#but they're real simple shapes so i want to get good at drawing them from memory

[0046incognito]

do not peek in the out of bounds on my toonboom file shit's infested with hamstrays

#homestar runner #coach z #fanart #my art #sketch #again these are all drawn from memory with zero reference #but they're real simple shapes so i want to get good at drawing them from memory #i know i got coach Z's medallion wrong i refuse to look up photographs of that man

[captain-mj]

Hiiiiiii I was wondering if we could get some more of that fic where ghost and soap switch traumatic back stories ? The story has been playing on my mind for ages and I would really like to see more! (: 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Jumps straight into Soap drawing a naked Ghost. You've been warned.

Simon stripped slowly in front of him before sitting on Soap's bed.

Johnny swallowed. He was still fully clothed, but it felt weird. Slowly, he peeled off his gloves and grabbed his art supplies. "Sit naturally. No need for ya to pose."

Ghost sat back, in just his boxers. He adjusted until he felt comfortable. "Could you live out my scars? I know they're probably not the most attractive."

Soap felt his heart squeeze. He'd never undress in front of Ghost. That was decided immediately.

"Alright. Any other adjustments? Want me to make you skinnier and your tits bigger?"

Ghost smiled at him. "I love how witty you are."

Soap quickly looked at his paper. He started to sketch the proportions and basic shapes of him. His eyes kept glancing up to scan over him and then guide his hand where it needed to go.

Slowly, he found himself lost in the artwork. It wasn't as realistic as he used to be able to do. Something a little off in the proportions. Time passed by and his alarm went off, indicating it was now 7 am sharp. He blinked, realizing they had stayed there for about two hours.

Ghost's eyes had slid shut and there was something restful about him. However, the moment the pencil stopped scratching at the paper, his eyes opened again. He looked at Soap with a smile. Dimples showing. "Can I see?"

"No." Soap closed his notebook. "Get dressed. You're on duty now."

"Yes, sir." Ghost got up and got dressed. "If you want to do this again though, I'd love to." He walked out of Soap's room and directly into Gaz.

Gaz stared at him and Ghost went from the confident, sweet guy he was around Soap to the regular Sergeant he was around Gaz. Soap wondered at times on which one was the real Simon. Maybe neither were. He didn't like that idea, deciding that the Simon he got behind closed doors was the real one.

Ghost turned bright red. "Sergeant Garrick!" He almost saluted before quickly putting his hand behind down.

Gaz look at Soap. "You fucked him??"

Soap stomped past them both. "Enough, Gaz. I'm going to go eat."

-

Soap knew exactly what Price wanted to talk to him about. He just didn't want to talk to him.

Price looked concerned. "What made you change your mind?"

"There was no fraternization, sir."

"Really? He was leaving your room with his shirt inside out."

"I was drawing him." Price paused and stared at him, a clear indication for him to continue. "I was... drawing Ghost. We were hanging out, like we do most mornings, completely platonically, and I got the urge to draw. He posed. That's all."

Price softened. "Alright."

"What? That easy?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to check in. I'm glad you two are friends. You deserve someone simple, just nice to you."

Soap nodded, tugging at his mask. He wanted to tell Price he was wrong. Ghost was a lot more complicated than he let on.

Price smiled. "MacTavish. We have a sniper mission. You and Ghost will be going."

Soap nodded. "Understood, sir."

Price dismissed him and Soap gathered Ghost up. Ghost was the sniper and he was lookout.

Simon turned off the moment he was on scope, eyes sharpening to look for everything. He stayed laying down.

Johnny wanted to draw him again.

"We going to talk about it?"

"What?"

"We kissed."

Soap grunted. "So?"

"Did it mean anything?"

"What are we? School girls?"

Simon looked at him for a moment, frowning. He looked a bit hurt but he turned back to his gun. "Sorry, sir."

Johnny watched him. "Dating me... it isn't a good idea for you."

"I know."

Johnny winced, almost instinctively snapping at him before realizing just how hypocritical it could be. "If you met me before..."

"Don't." Simon said softly. "Just... please. I can handle rejection. I can tell myself you just don't see me that way. That becomes a lot harder when if you tell me maybe another life. Another time. Please, just... reject me and move on."

Johnny wanted to take off his mask. Wanted to kiss Simon again. Feel those plush lips.

As if his mind knew happiness was in his grasp, he remembered the last time he trusted someone. The last time someone kissed him. Skull makeup staring at him.

It was for the best. He didn't want to taint Simon.

A bang.

One bullet.

Simon sat up, taking apart his sniper rifle. "Target down, sir. Mission complete."

"Good job, Sergeant."

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #simon ghost riley #johnny soap mactavish #call of duty modern warfare ii #cod mw2 #ghostsoap #cod #soapghost #ghoap

[littledudeholland]

How i make my drawings

Hello! Since @wolfsune09 asked how i make my shading and all that i decided to make a little tutorial on my shading style! (I draw in Clip Studio Paint)

Also english is not my fist language so i'm sorry if i make any mistakes or say weird sentences!

So let's start with brushes:

The brushes i mainly use are The Calliflakes brush, Soft square brush, and the regular Turnip pen and Design pencil from Clip studio

These brushes are like, MY LIFE i love them so much dfjsdbfhbsdb

Anyway, the drawing i'm making is a screenshot redraw of a homestuck panel because i can

Get homestucked lol

Anyway after the sketch i make the shading plans, they are really important and will basically dictate if the drawing will be good or not

always make sure the light direction is the same throughout or else it will look lackluster, think about the character in they're primary forms(head is a square, torso is also a square, nose is a piramid etc.)

Now is the real kicker, plan the reflective light (i can't explain it really well so researching it is a better option)

I like to see the light sources with their correct blending modes before drawing to check if the colors look ok

In the end, the objective is to make it so the drawing still holds up without the sketch, if the light makes the pose readable, it's all good to go

Finally, it's time for the lineart, i made the Calliflakes's brush change in size depending on the tilt, this is great for a dynamic lineart and a crunchy look

I usually use three sizes in the lineart, the main size, a medium size to make more detailed parts, and a smaller one for when i need even smaller details, tho it's good to use it sparingly since it might make the drawing look unbalanced

Also, i usually don't use black in my drawings, mostly because of the shading process

Looking good!

Now it's time for the flats! This part is pretty simple, this ios also the part where i paint the lineart, i ONLY paint parts that are INSIDE the silhouette, mostly to make everything blend more and also becuase i like it :)

What a handsome fellow!

Alright now for the part you came here for, the shading! Alright, remember the shading plan? Use that as a base for the actual shading.

First, since this drawing is in a dark place, i grouped the whole drawing in a folder, then made a multiply layer with the color closest to the original image, then i clipped it to the folder(this is a very common thing here)

(I didn't shade the eye since it is the main point of focus of the drawing)

Now let's see it with the lighting plan

nice

Now let's talk soft squares and design pencils

The way i shade with the soft square is that i make it mostly cell shaded, then i come with the same brush but transparent, and i VERY CAREFULLY make circular motions to erase part where i want the shading to make a gradient effect, the key to a good shading job is balancing the sharp shadows with the soft ones

Now with hair, i use the design pencil, i basically just make a bunch of close streaks, almost like painting with a paint brush, after that i make streaks with the same pencil but transparent, making variations in lenght so it looks natural and organic

Alright time for the first shade pass, this one is for the more general shadows, so it won't look that dynamic

Now you can see where the shadows are lacking and make the second pass to deepen the shapes

(P.S: all these layers are the same color, they are in multiply mode)

Alright time for the star of the show! The lights!!!

Using the shading plan i refined the shapes and put it on the add(glow) mode, a good tip i have for this stage is to make shapes shapes shapes! Also remembering that the farther the thing is, the least bright it will be.

Oh my! That changes the whole vibe!

Now i saw the hair was a little boring looking, so i added an extra layer of airbrush to make it more dynamic

Actually fuck it, time for some finger tip smudge

Now we're talking.

Alright, now it's time for the reflected light, make sure it's not too bright unless it looks like a second light source, also this layer is in glow dodge mode!

We could say it's done as it is...

BUT NOT BEFORE THE COLOR DODGE

It looks so muck better now! But that's not all!

Now that we have this beautiful boi, it's time for the finishing touches! These make ALL the difference in the drawing

There we go!

Well now it's my favorite part... the FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT part!

This is where you add all the textures and special effects! I like mostly using a noise filter (so AI can't steal my stuff) and achromatic aberration, also adding some ashes and a nice metal texture in the background to make it nicer looking

Now, this is technically finished, but if you want to go the extra mile, you can do some color correction, i like doing it to give more contrast, also to make the piece more balanced, i also added some extra details on the eye and a blur last minute

And it's done!

As you can see my process is a little all over the place, but that's the fun part of drawing for me! It's always an adventure where you never know how it's going to end!

Anyway hope this helped at least a little!

#art tutorial #art advice #? kinda #homestuck #homestuck 2 #commander karkat #shading tutorial #rendering #long post

[levy120]

Heart Shaped Wreckage

Rating: T Words: 1000 (Complete) Genre: Fluff Lore: Rayman 2

Characters: Rayman, Ly Summary: They're smooching. That's all there is :)

Sequel to: Broken Pieces | [tumblr] / [dA] / [ao3] INSPIRATION: this fanart from @another-her - I tried my best to channel the vibe.

AN: I thought it would be a good idea to challenge my personal comfort zone (and apologize for the last Laserhawk Chapter). (This gave me so much grief. I'm fine with writing the wildest horrors, but intimacy? ROMANCE?? in THIS economy??? 🥲) More like this: [Rayman Oneshots Masterpost]

"I got my world right here."

When Rayman nuzzles into her, it's like her world stops. Her arms tighten around him instinctively as she tries to internalize what he said. It's such a simple thing but it leaves her mind spinning, and before she knows what she's doing she's pressing a kiss to the back of his head.

It doesn't go unnoticed. She feels him twitch. When he tries to move, her arms wind around him tighter as if of their own accord.

…So he stills again and only turns his head to look at her.

She's crying.

"Ly."

It's like her mind isn't all there. She looks haunted.

"Ly," he tries again, one of his hands cupping her cheeks and brushing a stray tear away.

"Talk to me."

He feels her take a shaky breath, and sees her blink the tears from her eyes.

"It's…" her voice is thin as she resorts to clinging onto him tighter, "the thought," she says, "of never seeing you again."

Rayman sees her gaze stray again.

"Hey," he coos and uses his hand to turn her head.

"Look at me," he says, "I'm here. I'm alright."

Rayman sees her eyes glaze over again. No words come to her.

So she kisses him instead. On the lips this time.

Rayman's breath hitches and fearing she has made a mistake Ly pulls away. Her hold on his belly loosens as she fumbles for an apology, but before words come to her Rayman has found her lips again.

And Ly responds to it gladly.

Even when she lets Rayman take the lead he's shy and gentle. It's like he's afraid of Ly's vulnerability, she usually puts up such a strong front for him.

Breathing his air allows her to relax for the first time and when her hand splays in the middle of his sigil she can feel his heartbeat under her palm and the deep magic thrumming within his chest.

He's here. He's alive. He's real. 

Her own heart sings and her lips draw into a smile.

It's real. 

It's been years since the pirates first invaded their home. It's a privilege not having to worry about Razorbeard or a sudden ambush now…

She feels… she feels safe. Here. With Rayman. 

It's one of her favorite hiding places, secluded, untouched by the robots even. The only other presence here are a flock of red lums dancing across the nearby stream.

She wants to say thank you, but repeating it over and over rings empty. She can only say it so often before it loses its meaning. 

It's not right. It's not enough. She has no words for the burning in her chest, but she knows she wants to keep Rayman close because he alleviates the pain.

"Ly…"

Hearing his voice is a balm. Hearing him speak her name is… 

is…

Rain after drought.

For lack of being able to give him a proper, all encompassing hug she pulls his core closer and wraps herself around him snugly. Her tail curls around him like a nest. His hands respond in kind, one of them resting at the small of her back, the other anchors itself on her shoulder. 

"Ly…" he tries again to get her attention. She hums in return. 

It's so much like meditating, but she's all here, her senses heightened, her body is tingling and yet…

"I love you."

Her head is ringing to even think it's meant for her.

Those are the words she's been looking for. She should repeat them back. But when she opens her mouth to say them she finds herself chasing another kiss instead. 

Ly feels a little lightheaded as she tips his chin up with a featherlight nudge. She drinks Rayman in; pours her everything into the words she can't say. 

There would be no harm in admitting it. Not now that the threat has passed. It's been an open secret all this time anyway. 

One of her hands lets go of his back to find the one gripping her shoulder a little too tightly and interlocks with it.

When they break apart, Ly loses herself to a fit of giggling. 

That… really just happened. It wasn’t a dream or an intrusive thought... By Polokus. 

She wants to keep this moment. Treasure it.

The levity is contagious and soon enough Rayman is chuckling along.

"Look at us," Ly says as she brushes new tears from her eyes - but these feel easy with the relief of a lifetime. 

Rayman's hand silently squeezes hers as he nuzzles back against her. His head is nestling itself in the warm crook of her neck. 

"We can keep doing this," Rayman murmurs cheekily, "It's fun."

"Or we can stay like this for a while."

Ly tilts her head to press her forehead against his.

"I love you," she finally says back to him and the words come easy. A weight off her chest. In retrospect she wonders how this could have ever felt difficult? 

"So, so much," she hums as she gives his nose another peck.

She sees his cheeks perk up in a wide smile before he melts against her. Ly hardly thinks they could be any closer as she drapes her tail over him like a fuzzy blanket. His sigil emits a faint glow that piques her curiosity, but before she can ponder the thought further, Rayman is drifting.

The soft brush of her fur seems to have put him to sleep almost instantly, the exhaustion of weeks upon weeks of fighting since his daring escape finally having caught up with him. She adjusts her own breathing to the rise and fall of his chest and soon finds that yes - a moment of rest is well deserved. 

The shadow of grief is nothing but a distant memory as she feels Rayman's weight in her lap and the invisible burden of hidden feelings off of her chest.

Ly's fingers idly card through Rayman's hair with a tired smile as exhaustion threatens to claim her as well… and soon enough Ly closes her eyes to tranquil peace. 

#rayman #ly #fluff #romance #fanfiction #Rayman fanfiction #RayLy

[risingblackmoon]

OK. It's not PERFECT, but it's... Good enough. I'll cope.

I'll have a full breakdown under the cut bc I don't like my handwriting HFNFHG also I didn't. Have enough space... BUT YEA HERE THEY ARE!!! MY BOYS!!

First thing I want to note is that their heads aren't THAT oval.. I just already had the face down and it looked good, so I went with it. The Sun doodle is actually more accurate! Here's two(three?) more examples of their "real" face shape

Also yes I did retrace their hands for the palm reference, and I did reuse the stars for Moon's hat and pants. I am...not good at drawing hands or stars.... And I wanted this reference to look decent at least..

With that out of the way, here's the actual breakdown!

You could say both attendants have a rather bland face, having only a simple two-toned faceplate with swirls of the opposing color on each side. That being said, they still need to emote (my art relies HEAVILY on facial expressions), which is where it gets a little interesting! When expressing anything other than neutrality, they get EYEBROWS!!! Every time these appear, the right eyebrow will have a swirl at the end facing either up or down depending on the emotion being conveyed- a homage to the swirl symbol above this eye in the game! Speaking of their eyes, yea, they have different colored eyes. Sun's are pure white, as is the LED behind them! When his face is being shadowed, or he's in a dark room, these LED pupils are more clear. Moon's, however, are clearly different- but but but, there's a reason for that! See, my Moon was made to look scary in order to "scare the monsters and nightmares away"! So he loops back around to being comforting. That's why his "teeth" are sharp and angular as opposed to Sun's straight and square ones (of which I really only draw his tooth gap)! The last thing I want to talk about in regards to their face area is Sun's rays and Moon's cap. It may LOOK like Sun has 5 rays, but that's not entirely true. He actually has two smaller ones on either side of his neck, but they're hidden behind his collar, making 7! Technically, he has 4 more too, but he never has those out... He thinks they're too sharp. For Moon's nightcap, I wanted to have the brim be extra fluffy! Depending on which way he's facing, that's where the fluff will be (unless he's facing the front, in which it defaults to the right). The tail end of his night cap almost always sticks out in the opposite direction of his fluff, but it's not mandatory.

Now, onto their clothes. Instead of ruffles, I gave them butterfly bows! There's no real in-world reason for this like a lot of my other design features, I just can't draw ruffles and I thought the bows looked neat. They do add a nice separation between their high collars and their chest, I suppose. Speaking of, their high collar and sleeves are secured inside their chest piece and are completely removable! As are their pants and ribbons. The high collar prevents children from gripping at their metal "neck", while the soft sleeves and pants are simply more cuddly than plastic casing. The sleeves are also inspired by Shandzii's Sun and Moon designs!! I could be mistaken, but I think their Sun and Moon are what dragged me into the depths of the DCA fandom!! Go check them out if you haven't already. Back to the design breakdown, the sleeves and collar are colored with the same colors present on their chests. The sleeves on both attendants differ in design, though, just like their arms beneath them. I wanted to switch the colors on each sleeve in correlation to the side they're on, but I also wanted to keep their canon design elements.. So I gave Sun solid-colored sleeves, and Moon gradients! Beneath the sleeves, Moon and Sun have the same patterns they do in security breach (except the gray on Sun is replaced with the warmer yellow on his chest/sleeves). Their leg casings share this as well.

Sun and Moon's hands diverge from canon just a tad bit. Their fingers share the same color as the darker side of their faceplates, because I didn't want to abandon those colors!! But the most interesting part has to be their paw pads. I saw some people do it, and I just couldn't resist! Paws!!! They're soft AND squeakable! They're also present on the soles of their feet, too! Squeak squeak squeak... I also gave them retractable claws sharing the same color as their paw pads, which borrow the colors of Sun's rays and Moon's ribbons. They're there to assist in security and their general acrobatics across the daycare! After getting struck with the virus, Moon not only has them out all the time, but has sharpened them as well... Not cool, Moonie. Your claws were blunt for a REASON!!!

There's not much to say about their ribbons aside from the fact the ribbon around their middle ties into a lovely bow in the back! Oh, and they ALL change color, unlike in the main game. That's not a dig at the canon design, Moon looks stunning in red! I just wanted to keep a consistent color scheme for both attendants..

That's about it! Thanks for making it this far! Here's a sketch of my current design of Eclipse as a treat! They're messy, but that's on purpose.

#fnaf daycare attendant #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #sundrop fnaf #moondrop fnaf #fnaf sunrise #fnaf moonrise #fnaf dca #goobers <3 #this isn't perfect but I'll cope

[oneominousvalbatross]

Ok I couldn't sleep so I tried to recreate some of the visual effects from this brick wizard animation. I'm gonna break this down into parts because 3d is complicated and even then I'm gonna be missing some of the parts, like the sharp pixely look that I don't have any experience with simulating. This is in Blender 3.6 btw, and I think that individual tutorials on modeling, shading, and physics will do a better job at walking somebody through the process than a sort of compilation post will, so I'm not going to go into excruciating detail on each step with like, explaining the various editing modes and such (unless somebody asks)

The Model

It's just a brick. I made a cube, scaled it to roughly brick sized, and then cut some holes into it by using an addon called Loop Tools that lets you make faces into circles from squares. I definitely fucked up the topology here, some of it is weirdly inconsistent, but it didn't affect the final result so we get to ignore the bad practices.

The Shader

This is the easy part, because if you want flat colors without bothering with shadows or reflections, you can just literally do this:

In the Shader Editor, if you hook up the RGB color input directly to the Surface output, the shader just says "I am red" and ignores everything else. You can definitely get more technical here if you want a toon shader, looking up blender cel shading can get you some really good free resources and files for stylish filters. After applying this, you get

because there's no lines on it, and no shadows to show any kind of depth.

The Line Art

Blender has presets for line art, you just make a grease pencil object, tell it to draw lines on the whole scene, and it'll have a pretty reasonable preset for a scene at standard meter scale (if your objects are real small, real big, or real complex, you'll definitely need to tweak settings to make it look normal)

I didn't change anything and it looked good enough, so I just moved on because it is late

Also, grease pencils will draw based on the active camera, so if you have no camera, you get no lines, and if you do have a camera but you're not looking through it, they will look really weird

The Physics

You just kind of turn on Rigid Body in the physics tab, and since it's a square you don't have to do anything else. If this was a weirder shape and I wanted it to be really accurate, I would change collisions from Convex Hull to Mesh in the dropdown.

I also made a big Plane object and scaled it up to serve as the floor, and did basically the same thing here

but I set it to Passive instead of Active so it wouldn't be affected by gravity or other forces.

More The Physics

To 'throw' the bricks, I made two Force Field objects, one set to Force, and one set to Turbulence. I then jacked up the strength on both while playing the animation until the force seemed right, and keyframed the Affect settings so that I could have them turn off before they hurled the bricks completely off into the distance.

I also upped the Noise setting on the Force object so that the bricks would move a little randomly. It's really fun to add and remove different force fields and mess with the sliders to see what they do, especially if you want to make, for instance, a Dracula Tornado (another thing I did at one point for unknown reasons)

If you click the little circle at the right of a setting, it'll tell Blender when you want that setting to apply. So you go to frame 1 in the timeline, click the circles to make them into diamonds (which shows that they're keyframed) then go to the frame in which you want them to change, turn off the settings, and click the keyframe buttons again.

then, when the animation hits that frame, the setting will update accordingly. You can scoot these keyframes around to get things just right.

The Other Stuff that isn't in this

Other things I didn't do:

I didn't set a material that can have the brick drop shadows on it. It probably could've been really simple, but I already rendered the video so

I didn't get any further into cel shading effects, where you flatted the shadows and highlights into solid color blocks. If you're a little comfortable with blender, this site can just hand you a material that has all the options for a solid cel shader, it works pretty well.

My animation is also much higher res and lacks that nice looking pixel filter. I tried just rendering at a lower resolution but the default settings anti aliased it to hell so I'd have to learn how that was done, which is beyond me at this exact moment.

To be honest, it was surprisingly fun just typing this up, and a lot of this modeling stuff is something you kind of have to pick up from bits and pieces of other, more focused modeling tutorials, so if anybody that sees this wants to make lil' flat color low poly models, I'd be pretty happy to do something better considered and explained.

#blender #tutorial? #maybe ramble is a better word for it #brick #HOUSE

[eyedove]

im gonna talk about homestuck in 2023 under the cut and how it has influenced my art irreversibly but not just in the style in which i draw things but also in the way i imagine scenes, the way i interact with music, and the way i engage in the creation of fan works

genuinely still in love with the animation of the [s] panels in homestuck. they start as pretty utilitarian, but by enter, they're starting to get cinematic as hell. adore the use of minimal actual animation by just zooming and tweening that gets snappier and more satisfying to watch occur over time.

(the constant movement: always panning or zooming except in small key moments influenced SO MUCH in terms of amv and video editing in the time they were released. i do not have anything to back it up but i would absolutely put stock into the conspiracy that it really contributed to the back-and-forth inverse panning style that most video editing apps have nowadays.)

and yeah yeah it was fine and all but then we get make her pay and we get these sequences that have SMALL MOVING PARTS that are not just spritework from the comic panels themselves and are made specifically for the animation, but they're still fairly simple, like vriska's arm moving on an elbow hinge toward her face. it's mixed in with the same method of letting pan and zoom do some heavy lifting. parallax panning. animated-music-video vibe. that's what it was! animated music videos! i remember people getting excited about this prospect of indie-style, animated music videos in 2014 with mystery skulls and freak kitchen.

cascade. my teenage brain was forever changed by cascade. telling a story through animation was my fucking dream (it still is) and i am just now in recent years understanding, even after taking animation classes in school, how fucking incredible these things were at teaching (admittedly the basics of) animating shit. it had a multi-media feel: it was a good live example of how to use differences in style and detail to create emphasis and drama. how to keep a tight color palette (in pixelated scenes, anyway, it's something the fully illustrated scenes sort of missed), how to give the illusion of movement, how to keep an eye interested in the material through movement, how to frame and balance a shot. how to give a silly or lighthearted vibe vs a serious and dramatic one through pacing and expressions (expressions are something i've always struggled with and continue to do so, both in real life and in art).

most of FUCKING all, homestuck's art style is FUCKING INCREDIBLE at delivering art shorthand. the drawing of the basic shapes of hands without fully fleshing them out. no shading on limbs - so foreshortening looks more natural without extra rendering.

ok there were a couple that really hit and some that missed. sometimes both in the same flash. (personally not about to defend some of game over, although it did do a pretty good job of shit that others did not, which was keeping track of everything happening, where and when) and the earlier ones are waaaay more influential to my style.

some fucking day ill release one of the 463782469 animatics i have anywhere from half-to-two-thirds done and it'll probably be EXTREMELY apparent.

tl;dr the snappy, rubberbandy movements, constant panning and zooming, multimedia feel, and sparingly used hi-detail shots from the time of about make her pay up to cascade are just. imo fucking beautiful. they let you take in the music with a nice, interesting, emotional visual that easily and cleanly portrays a story. (the times it doesn't is a pacing issue, not a problem with the format.) i want to do shit like that. i want to make something that has a story like that, has replayability like that, and hits like that.

[fishklok]

Hopefully my question makes sense, but how are you able to draw people/characters with distinct facial features and still make them attractive?? I feel like even when I do give my characters different eye shapes or noses shapes they still look the same, like I want my characters to be look different from each other and still look hot haha.

Hi anon, I hope I can help you out with this, but please keep in mind that I'm a self taught artist and I have no real character design training.

I think Metalocalypse is actually a good way to practice drawing unique features, because the show rarely repeats facial features on different characters, but the art style is simple enough that it's easy to recreate.

Regardless of your style, if you get the lines representing Nathan's high cheekbones, the nasolabial folds, the bridge of his nose, and the brow crease, his face will be recognizable

Giving characters unique specific features is an important step, but I think equally important is to think about what overall shapes you're going to keep in mind while drawing said character.

I've used this example before, but on paper Magnus and Skwisgaar have rather similar features

By which I mean they're both tall skinny dudes with long hair, gaunt faces, large noses, prominent cheekbones. But when you see them next to each other, you start to notice the differences between their designs that go beyond individual features. To the point where if you slapped Magnus' hair + goatee onto Skwisgaar, it would look very odd (I'm not going to recreate that, don't worry).

The difference that stands out to me the most is while they're both rather angular characters, Skwisgaar's overall design is much softer than Magnus'. His face is made up of more sloping lines that are rarely broken up. So when I go to draw Skwisgaar, I go into the drawing ready to draw a bunch of softer angles, while with Magnus I might as well get the ruler out.

Here are some basic sketches which are basically just me slapping the character's features down onto the page

Usually at this stage I erase my guidelines as I go, but I kept them there for the sake of this example. I don't draw the eyes in great detail because I find it easy to get too focused on things like iris size or pupil placement (and also I don't draw the expression at this stage), which can distract me from getting down the overall feel/rhythm/vibe of the character. It's like building a house. You gotta set the foundation before you start painting the windowsills.

Also use irl references.

It doesn't have to be exact. but sometimes it can be easy to lose your sense of reality when you've been staring at cartoons for so long. I'll usually rely on irl references for proportions or anatomical details, while for the individual features I'll reference the source material.

This really isn't a tutorial, I'm sorry. It's more me trying to put words to what goes through my head whenever I draw a character.

For something actionable, I'd say look at random mtl characters and try to identify the key shapes/features that make up their design. What was the first feature you noticed about them? If you were going to draw them, what kind of motions would you make with your hand? Also try doing silhouette practice, then move on to drawing the characters with no hair or other definable features.

I used mtl as an example because like I said before, the show's character design is great to study from. But the exercises I described can be used with actual people too. Sometimes I like to use the website This Person Does Not Exist to generate faces to practice identifying certain features. It's a good muscle to train.

This response went all over the place, I'm really sorry. I hope that in this ramble there are at least a few nuggets of useful information.

Also the attractiveness thing I cannot speak on lmao. Attractiveness is very subjective and I think my answer is...everything I learned about art came from those How to Draw Manga books.

#my art #art tutorial #i guess? #same face syndrome

[comicaurora]

Hey Red, after seeing all of the tutorials, I'm wondering: What's your favorite special effect (fire, lightning, ice, etc.) to draw?

Honestly I like lightning the best because it is so, so easy compared to the others. It's a very localized and targeted effect. It's fine-grained enough that you don't lose any detailing, and you can even use it to highlight other things - like on this page, where I cheat and use lightning the same way I'd use non-diegetic squiggles to indicate that Kendal is shaking.

Ice also isn't too hard to make look good, especially if you use ambient fog effects to make it feel more atmospheric and cold, but the end result is honestly pretty basic unless you're willing to go super hard on the transparency. I remember this page took me a while even though the end result looks so simple - I was playing around with a lot of stuff and none of it really worked better than ambient fog and a little bubbling.

Fire I like conceptually, but as that tutorial post indicated, it's a tricky beast to handle, especially when you need lots of it. I'm still not 100% happy with any of the pages that show large blocks of fire, like Dainix's transformed hand - it really feels better for the small-scale highlighting rather than the large swaths of fire, which often end up looking fairly uniform and essentially "blowing out the exposure" on the drawing - a similar issue found when filming fire. The technique doesn't feel perfected yet, really. It is great for the highlighting, though, and it also lets me cheat like the lightning effect does - extra flaring around Dainix's eye making him look more wide-eyed and distressed, for instance.

Wind is the effect I feel like I cheat the most with. It's pretty much impossible to convincingly draw wind, because it's air and air is invisible. The real way to draw wind is to represent it solely by the effect it has on the environment around it, but I don't have that kind of time, so we get blurred bluish-purple glowy lines and that's it.

Stone effects I love because they're so easy. Rocks are solid objects and adding a glow effect to them is barely an issue. Even a magma-y glow isn't too complicated. They don't lose detailing and it isn't hard to figure out how they'd look under these circumstances.

Life effects I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, they are so pretty. The simplest ones where I just paint glowy highlights along the effect or make the outline of the vegetation grow are actually also simple to do, which is a bonus, but the more complicated effects are where things get dicey. They use the fractal curlicue patterns I'd doodle in my notebooks in class, and they're very satisfying to draw, but, like all fractals, they are incredibly time-consuming. Even just drawing the plants without the glow can get time-consuming for the same reason. It takes a lot of detailing before a plant effect looks realistically fractal. Heck, if you look at this one, I definitely cheated - it gives the impression of being woven together from a huge mass of vines and roots, but a lot of it is just solid green with a mossy texture.

And adding the glowy life effects adds another layer of complication. I don't want to spoil so I can't show the example panels I'm currently thinking of, but there's a page in this chapter where just the glowy life effects took me an entire worknight, and that was after the underlying plant life also took its own worknight. But it's mixed feelings because there's something very satisfying about it, so even though it takes me a very long time I really enjoy doing it.

And then void magic is 100% easy mode in the effects department. Solid black shapes with purple highlighting and underglow. Drawing that is like a vacation. Even at its most intricate it's just a matter of adding black-and-purple no-glow versions of other tried-and-true effects, like cinders or lightning.

That's a day at the spa right there.

#asks #art stuff

[abusivelittlebunny]

Since I like causing trouble, favorite body part of each twink and why? 😉

Tits ass tits ass tits ass tits ass

Oof this is a difficult one there's so much there to appreciate honestly it would be very tough to choose but I'll try my best! Let's separate face & body though & examine them separately. Also we are not taking hair in this because truly i will be doing the actors instead of their characters as these features apply to any role they've played even though it feels weird to rate a real person ...

With Mr Murphy, when it comes to face I know many would say eyes, I know I know I know, they are just so perfectly shaped but if I'm real Too blue eyed people freak me out a bit but he has such nice lashes to contrast it and incredible makeup worthy eyelids and a hauntingly hollow eyesocket with those strangely shaped and actually very long brows that are scarce enough next to that endless hollow that they sometimes seem nonexistent so he gets a flying pass. But. But. I'm going to have to say cheekbones because they are honestly one of a kind and you can cut a man with them they're just so incredible; if I was one of those artists that drew little to no actual facial details like the hollow of cheekbones and just a simple smooth face I'd have the hardest time trying to draw Mr Murphy they are just so essential to his face.

It's hard to choose between ass and tits and thighs and waist when it comes to him because truly he's gifted in all of these areas but I'll say waist because he looks so milfy with how hourglassly his figure is; so mommy.

Special shout out to: his hollow eyesockets giving him that iconic look.

Mr Cole has such incredible eyes and honestly their shape mesmerized me; it has this cat-like curve like his pretty plump pink lips that is so seductive and effortlessly charming; if John wasn't such a rambunctious little dude up for mischief he could easily be a fucking Bond boy with those lovely eyes holding so much mystery and elegance.

For him it would be a sin not to say how hot his ass is i just want to eat the whole entire thing, its so round and plump and bitable.

Special shout out to: the beauty mark on his lower lip giving a good target.

For Mr Dickinson it would be an actual crime against humanity if I didn't say lips, those lips oh my God, such pink pillowy perfections they are borderline insane they are so sexy. All the boys mentioned above have that born for blowjobs lips but him him he fucking has the supreme slap a dick in his pretty princess mouth lips like I would pay real money to see the Beach Rats cut where we actually witness from the homeless dude's perspective how those lips can work a cock for real.

In the butt department I'm afraid I've even spoiled by the other twinks because his one is nearly fat enough for me but he makes up for it in the most beautiful tits with rosy nipples and a cute beauty mark right beneath that's begging for a lick.

Special shout out to: his insanely long elegant fingers.

Mr Mackay has such an interesting face it is truly very hard to draw it is just so irregular and intriguing and its mystery draws the eyes in and keeps you captive but my favorite facial feature on him has to be the nose it just has such a unique profile, so sharp yet elegant and it compliments the whole face really, what a pretty boy.

Also he has a very unique body as well very fit and trim with the longest most shapely legs that end in a tight pert butt so I'll go ahead and say his pretty ballerina legs.

Special shout out to: his very protruding veins all over his body.

#ask rambles #peaky blinders #tommy shelby #cillian murphy #john shelby #joe cole #beach rats #harris dickinson #1917 #william schofield #george mackay

[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

COLORS

A/N: No smut, sorry. Written for @princessstevens if she's silk still on tumblr. Based on this picture

"Kellan, call me when you get this," I say hanging up before walking into my building.

He never checks his voicemail so I send him a text too asking him to call me. We go to different schools, he's in the Bachelor's program at Brandman for Business and I'm at Alan Hancock for Art. I know he's probably driving right now or doing something. I remember when I met him, three months ago at Target of all places. I typically don't even shop at Target, I go to Walmart, but I was in there and so was he with his cute ass. I fell in love in the hair section. I was actually stalking him on my way to the body wash, but he was standing in the hair aisle getting conditioner for his thickass curly hair. We were a match made in heaven. 

"Hey mama," I greet on my way to the kitchen to cook the pack of chicken sitting out in the sink.  

"How was school? Take that trash bag out for me," she says before I can respond.

I look in the trash and change the bag, taking the old one to the chute before washing my hands in the empty side of the sink. The moment I rip open the pack of chicken and start washing it, Kellan calls.

"MAAAA, CAN YOU GET THAT?"

She wanders over fast and answers it having her own conversation with my man as I clean chicken. It sounds like they're talking about how his week has been, his classes, and something that's got ma laughing up a storm behind me. I didn't know Kellan was such a comedian. Something about this seems reversed. I keep waiting but I never get the phone so when I heat the oil and start dredging the chicken, I decide to butt into their conversation and ask.

"Uh, ma, can you put it on speaker so I can talk to him, he called to talk to me!" I start putting the chicken in the hot oil.

"Oh hold on, Kellan, my daughter is here getting her knickers in a twist," she mutters putting the phone on speaker. "I think she wants your attention now all to herself."

Kellan snickers. He and my mama are always teaming up on me like it's funny. 

"I know you not laughing," I threaten at the phone, dropping chicken in the pan. "I've been trying to talk to you all day because I missed you but you wanna talk to my mama for-" I look at the time, "Five whole minutes."

"Awww, this baby.. she jealous," Kellan chuckles. "I think she mad you like me more than her."

"Keep acting like you tryna take my Mama from me, nigga. I ain't down with no incestuous shi-stuff," I pause genuinely mad. "You ain't finna be my man and act like my brother, I got a brother. That's nasty."

I don't know why I get mad, but I do. I love my mama. She's mine, not his.. I love Kellan, but he be annoying me for real with that shit because my mama gets too into it like she's not playing. She really does like him more than me. He doesn't understand that and keeps rubbing it in my face.

"You got one more time and you ain't coming over here no more."

"That's our mama's decision," he jokes. I cringe. 

"Exactly," she adds.

I put the tongs down and walk out going to my room and shutting the door. I was gonna tell him about COLORS and invite him to come with me but he's pissed me off and now I don't want to talk to him. My mama doesn't even bring my phone right away, it's two more minutes of them still talking. When she brings it, I yell that I don't wanna talk to him. "Well finish the chicken," she directs. I do it.. but I'm still irritated. 

"And then when he finally calls me back he doesn't even wanna speak to me. Too busy playing mama's boy to a woman who's not even his mama," I vent at the table watching Yaya's thinned lips stretch in silent judgement across from me. I know she doesn't agree with me, but she's not in my shoes.

"You gotta understand he's just getting comfortable. Your mom's probably trying to be accepting. He's your boyfriend."

"No." That's not it, it's not that simple. "He will dead call for her and ignore me. She doesn't care what I do in a day and I can't get her to look at my art for more than two seconds but he gets her undivided attention. He's only known her for three months."

"That's how it is sometimes," she shrugs. I shake my head.

"No. That's not how it is, and if it is I can't be doing this. No, ma'am."

Her finger raises and I shut up as she takes a call. I didn't even hear a ring, but based on her face she's not liking whoever it is on the phone or what they have to say. She has that stank face that she gets when someone's got her twisted. Meanwhile, the waitress pops back up.

"Ready to order or do you guys need a few more minutes?"

"You must got me fucked up," Yaya blurts causing the server's brow to raise as she looks from Yaya to me. She only asked what we were ordering.

"We're ready to order," I smile. Quickly she takes her pen from her pile of blonde hair.

"I'm not working Friday after I already said I needed that day off," Yays waves to me to order for her since she's on the phone. I know what she'd order. The server looks from her again back to me readying her paper and pen.

"She'll take the fried chicken with mac and collards. I'll take the house cheeseburger with fries.. thank you," I nod as she walks away. I take a sip of my iced tea, wiping the condensation from the glass onto my dress and leaning forward with my hands in my lap.

"Right, but I said it back in July so you'd know I'd need this Friday off. It's in writing, do I need to pull it up," Yaya threatens to whoever is on the phone. I wonder what's going on on Friday. "Yes, pull it up and look at the email.. uhuh.. Yes, so Fri-day I will NOT be there," she enunciates. "Correct… Uhuh, buh-bye!" She rolls her eyes and hangs up shaking her head at me and I know the frustration well, we work at the same Michael's. It's awesome, but our manager is very manipulative. I sip my tea thinking about it.

"You need to be the manager." I wish she were the manager.

"Pur!.. and Dean needs to go," she laughs sipping her coke. "How's your Fiverr going?"

"Oh girl I got some gigs, I've made about $110 from it so far." 

"Okay! I'm on Upwork I made about $200."

"Damn. Well I'm looking at working at the Children's Museum for more money."

"True, I saw that position too.. but don't overextend yourself. I'm not.. because we still need to finish with these classes and get our art portfolios together and we ain't finna graduate late-tuh!" 

I know, but I also need money.

When our food comes, we get refills on our drinks and that's when she comments on the restaurant, after she bites into her chicken. It's both of our first time coming in, but it's right near our college which is why we decided to give it a shot for lunch. It's called Urban Hangout and that's exactly what it looks like, a coffee shop to hang out in and just sit. The food is really good too.

"So what you got going on Friday," I ask dipping and shoving fries in my mouth one by one. 

"Tuh, Friday? Nothing I just needed a day to myself and that's the day I'm taking," her lips pout when I laugh. 

"That's smart! I'm glad you ain't let Dean try to sucker you like he be trying." I lean in. She's curling her finger like she needs to tell me something. "He's famous for shit like that -What," I whisper quickly. She waves her hand aggressively for me to stop talking. 

"Meg.. you know that guy over there," her eyes flicker to my left. My head stays still but my eyes briefly follow hers to a quiet looking guy sitting at a table alone with an art pad and a beanie on covering his ears and eyebrows, eyes focused down as he draws.

"Mm-mm, no.. Never seen him in my life.."

"Well he keeps looking over here at you, I think he drawing you." She bites her chicken and sips her coke as I stare.

Me? Why he couldn't be drawing her, why does she assume it's me? I take another look at the guy but turn my head too far and end up making eye contact when he looks up. He looks different than I thought he would now that I can see more of his face. He blinks like he's waiting to see what I'm a do so I get up and sit across from him. He's really cute, though I got a man. There's nothing wrong with being nice, I tell myself.

"You go to Alan Hancock?" 

The corner of his mouth lifts as he looks straight at me. He has long eyelashes and pretty, full kissable lips. I sit a little straighter. If I weren't already three months deep in a relationship I'd give him my number. He focuses back on his artpad, sketching, his eyes moving back and forth between my face and his paper with new energy. I look over at Yaya wondering if she sees what I see and she's smiling like she knows what I'm thinking. She knows my type, brown skin and bearded. He looks like he has a nice build under the loose shirt. And he draws.

"You speak..?" He doesn't respond. I'm starting to think he's deaf and cute. Maybe he can read lips, both sets. I wave and when he looks up, I point to my lips. "What's your name?" He only and smiles, his eyes creased at the corners, still sketching away. 

I decide to just sit still and wait until he's done to see the picture, curious of his skill level. If he doesn't go to Hancock for art, then dammit he should.

Suddenly he stops, looks his page over seriously, and hands me the artpad across the table. He watches me for my reaction. It's a full rendering of my face in great detail and he's made me look beautiful. He's even got my negro nose with the piercing down to the shape of my eyebrows. My locs are accounted for and he put texture on them. Next to that is a full sketch of me sitting at my table, leaning onto the table with the straw in my mouth to drink. He's even got the print of my dress down. Only thing is he's added a realistic looking flower behind my ear in both pictures and I'm not wearing a flower. I look up briefly, curious.

His smile returns as he sees my head tilt with a question in my eyes about the flower. Going into his backpack beside him, he gently pulls out a lively bright golden yellow flower handing it to me. I look to Yaya, who looks equally surprised while I show off my flower. She's fawning.

"Is this how you pick up girls," I smirk smelling it. It's real and I'm geeked. I tuck it behind my ear like suggested by the drawing. Taking his pad, he writes a message on the page and hands it back to me. 

24 hours of silence in memory of black women killed by police brutality. My older sister was one and she loved daffodils. I've been giving daffodils to black women all day. This is my last one.

I look up at his warm eyes but now I see traces of sadness. 

"When did she die," I whisper unsure of whether to speak or write now. He takes the pad and writes. 

2 years ago today.

My heart breaks for him and I hold my heart looking over at Yaya who has no clue what's going on. I'll have to fill her in when I get back over there. In the meantime, I do my best to communicate that I'm truly sorry for his loss. 

"Can I have this," I point to the paper. He frowns comically shaking his head and takes his pad back writing again. 

I'd rather keep it. I like how it came out. 

Can't say I don't understand him as an artist because there are times when you look at your work and love it too much to let it go. Still, it is my face. He smiles seeing my disappointment. I nod deciding to let it go and stand to head back to my table. By the time I sit down, he's up with his things and leaving the cafe. I let Yaya into the loop and she sympathizes looking over to the space where he previously sat.

In class, my eisele faces the window and I start my under painting which is a wash of the background.

"How did you get yet another picture in the hall," I turn to ask Yaya after thinking about it for a good few minutes. She grins with her tongue out between her teeth. 

"I keep telling you, taking outside classes and going to workshops really helps you develop in realism."

"I keep saying I'm going to," I sigh as I plop my brush in water. She sweeps her brush across her canvas back and forth.

"You're lazy. That's why you haven't had anything in the hall."

"No, but why can't I just practice and learn from the classes I'm already paying for," I groan. "Otherwise why am I paying?"

"Because you can't, suck it up. You want to be in the hall or you wanna be average?"

"I wanna make $200 on Upwork."

"Up your skill set and you can," she points to my canvas with her detail brush adding insult to injury.

"Bitch, I'm trying!" Honest, I am. I've improved on my own a great deal but I've still never sold like she has. Her art is in THE HALL.

At Allan Hancock College, only the best student work lines the white brick walls of the art halls. The best of the best make it to the glass display. Every visitor to the building had to pass through the art hall and without meaning to, they stop to admire the art almost without fail. Sometimes the art sells for prices upwards of $300. Colorful portraits, hyperrealistic paintings of still life and everyday objects.. Needless to say, the hall is the goal of every art student and the golden standard to aspire to. 

"That's pretty," Francis smiles in passing on the way to his easel. He's referring to my self-portrait. I started with the background and now I'm painting my skin tone. Glancing over to his station, I move from my spot to take a look at his canvas. 

"Aww, look at Gravy lil fat self!" He's painting his lil fat French bulldog. "Wait a minute... Francis, you got better!.."

"I went to a painting workshop this past weekend, it was a bring your dog paint and sip night. You should've seen all of the puppies! I met a few new people too, 100% reccomend."

"You talkin bout COLORS," April jumps in from behind. Instantly I look at Yaya and she looks at me.

"I love COLORS, I'm telling you, I go there all the time. I've learned so much skill-wise and every day they have something different going on," Francis says. "You ever been?" The question is to me, but before I can answer, April cuts in.

"Y'all need to go on a Saturday night," she smirks.

"I went Sunday, it was fun. Had a lil wine," Francis adds.

"Exactly, no.. Go Saturday Night it's portrait and figure drawing night but there's always a live model and 9 times out of 10 they're always fine." She goes to her portfolio and pulls a painting of a nude black woman. Her strong features are in great detail I notice as I appraise it. This could be in the hall too if she were serious. 

"Damn, I been going the wrong day, sign me up," Sheena cuts in. I ain't even see her behind me. "I wanna go, but I wanna paint a woman," she says causing Francis to look back playfully. 

"We know."

"Look, I'm going this Saturday night if y'all wanna meet me there," Yaya announces as she focuses on her picture reminding me that I need to head back to mine. "Let me know and I'll get us a table. Just everyone chip in since I'm using my card." 

It seems like everyone plans to go. "I'm going too," I say not wanting to be left out.

"Oh I know you are," Yaya's brow raises. I turn my lip up playfully. Kellan would've been bored there anyway he doesn't have an artistic bone in his body. He's like my mom, not interested.

Cutting the engine on my mama's car, I exit the gps and call Yaya.

"Hey. Where you at, I ain't see your car?"

"I'm coming. I'm a few minutes away, wait for me."

"I see Sheena and Francis standing outside. I can claim our station, it's fine. Just meet me inside," I tell her and on entering the urban paint bar with Sheena and Francis directly behind me, the walls are dust free and eggshell white. The overhead fixtures bring white artificial light. The floors are a light sandy wood, finished for easy clean. It looks way better than the outside, bigger too.

Francis leads the way to the desk/register/information center and I grab a brochure advertising a gallery showing that's supposed to happen.

"Hey we have a reservation for five under Yaya. 8PM," he states and we're escorted to a warm white brick space with finished wood floors easy for cleaning. Still there are plastic tarps. There are three other small groups with clustered easels signifying a division, each group with a corresponding table. Our table is table three and we order a bottle of red wine which comes around the same time as April and Yaya. We're all here and ready.

April and Francis take control since they've been to COLORS. They secure our palletes, paints, and brushes.

"Let's make it a competition," April suggests.

"You're on," Yaya points. We're all in, prepping our canvases before the model arrives and when the door reopens we all look up. "IT'S HIM," Yaya gasps echoing my thoughts. He looks just as stoic and reserved as the first time we saw him. I wave catching his eye and jog toward him stopping with my hands on my hips.

"You gotta be an art student," I gape up at him realizing he's taller than I remember. "You everywhere we be!" His lips pout in the tiniest smirk and I wonder if he's still not talking. "My bad, yes or no questions only. Nod for yes.. Are you an art student?"

He shakes his head no.

"Wow wow wow, you in school?"

He nods.

"I really wanna ask you where I'm about to start guessing schools."

Raising a finger to say wait, he proceeds to lightly grab my upper arms and shift me from his path like I'm in the way. I'm offended!

He heads to the middle point of the room which houses a small platform with a few props.

"Ohh," I mouth watching him pull of his thin but loose long sleeved purple vneck. "Dayum!"

I head back to my easel and my group has the same expression. This man looks like a gym rat. I suspected as much but you really couldn't tell through the shirt and that seems to have been on purpose. He's not like me, I flex hard af when I know I look good.

"Professionalism," I remind my classmates. "Y'all seen a naked body before. We are artists, we do not ogle... We respect the human form."

I'm half joking because I know it's normal to have a reaction, but they take me seriously and go into mature mode. Then the man takes off his ripped skinny jeans revealing strong, long, lean calves and solid, defined thighs. He's standing in burgundy briefs that expose that he's working with a monster. Big boy status in those briefs.

It's not like I've never seen a penis, Kellan's is not small. It's not as girthy as this guy's.. but it's similar in length. I'm glad he's not hear to see me damn near simping over this model. That could've been extremely awkward.

I look at the other groups and they seem to be really mature about it. I watch their eyes to see if they're faking composure but quickly change my mind and mind my business. It's a good time to grow up myself.

Then the briefs come off. I keep my face neutral but I see from the corner of my vision that the big boy is hanging. It's been a whole strip tease, I'm almost nervous to look up because my poker face is too fragile. Instead, I start with his face and upper body and jump to his legs based on my view of him. His side is turned to me. I mix my colors for the tonal differences in his skin, accounting for shadows and highlights. I want this portrait to look as good, no.. BETTER than the one he did of me in the cafe. I also want to win this little painting competition. I work on getting the color placement blocked out and accurate and then I follow up with blending and details. His hair is one of my favorite things to paint and I'm confident no one's touching me on that.

He moves around every so often to give the ones who request it a closer look. I don't mind it because he's good at returning to his mark and exact position. Also the lighting doesn't change.

I get his whole body down nearly, left with the gap between his v-cut and his thighs. It's childish but instead of drawing his penis, I start painting in the props. I paint the blue vase and the small stand holding the half full water bottle he keeps taking little breaks to sip from.

"Anyone else hot," I whisper blousing my shirt to give myself air underneath. April takes it as a sign to walk around our easels to look at our canvases and we do the same with each other's. Instantly I realize my painting isn't as good as I thought it was and that I can do better.

"You missed a whole part," she comments inspecting my painting carefully. She's looking at the way I painted his locs. I definitely succeeded there. "You just not gonna give him a dick?"

"I'm not done, I couldn't really see it from this angle," I lie. "I'm just gonna paint a modesty leaf."

"That'll ruin your pretty picture, I've seen your leaves," Francis grimaces. "It's a small part, you can finish it we have time."

I wanna tell him it ain't that small. That thing is big. Instead I pick up the brush to deliberate.

"Hey, could you come just a little closer, please? She's trying to see from the side," April points to me and when he comes closer, I have no excuse.

"Helps to paint it if you look at it maybe every once in a while," he deadpans. I freeze momentarily to look him in the eye. He thinks he's clever.

"Oh you talk now," I smile sarcastically. His small answering smirk shows no malice, purely teasing.

"I like to let people talk who like to talk."

"Yeah aight." I have to look. I start filling in the missing part of his body and when I glance left, Yaya is smirking at me. It's subtle, but I know her and I ignore her.

Kellan wouldn't understand me standing up here sipping wine and drawing dicks with a naked man so close to me. I don't think I'll tell him. That's not something I care to explain and I don't have to, it's art not sexual. I make sure I copy the smooth transition from brown to pinkish-brown on the tip of the dick. I get the healthy shine and the light pull of the balls which are big. He's clean shaven or waxed, I don't know which. When I've got the gist of it he returns to his original position.

"What's your name anyway," I call out. I can't be the only one curious.

"What importance is a given name? The universe will mold us into what we're truly meant to be."

"Erik. His name is Erik," a girl from table four says with a humored sigh. "Ignore him, he's a troll."

"That's a label you've chosen for me. You're a white woman, you are not the universe. Only black women can attempt to perceive me."

"Shut.. up," she groans. It's hard to tell but I'm starting to see he likes mixing his genuine responses with satire. It's confusing. He could be a hotep or he could be fishing. But why would hotep be a nude model? Are there hotep nude models who hand out flowers and draw in cafes?

"Let's compare," Yaya announces and we all vote on the winner with feedback from the other groups who actually consist of nice people. Yaya wins, no surprise there. I'm still proud of my painting. It's my best so far. I wish I could show it to my mama and my man without them viewing it as something perverted.

#original #erik killmonger #killmonger #erik stevens #erik killmonger fanfiction #erik stevens au #black panther killmonger #colors

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ A FIRST DATE ❜

with Johnny ‘Coco’ Cruz.

Request: Can I request a fluffy Coco imagine?? From his POV about their 1st date and his thoughts abt her and stuff? I really want some coco fluff lol. ❤❤🔥

BY ANON

Word count: about 1.7k

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: to the author.

Masterlist. You can subscribe to my broadcast list, to be notified whenever I post a writing!

“Brother, just be yourself”.

Angel thinks that Coco is giving it more importance than it really has, after trying different outfits, without finding the perfect one. He doesn't have many clothes, because he doesn't really need it. But now, he's really pissed off.

“If I act like usually, she'll kick ma' ass in fucking seconds”. He grumbles sitting over his bed, rubbing his face with both hands.

You two met at the hospital some week ago, when he suffered some kind of accident that left him blind in one eye, for some time. He felt his heart pumping because of love for the first time, when he saw you after cleaning his healthy eye. And before that, he was already truly fascinated by the way you had to calm him down using your voice. A sweet and honeyed tone that he could be listening to his whole life. He couldn't help but think how good falling asleep every night hearing you talking would be. It took him almost two weeks to ask you out, but he couldn't feel more happy when you said yes without letting him finish the question. Coco felt strange when he left the hospital after it, experimenting a bunch of sensations stuck in his chest that made him feel better than ever.

Now, his insecurities are coming into the light. Everything he touches ends up destroyed, broken. You are too pure for his shit. You don't deserve to take that risk. Taking off his phone from his pocket, he searches for your number. Gilly and Angel are looking at him intrigued, until they find out what he's going to do. The big one takes the phone off from his hands, while the oldest Reyes holds him to guide him towards the door.

“You're not gonna flake on her, pendejo”. He grunts, pushing him outside his house.

His brothers follow him to the meeting place, watching you sit on a bench waiting for him, after twenty minutes standing up and walking around the big fountain. You look beautiful, dressed with a pair of shorts, a baggy white shirt with the sleeves rolled up on your shoulders and black sneakers. He turns around, trying to run away from your life again, facing his friends.

“I can't”. He just says, with his hands almost sweating. “She's too much for me”.

“She's perfect for you, man!” Gilly rolls his eyes.

“C'mon, Coco, don' be a chicken and get the girl”.

Licking his bottom lip, he just nods in silence, trying to find the perfect words to encourage himself. Turning over his Vans, he starts his way towards you, doubting for some seconds. And he's about to leave when you raise your eyes from your phone. The smile you draw with the corner of your lips gives him a heart attack, knowing that he could die full of happiness right now.

“Hey, I thought you weren't coming”.

Maybe it wasn't the greeting he was expecting and he feels so sorry for having made you wait. Stroking the back of his head, he forces a grin.

“Yeah… I was… 'bout to not comen'”.

Your gesture turning from enthusiasm to disheartening, causes him some bitter shivers inside his chest. He has already fuck up the good vibes between you two, that borned in the hospital. Seeing you nod in silence, shrugging your shoulders, makes him feel out of air; trying to think something to fix it up.

“I really… appreciate that, at least, you came to tell me that this isn't going to happen… It would be… humiliating”. You whisper putting your gaze away from him.

Coco can see the way your lips are trembling, as if you were about to cry, and it's painful. For him, it's painful.

“No, mami, lis—”.

“It's okay, Johnny, you don't have to excuse yourself”. Waving a hand on air, you try to make it easy for him. “I get it”.

He's missing the boat, watching you turning around and focusing your attention on the screen of your phone again. Maybe typing to some friend to pick you up, maybe about to call anyone else. But finally, the orders from his brain move his body to stop you.

“No, wait!” He says somewhat loud, grabbing your left wrist. “I wanna date you. I wanna have a lot of dates with you. This ain't you, mami, but me”.

Looking at his hand confused, you travel his arm until finding his dark and desperate eyes, talking to you in silence. Begging you to listen.

“My life is a shit. A mess... A chaos. I… had this accident with my eye because… of a dogfight with another gang. I didn' wanna lie to you, you know? I think you're smart, and pretty and… you don' deserve a guy like me who is… always in fuckin' trouble and that… used to ride a bike that probably would never ride again, just… with a shitty work on a scrapyard”. Coco is getting more and more nervous because you're not saying a single word back. He gulps with some difficulty, taking a step closer to you. “I ain't a good man, I don' do good things, but… I really wanna date you, mami. I've never been so true in ma' life”.

And he's about to give up with a crappy sensation running his body, when you tangle your finger with the ones that were gripping your arm.

“Maybe you can teach me to drive a bike, so I can ride for you”. You just say, hoping that it's enough for him.

“That sounds good, ma'”. He replies with no hesitation, feeling like for the first time he's having a good opportunity in his life.

Watching you smile again it's like seeing a rainbow after a destructive storm, putting his arm over your shoulders to start a low walk.

“Do you like pizza?” You ask then, raising your head toward his.

“Yeah, 'course”. He answers with an incredulous gesture on his face.

“Okay, do you know a food truck close to the hospital, with red and blues stripes?”

“No”.

“Seriously?” You almost scream, breaking into laughs. “You like pizza and you have never tried it before?”

Coco shakes his head, falling in love a little more after hearing your laughter. That simple gesture has made him feel more happy than ever before.

“You're gonna really, really love it”. You say with emotion, moving a hand on air to highlight your words.

“I'm sure”. He chuckles nodding. “You look pretty convinced”.

And you weren't wrong. Maybe not everybody would think that sitting on an edge of a sidewalk, eating pizza, it's the perfect date. But for him, it's the perfect one. He can ask for anything else that hearing you talk for hours about your hobbies, about what you would like to be in five years, about the things the two of you have in common. And he has never talked this much, either. But it's too easy for him to follow the conversation and flow it into another one, until the night falls over the town.

Coco insists on walking with you back to your home, just to be sure that you come safe. And even if he has had so much fun, he's doubting if you would like to repeat it. Maybe at the end you were just trying to be kind with him, because he seemed so desperate for being with you for a couple hours, to not make him feel bad. And maybe that was the reason why you didn't want him to take you home. But the real reason is that your housemates are waiting on the porch for you to tell them how it was. As soon as they see you coming closer, they run into the house ashamed and laughing, making your cheeks burn when Coco notices what is going on.

“Sorry, they're like children…” You say hastily, stopping your steps and placing yourself in front of him.

“It's okay, ma'. My… friends are waiting too”.

Between the two of you gets installed an uncomfortable silence for some seconds, until he sees you holding your bag, looking for something inside it. He breaks into loud laughs when his healthy eyes focus on the heart shaped lollipop, that you're offering him.

“I heard you the day you visited the hospital, so… there's your reward for being a good boy”.

Coco takes it, shaking his head and showing you a funny smile, before catching you between his arms. Embracing you tightly, he places a kiss on your cheek. A lovely one. Pulling himself away, he opens the candy to tuck it into his mouth.

“The best one”. He says tasting the strawberry flavor of it.

“Okay, ah… I have three kids to take care of”. You joke about your friends, pointing at your house for a second. “I had so much fun today…”

“Yeah, me too… We can repe—”.

“I'm free tomorrow”.

Hearing you interrupt him, after realizing that he wants to have another date with you. Taking off the lollipop from his mouth, he leans forward to press your lips with his, shortening the distance between both. Feeling your fingers getting tangled in his shirt give him some pleasant chills, ending up pecking your lips gently.

“What about breakfast? I know a place with the best pancakes”. He proposes then, giving you an eskimo kiss.

“I like it”. You nod, kissing his lips a last time.

“Pick you up at ten?”

“Pick me up at ten”.

“Have a good night, mami”.

“You too, pirate”. Puckering your lips, he laughs again. “Enjoy it, you're gonna see again in a couple months”.

He frowns a little confused, drawing slowly a huge smile on his lips.

“Spoiler of your next doctor appointment”.

“Is tha' why you told me tha' I could teach you?”

Walking backwards to your house, he sees you happily nodding.

“'Am gonna marry you one day, you know'et?”

These words may have been somewhat precipitate, or at least that's what he's thinking until seeing you nod again.

“I hope it”.

“Shit”, he thinks to himself, licking again the lollipop; not leaving your hood until you're inside your house.

#mayans mc x reader #mayans mc imagine #mayans x reader #johnny coco cruz x reader #johnny coco cruz imagine #coco cruz imagine #coco cruz x reader #coco cruz

[my-writings-and-musings]

I came up with lil idea, not intented to be a request but up to you what you do with this

So, human is getting miserable, sluggish and tired. Bots ask human why, they're not sure, Rung doesn't give an answer because patient confidelity. Whirl asks if he can kill someone. Magnus says maybe. But Swerve, the lil dude, comes up with an answer. He figures it's because of the metallic nature of the ship and the human just misses nature. So they gather a group of the humans friends to help with a project, and Swerve and Ten are the "bosses". Swerve shows them what Earths nature looks like, and multiple bots lend their talents to transform two unused habsuits into thing gigantic, realistic looking forest. Some bots bend metals to create trees and Ten paints them. Percy comes up with a way to create a small weather system that creates mist and rain and stuff like that. Multiple bots make tiny, or as tiny as they can make them, animal sculptures, and again Ten paints them. Brainstorm makes the ceiling look real. It works on human time and basically there's sunset and sunrise, along with a starry sky of the milkyway. Rewind collects animal and nature sounds from the nature documents Swerve has, and now theres a stereo in the rooms that quietly play said noises. Theres just an incredible amount of detail that goes into these rooms, with a vent/tunnel that connects them. In the end it's just an exact replica of a forest you'd see on Earth. Hours upon hours were poured into these rooms, multiple bots spent a good amount of their free time in the making of these rooms for the sake of their human friend. And it pays off. The human cries from happiness. They start to become themselve again and frequently spent their free time in the room.

That's it that's the idea

That idea is BEAUTIFUL.

Rung wants to offer assistance, but therapy isn't quite enough, and he's only one bot. Whirl assumes someone must be bothering his favorite squishy, and even if that's not the case, he believes that knowing you have a buddy who'd kill for you is always helpful. It makes him feel better, anyway... Magnus considers allowing some extreme measures as it becomes clear their beloved human is indeed suffering. They're tired, glum, reclusive, and just not themselves! It doesn't take a medic to figure out this can't be good for them.

Swerve, being a sharp bot with an excellent understanding of earth, is indeed the one who puts all the pieces together. The ship wasn't built with human biology in mind, and that's having some severe consequences, both for their physical and mental wellbeing. Some rapid fire research helps him craft a genius solution, but he knows he'll need help, so he gathers a massive team in the bar. Saying it's for the human gets the entire crowd to show without delay.

Before a packed bar, Swerve lays out the situation. Humans need their environment to be a certain way, he explains, and the ship just isn't meeting those needs. Undoubtedly this is what's causing the human to feel so unwell. When some bots aren't quite convinced he has Ten hold him up so he can speak with authority, and the medics concur it's a reasonable theory, though Swerve still requests Ten hold him up because he likes to be tall. Also because it makes proposing his solution much easier when everyone can see him.

An impressive plan is detailed by charts, PowerPoint presentations, drawings, schematics along with Swerve and Ten detailing the specifics as they go. The plan is simple but impressive; make some small part of the ship feel like home. Two unused habsuites would be ideal, and while they've planned it all out, they're going to need help. In fact, they're going to need as many helpers as possible. Rodimus doesn't hesitate to put his full support behind the plan, and encourages everyone to offer what skills they can. Ultra Magnus immediately sets about recruiting and assigning tasks with the admittedly solid plan Swerve has laid out. Every bot wants to contribute something. There's over two hundred volunteers, and soon they're all working together, keeping it a secret from the human so they'll be surprised. Drift finances the massive load of supplies that they need to get started.

As sneakily as they can, the bots work in shifts to follow the blueprints, with Swerve acting as the expert on all things Earth and Ten backing him up. The initial construction is the easy part; it's everything after that's difficult. When "renting" earth animals proves too difficult and Magnus forbids cloning more, they decide that art will do the trick, and thankfully they have lots of material to work with and ample artists to make it work. Metal is bent and soldered into the shape of earth's flora and fauna, with the artistically gifted Ten bringing it to life through his excellent painting skills.

On the scientific front, the laboratory goes a little wild creating ways to capture the "essence" of life on Earth, with Perceptor inventing a simple but elegant device to mimic the planet's atmospheric phenomena. Mist, rain, humidity, aridity, even the scent of ozone... It's all in there, and it even has a handy remote! Quite proudly, he points out that the entire room will even recycle it's own water supply, just like earth does. Not to be outdone (and to show off) Brainstorm sets about reformatting the entire ceiling. For him, it's not enough that the room can mimic the climate of the planet, it needs to look like it too. Though tempted to go all out with extreme weather modes, he settles for a ceiling that produces a realistic sky just like the one on Earth. It can be sunny, cloudy, starry, and even follow a set schedule!

But of course, as a very smart minicon points out, Earth is not a silent planet! Rewind puts his talent to use gathering the sounds of animals and plants and weather patterns, all of which he mixes into a sound program of unfathomable complexity to give the room a thriving ambience. Whether it's birdsong or a gentle rain, the human will long for the sound of their home no longer. Or at least he hopes as much.

In total there's no way to know how many hours were poured into the project, but the result is well worth it. There's a grand gathering when the human is brought to see the finished effort, and for a moment, no bot dares blink at the suspense. Everyone can only hope it works...

It does, to a degree they never could have anticipated. Their long suffering friend breaks out into happy tears, in part because of the planet they so long for, but mostly due to the incredible effort that's been put in on their behalf. Everyone worked on this in some capacity, there's not a single member of the ship that didn't contribute, and it was all for their beloved human. More than a few bots cry as well. So much hugging happens that they lose track of it all. The human camps out in the room that night with a lot of bots for company, and they actually have to keep track of who does so to ensure everyone who wants to gets a turn. Some find they like hanging out in the room so much the list of bots who want to see Earth magnifies exponentially. They all promise to the human they'll go together someday. But, for now, everyone is content to relax in their little slice of the humans home.

#transformers #maccadam #mtmte #lost light #more than meets the eye #lostlight #ll #idw #tf #my wriring #my asks #anon #requests #transformers imagine #human reader #self insert

[behindthekitty]

So guess who made RSA ocs!

it's me, I did. I've been thinking about RSA since they were first mentioned in the story and I couldn't resist.

I haven't looked much at other people's interpretations so any similarities are pure coincidence!

I haven't totally figured out all the dorms I want to include but I'm starting with Alice in Wonderland for obvious reason.

Here goes~

This first dorm is called Wonderfall, based on Alice in Wonderland :)

Wonderfall is full of interesting characters and it seems like there's no correlation between them besides the fact that they're all insane from an outsider's view. They have a dorm leader that approves every idea resulting in a dorm that's just a mess of colors and ideas, no real rules, and themed parties that go on until daytime. There are constant rumors that all of them are on drugs but they're really just weird. Being in their dorm is like living a dream (or a nightmare!)

Dorm Leader, Elvin Twist:

(twisted from Alice herself)

Age: 16

Height: 5'2

Dorm: Wonderfall

X First year

~~~

Elvin is Wonderfall's dorm leader and even he's not totally sure how he acquired that position but he's doing a good job regardless.

The others in his dorm really appriciate him since he approves pretty much everything they ask of him, which results in a lot of weird things.

He's known for being quite clumsy and gullible, but us an all around caring and honest dude who just goes with the flow. He's also very curious and asks a lot of questions about everything.

Vice dorm leader: Leveret White

Age: 17

Height: 6'0

Dorm: Wonderfall

x second year

~~~

Problem is he never wants to stop. Guy doesn't even seem to need sleep. He complains when people want to quit.

Likes to draw pictures of people.

Almost everyone in Wonderfall is the "Party Animal" type but it's Leveret who fits the term best. He's the life of any party and is great at keeping things fun and interesting!

Terrace Fenry

Height: 5'8

Dorm: Wonderfall

X Second Year

(twisted from the mad hatter)

Age: 17

Terrace is always full of interesting thoughts and ideas, making each interaction with him a totally different experience. He comes off as odd and a little intimidating, but he's polite to everyone. He speaks somewhat cryptically and one might not understand what he's saying most of the time.

Alchemi Alchemivich Pinka/Che'nya (You already know him!)

(All of this is HC for now and I dont want to write a personality because I'd feel uncomfortable doing that with a character that isnt mine)

Age: 18

Height: taller than terrace but shorter than Leveret

Dorm: Wonderfall

X Third Year

(I didnt mean to have two purple themed kids in this dorm it was an accident 😭)

Extra things

Everyone in the dorm gets along for the most part, if there are ever disagreements it's probably because Leveret isn't letting someone go to sleep.

They often get in trouble For playing loud music late into the night.

The inside of the Wonderfall dorm is a mess of abstract colors and shapes. The furniture never fits and nothing matches at all. It's a result of every dorm member having a say in how the dorm looks with no override. It also changes often because tastes change often.

Like I said, they (probably) aren't doing any drugs but the place does smell weird. Even the members aren't totally sure why.

I haven't decided who yet but one of them's unique magic allows them to clean things easily. So even though they have messy parties all the time, the dorm is never dirty.

The others in the dorm love Elvin but they also enjoy bullying and teasing him. Simple things like taking advantage of his gullibility (think takashi from cardcaptor sakura) and holding things above his head where he can't reach. They'd probably be upset if anyone else tried that with him though.

No one in wonderfall ever achieves very good grades because they don't study. Also some of them think way outside the box, like Terrace who never gives the correct answer but it's never truly wrong either.

Lastly here's a group picture ^^

That's it! So, I'm actually not all that creative so any ideas or opinions you guys have for my RSA are greatly appreciated :0

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #twst #disney #alice in wonderland #rsa #royal sword academy #che'nya

[thewolfmanslayer]

Honestly the amount of people who say artists and writers should do stuff for free, or try to rip them off on comissions still royally piss me off.

I think the worst part of it is the entitlement, I dont want to make this too much about generations but a lot of commissioners are millenial/Gen z's who grew up on the "steal and pirate everything" mentality, take everything that you can because no one else is going to hand it to you. which I can get behind, when you are screwing over MULTI BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES. NOT THE STRUGGLING ARTISTS AND WRITERS who are trying to keep food on the table as desperately as you probably are!

It's simple, you wouldn't walk into a restaurant, order food and tell the server "sorry I don't have any money, but I've got like a few thousand followers on social media, I can get your name out there, get the restaurant some exposure" NO! They don't need "exposure" they need you to pay the damn bill!

On top of that, most of these artists and writers ALREADY HAVE FOLLOWINGS. They already have thousands of people following them, waiting for the chance to get a commission, who are willing to pay for said commission, they don't need "exposure" when they're already out there! He'll even the artists and writers with a few hundred don't need it, they'll get more followers as time goes by, their skill alone will see to it.

And what is with people trying to get free art and writing? It's not going to work! You can't harass someone until they cave, trust me, you'll be long since blocked before you even have the opportunity. I don't do comissions, online anyways, but my own friends and family, people who actually know me STILL PAY ME whenever they ask for me to do art for them because they KNOW it takes TIME AND EFFORT.

How many times do we need to have this discussion???? Like when is it going to finally click that people who need to pay their bills just as much as you do AREN'T going to do this shit for free!?

Here's the thing about art and writing, that you've heard a billion times but still aren't getting; IT. TAKES. TIME. AND. EFFORT. TO. GET. DONE. the art isn't going to magically appear and the writing isn't going to suddenly write itself, if either were so convenient YOU WOULDNT BE ASKING AN ARTIST OR WRITER IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Look at that, you see that? The first picture I did back in 2012-13, the picture beside it? I did that TWO YEARS AGO. I didn't suddenly know exactly what to do, or had anything close to a god given talent for drawing (I'm not that talented). The first picture WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST I COULD DO AT THE TIME THAT I MADE IT. In the time between these two drawings I admittedly took a break from art, but then I got back into it four years ago. EVEN STILL that was four YEARS of starting over from the basics, relearning everything, learning new things, wanting to actually improve my art.

Which, guess what, DID NOT HAPPEN OVER NIGHT. It was HOURS UPON HOURS of my limited free time as an adult drawing over and over and over and over again, every single goddamn day to get to the point that I was able to make that redraw look as good as it does in comparison. He'll, my art now puts them both to shame! Because I spent the time improving my quality!!

Now look at these artists doing comissions, they've probably put EVEN MORE of their time to get that good! They've put in LITERAL YEARS of sweat, blood, tears, frustrations and dedicated hardwork. Some did the same as me, self teaching and lots of practice, others probably had to go to school, which definitely wasn't cheap. But all of us put in that time and effort TO REACH THESE POINTS. Of being better artists, developing our styles, getting faster at drawing.

And maybe you think that this is super easy, right? That I or every other artist can just fire some art off and boom its good and done in like an hour?

FUCK. NO.

Even now it takes me several hours a day OVER MANY DAYS to make something exceptionally good! It doesn't matter how good an artist is, it still. Takes. Time.

Maybe the issue is that you don't understand how much actually goes into art, let me break it down for you, the steps that most people follow to finish ONE drawing.

-Rough draft: general character outline, get a feel for what I want to draw.

-Rough sketch: I start doing a bit of pencil to start filling in details like mouth, nose, eyes, hair, clothes. Ect.

-Penciling: I go over the rough sketch and clean everything up, maybe do some editing, this is when you can start making out all the details.

-Ink: I trace over the finished pencil with a pen tool and actually have the line art, everything looks clean, presentable, it actually looks like a character now. I'll spend time editing this and possibly redoing the inking many times over to get to a point where I like it.

-Flat color: I decide on which colors to use for skin tone, clothes accessories. Ect.

-Shading/highlights: I figure out where my light source is and how strong it is, I then apply the correct amount of lighting and shadows to the color to give it depth, I also have determine the texture of skin, clothes and accessories to make everything look real and natural.

-Blending: I smooth out the shading and highlights so that it looks more natural and isn't too hard (noticeable difference between color) so that it looks as natural as possible.

-Finish: I go over last minute details, finish any editing or corrections that need to be done. Once it's good I call it a day.

Each process is longer in length then the previous, with the exception of the final editing (as long as everything looks good) and even the rough draft can take some time. Over all this is SEVERAL HOURS of work for a SINGLE DRAWING.

So is it sinking in yet? How much is put into doing even a single character drawing? God forbid if its done with background. This isn't a "scratch a pen around and be done with it in ten minutes" kinda deal, no, this is SEVERAL HOURS OF SOMEONES LIFE BEING PUT INTO THIS

And if you still have the AUDACITY to try and wrangle free art from an artist then there's no helping you, you're just a selfish piece of shit, no question and I want nothing to do with you.

Someone might say "But I got free art/writing from.-" look I don't give a shit if someone did something for you THAT ONE TIME, these other artists and writers? Totally seperate and different people. You're one freebie experience does not, and should not apply to other artists and writers.

"But what if I really want this commission but don't have the money right now?" Well, that's tough shit. Save up and properly commission them when you can, it's not their problem.

"But what if I'm in a really bad financial situation and really want it?" That sucks, and I'm sorry, but again, not their problem. Chances are this is their only source of income and they need to make money so that they don't end up in a similar situation.

"They have a gift! They should share it!" What kind of cheap ass- LOOK, just because someone is talented or really good at something does not automatically obligate them to do anything for total strangers in anyway shape or form. These are living, breathing people, the same as you. They need to eat, they need to pay rent/mortgages, they need to pay vet bills, send their kids to college, do their taxes and everything else that YOU YOURSELF need to do. Asking anyone to spend their time doing something for free, when that something is how THEY ARE SURVIVING is beyond asinine. Not only that, this obviously isn't a hobby to them, it is very clearly THEIR JOB. Would you want to do a job where you didn't get paid at all? Doing a shit ton of work for absolutely nothing? No? Didn't think so.

"It shouldn't be about the money!" Well unfortunately, as with almost every other job, it is. We live in a world where we desperately need to make money in order to survive. That's the painful fact of the matter. If money never had to be an issue ever again then this would be a very different story. But it's not, plain and simple as can be.

Look, these people are just like you, artists and writers who are just trying to get by in a shitty ass world, using the one thing they have that let's them have an income. Leave them be, don't try and trick them, guilt them, or cuss them out when you don't get your way. Either properly comission or leave them the hell alone, plain and simple.

#artists #writers #art #writing #rant #comissions #people

[ibijau]

Worst engagement AU // on AO3

Lan Xichen puts his new plan into action. Nie Huaisang is unsure how he feels about that.

As soon as he sits down, Nie Huaisang opens his fan and yawns from behind it. A double reminder for Lan Xichen that he doesn't want to be here, even with better tea, and also that some people know how to properly appreciate him, as proven by this perfect fan. 

Lan Xichen doesn't take the bait. He serves tea without even a glance toward the fan even though it annoyed him so much last time. He sits, elegant as ever, and pushes a cup of perfect tea toward Nie Huaisang. 

"Is there any chance we might play Go today?" Lan Xichen inquires in a resigned tone. 

Honestly, Nie Huaisang doesn't know why the other boy still asks. Aside from that one time, they've never played again. His best guess is that it's just a habit at this point, and those Lans are nothing if not fond of their routine. 

"Not in the mood," Nie Huaisang says with another yawn. He doesn't bother with excuses anymore, knowing Lan Xichen just accepts his refusal each time. 

"Then I have another suggestion for a way to pass time," Lan Xichen announces, his usual empty smile a little more nervous than usual. "I'd like Nie gongzi to show me how he paints." 

"I'm not interested in a lesson," Nie Huaisang retorts, fanning himself. 

"I am. I want you to teach me."

That's such an unexpected declaration that Nie Huaisang gapes for a second and stills his hand, certain he must have misheard. When he sees the corner of Lan Xichen's mouth turn up in a more real smile, anger takes over surprise. 

"Lan gongzi is mocking me," he accuses. "I thought that would have been against the rules of Gusu Lan." 

The smile on his fiancé's face drops. 

"Is it so hard to believe that I like the way you paint?" 

Nie Huaisang shrugs. "Lan gongzi paints so perfectly, what does he have to learn from anyone, least of all from me? If you're so desperate for conversation, at least pick something believable."

Lan Xichen frowns. 

"I'm not lying." 

"Of course not. That's against the rules as well, isn't it?" Nie Huaisang taunts with a smirk. 

"I'm not lying," Lan Xichen insists, rising up, "and I can prove it." 

It's the first time he wastes some of their oh-so-precious time together by leaving the room. As he watches Lan Xichen hurry to the back of the house, toward the bedroom, Nie Huaisang idly wonders if it's something he could denounce to Lan Qiren. He eventually decides he doesn't want to deal with that old man. Besides, Lan Xichen does still have some blackmail material of his one, so it's best not to annoy him to much. He returns soon enough anyway, and drops a small stack of papers on the table. 

"I like the way you paint," Lan Xichen says, his face red. "And since I cannot figure out how you do it, I wish for you to teach me." 

Rather than to answer, Nie Huaisang gapes at the paintings presented to him, what appears to be a half dozen copies of the rabbits he gave Lan Wangji. He hesitantly grasps one and inspects it closely, a small frown forming on his brow. 

"You made those?" he stutters, looking up at the other boy who's still standing. "But they look like… You paint so well, why would you try to copy me?" 

"I like the way you paint," Lan Xichen repeats with unexpected intensity, his face turning even redder. 

"But you told me I should stop painting, last year. I haven't forgotten that."

"It was… it was wrong of me," Lan Xichen sighs. "I worded things very badly that time, and I thought that it'd be selfish of me to encourage you to paint. If I hurt you, I'm sorry."

Nie Huaisang blinks dumbly, unsure what to make of that. 

"How could it not have hurt me?" he huffs, holding his fan closer to his face to hide better. "Being told to give up the only thing I love, of course it hurt. But… you made these? Really? They're…" he hesitates, and lowers the fan to peek more easily. "Well, they're not bad, but they're not really good either. You're better than that normally." 

At last Lan Xichen sits down on the other side of the table, grabbing one of the paintings to glare at it. 

"I know they're bad, I just can't figure out how you make your lines flow like that. And I know it's not just that one painting, everything you do is like that. That fan you made, with the birds on a branch? I've tried to copy that as well." 

"You guessed I painted that?" Nie Huaisang gasps. 

"Of course. You have a very distinctive style, I'd recognise it anywhere." 

It's Nie Huaisang’s turn to blush, and again he hides behind his fan. It's quite the shock to realise that all this time, Lan Xichen was maybe sincere about wanting to see his work. Since he lacks formal training, he's just assumed that of course his paintings would be seen as inferior and Lan Xichen was mocking him by faking interest.

Nie Huaisang glances toward the incense stick. Surprisingly, there's still a good chunk of it left. 

"Get us paper and ink," he orders. "And… bring those birds as well, then." 

For a second, Lan Xichen is so still that Nie Huaisang fears he offended him, or that he really was being mocked all along. Quickly though, a large smile breaks on Lan Xichen's face, bright and warm and so happy that it sends Nie Huaisang’s heart racing. 

Lan Xichen looks like a different person when he's smiling for real. 

While Lan Xichen prepares some ink for them, Nie Huaisang checks the other paintings he brought back, the one copied from his fan. These are better, which he points out. 

"I think so too," Lan Xichen admits, "but it makes no sense. For those I had to work from memory. They don't even look that much like your fan." 

Sadly, Nie Huaisang doesn't have that fan with him today. He brought the one from his mystery admirer, which for the first time makes him feel a pang of guilt. It is the prettiest fan he's ever owned, and he carries it most of the time these days because it's too beautiful not to show off, but that can't be pleasant for Lan Xichen. 

Not that he cares what's pleasant to Lan Xichen, he has to remind himself. Having his paintings appreciated doesn't erase all the rest. 

"Paint one now," Nie Huaisang orders.

"Wouldn't it be better if you painted one so I'd see how you do it?"

A few moments ago, Nie Huaisang would have bitten off his own tongue and choked on it rather than to give in to any of Lan Xichen’s requests, just to spite him. As it turns out though, it’s a little harder to hate his fiancé when he doesn’t have that stupid fake smile on, and at the moment Lan Xichen looks sincerely earnest and curious. It's not a bad look on him. Nie Huaisang barely needs to consider his options before he grabs a brush and starts painting the first thing that comes to mind. It is not his most refined work, not by far, but considering he’s working from memory and trying to keep this quick so the incense doesn’t run out, it’s not so bad either.

“A nightingale?” Lan Xichen remarks. “It looks very lively. Its wing, though…”

“It was broken when I bought her,” Nie Huaisang explains. “It still has an odd shape, but she can fly mostly fine.”

Realising just how much information he’s allowed himself to share, and knowing how pets are forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, Nie Huaisang braces himself for some negative remark. None comes.

“Nie gongzi has an eye for detail,” Lan Xichen says instead. “And a hand for them, too. You did this so quickly, and yet I’m sure anyone who has seen your bird would recognise it. It's amazing.”

"Careful, excessive flattery is against your rules," Nie Huaisang grumbles.

"I'm not…" 

"Just try to copy it," Nie Huaisang orders, shoving the brush in his hand. "It's a simple one, you should find it easy." 

Lan Xichen pinches his lips before putting on that empty smile again, for which Nie Huaisang is grateful, since it removes any possible confusion. When he looks like an inhuman jade statue, Lan Xichen is easy to hate. 

Not that Nie Huaisang really has time to think about that. All his focus is on Lan Xichen's elegant hand as it holds the brush and tries to copy his little bird. As expected, Lan Xichen's movements are perfectly controlled, slow but well assured, his strokes light and flowing… But not enough. When he lifts his brush, his copy isn't bad, but it looks stilted and heavy, especially compared to the original. 

Nie Huaisang glances at the incense stick. It's still burning, meaning he won't be saved from having to give an honest critique. 

"Are you perhaps unused to drawing animals?" he cautiously asks. 

"I usually do better than this," Lan Xichen replies dejectedly. "I'm only this bad when I try to copy you."

"Hm. Maybe if you went a little faster? Your movement are a lot slower than mine." 

"I wouldn't control the brush as well," Lan Xichen protests. "I'd probably make mistakes." 

"Probably. But that's half the fun, isn't it? Making mistakes and trying to see if they don't look nicer than the proper thing…" 

Lan Xichen stares at Nie Huaisang as if he's gone mad. In turn, Nie Huaisang can't help tensing. Trial and error is how he's learned to paint, since he's never had the advantage of a teacher. That, and copying every piece of art he could get his hands on. But of course that's not the right way to do it, of course that's stupid, of course it's…

"You're the teacher," Lan Xichen says without a hint of mockery in his voice. "I'll try it like that." 

Nie Huaisang’s face grows hot at being called teacher. Thankfully Lan Xichen doesn't appear to notice, too busy starting another copy of the nightingale. It's worse than the first. It's starting to be fun, actually.

"Try to keep your gestures lighter," Nie Huaisang advises, resting his chin onto his hand as he watches Lan Xichen be bad at something. "You're still trying to control it too much." 

"I'm doing my best!" 

"Your best should be better than that. Lighter, more relaxed. Yes, like th… ah, that line was almost good. You'll get there." 

Lan Xichen pouts as he looks down at his disastrous attempts. 

"I think I just can't do it the way you do, Nie gongzi," he sighs wistfully. "I'll have to content myself with admiring your work." 

Hearing Lan Xichen admit that he thinks he's failing at something is more delicious than a sip of Emperor's Smile. That he would be bad in comparison to Nie Huaisang is better than a whole jar of wine. Ascending to godhood wouldn't be half as satisfying. 

Riding that high, Nie Huaisang decides that just this once, he can afford to be kind to Lan Xichen. 

Jumping to his feet, he walks around the table and comes to sit next to Lan Xichen who startles at the sudden proximity. 

"What… what are you doing, Nie gongzi?" 

"Showing you how I do it," Nie Huaisang explains, covering Lan Xichen’s hand with his own so he can guide him, since apparently just explaining isn’t enough.

The reaction to his touch is immediate and intense.

Lan Xichen flinches violently at the contact and drops his brush so suddenly that it rolls on the table, staining both his failed studies and the bottom of Nie Huaisang’s nightingale. They both freeze, equally surprised by what just happened. Lan Xichen recovers first.

“I’m sorry!” he exclaims, tearing a piece of paper from one of his sketches, vainly trying to blot this mess, as if that’s ever going to work. “I didn’t expect… You took me by surprise and…”

Nie Huaisang grinds his teeth and shrugs. “It’s fine. I should have known better.” He glances at the incense stick, and finds that at long last, it is all gone. It feels like it burned an eternity and a half today. “I’ll be going.”

Without a look for his fiancé, Nie Huaisang gets back up on his feet. As he wipes some imaginary dust from his knees, he briefly wonders if he should grab the painting of his nightingale before he leaves. In the end he decides against it. Lan Xichen ruined it, he can keep it and make more bad copies of it, if that pleases him.

“Nie Huaisang, wait!” Lan Xichen orders, although if it were coming from anyone else, it might have sounded like a plea. “I really didn’t mean to…”

“I’ll see you next week,” Nie Huaisang cuts him, stomping toward the door. “Good day, Lan gongzi.”

Ignoring Lan Xichen’s protests, he strides out of the house and heads for his cabin. He had planned to meet up with Jin Zixuan to tell him what a disaster this new meeting with his fiancé had been, but now it doesn’t feel like such a funny idea anymore.

It was stupid of him to lower his guard and forget for a moment that Lan Xichen is what he is. Just because the other boy said a few nice things about his paintings… Nie Huaisang feels pathetic that this was all it took to almost give his fiancé a second chance. In the end, he’s still nothing more than that idiot kid from last year, so desperate for the approval of someone who will never give it.

It was stupid to ever think things could get better.

Lan Xichen might appreciate his paintings, but he still clearly hates everything else about Nie Huaisang.

#xisang #worst engagement au #jau writes #Lan Xichen tries and messes up: the fic #but at least he's trying? yay him? #also I kinda want to do a jin zixuan pov next but lol fuck if I know what might happen there