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journalsouppe · 1 year

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Materials I use for Journaling

(And whether or not I recommend them)

As a note I have also linked where you can find all the items (some might be unavailable btw)

Journals

Zelda Hyrule Map Journal - Do not recommend. I spent a whole week trying to find the perfect Zelda themed journal and this one really fell flat. The pages are super thin so even my EnerGel Pens bleed through. The binding of the pages is also super weak and I've had to glue pages together and I am in constant fear of this journal completely falling apart T_T

Vivid Scribbles Journal - Recommend! Although the outside fabric cover isn't my favorite, it is a very strong journal. I purposefully spent time looking for a journal with thick/non-bleed pages, strong binding, and more than 100 pages. As a bonus it also comes with dotted pages to help organize the pages better and stickers (although they aren't the best). A good starter journal you don't have to worry about.

If you live in the EU, a preorder Nintendo Shop bonus for TOTK is a Zelda journal. I won't be able to own this and therefore can't rate it but if you really want a Zelda themed journal, there's an option!

Stickers

Legend of Zelda Sticker Book - Highly recommend! Has stickers for all of the 3D Zelda games and is perfect for journaling. The stickers don't have the best adhesive quality but they do stick well to journal paper.

Daiso Stickers - Highly Recommend! Daiso is a Japanese general store that can only be found in certain cities but if you have one near you I absolutely recommend visiting. They have most of my favorite journaling supplies and the largest selection of them too. Here are the ones that I use that are available online: Food and Rewards

Artist Stickers - Highly Recommend! Some of my absolute favorite stickers come from my favorite artists both from their online shops and from zines. Check out Etsy, Redbubble, or the artist's social media to find stickers that you like (and also support your faves)!

List of artist stores I have bought stickers from (that are not from zines): KellCar, Blibloop, GoodLuckGojira, Freaquinn, TossedLeaf, MaridoodlesShop, TheLittleBirdeeCo, NoodlesAndTeaShop, CalithArt, QuoteUnquoteCo, CRFArtStore, ComstockCafe, Mojgonv , ArcaneGoldArt, Ozlisky, Kelia, halmistax, astarsor

Sticky Notes/Background Paper

Daiso Sticky Notes - LOVE these. The colors are a lot more muted but nice. The paper itself is also very smooth so many adhesives do stick to it. I highly recommend if you live near a Daiso, if not here are the ones I use but online: Blue, Pink, and Yellow

Post It Notes (Marrakesh Collection) - I really like the bold color of these specific Post-It notes but I do have an issue with the paper quality. The paper is on the topside rough and only very strong adhesives adhere to it, sometimes the tape runners won't even adhere. The Zekda stickerbook Stickers won't even stick, they just fall off. So I love the colors but the quality of the paper itself is pretty frustrating, so just be cautious if you buy Post-It notes.

Color Palette Sticky - These are mini sticky notes in a specific color palette! This listing has multiple palettes as well, I personally just bought the palette linked. The paper is smooth so stickers and tape adhere well to it! They're a good purchase if you want more color diversity (or you need a good Zelda color palette lol).

Daiso Paper Sheets - A good color variety with medium sized sheets! I really like these. The colors are more pastel and come in the rainbow. The paper quality is similar to construction paper but smaller and thinner, so they are designed more for journals. Adhesives also stick well and they aren't as rough as Post-It Notes. I enjoy these!

I also have Mushroom Sticky Tabs from Daiso that aren't online (I also got them about a year ago so they might not be in stock). Here's a similar product from amazon. I haven't used them before so I cannot give my opinion on them but I wanted to give y'all an alternate if you like it!

Washi Tape

Daiso Washi Tape - Daiso has my all time favorite washi tape. The tape is very strong and has strong adhesive. They also have a really large selection of tape in store, however the online selection is very lacking. I highly recommend going to Daiso if you have one near you as they have my favorite stationary stock. Here's a few of the washi tape I have that I could find online (the rest isn't online): Rainbow Thin, White Lace, Wind Series, and Red

Michaels- The quality of the tape is not as good as Daiso (the tape is strong but the adhesive is weak) but they do have fun designs. The selection in stores is not great but they have a very large online selection. The specific blue and gold lantern recollections tape I use isn't online (I found it in store).

Gold Foil Cool Tones Washi Tape - Really nice!! The designs are absolutely gorgeous.; The adhesive could be stronger but it's not as much as a problem unless you're using it on top of the post-it (brand) sticky notes. I got these specifically for my Zelda journal and they fit the games super well!

Minimalist/Knit Washi Tape - I don't really like these. They're very transparent (which wasn't advertised) and I just don't like a lot of the designs. They have good tape and adhesive quality if you like the designs but they just aren't for me.

Washi Tape Dispenser Cutter - I'm a fan of these! There's many different types of tape dispensers so I recommend choosing the one that you like, these are the ones I liked after some searching. They cut your tape and all the dispensers stack on each other. They also hold between 5-14 tape rolls depending on size. If you plan on getting a collection of washi tape, dispensers or at least a container is a pretty good investment.

Journaling/Sticker Tweezers

Sizzix - Honestly any brand will do fine so long as you are looking for specific journal tweezers and not hygiene tweezers. I highly recommend getting them if you want to get into journaling or scrapbooking or even just have a sticker collection. They prevent you from damaging your stationary especially if they are hard to peel and you have more control of where you want to place things than with your fingers. They're also relatively cheap and they're very durable, the Sizzix brand works great!

Pens/Markers

EnerGel - I LOVE EnerGel. I have tested so many different pens in college and it wasn't until I graduated that I found the perfect pens LMAO. They write very smooth, they come in a really nice variety of colors, and they last a long time. They also don't bleed and very rarely skip, so the ink quality is really nice. I highly recommend them!

Tombow (Muted Palette)- I absolutely love these. They're water based markers and they do layer over themselves but the quality is really nice. I am also just a fan of the Tombow brand. I mostly have these for my sketchbooks rather than journaling but they are nice to use for my spreads. If you want to use markers similar to these but cheaper you can just use some reliable crayola markers!

Sharpie Metallic - I am a fan of these but you do have to take precaution with these. First they will bleed through most paper, only heavy weight paper (160gsm or more) will withstand it (although there is a shadow of bleed). Second, they MUST be stored upside down. If right-side up, the ink will flow to the bottom and your sharpie will appear dry when it still has full ink. They last a long time if taken care of properly so I do recommend!

Highlighters (Sharpie) - Good! They are just standard highlighters and any brand will probably work just as well as sharpie. If you have any from school I recommend just using those.

Adhesive Tape Runners

Tombow Adhesive Runner - Highly recommend! They are a bit pricey but they are very good quality. I rarely, if ever, have jamming issues and the tape works super well. If you're willing to splurge, I suggest them over Adtech. Here's the link to refills.

AdTech Adhesive Runner - Recommend. Cheaper than Tombow and they work but they definitely have more quality issues. The tape itself can jam frequently which was frustrating and the tape is more acidic so I could see the tape leave dark marks on my thinner journal paper. I only switched to Tombow because my local store ran out of Adtech so I got Tombow and just didn't look back but they are completely usable and fine. (I also haven't been able to find refills on amazon which is what also made me switch to Tombow)

Also as a note!! When ordering adhesive runners, make sure it says permanent as there are different types of runners (glue dots, temporary, permanent, archival, etc)

I will also edit this post if I get more materials.

Feel free to ask any questions! And remember you don't need all of these supplies to journal. You just need some paper and a pen!

#journaling #journal #bullet journal #stationary #journalsouppe #recommendations #washi tape #stickers

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grunesdragon · 1 year

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"But Grune, if you need cash, why are your comms closed to do personal works?"

(context: current commissions status as updated on twt)

Because if I don't start taking care of myself by doing art for fun/for myself, I am going to lose my ability to make art at all & probably lose my sanity along with it, after 9 years of constant validation seeking.

A blog post about the state of it all.

I've had a serious interest in the art commission business since 2014 - indeed, the very first advertising post I can find is from when I was 17. Around that time was when I started doing art (mainly digital) much more frequently and when I really started getting starry eyes for the art commissions community. People could draw beautiful things and get paid decent money for it. That was what I wanted, I decided. If I'm only decent at/interested in one thing, it's getting paid to draw shit. (this was my best in 2014, btw)

I wanted to be like all the popular online artists at the time; opening commissions and having them close after not too long, tabling at conventions, making cool and memorable pieces that would do numbers and circulate and get tagged as fav/inspo and so on. (Of course I couldn't have anticipated the cost of being that person, at the time, but that's beside the point almost.)

Even at the time of roughly age 18, I was self aware enough to have the sense that "this is what I want to do" was a cover up for "I have no other marketable skills, interests, or talents, & this really seems like my only option for growth". It was even to the point that, when I was falling behind in high school and they wouldn't work with me to give me the little wiggle room I needed to stay (despite it being a very friendly special place with a small student body) - instead of being straight up with everyone around me that I was failing, I framed it as "I'm going to skip graduating high school and start trying to get straight into art school." Which was obviously a lie to myself from the start. Didn't happen. But if I was going to drop out of high school in junior year from basically exhaustion, that was the only available narrative for potential success.

It's always been my only available narrative for potential success. I can kinda draw OK. That's all I have. There's nothing else here. (at least, nothing that's worthy in this capitalist autocracy.)

So what choice have I had, but to keep milking that for all the effort I have? (which is not that much effort; I don't have much energy.) So it's been this way, since 2014. Keep advertising and hoping. Keep making pieces with the intent to impress people & gain a following. It'll be a decade of my life of doing this as of next summer.

I started my Redbubble shop which now nets me maybe $20 every two months if I'm lucky, I tried to run an Etsy which was almost a complete bust, I tried to start a comic and other major projects - several, really - that I never had the ability to follow through on. I've tried tabling twice and barely made back expenses both times. I tried to run a Patreon, which I then closed because I couldn't generate enough content to make good on my promises to backers. (Funnily enough, I tried again and failed again exactly the same way just this year.)

And I've followed the art community around to different websites, searching for the place that would finally kick off for me. That was when the great Twitter meltdown happened. I'd migrated there after people bailed from Tumblr en masse, and finally gotten a cute little foothold, only for that platform to fail, too.

So that was when I burned out for a good several months. It wasn't just burnout, though; and it wasn't just the loss of the second major construction of "grunesdragon" as a Thing. (which is a big deal on its own.)

It was also, as it turns out, two major points; - My attitude towards creative endeavors is seriously damaged, and my mental health along with it, due to the validation seeking cycle - This has been a failure. This has all been a failure.

(and all of the emotional fallout those two statements entail, believe me.)

Before getting too concerned or getting up in arms, I know it is not a complete loss! The drive to do/make something impressive has leveled up my art, whereas if I were only concerned with having fun I might not have ever tried so hard. I've made my best friends & current partner by joining communities in a bid for support & recognition. There's a small club of people who care about what I make who I'm really touched by, and I have a few regular clients, these days, finally. These are all wonderful things that I am grateful for!

But - almost 10 years later, I'm failing to sell any art dolls, I straight up can't run an Etsy, my only ventures in tabling have been a waste of time, and what I make from the commissions I do get (that I'm very happy to do); - $0 in an unlucky month - $40 in a lucky month - $80-100 on a really really lucky month

And I'm teetering on burnout making that much, by month. So... I really don't think it's inaccurate to call this whole "Art commissions are the one thing I'm able to do for myself and my future!" thing, unfortunately, a failure.

And it unfortunately still remains true that I don't really have anything else. All this time, that was the only thing I was spending my limited energy on. I have a GED and no job skills and almost no employment experience at all. - while I really shouldn't blame anyone but myself for all of this, it really did not help that my family situation precluded me from getting anywhere in school. I missed a lot of years of school, and when I was going, I wasn't learning all that much because I was trying to, shall we say, meet some unmet needs lower down on maslow's hierarchy. (but I still had a lot going for me, compared to others' worse stories. which is why I can name this as something contributing to my failure of a life so far but can't heavily lay any blame. people have come from way more nothing and ended up way cooler and smarter and better than I!)

So I don't really know what comes next for me. Literally, the gas station down the road doesn't want me. Certain circumstances (mainly: too anxious to drive) make any employment extremely hard to obtain. but that's its own thing.

This is not the end of grunesdragon art! If anything, this is a metamorphosis. An itchy, sometimes miserable, often mentally unstable, but ultimately at the end, hopeful change.

Facing this failure state has allowed me to finally tackle what I could get away with all these years - that my attitude towards my creative works has gotten really, really bad* and I need to start spending time making art for fun, for me, for the enjoyment of it. and maybe someone out there might feel me on those works.

(*see: everything i make has to improve my portfolio, everything i make has to appeal to some sort of audience, it has to be good enough to do numbers, it can't be personal/cringy, self indulgent content is embarrassing, content has to be as perfect as i can make it, i can only be as proud of something as how well it does online... constantly refreshing to check numbers and getting depressed when something doesn't hit...)

And, if I give up on the idea that's always been an unrealistic coping mechanism - that I can "make it" and do an OK job of supporting myself this way - I can do commissions because I want to, not because my "success as a person" is dependent on doing so. I still need money, and I still want to work with clients!

But giving up on goals that are out of my reach turns out to be one of the healthier things I can do at this point.

Does this feel like shit? Fuck yes; despite the positive takeaways there's no way to approach "everything I've been working towards has been me lying to myself, and having hopes far too high for my potential, and now I don't know what I'll do in life" without crying several times.

And I fully acknowledge the fact that I'm able to give up is a privilege. I'm fortunate to have a partner who works hard all day to take care of us both, and a loving family I can fall back on in a worst case scenario. I'm one of the lucky ones. I hope I can help the less lucky (& often way more deserving) ones in some small way.

(being an online artist has always been a, uh, less than assured market, even back in 2014; it sucks now more than ever, i think.)

I don't know where I'm going, I don't quite know how to bury the past 9 years of my life, I don't know what to do with myself, and my value as a person and sense of Self is extremely tenuous at the moment. But

I wouldn't be living in the country with someone I adore very much if I hadn't tried to go this path. I wouldn't know the people who inspire me most. I'd be so much worse off. I did gain something!

"Grune Grunesdragon" is not 100% OK by any means. She is going through it. But it'll be better from now on.

Anyway, I'll reopen commissions when I damn well feel like it. lmao

Thank you to my friends & everyone who has had the kindness to care about what I make! I owe you everything for your kind words and support! This is not the end!

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#Youtube

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