When you don’t have enough follower, tags is the only thing that can make your art discovered in pixiv. Likewise when you don’t follow enough, tags is the only thing that can get you around pixiv. (Except google. And other gallery like DA or Tumblr or Twitter with pixiv link. lol)

So, how do you put tags on your work? Here’s a simple do and don’t

DO

Put a series tag. In this case it’s either [東京喰種], [東京喰種:re], [東京喰種√A], or [東京腐種]. See the difference of each tag in the tag list. You can put one or more of these tag if you want to.

Put some character tags, especially the most featured ones on your work. When you got too many characters in your work, just put the most featured (or popular) one, or use group tag.

Put some coupling tags when you want to empashize some character relationship. (romance/non-romance)

Avoid uploading stacked illustrations as manga/comic. It can do increase the view, but some might mind. It’s still tolerable for now since manga section is fairly new to the old time user.

Avoid uploading a single manga page as illustration since it could decrease the view count.

Avoid using English tag, except when the actual tag is in English/romanji (for example: VOCALOID). Not only because the view count is low, it also takes more tag space for most of the time.

If your work contains some content that could offend someone or spoiler of the recent chapter, please add a warning in the front. (The first picture in manga/illustration stack, or if your work is a single picture, make it into a stack). PREFERABLY IN JAPANESE

DON’T

Put some some tag like [かわいい] (cute) or [ふつくしい]　(beautiful) by yourself.

Put some popularity tag like [東京喰種10000users入り] by yourself, especially when the favorite/bookmark count on your work doesn’t reach to that number.

Put some unrelated tag just because they’re popular. For example adding [金木研] tag when your work doesn’t feature Kaneki just to increase your view count. Adding the tag when Kaneki is still barely appear in the work is still acceptable for some people.

Mark your work as an original work if it’s a fanart. Please do keep mind that some mangaka (including Ishida-sensei under username [sui]) has a pixiv account and mark their work as original. 

So, how? Basically just throw a series tag and some character tags (for example [東京喰種] [佐々木琲世] [米林才子] for work featuring Haise and Saiko). Usually it already could get you some view count (if the thumbnail looks good ofc). If you got more space, put some couple tags when you deems appropriate. Still got some space? Put some event tags. Just remember you could only add up to 10 tags to your work in pixiv, so choose wisely on which tag to use.

TIPS

If your work is a manga/comic, put it as a manga. Manga usually has more view than illustrations

On this fandom case, BL works are pretty popular. So don’t hesitate to use [東京腐種] tag if your work contains BL. Don’t forget to put the couple tag too.

It’s obvious, but R-18 has a pretty high view count. Especially R-18 manga.

Work posted on a special occasion with an event tag could get more view (for example posting something about pocky in 11 November with [ポッキーの日] tag). Try to hang out for a while in pixiv to find out more about those events.

Try to stroll around pixiv to find out which tag is more popular, since popular tag give you more view count.

Put some extra slot in your tag in case someone want to add something.

Work posted only with [東京喰種:re] tag can still be found when searching [東京喰種] tag (Except if pixiv changed their search algorithm). It’s your choice to use which.

Use Tokyo Ghoul wiki to copy and pasting more japanese terms/names not listed here

Lastly, feel free to add or correct things in this post (including the tag list). I just post what I usually do or found out in pixiv. I, by all means, am not a popular artist nor a pixiv expert, but at least I have an idea on how to get around and I decide to share it. Hope this can help.

PS: you can use the tag list to get around pixiv too. Just remember to GET THE ARTIST’S PERMISSION FIRST BEFORE REPOSTING THEIR WORK AND WAIT FOR THE RESPONSE. DON’T REPOST IF THEY REFUSE.

ADDITION [31 July 2015]

It’s important to know if you’re putting a right tag or not. How to know? It’s simple. See this.

It’s a list of tag on a work. See that square with ‘P’ letter in the right of each tag? If it’s blue, then you’re using a pretty popular tag. Popular enough to have an entry in pixiv dictionary. If it’s grey, well it’s either misspell, or it’s not a popular tag (yet?).

Conclusion is, if you tag a main character from a popular series (which is certainly popular, like, Kaneki) and it’s grey, then you have a misspell. If it’s a new or minor character, you have to check it yourself.

In the case above, it’s simply because Kijima and Matsuri is a minor character and SasaKane is not a popular ship… yet?

Good luck.

TAG LIST

(Click on Keep Reading/Read More to show the list since it’s quite long. Use Ctrl+F if you have difficulties on finding tags)

for environments:

shot deck is a massive database of film shots searchable by grading, tod, shot type, characters and content! Studying from films really helps improve your values and composition as the shots are usually very carefully constructed! It helps you find ways to maintain realism while still packing mood and narrative into your work!

master paintings! I recommend the orientalists like Jean Leon Gerome in particular their environments had great compositions and throw around a ton of colour and light! I like the modern artists Craig Mullins and Richard Schmid also, as there is so much impressionist lost detail and simplicity yet the environments feel so real.

The 1960s era disney background artists like eyvind earle are a masterclass in stylisation and simplification and make a wonderful choice for studies. (That being said modern disney visdev artists like Nathan Fowkes are just as fantastic to study for the same reason)

architectural photography can be a great resource too- I love to look for work by urbEX people!

thumbnailing and comp studies- trying to break down a photo into as few values as possible and still have it be readable- this really helps train your brain in the relationship between light exposure and local value.

Im begging you if doing it in colour is too hard to start with just do it in black and white!!!!! Greyscale painting is an essential step in learning to paint and understand lighting scenarios!! Colour is hard!!!

there is no substitute for going outside and doing some plein air painting- really looking first hand at how the light effects different materials and objects, how it bounces around, what edges your eye naturally loses in certain lighting scenarios. Just go outside and draw and try to notice stuff.

for characters:

figure studies!!!! from life if you can but if you cant there are a ton of great resources out there- personally I love croquis cafe and posespace, but if you can afford it (and are interested in intense anatomy study) then scott eaton has a site called bodies in motion which is fantaaaastic. I think by now everyone knows nyx and senshistock, I also use a lot of grafit studio photorefs to study more complicated poses!!

Master studies (again). I particularly like to study the work of John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, Edwin Austin Abbey, Alphonse Mucha (his le pater compositions are out of this world), any of the New Rochelle artists (e.g rockwell, tom lovell, those 1950s illustrators REALLY knew their shit).

I literally have a resin skull on my desk that I've used to do quick studies with different lighting, just 10 mins a day back when I was doing it and it levelled up my skill a lot!.

Material studies are essential to leveling up your character painting!!! Look at fur, look at metal, look at the way something embroidered reflects light vs tooled leather!!

gesture studies! Look at a dynamic pose and see how you can exaggerate the motion in away that captures the sense of movement. This is tricky to start with but its really worthwhile especially when you combine it with other exercises. Mixamo is a cool library to look into for this kind of thing as you can pause and rotate the models in the middle of their actions!

breakdown the work of artists you admire- it's ok to study other living artists (and try to reverse engineer how they are making their decisions) it's a very effective learning tool! Really figure out what it is about that persons workflow you like, and how you might incorporate that element into your own. Obviously, dont post studies of living artists work!

The most important thing is that when you do a study you go into it knowing what you want to learn. Dont try to do everything at once! It's ok to focus on the muscle structure and not give a damn about the gesture. It's ok to focus on the texture of the fur and completely ignore the characters face.

The best way to keep doing studies is to find refs you like- things you are interested in and that capture your imagination! Follow your curiosity and remember that just a tiny little bit a day makes a huge difference.

I've been asked about how I choose my colors by a lot of people and I finally sat down and made a whole ass youtube video about it!

Great get online and go to a job board. Indeed, Linkedin whatever. Now you're gonna search for a role that's in your city, fits your qualifications, and doesn't seem like a bad time.

See that easy apply button? Don't hit it they just throw those in the trash. Now you're gonna want to go to the company's website and check their careers page.

Oh? That job doesn't exist anymore. Cool go back to the job board and find another one.

Great you found another job, you're on the company's career page and the job exists!! So you're going to need to make an account on the career page website. They're using Workday, the same site as the last job you applied for? Who cares? You need to make another account for THIS job's workday page.

Now you're going to upload your resume. That'll autopopulate about 15 boxes with everything on your resume, except formatted wrong and with tons of errors. So just go through and painstakingly check the dates on all of that and rewrite everything you already laid out in an aesthetically pleasing format on your resume.

Ok time for the cover letter, explain why this specific job and company are deeply important to you. You love their mission statement and wouldn't even laugh if their ceo was gunned down in the street. You'll really want to reiterate the things you just spent the last 20 minutes filling out on the resume section

(Remember to include language from the job description, people who work in HR are lower than dogs and they need patterns or they get confused.) Write about a page, but hey don't sound too desperate or robotic this is where they judge your character!

Maybe add your portfolio site at the end here, who knows if that helps no one has ever clicked mine haha.

Anywayyy time to hit apply! Congrats! You'll see that confirmation email come in and you should be getting the rejection letter in about 2 weeks. Unfortunately your resume didn't have the right buzzwords and the AI auto rejected you :(

Listen very closely

The above is exactly why half of my friends come to me, and cry they're suffering, and I get to bestow my job hunting knowledge on them. I love this shit, it's a game.

For credentials my fastest job hunting time has been 1 week. I searched for 1 week, got an interview, and was hired within a week. My slowest was 1 month, while out of work, while telling ALL my interviewers that I quit my work without notice (I was testing my interviewers to see how shocked they'd get when I'd tell them why, anyone who wasn't shocked I would tell them at the end that I will keep them in mind (not)). My entire average is 2-3 weeks.

Firstly, what you're gunna do is pick a job sector. You're gunna pick a few of these by the end, but for now pick one. Maybe you wanna do bookkeeping, maybe you wanna do something in doggy daycare. Maybe you're a sous chef. Idk! Figure out what abouts you want first. Do not apply to anything yet. You're gunna look at the job description, I've picked out a few for bookkeepers below.

Now what you're gunna do is you're gunna look for "buzz words", or rather words that are gunna appear commonly and indicate the tone for that job. I've highlighted some, but not all in my examples below

Just look at that snout at how similar those descriptions are!

Now that you've got your buzzwords, you're gunna slap those babies into your resume! You see, since your resume is usually read by a computer first, you're gunna trick the computer into giving it to a person. Really what the computer is scanning for is how similar your resume is to the job description. Remember your bullet points, and to keep it short, try to only have 3 to 5 bullet points per job:

- Processed over 500 invoices a day in an efficient and accurate manner

- Curated reports for management review by utilizing available data

- Monitored and recorded over 100 submissions each day increasing accuracy by 50%

These are some great, made up examples I pulled from those buzz words. You might notice I added some numbers into there. That's something you'll wanna try and note for yourself, how much of something you can do, how accurate, how much efficiency you increased, these look GREAT when your resume gets past the computer and is moved in front of a real person.

Now you have your sector-based resume with lots of buzzwords. This is great! Now for the easy part. You're gunna channel your inner "IDGAF" And you're gunna send that to every listing you like on indeed. Filter for "Apply on Indeed" and spam that shit. Sometimes you gotta answer a few extra questions, but if they give me more than 5 quick questions I trash the submission and move on.

Don't waste your time jumping through hoops, streamline it for yourself and use the same methods companies are using. Push MASSIVE amounts of average quality resumes out. The more opportunities taken = the greater the chance of success. For every opportunity taken you've now pitched a chance of success, for every resume you cannot submit because you're piddling around on their stupid website or answering 50 interview questions online, you send out a 0% chance of success.

So go, try this, and see how it works for you.

Some additional things to consider:

- Add random shit in your resume, I added my "Board Game Club" (BDSM group) into my resume for hobbies and discussed how I got my start using sparklines there

- Never underestimate the flair of a little Clipart fleur-de-lis or something on your resume. Never put colored Clipart, but a little floral or swirl design located somewhere nice makes it stand out

- if you don't have a degree that doesn't mean they won't pick you, twice now I've come to a job without a bachelors and being honest that I was only getting an associates before I think of my next steps

- Embellish, do not lie. Jargoning your job description to make it sound cool and professional is GREAT. Do not give me a resume saying you can use CNC machinery when you've only used a 3D printer. Just tell me you know how to program and manage a 3d printer and want to learn CNC machinery.

- Keep. Your. Resume. To. Two. Or. Less. Pages. You don't need EVERY job, only the relevant ones, if your interviewer asks about the gap, tell them what job you had during that time (or if you wanna lie say you were taking college courses and were on a break, you dont need a degree to say you took courses) and that you only wanted to showcase the most relevant ones

This structure can add a little nuance and sophistication to your speech. I personally use it a lot in Japanese Extension!

This structure can be a little confusing because of the similar translations but each one has a different tone to emphasise the outcome of something.

~せいで… = negative outcome/influence 

~おかげで… = positive outcome/influence

Examples: (Some translations may differ from their literal translations because the literal translations sometimes don’t sound natural)

1. Because of my younger brother, we came late to the party. (negative tone)

弟のせいで、パーティーに遅く来てしまった。

（おとうとのせいで、パーティーにおそくきてしまった。）

2. Thanks to my teacher’s way of explaining, I was able to understand well. (positive tone)

先生の説明仕方のおかげで、私はよく分かりました。

（せんせいのせつめいしかたのおかげで、わたしはよくわかりました。）

3. Because my mum always makes me unhealthy food, I gained weight. (negative tone)

母がいつも栄養のない料理を作ってくれるせいで、私は太りました。

（ははがいつもえいようのないりょうりをつくってくれるせいで、わたしはふとりました。）

4. Due to the advancements in technology, you can easily search for information on the internet. (positive tone)

テクノロジーの発達のおかげで、インターネットで情報を簡単に調べることができる。

（テクノロジーのはったつのおかげで、インターネットでじょうほうをかんたんにしらべることができる。）

5. Due to the advancements in technology, young people nowadays are always on their phones. (negative tone)

テクノロジーの発達のせいで、最近の若者はスマホばかり使います。

(テクノロジーのせいで、さいきんのわかものはスマホばかりつかいます。)

Note: If I made any mistakes, please don’t hesitate to correct me! 

A resume doesn’t need to sound fancy or overly technical, it needs to tell us why we should hire you.

“Independent novelist/writer” is more than sufficient here. If you want to express the skills that fan fiction taught you, something like, “creative writing, editing, and publication,” will get you a lot further than… Whatever that just was.

A resume should be tailored to the position, if you can afford the time and energy for that. But if not, then just think about what writing got fandom taught you. How to respond to criticism, how to present a professional pubic face, how to correct punished mistakes, creative thinking, project planning, persuasion via emotional leverage, html formatting, office suite fluency.

Writer:

Published short fiction stories for anthology collection

Able to write short fiction within a designated word count for layout purposes (900-1500 words, 1500-2000, 3000-5000)

Wrote short articles for independent publication

Assisted with editing short stories for publication

Able to reduce or expand written content based on layout needs

Able to check for basic spelling, grammar and syntax

Familiar with Microsoft Office and Google docs

Able to convert text styles such as bold and italics across platforms, including rich text and HTML

Able to communicate with project members over multiple platforms such as email, twitter, Discord chat and Google docs

Artist:

Produced full-colour digital illustration for independent magazine

Able to produce digital illustrations optimized for both online and print display

Produced full-colour 2-page spread for art anthology

Published 4-page short comic in anthology collection for charity

Able to transfer traditional art to digital illustration

Illustrated the cover (always brag if you’re on the cover) of an independent art publication

Familiar with professional illustration tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint and stylus tablet

Able to communicate with project members over multiple platforms such as email, twitter, Discord chat and Google docs

Merch artist / graphic designer:

Designed 2″ clear decorative double-sided keychain charm as bonus sale item

Designed 5″ x 6″ sheet of graphic stickers included in art anthology

Able to design bold graphics that are measured for laser cutting production

Designed layouts for 65-page art and writing magazine, focusing on (art placement, text layout, etc)

Able to keep layout design simple and in accordance with the project director’s chosen theme

Created promotional art, icons and banners tailored for social media sites like Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc

Familiar with professional layout and design software such as Adobe Illustrator and InDesign

Able to communicate with project members over multiple platforms such as email, twitter, Discord chat and Google docs

Running a zine

Produced an independent art and writing collection for sale / for charity

Managed (10, 20, 30) independent artists and writers out of over 500 applicants to create a short-run independent magazine

Worked in online sales and social media promotion selling an independent comics anthology

If it’s really spectacular you can brag about specific numbers

Our book raised over $4,000 for charity in under six months of production

We sold over 750 copies in two weeks of online sales

Produced a digital PDF and printed version of anthology, mailing to recipients all over the world

Communicated with printers and manufacturers of plastic accessories and paper goods, assembling professional packages of our merchandise for mailing.

Built a custom digital storefront and navigated professional market and payment systems including Paypal and Tictail / Bigcartel / Wix etc

Created promotional events to boost sales, including raffles and giveaways over social media

Organized participants through mass emails and use of social media posts on tumblr and twitter

Created private Discord chat channels to keep participants up to date on production

“Able to keep layout design simple and in accordance with the project director’s chosen theme” could be changed to “Designed layouts in accordance with the project director’s specifications and chosen theme”.

Your bullet points should start with a verb whenever possible. Created, Managed, Organized, Edited, Designed, etc. It’s also a good idea to make the tense and person of your bullet points match as much as possible.

Have bullet points that are about meeting money goals, reducing costs, or solving problems? Put those at the very top!

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

Compiled some basic information I know about drawing fat characters for beginners since I've been seeing more talk about absence of really basic traits in a lot of art lately.

"But girlstink" NO. there is a very clearly defined line between "stinks good" and "fucking reeks."

Spritzes of Vinegar and water kill bacteria. Sprinkling baking soda on things, letting it sit for an hour or so, and vacuuming it up kills odors and further cleans. Throws, blankets, and fabric covers allow you to decorate while also having a layer of protection that is machine washable for convenience.

Because I hate coming up with new names. I hate it. I write fantasy. Why do I do this to myself?

The credits of your favorite movies, video games, and TV shows

Scroll through your old yearbook

Pick a theme and go with it a la Sirius, Regulus, Arcturus or Pearl, Opal, Amethyst

Any baby names list, pick a year

Obscure mythological figures, full name or nickname derivative

Obscure or famous historical figures, like philosophers, politicians, artists, and reformers

Unabashedly Latin-based

Unabashedly literal a la every character in My Hero Academia

Biblical figures

Scrabble/Bananagram word salad until you get to something legible (my personal favorite, highly recommend)

Pick a regional dialect, go ham, a la “Mc-” or “Mac-” prefixes, “-sky” or “ski” suffixes (just make sure you aren’t being racist)

Rare colors, especially if they’re themed after said colors or color associations

The She-Ra/Thundercats method

The Transformers method

Pick two names. Create a ship name. Voila

Pick a letter and go with it, especially if they’re siblings or all related, like Jane, Jill, Julie, Jackie, Janet

Old magazines, newspapers, and local news, both author and subject

Go to library/bookstore, pick a random book off the shelves and scavenge their names

Wander Google Maps, steal the names of roads and towns

Dusty phone book/encyclopedia for address and authors

Your own ancestors

Name them after their hometown/region a la “da Vinci”

Name them after their most infamous act or notable trait a la “Frederick Hamhands”

Pick a real name. Make up a nickname and have them go by that

━━ ✰ masculine.

⭑ atlas

⭑ charles

⭑ dominique

⭑ edward

⭑ francis

⭑ dorian

⭑ henry

⭑ lucien

⭑ remus

⭑ reyes

⭑ rowan

⭑ vincent

━━ ✰ feminine.

⭑ adrienne

⭑ anastasia

⭑ adaline

⭑ anya

⭑ aurora

⭑ blair

⭑ carmine

⭑ charlotte

⭑ clementine

⭑ daphne

⭑ estelle

⭑ evangeline

⭑ evelyn

⭑ felicity

⭑ fleur

⭑ florence

⭑ josephine

⭑ lenora

⭑ lynette

⭑ lyra

⭑ madeleine

⭑ octavia

⭑ ophelia

⭑ pandora

⭑ penelope

⭑ selene

⭑ zephyra