Blue Dahlia And Trisagion

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Here are translations from “Declaration of Blood,” the level 45 dark knight quest.

Here are translations from “Our Answer,” the level 50 dark knight quest.

From the world of Suikoden V, the prince of the Queendom of Falena has come to join the Pop’n Party He is very affectionate towards his little sister, Lym. What a kind brother.

19.01 Gijiri’s special day today.

I’m not sure saying “happy birthday” is quite appropriate for him, but….

冒険者諸君、ごきげんよう。私の名前はニョアである。 実に久しぶりとなってしまったが、私は元気である！

Greetings, adventurers. My name is Nyoah.

It's been a long time since I've been here, but I'm fine!

ニッポンも色々な大変な事に見舞われて、冒険者諸君の中にも元気を失っている人も多いと思う。 しかし、最も大事なのは今。今現在の瞬間を自分に悔いなく生きる事である。 それは人間をはじめ生物の個体の未来は常に不確定であるからである。 不確定な要素に巻き込まれた後、後悔しない為には常に現在を自分なりに大切に生きるという意識が大切である。 過去や未来で無く、今にゃ。今現在を大事にして欲しいにゃ！

I know that many of you adventurers have lost your energy due to the many difficulties in Japan.

However, the most important thing is now. The most important thing is to live in the present moment without regret.

This is because the future of each individual creature, including human beings, is always uncertain.

In order not to have regrets after being caught up in uncertain factors, it is important to always be aware of living in the present in your own way.

Not in the past or the future, but in the present. I want you to cherish the present moment!

さて、『The Epic of Zektbach -Masinowa-』が君達の手に届いてから月日が経ったが 沢山の感想を頂いて、私は大満足だにゃ！ 繰り返しになるが、マシノワの話はゼクトバッハ叙事詩でも重要な部分であるので 諸君も考察を巡らし、アリア・テ・ラリアの謎を解き明かして欲しい。 マシノワには非常に重要な鍵が２つ存在しているが まだまだアリア・テ・ラリアには驚くべき謎がある。今後に注目にゃ。

Well, it's been a while since "The Epic of Zektbach -Masinowa-" reached your hands.

I've gotten a lot of feedback, and I'm very happy with it!

Again, the story of Masinowa is an important part of the Epic of Zektbach.

I hope you will consider it and solve the mystery of Aria Te'Laria.

There are two very important keys in Masinowé.

There are still more mysteries to be discovered in Aria Te'Laria. Stay tuned.

ところで、先日ある冒険者よりこんな書簡を頂いた。

By the way, I received this letter from an adventurer the other day.

こんにちわ インターネットという不思議な世界で「ツイッター」なる ものがはやっているそうですが、zektbach殿はやっていらっしゃるのでしょうか? 公開しているのならばぜひ教えていただきたいです。 (冒険者kirikoより)

Hello there.

In the mysterious world of the Internet

I've heard that "Twitter" is becoming popular in the mysterious world of the Internet, and I'd like to know if you are using it, Zektbach.

If you do, I'd love to know about it.

(From Kiriko, an adventurer)

私もその不思議な世界を知っている。 実は私もこの場所が不安定で非常に更新するのが難しいので ついったーにアリア・テ・ラリアから扉を開こうかと考えた事もあったが、 冒険者諸君はどう思うかにゃ？ その不思議な世界であれば、私はアリア・テ・ラリアの情報を君達にどんどん伝える事ができるかもしれない。 諸君の意見を聞いて決めようと思っているにゃ！

I know that strange world too.

As a matter of fact, I find this place unstable and very difficult to update.

I've been thinking about opening the door from Aria Te'Laria on Twitter.

What do you think, adventurers? In this mysterious world, I might be able to share more information about Aria Te'Laria with you.

I'm going to listen to your opinions and decide!

さて、今日は久しぶりに君達の便りに答えていくにゃ！

Well, today is the first time in a long time that I'm answering your letters!

我輩は猫なのにゃ！ ニョアとやら、我輩はいつも不思議に思っているのにゃ。 地図にはガルキア大陸とエジ―ク大陸があるにゃが、ガルキア大陸の南は何なのにゃ？ ファラリエンより南のあの、島というにはやや大きい島のことにゃ！ ニョア殿の手記には他の大陸や島のことは書かれているにゃがあの島の事はまだ何も書かれていないのにゃ……！ 我輩が考えたところによると、あそこにはきっと素晴らしいカルカンがあるのもへ！！　 たとえば……我輩の大好きな、ハトの丸焼き味とかにゃ……（ごくり というのは可愛いおふざけにゃ。 あの島にはきっと我輩どころか世界中の学者も知らぬようなヒミツがあるに違いないのにゃ。 知っているなら教えてほしいにゃ、お礼に我輩秘蔵のカルカンを幾つか進呈しようにゃ！　 味はそちらのご自由に、にゃ！ 教えてくれなかったら最高級カルカンをニョア殿の前で食い散らしてやるにゃ。 (猫の吾輩より)

I am a cat!

Nyoa, I've always wondered about you.

The map shows the continents of Galukia and Eijeek, but what is south of Galukia?

I'm talking about that rather large island south of Fallarian!

Lord Nyoah's journal mentions other continents and islands, but nothing about that island yet. ......!

I'm sure there are some great whiskas there, too!　

For example, ...... my favorite, roasted pigeon flavor. ...... (gulp)

This is just a cute joke.

I'm sure there are secrets on that island that I, as well as other scholars around the world, don't know about.

If you know of any, please let me know, and I'll give you some of my treasured whiskas in return!　

You can taste them all you want.

If you don't tell me, I'll eat up your finest whiskas in front of Nyoah.

(From me, the cat)

まず第一に、アリア・テ・ラリアの中でハトの丸焼き味などと軽率に発言するのは控えた方が良いにゃ。 アリア・テ・ラリアにはおそろしい地獄耳を持つおそろしい鳩が存在する事を忘れずに…。 と、時すでに遅く君はもうアリア・テ・ラリアに存在しないかもしれないが…。 質問の島の事だが、それはル・アビデの事かにゃ？ ル・アビデにはこういう古の神話がある。 種族を越えて仲むつまじかった２人の男女にある時妖精がささやき、 ２人は今までの仲の良さが嘘であったかのように豹変し、険悪な間柄になり それによって多くの悲劇が生まれた、と。 神話であるので、どこかのロマンチストが謎多きこの島に想いを馳せて創作した可能性が強いが 確かに以前私がこの島をベルナデットと訪れた時、争いに使われたと思わせる謎めいた建造物が数多くあった。 この神話の作者は恐らく、かつてこの島で２つの集団の対立があったことは確信していたのだろう。 その争いを叙情的に神話として表現したのではないだろうか。 しかし、残念ながらその争いが具体的にどういうものであったかは 今や誰も知らないし、私も本格的にル・アビデを調査してみないと分からないにゃ。

First of all, it's best to refrain from making rash comments about the taste of roasted pigeons in Aria Te'Laria.

Remember that there are horrible pigeons with horrible hell ears in Aria Te'Laria....

And it may be too late for you to exist in Aria Te'Laria...

As for the island in question, is it L''Avide?

There is an ancient myth about L'Avide.

A fairy whispered to two men and two women who were on good terms with each other.

But one day, a fairy whispered to them, and they turned into bitter enemies, as if their friendship had never existed.

This led to a lot of tragedies.

Since it is a myth, there is a strong possibility that some romantics have created this story with their thoughts on this mysterious island.

It is true that when I visited this island with Bernadette, there were many mysterious structures that seemed to have been used for fighting.

The author of this myth was probably convinced that there had once been a conflict between two groups on the island, and expressed that conflict lyrically in his myth.

But unfortunately, no one knows what exactly the conflict was, and I won't know until I do some serious research on L'Avide.

こんにちは、ニョアさん。 わたし、新たな世界を開拓したくて詩人になりましたの！ニョアさんにわたしの詩をきいてほしいの！ あなたの瞳は～　らら～ まるで石のように～　かったいわ～ それはとってもね～　らら～　かったいの～ あなたの唇は～　らら～ まるでヘドグロピンのように～　あっかいわ～ それはとってもね～　らら～　あっかいわ～ あなたの肌は～　らら～ まるで白樺の木の～　皮膚みたいね～ それはとってもね～　らら～　皮膚みたいね～ ……ふふ、どう？ 婚約者には『鳥が空からぼろぼろと気絶して落ちてくるような歌だね』って誉めてくれたの。 もう、とっても優しい人なのよ。　鳥も私の歌に聴き惚れ て空から落ちてくるようだなんて……嬉しいわ。 さ、本題なのよ。 婚約者はそれと同時に『もっと勉強したら良くなるよ』って言ってくれたの。 熱を出しながら言ってたのよ……心配だからたくさん歌ってきたわ！　 今度ニョアさんにも聞かせてあげるわね、遠慮しなくていいのよ。　 たっぷり歌ってあげるから。 それでね、私、たくさん歌の勉強がしたいから、まずこの国で流行りの歌劇や音楽を教えてほしいの。 (詩人リーゼロッテより)

Hello, Nyoah.

I became a poet to explore a new world! I want you to listen to my poems!

I want you to listen to my poems!

Your eyes are as tough as stone!

They're very, very tough.

Your lips are like...

They're as warm as hedgropin

It's very, very warm.

Your skin~ la la

It's like the skin of a birch tree

Your skin is like the skin of a birch tree.

...... What do you think?

My fiancé complimented me on the song, saying, "It's like a bird falling from the sky in a faint.

He's such a sweet guy.　He is a very kind man.

I'm so happy to hear that the birds are listening to my song and falling from the sky.

Now let's get down to business.

At the same time, my fiancé said to me, "You'll get better if you study harder.

He said it while running a fever. ...... I've been singing a lot because I'm worried about you!　

I'll play it for you next time, Nyoah, don't be shy.　

Don't be shy, I'll sing a lot.

And I want to learn a lot of singing, so I want you to teach me about the popular operas and music in this country.

(From the poet Lieselotte)

君からは個性的なオーラというかなかなか独特の感性を感じるにゃ。 もしかしたら将来アリア・テ・ラリアいちの詩人リーゼロッテと言われる日が来るかもしれない。 さて、歌はアリア・テ・ラリアでも人々の生活と密接である。 ノイグラード王国の多くの聖歌や労働から生まれる炭鉱歌や農業歌、酪農歌、町の人の生活の上で生まれた町人歌など 地域と密接な歌が多い。多くの流行り歌は生活を楽しくしたり物事を効率よりおぼえる為に生まれた事が多い。 それとは別に芸術都市のローゼンハイムでは若い音楽家が神話や伝説を題材とした叙情的な歌を数多く生み出している。 有能な若い音楽家は王宮で演奏を披露したり、国から多くの援助を受けたりもしている。 しかし、歌を人の心を扇動するという理由から国を乱すような曲を作る芸術家は厳しい処罰を受けているという暗部もある。 流行り歌というのと意味が違うが、誰もが知っている歌といえばやはり『浄化の祈り』だにゃ。

You have a unique aura, or rather a unique sensibility.

Perhaps one day in the future you will be called the best poet of Aria Te'Laria, Lieselotte.

Now, songs are closely related to people's lives in Aria Te'Laria as well.

There are many songs that are close to the local community, such as the chants of the Kingdom of Noigllado, mining songs, agricultural songs, dairy songs, and the songs of the townspeople, which are born from their labor.

There are many songs that are close to the local community. Many of the popular songs were created to make life more enjoyable and to learn things more efficiently.

On the other hand, in Rosenheim, the city of art, young musicians have created many lyrical songs based on myths and legends.

The most talented young musicians perform at the royal court and receive a lot of support from the government.

However, there is a dark side to this, as artists who compose songs that disturb the country are severely punished for using them to incite people's hearts.

Although the meaning of a popular song is different from that of a popular song, the song that everyone knows is "Purification Prayer".

俺はス……デイビット。　普通の人間だ。 猫にしては博識と名高いニョアに聞きたい事がある。 どうやらそちらには、俺と同じく「蛇」を彷彿させる人物および組織があるようだな。 俺の居た場所にも同じ「蛇」を名乗る者が俺を含め複数人居た。　 俺達の関係は……語ると長いが、要約して簡単に言ってしまえば親戚関係にある。 そちらの「蛇」達は関係性があるのだろうか？ ついでにこれは未確認だが俺とよく似た声の者が居るという話を聞いたが……これは事実なのか。 ……ところで、そちらに段ボールはあるのだろうか？ (忍者デイビットより)

I'm Su ...... David.　I'm a normal human being.

I have a question for Nyoah, who is famously knowledgeable for a cat.

It seems that there is a person or organization out there who, like me, is reminiscent of the Snake.

There were several people who called themselves "snakes" where I was, including myself.　

Our relationship is a long story ......, but in a nutshell, we are related.

I wonder if the "snakes" over there are related?

In addition, I have heard that there is a person with a voice similar to mine, although this is unconfirmed. ...... Is this true?

...... By the way, do you have any cardboard over there?

(From Ninja David)

蛇は一匹でいい、ビックボスは一人で十分だ！ …とは言っても、蛇を彷彿させる者が多くいるのも事実にゃ。 蛇神人のギジリ、サザラギ団、アギオナ機関もそうだ。 空舟の遺跡にも蛇を彷彿させる紋章が存在するといわれる。 話が少しそれるが、人は何故昔から蛇を崇拝もしくは、邪悪の象徴とするのか。 蛇は西洋では主に諸悪の根源とされ、ニホンでは古代の女性蛇巫の存在が示すようにあらゆる祭事の根源となっている。 他の動物と明らかに違う形状を持つという事もあるが、面白い解釈を１つ紹介する。

One snake is enough, one big boss is enough!

...However, it is true that many people are reminiscent of snakes.

...But it is true that there are many people who remind me of snakes, such as the snake goddesses Gijiri, Sazaragi, and the Agiona Agency.

It is said that there are also emblems reminiscent of snakes in the ruins of the sky ship.

This is a bit of a digression, but why do people worship snakes or consider them to be a symbol of evil?

In the West, snakes are mainly regarded as the root of all evil, while in Japan, they are the source of all rituals, as shown by the existence of ancient female snake handlers.

The snake's shape is clearly different from that of other animals, but here is one interesting interpretation.

カール・セーガンという人物が著書の中で 『人類は生物進化の最終段階にいるが、そうした人間の脳の中には当然その進化途上の各段階の生物であった時の部分もくみ込まれている。 つまりR複合体とよばれる脳の一番奥の部分は恐竜の脳の働きをしている。 つまりそれは人間の脳の中には明らかに恐竜という古代生物が生きているという事である。』 と言っている。 もしかすると蛇その他の爬虫類に対して人類が懐き続けていた崇拝と嫌悪、あるいは畏怖は、 我々の脳の最奥部に潜む恐竜に由来するのだろうか。 それは人類の遠祖であると同時にもっとも恐ろしい敵でもあった。 蛇に対する感情は、一種の先天的反応とも考えられるかもしれない。

In his book, Carl Sagan writes, "Humans are in the final stage of biological evolution, but our brains naturally contain parts of the organisms that were present at each stage of evolution.

In other words, the deepest part of the brain, called the R-complex, functions like the brain of a dinosaur, which means that an ancient creature called a dinosaur is clearly alive in the human brain."

Perhaps the adoration, disgust, or awe that we have always felt for snakes and other reptiles may have been born in the deepest part of our brains.

They were not only our distant ancestors, but also our most fearsome enemies.

Our feelings toward snakes could be considered a kind of inborn reaction.

君がよく好んで使う段ボールは、アリア・テ・ラリアには存在しないが 何故かZektbachが数多く所有していたと思うにゃ。 以前、何に使うか問うたところ、一言 『ん、これか？見ての通り寝床じゃよ。』 と言っていたにゃ。

The cardboard you are so fond of using does not exist in Aria Te'Laria, though.

For some reason, I think Zektbach had a lot of it.

When I asked him once what he used it for, he said

"Hmm, this? As you can see, it's a bed.

As you can see, it's a bed.

ヨア・・・最近見かけませんね・・・。 この人は重要人物ですか？ 資料集にも載ってないものでよくわかりません・・・。 (詩人ぽっぽちゃんより)

Joah... I haven't seen him lately...

Is he an important person?

I don't know... I can't find him in any reference books.

(From Poet Poppo-chan)

重要人物であるがゆえ、なかなか姿を出さないのだ。 姿をあらわさないから、色々臆測によりいじられるのだ。 君達が思っているヨア像、きっとそれは間違っている。

Because he is an important person, he does not show himself easily.

Because he doesn't show himself, he is tormented by many speculations.

The image of Joah that you have in your mind is probably wrong.

ニョア殿！ 「オリエンタル樽味噌ロジー」とは一体何なのでしょう。 トンカツにかけると美味しいアレのことですか？気になって昼しか眠れません。 (猫のみっきぃより)

Mister Nyoah!

What exactly is "Oriental Barrel Miso Logistics"?

Is it the stuff that tastes good on pork cutlets? I'm so curious, I can only sleep in the afternoon.

(From Mikki the cat)

そんな味噌知らないし、いらないにゃ。 昼寝してないでちゃんと勉強するにゃ。

I don't know anything about miso, and I don't need it.

Don't take a nap, study properly.

自分は様々な世界を旅している者である。 アポカリプスと蛇神について質問したい。 上記の２つを直訳するとアポカリプスは「黙示録」蛇神は「ゾンビ」 ・・・・となるのだが Zektbach殿、このまま理解して良いのか？ (魔道士ゆさより)

I am a traveler of many worlds.

I have a question about Apocalypse and Snake God.

Apocalypse is "apocalypse" and snake god is "zombie".

It would be ・・・・.

Lord Zektbach, am I understanding you correctly?

(From Yusa the Mage)

だめにゃ。

No, no, no.

ニョアさんの尻尾を上、上、下、下、左、右、左、右の順で引っ張ったあと、 耳、ヒゲの順に引っ張ると、何か起きますか？ (元老院ゴランノス・ポンサーより)

If I pull Nyoa's tail in the following order: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, then ears, then whiskers, will anything happen? (From Senate Goranos Ponsor)

ああ、起きるとも！！ 私の華麗なる剣舞により、君に身に大いなる危険がにゃッ！！！

Yes, you will!

You are in grave danger from my magnificent sword dance!

こんにちはゼクトバッハさんニョアさん。 ゼクトバッハさんの作り上げるこの幻想的で魅力的な世界にどっぷり嵌まり結構経ちました。 当初数学が大嫌いだった私ですが、2章の影響で数学を頑張って理解してみようと思い、 とりあえず数に心を開いてみたらとてつもなく面白い事に気づき、今では数学がすっかり大好きになりました。 他にも哲学や語学に歴史、神話などを勉強する度アリア・テ・ラリアとの共通点などを見出し、よりその世界に興味 がわき、考察に使うためにも知識が深まっていきました。 支離滅裂でまどろっこしい文になってしまいましたが、簡潔に言えば「知識を広めるきっかけを下さってありがとう ございました」です。これからも自由にちまちま勉強しながらも考察を続けていきたいと思います。 (冒険者いかより)

Hello Mr. Zektbach, Mr. Nyoah.

It's been quite a while since I was immersed in this fantastic and fascinating world that Mr. Zektbach has created.

At first, I hated mathematics, but under the influence of chapter 2, I decided to try my best to understand mathematics.

When I opened my mind to numbers, I realized that it was incredibly interesting, and now I love mathematics.

The more I studied philosophy, languages, history, mythology, etc., the more I found similarities with Aria Te Raria, and the more interested I became in the world.

This is an incoherent and muddled sentence, but to put it simply,

Thank you for the opportunity to expand my knowledge. I'd like to continue studying and thinking freely.

(From Ika the Adventurer)

非常に嬉しい言葉である。ありがたいにゃ。 Zektbachが何故吟遊しているか、それは君のように様々な物事に興味を持つきっかけでありたいと考えている事が大きいのである。 一見とっつきにくい難しい学問であっても、幻想的で魅力的に表現すれば興味を持てると私とZektbachは確信している。 だから、君が書いてくれたような書簡が届く事はとても嬉しい事にゃ！

I'm very happy to hear that. Thank you very much.

The reason why Zektbach is a bard is that he wants to be a catalyst for people like you to become interested in various things.

Zektbach and I are convinced that even seemingly difficult disciplines can be interesting if they are presented in a fantastic and appealing way.

So it is a great pleasure to receive a letter like the one you wrote!

はじめまして。踊り子のたけのです。以後、お見お知り を。単刀直入に聞きます。星の民は男ですか？女ですか？ それとも、男をも女をも超えた存在ですか？ (踊り子たけのより)

Nice to meet you. I'm Takeno, a dancer.

I'm going to ask you a straightforward question. Are the Star People male or female?

Or are they more than just men and women?

(From the dancer, Takeno)

意味合いが異なるが、チキュウの遺伝生物学の書物でこんな事が書かれている。

The meaning is different, but this is what is written in Chikyu's book on genetic biology.

ニゴロブナという魚はメスの個体しかおらず、オスの精子無しに卵がかえる。 生まれた幼魚はすべてメスとなり、世代が未来へ引き継がれてゆく事が確認されている。 哺乳類でさえ本当は性がなくても子孫が残せる。

The fish called Nigorobuna is only female, and its eggs are born without male sperm.

It has been confirmed that all larvae born are female, and the generation is passed on to the future.

Even mammals don't really need to have sex to have offspring.

さて、これは研究者つまり人類からの視点の文章である。 これは外側からの視点、メタ視点なわけである。 メスの個体しかいないニゴロブナの立場で考えると、 ニゴロブナは『我々に性別があるブナ！』と言うだろうか？ つまりそういうことにゃ。

Now, this is a text from the point of view of a researcher, or a human being.

This is a meta-perspective, a perspective from the outside.

If you think about it from the point of view of a nigorobuna, which only has female individuals.

Would they say, "We have sex, beech! Would they say, "We are genderless beech!"

That's what I'm talking about.

では、今回はこの辺でさらばにゃ！

Well, that's it for this time, goodbye!

ニョアの手記 97 - Nyoah's Notes 97

Do you like Zektbach ? We created a discord server for people who wants to talk about it !

https://discord.gg/NrW7aG58JX

Zektbach & flowers pt. 3

Sasha: Water Lily (Unity of people, cycle of life, enlightment)

A Milia: Birch (Rebirth, new beginning, purification, the promise of what is to come)

Matin: Rose (presumably blue: Miracle, attaining the impossible)

Falo: Dahlia (Blue: same as blue rose) (dignity, commitment to another person, stand strong in self sacred values)

Zektbach & Flowers pt. 2

Malchut: Acacia (Friendship, concealed love)

L’erisia: (white) Clover (Promise, think of me, be mine, revenge)

Kukaru: (Apricot) Hyacinth (playful joy, rashness)

Zektbach & Flowers pt.1

The flower for the characters will follow the one in their tarot card, except for them without one (Falo, Kukaru, Ido, Joah, Sasha & A Milia)

Shamsir : Fan Columbine (fortitude, strength)

Lien & Sigma : Nadeshiko (presumably white one: skillful, talent. In general: innocent, pure love)

Gijiri: Wormwood (peace, my regrets follow you to the grave, separation & love grief)

Ido: Poppy (death, eternal sleep. Flower to remember the fallen ones) - I picked this to match Gijiri’s & him sacrificing his life to seal Wenkamui.

Nox: Thistle (Independence, aggressiveness, revenge)

I personally get by mostly from remembering poses that I’ve already practiced a ton, like I figure out how to draw it once and am able to file that away in my brain and use it again later, and tweak bits of the pose or the level of simplification to suit what I’m drawing. 

I’ve paid special attention to drawing hands for like.... most of my life so I have a LOT of poses I’m easy comfy with now, but when I need to figure out something complicated or new, I can usually work it out by breaking a hand down into shapes, remembering a few key points/”rules” from what I’ve learned about hands in order to help me break it down in a way that makes sense. And if that’s not enough either, then I take photo refs. 

^^^ here is a pose I use a ton. I have a quick way of drawing it from various angles. the first time I had to draw a pose like this, I had to think and figure it out, but in drawing it a bunch of times and having to use various angles like this, I’ve eventually come up with a quick, reliable way to draw it from a few of the most common angles that fits the style I like to draw in. I’m blessed with a good memory for observations, so when I see a beautifully posed hand, I can usually really quickly analyze what I like about that pose and why, and that helps me absorb it so I can recreate my saved impression later. But I know not everyone thinks the same way. it might benefit you to quickly scribble down a study in a sketchbook when you see a pose you find beautiful and want to learn from for later.

^^^ here are some poses I had to stop and spend time figuring out, calling up the “rules” for how hands are built to kind of logic-out how they should look from angles I’m less familiar with. results can be mixed, but... if I end up with something expressive that fits the style of the rest of the drawing, I’m usually really forgiving of fudged anatomy or slightly wonky proportions. as long as the thumb is on the right side and there aren’t too many fingers, that’s a great start lol.

^^^ and here are ones I had to take reference-selfies for. I try to use this as a last resort because 1) it’s a lot of trouble 2) interrupts my drawing and 3) if I’m not careful I stick too close to the reference, and the drawing ends up with the hand looking referenced and the rest of the pose not, which is jarring to me. not to mention I have tiny manlet wrists that without fail, look horrific and emaciated in photos, and the lens distortion makes my fingers look scary too... ugh, photo reference has definite flaws. I actually don’t like the look of drawings for which I can Really Tell the artist drew from photo reference, because most often that means they’re taking the ref too much at face value and incorporating ugly lens distortions into their drawing. so I have to think extra hard not only about interpreting the ref, but also might have to make multiple passes just to get the hand to look normal, AND match the style of the rest of the drawing.

Anyway, here are some of the ““rules””” I mentioned earlier that I fall back on to help me figure out more complicated poses:

1. probably seen this before, but basic proportions. the palm is usually half the total height of the hand. obviously you can mess with this purposefully. 

2. I think of joints as like, ball joints or hinges. I find that easier than trying to remember bones & muscles. here’s a drawing of the wrist as a hinge. note that when you’re thinking of it this way, it’s a shortcut, but a shortcut is only good if you use it with precision. notice the pin for the wrist hinge is not just halfway, it’s closer to the top of the hand. being precise about that is what allows this shortcut to work. the heel of the palm juts out, while the top of the hand transitions into the wrist quite smoothly.

3. simplified planes. planes are important yo. in super simple terms: top is flat, bottom is round. this works on the fingers too, actually. the tops are bony and tendony, and the bottom is where the fat is, so it’s rounder and soft

thinking of the hand as abstract shapes REALLY helps simplify the task of drawing hands, and is just as helpful even if you are drawing from reference. I can say “the palm is a box” and obviously the palm is not really as simple as a box, but if I think of the palm, wrist, and each finger joint as various shapes of box, then all of a sudden, psychologically, my task is SO much easier. I’m not drawing a Hand, which is hard, I’m drawing boxes, which is easy.

4. that prominent knob some people have on their wrist? that’s on the pinky side.

1. the knuckles aren’t really a flat row on top. the hand is like a cup right, so your palm can hold water and things. so we can think of the hand as a box to make figuring out the pose easier, but when it comes down to it, you’ll want to make it more of a curve. this curve is why you can see multiple fingers in a side view

2. when curled up, the fingers nestle together. the fingernails also turn slightly toward the center. even if I’m simplifying the hands significantly, I usually still draw the fingernails because they are SO useful for communicating the pose of the hand effectively.

3. lots of people suggest to think of the hand as a mitten, grouping the pinky/ring/middle fingers and singling out the index finger. this works great, the index finger is more independent from the other three. on the flip side, those three are really stuck together; if you’re drawing the pinky curled up all the way, then you better not draw the ring finger sticking straight up, cause that would HURT. anyway, singling out the index finger leads to more interesting poses in my experience.

1. this is another illustration of top = flat and bottom = curved. this is a really easy way to organize your line quality. straight lines and sharper angles where there is bone, and soft gentle lines where there is muscle and fat. your drawing as a whole will read very clearly if you find some guidelines like that to stick to, as it means all your lines are intentional and thoughtful.

2. this one’s about overlaps. when forms overlap, it makes a crease, and when you draw that crease you’re communicating which form is in front of the other. in the second drawing I reversed all the creases, and it looks.... messed up. think about how pieces connect.

so when you’re trying to make up a pose without using specific reference, I think it’s good to think about the.... flow of energy through the pose. honestly, I know it’s really abstract, but if I have an ability to make interesting poses that communicate weight and movement, the things that make people say your character feels ALIVE, like they really EXIST in a space... it’s because I started to think of poses this way. imagining streams of energy bouncing through the body, flowing down the limbs and out through the fingers. this is why hands are so important to me, cause they’re where the kinetic energy of the pose ultimately ends up. I talk about it when drawing the torso and arms and legs, but an interesting drawing has a bounce back and forth between opposites: for every curve, an opposing straight line, alternating back and forth down the entire body. if you’re sensitive to the energy of the pose, then even very simple poses will be interesting to look at.

anyway, with regards to hands, I imagine the energy getting sort of cinched in as it passes through the wrist, and then emanating out through the fingertips. I hope my drawing at least SORT of communicates this imagery. it makes sense because that’s BASically how the bones in the hand are anyway. and then the right side of the image above is just demonstrating some highly simplified gestures. see how the fingers fan out and curl in, rarely parallel to eachother. when you’re figuring out the pose, using a line to stand in for the row of knuckles is super valuable.

aaand finally, here’s two hands where I intentionally neglected correct anatomy and proportion because I felt it worked better for the style of the whole drawing. Left side: since this is a really simple and cartoonish style, I was thinking back to kids’ and shoujo manga I have read where the style was very solid and distinctive, but definitely NOT overly concerned with correct anatomy, or even really drawing hands, uh, “well” at all. to me, that sort of approach has a Look that I like to invoke sometimes, since for years I felt like I learned a bunch of anatomy and proportion and drawing from life actually in detriment to the liveliness and appealness of my drawings. this hand is mushy and makes very little sense, but it turned out as intended. Right side: sometimes I like to pretend fingers only have 2 bones in them, cause i am a Queen and i do what i want

and there you go. I hope that helped, like, at all? Look at real hands and photos of hands and hands in motion, but also look at drawn hands as well. find what you like, and work towards expressing that yourself. and remember the hand is part of the whole drawing. not only in the art style like I’d been talking about, but because the angle and placement of the hand is reflected in the angles of the arm, which in turn reflects on the angles of the shoulder, which affects the whole torso, etc etc etc. and the techniques you can use to understand and draw the rest of the body, works on hands too. as you improve everything else, your hands will improve as well.

We live in a pretty great digital age and we have access to a ton of amazing tools that artists in past generations couldn’t even dream of, but a lot of people look at a cool trick and only learn half of the process of using it.

Here’s the missing part of this tutorial:

How do you populate your backgrounds?

Well, here’s the answer:

If the focus is the environment, you must show a person in relation to that environment.

The examples above are great because they show how to use the software itself, but each one just kind of “plops” the character in front of their finished product with no regard of the person’s relation to their environment.

How do you fix this?

Well, here’s the simplest solution:

This is a popular trick used by professional storyboard and comic artists alike when they’re quickly planning compositions. It’s simple and it requires you to do some planning before you sit down to crank out that polished, final version of your work, but it will be the difference between a background and an environment.

From Blacksad (artist: Juanjo Guarnido)

From Hellboy (Mike Mignola)

Even if your draftsmanship isn’t that great (like mine), people can be more immersed in the story you tell if you just make it feel like there is a world that exists completely separate from the one in which they currently reside – not just making a backdrop the characters stand in front of.

I’m a 3d artist and have been exploring the possibilities of using 3d as reference for 2d poses. I want to add a couple of tips and things!

Sketchup is very useful for environment references, and I assume it’s reasonably easy to learn. If you’re interested in going above and beyond, I highly recommend learning a proper 3d modeling program to help with art, especially because you can very easily populate a scene or location with characters!

Using 3ds Max I can pretty quickly construct an environment for reference. But going beyond that, I can also pose a pretty simple ‘CAT’ armature (known in 3d as a rig) straight into the scene, which can be totally customized, from various limbs, tails, wings, whatever, to proportions, and also can be modeled onto and expanded upon (for an example, you could 3d sculpt a head reference for your character and then attach it to the CAT rig, so you have a reference for complex face angles!)

The armature can also be posed incredibly easily. I know programs exist for stuff like this - Manga Studio, Design Doll - but posing characters in these programs is always an exercise in frustration and very fiddly imo. A simple 3d rig is impossibly easy to pose.

By creating an environment and dropping my character rig into it, I have an excellent point of reference when it comes to drawing the scene!

Not only that, but I can also view the scene from whatever angle I could ever want or need, including the character and their pose/position relative to the environment.

We can even quickly and easily expand this scene to include more characters!

Welcome to Tai Kingdom where terror and hunger reign. The winter is coming and this time many more than before may not survive the cold season for granaries are empty and outsiders are not welcome anywhere. The country is dying slow and painful death.

Enshi was born in Jou Province and married at eighteen. Had two children. Three years ago her hometown, like many other places, was burned down for harboring the fugitive and many did not survive. Among them was her husband. Survivors were taken in for the winter by the neighboring village but later they had to fend for themselves. So the young widow left with two children to roam the country in hope to find a new place to call home. Last winter she lost her four year old daughter to the cold and hunger and couldn’t even bury the girl herself because the frozen ground was too hard to dig into. The one to help her was the man named Kouryou, the wanderer like herself.

It was almost one year ago and now the three of them: Kouryou, Enshi and her three year old son, Ritsu are roaming the Ten County in Kou Province formerly known for many beautiful temples. Most of them were destroyed for going against the new government, the most famous of them being Zui'un Temple, burned down for questioning the mysterious disappearance of their liege.

As the night is falling three weary travelers try to find a place to stay in for the night in the small village of Touka, along the county highway but are driven away by the young shepherd as many villages close their gates for the outsiders not wanting extra mouths to feed. Disappointed but relatively calm the wanderers go on to find the place good enough to camp.

Then in the nearby forest they are suddenly attacked by unknown assailants. Kouryou tells Enshi to run and starts to fight the attackers. She does but slips in the dark and almost falls down the cliff just to be saved by the young man hiding there. Meanwhile the mysterious woman with a flying beast comes to Kouryou’s aid and together they are able to win the fight but not for long as the shepherd lurking in the dark takes the young man hostage trying to save his fallen comrades.

Unexpectedly it turns out that Kouryou knows their savior and it’s General Risai, meaning that the one being threatened is Taiki, the Kingdom’s missing kirin. Enshi is shocked that her companion not only is used to fighting but just a few years ago was part of the Royal Army. Also, the young shepherd’s name is Kyoshi and he’s one of the surviving priests that were taken in by Touka’s residents after Zui'un Temple massacre. Later it is explained that Enshi and Kouryou were mistakenly attacked because one of the villagers saw two people of flying beasts and they panicked thinking that the government officials discovered survivors whereabouts and were trying to silence the alleged spies.

Misunderstanding cleared up everyone goes back to the village to rest and talk about everything that happened till now. Kouryou and Kyoshi find out how Risai and Taiki returned to Tai and made to the one provincial palace but as it was too tightly guarded they never made it inside and had to look for the place to get under the Sea of Clouds. Then Risai remembered about the abandoned mountain in Kou Province and so they came here trying to make it to the part of Bun Province where Gyousou was last seen. In turn Kouryou tells them about his last meeting with the King in the city of Rin'u and how he disappeared after he and twenty five of his personal guards left his troops to do ‘something’ and never met with the troops that were later going the same way. And how he and his superior decided to go dark after getting Risai’s message about Asen’s betrayal and then getting order to pursue her as the alleged regicide. They made their arrangements but somewhere along the way their communication network broke and Kouryou was left to roam the countryside without any information about his allies. Kyoshi also tells his story about the escape and coming to the Touka village. And how Zui'un survivors never have stopped believing and praying for the safe return of their rightful lieges as the government under Asen’s rule almost destroyed the country that is barely hanging on. Their hope doesn’t wane even when Taiki admits to having no kirin powers as his horn was cut off, basically being powerless and defenseless. He also tells them that the easiest way to deal with the problem is to kill him as it will result in Gyousou’s death (wherever he is) and the birth of the new Tai kirin. Of course no one wants to hear that and everyone assures Taiki that his return alone is miracle itself and will give people the hope they desperately need.

After planning their next steps and getting enough rest Taiki and Risai leave Touka for Bun Province accompanied by their flying beast (Hi'en and unnamed suugu) and Kouryou and Kyoshi. Just before their departure Enshi and Ritsu come to say good-bye to Kouryou. She know she’s supposed to be happy because after years of roaming around the country they finally found new place to live, but deep down she grieves the loss of the companion and protector whom she came to love so dearly during their journey.

***

Meanwhile somewhere in the hidden cellar in Bun Province the orphaned boy takes care of the man who tried to but couldn’t save the boy’s father from wandering youma and after man’s death took the poor lad in. Thus the boy became his son. His warrior. Now the man lies ill, barely conscious and always singing the old and creepy song about the tragic fate of the foot soldier, whose ultimate fate is to be left to crows after dying on the battlefield.

As Taiki and his companions travel to Rin'u they meet their guide Houto, whose everyday job is to deliver special medicine made by Temple priests and other goods to every citizen in need. Thanks to his wide connections the group can travel undercover and doesn’t have to worry about places to sleep. As they make their way to Bun Province Risai and Taiki come face to face with the dire state their homeland fell into and how hopeless their own situation seems to be. Asen rules with iron fist and every resistance no matter how small is punished by death. The people abandoned by their ruler struggle every day just trying to survive and have no time to worry about the king said to be death, let alone thinking about rising against the new government.

One morning as Risai prepares to leave the city of Sekijou, she discovers that Taiki is gone. Confused and terrified she confronts Kyoshi who tells her that kirin woke him just before the sunrise and announced that he has no time and that Heaven is telling him 'to go’. Doesn’t know where to, but feels that it’s his duty to obey the will of Gods. And that the others have to continue to search for any clues about Gyousou’s whereabouts. Taiki had wanted to go alone knowing Risai would never let him go but Kyoshi begged him to at least let Kouryou accompany him as a guard. Kirin agreed and together they left. At first Risai feels hurt and betrayed but then admits that Taiki was right, because even as knows that the kirin is all grown up, in her heart he still is a child she remembers him to be. And that she has to make peace with the thought that a the envoy of Gods sometimes he has to do the things that others don’t understand. But then she starts to worry as Taiki left behind the travel pass (passport?) provided by Youko and has no way to prove his false identity.

After a few days of silent treatment Kouryou works up the courage to finally confront Taiki about their destination as they’re clearly heading toward the capital city of Kouki. And that’s not a good place to be. As they rest in the inn after dinner kirin finally admits that the story about the 'will of Heaven’ was I lie and yes, Taiki wants not only to go to Kouki but to gain access to Hakkei Palace. And he plans to tell a lie. Lie about Asen being the new King of Tai to regain his position as King’s Advisor and use his influence to aid struggling subjects before the winter comes. Taiki also warns Kouryou that the only way to stop him is to tie him up because if left alone he would just mount his suugu and go without his guard, so Kouryou surrenders and so the next day they leave for the capital. When his companion asks how are they suppose to get in, to which Taiki answers “through the Front Gate”. Which tells a lot as there are five city gates and the main one is reserved only for the King and his kirin. And so they do.

As they get arrested and are escorted by the guards Kouryou notices that surprisingly the city hasn’t change a lot during his long absence but he still feels that something’s not right. His suspicions get confirmed when they do get into the palace but are placed in a prison cell-like room but slightly better furnished. At first Taiki is calm and reassures Kouryou that he expected this kind of treatment as no one sane would just believe just like that that suspicious black-haired lad is the kirin himself. But after a few days of no information he starts to worry. And when they finally convince the servant taking care of them (man named Heichuu) to tell them something they find out that situation in the Palace is much more complicated than any of them suspected.

First of all, Asen is not running the show and nowadays he spends his time holed up deep within the Inner Palace and rarely shows up. And that in practice the real person in power is chousai Chouun (former Minister of Spring) and his comrades. What’s more strange is the fact that no one among the servants knows anything as it’s not clear who gives what orders, which are frequently contradicting and so on. The good example being Heichuu himself - getting suddenly transferred and being told to 'take care of the person claiming to be Saiho’ with no further instructions.

As Heichuu describes it “everything is divided and the Court lost its unity”. Which comes as no surprise as we see how worked up the courtiers became after Taiki’s arrival. No one knows how to check the validity of the visitor’s claim as most of the people who knew him before his disappearance are no longer part of the Palace staff. Finally after the long search they find one person - servant named Shouwa, who was one of the maids taking care of Saiho. And after meeting with Taiki she confirms that indeed the young man is the missing kirin of Tai. Unfortunately, the council suspects that either Taiki himself is lying or someone tries to use him against Asen, thus they make no effort to inform him about his new 'position’.

***

As courtiers are debating what to do the young girl named Yari sends courier bird to someone and then walks up to the man sitting in stable in front of the stall which Keito - Gyousou’s mount is in. The man turns out to be Ganchou who was presumed to be missing. There she informs him about Taiki’s return and the revelation he brought with him. Ganchou is shocked and doesn’t want to believe it but at the same fears the worst - that the rightful King is really dead.

The others wondering about the current situation are two of Asen’s subordinates - Kisen and Hinken. The former was always proud to be the General’s man and is worried that Asen withdrawing from others’ company is his way of saying that they failed him. Also he always thought that it was Asen who was meant to be the King. Hinken being sort of older brother figure tries to console him.

***

When Risai and her companions finally make it to the Rin'u they head over to the local temple where the priest already knows the purpose of their visit, so they make it their temporary base. At least in the beginning, because it turns out that formerly renowned and beautiful temple transformed into the refugee camp housing the large numbers of people with no place to go. And as any sort of gathering is strictly forbidden the head priest doesn’t want to invite unwanted attention from the province officials, therefore he warns Risai about proceeding cautiously because the safety of the people depending on them is temple’s main priority. So the group finds the other place to stay as not to be associated with the Temple just in case something went wrong. And in spite of warnings, the young priest who was appointed as their guide, Kiitsu, starts bringing over them some of the refugees that may know something about King’s disappearance. As it turns out he’s right, because one of them, the young man, tells them the story of his and his brother pursue to see the marching army during the uprising in the Bun Province that took place six years ago.

As the men climbed the rocks at night to get to the place with a good view they lost their way and accidentally saw Gyousou riding the narrow mountain pass with his guards only for the guards to come back some time later but in less numbers, some of them clearly wounded and with no King in sight. After hearing man’s story Risai and other debate about going after their only the only evidence of Gyousou’s presence - the bloodstained belt that was supposedly dropped in the vicinity of Mt. Kan'you where precious gemstones could once be found before the source ran dry…