5. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever worked for?
“The ‘ardest thing'v ever worked for? There’s plenty. Gettin’ out'v debt, bein’ alive 'ere an’ now, keepin’ work an’ bein’ less'v a delinquent. Still a delinquent, tho’ jus’ less'v one…” A wide smirk dances across her lips as she makes fun of herself. “So I may be a giant pain in most people’s asses but one thin’s fer sure, tha’ I work 'arder than most folk,” Deeza said, her chest puffing out in pride, soon then dropping as she gave a gentle shrug of her left shoulder with a proper answer.
“It’ll be gettin’ sober, though. At t'op ov’ the list. I did… I did most ov’ it alone. Sometimes I’d fall off t'wagon an’ folk were there to catch me, other times, I only 'ad my own two legs t'pick me back up. The one person 'oo would 'ave probably helped me through it all was.. occupied, unfortunately. They probably beat 'emselves up about it, too. They could'ne 'elp bein’ on’t other side o’ the world….” Deeza clasped her hands together and rested them behind her head as she relaxed back in her seat. “T'was 'ard, though. Sometimes I still get urges,” the Keeper would admit with a faint sigh through her nose. “S'pose that’s why it’s t'ardest thing I’ve worked for. 'Cause am’ still workin’ for it.”———–
Thanks so much for the ask, @vexredain :D It’s kept me occupied on this quiet morning at work!
Hey doll! I am sorry I keep asking you things, but you're so kind and helpful! I hope you are having a great day! Anyways, I was wondering about the calligraphy (fancy handwriting) how do you learn to do that? Are there any resources for it? Thanks doll! *hugs*
Hello! I’m sorry it took so long for me to reply to you! I got so busy all of a sudden with review classes and all (thus the lack of original content haha). I’m so glad that you’re asking me questions, so don’t apologize! Here’s a masterpost of several resources that I’ve found online and also a collection of my own tips and techniques! Hope you enjoy reading! I’ll try including some of my own pics, but alas my lighting is terrible. Disclaimer: I AM NO EXPERT!
Materials
As a beginner, I recommend not buying the expensive brush pens right away. Master the technique first! Buy maybe one or two brush pens just to get a feel of it, but don’t splurge on 24 colors right away. I started with a Prismacolor brush pen. But even before running your brush pen dry, practice with other tools like pens, pencils, crayola markers, and highlighters. Really get the technique down. I, personally, really like using colored pencils for practice because it’s easy to see the hard down strokes and light up strokes.
Popular Brush Pens: Kuretake Zig Brushables*, Kuretake Clean Color Real Brush Pen, Tombow Dual Brush Pen*, Sharpie Brush Marker, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pen, Artline Stix Brush Marker.
Tip: A brush marker has generally 2 factors to look out for: tip and hardness. Brush pens are commonly marker-type (felt-tipped), but you can also find ones with synthetic or real bristles, which take more time to master. The hardness also plays a role. Some people like harder brush pens because they resemble markers, and others like more flexible types. You may wanna consider the marker-types if you’re starting out.
Technique
Hard down strokes and light up strokes. It takes practice to get your hand used to the motion, but you’ll get the hang of it easily if you keep at it!
Hold your marker at an angle so that you get a thick down stroke. The smaller the angle the thicker the stroke.
Don’t get into letters just yet. Practice your strokes by writing lines first. Up down up down. After lines, zig zags. After that, gentle waves.
Once you can really write in a fluid motion, practice with letters! Stick to the straight letters (e.g. i, l, & t) before going into ovals (e.g. o, a, p).
Or just keep writing words and develop your own style! There are many different ways to write each letter so explore!!!
Tips
Brush pens can run out of ink FAST! It’s a shame to spend all of it on mere practice alone! To solve this problem I save my brush pens for actual legit design and practice with watercolor paint brushes and water brush pens. The paint I use is really cheap (less than a dollar at a crafts store) and the brushes weren’t too pricey. I got my water brush pen for about roughly $4 at a calligraphy shop. Using real brushes are a good way to practice technique, and you can do it without worrying about the ink hehe.
Be gentle with your pens!!!!
FAKE IT ‘TIL U MAKE IT! Just use an ordinary pen, write in cursive, and darken dem down strokes HAHA. Shhh it’ll look pretty either way.
Resources!!
VIDEOSbrush lettering for beginnersbrush lettering with crayola markersbeginner’s guide: basic strokeshow to: brush calligraphy in diff styleslearn the alphabet with brush letteringbrush script lettering basic (skip to 2:35)beginner’s guide (lengthy intro)
OTHERSa list of references on buzzfeedaffordable materials for beginnersbrush pen guidehow to get better at brush calligraphywaterbrush lettering for beginnersTHIS REALLY AWESOME TUMBLR POSTALSO THIS ONE!!!!
10. What was the scariest moment you’ve had in public?
“‘Oo can say? There’s been so many,” Deeza peers down at her hands before they fall limp to her sides, her eyes glaze over as a distant memory comes to life in her mind.“Maybe t'time I overdosed,” she’d admit after a long moment of contemplation, shaking the memory from her head. “I used t'be in a very bad place, y'know? I - I,” her hands tighten at her sides, knuckles turning white. “I used a pipe, smoked a lot. One evenin’ I decided t'go outside, stumblin’ around. I don’t remember much, really. I thought I wus’ dyin’, I remember feelin’ terrified. So I collapsed in a corner, ready t'go. Woke up when some… some people grabbed me an’ took me somewhere safe. Probably owe'em my life.” Dee’s words grew quieter and quieter, before falling silent with a gentle shrug of her shoulders.————–Thanks so much for the ask, @oracleffxiv!!
“’oo? ‘tomi? We met each other briefly kinda b’fore we knew each other know. Guess I though’ she jus’ looked a little… lost.”
Current impression:
“Kotomi is a good lass, y’know? She got problems, but so’’s every’n else… don’t make ‘er a bad person. Definitely makes ‘er feisty.”
Are they attracted to your muse?:
“Yeah, ‘course I am. ‘ave y’seen ‘er? Nice’n toned… gods she’s got a smirk tha’could slay a man…”
Something they find frightening about your muse:
“She…. reminds me a lo’v me, ‘n I don’t like tha’ so much. Reminds me ‘o me a few years back ‘n I was even more ‘o a dumbass back then, a loveable dumbass, but still…. I know where it led me, ‘n I ain’t past sayin’m a little scared she may go down t’wrong path.”
Something they find adorable about your muse:
“She leans on my side a lot. Like, restin’er ‘ead on my shoulder. Dunno’… s’kinda cute sometimes.”
Would my muse sacrifice themselves for yours?:
“Sacrifice? I - wha’… maybe? I’d take like… a hit for ‘er or somethin’, long ‘as it didn’t leave me fer dead…”
Would my muse go on a date with yours? Platonic/Romantic:
“I ain’t much ‘o a date person but’v she wanted t’go ‘n get dinner or jus’ a drink I’d be up fer it.”
One word my muse would use to describe yours:
“Difficult.”
Would my muse slap yours if they could?:
“I dun’ see why I would. She’s a pain, but no’ the slappable kind. Or d’ye mean ‘er arse? ‘cause tha’s a different answer.”
Would my muse hug/kiss yours?:
“We’ve done it b’fore so, yeah.”
Thanks for the ask!!! Dee likes Kotomi really, I swear. She’s just embarrassed.
“Nostalgia… t'is a fuckin’ shite thing. I ‘ate it, yknow? Feelin’ sad ‘bout better days, cause they weren’t better days. They wus’ pretty shite ones…” The Keeper huffs out some air as she shifts in her seat. “Before it all went to shit tho’, t'was nice, wasn’t really any better than now. Every time I look in’t the mirror I get nostalgic… t'answer the question,” Dee waves a hand up to motion to the black stripe across her eyes. “It’s t'mark'v my clan, not that I see my clan anymore, I guess I keep it on t'remind me of what things were like. What they could’ve been like… an t'whole dyin’ in battle shite. There’s my face, too,” she’d add after a moment. “Did I mention I 'ave a twin? Can y'imagine two'o me?” The Keeper manages to crack a grin. “Everytime I see myself, I see 'er, an’ reminds me o’ when we were sprogs runnin’ around…” Dee falls quiet after a moment, her brow creased in concentration. “I get nostalgic over that. Bein’ a kid, seein’ my family. I don’t do tha’ anymore.” ————Thanks for the ask, dork @nikuyakotomi!!