"the Fuck Is Happening In Ukraine??" For The Ignorant [23feb22]

Beware, the long post incoming. Pro tips for artists who work on commissions!

DISCLAIMER: I do not have, like, a HUGE online following and can’t be called a popular or viral artist, but I do have some experience and I’ve been working as a freelance artist for more that five years, so I could share a few tips on how to work with clients with my fellow artists. Scroll down for the short summary!

First of all, you always need to have your Terms of Service written down in a document that is accessible for your potential clients. And by terms of service I don’t mean a set of rules like “I don’t draw mecha, anthro and N/S/F/W”. There is much more into it, than you may think when you first start drawing commissions.

You’ll need to understand how copyright law/author’s rights in your country works (for example, US copyright or Russian author’s rights, be sure to check your local resources). There are a bunch of sites where you can actually read some legal documents (. I know it might be boring, but TRUST me, you WILL need this knowledge if you choose this career path.

Russia, for example, is plagued with shops selling anime merchandise. The merchandise is usually printed somewhere in the basement of the shop and the shop owners literally rip off other people’s intellectual property. If the artist ask them to remove their IP from the shop the owners usually try to fool them with lies about how the IP works. They will tell you, that you have to register copyright on every single drawing and if you don’t do it anyone can reproduce and sell your artwork. In reality, copyright law in most countries simply doesn’t work this way. Once you create an original work and fix it, take a photograph, write a song or blog entry, paint an artwork, you already are the author and the owner. Yes, there are certain procedures of copyright registration, which is only a step to enhance the protection, but you become an author the very moment you create a piece of art, and no one have a right to take your creation from you. Knowing your rights is essential.

Some of your commissioners may try to scam you too, but most of them might simply not be aware of how copyright law works. I literally had people asking me questions whether or not the character I am commissioned to draw becomes MY intellectual property. I literally had to convince the person (who was legit scared, since the commissioned piece was going to be a first image of his character ever created) otherwise. If you have an idea of the character written down or fixed in any other form such as a collage, a sketch, or a concept art – the character is yours. Artist may have rights to the image they create, but not the character itself. Your potential commissioner must acknowledge that their characters, settings and etc. is still theirs, while your artwork is yours, if your contract doesn’t state otherwise. You can sell the property rights on your artwork to your commissioner if you want, but it is unnecessary for non-commercial commissions. And I strongly advice you to distinguish the non-commercial commissions from commercial ones and set the different pricing for them. Even if you sell ownership of your artwork to your commissioner, you can not sell the authorship. You will always remain an author of your artwork, thus you still have all the author’s rights stated in the legal documents.

Another thing that is absolutely necessary to be stated in your terms of service is information whether (and when) it is possible to get a refund from you. You absolutely have to write it down: no. refunds. for finished. artworks.

You have already invested time and effort to finish an artwork. The job is done and the money is yours. I’ve heard stories of commissioners demanding refund a few months later after the commission was finished and approved by the commissioners, because, quote “I do not want it anymore”. Commissioning an artist doesn’t work this way, artwork is not an item purchased on shein or aliexpress that can be sent back to the seller. It is not a mass production. It is a unique piece of art. Example: My friend once drew a non-commercial commission for a client who tried to use it commercially later on. She contacted him and reminded of the Terms of Service he agreed with, offering him to pay a fee for commercializing the piece instead of taking him to the court or starting a drama. He declined and suddenly demanded a full refund for that commission via Paypal services. My friend contacted the supports and showed them the entire correspondence with that client. She also stated that the invoice he paid included a link to the Terms and Service he had to agree with if he pays that invoid. The money were returned to her.

However, partial refund can be possible at the certain stage of work. For example, the sketch is done, but something goes horribly wrong. Either the client appeared to be a toxic person, or an artist does not have a required skill to finish the job. I suggest you keep the money for the sketch, but refund the rest of the sum. It might be 50/50 like I suggested to my clients before (when I still could work with Paypal), but it really depends on your choise. I suggest not doing a full refund though for many reasons: not only you make yourself vulnerable, but you also might normalize a practice harmful to other artists this way.

The main reason why full refund when the sketch/line-art are done must not be an option is that some clients may commission other artists with lower prices to finish the job. This brings us to the next important point: you absolutely need to forbid your clients from altering, coloring or overpainting your creation or commission other artists to do so. This also protects your artwork from being cropped, changed with Instagram filters or even being edited into a N/S/F/W image. Speaking of which. If you create adult content, you absolutely need to state that to request such a commission, your commissioner must at least be 18/21 years old (depending on your country). And as for the SFW commissions you also have to state that if someone underage commissions an artwork from you it is automatically supposed that they have a parental concern.

There is also a popular way to scam artist via some payment systems, called I-did-not-receive-a-package. Most of the payment systems automatically suppose that you sell goods which have to be physically delivered via postal services. This is why it is important to state (both in the Terms of Service and the payment invoice itself) that what commissioner is about to receive is a digital good.

And the last, but not the least: don’t forget about alterations and changes the commissioner might want to make on the way. Some people do not understand how difficult it may be to make a major change in the artwork when it is almost finished. Always let your commissioners know that all the major changes are only acceptable at early stages: sketch, line-art, basic coloring. Later on, it is only possible to make the minor ones. I prefer to give my commissioner’s this info in private emails along with the WIPs I send, but you can totally state it in your Terms of Service. I do not limit the changes to five or three per commission, but I really do appreciate it when I get all the necessary feedback in time.

To sum this post up, the info essential for your Terms of Service doc is:

- The information on whether or not your commissions are commercial or non-commercial. If they are non-commercial, is there a way to commercialize them? At what cost?

- The information on author’s and commissioner’s rights;

- The information on whether (and when) refunds are possible;

- The prohibition of coloring, cropping, overpainting and other alterations;

- The information on whether or not you provide the commissioner with some physical goods or with digital goods only;

- Don’t forget about your commissioner’s age! If you work with client who is a minor, a parental consern is required. And no n/s/f/w for underage people!

- You may also want to include that you can refuse to work on the commission without explanation in case you encounter a toxic client or feel like it might be some sort of scam.

- I also strongly suggest you work with prepay, either full or 50% of total sum, it usually scares off the scammers. I take my prepay after me and my client agree on a rough doodle of an overall composition.

- I also include the black list of the themes: everyting offensive imaginable (sexism, homophobia, transfobia, racism, for N/S/F/W artists it also might be some certain fetishes and etc). Keep your reputation clean!

- Ban N/F/T and blacklist the commissioners who turn your artworks into them anywayss, don’t be shy <3

These are the things that are absolutely necessary but are so rarely seen in artists’ Terms of Service that it makes me sad. Some of these tips really helped me to avoid scams and misunderstandings. I really hope it helps you all!

Since I’ve started using a cane, I’ve noticed a lot of actors & cartoonists aren’t sure how to depict characters with them! Here’s a simple cheat sheet to help with the basics/standard use.

Oml I would have never guessed that you're 14 from your art! You have such a solid grip on colors, expressions and emotions I thought you're at least 19! --- any tips for a 15 y/o struggling with art and expressions?

wrinkles to the face (eyes/mouth during certain expressions) can add more personality to a character

i can only give you these goofy cartoony expressions i have no clue how realism works and uhhh try to use a mirror, like when you’re drawin’ a face make that face in the mirror and use it as reference

im not sure what kinda tips i can give you for art in general, but, uh, usin’ references works! don’t be afraid to like, copy techniques of of other artists as well, literally the way i learnt to draw was just trying to draw like my idols

also if it helps in any way, i use a program called krita for my art, its free!

yeah so umm i dont know to give advice or tips or teach people so i kinda improvised this… ‘tutorial’ if you can call it that idk

thank you by the way <=D heheh

In ain’t one to draw a perspective grid and then place figures in it; it’s never worked for me. So here’s my method!

König, our favorite boy, with as many warzone titles as i can muster.

assassin // commando ghost // marksman scavenger // scout supplier // survivor

Please listen to me: You can and should be critical of American imperialism. And you should also simultaneously acknowledge Russia’s imperialism. This is a “both things can be true” situation. Hating America’s imperialism doesn’t make Russia’s imperialism any better. You guys dO get that, right?? Just because the governments of China, North Korea and Russia are America’s geopolitical adversaries, you understand that doesn’t make them “right” whenever there is a war about to break out. You get that, right? “America bad” doesn’t automatically make everyone else good.

One thing I read a lot on the left is how you don’t get to be a U.S. President without committing some war crimes and human rights abuses along the way. Well, I’m asking certain people on the left to carry out that line of thought, just a little bit further. Extrapolate: no country gets to be a world power without doing the same—certainty no Western country. This is not me knocking communism or socialism, but if you think that China and Russia haven’t committed atrocities, then I beg you to research the what’s happening in the Uyghur community in China, or the LGBTQ community in Russia. Is America good? Hell no! Does that fact mean that Russia must be “good,” because they’re our enemies? Again, hell. fucking. no! C’mon fam. This shit isn’t that simple. Nobody’s hands are clean here.

Acknowledging that Putin and Russia are threats isn’t “propaganda” just because it might momentarily make the Biden administration look good. I don’t care about that. I care about the people on the ground who are literally staring down the Russian army. You are not being “woke” or “enlightened” by pretending that Ukraine isn’t in danger, and that even if it was, we should ignore what’s happening there because Ukrainians must surely want to rejoin Russia.

I’m making this post because I’ve already been hit with this fucked up “logic” from some now blocked followers, and yeah, it’s overly simplistic, it’s weak af, and it’s super disappointing coming from some “leftists.”

I literally had someone boastfully comment on a post that nobody cares about Ukraine—this was from a blogger who calls themselves woke. JFC! Reset the mf alarm and try waking up again.

I don’t give a shit about NATO, I don’t give a shit about Joe Biden & the Democrats, and I don’t give a shit about what Putin doesn’t want in Ukraine—Ukraine isn’t in NATO right now, is it?? Try forgetting about NATO and American echo chamber sources for two fucking minutes. If you call yourself a leftist, then at the very fucking least you shouldn’t want war. You shouldn’t be so casually fucking indifferent to people about to try to defend themselves. You shouldn’t want to see a sovereign state get invaded by a much larger aggressor. That’s at the very fucking least.

Where is your fucking heart? Where is your fucking solidarity? Where is your compassion?? Innocent people are about to start being killed—unnecessarily—and some of y’all are more worried if shit might make Biden look good?? Foreals?? GTFOH.

You can’t say the Trump supporters who tried to undo a national election were wrong, and also say Putin is in the right for rolling tanks into Ukraine to overthrow their government. Hate militarism? This is militarism. Hate imperialism? That’s exactly what tf this is. On steroids. Wrong is fucking wrong.

Ukraine did this, Ukraine did that, but then you’re going to turn around and pretend that Russia has a perfect human rights record? In some misguided attempt to show everyone your “communism” is “pure”? Please kiss my entire Black ass. Some of y’all ain’t shit.

If this whole Russian invasion thing has you somehow defending Vladimir fucking Putin, then you are really fucking lost, not left.

I stand with Ukraine. 🇺🇦

Collection of all my Obey Me! Anime Countdown posts I've been doing for the past week over on my Twitter! Plus a Luke because it was his birthday~

groin in the traffic, what will he do ye?

he

Art Help

I redid this list because broken links 💀

General Tips

Stretch your fingers and hands

Art is for fun

Never too late to start/improve

Using a tablet

Editing software: pictures & video

Moodboard resources

Comic pacing

Watercolor

Coloring

Color Theory (not children's hospital)

Gold

Dark Skin undertones

Dark Skin in pastel art

POC Blush tones

Eyes colors

Human Anatomy

POSE REFERENCES

Wizard Battle poses

Shoulders

Tips for practicing anatomy

Proportional Limbs

Skeletons

Hair Directions

Afro, 4C hair

Clothing

Long skirts

Traditional Chinese Hanfu (clothing reference)

CLOTHING REFERENCE

Sewing information

Animals

Horse -> Dragon

Snouts: dogs, cats, wolves, fox

Foot, paw, hoof

More

Drawing references sources

Art tutorial Masterlist

Another art tutorial Masterlist

Inspiration: father recreates son's art

Inspiration: Lights

ART BOOKS

Plants/flowers: North America, Hawaii, Patagonia

This is sort of a weird question but do you have any tips on writing a college essay? I feel so stuck with mine and it’s frustrating me to no end 😭😭

It's super dependant upon what you're writing about, my friend. Is it an argumentative essay? Expository? Persuasive? There needs to be a structure and a plan for every paragraph. My biggest problem was not planning my essays structure.

You have the intro, sure but what the fuck are you gonna open with? You wanna put your topic sentence in there. Explain exactly what the fuck this is about and what you're going to discuss and HOW.

Number each paragraph and write down what you want that paragraph to be focusing on.

It'd called outlining your essay and here's a good link on how to do it.

How to Write an Outline in 5 Steps, with Examples | Grammarly

How to Write an Outline in 5 Steps

An outline is an organizational tool you use to keep track of all the topics and points you plan to include in a…

Once you have your outline, it's about filling in the blanks with pretty words. Like drawing a picture, doing all the line work and all you have to do now is colour it in. No matter how many times you fuck up, you still have that line work.

That's how I got through my essay writing anyway.

this is why I do creative writing instead 😂 essays suck aaaaassss