[ K R I S T ]

IF SOMEONE’S SKIN COLOR IS

THEN

Here to illustrate my point is Connie Maheswaran from Steven Universe

Lightening a skin tone in art is more complicated than just writing down the hex code for what a person’s skin color should be. I’d imagine a lot of artists don’t even realize they’re doing it when they lighten a skin tone past what is acceptable.  A good rule of thumb (that I need to follow more) is not to eyeball a character’s skin tone but make a starter palette than adjust it to the lighting as necessary. If you’re doing a piece that’s artsy fartsy, or has a three color palette or something, make sure the contrast of the skin is still intact. Dark skin shouldn’t pop as much as light skin against dark hair. 

Also, while this is a lesson that applies just as much to amateur artists as it does to professional artists, remember, a lot of artists on Tumblr are still new and learning. Depictions of characters that might seem fatphobic or racist at a first glance might be the result of someone still struggling to break past fatphobic or racist caricatures in their art that were picked up from other mainstream sources. 

LET ME SMOOCH YOU

16 TIPS FOR USING WATERCOLOR (THE VANESSA WAY!)

The other day @noradove asked me if I had any advice for painting backgrounds or using watercolor in general.  To be honest, I’m still learning how to paint backgrounds, but I decided to compile a little list of things I’ve learned while using watercolor and gouache.  I hope some of these bullet points might be useful to others!

Like all “rules,” take these with a grain of salt.  These tips work for me – what works for you could be completely different! But check beneath the cut for some lessons I’ve learned!