Reblogging This Manually. Op Doesn't Want Credit For Fear Of Being Terminated.

Reblogging This Manually. Op Doesn't Want Credit For Fear Of Being Terminated.

Reblogging this manually. Op doesn't want credit for fear of being terminated.

More Posts from Quail-dawn and Others

11 months ago
Keep This In Mind During The Yearly Month Of Insincere Pandering

keep this in mind during the yearly Month Of Insincere Pandering


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9 months ago

Words for Skin Tone | How to Describe Skin Color

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We discussed the issues describing People of Color by means of food in Part I of this guide, which brought rise to even more questions, mostly along the lines of “So, if food’s not an option, what can I use?” Well, I was just getting to that!

This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined, keeping in mind the questions we’ve received on this topic.

Standard Description

Basic Colors

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Pictured above: Black, Brown, Beige, White, Pink.

“She had brown skin.”

This is a perfectly fine description that, while not providing the most detail, works well and will never become cliché.

Describing characters’ skin as simply brown or beige works on its own, though it’s not particularly telling just from the range in brown alone.

Complex Colors

These are more rarely used words that actually “mean” their color. Some of these have multiple meanings, so you’ll want to look into those to determine what other associations a word might have.

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Pictured above: Umber, Sepia, Ochre, Russet, Terra-cotta, Gold, Tawny, Taupe, Khaki, Fawn.

Complex colors work well alone, though often pair well with a basic color in regards to narrowing down shade/tone.

For example: Golden brown, russet brown, tawny beige…

As some of these are on the “rare” side, sliding in a definition of the word within the sentence itself may help readers who are unfamiliar with the term visualize the color without seeking a dictionary.

“He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown.”

Comparisons to familiar colors or visuals are also helpful:

“His skin was an ochre color, much like the mellow-brown light that bathed the forest.”

Modifiers

Modifiers, often adjectives, make partial changes to a word.The following words are descriptors in reference to skin tone.

Dark - Deep - Rich - Cool

Warm - Medium - Tan

Fair - Light - Pale

Rich Black, Dark brown, Warm beige, Pale pink…

If you’re looking to get more specific than “brown,” modifiers narrow down shade further.

Keep in mind that these modifiers are not exactly colors.

As an already brown-skinned person, I get tan from a lot of sun and resultingly become a darker, deeper brown. I turn a pale, more yellow-brown in the winter.

While best used in combination with a color, I suppose words like “tan” “fair” and “light” do work alone; just note that tan is less likely to be taken for “naturally tan” and much more likely a tanned White person.

Calling someone “dark” as description on its own is offensive to some and also ambiguous. (See: Describing Skin as Dark)

Undertones

Undertones are the colors beneath the skin, seeing as skin isn’t just one even color but has more subdued tones within the dominating palette.

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pictured above: warm / earth undertones: yellow, golden, copper, olive, bronze, orange, orange-red, coral | cool / jewel undertones: pink, red, blue, blue-red, rose, magenta, sapphire, silver. 

Mentioning the undertones within a character’s skin is an even more precise way to denote skin tone.

As shown, there’s a difference between say, brown skin with warm orange-red undertones (Kelly Rowland) and brown skin with cool, jewel undertones (Rutina Wesley).

“A dazzling smile revealed the bronze glow at her cheeks.”

“He always looked as if he’d ran a mile, a constant tinge of pink under his tawny skin.”

Standard Description Passage

“Farah’s skin, always fawn, had burned and freckled under the summer’s sun. Even at the cusp of autumn, an uneven tan clung to her skin like burrs. So unlike the smooth, red-brown ochre of her mother, which the sun had richened to a blessing.”

-From my story “Where Summer Ends” featured in Strange Little Girls

Here the state of skin also gives insight on character.

Note my use of “fawn” in regards to multiple meaning and association. While fawn is a color, it’s also a small, timid deer, which describes this very traumatized character of mine perfectly.

Though I use standard descriptions of skin tone more in my writing, at the same time I’m no stranger to creative descriptions, and do enjoy the occasional artsy detail of a character.

Creative Description

Whether compared to night-cast rivers or day’s first light…I actually enjoy seeing Characters of Colors dressed in artful detail.

I’ve read loads of descriptions in my day of white characters and their “smooth rose-tinged ivory skin”, while the PoC, if there, are reduced to something from a candy bowl or a Starbucks drink, so to actually read of PoC described in lavish detail can be somewhat of a treat.

Still, be mindful when you get creative with your character descriptions. Too many frills can become purple-prose-like, so do what feels right for your writing when and where. Not every character or scene warrants a creative description, either. Especially if they’re not even a secondary character.

Using a combination of color descriptions from standard to creative is probably a better method than straight creative. But again, do what’s good for your tale.

Natural Settings - Sky

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Pictured above: Harvest Moon -Twilight, Fall/Autumn Leaves, Clay, Desert/Sahara, Sunlight - Sunrise - Sunset - Afterglow - Dawn- Day- Daybreak, Field - Prairie - Wheat, Mountain/Cliff, Beach/Sand/Straw/Hay.

Now before you run off to compare your heroine’s skin to the harvest moon or a cliff side, think about the associations to your words.

When I think cliff, I think of jagged, perilous, rough. I hear sand and picture grainy, yet smooth. Calm. mellow.

So consider your character and what you see fit to compare them to.

Also consider whose perspective you’re describing them from. Someone describing a person they revere or admire may have a more pleasant, loftier description than someone who can’t stand the person.

“Her face was like the fire-gold glow of dawn, lifting my gaze, drawing me in.”

“She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny.”

Even creative descriptions tend to draw help from your standard words.

Flowers

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Pictured above: Calla lilies, Western Coneflower, Hazel Fay, Hibiscus, Freesia, Rose

It was a bit difficult to find flowers to my liking that didn’t have a 20 character name or wasn’t called something like “chocolate silk” so these are the finalists. 

You’ll definitely want to avoid purple-prose here.

Also be aware of flowers that most might’ve never heard of. Roses are easy, as most know the look and coloring(s) of this plant. But Western coneflowers? Calla lilies? Maybe not so much.

“He entered the cottage in a huff, cheeks a blushing brown like the flowers Nana planted right under my window. Hazel Fay she called them, was it?”

Assorted Plants & Nature

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Pictured above: Cattails, Seashell, Driftwood, Pinecone, Acorn, Amber

These ones are kinda odd. Perhaps because I’ve never seen these in comparison to skin tone, With the exception of amber.

At least they’re common enough that most may have an idea what you’re talking about at the mention of “pinecone." 

I suggest reading out your sentences aloud to get a better feel of how it’ll sounds.

"Auburn hair swept past pointed ears, set around a face like an acorn both in shape and shade.”

I pictured some tree-dwelling being or person from a fantasy world in this example, which makes the comparison more appropriate.

I don’t suggest using a comparison just “cuz you can” but actually being thoughtful about what you’re comparing your character to and how it applies to your character and/or setting.

Wood

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Pictured above: Mahogany, Walnut, Chestnut, Golden Oak, Ash

Wood can be an iffy description for skin tone. Not only due to several of them having “foody” terminology within their names, but again, associations.

Some people would prefer not to compare/be compared to wood at all, so get opinions, try it aloud, and make sure it’s appropriate to the character if you do use it.

“The old warlock’s skin was a deep shade of mahogany, his stare serious and firm as it held mine.”

Metals

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Pictured above: Platinum, Copper, Brass, Gold, Bronze

Copper skin, brass-colored skin, golden skin…

I’ve even heard variations of these used before by comparison to an object of the same properties/coloring, such as penny for copper.

These also work well with modifiers.

“The dress of fine white silks popped against the deep bronze of her skin.”

Gemstones - Minerals

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Pictured above: Onyx, Obsidian, Sard, Topaz, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Rutile, Pyrite, Citrine, Gypsum

These are trickier to use. As with some complex colors, the writer will have to get us to understand what most of these look like.

If you use these, or any more rare description, consider if it actually “fits” the book or scene.

Even if you’re able to get us to picture what “rutile” looks like, why are you using this description as opposed to something else? Have that answer for yourself.

“His skin reminded her of the topaz ring her father wore at his finger, a gleaming stone of brown, mellow facades.” 

Physical Description

Physical character description can be more than skin tone.

Show us hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands…body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.

Describing features also helps indicate race, especially if your character has some traits common within the race they are, such as afro hair to a Black character.

How comprehensive you decide to get is up to you. I wouldn’t overdo it and get specific to every mole and birthmark. Noting defining characteristics is good, though, like slightly spaced front teeth, curls that stay flopping in their face, hands freckled with sunspots…

General Tips

Indicate Race Early: I suggest indicators of race be made at the earliest convenience within the writing, with more hints threaded throughout here and there.

Get Creative On Your Own: Obviously, I couldn’t cover every proper color or comparison in which has been “approved” to use for your characters’ skin color, so it’s up to you to use discretion when seeking other ways and shades to describe skin tone.

Skin Color May Not Be Enough: Describing skin tone isn’t always enough to indicate someone’s ethnicity. As timeless cases with readers equating brown to “dark white” or something, more indicators of race may be needed.

Describe White characters and PoC Alike: You should describe the race and/or skin tone of your white characters just as you do your Characters of Color. If you don’t, you risk implying that White is the default human being and PoC are the “Other”).

PSA: Don’t use “Colored.” Based on some asks we’ve received using this word, I’d like to say that unless you or your character is a racist grandmama from the 1960s, do not call People of Color “colored” please. 

Not Sure Where to Start? You really can’t go wrong using basic colors for your skin descriptions. It’s actually what many people prefer and works best for most writing. Personally, I tend to describe my characters using a combo of basic colors + modifiers, with mentions of undertones at times. I do like to veer into more creative descriptions on occasion.

Want some alternatives to “skin” or “skin color”? Try: Appearance, blend, blush, cast, coloring, complexion, flush, glow, hue, overtone, palette, pigmentation, rinse, shade, sheen, spectrum, tinge, tint, tone, undertone, value, wash.

Skin Tone Resources

List of Color Names

The Color Thesaurus

Skin Undertone & Color Matching

Tips and Words on Describing Skin

Photos: Undertones Described (Modifiers included)

Online Thesaurus (try colors, such as “red” & “brown”)

Don’t Call me Pastries: Creative Skin Tones w/ pics I 

Writing & Description Guides

WWC Featured Description Posts

WWC Guide: Words to Describe Hair

Writing with Color: Description & Skin Color Tags

7 Offensive Mistakes Well-intentioned Writers Make

I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this guide, but if you have a question regarding describing skin color that hasn’t been answered within part I or II of this guide, or have more questions after reading this post, feel free to ask!

~ Mod Colette

1 year ago
Bothering The Beast

Bothering the beast

11 months ago

collection of useful things tumblr has taught me:

even if you can't fall asleep, laying down with your eyes closed will still rest your body

you don't have to brush your teeth standing up

you don't have to do any chore standing up, from dishes to showering

you don't have to shower with the lights on

if you can't brush your teeth, flossing and a tongue scraper gets rid of plaque and bad breath

if you can't do that, mouthwash kills a lot of bacteria

eating "unhealthy" food is better than eating no food

you can make the same meal everyday for however long you still want it

some pills come in syrups or chewables if you can't swallow them

kids nutritional shakes can be a quick way to get fuel if you can't eat/don't have time

if walking hurts/exhausts you on a regular basis, canes and rollers are for you, no matter how young you are

we have free will—if doing something "out of the ordinary" makes life easier for you, do it

1 year ago
Well Done, Ireland!

Well done, Ireland! <3

8 months ago
first slide. top right reads: There are many types of cleft lip. unilateral (on one side), bilateral (on both sides), and complete (self-explanatory), incomplete (self-explanatory), and post-surgery (there is no cleft), no-surgery (there is a cleft). next to it is a photo of Joaquin Phoenix with no facial hair captioned "Joaquin Phoenix has it BTW (unilateral + incomplete)". below that are four drawings captioned "Examples". They're all the same bust sketches but with different mouths and noses. The first one is Unilateral + complete (post surgery). Text box reads "teeth can sometimes be slighly visible, scar present, tip of the nose points downward, if they had surgery you won't be able to tell half the time if you aren't looking for it, easier to tell from the nose than the lip/scar TBH". Next to it is one captioned "unilateral + complete (no surgery). Text reads: "teeth are visible, upper row of teeth goes with the shape of the lip, tip of the nose points other direction". Third one is "bilateral + complete (no surgery). Text reads: "two front teeth visible but they go to the sides, upper lip split into 3 parts: one attached to the columella and two to the outer nostrils, nose and nostrils are wider". the last one is "unilateral + incomplete (no surgery)". text reads: "teeth can sometimes be visible but mostly no, nose can sometimes be flatter + wider on the side of the cleft, doesn't go into the nostril."
second slide. the title reads "Drawing a character with cleft lip post lip surgery". the caption reads "some people also get rhinoplasty (nose surgery) but I won't go into it because it just gives you a "regular" nose and I don't think this needs a tutorial IDK". Below that are three drawings from the neck up. First one is of a woman with a faded cleft lip captioned "it's not always very visible". Second is of a Latino man with a gap in his moustache and slightly visible teeth, captioned "teeth can show". Third is of a Black woman with a large keloid scar, captioned "keloid scars sometimes happen". under those is a section called "what it can look like" with "can" in all caps and underscored. text reads: "cupid bow higher on the side of the cleft, nostril lower on the side of the cleft, actual scar, pulling from the scar creating a small opening right below it, nose pointing downwards and/or towards the scar". the drawing next to it has all these differences highlighted. note below it reads "if it's bilateral: the lip and nostrils can still be asymmetrical, the lips would probably be parted in the middle if at all". the last drawing at the bottom shows a person from the side-view and highlights the nose and lips. Text reads: "from the profile, the upper lip pokes out less". a note in the bottom right reads: "note: the scar is surgical. in most cases, it will be poorly visible, and in adults, faded. in some people it's honestly invisible, but it can also be reddish or paler than the rest of the skin. facial hair doesn't grow on scar tissue no matter how visible the scar is."
third slide. it's the same as the previous one, but for characters with no surgery. the three drawings show a Black man with an incomplete cleft lip showing his teeth, a white woman with a complete cleft, and a Black girl with a bilateral complete one. the section below shows a person with a bilateral cleft from the side, as well as a close-up on the mouth itself. text reads: "the middle part protrudes further than the nose (generally), nose and middle part are on a similar angle, when the mouth is closed the upper lip goes into the lower one". a note under the drawing reads "(the mouth here is slightly open to see everything from the side)". a text box under both drawings reads "incisors can be more hidden or visible (same with gums) and they can be straight or go to the sides. the actual lip is usually invisible on the middle part because it's often on the more inner side. it can look like the profile above but it's not as common". a section next to that one shows a person with an unilateral cleft lip and misaligned teeth on a 3/4 angle. text box reads: "upper teeth go towards the nostril with the cleft" and "the higher the cleft the more they will do that. compare the chara in top left vs the one above this text box."
fourth slide. it's titled "ok but what else". below that are two busts, one of a person without a cleft lip and the second of a person with a repaired cleft but no visible scar. caption reads "how to draw the subtle differences". text continues "distance between nose and upper lip is shorter, nose more down turned (can be much more than I drew TBH), lip pulls upward below where the cleft was. This way it's still visible even when there's no easy-to-see scar." the two drawings have all these differences color-coded. section below features the same drawings, but this time they show a character with a complete unilateral no-surgery cleft. first one shows the skeleton underneath, second has skin on. text reads "in a no-surgery uni complete cleft lip, think of the rows of teeth not as two horizontal rows but more of a triangle. the upper teeth are parted into 2 sections and they don't meet, but can overlap in the actual cleft spot. they don't go into the nostril BTW." a small note reads "gums are dark red and teeth are blue so you can tell which is which" and the drawing is color coded accordingly.
fifth slide, titled "the chibis the cartoons etc." with a header "(by someone who doesn't really draw in that style I'll do my best though). it shows two chibi drawings - one of a girl with a bilateral no-surgery cleft lip, second of a girl with a unilateral post-surgery one. they each have instructions below. for the first one, it shows a horizontal 3 with an additional bump, captioned "you can do this shape (it's kinda nose shaped?", next step draws two squares to the middle part, captioned "add teeth to the middle part, boom no nose needed." second drawing has its first instruction as "draw a basic smile, don't bother with subtle differences TBH just simpify it", followed by "draw an anime girl fang upside down, remember that the lip follows the shape. you can throw in a scar too."
sixth slide, titled "other types of clefts + things to consider for the character". it features two drawings: one of an East Asian woman with a cleft going from her lower eyelid to the corner of her mouth, and second of a South Asian woman in a headscarf with an indent in the middle of her eyebrow. she also has strabismus and her cleft eyebrow is very wide. they're captioned with cleft type 5 and 10 respectively. a text box reads "these are called Tessier clefts and they're like cleft lips but on different parts of the face. There's 14 of them in total and they can be comorbid with cleft lip and palate." the last section has no drawings and just a text box titled "info that you might find useful: most people with cleft lip worldwide didn't have surgery, most people in wealthy countries get surgery as babies, some people choose to get cosmetic revisions rhinoplasties etc. when they're older (most don't), first cleft lip surgery was in 390 BC, most people with a cleft lip have a cleft palate as well, don't call it a fucking 'hare lip' it's offensive and weird".

tutorial for drawing characters with cleft lip! sorry that it's mostly unilateral-centric but it makes up the vast majority of resources and photos. still tried to get tips for drawing bilateral clefts in though.

please 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 : )

if you draw any characters using this feel free to tag me!!

11 months ago
Staff Have Done Their Best To Hide This Post, OP's Blog Has Been Deleted To Hide It. Spread This Post

Staff have done their best to hide this post, OP's blog has been deleted to hide it. Spread this post as much as you can (ideally through screenshots to avoid it being nuked)

1 year ago
Deleted Scene From Long Shadows

deleted scene from long shadows

9 months ago
Moon 11: Life Going On

Moon 11: Life going on

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quail-dawn - Quail's Cool Collection
Quail's Cool Collection

Here to say random shit and draw random shit :D Pronouns are They/Them/She

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