#time to never draw a portrait again oTL

[popinade]

You are challenged by Champion — !

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Seven: A Portrait ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

It’s been three weeks, and he hasn’t seen hide or hair of her. And he’s not going to text her, if only because he refuses to fall to his brother’s meddling.

Three weeks since he and Itachi wandered into that art exhibition. Three weeks since Sasuke saw the street portrait of himself she’d drawn while he’d been at his usual coffee shop haunt. Three weeks since Itachi bought it and not so subtly encouraged them to exchange numbers.

And now he can’t help but be disappointed that she’s not here. And it’s all Itachi’s fault! Sure, he’d been curious before, but actually meeting her and seeing that stupid portrait (it wasn’t stupid, he’s just peeved) made it almost unbearable.

She’s yet to come back...at least, not while he’s there. Every weekend he’s popped by for a few hours, hoping for some reason to run into her while he’s there. But every weekend, he’s ended up disappointed.

Then he starts wondering if she’s avoiding it because the whole thing embarrassed her. Not that he’d blame her: Itachi made a whole spectacle out of it! Leave it to Itachi to turn something so mundane into a scene.

Thumb scrolling back and forth over his contacts screen, he watches her name go up and down, up and down. He doesn’t want to text her. He doesn’t want Itachi to win. It just seems so...ridiculous. The circumstance aren’t foretelling. They’re not some romance movie cliche. The only reason he’s considering it is due to his brother’s interference.

And it’s driving him nuts!

Powering off his phone, he scowls and takes up his laptop. She’s still not here. He’s wasted enough time as it is - time to actually be productive this weekend.

He goes home and busies himself with random take-home work from the office. Nothing exciting, but it needs to be done. And the mindless task keeps his brain on one track.

At least...until he’s done.

Lounging atop his couch that evening, he slings an arm up over his eyes with a sigh. He doesn’t know this girl. Know anything about her. The only thing connecting them in any way is the drawing she did. Nothing else.

So why can’t he stop letting his mind wander to her?

She’s cute. He’ll admit that much. Short, with a rounded face and fuller build than most girls he’s even been thrown in with. And her occupation is unique. He’s never actually really known any artists, unless you count his brother...but he’s into music, not drawing.

The next day after work, he goes to the building that had held the art open house. To his disappointment, it’s closed...and the previous galleries cleared out. Of course it wouldn’t last this long, but...he just thought...maybe…

She’s a street artist, he reminds himself. She wanders and finds whatever looks viable to draw. He can’t begin to know what draws her eyes - and he won’t pretend to. So, Sasuke really has no idea where to even begin to look.

So, he just...starts wandering.

The Spring day is drawing to a close - his work day runs until five, and he spent far too long trying to gather clues from the gallery host.  He’s got maybe half an hour of daylight left. The odds of finding her are low.

It’s well after dark by the time he gives up.

Heading into a fast food joint (it’s the only thing left open after eight), he gets something basic to shove down his throat. Not the best dinner, but it’s too late to cook, and his mood’s been soured anyway.

Digging out his phone, he idles over what to do with it. Send Itachi a grumpy text, send Naruto a grumpy text...send Hinata a casual hello…

No!

But...why no? He can’t really kid himself at this point. He’s too curious. Too invested.  This has got to stop somehow. Opening the message window, thumbs fidget over the keys hesitantly as he chews on his straw.

“...Sasuke?”

Eyes go wide, taking a sip of soda by accident in an attempt to gasp...and quickly choking.

Are you kidding?!

Flinching as she holds her to-go bag, Hinata tries not to stare as Sasuke attempts to regain his composure. “Are...are you okay?”

“Fine...I’m fine. Just…” He can’t explain. Probably doesn’t have to. “What, uh...what are you doing here?”

“Picking up something fast and c-cheap. I was out all day sketching in the park, so...no time to make dinner.”

“Oh, uh...same. About the dinner thing. Was, uh...busy.”

She perks a brow at him. “...I see.”

Awkward silence.

“So, uh...get anything good?” he dares to ask, still clearing his throat a bit from the sting of soda in his windpipe.

“I did!” Glancing to her bag, she pauses a moment before asking, “You...want to see?”

“Sure.”

Sliding into the booth opposite him, she sets aside her food and digs out a sketchbook. “Most of this was just landscape scribbles...I’ve been n-needing to practice them. But I got a pretty good portrait, too…”

Delicate fingers flip through the pages, briefly displaying the more messy sketches before opening up to the page she’s seeking.

It’s an old woman in the strangest looking coat he’s ever seen: a myriad of pockets and buttons and a frill of what looks like feathers around the collar…? She’s sitting on a park bench, feeding a rather large flock of pigeons.

“What do you think?”

Studying it a bit longer, Sasuke opens his mouth, pauses...and then says, “She...kinda looks like a pigeon herself.”

“That’s what I thought!”

The blurted reply draws eyes, and they both go pink. Sheepish, Hinata ducks her head. “I just, y’know...the feathers, and -”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. She really -”

“Looks like one of them, doesn’t she?” Hinata giggles. “It was just too perfect! I had to get a sketch in. No idea if I’ll be able to finish it...I’ll have to see if she comes back. And hopefully wearing that coat.”

Staring at it again, Sasuke can’t help a soft snort. “You find the most interesting people to draw, don’t you?”

“I do.” There’s a small, cheeky smile. “Guess your b-brother thinks so too, huh?”

At that, he goes pink. “...I’m sorry about all that, by the way -”

“Oh, it wasn’t anything bad! Just...a little embarrassing. I’ve never actually sold anything before, so...his interest and his generosity made it quite the first experience.”

“You haven’t…? But your art’s amazing!”

She gives a modest duck of her chin. “...thank you.”

“I mean, I dunno anything about art, but...I really liked what I saw. And I guess Itachi did, too. He’s got an eye for talent. If he liked your stuff, that’s a good sign, believe me.”

That seems to perk her up.

“Anyway, uh…” Sasuke rubs a hand at his neck. “...I haven’t seen you around the coffee shop.”

“Oh...yeah, I’ve been trying to find new locations to draw. I go there a lot, actually.”

“You do?”

“Mhm! Guess we just...never crossed paths until I drew you.”

“That’s weird...cuz I’m a regular. I practically live there on the weekends.”

“Guess we just had to find the right time!”

“...yeah, guess so.”

“...a-anyway, I...better get home.”

“Yeah, me too. Thanks for showing me your drawings.”

“Sure! And, um…” She goes pink. “If...if you ever want me to draw you again, just ask! It...was a lot of fun. And you make a great model.”

“...I do?”

“Y...yeah! You have a very interesting profile. And expressions. But...maybe that was because you didn’t know I was drawing you.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, probably. Uh...sure, if you want me to.”

“Okay! I’ll text you when I’ve got a free weekend.”

“Sounds good.”

Not wanting to walk with her after saying goodbye, Sasuke lingers as she takes her leave. Well, looks like he’ll be her subject again...but he wonders if he’ll be as appealing if he knows she’s doing it. Only one way to know, he supposes.

Glancing to his phone, he considers telling his brother, but...decides against it. He’ll probably want to buy that one, too. Once was enough...though Hinata could probably use the money.

...maybe later, then.

     Exhausted, long day, this'll be brief OTL      Sequel-ish to day eighty-five. Not...that great cuz I couldn't write until VERY late, and my eyes are killing me @~@ I'm getting old. Sorry if this is a little lackluster. Tomorrow, I hope, won't be as busy, and I can write something better~      But, either way, thanks for reading!

[4nimenut]

do you have any tips on compositions? your compositions in your pieces are so good!!!

Anonymously or not, ask me something you’ve always wondered.

thank you for the ask! (/ω＼) i’m flattered omg thank you ;v; !

i actually answered a similar question here can you believe it’s been two years already LOL but because it’s been a long time, i’ll try to answer this ask a little differently! also because i took a second look at how i answered two years ago and i… honestly was questioning myself afterwards LOL

and honestly i didnt exactly stick to whatever i preached HAHA sweATS

i’m not the best at explaining things but i’ll do my best!

this is my own personal method of how i usually do things so you don’t exactly have to follow this word for word! it’s really just an explanation of how i see things www….ヾ(・∀・；)

generally none of my methods when planning for a composition hasn’t exactly changed much from what i mentioned two years ago, but i think i’ve learnt a thing or two as well over the years; i hope it shows in my recent art as compared to older art! ;w;

to start the ball rolling, we could start on arrangement! ;0

here’s a visual representation of the differences between the visual space of a landscape and portrait orientation (・ω < )-☆

i,,, usually go for a landscape orientation for the expansive feeling,, there’s also more room for feels to penetrate the visual space,,, or at least that’s my excuse anyway LOL

a landscape orientation emphasises greatly on a horizontal line of action in your works as well, and if you want to think deeper about it, a horizontal line could generally mean stability, a balance of sorts, peace and harmony, even? you could usually use it to express a sense of tranquility, wideness, etc..  

in a sense, there’s no alteration of gravity, everyone’s sitting / standing up straight, etc… 

as shown below there’s some ways you could create a horizontal line of action…. actually does this even make sense OTL it’s really there just to show the general flow of things

tl;dr i usually use a landscape orientation + horizontal line of action as my starting base whenever i want to create something with feels (∩´∀｀)∩ imagine the amount of expansiveness your feels can tap upon and make your heart ache more ASDFGDFGH

here we can compare the effects of a landscape and portrait orientation (though it might not be a fair comparison LOL)

as you can see, while the portrait orientation does provide a sense of closeness between both of them, the landscape orientation creates a greater sense of openness and greater balance… or is it just me LOL as compared to the tightness in the portrait version. it works too but i would prefer zooming them out even more to provide a greater sense of openness,,, or perhaps this is more of personal preferences hnngh //w//

usually i’d use a portrait orientation + a vertical line of action to show tension! because of the greater constraint in space as compared to a landscape orientation, you’d tend to feel a greater sense of entrapment, and that’s usually what i hope to tap upon when i want to create intense situations ;w; 

or otherwise i just use portrait orientations for zine pieces because i’m too tired to do a spread page so i just try to come up with something LOL

but wait! sometimes when you stick to just a horizontal / vertical arrangement of things in general it can get… very boring because of how strictly horizontal / vertical it is LOL ;;;;SWEATS 

so here’s my favourite part of this entire post (LOL); the diagonal line of actiooooonnnnn∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

compared to a horizontal line where equilibrium is largely established, a diagonal line expresses a sense of unstability, and the need for movement — in otherwords more dynamic! 

tilting your points of view can also provide you with interesting compositions as well because it doesn’t follow the dead equilibrium norm that horizontal / vertical lines usually set and creates a greater sense of action going on in the picture *w*

psst also, when you take on a more diagonal approach, you can fit in more things in the background LOL since usually a diagonal approach takes up the diagonal length of your canvas, leaving more room for… more dynamic stuff AAAAAAAA—

sooo here we can take a look at what usually happens when you tilt your things LOL

taking on a horizontal approach, this halloween skk piece becomes full blown complete angst instead of being simply lowkey angst in the original post why did i not do that when i was working on it LOL while the more diagonal orientation makes everything look as though there’s something more to it instead of simply dynamic movement — it’s as though there’s this force driving a story — or maybe it’s just me overexplaining things.

also i totally didn’t do it to aggravate the height differences between the both of them. nope. not at all.

to put it in a quick summary:

horizontal approach is usually for the harmony / feels / angst / kill me pls

portrait approach is usually for tension

diagonal approach is usually for more dynamic / action / it usually draws more attention towards the piece

or usually i really just yolo and whack and hope it gives people feels

i believe there’s some examples from two years ago about how detailed i can get when coming up with the composition of a piece, but i’ll briefly touch on it again, and with more detail —

when it comes to what to include in your background and how to eventually draw out your piece, you might want to try consider the following:

what kind of setting do you want it to be? and in turn, atmosphere?

what kind of ideas / central theme(s) do you want your piece to reflect?

is your piece inspired by a certain object / item / concept?

for example, in my PM Week Day 1 submission where the theme i chose was Then and Now, i thought that if i was going to do something about soukoku, then i wanted to create a sense of nostalgia, especially the ridiculous banter that they shared four years ago, and are still sharing right now in the canon timeline. the world that they live in remained relatively unchanged, so i settled for the Yokohama cityscape.

the direct reflection of both of them on the wet surface of the floor reflects how both of them are still the same even after four years, even though Dazai may have switched sides. i chose to keep ADA obscured from view instead of PM Dazai because the idea of Dazai back then has already come to pass and set into stone, and is something that will never change, but the current Dazai may have changed, and that’s why i thought it might be better to leave it to the viewer’s inference on the extent of Dazai’s change, physically and emotionally. he might be showing more emotion on his face right now, but we won’t know because it’s hidden from view, but it’s up to you to determine if he really has changed,,, wink,,,

… or so goes my thought processes about this piece, anyway, ww..

usually when it comes to drawing fanart based on fanfics which i do like 99% of the time, i like to consider any other possible objects involved in that one particular scene / just the overall fic in general and try to make a reference to them somehow in the fanart, and determine the mood from there.

for example, in my Muse (chapter 21) fanart where Akira finally kisses Yusuke in the jellyfish tank, i imagined that one moment to be a rather magical moment, especially since the story is told from Yusuke’s point of view, who views the world in a slightly different manner than the rest, hence i was aiming for the magical, ethereal feeling through the jellyfish; as though they’re wisps of spirits circling around the both of them ;w; the fanart is actually viewed from the inside of the jellyfish tank, but because i chose not to make the distinction of the glass / hard plastic surface of the tank, it feels as though the jellyfish that glows in different colours are actually in the scene with them and lighting everything up ///w///

… or that’s how i hope it goes anyway LOL i feel like i’m just rambling about my own artistic thoughts HAHA.

though, these thinking processes mainly come from my own experience from having taken literature and having to analyse things and stuff, so i hope this entire post provides some insight on how i usually put together my compositions and the like ^q^!!

again, you don’t have to take this word for word, but i hope it’s able to provide you with a better insight on how i do my art—! ;w;

and remember to have fun!! (*´ω｀*)

[elisexjapan]

30 may 2013

Okay so today I went and bought a Yukata!

Let's take it from the beginning. I am teaching part time some times english to japanese 12-year-olds. I got that job through a very very nice woman called Mikami. I usually go to her house which is not so far from mine (just one station away) and teach some of the local kids english. They're a loooot better than you could imagine, they impress me everytime they understand something that grown-up japanese people don't know yet! Just wow, hopefully japanese people will be better at english in the future.

So, usually I teach some middle school kids, and well along that way, Mikami-san and I became quite good friends. The classes are at her house, and her house is huge (in japanese standards). Plus, I found out today that she has TWO houses. Well, because her man's mother moved out of it. But still they own two houses right now. woah. Right beside each other, too. Wow. And they own a BMW. Wow. Either way, yeah, so we talk about a lot of stuff, japan and sweden and so on. She also knows really good english and we try to like practice her english and stuff, as well as I get to practice my japanese. It's just really awesome and nice, and it feels like I got the nice host-family mother that I never got.

There's one girl called Yume who apparently became a huge fan of me, hihi. I had a lesson with her once and I helped her mostly with listening (me reading phrases, she chose the right alternative). Now this time Mikami-san told me that she apparently became a huge fan of me last time cause she thought I was pretty and stuff .////. awww. So we're going to have a Tanabata-day at the 7th july! We're all gonna wear yukatas, and she wants me to draw something for her. Mikami-san told her that I draw manga, and then she requested that I draw her playing the piano. I told them that I'm planning on learning the piano when I'm home again, and she wants to play the piano for me. So, she's going to play me the piano, I will draw her playing the piano, and all on Tanabata-theme. Yay!!

Either way, back to the ACTUAL story here. 

She is also a tea ceremony teacher for foreign students and beginners in japanese. We talked a lot about that and I told her that I have a tea ceremony set home in sweden (that I got last time I was in japan), and bla bla. And she said she'll show me how to do tea ceremony sometime again soon, I'm so looking forward to that!

So up came the topic of kimono and yukata, and I did buy a Yukata the last time I was in Japan but I didn't get to choose either the pattern or the obi... I just kinda got it. I was really thankful at that time, but in fact I haven't used it once since the last time i was in Japan. Why? Because it's really not so pretty. A purple yukata with a brown obi? Just no... I wasn't as happy about it as I should have been.

So me and Mikami decided to go to a Kimono shop that she knows that convinently had a sale today. Yeays!

And I bought myself a nice black Yukata as I've always wanted, with purple stylish flowers, and everything that belongs to it. Yes, can you BELIEVE that they had a Kimono in MY SIZE? I am 173cm tall and overweight (quite severely). And they had one in perfectly my size, nice! Also bought getas (shoes), tabis (socks) and a matching bag. The total price? 12 000 yen. Yes you read that right. FUCKING 12000 YEN FOR a Yukata, shoes, socks, bag,  two straps and a hair accessory. If that isn't cheap then I don't know what is! I had taken out 30 000 yen and thought it might even take more than that but no! Fuck yeah! Dai manzoku!

Mikami-san bought me a set of nice towels too, eheh <3 Thank you! She later also gave me an obi, a nice red one, that can go well with my yukata. <3 Yay!

Then we drove home to her where we sat in her tatami room, and  found out for the first time that they own fucking two houses, and she treated me to nice japanese green tea (normal, not macha) and some Pudding with lemon-flavour which was delicious. Shit, I really tried to keep track of all the greetings and thank-yous that you're supposed to say when you're visiting a japanese person's home, and I sure hope I did get them right... At least I didn't have a jacket to take off before entering the home and stuff, ahh. So many rules. Oh well, it really doesn't seem like I did some huge mistake at least.

Then we talked about everything between heaven and hell, like politics (now that was funny trying to talk in japanese about politics OTL) as well as raising kids (which I have SOO much experience in...) and I told her the truths about our tax system, doctors and elder care in Sweden, many times glorified and falsely portraited outside of sweden.

It was really nice, it felt so japanese, and we decided on a date to have tea ceremony as well as some few more teaching jobs, yay! She keeps telling me to contact her when I come to visit Japan the next time, aww. She keeps hinting at me to come and work in Japan too, haha. We'll see about that....

Either way it was a very fulfilling day, and I will show you pictures of the Yukata when I have put it all on at some point!! <3

[itsvae10]

OMGGGG THEY LOOK AWESOMEEEE

You are challenged by Champion — !