7 Years Later, I've Returned @themasterpostblog - Tumblr Blog

Pencil/2D Animation Resources Masterpost

5/10/24:

Hello, I broke into my old account so I could make a little masterpost of resources I come across for learning pencil/2D animation. (Free or affordable classes, places to get tools, videos to give insider insight, etc.) I may not be able to get everything included, so if you think of something, you can reach out and suggest things to add! I will be updating this over time, with notes on when it was last recently updated. And maybe I'll end up giving the old blog a refresh too. I likely won't be making new masterposts outside of this one any time soon, nor updating any old ones. It's been SEVERAL years, and the internet is a different place. I would assume most of the old links are out of date by now, unfortunately. I hope that this list is helpful to you as well, and if I'm incorrect in anything I list, I'm learning too! So please be patient with me and feel free to reach out with a correction. It's not finished yet, but Tumblr deletes my posts before I finish them, so I'm starting with posting the skeleton and slowly updating this)

Find a Community to Learn From!

(recommended groups to lurk/join/make connections and ask questions)

What Tools Do I Need?

PDF Guide to Animation Desks, as written by David Nethry

(next line)

Where Do I Get Tools?

(Places where you can buy art supplies, software, etc)

Cartoon Supplies

(Online seller who carries Ingram Bond paper, lightboxes, storyboard pads, blank cels, etc. See also: Lightfoot LTD, which is identical in every way to Cartoon Supplies and for the life of me I'm not sure the difference, though both are equally recommended along side each other.)

Jet Pens

(Ah... I love window-shopping this site. If you love stationary like I do, you'll be on this site for hours adding things to your cart... and inevitably removing them because it's not feasible to spend hundreds on pens and sticky-note pads.)

Dickblick

(I've found they have good prices on name brands, but I haven't purchased from them yet. Often, I'm too overwhelmed by all the choices.)

Improve Your Art/Learn the Basics!

(anatomy classes, starter tools, etc)

Aaron Blaise (Co-Director of Brother Bear)'s Online Classes

He runs very good deals on the classes occasional, but you can also do a year's access to all classes and keep what you download, which is very useful! They're short, quick lessons, and tend to veer into more "helpful tips" than teaching, from what I've personally noticed, but it's well worth the price if you get them at a good deal!

Inside Look at the Industry -- aka: the Special Features:

(behind the scenes stuff, etc)

Books are more useful than you might think!

(Richard Williams Animator's Survival Toolkit, etc) (check out gently used copies of these books on Thriftbooks for a good deal!)

Nifty Free Resources

(Things like height charts, references, color wheels, blog posts, videos, etc)

What Artists Can Learn From Aladdin's Incredible Color by J. Holt [VIDEO]

(spacing for formatting)

The Art of Color Theory: Guide for Animators, Designers, and Artists (Animator Artist Life)

(space for formatting)

Free software!

GIMP

(A classic, GIMP is an old friend of mine. The first software I downloaded for art, I used to use it almost entirely to create animated GIFs for the Warrior Cat forums. Ah, how time has passed. Nowadays I can't even remember how to animate a GIF on there, but such is life. I still use it to this day for digital art, even having Corel Painter. Before GIMP, I animated the old fashioned way -- MS paint and Windows Movie Maker. With determination, I scripted and animated a handful of Warrior Cat characters frame by frame. Each frame of Hollyleaf or whoever it was blinking was the likely source of death for our old computer, may she rest in peace.)

Storyboarder

(Storyboarder is a free software with which you can use to create professional and clean storyboards. It also provides printable storyboard templates so you can do you work traditionally and re-upload it easily into the software! It also works with Wacom tablets. Check it out! It's actually super cool.)

Pencil 2D

(A free, open source software. Simplistic design, switch between raster and vector, and best of all, again, it's free. I haven't used this one much yet, but I've seen it positively talked about by many! I'll update with more research when I have the chance.)

Krita

(I haven't used this one yet, so I can't speak on it either! But it's going on the list so I can come back and research it later. My poor laptop is not going to handle this many downloads lol.)

OpenToonz

(I also haven't tried this, but see above, haha.)

Blender - Grease Pencil

(Blender is well known for 3D animation, but they added a 2D feature called Grease Pencil as well.)

WriterDuet

(Free for up to 3 projects, very simple, but upgrades to a $10 a month plan, which is... eh, I'll keep my Scrivener for now. I used to write scripts in Microsoft Word or the Notepad on PC back in the day, I don't think I personally need the fancy features.)

Trelby

(A free screenwriting software, very basic and simple, good for beginners.)

Keep an eye out for

(Humblebundle occasionally does software deals -- a good art bundle at a discount can give you an easy start!)

themasterpostblog

I've updated this one a little! But my laptop is nearly out of battery and I'm home from work specifically because of a pulled muscle, so I don't feel keen to move and plug it in. If you have anything to add, input is always welcomed! I'll keep it in mind.)

Regrettably, I really thought I'd find more time to work on that animation resource masterpost. Work's been rough. The good news is that this weekend I have two days in a row off, and I'm working on moving furniture so I can build a desk and move in a chair so I have a workspace that isn't my bed or the kitchen table lol. In theory, as I learn, I'll update that masterpost with what I find helpful! I've always found starting a new hobby can be overwhelming if you don't know where to look to get started. And if you're like me, you dive in to most hobbies without research, buying what tools seem necessary and trying to figure it out on your own, and succeed JUST enough to technically do it right, but never learn the technical details.

I suppose I'll use this as a call to animators -- what animation tools do you use? 3D, 2D, hand-drawn or computer, in other words. What works for you and what did you learn along the way? Do you animate as a hobby, or hope to make it a career, or is it a career for you already? I'd love to chat with you! And please, feel free to show off your animations! Talk about why you got started, what your first animation was vs. where you are now, etc. I'd love to hear about it!

The last thing I made was a couple of years ago, and I honestly don't remember how I made it. I assume I made it in GIMP and my laptop touchpad? It's a shame I can't find my old animated GIFs from when I was 13. I also had been, at the time, trying to make a short film called "Warrior Cats Go to Disney World" where I wrote the script, made the frames in MS Paint, and tried to stitch it together with Windows Movie Maker. In retrospect, that may have been what killed that computer.

#animation #animators #animators on tumblr #animating hobby #artists on tumblr #2d animation #digital animation #traditional animation #3d animation #2d animator #3d animator #my animation #oc animation #calling all animators #Youtube

Pencil/2D Animation Resources Masterpost

5/10/24:

Hello, I broke into my old account so I could make a little masterpost of resources I come across for learning pencil/2D animation. (Free or affordable classes, places to get tools, videos to give insider insight, etc.) I may not be able to get everything included, so if you think of something, you can reach out and suggest things to add! I will be updating this over time, with notes on when it was last recently updated. And maybe I'll end up giving the old blog a refresh too. I likely won't be making new masterposts outside of this one any time soon, nor updating any old ones. It's been SEVERAL years, and the internet is a different place. I would assume most of the old links are out of date by now, unfortunately. I hope that this list is helpful to you as well, and if I'm incorrect in anything I list, I'm learning too! So please be patient with me and feel free to reach out with a correction. It's not finished yet, but Tumblr deletes my posts before I finish them, so I'm starting with posting the skeleton and slowly updating this)

Find a Community to Learn From!

(recommended groups to lurk/join/make connections and ask questions)

What Tools Do I Need?

PDF Guide to Animation Desks, as written by David Nethry

(next line)

Where Do I Get Tools?

(Places where you can buy art supplies, software, etc)

Cartoon Supplies

(Online seller who carries Ingram Bond paper, lightboxes, storyboard pads, blank cels, etc. See also: Lightfoot LTD, which is identical in every way to Cartoon Supplies and for the life of me I'm not sure the difference, though both are equally recommended along side each other.)

Jet Pens

(Ah... I love window-shopping this site. If you love stationary like I do, you'll be on this site for hours adding things to your cart... and inevitably removing them because it's not feasible to spend hundreds on pens and sticky-note pads.)

Dickblick

(I've found they have good prices on name brands, but I haven't purchased from them yet. Often, I'm too overwhelmed by all the choices.)

Improve Your Art/Learn the Basics!

(anatomy classes, starter tools, etc)

Aaron Blaise (Co-Director of Brother Bear)'s Online Classes

He runs very good deals on the classes occasional, but you can also do a year's access to all classes and keep what you download, which is very useful! They're short, quick lessons, and tend to veer into more "helpful tips" than teaching, from what I've personally noticed, but it's well worth the price if you get them at a good deal!

Inside Look at the Industry -- aka: the Special Features:

(behind the scenes stuff, etc)

Books are more useful than you might think!

(Richard Williams Animator's Survival Toolkit, etc) (check out gently used copies of these books on Thriftbooks for a good deal!)

Nifty Free Resources

(Things like height charts, references, color wheels, blog posts, videos, etc)

What Artists Can Learn From Aladdin's Incredible Color by J. Holt [VIDEO]

(spacing for formatting)

The Art of Color Theory: Guide for Animators, Designers, and Artists (Animator Artist Life)

(space for formatting)

Free software!

GIMP

(A classic, GIMP is an old friend of mine. The first software I downloaded for art, I used to use it almost entirely to create animated GIFs for the Warrior Cat forums. Ah, how time has passed. Nowadays I can't even remember how to animate a GIF on there, but such is life. I still use it to this day for digital art, even having Corel Painter. Before GIMP, I animated the old fashioned way -- MS paint and Windows Movie Maker. With determination, I scripted and animated a handful of Warrior Cat characters frame by frame. Each frame of Hollyleaf or whoever it was blinking was the likely source of death for our old computer, may she rest in peace.)

Storyboarder

(Storyboarder is a free software with which you can use to create professional and clean storyboards. It also provides printable storyboard templates so you can do you work traditionally and re-upload it easily into the software! It also works with Wacom tablets. Check it out! It's actually super cool.)

Pencil 2D

(A free, open source software. Simplistic design, switch between raster and vector, and best of all, again, it's free. I haven't used this one much yet, but I've seen it positively talked about by many! I'll update with more research when I have the chance.)

Krita

(I haven't used this one yet, so I can't speak on it either! But it's going on the list so I can come back and research it later. My poor laptop is not going to handle this many downloads lol.)

OpenToonz

(I also haven't tried this, but see above, haha.)

Blender - Grease Pencil

(Blender is well known for 3D animation, but they added a 2D feature called Grease Pencil as well.)

WriterDuet

(Free for up to 3 projects, very simple, but upgrades to a $10 a month plan, which is... eh, I'll keep my Scrivener for now. I used to write scripts in Microsoft Word or the Notepad on PC back in the day, I don't think I personally need the fancy features.)

Trelby

(A free screenwriting software, very basic and simple, good for beginners.)

Keep an eye out for

(Humblebundle occasionally does software deals -- a good art bundle at a discount can give you an easy start!)

#animation #wip #animation resources #art resources #free software #software resources #art tools #animation tools #how to #how to art #how to animate #animators on tumblr #2d animator #animation masterpost #masterpost #masterposts

coldjam

Long Distance Friendships: Games

We all find ourselves with a long distance friend eventually, whether because someone moved or it’s just easier for you to make friends online. The problem can be finding time to chat or, if you do find time, finding something to do. I have a lot of friends who live in other countries, so I’ve had time to hone my list of online games. These are games that are best accompanied with a Skype call! Please feel free to reblog this with more suggestions!

Pretend You’re Xyzzy > FREE; This is an online version of Cards Against Humanity. The games can be altered to fit your interests by choosing decks from cardcastgame.com

Agario > FREE; It is easiest to find your friends using the party mode. Have one person create a link, then share that link with everyone. Gang up on other players to climb to the top of the leader board

Minecraft > $27 USD; Minecraft is a great way to have a physical presence without actually being anywhere near your friends. Plus, you can build with each other and create other games within the game! I suggest looking into builds like Achievement Hunter’s Let’s Play series

Board Game Online > FREE; This game is more mature and requires a lot of reading, but if you’re into board games and adventure, it’s worth looking into

Town of Salem > FREE; Town of Salem is a game known by many different names but has now been adapted for an online version. You may also know it as Werewolf. It can be difficult to get the hang of, so I would suggest reading the roles and these handy tips

Omegle > FREE; Omegle can be incredibly fun if used right. Decide on a mutual interest and try to find each other. You can attempt to find each other on cam, though be wary

The Jackbox Party Pack > $25 USD; Definitely worth the money. This pack gives you five games that test your trivia, your ability to lie successfully, and your artistic abilities. Also, check out Quiplash

FMK > FREE; Using a long list of names (be as aburd as possible), have a friend pick a number between one and ten. The first three multiples of that number and their corresponding names on the list are the people/characters/items that the player must choose to fuck, marry, or kill

Paranoia > FREE; Based on the post created on Tumblr. Using Skype, someone will private message a question. The answer must be said out loud in a call. Put 0 or 1 into RANDOM.ORG and, if it’s a 0, then the question remains a secret. If it’s a 1, the question is revealed.

astormlikethis-remaking

not really a game but something fun to do:

Plug.dj > FREE; listen to music hosted on YouTube or Soundcloud together. You can create your own private room or join a public room. My friends use it a lot just to watch YT vids together but that’s your choice. There is an in-room chat.

coldjam

On a similar note to that website, and I am thinking of creating a separate post to this one, you can share a virtual browser over at rabb.it for free! You can watch movies, listen to music, and basically pretend that you’re in the same room, without getting out of bed.

Wine or Cheese > FREE; This is a player-directed roleplay game, whereby one person becomes the narrator and another person (or a group of people), control the decisions in the storyline. The story can be about anything and go anywhere. The only limit is everyone’s imagination.

megachikorita-deleted

SkillGamesBoard.com > Free, you can play a lot of fun little logic games like connect 4, chess, reversi, etc. here with a chat. One or both of you can make an account or you can just be ‘anonymous.’

long-ago-1234567890

Epicmafia > pretty much the same thing as town of salem, but better. since the site comes with no tutorial, i wrote one up here!

little-princess-pussii-blog

Toot toot putting this here because I honestly have more online friends than irl friends

fantasy-costco

@gsnkhurray

starkeaton

diep.io: agar.io except you are a tank. you can upgrade to different tanks with enough exp. there are multiple gamemodes including free-for-all, teams, domination, etc

spaceybird

@starcyntress @scillion @spacequeenallura

lizard-is-writing

How to Plot A Complex Novel in One Day (It WILL take all day)

Now first, I have to say, that the plot you’re able to come up with in one day is not going to be without its flaws, but coming up with it all at once, the entire story unfolds right in front of you and makes you want to keep going with it. So, where to begin?

What is your premise and basic plot? Pick your plot. I recommend just pulling one from this list. No plots are “original” so making yours interesting and complicated will easily distract from that fact, that and interesting characters. Characters will be something for you to work on another day, because this is plotting day. You’ll want the main plot to be fairly straight forward, because a confusing main plot will doom you if you want subplots.

Decide who the characters will be. They don’t have to have names at this point. You don’t even need to know who they are other than why they have to be in the story. The more characters there are the more complicated the plot will be. If you intend to have more than one subplot, then you’ll want more characters. Multiple interconnected subplots will give the illusion that the story is very complicated and will give the reader a lot of different things to look at at all times. It also gives you the chance to develop many side characters. The plot I worked out yesterday had 13 characters, all were necessary. Decide their “roles” don’t bother with much else. This seems shallow, but this is plot. Plot is shallow.

Now, decide what drives each character. Why specifically are they in this story? You can make this up. You don’t even know these characters yet. Just so long as everyone has their own motivations, you’re in the clear.

What aren’t these characters giving away right off the bat? Give them a secret! It doesn’t have to be something that they are actively lying about or trying to hide, just find something that perhaps ties them into the plot or subplot. This is a moment to dig into subplot. This does not need to be at all connected to their drive to be present in the story. Decide who is in love with who, what did this person do in the 70’s that’s coming back to bite them today, and what continues to haunt what-his-face to this very day. This is where you start to see the characters take shape. Don’t worry much about who they are or what they look like, just focus on what they’re doing to the story.

What is going to change these characters? Now this will take some thinking. Everyone wants at least a few of the characters to come out changed by the end of the story, so think, how will they be different as a result of the plot/subplot? It might not be plot that changes them, but if you have a lot of characters, a few changes that are worked into the bones of the plot might help you.

Now list out the major events of the novel with subplot in chronological order. This will be your timeline. Especially list the historical things that you want to exist in backstory. List everything you can think of. Think about where the story is going. At this point, you likely haven’t focused too much on the main plot, yeah, it’s there, but now really focus on the rising actions, how this main plot builds its conflict, then the climactic moment. Make sure you get all of that in there. This might take a few hours.

Decide where to start writing. This part will take a LOT of thinking. It’s hard! But now that you’ve got the timeline, pick an interesting point to begin at. Something with action. Something relevant. Preferably not at the beginning of your timeline - you want to have huge reveals later on where these important things that happened prior are exposed. This is the point where you think about what information should come out when. This will be a revision of your last list, except instead of being chronological, it exists to build tension.

Once you’ve gotten the second list done, you’ve got a plot. Does it need work? Probably. But with that said, at this point you probably have no idea who half your characters are. Save that for tomorrow, that too will be a lot of work.

After you’ve plotted the loose structure of your novel from this, see my next post to work on character!

#writing #writing ref #I don't remember my tags right now sorry

writingbox

llynnyia

.Show all of your W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. I rant about this ask anyone who has ever asked me to edit for them.

#writing

createandnarrate

What’s the best time of day to write?

I’m a night-writer myself. What about you?

#writing

sekaistudies

I want to chill but I also want to learn 5 languages

#admittedly this isn't a masterpost but I'm reblogging it anyway

tirairgid

♣ - The 32 counties of Ireland

For putdownthepotato

harcules

For a tiny country we have some beautifully diverse scenery.

melmothblog

Ballet Mime

I stumbled upon this ballet mime guide the other day. It’s really neat. When I first started watching ballet, I really struggled to understand anything the dancers were “saying”. This would’ve been helpful back then.

thelostknee-deactivated20210422

WOW

#ballet

los17aurelianos

FACES

Drawing a face (the circle thing)

How to draw faces

Heads in profile

Drawing heads

A face tutorial

Avoid same facing

Diversify your faces

Face shapes

To make your drawing look like the person you’re drawing

Make your faces look like the person

Expressions

More about expressions

Drawing lips

Lip tutorial

Drawing ears

Drawing eyes

Realistic eyes

Drawing a nose

Drawing kisses

Drawing glasses

Drawing hoods

BODIES

Guide to human types part 1

Guide to human types part 2

Guide to human types part 3

Different kinds of athletic body types

Ladies tutorial (nudity)

Fellas tutorial

Curves on girls tutorial

How to draw necks

Drawing shoulders

Drawing arms

Drawing hands

Hand tips

More hands

Hands tips and techniques

Hands, arms, legs and feet

Legs, torso and expressions

Drawing boobs

How to boob

Boobs and hips

Drawing abs

Beer belly tutorial

Drawing backs

How to draw back views

Legs reference

Drawing knees

How to draw butts

Penis tutorial (nsfw)

Drawing feet and shoes

Sitting reference

Realistic woman body shape chart

Hair

Drawing hair

Hair tutorial

Drawing curls

Drawing braids

ANIMALS & CREATURES

Canines vs felines

Drawing cats

Drawing cats tips

How to draw big cats

Drawing rats

Basic deer tutorial

Deer sketching

Dog anatomy

Dog anatomy tutorial

Dog nose tutorial

Dog paw tutorial

Basic wolf tutorial

Horse tutorial

Sheep vs goats

Drawing giraffes

Basic owl tutorial

Bird wing tutorial

Drawing bird beaks and faces

Butterfly tutorial

Drawing animal legs on humans

Winged people anatomy

Dragon tutorial

Drawing dragons

Dragon wing tutorial

Fur tutorial

Drawing sharp teeth

OTHERS

Drawing clothes

Clothing folds tutorial

Collars, vests and pants reference

Hats reference

Drawing jeans

Drawing bows

Drawing trees

Tree tutorial

Drawing water

Water tutorial

Drawing crystals

Ice

Clouds

Creating form

Perspective tricks

Character design reference

How to draw better (video)

Learn how to draw better

Art reference & tutorials blog

Tutorial masterpost

How to draw anything

positivityandpaperstars

Holy fuck it’s like heaven!

arty-malarkey

It don’t work :((((

los17aurelianos

hey guys!! if the links don’t work just change “listsandmasterposts” for “los17aurelianos” and it should work. I changed my url a few months ago, but I didn’t delete my posts.

#art

osointricate

Tips for living alone

Buy a bat (I have my old color guard rifle) or similar. Keep it in your room/near your bed.

Get a lock for your bedroom door.

If you’re moving into a new place, change the locks. Who knows who had a key to your place before you.

Keep your phone/a phone in your room.

Get a weather alert system set up. App, weather call, little weather radio that tells you about major weather events.

Adopt a pet

Wave at your neighbors. Take note of the ones that make you uneasy. Watch out for kids always.

Be nice to your mail person. No matter what.

If you choose to drink/etc alone, unplug your wifi router. You’ll thank me.

Have extra seating. People sit when they visit. Your one comfy chair is great for you. Not so great for you + grandma + ur five cousins, your aunt, and a couple others.

Learn the self-Heimlich

When you take a shower, bring your phone to the bathroom in case you fall your phone is no longer halfway across the house, it’s just on your counter

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Idk what else

thefisherqueen

If you live in an one-room apartment, put a screen around your bed. It’ll feel less like you visit people, esp. strangers, into your bedroom. Also you’ll feel much safer sleeping in the enclosure. Cook enough for a few meals each time you cook, and freeze the extra food. That way you’ll prevent things from expiring and it’s great when you don’t feel like cooking or have no time or energy for it.

Give a key to someone near you trust, or hid it somewhere few people will look, like up in a tree. Shutting yourself out isn’t nice, esp. not at night. Put something translucent like curtains or stickers for windows where people can walk past or look in. You’ll feel less watched that way.

Put some contant money somewhere in your room. Good to have in case your bag gets lost or stolen.

Feeling lonely? Remember, online contacts are not less valuable.

art-is-blind-deactivated2019010

I would say maybe set reminders for everything too. Taking meds/vitamins, working out, going to sleep, waking up.

crewdlydrawn-deactivated2022072

Buy a small fan for white noise at night if you’re the kind (like me) that gets anxious at all the little ambient noises that ANY building can supply in the dark. Don’t watch scary movies in the dark by yourself, with no visitors. NETFLIX, if you can afford it. It’s also useful because you can watch movies / shows with your online buddies at the same time, miles and states and (sometimes even) countries apart.

tittily

get an app like safetrek. never walk into allies or empty streets if there is a more populated/well-lit route to your destination. keep emergency contacts in your wallet and a red cross card with your blood type on it in case anything happens. carry a list of medications you’re allergic to, if any.

walking around with a headset or headphones discourages people from yelling at you on the street, and it’s easier to escape from hasslers. however, it’s pretty advisable to not have anything actually playing so you can be aware of your surroundings. if anything, have it at low volume.

if you get grabbed on the street (this used to happen to me a lot), immediately scream, and the person will usually get startled, giving you time to get away.

if you feel like you’re in a really bad place, call someone, or even pretend like you’re calling someone. say where you are. act like you’re planning on meeting up with them. be loud about it. make it seem like someone will notice if you go missing, even for a little bit.

also u should look up manufacturer’s coupons like damn i feel like a successful suburban mom every time i walk into cvs and save 2 dollars on my toothbrushes

littleaimeebaby-deactivated2017

PSA PSA EVERYBODY NEEDS

sharkpride808

If you have friends around get out if the house once in a while to stop by, but call first. It stretches your legs, satisfies the basic human need for other people and it’s good way to keep in touch.

studyquill

a non-cutesy self care guide, for when you need to bounce back after being really dysfunctional

Body

Wash your hands with warm water and soap.

Trim, file, and buff your nails and toenails.

Trim any hangnails.

Push back your cuticles.

Put hand cream or moisturizer on your hands and/or feet.

If you have any rough skin, buff it off with a pumice stone.

If it’s your style, give yourself a manicure and/or pedicure.

Roll out your ankles, flex and point your feet a couple of times.

Stretch your calves, hamstrings, quads, shoulders, triceps, upper back, lower back, chest, or any other part that feels tight.

Roll your neck in circles in both directions.

Shake out your hands and roll your wrists.

If you want to, shave anywhere you want to shave.

If you have any sore muscles, massage them with your hands or a foam roller.

Go through your normal facial care routine. Splash water on your face, put on moisturizer, use a facial cleanser, or put on a nice mask.

Take a warm bath or shower. Warm, not scalding hot.

Take a cutesy, Instagram-worthy bath with a bath bomb, or use this guide for what to put in your bath.

Wash your hair. Shampoo and condition if you want.

Dry yourself off gently with a soft towel.

Put on clothes that make you feel confident.

Eat something, preferably healthy.

Drink a huge glass of water.

Use the restroom, if you’ve been holding it for a long time.

Use a warm washcloth and wipe off the crusty bits around your eyes and nose.

Blow your nose.

Take any medications or vitamins if you need to do so.

Have a warm drink. Avoid caffeinated drinks if they make you jumpy.

Comb or brush your hair, then style it in a way that makes you feel most confident.

If you have open cuts, put on bandages; if you have mosquito bites, apply anti-itch cream; etc.

Surroundings

Delete unnecessary photos and apps from your phone.

Close all apps running in the background of your phone.

Close all of the tabs open on your computer.

Delete unnecessary files from your computer.

Organize your files.

Check emails, and clean up your inbox.

Clear every notification on your phone.

Take everything off your desk and wipe it down.

Put all papers where they need to go.

Put all books on your shelf.

Reorganize your shelf by author, series, rainbow colors, or whatever else you prefer.

Untangle all of your cables.

Make your bed.

Change your sheets, pillowcase, and duvet cover.

Put all scattered clothes in a laundry bin.

Do that laundry.

Turn off all the lights if it’s daytime, or turn them all on if it’s nighttime.

Put all of the random junk that doesn’t have a place into a box, and hide the box under your bed.

Hang clean clothes in your closet, or fold them and put into drawers.

Open your blinds and curtains.

Straighten everything that is hanging on your walls, unless everything is slanted in a certain way for your ~aesthetic~

Vacuum the floor.

Clean your phone screen, laptop screen, keyboard, etc.

Put all of your pens in jars.

Mind

Take any medication you need.

Dump all your thoughts in a journal.

Make an appointment with a therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist/etc.

Tbh, beyond this I don’t know about each person’s circumstances. You can check out my mental health resource tag and find something to help you.

+ more posts / youtube channel

officiallystudying

***important

grgie

personally, i find writing really hard, especially on my computer as there are some many distractions, regardless of whether the task is school based or not, so i’ve compiled a list of free apps, extensions and websites to help you with writing!

apps

monospace is a phone app that is available on android that is really useful for writing on the go, for whenever inspiration hits!

chrome extensions

calmly writer is a bit more advanced than writers block, and allows you to format your text and other cool features. this extension also works offline!

writer is a really cool extension that makes you look like a hacker, and it runs offline!

litewriter allows you to synchronise your notes across multiple devices, and customise you background and font!

websites

yarny is free website what has a word counter, and when you start typing, all distractions fade away! you can also save as much as you want if you sign up (also the website very nearly went bust a few months ago, so by checking it out you can help keep it alive!)

calmly writer is the same as the chrome extension above, but as the website in case you dont have chrome

writer is the same as the above extension, but is the web version!

draftin is another free website that is completely distraction free

oTranscribe helps you to transcribe audio files, and has loads of really useful features

plotbox makes script writing super easy, and you can get other people to work on it as well!

editing websites (not writing websites)

cliche finder does what it says on the tin

hemingway app is a life saver for all you students, it grades your paper, and gives you advice for improving your essays

wordcounter counts your words and ranks the most frequently used words to see what words you overuse

750 words is a bit like nanowrimo, where you get points for writing words everyday, and stats about how much you write each day and for how long and other cool features!

if you have any other website that you find useful, feel free to them on!

- helena xx

spanishsecondlanguage

WordBrewery is great for improving your vocabulary. It gives you a random sentence at either beginner, intermediate, advanced or master level, and you can make lists of words or sentences that you’d like to learn. It includes the following languages:

Spanish

English

Chinese

Arabic

Portuguese

Russian

Japanese

German

French

Italian

Polish

Ukrainian