Always believe in happy endings

Hey there. my name is Colin. I live in Canada. I am a fan of many a tv show, movie, and book. I am also a writer. I enjoy writing fanfiction and original stories that add a dash of fantasy into the normal world.

[frostedmagnolias]

Day Dress

around 1845

made of iridescent blue-brown silk damask with a check pattern

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

[frostedmagnolias]

Dress

c. 1828-1830

London Museum

[anachrosims]

just in case anyone forgot how wildly colorful Georgian interiors could be, even among the working class to the wealthy:

[anachrosims]

and EVEN WHEN things were more muted/neutral, the neutrality was OFFSET by ACCENT COLORS and HIGH CONTRAST between the wood tones and everything ELSE

ALSO AMERICAN COLONIAL INTERIORS POPPED OFF, Y'ALL (IN TERMS OF COLOR/COZINESS)

PEOPLE USED WHITEWASH AND COLORFUL TRIM OR EVEN JUST COLORFUL FURNITURE IF THEY COULD AFFORD TO DO SO

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON FRENCH AND BRITISH AND AMERICAN WALLPAPERS

"ELIZABETH" YOU CRY, "WHY ARE YOU BEING SO EXTRA THIS MORNING?! IT'S MONDAY"

Because, my friend, my war on GREIGE will NEVER end.

Historic interiors were filled with LIFE and LIGHT and COLOR. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.

Part of the reason we don't see a lot of textile art is because, frankly, textiles tend to degrade over time - especially ones that had utility! And yes, pigments and weaving and dying all boosted the expense of things, when we were finally reliably block-printing fabrics and broad reams of paper, it was no longer just the wealthy who could afford pretty patterns!

In the Americas, a far wider variety of pigments also became available because of the abundance of... well, a shitton of flora and minerals, some of which weren't as common in Europe.

WHY THE HIGHLIGHTER COLORS? you ask.

CANDLES.

Those colors reflect candlelight and natural sunlight REALLY WELL.

Humans LOVE bright colors, it's NOT just a thing for kids. We live in a brilliant, vibrant, multifaceted world. We ALWAYS have.

(STOP MAKING YOUR HISTORIC SIMS 4 BUILDS BE BLAND. STOP IT.)

[periodinteriors]

On the subject of Colonial America: don't forget, even if you couldn't afford wallpaper, wall stenciling might still be in reach!

(If ever you have the opportunity to visit the Stencil House at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont (pictured above at 3, 4, and 5), I highly recommend.)

And that's before you get into American painted murals:

Embrace the decorative arts, folks!

[the-almost-fashion-historian]

Mourning dress, c. 1830 by unknown designer

This dress is made of black silk twill.

This dress was sold by: Augusta Auctions

[frostedmagnolias]

Dress

late 1820s

British

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

[disneygoldmine]

No look, he’s breathing. He’s so beautiful.

[snowydragonsx-deactivated201602]

Now, Ariel, I’m tellin’ ya. If you wanna be a human, the first thing ya gotta do is dress like one.

[arendellekingdom]

[cyanfoal]

[catandcrown]

Mermay 2026

I wanted to do a few of these, but I’ve just run out of time, so if I get a chance, I’ll do some others down the line. Until then, here’s my golden boy!" More info below the break.

This was a really fun one, but I definitely spent too long on this in between other projects. It just felt good to work on something for me, when everything else is chaos at the moment.

I'm glad I went for a black model this time, as it's not a skin tone I have painted properly recently, and I wanted to practice some more, and it compliments the gold so well. I had a crisis on how to reflect the gold properly with so much metallic sheen and different bounce lights, but I had some help from the lovely Toby fox on it, and we dissected light sources, what ones could reflect where and how. Plus, I’m glad I went for the colour combos against a cooler background and chose a peaceful moment for a hunky merman at rest.

Sadly with my long covid/CFS I get kind of...fuzzy, very easily these days, I don't have much in the way of problem-solving patience, and it gets to me, so having art support always means the world ❤ I’m super keen to keep learning, but it’s at a snails pace, and it can often feel like I’ve been defeated before I even start. So, getting this guy done is a big win. Mermay is always a nice time to experiment with things in general for that 😊

The model, according to a reverse google of the image I found via Pinterest is Michael Otule! Really hope you guys like it!

[rinsuella]

“Hmph. Teenagers. They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you.”

[myrthena]

lily!!

[snow124-art]

She just wanted a hug so…))

[frostedmagnolias]

Dress

c. 1823

Figured silk, trimmed with silk, lined with silk, hand-sewn

England

Victoria and Albert Museum

[animation-magic]

[artschoolglasses]

Fine Muslin Day Dress with Lace Bodice, English, c. 1810

From Kerry Taylor Auctions

[frostedmagnolias]

Dress

c. 1837

American

The Metropolitan Museum of Art