Apparently A Lot Of People Get Dialogue Punctuation Wrong Despite Having An Otherwise Solid Grasp Of

was watching one of yr speed-paints and im so confused on how yr chopstick pen blends colours?????? i’ve been using the brush for a whileeeee and it does not blend the same beautiful way do you use any custom settings?

that's because it doesn't blend!!

my favourite activity is picking a random spot on the colour wheel that's close to the colour i'm trying to render and just praying it looks good for either lighting or shading. i also take advantage of the brush's slight transparency to create the blended look (i have the brush set to around 70% opacity) AND i also colourpick in the area where two colours overlap and go back over it with the brush so it looks smoother

a visual will probably help explain ,,

little doodle of darrell as a treat C: i also make the brush itself way bigger when it's time to render and take advantage of having opacity by pressure turned on! that way it's easier to cover more space at once and the low opacity helps blend better

i hope this makes sense i realize i have a very odd way of doing these things and i've never really taken a step back to actually analyze my process before

brush settings for your purposes (whatever those may be) C:

this showed up in my FB memories, the lightning bolt trick! I don't sketch out the lightning bolt much nowadays but it's still super helpful when I need to lay out tricky arms and leg poses. And I still apply the logic of it, especially with how I draw arms :' ) Biggest thing it helps with is shape breakdown and visualization, we gotta use whatever works to break down shapes into simpler concepts for our brains 👏💓

repost , figured this would be handy for somebody

⭐ Pixel Art Fundamentals - Hue Shifting

This technique is not uniquely specific to pixel art, but it's a very common term to hear when starting out watching those "dos and don'ts" videos. So what is hue shifting?

Hue shifting basically means to change the hue when making your shade darker or lighter. In this context, 'hue' = colour!

You may hear 'you need to hue shift more' when getting feedback on your art, but what does that mean really? Here are some examples:

We can see even with just a bit of hue shifting, we have quite a different vibe for each drawing. In warm / daylight settings, no hue shifting can sometimes look a bit muddy or grey.

If we swap the image to grayscale, you can see that they look much the same:

As long as the hue shifted colours have a brightness that makes sense, they usually will work. You can get quite wacky with it.

But is hue shifting always good? Not necessarily.

Below is some of my art where I intentionally didn't hue-shift at all. You can see it gives them an uncanny, digital, or photographic kind of look. As always, techniques are about your intention, or personal style.

I recommend trying different hue shifting methods! I especially love to use a cool blue or teal for the lighter shades.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helped a little! Have fun with it!!

⭐ Read my full pixel art guide here!

Can I get an outline for reference of how you draw bodies please? ^^ if you can and want to

[text in the first image: fat rolls are cute as fuck put them every where]

I don't really think I'm the best person to ask... I don't think of anatomy often HAHA. this is more my chibi style? but it's the exact same just smaller heads hands n feet w/ my normal style so it . is analogous.

best tip! make every line curve slightly outward. cus it's cute. also add a little fat roll to the back as a treat. for me. for me. for me.

Show, don’t tell

"Show, don’t tell" means letting readers experience a story through actions, senses, and dialogue instead of outright explaining things. Here are some practical tips to achieve that:

1. Use Sensory Details

Tell: "The room was cold."

Show: "Her breath puffed in faint clouds, and she shivered as frost clung to the edges of the window."

Tell: "He was scared."

Show: "His hands trembled, and his heart thudded so loudly he was sure they could hear it too."

2. Focus on Actions

Tell: "She was angry."

Show: "She slammed the mug onto the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim as her jaw clenched."

Tell: "He was exhausted."

Show: "He stumbled through the door, collapsing onto the couch without even bothering to remove his shoes."

3. Use Dialogue

What characters say and how they say it can reveal their emotions, intentions, or traits.

Tell: "She was worried about the storm."

Show: "Do you think it'll reach us?" she asked, her voice tight, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.

4. Show Internal Conflict Through Thoughts or Reactions

Tell: "He was jealous of his friend."

Show: "As his friend held up the trophy, he forced a smile, swallowing the bitter lump rising in his throat."

5. Describe the Environment to Reflect Mood

Use the setting to mirror or hint at emotions or themes.

Tell: "The town was eerie."

Show: "Empty streets stretched into the mist, and the only sound was the faint creak of a weathered sign swinging in the wind."

6. Let Readers Infer Through Context

Give enough clues for the reader to piece things together without spelling it out.

Tell: "The man was a thief."

Show: "He moved through the crowd, fingers brushing pockets, his hand darting away with a glint of gold."

7. Use Subtext in Interactions

What’s left unsaid can reveal as much as what’s spoken.

Tell: "They were uncomfortable around each other."

Show: "He avoided her eyes, pretending to study the painting on the wall. She smoothed her dress for the third time, her fingers fumbling with the hem."

8. Compare to Relatable Experiences

Use metaphors, similes, or comparisons to make an emotion or situation vivid.

Tell: "The mountain was huge."

Show: "The mountain loomed above them, its peak disappearing into the clouds, as if it pierced the heavens."

Practice Example:

Tell: "The village had been destroyed by the fire."

Show: "Charred beams jutted from the rubble like broken ribs, the acrid smell of ash lingering in the air. A child's shoe lay half-buried in the soot, its leather curled from the heat."

just saw another fic that completely misunderstood elementary schoolers. going to make a post as soon as my shift is done

any shading tips?

AH I LOVE SHADING AND RENDERING let me see what i can dig up from my brain for you

i say....... single colour blend mode layer is a good starting point for shading but i'd also manually pick colours to make the shadow more dynamic, if that makes sense..

left has a yellow-y hard light layer as its only shading, and right has the hard light layer alongside some colours i added myself

also, i like to mess with the saturation and hue when i add the extra colours.. it adds depth (life??) to the shadows that you wouldnt get with a flat colour

IN ADDITION TO THIS desaturating your colours makes them look lighter, and hightening the saturation makes them seem darker! i play with this a lot it's fun

not shown here is also using completely different colours than the one you're shading, like green/teal for blue, or red for purple! this is especially helpful when shading grays and whites

basically get funky with your colours and try shit until you find a formula that works for you!!!! this is just what i do and im a self-taught nerd so

When inventing a fantasy religion a lot of people a) make the mistake of assuming that everyone in fantasy world would worship the same gods and b) assume that polytheistic religions see all of their gods as morally good

When your Character...

Gets into: A Fight ⚜ ...Another Fight ⚜ ...Yet Another Fight

Hates Someone ⚜ Kisses Someone ⚜ Falls in Love

Calls Someone they Love ⚜ Dies / Cheats Death ⚜ Drowns

is...

A Child ⚜ Interacting with a Baby/Child ⚜ A Genius ⚜ A Lawyer

Beautiful ⚜ Dangerous ⚜ Drunk ⚜ Injured ⚜ Shy

needs...

A Magical Item ⚜ An Aphrodisiac ⚜ A Fictional Poison

To be Killed Off ⚜ To Become Likable ⚜ To Clean a Wound

To Find the Right Word, but Can't ⚜ To Say No ⚜ A Drink

loves...

Astronomy ⚜ Baking ⚜ Cooking ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Food ⚜ Oils

Dancing ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Gems ⚜ Mythology ⚜ Numbers

Roses ⚜ Sweets ⚜ To Fight ⚜ Wine ⚜ Wine-Tasting ⚜ Yoga

has/experiences...

Allergies ⚜ Amnesia ⚜ Bereavement ⚜ Bites & Stings ⚜ Bruises

Caffeine ⚜ CO Poisoning ⚜ Color Blindness ⚜ Food Poisoning

Injuries ⚜ Jet Lag ⚜ Mutism ⚜ Pain ⚜ Poisoning

More Pain & Violence ⚜ Viruses ⚜ Wounds

[these are just quick references. more research may be needed to write your story...]