"Take me! I am the hallucinogenic!"

Wherein I post sketches and art things, as well as sharing the comics on my bookshelf. I am an amateur artist. This isn't my primary blog, so I cannot follow back. Quote by Salvador Dali.

[swedishjazz]

If you're an artist looking to diversify your faces:

click this link

draw whomever you get

don’t worry about making it super-accurate, just focus on the characteristic parts of the face and have fun

the outcome might not look like the ref, but it will be different and more varied than faces you draw out of your head, an dprobably pretty rad on its own right!

feel free to reblog with your drawing, if you want!

[alonishka-blog]

Slowly working on a new art tumblr, one which I can follow people back on. I do regret making my art tumblr a side blog. I don't know when I'll be done and when I'll be able to scan and edit new things, but I'm working on it. 

I want to draw daily again, and to show off my efforts.

[goopifer]

This guide reminds me of what I learned in school and is ultimately how I charged people when I was freelancing full time. I think my hourly now is around the $60-70 an hour but I try not to do too much freelance outside of work cause I’m already burnt out. Once i get some web dev exp under my belt I’ll def be charging more. Anyway these guidelines are really useful and helps people just starting out how to budget and calculate fixed costs and needs. Gotta enter your email for you to receive the PDF btw.

LINK

[julipegas]

Tutorial: Getting the Most Out of Your Watercolors

It’s been a while since I’ve busted out the paints. I love painting! Painting was my life before I had kids. When talking to friends about my love for painting the conversation usually steers towar…

She syas the colors get more saturated when wets the watercolor cakes with some drops of hot water, a minute or two before starting to work.

[alonishka-blog]

Finally finished Haematophagy. Top 2 images are the title page and a page from the comic, bottom 2 showing how I plan and why I can't follow a lot of the usual advice on how to stay organized. 

I am very pleased with how it turned out. Even seeing how much I need to improve on, I am thrilled to see I have improved a lot in other ways. I'll be posting the full comic later. 

This was a very labor intensive project. Here is a list of materials used to show why:

uncorrugated cardboard, bristol board, sketchbook paper, poster paper, exacto knife, Staedtler watercolor pencils, Copic markers, Prismacolor markers, Staedtler pigment liners, Micron Pigma pens, ink&brush, graphite, nail polish, paint, Prismacolor Art Stix, white ink/white out

[alonishka-blog]

Typical amount of mess I make when working. For this project, this is roughly 2/3 of the mess I made (other 1/3 from sliced confetti paper).

Sorry, Mama Vasilenko.

[tabletopfetus]

"why don't you just quit your job?"

Someone had reposted my recent commissions post and made a comment inquiring why I don’t just quit my job to do art full time.  I’m sure there was no slight intended, hell it was probably complimentary, but this comes up from time to time.  The short answer is this:  "because i’m an adult with debt & responsibilities who realizes walking away from 40k a year job to doodle for others is selfish".  I’ve never understood how steady income, insurance, etc is seen as failure. Chase dreams but sleep comfortable I say. The fuller answer tho I think is worth a share, so if yer curious read on for 

THE ECONOMIC REALITIES OF BEING AN ARTIST IN THE YEAR AFTER THE YEAR OF LUIGI ACCORDING TO RUSTY after this here jump

Read More

[xynetak]

I feel guilty for having a day job a lot of the time, like somehow being a full time creator is the only way to be an artist…like I’ve failed in some way.

[alonishka-blog]

Makes me feel a lot better about not being able to pursue art in an academic setting, and gives me a lot of hope that I can still work on art for money even with a day job while being able to be in control of what I do and don't do. I love my work (especially the sequential art) and I love doing it, and I don't ever want to stop.

[alonishka-blog]

Taste of what I've been working on. Multi-media collage/cut-out comic.

[alonishka-blog]

WIPs

[alonishka-blog]

Playing with macro photography.

[alonishka-blog]

WIP: Mer-things - Beluga

Low res webcam shot of Beluga Billy in Stage 1/2. #1 of a series. Turns out Belugas are really chubby (40-50% body fat), which I didn't know until after I finished sketching the face.

[alonishka-blog]

I honestly just don't worry if my work (art or otherwise, but mostly art) will be well received or not. 

If I love what I made, I don't care what anyone else thinks. Praise is nice, it always feels great to have your efforts acknowledged. But ultimately, I need to be happy with my work. And I am happy with it.

Of course there is room for improvement, and I fully believe in continuous refinement and practice, but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with what I produce. I'm making the best I can at this moment in time, I'll make a better piece another time. 

What else can you say with anything you do?

[ladiesmakingcomics]

Are you an LGBT creator who could use some money to help you self-publish your comic? Then you might want to check out Prism Comics’s Queer Press Grant, now open for submissions!

Prism Comics offers an annual financial grant to help aspiring LGBT comics creators publish and promote their comics. The Queer Press Grant is funded by donations from readers, established creators with the desire to help those just starting out, and fans who want to see more LGBT stories get published.

“It’s an exciting time for LGBT comics creators.” says Ted Abenheim, president of Prism Comics. “Every day there are new artists and writers creating comics which present the wide diversity of LGBT experience. Great works of serious literary merit, but although the comics industry has begun to embrace LGBT comics, it is still difficult and expensive for independent and aspiring comics creators to get their comics into the hands of readers. The Queer Press Grant helps self-publishing LGBT comics creators accomplish this goal.”

Past winners include Megan Rose Gedris for “YU+ME:dream”, Pam Harrison for “House of Muses”, Tana Ford for “Duck”, Christine Smith for “The Princess”, Blue Deliquanti for “O Human Star”, and Hazel Newlevant for “If This Be Sin”

Go to the Queer Press Grant page for instructions on how to apply. The deadline for proposals is Monday, September 1, 2014. The grant will be awarded at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco October 4-5, 2014.

Prism will also be exhibiting at San Diego Comic Con next month, conducting portfolio reviews, presenting panels, and hosting creator signings.

[chrysantheb0mb]

I WANNA MAKE A COOL THING WITH COOL PEOPLE!!!

THREE ZINES ABOUT THINGS THAT MAKE PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE will be a digital, free bundle of three collaborative zines:

GROSS: we are meant to be hairless, odorless, tasteless, but my body is as disgusting as yours and you’re not allowed to ignore that - a zine about the realities of bodies and all their orifices and excretions, and how those things are at odds with the constructions surrounding womanhood in a society that doesn’t realize how much grosser it is than my farts

WET: sex is not me on my back unmoving and you don’t like that and i don’t like you - an erotic zine exploring all the ways we’re “not supposed” to have sex - loud and queer and weird and funny and unflattering

ANGRY: wise men know well what monsters we make of them but what about the monsters they made of us - a zine about banshees, witches, harpies, furies, gorgons, succubi, sirens, and all the ways they made us into demons without realizing how much easier that makes it for us to kill them

for GROSS and ANGRY, the contributions of ladies, demiladies, and lady-leaning individuals will be prioritized; non-binary contributors are still highly encouraged; and i ask that gentlemen, demigentlemen, and gentleman-leaning contributors save their pieces for WET, which is pretty much a free-for-all.

WHAT CAN I SUBMIT? anything that can be made into an image - that means artwork (digital, traditional, textile), photography (selfies, screencaps, snapchats, anything), whatever. writing - and not just poetry or other creative writing, but tumblr posts, texts, even just you rambling stream-of-consciousness about any of these topics. also, audio files!!! music, slam poetry, record a convo between you and a friend, you can even include a reading of whatever writing you submit in your own voice. i’m going to try to see if i can get video submissions to work too so if you want to do that by all means!

WHAT CAN’T I SUBMIT? anything that upholds oppressive structures - meaning transphobic/gender essentialist crap, ableist crap, racist crap, classist crap, etc.; any contributions that describe or portray underage characters or people sexually; anything that has too much of your personal information or the personal information of others. you also cannot submit to WET unless you are eighteen or older - sorry!

HOW DO I SUBMIT IT? please email submissions to [email protected] with the subject ZINE! while there is tons of overlap between the three zines, i don’t want to have repeat pieces across them, so if you’d like to submit a piece to be considered to be placed in more than one of them please specify which zine you MOST want the piece to be in. also, please include a small contributor bio/blurb to be placed in the back of the zine(s) if your pieces are selected.

WHEN DO I SUBMIT IT? submissions are due by SATURDAY, JUNE 28TH, AT MIDNIGHT EASTERN STANDARD TIME! unless there are broad extenuating circumstances i will NOT budge this deadline because i really want to make sure this can all come together neatly so PLEASE remain conscious of the time limit!

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW? all contributors will receive printed versions of all three zines and a custom made patch by me; i am not planning on printing any additional copies of the zines so contributing will be the ONLY way to get a print version. also, as much as it bums me out to say it, i can’t accept all submissions - these do have to be curated somewhat. i will notify all submitters of whether or not their pieces will be included in the zines - if your piece doesn’t get in this time, i really hope that maybe it can be used in another cool project down the line! maybe we can even do multiple issues of the bundle if this goes well.

if you have any questions, please let me know, either by ask or email! i’m really really looking forward to pulling this together and i can’t wait to make something really cool with you guys.

[wannabeanimator]

Art Business Bootcamp 1: Getting You Found

[juliedillon]

This is pretty much the exact advice I give to people. 

Also: to find different art directors and publishers and studios if you don’t already have some in mind, look at the client lists of artists who are working in the field you want to work in. :) 

[ricardobessa]

Extra tip: if you speak any languages besides English, your pool of possible commissioners just got bigger. Research the market in countries other than US if you’re able to (you can probably contact these people in English anyway, but researching their contact details might prove difficult).

(I don’t usually post this stuff on this blog, but this seemed like a good time to make an exception)

[teaganwhite]

People ask me very often how to get started as a freelance illustrator and how to find work — I’ll post some more personal advice about that at some point, but these are really great tips for a start that apply to everyone! (I would move Behance to the Mandatory category though)

[alonishka-blog]

ow ow I'm back, and with my new partner in crime, Troy. All about experimental sequential art and fashion this summer, with no excuses to not update because I now have a scanner! This is my first sketch of the summer break.

[sephiramy]

The Character Wardrobe Meme

Send a number to my ask box along with a character of your choice, and I’ll draw up the ensuing ensemble! (If the character chosen wouldn’t wear the option given… go ahead and sub in something else!)

DRAW YOUR CHARACTER WEARING…

Underwear

Casual clothes

Work uniform

Night clothes

Swimwear

Formal gala garb

Lounging, lazy-time stuff

A party outfit

Date night threads

Something outdoorsy

Interview outfit

Tourist/travel wear

A costume!

Their sick day scrubs

Summer clothes

Winter clothes

Um, spring clothes?

Why not - fall clothes!

Workout wear

Last minute throw-ons

The most expensive thing they own

A fig leaf

Feel free to add, subtract, or alter as you please to fit your character bunch!

[cryptidsnack]

MAC WE SHOULD DO THIS FOR OUR DEMIDORKS

[rifa]

Mana you should do this