“Water Painting Tutorial” By Dżun

i actually really love drawing hands and only recently have I enjoyed it haha

I’m still not very good at it nor do I understand a single thing about anatomy but here’s some small tips I hope help!!!

tbh ive been waiting for someone to ask for a hand tutorial

Writing a Blind or Visually Impaired Character

A Multi-Step Guide Written by a Visually Impaired Writer and Blogger

I’m hoping this blog will over time develop its own following, and when it does people will inevitably see my bio and notice what I included: I’m visually impaired.

Yes, a visually impaired writer, and I’ve written with two blind characters before so I have some practice in the field.

So, inevitably, someone is going to ask how to write a blind character.

Or, at least, I hope you’ll ask someone who’s actually blind or visually impaired about writing a blind character before you get too involved with your new WIP.

All parts will be tagged #blindcharacter in my blog, and I will add links to every post as I finish each part. Follow my blog for more writing advice.

Note, this post updates fairly often and old versions are still floating around out there. The most current version of this post is pinned to my blog with any new guides or links you might of missed.

As of 29 June 2022, this is the most extensive and screen reader friendly version of this post.

Part One: Crafting the Blind Character

In which I tell you how to begin making a blind character who is more than a cardboard cutout

Part Two: Narrative Choice, Visual Description, Verbal Description, Social Interaction

In which I give you a basic rundown on how to write from the perspective of a character who can’t see and still make the narration descriptive

Part Three: Tropes and Clichés to Avoid

Your blind readers will thank you for not being the 5000th person to do this and manage to actually finish your story. (Do you have any idea how many stories I’ve noped out of within two chapters because of these clichés? A Lot.)

Part Four: Canes, Guide Dogs, and O&M

Everything I can tell you about 1) how to learn how to use a cane 2) how a cane works 3) how to describe what your character experiences with their cane 4) everything I know on guide dogs

-New- Additional Advice for Writing Sighted Guides–another legitimate form of O&M

Part Five: Small Aspects of being Blind You Never Thought Of

5 January 2021 Edit: This link has been fixed to correspond with the correct post

Or, really, very normal everyday things for blind people, the inclusion of which will make your characters more real and authentic. It’s the tiny details.

Part Six: Should You Cure Your Character’s Blindness? (Short Answer: No)

There’s no way to write a cure for your blind character that doesn’t make blind readers hate you. Sorry. We came here to finally experience a relatable character who experiences the world like us, but none of us are getting cured so seeing this character we learned to love become something alien from us in the end feels like a slap in the face

-New- What about a Temporary Cure to Show the Character is Happy being Blind?

Why I’m Blind and What I See -NEW-

I thought I’d finally make a post explaining the complicated situation about my vision. Includes an explanation of visual snow and exotropia, two of the three causes for my vision issues.

Writing Blind Characters Falling in Love, an Advice Post:

Someone asked what being blind and falling in love have to do with each other. Honestly, blindness changes your perspective on everything and it makes an impact on every relationship you have. This includes some things that you definitely do not want your character’s love interest to be/do.

Writing Blind Jokes (Should You Do It?)

You know those flow charts of “should you do x?” going around? It’s like that, but screen reader friendly. Should you write blind jokes. It’s pretty complicated and there are a lot of possible scenarios and details to consider.

Advice for Writing Toph Beifong -NEW-

In this I discuss what I would like to see done in fanfiction with Toph’s character after ten years of reading Avatar the Last Airbender fanfiction

-New- Some Informal Thoughts About Toph and ATLA World Building based on a Throw-Away Line

A small essay addressing the frequently asked question on giving your blind character a superpower to help them “see.”

It’s became a popular question, so to make the answer easier/faster for everyone to access, I wrote what will usually be my initial answer. Below there are a few links to some notable past questions on this subject.

Mourning My Vision, it’s More than Depression. 

A small personal essay addressing the nuances of the mourning period you experience with a new disability. The mourning period is mentioned in other guides, but this is more detailed.

Dealing with Heightened Senses, a video by Molly Burke with additional commentary by me

While Molly talks about the myths and truths about heightened senses, I talk about the correlation with blindness and neuro-divergency and how co-morbid disorders/disabilities might affect sensory processing.

Satirical Commentary on the phrase “that blank look in their eyes” used too often in fiction to identify a blind character

a:tla, I’m looking at you (and my eyes aren’t blank)

I Found a Lost Piece of Blindness History

My grandmother told me about her blind aunt and how she sent letters. It led me to speculate about all the O&M things people develop on their own but never get a chance to pass onto other blind people. Technology and techniques are lost in history and reinvented, including the white cane ad guide dogs.

Includes a little history on the introduction of guide dogs into the 20th century

The Following are Answered Anon Questions

Making Your Blog More Accessible

Making Links Accessible to Screen Readers

Reblogging to Add an Image Description to Someone Else’s Image

Why I Write Image Descriptions

Terms, Definitions, and Practical Advice

-New- What is the difference between Light Perception and Shadow Perception

Writing Blind Characters

Advice for a Character Who was Born Blind

-New- A More Recent Post about Characters Born Blind 

Over-Protective Parents of a Blind Character, Why They’re Over-Protective and How to Avoid Crossing a Line

A Blind Character in Victorian Era Historical Fiction

Is It Bad Not to Have Guide Dogs in a Fantasy/Historical Setting Without Guide Dogs (short answer: it’s not bad)

Someone Asked About My Thoughts on a Medusa-like Character Blinding Herself to Avoid Hurting Anyone

-New- Someone Asked For Advice Writing a Character whose Eyes were Gouged Out–and Why Blindfolds are Not a Good Idea + Medical Alternatives

Characters Who Have Recently Gone Blind and Avoiding Inspiration Porn

-New- Inclusive Language in Dialogue: Is it appropriate for a blind character to use visual verbs like “I saw” and “I watched”

-New- Thoughts on If Characters Would Drink and Go to Bars

(In one of my original guides I said I was sure most blind people would not go to bars. A few years later, I’ve now realized that sentiment is influenced by my gender, not my disability.)

-New- Researching Blind Historical Figures

I took a disability studies class focusing on Helen Keller’s complicated legacy. My professor gave us the option to get creative with our final projects, so I gathered all the research I had for three blog posts.

How did Helen Keller Navigate her World

My extensive historical research on the accessibility tools Keller had in her lifetime

Who was Helen Keller: Her Passions and Interests

I talk about her writing, her politics as a socialist and suffragette, her love for animals and nature, her brief history as a performer on stage, and how she became the face for Blind Advocacy. This includes lots of photos of Keller with image descriptions I wrote.

The Controversies Surrounding Helen Keller

-This includes:

Her family history as the daughter of a Confederate Captain

Growing up on a plantation that formerly held slaves

How she met Alexander Graham Bell and the negative influence both had on the Deaf community

Her sexuality and falling in love (and why that was so controversial)

Her stance on eugenics and her internalized ableism

The Miracle Worker (1963) movie- how it became the most popular depiction of Keller, why it’s problematic, and how it damaged her legacy

The 2020 TikTok Controversy and #HelenKellerwasfake

Talking about Popular Blind Characters In Media

Does Daredevil’s Echolocation Negate His Blindness

-New- Is it Worth it to Watch All of Daredevil for the Research (It’s Not)

Someone Else was Asked How to Write Daredevil Fanfiction

Blind Characters with Superpowers/Fighting Styles

World Setting where the General Population has a Superpower

Superpowers that don’t involve sight, Five questions to ask yourself if this superpower is a bad idea or a good one

-New- Your character would not use a cane as a weapon, it’s a bad idea

D&D/Roleplaying Blind Characters

-New- Animal Familiars Acting as Service Animals and Advice for Communicating with Your DM

-New- Portraying Older Blind Characters + Causes for Vision Loss with Old Age

I forgot I have to be active here so here’s my Twitter tutorial on how to draw folds I made a while back to help a friend!

Okay now that you guys have liked Lil Nas X, Megan thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar AND Doechii. Surely you can listen to rap now. Surely you see the merits of the genre. Surely.

Google has built a stunning, searchable archive of 3,000 years of world fashion

It's an endlessly entertaining portal touching on everything from modern Japanese streetwear to the clothes worn at Versailles.

“We Wear Culture” is a collaboration between Google and more than 180 museums, schools, fashion institutions, and other organizations from all parts of the globe. It’s part of Google’s Arts & Culture platform, which is digitizing the world’s cultural treasures, and functions as a searchable guide to a collective archive of some 30,000 fashion pieces that puts “three millennia of fashion at your fingertips,” Google says.

But it isn’t just a database. Google has worked with curators to create more than 450 exhibits on different topics—say, how the cheongsam changed the way Chinese women dress—making the site an endlessly entertaining, educational portal filled with stunning imagery touching on everything from modern Japanese streetwear to the clothes worn at the court of Versailles.

i can already tell this has made writing for historical fandoms – the worst part of which, for me, is absofuckinglutely hands-down the clothing – much easier. 

The first time I made crispy roasted chickpeas (for the stew), I said to my husband, “Now that I know how easy these are, I’m unstoppable.”

The second time I made them (for a salad topping), I said, “Do you want any more of these to snack on? I might have some more, but I don’t know… Actually, these are so easy I can’t afford not to eat them.”

Honestly? Life-changing snack. Go fuck myself. Wonderful chickpea revolution. Here’s what you do: dry these beans as much as you can (strainer, then paper towels), toss with olive oil and salt, bake on tray at 200c for like 30 minutes, stirring 2~3 times. Sprinkle with delicious spices, or pop directly in mouth.

(Also, the salad dressing is yogurt, tahini, roasted garlic, lemon, and olive oil, blended roughly with a fork and left in the fridge a few hours. It is also delicious.) 

Art by Natcha Ngamtweerat

Tyler Otto (aka. Dean Tsiranides) | Photographed by Rick Day Yummy Magazine Issue #8 - 2024

Yearly reminder to everyone trying to find alternatives to tumblr/social media in general: go make a Neocities account and teach yourself basic HTML and post your art/writing/shitposts there.

It does take extra time to set up (but there are templates out there!) but it is so so worth it to have a site that is 100% YOURS!

You don’t even have to be that good at coding. I’m not. My site is not very accessible via mobile devices but that is fine with me (keeps me off my phone) but there are plenty of ways to make your site mobile friendly. There are plenty of bare bones/accessible sites I adore purely for the media on it.

Imagine having your site on your phone and showing someone- hey! I coded this from scratch. And I didn’t even have to pay a company like squarespace. All your images, links, writings, in one place. I have my fandom edits, memes, fanart, and custom graphics there.

Neocities has a very bare bones follower and comment system, but you can disable this if you want your site to truly abstain from any social media-isms. I use it because its a great way to meet other webmasters and get help with coding problems. Neocities isn't an exact replacement for Tumblr (no reblogging here) but html coding is an invaluable skill to know, as is keeping a personal website in this day in age.

The awesome thing about having your own website is if, god forbid, Neocities goes down, you can move your site to any other number of hosting platforms (like Teacake.org). Your site is truly YOURS, and no one else (shitty tech CEO cough cough) can take it away from you.

If you need help getting started, I recommend checking out sadgrl.online. (More links to resources in the comments section of this post).

I know neocities has been talked about before, especially within my follower circle, but I thought I'd bring it up again for anyone unaware of this awesome platform.

been scrolling on your art tag for a good 38 mins

(can you tell there's something desperately wrong with me)

and HOW DO YOU HANDDSSSSS ghhhhh theyre so perfect how like EURGHH chomp chomp delicious but HOW??? 😭 youre magic dude

OMG. OMGGG. THANK YOUUU WHAT THE HELL I JUST BLUSHED. and im glad u like how i draw hands hehe thats so nce... theyre pretty fun(most of the time) to draw for me(when i actually do draw them) so i hope it shows. idk if this is you asking for hand tips BUT EVEN IF ITS NOT. IM DOING IT ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HANDS are all about SHAPES!!!!! theyre just a bunch of wobbley squares and wonky cubes and sometimes triangles too depending on the angle.

and if the pose/angle is more complicated? break the shapes down into even MORE squares and cubes. They are your best friend. we love cubes. (sorry. these arent great outlines bc im using my mouse. but you get the deal)

and im still not great at drawing softer hands tbh, but if you want them to not be so pointy and tough looking, just round out the corners and throw in more slopes and squishes.

and now im gonna say something and youre probably gonna groan really loud but just hold on for a second. hold my hand. okay. i feel like my mind awakened when i learned how to make hands in blender. NOW im not saying you have to learn blender just to figure out how to draw hands. because i still dont know blender either. and hands still stump me from time to time. but just the act of building a shitty hand out of cubes put me on this mindset for the rest of my life. i dont even know if this is anything, but heres a good video of someone building a very simple hand in blender and maybe itll lock into your brain like it did mine.