kunartis
65 posts
Latest Posts by kunartis
Write Tension that isn't just Yelling or Guns
Listen, not all tension is someone holding a knife or screaming “I’ve had enough, Derek!” at a dinner party. Real, edge-of-your-seat tension can be quiet, slow, awkward, and still make your reader grip the page like it owes them money. So here are my favorite ways to sneak tension in like a gremlin under the bed...
╰ Unanswered Questions (That the Character is Actively Avoiding)
Tension isn’t always about what’s said—it’s about what’s not said. Let your character dodge questions, interrupt, change subjects. Let readers feel the silence humming between the lines. + Great for: secrets, internal conflict, emotional gut-punches.
╰ Time Pressure Without Action Pressure
A clock ticking doesn’t always mean bombs. Sometimes it means waiting for a test result. A letter. A phone call. A knock on the door. Tension = knowing something’s coming but not knowing when. + Great for: psychological suspense, horror, relationship drama.
╰ Small Talk That’s Not Really Small Talk
When two characters are talking about the weather, but both are secretly screaming inside? That’s tension. Give one character a goal (say the thing, don’t say the thing) and the other a defense mechanism. Now sit back and watch the discomfort bloom. + Great for: slow burns, rivalries, “we’re not talking about that night, are we?”
╰ Two Characters Who Want Opposite Things But Are Pretending They Don’t
Someone wants to leave. Someone wants them to stay. Someone wants to confess. Someone is acting like nothing’s wrong. Make your characters polite when they want to scream. + Great for: emotionally repressed chaos, family drama, enemies-to-lovers.
╰ One Character Realizes Something The Other Doesn’t
A power shift = instant tension. One person knows the truth. The other’s still talking like everything’s fine. Let that dread slow-cook. Readers love being in on the secret. + Great for: betrayal, secrets, foreshadowing plot twists.
╰ Body Language That Contradicts the Dialogue
They say “I’m fine,” but they’re picking their thumbnail raw. They laugh too hard. Their smile doesn’t reach their eyes. Show the cracks forming. Let the reader sense the dissonance. + Great for: all genres. Especially emotionally loaded scenes.
╰ Echoed Phrases or Reused Words That Hit Differently the Second Time
When a character repeats something someone else said—but now it’s laced with bitterness or grief? Chills. Callback dialogue is your best friend for building subtle dread or emotional weight. + Great for: heartbreak scenes, arcs coming full circle, psychological unraveling.
╰ Characters Performing a Role to Keep the Peace
Pretending to be “the good sibling.” Faking confidence in a boardroom. Playing therapist when they’re not okay themselves. Tension thrives when someone’s holding it together with duct tape and fake smiles. + Great for: internal conflict, layered characterization, slow unravelings.
Send a character + outfit + accessory. Feel free to use and reblog, but please do not repost!
I made a new one. I hope you all like it!
heya been following for some time!
and i really adore your art style - your command of colours and contrast is sooo good!!!
do you have any tips on how to achieve this effect you have going on? it would be really cool to be able to do something similar!!!
Thank you very much for hanging around! ^^
Honestly? Find some time to go wild and experimental with colors, it may look good or it may not. The important thing is that you'll eventually achieve color combos that satisfy you. I often approach my drawings in a very laxed way, swapping out colors if it feels off. Scrubbing off that cluster of sparkles if it doesn't feel right or put it somewhere else. Just go and have fun, feel it out!!! (semi unrelated but I think muted colors are very satisfying to work with)
Made a new version of my ship meme template, now with a three character version!!
Primarily made for selfshipping and OC x canon but could be used for any ship! I'd love to be tagged if you use this, but it's not a requirement.
Example under the cut!
sick and tired of templates being made by shitty people/being unfun so heres my cringe character template i ran out of ideas for halfway through
i made a character sheet. free to use as you wish, feel free to change whatever you want XD open source ass thing. spent all of ~maybe an hour on it.
Credit: the text in the insert-image box comes from this video, and the text for the top three lines (intense, complex, fruity) comes from this post. The actual image was made with the free NBOS character sheet creator, which is a sort of dated but free and solid text-layout sheet maker intended for ttrpg style character sheet creation.
Made an OC challenge thingy! Draw your OC with status effects that slightly alter your OC's base design (red-faced, baggy-eyed, sickly pale, hair a mess... you name it)
More resources can be found here @donut-toast-resources
here's a landscape tutorial!
i focused on natural environments for this one, if you find it helpful I'll be back with how I learned to draw buildings.
let me know if it helps! and have fun drawing ✨
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, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)
Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)
Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)
BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)
Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)
Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)
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. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)
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. Mostly nature art)
Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)
Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)
Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)
Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)
Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)
Pikat (art advice and critiques)
Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)
Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)
Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)
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. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually 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. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )
Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)
Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)
PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)
Krita (Free)
mypaint (free)
FireAlpaca (free)
Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)
Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)
IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)
Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)
NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.
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.
"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"
MacGyver 2025 Writing Promts!
Not all are MacGyver based so if you're not part of that fandom feel free to still use these!
Go wild, combine days, skip days, use these for art instead and whatever you want! Feel free to tag me in any fics or art you make (Even if I'm not in the fandom!)
January 1 • New Years Confessions 2 • Mission gone poorly 3 • Nightmares 4 • Hurt/Comfort 5 • 5-1 6 • Sick Day 7 • Team Meeting Under Different Circumstances 8 • Diner Au 9 • Codex 10 • Whump 11 • The Organization Causes Problems 12 • James Macgyver Being A Shitty Father 13 • Matilda Rescuing The Team 14 • Disavowed 15 • Peaceful Day At The Park 16 • Day Off 17 • Mac + Gun 18 • Working With The Enemy 19 • Dealing With Grief 20 • Movie Theater Au 21 • Insomnia 22 • Double Drabble 23 • Cuddling 24 • Car Accident 25 • Murdoc Returns 26 • Mac Gets The Team Out Of Trouble 27 • Riley Finds Something She Can't Hack 28 • Love Confessions 29 • Kidnapping 30 • Wilderness Survival 31 • Bomb Disarming
February 1 • One Bed Au 2 • Comfort 3 • Alone 4 • Corruption Arc 5 • Fake Relationship 6 • Oversight And Mac Never Meet 7 • Fake Death 8 • Chloroform 9 • Gunshot Wound 10 • Afghanistan Days 11 • Cairo 12 • Jack Being The Team's Dad 13 • Therapy 14 • Poisoning 15 • Swiss Army Knife 16 • Protecting Cassian 17 • Murdoc + Handcuffs 18 • Supermax 19 • Mission Gone Right 20 • Physical Exhaustion 21 • Working Out/Training 22 • Assassination 23 • In Love With Someone Else 24 • Secret Relationship 25 • Unable To Save Everyone 26 • Torture 27 • Self Doubt 28 • Marriage Vows
March 1 • Mac + Chemicals 2 • A Deal With The Devil 3 • Casino 4 • Jack Returns From The Kovac Mission 5 • Mac Asks For Help 6 • Bozer's Cosmetics 7 • Murdoc Saves The Team (Possibly Accidently) 8 • Black Pepper + Wound 9 • Trapped 10 • Under Water/Downing 11 • OneShot 12 • Celebration 13 • Making Bets 14 • Birthday Celebration 15 • Running Away 16 • Forest Fire Verses Team 17 • Song Fic 18 • Bioweapon 19 • Nikki Lies 20 • Thornton Gets Caught 21 • Trying Something New 22 • Watching The Sunset/Sunrise 23 • Jack Saves Mac/Riley 24 • Loud Fight 25 • Nearly Avoided Plane Crash 26 • Bounty Hunters 27 • Amnesia 28 • Doctor's Visit 29 • Tramatic Injury 30 • Corn Maze + Lost + Murdoc 31 • Paranoia
April 1 • Terrible No Good Day 2 • Stalking 3 • Carnival 4 • Hunter/Hunted 5 • Stranded 6 • Heist 7 • Mac Leaves The Team 8 • Break Up 9 • First Kiss 10 • Prison Escape 11 • Black Site 12 • Safehouses 13 • Flash Backs 14 • Slowly Dying On The Phone/Last Phone Call 15 • Funeral 16 • Medical Leave 17 • Mac Breaks Another Phone 18 • Secret Diary 19 • Party 20 • Unexpected Relationship 21 • Coming Out 22 • Canon Typical Violence 23 • Magic Au 24 • Library Au 25 • Hurt/No Comfort 26 • Drunk 27 • Pen Pals 28 • Arachnophobia 29 • Self Care 30 • Terrorist Organization
May 1 • Acrophobia 2 • Ducktape + Panic + Mac 3 • Love Triangle 4 • Fire + Extinguisher 5 • Matty Being Strict/Concerned 6 • Hidden Injury 7 • Rare Pair 8 • Stargazing 9 • Explosion 10 • The Ghost 11 • Jill Morgan 12 • Samantha Cage Joins 13 • Secrets 14 • Undercover Op 15 • Role Reversal Au 16 • Prison Breakout 17 • Bozer + Sticky Notes 18 • Riley + Trapped 19 • Matty Goes Missing 20 • Sandbox Days 21 • Hidden Injury 22 • Mac + Shoelaces 23 • Murdoc On Comms 24 • Experimenting Gone Wrong 25 • Cartel 26 • Corrupt C.I.A 27 • Amber Causing Problems 28 • Hostage Situation/Negotiation 29 • Handling Depression 30 • Trauma Response/Flinching 31 • Day At The Beach
June 1 • Haircut 2 • Dying Saving Someone 3 • Choose A Random Item And Find A Way For Mac To Use It 4 • Jumping Out A Window 5 • Stealing A Painting 6 • Safe Cracking 7 • Losing Hope 8 • Cassian's Summer Break 9 • Nicholas Helman 10 • Jonah Walsh 11 • Flower Picking 12 • James Macgyver Dies 13 • Paperclips 14 • Lost Swiss Army Knife 15 • Riley Or Bozer Tries To Quit Or Quits The Team 16 • Mac Goes With On The Kovac Mission 17 • Collapse Building 18 • Chemical/Oil Spill 19 • Chernobyl 20 • War Injury 21 • Cruel Choices 22 • Leaving Someone Behind (And Coming Back For Them Later) 23 • Riley Hacks The Government 24 • Jill Morgan Lives 25 • Cassian Finds Mac Cool 26 • School Reunion Science Fair 27 • Video Game Night 28 • Breaking And Entering 29 • Jack + Captured 30 • Hidden Fears
July 1 • Jigsaw Scenario 2 • Mac Pretending To Be Murdoc 3 • Riley's Undercover Op 4 • Write A Story With A Word Count Outside Of Your Usual 5 • Bar Night 6 • Talking To The Moon 7 • Late Night Run 8 • Bones (Broken, Found, Fossils ect) 9 • Jack's Medical Leave 10 • Panic Attack 11 • A Favor 12 • Aromantic Or Asexual Character 13 • Nyctophobia 14 • Murdoc's Hit List 15 • The Organization's Assassination Attempts 16 • Mac + Gun Power 17 • Medical Emergency 18 • Late Night Phone Call 19 • Angst 20 • Fake Sleeping 21 • Drugged 22 • Brain Fog 23 • Poor Cooking 24 • The Team Saves Mac 25 • Soul Mate Au 26 • Blizzard 27 • Stressful Drive To The ER 28 • Adopting A Pet 29 • Stabbed 30 • Haunted 31 • Orginal Character
August 1 • Area 51 2 • The Team Finds Matty's Files 3 • Mac Has Trust Issues 4 • Jack & Mac's Co Dependency 5 • Ticking Noise (Could Be A Bomb, A Clock, Who Knows) 6 • Mac Hates Medical Leave 7 • Bakery Au 8 • Murder Mystery 9 • Jack + Bomb + Mac 10 • Happy Ending 11 • Sleepless Nights 12 • Accidental Murder 13 • Matty Retires 14 • Samantha Doesn't Return To Australia 15 • Taking Down A Cult 16 • Alternative Au Where James Never Left Mac 17 • Bozer Finds Out About The Phoenix 18 • Riley Joining The Team 19 • Amber Returns After Murdoc Had Warned Her Not To 20 • A Phoenix Day Off (Probably Interrupted) 21 • Meaningful Coversations (At The Worst Time Possible) 22 • Mac And Riley Fall Asleep On Jack 23 • Internal Bleeding 24 • Wishing Upon A Star 25 • Father/Son Bonding (Jack & Mac or Murdoc & Cassian) 26 • Babysitting 27 • Lack Of Taking Care Of Oneself (Noticed By Another Team Member) 28 • Mac Being Reckless 29 • The Team Travels Somewhere New 30 • Ethan Reigns & Matty 31 • Fainting
September 1 • Breakfast In Bed 2 • Horror Movies 3 • Celebrating A Holiday 4 • Crutches 5 • Suffocation 6 • Bed Rest 7 • Airplane Travel 8 • Hiding In Plain Sight 9 • Crossover Au 10 • Unhealthy Habits 11 • Hand To Hand Combat 12 • Winter Time 13 • Running Out Of Time 14 • A Miracle 15 • Murdoc Leaves A 'Gift' 16 • Secret Service 17 • Night Light 18 • Lying 19 • Feigning Innocence 20 • Leaving Clues 21 • Dramatic Murdoc 22 • Vacation + Cocktails 23 • Anxiety 24 • Heat Exhaustion 25 • Long Term Undercover Op 26 • Lone Survivor/Survivor Guilt 27 • Broken Glass 28 • Ambulance Ride 29 • Flame Thrower 30 • Improper Use Of Chemicals
October 1 • Gasoline 2 • Bazooka 3 • Fireman's Carry 4 • Paperclip Collection 5 • Fascination/Obsession 6 • Taking Apart Electronics And Making Something New 7 • Multiple Love Interests 8 • Ufo 9 • Visiting A Pumpkin Patch 10 • Bozer Accidently Starts A Fire 11 • Nikki Is Not Who She Claims (Again) 12 • The President Is In Danger 13 • Welcome Party 14 • A Letter Goodbye 15 • Missed Calls 16 • Pain Relief 17 • Zombie Apocalypse 18 • Vampires 19 • Reckless Driving 20 • Transgender Character 21 • Moving Away 22 • Teacher Au 23 • Nightshade 24 • Hypothermia 25 • Helicopter 26 • Smoke 27 • Camping 28 • Light bulb + Lightning 29 • Push Pins 30 • Mac + Skyscraper 31 • Halloween
November 1 • Quarantine 2 • Acid 3 • Tar Pit 4 • Murdoc + Sniper Rifle 5 • Abandoned Warehouse 6 • Ice Skating 7 • Exchanging Letters 8 • Doing Drag For A Mission 9 • Insanity 10 • Dealing With Psychopaths 11 • Long Term Memory Loss 12 • Dazed 13 • Loss Of A Friend 14 • Forgetting Your Own Name 15 • Mission Gone Poorly (But Ends Up Fine) 16 • Rescuing People From A Cave 17 • Jill Catches Murdoc 18 • Bomb Hidden In Package 19 • Mixed Feelings 20 • Evacuation 21 • Bookcase Door 22 • Old Photo Albums 23 • Jack's Dog Tags 24 • Facing Their Biggest Fear 25 • Volcano Eruption 26 • Team Evaluation 27 • Held Captive Long Term 28 • Murdoc's Father 29 • Prom Night 30 • Injured Jack
December 1 • Drinking Hot Cocoa 2 • Electrical Fire 3 • Fixing The Toaster 4 • Movie Night (Die Hard Perhaps) 5 • A Letter Containing A Threat 6 • Home On The Range 7 • Jet Engine 8 • Fighting (Verbally Or Physically) 9 • Injured Matty 10 • Flower Picking 11 • Derealization 12 • Hallucinations 13 • Almost Happy Ending (Something Goes Wrong At The End) 14 • Snow Skiing 15 • Caroling 16 • Desi + Mac + Codex 17 • Saying 'I Love You' Too Late 18 • Bonfire 19 • Snow Day 20 • Team Meeting 21 • Ice Cubes + Mac 22 • Chemical Burns 23 • Cassian + Murdoc + Holidays 24 • Holiday Baking 25 • Christmas 26 • Mac Making A Tazer Out Of What He Has In His Pockets 27 • Fire Escape (Comes In Handy) 28 • Mistletoe 29 • Movie Theater Au 30 • Night Vision 31 • Sharing A Kiss On New Years Eve
(Some Days May Be Similar Or The Same Accidently)
[ID in alt]
Tutorial on drawing characters/OCs who have some sort of facial paralysis. It doesn't cover all possible variants because I was using mirror as my main reference lawl
Keep in mind that this is an introductory drawing tutorial and has some generalizations in it, so not every “X is Z” statement will be true for Actual People 👍
Consider supporting me on ko-fi if you find this to be helpful.
“I have all these OCs! But no story…”
bruh
make a fighting game
Reposted for a spelling error.
FEH Oufit meme! Have fun!
Ok to reblog and repost
Credit or link back is optional
Do not edit the meme.
i think i need to convince more people to draw junyuyu . im on some agenda shit rn
As requested by littleghostlyindividual a coord inspired by the Eternal Flower variant of Pokemon #670 Floette
My redesign hot take is that if you’re aiming to “desexualize” a female character, don’t make her boobs smaller. You’re implying a lot here.
ah the humble half-lidded eye. it's so versatile for character designs. tired? sarcastic? flirtatious? chill? it's doing it all.
Do you have any tips on drawing the neck? Also I hope you have a good day :)
these are some of my personal "rules" when it comes to necks so I hope this helps!
Quick interest check, would you be interested in a Secret Santa style Fire Emblem drawing game for December where you submit a favourite character and then draw someone else's favourite character? Just for fun and for anyone with any drawing ability
Pick up a book and open it to a random page. Read the last full sentence on that page. Use that sentence as inspiration for creating a character.
What it says on the tin! I'm hosting a little secret santa/gift exchange focused on Touhou yuri pairings this year. Feel free to join if you're interested!
↓ Guidelines & schedule & application form under the cut ↓
GUIDELINES:
SFW only (serious/darker works are OK, but nothing R18)
your wishlist & the gift you create must be focused on yuri/GL pairings from Touhou (this isn't a general Touhou secret santa)
no AI, what you create must be yours
if you have to drop out and can't finish your gift please contact me ASAP! emergencies and the like are absolutely okay, but try to make sure you'll be able to complete your gift before you consider joining
SCHEDULE:
nov. 7th to nov. 17th → applications open, use the form to join!
nov. 19th to nov. 24th (at the latest) → you'll receive someone else's wishlist to work on, by ask or DM
dec. 25th to jan. 8th → post the gift you created on your blog! don't forget to @ the user you made it for and, if possible, to tag it with #thyurisanta (or @ me) so I can keep track of who's already finished
APPLICATION
Fill this form to join!
If you have any question just send me a message or comment on this post. Let's make this end of the year a fun one!
