outsourcing inspiration @copperpattern - Tumblr Blog

You have now traveled back to 315 BCE in China, during the Warring States period, and have become the Governor of Shu(Sichuan) Commandery. The King of Qin has ordered you to harness the Min River—a tributary of the Yangtze that poses a flooding threat to the Chengdu Plain. What would you do?(cr 扇子有画)

Dujiangyan is considered one of the greatest hydraulic engineering projects in human history. Constructed during the Warring States period under the direction of Li Bing, the Governor of Shu Commandery, and his son, it has spanned over 2,300 years and remains fully operational today. Water conservancy experts from around the world frequently visit the site. In 2000, UNESCO inscribed Dujiangyan as a World Heritage Site, recognizing it as "a living heritage of water management" and "the oldest and only surviving large-scale hydraulic project in the world that operates without a dam." It stands as an outstanding example of global water conservancy culture. The design of Dujiangyan is remarkably ingenious, adhering to the principle of minimal intervention. It works in complete harmony with nature, causing no ecological disruption. For over 2,300 years, it has had no negative environmental impact, embodying the Daoist philosophy of "harmony between humanity and nature" to the fullest extent.

The water of Dujiangyan is very clear, appearing green when sediment levels are low. The surrounding ecology is also thriving, with people often spotting otters—an indicator species highly sensitive to water quality—frequenting the area. A netizen from northern China visited Dujiangyan and was deeply moved by its grandeur. She later posted a question online: "I love Dujiangyan so much—would the people of Dujiangyan mind if I had my ashes scattered here after I die?" This sparked lively discussions, with the top-voted comment as follows:

Jokes aside, Cnetizens genuinely love Dujiangyan. Mount Qingcheng, where Dujiangyan is located, is one of the important birthplaces of Daoism. During the Eastern Han Dynasty(25–220 CE), Zhang Daoling cultivated his practice and founded a Daoist sect here. Mount Qingcheng is renowned for its "ethereal seclusion under heaven." Especially on overcast days, the mountain brims with a profound spiritual energy—a presence that photos cannot convey. One must experience it in person to feel as if stumbling into a realm of cultivation, akin to the world of an xianxia novel.

#photo #outside #china #water

hakobore

"Curiosity Killed My Beia" A comic I did for The Spinoff's Comic of the Month

anime girl pose

fish out of water

sketches of Hal reffed from various Hayley/Florence photos

#gesture #arts

jojo-the-dogg0

Equiping an armor tutorial

i'll prob make more bc i love talking ab armors

#armor #tutorial

bigskycastle

barn owl

#arts #birds #style #color use

fallout-lou-begas

do you have any advice on character design?

watch The Sopranos

fallout-lou-begas

i actually wanted to elaborate on this and say that i think it’s a really bad habit of a lot of artists, influenced by current media casting practices, to unconsciously or consciously make every single character they create super pretty, like everyone is just hot in that very boring, homogenous way, and this also comes as a result of people using actors and celebrities as character references or faceclaims and AI facial generation programs like Artbreeder being trained on people who are generally very pretty-looking. it results in alienating, uncanny worlds and drawings completely devoid of people who just look like regular people. it results worlds populated by mannequins fresh off the CW. I feel like whether a character is attractive or not should actually matter, be part of their character, because that kind of thing absolutely affects the way you move through the world and the way the world treats you.

so i wanted to throw in some suggestions that, whenever I’m trying to find a character reference or otherwise draw very interesting-looking yet regular-looking people, which i usually have to do for bit characters in @ikroah or something, I tend to look for references in the following places. these are far from the only reliable way to get inspiration, this is just a non-exhaustive list of places i’ve looked before for visual inspiration when needing to create a character, whether starring characters or background ones:

pre-2000s television (The Sopranos and Twin Peaks especially having incredible character design)

extras in comedy sketch shows

esports players

real photos (not staged stock photos) of line cooks

70s baseball players

athletes from more obscure olympic sports like the javelin toss or greco-roman wrestling, especially if you’re looking for a specific body type

ska, jazz, and blues musicians

firefighters

improv troupes

for teenagers, searching “high school english class project” on youtube and sorting by Upload Date

state senators, small-town mayors, and generally obscure local government positions like comptroller or treasurer (yes i know politicians can be bad sometimes but smaller elections especially don’t really depend on looks)

people who walk by your window (if you live in a city like I do)

and again these are just, in my opinion, deep and easy wells to dive in if you want to get a good idea of what regular people look like. these suggestions aren’t the limits on where you can possibly find inspiration for character design

roganaut

Fellini’s movies have remarkably interesting and unique looking actors

fallout-lou-begas

Yes!!! There’s an entire book called Fellini’s Faces that’s nothing but portraits of his actors that’s phenomenal for this kind of thing, though it’s fairly rare to get a hold of today.

sartorialadventure

(Since I know a lot of writers/artists follow me for costume/character design ideas!)

catgirlwarrior

Fellini's faces by Federico Fellini, unknown edition,

#design #diversity

byjove

Someone mentioned how they were having a hard time creating a world for their fantasy fiction geographically because they kept reinventing the island of Britain, which also happened to my good close enemy George R. R. Martin. I would like to suggest North Carolina. I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous but North Carolina has an awesome geographic setup for a fantasy kingdom, I think. Inhospitable barrier islands, constantly shifting shoals in the sound, swamps with alligators, venomous snakes and carnivorous plants, lots of very flat and somewhat sparsely populated farmland, foothills, mines, mountains full of mysterious phenomenon that were originally very difficult to navigate and people still get lost in today. It kind of rocks.

spiffy07

Obligatory NC photos for worldbuilding inspiration, because I’m in the Appalachias right now:

#photo #outside

backfliips

A lot of people on twitter wanted me to explain how I draw expressions, so here you go

Unless you're drawing explicit realism, in my opinion, expressions should be exaggerated to some degree. If you aren't doing a 1:1 recreation, the point is to get the FEELING across. Try making the expression you want to draw and feeling how your face pinches and stretches.

Skin doesn't just "disappear" when your face moves it around --- that's where wrinkles come from! Pay attention to where your skin creases when you emote, and use it to your benefit. It's a fine line between overdoing it and underdoing it -- find your own balance.

Ultimately, every expression has a little bit of push and pull, unless your face is completely neutral (and even then, there are still some wrinkles...). Learning to think of expressions as actions and reactions is VERY helpful in learning to draw them without needing a reference, and in learning how to stylize and push expressions based on references as well!

I think a lot of people end up with stiff or unexpressive emotions in their art because they're just trying to recreate a picture instead of understanding WHY and HOW the face is moving --- and it's a tough thing that takes a while to really pick up and learn. Hopefully is helpful in showing a way of thinking about it that can influence your process and approach to emotions!!!

Also, bonus: even without the lines, the planes alone still show a LOT of emotion.

#huh interesting #tutorial #faces

alienturnipp

Gerbera (Hoa đồng tiền) | Fortune, Joy

Not an illustration, but a stamp design I made for @daflowerzine 🌿

#arts #color use

arealtrashact

Firestar's nine lives.

#gesture #arts #warriors

not-avril

A small guide for people who struggle with this area

birdwatching

Cameron Bailey (USA b. 1990) Daybreak, 2025 woodblock print 14 color layers

#arts #traditional #color use #2d

bixels

The height chart of all the updated designs for GG20s so far. Still working through the 2023 designs while adding new ones. Designs by @tulliok, @maplewozapi, and I

#my little pony #design