Touloser Lautrec

art/writing blog | co-writer/creator with @sunset-a-story | older millennial | they/he

[touloser-lautrec]

Artblr and Writeblr Intro

Hi, there! I go by Desi or Jasper (they/he, 30s). I'm a queer artist and writer who draws too many OCs, but that's what keeps my ship upright, so that's pretty okay I guess. Art as self-care with a nice side effect of pretty things to look at. I'm hoping you'll enjoy looking at 'em too!

Most of my art is of original characters and content related to Sunset, a serial I co-write and illustrate with my partner, @sunset-a-story. Check out their blog for more information about the serial, and here are some links to where you can read it!

Sunset follows an ensemble cast of (largely queer) superhuman people through a modern-setting, slow-burn adventure arc that encompasses themes of cloak-and-dagger action, romance, and even some monster hunting.

My art medium of choice is digital (procreate and clip studio), and I have also been dabbling in teaching myself to animate. Occasionally, I'll break out my sketch book and ink pens for some traditional work, too. Sometimes I take breaks from Sunset OCs to draw my ttrpg characters, silly little birds, or witchy things, and the veeeery occasional fan art.

I'm always happy for tags and asks! :)

(If you want to filter through, you can find my art using the #my art hashtag on my blog.)

[nueuhell]

local guy Tutu harassing his roommate situationship boyfriend fake married co-parenting a rat and a dog guy.

[albatris]

rentalcar vampirism isnt a metaphor for disability, it just IS a disability. within the context of the world it's a disability

rentalcar vampirism and the garble are a metaphor for capitalism where wealth and power flows to a select few at the top even though they're not the ones doing the work, and the people at the bottom are forced to do horrible, dehumanising and/or violent things in order to stay alive, fighting each other and fighting for scraps

[sunset-a-story]

Which trope tag game

@wolf-saga posted a clever poll (go check it out here!) that felt like it was screaming to turned into a writeblr tag game--so, with their permission, I am doing it!

Which of these tropes is most likely to make you want to read our WIP? (Sunset)

Enemies to lovers (Vol 3)

Morally grey protags

Age gap/power imbalance relationships

Monster hunting secret society

Found family

Super-human powers

Mind control

On the run

Remaining time: 13 hours 9 minutes

I am no pressure tagging @winterandwords @willtheweaver @revenantlore @oh-no-another-idea @jkit45 and open tag for anyone who thinks this looks as fun as I did ^.^

(And I want to vote on your polls!)

[sunset-a-story]

@albatris YESSSSSSSS

We've got a mix throughout the serial, but my favorite is when the person being controlled is fighting that telepathy tooth and nail. Whether they're another telepath, or internally screaming/flailing, or trying to come up with clever ways to secretly alert the people around them without getting caught.

[princess-valentineee]

Im crying

I dont know why this is so funny to me

[sillysharkk]

KH4 COCO WORLD IM UP

[bee-doodle]

MORE SORIKU FROM MY SKETCHBOOK BECAUSE WE ARE SO BACK

[chromiumsheep]

[l-a-l-o-u]

if you were like a video game enemy and when you died, you poofed into sparkles and left 3 collectible items behind, what would they be

[l-a-l-o-u]

good job everybody the tags are so fun to read! almost zero repeats too

[remight]

All my soriku treats for my friend, she likes those guys

[projectdestati]

so like did xehanort beat up luxu with the umbrella before finding sora

[pkmndaisuki]

[flamingsageflower]

I like drawing him like a dancer

[tinartss]

an offering to an angel

[willtheweaver]

Which trope tag game

Thanks for the tag @sunset-a-story

Which of these tropes is most likely to make you read my WIP (Snow on the Pines)?

Characters are not who they seem to be

Passing on the torch

Antagonists hiding in plain sight

Leaving everything behind

Culture shock

Mythical beings are real!

The past is revealed

Remaining time: 4 days 13 hours

Tagging @in-seas-of-green @winterandwords @indecentpause @somethingclevermahogony @revenantlore

@glasshouses-and-stones @tildeathiwillwrite @gaslightwestern @author-a-holmes @the-inkwell-variable and open tag

[millidew]

don't play with me nomura i am not amused.

[katalean]

yesyesyeysyeysysysyye

[sturionic]

"Learn the fundamentals first" seems like really sound universal advice, and as a former classical musician, I can vouch for it. You will have a more solid foundation for increasing complexity if you put in the time to study in a structured way. If you don't, you'll have a lot of shit to fix later.

As a former music teacher, I can also say that "learn the fundamentals first" is the death knell for a vast percentage of beginners, especially adult learners.

I've run into this with drawing several times, where some well-meaning artist has lectured me on needing to study anatomy properly or not use shortcuts like CSP brushes. And oh, believe me, I know. I know exactly how to learn an artistic discipline in a structured way. I just...don't want to!

The thing is, I'm not aiming to be a professional artist. I want to draw my gay little anime guys. I would undoubtedly improve at art much faster if I approached every gay little anime guy drawing as a study exercise. But I would also have quit drawing a decade ago if I couldn't just let myself enjoy drawing imperfect fucked-up little guys with whatever shortcuts I needed to body myself across the finish line.

With my adult piano students, my approach was always "What's your goal?" If their goal was to learn exactly one Elton John songbook to play at parties, then...that's what we did. We'd put tape on the keys to label the notes, and just fuckin go for it. Learning exactly one Elton John songbook is a good and noble musical goal, full stop.

Some of my students needed and enjoyed a more structured approach to learning; if they wanted to be able to play classical music, then yes, scales were going to have to enter the equation at some point. And yet others would learn the Elton John songbook, catch their white whale, and realize they wanted to explore more of the ocean. The scales were still there for them to learn!

Often the choice isn't between "learn art well" and "learn art imperfectly" - the choice is between "learn art imperfectly" and "don't do art at all." To which I say, learn imperfectly! Or, what the hell, don't 'learn' art. Just do, and enjoy the doing of it.

You have official permission from your local pretentious classical music snob: fuck the fundamentals. You can always unfuck them later (but only if you want to).