters can now wear a large variety of shoes, making this a second topic that I felt went beyond the scope of this exercise. If you’re interested in a more thorough explanation of Animal Crossing legs and feet, feel free to let me know. I just might write about it in more detail in a future installment.

But never fear! Feet, like most unique animal traits, do share similar design elements across the entire game even when they don’t look particularly alike.

Designing Unique Features

So you’re an artist who wants to draw a specific character, or maybe you want to design a brand new character. You can construct a simple animal body, but then what? What makes this character Your Character™ rather than Bob or Molly or Flora?

Despite how similar these animals all are in basic constructions, each animal and human has their own unique design elements that set them apart from one another. It is nigh impossible to cover every single interesting design element of every single animal in every single game, so here are some tips that will aid you in drawing any element you decide to apply to a character while still keeping them cute as a button.

Just like up top, I reiterate. Big, round, soft shapes. Even the most hardcore animals in Animal Crossing look soft and huggable to some degree.

Take for example, these animals who all should be at least a little bit scary.  Animal Crossing’s art style keeps them appealing even with their rougher traits on display. Alfonso the alligator should logically be among the most feared of reptiles, yet his sleepy eyes, gently sloping snout, chubby cheeks, and tubby belly give him all the charm of a stuffed animal. His pointy teeth feel more like a clumsy after thought than a mechanism for killing prey.

Coco the bunny is designed to look like a haniwa figure, an item commonly buried with the dead  during the Yayoi period of Japanese history. Coco’s Japanese name is, in fact, Yayoi. In addition, many items in her house are reminiscent of Japanese funeral decor.  She’s supposed to be a little unsettling. Her facial expression does not change like those of other villagers, so she can’t smile at you or put you at ease the way other characters can. Indeed, Coco wears a permanent somber appearance, but even so, she looks sweet and pleasant to touch. Her face is completely curved and she is given the body of a bunny villager.  Her huge, round ears and tiny, dainty paws evoke the charm of a little rabbit even from a villager whose whole design is meant to remind one of death.

Rasher the pig and Spike the rhino have similar charm. Both of them don scars all over their bodies and in some cases wear aggressive looking shirts in their rough or rustic homes. Still, with Rasher’s big sleepy eyes and friendly round belly, he could almost give you a Winnie the Pooh vibe if you squint hard enough. Spike, meanwhile, has had his horns rounded ever so slightly at the tips and his curved hooves and short tail make him seem far from threatening. Even the most edgy creatures in the Animal Crossing universe can appear somehow friendly by making use of these softening design elements.

Go Forth and Draw

And that, in essence, has been my broad overview of Animal Crossing’s art style. I consider that last tidbit to be the most valuable tip of all. By closely studying the way Animal Crossing characters use round bodies, gradual slopes, and pleasant curves, you can make even the most threatening of animal characters look cute and perfectly cuddly for your town, village, or island.

Once again, please let me know if there are particular elements of the Animal Crossing style you’d like me to look into more closely. This has been a very broad and very general overview of the character designs, but I would absolutely love to dive deeper into this art style. If you use this guide to improve your Animal Crossing drawings, feel free to tag me on Instagram, Deviantart, or Tumblr, so I can see what cool art you’ve made!

Have a great weekend, The Internet! Can’t wait to see you again for the next Fandom Friday. If you need me, I’ll be waterscaping a moat around Raymond’s house.

[dragonologist-writings]

Title: Prayer and Ink Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins Rating: T Status: One-Shot Characters: Allys Mahariel, Zevran Ships: Mahariel/Zevran Additional Notes: Dalish Lore, Character Study, Quiet Moments Word Count: 1.4k Summary: A conversation about tattoos and vallaslin leads Zevran to reconsider what it means to have faith in something- and in someone.

read below or here on ao3

“Do they mean anything?”

The question catches Zevran by surprise. It’s been a long, tedious day of marching across the Imperial Highway, and the relative privacy and cool shade of the tent coupled with the rhythmic sensation of Allys’s fingers tracing against his skin has nearly lulled him to sleep. He slowly opens his eyes and turns his head, although Allys remains just out of view as she continues to lightly draw her fingertips over the designs that curl across his back.

“The tattoos?” he asks, and Allys hums thoughtfully.

“Is that what you call them?” Her fingers continue their journey, following the curves and lines of dark ink that wind between his shoulder blades, along his spine, down his hips.

Zevran gives her a half-shrug, gently so as not to disturb her inspection. “They are pretty. Must they have a meaning beyond that?” A grin creeps across his face. “And of course, they invite the attention of lovely Wardens.”

Allys laughs and ends her study of Zevran’s tattoos to reposition herself so that she is once again lying next to him, her bright brown eyes level with his. Her hair has been released from its typical tight bun and now falls past her shoulders, framing her face in a halo of dark curls. Even after a day of trudging through the Fereldan dirt and mud, her smile is warm as the sun.

She laughs at his compliments, but Zevran isn’t joking in the slightest when he calls her lovely.

“You know, when I first saw you, I thought they were a different type of vallaslin,” she says, resting her chin in her hand as her eyes roam over the tattooed path from Zevran’s brow down to his jawline. “I thought they might be meant for some god I didn’t recognize.”

“I suppose they still could be-is there a god for devilishly handsome sinners?”

Allys rolls her eyes. “I’m serious! Getting my vallaslin hurt like mad-but the pain is a sign of our devotion to the gods. That was the point, and the purpose made it easier. So it didn't make sense to me that someone would go through that without a reason."

“What can I say? We Antivans are willing to suffer for beauty.” Zevran flashes another smile, but it fades slightly as studies the vallaslin- the blood writing, they call it- across Allys’s face. He knows the lore behind the markings; his time with the Dalish provided him the chance to learn, and even to hear some of the legends of the gods. But his time with the clan was short and his education quick and basic, so there is much he still does not know. “What of yours, then? What purpose do they hold for you?”

With a gentle touch, Allys takes Zevran’s hand in hers and brings it to her face, so that his fingertips brush against the dark marks of her vallaslin. She guides his fingers across her features, tracing the lines of ink up her chin, across her cheekbones, over her brow. “These are for Andruil.”

“Ah, I remember her stories. She is the Huntress, yes? How very fitting.”

“I thought so, too,” Allys answers, pleased. She closes her eyes, leans into Zevran’s touch, and after a moment begins reciting something in elvhen. “Vir assan. Vir bor’assan. Vir adahlen.”

Zevran has no inkling what the words mean- he hadn’t stayed with the Dalish nearly long enough to learn any of the ancient language- but Allys’s voice, low and melodic, gives them a certain weight. It’s as if the meaning is right on the tip of his tongue, but he can’t quite capture it.

Noticing his expression, Allys explains. “It’s the Way of the Hunt- Andruil’s code. I started learning that code from the time I was tall enough to fire a bow. I’ve spent so much of my life in the woods, learning the teachings of Andruil. When the time came to choose my vallaslin, it seemed appropriate to honor her.”

Zevran is silent for a moment, thinking back to his time with the Dalish. He’s learned the legends and the names of their gods, but the reverence with which the Dalish speak of their Pantheon…that isn’t something so easily taught. “Do you really believe in all those legends? They are good tales to tell, I give you that, but…”

Allys’s voice betrays no doubt when she answers. “I do.”

“Even in the midst of…” Zevran vaguely waves his hand, motioning to the entire world of calamity beyond the quiet sanctity of their tent. “…of all of this?”

“Even so.” Allys’s smile turns thoughtful, and her eyes go distant for a moment. “Maybe the gods themselves cannot step in and stop the Blight for us, but their presence is felt- by the Dalish, by me. It is because of Andruil and her lessons that I am alive today, that I have the skills to bring this destruction to an end.”

And there it is again- that sensation of being so close to something, but not managing to grasp it enough to even identify the feeling. In a way, it reminds Zevran of the Andrastians and their Maker. Something that just almost speaks to Zevran, but isn’t quite his.

Perhaps Zevran’s contemplation is showing on his face, for Allys gives him a searching look and asks, “What do you believe?”

Zevran quickly banishes his muddled thoughts and gives her a wry smile. “I am an assassin. The only things we believe in are steel and gold.”

Yes, steel and gold. Things that are solid and real, if somewhat less poetic than songs and prayer. It could be that in another life- one where the Crows weren’t constantly on his tail, one where he was able to settle somewhere for more than a few short weeks, perhaps even one where his mother never separated from her clan in the first place- he would have been able to take the time to study and prove himself and become part of the Dalish in truth, earning his own vallaslin. Perhaps in that life, he believes in a purpose for himself, believes that a god may look his way.

But that is not a life that belongs to him, nor one that he can truly imagine.

And yet Allys looks at him with a softness in her gaze. She leans closer and tenderly presses a kiss against his temple, at the start of his curving tattoo, then follows the mark down his cheekbone, planting more soft kisses along the way. Finally she moves to his lips, and whispers, “I don’t think that’s true. And I don’t think you do, either. You’re a better person that you give yourself credit for, and you don’t get that way through greed and violence. Maybe it’s not the gods, but you must believe in something greater than what the Crows taught you.”

“What makes you so certain of that, dear Warden?”

“Because I have faith in you.” Allys kisses his lips, softly, and then pulls back, the previous mischief returning to her expression. “And just so you know, that’s why I like your tattoos. Because whatever meaning they do or don’t have, they’re yours.”

Zevran does not know what to say. He wants to tell her she’s wrong, to try and make her see that these tattoos she admires are nothing but decoration and embellishment, just as dashing and shallow as every other tool of his trade. But his throat is thick and the words won’t come, so he just kisses her again, deeper this time, and tries not to dwell too much on her words or the look in her eyes.

He thinks about it all later that night, of course. The thoughts simply won’t leave, and a part of him wishes he could go back to when things like this were easy. This should be easy. Just another mission, another conquest. But maybe…maybe Allys is not entirely wrong. Zevran is not a Crow any longer. In truth, he doesn’t know what he is. But when he thinks of the woman in his arms- the woman who not only spared his life, but showed him what his life could be worth- he realizes there is nowhere in this world he wouldn’t follow her.

It is terrifying, and exhilarating, and Zevran wonders if perhaps this is what it feels like to have faith.

[fulloffencekurooishotterthanyou]

May I please request headcanons for Kageyama, Hinata, Tanaka, and Asahi finding out about their female S/O being an MMA fighter who dreams of going pro?

This request is so unique, I think it's crazy cool so tysm :) xoxo

(The characters are aged up from the post-time skip)

Kageyama

He has to ask what an MMA fighter is the first time you mentioned it

He's very supportive as an athlete himself

Asks how your matches work and if he can watch one

You often spend afternoons sharing details about your respective sports so you both understand more

Loves the idea of you going pro since he did too

Probably has challenged you to arm wrestles (he loses and you never forget)

Does his best to guide you on going pro "Tobio, I think that only applies to volleyball, not mixed martial arts..." "Oh. Have a kiss instead then."

Hinata

Is super excited to hear you want to go pro

There is a good chance he is more pumped than you are

He asks you to show him some of your best moves because he's curious to learn

Watches all your matches in his free time

Like Kageyama, he'd also try to see/learn more things about mixed martial arts because he knows it means a lot to you

"I think I want to go pro," "Really? Really!?" "Yup, it's something I really want to do, Shoy-" "I'M SO EXCITED-" "Are you really?" "YES!"

If he has time to watch you at a match, he yells the loudest in the crowd

Tanaka

He's probably the one out of the four who actively watches MMA fights

100% is super proud of you and likes to tell people that you're going pro and to look out for you on TV

"THAT'S MY Y/N, THE MMA PRO!"

Since he's a personal trainer, you go to the gym a lot with him and he helps you train when you're not with your coach

Would tell all of his friends (especially the Karasuno team) to watch your games to support you (Noya is a big fan for sure)

He sets up mini celebrations in the lead-up to your debut of being a pro

Researches tips for you so you can try them together while you're training

Asahi

He doesn't really watch MMA matches until he meets you

It goes against his gentle personality, but he enjoys watching them anyway, especially your victories

Since he's not as included in the sports world as much as he once was, he loves listening to you explain how MMA fights work

"Am I allowed to design your fighting shorts?" "If you can get it past the Unified Rules," "I'll do my best!"

He gets a little worried when he watches you fight, mainly for your safety, but he knows it makes you happy so that keeps his fears at bay

He makes little garments/accessories for casual wear when you're training

Has heaps of saved videos from all your amateur fights

[writingquestionsanswered]

Any tips on how to avoid making your OC a copy of a canon character when writing fanfiction? Not as in appearance and doesn't have to be personality I think but more so to their beliefs, backstory, goals, etc. Whenever I try to brainstorm creating an OC with a unique perspective from a certain fiction for them to be included, there's always going to be another canon character to already take that place and I end up stuck to how the hell can I do something different that won't make my readers asleep.

Fan-Fiction: Coming Up with Original OC

I would start by making a quick reference document that has the attributes you're concerned about (beliefs, backstory, goals, etc.) for the canon characters you want to avoid copying.

Next, look at each of the attributes you want to come up with and brainstorm possibilities. You might even Google each attribute "how to come up with character beliefs" or "how to come up with character backstory" for pointers and guides on coming up with those specific attributes. I'll put in some of my general character development guides, too, in case they'll be helpful.

Once you have your OC planned out, go through each attribute and check it against the quick reference document. It's ok to have one or two similarities with each character, but if you see more than that or see things that are too similar, immediately think of a way to tweak it for your character so it's not so similar.

Here are some character development posts that might help:

5 Tips for Getting Attached to Your Characters Character Design Sheet: The Necessary Stuff Character Arc Tips Recognizing a Flat Character Important Points of Character Personality Making Personalities Unique and Keeping Them Straight Giving Your Characters a Unique Voice Choosing the Traits That Define a Character Fleshing Out Characters Writing Realistic Characters Character Flaws the Right Way Understanding Goals and Conflict

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

LEARN MORE about WQA

SEE MY ask policies

VISIT MY Master List of Top Posts

COFFEE & FEEDBACK COMMISSIONS ko-fi.com/wqa

[fankhx-invasion]

Hello dear followers of mine (with rizz). I decided with love to share some of my silly art tips and tricks. I love teaching people new things or just being of some sort of help, so I hope this silly goofy series of posts helps someone!

Today's soup tip deals with the greatest evil of mankind:

H a n d s.

It goes without saying that it takes practice and time, and truly it really does take practice and time, you're not going to master anything overnight, and drawing hands are definitely not an exception. I'm not incredible at drawing hands in any way, there's plenty I could improve on in the hands department, but for the most part I think I do pretty well.

It definitely took practice and years of hard work, but here's some little things I found made drawing hands easier for me!

1. FNAF - yes. As a gen z kid growing up, I, like many others of my age, became obsessed with FNAF. I continue to be a huge fan of the games and keep up with the lore for the most part but the most important thing about this is Sister Location! Sister location's animatronics have newer features and characters with slightly more human design. This includes the hands!

Baby is a great example, as you can see her hands pretty well. The hands for the most part are a pretty good model of a deconstructed hand. It's not perfect, but it definitely works! So yes I am telling you to try drawing animatronic hands because they will definitely help give you an idea of how hands should look.

2. Using your own hands - sometimes you just can't find the right reference image or you need something in the right angle. Congratulations you have a free and easy to use tool right at your finger tips. Literally! I like to use my phone and pose my hand however I want and take a picture and use that as a reference. It also helps if you take that picture and mark it up to help you. I've used my own hand many times before and I usually find it much easier to draw my own hand than one i find on Pinterest. You could also mark up your hand with washable marker.

3. Practicing some basic exercises - boring but unfortunately true. I found a few quick drawing exercises extremely helpful, specifically drawing boxes in perspective and filling a page with ellipses. This is a good tip for drawing ANYTHING.

Another thing I found helpful was drawing things in real life. So yeah grab your favorite coffee mug or Paul Stanley funko pop and prop it up somewhere and try drawing it to the best of your ability. Try figuring out how to break it down into simple 3D shapes, how to shade certain areas, etc.

A good tip for this is to use your pencil and eye to measure. You might be familiar with movies or shows where the artist uses their pencil or paintbrush or thumb to measure something and that's exactly what im talking about here. Try to measure using your eye and a pencil as a guide. It'll help you learn "how long is this part in relation to the whole object? How wide?" Etc etc. I will do a post in the future with step by step pictures of this process :3

AND THOSE ARE MY ARTIST TIPS FOR TODAY

I hope this helps someone, since these are all things that helped me over the years and recently, but if it doesn't work for you, something eventually will. Different things work for different people. 🧡

[avathestarwarrior]

Hey there Ava, I wanted to say something in regards to those posts you recently made about your characters and art as a whole. Apologies in advance for the essay ahead, I had a lot to say and I really feel passionate about this because, hey, I've been there and I don't want to see you discouraged over this. First I want you to know that you aren't alone- when I was your age and still learning the ropes of art I felt exactly the same. All my friends around me what felt like suddenly jumped in their skills and only perfected their characters (design and story/personality-wise) while I sat stagnated in both. My characters were one-dimensional and I had little to no understanding of the major principles of art. And without a doubt, it is discouraging because they're being noticed for it and I hadn't made any ground in improvement at the time. This is a horribly common feeling especially for those without any access to formal training/teaching and beginners alike. Most of my friends lived in places where they could easily gain professional guidance and tools (usually through college, many countries allow you to jump to college while still in mid-teen years onwards), while I remember having to teach myself everything and struggling to learn even the most basic digital programs. Neither my high school or college (that I went to art classes specifically for, even the introductory ones) ever went in-depth when teaching the basics, and so generally I never had that strong foundation all my friends built onto. It's painful, but it's going to be okay because there are ways to help this. Now real quick, I'm going to go ahead and address what you were saying about your characters and art. Being completely honest, you were one of the first people I followed when joining this site, and I've really enjoyed seeing your work. While you may think that others would ignore your work over currently higher-skilled artists, I need you to know that there is a certain joy in watching someone find their way in a skill and grow within it. Drawing and designing characters (and yes, even writing them regarding their backstories/personalities) is a skill. For some, naturally they jump off and fly right away, with little to no friction. But for others? There may need to be a little more guidance and work. Some people also learn more slowly than others, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. You do not "suck" at these things. You just may need more supplementary sources to help guide your growth is all. That leads me into my next point;

When I said that you aren't alone in this, I don't just mean "I've been there". I also mean, there's an insane amount of free sources that are online you can use to push yourself forward. Pinterest has a lot of good references ranging from 'how to draw this' to 'something I can use for inspiration' and you can easily amass a huge collection for just about any of your drawing needs. Also YouTube! I stagnated in my art and designs for years, but when I started actively seeking out tutorials my skills slowly-- very slowly-- grew and I was able to not only learn new things but also build off of them from there on. Some of my favorite tutorial/art/design tips channels are: -Marc Brunet (short and sweet, easily digestible tutorials on drawing from a professional game artist turned art teacher. Just about anything drawing related is on his channel). -Brookes Eggleston - Character Design Forge (a channel specifically for improving character design (and a few tips on personality qualities as well) and some of the principles you can use to apply when designing). Both of these channels also have tips for the whole mental aspect of these things, which is very encouraging and helps when trying to get out of a mindset that may be hindering you and your progress, including artblock and feelings of inadequacy. I apologize again for the long ask, but I really hope this helps you in some way! Know that you're not in this journey alone and that with some time and a little bit of guidance, you will improve-- which I want to also say that it's much easier for others to see than for you to. At the end of the day, try to be a little more compassionate towards yourself, because it can only get better and I know you're doing your best. The fact that you're posting your art and characters online like this is already inspiring enough to many who are afraid to even start, and I genuinely mean that from experience. As scary as it is, maybe ask some of your friends or artists in general that you look up to for tips, most people are happy to provide insight on their work when asked politely- and definitely seek out some resources for yourself as well, those that I mentioned are without a doubt a good start. I wish you all the best of luck, and please take care! <3

Thank you there friend for this long ask. After reading this, I think I forgot something important! I already know these things and I have't tried it out recently! Thank you so much for reminding me and everyone who might come across this that we are indeed not alone. I am truly touched and I'll make sure to never underestimate myself again! Sadly I don't know exactly who you are (Although I assume you were like the first one to like the rant post I just made) but thank you again. And I hope that maybe you can like DM me? Anyways, thank you so much!

[empty-cryptid]

🏖️🎶📚

Hello~

🏖 My favorite vacation is a road trip I took with a friend across Canada. We went from Manitoba to Quebec.

In Toronto, we found a book vending machine in a small used book shop that gave us a wrapped up book for a dollar. We couldn't find the peculiar swing in the alley way. Both of those are found in the Atlas Obscura. I have the book, but the website is neat:

We took a ferry to Wolf Island, and that was an interesting place. We walked all the way to the other end of the island, and the shale rock shore was pretty cool. When it got dark, we took pictures of churches, hoping to see a ghost in a window. We didn't, but the pictures were spooky.

Niagara Falls was alright. We took the tour behind the waterfall, but it was very crowded. The view was pretty.

We also went on a couple of wine tours. One of the places made ice wine, and the room where they let people taste it had a bar made out of an ice block. We were the only ones to not accept a parka. The rest of them were from outside of Canada. We were just happy to get out of the heat.

The butterfly sanctuary was awesome. There were so many different kinds of butterflies and chrysalis designs. (Did you know that butterflies drink sweat, tears, and blood?)

Next, we went on a gondola that got so close to the US border that I was charged for an international text. Oops. The view was wild from up there. It went over a river.

In Quebec, we met up with my friend's sister, and she took us around to some cool places. We walked the Mount Royal park loop, which is a beautiful hike. Montréal is a nice place.

It was a fun trip and I'd like to do another road trip soon.

🎶My favorite song is Piano Man by Billy Joel. I love hearing about all the different characters in the song. I also love the melody and wistful emotion in the music. Songs that tell a story and can paint a picture in my head are my favourite.

📚My favorite book(s). I love adventure stories, and Jack London does a great job writing them. The Sea Wolf and Call of the Wild are probably my favorite books, both by him.

The Sea Wolf follows the survivor of an ocean collision (Van Weyden, nicknamed Hump) who is rescued by a sea captain (Wolf Larson). Wolf takes a liking to Hump and sort of takes care of him while forcing him to be a cabin boy and learn how to defend himself from the crew. (It's been a while, I should read that one again)

The Call of the Wild follows a dog that gets taken from his home and sold as a sled dog. He has to adapt to the harsh conditions as he fights to survive.

Thanks for the ask!

[daincrediblegg]

What kind of studies are you doing for a film career? If we wanted to follow the same path what should we do? I'm very interested in the topics you post about 💞

oh man. oh that's an interesting question nonnie. and one that is a little complicated to answer just because there's a lot of stuff that goes into it and I don't really think there's a set "path" for a lot of the kind of stuff that I learn about and what I hope to do in the future... which are kindof two very different things, but they have some interconnectedness here and there... it's kinda messy but I will do my best to explain:

So in terms of school stuff? currently I'm a Lit major with a minor in film and television studies- which at my school specifically there is a lot more of an emphasis on film THEORY than film PRODUCTION, and a lot of it overlaps with the english major just because the disciplines are so similar (so basically, even though I'm listed as a minor it might as well be a major). The difference between them is that theory is a lot more like literary studies, except rather than deep-analysis of a physical text, the thing you're analyzing is films, and taking into account everything within the moving image down to the form itself and how the director and productions designers use that form to create meaning that opens up readings of that film for us; the people who study them. Production of course rather focuses on making films themselves, and my school has some focus on this, but not an extraordinary amount. And honestly, if you want to get into the theory end of things, it doesn't really matter all too much what school you get into (whereas if you wanted to focus more on the production end of things there are definitely some better schools for this than others. and most of them are in california and disgustingly expensive and pretentious. and unfortunately I might try to go to one of them for grad school. like a fool. unless some other shit I want to try to do after I get out of here works out for me). I mean I stayed in-state for school and I really enjoyed the theory programs offered here for the most part (of course, there's no accounting for certain professors tastes. that's always going to be hit or miss- but I've still managed to find some really good ones that I like over the years) but honestly... it's not the only avenue for learning this kind of stuff. I mean once you have a foundation for it, and know what to look for, it becomes a lot easier to just... know how to do this stuff on your own. Like honestly, I feel like I have learned just as much about film out of class as I did in it. And to that end, here are my tips, and some stuff to watch/read to give you an idea of the kind of stuff I study

Slavoj Zizek's films are absolutely incredible. I actually met the guy through my program and yes: he is exactly like that in real life. But he's absolutely one of the must-watch film theory scholars/philosophers of this day and age, and anyone who has been in a film theory class knows about him. "The Pervert's Guide" films on cinema and Ideology are both quintessential film theory texts and very eye-opening, if not heavy-handed and very wordy.

Other philosophy and psychoanalysis that I've had to read a lot of include these three individuals more than any others: Lacan, Derrida, and Freud (specifically: on dreams, mourning and melancholia, and on jokes- because Freud isn't much use for real life person psychoanalysis, but as a theoretical framework for film characters he's pretty aces).

no film school is your best friend. This Article has basically all the jargon you really need to know to talk about film (weirdly the only thing I think is missing is high and low-key lighting, but honestly that stuff is very easy to find)

my best tip in terms of what to watch is: watch whatever you want, and watch everything. I've heard a lot of folks complain in my classes that they don't want to watch anything anymore outside of class because they have too much shit to watch for classes OR that film theory has ruined watching movies for them, but from my experience that's detrimental and kindof silly and weak-minded of them. To be perfectly honest film professors can assign as much niche stuff they like: and it can be good sometimes- and it IS good to reach out of your comfort zone and experience different directors, whether they be new or old, from your home country or from somewhere completely different, BUT none of the studying is really worth it unless you take it to what you're interested in and apply it there. because if there's anything I've learned in my time doing this is that there is ALWAYS some intentional film theory rigor available even in the shittiest movies imaginable. there is always something to talk about- whether it be how something was shot, or the cultural context that it exists in, and absolutely nothing in the world is too stupid and it can actually be REALLY fun to unpack when it is. it also helps a lot of this become second-nature and a lot less of a slog.

also any time you want I would happily give a list of some of the best films/directors I've watched for my film studies (especially in the last couple of years I think I've gathered up a great list of films from my favorite professors and ones that have been especially more memorable than some of the earlier stuff I had to sludge through) but that'll have to be a different post and a different ask because this thing is long enough and I'm tired 😂😂😂 But yeah. there you go. I hope this fuckin helps nonnie lmao

[okaysional]

super hope u dont mind me replying, iv been checking back to read things ppl add bc i find it honestly fascinating. but i wanted to add some more ramblings to see if it resonates.

i dont See things in my mind, but like i said in the original ask, i can imagine and apple with enough detail to think of the condensation droplets on the crunchy skin, the way the speckles of colour are not solid [in the case of a red apple] if u look closely u can see the yellow and pink in between the brigth reds. the way the light reflects off the skin harshly, the texture of the stem coming out of the top. however i put myself at a 5. because no matter how much i am Conceptualising the apple in my mind, it is not at all visual.

when i think of a character i like, or an intricate design that i am Very fmailir with, i can imagine each individual component. i can think of what its like to hold even? i can imagine how much space it takes up in the world, but again, i am not SEEING it. when a guided mediation asks me to picture myself on a beach, i cannot. i can fall into the sense memory of sand beneath my body and sun on my skin but i see black behind my eyes.

and in speaking with people who claim other stages, i have very clearly asked if it is like a Picture, with actual visuals as if they are seeing it, and they say yes. i also know its different to SEEING because i have been under the influence of drugs and had it happen, and sometimes in the time between sleep and waking i am capable of conjuring images. which is kind of how iv confirmed that theres less about personal interpretation of what is SEEING vs CONCEPTUALISING [which is just the way i have come to describe it myself because that seems to make it easier for people to grasp what im asking] and an actual definite difference in the way minds work person to person

I also have ADHD, and a brain that zips about like a hummingbird, which can make it infinitely harder to focus when i want to do the conceptualising and often leads to the ideas not being permanent and flitting in and out or changing.

I saw another post once about imagining a ball on a table. then imagine a person walks up and tips the table and the ball rolls. and then the post asked, what did the person look like? what colour was the ball? how fast did the ball roll? did it fall off the table? if it did, did it bounce when it hit the ground? that test showed that people closer to 1 on the scale had these answers already there, they couldnt possibly imagine the scenario without having all of those things involved. And those closer to 5 had to go back and think or only conjured those details once asked. itrs truly fascinating to think about i love to learn things like this

i am also an artist [and a damn good one if u ask me] and i do it in spite of having head empty no visuals in my brain, but i also recognise sometimes that if i DID have visuals it would make my life marginally easier when i wanted to draw. but at the end of the day, even when u have a clear image in ur mind, the skill to get that from brain to canvas is another thing in itself. so i agree with u there that people can stop wirrying about having a black void in their head holding them back, i paint incredible shit on the regular with zip going on, so can anyone

heres another fun one for u, id heard a long time ago that when we think of music in our minds, that we are not hearing the music. but we hear what our inner voice would sound like mimicking those instruments. now this turned out to be true for me and i was like YOOOOO bc thats funny, my brains going "duff duff duff" making drum sounds and "twang twang" for guitars or whatever, but its MY VOICE. until i learned a friend of mine could play music in their head and hear it exact as if it were a CD. which blew my mind.

exceotionally fascinating stuff

might be an odd question, but i have a theory after noticing trends amongst artists iv known in my life and SO FAR it's rung true so im expanding sample size

IDK if u know what aphantasia is already so I'm including reference [forgive me if uv already spoken abt this also]

Where would u say u fit on the scale?

For me I cannot see an apple, I know I am supposed to, or I will see concepts of it [like how the flesh is shiny and holds water droplets but i do not SEE it nor can i hold a clear visual of anything in my mind for that matter it is always flashing IDEAS like components of a visual, never the whole thing]

I'm asking because of people I've asked about this, there's a quality of their art that [i dont know how to put into words WHY] reminds me of each other, and I'm wondering if u will give me the same answer they have because I am a curious little bastard

I'm pretty sure I'm 1? I think I might have one of those brains that operate mostly on visuals. I don't need to close my eyes to see the image in my mind, it just sort of "opens in a different window" and I'm looking at reality and the mental image simultaneously.

It's never a flat picture, I see a 3D model of sorts, and I can rotate it around, cut it into pieces, look "through it" to see it from outside and inside at the same time, and arrange it to different poses if it's a character. Sometimes when I'm drawing something, I imagine what it would feel like to touch it and hold it in my hands, and that helps me to figure out how to convey a better sense of volume and tangibility.

I also think in images (or, like, gifs?) and I've never had an internal monologue. It surprised me when I heard that some people actually have a narrator in their heads, I can't imagine what it's like.

It's not always fun though, sometimes I get pretty nasty intrusive thoughts and they come in forms of vivid and very unpleasant mental images. Like visiting a relative's grave and being hit with a crisp picture of their decomposing body. Or getting those "I could walk in front of that car/ jump down from here" call of the void thoughts and instantly getting a brain illustration of it playing out from an onlooker's point of view and what the aftermath would look like. They're most distressing when it's bad things happening to someone I care about, for example I have a really persistent one about accidentally slamming a door on my cat and seeing him crushed and dying.

Oddly enough it doesn't extend to all visual thinking. My mind's eye and visual memory work well, but I also have severe face blindness and practically nonexistent ability to form mental spatial maps of my surroundings.