Mythspiration Art

Hana Russell's art blog. Artist, illustrator, and crafter. (she/they) Formerly Flame Point Studio

[fucking-relax]

when your body is stiff/aching,

try slowly stretching it out.

if you stretch too far to point of pain, back off to point of ache and hold it there for a bit.

body may still hurt but at least it’s at a higher threshold now.

[keirametzbrassknuckles]

RIP Richard Serra. You made so many people so so so mad

[keirametzbrassknuckles]

In honor of this guy's passing let me once again tell the story of my favorite piece of art ever - Tilted Arc.

Commissioned by the US government in 1979 the work was made up of a 12x120 foot sheet of cor-ten steel which bisected Foley federal plaza in Manhattan. That's it. Just a sheet of metal in a plaza between several government buildings. It doesnt do anything. But it made people So Angry and also made the best argument I've ever seen for the worth of public art.

Foley square is the sqare around which the NY County courthouse, US Court of appeals, and several international ans national seats of law are positioned, which makes it a very important governmental spot in the US. These are the courts that don't send billionaires to jail and rule in class action suits against the prosecution.

The sculpture was installed after a lengthy period during which Serra carefully watched the way people interacted with and moved through the space. His artwork was as much a piece of participatory performance as it was a piece of sculpture, using the general public as part of the piece itself.

Of course everyone fucking hated it.

Because of the way the structure was positioned, lawyers and government employees had to walk around the structure, not only disrupting their habitual path of movement and allowing time for contemplation, but also making them contend directly with the people they were supposed to be working in the best interest of. The sculpture became a site of impromptu games of soccer between neighborhood kids, a makeshift arena for buskers because of the accoustics, and a windbreak under which the homeless could take shelter. It was a sculpture which made one intensely aware of their trajectory in space and thereby the world. While, granted, not as good as the park which had been initially considered (and which is there today) it did function as a living community space in ways it previously had not.

There were multiple hearings at which artists such as Claes Oldenburg, Joan Jonas, and Keith Harring argued in support of keeping the piece. But to no avail. After a protracted legal battle -- during which Serra stated his right to free speech and that the government itself had greenlit the commission and the government argued that the curvature of the piece would cause bomb blasts to ricochet into the courthouse (what?)-- the piece was dismantled in 1989 and is stored in a warehouse somewhere in Brooklyn to this day.

Ultimately the commission and subsequent censorship of the piece triggered long running debates over Institution vs. Public, general poor urban planning, public perception of art, and the creation of environments as art which continue to rage within sectors from public policy to architecture to art. It really shifted the discourse and formed the basis of a lot of my own academic inquiry.

Public art should not (and arguably can not) be just pure aesthetic frosting on the cake of life. It needs to activate a space, and, more importantly, activate people within that space. Contemporary art should make you uncomfortable, should make you think, and this piece really speaks to the general societal fear of anything that disrupts our routines or makes us think about our environment too much. It was a wakeup call and a community space and a free speech argument and an example of the stupidity of the US government all wrapped up in one thing and I love it so so so very much.

Anyway, RIP Richard. You made so many people so mad and so many people so happy. Hope you're frolicking in a field of rusty steel monoliths as was your happy place.

[kunaigirl]

Me: "Damn people are REALLY BAD at knowing when to tag their eyestrain art/images...either that or they just don't care about photosenitive epileptic people like me. I feel really sad now." Person: "But Allison, what if they just don't know or understand what qualifies as eyestrain and what doesn't?" Me: "You know what? That could be a factor...While it is always better to be safe rather than sorry (so YES people should always tag eyestrain even if they're unsure if it "counts" or not) maybe you've got a point?"

Anyways! HERE'S YOUR HANDY GUIDE TO WHAT CAN COUNT AS EYESTRAIN! I'm pulling this straight from the Artfight rules page about what needs to be labeled and filtered as eyestrain because it's VERY helpful and VERY accurate! I also know not everybody has an AF account and might not always have access to this handy guide, and this is an important resource; That's why I'm sharing it here! (under the cut)

PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!!! THIS IS ABOUT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OTHERS!!!

Full eyestrain AF page link

"But Allison! How were you able to screenshot that example if you're so sensitive to eyestrain?"

I dimmed the HELL out of my computer screen and looked away while taking the screenshot and did the same when putting it into this post, that's how lol. BUT YEAH ANYWAYS!!! Once again:

PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!!! THIS IS ABOUT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OTHERS!!!

[mythspirationart]

As someone who used to only abstractly understand and now gets migraines from this stuff, please please please take this seriously. Headaches are MILD compared to what other go through, and on a good day this stuff feels like a horse is leaning on my eyeballs. On a bad day, the horse is covered in long spikes.

[everyday-cutephoto]

[molabuddy]

i remember hearing this from somewhere a while ago, literally one of the best things you can do to improve your art is to be brave and draw something above what you think your skill level is. make something you dont think youll be able to make well and try ur very best. and it probably wont turn out the way you hoped but fuck youll learn so much

[cormorant-red]

how to erase pencil guidelines from under ink

1. wait until you’re absolutely sure the ink is dry

2. wrong

[sunderwight]

"humans are space orcs" this and "humans are the jack-of-all-trades race" that and "humans are the ones with a reputation for trying to fuck everything" and etc but you know what I don't see too often?

humans are the moms

compared to other species on earth, humans have a really outsized "protect baby" instinct. you give a human a thing and tell them it's actually a baby thing and many humans will suddenly develop a complete and total aversion to harming it, even if it's like, a writhing mass of slimy tentacles in no way reminiscent of human infants

cats domesticated us by figuring out that they could leave their kittens with us when they went out hunting and come back and probably still have the same number as before they left. there is a decent chance that wolves did the same thing

word gets around the less parenting-inclined species and they're just like, are you doing a long haul space voyage? going to have to lay some eggs in the course of the trip? take a few humans with you. yeah they'll just start training the young and keeping from them climbing into the machinery themselves you don't even have to find specialists. I know a guy who budded unexpectedly on a freight hauler halfway through a four year trip, and not only did the humans not eat his spawn, they set up this thing called "babysitting" where they'd take turns monitoring its survival and helping to teach it basic skills

hazard is that if you're going anywhere with xenofauna, you have higher than normal odds of the humans trying to smuggle some weird creature aboard ship, though. you gotta watch 'em. on their own homeworld their officials have to put up goddamn signs telling them not to feed dangerous wildlife or try to touch the babies. most of 'em do understand the regulations and about potential bio hazards but there always seems to be at least one that loses their goddamn minds because some avian chick got caught in a mudslide or something

[readingworldwanderer]

You may think the phrase "He's just a little guy" comes from internet memes, but you would be wrong.

The true origin of the phrase belongs to celebrated author Tamora Pierce, in her 1983 novel Alanna: The First Adventure, when Gary says, "Still—what can Alan do for you? He's just a little guy"(49).

Thus, whenever we say of someone or some creature that they are "just a little guy," what we are really saying is that they are a short redheaded knight-in-training with some sort of Gender going on who will kick your butt given half a chance.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. May we all be the little guys we wish to see in the world.

Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The First Adventure. New York, Random House, 1983.

[luriuan]

I love how whenever ATLA recognizes Sokka is smart enough to solve a problem but it’d be too fast they just stick him in some kind of situation. Like he COULD’VE stopped jet from drowning a town so they tied him up and dumped him in a forest. He COULD’VE figured out what that spirits deal was so they lost him in the spirit world for 24 hours.

[sailing-ever-west-deactivated20]

One time they just stuck him in a hole in the ground for a whole episode.

[ectojester]

This is how writers should deal with characters who are too smart for the arc instead of making them suddenly dumber for no apparent reason.

If you frequently find yourself in random situations while your friends happen to be experiencing problems maybe you, too, are too smart for the narrative.

[not-deadsummer]

My favorite is that Sokka absolutely would've just navigated them out of the desert, so they had to put him on acid the entire time.

[fictionadventurer]

I love that Jules Verne asked the question "What kind of person could circumnavigate the world in 80 days?" and decided that the answer was not a groundbreaking explorer or genius inventor, but a guy who's really, really, really obsessed with train and boat schedules.

[oqmemphis]

my final paper for my CS degree was literally "how can we algorithmically optimise for the fastest possible circumnavigation route on commercial flights?", which incidentally required me to adopt a very good working knowledge of what flight options are available at what times (and also led to me accidentally memorising several hundred airport codes)

[oqmemphis]

incidentally the fastest possible route seems to be about 51 hours, if you're working from 2022 schedules like i was. if you use current schedules and are very optimistic about how quickly you can transfer between flights, you can maybe get it down to around 48 hours (also known as 25 millivernes).

[fictionadventurer]

The very best thing about tumblr is that you can make a post about a 154-year-old novel and get responses like this.

[mythspirationart]

Though an early February holiday is celebrated all over the northern hemisphere, on the surface, it seems like an odd time to celebrate.

It's dark, cold, and often wet. It's not an astronomically significant day, like a solstice or an equinox, but it does mark an important tipping point. The days are getting longer in leaps and bounds, you have survived the darkest months of the solar cycle, and spring is just around the corner.

Don't underestimate the power of those darkest days. Most of the deaths among my friends and family have happened during the darkest months of the year. This year, we mourn and rage at the unnecessary deaths of peaceful protestors and those held captive.

This Groundhogs Day, celebrate surviving all your darkest times, honor those who have passed, and remember, it's on the dark and dreary Groundhogs Days, when you can't see your shadow, that spring is likely coming a little early.

[pinayelf]

Making a flat/wide/bulbous nose appreciation post because those big nose posts never include them:

[yournewfriendshouse]

[feefal]

Funguary 2026! The drawing challenge where we draw fungi during the month of February. This will be the last time I’m hosting this event, which is bittersweet… So join in on the fungi fun one last time, so we may end it with a bang✨ Event starts Feb 1st

In order to join, create one art piece centered around mushrooms per weekly theme. Drawing daily is a lot of pressure, so I thought we’d keep it chill this time by only doing one a week. This will give us more time to flesh out our character! Ive written down species suggestions, but please feel free to draw whichever shroom you fancy!

The only official rule is to honor fungi as your almighty deity. Oh, and to use tags #Funguary & #Funguary.

Can’t wait to see everyone’s shroom creations! Will be stalking the tag and reblogging creations, as per usual❤️

[wizardarchetypes]

anyone have a good place for references of fat faces/bodies? rly frustrated trying to find fat faces and double chin side profiles for drawing references bc clearly ppl think that's a 'bad angle' and every place i try searching for it, all i get is people talking about how to get rid of double chins 😭😭😭

[lhylice]

I'm pretty sure @adorkastock has quite a few fat faces and bodies both here and on their website's free gallery!

Edit: Found the section I bookmarked awhile back!

fat Archives - AdorkaStock

[adorkastock]

Yes and also @fugitiverabbit runs FatPhotoRef.com ♥

[warrior-of-storms]

Normally I wouldn't do this, but I need a larger sample size so hi! I'm running a survey for one of my college finals. This is completely anonymous, but I'm hoping to use some or all of these responses in my final project. Fill it out as many times as you want, whether that's zero or fifty (though... though preferably not fifty ^^" I only have so much time, after all). Whatever you're willing to share is very much appreciated 😊

What is art?

Something I'm doing for class, hopefully it works out. This should be 100% anonymous; if it somehow isn't, I screwed something up & I'm sorr

If you're willing to reblog this so it reaches more people, that would be appreciated, but you ofc do not have to. I'll be accepting responses until November 30, but sooner is better if possible. Thank you so much!

[mythspirationart]

Very cool poll! Made me think about the nature of art.

[tiny-librarian]

“Kazul’s not my dragon.“ Cimorene said sharply. “I’m her princess. You’ll never have any luck dealing with dragons if you don’t get these things straight.”

Dealing With Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede

[theotherhappyplace]

I saw this art when I was 11 years old and I was like “this is the best drawing in the history of the world”

[knightotoc]

The artist is Trina Schart Hyman, an incredible and prolific talent who passed away in 2004. You can find a ton of tributes to her online from other illustrators and organizations, like the children’s literary magazine Cricket, which she helped create. She illustrated over 150 books, won the Caldecott Medal and Honors, and helped other artists land gigs for decades. She was also gay, hilarious, and one of the first white children’s book illustrators to include diverse characters.

“You have to be so motivated that you have to want to draw so badly that it’s like taking away your oxygen not to draw. It has to be so much a part of your expression and your personality that you cannot live without it. You can’t go for more than two days without drawing. I mean, it is that basic a need for me.”

“[As a child,] I was too imaginative and sensitive. I used to burst into tears at the slightest thing and I was terrified, of people especially. I had trouble, I think, separating reality and fantasy. I learned to read early and I loved to read and I just lived in storybooks and in pictures. That was more real to me than the world. And, in a way, it still is.”

“For the past thirty years I’ve lived in a big old farmhouse in northwestern New Hampshire. Some part of it always needs fixing – there’s always a room falling off or a roof caving in – but to me it is home. Mostly there are walls and walls of books that hold it up and keep out the cold. I live here with my partner, Jean, who helps me keep it all going, and our two dogs, two cats, and five sheep. Jean is a teacher and the director of a little school where kids actually have fun learning.”

[To fellow illustrator Jim Arnosky] “I want a page of hands. You need to learn to draw hands.”

[To Arnosky, who lived in a rural Pennsylvia cabin with his pregnant wife and kid] “I’m giving you this cover assignment on one condition: that you get water put in that cabin.”

[To author Eric Kimmel] “Why is it that when­ev­er some­one writes a sto­ry about knights, ladies, and drag­ons, they send this shit to me?”

[To a Caldecott commitee organizer who asked if she enjoyed the dinner at the ceremony] “Oh, yes. Especially the dessert. It looked like a large chocolate penis.”

[To Kimmel] “Lis­ten, Eric. I know this is scary for you now. It’s real­ly noth­ing in the big scheme of things. Do you want to know what’s going to hap­pen? We live. We die. And in the mid­dle we have some good times and some bad times. That’s your sto­ry. That’s my sto­ry. That’s the sto­ry of every­body who ever lived and who­ev­er is going to live. You just hope that when the end comes, it will be quick and won’t be too painful.

“As for what you just told me, it will work itself out. The best result you’re hop­ing for prob­a­bly won’t hap­pen. But nei­ther will the worst. It will end up some­where in the mid­dle. It’s all about mon­ey any­way, which is not that big a deal. You’ll write a check and that will be the end of it. Life moves on and so will you. I promise that the next time we get togeth­er we’ll have a drink and laugh about it.

“There’s one more thing I want you to remem­ber while you’re going through it all. Pills help. So does booze. And so do friends. So use them.”

[On the Dykes on Bikes at a mid-90s Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco, to Kimmel] “Did you see that, Eric? There are a lot of us.”

[mythspirationart]

I love little harmless mythology mistakes in art, because that's how myths grow and change. Like most of the US thinking that Hermes' double snake staff, which he used to lead dead souls to the afterlife, is the staff for healing. Meanwhile, the rest of world knows that the healing staff of Aesculapius is the one with one snake.

2 Snakes = You're already dead

1 Snake = You're not dead yet!

Currently my favorite mythstake is that there is a marble portrait of a Mesopotamian god in the US Capital Building.

If you don't know anything about Mesopotamian depictions of kings humbling themselves before their patron dieties, easy mistake to make when looking at the original art!