Glass Frog glows like a constellation within the dark of the South American rainforest.
newwavearch90
Various 60’s-70’s selections from the book, ‘Decorating For Fun’ by Carleton Varney (1972)
Snow flakes falls softly into crystal clear water. Beautiful. Source
Ah, to be a snowflake softly falling into crystal clear water!
This is mesmerizing
cherribalm
disneysmermaids
THAT FIRST SITE IS EVERY WRITER’S DREAM DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I’VE TRIED WRITING SOMETHING AND THOUGHT GOD DAMN IS THERE A SPECIFIC WORD FOR WHAT I’M USING TWO SENTENCES TO DESCRIBE AND JUST GETTING A BUNCH OF SHIT GOOGLE RESULTS
thatawkwardtinyperson
God yes reblog to save a writers life
For my fellow writers who also suck with words
Tutorial and or tips in color studies?
Hi there! Sorry to keep you waiting on this ask!
I do have another post about landscape painting which overlaps slightly with this. But here I’ll talk specifically about the observational color studies I like to do. Other artists might have different ways of approaching them (and I still have a lot to learn myself), but these are some of the ideas I’ve found useful.
1. Don’t seek perfectionObservational color studies are just that – studies. Sketches. Note-taking to reference later. They’re not supposed to be complete paintings, so you shouldn’t feel pressured to make them “perfect”. I like posting them sometimes (and hopefully you like seeing them) but there are TONS of messy, scribbly studies I haven’t posted anywhere. They’re primarily a tool to help me learn, and if messy studies help me learn, so be it!
2. Simplify your shapesSo how do you avoid getting overwhelmed and lost in the details? Focus on the BIG IDEA. Decide what is most important to include in the study and leave out everything else. Start with big shapes, and add details at the very end, if you have time. Personally, I’m often interested in the sky and the color clouds become when light passes through. So I might make the study about the clouds and ignore buildings/details on the ground. or I’ll add only a very simple ground plane. Other times, I’ll rearrange a composition to include all the important information (like making an object bigger or smaller, or bringing two objects closer together).
3. Step by stepIt helps to find a good workflow, especially when you have to quickly prioritize what information to include. This is relevant especially when you’re painting something like a sunset, when the light changes RAPIDLY and you’ll have only 3, 4, 5 minutes to put your colors down. For me, this usually means I build my study from background to foreground: sky, clouds, ground plane, background shapes, foreground shapes. Since I work on iPad Pro, I also keep those parts separated out into layers. In the case of those quick sunset studies, I also observe the parts I haven’t painted yet in case the lighting changes enough that I’ll need to work from memory.
4. Some fundamentals to keep in mind:
- Value structure: Even though these are color studies, value plays a major role in the colors you’re observing. Pay attention to the difference in value between subjects. Sometimes this can solve color-related problems when your study seems “off” somehow. (For example, maybe that sky isn’t as light as you think it is? A darker value might mean painting a more vibrant color.)
- Lighting setup: Identify the different light sources in the environment. Is it cloudy and overcast? Sunny? Are you indoors, with multiple different light sources? A little study about lighting theory can really help you know what colors to look for in different lighting conditions. For example, in overcast light, you’ll see more of the objects’ local color, while in bright sunlight you’ll see a strong direct light (the sun), blue diffused light on shadows and top-facing planes (from the blue sky), and a warm bounce light (from sunlight reflecting off the ground). Will forever recommend James Gurney’s book “Color and Light” for help learning this.
- Materials: Different materials reflect light sources in different ways. Being aware of how light passes through or reflects off different materials can help you understand the colors you’re seeing.
5. Going beyondAs you become more comfortable making observational studies, the more you might wish to push them even further by not just copying from life but communicating a feeling. A few ways you might accomplish this:
- Exaggerate your colors. Suppose you see a hint of color you wouldn’t normally expect to find, such as notes of purpose or red near the horizon of an otherwise blue sky. Try making it brighter/bolder than you really see it. Bump up the saturation, maybe. This is a delicate balance, as you don’t want to exaggerate to the point where the colors become garish. But putting emphasis in certain places can remind yourself, or show whoever’s looking at your study, that you found certain details interesting.
- Think about mood. A color script from an animated film follows the emotional beats of the story. As you’re making your studies, consider: how does this moment feel to me? Take a cloudy scene, for instance. Is it cold and miserable? Windy, full of movement and energy? Calm? Dark and ominous? A moment of anticipation or hope with the clouds about the break apart? Each of those conveys a completely different mood. So you might decide upon one and push your color palette to support that idea.
- Don’t just copy: communicate. This last one is a bit of an abstract idea I need an example to explain:
- This sunset study here gave me difficulty because it involved not just color but the properties of light. The sun didn’t actually appear white to me - it appeared a bright red/pink color, glowing brighter than the sky around it. But that wasn’t something I could reproduce, because if I only painted the color, it wouldn’t appear glowing and would blend into the rest of the sky. Instead, I had to think critically: how do I communicate the brightness of this sun? In the end, I opted to make the sun white, with the color I actually observed the sun to be surrounding it.
On my Instagram, I’ve posted a lot of process videos to accompany my studies, if that interests anyone! They’re always second image on the studies’ posts.
I hope you find these thoughts helpful!
Here’s the first half of slides from my comic class on Lettering!
How to Argue Like an Asshole
Good evening, friends, let me tell you some Secrets on how to argue like (and with) assholes. I’m writing this because I keep running into a particular asshole, and I need to stop engaging with them, and so this is an instruction sheet for myself as well as you guys.
First, try to avoid assholes; they don’t deserve your time and energy. But, if an Argument is unavoidable, here are a few tips on how to emerge unscathed.
Let go of the idea that you’re going to win.
You’re not gonna win. Nobody wins in an argument with an asshole. But, on the other hand, you can make them lose. You can deprive them of their entertainment and their triumph.
How???
Do not present your side of this debate.
This is so counter-intuitive for most of us who believe in things like, oh, science, or real facts, or the idea that real facts can be determined by science. Here’s a cool terrible thing about humans: certainty has nothing to do with facts. And when people are certain, that is when they become assholes.
When someone’s only goal is to win an argument, any real evidence or facts you give them is just ammunition for them to turn against you.
You will not convince them. So what should you be doing?
Destroy their arguments.
This is a thing of joy, because it’s what assholes are used to doing. They are, at heart, morons who don’t know how to construct, only how to destroy.
I used to be super emotional about arguments like this. I couldn’t think of anything to say while the other person ranted on about their horrifying bigotry. Now I’m a lawyer, and I’ve learned to weaponize my essentially nitpicky nature. For money.
So here are some easy tactics you can remember and deploy:
- Make them define the words they use. Nitpick the definitions.
- Turn questions back on them. If they ask you “why do you believe x”, ask them why they believe y. If they pull some “I asked first” shit, ask them why they’re afraid to defend their beliefs.
- Call them emotional. If possible, pick out specific emotions. This is especially devastating when you’re debating a man, as he will get more emotional as a result.
- “Why is that funny? I don’t get it.” Making people explain mean jokes can be a delight; they just wilt the more you question them about the underlying assumptions.
- Laugh at any especially dumb shit. Like they use some slogan or catchphrase that’s obviously untrue, due to science, or essentially ridiculous, like “we’ve made America great again,” and you just blurt out laughing. If they get mad, tell them – oh, so sorry, I’ll shut up, I’m giving you the floor to talk about your beliefs. I’m respecting you. This is a goddamn power move. It gives you the high ground, and also the implied control over the situation. The floor belongs to you, but you are yielding it to someone because you can.
- If they make an awkward exit, let them. Especially if they call the discussion “political.” It means they’re feeling attacked. Graciously allow them to retreat with their tail between their legs. If they storm off, allow them to do that too. Congratulations; you’ve ended the argument and you don’t have to deal with it anymore.
Basically: hand the asshole a shovel, and let ‘em dig. Relieve yourself of the burden to convince them they are wrong, and just sour their fun instead.
–
Additionally, these are the tactics that assholes use, consciously or subconsciously, all the time. Recognize them. Once you know what they are, you can become immune to the intimidation and belittling tactics.
Good luck.
*takes notes*
Anonymous asked:
Any tips for coming up with a logo for a comic?
I HOPE THIS HELPS! DM me if you need any extra tips or advice! Happy comic making!
Anonymous asked:
Dear AD, is it okay to ask for more information about the job before accepting, particularly regarding subject matter? It is a huge factor in whether or not I want to accept a job, but all of my experiences have involved an AD asking for commitment for a due date, then contract, THEN details...I presume due to some details being proprietary information. If not, is it cool to ask if the job would fit in with my existing body of work before accepting?
Absolutely! In fact, I would think well of an artist who wants to know the project content before they sign on. I usually give a few lines of description, to give the general idea, though I will save the whole detailed brief until I know they’re signed on. You can always respond to an email that’s just bare info with something like “My schedule is a little tight right now and I’m being selective about choosing projects, can you tell me a little bit about the content before I answer?”
—Agent KillFee
I feel like the problem ppl have when constructing redemption arcs is people make ‘the character realizes what they’ve done is wrong’ the end step instead of like…one of the earliest ones. a satisfying redemption arc doesn’t resolve when the character first feels sorry, it resolves when a character has really journeyed towards atonement and made enough change in themselves to achieve some kind of symbolic victory over who they used to be
not sure if anyone’s said this yet, but for my fellow writers out there who want to create stuff like this, OP is right and there are technically 5 steps of change:
1. precontemplation.
the person is still in denial and isn’t even considering changing their behavior yet
2. contemplation.
the person starts to understand why they should maybe change, but they’re still hesitant
3. preparation.
the person has decided to change. they’re making plans to put their goal into action and have possibly made minor changes, but they have not stopped doing the unwanted thing
4. action
the person makes significant steps to change their behavior. they seek help, avoid triggers etc.
5. maintenance.
the person successfully changes their behavior for a period of time, though they mays till face struggles.
Aaaand the floating step which may or may not happen: Relapse
relapse can occur at any point in the process and might happen more than once. or not at all.
This applies to Any type of change! Addiction, diet issues/weight loss, and a variety of bad behavior habits. Of course, as a writer you can start the story at any step or take it as far as you want if step 1 doesn’t happen until after the story begins. People are pointing out that change isn’t linear and that is so true. As someone who’s currently watching a narcissist parent attempt to overcome addiction, I can totally agree. It’s back and forth, sideways, and in circles. Lots of circles ! In the world of fiction there are so many ways to explore any type of change in a character, and I’m always down to talk about it with anyone who wants/ needs to
Anonymous asked:
Hello! I'm a cover designer, and am usually always supplied with blank InDesign grids by the client, just with all the guides, logos, barcode box, credit lines etc in place. A couple of newer publishing clients have ask me to set the grids up from scratch, which is fine, but I wondered, since they are one of the Big Five, they would have them already set up, as a matter of continuity in design if nothing else. Is this the norm? Should I request them or set them up myself?
If you are just doing the front cover, then templates aren’t terribly important - you design to the rough front size (5.5 x 8.25, 6 x 9, etc) and then the in-house designers will build it out to a mech. Be nice to them and make sure your file has lots of bleed and keep everything layered. But ultimately you don’t need to worry about the perfect size.
If you are being asked to do the full mechanical (which, for the non-book designers means the spine, back, and flaps if there are any) then they should be giving you either a template already-made OR specs from the printer. If they forgot, just ask for the specs. Also, most of the industry is using an Indesign plugin called Make Book Jacket now which makes it WAAAAAAYYY easier/quicker to set up book mechs, so if you’re doing a lot of them, I’d say invest in that, it’s only $20 and worth it’s weight in gold.
—Agent KillFee
