Super Helpful - Blog Posts

You’re in art school right? Do you have any tips for making digital paintings like yours? They’re both hyper realistic and have a dream like quality to them that’s so amazing (also super excited for your prints, just ordered some!)

I graduated last year/that was my second degree :D!

A have a few things I can run down-

Photo reference. There are things I legit cannot get down right that I need photos for so my family ends up being my reference for things/I get photos from them doing poses I sometimes need.

If you can't get photo refs you can always use 3d models too to help with shadowing and where light should hit!

There's posemyart justsketchme -

Also anatomy4sculptors has some free photo scans and 3d models of the body

2. Pureref

Feel like no one talks about pureref enough but I like to make little refs and inspo boards before I draw! Plus it's like free

3. Thumbnailing

Omg please thumbnail. Like it's honestly a lot of fun cause you're not showing them really to anyone unless you need help picking but they're scribbles and doodles for you to know what you want your composition to look like or what the mood is gonna be

Again they don't have to be anything special could be stick-figures or whatever but it's to help you plan

4. Post-Work

I play around with curves and blurring so much like there's a lot that happens even after I finish comes sometimes I'm like "no I don't like these colors" and end up playing around with them more with curves and color balance

I made a tutorial about curves here! I also talk about the darken and light layer here too cause they're legit my favorite layer modes to play with and not a lot of people talk about them. I can't find my one talking about blurring+ noise(if anyone finds it please link it over :D)I might have to make a new tutorial on those- I think one of the things that gives it that dreamy feeling is the blur I use-

I like to keep things I don't want so much attention on blurred out/ and keep things I want you to grab your attention more in focus

also like using textures are fun too to add over art sometimes. It also makes like the art feel less sharp+ adding noise gives it that fuzzy look to it

I like make my own to add over or use some I got over the years! They're fun to slap on and have as overlay

5. Bug your friends lmao

I have bugged @chrispypapas in the middle of the before to ask him for help/to give me a second eye on things cause 1. Sometimes there's something you don't catch your friends do and tell you what to fix or 2. You're being overcritical and it's fine

I hope this helps :D!

hi! i really appreciate the advice you share; both what you communicate and the way you communicate is super helpful. i was wondering if you had any tips on packing to move/general moving tips? my husband and i are currently in the process of moving between states and it's the first time we're doing a major move like this - and i'm sure we'll get ourselves where we need to go, but as with everything in life i'm sure there's skills and crafty ways of doing things that we just don't know due to inexperience. we're leaving alaska with cats & don't want to subject them to air travel, so we're going to be going through canada in a car with everything we need for in the short term & shipping the rest.

& i know you get loads of asks, so if this one is one you haven't the time or interest to answer, here's wishing you & yours the absolute best!

OKAY I don't know a bunch about a long move like that, but here are the things I learned in my recent state-to-state (2020, 2021) and around-the-corner (2022) moves.

Make sure that the utilities are turned on by the time you get to your end location. You don't want to move a bunch of boxes and then find out that you can't turn on the shower or that if you do it isn't hot.

Know whether or not there will be lights when you get to the new location. If you aren't sure, pack a couple small lamps that will go with you.

If you're packing a pod, try to group stuff by what room it's going into. Kitchen stuff with kitchen stuff, etc, and pack it (mostly) in reverse order of distance. So if you have to walk further from the pod to your bedroom than from the pod to the kitchen, put the stuff that goes to the bedroom closest to the front so that you aren't exhausted by the time you have to haul stuff the furthest.

This should seem obvious but sometimes it isn't: write what room things *came from* as well as what rooms things *go in* on the boxes. So if it came from your hall closet junk drawer but you're planning on putting it in your new office, write both of those on the box so that you will be better able to visualize what's in the box based on where it came from. Also, write things big, and on multiple sides.

Use your towels to pack your dishes. I used a big rubbermaid tote to pack all my dishes and most of my towels and it was heavy as fuck but when I got it to the house it was so nice to have all my clean dishes and towels together because it wasn't like the towels were going to make the dishes dirty or vice versa. And it saves you money on bubble wrap or packing paper.

One of the things you should pack closest to the entrance to the pod is a trash can full of cleaning supplies. You may think "I don't want to pack this half-used bottle of dish soap or two rolls of toilet paper that are left in the bag, I'll get new stuff when I get there." That is the devil talking. Fill up your trash can with bin liners, paper towels, dish soap, toilet paper, scrubber brushes, spray cleaner, and put a broom and dustpan nearby and have that be the first thing you unload. Moving is dusty and grimy and sweaty and you will want to be able to wash your hands and wipe down surfaces. Unpacking boxes generates so much trash. Also all of that shit is way more expensive than you think it is when you have to buy it all at once and as it turns out a half-empty bottle of dish soap and a quarter-full spray bottle full of 409 are lighter than full ones. This trash can should also have: Boxcutters, Packing Tape, Sharpies, and scissors in it. Also pack your tool box and a step ladder close to this. And you may want to have some lightbulbs in the trash can.

If you are moving books, you want several small boxes instead of fewer large boxes.

Are you up to date on your tetanus shots? If not, get them taken care of now, before the move, because unpacking boxes with a sore arm sucks and you are probably going to get scraped to hell and back by items of questionable provenance as you're loading and unloading.

Pack a "first night" box - depending on whether you or the pod will get to the location first, pack it with you or the pod. This should be stuff like cups (DRINK WATER. HYDRATE. YOU ARE GOING TO BE THIRSTY), snacks (chips and crackers and maybe candy or beef jerky. POP TARTS. Shelf-stable food, that will replenish your sodium and give you calories to keep your blood sugar up until you figure out meals, basically - you're going to be hungry and you are going to need something to eat onhand because you're moving to an unfamiliar area and you should have a snack while you figure out where the local grocery store/pizza place is), clean underwear and pajamas. You want to pack a big box full of all the things you're going to use to be nice to yourself at the end of the first day of unpacking. You may want to put some chemical ice packs, blister cushions, a first aid kit, painkillers, and booze in there too.

BEFORE YOU GO make a list of the new local places you'll want to know about. Search the area ahead of time and write down the addresses and phone numbers of local pizza places, hardware stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. Moving to a new place is disorienting and it's better to know the location of the nearest grocery store before you go than it is to try to find one once you're there, and it's MUCH better to just be able to call the take-out place whose number you've already written down and whose menu you've checked out than it is to go "....okay does this town have a Thai restaurant?" once you're there. Actually, here's a list. Write down the address and phone numbers of the following: - Nearby Pharmacy - Nearby Hardware Store - Nearby Restaurants you want to try (and menu items you want to try from those restaurants!) - Nearby Urgentcare - Nearby Hospital - Nearby Grocery Store - Nearby Discount Store - Nearby Veterinarian - Phone numbers of any service or utility providers you're going to be using - Local branch of your bank

If you have never lived in this place before, it is going to be confusing and disorienting for a while. You're not going to know local landmarks, everything is going to seem *really* far away the first time you go there. Once you get to town, when you find you have downtime, go to the places on your list. Drive by the bank on the way to the grocery store. Get lunch out at a new restaurant on the way to the hardware store. Figure out where there's a local park and go there once a day. Go to the same places three or four times until you start learning where they are in relation to your new home, this will help to orient you to the area and make everything less exhausting.

Your cats are probably going to be confused and mad at you. Make sure that you and everyone else unpacking has a plan to keep the cats contained while doors are opened; the cats will be happier about not being subjected to the chaos of furniture moving and vacuum cleaners and you will be happier if you're not worried about your cats trying to make a run back to Alaska. Put your cats in a smallish room that you won't need to use constantly (a bathroom or closet is probably a good idea) and don't let them out unless you're sure the doors to the house are closed and there's no chance of an escape.

Prepare for the weather where you're moving. You may need to hydrate more, or to buy cooler clothes, or to make sure your cats have more access to water or a cooler hangout place (or a warmer hangout place!). What's the average temperature in your new home in the month you're moving. How do you currently dress and act when you're in temperatures like that? Prepare accordingly.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head that I figured out that isn't in every single standard moving guide. Trashcan full of cleaning supplies, know where the local food is, pack snacks to have in the house, pad your dishes with your towels, contain your critters, get a tetanus shot, and books go in small boxes.

Good luck!

How would one write a realistic argument?

How to Write a Realistic Argument

Everyone argues.

Whether it be with a friend, sibling, parent, or coworker—arguments usually break out whenever there’s a stark contrast in opinion over certain things, which can happen a lot.

There are a variety of different kinds of arguments involving a wide range of people with different tempers. Because of this, writing arguments can be a bit difficult, but fear not, for this post is here to help!

1. Know The Writing Style of an Argument

For a very serious argument, the characters probably won’t stop and listen to what their opponent has to say.

It’s quick, choppy, and broken—each character shoving their emotions at one another and trying to get their point across without bothering to understand the other side’s opinions.

There should be a lot of em-dashes and italicized words for emphasis, and if it’s between two people, you want as few speech tags as possible; because there’s going to be a lot of back and forth, speech tags can serve to trip up the flow of the argument rather than help them.

When you do want speech tags or if there are multiple people arguing at once here’s some examples you can use:

Roared

Screamed

Yelled

Bellowed

Barked

Hissed

Shouted

Accused

Interrupted

Growled

Snarled

Spat

Screeched

Shrilled

But you also must know that your characters won’t just be standing stock still and yelling at one another; they’re going to be moving around, so here are some things you can describe your character doing during an argument

Expression contorting

Eyes narrowing

Speaking through clenched teeth

Baring their teeth

Lips twisting (into a sneer/into a snarl)

Hands balling into fists

Trembling

Breaking things/knocking stuff over

Pointing accusingly

Shoving

Spittle flying from their mouth

Stamping their feet

Face getting hot

Vein in forehead popping

Blood roaring in their ears/heart pounding

And if you want, to build tension you can put it in a dangerous place, like at the edge of a cliff or something—so you know fully well that if one of them goes too far it may end up with the other’s accidental death.

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