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spencersawkward · 4 years ago

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hi i love your writing sm, could u do something w having sex w mgg in his trailer🦋

oh yes i can most definitely do that. i just did a blurb that included something similar but i have a whole other fantasy for this one that i think would be so hot. this is just like filthy smut i might have done a lil too much lol.

summary: reader goes to visit her friend, Matthew, on set. when he catches her doing something dirty in his trailer, he offers to help.

word count: 4.2k

relationship: Fem!Reader/Matthew

content warnings: unprotected penetrative sex, creampie, masturbation, dirty talk, face-sitting, degradation, Cocky Matthew, some semi-exhibitionism.

masterlist

my toes curl over the sheets and I let out a dissatisfied groan as I throw the abandoned vibrator onto the side table. ever since flying home from visiting friends in New York, I’ve been absolutely, embarrassingly... horny.

usually, my trusty toy is able to work wonders; this week has been rough, though. maybe it’s something to do with my stress-levels or maybe my body just doesn’t feel like cooperating. it doesn’t help that I have about an hour before I’m scheduled to visit my friend on the set of his show.

I haven’t seen Matthew in almost a year. between his shooting schedule and my own job getting more demanding, spending time together really hasn’t been possible. I miss his laugh and the way our conversations always flow so easily. whenever we hang out, it’s like we pick up right where we left off. and now, as I give up on trying to get one off before seeing him, I start to wonder what to expect. a tour? meeting his castmates?

to be completely honest, I don’t really want to do any of that. I’m sure they’re all very nice people and we’d have a good time, but the last week in the city was so full of group interactions that I’m really hoping to sit across from each other and just... talk.

there’s no point in speculating, though. instead, I glance over at my disappointing toy and sigh. maybe next time.

when I get there, Matthew texts me to wait for him so he can bring me to his trailer. everyone is bustling around, moving according to their own chaotic schedules. a couple golf carts occasionally roll through the space, toting actors and other personnel. it’d be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t used to it.

“Y/N!” Matthew’s voice cuts across the din of the set as he waves. he’s leaning out of the side of a golf cart that he’s driving, which makes me nervous as he pulls up to me. I raise my eyebrows in surprise as he stops the cart and hops out to wrap me in a hug.

he smells good, like expensive cologne and cool air. as he withdraws, he sets his hands on my shoulders and grins at me.

“you look great! how are you?” as usual, he’s talkative. I smile back, though, and take in his appearance. he’s always been handsome, but right now Matthew is looking especially good: the breeze has swept his curls, he’s got on a colorful button-up short-sleeve with parakeets on it, and there’s some stubble growing on his face that’s new. he looks older, more mature.

kind of sexy.

“I’m really well. cool ride you’ve got.” I nod to the golf cart and Matthew laughs.

“you wanna know a secret?” he smirks. I raise my eyebrows and he leans down a little to reach my height. “I’m not supposed to drive that.”

“how’d you get it?” I frown. knowing him, he probably managed to charm his way around the rules, but I’m sure there’s a funny story behind it as well. he’s full of weird anecdotes.

“one of my cast mates distracted the guy who runs the warehouse where they keep them.” he winks, then gestures for me to follow him. I slide into the passenger seat and before I can really process what’s happening, he’s swerving in a wide circle and speeding off.

“I’ve been meaning to call you,” he practically yells over the sound of the motor. “but I know you’ve been busy.”

“yeah, I actually just started writing for this new show.”

“you’re downtown, then?” he glances over with a smile and then we’re slowing to a stop. an enormous trailer sits among rows of other enormous trailers, presumably for his cast mates. he turns off the cart and turns his body to face me while I talk. zeroes in on me in a way that makes my stomach flip.

“for right now, yeah.” I can’t help the smile. it’s been a while since I’ve worked in Los Angeles; I was working as a writer on one of Matthew’s independent films when I got an offer in New York and decided to relocate. and even though it was amazing there, I missed California sunshine and I missed him. we were inseparable before I left.

“so, what I’m hearing is that you’re now legally bound to hang out with me.” he grins in that dazzling way of his. I laugh and nod, climbing out when he does. he opens the trailer door for me. “I have to go back to work in about twenty minutes, but afterwards I wanna take you to dinner.”

“oh, I could have come later. I’m sorry.” I turn to apologize, but he’s quick to wave it off.

“it’s fine. as long as you don’t mind spending an hour in here, it shouldn’t be too torturous.”

I peer around the space, noticing the little ways in which Matthew has made this place his own: aside from all the complimentary gift baskets and notes, the trailer is occupied by strange trinkets that he’s collected, random books and notebooks that scatter the couch and what looks like an attempt at a desk.

“wow.” I say. he sidles up next to me, sighing and realizing that it’s a bit cluttered.

“sorry about the mess. I haven’t really had time to clean up.”

“no, no, I meant ‘wow’ in a good way.” I walk over to the couch and sit down, patting the spot next to me. he smiles, pushes an acting theory book out of the way, and sinks into the cushions a safe distance from me.

“tell me about this job, then.” he immediately starts. I shrug.

“it’s nothing huge, just a teen drama. everyone I work with is brilliant, though.”

“that’s amazing. have you had a chance to work on your art?”

I think back to all the times when Matthew and I would spend free afternoons doing doodle competitions of the crew, usually on random scripts. they were judged by other cast mates, anyone who would take the time to look. I don’t think I was supposed to be on set as much as I was, but it was worth it.

“I wish. my schedule is so busy now, I barely have time to make dinner for myself.” I laugh. he leans back into the corner of the couch, resting his arm on top of the back. I pull one leg beneath me and mirror his actions.

“that’s too bad. I was looking forward to seeing some new stuff.”

“I don’t think any of my co-workers would particularly enjoy the representations I do of them.”

“sour sports.” he says. the strangeness and vehemence of the sentiment makes me snort and I glance at the notebooks around the room.

“how about you? any new masterpieces?”

we go on like this for a while, just catching up and slipping into our inside jokes and memories as if they aren’t from a different time in our lives. although I was excited to see him today, there was a lingering nervousness about it going as planned. sometimes you try to reconnect and the spark is just... gone. but Matthew is still Matthew, and I’m still me.

he ends up leaving to go shoot sooner than I can believe, time passing quickly, and tells me to feel free to read any of his books or look through his sketchbooks. he never hides anything, and it’s admirable.

once he’s gone, I settle onto the couch with a used Ray Bradbury anthology that I found beneath a bag of sour candies and start to read.

my mind wanders, however, as I try to concentrate on the page. I think about how Matthew looks now, how the stubble makes his jaw even more defined. those wide, hazel eyes that always seem to glitter with enthusiasm. I don’t know if I’m still frustrated from the unsuccessful session with my vibrator earlier, but the thoughts begin to turn over in my mind and mingle with other ones.

there were moments with him that I remember, quiet ones where we’d be about to say goodnight or moments where he’d fall asleep on my shoulder in my apartment, where I’d look at him and consider the possibility. we get on so well, and he’s arguably one of my best friends. distance hasn’t changed that. there are things I would tell him that I haven’t told my other friends.

and when he’d brush against my skin, or grab my arm to get my attention, and my imagination would run wild. heated kisses and closed doors. finding the way to my bed in the dark, his hands on my waist while he crawls on top of me. things that never happened but that I imagined as if they were real memories seared into my mind.

and now, sitting in this trailer with this book and on this couch that smells like him, those feelings return like something lost, then found: rushing, feverish, overpowering. the images come in a flux, his weight on top of mine and his teeth dragging over my tits. on this couch, that’s all I want.

there’s a blush on my cheeks as I drop the book on the floor and undo the button on my pants. it won’t take me long; I can feel how wet I’m getting and I haven’t even thought that much about it. the pent-up excitement from earlier will overtake my senses. he said I have an hour, and this might take ten minutes tops.

as my fingertips brush over my panties, I close my eyes and imagine they’re his. curious, gentle, teasing before reaching below the waistband and cupping me. I whimper, starting to trace over the wet folds of my entrance with an eager hand. it feels good, right, and the heat of my body tells me that this time, it’ll work. my head is full of thoughts of him, and I dip a finger in, clenching around the digits. the heel of my palm presses into my clit and I moan, starting to work myself.

I imagine Matthew coming in here after he’s done and kissing me like he’s wasted enough time waiting; like he can’t wait another second to be with me. my pace quickens at the memory of his hands, veined and strong and sure, pumping into me. taunting me.

“Matthew...” I whine, removing my fingers to circle my clit with a hurried pressure. every second burns across my skin, reminding me that what I’m doing is wrong. I shouldn’t be touching myself in his trailer while he works, especially not when he’s coming back soon.

but it’s hot, too, and the rhythm I create is impossible to resist. I switch between fingering and toying with my bundle of nerves while clenching my free hand in the couch cushion. my eyes are squeezed shut as I get closer to orgasm, the knot in my stomach tightening with every moment.

“o-oh my god,” I hum. “Matthew--”

the sharp intake of breath makes my entire body freeze. my eyes fly open to see the bastard himself standing there, lips parted. he can’t seem to figure out where to look: my face, which was just contorted in pleasure while I moaned his name, or my pussy, which is almost completely on display now that I’ve managed to push my jeans down to my knees.

“oh my god.” I stutter, immediately removing my hand and sitting up. my cheeks are on fire and everything around me seems surreal. this can’t be real. “y-you weren’t supposed to be back for an hour.” I say stupidly. shit ton of luck that hour did me.

“we, uh, wrapped early.” he averts his eyes, then glances cautiously at my face. “I promise I walked in here before I knew. I never meant--”

“no, it’s fine.” I pull up my jeans, still too shocked to make any sweeping movements. he doesn’t seem quite sure what to do with himself, and I speak to break the silence. “sorry, I know I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I wonder what you’d have done with an actual hour.” he says it like he’s attempting to lighten the mood, then winces as he realizes that he shouldn’t have said that. “sorry, bad joke. I’m just-- surprised.”

“Matthew, I’m so sorry--” I start. there’s literally no other direction to take this conversation. I feel like I’ve ruined our friendship within the span of a few seconds.

“were you saying my name?” he asks, eyebrows slightly raised. I would like to sink into the floor and never come up again, I think.

“well, the thing is--” I take a deep breath. “I don’t normally, um... do that in people’s trailers?” my frown makes him smile a little as he relaxes. now that I’m fully clothed, he doesn’t seem so daunted. I scoot up on the couch and glance between the open spot and him to get him to sit. standing only makes it weirder.

he obliges, watching me pull my knees into my chest before I start to explain. guilt is building in my chest now, so much more real after being caught.

“I don’t wanna make this even more awkward than it is, but I feel like I should make it clear that there’s a reason why I was doing it in here and I’m not some freak who, like, contaminates people’s space. like, I was just gonna be super quick about it and be done because-- and now I’m justifying it, which is even worse--”

“hey, Y/N, relax.” Matthew reaches out and touches my wrist, his fingers soft as they pull my attention to his. when I finally muster the courage to look him in the eyes, he’s got a small smile on his face. “I’m not mad or anything.”

“okay.” I sigh, spine going a little less rigid.

“you were moaning my name, though, right?” he smirks. my eyes widen.

“don’t get too cocky,” I try to play it off. “I haven’t been able to get off for the past few days and I only tried it to see if it would work.”

“looks like it did.” he glances between my flushed cheeks and the hand that was playing with myself, which is now sitting on my jeans. how is he being so fucking smooth right now?

“whatever.” I turn my face away, knowing that anything else would be damning.

“are you still... frustrated?” he asks. his voice is low. my face snaps up, jaw dropping. one of his hands is covering the crotch of his jeans, trying to hide something.

“why?”

“I can help you out. only if you want to, of course.” he says this in complete seriousness. my gaze passes over his features once again to make sure I’m not absolutely dreaming. every line in his face, the intensity of those pretty irises, feels too real to be fake.

“like...” I think about his hands, about what he’s offering. it’s heavier than just sex, but also maybe not. it doesn’t have to be; we’re adults. our friendship wouldn’t be shattered by one encounter.

“like I’ll eat you out right now and fuck you until you can’t take it anymore.” we’ve moved closer on the couch, our faces inches apart while he says it so quietly that I wouldn’t hear it otherwise. the way he licks his lips, stares at me, tells me that we’ve already passed the point of no return. there’s no use in holding back anymore.

“mhmm.” I nod. if I say anything more, I’ll reveal more than he wants to know. that I’ve wanted this for a while, even though I tried to forget the way he makes me feel.

“come here, then.” he beckons me forward and I impatiently crash my lips to his. he responds immediately, threading his fingers through my hair and pulling me to him. he’s greedy, but not in a way that overwhelms. like he’s trying to enjoy the moment. his nose brushes my cheek when he deepens the kiss, my hands looping around his neck. he begins to bite on my lower lip, tugging to get me to moan. I let him explore me, those features that he’s seen so many times but has never touched.

we’re hopeful in our embrace, and my mind feels like spring and how I imagine the earth feels when it’s in full bloom. excitement in my veins as we get more heated. when his fingers unbutton my jeans, he pulls away to take a moment.

“sit on my face.” he breathes out, feverish. I nod, getting up to shrug off my jeans. he watches, licking his lips when I pull down my panties and step out of them, then take off my top and bra. he leans back as if to sink down onto the couch for me, but I shake my head.

“take off your clothes first.” I tell him.

“you wanna see me naked?” he knows the truth, but wants me to say it. the smirk on his face makes me annoyingly aroused. I just start to go for the buttons on his shirt.

“yeah, I wanna see you naked.” I reply. this makes him grin and he helps me out by working on his jeans. we strip him down and then we’re both there, looking at each other.

“c’mere, beautiful.” he grabs my hip and pulls me closer until I get on the couch and position myself. he lies down flat, gesturing for me to scoot up his chest until my core is right above his face. “perfect.”

I’m about to poke a little fun at him for being so confident when he reaches up, wraps his hands around my thighs, and pulls me down against his face.

I yelp, overwhelmed by how he moans against my heat and starts to eat me out. his tongue moves expertly, lapping at the wetness that’s gathered between my legs before teasing my entrance. I release a series of noises that are downright sinful, but the red marks he’s leaving in my thighs tell me he’s loving my reaction. his nose brushes against my clit and I start to roll my hips against his face, falling apart already as he switches between sucking, licking, and sliding his tongue inside me. I grip onto his hair, mumbling like a prayer.

he takes the opportunity to quickly slap my ass before returning to my thighs, burying his face and working with a divine acuity. I can’t believe how good it feels, throwing my head back and arching my spine while I hold my tits. Matthew moves my hand and massages one while he stares up into my eyes, lust evident in every sound and motion.

“Matthew, please--” I gasp. “don’t stop.”

he groans, running his nails down my stomach while I ride his face. I’m needy for him, only uttering his name and more pleas for his tongue. and the sensation of him holding me down like he can’t get enough makes the knot from earlier return easily. I lean back a little, swirl my hips, and then it comes like a white-hot wave.

“oh my god—“ I can barely get it out, moving with abandon. “it’s so fucking good.”

he lets my body slow to a reasonable pace, drawing out the high until I’m swallowing all the air I can get and pull myself away from him. Matthew’s grinning, mouth glistening while he sits up a bit.

“such a wet little pussy.” he tells me, licking his lips. I’m pretty much resting on his chest and I start to move off of him when he quickly straightens himself, wraps his arms around my waist, and pushes me so I’m laying on my back at the other end of the couch with him leaning over me.

I brush his curls out of his face, appreciating the hunger in his face. he craves more of me, and the erection he’s pressing into my inner thigh is proof. I look up at him.

“you’re good.” I concede. he shrugs, smiles. butterflies.

“I just think about it a lot.” the response is simple, but it’s the right one. I blush and he grabs his dick, pumping it a few times before lining it up at my entrance. I search his eyes, those widened pupils, as he shoves into me.

“shit.” he moans, jaw dropping once he’s reaching the hilt. “give it to me, baby.” I can feel him deep inside, cock twitching against my walls as he settles. one of his arms is over me, supporting himself on the arm of the couch, while the other holds my waist.

I don’t speak, only bite down on my lip and whimper through the initial shocks of him. it isn’t until he pulls out that I get more vocal. he starts to roll his hips, never breaking eye contact while I arch my back and moan.

“harder.” I whisper. he tightens his grip on me and slams himself inside. my body instinctively moves up away from the pressure, but he brings me right back down.

“is this what you were thinking about?” he breathes out. “me fucking you like a slut?”

I nod urgently, but he uses an index finger to tilt my face back to his.

“tell me who you belong to, little slut.” his tone is low, laced with lust when he bites his lip and watches my reactions to his cock.

“you.” I whine quietly, grabbing his shoulders for stability while he plows into me.

“louder, sweetheart. you were plenty sure before.” he mocks, pausing after to moan in my ear like he’s absolutely losing it. he roughly tugs me further against him and the sensation makes me cry out.

“y-you-- fuck!”

“c’mon, baby.” he pants. we’re definitely rocking this trailer with the way he’s ramming my body right now. I can feel him like he’s in my ribs.

“Matthew, oh god--”

“show me how you cum, Y/N. lemme see you fucking break.” the final word is punctuated by him bottoming-out within me, his noises their own stimulation to my senses. I’m trying to breathe but it’s so hard with all the thoughts firing in my brain. he doesn’t go easy on me.

“I’m cumming.” my hips jerk up into his, pussy fluttering like it’s trying to push him out. but the tension only makes him thrust harder, further, chasing his own release as I claw at his back and squeeze my legs around his torso.

“can I fill that tight little cunt up, baby?” he moans into my ear, our bodies like undulating waves. I nod and buck against him, which drives him mad as his thrusts get sloppier. we’re filthy together and it’s otherworldly. “good girl.”

he lets out a whimpering sound while he stills inside my body and cums. I feel him twitching, shooting his load into me. I’m writhing while I clench around him, both of us falling apart. for all his cockiness, he’s lovely when he’s orgasming-- mouth open, eyes rolling back into his head before focusing intently on my face, a sheen of sweat that glows on his cheekbones.

when he finally withdraws, leaving me naked and panting on his couch, his eyes run over my body appreciatively.

“that help?” he smirks as he straightens. I glare at him, kneeing him in the ribs, and he leans down to kiss my cheek, giving me a tender look. “I’m joking. are you okay?”

“more than okay.” I smile. he doesn’t say anything for a moment, closing and opening his mouth as if debating whether or not to say something else.

“you’re really beautiful, you know that?”

“thanks.” as if this man hasn’t already fucked me senseless, I blush, look away shyly. he grabs my clothes from the floor and hands them to me.

“do you want some water?” he’s worried about giving me space. there’s a question lingering between us that I’m afraid to ask, especially now that he hasn’t. Matthew has always been the more bold between the two of us.

“uh, sure.” if it means he takes his eyes off me long enough for me to regain my bearings, yes. I watch him pull on the rest of his clothes before standing and going over to his mini-fridge. I’ll need to clean up soon.

“so...” his voice is measured, hazel eyes slipping over my form.

“so.”

“dinner? and then breakfast?” he suggests. my eyebrows raise at the second question, one that he hasn’t mentioned until now. the implication makes me laugh.

“you think you’re getting this again?” I try to act nonchalant, as if I’m not already imagining it.

“oh, wait--” he frowns, hesitates. “that’s not what I meant.”

“what did you mean?” there’s a grin taking over my face, hopeful as I await his response. I guess we’re about to answer that question after all.

“I wanna finally take you on a date.” he smiles softly, surprisingly shy. I don’t even hesitate to answer.

“I’m in.”

#mgg smut #mgg #matthew gray gubler #rpf #criminal minds #mgg oneshot

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paunchsalazar · 4 years ago

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Best tips for beginner artists? I just started out, as a child I loved to draw but my parents discouraged it. Now that I'm older, I want to finally get started but there's so much info out there. But your art is amazing! I'd love to hear what you think. Also I hear you on the boredom. I've been locked down in my apartment for months now.

hello!!! I’m sorry this took me a little while to answer. I had to think about it! Also thank you so much!!

First, I must say that I still cannot consider myself an “experienced” artist, I’ve been taking it seriously and actively seeking to improve for maybe 4-5 years? but I had no formal training or anything before college! (I’m about to be third-year right now) I am no pro... but I do think I feel relatively comfortable with drawing now and like I can more often than not get out the idea that was in my head? which is enough for me...

(just to expose myself, this was when I started drawing in a sketchbook and tried drawing digitally for the first time and then the following year:

and this is from a month ago:

Honestly, all I did was draw and draw and draw. Don’t force it! Like if you’re miserable and it’s just a chore I’d say at least take a break, but just getting a sketchbook you don’t mind messing up and drawing from observation, people (lately that has been hard as I too am locked down in my apartment and have been so since the spring), things, etc., doing studies of comics or illustrations you like! it may not seem like anything is changing but over time it all accumulates in your mental repertoire? I really think the key is not agonizing over stuff like sketchbooks or presentation. For me personally! Like my sketchbooks look like pages upon pages of unintelligible scribbles and notes but I think since I’ve let that be the case I’ve felt a lot stronger drawing-wise.

I feel like observation is really really helpful! As far as looking at art you like and considering - “why do I like that?” “what are they doing that draws me in?” not copying! just studying? and i think once you absorb a variety and parse through what you like to look out as well as what you enjoy actually physically drawing it’ll become your own naturally?

I’m not sure, if at all, what kind of drawing you want to focus on, not that there has to be a kind! but figure drawing is really helpful across the board! studying anatomy - I’m still a bit dodgy there... but it’s a lot of making it look close enough to be convincing? or that it “works” enough that it isn’t off putting? and for me I like comics and storyboarding so there’s a lot of studying shots and panels and just jotting a scribbly version down simply to have it added to my mental library? Draw! Observe! Study? Feel no shame! Improvement will sneak up on you over time.

I don’t know if this is coherent nor if any of it helps but that’s what I’ve got! and if you have any more questions please let me know, in an ask or dm or whatever! and I will try my best to answer!

and thank you for liking my work!!!

#i am not qualified to answer but!! i will try and i am happy to reply!!#Anonymous #asks

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readyourimgaines · 5 years ago

Text

Snufkin Draws

@tony-andonuts Request:Snuf drawing Moomintroll while with him but he’s too embarrassed to show Moom that he’s been drawing him the whole time.

Moomintroll was perfectly aware of Snufkin glancing at him every few seconds. It had taken him a couple of minutes to figure out that Snufkin was sketching him. Moomin was a little confused that Snufkin was drawing him; he didn’t think he was anything special--especially not special enough to be the focus of a sketch. The more he thought about it, the more he thought that Snufkin must have been bored and didn’t know what else to draw.

Snufkin, on the other hand, thought he was being sneaky with his small looks. He didn’t think Moomin would have noticed. Once again, he had underestimated his best friend. The young Mumrik drew a lot.

The drawings weren’t always of Moomin, but a lot of them were. Most of them were drawn from memory when he was away during Moominvalley’s winter. Snufkin prefered drawing Moomintroll in person because he could get the details on paper better. How the wind ruffled and blew through his white fur; exactly how the digits of his paws were positioned around the flower crown he made; the way the pedals of the flowers overlapped or hid small sections of the stems.

Moomin knew Snufkin didn’t try hide his sketchbook, but he never jumped with excitement to show off the pages, either. The younger of the two boys had always wanted to see the pages, but didn’t know how to ask and didn’t want to breach the older boy’s trust by peaking.

*****

“Snufkin?”

“Yes, Moomin?” Snufkin looked up from his sketch.

“What do you draw in your sketchbook?” Moomin resisted the urge to look at the open page.

“Oh...anything and everything.” Snufkin shrugged. “They aren’t very good, mind you.”

“Can…” Moomin trailed off and shook his head.

“What?” Snufkin smirked to hide that he was worried Moomin might ask to see the drawings.

“Nevermind.”

“Alright.”

Moomin was never worried when Snufkin didn’t try to pry. Snufkin always made sure Moomin knew he was there to listen but wouldn’t stress him out by trying to get anything out of him. In return, Moomin knew he could tell or ask Snufkin anything once he was ready. In this situation, Snufkin found himself weirdly relieved Moomin had changed his mind.

“I wish I could draw. I’m not very good.”

“Nor am I. I still enjoy drawing. I find it relaxing.” Snufkin closed his sketchbook and put it down next to him on the bank of the river.

The two fell silent; enjoying each other’s company and the warm breeze of the summer afternoon. The breeze, however, betrayed Snufkin when it blew particularly hard and whipped his sketchbook open.

Moomin managed to catch it just before it got too close to the river and he caught sight of on the drawings. It happened to be one of his.“I thought you said you were bad at drawing,” Moomin accused Snufkin with a smile.

“I-I’m not good,” Snufkin stumbled out, adjusting his hat.

Moomin bit a giggle at his friend’s claim. “You’re amazing!” And he wasn’t just trying to make Snufkin feel better.

You could tell what emotion Snufkin was feeling as he drew because of how deep the lines of the pencil went; the shading; how gently detailed the lines were. The flowers he drew looked like they traced from The Hemulion’s books. That obviously wasn’t the case, however, because some of these sketches had ‘give to Hemulion’ scribbled on the top if he didn’t know what the flower was. Under the note was the location or town he’d found the flower in explained by landmarks.

Other pages were packed with sketches Snufkin drew of odd little creatures he saw on his journeys. Some had names by them and others didn’t have any labeling at all. The creatures with names made Moomin yearn to join Snufkin on his yearly travels even more than ever before.

“What’s this creature called?” Moomin pointed to a small mouse-like creature.

It couldn’t have been mouse, though. The nose was too long thin, the eyes a little too wide. He considered it the possibility of it being a shrew, but the paws were too large.

Snufkin leaned closer to get a better look of the creature. “I can’t remember. I talked to her...two years ago, perhaps? I haven’t seen her or another one like her since.”

“Have you actually shown Mr. Hemulion any of the flowers?” Moomin looked the Mumrik.

“No, not yet. I haven’t been able to decide if they’re detailed enough to really help him in his studies.” Snufkin was more relaxed now that he knew Moomin wasn’t going to make fun of him. Somewhere inside him, he knew before the wind tossed his sketchbook in Moomin’s direction that the gentle being wasn’t going to tease him.

“A lot of these are more detailed than his favorite book, Snufkin. Besides, even if you did leave out an important detail, you describe where you found the flower so he could and find it himself.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Snufkin shifted the ways he was sitting so he could clearly see the sketchbook where it lay in Moomin’s lap. “You really think I should show these to the Hemulion?”

“I really do. He’d be excited that you thought of him enough to take the time to draw the flower. Maybe he can find a couple of days where the two of you could go to find it together.”

“So now that you’ve seen my drawings, does that mean I can see yours?” Snufkin teased. He wasn’t being serious.

“I don’t see why not. It would be fair, then.” Moomin stood like he was going to get his handful of drawings right in that moment.

Snufkin reached up and held Moomin’s hand before he got more than a foot away. “You don’t really need to show me, Moomin. I was just teasing.”

“I know, Snufkin. I’m not an artist and I know it so I’m not too worried about the quality of the work.” Moomin squeezed Snufkin’s hand. “Do you wanna come or should I bring the drawings here?”

“I can go with you.” Snufkin nodded.

Moomin helped Snufkin up since they were already holding hands and didn’t bother letting go as they ran to Moominhouse. Snufkin sort of got a greeting out to Moominmama as they ran up the stairs to Moomin’s room.

Only once they got to his room did Moomin let go of Snufkin’s hand. He quickly opened the deck drawer closer to his winder and pulled out three sheets of paper and help them out for Snufkin to see.

The drawings were second dimensional, but they were still good. Snorkmaiden, Sniff, Snufkin, Little My, and even Stinky were drawn out on paper. The other two papers were filled with similar drawings, though most weren’t completed.

“Do you think, Snufkin, that you could teach me how to do shading so the drawings aren’t as flat?” Moomin asked.

Snufkin looked up from the papers and at Moomintroll. “I’d be happy to. Or at least I can show you how I do shading. I’m assuming that everyone does it a little differently.”

#combefere's journal #read your own imagines #snufkin imagine #moomin imagine #snufkin #moomin #moominmama #snufmin #could be read as friends but why would you?#fluff

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pixie-mask · 3 years ago

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The Goal of it All ( II ) - Same Goals, Same Hope...I Guess?

woo boy I’ve been meaning to put this up for a while. It took me a tiny bit longer than it should of to get all my goals finalized (not that the public cares. Also kidding I appreciate those who actually like these things)

But yeah my goals for the year are pretty much more the same

Lose weight, draw more, play more games, read more and create something or somethings if possible.

A bit long winded.

Self

To get an idea of how fat I am my goal of the end of the year is to reach 200 lbs. In all honestly given my current weigh it shouldn’t be so hard, but I’m aware of my eating habits and usual backslidings.

Learning

I also need to do some actual focusing and properly studying my Japanese. Should have understood Hiragana well by now. So end of the year need to have Hiragana and Katakana under my belt.

Art

And then there’s my artist life...that’s a mess. Quite a few things like I just need to doodle and draw more. Happy to say that is happening. Doing digital doodling and going back to doing palettes. At this point it means concentrating on my work and doing better at learning from tutorials and other things.

Also want to fully and successfully do two art challenges (maybe more, like at least one more). Like for real though fully completed. All days all the images.

I also want to try to complete a full new sketchbook this year. Don’t know if that sounds like much of a goal to others, but I’m slow at drawing and trying to tie off two other sketchbooks, but even then I’ve always wanted to do this.

Then there’s a biggie of the webcomic I’ve been vaguely daydreaming about doing. I did have an idea that I am-was dedicated to doing. I vaguely gave up but not quite obviously or else I wouldn’t have mentioned it. So now I’m at step 0 (?). Need to pick what I’m making-writing. I’m still kind of dedicated to my initial idea but I have been eyeing some of my other (and older) ideas. I have an idea of what I need to get done for this year, which is pretty much prep and by the end of January I need to have a story chosen.

All to do is learn how to art. I struggle with most of everything. Also I forgot how concept art is done so that will be fun as well.

Write

Well just writing more. From the looks of things I’ll be focusing on my fanfiction 🤷🏽‍♀️. Currently scrambling to get things done for Arcane A+ Parenting Week. Which bouncing off of that I also started a seperate Arcane fan fic. Multi chaptered and no idea about where it will stop.

But on top I still have my RWBY and Miraculous Ladybug fan fics. I refuse to give up on my RWBY so I need to get back to it. I’m just two pages away from finishing my second chapter. My Miraculous Ladybug fan fic on the other hand will have to be in stasis. I’m going to be bouncing between the other fics but my Ladybug writing won’t be touched on at all or not alot.

And I’m piling up the writing. Need to stretch and practice so my lovely discord helped to pick out some writing prompts to push my imagination and more importantly see how well I can write.

Now I’ve been told encouraged to work on something else but...

...

I don’t know we’ll see if I have no that.

Relatively Misc.

Just want to cover these and be done. Next is reading. Read more. Need to complete these stacks of manga I have and get onto these comics I’ve been collecting for a while.

also FINISH CROOKED KINGDOM. omg. 2 years. 2 years its so embarrassing that I haven’t finished this book yet. Its not even that I have lost interest in the book or story I just...haven’t been reading anymore..but hopefully soon. Cause like I want to read other novels and I can’t bring myself to move to a new book if I haven’t finished the one before it.

I have a book on doing chainmail and two books on making pixel art and animation. And I just need to do it. Despite having them with me I’ll just see them and then not working them. Even with having these books from a year to 3. Not good. So the goal for the year with these two is to make a thing or two with the books.

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnddd. I’m done. There’s some other things I need to get through with things, but that’s all that’s necessary to ramble about righ tnow.

also updating-making a new pinned project list.

#Pixie Talk #pixietalk

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styleemag · 7 years ago

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1000 years by your art

Viola aka @pitypagn aka @faheej is a 16 year old SHINee lover, currently living and studying in Budapest. Being a prolific and extremely talented young artist, she has something yet to draw and say about her ultimate K-pop favourite - 5HINee.

Tell us, please, about SHINee Fanzine project. How did the idea emerge? Who are the participants? How is the process organized? ^▽^

The fanzine started with a tweet by my friend Gib (Twitter @cat__boy ). He wanted to participate in a SHINee themed zine but there wasn’t any around, so he thought of creating one. (By the way, it would be really nice if more zines and artist collabs were organised in the fandom! We haven’t seen many collaboration zines, mostly individual artists’ artbook and older theme collabs by korean shawols that hasnt happened in a while.) I messaged Gib that i would support the idea and so did his friend Flo (Twitter @omjkt_), and we became an admin team of three. For our theme, we went with something I had in my mind since April; a project that celebrates SHINee’s 10th anniversary by making a collection of fanarts themed around their songs. The name ‘10 years by your side’ is also referring to their song '1000年、ずっとそばにいて・・・’ (1000 Years Always By Your Side).

Gib and Flo organised the technical aspects like choosing a printing shop, looking up printing requirements, shipping options, setting up a Tumblr page with all the necessary information, asking a friend to translate to korean and making the actual application form. It’s a big work and involves a lot of discussion, so I’m glad we could work it out; three is a good number for organising a zine, especially for first-timers like us as we can discuss and ask each other things effectively, split up work, point out things that the others forgot and such.

About the participants; we decided to invite some artists and open applications as well. We came up with a list of about 20 people — mostly SHINee fanartists known in the fandom — who we would like to work with and simply invited them through Twitter. It was a really rewarding part of the organisation process as it got me to talk to some of my mutuals i really look up to but we haven’t talked because of language barriers; someone whose art I really adore actually told me I made their day with the invitation and I found out we’re birthday twins with another artist! Also, good language exercise, hehe. While inviting artists, we also promoted our application page, where we received over 120 replies (which is incredible) and ended up choosing 15 artists from them, making our number 36 with admins.

To distribute the songs, we made a document of the list of songs we wanted to include in the zine (so they make a coherent timeline of SHINee’s music and visual concepts through the years) and sent it to artists so they can sign up to the song(s) they would like to draw, or add others that they had in mind. Currently, everyone is working on their pieces and us admins are in the making of the design of the printed zine. We also have a chat with all artists to get to know each other and share work in progress pictures.

For what’s still to be done; after all the designs and artworks are edited into one, we will start printing and selling towards the end of the year. Until then, we will update our social media (@shineefanzine on Twitter and Tumblr) on how things are going and possibly previews of the artworks!

It seems like you are doodling all the time, cause you often publish works done in notebooks, on working sheets of paper. It creates a unique atmosphere of understatement, so what does it say about you, in your opinion? 6v6

Haha that’s actually not correct! It’s true though that my sketchbook is a checked spiral notebook (that’s probably 10+ years old), so I understand why it seems so! I kind of wish I could draw more in school but it’s simply not the best place for me as I’m occupied with other things, and I like to make more focused drawings lately. Which is also why I haven’t really used that sketchbook (and updated my Instagram where I put traditional sketches) in the latest months. I might get back to it again, as I need to make some studies and I can’t continue my summer break drawing work ethic with finished digital pieces almost every day.

Understatement is a really nice way to put it though, I’m glad it seems so! There are multiple reasons for my sketchbook, one is that I feel too pressured having to draw something nice if it’s on some expensive special paper. Also, it’s easier for me to sense depth, proportions and sizes (aka how close i am to the paper) if it has patterns on it, although when the print ink is too strong, it’s not very good for drawing. The notebook I have has a good paper and lightly printed so it’s nice to draw on. This is the technical part, and what I think this says about me…simplicity? Since I started doing digital, traditional art became secondary for me and that’s great in the quality that it provides me more freedom in it, in some way. That it doesn’t matter if I draw something badly in traditional as it’s not as important to me. This is more of an image I would like if people saw when they looked at my Instagram, that it’s carefree, not looking for perfectionism but has its own beauty in sketchiness and stationary tools. Also that the first and most important thing you need for art is, well, doing art, not professional art supplies.

Be it a pencil sketch, or a digital masterpiece, your artworks are professionally done. Do you have plans to follow an artist’s career? ㅍ_ㅍ

Thank you so much!! I do! Since a little less than a year ago, I decided I don’t want to study anything I’m being taught (mistake of going to a school known for its math) and it would be much nicer to occupy and surround myself with art and artsy people. I am planning to start taking art courses later this year or next year, learn to make a portfolio and look up some art colleges. At this point, I would be the happiest to be an illustrator but animating sounds good too, I will have to see yet where I will go!

What role does fashion play in your life? Do you use it as a tool, an artist’s medium? `ㅂ´

I’m probably not fashionable enough to say that, haha. Or rather I’m not satisfied with my own fashion because I don’t have the wardrobe I would like to have, my own personal issues getting in my way. It interests me though, and I do have the nagging feeling to do better, the room to improve, the inspiration. I like simplicity, gray and dull colors, oversized clothes, simple and clean designs that are great in their quietness. I would like to be like that.

Fashion in my drawings is a bit of a different topic I know, but I would like to mention since even though I’m usually preoccupied with people in my drawings, it can be really meditative and nice sometimes to sit down and compose an outfit and fiddle with details. Also high fashion, it can be quite an inspiration for me.

What thing, or maybe person, impressed you most of all recently? ㅎㅅㅎ

Eastern Europe. It has an exciting aesthetic that isn’t celebrated enough, at least from what I could see. I really love the folk wear, and it feels like home. I would like to make illustrations based around it as well as my own country’s historical fashion, it’s beautiful. The other side is the ~dark~ post socialist aesthetic, big blocks of panel houses made of concrete that don’t age well. It has a grim and heavy feeling but it’s also something uniquely here. I don’t know, maybe only the grim feeling might appear in my art style, maybe I will abandon it for lighter aesthetics but it’s interesting nevertheless.

We are thankful to Viola ( @faheej ) for her fabulous creations and the talk. Design by Anna Maria ( @sh5untik ).

#shinee #stylee #shineefanart #interview #shinee world #shawol #5hinee_너를지켜줄게

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audreygallegoba2b · 6 years ago

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Personal Branding - WIP

For this project, we were asked to have a web-based online portfolio, a CV and a showreel. During these last weeks, I have been working in all of these, starting from my website: https://albamingogallego.wixsite.com/hello

I used Wix as my website building platform cause I felt like it was the one which would help me get that clean look that I was going for much easier.

I actually started working on my website from the very first day that we hat the brief for this project as I was that excited about it. However, even though it went through tons of changes, I didn't keep track of almost anything of it. And, cause this is a website that is in constant evolution, I can't just open an older version and check out how was it looking. So, I will try to go through some of the processes here:

I began with this simple home/title:

I chose a picture from a character design from my first year that I like in look and colour. And decided to use my complete name ‘Alba Mingo Gallego’ rather than any other combination Alba Mingo (most used in Spain), Alba Gallego (plausible here) or Audrey Gallego (kinda artistic name that I started using a few years ago). I thought using my full name would work better in the UK as it would be more memorable/recognisable. Maybe someone wouldn't remember my full name, but they wouldn't forget that it was three non-English words together - idk perhaps?

I was also thinking about a catchy and nice tagline to have. I knew I wanted to mention that I was specialised in 2D as well as something colour related, however, I was also looking for a third thing to add maybe.

Then I kept adding the sections I wanted for my website underneath, all together in one page, as I saw some people used this method before and I liked it. I also added a header that would redirect you faster to the selected section from the very top of the page.

Some inspirations that I had for that idea of having everything together on the same page flowing one thing to the next were websites such as:

http://rafaelpizzo.com

or http://corentin.strikingly.com

I included an About Me just after the title card, then my showreel + a playlist with my most recent work. I also added a header that contained some of my social media links and that later on would include a menu to the different sections.

If I remember correctly, after these sections, I included some digital images in a photo gallery that you could see scrolling side to side. Another one but for traditional work and finalised the strip with a brief representation of my Instagram account at the very end.

I was kind of digging this whole long, and flowy aesthetics, however many things were just not working out for me.

A few weeks later, after tons of little changes almost made daily, I got closer to what it is now and worked much better. I decided to separate the main sections and also worked out better the style of website that I wanted to have. I liked the cleanness of the constant white background that allows the work to pop up by itself. And so I had this sections in my header to go to:

Home

ALBA MINGO GALLEGO

Colour enthusiast. 2D Animator.

Image of an old character design

Reel & Film

Showreel and a playlist of all my audiovisual work altogether

recent projects section

three recent projects explained briefly with links to pages dedicated to them

Gallery

Digital work (mostly related to animation projects rather than illustrations and such)

Traditional art (actual drawings etc)

About

photo of moi

a small bio that was still a work in progress

an also work in progress CV - just some skills and education for now

Contact

the city where I am based

social media links

contact form

Then the CV went out of the About page to have its own page. Also, I made a PDF version of it, which I am quite proud of for now - I will talk about it more in depth later.

I was every day coming back to my website and seeing that some things were not quite right just yet, and I could not work out what it was... until I did! I came across this website while doing my daily research: http://alimacdoodle.com and really liked the menu that she used. All words with four letters. The clicked something in my brain and led me to almost the final look of my website - for now anyway.

I ditched my ‘home’ page as it was a bit useless. It was only giving the first impression and showing my name. However, my name was already on the header, and after that first impression, you were forced to go somewhere else as there was nothing to see there. Before entirely ditching it, I tried to add my Tumblr account at the bottom, but I did not like it after a few days of considering it. So I got rid of that.

I changed the name of the page were my reel was for ‘reel’ and later for just ‘work’ because of not only my showreel but my whole animation work was going to be in here. I figured out that cause I already had some hidden pages dedicated to some projects, in particular, I thought it would be a good idea to actually separate them all. I put the showreel at the top of the page and then the eight videos that I wanted to show. When you clicked on them, they would open on expand, while having on the left a bit of info about them. However, I had these three extra pages for those three more significant projects in particular. So, after working it out for a few days, I actually created a page for each one of the videos/projects that I wanted to show and linked each video to those. During my first tutorial with Mhairi, a classmate pointed out that it would be more fitting those links to be images rather than a video, cause when you clicked on them, they would not open a video on expanding anymore but a whole new page. And so I changed that too, which also got me working for a few days on a nicer cover for all of my videos. I updated them both on Vimeo and on my new website.

For my gallery, I decided to get rid of the digital bit as it was mainly style frames, character sheets, etc. for the projects that were on my work page. I put those images in the pages about their projects making them a bit more enjoyable too. And so only this page only my traditional work and life drawing were left, Mhairi helped me decided how to call it which ended up being ‘sketchbook’. This longer word broke the idea that the previously mentioned website inspired me of having this short words in the header. However, I do like the name for that section, and so I went for it anyways.

For my About and Contact page, I actually put them together as ‘Meet’, following the short-words idea. I put it so that if you click on it, you will go to my About Me page, but if you just hover, you would also get the choices: contact and CV. During one of the tutorials, it was also suggested to me to put the CV somewhere else, so I later on decided to include it at the end of my Bio text. We also discussed whether the contact page was too hidden there. However, the header that appears in every page contains both my email and my social media, so it should not be really a problem to find my contact even if someone is in a rush. I also added a Contact button along to the CV one after my bio.

My bio took weeks to write as I tried different approaches and saw what people thought about each one of them. I asked a few lecturers and got great feedback from them. In the end, my about me says:

Hello there! I'm a Norwich-based animation student.I'm currently in my second year of Animation at the Norwich University of the Arts, specialising in 2D Animation. I have always been a visual and crafty person. Since an early age, I have had a passion for the arts and I have been working for them to become my professional career. As they say, 'find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life’ Before Animation, I studied Fine Arts for a couple of years while participating in a sculpture studio in the evenings. I was able to do some commission work that gave me some early experience in working with clients. I love learning about other cultures and exploring the world. I come from Zaragoza, Spain, where I did my Spanish Baccalaureate in Artsbefore coming to the UK.

Which I think that summarises well the topics I wanted to mention, gives a warm and somehow interesting feeling and does not feel like a cv 2.0.

I also decided to keep the photo I included there after checking on many people that it was ok and didn’t bring out weird reactions. People agreed on it being a professional photo, and so it was fitting.

The contact page stayed pretty much the same. While the CV got a complete change of style. I did my cv both on the website and in a downloadable PDF.

I included the same info in the same order. I will soon have to update the Ponyo project, both here and everywhere else on my website. Mhairi liked the layout and overall look of it. The only things that pointed out were that: in the printed cv, the first things that she would look at would be the software that I know and use; and something that would make her go ‘uuuhhh’ would be the languages. So she suggested me to put these two on top of the education even, rather than at the very end of the page however that might mess up the layout. I understood what she meant, but for now, I prefer it as it is. Another thing that she mentioned was the cv on the website was only black and white + some light grey. She suggested me to add some hits of colour or small drawings that connect it better with me and my work.

Then, I came back to my ‘work’ page and removed my showreel from there, I did a home page again and put it there along with my name again. I thought about the layout and colours of this front page for a long time and arrived at this last final version were my name is all in one line, the tagline is now ‘- 2D Animator & Colour Enthusiast -’ and the showreel is in the middle and does not open in expand neither plays automatically.

As you can see, I also designed a nicer cover for my reel and actually updated it and changed it once more so that I am happy with it now:

vimeo

I got rid of some bits that were bothering me since Christmas and went straight to the point. Now I am really proud of it!

For my home page, I had this idea of having a darker background rather than a white one cause I wanted to keep that clean and minimalistic look while not making it look too empty or boring. I choose specifically something dark so that it acts kind of like a cinema, the colours would pop up better against a black rather than a white background too. Though, I avoided using pure black.

What Mhari had to say about these decisions were that she liked it but that she had some prejudices about the colour choice particularly. She told me that not choosing a pure black is a good choice but that the grey that I went for looked out of a template and not like if I did all the mental process of deciding it etc. She suggested two ways of fixing these issues: to use this grey somewhere else on the website so that it would look more consistent and as a conscious choice. Or the one that she really encouraged me to do: to change the grey for a lighter one so that it would look less trendy and more like a personal and original choice. I personally thought about the first choice, and I still do. As for the second one... I chicken out cause I am scared to use an ugly grey tbh.

Now, the only thing it is left mentioning is the blog. I decided to include a blog on my website halfway through the making of my website, and since then everyone has been continuously asking me ‘are you sure about that????’. I decided to have a blog on my site because:

I think it’s a way of getting to know me better - pop in a post and read a couple of paragraphs

It is a good practice for me to keep up to date with exciting topics about the animation industry, and it prepares me for future conversations where I can bring them out

It shows some consistency as well as activity on my website

And some other reasons - such as having the perfect excuse to go to film premieres more often

In a nutshell, I think a blog is fitting for me - cause as you can see I don't really mind typing and typing if I have to - and has some potential. The only downside is that if for some reason I stop being consistent and publishing there it would give an awful image, in which case I would hide that page until it is alive again.

I worked in my blogs for a few weeks now, and I wanted to do something else with it, and so I came up with this:

I decided to write every Saturday - or every two Saturday when very busy - and add an illustration of mine using iconography related to the subject and using the same four colours over and over for it. For now, I am digging the looks of it, and I have been able to keep up with it, so I am really excited and proud of it.

But yeah, I hope this can kind of make it up to not having posted more regularly all my progress etc. I tried to cover every relevant change that I made, but I am sure there were more than I could have mentioned if I did my daily blogs on this project too etc. This last term I had a really hard time organizing my work, my life and my mind. But I tried to do my best in every project, so I hope that can save me just for this time!

#personal branding

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juliamulders · 8 years ago

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Week Four.

Mind-mapping mode. Even after the the work I did on the weekend, I was still unsure of how I would tackle the FMP and how my project would develop. I thought I had mind-mapped enough, but I realised through creating more mind-maps, it raised new questions and ideas which helped bring all the ‘loose-ends’ in my mind together. Above are examples from my sketchbook.

I thought if I clarified the spatial requirements necessary for the space to develop, it would help me move in the right direction. Communal, waiting, treatment and dispensary were the primary spaces I highlighted in feasibility. I looked back at these and went into more detail for each. The communal space would need to incorporate a classroom/workshop area, an area where cooking demonstrations can take place and have sufficient storage facilities. The waiting space would need extensive seating space but also a play area for young children (this was highlighted as a requirement by the nurse I interviewed in the December holiday). I have decided to join the treatment and dispensary spaces as I feel this would be more practical. This area would need storage facilities too. Water is a pivotal element of the project and would need to be accessed easily. The provision of a toilet facility is also necessary, although I need to further research into what kind of facility would be appropriate in such an environment (At the moment I am thinking a ‘blair latrine’ system would work best).

To help raise money for our final year shows, as a class we came up with an event called ‘hot sauce’. The first event will be hosted at a local bar/club called The Winchester on the 9th of February (well done to the marketing team for your hard work in making the posters & tickets!). We arranged ourselves into several teams in order for everyone to be part of the fundraising process but also to spread out the work load. I volunteered to be a member of the ‘decor’ team. We have had a few meetings over the last 2 weeks to discuss our ideas and plans for how we will decorate The Winchester, how we will get the class involved, and how to make a statement without spending any money! On Tuesday we had another ‘decor’ workshop where we used the chillies that were cut and painted last session to make bunting for the stall that will be selling tickets for the event on Thursday! Here are some photos:

For the stall, I thought it would be a good idea to have strings of real chilli peppers (this being our main inspiration for colour & ‘vibe’) hanging in front of the table. I made them using a needle and string, tying knots along the way to keep them in place:

Mid-week, our ‘creative conscience’ group had a tutorial with another tutor. It was challenging having to summarize our project & explain it to someone who had never heard our projects before, but it was a good exercise! I gave a brief description of my project, pointed out my primary aims, explained what research I had done and what I had learnt from it. I then went on to say that I was ‘stuck’ and didn’t know how to move forward. The main reason for being ‘stuck’ was because I couldn’t decide whether or not my spatial design should be temporary or permanent. I had spent so much time debating which direction to choose as both seemed to have the same amount of pro’s and cons. After much discussion with both tutor and classmates around the table, this feedback was noted:

Remember the materials you want to use (if using local materials is one of your aims, then go with it!)

Make sure not to to the service wrong by ‘designing’ the space.

How will they implement the learnt skills afterwards?

How many communities will this facility serve?

Permanent seems the way to go - you have a good enough argument & have primary research to back this up (ownership, hygiene, privacy)

You want to change people’s mindset - this could change lives.

Alongside the professional studies unit, I have been thinking about how I can upgrade my CV (both physical and digital versions). At the moment I am thinking of having a CV (sketched above) that can be sent via e-mail, and the same layout be folded and posted. I would like all this ‘professional’ material to have a consistent style.

A birds-eye-view sketch of a rural Zambian village.

Back to FMP! After much discussion and deliberation, I have made some decisions (wow, finally!). I am going to design a permanent space, as I had originally planned, as opposed to a temporary facility. My reasons for doing so are as follows:

Upgrading existing - I would like to design a space that I can propose as an improvement on existing healthcare facilities in the region; something that works more efficiently and that is sustainable in the long term. A permanent facility makes this uncomplicated.

Multipurpose - the space would be available to NGO’s who want to give talks, classes, demonstrations, provide clinic sessions, etc. with weekly/monthly flexibility.

‘Seeing is believing’ - the Zambian culture in these rural areas tend not to volunteer their time, money & effort into projects that they feel will not benefit themselves and their communities for a long period of time. To ‘foresee’ an end result would offer them an incentive to get involved (promoting the ‘grass-roots’ principle). They will be more inclined to help with a project they can foresee using extensively.

Ownership - elaborating on the previous point, culturally, it is important to ‘own’ things, it indicates wealth and status. I believe that this pride will positively effect the running and maintenance of the facility.

Privacy - Nurse Hopeful (who I interviewed during the December holiday) highlighted that women are hesitant to speak about their concerns with medical staff mostly because of the lack of private spaces to voice these concerns. She highly advised the incorporation of private spaces for this (an example: to discuss family planning).

Hygiene - currently, most clinics in these areas are held out in the open, patients sitting on the ground, dust blowing with the wind. A permanent & solid structure would eliminate this problem and make for a more comfortable ‘visit’.

Now it’s time to start making models of proposed layouts, research locality and materials, research into traditional techniques with a modern approach (find case studies to prove this), research into construction, usability & cost and find a way to effectively communicate my idea (with a convincing USP?). Let’s do this thing!

(Oh, and it’s now 10 weeks until Creative Conscience competition deadline!)

I have also been working on updating my website. I was quite happy with how my website looked before, so haven’t made many changes, but improvements were necessary. Below, I have indicated examples of what each of my pages looked like before and after. Some of the main adjustments I have made include to the logo, font, general layout of the navigation bar, the home page & the layout of my work (from a slideshow setting to ‘lightbox’). Next, I need to carefully consider the descriptions of each project, improving on the older version of my website.

Over the weekend, I took a bit of a break from University work and worked on a small residential project for a friend. He is currently in the process of planning a bungalow for himself in the north of Mauritius. He has been allocated a space with which he can build a 15m x 10m house. After some discussion about his requirements I began sketching out spatial bubble diagrams. I then came up with a very simple zonal plan to give him an idea of how I think the space would be used best according to his needs.

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monalisaliveshere · 5 years ago

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“Drawing depends upon two faculties – understanding and taste; skill being the result of practice or experience. It is of the utmost consequence that the first faculty should be developed in harmony with the second.” – Walter Smith

Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870

This May we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts Drawing Act. On May 16, 1870 legislators in Massachusetts signed into law “An Act Relating to Free Instruction in Drawing”, also know as Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870.

The Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870 is regarded as a benchmark in the history of American education. With ratification of this legislation, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate drawing education in its public schools, thus placing drawing alongside eight other subjects required in Massachusetts public schools during the late-nineteenth century. These subjects were orthography (the study of spelling and word structure), reading, writing, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, the history of the United States, and good behavior.* (Richardson & Sanger, 1860, p.215)

Drawing Act 150 Celebration

The Representative’s Conference Room at the MA State House

In my position as Advocacy Liaison for the Massachusetts Art Education Association, I was invited to a meeting at the Massachusetts State House on February 13 to discuss a possible statewide celebration for the anniversary of the Drawing Act. State Representative Mary Keefe (Worcester) and Massachusetts College of Art Chief of Staff, Susana Segat, worked together with their staff to pull together a group of collaborators from various arts affiliates to be known as The Drawing Act Coalition*. Together we developed a celebration called Drawing Act 150, to be celebrated at the State House in May*. All of the information can be found here:

A PDF of this flyer can be found here: Drawing Act 150 call for art 2020

Please note: Keeping in mind that schools have recently been closed throughout Massachusetts until at least April 7, our plans for the Drawing Act 150 celebration may change. I will update this post when that happens.

MAEA Drawing At School 1870-2020 Exhibit

In conjunction with the State House observation and celebration of the anniversary of the Drawing Act, the Massachusetts Art Education Association is hosting an exhibit at the State Transportation Building in Boston at the end of April. All details and registration for this exhibit can be found here:

Note: Again, should exhibit plans be altered by current school closings, I will update the information.

Walter Smith, Art Master

In order to facilitate implementation of programming for the then new Drawing Act, Massachusetts hired Walter Smith of England to serve as the State Director of Art Education. Smith was also named General Supervisor of Drawing in the Boston Public Schools. The first order of business was for Smith to develop a program of study in drawing and to create resources for classroom teachers to use as they instructed students in drawing.

“What we are trying to do in our lessons is to make the children know how to draw, not how to make drawings, and I hope you see the distinction. And the great reason for them to draw is, that the process of drawing make ignorance visible; it is a criticism made by ourselves on our perceptions, and give physical evidence that we either think rightly or wrongly, or even do not think at all.”* – Walter Smith

Walter Smith authored several books about drawing instruction, and over the past few months, I have acquired a few of them through eBay and abebooks. I am especially pleased to have acquired an original 1872 edition of The Teachers’ Companion to the American Drawing-Slates and Cards by Smith.

Original 1872 edition

To add to the excitement, the book is inscribed by J.W.C. Gilman to Lucas Baker on November 17, 1872.

It also includes these notes on the otherwise blank first page of the text:

And there are margin sketches throughout the book presumably made by Lucas Baker. I love that!

Margin sketches presumably by Lucas Baker

I was able to find the book through the digitizing of library books by Google. I downloaded the book, cleaned up the digitizing by discarding sloppy scans, added a copy of the cover, and uploaded it to my drive. you can see the book and download it in its entirety here.

In researching J.W.C Gilman, I learned that he is a co-author of Manual of Freehand Penmanship published in 1877. I was also able to find this book through the digitizing of library books by Google. You can see and download the book in its entirety here.

Drawing Cards

I have an especially keen interest in the Drawing Cards (see more about the Drawing Cards below). I am curious how my fifth and sixth grade students would respond to learning to draw this way. With that in mind, I isolated the Drawing Card images throughout the book and compiled them in a new document to share with my students. The collection of Drawing Cards can be found here.

Drawing card

As the Drawing Act was instrumental in establishing art education in public schools, it is understood that teachers of the lower grades taught all subjects, spending the full day with their students. Therefore, whether or not the teachers possessed an ability of their own, they had to learn how to draw well enough to demonstrate for their students.

Teachers carefully made the drawings on a blackboard, and students imitated them using chalk on slates. Walter Smith’s recommendation was for drawing instruction four times per week of a half an hour each or six of twenty minutes each for children under 10 years of age. Older students could have longer, less frequent lessons.

From The Teachers’ Companion to the American Drawing-Slates and Cards

Drawing Slates 2020

Because I now have the document containing all of Walter Smith’s Drawing Slates from The Teachers’ Companion to the American Drawing-Slates and Cards, I will be sharing it with my students through Google Classroom. Imagine how Walter Smith would react to that! I am going to encourage my students to follow the sequence of the cards and to draw in their handmade sketchbooks using pencil. I am excited to hear how they respond to the challenge and to see their drawings. here are some more of the Drawing Card images:

A selection of the Drawing Cards

Passion Project

When I first heard about a celebration of the Drawing Act, I was immediately interested. It wasn’t until I started researching the act and those who implemented instruction that I realized I had included a paragraph about the Drawing Act in my Master’s thesis back in 2002! No wonder it was so familiar to me!

Master of Education in Art Thesis

For the past few months I have been busy searching out resources and reading the books I’ve acquired. This has become a bit of a passion project for me. Along with the digital books with links included in this post, I have physical copies of a few others:

At this point in the process I am ready to attempt the drawings along with my students. I am looking forward to starting my own sketchbook of drawings and promise to share as I go. I’ll be posting on social media with the hashtag #DrawingAct150 Please join me!

* Notes courtesy of Billy Claire

*The Drawing Act Coalition affiliates include Massachusetts House of Representatives, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MA Department of Higher Education, Mass Creative, Mass Cultural Council, Massachusetts Art Education Association

*See notes above about possible changes due to state mandated school closings

Drawing Act 150: Let’s Celebrate "Drawing depends upon two faculties - understanding and taste; skill being the result of practice or experience.

#arted #ArtEducation #DrawingAct150 #DrawingCards #drawinginstruction #PassionProject #WalterSmith

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language576-blog · 6 years ago

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How to draw a face

New Post has been published on https://languageguideto.com/awesome/how-to-draw-a-face/

How to draw a face

Knowing how to draw a face and head accurately and realistically is key to developing effective characters. When it comes to drawing heads , nothing is set in stone; different characters have vastly different features. However, a basic understanding of how to draw and a anchor in head anatomy will enable you to experiment confidently, and these skills will certainly improve your drawings.

On this page I’ll depict you how to draw a face, moving from initial drawings to using references, and sharing my personal techniques. Once you& apos; ve mastered that, flip to page two to learn how to further your abilities. I’ll offer some advice on how to draw a face with personality and how to show different expressions. Right, grab a sketchbook or your Cintiq and let’s get cracking!

Click on the icon at the top-right of the image to enlarge it.

01. Start with two circles

Two circles form the basis of the head

I start off by depict two overlapping circles. Where they intersect is the eye level. From there, set a centre line down the two circles. This devotes the basis of the human head.

02. Add construction lines

Use the guidelines to position the features

Draw two lines somewhat in from either side of your circles. These will indicate where the forehead and cheekbones sit. From the centre intersection, place a triangle for the nose and mark out where you want the mouth to go. Then add two triangles for the eyes- these will also help you situate the eyebrows and eye sockets.

03. Explore different proportions

Different sized circles will create different effects

You can experiment with different sized circles to give different head dimensions. The more squashed the circles, the wider and heavy the face, while the more elongated the circles, the longer the head shape.

04. Line up the features

Imagine the features are wrap around a cylinder

Always remember that the eyes , nose and mouth disease are on the same aircraft on the face, otherwise things start to go a bit lopsided and weird! Imagine the facial features are wrap around a cylinder, so they have a natural curve.

Position the top of the eyebrow and bottom of the snout so that they’re lined up with the height of the ear. This helps the face seem more natural; dedicating it a flow, and stopping it from feeling flat.

05. Start with the eyes

A light source assists eyes appear more alive

Your character’s eyes are crucial to conveying the right emotion. Try to keep them focused and tell a story with them. Give the top eye a thicker line to indicate a shadow from the eyelid, and add a light source to give them life. Longer and thicker eyelashes create a more feminine look.

06. Add in the snout

The tip of the snout is roughly diamond shaped

Noses can be pretty difficult to get right. I initially create a triangle with a diamond shape for the tip-off of the nose. From there I draw nostrils, remembering to add line weight and darknes to the bottom of the nose. I keep the details light, adding only what’s needed.

07. Try different lip shapes

Look at your own mouth to explore different lip shapes

I keep a little sketchbook to practise different lip shapes. Study films and TV programmes to see how actors exaggerate their mouths. Experiment and explore different mouth shapes. Try to convey’ oh ‘,’ ah’ and’ esss ‘: this will help when you want figures to look like they’re having a conversation.

08. Consider differences between male and female faces

Male faces tend to be more angular- although this isn’t a hard and fast rule

The male face is a harder, angular shape. The female face is softer and rounder in general. For women, try to depict fuller lips, larger eyes and rounder cheeks. These are not hard and fast rules, though- just a guide.

09. Finish with some hair

Remember, the hair is bigger than the scalp

When drawing a character’s hair, I first make the basic hair shape , noting that the hair is bigger than the scalp. I then add direction to the hair, recollecting to draw strokes from the crown of the head. To dedicate hair a more natural appearance, I introduce a sense of weight to the bottom of the shape. Trying drawing the hair shape with a thicker outline and thinner internal lines. This gives it direction.

Next page: more advanced techniques for drawing a face

10. Exaggerate feelings

Make your characters over-act

Once you’ve got the basics it’s time to have some fun with your figures! As a general rule, try to stimulate the character over-act, to really convey the emotion in your describe. I usually start with a super-quick gesture drawing to capture the feeling I’m after. Look in the mirror and exaggerate your facial features. Try to put feeling into the drawing.

11. Use photo references

Try out different expressions in a mirror

When drawing characters, try to get into their mindset: how they’re impression and where they’re coming from emotionally. Then act out the expression, utilizing a mirror or photo reference to capture the feeling. Always try to get that perfect snapshot moment, and make it look as dynamic as possible.

12. Add pleats

Remember to consider the character’s age when adding facial lines

Adding facial lines to characters can emphasise an expression, but it’s important to bear in mind the age of the person. The more character lines and emotion lines you illustrate on a face, the older a character will seem. Men usually have harsher lines and females have fewer. Younger characters will have also have fewer lines around the eyes, forehead and mouth disease. This is a good excuse to put together a reference library of faces young and old.

13. Make subtle tweaks

A creased eyebrow can instantly make a character look anxious

Sometimes, though, subtlety is required. A slightly raised eyebrow or grin can be very effective. Adding only a touch of emotion or quirkiness to the character can induce them feel natural and lifelike.

14. Try new facial expressions

Push the boundaries with your characters’ expressions

Grab every opportunity to experiment with the expressions. Try to push what you’re used to drawing, and look at yourself in the mirror to see how the face can move. Try and be whacky with the differences between facial expressions, but be careful not to hold your breath for too long!

15. Explore feature close-ups

You don’t need to show the whole face to convey emotion

Both the eyes and mouth are expressive. A powerful technique when describing a comic page is to use a close-up of one of them. Consider illustrating an open mouth, snarling teeth or stern lips. Utilizing only one area of the face will really push you to convey the emotion and sell the drawing.

16. Remember body language

It can help to draw outside the panel

While drawing heads you also have to think of the figure’s body language, which will show in the close-up. A tilt of the head or shrug of the shoulders can emphasise an feeling. I depict beyond the panel to check that the body language is working and is anatomically correct. Remember to have fun and try using new things!

This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world& apos; s best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 160 or subscribe.

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