#sunfloora

Aww, why thank you!  I’m glad you like him (and so is he <3).

Ive was indeed born blind.  He had sight in the Dream and has memories of exploring and learning with Devnet, which is why her face is one of the few faces he actually knows and remembers (although his memories fade over the years).  He has residual physical memory of sight as a result, and so has memories of skills like reading and his eyes still track (at least for a time).  But due to damage suffered in the Dream, Ive emerged from the pod completely blind, putting him at odds with his own self-given goal of seeing and exploring the world at large.  

He didn’t take it well.  

sunfloora said: ALSO do u have any art tips bc i am!! going to art school and you are super good and I'd like your advisement if thats ok!!

DOUDHSA THANK ;v;; it was super dead from the convention but...that...makes it cuter...

AND UUUHHH. HM. i’ll throw down a few basic things??

-don’t compare yourself to others. hold onto classmates that are easy to talk to and SHARE YOUR WORK! support is everywhere and while it sometimes feels like a crutch it absolutely keeps you going during times you need it most. one friend can make the difference. 

-don’t think that what you’re drawing isn’t worth it. i see so many posts like ‘lol that feel when all u draw is bust shots looking left’ and i just....SO WHAT? SO WHAT! you’re drawing! that’s all that matters! find that easy go to for comfort drawing and use it when you’re stuck on what to do to get that drawing hand warmed up. that physical feeling of drawing stays with you. your brain remembers it. that’s why people are able to draw their fav characters so fast (i can draw a nerri face in like 5 seconds haha), it’s literally muscle memory! i’d get down on myself SO MUCH years ago for ‘not drawing the right thing’ and when I realized there’s no right thing...drawing became easier. obviously focusing on projects is different but if you’re able to relax with something fun and easy for you in order to get ready to W O R K?? that’s AWESOME

-REFERENCE. REFERENCE. REFERENCE. we’re SO lucky now to have tiny computers as phones. got a connection and you’re able to look up reference images and videos and even turn arounds of certain things. print of references and have them taped to your working area. get a locker mirror and tape it next to your area for immediate face/expression reference (I need...a new mirror for this same reason actually). 

-if something is taking too long and frustrating you then...start over! because I took animation we focused on not wasting time. spending an hour on a ROUGH frame? waste of time! it was easier to start over. and often times? you end up drawing something SO much better as a result. it takes 1000 drawings to get 1 good drawing. 

-the absolute...MOST. IMPORTANT. THING. 

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. drawing takes SO much energy. get something in you before sitting down to work. coffee, a little snack, water, ANYTHING. be NICE to your body. it’s easy to get over focused on that mindset of ‘if college doesn’t kill you you’re not doing it right’....but holy fucking shit get some SLEEP. EAT. STAND UP AND STRETCH!! if you’re feeling off ask yourself when you last ate, had water, showered, or went outside. seriously....showers are so amazing I need to remind myself how amazing they are for a quick fix

this ended up being p long and is simple and well known advice, but it took me awhile to get my brain to believe and follow it (these past two years were the first in awhile where I was active with my own art. I was in a depressed slump for...almost...3 years before that where I hardly did anything). and that’s the big thing. we’re all aware of so many tips and tricks and hear so many talks about finding inspiration or whatever.....

but actually doing it? not thinking it doesn’t apply to you? biggest step. 

additional Useful Shit: Figure Drawing & Gesture Practice Tool, posemaniacs (mostly for their hands for drawing tool - nudity warning for first thing selected), SenshiStock (i LOVE that these guys are still making stock images!! they’ve been around for YEARS and do great work), coolors (palette generator/tool), Color Hex (another colour site! I use a few for work), polyvore (outfit maker. tons of items in their database. i use this VERY often when designing styles for characters)