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boreal-sea · 9 days

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So something I realized watching a few videos and reading a few articles is that most of us aren’t angry at the idea of AI in general. Many of us are excited to learn about AI systems that can identify cancer better than doctors, for instance.

What we’re angry about is generative AI being used to destroy the jobs of artists (and I mean all creatives here), who have already been dealing with their work being devalued by modern society.

And I’m not sure how to deal with it. I do remember learning that when photography became a thing, many painters were horrified and terrified of would erase the art of painting. It didn’t obviously, and in fact photography because a whole new art form.

I grew up during the birth of digital art. I distinctly remember the phase digital art went through where many people declared it to not be “real art” and that it was “cheating” etc. I’m sure other millennial artists also remember this transition. But graphic designers pretty quickly adopted digital tools, and websites like DeviantArt popped up, and I don’t think there are too many people nowadays who would say a digital painting isn’t “art”. Still, I do imagine there is a gulf between how some people would view the “artistic merit” of a 3 ft tall oil painting hanging next to a 3 ft tall print of a digital painting, even if the subject and styles were similar. So the worries that digital art would erase physical painting was also proven false. And for the record, I think digital art is 100% art. The merit of digital art is equal to that of physical art.

On the other hand, I can’t say these changes didn’t affect older forms of art. Like, photography did affect the world of painting. I don’t have statistics, but it seems like it probably affected the world of portraiture the most. And I wonder if many of the 20th century art movements were influenced by photography. None of my art history classes touched on that and it’s kinda weird to me. There is definitely something about a Dada or cubism or surrealist painting that transcends beyond what a traditional photo of a landscape or a portrait can do. There is no location in the real world with actual melting clocks or people whose faces show multiple angles at once.

And then there was the digital photograph that changed everything again! Film has become a niche art form.

There were specific kinds of jobs lost due to the digital transition, too. I’m thinking of things like murals being replaced by printed banners, or book covers often being done in photoshop. Oh, and that’s another tool that was faced with fear: Photoshop! There was a fear it would destroy the need for professional photographers because everyone could just fix their own photos. Turns out nope, and in fact people skilled in photography and photo editing are still in demand. And of course there’s the loss of 2D animation in favor of 3D animation, the loss of practical effects for digital, etc.

And you might argue that in some of those cases people can tell corners are being cut and that they won’t stand for it, but Marvel movies still make billions of dollars so…

So I don’t know what’s going to happen with AI art. I am NOT saying “all current artists are stupid and wrong, in the future history students will laugh at how stubborn they were to resist this idea”. AI art is not comparable to photography or digital painting.

With a photograph, you still need to compose the image in the frame, you need to position yourself in the real world, you need to know your equipment, whether you’re using film or digital. You also need to know how to process that photo either in the dark room or in Photoshop. These are skills the average person does not have. You cannot tell an AI “that shot was good but can you increase the contrast?” It’ll just produce a completely new image.

I read an article about an art director who was encountering difficulties as the department tried to incorporate AI. They got back first drafts of art ideas from the people employed to work with the AI, gave critique, and the second round was just completely new images that didn’t include the suggestions… because they couldn’t. AI does not understand color theory. It does not have the ability to take critique. It can’t slightly alter the layout of a design.

And all of that applies to painting too. AI (currently) can’t do what a trained art student can do. It doesn’t know that to create a sense of atmosphere you should make distant objects bluer. It doesn’t know how to use human physiology and psychology to draw a viewer’s eyes across a large painting to reveal a story.

AI also can’t replicate INTENTION - and intentionality is a HUGE part of art. WHY an artist chose those colors, that medium, that composition, those tools, why they chose to display it a certain way, why the composition is like this instead of that - all of that adds meaning to the painting that you can’t get with AI.

(Yes, there is an absolutely valid field of art critique that evaluates a piece of art on its standalone value and the message it conveys without the context of the artist’s intent, but that should be compared to the analysis that DOES include the artist’s intent! That comparison can bring about so much understanding!)

Anyway I’m going to end this post now because it has gotten WAY too long. I focused mostly on painting and photography in this post because those are my particular fields of speciality, but this applies to ALL ART. It applies to music and writing and scripting and acting and composing music and just. Everything. All art.

I don’t think there are any forms of art AI doesn’t threaten. Now granted, AI can’t currently pick up a paint brush. It can’t use a crochet needle. It can’t hold a camera. And maybe there will be some sort of return to physical media in response to AI produced digital art. Or maybe there will be a response in digital art to stylistically distinguish it from AI in a way AI can’t reproduce. I’m not sure what will happen. Maybe some proof the image was digitally painted by a real person, somehow. Or that it’s a real photo, or a real article. I saw someone mention there may end up being labels like “100% human made” like we do for organic food lol. Maybe work in progress videos or photo metadata will become more commonplace as evidence of authenticity.

Anyway, NOW I’m ending this post. Whew.

#ai art discussion

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honoura · 1 year

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disclaimer: this spawned off a twitter thread i made a while back, which itself came from something i’d noticed time and again within the xiv community: the idea that photography isn’t possible there. i’ve seen this a few times, and ultimately what i felt to be the truer statement is that digital photography as we know it in our phones, no. that is not a very accessible thing. most eorzeans aren’t getting a garland ironworks tomephone.

but that doesn’t mean they aren’t taking pictures.

A Case for Eorzean Photography

In the case of our modern world, the art of capturing an image onto paper directly from life dates back to the 1820s. It was called heliography. A wikipedia article on it can be found here. Heliography came about because its inventor wished for an efficient way to reproduce lithographs, engravings, and relief prints, three different illustration styles that had existed by now for varying lengths of time, but all still in use and being the choice method for adding images to text. I’m going to give a short bit of information on each style, because they are also very likely quite prevalent.

Woodcut (Relief)

Woodcut is as its name implies -- you carve your image into a block of wood, coat the raised portions with ink, and then use it in the press. Accessible to learn, accessible to do, if you want rp flavor there’s likely illustrators in every city-state employing this for the newspapers or illustrated editions of books.

Intaglio (Engraving)

Intaglio is my favorite printmaking method for illustrations, and probably also my favorite for FF14 because it involves playing with chemicals! Let’s get the alchemist roleplayers we know something cool to do. Anyway, with intaglio you’re using acid to burn an image into a metal plate, and the deeper the etchings the darker the shadows. Great for values, great for depth, and have I mentioned you’re just being a little scientist and an artist at the same time?

Lithography

Lithography is the one you’ve seen the most, even if you aren’t 100% sure how it works. It became very popular in the late 19th and early 20th century -- if you’ve ever gawked at vintage illustrations by Mucha or Leyendecker, those are lithographs! Some of the big plates used for them are just big rocks! Miners could 100% mine up limestone slabs for this.

Anyway, back to photographs. After heliographs cracked the capture nut suddenly everyone was getting in on it. People were mixing all kinds of chemicals to capture the world as it was at a moment onto a plate of glass (or others! they liked silver too).

Physautotypes used lavender oil as its photosensitive agent. Tree resin was also popular. Both things botanists would routinely be able to harvest and crafters able to distill. I can only imagine how it smelled to make photographs with this, I hope it was nice!

About 20 years after the earliest heliograph came daguerrotypes. Made on silver plates with a copper substrate, daguerrotypes were pricy but popular -- and they had their own special camera made rather than using a camera obscura.

Daguerrotypes were also when spirit photography came into prominence.

youtube

Ambrotypes came on the heels of daguerrotypes as a cheaper alternative made with less costly materials, and was followed by their even cheaper brethren the tintypes. Bit by bit, photographs were becoming more accessible -- not always the equipment (or the supplies), but in terms of a person or group of people having a portrait made you were starting to see that become more common.

Ambrotype above, tintype below

Let it be said also that less costly materials does not mean lower quality image -- each method had its own charm. Tintypes were sturdier than ambrotypes, but both developed quicker than daguerrotypes. Ambrotypes could also have spot colors added to them!

Albumen prints made it to paper, and until we went digital that’s where photographs stayed, on paper! And one of their key binding materials was made from eggs, beautifully common eggs.

So Where Does This Leave Eorzea?

So why did I go into this much detail, with visual examples and links to references that include their materials? Because all these materials exist already within FFXIV. Glass, plates, the types of metals used, the types of chemicals.

They’re part of crafting logs, and gathering leves, and dungeon drops. Alchemists can make these chemical components, goldsmith quests have you making lenses and other more delicate mechanisms, carpenters could easily build boxes for camera obscura (and cameras!).

Different styles of photography and different materials used for them reflect availability of the materials -- where does this character live, what are their cultural beliefs, do they travel much outside of their home region? How much money do they have?

What if using unaspected crystals creates a different effect on the plate? With the right kind of aetherial charge, don’t you think you could photograph ghosts in actuality rather than trickery? There’s a whole quest in 1.0 where an NPC sees the ghost of the city of Sil’dih -- a ghost city!

At any rate, I just think it’s neat to look at what materials exist in this game, and how things from this world may translate to that with the understanding it will not be 21st century. We have a lot of technology that’s existed longer than we sometimes recall or acknowledge -- and it’s good material! Use that stuff! Have fun with it!

#not really lore so much as half mad rambling #this and discussions about printing have been a pet peeve for me for years #god don't get me started on banri oda talking about copy books with glamour prisms don't do it

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rklf001 · 3 months

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i got a tablet for digital art and i feel like i’m back at square fuckin one with making art. i haven’t been at square one with art since i was a literal child. like maybe 5 or 6 years old. it’s always been my thing. i have always done art. i’m literally in a line of artists caught by claude fuckin monet. i have done it all. pencil, charcoal, ball point pen, watercolor, watercolor pencil, oil pastel, oil paint, murals, portrait, landscape, sculpture, carving, abstract. if there is a form of art, i have done it in my life. there’s barely anything i have not done in forms or traditional art. but i’m sitting here trying to figure out to draw a stupid person on a stupid tablet and i cant do it. i can’t figure it out. i am overwhelmed and frustrated. i am upset and crying and just over it. i feel like i wasted my money on buying this tablet and i should’ve just never touched art again. i think i finally accepted that after literally the worse even of my life, moving from my childhood home, and then covid closure depression, that i would never touch art again and i could be satisfied with that. but NOOOO i had to go do my fucking thing and ruin it and make myself feel worse for trying than if i ever would’ve if i just left it alone and never did it again. yes, it was my driving force for most of my life. yes, it was the one thing that kept me going when i had barely anything to hold onto and i almost let go. yes, it’s been a constant comfort and outlet since i was a very young kid. but i should’ve just accepted that i’ll never do it again and left it alone.

#ry rambles #this tag hasn’t been used in a hot minute i think #i’m sitting in my bathtub crying and i am ready to just give up again #i finally was getting to the point that i had other passions and didn’t need art to feel like mysef #but no i had to ruin it for me

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acaseforpencils · 1 year

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Gustavo Magalhães.

Bio: My name is Gustavo Magalhães and I am a Brazilian illustrator/cartoonist. I live in Caçapava, a small town in São Paulo state. I have worked as an illustrator since 2013.

As an editorial Illustrator, I've been published by The New Yorker, Golf Digest, Forbes, The New Republic, GQ Magazine among others. The first time I was commissioned by The New Yorker was in 2021, for "The Critics" session on a portrait of Sandra Oh" for her new show at the time, "The Chair," which aired on Netflix.

Sketch, refinement, finished piece.

I also have a web comic strip called "Curb Talk." It's published twice a week in a classic Comic Strip format.

Lately, I am a Senior Illustrator at a Studio called "Fried Design Company ,'' in Springfield, Missouri. But I work from Brazil.

AOIKTYE Procreate Keyboard for Ipad / Apple Pencil / Ipad Pro

Mac Mini / Asus Proart PA248QV Monitor / Huion Kanvas Plus 22 Display

Tools of choice: My process of work is mixed, I like to sketch the first thumbs and sometimes more advanced pieces on paper and "ink" / color them using digital tools. It's been 5 years that more than 90% of my final pieces are done in digital, and along that period I discovered that I'm a person that likes to do a significant amount of tests while inking, and digital tools help me a lot in that.

Lately, I've been trying to achieve an inking process that I could do both on paper and on digital, that way I could do my pieces however I feel on that day, and my comic strip has been a good place for this test field, and I'm enjoying that mix very much.

Pentel .09 Mechanical Pencil / Staedtler Water Brush / Staedtler Pig LIner 0.3 / Royal Talens No. 2 Brush

If you were asking me "You are on a desert island and can bring just one setup with you," I'd say I would bring my iPad. It allows me to sketch with an "analogic feel," where it's important to feel that you are actually crafting something. But it also gives me all the testing possibilities the digital work has.

Huion Display pen Battery Free Pen PW517

Tool I wish I could use better: Coloring in general, but mostly painting. It's always a struggle to translate what I have in mind to the final piece. And there are some aspects of texture and rendering that you can only get in analogical tools like gouache, oil, watercolor. Of course there are excellent artists that do those digitally, but there are certain aspects that you need a physical touch to achieve and I have never done anything like that. Maybe one day.

Tool I wish existed: A chair + desk set that automatically corrects your bad posture whenever your body is hurting or sitting in the wrong way. I hate having lower back and wrist pains while working, haha!

Tricks: One thing I brought from the full analogical days is an adaptation of the "drawing from your shoulder thing." Personally, I found it very hard to do, so I use a bandana on my pen hand, and use the other hand to pool this and drag. This is a thing that helps me a lot when drawing straight lines with a handmade feel, instead of just using shapes in Photoshop or any digital tool for precise lines.

Misc: "Go easy on yourself and have fun!" I never thought I could work with illustration. I spent almost a decade working in the aircraft industry (half of it doing freelance illustration jobs for local bands and brands) and the factory mentality lever left my mind, just now (after 10 years as an illustrator, 7 as my main activity), I'm recovering the passion that I had as a young doodling kid. Everyone sees artistic careers as this romantic thing, but it's always a struggle (at least for me) to face your passion as an obligation day to day, and make this trade of time and love for money. So after several years going hard on myself I am finally learning how to be lighter and having more fun and joy in my work.

(Outro/Editor's note: I asked Gustavo if he would care to discuss how working in the aircraft industry affected his work as an illustrator):

I think the biggest influence I got from this industry was the routine and how to deal with work. Artists naturally tend to be less rigid in the aspect of routine because of the nature of creativity, and I think that having almost a decade working in another industry in a more conservative environment helped me in how to take it more serious in all aspects, from my day to day process, to how to treat my clients and deadlines.

That's basically the biggest influence and learning I got from this period. How to understand that the work isn't just the drawing and thinking, but everything that happens behind it, from the clothing choice I pick to work at home, from the time management I need to have in order to balance all simultaneous projects I have.

Website, etc.

Portfolio

Curb Talk Comics

Instagram

Twitter

----

If you enjoy this blog, and would like to contribute to labor and maintenance costs, there is a Patreon, and if you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee, there is a Ko-Fi account as well! I do this blog for free because accessible arts education is important to me, and your support helps a lot! You can also find more posts about art supplies on Case’s Instagram and Twitter! Thank you!

#Gustavo Magalhães #artists on tumblr #illustration #illustration process #art process #comics

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sanversandfriends · 1 year

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Today we're delighted to hear from @rdshirt, a longtime Sanvers fan and 2022 Big Bang artist. She'll talk about the importance of finishing things, and why, as she puts it in the intro to her A03 piece, we should all "sign up for the scary stuff."

Thanks, Redshirt!

Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been creating fan art? What were some of your first subjects and what ships/characters in the SG universe have you illustrated?

I never did any fan art until I signed up for the Sanvers Big Bang. That was the first time I had ever made humans that managed to actually resemble the humans they were supposed to be. (Know that meme where the horse starts out great on one end and looks like a toddler drew the other end? Well…all the drawings in the figure art class I took all remained headless for a reason.) It was exciting to learn the new skills and have it finally click for me.

What are your favorite mediums to work with?

Since I was young I’ve been an oil painter. Though I did have a long hiatus from that, because I promised someone a painting and when I didn’t deliver I felt too guilty to paint anything else. Good news, I’m back painting again. (Y’all I had to finish that painting before the person died and I felt guilty for the rest of my life.)

For the fan art, I’m using Procreate to make digital artwork. I like it for this, because I can play around and change things easily.

What kinds of scenes do you enjoy illustrating? Do you have any favorite tropes or themes? Imagery that you like to work with?

I enjoyed the ranch scenery of my Big Bang. I’m comfortable with landscape and it allowed me to ease in to (*cough* procrastinate *cough*) the portrait part that I was nervous about. I’m excited about the imagery in my Finish-the-Fic match. It is very visual and there are a lot of things for me to play with.

Any advice for aspiring fan artists?

Do it. Do it because you want to and it makes you happy. Even if you’re scared. Even if you don’t think you’re “good enough”. You’re always going to see all the flaws in your own work. But I guarantee 99% of other folks seeing it are just going to be excited because there is fan art of the thing they also love. (And don’t worry about that other 1%, what they think doesn’t matter.)

Do you have a gallery of online work you’d like to post a link to?

I don’t have a gallery, but the Big Bang I did the art for is The Long Way by jkbtseriously (JessAnn), maybe go give that a read if you haven’t https://archiveofourown.org/works/43060836/chapters/108205251

#Sanvers #Supergirl #Finish the Fic #Fan Art #Getting Started #Sign up for the Scary Stuff

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the-crowbar-was-my-kryptonite · 7 months

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Inktober Day 14: Castle

“I’m sorry, did you just say that they locked themselves in a castle? With a fire breathing dragon?”

The elderly advisor sighed. He had been showing the Prince portraits of fair maidens for well over three hours, and he was starting to lose patience. Admittedly, it was far simpler now then when he’d done the same for the Prince’s father, the current king. The process had been digitized. It had been a nightmare when they had still used physical paintings. The advisor still remembered having to hoist up massive oil paintings for his Majesty to view, only to have them rejected -- sometimes before he even finished placing them upon the easel.

“As I have advised His Royal Highness, it was unnecessary to even consider this option. This royal has completely given up their title, and now refers to themselves only as ‘Mal’. It would be a most unsuitable match indeed.” The advisor flipped to the next slide and began again.

“Her Royal Highness Princess Eliza of the Waterlands is five foot --”

“Wait, go back."

“To Duchess Meredith of the Eastern Wisterian Empire?” The advisor asked hopefully?

“Who? No, to the one you just showed me, Mal or whatever.”

“Sire, with all due respect, I really don’t see what good can come of this. Without a royal title, they make an unsuitable match, and as I indicated, they do not seem to have any interest in marriage.”

The Prince, clearly, had not heard a word of the advisor’s wisdom, and instead met the old man with a hard stare. Reluctantly, the advisor flipped back to the picture of Mal, who was standing sassily in front of a stained glass window. Not only was the titleless royal in both a corset and riding trousers, but they were posing much too wantonly for the elder’s liking.

“They look rather pretty in that corset, don’t you think?” The Prince asked dreamily.

“Phillip, as your advisor, I must advise against this, truly if you’d like to start from the beginning, I am certain that there is some princess --” Prince Phillip held up his hand.

“There is no need to waste either of our time any longer. I choose this one. They do not need a title, for once we are married I will provide them with one. Perhaps we can even summer at their castle, since they seem so fond of it.” Phillip motioned for one of the guards to bring him his armour.

“Now, old man, tell me where I can find this castle.”

All art by @cool_beans_jw on insta. Writing by her weird sister.

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designwithjaelyn · 4 months

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Pablo Picasso 1937 Guernica. Oil on canvas; 11’ 5 ½” x 25” 5 ¼”

Introductions/First Artworks: #1

5 New Facts on Guernica:

1. Women were the main characters in this piece.

2. This piece was criticized and used later by nazi Germany.

3. Guernica was commissioned artwork.

4. Picasso refused to make comments on the symbolism in this piece.

5. Guernica was not always considered as a masterpiece, as it is now.

6. Picasso started this piece after the bombing in Guernica

( I felt like #6 was needed to help explain some of my reasoning below!)

Upon doing some research on this Picasso piece, the way I look at it now definitely has changed. Looking at this piece the first time I truly had no indication that it was based of all females. Which is quite interesting when going back and viewing the artwork. The details within the greyscale and format of position are quite compelling.

When first viewing this artwork my eyes flowed around the entire piece, but after researching and learning about where the pieces historically came from and what it was based on I can truly see the intended detail behind every part of this. Love this piece personally, and first looking at it I didn’t know it was a Picasso piece, which was awesome to learn as well!

Sketchbook #1

#2: This art work is a piece I have hanging in my home. The media used on this painting was acrylic paints. This particular piece serves a meaning of home to my boyfriend and I. He is Greek, and this painting came directly from Greece from a past trip, it serves as a home away from home for us. This piece is very beautiful, the details within every stroke on this painting are visible to the eye. The colors that were used are so identical to the real thing, its crazy to compare the two. The details to the light and shadows within the piece are accurate and blended seamlessly. This whole work is just pleasing to the eye, and overall catches attention immediately.

#3: I am a 22 year old female, born and raised in Bradenton, FL. My dad is half Puerto Rican, while my mom is Irish mixed with a few other ethnicities. For fun I commonly find myself working with art. Whether it be painting, drawing, taking photos, or digitally I always seem to be doing something creative. In between school and my art I work at a locally owned Restaurant. I’ve worked at Basil’s since I was 16. I also do some art work for them for their specials board every month which is really fun and allows me to bring my creativity into work. The perspective I bring when I look at art is being open minded, I say this because every little thing is different in every piece. I think being open minded has allowed me to take in all the different aspects when it comes to art.

#4: Below is my piece for my self-portrait. I decided to do a collage, as I thought the best way to show my self is to show what I love. The people, pets, places, art works, simple things and some pictures of my life. These are a variety of things that simply fascinates me daily and truly shows me.

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little-autumn-serenade · 9 months

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hey, I saw that wip you posted to the fremione tag, and, well... i'm an artist myself, so i know how annoying it is to ask for criticism and have everyone just go "👍". But I also don't wanna overstep or anything, so if you're Not Interested, please delete this without reading further. I absolutely love the style you choose for fred -- it's obviously practiced and its pretty, you clearly know how that style works.

When doing a more painterly style, though, it's vital to use value to its fullest extent. Maybe you hadn't shaded it yet, and if so: my bad; its only that when painting, typically i don't do shading separately in order to understand the colours fully. (my docs are all literally maximum 5 layers and my other artist friends think i'm insane though so maybe that's a me thing i just like seeing the colours mix)

mixing shades and hues together in painting means the eye needs larger contrast to discern other shapes and shadows (I say this with experience: I primarily make digital portraits which mimic oil paintings). If you use a sort of a dark-light-dark-light repeating pattern to emphasize shapes, your painting'll look more settled. (its the lack of lineart that requires this.) contrast in the values is where painting styles really show their stuff: if you want to paint, that's what you learn, and that's where you start.

For example, and assuming a light source in a sort of behind-camera-to-left position, from left to right: hermione's face near fred's jaw will be dark, next to a lighter patch, with a dark shadow defining her nostrils and under her nose (the nostrils are always the darkest part of a portrait; this also helps draw the viewer's eyes), with the shadow of her nose shading the right-center of her face to the right of her nose, a lighter triangle on the right side of her face, and a darker shadow as the roundness of her cheeks no longer catches the light, instead her hair catches the light until it falls behind other hair, rendering the back of her head in shadow. likewise, under her chin is also fairly dark, but her chin and lower lip will be light, her upper lip and under her nose dark, the tip of her nose light, the bridge of her nose darker, her forehead light, her hair dark. Focus on the planes of the face and where light would naturally bounce.

Looking at some of your other art, you do seem to shy away from intense values, so some unsolicited advice (not that all of this isn't unsolicited) that one of my arts teachers once gave me: look at your piece in grayscale. maybe squint a little. if you can't tell where one shape ends and another begins, try adding value. you might not notice it with all the bright colours everywhere, but value is the backbone of any visual art.

Other than that, you chose a rather subdued brown for hermione's skin, and the saturation and redness of the blush colour is a high contrast: try adding more red/brown to the base colour of her skin, darkening her skin, lowering the saturation of the blush, or perhaps choose more of a cooler red. (or a combination of those)

Overall, I really like your art. I think you have a good grasp of anatomy and artistic and stylistic choices are a wonder to see. I look forward to seeing your art develop as you explore other styles and become more experienced as an artist. Keep making anything.

Hoping I didn't bugger this all up, hmsmiracles (on anon for sideblog reasons) (really very nice and very anxious about sending this. i mean no ill towards you. i am being genuine. please don't hate me)

@hmsmiracles hello, darling! Can I firslty say that this very much was well received and I don't hate you and I thank you for this because you wrote this in such a lovely way!

I generally feel weird getting critiques because most people don't provide help! This felt like reading useful feedback I could use and at no point did it feel horrible to receive!

In fact I want to thank you for taking the time to write this because there are so many good pointers in here and it is refreshing to have someone provide guidance without being overly critical and for that guidance to be helpful and practical!

I know that next time I create a painting i'm going to be referring back to this and trying to use it to help me to improve!

Thank you for being so lovely with your feedback and so positive and so so helpful! You didn't have to take the time to do this and I'm thankful that you did!

#to refer back to #my art #feedback on my art

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makenamurack · 2 years

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Virtual Sketchbook 2

2. Vincent van Gogh the starry night. 1889. Oil on canvas page 65.

In Van Gogh’s artwork, The Starry Night contains high volume of movement, lines in forms of swirls, implied line, continuous line, rough texture, high use of color, simple overlapping, correct use of perspective, and using darker and crisper images in the front and then fading to lighter and more fuzzy images in the back.

3. Color has affected me in my moods and emotions. When being in the hospital for my grandpa almost all the walls were straight white with no hue, no, shades, no vibrancy. Color affected my me because it seemed lifeless, I need color to represent my mood. I like wearing bright colors when I’m excited or happy or darker clothes when I’m lazy. My favorite scheme has to be green’s or pastel’s.

I chose this comic because it represents doing whatever you want to be happy, that no one should have you chose your path. That no one controls you, and you are free.

5. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography

(Other photo won’t upload)

Landscape photography, portrait photography, and still life

Photography is the art of using a lens to capture light in order to generate an image, typically using a digital sensor or film. You can even take pictures with the correct camera equipment. The person I had used for my portrait was made by Steve McCurry and was a young Afghan girl in a Pakistani refugee camp appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine's June 1985 issue and became the most famous cover image in the magazine's history. This picture shows the incredible detail of the eyes, and natural face. This girl looks as if she has been going through rougher times in her country because of the dirt and tattered clothes. My landscape is a basic photo, and it was taken at Long shadows - Grand Prismatic Spring at sunrise, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Aerial image. The still life is like any other basic photograph, it shows many foods stacked, behind, and in front of each other. An assortment of fruits and vegetables from upscale markets in Manhattan mimics a still life painting. The photograph illustrates the variety of produce available in the U.S., even if it has to travel thousands of miles. The message is to get emotion out of people, the exotic food we have here and the journey it has taken so we have in on our table to eat.

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2goth2moth · 3 years

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Any sort of smut with a naga or feral mothman like creature please and thank you

Anon, you said "naga" and my lil scaly heart got so happy. I have no idea if this is even remotely in the realm of what you were looking for, but I just couldn't shake the idea of a human prince with a harem full of monsters. I hope you enjoy!

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The Prince's Favour (M!Naga x M!Reader, NSFW)

For reference: Enéas is a Brazilian rainbow boa. I was 100% going to have a blowjob scene in this but rainbow boas have backwards hooked teeth (think fishhooks) that are designed to not let things back out, and having that near your dick sounds like a very bad time.

Word count: 3514

Includes: Power dynamics (prince x concubine), non-human genitalia, rough sex, double penetration, a little bit of crying

Being the youngest prince in a kingdom with a still-living king could be overwhelmingly boring. Matters of state were passed to your parents and eldest sister, matters of security to your next oldest sibling, infrastructure and agriculture to the next oldest, twin brothers. Your bloodline was long and vital, which was very good for the kingdom’s longevity. It was not so good for keeping you occupied. Your role, as well as your youngest sister’s, ended up being almost completely performative, with official duties being limited to keeping up a royal education and looking pretty beside your family during public appearances. The whole arrangement left you with a lot of free time to eat and draw and lounge about.

And have sex.

It was normal for royalty to have lovers or harems, if they wanted to and their spouses were okay with it. You yourself had several lovers, all of whom you enjoyed and cared about deeply. One of whom was currently lounging invitingly on your bed as you did your best to capture his likeness in paint.

“Enéas, beloved, can you hold still for me?”

The naga groaned, the muscular coils of his body shifting slightly as he did. “I’ve been sitting for hours now. When you called me, I didn’t think it would be for this.”

“Ten minutes, then we can do something else. I swear.”

The look that he shot you was long-suffering, but he settled back into the purposefully relaxed position you had directed him into earlier after taking a sip from the goblet beside him.The whole thing was mostly an act. You had been summoning him to your chambers to sit for this painting on a regular basis for the past month, and no matter where the sessions ended (often with you wrapped firmly in his powerful body), you never put on any airs about what those first few hours would entail.

Golden sunlight shone through gauzy curtains and spilled onto Enéas’ skin, setting the scales ablaze. The round black marks that lay over red scales the colour of baked clay were already beautiful, but under the sun’s rays he was cast in a rainbow sheen, every scale shimmering like an oil slick. The creamy scales of his underbelly flowed from his face all the way down, flashing like pale moonlight between his darker coils. Naga rarely wore clothing, they had no real need to, but Enéas had certainly developed a taste for finery during his time in the palace. Fine, sheer cotton, dyed snowy white and rich yellow, draped around him like woven light, held in place by gold clasps. Cuffs set with precious stones circled on his wrists and biceps, and a beautiful metal collar engraved with intricate patterns lay flat against his throat.

“You’re staring, little prince.”

The rasping taunt broke you out of your stupor, and you realized that your eyes had been locked on him, paintbrush unmoving on your canvas. You finished the stroke you had started with a careful flick. Stepping back a little, you surveyed what you had done so far. The hours spent on the portrait had been worth it, and even though it wasn’t done, you could stand to be finished for the day.

“I was distracted,” you said. “You were distracting me.”

A cheeky grin split Enéas’s face. It was hard-edged and full of sharp, hooked teeth, stretching far past what it would have on a human face, but managed to be as lovely and charming as it was frightening. “I have no idea what you mean. I was only sitting here, just like you asked me to.”

“Sitting there in a very distracting way.” You wiped your hands on the sturdy apron you wore before untying it and discarding it messily to the side. “We’re done for today, you can relax now.”

“Finally.” He stretched his arms above his head and groaned loudly before flopping back and letting his eyes close. The movement sent his whole body rippling in the sunlight, and the sight made your mouth go dry.

You strode towards the bed, closing the distance quickly to sit beside Enéas on your plush bedspread. He didn’t even open his eyes when the mattress dipped under your weight. With a feather-light touch, you traced the features of his face with a thumb. The transition from red to white around what would be a hairline was first, the gradient of the small scales dipping low on his forehead and contouring under his eye sockets, the way it pulled back on his temples. The flat bridge of his nose, his sharp jaw, the mouth stretching almost the entire way along the hollows of his cheeks. He just barely leaned into every touch, doing a very good job of pretending like he didn’t care about you sitting next to him and touching him like he was something precious. Each one of his breaths fanned upwards, over your face, and it smelled like the sweet lime cordial he drank moments before.

Your thumb continued its path around his face until it caught on the center on his bottom lip. One of his eyes drifted open, pupil an inky slit on yellow-green sclera, and he parted his lips just enough for his long, forked tongue to flicker out. It wound around the digit, brushing against your knuckles and the sensitive skin between your fingers. Cold spit cooled even further on your skin as Enéas licked over your hand. In a single swift movement he dipped his head forward to take your thumb fully in his mouth. You froze. His lips tightened around it and he sucked, tongue still working you over. You could feel your cock start to fill and you pressed in and down, putting the slightest amount of pressure on the floor of Enéas’ mouth. A low, raspy moan rumbled through him, eyes fluttering closed and back arching prettily.

Putting more pressure on his mouth, you hooked your thumb behind the bone of his lower jaw and forced it down, exposing hooked teeth and making his tongue loll. “Get me ready, beloved, and be thorough.” You leaned down to press a sweet kiss to the edge of his scaly jaw. “I want both of them today.”

Enéas’s eyes snapped open. His pupils were blown wide in excitement and arousal, and he flickered his tongue out over your skin again before pulling you down next to him with firm hands. Those same hands didn’t hesitate to begin roaming over your body, making quick work of the fastenings keeping your tunic and trousers closed before pulling his own scant clothing off.

“It would be my pleasure, Your Highness,” he said. The sound was already breathless, and sounded so beautiful that it hurt.

He stripped you of your clothing with an impossible combination of speed and reverence, each touch against your skin burning with affection. Pushing you fully onto your back, he slithered around you, smooth scales dragging against your increasingly bare skin until you lay cradled in his strong coils. A heavy tail coaxed your legs apart as large hands began mapping a path down your body. They skimmed over your throat and chest, pausing to tease each of your nipples to full hardness, and drifted lower, caressing your waist and stomach, scratching soft patterns onto your hips and buttocks, before landing on your thighs. His cool, clever mouth soon followed. A sloppy, open-mouthed kiss landed above your pulse, then the base of your neck, trailing cold saliva over your shoulders and down your breastbone. You moaned quietly, unbidden, and your back arched up off the bed, eyes fluttering closed. Your world narrowed to sensation: the chill on your skin, the plush mattress underneath you, the smooth rasp of scales around you. Enéas’ hands lovingly massaging your thighs.

Your eyes shot open with a gasp when you felt his mouth close around one of your nipples. You could feel his smile against your skin as he suckled on the hardened nub. A little jolt went through you as those wicked teeth grazed over the delicate skin, your cock twitching where it now lay fully erect on your belly. One of his hands wandered up to play with the flushed head, dipping into the pre-cum pooling under it before raising his hand and licking his fingers clean.

Gripping his chin, you dragged his face up to meet yours. “I believe I told you to prepare me, Enéas.” The way you said his name managed to land somewhere between sweetly teasing and bitterly displeased. “We may be lovers, but I am still a prince. This may have been my mistake, though, maybe I wasn’t clear enough for you.” You pulled him up further, tucking your mouth beside his ear so that you could whisper directly to him. “Prepare me, my love, and do it nice and thorough. After you’re done, you will fuck me, with both cocks, until I can’t speak or until you fill me with your cum. Whichever comes later. Am I understood?”

Enéas smiled, pupils completely dilated, and dipped his head down to kiss you. It was salty and bitter from your pre-cum, with the barest hint of the lime cordial underneath. “As you wish, my prince.”

He sat back and lowered himself so that he was lying on his front between your legs. The coil of his body that had been pressing one of your legs open dug in harder, pulling your thigh even further out, and he threw your other leg over his shoulder to get better access between your cheeks. His big hands dug in and pulled them apart, exposing your tight hole to the air of the room. He breathed over it, pressing wet, biting kisses onto the supple flesh of your ass before slipping his tongue out and running it all the way from your hole to your balls. The long, slender fork in the muscle wrapped around you, almost delicately, spreading cold saliva over your balls and the base of your shaft. The chill was a brief shock against your skin that sent sparks zipping through you, making you drop your head back onto the mattress and forcing your breaths out in stuttering pants.

Enéas continued alternating between licking at your rim, just barely breaching the ring of muscle with the tips of his tongue, and suckling gently at your sac, each motion drawing desperate little noises out of you. It felt wonderful, but it was nowhere near enough. Somewhere in your mind you had a brief argument with yourself about whether it would be worth it to abandon all semblance of power and control that you had in order to grind your hips back on his face. On one hand, you were royalty, even splayed naked on your bed, and you liked to hold onto that for as long as you could. On the other, the feeling of his cool scales and wet, fluttering tongue was very rapidly driving that particular thing down your list of concerns.

All of that was wiped from your mind when you felt the blunt tip of one of Enéas’ fingers, slicked with oil from a vial he must have hidden somewhere on him when he started moving. It circled your hole slowly, deliberately, pressing just inside every so often, coaxing the muscle to loosen with practiced care. You wanted to squirm, to tense up under the teasing touches, but you forced yourself to breathe through it and relax as much as possible. This earned you a raspy noise of approval and a kiss to your sensitive inner thigh from your naga lover.

Seconds later, it also earned you one of his gloriously thick fingers carefully worked all the way inside you. Your back curved off the bed, a quiet moan spilling from your lips. He pumped it in and out a few times, just starting to open you up enough for him to continue. As soon as you relaxed, unconscious fists unclenching from the bedspread, a second finger, thick and wet with oil, joined the first. He twisted the two about inside you. Each motion dragged the subtle ridges of his scales along your inner walls, and when he crooked his knuckles deep inside you, you arched up with a breathless moan.

“Ohhhh, fuck.”

Enéas’ head emerged from between your legs, and he smirked at you as he began scissoring his fingers, stretching your rim, brushing up against the spot of blinding pleasure on every thrust. “Well, Your Royal Highness? Am I pleasing you now?”

“You would be pleasing me more if you got on with it,” you snarked at him. He grinned back at you, the tremor in your voice and the way that your whole body had begun quivering betrayed your pleasure too much for him to ever believe that you were honestly upset.

“As my prince wishes.”

He raised himself so that he was braced overtop of you, and he rubbed the head of his upper dick over your entrance. You hadn’t even noticed him teasing his cocks erect and out of the slit that usually kept them hidden, but it wouldn’t surprise you if that was what he had been doing with his other hand while prepping you. A sweet kiss to the corner of your mouth was the only warning you got before he pushed into you with near-maddening gentleness. His cocks were more slender than the average human’s, but they were longer, and were covered with nubby barbs of flexible cartilage that caught deliciously inside you whenever he pulled back. He started rocking his hips into yours, getting deeper and deeper with each stroke, dick not close to filling you up but the barbs stimulating you plenty all on their own. You moaned slightly each time he drew back, cock leaking even more pre-cum between your bodies. Waiting until he was fully seated inside you, body flush against your ass, he began gently massaging your hole, the muscle already stretched tight around him. He moved his fingers in sync with his shallow thrusts, slowly but surely opening your hole enough for him to slip his second cock inside.

You were moaning even more loudly now, shuddering noises of pleasure leaving your lips every time Enéas fucked into you or pressed in on your entrance. His finger disappeared from your skin briefly after a particularly rough thrust left you panting and teary-eyed. You whined at the loss, wriggling further back on his dick. Another rough drive of his hips sent your back arching painfully, mouth dropping open as his index finger slipped into you alongside his shaft.

“Nngg, ah-- fuck, so-oo good,” you mewled.

Enéas started fucking into you with even more ferocity, making your whole body move every single time his hips slammed into your ass. Your cock slapped up onto your stomach with an obscenely wet sound, and left wet smears of clear fluid on your skin each time it hit you. The sounds coming out of you were starting to sound desperate, morphing from regular moans of pleasure to pitiful little whimpers and gasps. You were so overwhelmed by the way that his cock reached so deep inside you and caught so gloriously coming back out that you didn’t even notice a second fingertip tease your rim. You didn’t notice it until the smoothly scaled digit thrust into you alongside his first one. The feeling of it, the stretch of your rim definitely painful now, ripped a shattered cry from you.

Your whole body was tensed up, chest heaving with panting breaths. “Oh shit. Enéas, I’m going to…”

The hand he had been using to hold himself above you darted downwards and locked in a tight ring around the base of your steadily leaking cock. The crescendo quickly building in the pit of your stomach was stopped in its tracks, and you wailed at the blocking of your orgasm. Enéas smirked wickedly at you before lowering his mouth to graze lightly over one of your nipples.

“Patience, little prince,” he chided, “Just hold on a little longer, and you can cum on both of my cocks.”

Each word he spoke was punctuated by him driving his barbed shaft into you and scissoring his fingers wider and wider. Somewhere in the haze of your almost-climax he had stuck a third finger into your hole, and all of them were now stretching you out as far as you could go. His big arms wrapped around your back and he aggressively hoisted you upwards, forcing you to wrap your legs around his body. He slipped his fingers out of you, and almost immediately his lower cock replaced it. The shaft was thicker, the head a little more bulbous, and it filled you up so wonderfully next to his other one. Once he was fully seated, he went still to let you get used to the intense stretch inside of you. You tried to wriggle about in his arm to get him even deeper inside of you, but he used both arms to grip you tight to his body, keeping you still. That mouth of his kept lovingly licking over your chest, going slack to let saliva leak out over his lips and onto your skin.

With a firm grip on your hips and an almost painful amount of care, Enéas lifted you up until only the heads of his dicks remained inside of you. Realizing what he was about to do, you stopped writhing in his grasp, relaxing as much as the position allowed. He hissed a thanks into the thin skin above your breastbone. A slight shift of his weight so that all of his coils lay firmly beneath him, and he lowered you almost all the way down onto him. He pressed sweet kisses to the base of your sternum, then each of your nipples, then to the side of your throat. Settling his face into the warm crook of your neck, he began to raise and lower your along his shafts, using your body to fuck himself to completion.

This new position made his cocks reach impossibly deeper inside of you, spines rubbing against that sweet spot with each stroke. You dropped your head forward against Enéas’ shoulder, moaning loudly. With his previous fierce grip on your tortured cock gone, you felt your orgasm begin to build again. Clear pre-cum dripped out of your slick head and smeared between your bodies. He kept bouncing you on him, breath coming out ragged against your neck as he chased after his own climax.

“Holy shit-- that’s so good…”

Your mouth hung open as heat bubbled up in your gut. You tried to warn Enéas again, but all that came out was a strangled gasp of his name before you were cumming between your bodies with a cry. His sharp mouth curved into a grin pressed into the skin of your shoulder as you went boneless in his arms. He kept driving your body down onto himself mercilessly, paying no mind to your limp form. Your eyes filled with tears and drool leaked from your slackened jaw as you were driven to complete overstimulation from him using your body.

“Mmmmhh-hngg....AH!” You moaned desperately, squirming in his arms, trying to get away from the feeling of his cocks inside you that was quickly starting to get painful. Your hole was fluttering erratically around him, and the grip that Enéas had on your hips stuttered, betraying how close he was.

“My prince, I’m…” he managed to grunt out before he pulled you all the way onto his cocks and came inside of you, clutching your body close to his.

His twin dicks twitched against your sensitive walls as thick white cum spilled inside of you. You wailed at the sensation, your own spent cock trying fruitlessly to twitch erect again. Enéas held you against him for several minutes, catching his breath, before he carefully lifted you off of him and laid you down on the now-soiled sheets. The spines on his shafts caught on your puffy rim as he pulled out, making you wince. Your belly was still sticky from your own orgasm, and gobs of Enéas’s cum leaked from your hole, making you feel even filthier. You were completely and utterly fucked-out and content as you lay there in a warm stupor. Cold lips kissed away tears that you hadn’t noticed had fallen, and a hand rubbed comforting circles into the back of your neck. He shifted his body to wrap around you in heavy coils that felt safe and warm, despite his cold blood. You stayed there, cradled against his familiar body, being covered in soft kisses and soothing caresses, until the shaky aftershocks of both of your climaxes dissipated. Once they had, you curled onto your side so that you could nuzzle your face into his scaly neck,

“So?” Enéas whispered into your ear, peppering the side of your face with affectionate pecks. “Did I please you, my prince?”

“Mmm,” you hummed, nibbling on his jaw slightly. “You absolutely did, beloved.”

#monster fucker #monster lover #exophilia #terato #monster x human #naga #tw crying #smut #nsft #minors do not interact #terfs dont fucking touch #seriously if i see a fucking terf i'll fight you #bigots dni

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thecrofttomb · 2 years

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TR25 | Reimagined Covers: The Angel of Darkness

Back in February 2021, Crystal Dynamics debuted a special project that aimed to reimagine the box art of the mainline entries in the series. Each one features a different artist and their unique take on the game they were assigned with and is set to be released throughout the anniversary celebration.

For Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003), after a few setbacks, the team finally unveiled this stunning gold leaf and oil painting designed by the incredibly talented Stephanie Rew, an award-winning artist specialised in figurative painting who had her work displayed in various exhibitions across the world.

Below you can find what the artist had to say on the making of this piece and download it in various sizes so you can customize all of your devices.

"When I was first approached to make this 25th anniversary artwork for Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, I felt the work needed to have the look of an icon. This stage in Lara’s story is a darker one and I felt that the fallen angel motif fitted the design perfectly.

I began by engraving the game’s symbol into the gesso before adding raised texture to define the cogs and wheels. I then laid 24ct gold leaf on top of the pattern and polished the gold to reveal the design. I added more detail with a jewellers’ punch and dry brush to create illusion of movement. I then started painting the figure in oil.

The portrait of Lara was a challenge, as painting a fictional character is very different from painting a model. I wanted her to look like the original Lara, with the wide set eyes and angular face, so a lot of tweaking went on to find the balance between a traditional oil portrait and a digital one. I added the black wings last and used blackbird wings as reference. I wanted to create the feeling of flight so added some loose feathers. The final designs of the symbol are painted in 24ct shell gold. The pattern surrounds her and begins to consume the whole figure, signifying the fusion between the game and the hero.

I am honoured to create this work of art for Crystal Dynamics to celebrate 25 years of Tomb Raider, as I loved playing it when it first was released. She has come a long way since then."

The team has also released a neat fan kit with the artwork packed with wallpapers, social assets and even a printable file for those who wish to revamp their cases. If you do so, please share them with us on social media by tagging @thecrofttomb and @tombraider in your posts along with #TR25!

DOWNLOAD

» Previous Covers «

Tomb Raider by Brenoch Adams Tomb Raider II by Babs Tarr Tomb Raider III by Paul Kwon Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation by Andy Park Tomb Raider V: Chronicles by Megan Lara Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness by Stephanie Rew | Community: #1, #2, #3, #4 Tomb Raider: Legend by Nagu Tomb Raider: Anniversary by Brenoch Adams Tomb Raider: Underworld by Laura H. Rubin Tomb Raider (2013) by Yoshitaka Amano Rise of the Tomb Raider by (TBA) Shadow of the Tomb Raider by Ross Draws

Explore the TR25 web portal where the Tomb Raider community team will be posting some fun articles and exciting announcements along the year. For all the news regarding the 25th anniversary of the franchise, be sure to visit our dedicated TombRaider25 tag.

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hadescavedish · 2 years

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Do you mind if I ask what your art process is? Do you do a rough sketch first and then add detail or do you just go for it? I’m new to art/digital art and have no idea how to begin but I really like your art. Thank you 💙

Thank you for appreciating my art!

I know there are no certain rules on how to improve art, but to my personal experiences, there are some steps I would take to prep myself a bit from time to time (of course, you can skip this part before actually drawing anything, but when you want to get some insights about doing arts especially digital ones, you could always come back later):

1. Draw more rough sketches, quick and rough ones (there is a book called Complete guide to drawing from life by George Bridgman which will give you some tips and knowledge about human anatomy and perspective on body parts if you are interested in drawing people, also Line of action and this Deviantart page are both good reference sources)

2. There is a book called How to Render by Scott Robertson will explain the basics about digital rendering, it is a book for the designers but I find that can help beginners to understand the connections between light, hue, saturations about colours and even the environment, also there are many online articles can explain that.

How I Begin (I won't explain how I do all the styles, but I will start with how I do sketches and portraits):

1. Yes, I would do a sketch or draft first before doing anything else, I read an article mentioning even John Sargent would do extensive sketches on certain subjects he wanted to draw. It can be really really rough, the point is to create and remember the outline of the art which you had in mind.

For example, you probably had seen this art I did yesterday which I post the complete one, but it got certain dynamics on his features which that would guide me to go on for the next step:

2. There are two ways to render and colour:

1) The easier one is you go on make your black and white ones more detailed:

and then add many new layers in blend mode, which I usually would use multiply for adding the basic colours I preset for the image. Then switch to overlay or colour dodge to add the lighter tunes in the art. It is basically similar to drawing watercolours in the traditional arts.

adding multiply:

adding overlays:

using the curves on PS to adjust the layer at the bottom (or you can do this step after you finished the black and white):

2) The harder way is to do impasto, basically just after rough sketch, use one layer (but you can keep the original layer underneath just just in case if you are not satisfied with the results when you do the colours) you can do it straightforwardly laying all the colours you want to present in an image, before starting this I suggest if you know a bit about gouache arts or paintings that would help you understand how it works, I immensely prefer this way when I was in certain moods bc it created something has a painting-like texture (if you got the oil painting brushes for PS online):

#anonymous #asks #artist ask

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not-xpr-art · 3 years

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Art Advice #2 - How to beat art block!

Hi again everyone!

This is the second instalment to my Art Advice tag offering hints and tips for artists of any skill level!

This time I’ll be going into ways I’ve found that help me to combat art block or creative ruts. Of course, these may not work for you, and a big part of art is learning about what things do and do not work for you, but I hope it at least offers some advice to anyone who struggles with art blocks!

How to beat art block.

Getting into an art block can be one of the most frustrating things as an artist. Especially if you’ve tried to dedicate a window of time to drawing something, only for your brain to ‘nope’ out and give you no motivation. I’ve found it can often make you feel worthless as an artist, particularly when you see fellow artists continuing to produce countless amazing artworks, and this kind of self depreciation only adds to your inability to produce anything.

And I’m not about to suggest some magical cure of art block, since I don’t believe there is one, but I hope that my advice can at least help lead you towards getting out of these vicious circles of art block & self deprecation!

Tip #1 - Explore other mediums

I feel like as artists we get incredibly ‘comfortable’ in the mediums we’re familiar with. For me, that’s digital and pencil drawing. I’ve been doing pencil drawing for as long as I can remember, and digital for a little over 7 years, so I’ve become very comfortable in using them.

However, I think that a good way to not only help combat art block, but also to expand your art horizons, is to step out of that comfort zone into a new field of art.

Of course, I’m not saying that I expect every artist to go from pencil drawing for 10 years to suddenly picking up a paint brush and doing some oil painting. But instead that every so often maybe just try and dabble in mediums you’ve not used as much, or haven’t used before at all. A lot of shops sell pretty inexpensive paints, pens or pastels nowadays, not to mention a quick Google search will give you tips on how to use the particular medium if you’re not sure how to start.

A thing I want to mention here, too, is that I think it’s important to not to expect yourself to be automatically ‘great’ at a particular medium. For example, last year I did my first embroidery piece. I had wanted to do embroidery for a long time, and did actually enjoy it a lot (even if it was incredibly time consuming lol). But I found myself dissatisfied with the finale result.

And in a way this is because I expected myself to be perfect at embroidery after just one attempt, which is ridiculous of course, since any kind of art takes years and years to ‘master’. And when I look back, I can’t help but think ‘why does it have to be good in the first place’? Why did I put this pressure on myself to be a sudden Master of Embroidery, when surely the main goal of any kind of art is to some extent the enjoyment of the process?

This is still a mindset I think a lot of artists will relate to, and is something I’m trying to combat myself.

Recently I painted some fake plastic eggs inspired by the Polish folk art tradition ‘Pisanki’. They took a long time, and my neck hurt a lot from being hunched over and painting little dots, but honestly I really loved the whole process of them! Painting on 3D objects isn’t something I do a lot, and I also rarely do purely pattern-based work like this, so it was a real deviation from my comfort zone.

In a way, exploring other mediums is like a creative respite. Giving yourself a break from what you’re familiar with not only helps you to be inspired by a wide range or arts, but when you return to the mediums you enjoy the most, I’ve actually found you appreciate them even more!

(Really, nothing makes me more appreciative for digital art than painting a wrong dot on the surface of an egg and not being able to rub it out...)

Tip #2 - Try different styles

Another tip, similar in many ways to the first one, is to try different styles of art every once and a while.

Like with materials, I think we as artists can get overly caught up in ‘our style’ of doing things. Whether this is a particular stylised or cartoonish way of drawing, or doing realistic art, or even sticking to a particular colour scheme. And I think especially in the world we live in, where artists have to make themselves as ‘consumer friendly’ as possible, which often means having a ‘recognisable brand’, it can feel like we have to do our art in a particular way, otherwise people will lose interest in it.

I think this is harmful for a lot of reasons. Partly, I feel it stifles artists creativity to force themselves to do one style and one style only. I also feel it assumes that non-artists are so single-track minded that if an artist were to post works of art that involve different styles, then they would immediately lose interest.

So my advice to any artist who has a particular style is to once in a while try out some different styles. It doesn’t have to be big pieces, and it also doesn’t have to be the polar opposite of what your style actually is. But instead if can be as simple as doing a ‘style challenge’ (something I’ve done in the past), or even just trying a different way of drawing or painting!

In a way, changing your medium and changing your style occasionally go hand in hand. I particularly find that how I draw people will change with the kinds of mediums I use, or even when I start using a new brush with digital art.

For example, I recently did this super quick sketch of Kiki Layne, because I really loved the reference image, and it came out a lot more stylised than my art usually is. And this is almost entirely down to the brush I used (which was an ‘ink’ style brush, in comparison to the ‘pencil’ or ‘pen’ brushes I usually use for sketching).

This isn’t a drastic change in style for me, but I do think even trying to do rougher or messier styles of art like this can allow you to see your art in a new light!

(A side note here, but I already pretty much change up my style with every piece because I have no interest in being ‘marketable’ lol... But I’m definitely not suggesting everyone should be like me, just every so often changing up your style I believe can be really beneficial!)

Tip #3 - Changing subject matters

This one is essentially the same as the other two, and I’m sorry if this comes across as repetitive, but I think another great way to help beat art block is by changing up the kinds of things you draw!

Being predominantly a portrait artist, I rarely go out of my way to draw things like trees or birds or cups or whatever. But I know that often when I feel myself entering a kind of creative rut or art block, it’s because I’ve been drawing too many people & my brain is sort of all people-d out lol...

(this is a tree I drew in oil paints midway through last year because I was feeling particular people-d out at that point)

So I think occasionally drawing other things, and going out of your art comfort zone, can help to improve your creativity. And hey, who knows, maybe you’ll end up incorporating something you drew randomly into a new artwork!

TL;DR (/conclusion)

So, remember that exploring other mediums, changing up your regular style and choosing other subject matters can all help in beating art block! Of course, you don’t have to do them all at the same time, but instead just dipping in and out of them as you produce your regular work can be highly beneficial!

I mainly wanted to make this post not to say that by doing all three of these things, you’ll magically be free of art block forever, because that’s just not true. (I’m someone who does a lot of these things pretty regularly, but still gets into art blocks every now and then). I instead wanted to inspire you to deviate from what you are usually drawn to as an artist.

The world is your creative oyster, so don’t be afraid to explore it!

I hope you enjoyed this post about ways to beat art block! I may make a part two if people are interested since there are a lot of other things that I think can help in improving creativity!

#art advice #art block #how to beat art block #creativity #art discussion #artists on tumblr #this is about 1300 words long btw #i honestly DID try not to ramble pffffft #anyway i hope someone found this at least slightly useful!

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garknessandbones · 3 years

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Creator appreciation tag!

Tagged by @this-is-quite-homoerotic

RULES: It’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works.

1. Time tracks

This fic had to have top spot bc it’s one of my proudest creations. The massive plot lines and multipart series that stemmed from me giving @thirteeninafez a random prompt months ago are something I never would’ve expected. I’m so happy I stuck with it!

2. Ianto Jones portrait

This was my first digital oil painting and my first piece of torchwood fanart!!! I’m still super proud of it, even though I’ve learnt a lot since then

3. Janto Sleeping

This is my favourite panel from my Towen comic. There were a few panels of the full comic that I’m not happy with, but I love this panel.

4. Torchwood Christmas Party

This was so much fun to draw and let me branch out into a new style I developed in my uni course this year

5. The Magic Flute costume designs and set box

This is actually my university project that I worked on from October to September. I’m not sure how many people know on here but I’m a costume and scenography student. It’s the most effort I’ve ever put into a project and I am really proud of my concept and designs (esp my 1:100 scale set box). I reckon that this is the thing in most proud of, quite possibly ever. (Although that might change when I get my result back XD)

Tagging: @thirteeninafez @flamingbluepanda @princess-of-the-worlds @violetmessages @shejustcouldntlivethesong

I’m not sure who’s already done this and don’t feel like you have to do it if I tag you! Alternatively: if I haven’t tagged you and you want to do it, consider this an open tag!!

#tag games #I’m a bit late with this I kept on forgetting I was tagged 😅#torchwood #since p much all of these are torchwood links #never posted personal stuff on tumblr before so ✌️✌️

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badboy-mysweetboy · 5 years

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What the hell is a commission?

Sweet Peax fem! reader

This has been stuck in my head forever, and I don't know why... it started as a drabble then it just took off my guy. Random Tags: @missmarrinette @the-gargoyle-queen @xserpentlife @theangriestpea @sweetpeaxreader @sweetpea-fvck

Really an eviction?

That’s no coincidence. I’m going to Major McMoy about this bullshit. Grabbing my skateboard and slamming my trailer door, I speed down to City Hall. The streets are damp from the ongoing rain this past few weeks, shoving people out of my way I kick up my old board before the concrete stairs.

Running up the familiar hallway to her office, shutting the door behind me our eyes meet.

“Y/n? What are you doing here?” McCoy's voice rung out, gulping, setting my hand down on the chair. My tongue darting out dampening my bottom lip before speaking up, “How much is the debt and next year of rent for the trailer park?”

Her eyes widened momentarily, “I-Uh, Why are you asking, Y/n?” With raising eyebrows she caught on, with a small smile, McCoy turned as her finger pounded on the keys. “It’s about $50,000, but I already have an offer and-”

I interrupted, “No, the Lodges want to pay for your silence, but if that’s what it’s going to take.” She looked a bit taken back before I continued, “I know about you and Mr. Sheriff, I’m the only one. That’s a bigger bomb, so give me 1 week. Deal?”

“A week? That’s literally impossibl-”

“I’ve done it for Pop’s and I’ve done it for the White Wyrm, please Sierra do me a solid. I’ve never come in short. Not once.” Now crossing my arms as the Major looked between me and the red number on the document. softly she nodded as a smirk took over my face, “See ya next Friday, and remember ‘Tell the Lodges to piss off til then’, I’ll be here. 3:45pm sharp. And no telling anyone about this like the last times.” With another short nod, my feet took off as my board glided against the polished halls of City Hall. Men in suits yelling and a few women flipping me off.

The neon lights of the city blurred as my feet vibrated on the board that speed down the streets I call home. Pulling my shitty, old phone from my jean pocket. Scrolling threw contacts stopping for a moment to see the top message,

~Sweet Pea<3~

I’ll be home in a few days, this job fuckin blows. Love and miss you baby <3

Smiling softly at the last message he sent me I kept scrolling. A familiar contact name popped up on the screen, “Ok hello, Mrs. Wealthy.” Hitting the green phone putting it to my ear.

“Mrs. Lodge, Hello...”

It’s been over 97 hours of my hand dancing on pages and canvases, and days melted into songs that have played over 20 times. The darkening of my eyes and increased amount of caffeine and candy is taking its fuzzy toll. My palms dug into my eyes then dragged over my face as I pull paints and inks from their places. Once again dragging the brush across the cloth of the Lodge daughter and other various things requested, “It’s almost like she knew.” It was strange but she and another buyer made up 45k while I had the other 5 in savings.

Standing with stretching hands and popping back, I grab my empty cans of energy cans and toss them in the trash bag among the others. Taking the 6 pack of Monsters off the counter and to the mess I’ve called home for too long. The music drowned out the sound of a familiar bike and the front door trying to open, turning to see the chair in front of the door budging. Moving it and opening the door I was meet with the other artist Serpent, Jug.

“What do you want?” I growled as he shifted awkwardly, clearing his voice he sarcastically responded. “Ya know, Fp misses his favorite bartender, and Toni is all alone with drunk Fangs. What have you been doing?” Rubbing the now darker e/c eyes, with Sweet Pea’s black and white flannel that well could be a dress. “Studying Jug, you probably don’t know what it’ like being stupid. But it sucks. Tell your father that I’ll be back at work on Saturday. Goodbye Jug.” Shutting the and replacing the chair.

Back in the crouched position, I presumed the strokes of ink and oils as the next several hours melted into lost time.

Blinking madly the last stroke met the page and “Fucking finally! Yes! WooHoo!” Grabbing the hairdryer and drying it my eyes met the digital clock that read

3:21 pm Friday.

Placing the last painting in my portfolio and grabbing my board. Taking off on my board once again, to Pops. Stopping at the same black van Mrs, Lodge’s profile could be seen, while handing her one of the two portfolios in my hand. Opening the backpack it was all there, looking up met with a smile. As she held out a painting of her daughter, “Beautiful as always, Y/n.” Nodding, making my way into the diner the other costumer was sitting with her son.

Walking to the booth she smiled up at me, then her son turned. “ Hello Archie, Mrs. Andrews here’s your piece. If I may, I need to go.” She slowly unzipped it revealing a portrait of her son, a big gleaming smile turned to me. “What is that, mom? Y/n?” Archie looked between us when her mom handed me an envelope, “Remember what I said over the phone, bye!” Winking at the two before running out, “I have 10 minutes to get to McCoy, come on baby don’t let me down.” Dropping my board and skating down the well-known streets, rain fell from the sky making the wheels spin faster as my old converse pounded against the floor pushing me towards my destination.

Beating against my chest hurt as my lungs burned, running up 3 floors and bursting into Major McCoy’s Office. “I’m here, Not late! Y/n present! Now here.” Inhaling deeply looking up to see Mr. Lodge’s anger-filled face. “I’m not saying this again Hiram, the buyer shows tomorrow, if they don’t show. The trailer park is yours till then. Get The Hell Out- oh Y/n here for Josie? She’ll be here in a few, just sit down till then.” Her demeanor changed as I dragged myself to a chair as Hiram stormed out. Lazily raising the bag in the air. “It’s there, all 50k. Until we see another day. Hey rain looks like melted dimands and- what am I talking about?”

Worry was painted all over McCoy’s face as she glided over to me, placing her hand on my forehead it felt nice and warm. “You’re sick, y/n. When was the last time you slept-”

McCoy’s POV..(whaaaattttt? lol ) transitions to 3rd POV

“Oh Y/n.” I mumbled softly as her dark eyes fell shut and her breathing shallowed, grabbing the backpack and putting it all where it needs to be, “Once again Y/n you saved the day, only if your Sweet Pea knew.” and signed off the eviction. Pulling a blanket from the closet and draping it onto y/n’s sick form. Walking back to my desk I rang up Sherif Keller “Hello babe, I need you to go down to the trailer park and tell em’ that the park was paid for. They live rent-free for the next year.” Smiling as he asked who, “An anonymous buyer but not Lodge, make sure they know that.” Looking at the shivering form across the room, “Love you, see you later. Bye-bye.” Placing the phone on the receiver and calling another well-known number.

“Mayor McCoy?” The gruff voice came from the other side, “ FP I need you to come to my office, please. Now.” Hanging back up, and walk up to her form once again. Placing my hand on her forehand, my hand almost stung at the touch. “Damn girl, what did you do?”

Soon Fp showed up and immediately noticed y/n, “What happened?” He kneeled next to her cupping her face, turning to face me. “I’m taking her home, Sweet Pea won’t be happy,” he grumbled bridal style carrying her, “Just make sure she gets well, she deserves it.” With a raised eyebrow he shrugged it off and put y/n on the front of his bike making sure she doesn’t fall off, with of course her precious board bunji corded to the back of the bike.

Stopping in front of her and Sp’s trailer, Fp slowly took Y/n from the bike to her home. Sighing he walked into her home and placed her on the bed before his phone rang, “Yes?” Fp ran out of the trailer to his own.

Sweet Pea’s bike was rolled into park as Keller was giving the news.

“People of the trailer park community it brings me joy to tell you this, an anonymous buyer has saved you all from eviction and paying rent for a year. This buyer wishes to stay anonymous but let it be known it was no a Lodge, so celebrate!” Before he turned to his car passing Sp who had a shocked expression.

Smiling he dashed into his trailer to find a mess of art supplies and trash bags filled with candy wrappers and energy drink cans. Smiling went from worried within seconds, “Y/n? Baby? I’m home! Where are you?” He walked through the trailer finding her under a blanket shivering fast asleep, quickly coming to her aid he shook tried to shake her awake but received a grunt. Putting y/n under all the blankets he could find he went to find some medicine for when she woke up. Then he got a call from Fp.

Cheers were heard from miles around as every Serpent partied and drank in The Serpent King’s trailer about staying in their homes and not paying rent for a year. The detective couple went to demand who bought the park as Major McCoy kept her promise before Fp joined them in asking.

(Back to McCoy POV)

The four stood in front of me with demanding looks; the 2 Jones, Betty, and Sp. “They made me promise not to tell a soul and-” The writer spoke up,” But this is a good thing, they should be proud. We just want to know Major McCoy, the people want to know and plus-” He ranted before I got tired of the secret and him just pushing my goddamn buttons. “Fine, you want to know who bought your debts and rent for a year and save Pop’s twice and even saved the White Wyrm from the Lodges?” I snapped and they all nodded. “Y/n L/n, she bought them all plus other things but those were the most expensive.”

Seeing their faces was all the same. All Shocked for sure. Sweet Pea’s eye’s widened, I continued, “She came up with $50,000 in a week due to commissions and paid it off today about 25 minutes ago, now I suggest someone goes and tends to her, I bet 50k that she was awake for about 168 hours and has a terrible fever. If that’s all get out of my office.”

“What the hell is a commission?” Sweet Pea asked as Fp repeated ‘50k’ like it was the only word he knew. “She sold art Sweet Pea, that’s why her hands probably hurt.” They all left rethinking what just happened.

The three walked into the serpent’s trailer while Betty went to pick up stuff for y/n’s fever. Sweet Pea was able to get her into the shower as the other 2 hung out in the living room area. Jug observed the table with thrown sketches out of the way and paint cups filled with brushes. “She came up with 50k by art? Wow, she is talented for what I can tell.” Placing a sketch of Sweet Pea down looking at the garbage bags. Fp’s hands were in his hair, “50k- $50,000 dollars. She saved our asses and we didn’t even know-” Fp mumbled and his son answered, “she didn’t want us to know, Why?”

“Why? Because the serpents are my family. And family saves their ass no matter the cost, and I don’t want a single dollar from you or I’ll shove my sick ass foot up your ass, kapish?” Y/n’s now way deeper voice answered Jug as she made her way to the kitchen for some water.

Y/n POV

Drinking the water, Sweet Pea’s arms wrapped around me as his chin rested on my shoulder. “You’ll get sick babe.” I yawned as his grip got tighter, “I don’t care and how long since you’ve slept?” The trailer door opened as Betty walked through with a grocery bag full of things, “I thought I said no buying shit, and probably 170 hours Sp. Now I love you all but I’m going to bed night, I’ll be at work at 4 Fp, Come on Sweet Pea. Bed Time.” I grumbled as the rest chuckled, “No you will not come in tomorrow and Betty, darling I don’t care what you have to do but make y/n take her medicine. Goodnight everyone and-” Fp stood and walked over after telling Betty something, I don’t know, I was in a bone crushin hug. “Thank you y/n for everything, you’re a true serpent through and through. Love ya kid, now sleep.” Before stepping out Betty held out NightQuil, being so tired I just twisted off the cap and took a gulp.

“Nasty, now goodnight.” Turning and before I could walk Pea picked me up and placed me on our bed. Getting underneath every single blanket, he kicked off his shoes and pulled me into his chest. His hands danced in my hair and within seconds I was lulled to sleep to Sp’s voice.

Sweet Pea that night made a vow to give himself that small, velvet box in his underwear drawer will be given to her and he will cherish her till the end.

#Sweet Pea #Sweet Pea x reader #sweet pea imagine #riverdale #riverdale imagine #fluff #random as hell #riverdale fluff #jordan connor x reader #jordan connor

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