Lotusclouding - Lotusclouding

How did you get so good at drawing such expressive bodies/faces??? tell me your secrets!! (But srsly your skills are amazing)

AAAA THANK YOU!!

I think my initial inspiration was about 10-11 years ago watching Adventure Time and finding Rebecca Sugar’s boards. Sometimes I get a little frustrated because she gets so much more notoriety than the other very very amazing AT boarders, but….. her expressions man…. she was always able to convey so much with SO LITTLE. (SU’s expressions are on another level of course, but I think AT’s are just so impressive to me because they’re dot eyes)

But the thing is!! I’m also a fan of deadpan. Which AT also does very well. It’s tempting to want to do BIG, extreme expressions at every moment, especially in comedic comics, but you really don’t need to. I find that characters often feel more expressive if you reel it in more often. That way, when you DO have bigger expressions, they FEEL bigger!

for example, a panel where the contrast between big and subtle expressions sells the contrast:

I don’t really,,,, know exactly what I do that works, ?? I kind of just like, think of the emotion I wanna convey, make the expression, think about what my face feels feels like, and try to convey that. Using a mirror helps!! You’ll feel a little stupid but it’s funny.

some misc expression tips:

Definitely prioritize eyebrows, eyes, and mouths!

Noses aren’t as important BUT flared nostril can totally sell an expression, so it depends!

Remember that your upper jaw is stationary, and your lower jaw can move, and then your lips and cheeks can move all around that!

Just subtly changing the placement of eyelids and location/size of irises can completely change an expression

Don’t be afraid to make your characters look weird or stupid.

Don’t reinvent the wheel! Take reference from different media you like that stylize expressions in different ways, and find what works for you. I take a lot of inspiration from AtLA

Again, NUANCE! Like, when most people are sad, they do their very best to try NOT to cry. People hold things in. Sometimes what characters don’t say can speak louder than what they do.

some expressions I’ve done that have varying levels of nuance:

Also framing!! You can use the composition to help project how the character feels:

As for body language!

Having a better sense of three-dimensional form and anatomy isn’t necessary, but it sure helps a lot

Hands!! I have adhd and my family is italian so I use my hands a lot when I talk. But even still, most people don’t just leave their hands hanging loosely by their sides. People cross their arms and fidget with their zippers and put their hands in pockets.

Head, neck, and shoulders. If you can master the foreshortening of these overlapping shapes at most angles, you will be very powerful

Hips & feet!!!!! People RARELY stand straight with both feet flat on the ground with even balance. Most people will shift their weight to one hip, leaving one leg looser and at an angle. It also helps to practice perspective, because people also rarely stand with their heels lined up side by side. One leg may get kicked foreward or loosely bent backwards. I sometimes cross my legs when I stand.

Ultimately, if you want more lifelike expressions and poses, study from life!! Don’t worry about your drawing being “good” or “bad”, instead think about what can make it successful. Ask yourself, “is this conveying the expression I want to convey?” and if it’s not, figure out what you need to change to get it there.

Diamonds & Spots

the hottest pattern this and every upcoming season

This sketch turned out better than I expected so I had to share it 🤗 I also want to take this opportunity to tell y’all I’m a firm believer in demi wwx

This is it, the shot that took me out, the freedom that they've found in each other, the birds flying free, the soft light and the tenderness as they laugh and joke and avoid everything serious... but the consequences that are coming cannot be avoided and the life that they are flying from is waiting for them when they land, no matter where they land, no matter how far they fly...

Over his shoulder, over his shoulder... checking over his shoulder. They look and we look and we see a man in black and a man dressed so softly, someone ready to try something new and someone seeking an escape from all the masks he wears but is just as scared of that escape as he is his own reality. (JiHyun is learning to be fearless but JaeWon gave in to fear before he met him) and the true question is... can light overcome darkness, can fear be outweighed by another's bravery, can he find his way to what he wants but doesn't believe in... himself. (Can JiHyun be light to darkness or will the darkness pull him down as well and leave him alone somewhere he's never been?)

God works hard but the shop owner at the rest stop giving away free stuff works harder. He said be gay. listen to trot. do minor crimes like setting off fireworks at the beach

「…誰だって、ほんとうにいいことをしたら、いちばん幸なんだねえ。」  “…a person creates happiness around them when they do something good.”

- Campanella, from 銀河鉄道の夜 by Miyazawa Kenji

I found a company called “Frantic Meerkat” who makes journals whose sole purpose is to call me out