Death Throes 2.2.23

Subtitle: Everything I’ve learned so far.

*more added on bottom of list*

made for a friend but I figure I’ll post it if it’ll help anyone ^-^

Probably will add to this every now and then if anything new comes up.

All links marked as “❤”

Most link to written tutorials but some are videos. Scroll over links to see if it’s a video in case there’s a reason why you can’t watch them.

Also posted on Deviantart 

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❧ Super helpful tutorials made by other people:

The shrimp method (How to draw anything) ❤ 

Colour turtle ❤ 

Background composition ❤ 

Colour theory ❤ 

Perspective trix for the needy & lazy ❤ 

Step by step digital painting ❤ 

Action line ❤ 

Perspective tutorial ❤ 

All of these video tutorials ❤ 

All of these resources ❤ 

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❧ Human anatomy basics:

Hair ❤ 

Hair types ❤ 

Head ❤ 

Face ❤ 

Eye and eyebrow ❤ 

Ear ❤ 

Nose ❤ 

Mouth ❤ 

Chin ❤ 

Neck ❤ 

Shoulder ❤ 

Forearm ❤ 

Arm ❤ 

Hand ❤ 

Finger ❤ 

Back ❤ 

Breasts ❤ 

Chest ❤ 

Hips ❤ 

Butt ❤ 

Vagina ❤ 

Penis ❤ 

Legs ❤ 

Knees ❤ 

Feet ❤ 

Skeleton ❤ 

Body type ❤ 

Weight gain + loss ❤ 

Age ❤ 

Skin ❤ 

Average female face ❤ 

Average male face ❤ 

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❧ Quotes:

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The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. -Michelangelo

“If you don’t know what colour to use, use black” -Pablo Picasso

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“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” -Aristotle

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“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” -Pablo Picasso

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“Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art.”  -Neil Gaiman

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“No one’s better than me. I’m not better than anyone. ” -Carlos Santana

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“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” -Pablo Picasso

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“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” -Vincent Van Gogh

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❧ Advice:

Loose grip = better for your hand & better precision while drawing.

If your hand hurts after a short amount of time drawing your grip is too tight.

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Colour is a very personal thing. It has a lot to do with the way you see colours and the way you feel about those colours. So as much as things like colour theory are important, you’re the one choosing the colours,  you’re in control.

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People who say things like “a poor workman blames his tools” really need to stop. Your tools make a big difference, there is no denying that. Anyone who’s ever tried Roseart crayons knows using them it’s like hammering in a nail with your bare hands, there are easier ways of doing things.

Of course this doesn’t mean you’ll draw better with more expensive tools but it does mean that if you don’t like using a particular pen/brush/software/etc there’s no use continuing to use it. It’s distracting, makes you feel worse about your art and you’ll be more likely to just not draw anything at all.

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Experiment that’s all. Just keep experimenting with things until you find out what you like. (guess that can also be life advice)

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You can always improve. This doesn’t mean you’ll never be good, it only means you can get better even if you’re an expert.

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Okay let me use this quote as a start off point “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” -Orson Welles. This might sound counter-intuitive but it’s very true. Your brain can only handle a few things at once, if you’re told to draw anything you want you’ll most likely draw something like a cat or dog or a house, things that are very normal to you, things that you’ve probably drawn a hundred times before because when you’re faced with too many options you’ll most likely pick the simplest and most familiar things to you.

Give yourself limitations when you’re drawing. Before you draw start with a theme or palette (etc) to let your mind relax and boost your creativity. (of course you don’t have to do this every time you draw, just when you want to draw but have no ideas.)

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Write down/sketch your ideas as soon as you get them because chances are you won’t remember them. Not that you can’t change your mind about it later, it’s just good to know they’re there and you haven’t forgotten anything.

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If you feel like there’s something not quite right about your drawing, take a break. Come back to it the next day even. If you focus on something too long it messes with your judgement.

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You don’t have to show anyone what you’ve drawn. It’s your business what you draw so draw anything you want. 

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Chances are you’ll come across people who have no idea about anything to do with art but still tell you how to do it/ what you’re doing wrong. These people aren’t worth listening too. Ignore their advice.

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There’s no problem with learning from tutorials, absolutely none. It’s just one of the ways people learn. It’s the same with art classes or anything similar. If you learn from it then keep doing it, but if you’re not then don’t.

The best tip I can offer about tutorials is if you don’t like the art style of the person who made the tutorial there’s no reason to learn their techniques. Study artists who have art styles you like and figure out what it is you like about them. (their use of colours, emotion conveyed, etc)

And honestly if you’re a good artist and you’ve never used tutorials or been to art classes, good for you, but it’s nothing to be smug about and no one is a lesser artist for using them. 

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❧ Referencing:

I made a mini tutorial on how to reference here ❤ 

Here’s one on how to use them another way ❤ 

Also see 'Tracing vs referencing' ❤ 

also these are a couple great sites for references

Humans ❤ 

Animals ❤ 

Plants ❤ 

Objects + architecture ❤ 

Everything all together ❤  

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❧ Things that are really good to focus on and practice in your drawing:

-Light & shade ❤ 

-Wind ❤ 

-Reflection ❤ 

-Perspective ❤ 

-Movement ❤ 

-Composition ❤ 

-Emotion ❤ 

-Mood ❤

-Values ❤ 

-Texture ❤  

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❧ Warm ups and practice

If you don’t know about gesture drawing here’s a tutorial ❤ 

If you do, this site is good for it ❤  

Draw shapes, draw lines, draw random squiggles, whatever helps you warm up.

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❧ Possible reasons for artblock and remedies: 

-Stress. Sometimes there are certain times when stress is for whatever reason unavoidable. It’s a difficult thing to deal with and there can be a lot of different reasons why you’re stressed. Take breaks, try yoga or something that’s more of a workout like boxing if it helps, meditation, anything that helps you feel better is a good start. Try writing down everything that’s making you stressed so you can get more of a perspective on why you’re stressed and deal with the smaller problems first. Things like cleaning your room/house or fixing something that’s been bothering you can help a lot. There’s also this helpful list if you wants some more ideas ❤ 

-Depression. *groans* don’t get me started. Depression is a big deal and I have no idea what the best way to help it is. Maybe time. Maybe feeling useful. Maybe leaving your current life situation. Depression makes the simplest things difficult so the main thing to remember is to put your health before your art. Art will wait for you and be there when you’re ready, it always does.

There’s also this masterpost on depression if you’d like to have a look ❤ 

-Feeling inadequate. This might sound like a strange thing to say… It’s kind of a good thing. You are wanting to improve and that’s great. It’s safe to say everyone experiences this multiple times in their life at some point but what you need to keep reminding yourself is, if you know you love doing something then you’re on the right track so stick to it. 

-Feeling Un-motivated. Make an inspiration folder and go on a picture finding search to fill it with anything that makes you want to draw. Learning something new always helps for this as well so read/watch tutorials or someone drawing/painting. 

-Not having ideas. Surprisingly easy fix most of the time. Use a random generator like this ❤ or start some kind of art challenge to get you started.

-Boredom. (or being bored with the way you draw) Try using a different medium like sculpting or pixel art, anything you don’t normally do. Surprisingly changing your image can help as well so getting a new hairstyle/colour, anything like that can work.

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❧ Selling art:

Don’t under charge for your work. It doesn’t matter how much you love to draw, you shouldn’t have to under charge for your work. You’re not only charging for the piece its self but for your skills as an artist and for the time and effort you put into it. 

“So how much do i charge?” This question is one of the more difficult ones to answer. It can depend on the demand and the time it takes for you to make, etc. So this is just a basic list of things to ask yourself before you decide how much you should be charging.

-'How much time do I spend making it?’

-'How much am I willing to work for?’

-'How much do other artists charge?’ (not always relevant but something to consider)

-'What kind of customers will i get?' 

-'What is the customer going to use my art for?’ (if it’s for a personal thing it’s no problem but if it’s commercial and they’re going to use it on multiple occasions profiting from it, either charge more or work something out where they have to pay you each time it’s used)

Don’t worry if you realise you’ve been undercharging for your work because it’s part of the process of finding out what’s right for you.

If someone challenges you on your prices or says you’re charging too much remember this

“If you like what I do, this is what I charge. If you don’t want to pay it, you don’t have to buy it.”

Visual examples work better than descriptions. Show what you’re willing to draw and what kinds of commissions you offer with the prices listed. It can be laid out however you like. Here’s an example ❤ 

Additional payments. Something to consider is are you going to charge more per added character or for a detailed background anything else that requires more work than your set price.

Make a check-list for commissioners to fill out. Not always necessary but can be a good thing to have. Things like “character:  background:  outfit:  ” anything that you would usually ask them.

Some people might ask you to copy or trace something. I have absolutely no idea why people want something that’s traced but don’t do it. I promise you won’t like working with the client and you won’t be proud of your work at all.

Explain when you expect to receive payment. Either before you start, after you show them sketches or when the whole project is completed. In this case just do whatever feels right to you. But keep tabs on who hasn’t played because there are some people that think they can get away with not paying. (just something to be aware of)

There will be people who try to get things for free. Ignore people who say things like “I wish could have something like this but i don’t have money :( ” please, please, please don’t respond to these people with anything other than something along the lines of “Thank you, maybe next time :)” because the only reason they’re saying that is because they want it cheep or free. These people aren’t your customers, don’t worry about supplying to them.

Also along those lines, if someone asks you to do work for them for free and “maybe they’ll hire/pay you” if they like your work is bullshit. They’re conning you. What they do once they get your designs is tell you they’ve decided not to hire/pay you when they’ve actually stolen your design and get their designers to finish/alter it. DON’T TRUST THESE PEOPLE.

Have a paypal or something similar set up. This is completely necessary unless you’re working with someone face to face.

You can decide whether or not to work with someone. If whoever is commissioning you is making you feel uncomfortable or asking too much or is trying to make you do anything you don’t want to, you don’t have to work with them. It’s entirely your choice. 

Little bit more commission advice by someone else ❤

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❧ More stuff added by others: added by fruitncreme - What is talent? ❤ 

- Anatomy, Manga to realistic and perspective ❤ 

- Poses ❤ 

- Anatomy and proportions ❤ 

- Folds and wrinkles ❤ 

- Tips and tricks ❤ 

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❀ Hope this helped ❀

Feel free to add to this list if you have any other advice or tutorials you think would be helpful

Harry remembers how nice it was to receive a sweater knitted by Mrs. Weasley as a gift, and decided to please Tom the same way on his birthday ✨

*two days into Husk’s contract*

Alastor: Husk, about your soul-

Husk: No returns

Alastor: Please, it’s making me sad

I am the Ruler of Divine Strength!!! Fear my noodle arms!

yeah so,

DP x DC Writing Prompt #9

"Are you sure about this?" J'onn asks, reading the discontent amongst the Kents. Clark and Lois each have a hand on their teenage son's shoulders, who several weeks prior was aged ten years old.

"We're sure," Clark says. He is not, nor is his wife. But his son is, who lays his hand on his mother's and squeezes. It is that surety that J'onn honors as he delves into the young (but not as young as he should be) man's mind.

The memories are hard to find but not gone, hidden behind what Jon can only see manifested as a glowing green wall. When he raises a tentative hand, the shield sparks green, but does no harm. Pushing through is like wading through the consistency of jello, which he finds an overall unpleasant experience. But he is unharmed as he passes through.

Before J'onn can sort through the memories he is all but sucked into the one at the forefront, where a Jon most similar in visage to the one recently returned perches on the edge of a building. Beside him lies a burger, partially unwrapped though uneaten, and a small soda.

As the memory builds out a sun sets on a small suburban town, and a muscled thigh knocks into Jon's, an older man with a shock of white hair and eyes the same light and color as the shield formed around these memories appearing. He's tall even sitting, likely about as tall as Superman, and looks to be in his thirties. A full body suit comprised of black and silver accents stretches across broad shoulders, a stylized D on his chest. He knocks his thigh into Jon's again.

"You said I couldn't go back," Jon says quietly.

"I lied," the man says lightly.

"You're lying now," Jon says, glaring at him. "I can hear your heart."

"Nice try, kiddo, I don't have a heart in this form," the man says, reaching a hand out, presumably to ruffle his hair. Jon dodges.

"I know you're lying. You would've told me. You would've helped me get home."

"Jon--"

"You're protecting Clockwork, aren't you?" Jon demands, eyes beginning to burn red. "That old coot decided it wasn't enough to play with you, he had to play with me too."

The man slaps a hand over Jon's eyes. "Breathe, like we practiced," he instructs firmly. Steam rises from where his palm meets Jon's eyes, but if it hurts he shows no indication. "In, 2, 3. Out, 2, 3."

Jon whimpers but heaves a breath, and the burst of red light dies down from between the man's fingers. His hand moves down to Jon's shoulder.

"I can't pretend to understand Clockwork's decisions," the man says, as tears begin to pool in Jon's eyes. "Frankly, I don't want to. I suspect they are hard decisions to make, sometimes."

"I don't get why you defend him," Jon says. "Dumbledore acting bastard."

"Language," the man says, lightly bopping him on the head. J'onn notes the boy actually winces, as if the blow hurts.

"I am upset with him, I hope you know that," the man continues. "But at the end of the day I'm also grateful. Because I got to meet you." He hooks an arm around Jon's shoulders, pulling him in. "And now you'll get to see your family again. And Sally, Arnold, and Damian!"

Jon sniffles, rubbing roughly at his face. He leans into the man's bicep. A trusted adult figure, then. One he's described his life to. A life, J'onn is sad to note, he appears to have lived for the past six years, as opposed to a sudden shift in appearance. Jon's next question all but confirm it: "Can I really go back? It's been so long. They'll be all grown up."

"Hey, of course you can," the man says, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm sure they've missed you so much. They'll be so happy to see you again."

Jon starts to smile. "I'm going home."

"You're going home!" The man laughs, shaking him.

"I can finally eat some decent barbecue again!"

"Hey!" the man protests, "The smoker blew up one time!"

Jon continues, beginning to get excited. "And Ma will make her jalapeño cornbread! I never could get it right, I can't wait for you to try it!"

J'onn notes the older man's smile fading, eyes growing sad.

"And Damian will definitely want to spar and oh, oh! With you on our side we can totally prank Batman! I bet Alfred will even help! And Mom gives the best hugs, Pops comes really close but Mom will be really excited to meet you, everyone will."

"Jon," The man says.

"I knew you'd be worried about it, but they'll want to meet you," Jon says, clocking his expression. "They'll be grateful. You, you helped me. You kept me safe and taught me how to be Superman. They'll love you, I promise."

"Jon, I can't go with you," the man says gently.

"I'm not saying you stay, but you can visit! I'm sure the Justice League can figure out a way to maintain a portal, they're super used to all that multiverse stuff. Once they have the coordinates, you can stop by whenever!"

"I can't go through the portal, Jon," the man says. "To other worlds, I'm a god. And gods can't interfere. The only reason I can continue to live here is because this is the world of my origin."

Jon gapes at him. "But--but,"

"You're going to see your Mom and Dad again," the man says. "And your brother, and grandparents."

"I can come here, then," Jon says desperately, pushing his way out of the man's arms. The man is already shaking his head. "I can!"

"You can't."

"Why, because Clockwork says so? He's a liar!"

"Because multiverse travel is never a good idea. If you got trapped here again--"

"I wouldn't,"

"You belong with your family,"

"You're my family!" Jon cries. The man freezes. "You, and Sam, and Jazz, and Tucker and Val and Ellie and Pops and Mads, you're all my family! I can't just leave you, I won't!"

"Oh kiddo," The man says, eyes wet. "I love you too. We all do."

"So I'll stay," Jon says decisively. "For all we know my world is a wasteland. Gramps wasn't exactly right in the head when I left. It's better to stay here."

J'onn notes a green vine unwinding from a nearby trellis. It slides down the eave towards the pair.

"You don't mean that," the man is saying.

"I'm sixteen. I can make my own decisions. I'm staying."

The man cups Jon's face. "Your parents did not have a choice in losing you. I'm willing to bet they're devastated. Because I'd be devastated, losing a kid as great as you."

"Maybe they're not even there," Jon says, but the words are half-hearted, and it clearly hurts him to say them.

"I know I seem like a pushover, but if I thought Clockwork was sending you back to anything less than your loving family, I'd destroy him first. And he knows that. They're going to be there, I promise."

"I don't want to go," Jon says. Behind him, the vine rises from the eave of its own will, poised like a cobra enchanted by a snark charmer.

"I know," the man says, eyes drifting to the vine. "I'm so sorry, Jon."

"For what?" Jon asks, as the vine attaches itself to the nape of his neck. His eyes roll back as he collapses into the man's arms. The man hugs him tighter than is strictly necessary.

J'onn expects the memory to now end, alongside Jon's consciousness. To his curiosity, it does not.

"For what it's worth," a young woman spits bitterly, vines supporting her weight as she slips over the side of the roof. "I still think this is horrible." Her eyes are red and miserable.

"Seriously, team punching Dumbledore in the face," A young black man says, appearing in the air supported by a woman almost identical in appearance to the man holding Jon, down to the suit colors. They land on the rooftop.

"Are you sure about this," the dark haired woman with powers over plants asks. "Because to be honest, Danny, I'm five seconds away from punching you in the face."

"Jazz won't speak to you for months," the girl, likely his sister, points out.

"Make it a year," the man says, crossing his arms.

The man, Danny, ignores them all. He cards a hand through Jon's hair. "He'll retain the experience, but not the memories?"

"Yes, he'll be a perfect little superhero, just as you taught him," the woman says, vines twisting agitatedly around her, wrapping around her thigh, wrists and neck almost punishingly.

"Sam," the man says. "He needs to go home. All of you know that."

"He doesn't have to forget us to do so!" the sister bursts, eyes flashing green.

"Remembering would be a torment," Danny says. "He'll know he was loved. That's enough."

"Danny," the plant woman says, sitting beside them both. She puts a gentle hand on his, both on Jon's back. "This is just a different torment."

"And if someone finds out?" Danny asks. He has been patient amidst their scorn, but now a tiny edge ekes into his voice. "A god's child, unprotected? Threatened? He would never stop looking for a way back, and being vocal about it could get him killed."

The others are silent.

"He'll be home. He'll be happy," Danny says. More powerful than a prayer. A directive. He raises his head past the child slumbering in his lap, past them all, face hardening, and says to J'onn: "And you will say nothing."

J'onn takes a step back, fear so thick he could choke on it flooding his very being. Thismanwillkillhim, thismanwillkillhim.

This man will reach through dimensions and kill him.

"Now, get the fuck out of my kid's head," Danny snarls. J'onn is pushed back with enough force he enters his own mind in a vicious whirl that leaves him physically on the floor, gasping.

"I'm sorry," he says as Superman rushes to lift him, and he's not sure who he's apologizing to. Green eyes will pierce his dreams. Vines will crush his throat in his nightmares, screaming silence, silence.

You will say nothing.

"I'm sorry," J'onn says, politely pushing Clark's hands away as he rises. He's already beginning to calm, because he understands. Those are consequences he will not face. He will do as directed. He looks at Jon Kent, bewildered but unharmed, clutching his mother's hand.

J'onn reaches down and dusts at his pants. "I'm sorry," he says evenly, ready to spin his tale. Perhaps the Kents will continue to seek their answers. Perhaps not. He will stay out of it either way. He has been warned.

You were loved by gods. And to keep you safe, they would quiet us all.

Not in my usual format but oh well

Danny only knew three things about Gotham, the dark and aptly named city he had accidentally showed up in after some inter dimensional shenanigans in the infinite realms. One, Gotham was practically overflowing with bad vibes and crime. Two, Batman was Gothams usual vigilante, the one who kept the bad vibes and crime at a reasonable level. Three, for about a week and a half, Batman had been MIA.

Now Danny didn’t know much about this Batman fella, hadn’t even seen him before, but he figured it was a heroes job to step forward and help the other with his city so it didn’t go crazy.

So Danny bought a domino mask for cheap from a souvenir booth, got some heavy duty pants and a dark and thick hoodie from a local thrift shop, grabbed his Creep-Stick and decided it looked enough like a baseball bat, and went out into the night to help his fellow vigilante. The petty criminals were horrified of the new vigilante with glowing green eyes and a bat to match, and the batfam (most of whom were holed up in the mansion trying to keep Bruce from working himself to death directly after a near-death experience) were a bit interested and a bit wary.

Finally, one of the Batkids hunts him down, asking him “Who are you?”

“Oh ancients! Does no one see the bat? I’m Batman! Duh!”

imagine you're living in the post apocalypse and your adopted dad still makes you do homework

The amount of time that the Ancient Egyptian civilisation lasted is just so mind boggling. It lasted over 3000 years. That's such an insane amount of time. It ended around 30BC meaning that it will only be extinct for as long as it existed in around 950 years. Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of bitcoin than the building of the pyramids of Giza. They were already ancient to her. What the fuck