#used my wacom and tablet for the first time in weeks

[uzlolzu]

Hi uzlolzu! Your art is so unique and captivating you've been my favourite artist since I was a teenager! I've recently graduated uni now and have done some freelance jobs here and there and I'm wondering how someone goes about building a stable freelance career as an illustrator. Can you share how you started?

Hello and thank you! That’s flattering and I’m very happy to hear it.

I can! Or I will try. It’s a pretty tricky question to answer, because my path into this has been organic and, in a way, one of least resistance.

In short: I was born into it.

Not in an “I’m the chosen one” way, of course, but in that my parents are artists and designers. Both currently work as graphic designers and have worked with illustration in the past. My mum is also a tailor and my dad is a wood carver (my sister does wonderful ceramics and has an education in tailoring too). Art and design, and working in those fields, is a core pillar of my family life.

All of this was pretty convenient for me regarding pursuing a career in illustration; I’ve always had access to all digital and traditional materials I’ve ever needed to draw or paint or do any craft (my first tablet was a 1999 Wacom Intuos 1), I grew up in an environment that was encouraging even when nothing was said, AND I had my parents’ extensive professional network available to me as soon as I was old enough to work. That last part has probably been more important than my level of skill ever was. I was lucky. I hit the ground running. So I can’t really remember a time where design or art of some sort wasn’t already my “career” (in my mind, I had an art career when I was four). It took quite a few years before I understood that I could technically have other jobs.

That said, my first paid jobs were photo editing ones that I got through my parents, not illustration. They were touch-ups, extending, cropping, resizing, masking… Those things that Photoshop often can do on its own now (or at least streamline) but couldn’t when I started almost 20 years ago (though PS and I have been friends for almost 30). Eventually, I got to do small illustrations for the same publications I had edited photos for, as well as some others. These kinds of illustrations still constitute a large part of my work hours, though in greater numbers and larger batches. They aren’t the flashiest, but they pay well. I also still work with my parents often. We’re all self-employed, but it’s really a family business setup at the core.

Moving outside of my inherited network…: I got my table top RPG-jobs by becoming part of the Swedish indie and semi-indie TTRPG scenes, which aren’t very big. It was straightforward to be visible enough and many people had their own (often tiny) projects that needed illustrations. Some of them contacted me. I think a not insignificant portion of the Swedish TTRPG game designers know who I am now, but I started small. Role-playing is one of my biggest hobbies, so networking came naturally. In my experience, these are flashier pictures to make, but rarely pay well (with some glorious exceptions). Anyway: If you have a specific field you want to work in, get involved in that field. There’ll probably be more people who want illustrations than people who illustrate in it.

Then there’s the concept art. I worked as a concept artists for Ubisoft Massive for a few years, and got this job partly through the game developer school (The Game Assembly) that I went to and partly because of my skills, I guess. But TGA and its proximity to Massive was instrumental. Game art is the only profession I have a formal education in.

So, when I started “officially”, I was already in a pretty good situation for it. Another important factor in my case, I think, is that I’m comfortable with many illustrator-adjacent disciplines as well, since the “packaging” or context of an illustration has always interested me. I use Adobe Illustrator and InDesign every week. Sometimes I do design work (layouts, logotypes, powerpoint presentations, annual reports, diagrams…), and I often do the in-betweens (infographics. Icons, patterns, other kinds of logotypes…). I prefer illustration and the in-betweens, but being open to branching out has given me more clients and, as a result, the ability to choose more freely which jobs I accept.

Either way. It’s really helped me to know a little something about all parts of a project, planning phase to phinished product. It makes it easier to talk to everyone involved, whatever their position and profession – programmer or printer. I know how to make a book from start to finish. It’s neat.

And, as you can see, there’s a lot of luck involved here and even if I know when I started getting paid, I can’t really say when I started developing the skills and the network I needed. That’s been a life-long process. And, of the two, I think the network has been more important for landing jobs than the depth of any particular skill of mine (though the variety of them might have helped). The more people who know you, the easier it’ll be, and that number of people will grow with the number of jobs you do. And I might as well add that physical meetings have worked better for me than just online contact. It’s easier to remember someone you’ve met, even if it was just for a few seconds.

And to finish off, I’ll add a few work samples that differ from what I generally post on Tumblr, since the ability to work in many styles has also benefitted me:

(Don’t let the text in the yellow box fool you. It’s Swedish lorem ipsum.)

[lastoneout]

New Pinned/Intro Post!

Hi, I'm Loo(or Alex), I'm a disabled queer artist and writer as well as a furry vtuber who streams four days a week on twitch(mostly Minecraft but also Soulsborne games and a variety of other stuff).

You may know me from The Tuna Post, in which several thousand of you came together to "force" me to buy damn near 30 American Dollars worth of imported fancy canned tuna to eat and review live on stream. If you're here for it, said live review can be found on twitch and on my youtube channel. TL;DR: 10/10 would recommend.

I currently can't work, so if you like what I've got going on here and want to help me out, I take donations over on my ko-fi <3 Aside from that, follows on twitch help a lot, even if you never end up watching!

(Also, I sell my twitch emotes as stickers on redbubble!)

As a general heads up I am heavily introverted and have ADHD, and between those and my disabilities eating up my energy I often take a while to respond to messages/tags/reblogs/DMs and sometimes forget entirely. This isn't anything against you, and I'm working on it, but just something to keep in mind if you plan on interacting with me a lot.

You are welcome to put screenshots of my text posts on other sites/in your little tiktoks and youtube shorts, but I have rules.

(Note, this does not apply to my art. If I find you reposting my art I will do everything in my power to destroy you.)

Above all else, I would simply appreciate it if you asked first. I am almost always okay with this sort of thing if people are actually willing to reach out and ask permission.

Do not crop out, censor, or otherwise remove my username from the post.

If it's on a site I have an account on, I would love to be tagged in it. I'm a small creator, the boost would really help. Links are in my caard!

Do not edit the post or purposefully leave parts out, you must repost it in it's entirety with the words I actually used. The first post of mine that got big enough to get reposted ended up having an entire paragraph that summarized my point cut off, and that's just rude. (Exception: If you ask first we can talk about editing the post to remove swears and such.)

No AI. If you use AI for any part of the video I do not give you permission to use my content in any way.

FAQ:

Do you take commissions?

Not at the moment, but hopefully in the future!

What do you use for art?

Wacom Intuos tablet + Clip Studio Paint on the PC, though these days I mostly use CSP on a Samsung Galaxy Tab s6 since I can use it in bed on my low spoons days.

What do you want to go to school for?

Digital Art and American Sign Language!

You talk about being sick all the time/having health problems, what's wrong with you?

Too many things to list <3 but the most notable ones are chronic migraines, hEDS, and ADHD.

Queer?

I'm ace, bisexual, bigender, and butch. I'm also polyam but currently in a very happy monogamous relationship and don't have plans to change that. My pronouns are she/they, and while I would prefer to not have people use he/him with me you are highly encouraged to use masculine forms of address(sir, guy, dude, king, man, my guy, grandpa, dad, etc.) whenever appropriate. My assigned sex/gender at birth is none of your business.

Who's Yotsuba?

Yotsuba is an adorable little gremlin and the main character of my favorite manga, Yotsuba &!, and you should go read it right now seriously it's amazing go read it go read it GO READ IT-

What's "ask to tag"?

The tumblr equivalent of "author chose not to use archive warnings", I put it on anything that seems like it could use a trigger warning but where no one has specifically asked me to tag for that trigger yet. Things I currently (try to) tag for: flashing lights/eyestrain, insects, suicide, fatphobia/diet culture/disordered eating, my hero academia, gore/body horror, current events, us politics, politics, covid, cats, and anything nsfw goes under nsft.

I can't promise to be 100% consistent with these tho, between the ADHD and the migraines I am very forgetful, so slip ups are bound to happen.

Loo? Like the bathroom??

LOO is short for LastOneOut, I'm american and forgot people call it that, you can write it as Lou or just call me Alex if it makes you feel better.

LookingForLoo?? Like looking for the bathroom??

On websites where LastOneOut is taken I'm LookingForLoo because I'm literally looking for LOO, LastOneOut. I thought it was clever T_T

Sideblogs?

I have a nsfw alt @looafterdark (18+ only I swear to god I keep a loaded gun pointed at the follow list) and a writing inspo blog @last-scrapbook. I also once ran a couple of character ask blogs, though I don't plan on starting them up again, and I was the mod behind @pokeprofshowdown.

Who's Eugene/Ophelia/Sasha?

My ocs from an original story I'm working on. I get brainrot and post about them a lot. You are ALWAYS allowed to ask me about them!

What's your fursona/can I make art of you?

I'm a dog, kinda like a papillion but not really, and yes you may. My ref sheet is here.

Can I repost your funny text posts to twitter/insta/reddit?

Sure, all I ask is that you include the entire post and leave my username visible. You can also tag me if you want, I'm lookingforloo on twitter, insta, and reddit <3

Can I repost your art/writing?

Absolutely not.

Can I plug your art or writing into an AI program?

Absolutely not under any fucking circumstances.

Can I use your art in an amv/fandom board/as a cover for my playlist or fic/ect.?

Depends, DM me first.

Can I write fic/make fanart based on your fics/art/HCs/AUs?

Absolutely <3

Can I write fic/make fanart based on your OCs?

Art yes, fics no.

What's your stance on the discourse?

There is no amount of posting online about contentious topics that could ever match the sheer power of simply going out into your community and finding a project that helps other people that you can dedicate your time and energy to. Also wear a mask, vote(if you can), and listen to marginalized people when they speak about their experiences.

How old are you?

29

[simulation-machine]

SIMS RELATED PROJECTS/UPDATES

My spring break is coming up in a week and holy crap do I have plans on plans on plans, especially since my summer is gonna be full of school + internship + HOPEFULLY friggin' graduating with a BA in Psychology so that I can start applying to grad schools.

Read more iffin' you'd like! It's long! Here's a picture of my golden retriever napping on her brother's food bowl to entice/entertain you:

god she is so precious i would literally kill for her

GOAL 1: MASTER GSHADE/ReSHADE

I know that some people are sticklers for this but my thing is that I had no gee-dee clue what I was doing with ReShade, whereas Gshade just kinda clicked and worked for me? That said I have a bunch of resources for learning ReShade so I might end up moving back to it at some point.

My main issue is figuring out the order of all the different effects. It obviously matters, I'm sure people smarter than me have tried to use presets only to be like "why tf does this look absolutely nothing like the baller screenshots this one cool Simblr has?" Annnd it turns out it's order + remembering to turn off certain graphic settings. Also photoshop, but that's gonna take a lot longer for me to figure out lol.

Like I'd been struggling to figure out why @gunthermunch's gorgeous Lithium preset wasn't looking as sexy as it did before annnnd it's because I forgot to turn Edge Smoothing off when switching to it. Jesus wept at how dippy I am sometimes.

Eventually, what I would like to do is maybe make my own preset at some point? I would be kind enough to show the effect order too if I did so. But this requires so, so much more shader knowledge than I currently have.

FUN FACT: My first ever degree was in art, I even went to a very fancy and private art school (School of the Art Institute of Chicago if you're curious)- I dropped out after one semester because uhhh that shit is expensive. Ended up finishing my degree at a much cheaper location in MN. That said, my art was 100% analog and 2D, and it turns out it did not translate super well into trying my hand at graphic art.

It's funny because I've been gifted really neat stuff for graphic art (like a really nice Wacom tablet and Adobe subscriptions), like people just expected my mixed-media ass would know what to do with it. NOPE! But yeah, Sims is sort of my excuse to try my hand at this stuff again, especially since I have a bit more energy now that my soul is not regularly being drained out of my body by customer service and tech support jobs.

GOAL 2: GET CRACKIN' ON ANOTHER DOOR

This one is hard because I am only on Gen 2 of the Orsons and it's sort of hard to justify starting up another story while that one is less than 1/5 of the way done.

THAT SAID, I don't plan on posting Another Door until I have a decent chunk of it done. Since it's not a casual gameplay story nor a legacy challenge, I plan on editing the bajeez out of the screenshots for it, really honing in on the aesthetic. I want it to look and feel very different from my random legacy challenge.

Fortunately, this story has been fucking up my sleep schedule for *months* now and I have a lot of the writing for it done. The hard part is translating that into the Sims, making sure I get the right poses and stuff, maybe even learning how to make some super easy CC (like, posters and stuff), and stuff related to GOAL 1 above.

What I'm saying is that it's going to take a bit. But I'm super serious about sharing it because it's my obsession and honestly the first time a story of my own design has possessed me in literal years.

Also, I want to make sure I have a significant backlog of the Orsons before I start seriously simming for it, because I don't want to screw over my favorite little pixel babies. This legacy challenge is going to be the one, I have done so much to keep my save files to keep it safe from harm (ask me how many backups I have of the save files. JK don't, the number is frankly silly).

GOAL 3: START YET ANOTHER MASSIVE CC PURGE

Y'all, my CC folder for this game is honestly an embarrassment. I go so hard on CC shopping because this community is stupid-talented and I like giving my pixel babies nice things and cool looks. When I'm bored and not quite in the mood for gameplay, I just like making neat-looking sims that I do absolutely nothing with because I love fucking around in CAS.

I have built my own PCs since I was 17 years old, and when I first built COMPUTERMACHINE (current rig) back in the autumn of 2018, it was with the goal that it would run Sims 4 flawlessly no matter what I did to it. It's got ridiculous amounts of RAM, I religiously update parts for it. And to be fair, even with the current 6,907,907,890 TB of CC I have atm it runs better than Sims 3 ever had with a measly 50 GB of CC.

But for me, it comes down to finding all the stuff I wanna use. Making myself get rid of the stuff I don't wanna use. Straight up yeeting the CC that I thought was going to look incredible that uh, didn't deliver.

I do CAS CC purges about once a year but have literally never done it for Build & Buy stuff, because OMG some of this shit I've had since 2014. Like when Sims 4 first came out. YIKES. My CAS CC obsession is notable but it's honestly nothing compared to my Build & Buy. Even before For Rent made building lots slow af, my PC was starting to take a solid minute to switch to different buy categories.

It would take a long af time so I want to make sure I have a bunch of content in the queue before I do it. It's gonna be a whole ass thing and be so, so boring to do. So I'm putting it off for when I have a ton of time to do it. Like, oh, my entire Spring Break?

GOAL 4: MAKE A FRIGGIN' RESOURCES LIST ALREADY

This would obviously need to wait until after GOAL 3 is completed, but I wanna make sure the awesome creators whose stuff I use get credit, and that people know where they can grab neat stuff. It would include not only CC but mods, Gshade/ReShade presets, and maybe even lots and sims I've downloaded from the gallery?

(Since I am super anti-paywall and very unapologetic and rude about it, I will also share where one could perhaps get some of these CCs without paying some dip a Trenta Starbucks Unicorn Frappucino amount of $$$)

It's ambitious as hell because *gestures vaguely at GOAL 3* but it would make things like doing WCIF asks and lookbooks so much easier.

Somewhat relatedly, I wanna make a navigation post, especially once Another Door starts getting posted. That story is gonna be a bit huge with multiple arcs that take place over the course of like, 14 years. Plus once the Orsons get to the 4th+ generation, it would be easier to track things down.

IN CONCLUSION...

I have been having so much fun sharing my silly little Sim adventures on Tumblr, so much more than I ever thought I would! You all have been so great to me, and all of this stuff is sort of a way for me to repay that. Ever since I stopped being able to be artistically creative ever since a really nasty depressive spell in 2017, Sims has been my #1 artistic outlet. And having people who are even somewhat entertained by my pixels is incredibly motivating.

Basically, if you read all of this, DAMN would you have been a rad livejournal follower of mine circa 2007. On the seriousness, however, thank you all so much for being rad and encouraging and sweet. I promise to do you all, if not proud, then at the very least not disappointed.

Time to hit the bong and take some pictures of Lou and Tatertot before taking my IRL doggos on a walk~

[rius-cave]

Hi! I faintly remember you mentioning somewhere that you were planning to get a new drawing tablet. Did you end up purchasing one? If yes, would you mind sharing your choice? I've been using a small screenless wacom tablet for years and I need a new one now, but I've been thinking about getting a better one this time. Is it even worth it if I only draw as a hobby?

Hi! Yup, I did get one! Here's a random pic of my workspace (+ extra sneak peek of StOP lol)

I got a Huion Kamvas 16 (2.5k) :)

I take getting a new drawing tablet VERY SERIOUSLY so I spent a long time considering my options. If you're looking to buy a new one, I do have some recommendations!

1) Never buy Wacom again lol

Here's the thing, Wacom is a good brand, my first tablet was Wacom too, but they are the Apple of drawing tablets. Sure, they're good quality, but they're HORRENDOUSLY overpriced, you're mainly just purchasing the brand when you buy one. A few years ago they were the obvious choice because they were the best around, but nowadays? Other brands are just as good if not BETTER for sometimes half the price (or even less).

If you're debating on whether or not to get a pen display (with a screen), that honestly would depend mostly on your budget. Even if you're a hobbyist, getting a pen display is fine, the most important factor is how much you are willing to spend on one of these. The one I got is like a semi professional tablet and it's priced at $599 on the official store, right now they have a sale and it's at $529 (though I got it for much cheaper lol)

The other factor would honestly be how you work + what kind of space you have. As you can tell, my desk is small and it's kinda cramped, there are A LOT OF CABLES with this thing and I think that's kinda the standard for pen displays :/ I'm also having to readjust to how to work with the buttons + the keyboard. (you can get an extra small keypad for this, but I didn't). Moreover, if you want something that's portable, these... Are not great for that, they're usually big boys and like I said, there are a lot of cables

I have to say, I only got it like a week ago and I'm having to readjust to this new way of working, but the actual experience while drawing and using the pen is quite nice! The large working area is interesting and I think I'm drawing faster with it! I always wanted to get one of these and I'm very happy with my purchase.

So yeah! It has pros and cons, but overall it's a good experience. Don't feel pressure to switch to a pen display though, normal pen tablets work just fine obviously and if you're not crazy about the idea of a pen display, or you don't have the budget, it's not really a deal breaker. For real though, don't get Wacom lol Huion and XP pen are two of the best, affordable brands right now.

Lastly, check the specs! Check the reviews! Check unboxings! Preferably from people that were not sponsored by the brand (they'll obviously talk better about the product). This applies to any new tablet you get, whether it's a pen display or a pen tablet. Compare models if you need to, I was debating between this one and a similar xp pen model and I was lucky enough to find a girl reviewing both of them and comparing them.

Sorry I went on kinda long haha but I hope it helped!! Good luck!

[ilovedthestars]

Tag Game

Woo I've never done one of these before! I was tagged by both @ineedlelittlespace and @snugglyeldritchjellyfish , thank you! :)

Rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better. I know a lot of the people following me from discord already so I'm just gonna...tag some people lol. Feel free to ignore if you don't want to do the tag game yourself!

Last song: Never Gonna Not Dance Again by P!nk is playing in my headphones as I type this :) I love P!nk, I'm far too young to have been a fan since she got started but I discovered her newer music a few albums ago and she has a new one out that I've had on repeat all week. Love how brutally honest and yet optimistic her music is.

Last show: I don't watch a lot of TV, hmm...I think the last show I watched on my own was Good Omens, which was fun! I've also been watching Battlebots with my family over my break--we're a liiiiittle behind, we're still catching up on the 2021 tournament XD (don't spoil me!! we've got a bracket going!)

Last movie: Genuinely cannot remember. Possibly Into the Spiderverse, which I finally watched for the first time in like...September, and might rewatch tomorrow with my little brother before I head back to school. (It's sooooo goood)

Currently watching: 2-year-old Battlebots with my family, but that's it! I don't do a lot of TV.

Currently reading: I haven't been reading much lately, and when I do I tend do go through books in a day or two and then be done with them....I did just finish a reread of This Is How You Lose The Time War that I started months ago lol. Just as good on the second read through! That book is poetry, highly recommend.

Current obsession: Still deep in the murderbot fandom, although I don't know if I'd call it an obsession lately...I'm tired, lol. Other small-scale obsessions lately: the Wacom tablet I checked out over break and have been learning to use with Clip Studio Paint, the way the sun looked on the 7 inches of snow on the ground today, and really good vanilla ice cream.

Tagging some people, but no pressure if you don't want to! And if I didn't tag you but you see this and want to participate, consider yourself tagged :) @fishdetective @mercurialfeet @mintowls @just-a-lonelypenguin @cephaliarch (I can't tag your main for some reason??) and @voidlingremnata

[elstreem]

Aroace colors Inkling I made in Procreate for practice!

I've been trying to figure it out so I'm not making any good art to upload yet. This is the first thing I made that looks ok, and it's still pretty rough compared to what I usually do.

My experience working with an ipad below because wow that got long.

My dad got me an Ipad to replace my 2014 Samsung Galaxy because it's getting some battery issues but uh...I haven't used an Apple product in forever. It's been two weeks and using an ipad still feels like someone sawed off my hand and stapled it back on :') I think it's a combination of having to learn to use new hardware and software, but it's been so tough trying to make digital art on this thing.

I wish I could use Medibang since it's what I'm most used to, but for some reason the pen I'm using won't register pressure with Medibang, so I have to use Procreate. I changed the pressure settings to work with Procreate, but it's still weird and hardly works the way I want it to, so I'm not sure if it's something with the 3rd party pen I'm using, or something else. We did order a paperlike screen so hopefully that fixes some issues for me. I never had to use one for my Galaxy even though it had a glossy screen cover, but its stylus and the pen for Ipads have different tips and it's not easy using the pen to draw.

I had an easier time working with my wacom and CSP, but then again CSP and Medibang have similar layouts so it's not too difficult to adjust. Procreate is nice, but it's so different from what I'm used to that it feels like I'm arguing with someone just using its basic functions lol. I found the default brushes so difficult to use, too. My dumb monkey brain isn't flexible enough for this thing.

Kind of a rant, but it's just me complaining and it's a matter of my getting used to it. I did manage to make this, so hopefully I can consider Procreate as my next tool, But in the meantime, I still have my Galaxy and Medibang on it, so that's still where I'm mainly working. I reserve CSP for really big digital works or more complicated paintings since...it's a hassle setting up my pc and wacom tablet lol.

[zangethefate]

I lost my home.

Well, let me explain some things first. I’m a turkhis person who learned english as a second language, so bare with me if I write wrong or have mistakes in general. I don’t know if any of you know but turkey had a major earthquake a few days back and it’s still  happening constantly. Even they are after shocks, it still happens alot. So, I was living in this apartment at the top floor with my mother, and we had a lovely syrian family as a neighboor. We moved there after our grandmother kicked us out and we had to live on the streets for some time (I think two to three months?) untill we got the house. (The reason it took long was because the previous owners was still leaving the house.) After we got the house, we didn’t had lamps to shine our rooms, or furnitures or anything in our house. It was ours though, and we were happy about that, it was better than the streets of turkey if you ask me. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one kitchen, two living rooms, so imagine how this house is. I’m saying house because it was our house, not just an apartment, it felt comfy, cozy, it felt everything to me. I never had my own room untill we got that house, and I felt how one can have their own house, own things, even a bed, or a carpet, I was so happy and you can imagine my happiness as a young kid who didn’t know shit expect living and surviving. I made a make shift futon the first night, and our furniture came after a week. We added lights after three days, and to that point we were using candles. I burned myself like a idiot twice, it was an accident, and I’m a very clumsy person. We lived there (with my sister as well, she’s 6 years older then me now, and she’s married.) I think 5-6 years, maybe more, but I had so many memories that I kept inside that room of mine. Small rocks from where I visited, my clothes, some of them were given by my mother, from 80′s and 90′s, old news papers that was from 2000′s, and my father’s lovely discs of movies, I remember few of them but I know I watched all of them, my drawings from my school years, my pictures with my family, my favorite plushies that were given me by people who cared about me alot. I’m not going to talk about my past life, but more on this apartment, what happend in there, and how I’m here right now. So, before a week ago, my sister wanted us to come to her (now) husband’s city, since she was living in there. I hate traveling, because I hate to put bags and move, sit in a buss for a day, no, not for me, but since it was my sister’s special day, I had to. My mother didn’t wanted to go either because she’s sick, her legs and her back got broken by a car accident that happend when I was 13. Since then she’s okay, healed, but still has her problems, such as not holding heavy things, getting tired easly, more so and fort. So staying in a car one day was not for her, but she had to go, it was her daughters special day and well, both of us decided to accept it. I have a pet Budgie, his name is Charlie, and he came with us as well, because it became my sister’ budgie, but we were taking care of him because she was busy with her work and all that. Taking him with us was a great choice. I didn’t bringed too much, my laptop, equipment, some clothes to wear, other things that you took with you when you travel.  But I forgot one thing. My Graphics tablet, my drawing tablet, Wacom, and at the time I thought,  “Oh, I’m gonna be back anyways, might as well not take it, no one will steal it.”... I don’t remember when, but the first eartquake happend, it was two days after my sisters wedding. It was 04:23 AM. I felt the shake while I was sitting on the ground, talking with my friends, about some random shit that I don’t remember it now. I couldn’t realise how that was just, horrible and serious, untill I was... Too late. We talked about the earthquake for a bit, most cities that felt was alot, and one of them was my city, my home, and I thought “Okay, my apartment building is old, but it won’t fell, nothing will happen.” I was totally wrong. Then I went to sleep. Thinking that everything is fine. When I woke up by the sudden cries of my mother, I was confused, like wtf is going on, and my sister’s cry came, and my father who came to visit my sister for her wedding, looked at me like I’ve done something wrong, and my father, never looked at me like that, ever. I got up, asked what happend, then with a horrifyingly, my mother screamed at me, telling me that, our house, is now gone. I couldn’t believe it of course, like how can you believe it when a person suddenly says that you lost your damn home, a damn building, like how?? Then I learned by my father that there was a second earthquake happend, which caused my whole apartment building falling into cracks of nothingness, my memories? my mothers car? everything? yeah, all gone. Poof. As of now I’m writing this, I’m still staying with my sister, and her husband, while my mother is back in my home city, and my building? It went on the news, because It was placed in the middle of the most populated area of the city. My belongings? They are gone, with my clothes, my memories, my drawing tablet, everything. The only funny and grime part is the fact that while the earthquake was happening second time there was a thief who was going to rob some of the houses, I think ours but I don’t know, he died in there. Suffocating to his death, while he tried to stole. Does he deserve it? I don’t know, I’m no god. If you are asking for my neighboor, she’s fine, her kids are safe, but I don’t know what happend to the other home owners, everyone knew each other in the apartment so no one recognised the thief, that was the funny part to me. I don’t feel pity, not anything along those lines, I cannot, that’s just not in my book. I’m not writing this to get attention, or pity, or that or something else, I cried for days after ages, even if I was homeless, I didn’t cry, but this?  Not just me, my friend lost his home too, he had this bright carrier, a photographer and a videographer, a director, a streamer, he did so much, he loved cars, gaming, you name it, sounds very charming isn’t it? I am only happy, that my bird Charlie and my dear mother is safe, for other things? No. I slept on cold hard floors for that house, tried to decorate as much as I can because I didn’t know much about it, I couldn’t grasp the concept of it so, my dear sister while she was staying with us, helped me to decorate my room. She even put a smiley face on my flicker, I still remember the image. I am sorry, for to those who lost their homes, to ones who lost their important belongings, their loved ones, their pets, maybe even themselfs, I didn’t do anything but I am sorry, and no I cannot no longer draw anything digital. I don’t even have the head to write anymore properly like I did in the old times, my shining times of my day, I was going to get my drivers license, go to the univercity, get a constant proper job. A normal, teen adult life, that’s all I wanted, all I ever wanted, I never wanted more or less, and I’m sure some of you didn’t either, maybe did, I don’t know you, you don’t know me expect what I say, but, please, take this as a message to yourself... Always think that you are on your last day, live everything in the best you can, apprish whatever you have, care for yourself, your mind and body, everything you can. I cannot, not anymore, but you still can, kiss or, hug, or fist bump to those you love so much, call lost long friends if you needed to, drink your beer and look out for yourself, because really, I didn’t know what could’ve happend, neither can you, nor anybody else. I love you, I hope you live the best life, live in the best. I’m sorry again, making you read this long shit, but I had to write it. Good bye, and farewell, my friend.

[hey-sherry]

So the "big" news is that my tablet died :))) and I have to wait until the end of the next week for the new one. Something broke off inside of my Wacom pen so yeah... not happy about that, extremely not happy about the money I have to spend. But 14 years is a pretty good run for a tablet. Oh, and it broke just as I was trying to sketch a TA inspired thing, which is very on brand considering the ~emotional turmoil~ painting Sunflowers gave me. 🫠

Since I can't work properly, I will probably just queue a bunch of SHTA Ansel screenshots in the coming days lol. I finished my 2nd playthrough today and it's been a lot of fun to look around the cut-scenes! The ending wasn't as devastating as the first time! And I hope you're ready for the pirate eyeliner Sherlock because that's the makeup I used wherever I could. It made everything a little... lighter in tone.

[chrsitinedao]

Illos #7

This week illos is raster (aka Photoshop) but without using any photos or AI images. This is actually my first time drawing in Photoshop because, to me, photoshop is about photo editing. But this is not my first time doing digital drawing. I used programs like Paintool SAI before with my Wacom tablet and honestly, I kind of missed it. This time I actually challenged myself to NOT use a tablet and I still don't know how but I made it. Obviously, I wouldn't do it again on a more complicated drawing but this is tolerable. It's pumpkin season so here you are, a PUMPKIN!

[authorkrysejay]

2023 Recap

This year has been the first one I dedicated solely to writing Hiraeth Song. I always thought the hard part was the never ending cycle of writing and editing but it turns out there are so much more to publishing than the manuscript.

January:

Continued book 3 draft 2

total word count: 11.923k

got covid for the first time

February

covid knocked me out for the first two weeks

total word count: 9.510k

became certified in first aid

March

settled into a daily writing habit

total word count: 20.830k

April

lost power for three days due to an ice storm

total word count: 18.436k

May

book 3 draft 2 completed

total added: 6.398K

began book 1 edit, added chapters, spelling and grammar

total revised: 46k

June

finished book 1 edit

total revised: 30.420k

began making the map

finalized the map

wrote book 1 synopsis

photoshoot with friends, dressed up as Moira

July

edit book 2 act 1 and stopped keeping count of words edited

hired an artist for book 1 cover

smog from forest fires and record high temperatures

August

edit book 2 act 2

artist for book 1 cover fell through

fall seasonal depression takes hold

September

edit book 2 act 2

bought a wacom drawing tablet and learned how to use it

spent way too much time on cover ideas i didn't end up using

October

edit book 2 act 3 and finished

worked on book 1 cover

revised act 1 and 2 again for book 2

finalized book 1 cover

November

uploaded book 1 ebook on multiple platforms for pre-order

began social media postings

learned how to create reels and use canva

created website

worked on hardcover design

uploaded book 1 paperback on amazon and barns n noble only to realize ingramsparks will distribute to them

ordered several amazon proof copies to figure out proper dimensions, paper color and font size

uploaded book 1 for physical copies on ingramsparks

encountered uploading cover issues

started book 3 draft 3 edits

worked on book 2 cover

got covid for the second time

December

began posting on a scheduled for tumblr and instagram

updated website and instagram (created linktree)

book 3 draft 3 edits

book 2 full edit, quick pass for spelling and grammar errors

finalized book 2 cover several times before changing it again to finalize it for realsies

wrote book 2 synopsis

ingramsparks cover issue resolved

ordered book 1 paperback and hardcover, only one arrived before the holidays

try to get arcs through booksirens but was rejected

discovering other arc alternatives

I learned a lot in the past few months about indie publishing and how overwhelming it can be to not only be the writer, editor, cover artist and map designer but also to spend hours creating content for posts and reels to market. But it's worth it to have my book finally published for others to enjoy and not simply having the plot and characters running wild in my head.

[violetlumin]

11/30/23

Hi all. This is just a little prologue for my last poem of November. It's a long one.

First, thank y'all for all the likes and follows. I honestly wasn't expecting any of this to be seen. I appreciate y'all joining me in this poem writing journey.

Today is the last day of November, and the last day of my challenge. Although I may not write a poem everyday anymore, I'll still try to write one when I feel inspired. Maybe every other day. Maybe every week. Not sure yet. However, I will be keeping this account active.

I also want to use this Tumblr to post some of my art. I've had a Wacom tablet collecting dust for years now, and I'd like to use it to finally make the stories I've cooked up in my head come to life.

Please enjoy my last poem. To be honest..... I'm not even sure if this counts as one? It's quite long, and actually the first one I wrote. I'd like to make edits, but figured I'd post it as is. I wrote it at around 2am. Bear with me.

Poem 30

Nov. 30, 2023

I grieve for people I have not yet lost

For tragedies that have not yet passed

For stories that have not yet closed

For pain that has yet to be realized

Hellbent on hurting myself before the universe has the opportunity

Maybe it's to soften the blow?

I’m simply grieving the inevitable, no?

If my fantasies are indeed more tragic that my realities

The latter cannot hurt me

If my mind can be more cruel than fate

I have nothing to fear

Night after night I dream of the worst scenarios

Obsess over what could go wrong

Fight peace

Sleep with ghosts

Weighed down by the things I’m too weak to tell you

Death looms over me

An adversary of my own construction

I’ve looked into death’s eyes

And saw nothing

Absolutely devoid of meaning

Of emotion

No love

No malice

Not as though it could distinguish the two, anyway

The thought itself is suffocating

I miss you but you’re still here

I loathe the thought of the world spinning in my absence

I may choke on my own thoughts

I’d hate to make you worry over nothing

But what if it’s not nothing this time?

What if it’s NOT nothing this time?

Your reassurance does nothing to quell my fears

It’s not rational

I know it’s not

Something awoke inside me that day

That simply cannot be put back to rest

So I lie with it

Night after night

Even our happy times are now tinged with sadness

I am consumed by the realization that this cannot last forever

That one night will be the last night you’ll rest beside me

That, try as I might, I can’t hold onto this forever

Is it selfish to ask you to stay here?

To stay chained to me forever?

To follow me for eternity?

To drown with me?

I desperately want you to make promises to me that you can’t keep

The small voice in the back of my head has become loud and incessant

I want you to have the peace I can’t seem to find

Truth is

I will never be satisfied

No matter the amount of time I cherish with you

I’ll be bitter over the time missed

Ten days

Ten years

Ten decades

It makes no difference to me

Anything less than an eternity is a slight

So I soak in my bitterness

Night after night

I ache thinking of what you’d do

If I left this realm before you

How your feeling for me may fade

How one day you’ll seldom think of me

How the void I left may one day be filled

How you may one day forget how I made you complete

How many true loves can you have in one lifetime?

For my own sake

I hope to God

It’s only one

May no one else ever pour into your well

I admit

I hope you suffer in my absence

I hope my memory consumes you

I hope my ghost haunts you

That our paths end at the same point

That you may never quite reach the peaks you did with me

That you can be content, but never truly happy again

That you carry me with you forever

That you act as if I’m still there

That you still love me

That you can never escape me

I don’t want you to love anyone else

The way you love me

How deranged, right?

Your love inspires me to be incredibly selfish

To want the worst for you

Because it works best for me

So I revel in my hateful thoughts

Night after night

Praying to none

That you never recognize

The darkness sat beside you

[liefbnuy]

Has been a while since I posted something here, but now finally I have something interesting to tell and show! I recently bought a Wacom Intuos to start doing digital drawings a week ago, it arrived recently and I have some drawings to post here, it's my first time using a drawing tablet, had a fun experience practicing for sometime with it

[grad604-macytaylor]

Week 10: 50 words per object

Led vfx screens

These screens represent the start of my visual creative journey as I started helping out with technology at my church. This experience allowed me to gain lots of creative experience and have fun times with good mates and people who I admire. 

Hummingbird poster

This poster is one of many I have acquired which was a habit I picked ups hen I moved into Auckland CBD for university. At first it was for some free decor but it is also an inspiration for me and my own design.

Lord of the Rings box set

This box set was gifted to me by my grandparents and I chose it as an element as it represents the love of reading anything I can get my hands on. Lord of the Rings was a series I really loved as a kid and I still enjoy rereading the books on trips. 

Bookshelf

My bookshelf represents a lot of the books I have really loved for a long time. To represent it, I took a picture and illustrated it, but chose to leave the spines blank because I know as I grow in my walk different books will have more or less meaning to me. 

Poster wall

This poster wall is the summation of my favorite ‘borrowed’ posters from k road and the CBD. It ended up taking over 2 walls of my flat and made the space feel more fun. I think now part of my motivation as a designer is to make posters that some art kid is gonna tear down and take home and stick it up in their flat to their flatmates or parents chagrin. 

Blue wall

Although it is not in this illustration, the wall in my room of my childhood home is blue, and I would stick things I found interesting up on it. I didn’t realise until I got to uni and all the lecturers talked about collecting stuff that it was a sign of a creative to have the desire to keep everything you find cool. 

Wacom tablet

I brought this Wacom tablet in 2019 or so when I realise I really liked digital art and I wanted to pursue it. It was the cheapest thing I could find and while I should buy a better one, I can’t quite bring myself to spend a thousand dollars when this works.

Midi board

This APC40 mxii board is what I use to operate resolute arena and is the first piece of technology I got any good at using, which is significant to me because technology isn’t my forte!

MacBook Pro

This is the computer I use for uni, which was a hand-me-down from my mother. its the main tool I use for my creative process, from looking for inspiration to sending off a final draft.

Chapter one

This book is written by the founder of thank you, Daniel Flynn. It is one of my favorite books of all time and by far the most inspiring thing to not only my own interest in business but also one’s ability to do good in the world. My dream is to do graphic design for them one day. 

Plants 1

It wasn’t until I moved into my own apartment that I really started to get into taking cuttings and propagating plants, and how my houseplant collection is quite sizable. This isn’t nessecarily strictly related to my creative process, but is a nice way to calm down and nurture a nice space.

Headphones

My WH-100XM4 headphones, which were a gift from my parents in high school, get daily use as listening to music is something I really enjoy- especially when I am spending a lot of time commuting. As I have gotten older I have started to spend more time listening to audio books as well. 

Morgs letter

When I left high school, my beloved art teacher mrs. Morgan, who I would’ve spent the majority of my time with in school over the past three years, wrote me a note on the back of this print. The work ethic, technical skills, and concepts she instilled in me are still something I think about to this day, and I would not be in the place I am if not for her.

2004 Macintosh 

This computer was actually a gift from a friend quite recently, however it reminds me of my childhood spending an hour a day (but no more!) on my parent’s home office Mac. 

The Loyal Workshop bag

The significance of this bag lies in the brand that made it, the Loyal workshop. Their mission is to rescue women from the sex trade and train them with valuable skills and provide employment to them by selling these bags and other high quality leather goods.

‘Are we human’ design book

I recently purchased this book at the AGI conference because it caught my eye due to the beautifully simple binding, and interesting content. I have not had a chance to fully read it yet but look forward to stepping into another persons perspective on art and design.

Pens

Before I got into any form of digital art or design, I have always loved to draw.  It helps me when I can see and visualize things in a tangible way, which is why for this project I wanted to emulate the way I think by illustrating all my items and hung them up in a tangible 3D space. 

Paints

These are the paints I store in a shoebox to use every time I have a painting project. I collected them throughout my years doing paint in high school. They are close to my heart as part of my creativity.

Karangahape road perfume poster

The K road perfume is close to my heart because of it’s link to where I lived for the start of my university degree and it always reminds me of the fun times and also weirder and more dangerous times from K road. Also Sam Stutchbury and his work with and for Motion Sickness is inspiring to me

Plants 2

The first plant is the first plant I brought for myself, about half a year into my house plant collection. Others had been gifts of propagations and this one I paid for! (Shocking, I know)  My aunt runs a flower farm, and gave me the middle plant when I was in high school as a gift. The other rounder plant was a gift from my parents this year as they are finally fueling my plant obsession!

[grad604-haydenmiddleton]

20 OBJECTS WRITING PT.1

1. WHAT IS THE ITEM?

2. WHERE DID YOU GET THE ITEM FROM?

3. WHY IS THE ITEM SIGNIFICANT TO YOU?

4. HOW IS THE ITEM SIGNIFICANT TO YOUR CREATIVITY?

Testosterone

This is my medical prescription for testosterone. I go in every 3 weeks for an injection of this stuff. It took a lot of time to get to this point in my life but I can confidently say it has made me a happier more confident person to finally feel like I’m comfortable in my own skin. My gender is an extremely important part of me as it is for anyone, cis or not it’s important for us as people to express ourselves authentically to be perceived how we want to be and when someone misunderstands you it can be uncomfortable. Before in my creative process a lot of my art and work was fuelled by sadness, anger and confusion and although some might say I created my best work during those times of emotional high now I work with more thought, care and consideration.

Wacom

I got my first Wacom tablet when I was around 12 after borrowing my sisters one far too much. Weirdly enough, I wasn’t a fan of physically sketching before this and was much more drawn to digital art and the effects and style with this medium, even now I’m actually a horrible physical artists despite all my time spent drawing digitally. Being apart of these digital art and design communities helped me improve and be inspired. This was the first step in taking me down the path of graphic design and helped me realise what I wanted to do for work later in the life.

Converse

I wore fake kmart converse hundreds of times before finally investing in an actual pair of REAL converse and now I think I wear them every single day. I got them at my mums insistence since I think she was sick of me getting blisters with the ill fitting dupe. I am really a comfort over style person and although I like the converse style I know there are plenty of other stylish shoes out there but the converse work for me and make it easy to pick what I’m going to wear into uni or go out for a walk in. These converse have taken me plenty of places and I even got a second pair for my birthday thanks to my nana. Shoes are extremely important to see the world in and to take in inspiration from the world around me for my creative practice.

Ticket receipts

Here are some of the ticket stubs or receipts I’ve collected from going to shows. I keep these to preserve the memory of going out with friends or family to watch something. My favourite are plays and then also animated films, some may think it’s childish for me to still be so invested in colourful movies typically catered towards kids or teens but I really enjoy taking in the art and beauty of animation as inspiration for my own bright and bold creative style which also then in turn influences my graphic design practice. It’s also just a fun experience, I love going to the theatre and it makes the whole movie experience really engaging and immersive as I’m someone who actually has a very bad attention span for movies if I’m just watching it at home for example.

3DS + DS

The DSi was my the first ever gaming console, I got it for Christmas one year from my nana when I was around 7. This began my love for Nintendo and video games in general. I played a lot of Zelda Four Swords and Animal Crossing: Wild World with my sister and then other niche games geared towards kids like Littlest Pet Shop, Petz, Nintendogs and others. But it is whenever I played with my sister that I remember most and hold closest to my heart. Video games are such a creatively stunning work of love from the graphics to the music to the story they tell and in a way it’s very similar and goes hand in hand with graphic design as they communicate a story visually and through a specific creative style.

Sticker Collection

If some of my choices of objects don’t make it obvious enough, I’m a bit of a collector and my stack of sticker sheets is further proof. I have tons of stickers which I’ve collected over the years from a range of places like online artist stores, stationary stores and artist alley stalls from overload or Armageddon. But for someone who buys heaps of stickers too I actually get really nervous actually using them, I want to keep all of them nice forever and when I do put a sticker on something all I can think of is how it’ll most likely eventually fall or scratch off or even get UV damage from the sun and the colours won’t be as bright as they originally were. I’m a bad hoarder and need to get better at using some of these things up, but for now I will enjoy keeping them altogether in a box for safe keeping and for me to admire. Since a lot of the stickers are made by artists they inspire me a lot and often they’re made as merch for a show or cartoon I watch. For a long time it was always my dream to sell things like stickers myself and maybe one day I will get to that point too.

Pokémon Cards

Despite actually finding a lot of the games boring I have spent a crazy amount of money on my Pokémon card collection. But for me it isn’t about pulling the crazy rare and expensive cards (although I do have a few pricey ones in my collection), for me it’s all about collecting the pretty cards or cards I find visually appealing. There are hundreds of different artists working for Pokémon and so each card is personalised and has its own style. There is a specific card artist, Yuka Morii, who specifically does clay models of the Pokémon and for me, despite her cards usually being common cards, are some of the coolest ones to get. I think collecting them now as an adult is a way to appease my child self who always wanted to get Pokémon cards but I was told I couldn’t because they were a waste of money and I agree with this sentiment but at the end of the day I’m a person who just enjoys things and collectables and so collecting these bring me joy.

Burts Bees

Lip balm might be a weird inclusion to a group of objects that is supposed to be related to my creative process, but hear me out. I use to not take good care of my body at all, I was really depressed for a long time and the way I lived didn’t help this either, I wouldn’t sleep, eat or drink well. I’m not sure when it happened exactly but at some point I realised I needed to make changes. I set up a routine for my life including a wake up and going to sleep routine which helped things slightly, I was still depressed which sucked since I was actively trying to get better now but I think learning to have a routine and self awareness about what my body and mind needed is a hugely important skill which I still have today. Lip balm is just a representation of the changes and routine I made, after brushing my teeth at night and in the morning I drink a large glass of water and always apply lip balm, being hydrated is one of the many things I think is important for my body. It’s also something a little self indulgent and perhaps falls under the self care umbrella of things to do but it’s a small thing that brings joy and at the end of the day that is important to me, my mental health and then in turn, my creative process.

Washi Tape

Another stack of items that relates to my obsession to collect cute things is washi tape. This is a staple at a lot of stationary shops and I use to go a lot with my sister to check them out. She has always been a lot more careful with her money and me, not so much. I cant handle the temptation and usually always leave a stationary shop with something. I’ve always had the idea of doing a bullet journal, dairy or some kind of scrap book and I try to convince myself that is why I have a stupid amount of washi tape and other kinds of stationary but then I’ve tried to start these things up and always fail miserably due to a lack of patience and discipline to sit down and add to a journal everyday and decorate it with all my things. And yet I still collect washi tape, it’s just something cheap and cute that brings joy. I also think the aesthetics and patterns of washi tape inspire some of my brightly coloured art ideas and sometimes I even digitally draw washi tape to emulate physical craft style.

Tote Bags

Tote bags are another thing I started using after witnessing my sister style them. Since shes my older sister its easy to look up to her and think that everything she does is super cool and high fashion and so when she went to uni with one I also decided that a tote bag for uni would be cool and convenient. In actuality it really hurt my left shoulder and was really inconvenient to rummage around in to find what I was looking for. I still have a considerable collection of them though because I do think it adds to an outfit in a way that is more stylish than just a basic bag so although it doesn’t work for uni or when I have to carry a ton of stuff, It’s still a staple in my wardrobe. I also think its an artist or designer staple too, it’s perhaps a cliche but you’ll typically see a tote bag as a creatives bag of choice and so I guess I’m just doing my duty as a designer.

[laurenejohnston]

Moontiger Stickers - Business Operations Plan

Moontiger Custom Sticker Sheets offer customers the chance to design their own unique stickers based on their interests, passions, and favourite things, all at an affordable and competitive price with other personalized small gifts and journaling sticker sheets. 

The main tools and items I need to start my business include: waterproof vinyl sticker paper, an inkjet printer, drawing tablet, and art software to create the designs. I already have the technology I need with my Wacom drawing tablet, Clip Studio Paint creation software, and access to an inkjet printer. The only thing I needed to purchase was the sticker paper and the only additional cost is the $0.20 per 2 sticker sheets for printing. The price of the sticker paper I am using has unfortunately just doubled so accounting for that change my overall spending so far is at $20.40 to create 24 sheets. This however still is relatively low and well within the range of my seed money for start-up. I also have packaging prepared using brown packing paper I already own and will include individual logo stickers I created in the past for the first thirty orders. From there I can decide if I would like to print more to include with future orders which would add an estimated $9.00 in spending for approximately 50 more logo stickers. The price of my sticker sheets are $8.00 per sheet and with these expenses considered at ten sales I estimate I could make $60.

Aside from physical items I will need to begin setting up my online platform and ordering form page. I am planning to start with a single landing page that includes the order form to fill out the customer’s sticker requests and details. Once I have created multiple designs I can include more example works and grow to add a gallery to the page. This page will only be accessible to those with a password to start so I can control how many local customers I begin with in order to have the time to create and fill orders as I am still setting up. This will also prevent unwanted traffic from flooding the page and make it so I am only getting local requests. Because my store is not an e-commerce store but just a landing page, there are no specific permits or licenses required. The PIPEDA would apply more heavily if I was collecting more personal information; however the only personal information I require is the customer’s name for the order form. For purposes of privacy I will add a statement that none of the customer’s order information (including name) or their design will be shared with anyone without their express consent including using their design on the page’s gallery. 

Creating a sticker sheet can vary in the time it takes depending on the details and the designs requested. Typically I would say customers would be waiting a week for their order, and there can be multiple orders at a time. Having example designs and sheets and a statement of the estimated time it takes to create and deliver a sheet on the web page will help to manage customer expectations and give inspiration to the kinds of ideas and designs one can ask for. I plan to market and promote through facebook, Instagram and in-person means. I am using my personal accounts to connect with friends and colleagues I know are interested as a starting point. I will be using the free app Freeform to document and keep track of order information as it allows me to import screenshots of the requests and organize my design notes all in one. Once the web page with the order form and example designs is set up all that’s left is to start creating; I estimate two weeks until I am set to fulfill my first order!

[characterillustrationoliviap]

Character Illustration: Class 1 Homework

I decided that since I had the day off on Wednesday I would make another illustration. I chose to re illustrate a drawing I had previous done on procreate.

I plan to simplify it slightly as I have never drawn on PhotoShop before this week so I can't expect the same level of detail.

I started by creating the outline of the lady. I decided I wanted to use the brush tool again rather than the pen tool. I really want to get better at using the wacom tablet and I think this will be good practice. It was quite difficult to get a lot of the lines as some of them were very curvy. It was hard to stay on track while also keeping my hand steady and the line smooth. This was the outline I ended up with. I didn't mean to but when I was tracing the shape of her hair, face and left arm, I didn't press as hard so the lines are a bit thinner. It is annoying but it shouldn't matter massively one I add colour.

I then added a greyscale so I could see where I wanted the light to hit and what the illustration would look like in terms of shadows. I added the grey by using the magic wand tool (W). I clicked the area I wanted to change the colour of and this selected the section. I then chose the grey tone that I wanted in the colour palette before clicking option + delete to fill the selected area.

When I originally selected the sections, the selection only goes to the inside edge of the black outline so a small white edge is kept around the grey. To erase this I needed to expand the selection before colouring it. So after using the magic wand tool, I clicked Select, Modify, and then expand. I could choose how many pixels I wanted to explain the selected area by. I went with a value around 5 pixels.

I then moved on to adding base colours instead of the grey. I used the eyedropper tool to sample colours from the original drawing. I followed the same steps as adding the grey tones but instead chose a colour.

I then moved on to adding shading to the figure. This was definitely the most difficult part of the illustration. It took a lot of time to get use to the brush tool in terms of shading. I used the first brush tool and played around with the size and opacity of the brush. I used a lot of layers so I could shade each section differently and not have to worry about messing up the other sections. I did find that the longer I coloured in the figure it became easier to control and I developed a system of doing a rough base before making my brush smaller and fixing some details. Once I was done, I combined all of the layers.

I then moved on to adding the highlights on the top, skirt and heels. For this I tried out a few different brushes. I found there was one that was really good for making the stars on the top. I used the second solid brush for the rest and just drew on the features roughly.

I then added a black background so that the colours would really stand out.