#bc i feel stressed out by wasting time & resources by trying to figure things out and so i prefer to security of following protocols

[highabovethecloudssomewhere]

tips/resources that taught me how to Art as an Adult - a masterlist

Four years ago I decided that “I’m too old to learn how to draw” is a pointless lie I’d believed for too long and you’re never too old to learn something new. I still definitely consider myself a novice and a learner but I’m at a very happy place with my art and I’m having a ton of fun so I thought I’d pass along the tips/resources that helped me get started and kept me motivated. 

I’ll get into resources under the cut, but here are personal tips I lined up for myself that helped during the early stages of frustration and wanting to give up. obviously they won’t work for everyone, but they really kept me going

fill 14 sketchbooks. if you still want to give up after that you can (I’m currently at 13 sketchbooks and could not imagine ever letting it go)

what specifically do you want to be able to draw? For me my goal has always been characters and cats. I’ve added things to it here and there, but starting out overwhelmed with how much you don’t know isn’t great. find a handful of things you really want to draw and see where it takes you.

get yourself a sketchbook fancy enough that you feel cool as heck but cheap enough that you don’t mind absolutely destroying it. Personally, I love EXCEED bullet journals. the dotted paper keeps me from being too picky but are less intrusive than lined paper. From my experience, EXCEED bullet journals takes acrylic and ink like a champ, and they’ve got nice covers that just make you “feel” cool. confidence is important!

acrylic paint and post-it notes are great ways to cover mistakes. I personally love anything that makes my sketchbooks feel “sketchbooky” so this is super fun. 

it is okay to “waste”/”ruin” pages. one time I was in “I’m a failure” artblock and so I poured black coffee onto my sketchbook. (it was gonna get dumped out anyway and I was Very frustrated with my art.) then when the pages dried I just kept right along using it. taught me a lot about not being perfect. sketchbooks are about learning and love, not about perfection.

try drawing in pen. seriously, draw in pen. it’s scary as frick to not be able to go back on mistakes but that’s what the post-it acrylic-paint tip is for, and it’ll help with all sorts of stuff like lineweight and line confidence. it takes some of the stress off too because, you screw up? oh well! Try again! it encourages “try again” over “meticulously nitpick until it’s perfect” and has done wonders for me. I started out my first two sketchbooks in pencil before making the switch and I’ve never gone back. 

(also sketching in highlighter and lining with pen is super fun and cool and satisfying!)

the first page doesn’t matter. I usually just use the first page of the sketchbook to write my favorite songs at the time and then do the same thing on the last page. first page jitters begone. 

(starting in the middle of the sketchbook also gets rid of those jitters pretty nicely. I tried this a couple times and personally still prefer the linear front-to-back but it was fun for a while.)

picking a color theme for your sketchbook can make it feel more “sketchbooky” too. I usually go with blue or orange- blue acrylic paint, blue post-it notes, those cheap blue BIC pens, etc. I like this bc it makes the sketchbook feel like a sketchbook and is very satisfying.

And figure out why you’re doing it. I did it because I always wanted to make cool art and draw my characters, but if you’re doing it for a career then obviously the path to that looks much different. Don’t compare yourself to others. Be inspired by people who are better than you. Acknowledge where you need to grow and where you’re strongest. Lean into those strengths. Adapt to those weaknesses. Be proud of being a beginner- you won’t be one for long. 

Now: some of my favorite creatives and resources!

///

CREATORS:

"Kasey Golden" Mostly traditional art, mostly watercolor, cartoonist, art challenges

"DrawingWiffWaffles" Mostly traditional art, alcohol markers & pens, semi-realism

"LavenderTowne" Digital art, art tips/tutorials, cartoonist

"ABD Illustrates" Digital art, speedpaints, semi-realism

"Proko" (or "Stan Prokopenko") Realism, anatomy tutorials, free complete "Anatomy For Artists" series- basically as hogwild as you can get learning hyper-realistic anatomy

"Ethan Becker" Digital art, ex-DreamWorks employee, tips/tutorials, "Perfect Practice"

"Sinix Design" Digital art, anatomy tips/tutorials, general tips/tutorials, realist

"Oliver's Antics" Digital and traditional art, tips/tutorials, speedpaints, semi-realistic style

“Nerdforge” Traditional art, painting, metalwork, woodwork, bookbinding, building, seriously these people do everything they’re incredible

///

FOR GESTURE DRAWING:

Line of Action Gesture drawing, figure drawing, optional timed practice sessions

AdorkaStock fantastic line of unique reference poses

 ///

Aaand that’s about all I’ve got! there are so many resources out there and so many amazing artists to be inspired by. just have fun with art! art is freedom. be proud to be a beginner and be excited for how you’ll grow. I hope these tips are helpful for someone out there! <3 

Here’s my first digital artwork (April 2019) up against my latest (August 2022)

April 2019:

August 2022:

best of luck to you all. I believe in each and every one of you. <3 happy drawing!

#art #resources #cloud rambles #masterlist #obviously this isn't TOTALLY comprehensive #but I've been talking to a lot of friends lately who preemptively give up on art bc they're 'too old' #and I just felt like making this #i believe in all of us

[justanothersyscourse]

u-um.. any advice on someone who thinks they might have DID and has some of the signs but i constantly denying it/saying i dont have it bc said trauma isnt bad enough? sorry if this is an odd ask, just bc like i have almost full blown convos/talking to myself alot in my head but like everything is in my voice? i dont remember some of my childhood and stuff.. uh..idk.. i probably dont have DID but im trying to figure this out, also idk if this adds to anything but like recently basically my entire body went heavy and i didn't exactly feel present?? but then it went away and just my head was heavy and ive been having to correct myself alot from saying we... again im so sorry if this is long or/and probably annoying or weird sorry sorry sorry im probably wasting your/your guys's time im sorry -🍵

Anon! Thank you so much for your patience with me. 

You are NOT wasting my time, the ask isn’t weird or annoying, and THIS IS THE LAST WARNING, I SWEAR IT, GUYS, NEXT ANON TO CALL THEIR QUESTION ANYTHING BUT “INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT” LOSES THEIR KNEECAPS. Your question is as important to me as it is to you. 

I didn’t want your ask to get lost yesterday, and I wanted to be able to focus on you.

There’s a lot happening in this ask, and a lot of reassurance to be given.

As always, there’s only so much I can help you with. If you’re ever able to take advantage of any clinical or therapeutic resources, I highly suggest doing so. I only have limited information through asks, and I’m not registered as an SSW or capable of diagnosing. 

SO. Let’s just ramble for a bit. 

I am ALL FOR self-diagnosis when it’s well researched and when the person is open to the possibility of changing their diagnosis when presented with new information, or new perspectives. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to access therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists. In these cases, you really need to trust your own gut and go with what feels right to you. If DID feels right, HAVE AT IT! Be mindful that you’re still learning and figuring it out, and if you find your symptoms don’t fit, keep looking! 

I want to stress that there’s NO SHAME-- at all, period, none, EVER-- in being wrong, or changing your mind about what might be happening with you, or finding out that it’s something else. When someone thinks they have BPD or schizophrenia, and later finds out that it’s DID, they wouldn’t feel shame, and no one would judge them for being wrong. DID is, for some reason, seen as being “worse”, and it’s almost like when you “go up a level in severity”, there’s less stigma around a misdiagnosis. The level of severity in ANY disorder is highly unique to the person being diagnosed. If you thought you had DID and ended up with BPD, you know what, GOOD FOR YOU! You found the issue and can now take steps to address any issues you might be having! A whole new world of resources and treatments are opened up to you! That doesn’t make your dysfunction any better or worse, or any of your trauma less valid. 

And let’s talk about that trauma. I just reposted this-- it was one of the first... I think 3 posts I made on this blog? And it’s one of my favourites to this day. Your trauma was enough. It’s also not JUST trauma, it sounds like you’re prone to dissociation-- that doesn’t help when you’re talking about dissociative disorders and trying to figure out what fits your experiences best. 

I’ve actually got another ask about what sort of different ways you can “hear” alters, so keep an eye out for that, as well, but sometimes my alters respond in my... “mind voice”, I suppose. It’s not unheard of. 

A huge part of DID/OSDD is also the denial. It’s constant for some people. People that have had their diagnosis for decades ALWAYS, continually question whether they’re faking, or if they’ve been misdiagnosed. That’s par for the course.

I’ve been going back and forth with another anon about differentiating between BPD and DID, and I’ve linked a couple of things that describe some DID experiences that I’d suggest checking out. [x] [x] Hopefully some of it might be useful in helping you sort out your experiences?? I hope?

What your describing about your body going heavy sounds like derealization/depersonalization, and general dissociation. 

I genuinely wish I could be of more help. Just know that I support you on your journey, every step of it, and you can ALWAYS ask me more questions, or reach out to talk a bit more about your experiences (my DMs are always open for private chat). Try not to overthink it too much, and go with your gut. You WILL find answers eventually, be patient. 

[slime-smile]

im reading this bookthat was written in 1968 and im telling p much everyone i talk to bout it, as we kno i suk at articulating clearly what’s going on in my mind but. well one thing i’ve talked about semi-frequently w one of my friends is how we’ve stagnated significantly in our culture, science, politics, etc. or like the socio-political problems from the 60s/70s gavent improved and if anything the issues are exacerbated.  horading of wealth, developing scoiety in service of “productivity” and maximalizing c apitalisms profitiability, atomization, racial/wealth/class inequality.  but well anyways. the book that was written in 1968, by René Dubos, So Human An Animal.  it’s about how humans have biological needs that are rooted in our evolution, and although we progress farther into a technicized, refined, society and lacquer them in a culturally acceptable veneer, we still have these needs. and technology and its proliferation have removed us ever further from nature even tho our biology is inextricably bound w it.  and also he says we have now advanced so far as a society that we should be able to use our technological advancements to ensure a society which provides the best quality of outcomes for the most people, yet we focus our technology on maximizing wealth productivity etc etc. it was written before we went to the moon but again published in 1968 so we ere trying to make it happen. and he wqas like we shouldnt be wasting our time or energy trying to leave the planet. it’s a waste of scientific resources.  and also it’s a pipe-dream to believe we could ever colonize other planets. and again. 1968.  and now we have ultra wealthy ppl who could definitely use their money to provide greater qualities of life for millions of ppl instead figuring out how to squeeze maximum amountsof labor out of ppl to maximize profits and then using this money for vanity trips to spacde.  sorry but there really is no reason to go to spacfe other than to prov e that we can. and creqating a viable atmosphere on mars is impossible.  like i mean we can do it but it wont be self-sustainig.  and we’v e already polluted space.  there’s so much trash in spacfe.  and now we want to go ruin another planet?  because we feel we’ve ruined this one.....??  and actually the reason i even started writing this post or thinking about this stuff is bc i was thinking about how we are social animals, we need small communities and ties to those around us, like meaningful relationships that are based purely on enjoying the company of the other person and not money or status or whatever we think we can get out of them. (which the book talks too about how society is progressively atomizing as a result of being oriented around capitalism’s goals and how as ppl isolate themselves to deal with stress their main connection to their community occurs via money, exchanging money, (like groceries and shopping and services etc etc).. so basically what i want is just to connect to other ppl.. in person... because i like them and enjoy them.  and i wish it was easier lol

[poisonepel]

Chemistry Between the Dorm Leaders and a Hero-Inspired S/O— (pt.1)

After that Snow White request, I had a small idea... so here are headcanons for each dorm leader with an s/o inspired by the heroes of their respective films. I had some hesitation with both Vil and Leona, since their heroes are the Evil Queen’s stepdaughter and Scar’s nephew respectively... I could get past the Snow White one bc Vil’s so different from the Evil Queen, but the Simba one weirded me out too much ;; so I substituted him for Nala. Sorry !!

Of course, this is disregarding the original characters’ ages and assuming they’re all students at Night Raven, in the same dorm as their villain. Please let me know if there’s a problem with anything though !!

Idia, Leona, and Malleus will come in a second post.

Riddle & Alice

I remember Alice as a bratty, opinionated girl who is dissatisfied with her normal life and prefers to escape to her imagination. Very stubborn, but also very sensible. Pairing these traits with Riddle’s hotheadedness and severe need to keep things under his command, I don’t think they would make a very good match. Alice constantly rolls her eyes at all of his decisions, and blatantly refuses to listen to him if she doesn’t agree with what he says.

It would be extremely difficult for these two to even tolerate each other. Alice sticks out to Riddle because she’s the only one who doesn’t fear him—but that might not be a good thing. He develops a “You will fear me, you will obey me” type mindset, to which she responds with an unimpressed, “Oh, really?”

Riddle gets so fed up with her that he marches down to Headmaster Crowley and demands that Alice be relocated to a different dorm—“She’d be great for Pomefiore, with all the other stuck-ups.” (Dire says no).

As much as she loathes Riddle though, Alice might enjoy some of his nonsensical rules. She hates boring things like order and routine, instead craving the thrill of things unique and unpredictable. Riddle is taken aback when one day she exclaims how much fun she’s having during one of his sudden events, which had annoyed and tired out everyone else. He’s not sure how to react.

He spends a long time thinking about this, and then curiosity gets the better of him; he tries to experiment to see if he can do anything else that doesn’t make her turn her nose up at him. So basically, this is his odd way of figuring out her interests - and he realizes she’s not just automatically appalled by everything he does; she’s simply very opinionated. He might even start to appreciate the fact that she’s got such a strong grip of her views and morals.

It takes much longer for Alice to fall in love with Riddle, though. She has such a great distaste for him that there’s no way she’ll even consider falling in love with him. She would have to catch him in a vulnerable state to realize there’s more to him than simply yelling at everyone all the time - maybe when he’s stressed from school, or sleeping, or witnessing him experiencing true happiness (perhaps with his friends? does he even have friends?) And then she, too, having a natural curiosity, might try to learn more about him.

Tbh, the only thing that might help bring them together is the fact that both of them are way too nosy for their own good.

Azul & Ariel

Like Alice, Ariel is very curious, stubborn, and determined, but she can be a little gullible and naive at times. She’s been sheltered her whole life and Night Raven is the first time she’s been away from home for so long. Azul, on the other hand, is very independent; he’s somewhat of an information broker, good at observing people and seeing what makes them tick - and also swindling what he wants out of them. Naive little Ariel makes a perfect target.

Azul is very gentlemanly and polite, enticing and friendly, so Ariel is immediately swayed. She pretty much falls into the honeymoon phase with him straight away, but not truly in love; she’s just excited to be socializing with a nice boy.

It’s easy for Azul to trap her in a deceptive contract with ambiguous conditions. He doesn’t have any personal interest in her initially, but Ariel responds to his betrayal with vigor and goes above and beyond in trying to void the contract. It is only here that Azul starts taking more of an interest in her, since she’s now causing problems for him and therefore in the way.

But, even he has to appreciate her fierce determination to get out of this contract. He even stops at one point to consider why he’s been trying so hard to prevent her from getting out of it; Ariel is nothing but sweet and pure, so why is he so intent on inconveniencing her? He tries to convince himself that his original mindset is the same as it was before: Ariel was unable to pay the price he had set. Perhaps under misleading terms, but it’s her fault for not reading the contract carefully enough - therefore he can’t give her any leeway until he’s collected his payment. Even so, a part of him feels regretful.

However, Ariel has developed a (rightfully) bitter attitude towards Azul, and even though he understands why, it still leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Witnessing how beautiful of a personality she has has made him rethink his whole view of her - and a part of him wishes they were on better terms.

If Azul was serious about remedying their relationship, it would take a serious amount of effort on his part to regain her trust. Ariel can be naive, but she’s not stupid; and she’s already established that Azul is not an ally. But, in the case that he is able to prove himself to her, then the same elation she had when she first met him would resurface.

For their relationship to work, Azul would need to be the one who’s most committed. He already has a personality Ariel would immediately grow infatuated with, so it really depends on him being able to truly become someone she can trust and rely on - and make sure she knows that too.

Kalim & Aladdin

These two are hopeless idiots together. They come from vastly different backgrounds: while Kalim grew up with basically everything handed to him on a silver platter, Aladdin comes from a poor family and barely scraped by in his youth. They share a common resourcefulness, though, as they both are very talented at making do with whatever situation they’ve landed in (but, Kalim always has the advantage of wealth and power).

While Aladdin might be initially turned off by Kalim’s extravagant wastefulness, he also admires it greatly; much like his canon love for Jasmine, he is struck by beauty and wealth and only dreams about what it might be like to live with such greatness. This overpowers his slight aversion for him.

It’s easy for Kalim and Aladdin to become friends. Aladdin is funny and bright, with a knack for socializing since he’s come across so many people from being in such open, unstable living conditions before. Overall, he’s just very easy to slide into conversation with and feel like you’ve known him forever. Kalim is also very extroverted, but in more of a you-will-pay-attention-to-me-now forceful kind of way. Like Jamil, Aladdin is one of the few people who doesn’t tire out from Kalim’s constant energy & semi-sheltered mindset.

Once they find out their shared extroversion is very compatible, Kamil and Aladdin talk nonstop. Aladdin is a natural storyteller, and loves sharing about all his experiences from his childhood. He had to be very independent and willing to defy authorities in order to secure his survival, while also helping all the other orphans and street rats obtain food and shelter as much as he could. Kalim finds this extremely admirable. To him, Aladdin is almost like a literal prince - he rose from nothing and now is thriving at the prestigious Night Raven College. Also, he seems to have turned out fairly normal for someone who suffered so many hardships as a child.

But evidently, the closer the get, the more Kalim realizes Aladdin is not as normal as he makes himself out to be. His traumas from his youth have and are still affecting him, and once Kalim sees this different, more somber side of Aladdin, he becomes desperate to help him any way he can. He first takes him on a “date.” This isn’t meant to be romantic, just a nice all-expenses-paid trip to give Aladdin something nice.

Jamil is surprised because this is the first time Kalim has ever thought about anyone other than himself. But then, once the “dates” keep happening, Jamil realizes there’s more between them than just Kalim “being nice.” Things might escalate between them both, and while the final trigger for Aladdin was Kalim’s little acts of kindness, there had been something clear between them since the beginning.

Vil & Snow White

This sort of piggybacks off the headcanons I wrote here.

Snow White is sweet and pure of heart, a girl who doesn’t fully realize when someone might be taking advantage of her. She is gentle and sweet when she talks to you, but also doesn’t mind keeping to herself for long periods of time. On the other hand, Vil is vain and proud, constantly needs attention, and keeps his own appearance as his top priority. He always makes sure his connections are up to his own beauty standards too, and if Snow White enters his social circle, this includes her. Fortunately, there’s not much for him to do, because she is already extremely beautiful.

Vil takes interest in her because of her beauty. He feels a bit threatened by it in the beginning, but every time he talks to her, she always, always acts like the nicest, most genuine human being he’d ever met. He gets a little frustrated because he wants to hate her for being so much more beautiful than him, but she’s so ridiculously precious.

Snow White doesn’t mind Vil much. Like with everyone, it’s basically impossible for her to view him in a bad light, and she respects him as Pomefiore’s dorm leader. That being said, he’s not a major interest for her - she has a very tight-knit circle of 3 or 4 girl friends who she spends most of her time with.

Their interactions are usually initiated by Vil. Half the time, it’s because he can’t understand how she’s so nice all the time, so he tries to draw out a negative reaction from her.

But with enough time spent together, the opposite effect happens. Snow White develops a small crush on him. She starts getting flustered whenever he talks to her, and even more fidgety and precious - and even more, starts picking up his little mannerisms and habits. She sometimes points out whenever she notices something’s changed in his appearance.

Then, it’s Vil’s turn to feel flustered. She noticed. She notices whenever he does his hair differently, or when he paints his nails a new color, or when he wears a new arrangement of jewelry. He’s taken aback when his own heart starts fluttering whenever he’s around her, and soon he drops his mission to find fault with her and refocuses his attention on trying to avoid her. He has no time for falling in love.

But now Snow White is the one nervously trying to get his attention. And he's fallen so head over heels for her, he can’t not interact with her - and would feel too bad if he was mean to her. For a while, there’s a lot of tension between them, and Vil feels hideously awkward. He hates it. So he tries to finally confess, as slyly as he can.

Snow White isn’t very good at reading between the lines, but Vil isn’t very good at being subtle when he’s struck by so much emotion - so their feelings for each other come to light very quickly. There isn’t much verbal communication between them when they “confess,” though - Snow is too shy and Vil can’t admit anything unless he’s not being serious. But, if they do establish that they love each other, their relationship would be stable and warm from both parties.

#twisted wonderland #twst hcs #riddle #azul #kalim #vil #riddle rosehearts #azul ashengrotto #kalim al-asim #vil schoenheit

[kindervenom]

Hello Dear! I really hope that you are fine! I'm not on tumblr atm and it feels strange to be so out of touch but I thought I might reach out to you. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something about fibro? A friend of me recently got diagnosed and is now devastated. Do you have any tips how to handle flares, things that worked for you? Any daily routines, adaptations or things you avoid? I'd be thankful for any tips bc she is so lost atm. But only share If you want to of cause! Big hugs!

Hello lovely friend!! My ask box is always always open to you no matter what. Life is a bit (a lot) crazy right now so I haven’t had a chance to respond until now.

My fibro tends to present itself differently than a lot of my friends’ versions. I don’t often get pain flares (I honestly think I’ve only have two serious, serious flares that sent me to the ER both times), I tend toward extreme amounts of exhaustion NO MATTER WHAT and months of next-level brain fog where it’s all I can do to do the barest minimum. I do get pain - but it often manifests from injuries that I received from a car accident when I was 21 that I’ve been dealing with (but that’s like…13 years worth of pain on the daily, which doesn’t help when the exhaustion and the brain fog try to cripple me.) so my coping mechanisms are probably not as helpful to your friend - but keeping stress as low as possible never hurts (ha! Haha!), as does things like using medication if it helps (for me they didn’t, and I can’t take the “good drugs” anyway as I am stupidly sensitive to pain pills) but also stocking up on ice packs and heating pads (Wren/heating pad otp.) Reaching out and finding a community that understands is probably the best thing - also educating bosses/family/friends that this is indeed an invisible illness, but an illness nonetheless. It’s real, and even if they look and act “fine” does not mean that they really are truly fine. I know all sorts of people on all sides of the spectrum: I have a friend who oftentimes needs a wheelchair to get around, and then there’s me who seems to have skipped over a lot of what are probably typical symptoms. For me, chiropractic care helps (and eff everyone who says it’s junk science/medicine. I went from barely being able to walk more than a half hour without an incredibly painful limp, to being able to be on my feet all day long, and it happened in six or so months. I still limp from time to time - my posteriorly tilted pelvis causes my bad leg to end up between .25 to a full inch off - but it’s so insignificant compared to the years before that I can’t even put into words.) you just have to find that perfect (or as perfect as you get) mix of treatments that help you. Tea and hot cocoa. Simple hobbies that can be done in a fog (I knit a LOT of wash cloths tbh.) They especially need a way to escape, just for a little while - books, fic, shows or movies, video games, etc.

I can’t say I’m an expert, and I know even I don’t follow all my own “tips”, because it’s hard and it sucks and it’s NOT FAIR and some people can make peace with it, and others curse it till they’re blue in the face. (Guess which one I am?) There are going to be really really bad days and not so terrible ones and even some good ones sprinkled in, but it’s going to change you and how you look at the world. You’re going to figure out real quick what sort of things you want to use your limited energy on, and what things are just an absolute waste. And some days that energy is going to be zapped no matter what you do. It can lead to other nasty things like depression and anxiety.

But we go on. You learn how to deal and you warp your world around it and you make it your own because it’s the hand you’ve been dealt and it’s not even a little bit of who you really are, or what you’re worth. And you join this rather crappy little club where the members are fierce (seriously. Show me a chronic pain/fibro sufferer who isn’t an absolute beast. We have use ten times the average resources just to function at a basic level and that is freaking mighty. No one can convince me otherwise.)

Tell your friend that it’s okay to be overwhelmed and it’s normal to be scared and frustrated. Just take it one day at a time, or even one hour at a time, one minute, and know when it’s okay to break down and when to push through. I’m sending luck and love and hopes that some relief comes their way.

Any of my fellow spoonies out there who can add anything? I always feel like my fibro experience is relatively atypical of the vast majority, so any other tips and tricks would be helpful to a newbie.

#fuck fibro #wren is not that great at advice #feedthedamnfish #invisible illness