#why does my drawings on a mouse better than my drawing on a tablet my god

[north-noire]

Henry Emily and Charlie Emily in my FNAF AU fic, Hidden Hands, with a little peek of Post-1987 Henry and Puppet-Charlie. :] Wanted to do a redo of this post since I'm not really satisfied with it!

It's wild seeing my old art next to my more recent works, I don't know what to feel about that. I'll definitely be drawing the Afton Family after this + some art requests. Sorry that the ask requests are taking so long!

[lumiidragon]

Do u have any social and tips on drawing?

Not sure what ya mean on 'social' but I do have drawing tips!

-Practice! This is probably the tip you will hear from ANY and EVERY artist, but it really is true. You will not improve if you do not practice. When I say 'practice' what I mean is this: Draw as much as you can when you can. If you only draw for 5-minutes once a month, you're not going to improve like someone who draws daily. How much and often you practice will also be determined by your lifestyle. Work, school, social life, other hobbies ect are important as well, so remember your balance. Also, PLEASE use references. No, using references is not and will never be cheating. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it. Also, draw as much variety as you can as well. Always be willing to work out of your comfort zone, but also don't feel as though you have to force yourself to draw things you don't want to all the time. Balance. When practicing, utilize tutorials that you can find literally everywhere and try watching speedpaints/draws. They help me a lot!

-Learn your anatomy! Your art will improve so much quicker when you take time to learn anatomy. For some, learning anatomy in art is fun while for others, it's a bit of a drag. However, it's super important. Once you know your anatomy, you can push things in terms or art style because as the saying goes 'You have to know the rules to break them'. So before you go all cartoony and wobbly with your anatomy for a style, try to know the actual anatomy first. it helps!

-Artist > Tools! No, you don't need an expensive tablet or art program or marker set or brush set ect, ect. The tools do not make the art, the artist does. Yes, tools can make things easier and can be fun to experiment with and eventually everyone finds what they prefer more, but the more expensive your art equipment is doesn't mean that your work will turn out better. If you're a beginner artist, play with cheap mediums first. Crayola crayons and MS Paint can still make art. Only put money into supplies, tools, and programs that you know you will utilize to its worth. If you're brand-new to digital art, for example, don't go looking into a tablet that costs hundreds of dollars. I started digital art with Gimp (a free art program) and my computer mouse. I've used a mouse longer than I've used my tablet so far and even though I've traded in my mouse days for my tablet, I was still able to make some good art with the mouse.

-Get Inspired By Others, But Don't Compare! Every artist, big and small has looked at someone else's work and told themselves "Why can't I draw like that? My work isn't as good as theirs.". This is a good way to put yourself down and to take the fun out of your art along with turning a blind eye to the progress you have actually made. Instead, look at other people's work and inspire yourself. What about their work do you like? Is there any technique that they do that you can try out? Break down how they put their art together and maybe you can learn from it. Of course, never copy a person's artwork or directly steal, but take away inspiration. Do you like how they do facial expressions? Do you like they way they do anatomy? Do you like how their lineart looks? Do you like how they color? What about someone else's art do you love, and take inspiration. Take it from multiple sources and you'll find all sorts of unique ways people make art that you can try out for yourself!

-KEEP YOUR OLD ART! Especially if you're a beginner at art, this is important. It's super easy to look at your art and go 'ew', before deleting it or throwing it in the trash. Don't do that. Your future self will thank you for hanging onto all of your old art so you can go back and see just how much you've truly improved. Also, it's fun to go back and redraw old art!

These are just some tips I have and I do hope they help!

[goldicthehedgefox]

I told myself I'd turn this into a tradition, so here I am throwing all my art in one place again.

All the art featured here is what I had on my art flash drive since that's mainly how I keep track of when I drew what.

Explanations for all the boxes under the cut:

January: Ok, so, turns out I didn't draw shit in January except a fun little doodle of Goldic (the character) fighting one of my friend's ocs. Not gonna throw it down here because it was for a friend. (I also never finished that one thing I was eluding to in the last progression post, big sadge; it would've been so funny if I finished that, or at least enough of it so I could put the other half at the start of this one)

February: Ah yes, playing Uno with Silent Magician and Silent Swordsman. The best way to spend Valentine's Day, tbh. Oh yeah, the GoldicSoulless emote also came into existence.

March: Oops, didn't draw anything. And if I did, I doubt any of it was Tumblr-worthy.

April: Oops, I did it again. I just didn't feel like drawing around that time. It was a nice art break, I guess.

May: Back to drawing and I... didn't draw much, but I did draw a redesign for Moon! ...That I never shared until now:

I also designed regional variants of Riolu and Lucario for fun (and for my fake region, Avnou, that you don't get to hear any infodumps about yet, I'll share that when it's more "complete"; Riolu is Ghost type while Lucario is Ghost/Ground):

and here's the shinies, hehehe (click to see the sparkles better):

June: PRIDE MONTH, WOOOOOOOO- *ahem*, I drew a lot of shit in Pride Month, like: - Me holding my giant af flag made of multiple flags - Note and Symph being cute and gay - Mew and Mewtwo designs for the comic I didn't make yet - A bunch of Pikachu sketches for no reason in particular - and this as a little treat for myself since Sonic's Game Anniversary and my b-day are so close together (literally two days apart):

July: My current profile pic was drawn here, as well as a new (and currently unfinished) ref sheet for Goldic! Here's what is done right now:

though, I'm tempted to just redo it again with all the improvements I've made to my art since drawing this...

August: I just drew a bunch of doodles around this time, tbh. I even colored a couple of them. Also drew Angora again:

Beyond that? Nothing of note.

September: Cyno. Just Cyno. Definitely my best attempt at soft shading in recent memory. Also, you're not tripping, I did design an Ash (and Goh) for that Mewtwo comic I didn't make yet (Ash's design is a mix of his Unova and Journeys designs with some creative freedom mixed in; Goh's ref isn't done yet, but he does have a doodle here!):

Friendly Reminder that Ash has Aura Powers™ and Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, can read people's thoughts (just in case someone wonders why Ash seems to read Goh's thoughts in the above image):

October: I... didn't draw shit in October, but I did draw some all-digital doodles with my mouse! (because no art tablet, lol); I can't share most of it because Angst and NSFW™, but I can share what I haven't shared already:

November: I also didn't draw shit in November, but when I did, I made two whole characters: a catboy (Kitari) and a duelist, yu-gi-oh style, that I didn't share yet (Yune). Fun Fact: Yune is the first Yu-Gi-Oh oc I've ever made, despite loving the series for years, and all I have to show him off is a colored headshot and some messy sketches:

Outfit design isn't final yet, but hey. He exists. Yes, the scarf (and hair) will stay.

December: S Q U A R E - The Puyo Puyo Brainrot returned and so did me drawing Squares. I also drew a bunch of emotes for Kitari (of which only half are done) and another little something that I'll share later~

Overall: - Very productive year in terms of art improvement (mainly anatomy and color choice; character design quality has also improved a lot) - More brainrot fanart than in previous years - Less art overall, but more got shown off - 10/10 quality (compared to older art), hell yeah

[blindrapture]

"So. So then what about the Steam Deck? You've been using one for some time now, what's it like?"

Get one.

"But--"

Fuck me, get one.

I still need more time to process all my thoughts on it, but the short answer is get one.

It's easier for me to say why you shouldn't get one. - You hope it'll let you run PC VR. (It won't. You can force it, but even on the simplest of games the power just isn't there, the framerate will make you vomit.) - You dedicated your life to your current desktop computer, you have no desire to use your computer anywhere else, and your computer can run Crysis in VR while playing Minecraft with those crazy god ray light-rendering mods. (You know what you're doing. Carry on.) - You already have a Steam Deck.

That's it. Literally everything else is either solved by the Deck or the Deck provides you with the means to solve it. It's fucking Linux, encapsulated. Sick of corporate tech not letting you do what you want with your own damn computer? Sick of smartphones, sick of fucking Windows??? Get a Deck. You can do whatever you want with it. The fucking app store gives you emulators (and also is not an app store; it is a neatly organized repository of free open-source software). Wary of Valve's weird distribution model, making people wait months for a reservation to get the chance to buy one? Look, I went through that so you didn't have to. It is my understanding that, basically as soon as I got my Deck, Valve suddenly figured out the queue and now reservations take like a month at most. "But. If it can't run PC VR, aren't there other games it won't be able to run?" I have not found any. "But it's Linux, and most games are for Windows." It's Linux, coded by Linux wizards who own fucking Steam. The Deck has Windows emulators running through its bloodstream. The goal was "the Deck can run every game on Steam." They did not meet that goal. But only because they weren't able to personally test every single game. They got the big ones. They got the fringe cases. "There are lots of games on Steam that aren't Deck verified, are even flat-out 'Unsupported!'" Take it from me-- those games still run. The Unsupported ones still run. Far better than any computer I've ever had, even. Unsupported really just means you might have to tweak some settings yourself, or look to the community to see if anyone already has. The Deck has hardware. It runs beautifully. "If it's anything like Steam Big Picture Mode, it'll be so awkward and a lot of faff." The Deck UI is replacing Big Picture Mode, for good reason. It works. It works really well.

Like. Let me put this another way: The Steam Deck is a good computer that runs Linux by default and is shaped like a Switch. Your controls are remappable, and configurations are specific to each app (because it's Steam, Steam does that). You can literally plug in a keyboard, an HDMI cable, a mouse, an external hard drive, a flight stick, an Xbox controller. Anything you can plug into a computer, you can plug into this, because this is a computer. (But you will need to look into USB-C connectors and docks. USB-C is the only port on this thing. And there are cheaper docks out there than Valve's official option. I know because I use one that is half the price, and nothing is wrong with it.) If you have worries that Linux will be too complicated for you, note that this is specifically SteamOS, which is based in Linux but looks a lot more like Windows in terms of UI. But.. a lot more customizable. I had never used Linux, only Windows and some Mac. The jump to the Steam Deck was... goddamn natural. And! If it's still a dealbreaker! Just put Windows on an SD card and install it! Do whatever you want!!! Valve encourages it!!!

It's a goddamn computer with a ten-finger touchscreen and with gyro, you can map all of that how you want, if you want to swing your Deck around and it makes the Spacebar key happen then you can do that!!! If you want to use the Deck as a drawing tablet, all you need to do is install drawing software; the touchscreen works fine! In place of a mouse, I use the Deck's right-side trackpad. I expected something like a laptop trackpad, but no, this is like a Steam Controller trackpad-- this somehow feels like a damn mouse. And my Right Trigger, when pushed down even slightly, registers as a Left Mouse Click. My Left Trigger, when pushed down all the way, registers as a Right Mouse Click. (aka: the triggers are analog!!!) It did not take me long to adjust. It feels right.

The. The Deck. Is fantastic. I personally recommend going for the middle-tier model, for better storage space (and the cool carrying case), but the lower-tier model is cheaper and still a Deck!!!

I mean! Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!! The Deck boots up in like ten seconds!!!!!!!! Updates are quick!!! Because it's not fucking Windows!!! It's not installing opaque security shit under the hood!!!! It's Linux, it is your computer!!!!!! The Deck will not be perfect right out of the box; you have to realize that it's waiting for you to customize it and make it your own!!! It will work with you!!! I LOVE THE STEAM DECK I FUCKING LOVE IT, IT MAKES ME LOVE COMPUTERS AGAIN

and... and that's some unprocessed thoughts. I may have more. Definitely will have more.

Maybe, like, don't buy one right now, I'm not telling you what to do with your money. But I am confirming for you that the Steam Deck is here to stay and is a good fucking idea.

[azurite-writes]

Problem One: The Screen(s) and Digital Workspace

Part one of my multi-part doc about what I learned from doing online college at a non-online institution. This chapter: my Desktop as a Desk

     Highlighted points: learning styles, work type/function in relation to the computer 

       My biggest problem with being pushed online after being at an in-person institution was, and still is, my forced reliance on the computer. I have to sit in front of it for hours: attending classes on Zoom; checking email every three hours; accessing Moodle pages for class and out-of-class work (Moodle is what my institution uses, other web management/e-learning software platforms include PowerLearning, Blackboard, and OU Campus, among others). And the work itself can be watching documentaries, watching seminars, accessing ebook/PDF documents, annotating documents in online portals… it's a lot. People have talked at length about "zoom fatigue," as well as the eyestrain headaches that can come with staring at said screens for hours at a time. I'll talk about my own lessons learned about that later.

       The assumption among the administrators and (some) people of older generations than those currently in school seems to be that working online with computers and smartphones is more efficient. That isn't necessarily true; it all depends on the type of task and the person being expected to complete it. In my case, I cannot, for the life of me, focus on dense sections of text presented on a backlit screen. Thus, reading and answering emails is okay, but downloading scanned textbook pages to be read on a laptop screen (along with trying to highlight and annotate them) is hell on earth.

       Why is this? Different reasons for different people, but in my case it's because reading/"writing" on a screen interferes with my learning style(s), which are visual/spatial, audio, and kinetic. Audio doesn't come into play for reading on a screen, but seeing words physically in a certain location relative to other words on a page is very important to my memory of the material. Computer screens can display pretty much anything at any given time; book pages can only display whatever was permanently printed onto them. That is, the content of a book page in physical space will always be the same unless you, the reader, manipulate it; a computer screen can have any type of content displayed as long as its pixels can light up and process the information. And for me, that's a problem because I don't have any physical space to relate the information to, plus I don't get a sense of how long the document is. Recalling a passage in a printout, for me, goes like this: "I remember it was on the top-left of a page towards the beginning, the shape of the paragraph was funny too… ah, there it is." Recalling a passage on a digital scan of the same document is much harder for me by contrast: literally any of the paragraphs could have made its way to the top-left of my computer screen, if I moved the window around or zoomed in to better read the text; documents are an endless scroll upward or downwards, with (maybe) a sidebar to tell me what page I've landed on. All of my "landmarks" are functions of the program I am using to access the document. They're static and contained to a window... that can show up anywhere on my computer screen. Not conducive to the way I learn at all.

       My kinetic learning style comes into play with the computer, too. Annotating a document? In the physical world, a pen on the document itself does the trick; going through the physical movement of circling a word or making a note are things that solidify the information in my mind. Annotating a PDF document? First of all, it's difficult to do with a mouse (and God help you if you have a trackpad), and it's highly dependent on the program that the user selects to open the PDF. I could connect a drawing tablet, if I have one, but they're very expensive and their use is, again, dependent on the compatibility with whatever reader program the user selects. All this to say: annotating on the computer doesn't work for me, either. My kinetic and visual learning styles come together with note-taking. My memory is highly dependent on seeing words as they are formed by my own hand, processing them, and connecting meaning to them as they sit in a specific place on the page (am I over-explaining this? Basically, writing notes by hand and seeing where those notes are on a piece of paper help me remember them). Typing notes isn't a replacement for hand-writing notes for me; while I'm busy fixing my typos (on words I would never misspell on paper, usually, since my fingers are just moving weirdly over the keys), the professor moves on, and I'm not listening well enough to catch the fact that I've missed new information.

       The takeaway here is figure out your individual types of work relate to being on the computer. As I said, the computer hinders many aspects of my learning when it comes to memory and efficiency. As a creative tool, however, it has almost the opposite effect; writing assignments for fiction, poetry, and screenwriting classes are much more efficient on the computer. From creative thought to keystroke, I have less time to second-guess or forget my ideas, and both the immediacy and changeability of word processing programs actually works in my favor for those sorts of things.

       What I did differently from first online semester to second:

       1) I figured out which materials helped me remember my notes the best. Honestly, I wasn't even doing this when I was at in-person college, and to my detriment, but I couldn't get away with it at all once I went fully remote. Think back to when you were in lower levels of school: were there certain types of materials you gravitated towards in the classroom? Did you like basic composition notebooks with faint blue lines? Wide-ruled or college-ruled paper? Did you discover that graph paper just worked really nicely with all notes besides math, or that blank pages were less busy for your eyes? When you used pens, did you prefer blue or black ink, or did colored ink help certain things stick? If you can control what materials you use to take notes with, consider using ones akin to those from a class you either a) remembered the most fondly or b) remembered the most information from. Scour your memories of class experiences for anything, no matter how small, that may have made your life easier. Equally, take note of what tasks actually worked well digitally. Adjust accordingly.

(Personally, I found my magic formula was a 1-subject memorandum notebook — marginless, with very narrow line rulings; while I hesitate to direct you to Amazon, they are hard to find at a decent price otherwise, and you can get a 12 pack for just over $40 from them — with black ink from a 0.38-size gel pen (I used a basic Pilot G2 pen until it ran out, then bought ink refills in the smaller size). To "highlight" my notes, I circled or underlined information with a blue gel pen of the same variety. Keep in mind again that I'm learning to be a translator; this is just what works for me.)

       2) If I needed to print something out, I printed it out. Environmental guilt is something I struggled with a lot, and there was always something about staying on the computer that convinced me I was being "less wasteful" by staying digital. But with how much time and energy I ultimately saved reading a printed document that can be recycled vs the electricity I ate up spinning my wheels in front of the ebook… to me, it was worth it. If you find that helps you, too, don't be ashamed to print certain things out.

(If conserving ink and paper is a concern to you, it is possible in some viewing/editing apps to remove or cover images, either with white squares or by taking the images out completely. I have an old MacBook Pro and on current versions of Preview, one can draw shapes and fill them in white to cover parts of the scan that would eat up ink, such as blurred black borders and scanned images. For documents in a word processing program like Microsoft Word or Pages, it may also be possible to print the documents out at a smaller size, allowing more text or even multiple pages to show up on a single sheet of paper.)

| In the coming days/weeks I hope to be posting more content about how I tried to adapt to fully remote learning and the things I’ve learned along the way! Follow for updates ♥︎ |

[wulfies-kpop-fanfics]

One Photo → Mark Lee [8]

↳  Pairing: Mark Lee/Reader

↳  AU: Soulmate!AU - The first touch of two soulmates permanently scars their bodies.

↳  Warning: angst if you squint, I guess

↳  Word count: 2,294

↳  Chapters: Prelude | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | You Are Here! | 9

⁙ Summary: For an end of the year photography project, you’re tasked with taking a photograph for your favourite group, NCT127, and coincidentally, discover your soulmate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY - 8 TWO YEARS LATER

The heart of Toronto would never compare to the magnificence of Times Square in New York, but the mass amount of billboards by the Eaton Center always managed to send you into awe during your nightly trek home from work. 

You looked up toward the billboards with a sigh as you waited for your streetcar, barely managing to squeeze out a smile as you saw Mark’s visage splayed along one of the electronic spaces. The night sky was too polluted with the city’s light to display any real stars, but Mark’s face was more than enough for you. For the past week, you had seen NCT127’s faces sprawled across that billboard, part of promotions for their latest global comeback. It was a brief respite as you waited for your streetcar home every night, to finally know that the day was over and that you could relax.

It had been such a long time since you’ve seen Mark in person. Even though you texted him every day when the two of you were awake at the same time and video chatted whenever he had five minutes to himself, it always felt depressing to be without him. To not kiss or touch or hug at all was torture.

Everyone knew that it was deadly for soulmates to be apart for so long, that depression would set in and even worse physical illnesses were a real risk. It was hard to be so far away and over the past year you had been let go from multiple jobs because you were constantly sick, and therein lies the problem. You simply couldn’t afford the solution to your problem. So, depression and illness it was. It took everything you had to keep your head above water, to keep your dream alive and know that one day your heart wouldn’t ache as much as it does at the present moment.

After a 20 minute ride on the streetcar, you entered your building and took the stairs up to your little hole-in-the-wall apartment, the bare minimum that you could afford after Rhiannon paid her last half of the old place’s rent. A single bed, bath and a tiny kitchen that housed a little chair and round table. Thankfully, there was enough counter space that you could place a tiny TV to watch Netflix on while you ate. You were lucky that the house had a large living room, which doubled as your studio.

The coffee table was one of the only things left from your old apartment, along with the tote of Marvel films you kept hidden below it. Atop the table now rested all of your cameras, a drawing tablet and cards that you got in the mail from Mark from time-to-time, instead of notes, binders and textbooks. Sitting against the wall across from the table was a small bookshelf and an easel with a large frame sitting on it, housing the last portrait you finished the night before, ready to be shipped to the buyer.

After… somewhat enjoying a quick pot of white cheddar mac & cheese and watching a rerun of Supernatural on your little TV, you head into your room and sit at the desk next to your bed. After starting your computer, you opened up discord and sat back in your wheely chair, waiting for Rhiannon’s status to change to green. Wednesday was the day that she had to be up early for her job, so that meant time for a 10-minute call before you went to bed and she went to work. 

Next to your computer was a copy of the photo you took two years ago, of your soulmate and all his friends beneath the shedding cherry trees in High Park. You smiled at it, the memory was fond but now faint in your mind. You reached forward to pick it up, but you stopped yourself. You knew that if you inspected the photo more, you’d only miss Mark and all your friends more. 

There were times where your apartment became so quiet that it reminded you how alone you really were. You had lived with Rhiannon most of your life, and that meant there was at least some noise going on at all times. Whether she had her headset unplugged when she was listening to music or watching youtube videos, she was clattering about when helping you wash and dry the dishes, or if she was walking around and tripped on nothing. She was always talking, laughing, or doing something that always let you know that she was there. Now, you had nothing.  

The silence is broken and you’re startled by the calling sound from discord, Rhiannon’s icon popping up on the top of your screen. You place your hand on your mouse and click the join call button, adjusting the webcam perched on the top of your desktop monitor. 

"Hey," Rhiannon was the first to speak, yawning and reaching back to pull her hair into a perfect, tight ponytail. 

"Hey," you respond, watching her closely and leaning your chin on your right palm. "How are you holding up?"

"I should be asking you that, Jesus, you look like the Hulk if he got the swine flu," she retorts, and even through the grainy quality you can tell she has sympathy written all over her face. "I'm doing great, we've got two cleanings today and a wisdom teeth removal, so that'll be fun." 

You scoff and attempt to smile, "I'm fiiiiine, other than the fact that I'm here and you're there, 13 hours in the future and at least one ocean in between us and an entire continent and a half. I'd say that constitutes abandonment."

"I got the getting while it was good and you know that," she stuck her tongue out at you. "You need to keep saving so that you can fly your ass out here." She squinted at the screen. "You really need to drink like… an entire bottle of nyquil, dude."

"If only it were that easy," you groan. "I don't even have a photographer's position yet. All I get is sitting at a desk and responding to emails… even with my head start, I can't find a good job and I barely make enough to keep living in Toronto." You stick out your tongue back at her for the nyquil comment. "As if I haven't been hiding a bottle of dayquil in my desk for the past week."

Rhiannon stopped what she was doing and leaned toward her camera. "You know why you can't get the jobs you want," her voice is soft, empathetic. "Mark is having trouble, too. He's been doing a lot of half days, so I don't know how they plan to do their tour with him being constantly sick." 

You looked away. "I can't afford to take any more time off… I don't want to lose this job. If I do, I'm not sure that I'll be able to make my rent."

"You're going to need to take time eventually,” Rhiannon stated firmly. "If you don't get at least some of your strength back you're going to end up in the hospital like I did. Remember?" 

You glanced back at your screen, watching Donghyuck wander around in the backdrop. You were beyond jealous that they got to live together. 

"Maybe. I just miss you. More than I miss having a clear passageway in my nose." 

Rhiannon smiled sadly at you. "I miss you too, everyone does. You'll be here soon, I promise. I gotta go, sleep well and drink plenty of water, okay?"

"Okay." 

Rhiannon waved at you before her screen went dark, ending the call. The call was shorter than usual, so you presumed that she had woken up late. You zoned out a little, acutely aware that the apartment had gone silent again. You didn't want to cry, to give up after surviving for so long. You had made it this far without letting everything get to you.

You knew that your deteriorating health was because of your separation from Mark and companies saw that as a liability, even though laws had come into place last year to protect separated soulmates from workplace discrimination. You felt a tiny ping of hope when Rhiannon said you would be able to move soon, but you knew she was lying to make you feel better. 

Feeling lethargic, you stand and make your way to the dresser in the corner of your room, stripping and throwing your clothes about the room. You open up a drawer and pull out a pair of sweatpants and the softest t-shirt you could find and slipped them on, wandering to your bed and slowly climbing in. You slipped off your glasses, placing them on your desk and reached forward to turn off your lamp.

You hugged your polar bear and tried to get comfortable, hoping to fall asleep quickly. You supposed you could call into work when you woke up; at least your manager was nice enough to understand when you needed a day off. You rolled over, tossed and turned, but sleep wouldn't come. Not while your phone was constantly buzzing. 

"What the hell," you mumble to yourself, untangling yourself from the knot of blankets you had tied yourself in to reach for your phone. Your lock screen lit up with a photo of Mark, one you had taken two years ago of him standing in Union Station. 

[Rhiannon (5)] 

She sure knew how to type quickly. 

Rhiannon: I'm on my way to work, I'll let you know when I'm there

Rhiannon: sorry our call was so short, I was running a little late

Rhiannon: I talked to Mark last night, did he say anything? 

Rhiannon: are you asleep already? It's been like 5 minutes 

Rhiannon: ok you're basically just ignoring me at this point

You: calm down bro I was getting in my pyjamas 

Rhiannon: I forgot how slow you get when you're sick, I could die of boredom waiting for you to respond 

You: hardy har 

Rhiannon: so have you talked to mark today? 

You: around lunchtime he woke up from a nightmare but I assume hes busy right now 

Rhiannon: Things have been pretty bad around now, I think you might have guessed that

You: Yeah, things aren’t really that great here either, but I’m more worried about Mark… have they given him time off? 

Rhiannon: Not much besides half days. He’s really been missing you. Maybe you should message him and see if he’s not busy

You: Yeah, maybe. I feel really guilty

Rhiannon: I know. I still could help you buy your plane ticket, you know. You: You know I can’t do that, I can’t take more from you than I have already. I owe you too much.

No response. 

You: Rhiannon I’m sorry 

You: Come on, you can’t have scrubbed in that fast!

You sighed, staring at your screen and still seeing no response from your best friend. You took a deep breath in and immediately regretted it when you began coughing up a lung, but at least you weren't upchucking your dinner. Instead, you decided to send a text to Mark.

You: mark, you there? 

You close your mind for a moment, thinking that maybe going to bed even later than usual would just make you more sick in the end, but you really needed to know what was going on. 

Mark: yeah I'm here babe, what's wrong, can't sleep? 

You: no not really… do you have time to talk for a bit? 

Mark: yeah, my legs gave out during our first practice so I'm taking a break

You: I'm sorry

Mark: it's not your fault (Y/N) 

You: it kind of is, we're both dying because I can't afford to move 

Mark: (Y/N), we're not dying, and it's okay, you'll be able to move soon

You: face it you know that we are… I haven't felt this horrible in a long time and I've thrown up three times today 

Mark didn't respond right away. 

Mark: why are you putting yourself down so much 

You: I just… have a lot of regrets right now 

Mark: what do you mean

You licked your lips and rolled over in bed, wondering if you should tell him.

Mark: are you okay? 

You: no, I feel like this would make you hate me 

Mark: I could never hate you and you know that. Tell me what's been bothering you.

You: For the past while… Rhiannon’s been offering me money. It’s honestly not much because everyone’s struggling nowadays, but it would be enough for me to fly to Korea, and I’ve felt so guilty about it that I kept saying no and she stopped offering

Mark: You mean that you could have been here faster? You: and now I feel that saying no was a really bad idea… and I.. I can’t afford anything, barely even food and now I hear that you’re even more sick than I am and I feel terrible

You: I don’t know what to do

Mark: It’s okay, (Y/N), really. I know how hard it is to take money from someone else, I’m not mad at you

You: Really?

Mark: I’m just disappointed that I have to keep waiting. You’ll be able to move soon, I promise, I promise, I promise

You: Are you going to be okay

Mark: As long as you are. Take care of yourself, okay? I’ll be there for you the second you land. Okay?

You: Okay. I… I should probably get some sleep now. Mark: Rest well, I love you

You: I love you too 

You sighed, placing your phone on your desk and turning over in your bed. It was time.

[frozenartscapes]

Hey! I just had a little idea for the Modern AU! Since El likes drawing, how about Byleth gets her a drawing tablet?

Yes!

At first she is confused. Very confused. “I thought you said you were going to get some drawing supplies?”

“El, this is for drawing! Look, you plug it into the computer here. And then you take this pen and hold it close to the pad, and it moves the cursor around like the mouse does.”

“...Ok... But how does it draw?”

“I was getting to that.” Byleth opens up a program she already downloaded. It was a design app, not the expensive subscription-based one but maybe if El gets into this she might consider getting that one. She sets up a blank page and hands El the pen.

“These little buttons along the side all have different functions. That one there is the paintbrush,” she said, pointing to the little brush icon. El’s a little clumsy with the stylus at first, but manages to drag the cursor over to the icon. Without question, she tapped the pen down on the tablet to click the icon before Byleth could explain, and Byleth felt a little rush of pride that her former student was so intuitive.

“So imagine the tablet is that white space. Whatever you draw on there will show up wherever the cursor is.”

Edelgard experiments by drawing a few lines and squiggles. “This is...certainly different,” she comments, “It’s hard to draw when I can’t look down at what my hands are doing.”

“That takes some getting used to,” Byleth assured her, “But look!” She reached for the keyboard and tapped two buttons at the same time, and the last line El had drawn vanished without a trace.

“Wh...what was that? How did you do that without an eraser?”

“‘Command-Z’,” Byleth told her, “I’m not much of a graphic artist, but I do know about that one. It’s basically an ‘undo’ button. Any mistake you made that you don’t like, you can just undo it with that, rather than fight with an eraser or try to fix it with paint.”

“Well, that’s certainly much more forgiving,” El sighed in relief, “That...would make things a lot easier.”

“It gets better! Here, let me show you how to find brushes.”

The first few drawings El does aren’t masterpieces in any respect. They were mostly for her to get used to using the program and the tablet. But she’s hooked almost instantly. Byleth comes home often finding her either drawing, or watching tutorials about drawing or the program itself, learning new tips and techniques to improve her skills.

Not everything is smooth sailing. Byleth was worried El was going to launch the computer monitor off the balcony when she was trying to learn the pen tool.

She starts experimenting with vectors once she does learn, however, and finds she almost likes the simplistic graphic style better than strict realism. She takes inspiration from some of the tattoos she’s gained to cover scars and remember friends. She starts hoarding books on design and form. And font. She still hates all the grammar rules but begins to actually understand why the rules exist after discovering typeface.

It blows her mind when she realizes that she can turn her own handwriting into a font.

She also learns that she can bring photos into the drawing program and change and enhance them there, too. The concept of photography itself was wild to her - the fact that a single moment could be captured in an instant, preserved forever in the purest form of realism. But then to take the realistic quality of a photo and change it! From something as simple as removing a blemish on a face to fully changing the colours and background! Even in this modern age with all this technology, people are still finding ways to alter reality through art and it amazes her.

She gets herself a camera not long after that revelation, and Byleth often accompanies her out on trips through the city. She photographs things no one in their right mind would photograph, and while some find it strange she’s so intent on getting a perfect shot of a pigeon, Byleth finds it endearing. She had grown so used to this world that banal things like pigeons went unnoticed by her. But El saw this world with wonder and amazement in a way she never could before. This world hadn’t hurt her the way her old one had. She wasn’t jaded and bitter about this one, and could still find beauty in everything. Even in pigeons.

Byleth suggests she create a blog to share her art. And she never really expected the small but notable following El gained as a result of that. Yet she was not at all surprised.

[kittinoir]

Echoes of You Ch. 17

Read on Ao3

Her heart pounds in her ears, echoing the sound of her footsteps on cobblestone. She forces herself not to run, even as panic and adrenaline urge her to hurry, hurry, but she knows nothing will draw his attention like a mouse scurrying for cover.

That is, if he even knows who she is.

She can’t be sure, but that monster, that thing, cornered her too close to home for her to rest easy. Her ribs still ache from how it surprised her. It’s terrifying, because it shouldn’t hurt, but in the end her bruised ribs are what spurred her to leave her house so late. They are a testament to her nemesis’ strength, an unavoidable truth that he is stronger than her and he will not rest and until he’s ripped her earrings from her ears and a name from her lips.

If it were anyone else, she might have been able to withstand the storm.

But love has made her reckless and desperate to change her fate. It may not be enough. As she passes through shadow after shadow she racks her mind for any other answer, any other hope. She wishes she could ask for advice, but she’s already relinquished her companion, hidden her away. Besides, she knows if she puts those earrings back on she won’t be able to take them off a second time. The plan is in motion; any disruption now could mean disaster. She can not hesitate. She won’t.

She stumbles to a stop as the mansion comes into view.

She hadn’t thought out this part. She pulls her hood closer around her face. Even so, it might be enough - but it has to be, or this is all for nothing.

As she watches, a figure appears outside the stone wall, half in shadow, like her. A glint of blonde hair catches the light off a streetlamp and she can’t believe her luck, though it’s been her domain for more than a year now. It makes sense; he should just be coming off patrol now. It’s careless to detransform on the street like he must have, but she knows how strict his father can be. She’s had three weeks to get used to the idea, but she still can’t quite reconcile it. If anything, though, his appearance out here on the street is proof. How else could he flout his iron-clad schedule?

This is it. The beginning of the end of everything. She has to stop him now, before he disappears inside the gate and she can convince herself she tried.

‘Adrien!’

She sees him stop, sets him turn as she she hurries across the street, stepping into shadow with him. She should tell him. It’s what every fibre of her being is screaming at her to do. Tell him, and figure out a new plan together. 

But she knows he won’t let her follow through on her plan, and she knows she’ll let him stop her, because she would give anything for a different answer. In that moment, she commits to her course of action. She can do this for Paris. She can do this for him.

‘What - ’

‘I don’t have time,’ she cuts him off. She has to do this, now, before he realizes what she’s doing. ‘I… I wrote everything down in the tablet. Give the earrings to Chloe Bourgeois. I know it doesn’t make sense right now, but trust me on this. There’s good in her, and… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. If love were enough, I’d still be here. But it’s not, and this is the only way I can… I’m sorry. Goodbye…Adrien…”

She stretches up on her toes and kisses his cheek, the barest feathering of her lips on his skin. As she does, she shoves the box and the tablet into his arms, hard enough to make him stumble back. Then she runs. 

She runs until she is sure he isn’t following her, until she is sure he would have gone inside, until she is fairly certain there is no going back. And then she gives it all up.

‘I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, former Ladybug and guardian of Paris, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box and name Adrien Agreste the new guardian.’

Marinette groaned as her eyes popped open. They felt dry, and she blinked a few times as she reached for her phone to check the time. The display read 2:35 am. She let the phone drop as she twisted into a more comfortable position, but between the moon shining through her skylight and the flickering, fading images of her nightmare, her body had decided she was awake.

“Fine,” she grumbled, flipping the covers back. She climbed down to her room and flicked on the lights, careful to roll her chair silently across her floor as she settled down by her dress. Extra cash for extra fabric was all well and good, but it also meant extra hemming. Given the design, it all had to be done by hand. And that meant hours of extra work.

As Marinette threaded her needle, she couldn’t help but glance at her open window and the plate she’d left there. She knew what she’d see before she looked, but she couldn’t stop hope from springing up anyway. It frayed into frustration and embarrassment as she took in the untouched plate. She’d spent the better part of a year and a half chasing after Adrien, and as soon as she started to even think of someone else, they…

Well, they broke her heart.

It had been like that for over two weeks now. At first she’d thought Chat Noir just hadn’t had the time until four nights ago when she’d seen his silhouette bounding across the Notre Dame on patrol. He hadn’t even paused. Not that he had, to, she’d reminded herself. They barely knew each other, hadn’t made any promises. 

So why did it sting so much?

“It doesn’t matter,” Marinette reminded herself as she took up the hem. “It was just a silly little crush. It wasn’t even real. It just makes things easier, really.”

Besides, it wasn’t his fault if she imagined something that wasn’t there. And anyway, Alya was always swearing up and down that Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug. When she’d shown Marinette the pictures, she’d had to agree with her friend. Even if it wasn’t obvious to the super heroine, it was obvious to her.

“Ughhhh!” Marinette jabbed the needle into the mannequin and leaned back, covering her eyes with the palms of her hands. “Why? Why am I such a disaster?!”

“I don’t think you’re a disaster.”

Marinette sat up so fast she almost fell off her chair. “You! What are you doing here?”

Chat Noir cocked an eyebrow as he slowly bit down on a macaron. “I thought I had a standing invitation? Or did I misread the open window and plate of goodies? Though I feel I should warn you, as far as keeping people out goes, that only officially works on vampires.”

Marinette bit her lip, taking a chocolate chip cookie from the plate when he offered it. “I thought you weren’t coming by anymore,” she admitted. “Not that you have to, or that I want you to; you can do what you want, it doesn’t bother me, it’s fine, I’m fine.”

Those impossibly green eyes darted to the ground, then back up to her face as his smile faltered.

“I was…afraid to come here,” he admitted, setting the plate down.

“Afraid?” She knew the heroes were just people, but she’d never imagined Chat Noir afraid of anything. “Afraid of what?

“Not ‘of what’,” he said, twisting on the sill so his legs were dangling into her room. “For you.”

The words sent a chill skittering down Marinette’s spine. “For me?”

He nodded. “Hawkmoth has been… no.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair in frustration. “You know the senti-monsters that have been popping up the past three weeks?”

Marinette nodded. “One attacked Alya and Nino.”

“One also attacked Chloe Bourgeois,” Chat Noir said. “I think Hawkmoth is trying to hunt down Ladybug.” All members of Paris’ super hero team.

“But why?” Marinette asked with a shiver. “You guys always show up when there’s an akuma, why would he be…”

“Because that’s not Ladybug.”

The precipice yawned in front of Marinette. This time it felt like the ground crumbled under her feet, and she was falling, falling, falling.

“What do you mean?”

Chat Noir dropped into her room, pacing silently on the floor. “It’s…complicated. But Ladybug gave up being Ladybug and gave the earrings to someone else in order to protect someone. I think Hawkmoth knows that, and I think he’s hunting her down by attacking members of our team, trying to find a weak point.”

Marinette flexed her fingers, trying to work some warmth back into them. “And…what does that have to do with me?”

“Don’t you get it, Marinette?” Chat Noir dropped to a knee in front of her, snatching up her hands as though he could convey the urgency of his fear through touch alone. “You’re part of that team. No one but me knows you’re Multimouse. And if I lead one of the monsters to your door… I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me. Not after everything…”

Marinette leaned forward and cupped Chat Noir’s cheek, running a thumb along his cheekbone.  “It’s ok,” she said softly, wanting more than anything to ease the burden he must be feeling. “I’m ok. I understand.”

“I have to ask you something,” he said, “Even though I have no right, I…”

“You’re my friend,” Marinette said with a small smile. “You have every right. Ask me.”

He squeezed her hands once, then let go. “I don’t want you to wear a Miraculous again,” he said softly, unable to meet her eyes as he spoke. “It’s not about your skill. You’re one of the best team mates we have, and I can see why my Lady chose you, but…”

I’m afraid for you.

“Chat Noir.” She waited until he met her eyes again. “If the roles were reversed - if it were me out there everyday, fighting to protect Paris, and I asked you not to help, would you?”

Pain flashed across his face but he answered honestly. “No. Not if I could. But it’s different, Marinette. You don’t even know me.”

“I do,” she promised, pulling him to his feet as she stood. This close she could feel the warmth of his body next to hers. She was acutely aware of the few inches separating them. “I know you’re brave, and selfless, and kind. I know you’re funny, but you also use jokes because you’re afraid. You take on too much and you don’t like to ask for help, and when you love someone, it’s with your whole heart. I would guess the only thing I don’t know about you, Kitty, is your name.” 

“How do you do that?” he whispered, searching her face.

“Do what?” Marinette asked. She tilted her head back, her heart skipping as Chat Noir laced his fingers with hers.

“See through everything,” he murmured, “See me.”

“Almost everything…” she said, reaching up to trace the edge of his mask. “Just lucky I guess.”

His lips crashed into hers, one arm around her waist, the other in her hair as he pulled her in, like he’d thought of nothing else for days. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tighter. Tingles raced over her skin. She couldn’t get a breath in, but she didn’t care. She tangled her fingers in his hair and heard him moan in response. She liked it. She wanted to hear more.

But he abruptly broke away from her, falling back against the window. Cold rushed in where his body had been pressed against hers moments ago.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, but he ran his tongue over his lips like he could still taste her on them. “I was supposed to be making sure you were safe, not endangering you more. I shouldn’t have… I should go.”

“Don’t.” The sound broke from Marinette before she could stop it. “I…I know things are complicated. I don’t expect anything, but please. Don’t go. Don’t disappear on me.”

“I would never do that,” Chat Noir said. He straightened as though he would reach for her again, but seemed to think better of the idea. “I just…don’t want to be the reason you get hurt.”

“I understand,” Marinette said. She took one step, then another, until she was standing in front of him again. “I’m asking you to trust me. Do you?”

“More than anyone else,” he said softly. “Stay safe?”

“I’ll do my very best,” Marinette promised, “Though you should know I’m the clumsiest person in the whole city, so you’re kind of asking a lot.”

She leaned in, slower this time, giving him time to stop her if he wanted to.

Instead he tilted his face, meeting her half way in a kiss that was much more gentle than their first, a tentative beginning. She broke away after a moment, but instead he just leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed, as though trapped in her gravity.

“Good night, Marinette.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, the faintest brush of his lips against her skin. “Sweet dreams.”

He pulled away again and disappeared through her window into the night. Marinette watched him go as long as she could until his shadow finally disappeared from view. She placed a hand over her heart as she turned back to her room and flicked off the light, suddenly exhausted, but paused to trace a finger over her lips. 

So much, she thought, for things being easier.

[badlydrawnmanic]

time for episode 5 because i’m bored as heck

• just thoughts during the theme song but i wish we got to see more of aleena • the extras in this opening scene look passable for mobians which is a surprise • sleet explains something to dingo while looking directly into the camera

• WHAT IS THIS CATERPILLAR DOG THING UGH • it’s a legal requirement for thief children to have wack hair • kjsdgsd max snapped • i think i remember some people shipping manic with this kid • what animal are any of these characters supposed to be • that bungee jump thing makes no sense at all which is terrible • who gave sonic a drivers liscence • sonic your whole thing is to help people and then some poor kid comes in your van like “help me” and you’re like “why should i” what is the truth • shit dude that van turns on a dime • nobody in this show knows how to drive do they • this little goblin dude juggling is kinda cute, his design ain’t bad. weird colors but that’s a given • what sleet turns dingo into reminds me of the koopalings right down to the voice • is manic older than max or does he just say “little bro” because max looks even shorter than manic does • manic: stealing’s wrong   max:

• max brings up a good point about like... how are they gonna survive without money from the shit they stole • i think i redesigned max at one point? i think i made him a xoloitzcuintli (those weird mexican hairless dogs)

• OH I DID, this was back when i mainly did lineless art (it was easier doing art like this rather than lined art with a mouse, i haven’t tried this style with my drawing tablet yet), i really like what i did here skjdgs small boy • there’s two background characters with names, there’s a girl named allegra with a huge nose and some pig looking gremlin critter named clifton, i think that’s interesting • is it like a cultural thing for all the thieves to have earrings or did the character designers just go “yeah only punks have piercings” • sonia’s being really mean about their music for no reason when it doesn’t sound awful, just let these kids play their accordions and violins in peace dude • manic is a gross boy and spits all over this girl to show off one of his little tricks, disgusting • the headcanons about dingo involved something about this episode i think, i’d have to go digging through dms to remember tho • there’s this bird character between allegra and clifton who looks depressed as shit • sleet looks ugly enough to be a passable spore creature and i might just try that if i have to look at his nasty face any longer • i understand what manic means when he’s like “haha this whole thing reminds me of when i was little and stole shit all the time” because i was a little kleptomaniac when i was a kid and like... getting away with it is fun as shit. of course i feel bad now but like... hey i get it • for once the siblings yelling out of surprise has some energy to it, though i wish it was less like “oh aah” and more like... y’know, actual startled sounds, it’s not super convincing • sleet is standing there with his gaping maw wide open pointing in one direction with no animation like a statue and it’s weird • swatbots are on the same level of aiming as storm troopers • what even are these lasers? are they lethal?? do they hurt??? i don’t think anyone’s gotten hit from what i remember so like what’s the danger • sonic just fucking... vaccums up all these children with wind from running, he’s gonna hurt someone, he’s so damn reckless • WHERE’D THEY GO • the little animation where manic takes out his drums doesn’t look half bad! it’s a pleasant surprise when bits of animation are higher quality than normal

• after saying that i realized his gloves disappeared in the shot i was just praising sndkgjds • how was the production of this show? did they color digitally or was this still in the time of hand-drawn animation cells? i wonder how rushed production was • is “amigas” proper spanish?   [googling]   yes it is nevermind   spanish class as a required class was pointless apparently because i don’t remember jack shit from it • dingo you aren’t allowed to steal the “main man” title from manic (my nickname in our discord server was “my main man, manic” for the longest time sjkdgbs)

• it’s kinda neat seeing where all these pics my boyfriend gave me when i was looking for refs came from • i’ve thought that a song was gonna play tiwce now so now i’m wondering when it’ll come in and if it’ll be plot relevant • bummer majores • i get the point of “aw man i can’t believe you have to give all this money to robotnik because he’s evil and demands taxes” but hey either tax the rich or eat them dude • this old man’s outfit is horrendous • sonic and sonia just hid behind behind a thing hanging on the wall and that just wouldn’t work • manic and max both like drums... ;v; • why are manic and dingo just throwing glass bottles and shit back and forth at each other, is this a game • DINGO YOU HURT THE BOY • god what are these masks • SONG TIME • again, manic’s just talking in the middle of the song, and i get it’s for plot but the visuals are, again, sickeningly distracting, i can’t tell what’s happening • how does nobody notice the drummers changing place in the middle of the performance? how is there not a gap in the drum/cymbal beats? • these poor children, wow dingo • it’s really sweet that this old man helped the thief kids find parents and homes to go back to, that’s very nice • manic has one (1) coin and everyone takes that as evidence that he robbed the old man of all his money when that also doesn’t make sense, yes he took it from the vault thing but he didn’t take the whole thing? • why does manic just let the robot handcuff him, i know he feels guilty but like he isn’t an idiot, he knows what’ll happen if he does that so why does he??? • why do sonic and sonia immediately believe what sleet says about manic, shouldn’t they be on guard whenever this fuck’s around and have some suspension of belief here • this man went from 0 to 100 real quick huh • SONG TIME??? • i forgot that the song already happened because of my confusion during the sequence and now i feel like an idiot • anyway the song was like a 5.5/10, it has the energy i think they were going for and it doesn’t sound awful, it’s a little better than alright, though i wish the scene was more coherent and easy to follow • sonia’s classist as hell damn • sonic’s faith in manic being honest is nice to see • the thief children didn’t get their homes after this?? i’m upset • two bros laughing manically in the sewer in front of a very small crowd of children, as you do • manic talking to himself in jail kinda reminds me of movie!sonic but like... slower and less interesting, also why do they just throw him in jail? doesn’t robotnik roboticize everyone? • that one kid dares to look in max’s direction and he’s like ShShHhH like your hushing is gonna get you caught dude not that kid • MAX IS THROWING METAL THINGS IN THE BACKGROUND WHY??? YOU WERE SHUSHING THAT KID FOR SAYING NOTHING • max should be like... directly in sleet’s line of sight rn • of course they gotta very clearly explain the plot directly to the audience • everyone’s so shitty to these poor kids, damn • you’d think that huge laser blast would have injured manic in the process of blowing a hole in the wall • why’s sonia so concerned about the police chasing them? aren’t the police chasing them all the time? • manic nyooms again when he gets out of the van • these robots aren’t observant at all are they • for once, reusing animation makes sense • yay the poor kids get homes now • as nice as this ending is, it isn’t easy to kick bad habits like thievery, especially when it’s like... part of your nature at that point? it’s odd

• god the perspective • also, this is exactly why i give everyone on this blog extended muzzles and more clear divides between their eyes when they’re looking to the side, otherwise they look cursed • IT’S TIME TO JUICE AND JAM

[c0ffeebee]

hi! i've always wanted to ask how you got into doing art / photo manipulations in the way that you do? your style is so unique and beautiful, i was wondering if you took inspo from any other sources? hope that made sense, have a nice day!

hi! thank you so much for your kind words about my work and my style! ❤and this is seriously the most interesting ask i’ve ever gotten in my entire life, so thank you so much for that too, anon! it’s a pretty long story, but i’ll try not to ramble (and if i do i’m sorry)

first thing you should know i was drawing since i was a little kid, literally no other activity could occupy me that much, so i basically taught myself to draw (my whole family draws, but it’s more of a hobbie for my parents and my brother and they never really taught me, just gave me freedom to try)

i’m saying that just so you know i had a major traditional drawing background before i’ve tried anything digital 

then when i was like 15 i entered my first ever fandom, which was twilight and i’m not ashamed (maybe a little), and in that time in fandom one the most popular activities was - doing fanfiction cover for other people’s stories, and so i thought i want to be able to do that! and i’ve started to descover for myself what photoshop is

and for the next few years i was teaching myself to work with this program and at first, of course, it was A BIG MESS:

but i’ve managed to understand what works and what not, and people started to request fanfic covers from me, so i made them (it wasn’t like commission because at this point fandom didn’t figure out we can do that yet), it was something like this:

so for all those years i taught myself how to work with colors, croping, textures, text, everything, but i never added drawn details to it because i’ve never knew what a drawing tablet even is

but for all those covers it was often necessary to make manips and i’ve started to learn how to do that too and (as with everything) it was a… not good at first, i mean look at it:

as you can see it was… a journey

then one day i’ve discovered what a drawing tablet is (when i was in glee fandom a few years later and everyone was drawing digital stuff), so i begged my parents to buy me my first drawing tablet (i was a shitty one let me tell you and it died like a year later, but that’s not the point)

and with it i’ve started doing what oh so many people on the internet do (which was the first step towards what i’m doing now), i took different pictures, maniped them together and TRACED all the lines on top of it with the new layer, and then just blurred the original pictures that were still on the bottom layer, and i wasn’t telling people about how i did it, so they thought i’ve drawn it all from the scratch (don’t do it, people, just say you traced it, no one cares):

so it looked… ok? but now when i look at it i think it’s all messy and… yeah, no, it’s not good at allbut for all those years i was watching so many people who photomanipulated pictures too (in a very different style than i do, but oh so beautifully), it wasn’t like one or two artist that i admired, it was seeing those thing now and then, and mostly in the works of people who were still doing all those fic covers, but were getting better and better at it

and then i saw that some book covers look like that too, like those amazing smooth manips that i’ve always wanted to know how to do

what i didn’t understand back then was that i’ve already knew, i’ve already done that, but i’ve messed it up every time i was tracing over my manips trying to pretend it’s a drawing, instead of just working on the pistures i’ve manipulated and try and make them look more whole and realystic

at some point i even made a few manips that looked distantly like what i’m doing now:

and i just sort of rejected this idea of doing manips, because i wanted to teach myself to draw digitally, not photomanipulate

and then i started to try and make manips like those (like i saw on book and fic covers) for the covers i was making (still) and it worked and i liked how it looked:

so i thought why not try to do that not for a cover, but just like an illustration, and i made this one piece and it changed everything:

you can find it here on tumblr

i saw people talking in the comments and tags about how it looks like a picture and like a drawing at the same time and i thought: ok, maybe i’m onto something here, maybe i do want to make stuff like that

and so i did

and in the middle of making the second one of these i’ve lost my first tablet, i finished it using mouse (it was hell) and it turned out looking like that:

you can find it here on tumblr

and then a few month later i got a new tablet (which i’m working with to this day) and i’ve just started to make things like that more and more, it felt like i finally found my style, but it was taking me so much time to make each one of those that in a year all i’ve made was:

7 pieces… ok i’ve also made some gifs and i’ve tried drawing chibi for the first time that year too, but you get the point, it was hard for me to learn how to do it quickly, but at the same time be satisfied with how each finished piece looks

and then it was just hours and hours and hours of practice and pain (kidding about the pain, but not really, it was tough) and here we are now, that piece i’ve made last week for will tudor’s birthday has 5 characters on it and it took me like two and half days (?) to make it, if you’d shown me this manip a few years ago when i’ve just started and told me i did it in such a short time i would never believe you

so everything comes with practice, and if you want to be able to do something - be curious, try things you were afraid to try before, look at the other people who does it (but not too much, because you have your own style and your own road to it) and most importantly just… just make something, even if at first you’ll thing it looks like a mess, trust me, i know what a mess is, it gets better ❤

[aaron-rutten]

Wacom Cintiq 22 Review

By Aaron Rutten | July 18, 2019

Today, I’ll demonstrate the new 22 inch version of the Wacom Cintiq. I’ll show you how it compares to the smaller 16 inch model and I’ll share my overall opinion of the device.

DISCLAIMER: This review is not sponsored by Wacom, but they did send me this tablet unconditionally to review as I please. As always, all opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links that I use to earn revenue.

Overview

Because the Cintiq 22 is nearly identical to the Cintiq 16, which I’ve reviewed separately, I’ll only briefly list the specifications and features of this version. Feel free to watch my full review of the Wacom Cintiq 16 to get a more in-depth look at this device and what it can do.

The Cintiq 16 and the new Cintiq 22 were designed as a solution for artists and designers who want the quality of a Wacom display tablet, but may not require some of the advanced features included with the Cintiq Pro line. The Cintiq 22 is a perfect entry-level display tablet for anyone who wants to work directly on screen. This device works great for drawing, painting, animation, design, video editing and more.

Pen: Pro Pen 2 with 8192 Pressure Levels

Optional Pens: Wacom Art Pen, Pro Pen Slim, Pro Pen 3D, Pro Pen, Classic Pen, Airbrush, Grip Pen

Pen Tilt: Supported

Barrel Rotation: Supported with Wacom Art Pen

Resolution: 1920x1080 HD

Color Gamut: 72% NTSC

Adjustable Stand: Included

Compared to Cintiq 16

Size: The most obvious difference between the Cintiq 16 and Cintiq 22 is the size of the display. The active drawing area of the Cintiq 16 is approximately 15.6 inches diagonally, whereas the Cintiq 22 is 21.5 inches diagonally.

Weight: Now as you might expect, there's going to be a difference in weight has well. The Cintiq 16 is a little bit over 4 pounds without the optional stand. The Cintiq 22 is a little bit over 12 pounds without the optional stand.

Cable Management: The Cintiq 16 has a 3-in-1 cable that attaches very securely to the tablet. We see the same compartment door on the Cintiq 22, but instead of a 3-in-1 cable, Wacom has chosen to go with 3 individual cables for HDMI, USB and Power. Personally, I really like the cable design on the Cintiq 16 and I miss seeing it on the Cintiq 22. Although, I have heard more than one complaint from viewers regarding the cable for the Cintiq 16 which is a proprietary cable and could be expensive to replace. You can get replacement HDMI and USB cables anywhere for cheap, so perhaps that’s why we see 3 separate cables here. And, perhaps, individual cables add more flexibility in terms of cable length, since a one-size-fits-all cable is not a solution that works for everyone. I can also imagine that a 22 inch screen probably won’t be shuffled around the desk as much as the Cintiq 16 would.

I think I prefer the more secure connection because honestly, the connections are a little bit loose on the Cintiq 22. I would be worried about accidentally yanking those cords and possibly breaking one of the connections or the cables. This is the kind of design that I'd expect to see on a Cintiq imitation, not on a genuine Cintiq. So I'm a little bit disappointed that they didn't go with the cable that comes with the Cintiq 16. Now there is a little compartment door that closes on the cables. It does prevent the cables from getting tugged a little bit but not quite as much as I would like. My solution has been to use the twist ties that come included with the cables for the Cintiq 22. To twist tie the cables together and make my own three-in-one cable.

Legs: One of the most noticeable differences between the Cintiq 16 and 22 are the legs on the back of the tablet. The Cintiq 16 has two legs on either side that fold out to angle the tablet upward a bit. These legs are nowhere to be found on the Cintiq 22. They are, however, present on the Cintiq Pro 24 and 32. 

Optional Stand: Another difference is that the adjustable stand is included with the Cintiq 22 whereas it must be purchased separately with the Cintiq 16 at a price of $80. The stands are very similar. The stand for the Cintiq 22 is a little bit larger and it can be angled between 16-82 degrees. The Cintiq 16 stand can be adjusted to a 19-68 degree angle. I think it was a good idea to include the stand because it is essential in my opinion. So keep that in mind if you’re trying to decide between the 16 or 22 inch models of the Cintiq.

VESA Mounting: Just like the Cintiq 16, the back of the Cintiq 22 has mounting holes for a VESA-compatible stand, so you could easily mount this display to an Ergotron Arm instead of using the official stand.

The Cintiq 16 requires a VESA mounting plate included with the stand. The Cintiq 22 does not require the plate. Exterior Features: On the exterior of the Cintiqs, you'll notice that there is a power button on the front of the Cintiq 16. That power button is located on the top edge of the Cintiq 22. You'll also notice that the bezel is a bit wider on the bottom of the Cintiq 16 but not quite as wide on the Cintiq 22. There's also a bit more of a buffer zone in between the bezel and the active drawing area on the Cintiq 22. This makes it more difficult for you to accidentally run your pen off of the active area and into the bezel. Now there are a couple of other differences such as the viewing angle which varies by a very small amount and the power consumption, which is a little bit higher on the Cintiq 22. But other than that, these tablets are nearly identical.

Which Size Should You Choose?

Only you know the answer to this question. If you’re an artist, take a look at what you’re using now. Do you draw in a sketchbook? If so, what is your most common paper size? Do you paint on canvas, if so what size canvas? Do you draw on a tablet without a display? How large is the tablet’s active area? If you draw with a mouse, how big is your mouse pad? Compare that to the size of the Cintiq 16 and 22 and take into consideration the size difference. This should give you an idea of how much gesture space you’re used to.

You’ll also want to consider how much screen space you need. Depending on the software you use, the UI may take up more or less of your screen. In the case of art applications, your brush palettes will occupy more of the screen on a Cintiq 16 than it would on a Cintiq 22.

I’d say in this case, bigger is better if your priorities are comfortable gesture space and adequate screen real estate.

However, if you prefer a smaller tablet that is more portable, then the Cintiq 16 would certainly be an advantage.

Price and Alternatives

Price: $1,199 USD

Downgrade: $629 less for a Cintiq 16 plus the optional stand, if you don’t need a large screen.

Upgrade: Add $700 for Cintiq Pro 24, but you’d need to add in the cost of a $500 stand on top of that.

Conclusion

PROS:

Stand is included

Large screen

Best pen available for a drawing tablet

Color is accurate (Pre-Calibrated)

VESA Mount-Compatible

CONS:

Cable and connection were better on Cintiq 16

No Express Keys on exterior (Can get optional remote or use keyboard or on-screen eys)

No way to magnetically dock Express Key Remote

I’d say overall, I’m happy with the design changes made for the Cintiq 22. Sure, I’ll miss the nifty 3-in-1 cable, but the included stand more than makes up for that. If you’re looking for a large display tablet that will give you all of the essential features you’ll need to make digital art and design on the computer, the Wacom Cintiq 22 is what I would recommend.

If you’d like a more in-depth look at the features of the Cintiq 16 and 22, or if you want to see how the Cintiq performs compared to similar display tablets. Check out some of my helpful drawing tablet reviews.

Watch my Cintiq 22 Video Review

[loniface]

Casual reminder that my ask box is always open for random questions and failure to comply will force me to answer questionnaires like this instead.

What is todays date? Thursday, September 5, 2019. Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Hmmm, nope.  Probably just gonna make my daily Pokemon Go run into town. Do you wear perfume or cologne? Yes, but rarely. What kind of computer are you using? I have no idea.  My dude built it himself and it’s very powerful, but that’s about all I know about it. What color is your mouse? Black.

Is it sunny outside? No, it’s 9:37 P.M. What has the weather been like lately? Hot and humid.

When was the last time you cried? I can’t remember, thankfully. When was the last time you sincerely smiled? Yesterday.  My mom got so tickled at her own joke, I couldn’t help but smile. When was the last time you laughed freely? Yesterday, for the same reason. Do you eat breakfast regularly? Yes and no.  I eat cereal nearly every day, but I don’t eat until like noon. Do you take vitamins? Women’s gummy vitamins. When was the last time you took aspirin or some other pain reliever? Sometime last week for a headache. When did you learn to tie your shoes? Sometime around Kindergarten, I think.  Since I’m the only left-handed person in my family, no one could properly teach me.  My parents concocted a weird practice dummy made out of paper bags and shoelaces for me to work with. What was your favorite grade in elementary school? None, hated school. Do you like clouds? They’re alright.  Pretty to look at when you’re over them.

What color are your shoelaces? My slip-ons don’t have laces.

How many states have you been to? 14 - Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

How many different countries have you been to? Just the one I live in.

When was the last time you deeply regretted something? I regret dropping out of college so long ago.

Do you go to other people for advice or do you deal with things on your own? I’m very indecisive, so I will ask for opinions before I make decisions.

How long was your longest relationship? Seven years wasted.

What is your favorite brand of gum? Don’t chew gum; it’ll get stuck in my retainer.

What is something that you regularly wear that makes you stand out? Probably my graphic tees.

Do you own a debit card? Yes.

A credit card? Nope, paid ‘em all off and dropped ‘em.

Are you in debt? Surprisingly, nope.  I paid off everything I own and only pay for my monthly obligations like insurance and cell phone, etc.

When is your birthday? August 10, 1983.

How old will you be? Just turned 36.

What kind of cake is your favorite? Whatever goes with cream cheese icing.

Do you prefer small birthday parties or big ones? Never had a big party so I dunno.  My last birthday was spent at someone else’s surprise birthday party, which was awkward as hell. 

What song are you listening to now? Listening to a podcast.

Do you download illegal mp3’s? Nope.

What was the most traumatic experience of your life? Hmmm, marriage.

Have you ever lost a friend to drugs or alcohol? Yes.

Who was your childhood best friend? Adrienne is her name.  We’re still friends on facebook.

Are you still friends now? We grew apart but we still try to keep up with one another via social media.

If not, why? N/A

Are you sitting at a desk right now? Yes.

Are you eating or drinking? Sipping water.

How many surveys have you taken today? Just this one.

Have you ever made a survey? I’ve taken surveys that let you ask questions at the end, so I’ve sorta made one?

If you haven’t you should. Its fun. =] Thank you.

Did you ever have any sort of collection? I’m up to my eyeballs in figurines and plushies.

Do you believe in Karma? Yes.

What do you thinks happens to us when we die? Don’t know, don’t care.  I’ll find out in like eighty years.

What age do you think you’ll die? Try not to think about it but I don’t wanna live to be immobile and unable to care for myself.  So basically, if I gotta go into a nursing home, might as well die right then.

If you knew you had one more month to live what would you do? Probably waste the entire month crying about it.

About how long was the last book you read? Somewhere around 300 pages or so.

Have you read any books by V.C.Andrews? Nope.

Have you ever read a play before? Yes.  Had to read a play per grade in high school.

A play not written by Shakespeare? Nope.

Have you ever read a play outside of school? No.

What is one career you don’t think you could do no matter how much it paid? Elephant poop scooper.

Would you want to live in the country or the city? City.  I’ve lived rural all my life and want the experience the city offers.

Do you prefer large cities or small ones? Either is fine.

Do you/Did you ride the school bus? Rode all the way until my elder sister got her license/car.  I was a Junior, I think.

If not how did you get to school? I fear I’m answering these questions too early.  See above.

Do you have iTunes on your computer? Not on the rig, but it’s on my laptop.

Have you ever edited Wikipedia? No.

Have you ever edited any other wiki? Nope.

Is there a website [besides social networking] that you check almost daily? Does deviantART count?  If not, no.

Are you procrastinating? Yes.  I can’t practice drawing on a tablet if I don’t install it.

Do/Did you make good grades in school? Yes.  My parents were pretty hard on me to be an honor roll student.

Do you have a better relationship with one parent than the other? Pretty much would die for my momma.  Wish I were closer to my dad than what I am, but it is what it is.

Do you look like your mom or your dad? My dad’s sister.

Do you write things on your hand to remind yourself? No.

Do you use your phone as an alarm? Yes.

Do you listen to music while you sleep? No, just my box fan.

Do you get scared when you know some virus or sickness is being passed? Yes.  I have emetophobia, so the idea of getting sick launches me into anxiety attacks.

Are you realistic? Yes.

Do you sing in the shower? Nope.

[belphegor1982]

Got tagged by @kikabennet! 

when did you last sing to yourself?

Yesterday, since I’ve currently been awake for an hour and a half. Might have been either “Bonnie Portmore” or “Here’s a Health (To The Company)”. I’ve been putting a lot of shanties and pirates/sailing-related films soundtracks on to draw to (and hopefully write to) lately. (EDIT: Ooops - yep, wrote that yesterday around 11AM, so make that this afternoon; I hummed while I drew along with the first 3 Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks. It’s so darn hummable.)

if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know?

Who was the Man in the Iron Mask!? (I know better than to ask personal/family truths :S Besides, I’m curious.)

(putting the rest under a cut...)

what is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

Being able to speak (mostly) and read/write English fluently.

what is the first happy memory that comes to mind, recent or otherwise?

When my mum was in the hospital with my newborn baby sister, my dad would take me see them, and before that we’d stop for ice cream and a ride on the merry-go-round. That’s what comes to mind when I read “first happy memory”.

if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living?

I’d go see my family and friends who live far away a lot more, and eat a lot more of my favourite things.

do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things?

I don’t, really ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

describe a person close to your life in detail

The Best Beloved is tallish (1,77m - that’s… 5′10?), with dark brown hair, green eyes, skin that tans easily even in winter, and glasses. …and that’s as much detail as I’m comfortable putting.

do you feel you had a happy childhood?

On the whole, yes. Could’ve done without the bullying at school and the undermining of self-confidence at home, though.

when did you last cry in front of another person?

Don’t remember, so it must be at least a fortnight.

pick a person to stargaze with you and explain why you picked them

My dad, who used to sail with a compass. I don’t think he knows much about constellations, but he’s always willing to share memories, even if sometimes he doesn’t remember he’s told them multiple times.

would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them?

Probably. I shouldn’t, though. Strangers being by definition strangers, you never know where that information is going and how it might be used (possibly against you).

when was your last 3am conversation with someone, and who were they to you?

We both were tired and ended up going to bed around half past midnight, so no 3AM conversation, but my friend Sandrine last week.

if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one person, what would you say and to whom?

…I have no idea? I think I’d concentrate really hard on not dying :S

what is your opinion on brown eyes?

Why would it matter tho I have brown eyes and for the longest time I thought they were boring. It doesn’t help that brown hair and eyes are basically the default where I grew up/live. Then I grew up and moved on.

pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally

George Bernard Shaw’s “Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.” Life is complicated, all about balance between extremes and absolutes. Don’t trust people who tell you the world is grim and serious just because they are. And while getting the giggles at a funeral/wake is inappropriate, it doesn’t mean you’re heartless.

what would you title the autobiography of your life so far?

Wait, What

what would you do with one billion dollars?

I’d keep half a dozen millions for me (car and house debts), my family and my friends, and give the rest to social services, healthcare, and public services in general.

are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way?

Ehhh… It’s complicated. I tend to hold grudges when I can remember why, but I rarely do something about it. On the whole I’m pretty “live and let live”.

would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel?

Neither, really. I’m too soft for punk, but pastel’s not really my thing either.

how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain

I’m too much of a wuss to even consider getting either, but they look great on other people. When I get a spot on my tongue I wonder how people with a tongue piercing manage to keep it, though. It’s very distracting.

do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not?

As a rule, no, but if I work or if I’m invited somewhere I’ll throw on a bit of eyeliner and lipstick. (I should raid my makeup drawer, really, some of my lipstick cases are almost 20 years old and you should NOT do that.)

talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way

In high school I saw a psychologist (junior high was NOT a happy time and the bad stuff just overflowed at one point) and went to an outpatient clinic every Wednesday. They had lots of activities, like painting on silk, various art stuff, and a band, and I loved that band. I was one of the only ones who’d request songs to sing in English. The guitarist introduced me to the Beatles’ “Something”, which I didn’t know, and to this day when I hear this lovely song I think of that guy who had a great smile, a great sense of humour and a great moustache (think George Harrison on Let It Be) who helped me get better.

list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel

Not to brag, but back in my uni days I did go to a number of them - K’s Choice, Coldplay, King Khan And His Shrines, M, Tom McRae are among the ones I remember. And a couple months ago I went to a rock concert with three bands one after the other. I love live music, it feels amazing. It courses through my body, makes me grin like a maniac, and want to jump and flail around just to vent the excess energy. And all this without a single drop of beer! (can’t stand the stuff :P)

who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say?

I’d love a letter from the national loto that says “here’s a giant check even though you haven’t scratched a ticket in years” :P More seriously, I LOVE receiving letters from my Internet friends.

do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised?

I don’t really have a workspace. I have a desk, which has the desktop screen, keyboard, mouse/graphic tablet, and a whole lot of mess of papers, pens, boxes, and stuff. I can use either that desk or my laptop in my armchair.

what is your night time routine?

Finish watching the movie/tv show, look at Tumblr a bit (and/or stuff on the laptop, like TV Tropes), go to bed, read a bit on my Kindle, kiss the Best Beloved good night, switch off the lights, and try to sleep.

what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know?

Anything about my intimate life, thanks.

if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why?

I experimented a bit with henna back in the day, but generally I just have haircuts (I have too little hair to risk harming it). I’d like some reddish highlights one day, though.

pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do?

Eehhh... I’d rather stay at home and chill :P Okay, I’d take the Best Beloved and my friends Melody, Nico, Sandrine, and Aldric, and head to Marquèze. (wish their website had an English version, it’d be better.) It’s an ecomuseum about local life in the early 1800s/early 1900s, with preserved traditional houses and people showing skills like dyeing fabric, shepherding, making flour (there’s a watermill) and all sorts of cakes and bread and snacks, and an entire day isn’t too much to visit everything.

name three wishes and why you wish for them

I wish:

I had a decently-paying job from home,

my friend Sandrine’s mum were/will be all right (don’t ask),

we had the house extension built already

what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up

We didn’t have Halloween when I was growing up, it really only started to be a thing in earnest a decade or two ago. Although... One time when we lived in Bordeaux, the Best Beloved and I were invited to a housewarming party on Halloween, so people would wear costumes. I went as a witch, with a long black skirt, long-sleeve thing with black lace (-ish), long black and white wig, and of course black lipstick and lots of black around the eyes. The Best Beloved had made a cloak, a scythe of sorts with cardboard and foil, and had a scary death head mask on. We didn’t have a car and the friend lived in Saint-Médard (which is relevant), so we had to ask around the bus drivers for which bus went there.

So picture the two of us dressed as we were, mask and all, well after dark, asking around for the “S&M” bus. Yep :P (People stared at us during the ride, and unlike the Best Beloved, I didn’t have the luxury of a mask to hide my laughter...)

what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high?

The only time I got slightly tipsy I went a little pink and apparently talked a little louder than usual. I’ve never got drunk (too afraid of stomachache later) or high (it took my mum two heart attacks to quit smoking and I’m wondering if she hasn’t taken it up again, I can’t hold a cigarette, tobacco or otherwise).

what’s one thing you would never do for one million dollars?

Hurt people, probably. If I wouldn’t do it for ten dollars I wouldn’t do it for a million - if you agree to one or the other the rest is just haggling over price.

if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair?

I don’t think I have the right face shape for that - my face is too round, longer hair suits me better.

what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone?

I live 126 km (78 miles) from the nearest Starbucks, when I walk by one the queue is huge, and the prices are well beyond my range :> But I’d trust the Best Beloved. He’d still ask me, though.

what is the most important thing to you in your life right now?

Being happy and/or stress-free. Also the oncoming Papa Bear Awards nominations in a week and the Eurovision Song Context coming up in May :D

Tagging @radarsteddybear, @rose-of-pollux, @truxi-twice, @myrling-art, @iorvethscommando, and @toooldforthisbutstill! :o)

[jenkinsjenkins77-blog]

How you can Live The Longest In Reigns.

However Vive Virtual Reality at this moment on time is actually the absolute most unsatisfying components I have actually played around with since Kinect. I do not think that performs, but I'm carrying out the very best I can, which I intend is the point the article is aiming to create. I think that is actually disgusting as well as simply highlights all the tiny bits as well as gloss that the original creators invested. Al therefore why the heck doesn't it synch development between iPad and also apple iphone?! Having said that, along with significant firms, like EA, converting mostly all of their major Internet protocols over to F2P, I think a good portion from players (on my own consisted of) are actually paniced that this metric will entirely take over if left out of hand. I want the liberty clicked along with me since i know individuals have a blast along with it. However, despite just how I try I weary if there is no design whatsoever. Many thanks glennlea - truly that is actually one if the best things any individuals stated to me:-RRB- It was actually definitely fantastic that Tasos was actually kind enough to cover BrightRidge given that that started a really good chat listed here and i knew a lot regarding providing a better customer adventure in like someday:-RRB- The version i simply made totally free possessed 30000 downloads yesterday so I hope when the HD model comes out at least some individuals are going to intend to update. The more sensible presumption is actually that he just plain failed to think it would certainly be actually an issue, which is understandable given the very likely near zero exposure his current application has. I presume that would be generally that you didn't know precisely mathematically ways to place this together ... and if you did understand exactly how ... you WOULD manage to. Even if http://buyitdirect-my.com/asami-bahan-bahan-bagaimana-ia-berfungsi-bagaimana-untuk-menggunakan-harga-di-mana-kau-bisa-membelinya/ like me no more possess the time to rest on the chair staring at the TELEVISION with a controller in hand or partake face of a display, keyboard and mouse all evening doesn't create me a subdivision players Neither should mobile phone games be subclassed as a result of its' comforts. . Foolish, and also inaccurate, however reveals that you possess an extreeeeemly slim definition from a pc, as well as one that is juuuust fluid enough that you can easily move it about good as well as very easy when an individual explains the problems in your arguments. Consider what you carried out the other day around 6 pm. Maybe you were actually sitting to supper along with the better half and also kids as usual. While team inspiration might be greatest at the beginning and end from a venture, energy will, essentially, correspond or even expanding throughout. That is actually great, as well as some people have possessed superb results, yet people, if I possessed the capability to perform that I possibly would not be actually seriously counting on video games in hope from finding some means to motivate on my own through a lifetime psychological block. Believe is additionally in talks with circulation partners, featuring automobile sharing companies and also companies that would certainly use battery leasing, as well as this's expecting potential vehicle models, although Canny rejected to explain those programs specifically. So I may mention coming from very first palm experience that the Application Establishment's costs performs draw people in. Of course, the GamePad does not have those capabilities and also ended up being a disappointment, however I think that the Shift carries out something that individuals have had an interest in for a long period of time. Anyone that's ever possessed a workout session companion or even private instructor knows that including another individual in your journey to physical fitness could substantially improve your motivation. Likewise, respect is actually troubling to review the entries in a thread to ensure folks do not must redo on their own just before posting. This is actually one thing I was actually dealing with just recently, about the necessity of open methods and requirements to bring the visibility of the email to enable the whole internet to be a social media". I have actually been participating in video games less and much less on my tablet due to complimentary to play crap (mind you, certainly not all free of charge to play games are junk, despite what people assume) the absence from a great App Store hunt component, and the sparsity from video games I are going to in fact maintain for a lengthy while, rather than playing for simply pair of full weeks, and afterwards erasing that.

[hysteriamodes]

Coloring in grey scale

So, hey, this is somewhat of a tutorial for those curious about some of my coloring and blending. I made this especially for anyone younger than me and is exploring digital art, but this is also for others who are curious about what I do. I love reading other artist’s comments and looking at their WIPs, so why not.

Another reminder: if you’re looking for my artwork, please follow @rainbow-illness and not this blog. All of my finished stuff goes there; usually, my works in progress (WIPs) or Angry Doodle Corner go here. Sometimes I use this blog to repost my art, but that is my official art blog, no this one. Not unless you like nonsensical posting and metal, then have at it. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to hit me up, I love talking about art.

So I can’t always sit down and talk about my processes and how I go about doing them, but I was able to sit down and take some screencaps while I was working on my iPad Pro. Using the iPad is actually my first choice to draw on because of the convenience of carrying it around like a sketchbook, whereas my laptop isn’t always easy to carry around--it’s a big laptop. While I use my iPad, I also like to go back and correct things, recolor, re-proportion, or spend more time privately working on a drawing. I have my iPad with me, all the time, so I’m out in places usually like Starbucks doing this. I also struggle with pretty bad PTSD and agoraphobia, so having my iPad out with my headphones on gives me an excuse to put my mind elsewhere to calm down.  My family just usually looks at me and goes “oh, she’s working on her art again”; I did this as a kid, too, only with sketchbooks.

I do not have a Cintiq either, though I would absolutely love one. This laptop is capable of using a stylus, but I think I need a better one to do it with. All I’m using is a cheap Wacom Bamboo tablet that I’ve had for five years, that’s it. Everything I’ve done on this blog has been on a small surface. So if you’re just dabbling into art, don’t beat yourself up for having the small stuff, I’ve worked with small stuff and still do. The only thing I have that’s not small is, well, the space and processor on my laptop are much faster than any other laptop I’ve owned, bought especially for graphic design classes and my artwork. 

So, that being said lemme just forewarn some of you guys. My artwork is all done in two to three layers! Yes, you read that right! Why? When I was 16, I didn’t have a Wacom tablet to mess with, so I had to use a mouse and learned from there. When I turned 18, I got my first Wacom tablet while working my first official job and the family computer didn’t have a good processor. So when I got my first official laptop, it was basic and not made to run anything beyond the web browser and such, it could barely handle Photoshop. It did, however, run Paint Tool SAI with no issue (which is why I still prefer it over anything I use), it just couldn’t handle more than five layers. After losing my drawings constantly and not being able to do anything in the prized software I’ve been eyeing since my Sophmore year of high school, I found a workaround with it. 

And that’s what I’m going to write about here. With that in mind, no, you do not have to limit your layers! I’ve taken traditional art classes so my first instinct is to literally paint over my stuff like I would on a canvas. If you don’t want to do that, you don’t have to! Yes, I am nuts. 

That being said, let's do this.

If you haven’t taken traditional art classes, that’s cool! I’m going to be using some art terms you haven’t heard of, but you definitely will when you take your first ever drawing class. These terms are foreground, value, negative space, contour, and weighted line (I’ve seen it called line weight too). For the more experienced art students who are likely groaning over that stupid contour practice from that book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”, I’m sorry, guys. Newbies, you are going to know this. 

And you are going to hate it. While I still hate it and, yeah, my eyes are rolling into my skull right now just even talking about it, there are some useful practices in here that I... actually use. Who would have thought? At least we’re not talking about still lives.

Anyway, here’s what I’M going to say that some art teachers will not tell you but I want anyone to read this to know:

- Do not obsess over your drawing to look exactly like your reference. Just don’t. Forget this completely, worry about it later or don’t even worry about it at all. This is your style, your interpretation.

- Digital art is hard. Art is hard! Practice makes perfect and you learn over time just by studying (looking at) other pieces of art. It took me like well over 10 years to find my own little niche and I’m still playing around with coloring styles. I have a lot.

- If you’re just starting to draw with a tablet of any kind, play around with it. My first official program was a cheaper version of Paint Shop Pro and when I first got it when I was 14, I sat around and experimented on layers to see what it would look like. Explore!

- When you start drawing figures or faces, try not to think of it as, well,  face or a figure. Reduce it to basic shapes, like squares, triangles, and circles.

Greyscale can establish light source, value, scale, and negative space.

I don’t always use greyscale for my art, but when I do, I appreciate it because it makes my life easier. For example, Alphonse Mucha’s pieces here from his “Slav Epic”.

Chances are, you’ve seen Mucha’s art nouveau on prints, fanart, fabrics, and all of that. But Mucha did so much more and he is a huge influence on me for a reason. By the greyscale we see here, we can see foreground/subject with each illustration. Mucha is using value (that’s shadow) to emphasize this, in addition to negative space (background) to draw you in, just by using black and white. Notice how the other subjects don’t have such a powerful contrast and light source versus the other, especially the woman on the left. Mucha made his art pop by his understanding of contrast.

For this first part of this entry, I’m going to be using Papa Emeritus II from “Ghost”... who is a good example of how to draw faces, too. Huh. Regardless of what drawing program you’re using, keep your opacity low, at 50%.

Simplicity at its finest

Instead of focusing a lot on Emeritus’ face, I’m going to focus on the negative space behind him. I’m using this to define his figure. This is a good picture because of the stark contrast, though, it’s a little tricky because it is really contrasted and you can’t see where the light source really is. But that is okay!  I am going in and just using this negative space, the contour of his head and torso. Before I even think of a face, I want to softly go in and use black (or grey) to fill up that negative space. Keep it simple and work your way up.

After I lightly fill in the negative space around him, I can start lightly going in and establish his face by blocks of shadow.  And this is why Emeritus II is such a good example for this kind of work. I don’t usually start going in and drawing eyes, I rely on the shadows of the face to see where their eyes, ears, lips, and such lie. 

Here’s another example (though, it’s old):

This is in my maroon style underpaint, which is what I post most of the time. For their faces, I just used basically eye sockets to start working on their faces, like Papa Emeritus II down below. Again, this dude is a great example.

Here is where it may get a little funky.  I created a new layer and set that layer to Multiply, still keeping that opacity low. Since I have no light source and I just want to create a really dramatic lighting, I made a vignette with a simple airbrush tool.  

With that little vignette, you can create a new layer (unless you’re me, I just merge it down because of that constant fear of nonexistent software crashing) and I’m using the color pick tool to go back and forth to start using greys to really get into Emeritus’ face, especially his wrinkles. I’m painting over it constantly, switching back and forth between a paintbrush tool and color pick tool to blend. Again, keep your opacity low... unless you’re me and you’re feeling adventurous. You’ll also notice here that I have more than one photo reference. I use several for a lot of my art, so I encourage you to do the same. I had no idea what his jaw looked like, so I grabbed a second photo. Now that I have a better idea of where his hat ends on his forehead and how his nose looks, I start doing a weighted line.

Weighted line and Contour

Now is the dreaded talk. Of contour.

Welcome to Drawing I hell. This cursed image is from the book “How to Draw on the Right Side of the Brain” and if your teacher does not talk about this in your first drawing class, I am going to eat my hat... I have a hat lying around here somewhere. ANYWAY, the contour line exercise is basically you just using a neverending line for a drawing. I don’t know who drew this (and tbh, thanks a lot for every single boring assignment I’ve done in drawing classes), but this guy used contour lines for his drawing. I’m having war flashbacks over here, but I managed to find an art teacher’s page talking about different types of contour. My god, they are evolving.

Going back to our dear friend Papa Emeritus II, I used weighted line to start adding in little shadows to his face.  Weighted line goes hand in hand with contour; it is a great technique to not only add details, but add little bits of shadows.

This is a simple example; the thicker line is adding to the shadow of the apple, giving it value!

Papa Emeritus II is such a good reference... I used him as inspiration for King Melwas here.

Gwenhwyfar is also a good example of weighted line. Gwen is essentially a very, very pale character. In contrast to Melwas, who is in darker clothing, Gwen is soft, she is the focal point in this drawing. For the little pieces of her hair, the corner of her lips, eyelashes, and her fingertips, I used a weighted line to establish these things, otherwise, Gwen is so pale, she’ll easily be washed out completely.

This drawing of Alice, which I’m still messing around with, is another example of how effective a weighted line can be with depth. The lines I added into her face, eyelashes, creases, hair, and fingers add those little details since everything I’ve done before like Papa Emeritus II was so soft with a low opacity on the brush settings.

Layer masks and curves

There are two ways you can color greyscale images.

You can do this by going into Layer > Adjustment Layer > Curves (this is how it looks like in Procreate).

This gives you a neat ol’ base color! I am playing around in the blues, adding soft hues of blue in their figures and the white in this picture can either turn blue, cream, or even green. You don’t have to use Blue, you can use any of the other colors. For me, I’m always drawn to blues. Another cool thing to play around with is Color Balance, which is underneath the same function as Curves.

But if you don’t have any of these, you can add a new layer, and do Multiply.

The only drawback to this, of course, is how destaturated (the lack of color) it looks. And yes, that’s an issue you will have and I did run into this while doing this. How I combat this is using additional layer masks. Believe it or not, Alice here was once at a grey scale, looking even more desaturated than Gwen.

For Alice’s face, I went in and use:

- Soft Light because she needed more peach and roses in her skin. Omri’s original drawing gave her a light rose blush so I wanted to do the same.

- Overlay to mask out the black lines from the greyscale I had.

- Lighten which I used to make her lips pinker, her apron’s shadows lighter, and parts of her hair brown.

The same went for Gwen, who is, again, very pale. But while she’s supposed to be pale, I didn’t wash her out completely. To add more saturation, I used a combination of Soft Light over my Multiply layer and Overlay to start working at the highlights on her hair, nose, and shoulder. 

This little walkthrough isn’t as visual as I like, but with limited software like Fire Alpaca, GIMP, or Paint Tool SAI that don’t have the abilities of Photoshop in terms of color correction and playing around with colors, I really encourage you, readers, to play around with these tools. Using the color picker back and forth, especially after using layer masks, gives you an ability to mix and blend colors. The reason why I work with greyscale or a maroon under paint is that you can create brilliant colors and make a new palette; the trick is to constantly mess around with them. I never go in and flat out color anything, with the exception of things like “angry doodle corner” which is basically what I call my lazy drawings, drawings where I’m just honestly goofing off with.

So in summation...! Or me trying to summarize this.

 Experiment and explore with layer masks and adjustments. Whoever says that using these tools isn’t real art, they’re wrong. And please don’t ever be afraid of using references of any sort!  Alphonse Mucha is saved ten times over on this computer.

[hummingbirdsalt]

star wars creator meme

tagged by the always wonderful @coffeeandtin !  thanks so much :D

You’ve been tagged in the Star Wars Creator meme! Pick 1 - 10 works you’ve created (fic, art, gifsets, aesthetics, videos, playlists, etc) & tell us why you’re proud of them! Then tag your friends! 

This will mostly be artwork, haha

Nik Walker as Aaron Burr - Recently I got to see Hamilton, and Nik Walker really impressed me, so I did some artwork.  Not only am I happy with how it turned out (especially since I don’t do lineless paintings very often), but HOLY CRAP when I posted it on twitter and tagged Nik Walker, he was so sweet about it.  He said “HOLY HELL THAT’S AWESOME”, retweeted it, then asked me if I had an instagram so he could give me a shout-out on there.  I sent him a PM that said, “Thank you so much! You made my week.” He replied, “You made MINE!”  Anyway, I just about died.  :P

Faraday and Vasquez - My second Mag7 drawing!  I’m happy with all my artwork for Mag7, but this one just stands out to me.  Drawing more than one person is always intimidating for me, particularly when I’m doing a detailed drawing, so this was an accomplishment.    

Moana - The second (shared) piece that I drew with a tablet.  Before that, I literally did all my digital art with a mouse pad, and my hands probably wanted to murder me.  It was so much fun learning to draw with different tools, and I really love how this one turned out.   

Star-Lord  - An earlier example of my work with digital painting.  It’s more detailed than a lot of the stuff I did back then, and even knowing I could do better now, I still look back on it with pride.  

Claire and the T-Rex - Sneaking an 11th one in here by giving two links, because I did fanart of two different shots from the same scene in Jurassic World.  Proud of both because of the amount of time and effort I put in.  The first one has more vibrant, contrasting colors than I ever attempted back then, and they both have a more extreme approach to shadow and light than a lot of my work normally does. 

Witch - A rare example of original art, haha.  I love how it turned out, and though I generally prefer making fanart, it’s a nice feeling to do original stuff from time to time.  

Disney!Style Peter Quill - Haha, I basically just mashed up Peter and Prince Eric, ending up with a couple of stylized drawings that I’m really happy with.  Like, I think I did pretty well getting that Disney vibe, as well as showing Peter’s personality.   

Time Traveler AU - Just went ahead and linked to the whole tag on my blog, since I’ve only posted a few things for it.  This is an AU I will probably never write, but feel free to read my long, rambly post about it, haha.  Honestly, I’m more proud of the artwork and moodboard thing I made for it, since those are a bit more put together.    

Borrower AU - Again, linking to the tag.  It’s hard for me to choose anything in particular, but I’m proud of myself for not remaining shy about this random idea.  One day I just decided I would jump into it and not worry about anyone finding it weird, haha.  And now I’m tweaking some of the fics and posting them on AO3, so that’s been fun.  ^_^ 

One Heart Beats, One Heart Breaks - The other day I realized I haven’t updated this story in half a year, so... there’s that.  :P  But I’m still really proud of it!  It’s the first thing I posted to AO3, and I’m determined to finish it.  With the first chapter, I was surprised at how happy I was with it, and that’s part of why it’s taking so long to write the second chapter.  No matter how slowly, it’s gonna happen!

@oddly-drawn-thoughtss @yersifanel @cambetaut @zexeos-gx @consultingzoologist