I was recently extremely blessed in being able to finally see one of my “bucket list bugs” as I’ve started calling them. (Not a real list, as I’m never one to be organized…)
But a friend alerted me to the presence of this big beauty and J gave me a leg up to take a closer photo with my measly phone camera and subpar photography skills. I found some eggs she had laid on the wall and I scooped them up in hopes I can look after them. She hung around with her admirers for a good half hour before deciding she’d lingered long enough and flew off into the literal sunset.
Cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia, largest moth species in North America. Bug haters, don’t interact!
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culture tips for writing asian settings: calligraphy (pt i)
i love chinese calligraphy, to me it is just so gorgeous and i've dedicated a few scenes of my own fics to it, so here are just a few quick 'n' dirty calligraphy tips:
the calligraphy scene in sokka's master (illustrated by korean animators!) is a pretty good depiction tbh. you write using a brush (the brushes can be hung up on a stand too)—it can be jarring to see fics mention quills or parchment. one excellent detail from the show is that sokka, who seems left-handed, has to write with his right hand—the left hand holds the sleeve out of the way. the ink is not liquid/bottled, but is in a solid stick form and has to be ground on an inkstone mixed with water
traditionally, chinese text is written downwards, and goes from right to left across the page.
as with any other form of calligraphy, chinese calligraphy emphasises beauty of form over legibility—in the same way you wouldn't really consider times new roman font 'calligraphy'. there are different types of script in chinese, and for someone like piandao to master them is a reflection of his education and gentility. the semi-cursive below i see quite commonly in calligraphy:
then you might have something like the cursive below is quite technical but seriously hard to read
contrast that with something like this seal script, harking back to an older era of chinese script:
any calligrapher worth their salt will be putting their stamp on the work, quite literally! name seals, also called "chops", are carved out of stone; ink it up with cinnabar paste and stamp it onto your artwork to get that iconic red signature. (i got one made a couple of years ago and there's a trick to stamping: breathe on the stamp surface after dipping in the paste to warm up the pigment, and when stamping put some circular pressure on the stone to get the print to come out evenly)
i'm going to do a second part focusing a bit more on scripts from the atla world, so keep your eyes peeled...
check out:
some more calligraphy examples from singapore's national gallery
disclaimer | more tips
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ZAYN on Call Her Daddy
"Describe myself in three words...
Well, I'm definitely not gonna use mysterious as one of them."
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WIP Wednesday ✨
IN TIME, this time. About time!
Tags at the bottom
some cass <3 lav sketches, I'm currently painting the outfit on the right with poor chances of succeding (purples and cool greys are involved) u-u
hopefully I'll end up being historically coherent this time lmao (I'm eyeing Cosmé Tura because there are some interesting things in his pieces but I'm trying my best to stay in Venice for Josie *sprays water @ Estensi*). Also I'm tempted to change the pose and Leli may be seen from behind because, um, archer back? Archer back. I mostly see pics in which she's thin and dainty but like
Give this girl those luscious back muscles she deserves pls
More outfits for the troubled child. So far these are my least favorite but! We keep going until I can replace the other document in full since it needs an update
Luckily, I have time to finish something this weekend ;u;
Tagging (w no obligation): @greypetrel @shivunin @melisusthewee @underneathestars @daggerbean @layalu @herearedragons
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