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imagine-lcorp · 3 years

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Folie à Deux (One Shot)

A/N: Hello guys!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND FELIZ DIA DE MUERTOS/HAPPY DAY OF THE DEAD to all of you wonderful people. Here I come once again to share a lil one shot to celebrate this already gone spooky season but i hope you can still enjoy it. Bear with me as I try to pull some hannibal vibes over here. Let me know what you think and thank y’all for sticking around!!

Lena Luthor x Killer R//Word Count: 1,653

Content Warnings: Blood, Death, Murder, Guns, Corpses, Graphic Descriptions of Violence.

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folie à deux. /fôˌlē ä ˈdœ/ French (n.) lit. madness for two; delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association.

"I leave you my portrait so that you will have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you." — Frida Kahlo.

Lena Luthor was no stranger to fear but never in her life had she faced such terror. She could feel it in the back of her head, making her afraid of every corner and shadow of her own house. She could feel it in her chest as she forced her lungs to take steady breaths to calm the erratic beating of her heart. She could feel it in her skin, tuning her fingers cold as she gripped her gun tighter, with every careful step she took to get behind you.

"You're home earlier." Your voice, as soothing as ever, made her stop dead in her tracks.

She saw you, turning around and looking at her with attentive eyes. When you noticed the gun in her hand, you tilted your head. You smiled softly, wondering how much time was left, either before the police and her friends arrived or before she pulled the trigger on you.

"Is that for me?" You asked and, in her shock, Lena managed a small nod. "Such peculiar gifts we come bearing, don't you think?"

Your smile never faltered. She could still notice it as you turned your attention at the painting that was now installed in the central wall of her living room. She stood a few steps behind you and observed. You had just finished it, that much she could tell by the faint smell of paint fume and bright tones of the oils.

It was wonderful, like nothing you had ever showed her before. A danse macabre done with a style so characteristic of you, in which two stark white skeletons seemed to dance and embrace each other. They were surrounded by a field of blood red poppies that, upon a closer look, resembled tiny skulls amidst an equal blood-red sunset...or was it a sunrise? She would have to ask you, just like whose blood was it.

"Is that blood?" She couldn't take her eyes off the painting. Not even after the question had left her lips and her instincts screamed at her to run for her life.

"Burnt sienna and a hint of Prussian blue. Although you know I prefer the real stuff, I wouldn't want anyone to take it away from you in search of evidence." You said, enjoying your own clever remarks. "What do you think?"

"I didn't think you cared about criticism in your work." Lena replied, unable to recall a time when you had ever asked someone else's opinion about your work.

"Art, like love, is the reflection in which we can see ourselves through other's eyes. So I care when it comes to you." You turned again to look at her. "Tell me, Lena, what do you see?"

Lena looked back at you and what she saw in your eyes made her catch her breath. Madness and love, all mixed up together. A look that seemed to reach within the darkest part of her soul and, instead of trying to give it light, you marveled at it.

"You." She said taking a deep, shaky breath. "And me."

With barely a hint of hesitation, she took the last steps forward, placing herself right beside you. She looked at the painting, both a love letter and an omen of death.

"When I saw the photos of the murders, all I could see was you. From the blood paintings hanging from walls to the bodies displayed in such surreal forms. The bullets and the knives, the wounds and the cuts. You were there, in every detail."

She could remember the first time she ever saw pictures from the crime scenes and feeling as if she had been seeing photos from a gallery exhibition. Each body they had found had been displayed in the most bizarre and beautiful shapes and poses. Bones, flesh and skin, all arranged in forms she didn't know were possible for the human body. She had been horrified at first about it all but, the more she looked, she hadn't been able to deny there was certain grace and elegance in the killer's doing. Whoever had done it, she had thought, was a genius of their own morbid talent.

"Then, when they gave me the list of victims, all I could see...was myself." She swallowed the lump in her throat.

Each crime scene had come along with a list of victims too. The police had identified them with varying degrees of difficulty. Some names had been hard to find while others had been too obvious to even pretend they hadn't recognized them the moment they had seen their twisted faces. However, as different those victims seemed to be between each other, what tied them together were their own crimes. Abusive husbands and wives, child molesters, unethical practitioners, corrupt officials and political leaders with their own dark intentions. People that, even Lena recognized, no one wanted wandering on the face of earth.

Your latest victim had been the judge that had let Edge go free on bail. All her efforts to put him behind bars for good had mean nothing. Then she heard the news. His body had been displayed on his own court, hanging from the ceiling in his black robes, with a band covering his eyes. His chest had been opened and in his hand he held a pair of scales. His heart laid there, weighed against a black feather, ready to be devoured.

The real shock of the murder, however, came after a single detail was revealed. Their blood. The judge and the rest of victims had been drained of their blood before exposing their bodies.

She had never thought too much about it, because there had been nothing to think about when you told her red was one of your favorite colors. It frustrated sometimes, as a painter, how hard it was to find a shade of red as bright and vivid as that of blood. Fortunately, you had learned a long time ago how to make your own red pigments and oils, using the blood of animals, usually pigs whose death was more meaningful than their lives anyway, you had said.

"I wanted to make something beautiful out of such grotesque people." You sighed and turned your head to look at her. "Turning lead into gold with every drop of blood and every stroke, each one an offering and an amend. Is my vision so different from yours? Is yours that different from mine if we want the same?"

"I wanted justice. This is not it." She said resolute, feeling again the metal of the gun against her fingers. "This is only the aftermath of your own judgment."

"Could you say then, in your judgement, if I was fair on my own?"

"If I say you were then every crime of yours is one I have performed too."

"And I recall, you would have wanted it a few times."

Were the deaths of those men and women justified? Had their own acts been so evil that you had to pay them in kind? She remembered how bad had she wanted it sometimes, to make justice by her own hand because it seemed more reliable than a justice court. That much she could understand about your deeds and maybe that was enough for her.

"It's all the same. If there is no justice, then let it be reckoning." You looked at the gun in her hand and raised a brow. "Isn't that why you have come?"

"I have to stop you." Lena said, and you would have expected her to be quick about it. For her to raise her hand and point her gun, to pull the trigger and be done with it in a heartbeat.

But she didn't move.

"Here." You moved your hand slowly towards hers. She didn't even flinch as she watched you hold her fingers against the gun and raise her hand towards your chest. The hand of an artist, the hand of a killer. "Turn my blood into gold. Let them have their reckoning."

Still, she didn't move.

It was the moment Lena understood it all and became truly afraid. Afraid, not about pulling the trigger, not about shooting you through the heart, but to have life and death dancing on her fingertips. To choose with no remorse but with a clear conscience and blood in her hands. So easy, she had thought, to end your life and watch it vanish through your eyes.

"I can't." She said, and you felt her fingers loosen up. "I do not have your talents for this."

You took the gun and looked at it for a moment before looking back at Lena. "You do. It just takes a little practice."

In the distance, the sound of sirens filled the streets. You had been left with no more time.

"Now, come. Justice is upon us, and we don't want them to think you have been making deals with the devil."

Without another word, Lena could fathom what would follow next.

"No." She said with nostalgia already brimming in her eyes. "We have just been dancing around each other for a while."

You offered her a hand, with the other still holding the gun. "Soon the music's over, so let's give it one last chance."

Lena took your hand and, in a confident move, you spun her around. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of your body against her as you embraced her from behind. Then she felt too the barrel of the gun against her temple.

"Once I'm away, please, remember. I've only ever tried to show you beauty." Your soft breath tickled her ear as you whispered to her. "Can you see?"

When Lena opened her eyes, all she could see was red. The painting hung in front of you and it seemed to her as if you were both facing a mirror.

She felt no fear this time. "It's terrific."

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kattarofran · 2 years

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Also I'm assuming you do watercolor/markers? Mind sharing some technical techniques with how you make your art? If not that's fine, I'd just love to see the process and try to learn from it.

The mediums I use the most are watercolor and digital art actually!

Watercolours are definitely my favourite tho, mixing colors and control over opacity being my favourite things about the medium, as well as fastly filled surfaces. They also work very well even if they're cheap brands, I'm using Koi watercolours which are considered to be very chalky and not the best quality, but HEY they were like 25 dollars. Fun fact, I am not the best at markers, recently I got two Copics, so I've been wanting to try on the medium again, maybe one day I'll use markers as a main medium.

Now technical techniques. I'm not the best at technicities but I'll try my best to explain. I'll do my favourite watercolor basics.

I have two tips for you today, one is to make swatches and mixes of your primaries! Both the cool and the warm ones for the very least. (By that I mean warm blues like prussian blue and cold blues like ultramarine blue that are the last two rows, notice how one of the blues could be more "warm" even if blue by itself is a "cool" color based on color theory)

Making swatches like these makes it easier to see how to get better mixes. Notice how the warmer red mixed with both of the blue don't make a purple, and instead make more of a grey tone. It makes knowing your palette and mixes so much easier. Every time I have problems with mixing I do one of these bad boys!

Mixing purple is incredibly hard for no good reason...

Now another watercolor basic, layering!!! I don't have the best example but this will do.

The first lined circle was done with a yellow-ish color underlayer, the second one was done with a warm purple one, both creating different effects and tones on our test skin-ish color, you can get different moods, and different colours if you use different underlayers. It's like having a multiply layer on all the time, it's the way I describe it.

I use this a lot for my Tommy hair design actually, to make his blonde hair more vibrant, and to get the white streak correctly. And Tubbo's hair with the different tones, making the yellow to orange gradient first, and then slowly go darker. Meanwhile his ears are the darkest tone I can go, so they always appear darker even if it's just the same color I used for the top of his head.

#maro does a tutorial #THAT WAS COOL #I hope you understand even if just a little bit #maro answers #i am very passionate about watercolor techniques ive made over the years #long post

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years

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chapter thirty one: sets of twins

October thirteenth had come about and Sam knew for a fact that Joey was having a blast overseas in Germany. She pictured him with a big cake courtesy of one of the large luxurious bakeries over there that specialized in making cakes, and she knew he was to head off to bed that evening with his belly full of it as well as the dinner he so well chose.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the orange and red leaves on all of the trees made her think of the last days in which she and Cliff were together, right around that time in fact. A year ago. A year ago she had lost Cliff to the northern darkness and he became the hunter in the shadows left behind the aurora borealis. The walks to and from school only made the memory of him far more potent: but it was Joey's birthday when the reality of it all settled over her. Metallica had ascended into a whole other world of their own, but Joey and Anthrax remained right by her, right within arms' reach, just like the colors that changed on all of the trees around her.

The red and orange like the feathers decorated upon Joey's headdress.

She pictured him out front there on the stage with a little party hat upon his head much like Alex's birthday party, or perhaps he would wear one of those inside of his Indian headdress during their performance of “Indians”. The only drawback she saw with it however was that his birthday took place right smack in the middle of the week. Add to this, Sam, Marla, and Belinda didn't have a three day weekend like they so assumed would happen with Columbus Day.

“Go to school anyways,” Joey told her over the phone on the Thursday night before that weekend. “Make all the great art you possibly can for Monday. We need that great art of yours—all the red feathers and the Iroquois lore. The world needs that great art of yours.”

He then cleared his throat and sang to her in the softest, most gentlest voice she had ever heard him sing. She lay in bed all the while as well, and so when he sang to her, it almost felt as though he was singing her to sleep. Indeed, she nestled down in bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin as she held the cordless phone up to her ear. She pictured him laying in bed as well, complete with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate next to him. She smiled when he crooned the words, “Oh, Samantha” in a near whisper.

“That was so sweet,” she told him afterwards.

“That's the song I sang for my audition into Anthrax,” he explained, “it's called 'Oh, Sherrie', by Steve Perry from Journey. I just changed it to Samantha to kinda give it to ya and whatnot.”

“Aw.”

He then cleared his throat. “So any word on that big ass monolithic ginormous project you've got coming up?” “Nothing yet,” she explained, “although I'm supposed to meet up with Bill next Friday afternoon and talk it over more. At least I hope to get to see him. He told me he's going to pop into one of my classes just to watch me, but he never told me when it's supposed to happen.”

“Well, damn.”

They fell into silence for a seconds and then she spoke again.

“You know, I think you can actually come with me out to California,” she pointed out, “like—you know, we don't have to do the long distance. I might have to ask him about it because the whole thing about it being about school and whatnot. I say this because that was the mistake Cliff and I made. He didn't want to leave the Bay Area and I didn't want to leave New York, either. He actually got kind of defensive about it at one point. I remember that was one of the last things he and I talked about before Metallica left for their tour and we never fully finished it, either.”

“Wow, that sounds like there was a rift between you two,” Joey noted.

“I wouldn't necessarily say that,” Sam confessed as she slipped one hand underneath her pillow, right under her head. “But it was definitely something we couldn't address further than that, though. Cliff was so home grown with the Bay Area that it almost feels like a betrayal to him that he was killed in Scandinavia, somewhere that wasn't his home.”

“And if I'm honest, I kinda am, too, but with upstate.” He then cleared his throat again. “Although—make no mistake, though, Sam. If we were a lot bigger than we are right now, like if Anthrax truly was about to become something huge, I would probably reconsider that.”

“So for you, it's not just feeling at home and at peace in upstate New York but it's a matter of money.”

“Right! Exactly. We are kinda earnin', but it's not really a lot, though. No idea why this is, either. But we're barely getting paid, though, even while being on tour. Anyways, I gotta mosey on outta here—rehearsal starts in like three minutes. Also before I forget. I should tell ya this: be on the lookout for postcards.”

“Postcards from you?”

“From me, from Frankie, from Charlie, from Danny, from the girls, all of us. We're gonna be sending ya stuff while we're over here in Europe. Also, another thing I should ask you—how's Scott doin'? Have you talked to him at all?”

“I haven't seen him, no,” Sam confessed. “Like weeks—not since you auditioned for the guitarist position. Although I'm thinking of going over to his place and at least checking in on him and his fiancée.”

“You ought to. On the flight over here, Frankie and I were talking and at one point, he goes, 'I wonder how Scott's been doing lately. We sure haven't heard from him in a long time.'”

Someone behind him interrupted him right then and there.

“What's that?” Joey called back and he held the phone away from his ear. The person said something.

“Okay,” he told them, and he brought the phone back. “Anyways, I gotta go. You sleep tight, alright?”

“Of course,” Sam said. “And you guys don't stay up too late.”

He chuckled at that. “Alright—good night, Sam I am. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And they hung up at the same time. She lay there on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling above her, and she listened to the falling rain outside of her window.

But at some point, she drifted off to sleep without putting the cordless back. There was a dream in there at some point, but she had no idea as to what it exactly encapsulated, especially by the time she woke up and Marla was cooking something in the kitchen for the both of them.

Sam had hope that the Cherry Suicides would have their day on Halloween for their annual celebratory show. She had no idea as to where they were playing that night, either, but she hoped that they would have those sugar skulls with them again.

Indeed, on Columbus Day weekend, she sat down with her colored pencils and her journal. She thought of Joey and that big headdress of red and white feathers perched high on his head, as if it was a crown. The crown in lieu of a party hat, the crown for his ascension into his twenty seventh trip about the sun, and thus she drew his head and shoulders. Those thick luxurious curls down from his head in such flyaway fashion and that big cluster of feathers all the way down to the floor. That rich scarlet for the base and the orange and golden yellow for the power of the sun.

She thought about Belinda's wishes to take her into stained glass. Perhaps it could be something genuinely wonderful as she picked up the Prussian blue and burnt umber colored pencils for the shadows under Joey's eyes and all about his face.

She thought about the glass in question, in how it all seemed so much brighter and more colorful when in the sun. All the times of walking to and fro about that front hallway of the school, where the morning sun shone through the stained glass. If only there was a way to bring it all forth with mere colored pencils.

Indeed, she brought the burnt umber to an angle and she began shading in his skin, a tone ever so light about his face. By his nose and the point of his chin, she gave it another layer and spread it out. Followed by another and another, until there she had the darkest, fullest shade of that lush, earthy brown for his sun kissed skin. The blue, meanwhile, added a touch more depth, especially to the natural creases on his face, around his nose and the corners of his mouth and his dark lips.

If only there was a way in which she could show this drawing to Joey, and if only there was a way in which she could translate this very drawing over to the world of stained glass. She had faith in Belinda and her power of convincing, however the whole suggestion about bringing leather crafting to the school seemed to have fallen on deaf ears at that point: neither of them heard anything about it since Alex's birthday party.

It was right there that she had forgotten to ask Joey about the guitar strap she had given to him for his birthday, and how it was faring for him with the overseas crowds. She pictured him at the front of the stages, with the microphone before him and the guitar slung over his shoulder, high against his body as it should be with him. If there was anything he could have given Alex credit for, it had to be that. The whole thing between him and Alex almost no sense to her, even to that moment in time, it made no sense to her.

The day following Joey's birthday, a Wednesday afternoon and the only time Sam had any time to herself during that quarter given Marla's whole hectic schedule on her own as well as all that she had to do, she spotted a pair of cards in the mailbox downstairs, one light rosy pink and the other a butter yellow. The latter had with it a small lumpy envelope the size of a playing card.

She turned over the yellow card where she was met with a clear, crisp photograph of a castle in Germany. To be near a castle once again!

But then she turned it over again in order to read that messy scrawl in blue pen.

“Sam—

my wife and I are trusting you with this key to our apartment, seeing as we owe you the record player with Spreading.

I hope all is well back home right now! I wish you were here with us—if you loved England, you'll love Germany and Holland even more.

Love, Danny”

She turned her head back to the mailbox and she took out the envelope. Indeed, she felt something hard inside, and she knew that she had been given a chance to listen to the vinyl records she so wished to listen to, mainly Spreading the Disease and also Live at Eindhoven. She then turned to the pink postcard, which had a photograph of a cobblestone street somewhere in Amsterdam. But right in the midst of the cobblestones stood the Cherry Suicides, donned in black hats and red veils as if someone had taken the picture right before the show and one of them tacked it onto the card. She then turned it over to read.

“Sam—

do you remember that tape we asked you to make for us? Well, we got accepted into the new merger between Megaforce and the other label with it! A bootleg tape is now a live album thanks to your help. It's not our debut album, but it's something to start with with us. Because of it, we're happy to tell you that you're the first in line for this new record. The Cherry Suicides: from Rhode Island with love—live in Boston 1987, is the full title. Be on the lookout for it around Halloween, believe it or not.

Be on the lookout for a live album from Anthrax and Testament, too—although I'm sure you already know about the latter. I don't know if Eric told you this yet, but that album isn't even supposed to come out over there in States until next year, so consider yourself lucky, my lady! Anyways, there's all kinds of good stuff from all of us! Things are in fact beginning to look up, and the four of us in particular owe it all to you.

Morgan, Minerva, and Rosita all send their love, and as do I.

-Zelda”

She smiled at that and she held both cards to her chest, a pair of twin cards, from two people she held so close to her heart. She then made her way upstairs with those as well as that lumpy envelope that Dan had sent her, and she was eager to make her way over to his place all to listen to those vinyl records.

Again, a pair of twins, soon to be triplets with the Cherry Suicides' upcoming live album. How exciting! The girls finally found their way with a new record, and it happened to be that bootleg tape that Sam had made for them while they toured with Anthrax and Testament as well.

She almost stumbled her way into the apartment but she caught herself before Genie greeted her at the door. Once she set everything down on the couch, she reached down and pet her little black cat head. She squinted her eyes at the feeling and she treated Sam to a low purr, and she squatted down before her so she could better pet her.

If she was to leave for California with Bill, then she would have to leave Genie behind as well, and this cat always greeted her in particular whenever she came in through that door. She erected her tail but left a small hook at the top as she rubbed on her knees. She turned around and gazed up at her with those soft golden eyes and that purr from within her throat, and Sam continued to pet her head and her back before her knees began to ache from the squatting.

No sooner had she stood to her feet when the phone rang.

“Oh, goodness me,” she told Genie, and she bowed into the kitchen and fetched the phone on the wall. “Hello?”

“Hello, daughter of mine.” She recognized her mother's voice on the other end.

“Oh, hi, Mom! I got home from school just now. What's happening?”

“I have some good news and some bad news,” Esmé began.

“Good news first,” Sam told her.

“The good news is in this past summer, starting from May, I have taken up writing. I handed in a sample of a manuscript to a publishing house down in L.A and I'm waiting to hear back from them. Your mother just might become a published author soon.”

“Oh, my god, that's wonderful!” Sam waved her hand about before her face, and then she remembered. “Now what about the bad news?”

“The bad news is—your father and I might be splitting up,” she confessed in a low voice. Sam then brought that same hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming, or puking. Esmé let out a low whistle but she never said anything after that. The silence was deafening all around them.

“Why?” Sam finally managed to choke out.

“He tells me that things are just not right anymore,” she explained, “and they haven't been, either. Even I will admit to that. and just so you know, I never mentioned the man whom I used to know to him once before. But the human intuition is incredible, though. He and I—we talked it over together just this morning—and ever since then I haven't been able to completely process it yet.” She sniffled and Sam held a hand to her chest.

“Oh my god,” she breathed out. To think that her parents had been together for so long at that point as well: it didn't even feel right to her.

“But just—let's keep it between you and me, though,” Esmé advised her. “Unless Marla is really genuinely curious about it. I just—I don't know how else to tell you about this, either, other than straight up over the phone. If you were closer to us, I may have told you sooner before and you may have witnessed it as well.”

“Well, Mom—if it's any comfort at all—I actually might be back out there next summer,” she sputtered.

“Really?” Esmé paused. “What for? What happened?”

“Yeah, my counselor told me that my senior project is taking place out there. Like he planned it ahead of time, out in California, and he told me it's supposed to start like next August. So my junior year will end and then he and I prepare on heading out that way. With this—with hearing this, the one and only pitfall I can think of and see out of that is I'll be away from my friends here.”

“And you've settled into New York City, too,” Esmé added, “you seem so at home there, more so than you do here on the West Coast. But at least your father and I will get to see you again. This is actually something I've disliked about you living so far away from home, if I'm honest. I miss having you around us—and I know Ruben does, too. We both miss you dearly.”

“The other thing about it is I dunno how long it'll be, either,” Sam continued.

“And you'll be far away from Joey, too,” said Esmé in a grim tone of voice.

“I'll be far from Joey, too,” she echoed her.

“But wait, how does he feel about going out West? Maybe he can join you and Bill while you're out here.”

“I dunno—he and I were actually talking about that the other night. It's kind of Cliff was so reluctant to move with me, but Joey's more concerned with money, though. And just like Cliff, he's born and raised here in New York—you know, the whole upstate area where he's from. It's such a homey area, like the direct opposite of New York City in my opinion. You know, New York City is where the world comes to play and figure things out. Upstate is where the world bypasses it because everyone else pitched a tent there. So—I don't really see it, to be completely honest with you, Mom.”

“And it's a grueling task, too,” Esmé added, “you know the struggle the three of us went through three years ago.”

“How could I forget,” Sam quipped. “I was so happy to finally just lay down in bed afterwards.”

“Your father and I were, too, when we were staying at the hotel. I mean, we love New York for sure, and I do especially—in fact—come to think of it, one of the things that's driving the two of us apart is my desire to be back East, closer to you.”

“Really?” Sam pressed her free hand to her hip. “Well, why didn't you say anything before?”

“Well, because your father undertook so much when we were moving you over there. When we got home, Ruben said, 'we're only going over to New York for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I mean no offense to Sam at all, but we seriously can't do this all the time.' He never said anything to you because he didn't know how you would react to it.”

And Sam also thought about the previous conversation they had had before, in which Ruben might not have been her father after all. Indeed, it would also explain as to why she hardly heard anything from him unless the holidays rolled about.

“My publisher is also based out of L.A., too,” Esmé continued. “To make a huge decision such as that, a big grueling move across the family such as that, to move three thousand miles away now would be so frivolous and ultimately fruitless, in my personal opinion.”

“And it just wouldn't make any sense on top of that, anyway,” Sam pointed.

“Right, with you possibly coming out come the summer time as well. It wouldn't be right to me to have you out here for something for school only to have to pick everything up and swap places with you.”

But the news of her parents separating left Sam yearning for something else, something different. She barely paid any attention to anything more that her mother talked about after that; instead she thought of her next drawing. By the time she and Esmé bode each other goodbye for now, she returned to the couch to fetch her things. The lovely feeling she had had before had disappeared with the realization of what happened.

Even though her mother told her not to speak with anyone about it, Marla needed to know about it, and Joey needed to know about it. Aurora had built a home of her own and she hadn't heard anything from her since Alex's birthday party when she made it about herself. Her own best friend and fellow California girl wasn't even around to know about this thing that could alter everything and the world in which Sam knew about from that point onward. Her own best friend and whom she believed was her confidant.

Marla was more trustworthy with the arrival of all of this.

And it was right there that the tears began to fall from her eyes. She sniffled and brushed one away from her right, and she opened her book bag for her journal once again. To the page that followed her birthday drawing to Joey. She tried to keep the tears at bay as she put the first strokes of graphite down on the heavy graphite. But they still streaked down her face as she gave the drawing some dark hair.

Herself as a young child.

She thought about going into her room with the journal, but she had no reason to do so when she had the couch all to herself. She wept for herself and for the fact that she was never returning to childhood. She was never returning to Cliff. Even though she had no siblings to count on, she did feel as though she missed something. There had to be something right next to her all the while, someone else right next to her. She looked over at Genie, who had curled up in her usual spot on the couch.

Her golden eyes closed of the part of the way but she stayed awake.

Careful not to startle her, Sam reached over and petted her head again. She pinched those eyes closed all the way, which in turn made more tears bleed out from Sam's eyes.

She thought about Alex, in how she met him when he was still a young boy in school. He was still a boy to her, but even from a moment's glance, she could tell that he had grown so much in these past three years. The past four years, from when Testament first began life from the suburbs of San Francisco.

Four years since they came to the fold as Legacy, and she was right there when they changed their name. And now she had gotten their very first live album: it awaited her in her bedroom as if it taunted her from the darkness.

A legacy in its own rite.

And she knew that she would be near them once again come the summer time. But she returned to the journal to make that drawing of herself as a little girl. Through her tears, she made more markings that collected into the shape of something new. She had no idea as to how he looked as a child himself, but she knew the little pearl of gray hadn't made its grand entrance yet. That thick jet black hair and those big deep eyes that seemed to swallow her whole, even from the grains of paper, even from the softness of childhood.

She thought about the hug he had given her at his birthday party. Soft like a young boy still.

And yet she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Joey behind. To leave him there in upstate New York to his own devices. But then again, he had that guitar with him, and he had all manner of friends still within range of him, and he had his band as well.

His band.

Scott burst into her mind then, as did Dan Lilker. They had started Anthrax themselves, and yet they both had departed from their places. By some dark magic, Anthrax had become Joey's band almost overnight. He was the heart and soul for sure, but he had come into the fold well after they had started and lifted off of the ground. It wasn't like Alex, who had come into the fold with Testament right after their start and then watched them go forth.

To think Joey had been inherited a whole band from Scott all because of something that he did and something that Scott had dismissed time and time again. Something about it made her squirm in her seat a bit.

Granted, Joey was her boyfriend, and she knew that no matter what happened with Anthrax or with him, that she had to stand behind him on it, something that she had picked up from being with Cliff. But nothing about his position in the band spoke to her about it being his band, however. A stranger in a strange land there when it pertained to him. She couldn't help but compare the whole experience with Testament, either, the other quintet that was still a quintet themselves.

Chuck stood on the stage with his microphone stand and played it like he would a guitar, but at least that was part of the whole deal with them. She hadn't seen him pick up a guitar from someone who was obviously the opposite of him and then go forth with it out of sheer spite. She could hope all she wanted with Joey, but he had to come to his senses about his interaction with Alex at some point in the future. It was only fair to him, and it was only fair to Joey himself.

But on the other hand, she recalled as to how miserable Joey was without a guitar at his helm. She wanted him to be away from the alcohol, away from the drugs. She wanted him to excel as the true genuine artist she knew he was meant to be, that he had tucked away all by the constraint of time itself. He had to continue on with the guitar, and he had to continue on with Anthrax, with them as a four piece rather than a massive quintet like Testament or even Death Angel.

But he also had to come back down to earth. The kindness was within him: she could feel it, and she did in fact feel it with him. To brush away the contradictions like she brushed away tears, and she could perhaps crack the code with him. To dilute his venom like she would with watercolor and paint with it upon her canvas for all the world to see, and so she could say that she had danced with Joey Belladonna and gave him art.

She brushed away more tears as she completed the remainder of the two children on the page before her, the drawing of herself and the drawing of Alex. Two twin children, even though they weren't even a little bit related to one another.

If only there was a way in which she could contact him and not through the fan club only. He had showed to her those fleeting moments, those little nuggets, those glimpses to what resided behind those deep eyes. But much like with Joey, therein resided something more that he wasn't showing her. There was more to Alex than she had given him credit for, and more than Joey had given him credit for.

She then raised her head from the journal and she glanced back at Genie, who had curled up into a tight bun on the top of the couch and went to sleep.

Marla wouldn't be home for at least another half an hour.

She peered out the door to the porch, at the buildings across the street and the sliver of harbor beyond that. So much to New York she hadn't seen yet, and so much she hadn't done yet, but she wanted to do it all right then and there. She could feel the clock ticking, the end of the day coming. The end was upon her, just like how Cliff said it would be when he set out for the last time into Sweden. Beyond the drapes, beyond the veil, beyond the darkness.

To live in the great unknown and only find herself in a single small pinprick of it, but something else called her back. Even though she had pitched the tent herself there in Hell's Kitchen with Marla, the past called her back. The past to make peace with the present and ultimately the future.

Maybe it was in fact time to head on back home after all, but then again she had so much at her every whim and desire. There was no way she could leave now, but she also had to leave. To go with Bill to California and to be there for her mother and her father both as they sorted things out between them, and to find out more of the secrets they had kept from her all these years. Maybe it was time to head on back home, to be closer to her parents.

To be closer to the other side of the scene.

To be closer to Cliff again.

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goodtimecharlie-productionblog · 3 years

Text

Cyanotype Process (As of 11/24/2020)

Hey there!

This is gonna be a short instructional sheet on my process for making my frame sheets for my short film. I don’t have this down to a science yet- not even close. But, this is a chronicle of how I will be doing my printing.

To summarize, been doing this by animating my scene digitally (using After Effects and Photoshop), exporting it as images, then using a laser printer to make 11x17″ transparencies of ~20 frames. With that, I’m able to print one 11x15″ print in cyanotype! Each sheet of 18 frames takes about 2 minutes to coat, 30 minutes to dry, 25 minutes to print, 5-10 minutes to wash, and usually needs to be dried overnight. They usually end up quite wrinkled after all of the wet-and-dryness, so I also weight them with heavy books and a sheet of glass if it’s available to flatten them. After that, they can be photographed with a top shooting camera and loaded into a video editor for recompiling. Anyways, please try some cyanotypes yourself! They’re heaps of fun, easy to do, and they’re even good for kids.

1. Cut paper. Quarter cut a sheet of 30x22″ high quality printmaking paper, ideally with a cotton rag and not too toothy. I have been using Legion Stonehenge White paper and have liked the results. I’ve also had really good experience with Bristol board, the same kind you get in mixed-media sketchbooks. Anything that won’t bleed too much. I wouldn’t recommend anything for watercolor, it blurs and bleeds far too much to get a decent print in my experience and are difficult to wash completely.

2. Mix solution. Currently I’m using chemistry from Jacquard’s Cyanotype kit, which comes with parts A and B premixed. All you have to do is mix A and B in equal parts. Once I run out I will be mixing my own- stay tuned for more on that. Do note, if you use the Jacquard brand it recommends using the solution within two hours. I’ve waited longer than that before, but if you’re not careful it will stain paper easily.

3. Apply solution. I use 60 mL for the quarter cut sheets, which are 11x15″. This is the best ratio I’ve found so far that gives a full range of tones, has an acceptable drying time without fan or oven, and doesn’t waste too much or require excessive washing. Apply in 6 increments of 10 mL using a pipette, starting from the edges and spreading with a foam brush between applications. Use three squirts to cover the first time, let dry, then three more.

4. Print. This part is complicated and I can’t easily give solid advice on this. I’m using a homemade UV exposer, so I get reasonably consistent exposures. I won’t give out details of my times because they won’t be accurate for any method but mine. The best way to find proper exposure is to use a test strip (Make a test print, and incrementally expose strips of the print for 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 15, and 20 minutes. If it comes out blank, do the same in 5 minutes increments.).

5. Wash. Wash in cool water. Cyanotype uses water as a developer and also a washing agent. As your print washes, you will see it turn from negative to positive, and from a green-gray to deep blue. If it doesn’t, review your exposure process and adjust accordingly. This can be difficult, especially if your light source is the Sun. It’s all trial and error, so be prepared to put time into the prints. Don’t get discouraged!

Notes and Tips

-Your print will never achieve a full tonal range, because prussian blue is the “darkest” color, so it will naturally look a little lower contrast than expected. If you are printing your negatives on transparency with an inkjet/laser printer, look online for cyanotype curves specific to your printer. Most are for Epson but others are out there.

-This process for this project is still majorly in progress. Many of my prints turn out blotchy, faded, over/underexposed, etc (Not to mention I didn’t have the foresight to put registration marks on my transparency and can’t align the finished frames!). I’ve made this <em>much<em> harder for myself than is necessary, so I’m running into a lot of issues that wouldn’t necessarily come up otherwise.

#cyanotype #printing #animation #mine #process #chemistry #ouch

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mysticsparklewings · 4 years

Photo

Storm Lake

Another later upload, this time because some new supplies came in last night while I was supposed to be working on this and naturally I couldn't help but play with the new supplies first. But with this, "Storm Lake" prompt down, I only have one more painting after this for the Art Philosophy November Challenge! And thank goodness for that because this whole exercise has somehow been more taxing than Inktober was. So far this is the prompt I was the most concerned about doing, I think. (Although the last prompt looks to be an equal of a doozie...) I've dabbled in painting water and clouds before, but lightning and/or stormy clouds is something I've only attempted once before in colored pencil, and I didn't think that one turned out very well. So very foreign territory for me. But I handled it the same way I've handled all the prompts, the same way I handle most if not all things I don't have a lot of experience with drawing; I hopped on Pinterest and started looking around for reference images and/or seeing how other people have captured the same type of things in their drawings and/or paintings. That last bit being a tip I picked up from my Design teacher as advice she was giving to her acrylic painting class that was taught in the same room at the same time. Then I did some practice pieces. Funnily enough, I only did three this time, as finding reference pictures/ideas that I liked and wanted to paint for this prompt was a little trickier than the other three. And then on top of that, only one of them I really truly liked the outcome of, so that's naturally the look I went for with the final. I started by going back and forth with a dark blue--a mixture of a Prussian blue type of color, a black, and a dark gray--with a brush that was drier than not to get that kind of sparkly look to the waves/water, as I'd figured out to do in practice. Once that was 96% dry (which didn't take long since I wasn't using a lot of water), I moved to the sky. I started by just making circular "fluffy" motions with the same blue mixture, but now with a bit more of the Prussian blue, in a couple of spots to get the darkest parts of the clouds, and then I went back and forth adding water and thin layers of paint (the blue, but also gray and a little white) to get the cloud look to roughly where I wanted it. Then I waited a bit for that to dry, but not fully, and I brought in more gray and black to marry the clouds and the water together. This was originally meant to be a more smooth/clear sky, but for the final to keep everything consistent and not have harsh water lines, it was just easier to go with the flow and let there be more texture to it. I also ended up going back to this area and some of the clouds to darken things up a bit. I let things dry, then tried to lift up some of the color down the middle towards the bottom where I knew I wanted the lightning to go. so the bolts themselves would have more of a glow effect. (I'd learned the lightning was pretty essential to make the piece look like an actual storm and not just a moody nighttime picture.) I didn't lift up quite as much as I wanted to, I assume because that blue had more staying power than I expected, but it was enough to tell the difference. And in hindsight now, seeing the finished product, I think it was just enough. After that, I paused for several minutes to make sure everything was as bone-dry as possible for the next steps. I then went in with some white watercolor and a super thin brush and very carefully started trying to make lightning-bolt-esque lines and shapes. In a few places, I did have to pause and I actually ended up scrubbing the paper with my finger a bit to blend out some of the white to soften or lift it, but in the end this part of the process ended up looking better and going more smoothly than it had in my practice pieces, and fortunately the lightning here in the final looks like stiff than it did also in practice. The last step in painting was that I went back in with a standard black and added the silhouette of a boat, some land structure on the horizon, and some grass in the foreground. Otherwise, at least to me, this would have read more like the ocean than a lake. Usually, you wouldn't see grass this close to the water and the boat (if it's a small fishing type of boat) wouldn't look this big if it was the ocean. And naturally, after that, I went back and did some minor touch-ups, but there really wasn't much that had to be done. Honestly, originally I thought this painting was the weakest of the group that I've done for the challenge so far, but I showed it to a couple of my friends and they disagree. If anything, they think it's the strongest, or at least it's their favorite. Upon future reflection, I think my disconnect is simply that this one turned out almost monochromatic in look, and I'm used to more color. Or, when I do use a limited palette, I'm used to there being a pop of color beyond just white. That said, I do like how this one turned out, it's just not in line with my usual work so it doesn't feel the same when I look at it, y'know? Still, that's 4 out of 5 prompts done. One remains; "Winter Mountain"...hmm...wish me luck... ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

#artphilosophynovemberchallenge

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angryzilla · 6 years

Text

Here’s a masterlist of all my Fantastic Beasts fanfictions — I go by as na_shao (little_fella) on AO3.

» Pressed into the gravel, pressed into the dirt, pressing against each other in an effort to make the minutes stop (M)

Word count: 6991 / 11 chapters — this fic has been discontinued

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, graphic depictions of torture, recovery, fix-it

Description: He knows it’s the darkest magic he has ever faced in his life when he stumbles upon Gellert Grindelwald sitting on his sofa.

» Now high above your golden veins (the life, the life, the life) (E)

Word count: 2515 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff and angst, porn with feelings, mentions of PTSD

Description: People can get used to anything out of spite and worry; he feels like it is the only thing he's learned that's of any use from his own story; and too soon, too soon the cold could kill the last blooms of roses and hydrangea but he will never let it happen to Percival.

» Through the silence of fireflies (E)

Word count: 1449 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff and smut, lingerie, mentions of PTSD

Description: Grace, and wonder, and the overwhelming realisation that Credence is his, with a ring on his finger, with dawn breathing in his lungs and a cold kiss to lessen the blow of the past.

» Long beside the bitter of the skin (tomorrow won’t know when to begin) (E)

Word count: 2365 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff and angst, blowjobs, mentions of PTSD, mentions of past violent events, healer!Credence

Description: His scarf is knotted over his mouth before he lowers it to his neck again, wanting to feel the rush of icy wind. The snow bites into his face, prickling the rim of the head where the hair starts coming out. The drifting accumulation and fragments of bone taken from the wound. A slash of blood against snowy fields. There are days where it’s hard to care about ordinary things.

» Every moment undone (implosions of beauty back to where we begun) (M)

Word count: 1356 / Part of the Kalopsia series

Tags / warnings: Alternate Universe (canon divergence), modern AU (still magical universe), PSTD, Graves is emotionally constipated, Angry cloud Credence

Description: "Why are you handing me this?” Credence mumbles with his cigarette between his lips as he points at the sweater Graves is offering, dark eyebrow arched; the floor under the soles of his shoes feels incoherent, as if asphalt cracks were being pushed apart in every direction. ”I thought you hated my guts.” ”When did I say that?” Graves grumbles back, arm still stretched out with the material clenched between the flesh-shaped tan of his fingers.

» Where the roses grow (T)

Word count: 856 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: Aftermath of torture, post-Grindelwald, established relationship, mentions of torture and violence, PTSD, healing

Description: Unexpectedly, autumn nights brought a new sense of joy under their wing. It took nearly a year of intensive care and rehabilitation for Graves to go back home after Credence, Theseus and a team of Aurors found him bathing in his own blood.

» I’m all but washed (in the tide of her breathing) (G)

Word count: 1024 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: Genderswap, fluff, super married ladies

Description: She reaches long arms around her; her blooming Prussian blue rose, her darling ink-spilled sky of silver constellations— and Constance feels a presence behind her a split second before there’s an arm snaking its way around her stomach, pressing very gently; the Obscurus sparks up from the sweater-framed back in rolls of gasoline dust and crackling, sizzling little bolts of lightning, until it recognises the bearer of those hands (a compass, a path, a polestar)—

» And there’ll be sun, sun, sun all down our necks (G)

Word count: 256 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: Fluff, established relationship

Description: “You’re going to fry your brain if you stay there all afternoon,” Percival says softly, leaning down to kiss Credence’s forehead before he extends a hand toward the younger man. “Come swim with me?” As Credence grabs his hand and manages to stand on his feet, he pulls Percival to him; their mouths meet easily under the burning summer sun, and Credence’s lips are cold against his, eager to be tasted and messed with.

» Closer and closer, we’re crashing ships in the night (E)

Word count: 424 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: Gratuitous smut, discovering they have feelings, breaking up & making up

Description: They break up on a Monday evening and Theseus slaps him so hard that Percival’s cheek blooms purple in the days that follow. They make it up on a Friday morning two years later and Theseus is sprawled on Percival’s desk, peach-colored legs spread wide and cock leaking everywhere on the files underneath him.

» And in the flood of morning light — spilling out across your room — you say the words will get there soon (E)

Word count: 1866 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, PTSD, pets, recovery

Description: It starts when he visits Theseus in London, a few months into 1926. “Thes?” “Hmm?” “Your brother’s big cat keeps bothering me.”

» I’m caught in the ropes and the wires; the sun settles hard in the south (M)

Word count: 456 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: PTSD, angst, mentions of blood and severe torture

Description: The water of his bath is cooling and he’s haunted, haunted by demons and images and his inability to even speak; too quiet, bound and falling into a dark, blood-threshed water where ripples are ropes curling around his wrists and ripping the flesh apart only to leave a bloody mess behind as it bites his lungs and he can’t breathe and can’t remember his name, a name, his — something.

» He was born to blow your mind or something along those lines, tonight (E)

Word count: 1239 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: makeup shenanigans, lipstick, smut, fluff

Description: “I miss you wearing lipstick, darling.” Theseus frowns over his cup of tea, his eyelashes pale waves that echo through space. “It was one time at that queer jazz bar. You liked it that much?“ “You looked marvelous with it. I keep thinking about it, from time to time.”

» Trembling hands (E)

Word count: 398 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: angst, war, mentions of blood, graphic description of violence

Description: Smoke pierces his eyes, making tears try to crawl out into the open while dread runs cold in his veins.“You triple fucker,” Theseus sobs while trying to examine the wound, and swears under his breath, “stop moving! I can’t— I can’t do it—”

» Untitled Fratboys AU (E)

Word count: on going — 10k for now, two or three parts; find bits I posted here and here

Tags / warnings: mentions of past abuse at the hands of former partners, mentions of panic attacks and anxiety disorder/depression, a large amount of smut and greasy jokes, fratboys setting, modern AU

» “You killed him!” (E)

Word count: 1276 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: angst, major character death, ANGST (did I already WRITE ANGST already??)

Description: “You killed him!” Theseus shouts, his pale fingers curling around the edge of his wand as he peers around the room, Percival’s body lying in a pool of oxidized blood, almost black at the rim.It blends together with the floor like a film of gasoline spreading all over the asphalt, thick and enveloping and forever snatching whatever was underneath it. Snatched; that’s the word. Percival was snatched from him, was vanished into nothingness before he could even get to him. You failed him.

» The tale of the cute kitten and the wisdom teeth (G)

Word count: 98 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: utter fluff, mega diabetes incoming

Description: Imagine Percival after having his wisdom teeth pulled out. Still woozy and loose lipped from the anaesthetics. He becomes very cuddly and giggly mixed with teary at the strangest things (think bursting into tears because a kitten is too fluffy and cute).

» The one where he gets Theseus’ little brother’s approval (G)

Word count: 515 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff

Description: Theseus and Newt are really close. When Percival gathers up the courage to try to court Theseus he knows he’ll have to win over not just Newt but also his creatures too otherwise Theseus would never be amenable. So Percival gets ready to face off against hostile, wild creatures (which includes Newt). He’s surprised that instead Newt willingly helps him court his brother and even offers the assistance of his creatures.

» Not every soul will sink like the setting sun (E)

Word count: 2463 / One-Shot written for Day 4 of the first edition of @fantasticsmutbeastsweek — In Public / Getting Caught

Tags / warnings: blood, war, blowjob, in public, mention of trauma, mention of bullet injury, oral sex, established relationship, mention of alcohol, dumb aurors in love

Description: “Fuck this shit,” he manages to grunt in disbelief, blood rushing through the arteries still, “‘m not dying on the goddamn battlefield.” “I’ll haunt you until I drive your ghost fucking crazy if you do,” a familiar voice rises behind him, and suddenly colours explode back before Theseus’ eyelids.There’s warm pressure against his head, the rough pads of fingers touching the sensitive skin of his neck; the nudge of a tongue against his teeth.

» Collapse (T)

Word count: 728 / part 1; part 2 being What must be broken is left to rearrange

Tags / warnings: mentions of torture, PTSD, Percival wants to protect Theseus and is dumb, feelings, angst

Description: Theseus knows that he’s lying, and Percival knows that he knows. Where in Hell did he think his partner in— pretty much everything would buy the whole I’m fine, please don’t worry, just a few broken bones?It’s here, the look of hurt and disappointment, and it’s tangible, and he feels it pull at his chest. “I don’t hate you. I hate that after all of this, you’re still trying to lie to me, Perce.”

» What must be broken is left to rearrange (T)

Word count: 1108 / follow-up to Collapse

Tags / warnings: mentions of torture, PTSD, Percival wants to protect Theseus and is dumb, feelings, angst

Description: Collapsed, but not defeated. Rise. Percival is kneeling by his side, looking down at him, eyes dark with worry, breathing fast as if he had run miles and miles to get to him. Theseus can see a few bandages poke out from underneath his hospital gown where it’s open and it makes his stomach churn; they’re a proof that he took so long to make it through to him, to this disgusting cell he was kept in, in his own living room, in his own home.

» “I sleep with the boss” / “I am the boss” (T)

Word count: 307 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: married couple, established relationship, a LOT OF FUN, sexy innuendos

Description: MACUSA as a whole has gotten used to it, really. Queenie nods absently at Percival as she places his mug of coffee on his desk, trying to pass off as listening, but really just biting off her lower lip as to avoid laughing in her boss’ face. “So, you’re the boss today?” she asks softly, cheeks a gentle pink under the harsh yellow lights of the office.

» Real or not real? (G)

Word count: 1403 / written for the @fantasticbeastscalendar

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, angst, angst with a happy ending, dissociation, aftermath of torture

Description: “Let’s do something,” Theseus says, and licks his lips, pressing them together before speaking up again. “Ask me things, things only the real Theseus Scamander can know.”

» Everything starts to rewind (G)

Word count: 735 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, food, chubby!Graves, angst with a happy ending, aftermath of torture, Aurors In Love

Description: Graves manages to furtively eat another slice of cake while Theseus’ back is turned, forkfuls shoved inside his mouth at the speed of light. Theseus is willing to turn a blind eye to this because Percival went through hell and came back so thin his lover wondered how he even made it through alive.

» A waltz in your bloodstream (E)

Word count: 2538 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: fluff and smut, domestic fluff, smears of angst, slice of life, porn with feelings

Description: “He’s one to keep,” his step-father had said in the dying violet hour of their home in Bath. “He likes apple pie. He’s a good person.” Theseus let out a laugh. “It’s not just about liking pies, Dad.” If only liking apple pie made this world worthwhile for all its flaws and clouds of despair.

» There'll never be an end to our journey (E)

Word count: 1495 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: fluff and smut, domestic fluff, weddings, uniform worship, body worship and praise

Description: Theseus has to stifle a giggle when Percival pushes him on the bed and nearly falls flat on the floor in his haste of worshipping his uniform-clothed husband, the most gorgeous sight to have ever graced his eyes in a long time. “I’m sorry,” Percival mumbles apologetically to him, afraid of having broken the moment, but Theseus catches him by the wrist, still laughing.

» The one with a broken ankle (T)

Word count: 596 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: fluff, domestic fluff, fun times

Description: Percival Graves is the kind of person who if they break their ankle they would use the crutch to play office golf. Theseus Scamander is the kind of person who would get jealous and want a broken ankle just so he too could play office golf with his crutch.

» Tomorrow (G)

Word count: 1010 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: heavy angst, amnesia fic, established relationship, implied heavy torture

Description: It doesn’t sit right with him, the reason why Graves would visit him every single day just because his leg got shattered to pieces in a mission.

» But you’re losing your words (we’re speaking in bodies) (E)

Word count: 1380 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: smut smut smut, daddy kink, desk sex

Description: "Come on, Newt. Of course you like calling me Daddy." The shades are drawn in Percival’s home office, the only light being of the desk lamp, warm and orange, pouring in, pouring everywhere around them. "Not true," Newt mumbles low, chest pressed against the hardwood of Percival's desk, his dress shirt of almost phosphorescent blue discarded in the chair nearby. "I don't."

» The one where Percival Graves is a father figure to three dragons (G)

Word count: 417 / Incoming second part

Tags / warnings: fluff, chosen family, Graves is a sap with his dragon sons, established relationship

Description: “Winston! Philip! Barnaby! Enough is enough!” Newt shouts through the room as he walks into the meeting Percival is currently holding with his team regarding the process of securing a specific upcoming event Picquery is going to get part of. “Leave your father alone! He’s working!”

» The one where Newt is a cat who takes naps everywhere at MACUSA (G)

Word count: 361 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: fluff, established relationship

Description: Percival is far too tired to find the whole thing anything more than endearing when he finds Newt fast asleep in a corner of his office where sunlight has decided to settle.The older man bites his lip, looks like he’s deciding whether to lie down with his husband or to wake him up until all defenses are lost and he can’t help but curl up in the mazoologist’s arms.

» It’s a question of style (G)

Word count: 306 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: fluff, established relationship, a lot of fun

Description: “I feel like your husband is very stylish,” a junior Auror says to Percival one day as he helps her review one of her upcoming missions. “His curls are so— bouncy and wonderful! I can never quite get that myself. ”Percival chuckles, and for a moment, the poor junior thinks she has made a giant mistake. “Oh, Martha, if only you knew.”

» We’ll lay here for years or for hours (your hand in my hand, so still and discreet) (E)

Word count: 666 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: smut smut smut, implied ot3, blowjobs, body worship

Description: ”I see that a certain Percival has been feeding you well while I was away,” Theseus grins as he bites into Credence’s creamy thigh, generous and plump, everything Theseus happens to love in him.

» We left footprints in the slush of ourselves (E)

Word count: 41821 / on going; 4 chapters

Tags / warnings: angst, emotional hurt, post-Grindelwald, unhealthy coping mechanisms, PTSD, past child abuse, fix-it, recovery, coming together

Description: His skull is fucking cracked.Not actually cracked, mind you— or maybe it has been, for all it’s worth, and he hasn’t remembered yet. But it’s been split open and left for dead in that dirty cell of hell, and he hasn’t gotten it back. (Or how Percival eventually heals with Theseus and Credence. In which Theseus comes back to New York after Graves’ abduction at the hands of Grindelwald and moves in with him; Credence is lost and found, very angry and confused.)

» The one where Theseus needs comfort (T)

Word count: 523 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, PTSD

Description: Credence adjusts the blanket around Theseus’ shoulders gently, and he didn’t need to, really, the blanket being fine as it was; but it’s more about the gesture and the reassurance, the unspoken I’m here spelt between the lines. He doesn’t even mention the redness around his eyes, and for that, the Brit is grateful— Credence is like that, able to see past the wound in order to focus on the stitches there are to tighten.

» Exhale (G)

Word count: 2663 / One-Shot co-written with @maggieandthedragon

Tags / warnings: mild gore, hurt/comfort, PTSD, flashbacks

Description: Something about the way his Auror had slumped against the wall, blood leaking from his mouth had reminded him of Sam Crispin hung on concertina wire, bleeding and twitching in no man’s land as the gray sky clotted in his blood and flowers burnt all around. [Or: Theseus doesn't carry all of his scars on his skin. But at least he's not carrying them alone.]

» But the stars weren’t wrong, the time felt right (E)

Word count: 3001 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, Hanukkah, jewish holidays, fluff

Description: Feeling lulled by Percival’s thumb slipping back and forth across his temple, Credence breathes in deeply, curling his arms around Theseus, snuggles into his warmth. “Hanukkah is the festival of lights and we celebrate it to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.”

» We’ll find how to make it with the rain; this rage will lead us through the burning plains (E)

Word count: 1731 / One-Shot

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff, smut

Description: A kiss on his forehead; different hands at once on his cheeks (rough and calloused; thinner and irregular with welt bumps). “I know you’re awake.” Theseus opens his eyes and settles his emerald gaze upon the face peering down at him— lanky fingers curling in the deepening sheets, shadows blue with the cloudy, purplish day in London; and the windows grow thick with fog.

» And I heard you say, let’s lose ourselves out here always (E)

Word count: 4024 / One-Shot co-written with @maggieandthedragon

Tags / warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff, smut, post-WWII

Description: For Credence, the end of the war came in a brief flare of green smoke and the flutter of a piece of paper. The ripe scent of Floo flame-- melted paint, scorched wood, herbal and worn-- drifted through too big flat and he slid off the couch to go read it. It’s done. Home soon. -- PGG the neatly folded note read, as if Credence somehow couldn’t recognize his lover’s handwriting after eighteen years. An anticlimax in swooping calligraphy. After decades of anxiety as Grindelwald’s influence grew on the continent, nearly two years of fear as the United Kingdom went to war and MACUSA dithered and fought amongst itself before finally leaping into the fray. But it was done and Percival and Theseus would come home weary in body and soul and the least he could do was give his lovers a haven.

» Munich, 1929 (E)

Word count: 146 / co-written with @fractalspaces, edit by me

Tags / warnings: smut, angst, have unexpected feels

Description: There are cracks, sometimes, and eyes opened that show the deepest sadness— a sadness engraved in granite and bitterness; something much bigger than what they had, if they had anything at all.

» I’m the scrapes of iron your skin breathes (E)

Word count: 579 / One-Shot + playlist

Tags / warnings: murder husbands, disturbing imagery

Description: “You know this isn’t meant to last, dearest,” Grindelwald murmurs in his ear with a vice-like grip around his aching shoulder. “I have never expected more than that.” It’s a lie.

» The Impossible Winner

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves

Description: A dark post-Grindelwald mix about Graves’ recovery. Can be listened as a stand alone or linked to my Thesivaldence fic We left footprints in the slush of ourselves.

» I can feel it breathe

Character / Pairing: Credence Barebone

Description: An exploration of Credence’s Obscurus and of his anger.

» I’m the scrapes of iron your skin breathes

Character / Pairing: Gellert Grindelwald / Percival Graves

Description: An accompanying mix for the written piece of the same name.

» You, you turn the oceans into streams

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Newt Scamander (Gramander)

» Liminal Spaces

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Theseus Scamander / Credence Barebone (Thesivaldence)

Fic by @fractalspaces, edit by me

» Should’ve Known From My First Breath

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Credence Barebone (Gradence)

Fic by @fractalspaces , edit by me

» Revenant

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Credence Barebone (Gradence)

Fic by @myheadsamesssogimmetheslash, edit by me

» A bunch of married grumpy rabbits

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Theseus Scamander (Thesival)

Fic & moodboard by me

» Contain this or it will mean war

Character / Pairing: Seraphina Picquery

Commission for @letclestrcnge

» Wake up

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Theseus Scamander (Thesival)

Fic & moodboard by me

» Cross my heart and hope to die

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Theseus Scamander (Thesival)

Fic & moodboard by me

» Life to come

Character / Pairing: Percival Graves / Theseus Scamander / Credence Barebone (Thesivaldence)

Fic & moodboard by me

» Ko-Fi «

#masterlist #fanfic #fantastic beasts and where to find them #mine #long post #feel free to reblog <3

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linniehays404936-blog · 5 years

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Putting together Your Home Office Workplace.

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mredwinsmith · 7 years

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3 Still Life Paintings for The Perfect Facebook Challenge

Take Three: A trio of friends who’ve never met in person hold a still life painting challenge across the miles.

A few months ago, I was chatting via Facebook with my friend and fellow painter Anne Hightower-Patterson White. Although we’ve never met in person, we’ve developed a great connection through social media.

We determined that we were both ready for a new creative endeavor and devised a virtual still life painting challenge. She brought our friend Susan M. Stuller on board, and we were off and running.

Simple Guidelines

We’d each select and share three favorite pieces from our glass collections, and then we’d each paint a still life painting based on some of those pieces. We shipped the glass items back and forth until we all had photographed a still life setup using at least five pieces from the collections.

The agreement was not to tell one another which pieces we had chosen—or to share our works in progress. There was a lot of excitement to see how our different painting styles would translate into compositions featuring the same subjects. Here’s a look at our experiment—as well as some tips for painting glass objects.

Try It Yourself

I encourage other artists who are friends on Facebook or other communication outlets such as Instagram or email to try a similar project. It’s always interesting and educational to see how someone else interprets the same subject through their own eyes and creative style. This even can be done internationally, by emailing the same reference photo or idea to friends around the globe and having each create a painting in his or her individual style. -Laurie Goldstein-Warren

Doing the Prep Work | Anne Hightower-Patterson White

STEP 1: I began the process by doing two 5″ x 7″ value studies (below) to work out the composition and plan the pattern of lights and darks.

Step 1

STEP 2: I then did a complete 9″ x 12″ color study in which I tried out some darker shadows that I decided to leave out of the final painting. I focused on triangulating the colors to provide a visual map through the painting. For this, I altered a few of the reds and blues from my photos to improve the color harmony.

Step 2

STEP 3: I completed a detailed line drawing of the composition (3a) and then masked the areas where I wanted to preserve the white of the paper (3b).

Step 3a

Step 3b

STEP 4: I created the initial washes to begin to define the light values and establish the local color.

Step 4

STEP 5: I removed small amounts of masking and began establishing the middle and darker values, as seen in the upper left.

Step 5

FINAL STEP: Once I had the values in correct relationship, I did what I call “a finishing step.” I go through and tighten up shapes that seem ragged. If I’ve lost a highlight, I either scrub it out with a fabric dye brush or use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to lift color, especially staining color. I think the traditional scrubbers are a little rough on 140-lb. paper; however, the fabric dye brushes by Loew Cornell are just right.

If there’s a small point to highlight, I’ll use my go-to opaque white—Shiva white casein. In the final assessment of While the Fish Danced (watercolor on paper, 21½” x 28″), I determined that the lower corners needed less emphasis, so I used a neutral gray mixture and lightly floated it across the bottom from corner to corner, which helps to lift the eye to the focal point.

Final Step

Anne’s Watercolor Tips

Begin by observing the glass reflections carefully. Do a detailed still life drawing of the reflected shapes on paper. Make any corrections before transferring the drawing to watercolor paper by using either transfer paper or a light box.

Avoid erasures on your watercolor paper, and use a hard pencil to complete your drawing to prevent losing your marks in washes. Mask the shapes that will remain white or very light.

Layer color one glaze at a time using transparent or semi-transparent colors. Ensure one layer is dry before applying the next.

After painting the initial glaze, apply masking to preserve the lighter values before adding darker ones. Remove the masking once the darkest values are complete. Use a small, stiff brush to soften the edges of the shapes that look too hard.

Anne’s Watercolor Toolkit:

Paper: Winsor & Newton 140-lb. cold-pressed white

Paint: Sennelier: red orange, lacquer red; Winsor & Newton: burnt sienna, Winsor blue (red shade), cobalt, aureolin, Indian yellow, raw sienna, brown madder, sepia, French ultramarine; Daniel Smith: quinacridone rose, quinacridone gold, quinacridone coral, sap green

Brushes: Jack Richeson Extreme Kolinsky, Art Xpress Charles Reid Kolinsky

Using a Limited Palette | Laurie Goldstein-Warren

STEP 1: I do my initial drawing on oversized white drawing paper. When I’m happy with the composition, I move the drawing to my watercolor paper using transfer paper. I then go over my lines with a hard graphite pencil and mask off my whites and any other shapes that I want to remain pure in color.

Step 1

STEP 2: I paint in a glowing layer first using quinacridone gold, quinacridone rose and cobalt blue.

Step 2

STEP 3: When that layer is completely dry, I lay in my first dark layer (value 8 or 9) using quinacridone gold, quinacridone rose and Antwerp blue.

Step 3

STEP 4: When the dark layer is dry, I remove all the masking fluid and begin to paint in the mid-value (3-7) shapes using the same limited four-color palette.

Step 4

STEP 5: Once I’m satisfied with the values and shapes, I use a gray wash from the remaining paint in the palette to push back some of the glass pieces and bring others to the forefront of the painting.

Step 5

FINAL STEP: I achieve the finished look by masking off just a few of the white and pure color spots. I then apply a violet-blue wash over the entire painting to unify it. Finally, I use a soft brush to prevent disturbing the underlying layers of paint in Stars in the Dark (watercolor on paper, 30×22).

Final Step

Laurie’s Watercolor Tips

Don’t just shoot a photo of your still life and begin. Study the light, reflections, refraction and surfaces. Only draw reflections and shadows that are important; not every detail is needed. Join values that are close together to create larger shapes.

Soften the edges of masked elements in some areas of the still life and leave hard edges in others, always considering the variety and quality of your shapes. Push back some pieces in your still life; not all of the objects should have equal importance.

Laurie’s Watercolor Toolkit:

Paper: Fabriano Artistico bright white 140-lb. cold-pressed

Paint: Daniel Smith: quinacridone rose, quinacridone gold; Winsor & Newton: lamp black, cobalt, Antwerp blue

Brushes: Silver Brush Black Velvet 1½-inch flat wash; Yasutomo/Haboku stroke 6060L

Building Up Shapes and Values | Susan M. Stuller

STEP 1: I photograph a variety of still life setups with strong light. After choosing several, I proceed with a few value studies and then select the one I like the best.

I do my value studies on tracing paper with a Sharpie pen and a pencil and mark the center of the paper with an “x,” so I don’t arrange anything in the center. Next, I proceed with several tracing paper layers to refine my drawing.

Step 1

STEP 2: When I’m satisfied with my tracing paper drawing, I transfer my drawing to my painting surface with graphite paper and mask the whites I want to preserve using Winsor & Newton masking fluid.

Step 2

STEP 3: I like to apply the glow colors first so I know where they are and can paint around them. Next, I wet the paper and add a warm light wash, dropping in some neutrals in the corners.

Step 3

STEP 4: I start to build up shapes and values, gradually using colors I know won’t lift as I proceed to glaze over them. Most of the light to mid-tone grays are painted using a mixture of cobalt and burnt sienna, and I occasionally drop in a little permanent rose if I want a violet tone.

The masking fluid is removed during the glazing process of this step, so that the hard edges of the mask will be softened in subsequent layers.

Step 4

STEP 5: I continue to refine shapes and values while adjusting the temperature. I wait until I have more completed shapes before I start on the blue vase.

Step 5

STEP 6: I rewet the background around the glass items and, using a round, soft mop brush, I drop in a warm neutral wash using indigo, raw sienna and a little alizarin crimson. I also use some Dr. Ph. Martin’s liquid watercolors to brighten up the strong colors in the marbles and some of the glass items.

Step 6

STEP 7: I start slowly on the blue vase. Putting in the glow colors first, I paint more of them than I need, knowing that as I change values I’ll lose some of the color. I then add small amounts of those same colors around the painting to help guide the viewer as he looks at the painting.

Step 7

FINAL STEP: I continue to glaze color on the blue bottle as well as add several glazes in the background using the same indigo wash. I also use the indigo wash to push back some of the glass shapes.

Cheap Joe’s scrubber is great for softening any remaining hard edges left by the masking. I decide to add a few cards to Something Borrowed, Something Blue (watercolor on paper, 21×29) to strengthen the focal point. I continue to soften edges with the scrubber brush and add a few final glazes to push the values

Final Step

Susan’s Watercolor Tips

A great drawing is a must when painting intricate glass still life paintings. Create clear light shapes that make the glass sparkle, even crafting or eliminating some shapes for composition’s sake.

Mask the major light shapes carefully; they’ll be important to the final painting. Design is important to the overall success of the painting; don’t make it too busy. Always keep the following in mind as you paint: values, values, values.

Susan’s Watercolor Toolkit

Paper: Arches 300-lb. cold-pressed

Paint: Holbein: cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, Prussian blue, cerulean blue, alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, raw sienna, indigo, new gamboge, permanent rose, permanent red; Winsor & Newton: Winsor green; Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor: cerulean blue; Dr. Ph. Martin’s: phthalo green, blue, yellow light, ultra-marine blue Brushes: Silver Brush Black Velvet

Brushes: Silver Brush Black Velvet jumbo round; Loew Cornell 6 and 14 rounds, 1- and 2-inch flats; 2- and 4-inch hakes

***

Read more watercolor stories like this one by subscribing to Watercolor Artist. And, be sure to follow the magazine on Instagram @watercolorartistmag for some watercolor inspiration!

Article written by Laurie Goldstein-Warren, Anne Hightower-Patterson White  and Susan M. Stuller

The post 3 Still Life Paintings for The Perfect Facebook Challenge appeared first on Artist's Network.

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historyandjunk · 7 years

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The Story(ies) of the German Flag(s)

The history of flags, and the study of flags (vexillology if you want to get technical), is incredibly interesting. Don’t think it is? Well, let me impart to you, the story(ies) of the flag of Germany, a banner of schwarz, rot und gold; one of the world’s most recognisable flags. Germany’s flag is not that old, because Germany, as we know it today, has only existed as a unified nation-state since 1871, when Prussia, led by Otto von Bismarck and Wilhelm I (Both of whom, had amazing mustaches), brought the German speaking peoples of Europe into a single state, sans Austria and Switzerland of course. Before this, ‘Germany’ was simply the collective name given to the hundreds of small kingdoms, duchies and city-states that were a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Which, as Voltaire famously put, was neither ‘holy’, nor ‘roman’, nor an ‘empire’. So, lets go on a journey together, and explore the history of Germany’s many flags. The Lützow Free Corps, and radical students. In 1803, as tended to happen frequently in Europe at the time, a war began. The Napoleonic Wars. Going into detail over The Napoleonic Wars is not the purpose of this post, but needless to say, the result of this conflict would shape European history for the next century at least. It could even be argued that Napoleon’s adventures created the conditions necessary for nationalist movements all over Europe, including Germany. In 1813, Prussian Chief of Staff Gerhard Johann David Waitz von Scharnhorst, gave permission to Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm Freiherr von Lützow, to organise a free corps, consisting of infantry, cavalry, hunters and snipers in order to carry out flank attacks and guerrilla warfare behind the French lines. Volunteers were to be drawn from all over Germany and Austria. It was hoped that a broadly national force such as this would rally the smaller German states to the side of the Sixth Coalition. So, in February of 1813 the unit was officially founded as, Königlich Preußisches Freikorps von Lützow (Royal Prussian Free Corps von Lützow). The romantic image of the Freikorps is one of students, and academics, fighting for the freedom of the German people. Whilst the latter half may have a ring of truth to it, only 12% of the unit were students and academics. With that being said, many famous German intellectuals were a part of the unit, including, strangely enough, Friedrich Fröbel, who conceived the idea of ‘kindergarten’, along with quite a few gymnasts for some reason. At least two women, Eleonore Prochaska and Anna Lühring, also joined, in disguise of course. However, the most distinguishing feature of the Freikorps were their uniforms. Volunteers had to equip and supply themselves. Therefore, most of the uniforms were shabby, and were often just civilian clothing or old uniforms - even uniforms taken as booty. These makeshift uniforms were dyed simply, in black. Black was chosen over the standard Prussian Blue because black was the only dye that would work properly on such poor quality materials. Prussian Blue would simply fade, revealing the fabric’s natural color underneath, unacceptable for an army unit, even a volunteer force. The uniforms had a red trim, representing rank, along the collar, cuffs, epaulets, and along the front edge of the tunic. On the front of the tunic, were eight brass buttons, arranged in two vertical rows. After the unit was disbanded in 1814, and the Napoleonic Wars concluded (in 1815), many of the students who were a part of the Freikorps went on to join Germany’s first Burschenschaft (Student Fraternities). One such fraternity, and perhaps the most famous, was the Urburschenschaft, founded in 1815, in Jena, Thüringen. Unlike radical, left wing students today, who tend to be concerned with issues of race, gender and sexuality; these student groups were concerned with and advocating for German Nationalism (In the 19th century, nationalism was quite a left-wing ideal). The Urburschenschaft is important, because its banner was black, red, and gold. The first recorded instance of Germany’s national colours being used on a flag.

^ Banner of the Urburschenschaft. Of course, such sentiments were unwanted by the member states of the German Confederation, and in 1819, Burschenschaft were banned. These bans didn’t stop German nationalism from swelling, and numerous festivals from 1817 to 1848 displayed the colours, black, red, and gold, albeit in differing orders.

^ Hambach Festival in 1832, with the colours upside down.

In 1848, the March Revolution swept through the German states, and a short lived Parliament was formed in Frankfurt. Heinrich von Gagern, the parliament’s first president was even a former member of the Urburschenschaft. The Frankfurt Parliament adopted, black, red and gold, in today’s order, as the national flag of the newly ‘unified’ Germany.

^ Session of the National Assembly in June 1848, with the current flag on the left. Painting by Ludwig von Elliott The Frankfurt Parliament didn’t last, and was all but dissolved by the end of 1849. Interestingly, the black, red and gold flag became associated with democracy and freedom. Which is why Prussia had a different idea of what Germany’s flag should be. Heil Dir Im Siegerkranz. Deutsches Kaiserreich (The German Empire).

In 1871, at the Palace of Versailles, following the Franco-Prussian war, the German Empire was proclaimed. Four years prior, in 1867, Prussia unified the North German states, under the banner of the North German Confederation (Norddeutscher Bund). Of course, a flag was required for this new nation. The origins of the Imperial Flag lie with the shipping sector and the need for an internationally recognisable identity. Most shipping at the time came from two, general regions. The first were the three former Hanseatic City states, Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck. The second was Prussia. Hanseatic Cities typically flew red and white flags, whilst Prussia’s was black and white. Put together, the black, white, red flag of the German Empire was brought into the world.

^ Flag of the German Empire Kaiser Wilhelm was reportedly satisfied with the choice of colours. The red and white could also be seen to symbolise the Margraviate of Brandenburg, the predecessor to the Kingdom of Prussia. Yet, there was another symbolic aspect to the imperial flag. The absence of gold made it clear that the German state would not include Austria (Black and Gold were the historic colours of the Austrian Empire, and represented the Hapsburg family). It signified the full embrace of the Kleindeutsche Lösung (Lesser German Solution) to the German Question. A Germany led by Prussia, at the expense, and exclusion of Austria. This colour scheme has come to be seen as the ideological opposite to the current flag. Representing traditionalism, monarchism, and far-right nationalism. It should be noted, however, that the imperial flag has only become associated with German Neo-Nazis because the flag of Nazi Germany has been banned, and the above is apparently ‘close enough’ for them. This co-option tends to bother German Monarchists (Yes, I was surprised to learn that they exist too). It was actually banned by the Nazis, which makes its adoption by their ‘successors’ quite ironic. And funny to a flag nerd like me. Das Deutsche Reich ist eine Republik (The German Reich is a Republic) - Opening of Article 1 of the Weimar Constitution. With the conclusion of World War 1 came the conclusion of the German monarchy and of the Hohenzollern Dynasty. It was a no-brainer as to which flag the republic should adopt. Yes, the black, red and gold flag, representative of German democracy. However, this change was not welcomed by all in Germany, including a certain mustached anti-Semite, but we’ll get to him later. The flag was viewed as a symbol of humiliation, and a constant reminder of Germany’s defeat. The Reichswehr (The German military), continued to use the old imperial flag as their war flag. Detractors in Weimar Germany used many derogatory names for the flag, including my personal favourite, Schwarz–Rot–Scheiße (Black-Red-Shit).

^ Flag of the Reichswehr (Until 1933)

^ "Let the old flags fly", election poster for the monarchist and nationalist DNVP, 1932. “This was to be the German Millennium, from which even the imagination was to have no means of escape." - Hugh Trevor-Roper, The Mind of Adolf Hitler The reasoning behind the colour scheme of Nazi Germany’s flag was laid out in Mein Kampf. Hitler deemed it necessary to use the colours of Imperial Germany because they were, "revered colours expressive of our homage to the glorious past and which once brought so much honour to the German nation." Nazi Germany’s flag, today, is symbolic of horrific racism, militarism, homophobia and totalitarianism. It represents all of humanity’s worst traits, and some of history’s darkest moments. At the time of its conception however, it was basically a giant marketing tool. Something that would look effective at a distance. A banner full of faux symbolism. The most important requirement was that, "the new flag... should prove effective as a large poster" because "in hundreds of thousands of cases a really striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement." The flag of Nazi Germany was tied up in the apparatus of the Nazi Party. As a national flag, it means little. Whilst now, it is tied up in notions of antisemitism, and fascism, at the time, it was simply a marketing tool, something to promote the Nazi Party, nothing more. It’s a shit flag. Effective marketing tool. But a shit flag. Sorry, I will try to remain as objective and un-biased as possible on this blog, but the flag of Nazi Germany is shit. Not only because it represents awful things, but because as an Asian Studies major, interested in Buddhism, I can’t help but associate swastikas with Nazism. I can’t separate the two. Seriously, fuck this flag. Nordic Crosses and Communist Compasses. After the Second World War, it became abundantly clear that Germany would need lots of rebuilding. In the West, the US, France and the UK. The Soviet’s in the East. Not even 100 years after being unified, Germany was disunited once more. This time with an iron curtain running through it. With this rebuilding came discussions concerning which flags each Germany should adopt. In the Federal Republic of Germany, there were two camps. The Social Democrats proposed the re-introduction of the tricolour. The other camp, led by the Christian Democratic Union, backed the adoption of a Nordic Cross design, used by members of the July 20 Plot, which aimed to assassinate Hitler in 1944. The tricolour was eventually chosen, mainly to provide some continuity between the new German Republic and the Weimar Republic. Discussions in the East were a little different. Many people wanted to adopt the imperial colours. This option was backed by the Soviet Union, who remembered the Weimar Republic as being weak, wracked with unemployment, and dealing with constant crises’. However, in 1949, it was decided to adopt the old tricolour. This created the awkward situation where the two German nations had the same flag. This was fixed in 1959, when the German Democratic Republic added their national emblem: a hammer and compass surrounded by a garland of corn The hammer represented industry, the compass represented the intelligentsia, and the corn represented the farmers.

^ Nordic Cross variant, proposed by Ernst Wirmer.

^ Flag of East Germany. Es fühlt sich gut an, wieder vereint zu sein! (Re-united and it feels so good). Most of the Time. In 1990, after 45 years of separation, East and West came together once more. Well, it would be more apt to say that West Germany kind of ‘ate’ East Germany, but still! With reunification came a whole other set of problems, but the East’s flag was dropped, and the West’s became the sole German flag once more. Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (Unity and Justice and Freedom). The tricolour, like so many others (For example, the French flag), represents something greater than just Germany. It embodies the values of democracy, of freedom. I think that’s one of the things that makes it so powerful. There is something about it that is instantly recognisable. Even to people who aren’t as strangely obsessed with flags as I am, people know of the German flag. I hope that you have enjoyed this journey. Most of my posts will definitely not be this long in the future. I just find the history of Germany’s flag incredibly fascinating. For a country so young, it has had so many flags, each with its own meaning, and baggage.

#germany #history #flag #nazism #nationalism

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sadiesavestheday · 7 years

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A Look Inside My Palette

I have been wanting to make a sort of watercolor resource including swatches of all the colors I have been able to get my hands on. Since that would mean watching all of the colors in my palate, I decided to take this as an opportunity to talk about the colors that I paint with regularly.

At the moment there are 42 colors in my main palette, although that’s probably way more than I need. My palette is in a state of transition, and I’m really trying to figure out what yellows and oranges are important to my painting.

In addition to those 42 colors, I also have 38 other colors that are not in my main palette. They are either redundant, not exactly fitting my needs, or waiting their turn to be put into the pallet.

My Selection Criteria

The way I choose colors is pretty simple. I want high quality, single pigment colors, that are fairly non-toxic. I stay away from cadmium, cobalt, cerulean, manganese, and viridian paints.

(Even though I really love cerulean and viridian, and miss them very much. I have heard that Kremer Pigments sells a non-toxic Zirconium Cerulean that I just can’t wait to get my hands on!)

I also want my colors to mix well and try to avoid repeating the same hue unless there is something very different in the characteristic of the watercolor.

The brands I choose are often determined by whether the pigment I want is available in the brand, the quality of the pigment in that brand, and the price.

Main Palette

Yellows

PY 53 – Nickel Titanate Yellow – Daler Rowney

PY 175 – Lemon Yellow Hue – Winsor & Newton (discontinued)

PY3 – Lemon Yellow – Schmincke

PY 97 – Transparent Yellow – Winsor and Newton (discontinued)

PY 153 – Sennelier Yellow Light – Sennelier

PY 97 – Hansa Yellow Medium – Daniel Smith

PY 74 –Schveningen Yellow Light – Old Holland

PY 153 – Indian yellow – Daler Rowney

PBR 7 – Raw Umber – M Graham

PBR 7 – Burnt Umber – Daler Rowney

PY 43 –Goethite – Daniel Smith

PBR 24 – Naples Yellow – M Graham

PO 49 – Quinacridone Gold – Daniel Smith

As you can probably tell from this list, I have some kind of yellow obsession. For a while I was on the hunt for the coolest yellow possible, and I think that I have finally found it with Nickel Titanate Yellow. Still I am tinkering around to figure out the best combination of cool, warm, and middle yellows, so my palette is kind of a mess.

PY 53 – Nickel Titanate Yellow – Daler Rowney

This is the coolest yellow that I have been able to find. Unfortunately, it’s a bit opaque, but it makes the most vibrant greens with phthalo blue or phthalo green that I have ever seen! Note: You can mix this with nearly any color to make a pastel or milky version.

PY 175 – Lemon Yellow Hue – Winsor & Newton (discontinued) & PY 97 – Transparent Yellow – Winsor and Newton (discontinued)

I was lucky to find beef to discontinued yellow colors from Winsor and Newton on the sales rack at my local art store. They are both beautiful colors, and very lovely and transparent. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I will be able to find a replacement once they are out because the same pigments and other brands seem to have a different hue.

PY 153 – Sennelier Yellow Light – Sennelier

My favorite middle yellow. Sennelier makes the best yellows, they just all glow.

PY 74 –Schveningen Yellow Light – Old Holland

This warm yellow is a unique pigment to Old Holland. It’s also different because it is very transparent, but also very lifting. That is a rare trait for yellow paint. Most are very staining.

PY 43 –Goethite – Daniel Smith

I use this pigment instead of yellow ocher. It’s not quite as opaque, and has a nicer texture and some granulation.

PBR 24 – Naples Yellow – M Graham

Naples Yellow is a very opaque paint, and not normally something that I would have imagined keeping on my palette. However I have found that it is really nice and glowing when extremely diluted. It’s useful for natural colors, beaches, and mixing into skin tones to give a little more weight to transparent colors.

PO 49 – Quinacridone Gold – Daniel Smith

Do I even need to say anything about this color? It’s super famous. I actually changed how I painted once I got this color, that’s how useful it is.

Oranges

PY 110 – Indian Yellow – M Graham

PO 62 – Chrome Orange – Schmincke

PO 71 – Translucent Orange – Schmincke

PO 48 – Quinacridone Burnt Orange – Daniel Smith

PO 65 – Golden Barok Red – Old Holland

PBR 41 – Translucent Brown – Schmincke

PR 101 – English Venetian Red – Schmincke

PO 73 – Scarlett Pyrrole – M Graham

PO 62 – Chrome Orange – Schmincke & PO 71 – Translucent Orange – Schmincke

Schmincke definitely make some of the best oranges. These colors are pretty unique to them. They are transparent unlike most orange colors, single pigment, and extremely vibrant. Wonderful colors for botanical painting

PO 48 – Quinacridone Burnt Orange – Daniel Smith

I love all of the Quinacridone colors. This is color that I use very often for portrait painting.

PO 65 – Golden Barok Red – Old Holland

A gorgeous brick red, this is a unique color to the Old Holland line. I use it sometimes as a substitute for burnt sienna that doesn’t granulate.

PBR 41 – Translucent Brown – Schmincke

I use a ton of this color for painting portraits, particularly of people with darker skin. I don’t like to use burnt or raw umber because they granulate. If you mix this color with Indanthrene or ultramarine blue, you get a super nice dark brown color.

PO 73 – Scarlett Pyrrole – M Graham

Probably the brightest and most saturated color on my palette. It just pops off the paper. Crazy dispersion. Crazy saturation. Just crazy.

Reds

PR 254 – Permanent Red Light – Van Gogh

PR 206 – Madder Brown – Schmincke

PR 254 – Winsor Red – Winsor and Newton

PR 179 – Deep Red – Schmincke

PR 209 – Quinacridone Red – Daler Rowney

PV 19 – Quinacridone Rose – M Graham

PR 122 – Purple Magenta – Schmincke

PR 206 – Madder Brown – Schmincke

Another color that I use a lot for portraits. I just really love how soft and warm it is. Nice for a warm brown skin tones, or blush.

PR 179 – Deep Red – Schmincke

If I were to narrow my palette down to a few key colors, this would definitely be on it. I mix this with pyrelene green to make the deepest darkest blacks.

PR 209 – Quinacridone Red – Daler Rowney

So I discovered this by accident. I had so many Quinacridone red colors, that I figured there wasn’t a reason to get another one. But I wanted to try a different pigment. And as soon as I decided to use Quinacridone read, I fell in love. This is just a wonderful, staining, transparent, mostly middle red. It’s lightly on the blue side, but I like my reds slightly cool anyway.

PV 19 – Quinacridone Rose – M Graham & PR 122 – Purple Magenta – Schmincke

Some people use these colors basically interchangeably. They both make wonderful purples when mixed with ultramarine blue. PR 122 is slightly better for this, but PV 19 is less of a finicky color when mixing with the right range of other colors.

Purples

PV 15 – Ultramarine Violet Deep – M Graham

PV 55 – Quinacridone Violet – Winsor and Newton

I don’t have a lot of purples because I like single pigment colors, and many purples are convenience colors or non-lightfast. Dioxazine Violet is often a fugitive color in many brands, so I stay on the safe side and go with my trusty Quinacridone.

Blues

PB 29 – Ultramarine Blue Deep – Old Holland

PP 29 – Ultramarine Finest – Schmincke

PB 60 – Indanthrene Blue – Winsor and Newton

PB 27 – Prussian Blue – Schmincke

PB 15:1 – Phthalo Blue – Schmincke

PB 15:3 – Phthalocyanine Blue – M Graham

PB 29 – Ultramarine Blue Deep – Old Holland & PB 29 – Ultramarine Finest – Schmincke

Normally I don’t have doubles of colors on my palate, but these two have very different characteristics. I often like to mix a warm blue that is not granulating, so Schmincke’s Ultramarine Finest is great for that. But when I want really lovely granulation, I go for the Old Holland.

PB 60 – Indanthrene Blue – Winsor and Newton

Probably my favorite blue. I use it to darken everything.

PB 27 – Prussian Blue – Schmincke

This is my mixing blue. I find that it mixes nicer and gentler colors and ultramarine does, so it’s an essential color on my palette. Also the blue that I use when painting portraits.

PB 15:1 – Phthalo Blue – Schmincke & PB 15:3 – Phthalocyanine Blue – M Graham

Phthalo blue comes in a red and a green shade, however if this pair is not far enough apart for it to be noticeable. I will probably replace the M. Graham phthalo blue with the new Rembrandt phthalo blue red shade that I have gotten.

Greens

PG 7 – Phthalo Green – Schmincke

PG 36 – Phthalo Green Yellow Shade – M Graham

PBK 31 – Pyrelene Green – Winsor and Newton

PBr 7, PB 15 – Cascade Green – Daniel Smith

PY 129 – Brown Green –Sennelier

PG 7 – Phthalo Green – Schmincke & PG 36 – Phthalo Green Yellow Shade – M Graham

I didn’t think that it was necessary to have both phthalo greens, but having been a green yellow shade makes a really big difference in mixing greens. This pair is sufficiently far enough apart that they can be really useful and versatile.

PBK 31 – Pyrelene Green – Winsor and Newton

This is the last in the series of dark colors that I love. I use this, Deep Red, and Indanthrene Blue to add deep values to nearly every painting.

PBr 7, PB 15 – Cascade Green – Daniel Smith

This is the only convenience color on my palette. I just love the granulation and how the color separate. Even though I can mix myself, this is much more convenient. I use the color rarely, but when I do I’m very happy to have it.

PY 129 – Brown Green –Sennelier

Another kind of odd color, that is really great because of its duotone nature. Mixes with purples and with yellows to make interesting browns and greens.

Other

PBk 11 – Lunar Black – Daniel Smith

Normally I don’t believe in using black in watercolor, but the granulation of this pigment is insane. I love using it just to play around, or to get texture in rocks.

Supplementary Palettes/Other Colors

PBk 9 – Ivory Black – Schmincke

Po 62, Pg 7 – Permanent Green Olive – Schmincke

Py 151 – Azo Yellow – M Graham

Py 184 – Permanent Lemon Yellow – Van Gogh

Pbr 7 – Burnt Sienna – White Nights

PY 43, PR 102, PY 83 – Raw Sienna – White Nights

Nr 9 – Rose Madder Genuine – Winsor And Newton

Per 7 – Burnt Umber – Schmincke

PY 42 – Yellow Ocher – Schmincke

PB 29 – Ultramarine Blue – M Graham

PB 27 – Prussian Blue – Daler Rowney

PP 29 – Ultramarine Deep – Van Gogh

PR 122 – Opera Rose – Winsor and Newton

Gold (90) – Kuretake Gansai Tambi

Persian Blue (63) – Kuretake Gansai Tambi

Dark Pink (34) – Kuretake Gansai Tambi

PBR 7 – Burnt Sienna – Old Holland

PR 102 – Red Ocher – Old Holland

PB 16 – Helio Turquoise – Schmincke

PG 23 – Green Earth – Rembrandt

PV 42 – Royal Purple Lake – Old Holland

PBR 7 – Raw Sienna Deep – Old Holland

PR 255 – Permanent Red Middle – Rembrandt

PY 184 – Permanent Lemon Yellow – Rembrandt

PY 150 – Aureoline – Rembrandt

PB 15 – Phthalo Blue (red shade) – Rembrandt

PV 19 – Permanent Carmine – Schmincke

PB 15:1, PBR 7, PBK 9 – Sepia – Schmincke

Nr 9 – Rose Madder Genuine – Winsor and Newton

It’s too bad that this color is fugitive. It’s really beautiful. I don’t know of any other slightly granulating, non-staining, vibrant pink.

PR 122 – Opera Rose – Winsor and Newton

Another fugitive color, which is why I do not keep it in my main palette. It is superduper vibrant, but I feel like I can see it fading even a few days after I have painted with it. I almost never use it.

PB 16 – Helio Turquoise – Schmincke

A color in between phthalo blue and phthalo green. It’s really vibrant, and almost like a tropical sea. You can mix this same color by mixing phthalo blue with phthalo green, but this is more convenient. It is a good cyan primary color. One day I would like to try Holbein’s PB 17.

PG 23 – Green Earth – Rembrandt

A fairly odd color in watercolors. I am always interested in single pigment greens that are non-toxic. It’s nice that it granulates gently. I could see using this a lot for nature colors. I would also like to try this as a underpainting for portraits.

PV 42 – Royal Purple Lake – Old Holland

I saw this color recommended, and wanted to try it out as a pink watercolor. I don’t paint paintings very often, but I know that a lot of people do. This is very nice and pink, obviously not as pink as Opera rose. It is also a good magenta primary color.

PBR 7 – Raw Sienna Deep – Old Holland

While many people use yellow ocher when painting portraits, I really dislike the opacity in the flatness of it. Raw sienna has a similar hue, but it is much less opaque, and much more vibrant to me. I would recommend this over the yellow ocher.

PR 255 – Permanent Red Middle – Rembrandt & PY 184 – Permanent Lemon Yellow – Rembrandt

These will probably replace the Van Gogh versions that I currently have a my palette. Since these are the artist grade to their student grade, it makes sense that these colors are more vibrant and transparent.

PB 15 – Phthalo Blue (red shade) – Rembrandt

As I said before, this will probably replace the M Graham phthalo blue in my palette.

Winsor and Newton Cotman

PB 29 – Ultramarine – Winsor and Newton Cotman

PBR 7, PY 42 – Burnt Umber – Winsor and Newton Cotman

PY 42 – Yellow Ocher –Winsor and Newton Cotman

PR 101 – Burnt Sienna –Winsor and Newton Cotman

PY 139, PG 36, PR 101 – Sap Green –Winsor and Newton Cotman

PR 149, PR 255 – Cadmium Red Hue –Winsor and Newton Cotman

PY 65, PR 255 – Cadmium Red Pale Hue –Winsor and Newton Cotman

PY 97, PY 65 – Cadmium Yellow –Winsor and Newton Cotman

PY 175 – Lemon Yellow (discontinued?) –Winsor and Newton Cotman

That’s all for now! I love to collect unique colors, and new brands, so this list will probably be growing soon.

#watercolor #watercolour #Winsor and Newton #Daler Rowney #M Graham #Old Holland #artist grade #cotman #student grade #rembrandt #van gogh #palette #colors #collection

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mysticsparklewings · 5 years

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Roses in Your Eyes

Oh look, a not-Inktober thing! So after my first dive into The Realm of Gouache, I really wanted to play with the medium a little more and try doing some different things with it. More accurately, I wanted to try using the gouache more opaquely, since last time I took a more transparent/watercolor approach. Full disclosure, I actually had the sketch for this done before the gouache set even arrived to me. My original plan was to do the rose part of the "glasses" in the watercolor style from my In Bloom Le Plumes piece, maybe the leaves too, and then do the hair and possibly the skin in the more opaque gouache style. That was the plan so that I could try to get the most out of both sides to what gouache can do. But after I got the gouache and swatched it out, I wanted to try something a little more experimental before I jumped into this drawing so that I'd have a better handle on what I was actually working with. So that's where the first gouache painting came in. So it was after that when I made the decision to commit a little more closely to using gouache in it's more opaque form. The concept for the drawing is something of a play on the phrase "looking through rose-colored glasses," (or whatever the full version of that phrase is, you know what I mean). The original expression, as I'm sure we all know, means seeing something as being better than it actually is, usually because of personal bias. This idea takes it to a bit of an extreme; the glasses aren't just tinted in a rose color, they're straight-up roses. Instead of just viewing something as better than it actually is, the person is willfully ignoring or otherwise blinded to seeing things as they really are entirely. And possibly hurting themselves in the process, if the roses have thorns. (I didn't draw any but they could be there, unseen.) A couple of other notes on the drawing design before I move on: I went with buns in the hair since I usually draw loose/down hair and wanted to mix it up a bit, and to "close off" the drawing I added the leaves at the base of her neck, which also kind of double as a shirt-collar in terms of appearance, which I thought was neat. The leaves and the bit of vine across the nose, as may be obvious, are supposed to represent the frame and bridge of glasses. I transferred the lines from the sketch to piece of Strathmore mixed media paper since I didn't think I'd be using enough water or watercolor techniques to warrant breaking out some 100% cotton paper, but I wanted something thick enough to handle paint, and I thought the smooth-ish texture would suit the gouache based on what experimenting I'd already done. The roses for the eyes had no lines, and admittedly I probably could've gotten away with even fewer lines than the ones I did transfer since the gouache is opaque. I actually had a fair number of hairlines drawn in that got totally covered up since that was way easier than trying to carefully work around them. Anyway. For all the gouache parts, I started with a darker base color, since it's usually recommended that you work from dark to light in gouache, and then I'd go back in with 2-3 lighter colors on top to add shading/depth. The main issues I ran into were when the gouache color wasn't totally opaque, such as the rose base color (which is actually called "Rose," believe it or not) which gives me mixed feelings because on the one hand, it can look kind of interesting in giving you less structured, more unpredictable shading based on how you layer it, but also...well, it's not as opaque, so you have work with it slightly differently compared to the more opaque colors. The other issue was that I really struggled to have enough paint on my brush, particularly when doing tiny details, to get the full opacity and smooth color that I wanted, without leaving a glop of paint where it didn't need to be. Especially in areas like the hair that had a lot of fine tapering lines. I'm not sure how much of the problem is me and how my is or isn't my brushes or what, but this is something I occasionally have issues within acrylic painting too, but it felt way more prevalent here. I did manage to fix some areas that got away from me by layering darker colors back on top of the lighter ones, but then you also have areas like one of the loose hair strands around her chin that got away from me and I had to make noticeably longer than it originally was in order to fix it. (You can probably guess which one it was without me having to point it out for you.) I also had an "issue" in that it was seemingly very easy to mix up way too much of custom color, but that's more of a me problem than a problem with the paint. (And admittedly the above aren't necessarily paint-specific problems either.) Speaking of which, I'm still not sure if my "Titanium White" and "White" got mixed up or not, but since I suspect they did, I used the one I felt like looks more like the mixing white to do so. (Although admittedly I probably could've tried some mixing tests with both to see if I noticed a difference there whatever, perhaps some other time.) And I specifically avoided using black, since I thought it would be too harsh in mixes. For the hair, I just used one of the pre-mixed browns for my darkest and then used lighter colors and made my own lighter mixes to go over it. For the leaves, I actually mixed some of the Prussian Blue into one of the greens to make it darker. I think I may have benefitted from going a little lighter on how much of the blue went in, though. The roses were actually one of the more fun parts since they didn't have to be so precise or specific to make the look work. I started with a base of the Rose/hot pink color, mixed a lighter pink to make sections that probably should've been a little less light in color and slightly larger in shape, and then a slightly lighter pink than should have been lighter to layer on top of the already lighter pink parts. Partly because of some the issues I mentioned earlier and partly because I was just kinda going for whatever with only a minimal plan, I did have to go back and forth with the lights and darks in some areas on these, and I still don't think they look quite alike enough, even though I never intended to make them perfectly symmetrical. I also decided to not totally abandon gouache's watercolor properties with the background, since at this point I was thinking I didn't want to leave it plain white, but I also didn't want to do anything too complicated or intense that might take away from the rest of the art and the concept behind it. So I watered down some of the pink I used for the roses' base color and just kinda went over the background to my heart's content until I was happy with what the textures were doing since I knew it was unrealistic to expect to be able to get the background totally smooth trying to work around the rest of the drawing. Now, originally I was planning on painting in the skin with the gouache, however, I made the grave mistake of not thinking about it until after I'd pretty much finished with all the other painted parts, and I really did not feel like trying to paint around everything. And, honestly, I really did like the contrast of the white skin against the other colors. I did acknowledge that I could have mixed a gray from the gouache and shaded the white skin with that, but it felt like too much of a risk and still like too much of a hassle, so I conceited that I could bring other mediums into this since I'd already done my gouache-exclusive test piece. I grabbed a couple of very, very light gray Copic markers and added some very careful, very subtle shading to the skin. And you guys haven't seen the first time I used this mixed-media paper just yet (it's coming down the pipeline, I promise!), but for the second time I'm kind of in love with how it handles alcohol markers and I really need to try a more marker-heavy illustration on it sometime. After all that though, it was still missing a couple of things. I ended up breaking out my white uni-ball Signo gel pen to line around the girl just so she really would pop off the background, opting for it instead of the white gouache because, again, that seemed like too much of a chore to try and do. And my white Sakura gelly roll tends to be a little more transparent compared to the Signo, and I really wanted the stronger, stark white look. Then after some thinking, I added the rose lines in the background using a pink and a green Sakura gelly rolls and the stencil I've toyed with using on other projects before. And overall it, it has its faults (especially if you look at it too closely), but I really like how the whole thing turned out. It has almost a surreal vibe to it that I think drives home the initial concept really nicely, and just, in general, it's very sweet colors but has a more eerie feel to it. (At least when I look at it, anyway.) It also very vaguely gives me Luna-Lovegood vibes, so of course, I like it for that alone. I'm not sure what I'm going to make with the gouache next, as so far it seems its planning requires a slightly different thought process than I'm used to, but I have some ideas and all this has succeeded in doing is making me want to use the gouache more. This definitely isn't the last we'll be seeing of it, that's for sure! ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

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