Suggestions For Gender Neutral Version Of Mom/dad? Something Less Formal Than Just ‘parent’

mario covered in mold

this is my vest so far! I've been working on it in my spare time, and though it's slow progress since im embroidering almost all the patches by hand, im super proud of what I've managed. if anybody has any ideas for sci-fi / cryptid / queer supportive / spooky patches, please let me know!

as a side note, i do have a large back panel for this vest where the "protect trans youth" patch is. the back piece will only be attached with safety pins, so i think I'm going to put my more political patches there so if i feel unsafe i can cover them up. i made it over the summer but i recently started going back and touching it up, so I'll make a post with it soon!

light and rendering study using my rabbit vtuber avatar

a little traditional drawing to get back into the swing of things. i don't draw as much during the summer - very busy, less motivation - but i also work on bigger projects instead. so in between working on a DIY vest, I've been trying to draw every now and then.

this was made with pencil and cheap, almost dried alcohol markers. the main gripe i have about the finished piece is that the head is a bit small, but that just comes with doing traditional art

my OC named Samael! the one with the wings is Maalik, the matching OC my friend made with me. the OCs are gay lovers and i love them very much

Samael is big and intimidating (7 foot ish), but in reality very quiet and anxious. he is both touch starved and usually touch-avoidant

Maalik, on the other hand, is smaller (6 foot ish). he is expected to be calm and distant as an angel, but instead is energetic and excited, and very touchy

their contrasts complement each other and they fit together like puzzle pieces and i love them very much

A L I E N S

a digital drawing using my favorite lyrics from the song "A L I E N S" by Coldplay. i wanted it to look lonely - a single spaceship in a silent night, surrounded by forests and stars and a single house. i used IbisPaint on my iPad for this piece

the lyrics are the first verse, and they read:

"We were just about to lose our home

Diamonds ate the radio

Moving in the dead of night

We took photographs just some just so

History someone to know

We were moving at the speed of flight"

ART PROGRESS:

greyscale drawing improvement from October 2023 to April 2024 (6 month difference)

while the first drawing is in graphite and the second is with alcohol markers, they are both in greyscale and focus on fantasy subjects. i have more confidence to draw backgrounds in general, and more creative inspiration: the first is based on a stock photo of a person holding a skull, and the second is based on various creatures and scenery from the video game Bloodborne. i pieced it together using my own imagination, only using reference for the actual design of the snakeheads

as for the shading, i have a better understanding of depth, lighting direction, composition (especially background / midground / foreground), scale, and lineart. i took more time and added tons of details and textures, making the piece feel more realistic and natural

hey cis people! now more than ever gender-nonconforming behavior is an act of resistance! and it's one anyone can engage in!

oh egg?

occasionally I am struck dumb by the sublime beauty of the world in the small moments, you know?

egg