Zeroplasma - Care To Join Me In Hell?

ideas of exercises to help with your practical art skills, as well as things to keep in mind while making art and new ways to find inspiration:

draw every day

recreate a drawing you did before, but better

draw something using only simple geometric shapes

do studies of famous artworks

listen to artists explain their work, it’s super interesting

take life drawing classes (or use online photo resources)

find an artwork you love, and work out why

draw caricatures of friends

set a 1 minute timer and draw an object as quickly as possible

draw something you can’t see, eg. music, emotion

research artists you admire and find out how they work

think about composition: what stands out, what recedes etc.

find a famous artwork you hate and work out why

sit outside and draw the landscape

copy a photo exactly

draw a scene from a film

draw the contours of an object not the outline

visit an art exhibition near you

draw your bedroom

look up tutorials online - there’s so many useful ones!

practise creating contrast between light and dark in pictures

research colour theory

do a self portrait

learn about art history! Research different movements etc.

try a new medium

consider the feeling you want to portray with the artwork

draw without looking at the page

draw a character from a book you’ve read

draw something you don’t usually draw

look at your pictures in the mirror to help you see problems better

follow artists and galleries on instagram for inspo

draw an ugly object in a beautiful way

try using only bold, bright colours

plan your colour palette before starting an artwork, and stick to it!

if you usually work in 2D, make something in 3D

always remember to add shadows

draw an object which is important to you

use 5 lines to depict an object, make every line count

draw using negative space

always draw from life when possible!

think carefully about which direction the light is coming from

study proportions and anatomy!! 

draw your pet

research items symbolic meanings in art

make an art blog to compile images that inspire you

draw using only straight lines

try accentuating any subtle colours in an image

draw models from fashion websites

sketch with friends! They always have great ideas

keep drawing even if you find it hard, you improve with every mistake!

{my art masterpost might also be useful to you} 

Good luck! xx

Hello Tumblr 👋

Today, Tumblr’s owner, Verizon Media, announced that Automattic plans to acquire Tumblr. Automattic is the technology company behind products such as WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and Simplenote—products that help connect creators, businesses, and publishers to communities around the world. 

We couldn’t be more excited to be joining a team that has a similar mission. Many of you know WordPress.com, Automattic’s flagship product. WordPress.com and Tumblr were both early pioneers among blogging platforms.

Automattic shares our vision to build passionate communities around shared interests and to democratize publishing so that anyone with a story can tell it, especially when they come from under-heard voices and marginalized communities.

We look forward to continuing to create products that empower your self-expression and sense of community and that build a better, more inclusive internet. 

We’re excited for our future together!

<3 Tumblr

Animal Crossing dialogue font

For a while now, the Humming font has been extremely difficult to get a hold of, kind of why I ended up just making my own by combining images together, it works, but it’s not perfect..

However, after digging into the files for Amiibo Festival of all things, I managed to find a clean version of the humming font, already in .otf format!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vHY_Qwcgxuee1jhcG3_9Mt4X-MFB77Sf/view?usp=sharing

Please enjoy, no credit is needed!

I put all my effort in the first one so the second one took like 10 minutes lol I also forgot I had my mikey meme to share so, enjoy!

Demo is a good boi for biting Freddy

@cursed-dbd​

Originals: 

Tips to freelance illustrators to avoid being screwed over

Hello! I’m Gabrielle Ragusi. I’ve been a freelance illustrator for years now and, as many other freelancers, I had to deal with difficult situations in the past - recent past. These situations come with the job (for everyone), but they can be easily avoided… if only I had known this sooner!

This post doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the one client, but know that I refer to a very small percentage of people (the clients I work with are actually great). 

Yet, the one client exists and these tips might help you face them.

When The One Client tries to screw you over.

From time to time, clients will try to have their way with unforeseeable requests and demands at work started and, quite often, at work done.

Solution: State your terms.

Before starting a project, even a sketch, I strongly suggest sending a contract or a simple Terms of Agreement document in which you state everything: commission process, revisions, payment method, ownership… This way they won’t be able to make up some half-ass excuse for their demands.

Also, you don’t have to be overly generous. If the client asks for extra revisions, ask for extra payment. The extra money will cover the extra time you spent on the project, so don’t feel guilty about it.

When The One Client sells bad ideas or asks for the wrong revisions.

Clients may know what they want, but they also might try to sell ideas that you know won’t work or ask for revisions that won’t make the project look any better. They won’t consciously bamboozle you, but the project has your name on it and judgement will come with the audience feedback.

Solution: You’re the artist in this project, so speak your mind. Giving your clients alternatives and your opinion helps the client know that you care about the project and that you know your stuff. You want the best for your client.

When The One Client wants you to work on spec.

Solution: Don’t.

On-spec work is a bad idea. If clients contact me, I take for granted they’ve seen my portfolio and know what I do, but if you’re just starting as a professional, my suggestion is to ask for a minimum upfront payment.

The power to say yes doesn’t always apply.

This isn’t about The One Client but about our own ‘Yes’, when inside we’re screaming ‘Hell no’, screwing us over. 

Yes is not always good. When in doubt, think about your lack of time, disinterest in the project and all those things that lead to bad results!

If you don’t have time to work on a new commission, say no. If the project isn’t your cup of tea, say no.

Also, not all clients are jerks, so if you explain you don’t have time to work on another project right now but they like your portfolio, it’s possible that they will contact you again in the future or ask for your time schedule.

(Don’t) Assume that clients know your art style.

This one is tricky and has a lot to do with the first stage of commissions and my personal experience. When clients contact me for the first time, most have seen my portfolio and know what I do. They contact me because of what I do and how I do it. When these clients say “I love your work”, I naturally assume they’ve seen my portfolio.

But when there are no signals that the person contacting me has seen my work, I can’t assume. This happened just a few weeks ago with a client who asked for my availability to illustrate a book after seeing an illustration of mine (the book was about faeries, my illustration had faeries). Problem is I assumed they knew my work, but they didn’t. What happened is that they asked me to work on spec, I said no and gave them a minimum quote for an initial sketch instead. Feedback received, I finally understood they hadn’t in fact seen my portfolio, although I’m not sure where they found my email address.

I don’t have a real solution to this kind of situation other than not assuming things. I guess it’s a matter of dealing with The One Client once again.

Payment fees are covered by the client, always.

If you receive payments through PayPal and similar services, I’m sure you know about the fees.

Unfortunately, I found the solution to this only a couple of years ago - looking back at all the money PayPal took from me in fees, I want to cry (living in Europe and working with clients based anywhere in the world, these fees vary, from 2,9% to 4,5% + small transfer fees). 

Now I send all invoices myself (I don’t let clients send money my way on their own) and I add a tax that covers PayPal or Stripe’s fees to the project’s quote: this is not money that ends up in my pocket, it’s money that PayPal takes, mind you.

My final advice is: be professional. 

The One Client will try your patience, but don’t lose your composure. Even in disagreement, be professional, offer your thoughts and compromise if necessary. If the project is successful, The One Client will be happy. You want your clients to be happy.

I hope you’ll find this post helpful!

Peace out,

Gabrielle

Follow me on Instagram - ArtStation - YouTube

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT whats your favorite place to find drawing references?

Do you happen to have any tips for drawing horns?

Hi, Anon! I’ll definitely try my best. Horns are a little tricky since they’re so subjective and the styles/textures vary so drastically.

Mostly I’m going to be talking about texture here and I’ll try to keep it simple since they’re time consuming to draw.

Smooth horns are great and easy, can come in any and all shapes, but if you want to add more interest and character to the horns, it all comes down to how you texture them.  Here’s a simple smooth horn. It’s okay, it’s basic, but it works and will especially work better once it’s colored if it has a sheen or a matte look.

You can add simple lines to it to give it a bit more interest, but you can take it farther than just the cylinder look like drawn here. The lines give it the easy, quick illusion of being more dimensional, but it’s not the most interesting or dynamic.

You can play with the lines however you like to give the horns more uniqueness, such as a line down the center to sort of pinch it inwards. Still more dynamic than the smooth horn, but more interesting than the rounded one.

You can leave the lines as they are for an easier horn, or take it a step farther and use them as guides to texture them. This is where it gets fun, but time consuming. Definitely look up references of what you want to go for if you’re not sure. I highly recommend Ram, Ibex or Antelope references, Antelope being my favorite. They have so much texture to them in the forum of smaller and larger ridges, so here’s a horn based loosely (artistic liberties taken) off a mix of Ram and Antelope.

Getting into plates which are my favorite, there’s little to reference off of. Here’s a more dynamic, spiky look with plates using the guide lines as a base to get an ideal direction you want the horn to shape into.

Just take your guide lines and then extend outward. Add as little or as much wear, tear and damage as you want. Horns can get dry and crack, they can take a hit and break, age can cause grooves, your imagination’s the limit.

Outside of plates, you can look up any horned animal to get ideas for texture, anything from steer to deer and elk (if you want to get more into the antlered look), or mix and match textures from a few horn styles you like. Hope this helps! Sorry I can’t go more in depth, but I tried to explain it as best as I know how. Good luck with your horns!

Source

Video of Tama

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Release him. Hes a silly lil guy

I needed to put him in a jar

Writing With Color – General Topics

A collection of WWC posts that deal with more general writing advice, character creation and diversity topics applicable to most marginalized people, particularly People of Color and some ethnic and religious groups.

Writing Characters of Color: The Generals

On “Overthinking” Writing Characters of Color

On White Authors “Getting it Right”

On White Writers Writing Characters of Color (I, II, III)

Researching PoC + Supporting Writers of Color 

So You Want To Save The World From Bad Representation

Writing POC with Little Experience

Writing Authentically From Your Own Experiences

Useful Non-WWC Posts

Diversity Exists in the Real World by shiraglassman

How to Write WOC and MOC if you are White by kaylapocalypse

“I feel pressured to be inclusive in my writing!” by nimblesnotebook 

On White Fear & Creating Diverse Transformative Works by saathi1013

Diversity/Representation Topics

Diversity vs. Exploiting Cultures

Diversifying a Predominately-White Cast

On “Diversity Quotas”

On Excluding Diversity Out of Fear

Different Heritage POV’s in a Story

Including Realistic Diversity Naturally

“Normalizing” Protagonists of Color

Villains of Color

White-Dominant Rural Areas and Diversity

White Privilege, Publishing, and Diversity Quotas

Writing: Making Efforts in Diversity 

Character Creation

Character Creation: Culture or Character first?

Character Design and Assigning Race and Ethnicity

Characters’ Races Added Last During Development 

Determining your Characters’ Race and/or Ethnicity

More on Assigning Race after Writing

Characters of Color & Culture

A Discussion on Culture and Erasure

“Culturing” Culturally-disengaged PoC

Characters of Color with “No Culture”

Mixed Race + Disconnect from Culture

Stereotyped vs Nuanced & Audience Perception

Tradition and Culture vs. Stereotype

Western Neutral Characters

‘Whitewashed’ Character of Color?

Fantasy & Coding

Defining Coding (& Islam-coded Fantasy)

Denoting Race in Fantasy Setting

Fantasy Races Based off of People of Color

Naming People and Places, Avoiding Explicit Coding

Racially-coding Aliens

Real Religions in a Fantasy World

Religion in Fiction & Fantasy

South Asian-Coded Fantasy Caste System

Whitewashing in a Fantasy Setting

Including Racism in Fantasy

World-building: A Fantasy World without Racism

Writing Sensitive and Controversial Topics

Do I Need Permission to Write About Marginalized People?

Writing a Genocide to which you have No Personal Connection

On Outsider-Written Stories About Issues Of Another Group

Outsider-Written Stories, Issues of other Groups, Speculative Situation

Writing about Prejudice between People of Color

Reclaiming negative, dehumanizing stereotypes outside the group

Representing yourself when “yourself” isn’t white

Racism and Micro-Aggressions 

Everyday Racism, Friendship and White Allies

Incorporating Micro-Aggressions in Writing

Racist Characters + Including Racism in Stories Not “About” Racism

The Pitfalls of Racist Character Redemption Arcs

PoC Educating White Privileged Friend (Context: Black Characters)

–WWC