On an Unrelated Note...

[kotori-mochi]

Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Proko (Free, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)

Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)

Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)

BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)

Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)

Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)

Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)

Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)

SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)

Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)

The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney. Mostly nature art)

Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)

Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)

Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)

Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)

Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)

Pikat (art advice and critiques)

Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)

Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)

Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.

"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.

"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.

"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.

"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.

"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.

"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.

"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.

"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.

Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.

📝As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )

Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)

Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)

PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)

Krita (Free)

mypaint (free)

FireAlpaca (free)

Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)

Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)

IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)

Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)

NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"

[animalphotorefs]

Boosting this in case any of the programs and books suggested are useful.

All the photos on this tumblr ad the animal photo reference site I run is another resource available for artists to use!

As long as you’re not using AI to create your art, you can reference / trace / draw / recombine / make any sort of art you want, with any of the photos, for free.

[reo-speeddragon]

There's also MORPHO, a really good book series on anatomy by Michel Lauricella, with very clear explanations and sketches!

And for pose references, there's @adorkastock who shares a ton of them for free, with different models and props, and her website is amazing <3 you can also buy pose packs from her.

[haysey-draws]

Boosting as these free resources are how i learnt to draw. My GCSE art teacher told me i had no future in art and to stop 'wasting his time' with my imagination, which killed my passion for drawing for close to decade! I have NO art training, only what i have learnt from other artists online.

If i can learn you can too!

[knightwithakay]

I've always liked to play with fire...

(that thrust transition was maybe my favorite move of this whole set!)

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

I'm suddenly struck by a terrible curiosity about the montante, its use and history. Usually I deal with this by taking home a stack of books on the chosen subject, but I can't find anything specific. Can anyone recommend good books on swords?

Honestly, I'd settle for books about any kind of swords.

[streatfeild]

Without a trace — Season 3 Episode 17: "Lone Star"

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Without a Trace! Hardcore childhood memory.

[illustrate-her]

Wait wait wait. Is this actually from the Musketeers? I’m sure I’d remember these natty little trousers. They look a bit like the Red Guard’s uniform. I’ve reverse image searched it and can’t find anything. Help?!

[anne-white-star]

Here is the full picture

Its when they freed rochefort in season 2 episode 1

[illustrate-her]

Oh YES! Amazing detective work for the whole picture! I adore seeing the musketeers in undercover costume, it’s so good. Thank you!

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

I appreciate The Musketeers loyalty to leather, regarless of the period accuracy.

If, theoretically, a fashion forward man wanted slashed leather breaches back in the early 1600s, would that even be possible?

Can you do make leather that thin, with that fine needlework? I can't imagine the number of teeny tiny holes you'd have to punch. Unless you can make leather thin enough to pierce with a needle?

[transformativeworks]

AO3 is Exiting Open Beta!

AO3 is exiting open beta! Learn more about how far we've come since launching open beta, our future plans for improvement, and what you can do to contribute at https://otw-news.org/4w2dn3tc 

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

My spelling is so crummy that I'm not sure if they're announcing they're leaving, or just really happy.

[dathen]

Do you actually ship them or do you want them to be trapped together in a cave-in where one of them is injured and they have to talk to keep them distracted and stay sane while they wait for help, and end up opening up about their vulnerabilities and bond and then grow desperate as one starts to slip from consciousness while the other begs them to stay awake—

[dathen]

To all the “both is good” tags: this is an aro post asking you to question if what you really want to explore is the vulnerability and intimacy, and whether romance/sex is the only way to achieve that.

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Nobody has ever explained romance sufficiently enough for me to know if I have any interest in it.

It sounds exactly like friendship, except with candles.

Someone explained to me that if you'd feel weird doing the activity with your friend's spouse, then it's romantic. But... I'd let my friend sit on my lap on the loveseat while we're watching a movie. Neither of us are attracted to each other. I wouldn't let my friend's spouse sit on my lap, because he's attracted to my gender, I don't know what's happening in his head and people might say weird things. But I personally wouldn't feel weird about it. I like the weight of a cat on my lap; humans are also a nice heavy weight. By my friend's logic, any two asexual people should be able to do anything together and it wouldn't be romantic, because neither of them could potentially experience sexual attraction to each other. But what if only one of them is aroace? Then how do you know what is romantic?

Does my logic make sense?

What am I not understanding?

[yesornopolls]

Is there a tv series you loved in the beginning but it declined so much you couldn't finish it?

Yes

No

Voting ended onMar 20

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

As a rule, I don't 'finish' tv series.

I watch 3 seasons, and that's it, my attention is gone.

Is it adhd? Something else? It usually takes me three sittings to get through one episode, so maybe I'm putting in the same number of sittings as other people?

[writingwithfolklore]

Writing Resources to use instead of AI

For coming up with character names:

Behind the name (my absolute fav)

Allows you to choose the origin of where you want the name to be from, whether you want a more feminine vs masculine vs androgenous name (as voted by users), random surname generator, and clicking on the name gives you important info like if there are any famous people with the same name, where it’s from, how common it is, and how people tend to see it, etc.

You can also search their name database by letter or meaning or origin, so if you know you want a character who has a name/surname that starts with an A from Ireland, there’s a whole list for you to choose from.

Census sites

Especially useful if you’re looking for a name from a specific place and/or time period. Just search “(country) census (year)” and you’ll find a database of real people who lived in that place at that time. No one can ever call your names unrealistic again.

For coming up with place names:

Fantasy name generator

This site can basically come up with any name for any person, place, or thing you might ever need. There are also specific generators for different fandoms if you’re looking to make an OC in an established world.

For finding that one word on the tip of your tongue:

One Look Thesaurus

This is my go-to. Not only can you find synonyms like a regular thesaurus, but you can also describe words like “unhappy smile” or “quiet laugh” to find the more specific word you’re looking for.

For coming up with ideas:

Word cloud

When I need to inspire a new idea, I write down all the things I’m interested in (hauntings, academia, lesbians, etc.) and put them into a word cloud to shuffle them next to each other. Sometimes seeing a concept in a new context can spark new ideas!

WWF Discord

This is my discord channel (shameless plug) for when you need to brainstorm off other people but don’t have anyone irl to talk to. We’re also happy to read and give feedback on writing, answer writing questions, or just chat!

For visualizing places and characters:

Pinterest

Pinterest can at times be a bit too sterile for my tastes, but if you use the right words, you can find more realistic photos of places. For example, adding “aesthetic” after basically any word will bring up a more broad collection of photos to help you flesh out places.

This is also a great way to find photos of people and fashion to help visualize characters. I’m bad at describing clothes, so I usually collect photos of outfits to help me know what my characters are wearing. Searching up “character inspiration” will collect more interesting photos and drawings of people who might not exactly be of our world.

(However, to make Pinterest not show you AI results, you have to go into your settings and check the “reduce AI” box. Luckily, it does mostly work.)

Death to Stock

Like pinterest but completely AI free (hooray!) Only drawback is that you have to pay a monthly subscription (about $20 CAD).

Cosmos

Very similar to pinterest but slightly more "artsy". I'm not super familiar with this one but I believe all the photos are human and you can save them and create collections with a free account.

Dupe Photos

Royalty-free stock image site with very Pinterest-core photos!

Minecraft

If you haven’t built your entire fictional city in Minecraft instead of writing, why not? It’s fun.

The Sims

This one is dual purpose because you can not only create your characters in Create a Sim, but you can design their houses. If you really want to go for it, you can bulldoze all the lots in your town and build your world from scratch.

For checking grammar:

Grammar Girl

Easy to follow definitions and examples, and if you learn better by listening, every article comes with a podcast to follow along with instead.

Grammar Monster

This one is my favourite for checking grammar rules because there’s tons of examples in graphics that helps for any situation.

Reedsy

Among other things, reedsy can connect you to professional editors within your budget.

For writing advice:

One Stop for Writers

This one was recommended from my discord channel and has all sorts of tutorials and resources for the writing craft.

My Blog Directory

Another shameless plug, but if you need writing advice on something specific, you can search through my directory to see if it’s there. If it isn’t, you can always send me an ask about it!

For an alternative to Google Docs:

Ellipsus

Think google docs but without AI. Yay!

(will update this list with any more suggestions or resources I discover 😊)

[just-a-readthrough]

A great resource

[dingdongyouarewrong]

one time i was in a pub in london and saw lemonade on the menu and i was like mmmm lemonade!!! but i’ve been to australia and been tricked before so i was like hey is this actual lemonade lemonade or is it just sprite and she was like it’s actual lemonade so i ordered some and she brought it back and it was sprite. i hate england

[dingdongyouarewrong]

[aprilslady]

They just meant it didn’t have lime in it

[dingdongyouarewrong]

sprite has lime in it wym

[thoughtsofadame]

honestly only americans who have been to england or australia or new zealand understand the frustration.  Also you literally can’t even explain to them what real lemonade is. they simply don’t get it

[dingdongyouarewrong]

i’m actually not american i just have functioning taste buds. but GOD HONESTLY like “sprite is a type of lemonade because it has lemon flavouring in it!” no. go to jail. lemonade does not have lime and corn syrup in it, and it’s not carbonated. that’s not a sweet refreshing summer beverage, it’s canned sadness. 

[pseudinymous]

These guys are honestly right. In Australia there is nothing that even closely resembles American “lemonade”. You’d have to make it yourself. I only vaguely know how to make it from American cartoons and it’s never sounded even slightly appetising. I guess it’s like Vegemite. You have to grow up with it.

[themunofprovidence]

If you’re insinuating that lemonade is like vegemite than you’re an idiot that has never tried lemonade. 

[truffledmadness]

GUYS. 

I don’t know about Australia, but I live in England, and there’s a CODE. There is a CODE you can use to make them understand you want ACTUAL LEMONADE and not SPRITE OR ITS COUSIN FROM ASDA.

You ready?

The code is: “Is it like Fentimans?”

Fentimans is literally the only UK-available company I know to produce actual lemonade. The Actual Lemonade is called Victorian Lemonade, and it’s delicious, and they make an also-delicious Rose and Lemon variation. And most UK pub landlords and such will at least be aware of Fentimans (they provide a lot of mixers to pubs, and ginger beer), so when you ask if the lemonade is “like Fentimans”, they’ll know what you mean.

[dingdongyouarewrong]

god bless you

[dreamgirlfriendevil]

If it makes it any better, it happens in reverse too - when I was in the US with my family, my dad asked for ‘lemonade’ at a restaurant once, and was perplexed when he didn’t get sprite. It was delicious though! I wish we COULD get in in New Zealand.

[i-am-dulaman]

I never understood this problem cause like. Isn’t american lemonade just lemon juice? Like you dont call orange juice orangade in america do you?

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

#i srg isn’t yank lemonade just strong cordial????? 

They um

They don’t have cordial

[rizaoftheowls]

We don’t have cordial and frankly I’m not 100% sure what it is.

(Also if one of you brits could explain what “squash” is, please? I’m sitting here like “surely they’re not drinking a zucchini…”)

American Lemonade: water + lemon juice + sugar. It’s not a soda and it’s not just straight up juice.

(You could probably MAKE orangeade, @beingcuteismything, but orange juice is sweet enough already that you don’t need the extra sugar. You can definitely make limeade, tho. Very tasty.)

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Imagine if you bought kool-aid as a liquid and it was significantly less cursed. That’s cordial.

Squash is strongly flavoured fruit soft drink. You guys have fanta, right? The original orange kind? That’s a brand of orange squash. We also have lemon squash, which is the closest thing we have to American lemonade (unless you’re at a super hipstery place, or you count lemon cordial). It’s carbonated and sweet though. I assume it’s called squash because it’s supposed to make you think it’s like a juice (squashed fruit).

[raynewolferune]

This entire conversation thread feels like it has become cursed. I thought I knew what all these drinks were at the beginning & while everything is still technically what I thought it was I feel like it’s somehow all tilted slightly to the left as well. How the heck did this happen?

[supervillainny]

UK squash is like @derinthescarletpescatarian’s cordial, except we also have cordial, which is posh squash.

Also fentimans is carbonated.

[mariana-oconnor]

It’ll still be carbonated, because lemonade is fizzy in the UK by default. But if you can handle that and you want something that actually tastes like lemon and not what god awful sweet abomination sprite is (pixie tears? Imp blood?) then look for Cloudy Lemonade or Bitter Lemon. It will cost more. It will not be available at a standard British Pub, you must be in a middle class establishment, but it will in fact, taste like lemon. Also if a brand name is specified, it is significantly more likely to be made with real lemons. Belvoir and Fentimans are two examples. Fair warning that Fanta lemon will taste like lemon but these days isn’t available in the UK with actual sugar in it, so will have that nasty sweetener aftertaste (because of sugar taxes). For lemonade like you have it on America, if it exists on the menu, it will be called “Still Lemonade”; it will probably not be on the menu. I do recommend pink lemonade or raspberry lemonade if they’re available, though; they’re still fizzy, but they taste like actual fruit.

Yours sincerely, a Brit who doesn’t drink alcohol and thinks Sprite is too goddamn sweet and tastes fuckall like lemon.

(PS. TBF, I think you all sort of deserve this from all the times you’ve confused me about alcohol laws in the US by having kids in fiction drink cider and assuming I knew that in the US it’s just posh apple juice.)

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Wait. Are you implying American cider is non-alcoholic? I always assumed it was like dandelion wine: technically illegal for kids to drink, but nobody really cares.

For me lemonade is always home made. Didn't know you could buy it. It's just lemon juice, water and a pinch of sugar. I thought lemons were a Mediterranean thing. Are they rare in Europe?

[constance-mcentee-deactivated20]

Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.

"I can note your interest in that feature for future development."

[calling-the-angels]

"Fuck this shit." 😆 repeated over and over cause I don't really talk to people or customers.

[sweaterkittensahoy]

"Okay, so we do have a procedure, but no one wrote it down."

[lightshadowverisimilitude]

"Okay, so let's get that documented for you!"

[mariana-oconnor]

"Does this make sense to you, or have I just been staring at it for too long?"

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

"'Check in' means it's staying IN the library, 'check out' means you're taking it out. Are you taking this with you, or are you done with it?"

[justsomeguycore]

i feel like th is never gets included with funny anachronistic bts period piece photos but it’s one of my absolute favorites like yeah anne shirley cuthbert would want a fuckin frappuccino or whatever, she would LOVE it

EDIT:

i would like to formally apologize to the canadians of tumblr for calling what is “clearly” a tim hortons iced capp “a frappuccino or whatever”. i was ignorant of your culture and i know that is no excuse for my flippant words. i have had tim hortons exactly once, at the vancouver airport in 2018, and i failed to eidetically recall the entirety of their menu and that’s on me.

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

The Tim Hortons at YVR is insane. It's like everyone touches down in Vancouver, and they haven't had access to Tims in however long and the craving hits HARD.

[renegadeguild]

Binderary 2026

Whether you are new to the world of bookbinding, or an aged veteran, join us for a month of binding fun! This event is all about community and learning, be it trying something new or refining existing skills.

No Registration Required! Simply attend any or all of these workshops at your leisure.

All workshops will be hosted on Zoom. Zoom links will be provided in the Renegade Discord. A discord link is provided on the about page of our website.

Week One: Sunday Feb 1st - Saturday Feb 7th

Week Two: Sunday Feb 8th - Saturday Feb 14th

Week Three: Sunday Feb 15th - Saturday Feb 21st

Week Four: Sunday Feb 22nd - Saturday Feb 28th

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Sounds like fun!

[catasters]

[illustrate-her]

I want to do a big long post about my thoughts on the costumes in this show. So I'm going to.

(Prefaced with this: I am an enthusiastic costumier with no formal training. I read a lot of books and talk to a lot of experts but its entirely possible -perhaps even probable!- that there is incorrect information in the following. Though I have tried to verify info where I can. Also where I am perplexed or put-off by a costume this is in no-way a diss to Phoebe de Gaye or any of the other amazing costume designers and team responsible.)

But firstIy, I do feel so conflicted about the costumes in this show: I am no way a purist when it comes to things being historically accurate but the female characters’ hair and costumes are so baffling to me, as choices, that they sort of hurt my head to think about?

Exhibit A:

I know what they're trying to say about her character and in that sense I think it's quite successful, but I just...I just don't know, you guys.

- but the male character costumes. THE MALE CHARACTER COSTUMES MY GOD.

Again, not always completely accurate but I think for the modern viewers we would accept historically accurate female fashion (ruffs, lace, bows etc) far easier than we would accept historically accurate men’s fashion (ruffs, lace, bows etc).

For context, this is the sort of thing actual Musketeers or men in early 17th C Europe were wearing (from 'Historic Costume In Pictures' by Braun & Schneider.)

Batshit insane silhouettes, is my main takeaway from this image. And square-toed boots, but we do actually get that in the show:

In the book, the four Inseparables are just soldiers who are not currently being asked to soldier, and so spend most of their free time whoring around Paris and losing all of their money until they get bored and challenge someone to a duel. Occasionally they are asked to take part in An Intrigue! but in the BBC Musketeers they are essentially some version of law enforcement/detectives/spies, and they are dressed accordingly. They have the 17th century version of leather jackets on, and though, again, not completely accurate it reads close enough to satisfy both history and characterisation in my mind.

See Aramis’ chemise/shirt? His suspenders? His costume is just a touch more flamboyant than the others. He has a little lace at the cuffs and the collar, a little extra decoration. His doublet has that lovely scalloped edging to it around the shoulders, his hat is feathered, he wears a sash under his (many) belts, and his pauldron is tooled with lovely swirling vines and leaves.

He is a lover of beautiful things, but at the end of the day, none of this decoration gets in the way of him doing his job, of his outfit being practical (he could even use that sash for a tourniquet or a bandage if he needed to).

For me this is absolutely A+ costuming for a man who is the contradiction of a lover, a man of (Catholic) faith, and a stone-cold killer. (I believe he is the only one of the four of them who is canonically mentioned to have been a career solider before he joined the Musketeers, so he knows more than anyone what works in a fight and what might just get in the way.)

Just…no notes, chef’s kiss, all of that.

Can I also please point out something I only just noticed, that Aramis appears to have tied the ties on his cuffs of his shirt somehow up and over his back to hold them up while tending to Treville when wounded.

Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of things we have (dainty waist) Athos:

Now, I believe that this doublet may actually be more of a grey/black than the beautiful rich saturated blue that it comes across in the colour-graded shots of the show, but I am choosing to I believe that it is blue since the colour has a perfect aristocratic note to it. It is not showy - none of his costume is - but it speaks to a man who knows about nice clothing. This is a well-made doublet, with thick, smooth--grained costly leather. It is probably more expensive than the others’ clothing, because while Athos has turned his back on his title and his status he undoubtedly knows the value of paying upfront for a well-made and tailored piece of clothing that will last him for years (please see the Sam Vimes Boots Theory of Socio-Economics for further reading).

Here is a man who has renounced all worldly belongings but will never renounce good taste. The only things he cares about (other than wine, and he has taste there too, though his need will often see him partaking in the cheap and sour variety if it’s all that’s around), are those he needs to keep him warm and dry and safe: his doublet, his hat, his boots, his weapons, his horse. He pays properly for good quality things and he cares for them so that they will see him through, probably into his dying day. Like everything else about him, to a casual observer there is nothing out of the ordinary, but look a little closer and you’ll see the craftsmanship, the quiet style that speaks of a wealthy background.

Another shot of the lovely doublet - especially OBSESSED with those domed brass buttons and the beautiful buttonholes. He's got some great high-waisted breeches situation going on there. I can't speak to the historical accuracy here but he does wear them rather well.

Also note his natty little scarf. Again: it's not showy. It could probably do with a wash. It's very practical, and probably nicely made.

From the first photo you can sort of see a hint of that pointed front to the doublet which was a Thing in the 17th century, as shown in this image, from the same book as mentioned previously:

You can see in this image that he has a little lace at his collar and most likely at his cuffs too, which would have been commonplace at the time, but the very fact that he keeps his collar tucked underneath his doublet - unlike Aramis - feels telling: lace would have been totally handmade in this era and therefore could be quite expensive (I believe it started to become mechanised in the late 18th century). To my untrained eye it looks like linen bobbin lace (I have had a go at making this and it is NOT easy. Lace has a fascinating history!)

Okay! Porthos!

....has the most ostentatious lace of the lot of them! As I said earlier, lace would not have been cheap. He also has a doublet that somehow manages to be both highly decorative/would undoubtedly have taken the longest to construct (all those tiny "scales" and their studs) and yet also look the most like armour (those scales again, look like a gorget on a suit of armour, and his pauldron is arguably the most armour-esque of the lot)

The frustrated costume designer in me loves this, LOVES this for him. In the books we are first introduced to Porthos as a man who cares very deeply about how people see him, and that he is regarded as having money and class (he is seen boasting about his new beautiful embroidered sash and literally stars a duel with d'Artagnan, whom he is only just met, when the boy lets everyone know that it is plain on the side hidden behind his cloak - ie. he could not afford a fully embroidered sash).

So firstly, to have this version of his character be a man who grew up in poverty in the slums of Paris is such a stroke of genius IMO. Here is a man who has never been handed anything, and has literally had to build himself from the boots upwards. He knows intimately what poverty does to a person and he will do whatever he can to raise himself from it. He appreciates and aims for the safety and comfort that being seen to be wealthy offers.

Look at all that slashing/decoration on his doublet. People has slashes in their clothing literally to show how wealthy they were, and to show the costly fabric of undershirts, doublets or chemises beneath. (interestingly, here Porthos' slashing is all show: there is nothing showing through underneath it.)

Porthos knows he will never be as effortlessly beautiful - or regarded as such at least - as Aramis. But he is trying, very hard. And yet, his doublet is armour: he is a big man and he knows the world is cruel and violent. Not only is his outfit in no way impractical despite its decorative nods, it is also defensive. He is holding himself in, upwards, and keeping others away.

His gloves are big, gauntlet style to protect him when he fights. His sword is HUGE compared to the rapiers wielding by the others. He has the strength to wield it, but it's also about the look of it, the intimidation of it.

It has a lovely basket hilt which is decorative as well as protective. (Note the size difference in the blade compared to the other swords).

Finally, d'Artagnan.

I can't get a great image of this costume, and he only seems to wear it at the very beginning of the first episode, in the scene where he and his father come to the tavern and are attacked. It looks like some sort of shearling-lined waistcoat, and I love how weathered and used it looks. This is a country-boy, and not only that but more than likely a sheep farmer, since Gascony is I believe historically a sheep farming area. I'm guessing that he changes - somehow - into the following outfit to visually show his becoming more of a Musketeer man-about-Paris and less of a bumpkin:

Lovely suede doublet there. One of the things I love about these costumes is how lived-in they look. They really feel like they've been slept in and mended and used. However, I find it deeply troubling that the grain on his sleeve there looks...almost...like alligator leather? And I'm pretty sure they don't farm those in Gascony.

Shout-out to Constance's lovely bodice and collar, which appears to my amateur eye like the most period-accurate women's costume of the entire show and barely appears for more than a scene or two.

I mean look at that! Those lovely "bow" tabs on the bodice! Don't look at the shoulders because I have never ever seen a shoulder like that before but maybe I'm wrong I dunno but also DON'T LOOK AT THE SKIRT or whatever the hell is going on there. Also don't look at her stays poking out at the bottom. Just don't. Please don't. The bodice. The bodice is nice. It has that lovely high-waist and the godets in the peplum section (I just made this bodice which is quite similar to Constance’s here, except with a stomacher and front lacing:)

WAIT back to d'Artagnan:

Even when the show is up and running and he has this same sort of signature doublet in this beautiful cognac leather. Part of me thinks he's trying to emulate Athos a little here, with the sleek, simple and well-cut doublet that will see him through anything.

Oh look, this picture if great because you can really see its the weird alligator suede sleeves again but he has some lovely slashing/punching on the doublet which here feels reminiscent of Porthos' doublet.

His costume definitely feels like it's the youngest of the lot of them. He doesn't care for much for fashion but likely wants to be respected by the others. His costume doesn't draw much attention to itself but is extremely sleek and practical. In the books d'Artagnan's father was a friend of Treville's and I think the assumption is that they are not necessarily the lowest of classes, though certainly don't have a great deal of wealth. And the impression I got from the show, especially when d'Artagnan's farm was raided and burned by Lebarge, is that it is a sizeable farm and not some subsistence farm or a tenant farm that's rented from a local comte or other wealthy landowner.

So d'Artagnan's family are kind of doing okay - enough to be able to afford some good quality clothing - while it not being in their character or desire to be beautiful or decorative in particular.

The suede and the green gloves also give much more of a rural feel to his costume than the others.

Note of appreciation for the bandy-legs.

I could say a lot more (the women's costumes, the minor characters' costumes, the extra bits like cloaks or disguises, SYLVIE, for instance) but maybe I'll save that for another day!

[illustrate-her]

Revisions/Observations!

Firstly Porthos: I was wrong, you can see his shirt/chemise through the slashes in his doublet! Still though, not quite the ostentatious luxury of having a brightly coloured under-shirt peeking through, so it feels to me like an attempt at luxury without having the actual funds for it. You can read a bit about slashing here. One of my very favourite OMG love it historical garments that uses slashing (and the inspiration for the pink and green bodice I made, posted in the original post) is this 1630s women’s example, which I believe is held by the V&A museum. Can you imagine one of the ladies in the show wearing something like this??:

Another thing I have noticed: Porthos’ doublet is made up of sections sewn together. I would imagine that a large piece of leather for a doublet - like Athos’ for instance - is far more costly than this design which could make use of smaller off-cuts. Another way to use design and ornamentation to look expensive whilst actually being quite thrifty. Well done Porthos!

Also, look at the way the leather falls: It is clearly much thinner than Athos’ doublet. Again, money is a factor, but I also love the idea that Athos is trying to maintain that rigidity and posture of his class. Porthos might want his clothes to look like armour but he also needs to be able to improvise when he moves. No rules of chivalry here. Cheat at cards! Use a fork as a weapon! Throw a man at a tree!

Close-up of d’Artagnan’s weird leather sleeves. It doesn’t look like suede here, but is certainly a softer leather. My husband insists that the pattern is embossed on but I still say it looks like it’s trying to be alligator leather which is weird af. Love it though!

Also a nice bit of decorative slashing/tooling, love the ties to fasten it, and it actually seems like this ensemble might be made up of a thin doublet with a waistcoat/sleeveless garment on top that can be taken on and off. (In ep 1 we see him put his doublet straight on without wearing a chemise or shirt underneath and may I just say ew Charles that is going to stink pretty soon, let’s hope it was just this one time as he was dressing in a hurry.)

Finally, I’ve realised what the sheepskin vest that d’Artagnan wears in the opening scene reminds me of:

WW1 sheepskin vests! Also has a slightly French/Spanish mountain shepherd feel which is also just perfect.

Anyone else have any observations or costume thoughts? Jump in!

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Can I just say I am in love with the little toggles which attach the sleeves to Porthos' doublet?

Both Athos and Artemis appear to have their sleeves sewn in place at the top, with the armpit left open. Porthos' sleeves are entirely removable!

As someone who is perpetually wearing out the elbows, armpits and cuffs of my sweaters and jackets, I am all for bringing back this style.

[todays-xkcd]

I wanted to make the world's fastest yawl, so I made the aft sail bigger, but apparently that means it's not a yawl anymore! It's a real ketch-22.

Sailing Rigs [Explained]

Transcript Under the Cut

[The comic contains views from the side of boats, each with a different sailing rig. All boats are oriented to the left of the comic.]

Lateen [a single triangular sail]

Bermuda rigged sloop [a front and rear triangular sail share a mast]

Ketch [two triangular sails as above, with an additional triangular sail on a second rear mast]

Gaff rigged sloop [front triangular sail shares mast with rear quadrilateral sail]

Yawl [two triangular sails share front mast and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft]

Schooner [two triangular front sails share foreward mast with quadrilateral center sail. An aft mast supports a quadrilateral aft sail]

Ketch-rigged gaff [Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch]

Kloop-rigged sketch: [Includes elements of ketch and sloop]

Bunkbed rig [A gaff-rigged sloop is mounted on top of a second hull]

Flettner rig [The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it]

Oops, all spinnakers [three masts each with a sail only attached to the top]

Keel rig [three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel]

Kite rig [all sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with an independent line]

Longsail rig [bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull]

Deckhand obliterator [all sails replaced by an anchor that swings around the mast on a chain, similar to tetherball]

Offset rig [gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel]

Mastless rig [a single sail is attached where the mast would normally be mounted, flapping around freely]

Unclassifiable chaos rig [includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others]

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

I love me some boats.

[beetrans]

the US wants to run Venezuela through just a conglomerate of oil companies. this is pure extractive colonialism and imperialist aggression. not to like be iranian on main but. oil. it's always fucking oil.

[enigma-the-mysterious]

Welcome back East India Company

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Side note in relation to the comments:

People from the United States of America are Americans.

THE COUNTRY IS NOT CALLED AMERICA!

Do you know how many of us live in the Americas, who are not part of the U.S.A? Sooooo many people!

Just because they are big and loud doesn't mean they get to coopt the label for the 34 OTHER COUNTRIES THAT LIVE HERE.

Thank you for attending my unsolicited rant. Apologies for the shouting.

[badsciencejokes]

🤔

[itsmyfavouritecolour]

Because the transition from unripe rock to overripe ball of liquid is instantaneous.