JUST SOME THOUGHTS! I don’t really like the “go from the top up” advice on drapery/clothes - if you’re having difficulty try it like this!

YES I see the typo… I’m so sorry folks… I was in a frenzied rush to make this…… and I’m too lazy to fix it……

Throwback to this portrait tutorial that I made last year ^^ Do you find this helpful? If you are interested in learning more about my techniques and process, then feel free to check out more tutorials on my Patreon page! (link in bio)

Listen, I think if you’re white and a writer, it’s important to be aware of how incredibly white the publishing industry is.

This NY Times article, published in December, provides some pretty bleak statistics on published authors. They chose a sample of 8,000 English-language books, based on their publishers & distribution, and found that - of the authors for whom they could find demographic information - 95% were white.

95 percent!! 

This study is larger than the US, but just as a point of reference - 60% of the US is white. And yet, an incredibly, disproportionately high percentage of English-language mainstream books (published by major publishing houses, and widely distributed) were written by white people.

I bring this up because I think it’s incredibly valuable for writers, especially white writers, to consider the effects of this overwhelming whiteness! I think it matters that, unless you’ve intentionally sought out books by POC, most or maybe all of the writers you’ve read, admired, and wanted to emulate are white people. I think there’s value in considering how your writing has been shaped by this, and how it has affected the writing communities you exist in, and the ways you navigate them.

Also, while you’re thinking this through, consider buying a book by an author of color - being in an industry in which you are a small minority is no easy task, & you (the reader) will only benefit by exposing yourself to good art made by people whose experiences differ from your own! :)

Every time I reblog this post again I lose several followers (I think I lost 5 or 6 yesterday after sharing this) & I always wonder, like, how fragile do you have to be for this to upset you? I don’t know if I could have phrased this any more gently if I tried, lol.

I’m not upset that those people unfollowed - I’d rather they didn’t interact with me, tbh - but I think this also serves as a good illustration of how white a lot of online communities based on reading/writing can be & how determined people are to avoid the subject. Even the acknowledgement of the role white supremacy plays in publishing (and, in turn, our reading habits) and the gentle encouragement to question this is too much, somehow.

As a society, we need to bring back the Nintendo 3DS

Everybody tagging and commenting "original ds too" on this, I have great news about the functionality of the 3DS,

You're more right than you know! Did you know the current state of 3DS homebrew makes it so that:

You can install and make your 3DS hacked with about an hour of work.

There is no risk of bricking

It is 100% undetectable by Nintendo

You can play the games online

You can download and install any 3DS, DS, or GBA game and run them perfectly (the 3ds still has the GBA hardware in it!)

You can emulate the Playstation 1 on a new 3ds!

And an absurd amount more.

I've actually made a guide about what to do after you homebrew your 3ds so you can really understand how much nonsense you can do.

You can find it here! It's still early, but if you have any questions or comments, I've left comments enabled so I can get feedback.

Happy hacking!

Generators

Character

Names

Plot

Setting/World-Building

Prompts

Misc

Some Tips

Just a few I found from the writing tips tag!

Vocabulary

Some Advice

Playlists

Websites and Apps

For Writing

For Productivity

Prompt Blogs

Writing Tips Blogs

Tutorial: Clothing Folds

Im not that good of a teacher/instructor, but i hope this small tutorial on clothing folds helps ;o;

Reblogging for myself

reblogging for those that follow me that may be starting to move out

Signal boosting: because who knows who may need this today…? :)

Art tutorials by Disney artists Griz and Norm Lemay

Looking for Something? (Mobile)

Anatomy:

Animals:

Backgrounds:

Brushes:

Design:

Drawing and Colouring:

Fantasy:

For the Artist:

Languages:

Misc:

Nature:

Poses:

Programs:

World Building:

Video

Links

Helpful as hell

A couple of perspective notes I talked about during my webinar. I always have more notes on Patreon.

i have no idea how tiktok works but i made a tiktok. wanted to share my technique. hope it helps some people

[app: clip studio paint on an ipad]

[final art used in video]

july ‘19 vs september ‘19 

so here’s a tiny tutorial about light reflections (i’m no expert though!!)

the drawing made in july is lacking on light reflections

the one done in september looks much better since i paid attention to them

Also remember that the intensity of the lighting depends on the material on which it is reflected, eg. glass / metal / fabrics etc. Glossy surfaces reflect the lighting more than matte surfaces

another example:

Hi there this is a psa by your local mixed kid

Mixed rep in the media as a whole is kinda a fucking disaster so I'm definitely encouraging people to write more diverse mixed race characters!!! That being said give this handy dandy little guide a read to make sure you have a basic idea of what you're doing. And also. Y'know. Maybe dont make your mixed characters nonhuman. Just a thought

disclaimer: I am east asian. if anyone who is not white sees anything wrong with my phrasing, inaccuracies, or insensitivity, or something I missed, please feel free to add on. I'm just one person with one perspective; none of what I say should be taken as The Singular way to draw an Asian character. if you havent done so already, please take the effort to expand your view of Asian culture outside this one tutorial.

if a white person reblogs this and adds something stupid I'm going to bite and kick you like a wild animal

yo being black and depressed is hard as fuck. being black with anxiety is hard as fuck. being black with a chronic illness or disability is hard a fuck. everybody expects you to be ‘strong’ at all times and no one sees black people as complex or nuanced enough to be capable of suffering. no one ever thinks we could possibly need help. and if you’re a black woman, the moment you stop thinking about others and try to tend to yourself you’re a selfish lazy ungrateful bitch.

support black people, esp women, who need help. don’t just call us strong or tell us we’ll get through it, help us. protect us. uplift us. allow us to be beings capable of suffering. give us the same space you’d give white women to express our pain and be there for us like you would for anyone else. 

don’t just like this, reblog it!

another art tutorial post :) this time it’s for rainbow effects

Idle posing

Idle posing seems to be a thing most people overlook. But in truth, your character’s idle stance probably holds volumes of information about their character, most likely even more than any other stance they assume. This is because our default stance tells everyone around us about the demeanour, aura and mood we resort to when we’re not appropriating ourselves.

What’s so tricky about these kinds of poses - is how sensitive it is. And how complex the human body communicates. One nudge of the arm, the tilt of the head or curve of the spine can alter our perception of a character’s attitude completely. And sometimes, combinations of such variables can mean that some contributors are neutralized or maybe even switches its meaning entirely.

- Watch theatre. The actors are taught in communicating moods and attitudes to a tee and can give you a very clear look at how the exaggerated mannerisms we see in animated shorts, manifest in human form.  

 -Sit yourself down and watch old cartoon shorts. Watch how other animators and artists have gone about tackling posing like this.

 -Look at yourself in the mirror, observe how subtle the changes are when you swap between poses and moods.

Some quick thumb rules that generally apply ( but can still be reversed or neutralized when used in combination with other mannerisms )

 Open posture

Vulnerable parts exposed. Torso open, shoulders back and legs spread apart.

An open posture communicates confidence and courage. A person with an open posture is not afraid to take on whatever challenges come their way.

Closed posture

Vulnerable parts are hidden. Shoulders in tugged in against the torso. Legs close together

A person carrying a closed posture is not as brave and brawny as those with an open posture. They have a tendency to be nervous and can be easily intimidated by some challenges.

Dominant demeanour

Character defaults to literally looking down on others. Either by towering, if they’re taller than the character they’re looking at. Or by glaring up from under their brow if they’re shorter.

These characters hold a strongly dominant aura around them and will seek the upper hand in most situations. Dominant demeanour isn’t necessarily meant to be intimidating but more as a tool for the character to look and feel powerful and in control if coupled with an open posture.

Submissive demeanour

 Character defaults to maintaining a direct line of communication between their own and their companion’s face when interacting.

These characters can be perceived as more mellow than those of dominant demeanour. They appear more open and friendly since they’re not trying to impress themselves on you with their physique. They can also come forward as naive and optimistic.

On top of these thumb rules, you got all the variables that can either add or subtract from the intensity of their respective traits.

Variables such as shyness, aggression or aloofness serve as additional hints on a character’s personality. But be careful when you browse for these additional values. Each combination of these gives a completely unique attitude.

Take a look:

Conveying character through their attire

So there are two things to conveying your character through their attire. Well, three if you account for the bit of personality that is by default embedded in their choice of fashion.

Surface values

Let me tackle the ladder first cause it is the simplest one to explain:

If you want to convey that your character likes scorpions or snakes, you slap a snake on them somewhere or otherwise drop aesthetical hints of this particular interest. These are choices made consciously by the character, and should therefore also be treated like so in-universe. This is your character going out of their way to express an interest in a certain topic.

These are the most blatant and ‘easy’ ways to implement personality to your character’s outfit.

  Subcontextual values

 Where it gets a little more meta is when we start to consider their function, job and social layer, their opinion on norms such as gender and sexuality, etc. Values that contributes to the character’s subconscious. As well as choices made inspired by their lifestyle.

Let’s take a look at the two drawings above ^. The character is obviously the same. But their outfits are rather different.

Both hold an inch of vanity, as it is obvious that the character pays attention to how people perceive him ( note the styled hair, perfectly fitted and spotless clothes ). However one submits itself to a lifestyle heavily influenced by formalities, and proper conduct while the other comes forward as more free-spirited and radical in their attitude. Take a second look at the two outfits. Contemplate how the cuts, rate of coverage and choice of accessories separates the two outfits from one another. And what that, in turn, tells us about the character.

What does he do for a living?

What’re his thoughts of conformity?

Is he a by-the-book person, or more of a happy-go-lucky type?

What materials and pigments are used in the outfit?

Are these expensive pigments and materials?

What does the materialistic quality and style of the outfit tell you about the character’s economic standing?

What ‘s the overall impression you get from the characters physique in combination with the attire?

 There are a great many things you can derive from simply looking, and those are just a handful of analytic points you can study when looking at characters ( and humans too IRL )

Meta contextual values

We’ve taken the character’s conscious and subconscious choices into account. Now it’s time to bring our own agenda forward. What do -you- want to communicate with this character. Your OC might have their own tastes and preferences, sure, but did you know that -you- can control the way your audience perceives your character, outside the choices your character makes actively for themselves in-universe?

By fidgeting with the overall shapes present in the outfit ( and character anatomy too actually ), we can provoke psychological responses based on instinctual thought processes and presumptions hardwired into our subconscious. Here’s a quick rundown of those shapes and how they work. 

These tropes can, of course, be mixed, matched and used to any degree that you want. Not every production or project makes use of these particular figures by committing themselves 100% to their attributes. But you will frequently see traces of these tropes applied in competent pieces of visual storytelling, as it has proved effective in directing our perception of a character without even having to tell us outright; what their personality is going to be like.

You can also hint at character’s development, by subtly implementing some tropes from one category into the other.  Or hint at an underlying character trait that otherwise isn’t communicated by the character’s dialogue or immediate actions.  

If you manage to combine both posture, the formalia of outfit design and the meta-contextual design, you’re pretty well set to tell your story to your audience.

I Hope this has been somewhat helpful. It is one of my favourite parts of character design and storytelling - so it felt great to talk about at length again.

- Mod wackart ( ko-fi )  Tristan is property of Studio!Wackart