#when you do learn to draw you'll eventually see shapes in everything around you

[007reid]

omg, i’m learning to crochet and i’m just imagining crocheting spence a scarf and him wearing it all the time

JUST IMAGINE

he’d be so touched that you made something for him with your bare hands

it would be one his favourite items, ever (folded neatly in his top draw when he’s not wearing it)

it wouldn’t matter if a few chains are wonky, he’d love it either way

i just imagine derek and emily taking the piss out of him for wearing it all the time. oh but penelope absolutely loves it!

anyways- yeh i’m crocheting

- 🦕 xx

written super fast cus i got inspired and not proof read, sorry guys

also i have not crocheted or have ever shown interest in crocheting my whole life so everything i made up so plz ignore the mistakes 😓enjoy!

scarf. spencer reid

spencer reid x fem!reader

to tell you that you’re good at crocheting would be lying to you but you don’t think that spencer is lying at all, because of course for a man who knows everything about the workings of the world, he doesn’t know what a good crochet scarf looks like.

originally it was a prototype of yours, your first attempt after watching a youtube tutorial twice but spencer insists on having it, saying that it's too much yarn to go to waste and when you said that you can just pull it out, he didn't sit around to hear. he carries it around like a trophy of some sort, making a point of wearing it everywhere he goes.

your attempts of trying to tell him to knock it off, promising that you'll make another one that looks more decent but spencer says he likes the uneven lines, likes how the fluff rubs against his skin and how it keeps him warmer than a normal scarf. you think--scratch that, you know that it's all bullshit, but spencer's one immovable object to go against. getting ready to go to work together used to be your favorite part of the day but now it's just embarrassing.

embarrassing would be a wrong word. more like frustrating.

"you crocheted it in my favorite color yn," spencer defends the ugly scarf like it's his child, throwing it around his shoulder and wrapping it snugly around his neck. the purple looks absolutely offensive against the beige of his thrifted sweater, but his eyes melting and lips pouting at you made the look work. kind of. it's still fucking ugly.

"that's 'cause you bought the yarn for me spence," you roll your eyes exasperatedly. the scarf's been a conversation topic every morning since spencer saw it sitting sadly in your closet and fell in love with it. considering how spencer's entire wardrobe is made of old man clothes and unconventional colors, you would understand the appeal of something looking wonky and strange, but the scarf is a stretch.

to be honest, you think it's endearing, spencer's tainted fashion sense. it makes him look softer, heartier, like a welcoming little plush bear with his wispy curls and pink cheeks and gentle voice and worn cardigans. the scarf does fit all his criteria for a good piece of clothing so you should've saw it coming that he would hold on to it like his lifeline and you would tolerate it if he didn't go to every single person he sees throughout the day and boast about the maker of the scarf and you shrinking in the corner as he talks about you. morgan was the first to laugh about it, followed by emily.

"got the hands to diffuse a bomb but not one to crochet a decent scarf, huh?" morgan would say as he walks past your cubicle, a cheshire grin on his face. emily would chuckle. you would snap at him, "shut the hell up morgan," and then sigh. because what the hell. the scarf is so fucking ugly but spencer parades it like the queen's necklace.

you get better at crocheting--it helps you think and you would do it on the plane to new cases sometimes and threaten to stab emily if she makes fun of you--and eventually, you finish crocheting a duplicate for spencer's monstrosity of a purple scarf. this one is more in the shape of a scarf instead of one wacky-looking pasta noodle, with straight chains and the shade of purple on this one is cuter; dark and elegant. you couldn't wait to show it to spencer, couldn't wait for him to finally throw away the crusty scarf he loves so much.

the new one sits, folded neatly, on the table on his side of the bed. for days. winter rolls around and spencer wears it to fucking sleep.

"give that poor scarf a break reid," emily comments. spencer chews on his lip as he flicks through files, silent and unbothered, fingers unconsciously running through the bumpy chains, back and forth. you mumble your agreement and when he pays no attention to you like he did emily, too immerse in his work.

after work that day, you and spencer take a walk around the city, bodies huddled closely together. the first snowflake falls and spencer catches it on his finger, shoving his finger closely to your face, proud of himself. his grin is hidden underneath the purple scarf and for the first time, you don't mind.

"it melted," you tell him and spencer drops his hand, flicking at his index finger disappointedly.

"i can't wait for it to snow," he says, looking up at the grey sky.

"i can't wait for that scarf to decompose," you say, just speaking off the top of your head.

"i like the scarf," spencer quips, mood clashing yours.

"i know you do baby," you sigh, defeated. spencer's frozen fingers grasp yours and runs his fingers over the bumps of your knuckles. being so close you can smell him, soft and sweet like vanilla and old cotton and comfort. "why don't you ever wear the other one?"

spencer shrugs. "just doesn't feel the same." he adds. "and i like this purple better."

[puffywiz]

Hi! I am absolutely obsessed with your art; it's vibrant and expressive and just all around stunning. I have always wanted to be able to draw and make fanart, but every time I try it ends up a hot mess express. Do you have any tips/resources for learning? Do you think it's something that you can get good at, even if you don't have any real natural ability?

Aaaa thank you for your kind words! I'll do my best to offer some tips that have helped me over the years:

Create some mood boards

This is one of my fav things to do. It's different from gathering reference images, which you use to draw from specifically like when you want to get a certain pose right. Mood boards are more about finding images that invoke a certain feeling you're trying to express. Here's an example from a project I did a while back:

These are essentially ways to gather inspiration. You can look at the similarities between each of the images you chose and see if there are any connections you can draw. This gives your work a good starting line to come back to if you start to feel lost.

This can also be a great way to determine what types of art styles speak to you, and how you might like to emulate certain features in your own work. I grew up watching anime and would try to emulate the styles of Rumiko Takahashi and Hiromu Arakawa for example. Don't worry about being derivative at first. You'll eventually find your own voice through a variety of influences.

Start by working on understanding shapes

Drawing gets much less overwhelming as you learn to break things down into basic shapes. My one friend suggests drawing Pokemon as an exercise in determining how simple shapes build form. When you try to go right into drawing lineart first you start focusing on the details way too early and you can get into a stop-and-start that seems to go nowhere. People will also talk about the importance of silhouette. This essentially means you want your character to be recognizable by their shape alone. Cartoon styles particularly excel at this (Steven Universe is a really good example) but different art styles will adapt to this with varying success. This is still something I've been working on even after all these years and it's tricky, but it helps you think about diversity when you're drawing.

(These are some old examples from art school I did. They aren't great but they give you the idea lmao)

Keep a sketchbook and draw big

Keeping a sketchbook is the best. Put everything in your sketchbook and absolutely don't be precious about it. Blank pages are intimidating I know, so if that's stopping you one thing I do sometimes is start by drawing on sticky notes and pasting them in. Add anything you think is interesting - quotes, cutouts from magazines or fliers, cute snack packaging, etc. Anything that you like!

My friend also suggests taking up space in your sketchbook by drawing big. A lot of artists start small little sketches and get caught up in details. They start pages they don't like and move on without adding anything else in because they feel insecure. Don't worry about that, details can come later. And you can always draw over stuff you really don't like. You can paste stuff over it and draw on it again. You can use tracing paper to draw over something 5 times. There's lots of options to try before discarding a page all together. I find this helps combat feelings of discouragement when you're paging through your book. If all you see are abandoned sketches it can get you down. So don't give up!

Don't allow yourself to get precious about your sketchbook, no matter how many aesthetic sketchbook tiktoks you're forced to endure lmao. Sketchbooks are places for failure and experimentation. Let it be ugly. There's value in that too.

Draw both eyes at the same time

I still forget to do this but it really helps cut down on fucked-up-other-eye syndrome. Try not to fully draw one eye before you start the other one. Determine in your sketch phase where the character is looking and try to build on that, going back and forth between each eye until you're satisfied with them both.

Here is a comprehensive list of tips and tutorials my friend found here on tumblr too. I took a look through them and I think there's a ton of great stuff here.

Anyone can start to draw at any age for any reason. I think some people develop a knack for things not out of some inherent skill, but by taking an interest in the subject. I started drawing very young but I just stuck with it over the years because I liked it. There's no reason why starting later in life has to mean you can't get good at it. In fact, since your brain is more developed you might pick it up much quicker than you'd expect. Lord knows I've had to un-learn a ton of garbage over the years lmao. Habits die hard right?

I believe in you! Keep drawing! Have fun!

[hedgehogfangirl317]

Your characters and the work you put into them are incredible! I'm making a similar "Sonic and the Gang's Children and Future" story in my head that will never be released since I can't draw Sonic characters to save my life, any advice?

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you took the time to reach out, and flabbergasted that you'd ask for my advise! I've been putting your ask off to think about it more, because I really wanna do it justice.

The thing is, most of my characters have been with me for 13 years now. They've grown and changed alongside me. I was 10, watched Sonic X, liked the characters and started imagining more about their lives. My fankids were neither original nor very well developed then. Personality-wise, they were mostly copycats of the og cast (but Archie Comics did that, too, and they made money with it, I guess.) I love storytelling, and I taught myself a lot about stories and characters over the years, and put that to use on my Sonic characters. But it still took me a while to work up the courage to post them here.

That's the first point I want to make, I guess. It's easy to be discouraged when you see all the great fanart and fancharacters people have made on the internet. You think you'll never make something as good or original as that. There's some insanely talented people out there. The thing is - forget about it. Making something that has never been there before, with the amount of fancharacters this 30-year-old fandom has to offer, is next to impossible. So just don't try. Make the characters that feel right to you, that fit your stories. Look at other's work with appreciation, and appreciate your characters for what they mean to you. My characters are a comfort to me, and I love improving on them.

Since I've read your ask, I've really tried to be concious about the way I work on my characters. Most of them, I can't remember when I first envisioned them. But if I'd give advise, I'd pin it down to:

start with the og cast

tell the stories you want to tell and

characters don't exist in a vaccum.

Sonic and his friends are obviously the most important component when writing fankids. They're the parents. The way they act and think will hugely impact the kids. Take the original cast and continue their stories to what feels right. Where do their lives, their choices, lead them? What does their day-to-day life look like in the future? Are they still adventuring? When, how and why did they get kids? These questions are always good starting points for future kids. Get a few notes down on how you interpret Sonic and his friends as characters. Flesh out their backstories which will influence their future, too, and how they'll raise their kids.

(Example for my characters:)

Violet and Flash are affected by their father basically being the world's greatest hero. They grow up with a strong sense of justice and feeling they have a duty to the world, but struggle to live up to Sonic's legacy. Both of them will find their own ways to do so, eventually.

Meanwhile, Tails, shaped by being an abandoned child and an outcast, strifes to build a safe space, where his children can grow and learn in peace. He shelters them a little too much sometimes, but they have education and possibilities he never had at their age.

(I have a lot of fun with this family in particular, with the oldest kid being an alien, and the youngest a hybrid, and Tails nervous they'll be seen as outcasts, too. Shenanigans around the clock.)

I think if you don't know where to start a character, think about where there is potential for a story.

My Tailream child Peony came to be as a direct continuation of the story from Sonic X. Her character is a spiritual sucessor of everything her mother Cosmo stood for, wished for and grew to be. When writing Peony I always have in mind her species (plant-based lifeform), the history of her species from the show, and what her existence means going forward. And of course, what it meant for Tails and Cream when they adopted her, in light of the tragedy they went through to get there.

My Sonamy child Violet became the Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds. This gave me an excuse to explore the whole mythology around them, and flesh out the world more (and I've got re-writing to do after Sonic Frontiers). Violet's role affects her powers, her values, her fears, her view on the world, her self-image and her relationships with others. I have a story where the power overwhelms her, she almost hurts her family, and drops off the face of the world for two years in fear of repetition. She does a lot of soulsearching and research about the Emeralds.

Obviously not all fankids can have a history this extensive, but having a couple of kids rounded can help deciding what to do with the rest.

Because characters don't exist in a vaccum. If you want to make believable, well-rounded characters, remember that they live in a world, with other characters.. Their beliefs and values depend on where and how they grow up, who their family is, who they interact with. What's happening in the world around them? Like I said, Sonic and the gang as parents are going to shape how the kids will turn out to be, but it's also the other way around. With time, the kids will change their parents, siblings will influence each other, and deciding who their friends are is important, too. In my stories, Sonic's and Tails' kids see each other every day because they're basically family. So Violet and Flash get a lot more education than Sonic ever did, and Tails' kids learn to appreciate freedom and adventure outside of their sheltered and protected life. But they also spend a lot of time on Angel Island, because Violet wants to learn about the Master Emerald, and Flash is best friends with Knuckles' son.

With so many characters you're never really done. Right now, I'm working on my other two Silvaze kids that have only existed as vague concepts in my head up to now (hope I can post them soon.) I even had a whole traditional family for Shadow at some point. His son had quite a significant role in my stories. But I've now realised I don't think this fits Shadow's character anymore. (I didn't understand him really until I've recently started really digging into the matter), and I've scrapped all of it. Now, I'm completely re-writing Shadow's future to better fit how I interpret him. It'll be much more interesting than what I had before.

I don't know if any of this is coherent, and if you've read to this point, thank you so much. And thank you again for the ask. I just looove character work, no matter original characters or my own. It should be fun, so don't put that much pressure on yourself.

[takiisieju]

I swear I will eventually return to my serious projects, but these are too fun. Also if you ever tag me in anything OC-related (which you never do), I will consider it to be about these girls.

Quiz: how is your soul perceived? by hleneedh Maker: Casual Icon Maker

Putting this under cut so that people that don't want to see it don't have to

CAMILLA CAROTA: the gentle romantic

your soul longs for connection. sometimes you think you fall a little bit in love with strangers every day. heart shaped candies and sorrowful poetry delight you in ways you wish you could explain. you stare out the window when it rains and pretend you're living all the lives of the beautiful people on tv. your love will find you one day. they're out there slaying their dragons and one day you'll get to wipe the blood from their brow and they'll look at you like you hung the stars. until then you'll learn to love yourself a little better each day.

Carota is always a bit of an enigma to me, she is so aloof... The quiz really helped me get her feelings better and I think it is pretty precise. Especially in that she kinda waits for a better life to find her, taking solace in her duties until then.

PAULETTA PERA: the protecting nurturer

you have the heart that belongs to a warrior's mother. you ache for your loved ones and you'll fight to preserve their smiles. you take care of the people around you. you want them to feel safe and warm. you do anything to protect those around you, even if it's from themselves. you have an eye for the details no one else realizes they need. you're the one that makes a house a home. you make sure it's safe because you know what it was like to be afraid of the places that should have been comforting.

Pera is... well, a tsundere is a good enough word, lol But it comes from a place of fear and distrust. And once she trusts people, she becomes distrustful of their surroundings, trying to protect them instead.

ANNA ANGURIA: the kindred spirit

your soul is like a mirror for others to find their own beauty. you see the best in people and you strive to bring it out in them. you draw all sorts of people to yourself and you make them feel seen. but who sees you? you try so hard to take care of everyone else, watering everyone else's garden until there's nothing left for your own flowers. when will you fight for your own heart as strongly as you try to nurture others?

Anna is very much defined by her fears and insecurities. But aside from them, she is an incredibly kind and empathetic woman. Kinda gave up on herself after her injury, trying to uplift others instead, seeing it as the only thing she can do now.

MARIA MORA: the steadfast

your soul is filled with the strength of one who has watched too many break before them. you set high standards for yourself and those around you, sometimes impossible marks. you know how the world should be and you're determined to make it so. was tough love what you needed? or was it the only thing you were ever offered. there are some things you cannot bend to your will and your bones will break before you turn back the tide. let go a little and breathe in the air. have you even stopped to look at the empire you built? have you noticed how far you've come?

Mora came to Polpo to give up her responsibility on her own life. Only to take responsibility on everybody else's, because having a ton of responsibilities is the only thing she knows. And she does have a tendency to not notice how hard she works, seeing it as normal. Good thing others now remind her to rest a little.

Despite everything, taglist: @roofgeese @poisonedtruth @theelderhazelnut (this is for all posts, i know you've done these already (the quiz for sure))

everybody and their mother has done this so I have no idea who to tag but @spacestephh and @vivilovespink if you want to join...

[daffodilfool]

Diary Entry.

Wednesday 04-10-2023

It's spooky month

i missed the first couple days but god damnit who cares

I keep this diary for ME and MYSELF ONLY!

i had a thought this morning which i dont know how to feel about it

i find a strange comfort in knowing the last thing ill ever remember is Outer Wilds

when im 90 years old and riddled with alzheimers and dementia and i've forgotten who i am, who my friends and family are, and everything ive ever made, i will still cry when i hear the calm guitar of timber hearth and the rushing water of the geysers

theres a tumblr post i think of from time to time, while its not exactly a poem in the traditional sense i do think it would be fair to call it such

"I hate it when I can't even write a poem about something because it's too obvious. Like in the aribnb I was at I guess it used to be a kid's room cause you could see the imprint of one little glow in the dark star that had been missed and painted over in landlord white. Like that's the poem already what's the point? You get it. You get the themes. I don't have time to do it justice. Just look at it. It's on the ceiling."

[Permalink to the tumblr post]

theres a lot of stuff like this

i too have a painted over glow in the dark star in my room

well

a chunk of it

the adhesive stuck to the wall so well we couldnt get it off and the arm snapped leaving only the tip glued to the wall

i still see it through the paint sometimes and wonder if someone in the future will see it and think about it when we eventually move out of the house

fossils too

a living being from millions of years ago frozen in time, quite literally set in stone

as little as a half mandible is enough to reconstruct an entire animal and its life

the lives of those around it

here we are, millions of years later, fawning over a rock with an odd shape

we give it life

we give it personality

we study every inch of its remains all to craft a story of the unknowable world before us

part of it is pursuit of knowledge, sure

but deep down do we really ponder the past because WE want to?

or do we remember the lost souls who have slumbered within the earth for eons to keep the memory of those who are no longer with us alive

Death in life is the death of the body, yes, but so long as you've made a mark, any mark, any sign of your existance, did you ever truly die?

Outer Wilds is poetic

it drives us to find out the dreams and goals of the Nomai

and we say we do it because we want to figure out the mystery

but if it really was just that, how come i still think about Outer Wilds despite knowing everything that happened

to the Nomai

to the Hearthians

to the Owlks

I'm done with Outer Wilds

I've done everything

theres nothing more for me to learn

and yet i keep returning to the game

if for no other reason than to simply say hi to the Hearthians

and to honour the dreams of the Nomai

and to help the Prisoner move on

why is it that when i open the game i spend my first 10 minutes simply standing in the middle of the town and listen to the rushing waterfall and the soothing music

and why is it that when i hear the banjo and the crackles of the Hatchlings campfire get lit, I cry?

by the time im old

when my brain has rotted

i will be looking through everything ive ever written

everything ive ever said

ill be looking through this very diary

you wont remember me

you wont remember baba

you wont remember thyme, or ava, or nessie, or ash

you wont remember your sister, your dog, your mom or dad

you wont remember all the poems you wrote

you wont remember all the drawings you did

you wont remember all the characters you've spent so much time playing with and putting in silly situations

you wont remember the nomads

you wont remember the Janitor

but I know for a fact that whoever is taking care of you by then will put on the theme of Outer Wilds

and i know for a fact that you will remember

You'll shed a tear, and it will be the product of every piece of art you've experienced, everyone you've ever cared about, everything that has had an impact on you, molded you and changed you as a person.

In that moment, though you may not remember me, you'll know that we're still the same person.

Deep down I know you're aware that, despite everything,

I love you.

[awesomesaurous]

I decided to colour this. But... I remembered how hard it was to draw him, so... If i may ask... Do you have any, uh, tutorials on how to draw Maxwell? I am still struggling.

First off, this isn't a bad maxwell by any means! Yes, he is a pain to draw, especially when you're first starting with him. Second, I love how fun this is, and the colors, all of it! The rings around his head are such a neat idea - I didn't notice that in the first sketch!

If anything should make you feel better, it's that no one seems to have agreed on how to "properly" draw Maxwell. Look how much he varies in the official art:

And I personally prefer some of these more than others. My favorite would have to be the "Final Act" version of him:

this more than anything else is what made me love this character. The way I draw him usually differs from this, but the personality shown here is the basis for everything that came afterward.

As long as you have the identifying features that tell you it's Maxwell, then it's okay to modify the design one way or another. For me, everything starts with the head shape. His head is very polygonal - unlike Wilson, Maxwell's hair is mostly flat against his skull, so the shape of his head is the key to his silhouette. When in doubt, flatten the edges. I'll usually do the nose next, followed by the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth. Whether you choose to slick back his hair, leave the bangs/combover thing, or choose some other style, it's up to you.

As you can see in the timelapse, I'll usually go through a lot of false starts before I find a drawing that I like. I have many many pages of sketches where I'm just trying to understand his design.

I would suggest looking at an image you like, and make a drawing study of it, taking your time to play with it and understand why it works for you. You could even trace over the art in a paint program, or print it out and use tracing paper. Tracing gets a bad rap but it's very useful for learning. Focus on finding the volumes that help build him, as if you were drawing him from scratch.

But again, you're already doing quite well! If you keep drawing, you'll eventually feel more comfortable with it. Best of luck!