Just another art blog

Art blog for fanarts, original art, OCs, and whatever other visual media creation that catches my fancy.

[scribbly-blue-hearts]

Cleaning up my files and forgot that I had all these wing studies from circa. 2015 so thought, y’know what, I don’t need to hold onto these, so have this as a little gift from me to whomst ever needs some quick wings for their OC’s, AU’s, and Art.

[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!!!

[doodlemancy]

hello fellow artists. google has fallen. pinterest/duckduckgo AI filters don't work. do not despair; here is a list i made of places to find reference images without having to sift through piles of worthless garbage. (for future editing convenience i am just linking my blog post on dreamwidth.)

✨ good places to find art reference that are not full of AI trash 🌈

[zanthiakhalaplace]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have been despairing as it is so hard now to find references and photos of succulents and other things for my designs!! T_T

[teaah-art]

Some VNC manga studies

[teaah-art]

Damao spent too much on in-app purchases for one of his pet games and is now trying out different sources of income.

Based on this post

[guttedpulsars]

here is a master list of great art tools that can make your workflow easier! 👇 (updating, please consider supporting me on kofi or check out my other works)

posemaniacs.com/en

if you want to learn human anatomy with the benefit of preset poses, this is for you! you can use it standalone, but as a bonus you can also import poses into the clip studio paint 3D models. (File -> Import -> 3D Pose (Posemaniacs)

line-of-action.com

great for gestures and observational sketches!

zvork.fr/vls/

browser based rig for lighting & shadows

MY FAVORITE BRUSHPACKS

truegrit texture supply - https://www.truegrittexturesupply.com

Photoshop & Procreate Textures and Brushes | True Grit Texture Supply

Game-Changing Brushes, Textures and Effects for Procreate, Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint and Affinity. Level up your digital art

thedawner procreate & csp packs - https://ko-fi.com/thedawner/

Buy thedawner a Coffee. ko-fi.com/thedawner

Become a supporter of thedawner today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love.

ADDITIONAL TOOLS COMING!

[teaah-art]

Continuing the concept of this post, here's a redraw of the Saraswati painting by Raja Ravi Varma in aroace pride flag colours.

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, learning, and the arts in the Hindu pantheon. Hinduism doesn't have one 'canon' and it's not that there isn't a scripture or lore where Saraswati is partnered with a god, even if the partnership is for heteronormative compliance. However, in most of Saraswati's widely known lore, she remains detached from romance or sex and solely dedicated to learning, arts, and knowledge.

Pun credits for both this and previous illustration to @callonpeevesie!

I had been thinking a lot about how historic and religious celibacy or abstinence from romance (or sex) is seen as sacrificial, when it could have just been gathering of people who would likely fall under the aro umbrella, just living life. I'm making an entire series out of redrawing mythological characers in classical paintings in pride colours.

Find all illustrations in this series here.

[teaah-art]

So happy to finally share this piece I worked on for the Aromantic Experiences Zine project organized by @morb1dcan1d!

The illustration is a redraw of a baroque painting, Diana Returning from the Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens. I had been thinking a lot about how historic and religious celibacy or abstinence from romance (or sex) is seen as sacrificial, when it could have just been gathering of people who would likely fall under the aro umbrella, just living life.

Diana/Artemis was a hunting goddess in the Greco-roman pantheon and her iconography would often show her accompanied by nymphs on a hunt. For Diana, the Hunt took precedence over romance, and companionship meant partnership within a hunting party. She primarily uses a bow, and 'Arrowmantic' is supposed to be a pun on that.

I got so invested into this idea that I decided to make a whole series out of redrawing mythological beings in classical paintings and colouring them with pride flag colours. More to come!

The Aromantic Experiences Zine features works of 23 aro creatives and I'm so proud to be one of the people who could contribute to this phenomenal project.

You can download a pdf version of the Zine here -

Aromantic Experiences // Digital Zine - Morb1dCan1d's Ko-fi Shop

A zine containing works written by a group of aromantic people. There is barely any representation for this peculiar identity, and finding c

[kotori-mochi]

Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Proko (Free)

Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard)

Aaron Rutten (free)

BoroCG (free)

Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)

Jesus Conde (free)

Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)

Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price)

SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)

Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)

The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney)

Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.

"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.

"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.

"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.

"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.

"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.

"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.

"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.

"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.

Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.

As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates)

Procreate ( pay once for $9.99)

Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, ect Free)

PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)

Krita (Free)

mypaint (free)

FireAlpaca (free)

Libresprite (free, for pixel art)

Those are the ones I can recall.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

[kotori-mochi]

Incase people missed this.

[vyeoh]

New Frame Plus for character animation! Incredible analysis by the guy that used to do Extra Credits

[aces-and-anime]

Autodesk sketchbook is also a free drawing program

[backfliips]

A lot of people on twitter wanted me to explain how I draw expressions, so here you go

Unless you're drawing explicit realism, in my opinion, expressions should be exaggerated to some degree. If you aren't doing a 1:1 recreation, the point is to get the FEELING across. Try making the expression you want to draw and feeling how your face pinches and stretches.

Skin doesn't just "disappear" when your face moves it around --- that's where wrinkles come from! Pay attention to where your skin creases when you emote, and use it to your benefit. It's a fine line between overdoing it and underdoing it -- find your own balance.

Ultimately, every expression has a little bit of push and pull, unless your face is completely neutral (and even then, there are still some wrinkles...). Learning to think of expressions as actions and reactions is VERY helpful in learning to draw them without needing a reference, and in learning how to stylize and push expressions based on references as well!

I think a lot of people end up with stiff or unexpressive emotions in their art because they're just trying to recreate a picture instead of understanding WHY and HOW the face is moving --- and it's a tough thing that takes a while to really pick up and learn. Hopefully is helpful in showing a way of thinking about it that can influence your process and approach to emotions!!!

Also, bonus: even without the lines, the planes alone still show a LOT of emotion.

[teaah-art]

@sundaralekhan Day 6 + Day 7: Pride + Creator's Choice

Combinging my free day with the Day 6 prompt. Anyone who has interacted with my content in the past year would probably already get why.

For the last prompt, I'm choosing to highlight Uddhav Sandesh by Surdas and the subculture and plethora of works it inspired. This scene is specifically based on Uddhav Shatak by Jagannath Das Ratnakar — an anthology of 100+ couplets in Braj Bhasha from 1874 about Uddhav's journey from Mathura to Braj with Krishna's letters to his parents, Radha, and the gopis.

Illustration is based on specifically these couplets by Ratnakar, after Uddhav's return from Braj:

ब्रज-रजरंजित सरीर सुभ ऊधव कौ धाइ बलबीर ह्वै अधीर लपटाए लेत । कहै रतनाकर सु प्रेम-मद-माते हेरि थरकति बाँह थामि थहरि थिराए लेत ॥ कीरति-कुमारी के दरस-रस सद्य ही की छलकनि चाहि पलकनि पुलकाए लेत । परन न देत एक बूँद पुहुमी की कौंछि पौंछि-पौंछि पट निज नैननि लगाए लेत ॥

(Rough) Translation :

Bathed in the rajas (guna) of Braj Uddhav's body becomes pious. Krishna embraces him impatiently. Says Ratnakar look at the one intoxicated with love, shaking arms are held (by Krishna) and (Uddhav) is steadied. Seeing the glorious maidens (Uddhav's) eyes wish to shed (tears of) joy. (Krishna) doesn't let one drop fall to the earth, (he) dabs (Uddhav's tears) and applies them to his own eyes.

Surdas' Uddhav Sandesh details the very same trip, Uddhav's travel from Mathura to Braj with letters for Yashoda, Nanda, Radha, and the gopis from a very distraught Krishna worried about their well being and their pain of separation from him. Uddhav questions their sadness, proposes they part with their despair born from 'worldly love' and instead meditate on the formless Supreme Being, since Krishna is very much that. However, his preaching of devotional love does not please or satiate the gopis who just want their Kanha back and they end up changing Uddhav's mind, gaining his empathy.

This episode can be and has been written with varying takes. In Ratnakar's work, Krishna and Uddhav are more touchy feely than they are in the Surdas version, which largely uses heavy symbolism and metaphor for the pairing (eg: Krishna is the lotus and Uddhav is the bee who will get stuck in the mud the lotus is growing in just to have a chance at the nectar.) However, in all versions, Krishna's polyamory and Uddhav's unconventional takes on love, and Uddhav-Gopi banter concluding in 'all love is valid' are constant. You cannot split the queer undercurrent from the narrative. Note that Surdas wrote his work in the 15th-16th century. Ratnakar is one of the last ones to write a retelling of the work in 19th century. Separated by about 400 years, Uddhav Sandesh and its derivatives are filled with a legacy of continued acceptance of love in all forms and going beyond devotional love for the 'god' that's right there regardless of gender or identity. This, to me, as a queer South Asian, is a matter of Pride and echoes 'we're here, we're queer'.

[teaah-art]

An alt version of this post

[teaah-art]

@sundaralekhan Day 5: AU

This time around, I'm posing a secondary theme for my Sundaralekhan works — Arts. In the coming week, I'll be posting art for Sundaralekhan prompts in the form of studies of various art forms that revolve around Hindu mythology.

Taking this chance to highlight the Jagannath Mythology. Whether you call it an offshoot of Krishna lore, Vaishnavite subculture, or both Krishna and Vishnu lores getting influenced by stories and mythology of the Puri area, Jagannath mythology has it's own flavour to it and it's own little stories you won't find anywhere else and make only sense for the coastal town of Puri.

Featured are illustrations inspired by Anasara Paintings, which take the place of the triad in the temple when the three are away on Rath Yatra.

My favourite story from the Jagannath mythology is the tale of Mausi Maa. She gave shelter to Jagannath and Balabhadra when they were very poor. You may think when did that happen to Krishna and Balaram and when did they ever travel that far south to this little shrine in Puri? But that's the point of an AU! Vrindavan may be a model for Jagannath/Krishna lore, but Jagannath squarely belongs in Puri and the mythology worldbuilds itself around Odia locales and traditions. You can read more about Jagannath's unique family here.

I studied one of the Anasara Paintings from the book In the Absence of Jagannatha by Eberhard Fischer and Dinanath Pathy. Reference painting and details under the cut.

This is the "Puri matha triptych of 1998".

Caption from the book:

This was photographed in Puri in 2000, where it was found hanging on a wall of one of the religious establishments. Textiles were fixed at the waist of the images, as is often the case with icons in shrines. The flaking on the torsos of the painted icons indicates that they had been worshipped previously

I kept the cloth and took some liberties in filling out portions of the torso lost to flaking.

[teaah-art]

@sundaralekhan Day 4: Rarepair

This time around, I'm posing a secondary theme for my Sundaralekhan works — Arts. In the coming week, I'll be posting art for Sundaralekhan prompts in the form of studies of various art forms that revolve around Hindu mythology.

A traditional Manipuri Basanta Raas choreography involves three characters - Radha, Krishna, and Sakhi. A minimum of two Sakhis are a must for the composition. The Basanta Raas begins with Krishna hiding and Radha searching for him with her Sakhis. Then Krishna rejoins, and the Radhakrishna pairing takes the central stage, as the sakhi who helped Radha through her times without Krishna takes a backstage.

But what about a Radha x Sakhi pairing? It's such an interesting dynamic to think of in the context of this traditional Manipuri choreography. Each time, the Sakhi must support Radha and then simply yearn for her and support Radha being with Krishna and be pushed to the periphery. Are the Sakhi's feeling onesided? Or is Radha as polyamorous as Krishna? Does Radha not notice the Sakhi at all Much to think about!

For those not familiar with Manipuri, Radha wears a red blouse and green poloi (on the left of this image) and the Sakhi wears a green blouse and red poloi (on the right of this image). Their colours complement each other!

[teaah-art]

@sundaralekhan Day 3: Women-centric Romance

A short comic based on the lyrics of Kalo Meyer Payer Tolay, a Shyama Sangeet by Kazi Nazrul Islam. Specifically, these lyrics:

কালো মেয়ের পায়ের তলায়, দেখে যা আলোর নাচন। মায়ের, রূপ দেখে দেয় বুক পেতে শিব, যার হাতে মরণ বাঁচন।

Translation:

Beneath the dark maiden's foot, keep seeing the dance of lights. Seeing Mother's form Shiva bares (his) chest, on whose hands are death and salvation.

This time around, I'm posing a secondary theme for my Sundaralekhan works — Arts. In the coming week, I'll be posting art for Sundaralekhan prompts in the form of studies of various art forms that revolve around Hindu mythology.

Shakta stories rarely have romance as a central theme, but when they do, it is almost always women-centric. And that's why I picked a Shyama Sangeet for today. Though with this pick, I'm kinda giving a shout out both Shyama Sangeet and Nazrulgiti. You can read more about Nazrul, his works, and specifically Kalo Meyer Payer Tolay here. The link has a translation of the entire song as well as a recording of it.

[teaah-art]

@sundaralekhan Day 2: Next Gen

This time around, I'm posing a secondary theme for my Sundaralekhan works — Arts. In the coming week, I'll be posting art for Sundaralekhan prompts in the form of studies of various art forms that revolve around Hindu mythology.

I have been meaning to do a study of Lakhon Nai, the Thai classical dance-drama, ever since I watched Mansuang a couple months ago. Here's a study of Unarut and Osha, the Thai Aniruddh and Usha with a reference picture taken from this wonderful post by @heaven-is-in-your-arms-series. Do give it a read to know more about Lakhon Nai and Unarut/Aniruddh's tale!

I kind of shot myself in the foot with picking such an intricate and detailed topic to do a study of for a daily prompt. I wasn't able to justice to my reference as I had hoped. But figured I'd post on time for now and then do more studies to get better later!

[heaven-is-in-your-arms-series]

They look fabulous 💛

[teaah-art]

Thank you!!! Both for the reblog and all your wonderful and informative posts about all the little details in Mansuang!

[teaah-art]

@sundaralekhan Day 2: Next Gen

This time around, I'm posing a secondary theme for my Sundaralekhan works — Arts. In the coming week, I'll be posting art for Sundaralekhan prompts in the form of studies of various art forms that revolve around Hindu mythology.

I have been meaning to do a study of Lakhon Nai, the Thai classical dance-drama, ever since I watched Mansuang a couple months ago. Here's a study of Unarut and Osha, the Thai Aniruddh and Usha with a reference picture taken from this wonderful post by @heaven-is-in-your-arms-series. Do give it a read to know more about Lakhon Nai and Unarut/Aniruddh's tale!

I kind of shot myself in the foot with picking such an intricate and detailed topic to do a study of for a daily prompt. I wasn't able to justice to my reference as I had hoped. But figured I'd post on time for now and then do more studies to get better later!