Hi there! I really love your comics and how expressive they are. How do you go about making the characters in your comic so expressive?
thank you! 💚💜💚 I am REALLY bad at explaining things, so my apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, but maybe there's something helpful in here somewhere. :')
1. warm up! drawing is a physical activity, after all! so if I'm planning on sitting down and drawing for a while, I usually start off by taking a couple of minutes to doodle a bunch of circles and lines and random shapes, just to get my drawing arm goin' again and get back into the physical groove. just stuff like this:
and just do that for however long you feel like! you can kind of feel when your arm starts to loosen up and your strokes get more confident. it makes it a lot easier to get those swoopy big lines and gestures!
2. play around with how you use your lines! paying attention to the shapes that they're making will change a lot about how much force and life your drawing feels like it has. (no way is better than another, it just depends on what effect you're going for and how it looks as part of the larger whole.)
and you can also use lines against each other to get different vibes:
it's not really a matter of "you need to make sure all your lines are always doing this all the time", it's more like...being aware of it, and getting that into the general thrust of a pose, if that makes sense? like a lot of smaller lines of action, beyond the big one that goes through the spine.
(just gonna use my own art as examples, apologies)
if you have a good foundation of tension, then all of the little bumps and contours of a character's details won't get in the way of it, and it'll still come through.
and don't forget about negative space either! the spaces between things have their own interesting shapes too!
I don't mean this to come off as, like, all these extra things that you need to be constantly thinking about and stressing over. more like...just try different stuff and then see how it works and how it changes the feeling! if you find a good shape, see if you can exaggerate it and make it more interesting, and how that affects things! angles and shapes are a LOT of fun to experiment and mess around with, especially when you're going more cartoony. :D
3. acting!
just...spending a little time to think about what the characters are actually doing! (aka the "figuring out what everyone is doing with their hands" bit.) this is more a personal preference, but especially in multi-panel comics, I like to have them be in the middle of doing stuff. not just big actions, but smaller things -- like even just how they're sitting or standing -- so that it feels like we're looking in on the middle of a scene, instead of a couple of characters just standing around neutrally and staring straight ahead while talking at each other.
this probably sounds really obvious, but it is one of the most fun parts for me! I love trying to find some little action or something that they can be involved in, especially if it's relevant to their character or adds an extra joke. (for some reason this usually involves me being mean to Sebek) (I'm sorry)
it doesn't need to be everyone Always! Doing! Something! all the time, especially if starts becoming distracting (sometimes they do actually need to just be standing around neutrally and staring straight ahead, especially if there's a bigger action going on that you want the audience to focus on instead). but even just figuring out some kind of non-neutral pose for them to be in can add a lot and make it feel less generic!
3. thumbnailing!
this is, again, very much a personal preference; unfortunately, every artist really is different, and we all have different processes that work better for us. so I can only speak to my personal experience! but I find what helps is to start REALLY rough -- not so much as in messy, as in not trying to start right into actually drawing everything out. like, literally just starting with stick figures and :O faces.
it probably doesn't sound relevant when talking about Drawing Expressively, but I find it's really, really helpful to have already figured out what everyone should be doing (acting!) and what the overall general layout and flow of things should be, before getting into the actual meat of drawing the characters. like having a sketch for the sketch!
(good compositional flow is something I struggle with, and text layout especially, so this stage also helps a LOT with making sure things are fitting where I want them and staying consistent/not breaking screen direction/etc.)
then after that, I can go ahead and focus on getting those Shapes and Lines and Angles and all that, without having to think too much about the layout or where things should go!
(of course, the downside of that is that my thumbnails are usually way better than my actual drawings, alas alas.)
4. this is more philosophical, but...give yourself some slack. the stress of Making Things Look Good is, ironically, often the biggest problem. (see: thumbnails looking better than the actual drawings.) so...let yourself draw shittier and without regards to accuracy. make things just for yourself without thinking about posting or showing them to anyone else. draw stupid faces and wrong proportions because they feel better that way. focus on what's fun and not on getting a perfect end result. "draw expressively, not well", as they say -- you can always tighten up things like proportions and details later, if you really want to.
that's all WAY easier said than done -- god knows I haven't really managed it -- but even just aiming for that attitude really, REALLY helps. if your lines are confident, they'll look a lot more alive and expressive than lines that are exactly technically precise but have no rhythm in them. (this is why tracing photographs tends to look so weirdly stiff and unrealistic, by the way -- even if you're drawing realistically, you usually need to exaggerate and stylize a little bit so it doesn't look lifeless.) it's a balance between caring about what you draw, but also being willing to let things go a little bit.
↑ I hope some of this helps! I don't know if any of this was actually what you had in mind, let alone much of it actually made sense outside of my head. :') but hopefully you (or other people) will be able to get something out of it!
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Ocean Eyes || SV5 x Reader
Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex, implied age gap, bisexual!seb, Seb used to have (romantic) feelings for Lewis
Wordcount: 2.2k
Don’t ask me why this is set during Christmas break. I don’t even have the excuse I wrote it in December; I wrote it in February
Can we also just take a second to appreciate how cute this gif😭🫶
Tag list: @e-nonsense @babyprofessorsharkpalace @aexitizen-ln4
It was snowing. Quite a lot actually. But it was expected when you were this close to Christmas
She hated the snow. It wasn’t really her, but she had to go out with the dog anyway
She stood on the porch, watching the dog play in the snow, trying to catch the snow flakes
She had been at her parents house for about a week now, and she knew they were close with the neighbour, but she had yet to see him
She figured that maybe he was visiting family and wasn’t home, but she couldn’t know for sure
Just as she thought about what he might look like, she heard a door open to her right. She looked over. When you talk about the devil
“Oh, hey” He smiled over at her “You must be Y/N” He said walking closer to the fence separating the two yards
“Yeah, I am. You must be Sebastian” She answered, walking over to him
“I am. Nice to finally meet you” They shook hands “You’re parents has spoken so much about you”
He was pretty. His smile was bright, making small wrinkles appear in the corner of his eyes- his eyes. They were the most drop dead, gorgeous, ocean blue eyes. Never had she seen such pretty eyes
“They have? Hope it’s only the good stuff” She chuckled nervously, slightly embarrassed
“They say it in a way where can only think it’s good, if that’s any relief” He said, smiling back at her
His ears and nose, as well as his cheeks had started turning red from the coldness of the air, but it only made him so much prettier
A loud bark cut her out of her trance “Are you done?” She asked as she had turned around “Alright” She sighed “I better go. Nice meeting you”
“Nice meeting you too” He said before they parted and she went into the house again
“Saw you were talking with Sebastian” Her mother said, sipping her tea when she walked into the house
“Oh. Um, yeah” She said, taking off her coat and shoes and placed them neatly on their spot
“What’d you think?” She said, trying to hide her smirk behind her cup
“He’s… Nice. Don’t know enough about him” She went into the living room, slumping down on the couch and returned to her phone
“Good to know” Her mother whispered, taking a place in the living room as well
“I think I baked too much” She said, looking at the verity of cookies on the kitchen counter
“I promised Sebastian you would come over with some” Her father said passing her in the kitchen
“What? Why?” She asked, looking confused at him
“Because he doesn’t have anyone to bake for him” He answered before walking out of the kitchen
“Maybe he’ll invite you in for a cup of tea” Her mother said not looking away from her book
“Mom! Have you realised how much older than me he is?” She said, drawing her mom’s attention to her
“So what? Age is just a number, beside he thinks you’re pretty” She said, closing her book and putting it on the counter
“I’ll walk over with some cookies, but I won’t stay for long, okay? Deal?” She said, looking directly into her mother eyes
“Okay. Deal. Give him some of each, okay?” She said before leaving the kitchen
“Cookies?” She said the moment the door opened
“Hello to you too, miss y/n” Sebastian said, quite startled by the sudden words
“Sorry… Hi” She said, her cheeks lightly heating up
“Thank you” He said, putting his hand under the box of she had in her hands “Wanna come in?” He asked, opening the door more
She thought about the deal she made with her mom but decided to screw it
“Sure. Thank you” She said, taking a step into the small hallway
She took off her coat and boots as Sebastian walked to the kitchen to put the cookies away “Tea or coffee?” He asked when she stepped in the kitchen
“Whatever you’re having” She smiled, fidgeting with her fingers behind her back
“Okay. Just go to the living room and I’ll be in in a minute” She did as she was told
She looked around the pictures around her. They were pretty. It was mostly of mountains. Some where with who she assumed to be family or friends
One sparked her interest. She walked over to the shelf where it sat. It was an old picture. 2010 maybe. It was Sebastian and another guy
“That was a long time ago” He said walking up beside her “Here” He gave her the cup. Honey
“Sorry. Shouldn’t have-“ “No, it’s fine” She looked at the picture a moment longer before she opened her mouth again
“Who is he?” She sipped on her tea, hissing slightly at the burning water “You look like good friends”
“Lewis. We’re still friends” He sighed sipping his own tea
“Why’d you say it like that?” She asked confused, eyebrows knitted together
“The day that picture was taken, I told myself I was gonna tell him about my feelings towards him. I never did, but sometimes I wonder what would’ve happen if I did” He chuckled the last part, turning around and sat on the couch
She didn’t say anything, but she sat down on the couch turning her body slightly towards him
“I’m not gay, if that’s what you’re assuming” He said, turning his head towards her
God, were his eyes beautiful like this
“No, no. I’m not assuming anything, not against it either” That seamed to relieve some anxiety off his shoulders
It wasn’t an awkward silence they were left in
“Tell me about yourself” She said, sipping on her tea “You know practically everything about me, thank you parents, but I know nothing about you”
He agreed, and he seamed like he hated talking about himself, but he didn’t tell her that, she could see it in his eyes as he spoke
“It really isn’t that interesting” He chuckled, looking into his lost empty cup
“Not that interesting? You used to be in a sport where you risked your life every time you went. That seems interesting for a few lifetimes” They had somehow both ended up on the floor during their conversation
“A few lifetimes? That seems like a lot” He chuckled
“It’s a life risking Sport, of course it’s a lot” She said, scooting closer to him if that was even possible at this point
“You’re life is interesting too” He said, trying to get the topic off of him
“Not as much as yours” At this point, they were practically sitting in each others laps
They fell into a comfortable silence after that. She was lost in the blues of his eyes
“You’re eyes are so pretty” She said, not expecting the deep blush that landed on his cheeks
“T-thank you” He said flustered, looking into his hands in his lap “You’re p-pretty, too”
It was cute when he stuttered. She hooked her finger under his chin, lifting his head upwards again
“Thank you” She loved the way she made him blush like he did “You’re even more pretty like this”
That set off something inside of him. He pushed her hand away, pulling her in by her neck, smashing their lips together
He pulled her into his lap when she kissed back. Her arms went around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer
She pulled away, almost gasping for air. His blow pupils ruined the view she had of the ocean in his eyes
She drove back to his lips, but a little softer. She flicked her tongue over his bottom lip and he parted his lips immediately, letting her tongue into him
Maybe it was because it still lingered on her own tongue, but he tasted like honey. Sweet honey. Not like the shit kind you can buy at any grocery store, but a good one
He groaned into her mouth, feeling the way she was exploring every corner of his mouth. His hands were tighter on her hips, sensing shivers over her body
“It’s getting late” She mumbled into his mouth “I should probably go home” But she didn’t pull away from the kiss
“Mhm… You probably should” Neither did he pull away, he instead pulled her sweater over her head, throwing it on the ground
“Bedroom” The kiss had started getting sloppy and out of rhythm
He only shortly nodded while picked her up without problems, her legs hanging around his waist
He effortlessly carried her into his bedroom, softly placing her on the bed without breaking the kiss
He only broke the kiss to start trailing over her jaw and down to her neck, drawing out a string of whimpers from her
“Off” She barely said anything as she started tugging at his shirt “Please” He finally obliged and pulled his shirt off
Her hands went to his chest the second she could, feeling his skin under her palms. Her hands started wandering as he went back to sucking on her skin
She started bucking her hips upwards, wanting to feel him against her. His hands went to her back, unhooking her bra, pulling it off of her
He looked into her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss between her breasts. He pulled away before his hands went to her pants
He unbuttoned and zipped them down before slowly pulling them down her legs, pulling her socks with them
His fingertips felt like feathers when he pulled down her panties, kissing her legs on the way
He went up, spreading her legs before placing light kisses on the inside of her thighs. She whined when he passed the spot she needed him
“Sebastian, please” She bucked her hips, hoping to get closer to his mouth
He gave into her, pushing his tongue through her wet folds, grazing over her clit, earning him a moan
“Fuck, please! Keep going!” She threaded her hand in his long curls, pulling him closer again
He chuckled, but obliged. Bending her knees, holding around her thighs, he drove his tongue back over her clit, flickering it
She tried squeezing her legs together, but he managed to hold the outwards before she squeezed around his head
“Keep them apart, sweetheart” She whimpered at the nickname, trying so hard to spread her legs to give him access “Good girl”
One of his hands went towards her entrance, teasing her before pushing two of his fingers inside
She whimpered as her back arched off of the bed and he eyes rolled into the back of her head behind closed eyes
He started pumping in and out of her with a slow pace before finding a good rhythm he could work with
He curled his fingers, hitting just the right spot inside her making her almost screw out in pleasure
“At this volume, I think your parents might hear” He smirked, sucking lightly on her inner thighs
Her body started shaking slightly “Sebastian… Fuck. Feels so good” Her back started hurting from the position she was in
“God, you sounds so good for me. Fucking pretty moans” His tongue went back to her clit, putting pressure on the bundle of nerves
“Seb-fuck! Stop, stop” He immediately pulled out of her, looking with worry up at her
“What’s wrong?” He asked, his thumbs circling the skin on her hips
“Felt too good. Wouldn’t… Wouldn’t want to come without you” He chuckled at her words, but happily got out of his pants and boxers
He got in between her legs, pulling them around his hips, lining himself up with her entrance
He pushed in just the tip before slowly pushing all the way in, letting her slowly adjust to his size
“Move, please” He did so, holding her hips as he slowly moved in and out of her
“Fuck, you feel so good around me” He breathed out, sounding almost like a moan, but not quite
“Filling me up so good” She whimpered, looking up into his eyes, her hands clasped around his forearms, holding herself steady
If she knew that those fucking pretty ocean blue eyes would be looking at her like this, she would’ve visited her parents sooner
“Fuck, I’m gonna come, please” She moaned loud when he started hitting the spot that made her see stars over and over again
He could feel his own orgasm growing in the pit of his stomach “Come for me, Schatzi”
His accent sent her over the edge, her whole body trembling with such force that just looking at her sent him over the edge as well, filling her up with his cum
“Fuck, you’re even prettier like this” He chuckled, seeing her fucked out state as he pulled out of her
He got them both cleaned up before he tugged them both under the sheets
They barely got a moment of silence before her phone rang. It was tugged into her jeans somewhere on the floor
“I’ll get it” He said, seeing her exhausted state “It’s your mom” He chuckled
“Just let it ring through” She said, turning over onto her stomach
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