you were raised in comparison.
it wasn't always obvious (well. except for the times that it was), but you internalized it young. you had to eat what you didn't like, other people are going hungry, and you should be grateful. you had to suck it up and walk on the twisted ankle, it wasn't broken, you were just being a baby. you were never actually suffering, people obviously had it worse than you did.
you had a roof over your head - imagine! with the way you behaved, with how you talked back to your parents? you're lucky they didn't kick you out on your ass. they had friends who had to deal with that. hell, you have friends who had to deal with that. and how dare you imply your father isn't there for you - just because he doesn't ever actually talk to you and just because he's completely emotionally checked out of your life doesn't mean you're not fucking lucky. think about your cousins, who don't even get to speak to their dad. so what if yours has a mean streak; is aggressive and rude. at least you have a father to be rude to you.
you really think you're hurting? you were raised in a home! you had access to clean water! you never so much as came close to experiencing a real problem. sure, okay. you have this "mental illness" thing, but teenagers are always depressed, right. it's a phase, you'll move on with your life.
what do you mean you feel burnt out at work. what do you mean you mean you never "formed healthy coping mechanisms?" we raised you better than that. you were supposed to just shoulder through things. to hold yourself to high expectations. "burning out" is for people with real jobs and real stress. burnout is for people who have sick kids and people who have high-paying jobs and people who are actually experiencing something difficult. recently you almost cried because you couldn't find your fucking car keys. you just have lost your sense of gratitude, and honestly, we're kind of hurt. we tell you we love you, isn't that enough? if you want us to stick around, you need to be better about proving it. you need to shut up about how your mental health is ruined.
it could be worse! what if you were actually experiencing executive dysfunction. if you were really actually sick, would you even be able to look at things on the internet about it? you just spend too much time on webMD. you just like to freak yourself out and feel like you belong to something. you just like playing the victim. this is always how you have been - you've always been so fucking dramatic. you have no idea how good you have it - you're too fucking sensitive.
you were like, maybe too good of a kid. unwilling to make a real fuss. and the whole time - the little points, the little validations - they went unnoticed. it isn't that you were looking for love, specifically - more like you'd just wanted any one person to actually listen. that was all you'd really need. you just needed to be witnessed. it wasn't that you couldn't withstand the burden, but you did want to know that anyone was watching. these days, you are so accustomed to the idea of comparison - you don't even think you belong in your own communities. someone always fits better than you do. you're always the outlier. they made these places safe, and then you go in, and you are just not... quite the same way that would actually-fit.
you watch the little white ocean of your numbness lap at your ankles. the tide has been coming in for a while, you need to do something about it. what you want to do is take a nap. what you want to do is develop some kind of time machine - it's not like you want your life to stop, not completely, but it would really nice if you could just get everything to freeze, just for a little while, just until you're finished resting. but at least you're not the worst you've been. at least you have anything. you're so fucking lucky. do you have any concept of the amount of global suffering?
a little ant dies at the side of your kitchen sink. you look at its strange chitinous body and think - if you could just somehow convince yourself it is enough, it will finally be enough and you can be happy. no changes will have to be made. you just need to remember what you could lose. what is still precious to you.
you can't stop staring at the ant. you could be an ant instead of a person, that is how lucky you are. it's just - you didn't know the name of the ant, did you. it's just - ants spend their whole life working, and never complain. never pull the car over to weep.
it's just - when it died, it curled up into a tight little ball.
something kind of uncomfortable: you do that when you sleep.
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A “Guide” to working with Artists with Aphantasia
DISCLAIMER:
I KNOW ARTISTS WITHOUT APHANTASIA ALSO USE REFERENCES
This is not going to be applicable to ALL artists (with OR WITHOUT aphantasia)
I don’t speak for everyone!!!
PLEASE Read the information artists provide you THUROUGHLY
ASK ARTISTS WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION THEY NEED
I’m sorry about the typos I am dyslexic and no one is beta reading this :3c
HERE IS THE OG TWITTER POST
I made this guide out of frustration.
I was having a hard time communicating with commissioners how much visual information I needed, and that giving me creative freedom doesn’t, personally, work for me. It all comes down to the why; Aphantasia.
... I realized a lot of people don’t understand what that is, and how it might affect an artist.
Note: I am a character artist!!! I do personal commissions!!!! I don’t do commercial work!! This guide is about things that I have found extremely helpful!! This may not work for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!
So, here is the official written guide to what I, personally, have found helpful when getting commissions:
A healthy dose of both written and visual information is needed, but the percentage of which heavily depends on the type of commission and how familiar I am with the characters.
- Is it an illustration of a scene between two character? Descriptive information on the scene, the emotions, general vibe, dialogue are more important to the composition - but visual references on each character (and their characteristics), the space, the palette, and any objects would be needed.
- Is it a reference sheet commission? Descriptive information is no longer as important, and the main focus is on the visuals. Descriptive information would be limited to a brief description of personality, placement of certain markings, and/or the written information on the reference. Visuals would be EVERYTHING - every single aspect of that character would need a reference.
Google Docs, Google Drives, PDFs, Character pages (Toyhou.se or Refsheet.net) is an easy way to compile both written and visual information in one place!
What is some good visual information to compile for your characters?
Physical
Age/Race/height/body type
Skin colour/ scars/ freckles/ skin conditions etc
Eye colour/shape
Nose shape
Hair colour/texture/style/decorations
Any additional details (prosthetics limbs/no limbs!/tattoos/piercings/wings)
Face Claims are extremely helpful - and it’s okay to have more than one!
It’s good to specify which parts of what reference are important to your character
Items
Clothing/Jewelry/Accessories
Weapons
Personal Items
Companions
Here is an example of how I organize my Pinterest boards for my own Ocs:
Appearance: Every single visual reference I would need for their physical appearance. Faceclaims, hair styles/texture/colours, facial hair, body types, hand shapes, nose shapes, lip shapes, eye shapes
Aesthetic: Helpful for illustrations. Palettes and aesthetics that I attribute to these characters. Art styles, symbols, colours, settings, etc...
Outfits: Outfits and accessories. Full outfits or single items, textures, colours, patterns.
NOTE: It’s important to remember that some artists can only work with certain references (ie. drawn references vs photo references). If you’re unsure/your artists hasn’t stated which works best for them - ask!
I cannot work with drawn references in simplistic styles (anime specifically), and I struggle with using nothing but Final Fantasy screenshots. They’re important when it comes to providing colour or even outfit references - but facial features are much harder for me to translate.
Some artists are okay with things like piccrews and can translate them very well! I can’t.
What is some good visual information to compile for your characters?
Written information can vary from commission to commission; unless the illustration is based off a story, I don’t need a novel to be written about the piece.
Being dyslexic also makes it a struggle for me to parse through written information - I tend to have to break it down outside of the initial commission submission to fully understand what. I also tend to ask a ton more questions when I’m provided more written information than visual - revisions take time and energy.
It’s important to have visual to accompany your written info;
( shout out to @moki-dokie for letting me use their info as an example!! )
Commission information examples
DESIGN COMMISSIONS:
Info given:
Outcome:
Easiest character design commission I have ever done. The information given was so concise that the only revisions were my own suggestions on the design itself.
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Info Given:
Outcome:
a TON of written information was given to explain the characters backstory, to further drive my understand of the aesthetic and setting of the world the character lives in. The pinterest board provided had a lot physical references, outfits, aesthetics, and colours.
---
ILLUSTRATION COMMISSIONS:
Info Given:
Outcome:
I had a lot of previous information on both of these characters (I designed the top one myself), but I was provided limited written information for this; Holiday Discord call where Toad (character one) is getting a present from Zalem (character two). Zalem is barely hiding how they feel about Toad who is excited.
All other information provided was visual; Outfits and room aesthetics.
We discussed poses in Dms and collaboratively found references.
---
Info Given:
Outcome:
Absolute favorite example of the PERFECT amount of information given and the PERFECT amount of creative freedom given.
I was handed character references with all angles as well as their armor + how to simply the armor. Pose + expression references. A general aesthetic + palette to work with. The setting. A doodle to lay out exactly what they were visualizing.
I have all the information you could need! Now what?
I am very privileged to no longer need to take first come first serve commissions, and it’s given me the ability to really sit back and filter through the commissions that I want to do, and those that I immediately do not consider.
I think it’s important that, before commissioning anyone, you should ask yourself a couple important questions:
Does this artist’s style suit what I want?
Does my character suit what this artist usually draws?
Do the references I have provide the right amount of information for the specific artist I want to commission?
Sometimes the answer to these questions are; No.
... and that’s okay?
Unfortunately, not every artist is going to be able to bring your vision to life, or feel happy with the completed piece!
If you’re someone who has Big Buff Demon Men characters that are drawn in a heavily realistic style - you might not ask an artist who draws smaller, softer characters with squishier shapes and a general aesthetic that doesn’t match your Ocs!
If you’re someone who has characters and all of their references are in an anime style (including other commissioned work), and you have no realistic face claims... maybe commissioning that semi-realistic artist and not providing them with the references the need to translate your character into a semi-realistic style isn’t a good idea?
I don’t understand when some people get upset when they commission an artist who clearly doesn’t draw characters that look like theirs and they clearly... don’t translate them as well.
I am making this extremely clear RIGHT NOW before anyone says anything:
Everyone can and SHOULD learn to draw the entire spectrum of humanity. From facial features, hair textures, body types, etc...
But some artists struggle to draw characters with certain aesthetics? Outfits? Accessories? You wouldn’t expect an artist who draws soft pastel art to suddenly translate your extremely rough, hard, and hot character properly?
Now, if all the answers are Yes?
Read all information provided thoroughly
Ask questions for clarity
Provide what you can, collaborate on what you can’t
Resources
@anonbeadraws post: Reference sheet for your commission references!
JAMIErightmeow’s video: I have APHANTASIA
Aphantasia Dot Com
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