HELLOOOO I hope you've had a good day :D I was just wondering how you end up with the colours for ur compositions :O? Are you the type to use a lot of colour adjustment layers (multiply, overlay, etc) to get at a satisfying hue, or do you just eyeball directly from the colour wheel? I remember you saying for one of ur pieces that u eyedropped directly from like,,, a dead corpse of some animal XD but i assume that isnt ur process for everything hahaha. Do you use a lot of references for the specific vibe you wanna convey?
ANYWAYS keep up the amazing work!!!
YOOO!!! I didn't recognize u at first omg (p.s. ty!)
The way I made the zolu playlist drawings isn't my Usual drawing / coloring process but I formed some sort of Strategy for it
Actually I think sharing the literal refs I used for each image would be fun and maybe demystify the art process
Pics below cut! 😊
I mostly eyeballed from the colorwheel. I think I only used color adjustment layers on Chikai and Around the World to get a soft glowy effect in the clouds. BUT!! I'll frequently play around with adjusting the colors through the hue/saturation/luminosity sliders, or I'll go in to Tone Curve and play around with the levels until things are looking how I want. Especially for backgrounds
I also colorpicked from ref photos (like you mentioned w the lion eating a carcass). I GENERALLY tried to avoid overly referencing any one pic, but Simple song and Around the World were the two worst offenders 😓
---Color Choice---
I went by pure gut feeling at first while listening to the song, how the instruments sounded and what color they were
And then after that, I'd try and refine it a little more by Overall Vibes (making it feel more Glowy) (adjusting how colors interact w eachother like toning down a too-saturated color or making skin tones warmer or cooler to contrast w the background)
And then i gathered references n either colorpicked from them or I used them as vibe inspiration as i was painting
---More General Color Stuff...?---
This section is riddled with over-explanation.
-> To make a color stand out as Really Saturated, I surround it w neutral colors, esp contrasting ones (e.g. if I want a red to pop, I put it next to a cool gray)
-> if the overall painting is really warm (like, everything seems cast in a warm light) and i need to have a specific cool-tone color (like green), I take one of the warm colors and drag it a ways Towards the cool color I need (so , colorpick a red, and drag the slider until it's on yellow) and then desaturate it a lot. I then test that color on the piece and see if it Looks green. Same goes in reverse (cool-tone paintings that need a warm color)
So, Like...for example: Zoro's hair is some really weird colors.
-> I try to limit eyebuzz (places where two colors meet, where the hue [tone] is different, but the brightness [value] of the color is almost exactly the same. Basically, if you made everything grayscale, you dont want two grays of the same color right next to eachother [or, you want to do it intentionally?]) (called eyebuzz bc at really high saturation, two colors of the same value almost vibrate next to eachother)
(Sidenote: I think "eyebuzz" mustve just been a term my high school art teacher used bc i don't see any relevant results for it on google... there's probably a more professional term for this lol)
Examples:
I esp try to limit eyebuzz between foreground and background objects
I know some artists are intense enough about contrast that they toggle grayscale on n off as they're painting. I just kinda eyeball it.
-------
This ended up really long again oh my goddd
I think those are the main things on my mind when choosing colors...?
Hope this is helpful 😅
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i love your postcard artwork for the zolu playlist SO much!! the colours are so so good and i love the brushwork! i think my favourites are a tie between the one for chikai and the one for simple song <3 also, I was wondering if you could share what brushes you used + how long they took you! looking at your art makes me want to draw again after not doing it for so long
Thank you!! and wow i think this is the first time someone's asked me for my brushes, this is like a digital artist rite of passage!
Answers n screenshots n stuff under cut
(I went a little to ham on this oops)
While we're talking settings I want to give a quick PSA to all digital artists:
CHECK UR ASPECT RATIO!!!:
(MOST IMPORTANT SETTING BY FAR)
DO NOT DRAW WITH THIS ALL MESSED UP, IT WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY. It's probably good to check this after every system update (I don't, but, you know...). Windows likes to mess w your shit when it updates.
If you have a really tiny tablet you might need to trace outside a bottle lid or something.
Okay now on to the meat of the post
--
Brush Stuff
--
I use Clip Studio Paint. For my playlist drawings I think I only used these brushes (these are my main 3 in general) (p.s. they're all default brushes! but i've adjusted the settings):
1) Gouache
This is most of what i used for the postcards. I nuked Color Stretch because i hate it (it blends colors together as you're painting, like painting over wet paint. I prefer things to look more crisp)
2) Real G-Pen
Used this as little as possible, to keep the painterly effect. My preferred fine-detail pen, has a nice crunch to it. I've fine-tuned my setting further in the thickness dynamics / brush size dynamics settings because I mostly use this brush for linework and wanted it to handle really, really naturally and precisely
The random box is checked by default, probably to make this brush feel more like handling a real inkdip pen (I don't like that)
3) Mapping Pen
Least used. I generally keep this brush at the 50-70px range. It's unpleasant to use for detail work (the taper is really fiddly at my tablet pressure settings) but good at filling in large areas very opaque very quickly, with a crisp edge (Also, doesn't lag as much as the gouache brush at large-ish sizes). Has enough wiggle room that it can be used to approximately fill tighter spaces at large brush sizes. Used for when I needed to quickly color over an area that wasn't working or quickly fill in background color that didn't need paintbrush texture.
Did not realized the stabilization was set to 10 until just now. I usually turn that waaay down to prevent lag (my laptop isn't very old but it's a sensitive beast)
Other stuff that'll help:
General pen pressure:
(under File -> Pen Pressure Settings)
tweaking how CSPaint handled my pen pressure helped a lot with making lineart look more natural. It's worth messing around with this and trying out different settings for a while to see how they feel.
--
How Long it Takes 2 Draw
--
I don't really keep track of how long art takes me from start to finish, and making the playlist drawings was kinda nonlinear 😅 sorry!
-> I started out sketching really quick composition and color ideas as the songs were playing, limiting myself to just the duration of each song (so like, 5 minutes for this part)
-> i did that again at least 2 more times per song
-> after that, idk. I would work on one pic then get stuck and move to another. Some I could hammer out in like... 5 hours? Some took me upwards of 20 (30?) hours for no real reason (I have "will graham clock" days, where I'll try to draw a face over and over and it'll look really strange, like will graham's clock drawing every time) (this seems to be either a vitamin deficiency or a brainfog inflammation type thing 4 me 😵)
I'll use ur two favorites as specific examples:
-> Chikai was one that went pretty quickly (with the exception of their arms and the clothing folds there giving me trouble). Probably took 4-6 hours?
-> Simple Song had a couple different versions, partially because I initially had the cards all laid out landscape-style, and I decided I actually wanted them all portrait-style & repainted it after it was already done. That aside, the colors /atmosphere on that one gave me trouble and the general composition / perspective had a lot of tweaks (I was trying to figure out if I wanted it to be a kinda flat stylistic perspective or if I wanted it to make more literal sense, trying to figure out what to do with luffy, trying to make him not look Too baby boy sweetie pie). Probably took 7-10 hours...?
In-progress landscape versions:
(varying levels of in-progress)
Misc in-progress of Chikai and Simple Song:
Simple song looks kinda sequential like this lmao. Luffy looks like he's A-posing and floating away to the boat and then sitting down pleasantly in it. Wonderful.
--
Anway -- hope any of that was helpful!
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⚔️👒 Zolu Playlist 👒⚔️
28 songs
Full tracklist, selected lyrics, n writeup below cut
(Contains: The Happy Fits, PUFFY, Illuminati Hotties, Paramore, The Shins, The Orion Experience, Best Coast, Utada Hikaru, etc)
(+a couple songs absorbed from ao's zolu playlist)
1. The Shins - Simple Song
Mixed POV, Zoro being recruited by Luffy.
...
You sure must be strong
And you feel like an ocean being warmed by the Sun
//
My life in an upturned boat
Marooned on a cliff
You brought me a great big flood
And you gave me a lift
//
I know that things can really get rough
When you go it alone
Don't go thinking you gotta be tough
To bleed like a stone
Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical
As this little hole?
2. Slow Pulp - Cramps
Zoro POV, vibing with being a pirate, actually. realizing he's a lot like Luffy / they have a lot in common. Wants to protect his crew. Part of a family now. But also specifically drawn to Luffy, drawn along with Luffy. Has a nice confident, grungy, fighty vibe.
...
Be a better lover, I know that I'm a runner
Oh no, I think I've become her
There's nothing better than being the protector
Out of a routine, the only one I've ever seen
I wanna be a foolproof machine
There's nothing better, wanna be like Heather
I'll take anything
That you wanna give
But I want everything
Everything
3. PUFFY - Friends Forever
Mixed POV, perfectly in sync. friends forever. big adventuring vibe. facing the world together. slight nod to whiskey peak.
sidenote: it's really annoying to find this song on youtube without scooby doo noises playing over it (official music videos my beloathed...)
the "pokemon and their trainers" (...gijinkas) video is the best one for my region at least.
...
Just when I thought I had to make it alone
You were right there by my side
Making a stand holding my hand the way you do
There to remind me of a "me and you"
When I'm with you all my fear disappears
Like if I reach, I touch the sky
You've got my back, pick up my slack when I can't see
But nothing picks me up like knowing we'll be
Friends forever
Face whatever
Friends forever
Yay! we're never gonna be apart
You and me, we are so oddly the same
The way we think, the way we play
Right from the start, so off the charts, about this thing
But we didn't know at first that we were making
Friends forever
Bound together
Friends forever
Yeah! We'll always be there
Oh yes, there also can be times that get rough
And all that can be said is "sorry"
That we were wrong and said some meaningless stuff
And we'll go on together, through any nasty weather
Yeah
4. Illuminati Hotties - Sandwich Sharer
Luffy POV - flippant & happy vibe. but also visceral, grungy, fighty. kissing. sharing food. "you thought i was bleeding but that's just my spit!!".
...
Restarted kissing
You said "I'm dreaming"
I couldn't stop from laughing
Cause it's the realest thing I ever did
Taking our clothes off
Painting on rooftops
Sit back on shingles in the shade,
I bare my teeth at future fake outs we had coming
Drooling tomato sauce, to make it look legit
You thought i was bleeding but that's just my spit
Sandwich sharer
Unprepared for
What comes after this
Take the big half
I will bite back
What you won't finish
Until we're finished
5. The Happy Fits - Sailing
Zoro POV oops catching feelings for a friend
...
My body's achin'
My ship's left the shore
Your eyes are waiting
My knees on the floor
And it's been so long
Since I had a friend
And it's been so long
Why can't we just pretend?
And I feel your laughter
Your warm, open stare
And I'm chasing after
Somethin' that isn't there
6. The Pillow Queens - Favourite
idk just vibes "tell me i'm your favorite" + "i'm being so normal"
...
i’ve got no reason to be feeling like you’re mine
for the next four seasons let it die, let it die
i can’t help hoping that you think i’m really nice
want some brief hand holding on the sly, on the sly
hey you can say it, i’m your favourite
hey you can say it, i’m your favourite
7. The Beths - Warm Blood
Luffy POV - Zoro is warm and good feelings. Not "you make me feel protected", but "you are a raincoat". Feels very Luffy. "you really get me"
...
Nothing makes me feel like this
Nothing makes me feel like this
Nothing but you
Nothing but you
My head is hanging from the roof
I'm floating all about the room
Because of you
Because of you
I wanna bask in the rays of the way I feel right now
(Ooh oooh)
I wanna bask in the rays of the way I feel right now
(Ooh warming up my blood)
You are a raincoat, you are a zeppelin flight
You are a bonfire burning a three dog night
You are an isle of calm on a stormy sea
You really get, you really get
You really get me
I wanna be here when you call
Pick up the phone and I would fall in love with you
In love with you
8. MONKEY MAJIK - Around the World
Mixed POV. During timeskip. Counting down the days until we can see eachother again. We'll change the world, make it better, we're training to make that happen.
sidenote: the mixed eng/jpn version of this song is my favorite and the one i'm referring to here
...
Every night I look to the skies And wonder what we did
Always a naive point of view that breaks us in the end
If I could find the meaning of it all I’d take the chance
Maybe in time We’ll walk the mile and change it if we can
It’s now and always (How did we get this far,did we get this far now)
Always (We’re making a brand new start, just a brand new start now)
Always (Nothing will hold me down, never hold me down now)
Always (Wave goodbye to me!)
Around the world
新しいことに(with the power to)
Around the world
踏み出す力で(step forward to something new)
Around the world
世界は変わる(I'll change the world)
But don’t run away ’cause if it’s not OK!
I’ll change that world
Into something better honey!
9. Natalie Holmes - Hideout
Zoro POV, Luffy brings light to all those around him, reawakens ppls dreams and leads his crew in to a beautiful inspiring new life :')
...
Under the stars, out in the elements
If there's no room, there are no elephants
When you speak the waves are radiant
You've got a face that softens every muscle in my body
I’ve never needed all these things to feel whole
Something familiar in the love that you provide
(And now) I’ve got an empty hideout cause I don't need to hide now
The wind can blow out the candle, cause I'm certain I can't fall
You've got a face that softens
All of the glass I’ve trodden
Now I’ve got an empty hideout
I don’t need to hide now I don’t need to
Something in your love makes everything light up
We don’t say a word although we want to
Your heart was on the line now suddenly it’s mine
There’s something in your love
Something in your love
Something in your love, in you love
10. Daft Punk - Digital Love
just vibes. dreaming. dancing together. having fun.
...
Last night I had a dream about you
In this dream I'm dancing right beside you
And it looked like everyone was having fun
The kind of feeling I've waited so long
Don't stop, come a little closer
As we jam the rhythm gets stronger
There's nothing wrong with just a little little fun
We were dancing all night long
The time is right to put my arms around you
You're feeling right, you wrap your arms around too
But suddenly I feel the shining sun
Before I knew it this dream was all gone
Ooh, I don't know what to do
About this dream and you
I wish this dream comes true
Ooh, I don't know what to do
About this dream and you
We'll make this dream come true
Why don't you play the game?
Why don't you play the game?
11. Mitski - Stay Soft
Mostly just like the bridge "open up your heart like the gates of helllll". But feels more like Zoro POV (thirsty). And touches a little the communication issues these two have
...
Fury, pure and silver
You grip it tight inside
Like a knife, it glints in your eye
It's why I've arrived, your sex god
Here to take you where
You need to go, to where the dark remembers you
Open up your heart
Like the gates of Hell
//
I am facedown on my bed
Still not quite awake yet
Thinking of you, I tuck my hand under my weight
Just tell me what you want to do
Tell me what you want to burn away
'Cause I could be your stoker
12. Air Traffic Controller - You Know Me
Mixed POV. You know me! Perfectly in tune.
...
You know me
You know everything about me now
My heart is in your hands, and you know you could break it
But wouldn't you rather make me sing like this?
You know me
I try to find some good in everything
Since you came along, somehow this got easy
'Cause all you wanna do is please me, my love
This could be a roller coaster
But we're gonna make the most of it
Whether on top, or we're going down, you know me
You know me (I know you)
And how I get when I'm uncomfortable
If I'm too hot, or cold
Tired, bored, or hungry
I'm fine when you're around me, boy
And you know me
I've never been on time for anything
I do apologize, I know it's such a bother
I promise to try harder for you, girl, oh I will
13. The Orion Experience - Honeysuckle Kisses
Luffy POV. Desires filed away in a very Luffy way "All I want is all my wishes, and I've love to have your honeysuckle kisses". Romance as an afterthought to the great big adventure.
...
They say we're crazy, completely insane
I don't give a damn, I think we're fascinating
We keep it moving and riding this train
They can stop and stare
But I don't care
Oh, they just can't see who we are
You and I, yeah
We belong to the stars
No matter how they try
They won't tear us apart
All I want is all my wishes
And I'd love to have your honeysuckle kisses
All I need to fulfill my bliss is
Is your honeysuckle, honeysuckle kisses
That's what I want
14. The Happy Fits - Around and Around
Zoro POV, Pre-relationship, unsure about what's happening due to poor communication. Things are coming to a boiling point. And also "I could see the world with you" - be by your side forever, go on adventures. Do you want that? Do I? Will you have me?
...
I don't know what I'm seeing,
when the world keeps spinning around my eyes
I think I lost my meaning
Just another day to survive
And I can't keep thinking about it, keep thinking about it
Can't be still anymore
No, there's nothing so simple about it, nothing simple about it
Can't be still anymore
I can't be still anymore
I can't be still anymore
I'll go 'round and around
Go 'round and around with you
No, don't slow me down
No, don't slow me down, will you?
And I could see the world with you
And I could see the world with you
15. Paramore - Proof
Mixed POV, during timeskip. They're apart. Missing eachother. Believe in you, ride or die. So strong! They'll meet up again, even stronger than before.
...
It's really hard
I can't cry in your arms 'cause you're not here
It's not your fault, and if it was, I wouldn't care
My heart is bigger than the distance in between us
I know it 'cause I feel it beating
So strong, it'll knock you down
So strong, so strong
Over here
I can count the miles away from where I wanna be
I bet your skin is warm and that you're smiling
Yeah, that's what I always loved the most about you
So strong, come and knock me down
Hey!
Baby, if I'm half the man I say I am
If I'm a woman with no fear just like I claim I am
Then I'll believe in what you say
There's nothing left for you to do
The only proof that I need is you
16. Utada Hikaru - Chikai
(aka zolu "wedding" song. Primarily Zoro POV, making oaths, matching rings, liking someone so much it makes you feel uncool, waaaaaaauughhhhghgh😭)
...
I don’t know about fate
But this time
I have to accept that it exists
//
Today is a day without lies
It's a perfect day for making an eternal vow
Don't need pretty flowers or witnesses
Let’s wear rings of the same color
//
What I say now isn't borrowed words
It’s not a promise, it’s an oath
I can’t go back to being a liar
Let’s wear rings the color of the morning sun
Let’s dance with our hearts pounding
Let’s celebrate being alive in this moment
//
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Give yourself to me
Let’s listen to sound of the sun rising, side by side
Let’s swear to live our lives together
17. Best Coast - When I'm with You
Mixed POV
...
The world is lazy
But you and me
We're just crazy
So, when I'm with you, I have fun
Yeah, when I'm with you, I have fun
//
I hate sleeping alone
18. Gerard Way - No Shows
Pre-relationship. Not wanting to be tied down, but also being drawn in to it anyway, idk.
...
Been weeks I been living
And your smiles are giving me
All types of treble
Weak knees I been given
And those nights are making me
Star-struck and metal
Stay free, don't go
'Cause we don't need no
Try to be living as your vice
And can you be my type?
'Cause we need to be given a good life
And can I be your type of metal?
Stay free, don't go
'Cause we don't need no shows
19. VUKOVI - Colour Me In
Mixed POV - Follow you anywhere, die for you, we're one together (you're mine you're mine you're mine!)
...
All I am
And even more
I'll give it to you
Couldn't count
All the ways
That I'd die for you
We are one
We are whole
And I'll go with you
Breathing out, breathing in
And I loved you again
//
Where you go, oh, I'll follow
Through our bodies in the dark
We want it and it's perfect
With you in my arms
Where you go, oh, I'll follow
Through our bodies in the dark
You're mine
You're mine
You're mine
Mine
20. Opus Orange - It's What I Do
Mixed POV - just vibes. I feel like it describes them but can't explain it
...
every time you look for me you know
i think i might disappear
every time i look for you i know
the bright lights interfere
‘cause i’m not the kind that’s so easy to find
when you’re looking for me
you’re not the kind with the salt water eyes
at the bottom of the sea
so take my hand
we are the blind leading the blind
no i don’t have a plan
so let’s go where the sea meets the sky
now we're gonna float away
everything i want to say to you
gets washed away downstream
everything i want to give to you
is a shade of blue or green
i’m not the kind to draw straight lines
in the desert sand
you’re not the kind with peace of mind
and a gun in your hand
21. Illuminati Hotties - Toasting
Primarily Luffy POV. Just vibes. Short and sweet, flippant and reckless. They cause descruction and just laugh it off, and move on.
...
Toasting a Pop-Tart
And thinking of you
There's a lot I'd rather do
Instead I'm biting my lip
And I'm biting yours too
'Til the blood tastes like chocolate goo
Our bodies
Are twirling
The kitchen is burning
When we both choke down the ashes
You mention you're bored
I guess I could've toasted more
22. The Happy Fits - Sweet Things
Mixed POV after the end of their journey, pirate king and worlds greatests swordsman continue sailing together forever
...
So tell me three things, three words that you know about me
I'll say, I'll say "won't you come with me, baby?"
Nothing lasts forever
It's only now or never
Tell me sweet things, sweet things that you know about me
I'll say, I'll say "won't you bury me, baby?
Underneath our loving forever"
Don't you take me, take me all the way and then erase me
I could be the one if you stay here
Underneath our loving forever
So take me home
Well you say that nothing matters
Well you said that nothing mattered except when I'm here with you
Does it feel right? (Does it feel right?)
23. The Black Keys - Go
Narrator POV - The two boys growing old sailing together
...
There comes a time, two hearts of gold
Leave together, run forever on the open road
They gotta go oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
They gotta go oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
In the winter time, when the day is long
You're halfway there, the field is bare
And the fire is gone
Are you all alone? Are you feeling cold?
Find your flame, call her name, and hit the road
24. PUFFY - Love so Pure
Mixed POV - love so sure. two people perfectly suited for eachother from the start. mutual trust. soulmates. :)
...
I was his from the momentthe we first met
From our solo to duet, it took no time
Call it fate
Or just two hearts magnetized
But I never felt so high
Since he's been all mine
We've got a love so pure, yes a love so sure
The kind of love you hold so tight
We've got a love so pure, yes a
Love so sure
The kind of love that lasts a girl for life!
With a kiss
I can't resist on turn away
All I want is him to stay, it's paradise
With out a word
Nothing heard me say so much
With a look or silent touch
I know we'll bе all right
25. Tegan and Sara - BWU
Mixed POV - don't need to follow conventions to prove their love.
...
I love you
I don't need a ring to
Prove that you're worthy
You're under my skin
It's easy
I don't need a lock to
Prove that you trust me
I walk the walk
To be with you
Just to be with you
Oh, to be with you
Just to be with you
Save your first and last dance for me
I don't need a white wedding
Save your first and last born for me
We don't need a white wedding
All the girls I loved before
Told me they signed up for more
Save your first and last chance for me
'Cause I don't want a white wedding
26. IRONTOM - Partners
Just what it says on the tin. They're partners. lol
...
Partners, we're partners
We're partners, we're partners
27. Ashley Eriksson - Arguably
Mixed POV - idk, vibes
...
Sometimes I wish I was talkin' to you
'Cause you know everybody that I do
You would hear my story, and you would agree
We are always right on, you and me
And you can always count on my company
On and on and on, endlessly
We're all loving creatures of the same decree
But we've got one up on them don't we?
Don't we?
Arguably, don't we?
28. Animal Collective - The Purple Bottle
Luffy POV. Frantic. Explosive big feelings. Can't stop talking --about Zoro to other people, and to Zoro about anything (sometimes i'm talkitive and you're not talkitive, I know...). And idk, the vibes. "purple" as a metaphor for sensuality, feels playful and lovely. But the end of this song really drags on so it's at the end of the playlist lol.
...
I've gotta big big big heart beat, yeah!
I think you are the sweetest thing
I wear a coat of feelings and they are loud
I've been having good days
Think we are the right age to start our own peculiar ways?
With good friendly homes
//
Sometimes you're quiet and sometimes I'm quiet,
(Hallelujah!)
Sometimes I'm talkative and sometimes you're not talkative, I know
//
And my dear dear dear Khalana
I talk too much about you
Their ears are getting tired of me singing all the night through
Lets just talk together
You and me and me and you
And if there's nothing much to say
Well, silence is a bore.
//
Can I tell you that you are the purple in me?
Can I call you just to hear you would you care?
When I saw you put your purple finger on me
There's a feeling in your bottle
Found your bottle, found your heart
Gives a feeling from your bottled little part
------
Aaaand that's all of it!
Thanks for reading :)
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