Everything I draw ends up wearing a bow-tie

A collective of miscellany and mirth. Also sometimes I draw stuff.

[modmad]

TPoH: Update!

Read the new TPoH Update here!

Read this free freaky comic called TPoH from the start here.

If you’d like to support me and my art you can buy BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOKS of TPoH and much much more! Head on down to Topatoco town and introduce yourself to my store!

support me on patreon for little extras! Even one or two dollars a month makes a big difference to me :D

[modmad]

idk if you know this but for some reason your blog is being marked mature for some reason? (specifically the themed website, not on the regular dashboard) no clue why but i thought id let you know

is this bc I reblogged One 'hey tumblr is being a shithead to trans people again' post lmao what a joke this place is

[blondebrainpowered]

[animusbell]

celestia is such a funny character like she's constantly manipulating twilight and friends to do shit instead of just asking and you could arguably frame that as being bc she's a "god" and pushing fate to her design or whatever, except that she engages with the group like a normal and relatable person, which makes it more like villainous machinations, except 90% of this manipulation goes towards things like "I don't want my party to be boring shit again. put my little country girl blorbos in there with zero prep so they fuck it up bad"

[animusbell]

you think you've fucked anything up around princess celestia and she's like heh. no worries. all according to keikaku

[jukashi]

Celestia instantly makes more sense as a character when you ignore the princess stuff and remember that she's a 1000+ years old wizard. Of course she does manipulative trickster stuff to teach moral lessons and/or cause chaos to amuse herself, that's classic wizard behavior. Of course sometimes she's actually socially awkward and bad at personal relationships and has bad ideas that she thought were good that result in her eating shit embarrassing style, that's classic wizard behavior. Of course she lets the aristocrats and nobles run around being assholes she's still running on wizard advisor programming, she's basically trying to merlin the entire upper class of equestria instead of just a king and some knights. "Yeah uuhhh we'll release the incarnation of chaos himself from his ancient prison because we think this shy girl can be friends with him", terrible plan if you're thinking like a ruler, amazing plan if you're thinking like a wizard. Just look at Canterlot 'Castle' for five seconds and ask yourself if that's in any way a castle. No. Wizard tower, yes. Wizard.

[animusbell]

You are so right actually

[endcrys]

@crabussy

[tockthewatchdog]

this scientology hq as real life roguelike is hilarious

[manuciruja]

awww the like button turns into a rainbow when you press it! that's so cute...hey staff what's with all the trans women you keep nuking?

[manuciruja]

i think we should be ridiculing them more for this. you don't get to try and go all "queer website" when your staff likes to go on nuking sprees targeting the trans fem users

[smadsel]

would be remiss not to mention that the rainbow notably straight up just removed the trans flag colors from it. like they’re gone. it’s the progress flag minus the trans flag colors.

[smadsel]

that’s not the whole flag, now is it

[manuciruja]

hey staff what the fuck

[villainessbian]

hey staff don't you think you're being too on-the-nose

[shrodingers-catgirl]

HEY STAFF DONT YOU THINK YOU'RE BEING TOO ON-THE-NOSE

[ally-gator-animator]

"Making Mr Ring a Ding" notes Thank you so much to Elpida Kyriakou and Standish Millenas for hosting. This was a very informative webinar!

I'm going to keep all my notes under the cut because it is a LONG list, but I look forward to seeing what my mutuals will be posting too (shout out to @aangussca for staying up super late to get notes and @artscheese for getting some great screenshots!), I can't wait to compare notes! Get ready for a whole lot of trivia!

Some backstory - Framestore started off working on music videos before going on to create effects and animation for multiple productions. As we're focusing on character work here, I'll highlight their work on Rocket Raccoon, Baby Groot, Winnie the Pooh, Paddington and, my personal favourite, the Wild Things in "Where the Wild Things Are."

Elpida specifically works on modelling, texturing and lookdev (seeing how everything reacts in-scene). Notable credits include Tom and Jerry, Sandman and Cowboy Bebop (live action).

Elpida worked very closely with Ian Spendloff, director of character design, when working on Lux's 3D look, which made the transition a lot easier (still not easy due to the translation between styles, but good communication goes a long way).

Ian also painted over the 3D model to see if it translated well.

When concept art began, the main information given for Lux was blue skin, a piggy nose and "we don't know what he is."

The only parts decided prior to production was a general design and his height, specifically for eyeline and so the actors had an idea of what kind of creature they would be responding to.

Animation was done in London by both in-house animators and legends of the craft (Neil Boyle was named specifically, but also shout out to Tim Watts, Michael Schlingmann, David Lochhead, Julien Van Wallendael, Carlos De Faria and Dani Tomlinson).

The team went through many different concepts (including a less rounded look, a moustache and even a cow nose at one point)

Lux's antennae were originally strands of hair on his balding head. Inspirations listed for the 2D look (stage 1) were Betty Boop and Popeye due to being somewhat unsettling and having good ink work.

Unsurprisingly, the smile was a HUGE part of the design, to the point that it was a big focus when modelling his 3D look in stages 2 and 3 too.

"His eyes need to look like he's always having an episode."

References for the cuter 3D stage we see for a shot (stage 2) were Pixar and even stop motion to an extent.

There was lots of insistence to keep him cute and round here, no visible creases on the face or pinching of the lips. A lot of the essence of his 2D construction is still there with how his mouth moves to keep it appealing.

Elpida often thought how it would feel to hug Lux to see if that was a good indicator that he still looked cosy.

Turntables showing how the model looked from all angles under different lighting helped to highlight any potential changes needed, and even then some were spotted later into animation.

Colour codes were used in the storyboards to show what stage of rendering was to be used at each point.

The aim for the realistic look (stage 3) was to push the realism to the point of scaring children, but not too gory (Elpida did say if the show had been 18+, she would have pushed a little more as it's always fun to do that with a design).

Main references were modern Spongebob, as well as photos of rotten teeth and skin damage (also horse teeth specifically).

"He needs to look like a man who hasn't slept, lives in his mother's basement and has never seen the sun."

Ironically, he does have a lot of sun damage in this form, as well as smoker-lines and a big ol' vein at the side.

So much dandruff, spider-leg ear hair, translucent skin, hairy antennae.

Thanks to one question somebody posed in the Q&A, I now know that they rendered his entire mouth. Props for dedication.

His shirt is also stained with an unknown substance EXCUSE ME?!

ET was used as a reference for his neck.

Made to look more boxy to highlight the difference from his bean body in stage 1.

His suit is specifically made to look like the velvet from the theatre curtains, old and dusty. His hat also no longer floats.

I just wrote the word "MOIST" at one point and I know that wasn't a direct quote but boy did they try to make this blue gremlin look vile and wet!

King Charles' hands were the primary reference for Lux's bloated, gross fingers and that is incredibly funny to me.

There is a fully rendered Lux out there with complete anatomy and this fact will haunt/amuse me for the rest of time.

The crew were all listed under the Framestore umbrella in the credits as so many people worked on the show. This sadly means they were not individually credited and I hope I've done my part in sharing the names of those I know of.

There is no confirmed plans for Lux to return, but the team are more than open to the idea (it's just not their call).

Sunshine Sally sadly did not have a larger role planned (that they knew of).

They know about all of the fanart ("Into the Inkwell" mention in the Q&A, very cool) and are amazed by just how much love the character has received (I know the 2D team were engaged with the fan reception, but it's nice to see that extend to more of the crew). They are also thrilled by the concept of the dingles. They know about us, guys! BE AFRAID!

[ally-gator-animator]

Hey Dingalings, the full webinar is now available for free on YouTube

Now you can hear everything I wrote straight from the source (although the trivia from the Q&A is absent, so I'm glad I wrote notes from that) Enjoy, dingles!

[viralfrog]

[dragongirlbunny]

[modmad]

Been wanting to read the Lux comic but I have no Doctor Who knowledge :”^(

I don’t want to watch it, as I have serveral other shows under my belt, can I ask for bullet points?

you don't need to have watched any Doctor Who! there are several people reading it who never have; I wasn't sure if it was possible but they assure me they have been able to understand everything just fine. I do make references to previous villains now and again but I do try to take care to explain who and what they are during the stories. that said I still do recommend you at least watch the episode Lux, because it will make your experience much better! it's only one hour long and it's the best episode of Doctor Who in my very unbiased opinion!

[modmad]

asdfsdfsdf love that the RGB print and t-shirt are in the LGBTQIA+ collection

well he is a pansexual rainbow themed twink

[topatoco]

Please welcome to the stage…✨ IDA HEUX POTATO ✨

It's finally time to sashay our way through Pride Month, and our large swath of queer creators have MANY Pride and otherwise-themed goodies for you to peruse!

We see you and we love you ❤️🧡💚💙💜 Happy Pride from us! :]

🏳️‍🌈 Topa.to/LGBTQIA 🏳️‍🌈

[thepromiscuousfinger]

[modmad]

Just wanted to say, thank you for creating Tailor. I can count canonically genderfluid characters on a single hand and it always makes me so happy when I find a character that shares my identity. I immediately clocked them when they first appeared and I was literally jumping and grinning lol

Their design is so cool (the way they change their appearance with their ribbons/make braids/move around with them is so genius) and i adore their personality, it just scratches a particular itch in me. So thank you for creating someone I can see so much of myself in!! Ur comic is genuinely such a 10/10 :’)

aaaa thank you! happy pride gender fluid folks I love you

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[beggars-opera]

Not to be that person, but if you remember this, how's that newfound back pain going for ya babe

[vocabulary-altering-posts]

PHRASE ADDED!

LET'S DO THE FORK IN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL

LET'S DO THE FORK IN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL

DING-DING-DING DING-DING DING DING-DING DING DING-DING-DING DING-DING DING DING-DING DING DING-DING-DING DING-DING DING DING-DING DING DING-DING-DING DING-DING DING DING-DING DING

[matumnaples]

Before June I have to share one of my favorite tiktoks

[modmad]

How old is TPoH?

started in 2012! she's one old beast