3ofpents
3 of Pents
Graphic design and art account for @lorbanery.
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a world without end; (SEMI-HIATUS)
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Caves are weirder and more varied than you think
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writers and artists will go "this isn't good enough." my brother in christ, you're creating something new out of nothing and expressing yourself creatively. your productivity and unrealistic standards of perfection do not define you or the worth of your art. you're doing great.
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i cannot emphasise enough how much you need to create something. anything. it doesn't matter if you suck. you don't need to monetise it, or make it your career. you can restart an old hobby; you can start from scratch. it doesn't matter. you just need to hold something and be able to say "i did that". baking, drawing, painting, writing, coding, crafts, whatever. make something ! you cannot have all your hobbies be a form of consumption. it's fun, it's great in its own right. but the single best action to make yourself feel better, to calm your mind, to gain self esteem, is to Create
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#but there's nothing like seeing a broadway show and noticing the spot being a bit slow on pickup or the sound ring just a bit#and then they fix it quickly#and i love seeing how human they are but also how good
Yeessssss, I'm also big into theater, and I grew up 45 from NYC back when $80 was expensive for orchestra seats, so I've seen a lot of professional Broadway productions. I'm sure I witnessed plenty of mistakes that I just never noticed, but two of my favorite moments were mistakes.
One of them was in Chicago back in the late '90s when the current run first opened. I don't remember if the actor we saw playing Billy Flynn was an understudy or new to the production or just got distracted that night, but during one of his big dramatic speeches (I think it was his closing arguments, but it's been thirty years) he blanked on his lines. And like, not everyone noticed! I asked after the show and even my mom, who'd been sitting right next to me, didn't notice. Because he didn't give anything away and the way the part is played it just read like a dramatic pause. The only reason I noticed? Was because I happened to hear the person off-stage whisper the line to him.
The second one was Beauty and the Beast. This was also back in the late '90s, back before Disney held so much theatrical real estate on Broadway. Beauty and the Beast was their first Broadway production and it was genuinely such a fantastic show that we ended up seeing it twice, I think in the same year. The first time we saw it, though, there was a Mishap. One that I'm sure was humiliating in the moment for the actors playing the Beast but especially Belle, but I've always looked back on as very funny in a completely relatable way.
The actor who plays the Beast wears a mask and gloves as part of his costume. But there's that moment where he transforms at the end, and the transformation happens on stage. When this goes as-planned, the actor's lifted up on a flying rig, his arms, because of the way they were positioned when he was lying on the ground, slide over his head and around a bit and the mask and gloves vanish. To where? I don't know. But that was how it happened in the successful version of the scene the second time I saw the show.
The first time I saw it, some part of the slight of hand didn't work and instead of the mask vanishing ... it fell down behind the actor and flopped onto the stage right below him. The actress playing Belle, bless her, was kneeling on the floor right beside him and, after a moment of hesitation, tried to reach over really quickly to shove the mask off the stage. Except if you've ever been on a black painted stage before, you know it's not the kind of texture that allows for things to easily slide, nevermind a big floppy mask likely made of some kind of rubbery material covered in faux fur and hair. She shoved, it just flopped right back. She shoved again, same thing. Finally she grabbed it and put some oomph behind it. Success! It slid! And stopped short like six inches from the wings. It was too far away from her at that point, but luckily a helpful hand appeared from backstage to grab it and finally get it off-stage to stop ruining the big climax of the show.
It was genuinely so funny and I hope that actress looks back on that and laughs the way I do when I look back on that time I kicked off my shoe dancing with the wolf in a community theater production of Into the Woods.
Looking at the small details of other people's artwork to sniff out the mistakes, not to catch them out as a Bad Artist but to remind myself that even people who make art I like and consider high level professional quality are also human beings and that being talented doesn't mean a final piece with no flaws whatsoever.
That slightly wonky line? That weirdly shaped hand? That random mark? That tiny section you forgot to line? that microscopic spot that got missed during the coloring phase? I love them. All of them. They're little bits of yourself you left on the page that wave to me and say, "Hey! It's okay! I'm just like you!"
None of us are machines, and frankly even the machines make mistakes.
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Looking at the small details of other people's artwork to sniff out the mistakes, not to catch them out as a Bad Artist but to remind myself that even people who make art I like and consider high level professional quality are also human beings and that being talented doesn't mean a final piece with no flaws whatsoever.
That slightly wonky line? That weirdly shaped hand? That random mark? That tiny section you forgot to line? that microscopic spot that got missed during the coloring phase? I love them. All of them. They're little bits of yourself you left on the page that wave to me and say, "Hey! It's okay! I'm just like you!"
None of us are machines, and frankly even the machines make mistakes.
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Cryptid Sketches // 3ofPents
You might have seen these posted already on the page for The Cryptid Collection, or on the spotlights I've been posting on @shapeshiftersvt.
These were some very hastily done sketches and it does kind of show, but I'm actually pretty proud of them. See, while I was putting together that Collection page, I realized I needed some kind of visual to use for the section where we listed out the featured cryptids. My first instinct was to use one of the fashion sketches, posters, or fabric designs, but then I realized that we didn't have any of those yet for the Squonk. Second thought was official artwork, but while the original sketches for the Squonk and Jersey Devil are in the public domain at this point, I wasn't sure what there might be for Champ or the Jackalope; and there was no way that images of the Fresno Nightcrawler and Mothman, first seen in the 2000's and 1960's, respectively, were out of copyright.
So I had to make my own!
I spent a lot of time referencing the original descriptions and artwork, and some of the more modern depictions. I definitely leaned on the more modern depictions for Champ, using the statue in Burlington as my main reference, since the physical descriptions for Champ are so wildly different. And for the Squonk, I ran with a later claim that the Squonk is just a pig with very saggy skin and used a photo of a pig in an appropriately sulky pose for the reference.
The Mothman is entirely based on the descriptions in the police reports from the first published encounter. And I even gave a little nod to the sandhill crane theory by using one as a reference for the wings.
I was also looking at birds for reference material for the Jersey Devil. The original art of the Jersey Devil is just so stiff, and any dynamic art you can find of it takes a lot of liberties with its appearance. So whenever I make art of it my main goal is to use the original sketch but place it in a more dynamic pose. And it has such a crane-like build with the long skinny legs, the big chest, and the huge wings, it's easy to find references and inspiration there. I actually used herons and cranes in flight as references for the original Pine Barrens poster. This time it was a crane getting ready to take off.
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Oh hey, I can finally talk about the thing that's been stealing all of my attention and energy away from this blog!
For those unaware, this is a side blog. My main blog is @lorbanery and I'm the co-owner and graphic designer for @shapeshiftersvt, makers of custom fashion chest binders and sports bras for all bodies! My partner, @ark-shifter, and I have spent the first part of this year putting together this fashion collection based around cryptids.
If you've been following me for a while, you might remember the 100 Palettes Challenge I've been doing (and am still determined to finish, I just haven't had the time in a while!) that, since around Palette #15 has pretty much turned into a secondary challenge where I make travel posters for locations featuring their local cryptid. Well, unbeknownst to me, @ark-shifter had apparently been looking at those posters and finding inspiration for what's now become The Cryptid Collection. And we've been plugging away at this (in between bouts of daycare plague) since January.
If you've enjoyed my 100 Palettes Challenge posters, you can order an 11x17 print through the Shapeshifters website!
@ark-shifter and I have also collaborated to design several fabric patterns inspired by the cryptids, some of which are based on their respective posters. While you can order a binder or sports bra with one of those prints, you can also order the fabric designs yourself through Spoonflower!
I'll probably spend a little time talking about the different fabric designs here, and the thought and design process behind them. Maybe once I've actually finished all of them. I have three of six done now — the Fresno Nightcrawler, the Jersey Devil, and Mothman — so three official ones left — the Jackalope, Champ, and the Squonk.
There might also be a couple of bonus designs later this year, and possibly some buttons as well. So definitely keep an eye out.
The Cryptid Collection
NO, THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE! THE TIMING JUST WORKED OUT THAT WAY BECAUSE OUR ANNIVERSARY IS TDOV, WHICH WAS MARCH 31ST THIS YEAR. (￣y▽,￣)╭
In case you missed, it, yesterday, we officially launched The Cryptid Collection!
Since it was the weekend and a major holiday, we decided to put off talking much about it outside of our website. But now it's Monday, so it's time to talk cryptids (even though we everyone is distracted by boops).
The Cryptid Collection is a collaborative design project created by co-owners Eli and Krista (hi, it's us, we're the main contributors to this Tumblr) exclusively for Shapeshifters. The collection has four main components: binders and sports bras made with fabrics of our own design, the fabrics which you can purchase for your own projects through Spoonflower, the vintage style travel posters, and the couture fashion looks which you can see in person at fashion shows across New England this year which will be listed on our Events Page as we confirm them.
While the collection was inspired by cryptids in general, we decided to spotlight six in particular: Mothman, Champ, the Jackalope, the Squonk, the Jersey Devil, and the Fresno Nightcrawler.
We'll talk more about them and why we chose those cryptids in particular later in the week. Today, we want to talk about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of The Cryptid Collection and cryptids in general.
You may be asking: Why a fashion collection?
It was originally Eli's idea. It had been something they'd been fantasizing about for a few years now, almost as long as Shapeshifters has been in business. The realization that it was something we could potentially really do didn't come until Fall of 2023, though, when we started talking about how to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We wanted to do something special, something that we'd never done before, and Eli decided it was time for both of us to finally admit that, after ten years of making and designing clothing and and graphic art, we might actually be qualified to call ourselves and present ourselves as Designers.
"It’s wild. I decided this year that I was going to commit to being the person I’ve fantasized about becoming. Terrifying." —Eli
So, a themed fashion collection.
But while it was their first and only answer when Krista asked what they wanted the theme to be, Eli didn't come up with the cryptid idea entirely on their own. Anyone who's been following Krista's artblr, @3ofpents, has probably seen the vintage travel posters she's been designing since Summer of 2023. Originally inspired by a book of color palettes from print media through the 20th century, the posters started out as a personal challenge to get Krista drawing more often.
The very first poster she designed was for the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the Jersey Devil, inspired by the state she grew up in. But the one that Eli cites as the one that really got them thinking was for our home state: Burlington, VT's own Champ.
"The tagline for that one was You’ll never swim alone. The friendly, ominous, terrible, wonderful mystery embedded in those four words is a vibe I think about a lot." —Eli
Krista's choice of cryptids as a subject for her posters, and the well of inspiration she drew from in designing her parts of this collection, stemmed from her childhood in New Jersey. While the Jersey Devil isn't as popular and well-known as some other regional cryptids like Mothman and the Loch Ness Monster, it is a huge part of New Jersey culture. Every kid in the state grows up learning some version of the Jersey Devil's origin story; and the local indie, alt, underground, punk cultures slap Jersey Devil imagery on their posters, logos, and products the way some states use their state shapes.
"In New Jersey, the story of the Jersey Devil holds a similar kind of legendary local pride as the story of George Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Eve to take the British soldiers camping on the other side by surprise." —Krista
Eli's inspiration is coming in a separate post; cryptids can't be anything but queer, as far as they're concerned.
In the coming days we've got much more to say about various individual cryptids! Stay tuned.
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10 Years of Shapeshifting
On Trans Day of Visibility in 2014, an announcement on Tumblr launched a new chest binder company focused on full customizability, fitting all bodies, and introducing bright color and joyous print to a bland market. Ten years later, Shapeshifters has grown into a true small business with five employees, a professional sewing studio, its own website, and an undeniable influence on the chest binder market as a whole. With over 8,000 customers in over forty countries all over the world, co-owners and founders Eli and Krista Coughlin-Galbraith are grateful to share this huge milestone with the people who’ve made it possible for a small, queer-owned, community-driven business to make it this far.
To mark the occasion, we’re excited to announce the very first exclusive Shapeshifters fashion line: The Cryptid Collection!
Taking inspiration from the weird, the mysterious, and the uncategorizable, The Cryptid Collection is a collaborative design project from Eli and Krista that will feature six of the internet’s favorite cryptids in a variety of new products and projects.
The full announcement, details, and the first round of cryptids will drop on our official 10th anniversary, Trans Day of Visibility, Sunday, March 31, 2024. And keep your eyes peeled for new products and announcements throughout the rest of the year, including opportunities to spy some of these cryptids in person.
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Drawing from References with deep Foreshortening
And some practice poses:
Edit: 1/11/24
It was brought to my attention that some of the language in this tutorial read as fatphobic. This tutorial was originally written and published on DeviantArt in 2011 and I was generally unaware of these issues at the time. I have adjusted the language in the tutorial to hopefully address these concerns, though old versions may continue to circulate.
Thanks for taking the time to point these things out to me. I will continue to learn and grow. ♥
Here's a few more refs with foreshortening from a larger variety of models:
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the dusky nembrotha (nembrotha kabaryana) | source
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100 Color Palette Challenge // Palette #22 // Industrious Fresno
Today's color palette comes from the cover of the sheet music for "Shimmy Foxtrot", published in 1921.
It's taken MONTHS but I finally finished it!
Also I finally found my copy of 100 Years of Color again. Where? On the bookshelf I thought it was on, of course. It got pushed back just far enough that the books on either side of it angled in and rudely hid it from me.
But here it is! my first cryptid poster to feature one of the more popular cryptids: The Fresno Nightwalker/Nightcrawler.
Despite how long it took, this was a fun one. I remember when the videos of the Fresno Nightwalker/Nightcrawler went viral, so I'm not surprised that it became a Cryptid Fandom darling. I'm using both names here because while I remember "Nightwalker" being used more commonly originally, it seems like "Nightcrawler" has become more common these days.
The Fresno Nightwalker/Nightcrawler was captured on video the first time in the mid-2000's. There are two videos that are the main evidence of their existence, both of them grainy security camera footage taken at night. Both videos just show the Nightcrawlers walking across the frame — the video in Fresno proper showing just one Nightcrawler, and the video from nearby Yosemite National Park showing two Nightcrawlers, one of which is much smaller than the other suggesting that it's a kid.
Part of the reason that these videos went so viral is because of how odd the Nightcrawlers looked and moved. By all appearances they just have a small head and feet and the rest is ALL leg. It's hard to describe exactly why, but if you watch the original videos — especially the Yosemite video — their movement almost looks like a marionette.
As I recall, the main theory, at least originally was that they're aliens of some sort. Whether they were visiting Earth or had decided to homestead in the forests was up for debate, but pretty much everyone agreed they were aliens.
Personally I've always been on the side of "it was probably some dude in oversized sweatpants pulled up over his head like a hood" or "it was, literally, marionettes". But, y'know, that's not as fun.
I'm really happy with how the pillar lights came out, and the trees. But god don't talk to me about the lettering on the sign. I used to do the lettering on Photoshop, but for some reason Adobe has refused to accept my four hundred whole ass dollars (student discount), so this was my first attempt at trying to do it in Clip. I just couldn't find the right font for the sign, I couldn't get it to look right, and after all this time I couldn't go through the hassle of trying to find the right font online and installing it. So I hand-lettered it instead. It's not great, but it looks better than it did, so there's that.
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I DID IT!!!!
The poster's not DONE. But I finished the actual drawing part of it. So all that's left is the typography and border and watermarking.
But I can finally close the window of reference photos I've had up for, like, four months straight
... now if only I could also find the 100 Years Of Color book. We've gone through, like, three different rounds of tidying up since I last saw it and I genuinely have no idea what happened to it. I've looked on every bookshelf in the house and on ever surface I usually pile Stuff I need to get out of the way quickly and no luck yet. At least I know I haven't taken it out of the house
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both drawn to life books are free to read on archive.org?? and downloadable as pdf???? what!! YO HOLY SHIT
a coworker yesterday was asking me about these behind my chair, and gun to my head, if you asked me what was the single best drawing book of all time -- it'd be these. there's a reason i keep them in irl arm's length.
not to toot my horn but i get a lot of comments about "believable life"/body language in my drawings, and i owe that to this book. Walt Stanchfield -the author- was one of the main mentors to a ton of the rennaisance era disney animators (Glen Keane, Musker, Deja, etc). this guy understands both the kinectic sense of how bodies move and squish/stretch, and how people "act", and composition/silhouette, and is honestly just a thoroughly decent dude.
some screenshots!
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it appears 2024 will continue the trend of art companies proudly representing themselves with the use of art theft generators [aka, AI generators]
original tweet is now deleted, but wacom used a generated image of a dragon for their 2024 lunar new year promo on twitter.
if you're shopping for art tablets, huion, artisul, and XPPen tablets do just as good a job as their wacom equivalents for less, sometimes even half the price.
when you buy a wacom you're paying almost exclusively for the Brand Name, not any actual quality.
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