Steff's Media Pile @steffsmediapile - Tumblr Blog

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liberalsarecool

The oligarchs won't give you anything.

You have to FIGHT. #Unions #WorkerSolidarity

animentality

fox-moblin

Wouldn’t leave my mind sorry

rectanglefeet

kitschky

and maybe we're doomed but oh my love which one of us is orpheus?

congrats to severance for becoming my second fav anticapitalist-media-referencing-greek-tragedies

jollyfurydragonballer

eversoslightlybitter

ub-sessed

How Not to Break Your Sewing Machine

I work in a shop where we repair sewing machines (a LOT of sewing machines), and unsurprisingly we see a lot of the same problems over and over again, so I'm here with some advice on how to keep your machine running longer.

When you break a needle, dig around until you have found the broken piece. If you leave it in there, it can end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and break something vital.

SLOW DOWN. The function of your sewing machine depends on the different moving parts ending up in the right place at the right time. Having to go through a lot of/heavy material slows the needle down, but it doesn't slow down the mechanism underneath the needle plate. If you try to go your usual speed, the needle will arrive too late and collide with something it shouldn't, breaking either the needle or the bobbin case. If the material is especially heavy (say you're sewing several layers of denim, or sewing webbing onto canvas), take your foot off the pedal and turn the machine by hand.

Clean out the bobbin area after each project. Really. Your machine comes with a little brush for this purpose. If it doesn't, a little dollar-store paint brush will work just fine. Remember what I said above about things being in the right place at the right time? Everything needs to be able to move freely for this to work. I know it looks like it's just a little dust and fluff, but it will jam up your machine eventually.

If you can, get your timing adjusted by a professional. I know most people don't have a sewing machine repair shop in their neighbourhood, but if you can do this, it's worth it. If the machine's timing is good, then you're more likely to have a little leeway for heavier fabric or a lintier bobbin case. When the timing is just a bit off, it takes less of an obstacle to put the needle in a place it shouldn't be.

If you can, buy a machine built before 1980. If it's still working 50 years after it was made, it's gonna keep working. Those older machines are made with metal gears and therefore weigh a ton, so they're definitely not a good choice if you don't have a permanent setup for your machine, but it means they basically last forever. Newer machines are made with plastic parts, and no matter what you do, they will break.

Don't buy a Singer Heavy Duty. I'm sure those machines have their benefits, but they are absolutely not heavy duty. We repair more Singer Heavy Dutys than any other single model of sewing machine. If you're already stuck with a Heavy Duty, then follow my advice above even more scrupulously, and start shopping around for a replacement if you can. You can get a used sewing machine of better quality for significantly less than a new Heavy Duty.

To keep things working properly, make sure you're:

threading your machine properly

using the right kind of bobbin

adjusting your tension properly

and using the right kind of needle for the fabric you're sewing!

(These things are unlikely to break your machine, but they will keep it from sewing properly.)

Other than that, get your hands on your machine's manual and read it carefully. If you can, bring your machine in for a cleaning and adjustment now and then. Your machine will need repairs every once in a while: it's a lot of little moving parts! But these are some basic precautions you can take to avoid some common problems.

patientno7

the suffering never ends

sinksanksockie2

This is the real process

thewritingbeast-blog

Resources for you!

Character Ideas:

Character creation masterpost

Character Alignment Chart

More character alignment descriptions

Muslim Character questions

Characters with magical powers

Building a new character advice

How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)

Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page

Basic character profile

OC masterpost

Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)

D&D Character Building Tool

Character Design Ideas:

How clothing affects a character’s personality

Character Design Inspiration blog

Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by

Character design references and inspiration

Sources for POC character design ideas and models

Create your own character model using HeroForge

For horned characters

Body and hair types guide

Random outfit generator

Naming Help:

Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources

General advice on avoiding naming appropriation

Hispanic Surnames

Gothic Victorian names

Huge master list for character things in general

Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more

Another name masterlist

How to pick a character name guide

Yet another names masterlist

Creating Background/backstory:

Character Sheet/Development Sheet

Another character development list

In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet

320 talents and passions for characters

On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous

Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary

Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes

Random backstory generator

Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid

Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:

Comparing character height/height references

Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science

Describing what different voices sound like

Describing skin tones

Writing friendship interactions that are platonic

Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea

Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing

Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)

How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters

How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero

On platonic OC and canon character relationships

How to avoid Godmodding in RPs

When it’s cheap to kill off a character

Writing dialogue

Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters

Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs

Slang resources

Dialogue tips

Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships

Bonus art masterlist!

brucewayneright

BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.

jasmehraj

Oh my God!

It’s amazing, some links aren’t working for me but those who are, are spectacular.

tamsinswriting

Reblogging because NAMING IS HARD

writing-prompt-s

!!!!!!!

ventrue-in-control

shaaknaa

I recently looked into the history of Hawaiian/Aloha shirts. Turns out the first ones were made by Japanese immigrants using Kimono Fabric. They've evolved since then, but I personally think it explains a lot.

sosuperawesome

Tasia M S on Instagram

repost-this-image

"I want to collect BJDs, but they're so expensive!"

It's tiny, but I've found a great BJD option for people who don't have the money for a resin cutie, as long as you don't mind a blind box.

Penny's Box (link is for US buyers) is a line of blind-box dolls that are about 6" tall. They are tension-strung BJDs, but because they are made of PVC and ABS plastics, they are WAY cheaper than resin dolls. They also have painted-on eyes instead of inset eyes, and their hair is a solid block of plastic. (You can buy an optional head cap for $5 that allows you to use a brushable wig instead, though, if you prefer.)

3 sets of these dolls have been released so far, with more to come: Nature's Secret, School Hunting, and Teennar.

Each doll comes with a full outfit and some extra hands for posing with. BJDs tend to be more of a "make-your-own-character kit" vibe, so they often don't come with hair, eyes, clothes, or paint. These are ready-to-go right out of the box.

The doll also can fit into Pukipuki/Obitsu11 clothes, so it's easy to find or make extra outfits that will fit them. If you buy more than one doll, you can mix and match the hair and clothing, which is also fun. While the doll itself is a surprise, there are 6 common dolls and 1 super-rare "secret" doll in each set, and you can see all 6 common dolls on the page you order from. You can also order a full set of 6, if you really want. (That option's a bit beyond my budget at the moment, which is also why I have so few resin-babies.)

Here are some reviews I've found, so you can see the quality level of the dolls and get a better feel for their size:

Again, I know that these aren't for everyone. But if you're looking for a cute ball-jointed doll that costs US$20-25 plus shipping, this is it. They're cute, they give you a good feel for how a ball-jointed body moves, and they're decent quality for the price. Plus, as of this writing (October 2022), they are working on a CENTAUR set, which should release early next year. (I am totally stoked--I love centaur dolls, even though they're really tricky to make clothes for.)

steffsmediapile

Have to reblog because just got Grapefruit as my first ever BJD and need the reference for new clothes for her... she especially needs undies 🫢

gayvampyr

i hate that every time i look for color studies and tips to improve my art and make it more dynamic and interesting all that comes up are rudimentary explanations of the color wheel that explain it to me like im in 1st grade and just now discovering my primary colors

gayvampyr

“red and green are opposites 🥰” cool now how do i paint a tree with pinks and blues without it looking like a child’s finger painting or incongruous blobs of rainbow vomit

gayvampyr

ok i can’t explain it very well but im looking for tips and techniques for rendering art like

with specifically the highlights and colors being hues that compliment each other, don’t distract from the scene, and make it more interesting/visually appealing

is it too much to ask

moreclaypigeons

gonna drop some sources I have saved on Pinterest! I don't know if these all link back to the original sources so apologies for that

cohesive but still contrasting

This kind of talks about color and composition

This is a bit about landscape specifically

Values & composition

Contrast in composition

Balance in colors & values

This one's more for palette building but I think it's useful and can be applied to the other ones

Cohesion within compositions/lighting

"Chromatic fringe" - I also see people using this with shading, they bring in a transition color that is a different hue than the base color or shadow, it makes it so that less vibrancy is lost and it doesn't get muddy!

This one specifically has a lot of process behind the style of painting you're looking for!

Also one of my favorite artists who makes bright and colorful art like this is Not Sorry Art on TikTok & YouTube, her website is here and it's<3 my fav. She has some videos where you can see her process

With the oranges painting you put as an example, I noticed they painted the lighter values more toward yellow - they also exaggerated the hues of the undertones of the photo, so I'm guessing they either did it in their head or bumped the saturation up to get a closer look! I really love these paintings you shared and I definitely share your desire to paint/draw like that :)

gayvampyr

thanks this is super helpful! /gen

mellific

bug parade continues apace!

ATLAS x CONSERVATORY | LEAF WEEVIL x CLOISONNE BESSBUG x HAWAIIAN SHIRT | BLADDER-BODIED MELOID x ONION DOME COCONUT RHINO x DARIGAN PAINT BRUSH | RED MILKWEED x LUSTREWARE PINK SPOTTED LADY x RETRO STRIPES | EMERALD EUPHORIA x VAPORWAVE

kingofooo

Wizard City concept art by Ghostshrimp

rabidlitmajor

Noooo don't get a tattoo it's so permanent blah blah blah my tattoo is whatever I want it to be and today it's an octopus

theartofanimation

Izzy Abreu - https://areu.tumblr.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzyabreuart - https://www.instagram.com/izzyabreu - https://www.etsy.com/es/people/sproutscouts - https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/izzyabreu - https://twitter.com/izzyabreu - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvp59irQ5lvRNIzqqg2s_7A

ye-olde-kyssimmee

spreads from a mockup kids book

ig / twitter / patreon

cheshireinthemiddle

Don’t let people make fun of you for liking japanese culture.

I am living in japan right now and let me tell ya:

There are people here who can’t speak or understand English who play nothing but Missy elliot and ludacris, even in businesses like housing offices and restaurants.

There are people who have cowboy hats and dead cow skulls in their home because they idolize what they assume American homes are like.

There are people who learn English strictly through music videos and American television shows.

There are entire karaoke bars with english songs often sung by people who have no idea what the lyrics mean.

Japan often takes American shows like the powerpuff girls and make japanese versions of them.

They often mistake common Americans for celebrities. I have been mistaken for Micheal jordan, tiger woods, Shaquille o'neal, Tyler perry, and saddest of all: queen latifa.

The act of sprinkling English into your japanese sentences is considered cute and cool and is popular with teenagers. Bonus points if you happen to use it correctly.

Japanese stores sell shirts with english on them and people buy them not knowing that most of those word combinations are nonsense.

Don’t let someone shame you for singing an anime opening, using japanese in your sentences, wearing clothing with japanese on it, ect. If anything, this is just one more thing that you have in common with them.

postingmachine9000

The American/Japanese cultural exchange is so pure and wonderful and I love it so much

jordasn

OK BUT RESONATE WITH THE SHIRT THING THOUGH

My Chinese relatives buy me shirts from China with English letters on them hoping I think it’s cool

I have a shirt that says “Hi Quality Uality”

It’s amazing

cheshireinthemiddle

It happens alot.

downpoursofmoonlitraindrops

And then what’s really great is Americans getting tattoos of Chinese characters thinking they mean one thing when they really don’t

cheshireinthemiddle

Also a topic where the reverse happens.

mrelisha26

lemme tell you..i have been in a grocery store in Japan and heard the unedited Get Low playin over the intercom..it was literally a Katt Williams moment

cheshireinthemiddle

Oh, unsensored songs are pretty common.

I should not be hearing an unsensored ‘Magic Stick’ playing at a family restaurant.

And the best thing is when literally no one shows that they understand what is being said.

kazoomusic

I was in a Chinese cafe one time and they had obviously put on their “fuck you” playlist. I mean, uncensored versions of Fuck You by Lilly Allen, Fuck You by Cee-lo Green, etc. No one else had any idea.

kazoomusic

Oh, also, I got my favorite shirt ever in a little tchotchky store in Sichuan: