#i.e. autism vs autism haha

[smile-files]

i think one of the most fun things about having goody gardens is that it lets me not worry about being fully cohesive... like if i want to wear more comfy, flannely, corduroy-y things? that's worrywart! if i want to wear brighter, happier, more childlike things? that's sunshine lollipop! etc. and also this way i have an excuse to have like... 7 fursonas at once. if i so desired. it's all about self-expression!! whee!!!

#melonposting #i mean it's kind of silly but this is the only way i can really go about this sort of thing #because one part of me is saying: it doesn't have to make sense! just have fun! embrace the whimsical fantastical child in you!!! #but then another part of me is saying: but it has to have logic! it has to make sense! i have so many questions!! #i.e. autism vs autism haha #but anyway these folks being explicitly parts of my imagination/mind/conscience/psyche makes it easier to suspend my disbelief #like these are imaginary friends. they don't really exist. they can be whatever i want!! #and so there's some logic there that my brain can wrap around #(there's four-eyes getting all picky! haha!!) #also it just helps in justifying how complex i am (i mean i am a person after all! i'm always going to be complex!!) #because of course that part of my brain wants to find some method to the madness #it's compartmentalizing!! that's really what it is!!! #anyway this is just an excuse for me to continue to be indecisive about a fursona species haha #i'd imagine magic can turn his neighbors into different things #so he can make them into corresponding fursonas and objectsonas!!! it all makes sense!!!!!!!!! #but i feel like each of them would also by default be able to turn into a different butterfly or moth :D #like as a natural sort of thing for them. without magic's help #i am full of butterflies!!!!!! whee #sorry for rambling i just really what goody gardens has done for me :)

[ufoparty]

How did you get into art and what's the best way for people to get into it?

being bad at video games

GENUINELY i got the kingdom hearts manga because i couldn't get very far in the game and as i looked at the art i thought "i want to make stuff that looks like this." so i began with copying and then started drawing freely with obvious references to KH art (eyes mainly lol). pretty much every skill leap i've experienced since then has also happened once i discovered an art style i wanted to borrow something from. plus series with very engaging characters+plot makes me want to explore it more (i.e. i get hyperfixated) so i've ended up practicing a TON with little frustration because it's usually catharsis/Jokes™ that are the driving force rather than making something that looks good.

(not to say i don't ever doubt myself, because there are pieces in my head i wanted to make years ago but didn't because i lacked the technical skill)

i can only really give advice about getting into character art, because i've never been very interested in making abstract or photorealistic art or whatever. they definitely have their place but that's just my preference. that being said:

being super invested in something whether it's your own story ideas or someone else's is a great gateway to art. if you ever have the thought "haha it would be funny/cool if this happened" and the imagery/expressions stick with you moreso than like, Phrasing (personally different ideas i've had have struck me as being more suited to written work vs. drawn, or vice versa), just go ahead and draw it. and do it every time you think of something else. you don't have to show anybody. i drew fruits basket comics in 6th grade and never showed a soul. those drawings are for You

looking at other people's work.. novels, manga, cartoons, paintings, design, typography.. even if the work as a whole is something you're not that into, if there are stylistic choices you appreciate then take them. you can just straight up redraw someone else's art if you want to get a feel for how it all fits together, as long as you don't post it/claim it as your own (my rule is: no posting copies of a peer's art without permission, but yes to a famous/dead artist as long as credit is given). when you mash influences together it becomes something unique to you very quickly because no one else is going to be drawn to the exact same things as you

a major DON'T is second-guessing yourself. it's super easy to compare yourself to others especially as you get older, because if you start making art at like. 45 you may think you need to be at the same skill level as another 45-year-old who's been doing it for 30 years. it can be hard not to think this way especially if you're looking at other people's art like i suggested lol but get in the habit of hyping up your own ideas to yourself. "this such a good idea." "wow i'm so funny." "this is silly but no one has done it before so it's my job to make it."

there are people who could say all of this more eloquently and succinctly, and who follow their own advice more often--i haven't followed the third bullet in a while :o) but when i think of the most productive periods in my life these are the things that stand out the most. so i hope even just like one sentence is useful. also having adhd or autism can make this easier so try that too 👍

#jokes. #asks