ʎɐɯɐı̣unʞǝu

What I want to show here is that even if your line art feels a bit messy, the right shading can still bring the whole drawing together. (Though keep in mind, this might not be the best approach for commercial work. 😭)

The human brain is fascinating. It actually does this amazing thing where it automatically "fills in the blanks" for what we're seeing. This means that even if our lines are rough, disconnected, or full of sketch marks, our brains will naturally find the "correct" shapes and understand the image perfectly.

Of course, learning to draw clean, precise line art is incredibly important for improving our technical skills as artists. All I'm really trying to say is that it’s okay to take a little shortcut every now and then.

As long as the overall mood and message of your artwork get across, that is more than enough.

I hope this little guide can bring some comfort or inspiration to fellow creators out there.

While the vertical format is great for smartphone screens, I also wanted to use negative space to create a distinct mood.

I believe that negative space can express a character's inner emotions. In this piece, the character is small, and the background takes up about 80% of the canvas. By drawing the character so small, I can evoke a sense of loneliness and solitude.

Another key point is the placement of the cloud shadows. I intentionally kept Caine out of the shadow. You can see the boundary between the light and the cloud shadow. I used this high contrast to make the character stand out and emphasize their presence.

Finally, let us look at Caine's angle. I purposely hid Caine's face and positioned them to show their back. If their expression were visible, this artwork would probably feel cute rather than lonely. I enjoy drawing figures from angles where you cannot see their faces. This approach leaves room for viewers to wonder what the character is thinking.

TADC is an incredible series that has given me so much energy and inspiration for my creative work. I love everything about it, from the unique personalities of each character to the Dreamcore aesthetic (sorry if that’s the wrong term!). The way the dark story is hidden behind those colorful visuals is exactly what I love.

Rather than just being shocked by Caine leaving the stage, I found it truly incredible how the show finally laid bare all the anxiety and rage he’d been hiding inside. What I found really fascinating was how he started treating the circus members so recklessly once he entered that 'I don’t give a damn' mode.

Maybe deep down, he’d always held onto this faint hope that 'someday, someone will love me and the world I’ve built.' Even in that state toward the end, I felt like he was still reaching out to humans for some kind of salvation. Poor Caine.

He tries to intimidate others and make them dependent on him by weaponizing his power and pain, but at his core, maybe he was just crying out, 'Don’t leave me' or 'I need you to lean on me'