GINTAMA FANART GALLERY @gintafanart - Tumblr Blog

Glaze is out!

Tired of having your artwork used for AI training but find watermarks dismaying and ineffective?

Well check this out! Software that makes your Art look messed up to training AIs and unusable in a data set but nearly unchanged to human eyes.

I just learned about this. It's in Beta. Please read all the information before using.

digitaldiscipline

Art thieves already hate it:

fierceawakening

Dude, if you're stealing, you deserve to have the data poisoned. Because you could have asked and you didn't.

spooky-octagon-deactivated20240

The link is only in the original post inside an image, not as text, so here it is as plain text: https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/ and the paper about how it works: https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.04222

esoanem

As links (because some of us are on mobile and can't easily copy and paste to our browser), those are:

https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu

Recent text-to-image diffusion models such as MidJourney and Stable Diffusion threaten to displace many in the professional artist community

sliceosunshine

A bit of a TLDR for some questions I saw in the notes:

The team that created Glaze is from the University of Chicago. Their names are each listed in full on the Glaze download website. (This group of students/professors did this for their SPRING BREAK 😱 so go give them some love lol)

It is free to download. No, they won’t ask for or raise money from/for this project.(stated by one of the lead professors of the project).

Glaze is designed to protect artists’ STYLE--which a bunch of ai people have been deliberately fine-tuning their models to mimic (and specifically of current living artists--small or big).

It currently does not protect against composition/trace-like theft (as seen when run through img-to-img) but that would be protected by copyright anyway while STYLE is not.

The University Team has stated that they are dedicated to continuing to improve the tool, like fixing bugs (like overheating older computers by taking up lots of energy when Glazing--it currently runs on CPU so they’re trying to change that to GPU, I believe) and expanding the type of protection given to artists (like working against img-to-img theft).

It currently only works directly on your computer (phones not advised due to current overheating issue, no tablets, or iPads, and no website runthrough since that would be insecure to breaches/scraping/hacks)

It currently works best on painterly artwork, but can still be used on other forms (team is working on improving this)

IT WORKS BY calculating the changes each image needs for the best protection against style theft by AI, and adds tiny changes throughout the piece, so that your style will, for example, confuse the ai into seeing van gogh. But the ai thieves will see a regular image in your style, feeding it into their model labeled as your work (thus starting the “data poisoning”).

Do not post the original unGlazed piece of your artwork after posting your Glazed version (obviously)

The Team worked directly with over 1,000 artists that were being impacted by the ai theft. Because the team listened to those artists, Glaze accounts for regular art thieves too (i.e. Glaze can’t be removed/cropped etc. like signatures or watermarks when reposted. It’s just part of the image, so even if it ends up on another site and scraped, the Glazing is still in effect)

When you run your artwork through Glaze, no information is sent back to the Team. (Aka, no scraping on their part. The app receives information from the Team (like updates) but no information from you is given to them through the app. Basically Team servers ---> You and NOT Team servers <--->You) One-way data street.

Brief misunderstanding happened over an open-source license for the front-end part of the app. (Used open-source coding for front-end, not knowing that code’s use-license states it is only for other open-source uses, not closed-source (the back-end code of the app is private to prevent counter-counter measure developments)). The Team took down the app until they replaced the front-end code with code written from scratch by the team. They are now not in violation of that open-source license since they are no longer using it. (you have 30 days to remedy a license breach once informed; they did so in 2)

The Team is currently in touch with Japanese artists to better expand the tool for use to protect their art styles

From what I understand of it, Glaze is an AI tool designed to be anti-AI (Think Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: one Terminator robot vs. all the other Terminators 😂)

You can download it from their website and also contact them through email there with any questions, problems, or bugs. The website: https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/

#for artists #pinned post

saszor

"Tutorial" on how to "draw" a blind OC.

My kofi

Boring tired disclaimer: Keep in mind that this is an introductory "drawing" "tutorial" and has some generalizations in it, so not every “X is Z” statement will be true for Actual People. Which happens to be true for everything in general. Links below so that you can research and do a nuance. Ones that were directly mentioned are bolded.

#for artists

audreamy

Hand references created by @amberbladejones on bluesky used as ref for Knights of Guinevere

Some hand sheets I made for the animation team! I looked at how Dana drew hands a lot and coupled it with my own anatomical knowledge of han

#for artists

vintacha

for all the artists out there, here are my favorite resources i use to learn!

Files

The Complete Famous Artist Course

Art Books and Resources

Art, Anatomy, and Color Books

PDF Files of Art Books

Morpho and Other Art Books

Mega Folder

Internet Archive

YouTube

My YouTube Playlist of Tutorials

How to Draw Facial Features

Drawing and Art Advice

Drawing Lessons

Art Fundamentals

Anatomy of the Human Body

2D Animation

Perspective Drawing

Websites

Pinterest Board for Poses

Another Pinterest Board for Poses

Pinterest Boards for References

Reference Angle

AdorkaStock

Figurosity

Line of Action

Human Anatomy

Posemaniacs

Animal Photo References

Humanae - Angélica Dass

Fine Art - Jimmy Nelson

The Met Collection

Character Design References

CDR's Twitter Account

iamagco's Twitter Account

taco1704's Twitter Account

takuya_kakikata's Twitter Account

EtheringtonBro's Twitter Account

Drawabox

Color Wheel

Color Palette Cinema

Free Images and Pictures

Free Stock Photos

FILMGRAB

Screen Musings

William Nguyen Light Reference Tool

SketchFab - 3D Skeleton Model

Animation References - sakugabooru

Animation Screen Caps

Animation References - Bodies in Motion

#for artists

eldritchdilf-deactivated2025061

Contrary to popular belief the biggest beginner's roadblock to art isn't even technical skill it's frustration tolerance, especially in the age of social media. It hurts and the frustration is endless but you must build the frustration tolerance equivalent to a roach's capacity to survive a nuclear explosion. That's how you build on the technical skill. Throw that "won't even start because I'm afraid it won't be perfect" shit out the window. Just do it. Just start. Good luck.

#for artists

linipik

Exercises for all the homies who want to have a long career drawing.

The true problem with being an artist and drawing all day (as I wanted my whole life) is that human backs are not designed to hold that position, so it is very common for artists and designers to have really stiff shoulder blades, creating a chain of muscle strain towards the arm AND the back… and a lot of pain.

These are some physical exercises for artists and honestly anyone who works at a desk.

(all credit to my physiotherapist)

#for artists

midwinterhunt

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

ectasymk

More resources!!

Unsplash: Free stock images.

Pixabay: Another website with free stock images. Artist Resources Links: A large excel doc with job/freelance resources, self-care, art tips/tutorials, inspo, ref, etc. Animation & art resources sheet: Another large excel doc full of resources for life drawing, color, webcomic, storyboarding, character design, etc. Airtable Ressources: ANOTHER large document with resources for almost everything. Pose Search: A human 3D model that you can use to search for references (body parts, angles).

Animal Pose Search: Same as Pose Search but for animals.

PoseMy.Art: A free 3D model.

How To Think When You Draw: 300 free tutorials on about anything. Animation Screencaps: A collection of screenshots of many animated movies. 51 Great Animation Exercises to Master: A list of exercises you can do to learn animation if you're feeling uninspired. The Pose Archives: A collection of free pose references.

Commission Pricing Worksheet: An Excel sheet to help you price your commissions.

Freelance Rate Calculator: An Excel sheet to help you calculate your rates if you're going freelance. Radiorunner's curriculum for the solo artist: A curriculum built for the self-taught artist looking for structure and direction.

#for artists

cy-cyborg

Free Manual Wheelchair Reference Models

ID: A banner with grey 3D models of 5 kinds of manual wheelchairs in a line in front of the disability pride flag and text that reads "Manual Wheelchair References" /End ID

For disability pride month, I decided to release a pack of 3D manual wheelchair models.

The pack includes 5 wheelchairs:

2 Active urban-style chairs (one of which includes a smart drive)

1 off-road active chair

1 children's wheelchair

and 1 standard "hospital" wheelchair).

All the wheelchairs are based off either wheelchairs I or friends of mine have used

Downloadable here!

or on the Clip Studio Paint Asset Store (ID 2097442) (there's been an issue with the CSP version, but the models in the download folder can be imported into clip studio paint until I can fix it)

More info about the download contents below:

#for artists

necronatural

Compiled some basic information I know about drawing fat characters for beginners since I've been seeing more talk about absence of really basic traits in a lot of art lately.

Morpho Fat and Skin Folds on Archive.org (for free!)

#for artists

persephinae

Wait a minute .. you guys aren't here for art references!

brehaaorgana

See also: the Mongolian Naadam festival

theonlinemuse

artbyakikira

May I also recommend the STIHL Timbersports, or Lumberjack competitions?? These used to come on TV all the time while I was at work and some of the motions and actions (Especially axe chopping) work really well for battle action references :3

#for artists

scarlettohairdye

PSA to printed zine makers

As a 37 year old who's been running a sole proprietorship for the last 10+ years, I just want everyone who is planning to run a fandom project that involves accepting money for printing & shipping costs to know that you're actually running a small business and you need to plan for taxes. It doesn't matter if you don't make any profit: that is business income and the IRS will see it as such if you get audited.

If you only take enough money in to cover the cost of printing & shipping then you can write that off as a business expense and probably not pay taxes on it, But in order for that to fly you actually have to do business accounting, especially if you're doing it at scale. Like, you can probably skate by without reporting a $500 project; I absolutely would not fucking risk it with a $5000 project.

Back when I was producing shows there were years when I was where I made $20k in ticket sales only to turn around and immediately pay $18k to my performers. I only made $2k for myself, but I had to report the entire $20k, because it was ALL INCOME. (I only paid taxes on the $2000, because that's how writing off expenses works!)

Yeah this is boring grownup shit and I'm getting my boring grownup fingers all over your fun fandom, but boring grownups doing boring grownup things are the reason fandom spaces exist at all (paying for servers is deeply boring), and I'm way more fun than an audit

#for artists

metfell

btw its always morally correct to reblog your own art or writing onto the dash. you are always right to do this. and if people get annoyed then too bad. this is not a satire post or sarcastic this is genuine. reblog your works. and every time someone complains that you reblog your own stuff too much do it again. be proud of what you create.

#for artists

maikaartwork

Artists, let’s talk about Instagram commission scammers

There’s been a huge rise in commission scammers recently, mostly on Instagram. A lot of new artists don’t know what to look out for, so I figured this might help people.

How they begin

Usually the scammer will write to you asking about a commission. Something deceptively cute - mostly I encounter asks about pet portraits, with one or two photos sent. They’ll probably try to sell you a sweet little story, like “It’s for my son’s birthday”. They will insist that they love your artwork and style, even though they don’t follow you or never liked a single piece of your art.

What to look out for:

Their profiles will either be private, empty, or filled with very generic stuff, dating at most a few years back.

Their language will be very simple, rushed or downright bad. They might use weird emojis that nobody ever uses. They will probably send impatient “??” when you don’t answer immediately. They’re in a crunch - lots of people to scam, you know.

They’ll give you absolutely no guidelines. No hints on style, contents aside from (usually) the pet and often a name written on the artwork, no theme. Anything you draw will be perfect. Full artistic freedom. In reality they don’t really care for this part.

They’ll offer you a ridiculous amount of money. Usually 100 or 300 USD. They’ll often put in a phrase like “I am willing to compensate you financially” and “I want the best you can draw”, peppered with vague praise. It will most likely sound way too good to be true. That’s because it is.

Where the scam actually happens

If you agree, they will ask you for a payment method. They’ll try to get to this part as soon as possible.

Usually, they’ll insist on PayPal. And not just any PayPal. They’ll always insist on sending you a transfer immediately. None of that PayPal Invoice stuff (although some do have methods for that, too). They’ll really, REALLY want to get your PayPal email address and name for the transfer - that’s what they’re after. If you insist on any other method, they’ll just circle back to the transfer “for easiest method”. If you do provide them with the info, most likely you’ll soon get a scam email. It most likely be a message with a link that will ultimately lead to bleeding you dry. Never, and I mean NEVER click on any emails or links you get from them. It’s like with any other scam emails you can ever get.

A few things can happen here:

They overpay you and ask for the difference to be wired back. Usually it will go to a different account and you’ll never see that money again.

They’ll overpay you “for shipping costs” and ask you to forward the difference to their shipping company. Just like before, you’ll never see that money again.

The actual owner of the account (yes, they most likely use stolen accounts to wire from) will realize there’s been something sketchy going on and request a refund via official channels. Your account will be charged with fees and/or you get in trouble for fraudulent transactions.

You will transfer the money from your PayPal credit to your bank account and they will make a shitstorm when they want their money back, making your life a living hell. They will call you a scammer, a thief, make wild claims, wearing you down and forcing you into wiring money “back” - aka to their final destination account.

Never, EVER wire money to anyone. This is not how it’s supposed to go. Use PayPal Invoice for secure exchanges where the client needs to provide you with their email, not the other way around.

You can find more info on that method HERE.

What to do when you encounter a scammer:

Ask the right questions: inquire about the style, which artwork of yours they like, as much details as you can. They won’t supply you with any good answers.

Don’t let the rush of the exchange, their praise and the promise of insanely good money to get to you. That’s how they operate, that’s how they make you lose vigilance.

Don’t engage them. As soon as you realize it might be a scam, block them. The sense of urgency they create with their rushed exchange, and pressure they put on you will sooner or later get to you and you might do something that you’ll regret later.

Never wire money to anyone. Never give out your personal data. Never provide your email, name, address or credit card info.

Don’t be deceived by receiving a payment, if you somehow agree to go along with it. Just because it’s there now doesn’t mean it can’t be withdrawn.

Here is a very standard example of such an exchange. I realized it’s a scam pretty fast and went along with it, because I wanted good screenshots for you guys, so I tried going very “by the book” with it.

Please share this post, make it reach as many artists as possible. Let young or inexperienced artists know that this is going on. So many people have no idea that this is a thing. Let’s help each other out. If you think I missed any relevant info, do add it as an rb!

Also, if you know other scam methods that you think should be shared, consider rb-ing this post with them below. Having a master post of scam protection would AWESOME to have in the art community.

#for artists

dynasoar5

BIG PSA: if you're an artist, I wouldn't recommend using @inprnt . If you already have, archive all your work until this is resolved. They aren't giving satisfactory responses (if any) or being clear why many of us aren’t receiving payments until MONTHS after their ETA for balance withdrawals, and only respond after numerous emails, if they ever do.

If you sell a print on @inprnt as of summer 2023, you'll have to wait 30 days until the money appears in your site balance, and then potentially up to 4 MONTHS for your withdrawal request to appear in your paypal account. As a reminder, the site's service terms still say withdrawal requests "should take" 3-10 business days.

If you're a supporter of artists, I'd recommend not buying prints from @inprnt. They need to explain what is going on

this all being said, I am no longer offering prints on @inprnt until they come clean or this issue is taken care of.

meme-loving-stuck

Has there been any statement from the company about this at all? I feel like, with the patreon thing recently, this has the potential to be a small short-lived bug that people are being overly suspicious about. Not saying thats definitely it, but Ive never used inprnt

dynasoar5

They’ve made no statement. they are refusing to be transparent about exactly why. Even if it was solely PayPal, the fact that they have had no public, email, or site statement to artists about an ongoing issue for nearly all of this year is not good. I think that it’s completely fair to be upset about this, especially since in many of our cases we waited 6 months before coming to this point.

tshortik

Ayyyy I'm in that screenshot :'D Yep INPRNT is acting skeevy as hell right now. I am currently missing over 300 dollars (I tend to forget about INPRNT because my sales are extremly irregular, so I was shocked so much had accumulated) and I've been waiting for the transfer for over a month. After an annoying back and forth with support they now "returned" the money back to my INPRNT account and told me that "Paypal confirmed that the transfer can't be sent".

This is of course total bullshit.

I am using that account for all my freelance stuff regularly and received payment for something similar just the week prior, and there were zero issues. I have now re-issued the transfer and we'll see what happens, but this is getting into scam territory and I am pretty sure I will permanently close my shop after this whole issue is dealt with (hopefully).

The sales that pop up every other week stink, and the only conclusion I can come up with is that they are probably dealing with financial problems, and truth to be told, I wouldn't be surprised if the company and owner will be gone soon and all the money with them. It's kinda surreal how horrible they became within a year, because I really really liked their service and print quality in the past.

Don't really have any time to open my own shop where I'd have to deal with printing and shipping stuff, so this absolutely sucks, and I don't want to use Redbubble either. Gotta be on the lookout for better alternatives and hope people get their money I suppose. :/

#for artists

lastoneout

People don't like to admit it bcs cringe or w/e but Homestuck really did revolutionize the webcomic as a storytelling medium and I am endlessly frustrated that before webcomic artists could really stretch our legs fucking webtoonz swooped in, set a new, more restrictive standard, and then monetized and monopolized the ever living fuck out of the concept of The Webcomic until it drove away anyone who couldn't be a professional quality manga artist for free, and now the only webcomics that actually feel like spiritual successors to Homestuck are so obscure they're basically cult classics that you have to beg people to read.

Like it's just so wild to be in high school and see Homestuck be like "we're using like fifteen different artistic mediums to tell this story bcs we can" and be really fucking inspired by that, only to grow up and see basically every webcomic ever have to conform to One Single Standard or fucking perish.

lastoneout

Actually, I realized my real point here: we all need to make our art weirder. Please make weird art. I want more stuff like Prequel Adventure and 17776 and MyHouse.wad and I want it now. Capitalism thrives on conformity. We must be weird at all costs.

princelydisaster

tags via comic artist @goodmorningmistermagpie :)

(tags read: #use comicfury fuck webtoon #fuck tapas too they’re not getting out scot free either #comicfury has stealth URLs too so many comics you’re already reading may be actually hosted on there btw #it lets you upload up to 100 pages at once and allows anything legal to post on the net so long as it’s properly flagged)

goodmorningmistermagpie

Yeah it rocks, it's ran by one scalie guy for the last 15 years without a mind for profit [your ads are off by default and you can either turn them on to support the site or place your own to earn own art revenue] [Thanks Kyo]

it also has a solid readerbase, a new-updates-first front page, and a decent search meaning that even new comics and comics on hiatus get some readership even with zero promotion!

[it's also a very reasonable search system that's nice to use and find what you want! and yes default sort of recently updated]

And yes, so long as you use their V - violence N - nudity S - sexual content L - crude language [all can be mild or otherwise for a red or orange mark] even full on pornographic content tm is perfectly good to post as you can tell by the flags on screenshot

whether you post it or not I would greatly recommend since it's a very nice reading experience as well

it will notify you about new pages and keep the 'new pages' badge on a comic for as long as it takes you to get caught up, and automatically take you to the newest page you haven't seen, so no losing your place or missing new pages!

the badge also stays even if the pages aren't 'new' per se but if you haven't read the whole comic yet

this also means people can go on hiatus and then come back without taking as big a readership hit as other platforms which is really nice

I haven't updated Since March for financial reasons, yet ~50 people or more a day look at my comic regardless and i am by no means a big artist whatsoever

[on tapas by comparison 50 views would be a good Upload Day amount instead, like come on]

But yes let me tell you about the mass upload thing because it rocks

look at that! up to 100 pages indeed

so that should make moving a comic really easy!

[it also keeps page order intact regardless of the order in which images load. supports .gif images. doesn't have a page size requirement]

then you can auto-set a schedule ! how nice

there is info you can fill per page including hovertext beloved

you can also set individual date adjustment if you'd like, add keywords for SEO, and put down transcript of the page

i've had my own comic on CF for a Good Long While and it's been great

also yes the stealth urls! you get a few options but none of them are like https comicfury slash comicname, nice and professional. You'd be surprised how many of these you'd catch in the wild with these if you're already a webcomic reader

also if you are smarter than me you can edit your html and css to your heart's content, otherwise there are default templates you can use which are perfectly fine

simontesla

Reblogging this thread with the comicsfury info 'cause it looks like an interesting alternative.

Homestuck being the multimedia thing that it is requires a certain amount of know-how to execute. You're going to be writing HTML, CSS and JS (or using tools that output them) to be able to run in a browser (now that Flash is gone). I don't think Webtoons can be exactly blamed for that specifically, since allowing arbitrary HTML/CSS/JS is a great way to get your site hacked, and it's non-trivial to write authoring tools that allow for that kind of interactivity or multimedia expressiveness, in comparison to image-a-day hosting. Since this kind of stuff sits at the intersection between art and coding I'm very much not surprised that it isn't more common. People are making games or interactive fiction instead if they have that skill-set.

That said, encouraging RSS adoption by comics or other serial works reduces the need to depend on any one site, as people could then subscribe to updates with their own RSS reader instead of relying on a sign-in to a single webcomic site for the same.

reanimatedmagpie

[main blog time now since this is a Conversation] yes 100% yes, use rss tools, that's just about the best way to make sure you can keep up with people's sites if their other socials go down.

There are also security measures that sites that let users customize their profiles and pages safely [old DA, Toyhou.se and yes comicfury] to at least have html and css available which lets you do a lot if you know what you're after!

CF does actually even allow at least some javascript by the way! That's how people are able to place comicad ads on their comic

There are templates but in actuality you are fully allowed to wipe all the code that comes with those and code your page from scratch if you were so inclined.

It even allows you to remove all references back to comicfury if you so choose, Kyo expressed that he simply wishes to have a place for people to host comics.

it is always best practice to simply have your very own website, but for people that for one reason or another can't pay for hosting or know enough code comicfury is genuinely the best you got for free hosting of web sequential art

and if you aren't contractually obligated to exclusivity and can't do a website, I would strongly recommend everyone that hosts elsewhere to put up a mirror there.

you know, just in case. Don't put all your eggs in one basket and all that.

#for artists

visualc--x32redistributable

two (2) people asked how i did the matchbook thing so take this

this is just a simple idea but if you spend some more time you can get real krazy with it:

making fake prints is so fun please do it immediately free resources under cut xoxo

Keep reading

brotherfather

https://pixelbuddha.net/textures/paper-textures-kit

https://mixergraph.com/mixergraph-free-grunge-brushes/

https://www.retrosupply.co/pages/freebies

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/freebies/9-free-high-resolution-grain-textures-in-jpg-png-format

sanchoyo

If I may add, since one of those links provided is a photoshop auto action, anyone with clip studio who wants to get this Vibe can get similar effects by following this guide!

Hello everyone! This time, I'll introduce you to one of my favorite styles: the vintage style! Actually, retro or vintage design refers to

#for artists

deoidesign

A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height will make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane, then the good leg, and THEN the leg that needs help.

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!

bastetsbard

Cane-using occupational therapist here: this is overall an excellent guide. However, ONE item (only!) is not what you’ll learn in therapy: stairs!

The guideline we are taught is “up with the good, down with the bad”. You should be using the unaffected leg to lower the affected leg down when descending the stairs—it minimizes the amount of time you are weight-bearing on the weaker side.

And as someone who has spent way too much time using a cane, it works out that way exactly for fatigue, especially when you have to do a lot of stairs multiple times in a day (a.k.a. Hell).

Other than that, this is thoroughly excellent and well-researched. Just remember, the goal is to minimize the gravity on the affected side!

#for artists

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

GINTAMA FANART GALLERY