#try and ID which of these are traditional and which are digital and to what degree lol

[coolertheworm]

save me mean girls

[newvegascowboy]

Thank you all so much for the kind words! I appreciate it a lot!

july 5th, 2021 vs july 24th, 2023

bit of an Artist Evolution, but also character evolution. two years of drawing Red! the roots are the same, even if the details have changed.

2 years ago, i was extremely new to digital art and was kind of fumbling my way through photoshop, trying to figure things out as i went. that didnt exactly change, i just got a lot better at fumbling.

then i lost photoshop, had a meltdown, and got CSP. lather, rinse, repeat.

im getting more comfortable working outside my comfort zone. or i guess, expanding that comfort zone. there's still a lot i dont like about my art - and a lot i feel i need to improve on, but i think im getting there, however slowly. im learning and figuring things out, though that never really stops. i look forward to seeing where im at in another two years.

thanks yall for sticking around!

[astradyke]

Phil Lester, the romantic you are. (or, some of my favorite "Phil loving Dan" moments in the last few years ft. actual timestamps, since i'm not artsy enough for web-weaves yet)

❧ "Thanks Dan-" "Thank you... for tolerating my presence." "-for treating us with your presence." (What Dan and Phil Text Each Other 2, 20:50)

❧ The cooing at Dan's outfit at The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences Award event, including putting a hand over his heart. (ROASTING DAN'S 'FASHION', 11:11)

❧ The edited segment at the end of this video in which Phil does an additional promotion of Dan's book; "I've just seen how happy he's been since he's found all this stuff out..." (I TRY TO GIVE DAN A HAIRCUT!!, 19:10)

❧ "Oh look, we're together!" (Dan and Phil Chained Together, 12:40) -- volume warning for this one.

❧ Every time during this video in which Phil expresses excitement that his character is with Dan's again, or stress that him and Dan will be separated (Dan and Phil are Getting Divorced - It Takes Two #1, non-exhaustive list of timestamps 17:50, 22:20)

❧ “Here’s where that’s fine. I would shape-shift into you, you would shape-shift into me… no, we know each other so well, it wouldn’t be that different." (Phil Pushes Dan's Button for 18 Minutes, 10:47)

"op you forgot-" a lot of these are just recent clips i've mentioned in the past since i was asked to give time-stamps, but please add more in notes! i know most folks know these but in case anyone doesn't :3 (honorary mention both mukbangs & every baking video)

BONUS: my personal "roman empire", AKA a selection of pictures Phil's taken of Dan that I think are particularly loud -- warning in advance these do not have IDs but when i get a chance i can add them into an RB! all under cut <3

EXTRA BONUS: i made a post compiling some of my favorite pictures of Phil wearing the "We're All Doomed" merch hat because this is something i think about a lot too. these have IDs! my actual post isn't important i just didn't want to recopy over the pictures.

phil lester loving via photography in a very non-exhaustive list because it's not like this has been his birthday tradition or anything... i hate romance. <3

[flowercrowncrip]

Your art is really pretty! May I ask what kind of set-up you use since you mentioned painting with your mouth?

Thank you!

My set up for traditional watercolours is the most complex. I can only do it on my specialist seat because it has such a good tray. It takes some trial and error to get everything in the right place around the paper so that I can reach it as comfortably as possible. I use ramekins for paint water because they’re shallow enough for the angle to be easier when cleaning brushes.

I also usually try to be less tilted back than in this photo because the paint can run while tilted back but I think I was having issues with my chest harness when this was taken. Unfortunately the angle can be quite painful for my neck and back even with a harness, and I need help to change brushes.

ID echo sat in a specialist tilt in space chair painting using a mouth stick. The art paper is surrounded by paints, a small ceramic mixing palette and green painty water. /end ID.

Digital art on a tablet is a much easier set up for me – I just prop my iPad up on a height adjustable desk using either a stand or a recipe book holder, have the stylus in my mouth stick and I’m ready to go

ID: a photo from behind showing Echo painting on a tablet propped up on a height adjustable desk. /end ID

When I’m in bed I’ve started to use a stand like this one which works okay but needs to be tightened regularly:

ID: a product photo showing a tablet stand which has a heavy flat base on the floor and an adjustable arm which holds the tablet over a bed /end ID.

[cider-est]

ALL OF MY UNFINISHED DOODLES FROM PURGATORY (digital edition because I have a lot more traditionally)

Starting off strong is this Thumbnail of the Soulfire leaders that I never finished!! The original one is a lot sketchier than this, but I cleaned it so you could actually tell what was going on

Next is my first drafts for Badboy Halo, because I had never drawn him before. Wanted for him to look "shadowy", creepy and demon-like! A lot of the art I made is design work for my soulfire designs (you can see them here)

This one was, again figuring out character designs (but not purgatory themed). From left to right, Tina, Tubbo, Bagi, Baghera and Fit. Baghera is my favourite out of these <3

This one is Niki, Lenay and Pierre, characters that I hadnt drawn before also (I had a lot of fun with qNiki)

You can see here that my initial concept for Soulfire wwas having matching jumpsuits! I was also debating Niki's colours and having fun with Bad's demon form (dont mind the random ppl on the left)

Last design is here with Lenay, adorning the Iconic soulfire bomber jacket, and me trying and failing to figure out clothes for bbh </3

Last but not least we have this MASSIVE soulfire ilustration that I wwas drawing since the FIRST SOULFIRE STREAM. I was having trouble because I was originally going to do only the members who logged in, but then Mariana logged in which really put a spanner in the works. This ilustration was based around the idea of the blue team encapsulating what SoulFire meant. The people who worked around the farming being the team's SOUL while the fighters who wwere out for blood being the FIRE. Im thinking of maybe revisiting this piece and finishing it, really all Id do is balance out the colouring, shade and highlight it and write Soul Fire on it. (Also make the lineart blue, why tf did I make it red😭😭😭)

+Bonus pose that was going to be Roier I think? (or Etoiles. maybe all of ggninjas) and a Pac doodle that I just thought was really cute

Anyways thanks for bearing with me and my yapping. If you'd like to see the traditional doodles let me know!!!

@ultra-raging-ghost @thesmpisonfire this ones for you💪💪

[sandyspaghettibag]

just had a realization after spending the first three days of this week absolutely inseparable from my phone: the vast majority of humans - at least in america - spend a HUGE amount of their waking lives looking at screens unless they're driving, which is really one of the only remaining scenarios where it's still unacceptable to whip out a phone and get digitally immersed in whatever you want.

this counts for work and school too; jobs you wouldn't expect to be handled electronically still require their workers to be on the computer for an overwhelming chunk of the day, and all but ONE of my college books this semester are ebooks (which have given me and every other student in one of my classes an aneurysm trying to redeem our $200 codes. like why is the digital version as expensive as the physical copy too, idek what to think about all that)

like, we really are addicted to screens as a society, and even if you try and be the annoying friend who leaves their phone at home and tries to live in the real world, it's too late because phones at the very least are required now; it's like leaving the house without your ID at this point. You literally need to have it. Just last year I went to a restaurant (which was vvvvv good tbh) that didn't give out menus, making you scan a qr code to get the digital menu instead. Convenient I guess, but god forbid someone doesn't have a phone (or data for that matter), is that when you bring out the old paper menu? Why not just stick to that, even if just to be traditional in the midst of the world's collective digitalization?

pls don't try and make this some kind of discourse if it's a controversial thing to say btw, I'm as guilty as anyone else, probably spent 24 hours of this week already just staring at my phone (which is INSANE when you actually think about it). Even at social gatherings, I can't help but whip out twitter and just scroll through the dopamine when things get just a little boring… so what's the point in even going if it's just having a different location where I'm on my phone. I won't even talk about how our BRAINS practically require screens now as well, like there is no reason I should have such a constant desire to be on it when I'm at my favorite restaurant or the beach or whatever. I think we as humans need to be forced to socialize offline again, and if that makes me have to swap my phone out for a flip phone and an ipod nano for music, I can live with that

[fungal-wasted]

as someone with visual processing issues, i really appreciate your descriptions when my brain isnt cooperating <3 i was wondering if you had any tips on creating ids? it sounds like a fun skill to learn and also very useful!!

Hi! Thank you for reaching out! I will try to give some help. I personally do have low vision and rely on screenreaders sparingly, though I've started using them on mobile more often.

First I'm gonna give you some general advice that could apply to most descriptions, and then focus some more on content commonly shared in the Hollow Knight fandom.

General Concepts

"ID" stands for Image descriptions, and they exist to make content available to those that cannot perceive visual content properly for different reasons. Usually, these descriptions can be found in two places, right below an image in plain text, or in the "alt text", which is a feature that allows you to describe visual content in a way that's available to the screenreaders, but where the wall of text doesn't obstruct the rest of the post. In my personal opinion. it is generally preferable to put it below the image, just so people without screenreaders can still benefit from it, but there is nothing wrong with leaving more detailed descriptions in alt text.

My personal advice for you to start a description is to ask yourself:

What do I see at first glance?

What is the purpose of the image? / What do I think the purpose is?

What information do I need to state so the image achieves this purpose?

Let's talk a little more about this, using fanart, with the consent of @silkysong

What do I see at first glance?

When you look at an image, there are certain things that stand out at first glance. Our brains tend to process things as a whole, we see certain objects in the middle, and how they interact, then we can note some specific features of an image, then we can focus on the context, the background of an image or the colors used. Basically, we must try to describe things as we see them

An easy list that can help you decide what to say first:

What kind of image is it? Digital fanart, traditional fanart, an edit (image created pasting assets made by others together), a photo, a screenshot, etc.

What is the main object seen? Or what are the main characters seen? If it belongs to a specific franchise, name it here.*

Where is it? (Short answer: like a location name, a plain background.)

How do the objects or characters interact? Describe actions like: "the Knight swings its nail towards Hornet."

Is the appearance of the object or character different? How?

What is the background like? What is the lighting?

(*) While everything else can be optional, if you're low on spoons this can be a quick description that lets others know what the image is about.

But what defines what info needs to be there?

Time for question 2 and 3!

What is the purpose of the image? /What do I think the purpose is?

Ok, so, why am I sharing this image? Or why do I think the original poster shared it?

If it's a meme, then focus on what elements are needed to tell the joke, if it's an edit, then focus on what makes it different. And if it's fanart: what things would you like people to notice about it? A specific artstyle, the poses in a scene, the colors it uses, a new design, you decide.

As you can see, this is what can make descriptions so different. If you're the person who made the image you know best how much you want to focus on details. In other words, if a detail will have a meaning or an impact to the viewer, then try to describe it.

What information do I need to state so the image achieves this purpose?

Let's look at an example:

The image descriptiion is: "[Start ID: A drawing of the Broken Vessel and the Radiance from Hollow Knight over a white background. The broken vessel stands looking to the front, one of its eyes is black, while the other, next to where its mask is cracked, is bright orange. The end of its cloak twist and are colored orange as well. A tiny version of the Radiance seems to be sitting on its head, where its mask is shattered and full of infection. /End ID.]

First sentences gives us:

Medium (what kind of image?)

Characters (main objects)

Franchise (context for said objects)

A quick description of the background. (where are the objects?)

If for any reason you're not interested in any of those elements, you can already skim past it or press skip in a screenreader.

The next sentences describe what pose the broken vessel has and any relevant details of their pose and their cloak. Then we describe where the Radiance is and what she's doing. This lets us know what the drawing is trying to focus on. If we had a background, that would be the next element to describe.

Finally, we see the "/End ID." which helps people using screenreaders know when the image description ends and any other caption you add starts.

EXTRA NOTES, Hollow Knight edition:

Describing canon characters in detail is optional. It can be useful if you want your art to be enjoyed by people not familiar with Hollow Knight, but it is not necessary. Original characters do need a better description, however, since people aren't familiar with them. If you think it's relevant for you, add any style choice that differs from the canon designs, such as adding limbs on Hornet, among others.

If you do not have the energy to describe much you can say things such as:

-An anthropomorphic [insert a bug]

-A fictional creature with [base features such as scales, wings, legs or any other recognizable elements]

-An insect-like character with a white, horned shell and a dark cloak (to refer to vessels).

[gomzdrawfr]

Hi Gomz! Been so inspired by your art, I'm considering picking up digital drawing again haha. What device and app do you use? What would you recommend if I wanna restart drawing? Would be great if you can answer with doodles :D thanks!

Hello Cumi! Thank you very much for this ask, to think I can inspire other people with my doodles means a lot to me <;3 ((def not cryin rn))

In this ask response, I'll include some links that you can check out for the appropriate stuff! I hope you can understand some things by the end of it :D

Disclaimer: im no professional, so most of this is just based on my experience!!

Okie dokie first off:

What device and app do I use?

I draw using a drawing pad, the Deco Mini7 on my laptop, and I use Krita to draw :3

Krita is free to use! You can download it here, or if you can afford it, clip studio paint is definitely a popular choice out there, some people use adobe too!

I will say it may seem complicated at first BUT it is relatively easy to learn once you get the hang of it, there have a full tutorial on their website with videos included if you wanna know more! digital art apps usually works the same way, once you get the fundamentals you can draw on any app tbh

Or if you do want to start using Krita, then you can send me another ask in the future and I'll share you my tips and tricks (which are honestly pretty scuff HAHA))

Other recommendation if you want to draw on phone/tablet/ipad!

2. I know you didnt ask this, but I wanted to share my experience starting out with digital painting/using the drawing pad for the first time

the thing about digital painting is that there's a lot of features here and they serve to make the process easier, but it can be quite overwhelming when you start off! examples are layers

drawing pad also means getting used to not looking at the pad and the screen at the same time + getting used to the pen, I had a hard time with it but the more I use it, the more i got used to it :D

funnily enough, I actually gotten this drawing pad bcuz I started using lecture notes online through pdf and such xD

3. What would you recommend if I want to restart drawing?

Not really sure what you mean about restarting, but Im assuming like finding a new artstyle or trying out different art medium is it? (like from traditional pencil doodle to stylus pen) but if you mean literally restarting then uhhhh XD I guess you gotto start drawing then haha?

I think my motto when it comes to drawing is that no matter what it is, just do it

"its gonna look bad" its okay bcuz at least I drew it, yk? xD the thing with art is the more you draw, the more you're familiar with it, the less intimidating it will become(tho it can still be scary, but hey! baby steps right?)

perhaps what I would recommend is testing out all kinds of artstyle, ask yourself:

what am I going to draw? ex: I wanna do self potraits! I wanna do silly doodles of my favourite characters!

what style do I wanna do? ex: Chibi, non-chibi, landscapes

Sometimes, you won't know those answers to those questions until later on, which is exciting dont you think? one day I said "im gonna draw Ghost in full gears" then the next I decided "actually nah screw that im gonna make Ghost cute" -w-

didchu know my first few digital doodles were done on OneNote? haha yes! and on my lecture notes nonetheless pfttt (this was around october 2022)

When in doubt, always ALWAYS start small and simple. Draw a circle, draw a blob, anything! Make it manageable :D

You can, of course, challenge yourself and go big! the most important key is you're drawing for yourself :3 and you should do something you're happy with!

well, sometimes there are moments where you wont like what you draw or artblock, when it comes to those time Id recommend taking a break xD

Finding your artstyle is an ever growing journey, I would suggest looking through websites like Artstation or Pinterest and collecting artstyle that you like! then learn from it, replicate it, trace it(AS LONG AS YOU DONT CLAIM IT AS YOUR OWN AND YOU DO IT FOR PRACTICE PURPOSES!!!) and study it :3

like heck I just found a new artstyle yesterday literally HAHA so you know, enjoy the fun!

4. Other helpful links and video for starting out digital painting:

Marc Brunet, has a ton of tutorials that are useful! my fav one being this one about face drawing and cell shading

Bluebiscuits, very cute artstyle and the videos are always soothing and calming to watch! they did this video about finding your artstyle which I highly recommend! their face drawing tutorial is also really good :3

I also watch tppo occasionally, his video focuses more on how he study other people's artstyle and then implementing it on his own! If you like art studies you can give it a go, like this one!

practice, practice and practice! things like art takes a while to master and get happy with :) like i said, keep trying and dont forget, all of this is for fun!

have a good day! feel free to ask me anytime if you want if you want some clarification <3

[kitoral]

Your original illustrations are really fantastic. I dig the colors and the anime girls. I feel like I resonate with them well, so I am curious about what creatively influences you. Like... Why do you color as you do? Why are your illustrations of anime girls? What do you think of when illustrating? Are there artists, pieces of media, or events in your life that inspire your stylings? Sorry if that seems like a lot or if I'm being intrusive! I just really want to know why your art is the way it is, but I feel that if I ask that so simply, I may not receive an answer with nuance, which is what I'm hoping for.

no worries about being intrusive, if anything, i appreciate the ask!

there's no clear-cut answer for a lot of these, but i'll try to articulate as much as much as possible. i started drawing from a very young age (~5 or so), and my preference was always cartoons/games/anime. i always enjoyed heavy stylization - not that i disliked realism, it just felt as if i had already seen so much of it before? and this isn't to discredit such works, just that they werent something i personally gravitated towards.

as i got older, i realized i wanted to pursue my goal of becoming an artist. things started to change when i entered college, though. it's a choice i dont regret, but i often felt a bit lost in comparison to my peers - because i didnt really draw [or study/learn] the way they did. i still struggle with insecurities regarding technical skill or talent because of this - and i actually stopped drawing for a year or so after i graduated. i kept thinking "its just another anime style anyways." (which is discrediting in and of itself, as all art has value regardless of how subjective it may be).

basically, i did a lot of soul searching - and the reasons i wanted to draw started to resurface. i loved drawing incredibly cute, yet somewhat outlandish looking characters. of course there's a sense of nostalgia with this, but i always preferred the art used for older anime (90s and early-mid 2000s specifically). i'm also really into hobbyani, which is basically hobby/kids media (precure, duel masters, beyblade, etc). i love the sense of experimentation that comes from designers who intentionally market stuff to a broader audience within restrictions, if that makes sense? it just seems to resonate with me.

i'm also heavily into old tech/computer graphics. a big example of this is the old (and still running!) chat program known as worldsplayer. i discovered it about a decade ago, and while a lot of people found it ominous or strange, it felt... comfortable to me. reminded me a lot of the stuff i used to play as a kid, but beyond that, a sense of style/texture i wanted to replicate in my artwork.

(as a sidenote: i actually run a sideblog dedicated to old chatroom media called digitalspacetraveler!)

as for specific inspirations/artists? i love the traditional sketchiness of van gogh, rembrandt, etc. a lot of classical painters during the renaissance era + beyond come to mind. for more modern artists, id say yoshitoshi abe, shigenobu matsumoto (duel masters mangaka), yoshihiko umakoshi (doremi, heartcatch precure, casshern sins), hajime ueda, and a plethora of artists on tumblr/pixiv/twitter.

basically, i love the idea of combining ridiculous amounts of texture with otherwise cutesy and/or 'smooth' styles, such as those found in anime/manga. the end goal is pretty different from the initial sketch, but that's what makes it fun to me. mimicking traditional mediums while also incorporating digital processing, overlays, and filters!

[youjustwaitsunshine]

tagged by @hurricanewindattack, tysm!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Not in a direct way, i think my mom heard my name in some french arthouse film and thought it was neat

2. When was the last time you cried?

i think last time was when i was rereading this is how you lose the time war. gets me every time.

3. Do you have kids?

nope. kids are great but i have no desire to put any into this world myself

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I used to, but ive kinda progressed to making bad puns for now (shamefully have to admit that i still revert back to the bitchy sarcasm of my bitchy teenage years when i fight with my mom)

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

Right now I'm not doing much but i love some rock climbing and would love to do pole dancing. I did 10 years of ballet class which i sucked at but at least im still quite flexible so it's nice for climbing, and i have like a tutor certificate for volleyball

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Haircut and voice/other sound volume (do they walk quietly, put things down noisily etc etc)

7. What's your eye colour?

greyish blue

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Not scary movies necessarily but i like a good ambiguous ending.

9. Any special talents?

I can pull off wearing some really terrible garish clothes? oh also i intimidate gross men on public transport enough that my friends feel safe around me and im rarely nervous about being on the train alone at any time

10. Where were you born?

Germany!

11. What are your hobbies?

dabbling in any creative thing i can get my hands on (sculpting, etching, lino, painting/drawing both digital and traditional with paint and ink and marker any anything in between, general crafting, bookbinding, writing if the mood strikes, sewing,-) (might try glass blowing over the summer), some mechanic work (my boyfriends grandpa has this 1950s classic car we want to restore as a long term project), hiking with my friends, just generally hanging out with my friends watching movies and all that, dabbling in analog photography

12. Do you have any pets?

Not where I live right now but our cat willie still lives at my moms place

13. How tall are you?

1.77m (is that 5'9? 5'8?)

14. Favourite subject?

Well, at school probably art or this one elective we had that was like. geometry? but the fun kind where you construct bodies and ellipses.

15. Dream job?

since I am studying restoration/conservation something in that direction! we all know it's not gonna bring in big money in any position, if you're self employed or work for someone else but i think I'd like to be in a museum or big library with manuscripts. Ideally id like to win the lottery and only do restoration work if i feel like it and chill in a small house thats fully paid off but hehe. fun dream.

idk who to tag but if you want to do it and aren't tagged, go ahead and say i tagged you!

[miikpal]

I love seeing more of your traditional work!!! luv ur digital art too, but ur traditional stuff has such nice texture and bite to it. it's got a different flavor to it, it's neat to see :]

just curious, but besides the obvious, do you approach your traditional process differently to digital work? is there anything you prefer doing traditionally vs digitally, or vice versa?

aw thank you! happy to hear so, its been nice to get back into traditional again. knowing theres a different flavor to it thats fun to see for others is a relief too HAHA

to answer your question - yes and no lol. theres definitely aspects of my process that remain somewhat similiar (i like to work on one layer digitally if i can) but the biggest difference are the limitations that come with the traditional one. i dont have all that many materials on me! so it forces me to work with limited palettes etc. my biggest concern is usually settling on, depending on the materials, how to make the illustration pop with just 3-5 colors and ink. also, and i know its something a lot of ppl dont like, but i love how traditional forces you to roll with mistakes. i fuck up a lot lol but making it work in the end is part of the fun, plus it adds character!

overall i prefer digital for full complex illustrations, especially with a background or where id play with perspective. theres a lot of tools that can help streamline the process there. having a full spectrum of colors to work with is nice too

i LOOOOVE lining and inking traditionally. its so fun. its where my art started and i love coming back to that!!! i can never get the same type of lines digitally no matter what i try, which made me gravitate towards digital painting instead

theres times where i combine the two processes too :] traditional x digital combo artworks are also really fun

[rhooboob]

Hii I just found your blog & OMG you are so insanely talented (mitski-inspired Hyunjin bday one was AMAZING). I also am trying to become a better artist, & i've only ever sketched on paper but i would like to digitalize. What app do you use for your art? And do you have any tips? Thank you so much!

<3 Vaish

hi!! thank you so much, i really love the hyunjin one too :)) i use procreate! i think it’s pretty beginner friendly, it’s the first app i used when i started drawing digitally and i’ve used it ever since! id definitely recommend watching some beginner tutorials to procreate as all the different functions and effects can be a little confusing at first. also i’d recommend watching speedpaints and tutorials of artists you like and then trying out some of the techniques they use. i found that really helpful in making the transition from traditional to digital art and also in finding a style that i enjoy.

(also if you were curious, i use the gesinski ink brush which is a default brush that comes with procreate, and i use it for pretty much everything, sketching, colouring, rendering etc)

[ickypatchi]

Hello my beautiful sonnshine!! 🔆🔆 I'd love to know what have been your favourite mediums to work in lately and why! Are there any of your recent works you've been especially proud of? What was your process when making them??

HI!! <3

i would definitely say sumi ink has been the most used in my traditional work lately! i love the smell... the thickness and the way it absorbs into different types of paper in different ways! An ink i never used much beforehand but now its the only ink i want to use. I also tend to use pretty lightweight uncoated papers. Usually no more than 65-70lb weight.

and id say the most recent stuff i am proud of would include all of my recent 3D works!! There's a couple I haven't been able to fully share yet, but once i can i will be gushing abt them all daaaay. My process for 3D stuff isn't as fun to explain as traditional works but i will try my best!

all my 3D work basically involve 2D traditional concepting for a bit, then digital transfer, mockup & finalized design in Sai. and then i move into Blender to start either low-poly blocking the forms to sculpt ( this was my old method which is a little more time consuming and has more issues) or straight up going in with high-poly mesh and manipulating it to match the reference and then sculpting ontop! (im still learning this workflow w my most recent piece) I have a few process videos to edit of my sculpting work eventually.. so it'll make more sense then >_<

i luv u sm xzoni and i appreciate u sending this!!!

[animaginaryartblog]

[Image ID: A digital drawing of two human characters, standing on sandy ground. Behind them, distant acacia trees are silhouetted against the setting sun.

Standing closest to the camera is a young black woman. She is wearing a dark red halter top with a white collar and hem. Her pants have a yellow and orange geometric pattern, and each pant leg splits into two pieces below her waist, hanging loosely around her legs. She has cool, dark brown skin, warm brown eyes, blue-black hair, and a short, muscular build; her upper body is especially buff. She stands with one hand on her hip, the other hanging loosely at her side, as she looks directly into the camera with a confident smirk.

The woman's blue-black hair is barely shoulder-length and carefully styled, with three corn rows braided on the left side of her head. She wears rounded glasses with gold rims; a matching gold cross earring hangs from her right ear. A bead necklace hangs loosely around her neck; from it dangles a white and red beaded cross. Matching colorful beaded bracelets are on both her wrists. On her feet she wears white sandals with beaded patterns.

Behind the woman, a masked figure is crouched as if they have just landed - knees bent, one fist on the ground and the other hand raised as if preparing for a strike. Yellow bat wings arch from the figure's back, and matching ears angle back from their head. The figure wears green and black combat boots; the rest of their clothes are loose, flowing, and dark, hiding the details of their form. Red plaid lines the ends of their pant legs and sleeves, and the same pattern flows from shoulder to shoulder, covering their shirt collar. A matching red plaid cloth is tied around their head. A black mask covers their face, painted with a stylized fanged mouth, bat-like nose, and white eyes. The figure's shadow extends before them, stretching towards the camera. /end ID]

Also on my DeviantArt

yes I'm still at it with this "challenge" that should have ended three months ago. at this point it's just an excuse/motivation to make some new covers for all my Spotify playlists, ha.

anyway! this is Emily Wig, protagonist of my WIP novel Wings of the Dusk, and her superhero alter ego, Bat-Ear. yes they are the same person. Emily takes great care to make her two identities very distinct so as to keep anyone from guessing who's really behind the mask. part of this charade is that Emily relentlessly roasts "Bat-Ear"'s sense of fashion, while Bat-Ear claims to have no idea who this "Emily" person even is. she has fun. more on the drawing below.

this drawing took way longer than I wanted it to, partly due to "oof ouch humans hard to draw" and partly due to "oof ouch clothing and jewelry hard to draw". I'm not sure what the proper term for her hairstyle is (I tried my best with the image ID okay), but it's based off this (I found the image from some article online and took the time to find the actual original source. be proud of me.) Emily's cross necklace is modeled after one I have, albeit with different beads. Her pants are also modeled off some I have that are very flowy and fun. They also have different colors and a more complex pattern but I wasn't about to try and replicate that.

Bat-Ear's sweatshirt is a similar story; I partly based it off a sweatshirt I have that is also patterned around the collar and I did legitimately consider making a Procreate pattern brush to replicate it... but this was already taking me way too long and at that point I just wanted to be done with it, so I just used a plaid pattern brush I found online. another thing for Emily to roast her local superhero for- that, and the very dramatically painted hockey mask.

I considered giving Bat-Ear some sort of actual traditional mask from Kenya (which is where she's from and where she lives), but discovered that a) Kenya doesn't really have a lot of traditional animal masks? and b) most traditional African masks are associated with spiritual stuff and I didn't really want to get into that. so I just went for a general "ooh scary bat" sort of look. something a teenager would paint on a hockey mask to look intimidating. the claws are fake, by the way. probably stole some of her sister's fake nails.

fun fact: Emily's ears and wings are based off of the yellow-winged bat, because I already had reference images saved in my folder and figured it would look cool.

[aestheticvoyage2023]

Day 25: Wednesday January 25, 2023 - “Portland Day”

Took some time away from the conference today to be sure to experience some of my old local favorites in Portland.  

At Powell’s City of Books I ventured the aisles and the different colored rooms to find a big haul of self help, fiction, parenting, memoirs, and baby books.  It was an accomplished grin when my total came out to triple digits.  Good haul.  I spent some time in there at a coffee shop catching up on my homework and enjoying an awesome cinnamon bun.  Why would I have thought to catch up on work anywhere but here?  I first came to this massive book store in 2010, before the Photo Blog even existed and got an old worn out, now cherished copy of On The Road and every time Ive come back, its never disappointed.  Could I have gotten these books on Amazon and not had to lug them all back to the Pueblo?  Sure!  But the connection to a place, a place like this, is worth the effort.  “I got this one at Powell’s in Portland - ever heard of it?”  It was neat too, later in the day, Id get an honorary addition with the UofIdaho team got me a special copy of Hemingway with a nice note in it to add to the pile.  After my heart!

For lunch, I walked the streets to find the oldest establishment in the place.  I think it was a recommendation from River Horse and Heat Moon the first time Audrie and I came here the day after thanksgiving that year, to get their everyday service of the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.  Though I had to go back to work for one more meeting, I splurged and got the Spanish Coffee which the bar keep expertly sprung together, well practiced many times for just this moment, when he poured the coffee into my small glass as the alcohol burned.  What a treat.   A Portland special.  I suppose I wasn’t as dry as I wanted to be on this trip - but I give myself grace and begin again tomorrow.

Finally, I had to find me a smoker’s lounge here for a smoke I could enjoy since they’ve been so hard to come by with the upticked pace of parenthood these last few months.  I sat in a comfy sofa with two other Tucsonians telling good stories about whats brought us here to the Great Pacific Northwest and I appreciated the opportunity for low pressure socializing.  It was a great Brazilian smoke and a great atmosphere and I told the young man Id be back (next time im in PDX).  He was happy to have me.

Finished the night at authentic Italian restaurant with the whole Symp team including our CEO where we enjoyed good wine, some shop talk, and great food as we shut the place down and said good bye to each other until next year, when we return, and no doubt I’ll have a day that looks almost exactly like this one...because as I get older and I come back around to cities that I have loved, I am more interested in enjoying those favorites than trying something new.

Song: Luke Combs - Days Like These

Quote:  “It's none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.” ― Ernest Hemingway

[sillyrodimus]

INTRODUCTION POST BECAUSE I NEVER DID ONE!!!

HELLO! HI! HEY!! MY NAME IS TONY

(if someone is using something else then its MORE-THAN-LIKEY just a nickname. OR SOMEONE TRYING TO BE A CERTAIN WORD THAT RHYMES WITH "itch!")

I AM A MINOR

that means that, HEY, if youre an NSFW account: its gonna be REAL creepy and/or awkward if you interact,, but, like, its the internet so its not the end of the world.

HE/HIM FELLOW HERE!

if you use the wrong pronouns im just gonna block you.

NO FREAKY BEHAVIOR HERE

gonna be honest, i do NOT care about what trauma a proshipper has. thats between them and their therapist.

there is ZERO circumstance where im jolly with being around a proshipper, or whatever. (the definition for "proshipper" that im using, though it may be incorrect, is: someone who "ships" illegal romantic relationships, such as a minor with an adult, family members together [which is incest], and anything of similarity.)

other than that, alongside the basic dni stuff (transphobes, homophobes, racists, etc.), i dont really care.

ANYWAY HI HERES A SMALL, COMPACT ABOUT ME:

my favorite colors are PURPLE and RED, and basking sharks are AWESOME!!

some games i think are AWESOME is gonna have to be: ultrakill, cry of fear, team fortress 2

im mainly a digital artist (though i do love painting and other traditional art mediums!!) but i sometimes do other stuff like: music, craft stuff (is kandi included in this?), and id like to get into sculpting one day.

i absolutely LOVE EveryManHYBRID and Transformers!!!! those are the main 2 things. the rest are an "occasionally" type of interest. emh is currently above transformers, though.

some smaller hobbies (other than art, etc.) are: collecting figures (AHHHGHH I LOVE REORGANIZING AND REORGANIZING AND SO ON AND SO ON!!), reading, writing, rating numbers (i absolutely DESPISE the numbers 2 and 4), and probably some other stuff im forgetting.

THATS ALL!!!