#look at me switching between rendering styles

[weirdmageddon]

update to my last post about the falling zelink hug. besties we have it now not in 4K, not in 8K, but in 16K. the highest possible quality at least until someone develops a cutscene animation pause mod with freecam.

computer……ENHANCE

(if this picture ever loses quality from site compression or sharing you can find the original here)

as mentioned before, zelda’s right arm is sandwiched between her and link’s chests. but now we can finally see that link’s left arm goes across her upper back and holds her left shoulder. their skintones are too close from a distance to make out the edges (though you can see it with some adjustments) but i can see what i believe is his thumb. and if worse comes to worst in terms of clarity, look at the images below in the post where you can see how link is holding her shoulder (and we can finally see that the brown thing was her wooden upper arm bracelet accessory)

there is an unfortunate quirk in the game’s graphics where distant moving objects have jittery outlines, im guessing to make them appear sharper. (but honestly the way they look up close kinda reminds me of the official art style)

like with botw, the switch’s native maximum rendering resolution for totk when docked is only 900p (and upscales to 1080p). that means an original pixel width of 1600x900. this is cropped from a resolution of 8640p, or 15360x8640 pixels.

but look at how TINY they are in the original frame. the fact that we can see this much, going from this to this is testament to how impressive this is.

and from another perspective here’s the view from below

the first picture is from the first frame of this shot! here it is in full 14K since a 16K screenshot was too big for discord just so you can see how impressive the zoom actually is relative to the rest of the shot. but here’s the one actually pictured above sourced from 16K and cropped since the filesize could actually fit when cropped.

the second picture is a crop from a larger shot as well. here’s the original 16K sourced crop and the original shot it was cropped from for reference (though not ultra HD).

all credit where its due to EDMIRE2k on twitter who ran this on their PC and sent me the screenshots in DMs

again i hope this helps artists! or fosters discussion etc

#loz #tears of the kingdom #totk #zelink #totk link #totk zelda #totk spoilers

[iztea]

When i first started digital i would make a layer for everything basically for the face clipping make several layers to it and same for the hair/ background/ every piece of clothing...etc

I did take it down a notch recently and all but i just saw a video from samdoesart and noticed he LITERALLY JUST USES ONE LAYER FOR THE WHOLE PAINTING!!!??

sorry was wondering if you'd recommend a certain number of layers

the amount of layers you use is highly dependent on the style you're going for, the complexity of a piece, your personal drawing style and preference etc so i really don't believe there should be a certain amount of layers you should use. I myself fluctuate between using many layers or just painting everything on one so there really isn't a correct way or number to go for.

Howeverrrr, i think there is a certain threshold where layers become too excessive and turn into more of a burden than an aid, something that you probably noticed as well. If you find yourself becoming frustrated with the constant switching between layers for every single part you've singled out, then it's better to take notice of that and just tone down the number a bit. Samdoesarts, despite his guynextdoor vibes, is a professional and so of course he doesn't feel the need for many layers because he knows what he's doing and has a very clear workflow and style in mind. To some extent, i believe that using a minimal amount of layers does also stem from a place of confidence in your skills and/or process.

Me personally, I tone down the layer amount moreso out of laziness and because i don't like to have my flow interrupted by some "technical" errors as in "whoopsie i painted on the wrong layer again" so i just., really try to keep it as low as possible; sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't and i suffer

I add new layers every time i want to " try something new" or fix something whenever i'm still unsure of how it will turn out. New layers are for experimentation. I treat them like some sort of backup or checkpoint of some kind- that's their primary function for me. If the new thing i tried painting over doesn't work out i can just hide the layer i painted on and either try again or give up on that idea as i concluded it doesn't look good. A safety net, if u will.

One rule i do follow however no matter what is to always always have a separate layer for the hair- both color and lineart. that is the only thing i make a conscious decision to keep separate (because of previous struggles and failed attempts) For everything else, I just paint it on one layer with those aforementioned experimentation layers on top. Same for rendering. And i always merge them together once i think it looks good

I really don't like having too many layers cause it becomes annoying and messy. The only time I deliberately use a shiton of layers is for commissions, really.

i know i didn't really answer your question, but i really don't think i can recommend a certain number, so i just shared my experience with layers instead. Bottom line is, as long as you find them helpful, use as many layers as you want but don't overdo it

#i have a lot of pieces that i gave up on exactly bc there were too many layers and it was too overwhelming #so yeah less is more #tbh i have more hidden layers than active ones #my so-called “backups” #that i never refer to and refuse to delete “just in case” #i have maybe 2 or 3 active layers so to speak #i'd recommend being very loose with drawing and not very strict #but what do i know it's just personal preference #ask iztea

[fferthe]

The Bravery SOUL. so normal about it Shotout to n4rval's Gaster who got me thinking about the two humans‼️ Stares

(Patience not included as it's just plain good ol 'Your Best Friend' throughout) Why does the theme sound so NERDY. All the other SOULs, even Kindness, sound serious. And it would be logical for Perseverance to sounds like that, but nope: it's Bravery's theme.

When I listen to Kindness' theme, it associates with defending oneself, Perseverance with calculating your next moves, while Justice focuses on the opponent's.

Integrity is hard, its creepiness strays me from my line of thought, but most fitting would be 'attacking'. The dustiness of the tutu doesn't play a role in my choice and it's likely that neither of the humans killed anyone, as it would instill at least some fear into monsters and, y'know', be mentioned at least somewhere. But self-defense is still an option, though! Doesn't have to go as far as murder. Nerdy, and many people have pointed out the presence of Gaster's leitmotif in there.

(The video it's taken from)

And, well, these. Just some silly things. Personally I think Gaster could've dealt with two humans after Chara, namely Patience and Bravery. The Patience and Bravery weren't used for the reason of being excessive (I feel like 4 SOUL modes is enough) and Toby not having ideas about how such a SOUL mode could be even executed (the OVERTIME one has a special place in hell). But if looking at it from an in-universe perspective, what if Gaster utilized the SOUL power for lasers? I think a monster's SOUL combines every human trait in it, making it white. Like RGB. So they can also use colored attacks, which have a unique effect. The Royal Guard uses blue attacks to hinder the movement of their target, or, more specifically, a human. Same goes for sentries like Sans and Papyrus. Woshua uses them so you could stand still and let it cleanse you. Hard to say why Gyftrot would, but hey! It's a personal choice, so why not? Orange attacks are very scarce and only one monster exclusively uses that type of attack, and not a combo. Tthat monster being Pyrope. When it comes to switching between these two, Mettaton uses both because of the lasers prominent in the CORE and Hotland, while also being a robot, which, I suppose, makes the utilization easier. Asgore, unlike Undyne, isn't adamant on his target being still to the point of rendering it immobile, so he uses blue attacks instead like the rest of the Royal Guard, while also mixing them with orange ones to disorient the human. So Sorry is a weird case. They attack you but are also sorry for that. (Asgore-style) ..They're quite the character. Green attacks are self-explanatory. Also got a silly idea: what if, since a monster's SOUL is all traits mixed together, white attacks damage you since that is also applicable to them? If you make an orange and a blue attack into one, then it turns into an attack that damages you upon contact either way. But strong monsters, like the main cast, can turn your SOUL a different color. Which, too, is connected to the fact that a monster SOUL consists of every trait, so it can be any color. I already talked about Undyne above. Sans rarely even fights, but in the one instance that he does, it's the sins weighing on our SOUL. Papyrus views the whole fighting thing differently, so for him it's about the challenge. The art of fighting. The purple and yellow modes are a bit weird, the latter one especially. But Muffet uses the former one over the green one due to her playfulness. The purpose of the yellow mode is hard pin down, because it doesn't inconvenience you in any way. But a SOUL is a SOUL, so naturally, SOUL magic would affect them as well. The yellow mode could be used to aid monsters and allow them to get more precise hits? My point is, monsters using either of these (colored attacks and SOUL modes) is natural. What Gaster did was to use that power a bit differently, fusing it with technology.

I feel like Bravery stayed with Gaster for a bit longer than Patience, hence the amount of connections. But if we're going off of Flowey's order of the six SOULs, Patience died first. Bravery dies shortly afterwards. Very reminiscent of the Dreemurrs, isn't it? Ouch. Imagine searching for them and finding out that you arrived a bit late to the scene. Gaster, probably: human...... i know your BRAVE.

[swifty-fox]

There had been precious few books in the paltry excuse for a library in the Stalag. A mismatch of subjects, many had been in German, maybe had been torn or dirtied. Pages ripped out or splattered with mud and the occasional more rusty stain Gale preferred to imagine was Wine instead of the heartsblood of some poor American G.I. field stripped and robbed by the enemy. Some were sequels with no prequels. Many were dry academic-sort texts. College textbooks and volumes of old stuffy poetry. 

They had been dull, tasteless. The few physics textbooks Gale had managed to track down to teach his fellow soldiers were interesting to him but held little excitement for the rest. But there had been one book, a gardening manual written in German that stood out. Page after page of highly detailed, lovingly painted flowers and leaves. Fat bumblebees and butterflies danced between the pages, alighting on butter yellow daffodils and pansies and tulips. Diagrams of flowers, renderings of different garden styles and configuarionts. In the brown wood, brown dirt, red blood of the Stalag it was a riot of color and life that sometimes hurt to even look at. 

John had coveted that book, pulled rank to snatch it away from the greedy ownership of his fellow soldiers. There’d been countless nights Gale had watched pore over that book as closely as if he could read the words, dirty fingernails tracing the curves of petals and leaves with desperate tenderness. He’d worn some pages translucent thin. 

Forsythia, Crocus, Azalea. Wisteria.

Spring flowers, bright flowers. They’d become little more than whispers of their own image, absorbed into John through hours of reverent touch.

John had burned it for warmth, holed up in some farmhouse halfway through their march and shivering until their teeth broke against themselves. Gale could remember his grip tight on the book, creasing the pages. He’d thought John would tuck it back into his coat pocket, thought he’d open it for one last peruse of his favorite pages.

John had tossed it on the starving flames, face impassive. 

Later, in the quiet of a German forest Gale realized he had switched coats accidentally with John at some point. A mix-up in the confusion of the march. And he finds a torn scrap of paper, nearly silk-like for how many times it had been folded and then flattened. Painted with the lavender-hued petals of Wisteria. -Kfak (WIP: 51k)

116 pages and this bitch is talking about flowers instead of letting me wrap up this damn story

#ENOUUUUUUUUUUUUGH ENOUGH ENOUGH ENOUGHHH #me: okay gale its time to end the story #gake: i wanna talk to john sr again :))))) #swiftywrites #kingdom for a kiss

[askaniritual]

anyway sorry ive made like 15k posts abt hazbin hotel i just feel like the show is trying to SAY so much about like what it means to be a good person and what it means to protect the people you care about and what it means to be powerless in an unfair system, and how do people cope with that and im like fuck yeah!! i love all that stuff!! and then i look at the actual execution and im like ok well!! no lmfao.

its also just such a truly bizarre viewing experience in terms of like. who the fuck is this for lmfao. like i feel like the tumblr origins of this thing are ALL over it in terms of like tropes and themes and aesthetics and even the fucking musical elements lmfao but also sometimes the show is talking to me and i feel like im watching a fucking childrens cartoon as charlie like tearfully explains that she just wants to help everybody because she has a bad relationship to her dad and like strangely the extremely liberal use of expletives like. kind of enhances the "i feel like im watching something created by edgy 16 year olds for edgy 16 year olds" impact and then we have to whiplash switch back to angel's plotline about sexual abuse but then because everybody is rendered in like gummy anime style its like. kind of a weird emotional experience. i dont know man its very very strange.

i think im gonna watch the pilot on youtube just because im a little bit interested in if anything changed between that and the final version. like maybe some of the stuff i dont like is a function of this living in the wider world? i will say i watched one of the original music videos on youtube tho and uhhhhhhhh wow this show benefitted from having a full budget lmfao

#washed up motel

[tokusaatsus]

hi!! congrats on 300 followers <3 i’ve just recently discovered your blog through your event, your writing is so charming and sweet!! i was wondering if i could participate as well and request ritsu with f, g, and k? thank you so much and congrats again :-)

SAKUMA RITSU + F, G, K

warnings: mentions of suggestive stuff

f = flirt (how do they flirt? are they smooth or awkward?)

Ritsu’s style of flirting is so smooth, that it manages to catch you off-guard every time. The things that come out of his mouth are so incredibly flustering, sometimes they render you unable to speak. All he has to do is call out to you to reduce you to a puddle on the floor. He’s a master of his trade, calling you names that make you melt, taking any excuse to put his hands on you, not-so-platonically pressing his lips to your cheek… His touches, his words, his smiles, all of it? Means something. He’s not called Knights’ strategist for nothing. Ritsu doesn’t do anything without it having a part in his overarching plan–that being, to win your affection and your heart.

g = gentle (how gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

All things considered, Ritsu switches between both sides of the spectrum at will–usually without prior warning. One day he might rest his head in your lap and snuggle into you as you pet his hair, and the next he’s shoving you against the wall and kissing the air from your lungs. All Ritsu wants is to love you and be loved by you, so he can’t help it if he gets a little…overenthusiastic sometimes. Still, at the end of the day, Ritsu’s about the softest thing you could ask for. His sleepy smile, his droopy eyes, his fluffy hair…all this gives him the appearance of an oversized cat and honestly? That descriptor isn’t too far off the mark. Because the way he looks at you is nothing short of gentle.

k = kisses (what are their kisses like? where do they like to kiss you? where do they like to be kissed?)

Ritsu’s kisses are like a dance. Filled to the brim with teasing steps, his lips sliding against yours in a smooth rhythm as he giggles into your mouth. He loves to kiss you any place he can reach, brushes of lips over skin that feel like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings… Ritsu can be a little jealous, sometimes leaving little bruises and love bites. Well, it’s not like it’s entirely his fault… He just loves you so much that he needs everyone to know that you’re taken. When it comes to the other way around, Ritsu does not care at all, as long as he gets to bask in your affection. The love you have for him, transmitted in the form of kisses, is something he craves.

notes!

WC: 422 words

reze txt hiiii~ ty ty !! fhsdkfkj ur gonna make me blush :3 tysm for the compliment aswell <3 but here is ur ritchan !! ty again <3 and enjoy

#⭐️...reze's 300 follower event! #✒️...scribbles! #sakuma ritsu x reader #enstars x reader #sakuma ritsu #knights #enstars

[mysteryman-17]

[EDIT 5/11/2023: Be sure to check out the updated version!] The amazing art in this video was made by @bittybattybunny. She did an incredible job bringing the concept I had for this lil project to life; be sure to check out their other work!

You can listen to this track in high quality on my SoundCloud, as well as find the separate vocal and instrumental renders over on Google Drive -- in both WAV and OGG format! (For charters/modders: tempo starts off as 91, but switches to 110 at about 31.681 secs into the song. Time signature for the whole song is 4/4.) In addition, for the first time in almost two years, I’ve mirrored this video on my YouTube!! The rest of the description (including my brief story idea for this concept) is underneath the Read More.

Story: Boyfriend rummages through Snatcher's things in his tree. The Subcon Minions notice and quickly try to get him to leave, figuring Snatcher will be mad. He is, but not enough to actively hunt down a nuisance that's already leaving. BF is walking out of Subcon Forest as heard in the very start of the song, the old stuff he rummaged through still fresh in his mind as he takes in the once-beautiful scenery. But all of a sudden (at 0:31 in the track,) he trips one of the forest's many traps and is dragged into Snatcher's contract-signing dimension. Snatcher pops up excitedly, looking forward to tormenting someone with the prospect of menial labor (followed by death!) ...But then he sees that it's BF again, and is basically like "bruh..." But hey, a soul's a soul, so he's just gonna get this over with. Or so he thinks.

Ladies and gents, behold: my first "proper" FNF-styled track!! So firstly, like, I am genuinely shocked that I'm THE FIRST ONE to try to make a ground-up FNF track for Snatcher. I can't even find an actual track based on Your Contract Has Expired anywhere (only direct ports with random charts slapped on top,) and that's essentially the Megalovania of A Hat In Time!! ...Anyhow, upon seeing this shocking gap in the FNF fandom's musical lineup, I knew I had to TRY to throw my hat into the ring with this at least once -- I figured at this point that if I didn't do it, chances were slim to none that anyone else would. As for how I decided to go about working on this track: Oh It's You left me so much room for jazzy swagger, and Alpha Bookstore brought the potential to integrate his tragic backstory as the Prince into the mix. I also directly sampled Snatcher's Contractual Obligations for a better transition between the two initial sections lmao. I wanted to have the best of both worlds shine here, and sort of "sum up" Snatcher: a spooky, pompous bastard with a dark sense of humor, but also one that once had a heart of gold long ago (and maybe still *has* a hint of the old him in there... somewhere. If you squint hard enough.) It was tricky to get certain things sounding as I wanted them to, especially since I was worried the two tracks might not fuse well! All in all tho, I am incredibly satisfied with how this turned out, and I hope you all enjoy.

#friday night funkin #fnf #fnf boyfriend #the boyfriend #a hat in time #ahit #ahit snatcher #the snatcher #fnf mod #friday night funkin mod #mod concept #music #video

[unre4l15m]

Someone asked me for a tutorial on how to draw louie duck. here you go.

I will generalize it to duck kids, or kids that look like Louie.

I use brushes that blend colors with each other. Switching between color brushes and a normal one is a crucial part in the process. Switch whenever you feel it's the right time.

If the blending is too much and you need to stay to one color, go normal mode. If your brush is fine, keep going.

Since this is a tutorial for my ducktales art, keep a cartoony yet stylized image. I do so by mixing the structuring with the "painting style". Decide on a pallete you want to try. Keep a good balance between those to make your resulting piece look pleasing to the eye.

duck children tutorial (dt17):

using my unreleased christmas art that i will post this new year's eve

step 1: make a sketch. try to stay close to the show's art style and get your basic shapes right. I don't want to repeat several other tutorials on how to draw the ducks' structure, but with sheer observation, their shapes are pretty easy to catch. You can put the character layers in a folder for better organization.

fun fact: there is a small difference between male and female beaks. For the adults, there isn't really much of a difference.

I usually start with a very simple idea sketched on my head, but as my process goes on, i think of ways to make the piece look better and more detailed. Think of a cool experience and imagine something you can make with it (my art in general).

sketch:

step 2: put the base colors (bottom layer from the sketch)

[see picture below]

Lineart is a big no for me. It's not like i can't do it, but it takes up most of my time because of my quest to make it look perfect. It is still an option, of course.

step 3: detailing/rendering. I render using the sketch layer itself, by putting color on top of it. You can shade using that method, or add in combinations of multiply + overlay. I use both. the blending modes are on the top layers.

Make sure to figure out what lighting or pallete you'll want to use ^ ^

steps 2 and 3 together: my processes don't go in a certain order after sketching. Base color below, detailing on top. It's very disorganized.

decoration detail:

the progress by this time was weird to look at. It's a part of it.

step 3.5: shadowing. You can clip "multiply layers" to the character folders for this. If you want to go for a softer-looking piece, use a softer brush, and vice versa.

knowing how to manipulate blending modes is good too.

step 4: check the piece. look at every detail to see if something is missing or you want to add something new. This is mostly for detailed pieces or if you want a background.

also the step which i am on currently:

Speaking of which... make backgrounds cohesive but don't go too overboard with the details. I realized when i was making the "Louie Chess drawing". That's what kept its release on hold.

"Hold on, this is a cartoon show about ducks. maybe i shouldn't add too much detail on the background."

Well, That's pretty much it.

idk if that helped, but if it did help you, that's nice.

#ducktales #tutorial

[leiawritesstories]

Hey! So I’ve got an elorcan prompt I’ve been playing around with. So lorcans had a long day is tired and clingy and for once just wants to be looked after. So he tries cuddling elide and she’s a bit like who are u and what have u done with lorcan. So he starts whining and in the end elide gives up and just lets him cuddle her. He dose. On top of her. Like literally flat out on top of her (not crushing her though) and elides like aww my giant teddy bear :)

If u decide to do this please don’t rush! Also I love everything write it’s brilliant 🥰 happy late birthday by the way I hope u had an awesome day u deserve it ❤️

hello lovely anon! thank you so much 🥺🥺🥺 hope you have a wonderful day too 🥰

word count: 993

warnings: absolutely none

enjoy!

My Oaf

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

"Elide?" Lorcan's voice echoed through the house. "I'm home, baby!"

"Hey," Elide greeted her husband, her fuzzy socks muffling her footsteps as she padded into the entryway to greet him. "How was your day?"

"Long," he griped, bending down to kiss his wife. "Damn long."

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his lips, cupping her hands around his jaw. "Need anything?"

He sighed into her caress, draping his arms around her petite form, the foot-plus height difference between them not really working in his favor. "I'm hungry."

"We can fix that," she smiled, kissing his forehead before gently nudging him to stand upright. "Go ahead and shower, Lor. I'll have food when you're done."

"Can't I just eat you?" he whispered into her ear, sending a delicious shiver skittering down her spine.

"Later," she chuckled, giving him a little push. "Real food first, my love."

"Fine," he grumbled, pretending to pout as he kissed her once more before heading upstairs, shedding his suit coat and unbuttoning his collared shirt as he went. He barely paused to leave his work bag in the spare room they'd turned into an office before dropping his clothes on the master bedroom floor, a trail of discarded garments following him into the bathroom.

Which definitely would have looked incredibly suspicious to anyone who was not his wife.

He indulged in a longer shower than normal, allowing the hot water and steam to soak into his tired body and soothe his muscles--gods, he swore his damn job was giving him early-onset arthritis and muscle cramps. The mirror was fogged over with steam when he emerged, bringing a wry half-grin to his face, for he knew very well how he loved to tease Elide about the way her steaming-hot showers rendered the mirror useless. Toweling himself off, he pulled on boxers and sweatpants and an old t-shirt, craving comfort more than style. Besides, he was home, who else would be seeing him?

True to Elide's word, there was an array of deliciously mouthwatering scents floating from the kitchen when Lorcan entered, trudging over to the stove to wrap his arms around his five-foot-three wife from behind. At six-five, he was tall enough that her head settled neatly against his chest, making it a little awkward for him to rest his chin atop her head, but that hadn't stopped him yet.

"Hey, you," she chuckled, switching off the burner. "Right on time, love, everything's ready now."

"Must be the growing boy in me," he smirked.

Elide's nose crinkled as she laughed, the throaty sound filling the whole house. "You're incorrigible, husband of mine. I love you."

"Love you more," he returned, stealing a kiss.

"Stop that," she said, affectionately. "There's minestrone and bread, eat all you need."

"The way to my heart," he half-groaned, serving himself a generous bowl of the steaming hot soup the second she placed the pot atop the hot pad on the table.

"Feed a man and he'll stay with you forever, they said," Elide laughed, pouring him some water.

"They're right," Lorcan mumbled, practically inhaling the food. "Gods, this is good, El."

"Glad you like it." Her dark eyes softened as she passed him the ladle so he could have more soup.

He was completely full by the time he helped clear the dishes and load up the dishwasher, flopping onto their large sectional couch with a deep, contented groan. "C'mere, El," he requested, holding out his arms.

She chuckled as she came to him, settling herself on the couch by his side. "Need something, Lor?"

He draped himself atop her lap, widening his eyes. "I need you to hold me, love."

She huffed a laugh. "Babe, am I your pillow?"

"Yeah."

"You're gonna put my legs to sleep," she teased, stroking her fingers through his dark, damp hair.

He shrugged. "I've got ways to remedy that."

She stifled a wicked smirk. "And what if I want you to hold me, love?"

"Nooooo," he protested, shifting himself so he could loop his arms around her hips. "Hold me, babe."

She raised a dark brow. "First I'm your pillow and now you're pleading? Who are you and what have you done with my grumpy Lorcan, hmm?"

He stuck out his lower lip, the sight almost making her burst into giggles. Her massive grumpy husband, a pool of fake petulance and an insatiable need for cuddles. "Please hold me, El? Pleeeease?"

How could she resist him when he was that adorable? "All right, come here, you big oaf."

His grin was almost childish in magnitude. "Your oaf, my love."

"My oaf," she agreed, grinning at him. "I--oof!"

She hadn't expected him to half-tackle her into the couch, melting into her body like she was his own personal pillow, a sigh of pure contentment escaping him as he settled in, his head tucked into the crook of her shoulder. "Am I crushing you?" he asked, concern flickering in his onyx eyes.

"Not at all," she reassured him, skating her fingertips over the angled planes of his face, her soft touch gliding down to his shoulders as she looped her arms around her hulking husband. "Honestly, I kind of like having you draped all over me. You're like a teddy bear."

Lorcan raised a brow. "Teddy bear?"

Elide nodded. "A great big grumpy teddy bear."

He huffed a wry laugh, his eyes drifting closed. "Not an analogy you've used before, El."

"Fits," she shrugged, working her thumbs into the knots in his broad shoulders, massaging out the tension.

"Hrrmmmphhh." His incoherent mumble was agreement enough.

A soft, contented smile curled her lips as she held her massive hulking husband close, his weight and warmth atop her making her feel so safe, so protected. Within half an hour, he was out, his breathing deep and even and steady, his chest gently rising and falling against her.

Her grumpy teddy-bear oaf of a husband.

She wouldn't trade this for the whole entire world.

~~~ TAGS:

@charlizeed

@cretaceous-therapod

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@nerdperson524

@fireheartwhitethorn4ever

@morganofthewildfire

@rowanaelinn

@wesupremeginger

@stardelia

@shanias-world

@mybloodrunsblue

@swankii-art-teacher

@wordsafterhours

@cookiemonsterwholovesbooks

@violet-mermaid7

@holdthefrickup

@goddess-aelin

@rowaelinismyotp

@dealfea

@irondork

@elentiyawhitethorn

@live-the-fangirl-life

@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell

@chronicchthonic14

@lovely-dove-zee

@sweet-but-stormy

@hanging-from-a-cliff

@jorjy-jo

@rowaelinrambling

@thegreyj

@silentquartz

@backtobl4ck

@throneofus7

@elizarikaallen

@llyncooljones

@booknerdproblems

#my writing #answered prompt #elorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #elide x lorcan #elorcan fanfiction #all fluff #ps this wasn't rushed :) #it sat in my drafts for a while #lovely anon

[proxxicles]

my standards for "compatible": wont crash the game if i have both of them on at the same time lmao, sounds like there's tons of opportunities for them to interact tho!

Is naturality mostly new mobs/will there be plants? More crops? Also taming mechanics - will possums work like foxes? Or do they actually follow you around/sit etc?

Its awesome to see a dino mod in the works tbh the last one i played was on 1.7.10 (fossils and archeology revival i think? its been a while) and that didnt have dinos spawning in naturally (tragic).

When/how did you get into minecraft & modmaking? I spent so much time on temporary servers playing hexxit w my friends lmao we only switched to a newer version with 1.16

these are some good questions!

paragraph 1: fair enough! i always love it when mods include cross-compat, makes it feel like an expanded universe lol there’ll be plenty of crossover points between all my mods

paragraph 2: naturality will be a mix of mobs and plants. i def want a mixture of the two, along with some real-world features (silkworms, ants maybe)! there’ll be a lot of crops- esp. “heirloom” real-world plants to explain why MC plants look so modern. as for taming and tamed animals- generally animals have two “tame” states in my mods—a “befriended” state where they won’t run away, are rendered neutral and allow you to breed them—and a “tamed” state which varies among the individual but generally allows for inventory access, carpet/chest/harness usage/placement, stay-follow-wander and riding. possums, in this case, are a 2-step tame process- 1. feed the mom, access inventory, 2. take babies and raise. most animals won’t be like foxes when fully tamed, though a few will

also tomatoes and corn’ll be in naturality lol

paragraph 3: i. love. fossils. and. archaeology. that was probably my first foray into all the crazy stuff MC modding could do, in probably 2017 or so. and don’t worry! prehistorian’s dinosaurs (for the most part) will spawn naturally, with fossils reserved for rare skins and some boss-summon material (ooo!)

paragraph 4: great question! i started playing MC in… maybe 2014-15 or so??? my memory’s pretty foggy, but i remember the new launcher and polar bears and thinking the new aquatic update was BIG NEWS. as for modding—i discovered that world maybe 2016-17-18 territory.

i had a big family server (that i’m trying to get running again) with one lonely mod- DrZhark’s MoCreatures! along with F&A Rev., MoC was another mod-codifier (modifier?) of sorts- it cemented the idea of “holy crap, these people are bending MC to their will!! HOLY CRAP!!!” that led me to learn Blockbench in… mid 2021?? granted, i had some art experience before then.

since i’d consider myself a relatively good writer, i came up with these huge master lists of creatures and features (which i’ll eventually publish as fully-fledged prox mod bibles). it’s been a real lesson in creativity, coding, and a whole bunch of other stuff! someday i might make a proper modeling tutorial for how to make a semi-decent animal model, since there’s literally nothing out there in proper Mojang style lmao

thanks for the ask! like i said before ask as much stuff as you want i love answering questions!

-prox

#prox asks #prox talks #prehistorian #naturality #mythos

[songoftrillium]

I very much appreciate your insightful answers to my photography questions. I hadn’t fully considered the entire process of making a picture as an act of “Gesamtkunstwerk”.

For me, I’ve come to enjoy how film prolongs photographic activity, and offers artists time to critically reflect on their work.

I’ve been worried about the cogency behind my use of the gelatin silver process when many photographers who began their artistic career with analog have switched to digital for a variety of reasons, the ability to recreate the aesthetic of film via computer software among them.

Here's my question to you now: Does the process make you happy?

As an aside, the expression of photographic process as itself being considered the artform is hardly new.

You have the classic second exposure, where instead of taking a photo and advancing a picture, you take a second photo on the same frame with a higher contrast

There are emulsions available that can render literally any surface photosensitive, and have been used for some really impressive prints.

The act of using large format polaroid for image transfers have been used for quite a long time. Old polaroids used to be usable in any film camera, with a packet of chemicals behind the emulsion able to be burst and spread to develop the photo in front of you. One could peel off the developing layer before the emulsion has set and can transfer it to any porous surface (like textured papers), leaving behind an imprint of the developer sheet itself.

One can also immerse a freshly developed polaroid photo in boiling water and lift the emulsion from the photo paper entirely and transfer it to paper as well.

some info if you'd like to learn more about emulsion art

looking past that, there are other ways the mediums behind film photography have been used for the years for art.

Early on, you have the rayograph, in which you take the film out of the equation entirely, place objects directly on the photo paper and shine light on it.

Then you have the art of touching up photos using spotone, a compound that you can dab directly onto a photo to eliminate dust and scratches. Using it however can be extended into wild forms of expression, quite literally painting changes into the photo paper itself

Going even further back you also have color toning, in which one uses dilutes translucent oil paints to paint directly atop a photograph to colorize an image. This is actually what inspired overlay layer styles in photoshop

Even setting that aside, inside the darkroom the way you handle the film can produce dramatic and jarring results that can be breathtaking

Mastering each of these parts of film is really where the true art of film photography reveals itself. The unknown middle ground where magic happens behind the darkroom door.

I can't even remember the name of it but there's an entire art movement surrounding the act of shining light on prints that are still sitting in the developer. If timed well, it can give the print's subject a metallic sheen where the midtones melt into black where it should be white.

Anyways. I'd say thats where the magic of film photography still exists. One can do things in the darkroom that software even today can only kind of form a facsimile of using brushes and layer styles and exposure settings. So I'd say yes, absolutely, hold onto the medium, don't be afraid to experiment and get messy, and develop your own unique style. Here there be dragons hiding within the emulsion, waiting to blur the boundary between a photograph and artistic expression.

Good luck.

#film photography #photography #alchemy #mundus artis #art #B&W #film

[laurarolla]

Finally Tomb Raider Remastered is out, so Tomb Raider 1 playthough is underway. I do have a couple things to say right after finishing the training exercises and the first stage, though.

First, positives, game looks great, runs great, the switching between original and remastered graphics is pretty awesome in gameplay areas (in pre-rendered cutscenes it's best to stick to remastered as it's just the cutscene without pixelization), the trio of games has 269 achievements so achievement hunters are in for a real treat/struggle (which seems to be the same thing to achievement hunters XP ), and the tank controls work great with the D-pad on my Xbox 360 controller. All around a great opportunity to play a game I missed in my childhood the way everyone who has nostalgia for the game probably remembers it in their memories.

Now I have to address the problems, namely the lack of graphic options of any kind on PC and the control remapping problems. First off, Tank Controls remapped fine, no issues I can think of, I swapped Action and Jump because the default was the opposite of what I wanted them to be. The issue comes from the modern controls. Now, the control stick movement and cameras are really nice, but the ability to remap buttons might be a lie actually? I tried remapping the action button and got stuck in Lara's pool because it wouldn't actually work. Then, I couldn't actually get out of the pool until I switched to tank controls AND swapped the graphics to original. After messing around with the controls in Caves, I discovered two issues with modern controls that will keep me playing with tank controls for my playthrough: button remapping the action button seems to break it for me, and guns are hold instead of toggle when drawn. Maybe for newer players that's not an issue, but I do have a little bit of experience from a demo of TR2 from my youth, and held draw for guns doesn't feel right to me.

The fact that gun draw style is not a toggle option in the menu is connected to how few menu options actually exist to adjust in the game. There's some important things in there, like sound, subtitles, control remapping when it works, the action indicator (figuring out how close you need to be to an item to interact with it is a quirk of the trio and the indicator is a great addition), and even dead zone adjustment for the stick, but no graphics options of any kind are there. Game is full screen, no windowed mode, no resolution adjustments, if your system has problems with the graphics for whatever reason you're SOL without some outside programming help.

I'm very early in the game, and I don't expect these issues to be in any way a deal breaker for me. I'm excited to play through this game and I am having some fun already even with the early PS1 jank, but it could have been just a bit better in certain options. Maybe some of these things are specific to my computer for some reason, maybe some of these issues will be fixed later. Overall, for the price I paid for the game, I think I'll very much get my money's worth.

#tomb raider #tomb raider remastered #video games #playstation #pc #first impressions #backlog resolution

[kaijukat-art]

Hello! I was wondering if you could a small tutorial on how you render your pieces?? They’re all super pretty btw!! I love your art :D!!

Ahh thank you sm!! <3 0: i’m not very good at explaining my process, and it changes depending on what I’m drawing as well, but I’ll try my best to explain it!

imma use the choso panel redraw since it’s a pretty simple portrait (done in Procreate, but most of this can be applied to CSP too)

once i’ve got a decently refined sketch, i fill in a basic starting skin colour for the character. i start some shading once i have a basic idea of where i want lighting. colour-wise, i usually go a bit darker & warmer for the first pass. (i use a brush that’s a basic airbrush settings but i replace the shape source with a reuleaux triangle) besides where shadows will fall, ill also focus on making the colour more dense on the ears, fingers, around the eyes, and sometimes the blush area. (also let it be known i use Liquify a lot, and constantly flip my canvas. as you render you’ll often start noticing lil adjustments that need to be done)

ill build up passes of colour, going darker & more saturated as i do. as the colours darken, they’ll be in the more receded/hidden areas of the face (like under brows, under chin, inner ear, unless the lighting calls for otherwise) in this case though, he’s also kinda beat up, so i added more colour under the eyes/on the cheekbones to add to the bruise vibes

for the nose/brow/shoulder highlights, i made a new layer & set it to Add. it’s a handy way to get a highlight colour and brighten your hot spots for lighting. this is usually when ill mess with the sketch/linework, sometimes i switch the layer mode to Multiply if i know i want to fully paint over it. in this case i think i just Alpha Locked the layer and painted in the hair/eyeliner since i wanted them darker. once the linework is thoroughly fukt with, i make a new layer and start painting over. usually involves a lot of colour picking & making some adjustments, playing around with levels of colour. I also swap between the reuleaux and a funky dense rectangle thing for rendering, sometimes little sketch pens for smaller details too.

(technically the blue-tinge reflective lighting wasn’t very accurate for the bg/scene colour i chose, but i got carried away and didn’t wanna change it lol)

hair rendering is fun sometimesssss. i make a new layer, choose a slightly brighter colour, and messily block in where i want the highlights. idk how else to explain it besides like, think about using H-adjacent shapes when you’re erasing/refining the highlights. for the last step, i make a new layer, set it to Add, and paint inside the highlights for the sharper look.

When it’s getting to a place i kinda like, (added some blood/cuts on this one before moving on) ill usually start messing with some overlay effects. this usually involves picking a random colour, filling in a new layer, and seeing how it lays over the piece. depending on the vibe im going for it can change a lot, but i find myself usually liking Exclusion & Subtract a lot. (sometimes ill throw a Noise + Overlay layer on top as well, but didn’t for this piece)

i hope that makes some sense??😭 im sorry if anything isn’t clear, i can try my best to answer specifics if needed.

it’s not my most thoroughly rendered portrait but it’s one i got a decent amount of wip screenshots for.. my style in general is still a wip, and i change it up a bit every time. i encourage experimentation always!!! it’s helped me a lot. i’ll see about making a more thorough tutorial for a properly rendered piece soon too!

#my art #rendering #procreate #art tutorial #i guess??? #kai talks

[elvhendis]

Hiya, I’m in love with your painterly pieces, genuinely gorgeous. If you don’t mind me asking, what kinds of brushes do you use?

For context, I’ve been making an effort to get my transitions between values less abrasive (since I got into the habit of leaving them at the roughest stage possible and making up for it with “tactical” overlays) but my end results tend to end up muddy, and when they don’t I can never pinpoint what I did differently. I have a suspicion it’s because I almost exclusively use a very hard oil brush — I do like a coarse look but there’s a line of how much of it is personal style and how much of it is plain poor judgement. Would I be better off using a softer edged brush for that in between stage, or is it just something I need to push through without “blaming the tools”, so to speak?

Hi!! First of all I'm flattered, I'm so glad you like my art 🥺

Keep in mind that I'm using Photoshop, so the brushes only apply to that. For rendering I mostly use Istebrak's skin and blending brushes! She used to sell them in separate packs, now she sells them all in a bundle . I mostly use her angled skin brush and wispy skin brush, those give me the smoothest results. For blocking I use her dry oil brush, though lately I've actually started using a brush that a dear fellow artist was kind enough to send to me! I love to use it for hair especially. For blending and smoothing everything out I use Istebrak's smudging brushes. I've been using her brushes for years and never really switched since they work really well for me, but I'm sure there are tons of other brushes out there that do the same trick!

I'm probably not the best person to ask about this kind of stuff though, because I LOVE when paintings actually look painterly and textured, with visible brush strokes etc, and I've tried to move away from overly rendering and smoothing everything out, but it's difficult for me because as soon as I see a brush stroke my brain yells "smooth it!!!" so yeah, I don't quite know how to balance everything myself yet. Generally I try to preserve the most detail and keep everything smooth around the focal point (so, since I mostly do portraits, that means the face/eyes) and allow myself to keep stuff messier in other areas (the hair, etc). I hope that makes sense?

Basically my process looks like this: I start by blocking in the values with hard brushes (like the dry oil brush) and as I get further into the process I start using the skin brushes on lower opacity in combination with the eye dropper method to slowly blend everything together, and as I'm doing that I also use the smudge brush to blend unwanted edges and creases and make everything look smooth. (for me, smudging is really the key sometimes)

I feel like this is a terrible explanation but I hope it at least helps you a little? Like I said, I feel like I'm still in the process of figuring all of it out myself, it takes some experimentation to learn what works and what doesn't, but I'm sure in the end we'll all get there 💚

#anon #ask

[frostedpuffs]

Hi Ash! I was wondering what you use for your digital art (like hardware or software wise) and if you like it? I’m wanting to get into digital art and am trying to decide what I need to get and I really like your style!

hi!!

i use both a computer (windows) and an iPad air and switch back and forth between them. i prefer sketching/lining on my ipad and coloring and rendering on my computer. as for what program i use, i prefer clip studio paint! it's by far my favorite program ever. the ability to download any brush imagineable, have built in 3d models, textures, and all other kinds of assets is something i find really useful. and the cloud feature is great! the only downside is that you can't use the same subscription on both devices and have to buy it twice (pay once for the pc version and monthly for the iPad version.) but honestly i love it a lot. i couldn't for the life of me get into procreate tbh. clip studio paint all the way!!!! if you're looking for a cheaper alternative, i used paint tool sai for about 8 years, and it's another really great program i recommend a lot.

my advice is to try a few different programs and see which one suits you best! sometimes it takes a little trial and error to find a good art program that works well for you

thanks for asking! have a wonderful day 💞

#ash answers

[csleko]

Low-Poly Leko Animation

No, I honestly don't know why it took me this long to finally try making a low-poly Leko model, but I have now. I also went even further beyond and did some scanlines and blurring to really get that old-timey low-res look that has supplanted pixel art as the new "retro" style in recent years. (For best results, view at full size. They're not that big anyway.)

My one problem with the animation is that doing the scanline effect caused it to darken and desaturate more than I would have liked, but other than that I really like how the low-res effects hide the jankiness of the model as nature intended on the CRT screens of old.

I also did find a slightly quicker way to rig characters like this that doesn't involve switching back and forth between "pose mode" and "object mode" for every part and bone pairing, so that's neat.

Low-Poly Leko: "My normals hurt..."

High-Poly Leko: "Yeah, you probably shouldn't be out here in this high-quality lighting. Just be glad we're not in Cycles right now!"

Alternate renders without low-res effects can be seen on my ArtStation: CS_Leko.

#low poly #leko #robot #sci fi #lightsaber #animation #blender #pixel art #3d model #3d animation #low resolution #retro #crt