art blog

finished putting together my entry for @tunafishprincess‘s june raffle! can u tell that i paid more attention to the shading on tenkos scarf than on tomuras jacket. oops. its too late at night for me to care enough to redo it tho so it b like that

have fun drawing kisses now!!!!!!

hoomans

if trying to bookmark a tumblr post isn’t your speed, there’s a gdoc version you can copy as well!

one-off tutorials

shorter, image-based

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] gigi d.g., god of art’s color tips 

eyeball tutorial! not anime coloring, the actual anatomy

panel flow

dark skin coloring

showing expression with the mouth

color profiles overview

dos and donts of accessibility in design

local color adjustment!

filters for them fake 90s anime vibes

How to get an automatic outline in clip studio paint!

Csp auto-action that colors your lines For you……. A lifesaver

longer, mostly typed

traditional photo study setup 101

comic panel flow and structure

how to use ref pics and adapt em

portfolio tips!

pixel art tutorial. geared to pokemon

comic typesetting! what’s the lore!

webtoon typesetting! for the scanlators

webtoon typesetting and background cleanup! for the perfectionists

remember animation vs animator? yea he made a 30m animation overview

you know that ghost singin vid that goes around every year? that guy’s drawin ( and music!) process

reference sites

motion pose ref but actual photos

figure drawing/pose ref, but they’re all clothed

free textures. only the neutrals will probably useful, but it’s a good look into early!sites

skeletons! in detail! doesn’t link to the main page; check out the header bar. SO much on offer here

correct forms of address in nobility

movie screencaps

cinematographer. amazing set photos

more movie screencaps. cleaner site

2mil+ face database. so many search filters. good for facial features in character design

my personal fav palette generator

[PAID] croquis cafe. recently became paywalled :( their insta (at the bottom) has some of the stuff. incredible resource if you can afford it

historical fashion w/ narrow filters

random gen medieval city overhead map

random gen 3d model mansion with a floorplan!

shensi rebranded! pose ref.

more pose ref! gesture drawing oriented. very unique. love em. op cant really afford to maintain the site tho so certain categories are gone (rip erotica section. how will I draw slutty poses now)

more gesture/pose ref

analysis

amazing analysis of shot composition.

the culture surrounding loss

“bad” webcomics: what, exactly, makes a thing qualify?

papyrus is a bad font. intricacies of what goes into a font. very good read

when and how to reference

when and how to reference but an even better read. former is more interview, this is 1 guy who GETS it

case study

splatoon 3 concept. color, style, layout, concept, design

genuinely one of the best pieces of media of all times. panel flow, color, hUMOR, EXPRESSION,

also see his stuff in the first few chapters of sleepless domain! Very talented renderer, amazing flow

INCREDIBLE concept artist. god tier rendering

traditional artist’s (usually a paint) speedpaints.

paint-y? super expressive. mmmmm

mlp (think they’re more general furry now)’s speedpaints. excellent style & shading; good for fur fluff

paint-y? genuinely no clue how they render like this but I am obsessed w it.

artists’ blogs

incredibles cinematography guy. lots of different references, tutorials, and analysis, categorizes.

celeste’s artist’s pixel art tips

animators’ videos coverin all  sorts. genuinely well put together.

professional lectures on oneoff things. good. hour ½ each. not deviantart eyes-only, like, wing anatomy

analysis of all sorts of movies, general musings by a really talented guy. you can learn a LOT.

better photo ref guy. art tutorials in the well written style. more general overviews. highly recommend

opt in classes! anatomy, figure, and form

it is in japanese, so go on desktop for chrome autotranslation. case studies, mostly

[PAID] a storyboarder’s animation crash-course. stuff ranges from 5$-350

you have undoubtedly seen some of these guys’ stuff. whole lotta quick single page one-offs

subs, but. watercolor tutorials. korean portrait artist, as opposed to the mostly american animators here; good for a change of pace and also just he is SO good

character designer’s cartoon fundamentals. has the “what my mom thinks of when you say animation” style

I admittedly haven’t gone through this one. Incredibly clean and organized. a masterpost itself, it’s got so much

programs

ref image organizer. Stays on top of all windows. Sexy as hell, wish more people knew about it

[PAID] gold standard pixel art app. 20$ flat

human figure 3d poser in the anime style

most unique painting app ive ever seen. steep learning curve

a burnt out webtoon artist’s backgrounds’ bread and more bread.

[PAID] BEST DRAWING APP 100%. 50$ desktop, 4.50$ monthly or 25$ yearly mobile. frequently on sale, always worth it

adobe suite (or individuals) in the torrenting style. I hate adobe. the site is in russian but I trust it with my life. just use chrome autotranslate. it’s torrenting, tho, so get a good torrent downloader and a vpn. I use windscribe; you get 10g/month free if you let them email you (which theyve only done like three times in 2 years), and you can get only 2 bucks/month unlimited data with their build-a-plan. not sponsored just love em

others’ masterposts

hate to use pinterest, but it has the only archive of a gigi d.g. tip and seems to source everything

pinterest rec from a pal. trust em w my life, there’s some good oneoffs and case studies

reference/stock alternatives to pinterest so you never have to go there again

found this on a years-old reddit post. art book pdfs. one-offs. sai portable. this is a

goldmine

half these links are probably broken, but every good art ref list needs a section of broken deviantart “how to draw a skirt” tutorials. this is the Contained solution

Excellent, all around! Focused on specific program tips, but has a bit of everything

Please share this!!!!! As you resident vitiligan and fellow artist I am here to educate people on how to properly create a character with vitiligo and other things to keep in mind about the disorder.

Only 1% of the entire world’s population has vitiligo but I see so many artists making characters with it when they sometimes don’t even know what vitiligo is and pass it off as “skin pigmentation”. Like— what does that even mean??? XD

First image: "Things to Consider When Making Characters with Vitiligo and Other Facts! By Someone Who Actually Has Vitiligo."

Second image: "Making Your Character(s): Identify the Type and Subtype (this will help determine placing): Type 1: Nonsegmental (most common): Occurs on both sides of the body, symmetrically. Forms over the course of a person's life. Spreads over time." A drawing of a person is shown with white patches on their eyes, mouth, neck, armpits, elbows, hands, hips, genital area, knees, and feet. The patches are the same on both sides of the body. "Type 2: Segmental (less common): Appears in one area of the body. Occurs in people after birth to age of ~21 where it spreads for a year then stops. Can be accompanied by the loss of pigment in hair follicles." A drawing of a person is shown with white patches on one arm and on the upper part of the chest near that arm. "Subtype 1: Localized (common): Appears in one or a few small areas on the body." Another drawing of a person is shown, this time with white patches on their neck and face. "Subtype 2: Generalized (most common): Appears in many areas on the body." This time the person has white patches on their face, chest, arm, hand, genital area, and legs. "Subtype 3: Universal (very rare) (not to be confused with albinism): Most original skin pigment is gone." The person show has mostly white skin, with pigmented areas on their head, shoulder, chest, elbow, hands, legs, and feet. "✔ Type and subtype. ❌ Type and type. ❌ Subtype and subtype."

Third image: "Making Your Character(s): Placing the Vitiligo: For both types, vitiligo mostly occurs where skin rubs together, where there's increased muscle activity, and around the joints. For example: around the eyes, mouth, armpits, elbows, hands, genital area, knees, and feet. Segmental vitiligo can stray from this pattern and may appear in places where movement is less; scalp, neck, forearms, etc. Vitiligo fills in over time so if your character is older or has had the condition for most of their life it will appear much patchier and faint around the edges." Below the text is a drawing showing two hands. One hand, labeled "new," shows white patches that are filled in and solid. The other hand, which is labeled "old," is mostly identical, but the patches cover less area. There are also segments within the white skin that have color, and the edges of the patches are faded. To the right of the text is a drawing of a person with text saying "nonsegmental localized." The person has vitiligo on their face and neck as well as around their armpits and across the upper chest.

Fourth image: "Vitiligo Facts: What is Vitiligo and Who Gets it?: Vitiligo is a skin disorder with the result of melanocytes (cells that produce melanin that give skin its color) suddenly and unexpectedly dying. It's speculated to be an autoimmune disease but there isn't enough evidence and lack of similarity for this theory to be confirmed. Age is the only factor that can determine what type a person may develop, but it doesn't determine if they do or if they don't get it over the course of their life. Gender and race are irrelevant. It is--of course--more noticeable in people with a darker complexion due to the obvious contrast, but that doesn't make them more susceptible to developing vitiligo. Like most skin diseases, disorders, and physical tumors, vitiligo is not contagious!!! Vitiligo does have a strong genetic link, but having the genes for it doesn't mean a person will develop it. It's usually set off by something in the environment or triggers stress on a cellular level; this then causes the body to attack the melanin cells. This is the reason why it's speculated to be an autoimmune disease."

Fifth image: "Vitiligo Facts: Other Skin Disorders and Diseases Similar to Vitiligo:

- Piebaldism: The most similar skin disorder to vitiligo, seen as pigment loss primarily on the scalp (turning hair follicles white) and parts of the face. The main difference is that piebaldism occurs before birth and is the result of a mother's trauma reflected on her child, regardless of if she had the skin condition or not. Piebaldism = before birth. Vitiligo = after birth.

- Halo Nevus: White patch of skin surrounding a mole. Benign and fairly common in children and young adults; occurring mostly on the chest and back. Typically only one or two.

- Nevus Anemicus: Looks similar to vitiligo but is in fact a capillary vascular malformation where some blood vessels have an increased sensitivity to adrenaline. This can cut off blood indefinitely and results in bloodless, white patches of skin.

- Idiopathic Guattate Hypomelanosis: Caused by sun exposure and is seen as very small white dots all over the body. Can be compared to a sky full of stars.

- Tinea Versicolor: A common fungal infection that occurs around the shoulders and torso. Looks very similar to vitiligo but is in fact caused by an overgrowth of yeast on the skin. Appears in many small white patches in a large area and isn't contagious but should be treated.

There are many other skin disorders and diseases that are frequently confused with vitiligo--like scarring--this is why it's extra important to do your research. Knowing what skin disorder you're representing in your art is key because they are all very different from each other and can even require treatment! It's not just skin pigmentation."

Sixth image: "Vitiligo's Relation to Trauma and Why it's not Your Aesthetic: As briefly mentioned before, vitiligo is set off by something in the environment or triggers stress on a cellular level. This can be anything from getting your arm chopped off to emotional neglect; it's usually something fairly big in terms of an event occurring in a person's life. I should note that the kind of trauma a person goes through does not correlate with the type of vitiligo a person develops. As I also mentioned before, piebaldism is also the result of trauma from the mother reflected on her child. Vitiligo should not be taken lightly nor romanticized so that means do your research!!!"

SEND ME A CHARACTER + EMOTION/COLOR PALETTE (OR BOTH)

SHORT STORY/ONE-SHOT/ONE CHAPTER/COMICS 101 CRASH COURSE RAPIDPUNCHES’ STYLE

I’m NOT an expert but I have some working experience I can share. You need experience to become great. Here is my set of instructions, tips, and notes towards making a 12-page comic.

My method is to work backwards. Personally I work “backwards” because the end is the only wholly necessary page or set of panels in the story. Everything in between is open to editing and hacking as the most important moments are emphasized and chosen.

I even plan/draw the end page first. The end is the last page a reader sees- so spend your freshest energies on making it as epic, memorable, poignant, and beautiful as #$%^&.

If you draw the pages from 1 to 12 sequentially you run the risk of fresh to burnt out- an uneven distribution of drawing skill. (treat the first page and the 2-page splash as you would the last).

Roughly… the steps to making your comic is

WRITE

PLAN THUMBNAILS

DRAW

…BEGIN THE WRITING (DO NOT SKIP NO MATTER WHAT) like this, in this order:

How does it end?

Does the protag succeed or fail?

What is the turning point of their story?

What the protag do that led them there?

Where does it start?

Who is this protag?

EXAMPLE:

Guy gets mauled by a bear.

This is a fail on the guy’s half.

The bear must eat something or he’ll starve to death.

It’s the guy’s fault the bear can’t find other food. He caused the avalanche that buried all the cabins.

The guy is yodeling in an avalanche zone.

The guy is some guy.

CREATING “THE BEAT SHEET” Take the above stuff and reorder it to make sense.

This guy yodels.

Echoes roll.

Snow slides down.

Avalanche buries the mountain.

Cabins are engulfed.

This bear has no access to cabin food and garbage.

Bear eats this guy.

Expand. Blow up important beats for emphasis. Keep less important beats brief.

This guy is hiking in the snowy mountains.

He comes across an avalanche warning sign.

There is nobody around but him.

A dumb expression forms over his face and he yodels.

Echoes roll but nothing nearby is moved.

At the top of the mountain the snow drifts twitch.

Guy, satisfied, hikes away from there still yodeling.

Frozen snow cracks.

Snow puffs billow and great slabs of ice crash down the mountain side.

Guy sees this and hightails it to safer ground.

Animals, people, are all panicking and getting pushed over by the rushing snow.

Cabins are destroyed.

The guy takes cover by an outcropping of rocks, fastens himself securely to the rock face, and waits for the avalanche to die down.

Avalanche dies down.

A lone bear shambles over from the other side of the mountain.

The bear goes to where a cabin used to be (only roof tiles are left). Bear sniffs a dish satellite.

Bear forlornly eats a food wrapper.

Bear tries to dig.

Guy comes down from the rocks he as climbing and sees bear.

Bear stops digging and sees him.

Guy runs.

Bear chases him down.

Bear eats the guy.

BEAT SHEET COMPLETED!!!

After the beat sheet, write up all the sound effects and speech bubbles and conversation/dialogue you want to be in your comic.

Since comics are a visual medium, highest priority is given to the beats. If a story can’t be told with the art without the dialogue– you messed up and it’s time to rethink your life choices.

Try to keep all your text chunks as short as a tweet. Professionally you don’t want more than 25 words per speech bubble and no more than 250 words per page.

Next is translating the beats to pages…

STRUCTURE OVERVIEW:

[1] point of entry, in media res, hero intro

[2][3] conflict. establish conflict, setting, and mood by the third page. [4][5] rising action/false resolution to conflict/investigation

[6][7] turning point/plot twist/epiphany (this one epic image, to page spread is pivotal, spend a lot of effort into creating this)

[8][9] aftermath/“darkness before dawn”/struggle [10][11] recovery/“rise and conquer”/“fall”

[12] resolution/final end/cliffhanger

[front cover][interior] [interior][back cover]

——————–

My maximum per page is nine panels but I’ve seen pages that have way more. I like to have about 3 to 4 panels per row or less but I’ve seen the “rules” broken before. Advanced comic book artists manipulate time with the number of panels and the size of each panel.

remember, DIAGONALS!!! open up an issue of batman, superman, spider man, deadpool or whatever youre reading theyre everywhere.

———-

…DRAW IN THIS ORDER:

Page 12,

Page 6 and 7 (this is typically one large image that takes up the space of two pages),

Page 1,

and then the rest.

ONLY “DEVIATION” ALLOWED:

Page 12 and 1*

Page 6 and 7,

and then the rest.

*Draw the first and last page as a spread in situations where the beginning of the story mirrors the end of the story.

Cover is dead last.

———-

(If at the very end you find out you need more pages and it’s absolutely unavoidable and totally necessary you have to add them in fours. Try to stick to 12 pages for this crash course.)

——————–

FURTHER NOTES:

Plan and draw the pages in spreads (the twos) since this is how it will appear in print and when you submit them to an editor for review guess what, the pages with an exception to the first and last will be reviewed as spreads.

You at most only need one establishing panel of the setting and environment (scene) per page.

Forget “true to life” perspective outside of the establishing panel). Practice diagonal composition of objects and subjects within panels. For dynamism.

You don’t have to present the text all in one go (one paragraph or bubble). You can and should break up paragraphs, sentences, and if you need to single out words– to make smaller, more easily managed bubbles to scatter through the panel.

Less important moments have smaller panels and or lesser detail. More details (or more word bubbles) slow down time. More drawn detail also creates a concentration of values (it’s darker and sometimes combines together as one shape or mass)

Know your light sources. Control the blacks. Control the values.

TIPS | COFFEE? :3 | dA | IG |  ♡ |  ❤ |  ⋆

It’s got an almost endless range of furniture, doors, windows, stairs etc and is easy to use. In addition to that, you don’t have to install anything and if you create an account (which is free) you can save and return to your houses.

Examples (all done by me):

Here’s an example for how you can use it

i felt like there wasn’t enough polyam trio art memes so i decided to make my own <3 self indulgence be damned

❤️💛💙

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