All of the tutorials, references, artwork, etc. featured here were not created by me. This is just an area for people to find anything related to helping others improve their art skills.
Please do not hesitate to submit or notify me of resources and tutorials for anything relating to art you can imagine will help people in their improvement of art. Since art is such a subjective and vague term, this can mean anything from writing to cosplay to cooking to even home construction.
Hey, if you don’t mind sharing, I’ve always wondered how you got that soft celling look on your characters in your comic. Any tips? I’m currently working on my own comic and I kind of want to go for a less harsh form of cell shading. Thanks!
A couple people have asked about the way I color things and I’ve been meaning to post a tutorial on it :]. I’ve never been too good at describing my process, but I hope this helps!
Babies usually learn how to sit up at 4 to 7 months, to crawl at about 7 to 10 months, to stand up at 9 to 10 months, and to walk at 9 to 12 months. Babies can learn to talk as early as 6 months, though they only start to form two to four word sentences from 18 months to 2 years old.
Babies are cute little bundles of joy that lighten up the entire household, though they do have their moments.
My biggest pet peeve about people who write babies into their stories is that they only concentrate on the cons. The baby is always crying and annoying the characters, who make snide remarks about how they wish it would shut up.
The writers set it up so that the baby sounds like more of a burden than anything else, and unless your other characters don’t want the baby and feel like it is a burden, then I highly suggest you switch it up and describe the happy moments that the characters have with their babies, too.
They don’t just cry because they’re hungry or need to have their diaper changed.
Contrary to popular belief, whenever a baby cries it does not mean that it needs to be fed or that it has pooped itself. Babies cry over all sorts of things because they literally have no other way to communicate when they’re unhappy.
They cry when they’re tired.
They cry when they’re left alone. (Separation anxiety is very prevalent in babies, who feel afraid and unsafe whenever their guardians are not with them
They cry when they’re frustrated and can’t do the things that their parents and siblings can do.
They cry when they’re scared.
They cry when they are left with the parent that isn’t their favorite. (This usually happens to dads when the babies are left in their care)
This may sound annoying, but babies are just trying to make it known that they’re unhappy. They can’t say “Hey, I’m upset, can you help me?” so their only other option is to cry. Since they’re young, these things that are happening to them are the WORST things they’ve ever experienced. When a baby throws a fit over a broken toy or separation anxiety, that’s probably because it’s the scariest and most heartbreaking thing that has ever happened to them!
They need constant love, care, and attention.
This is literally a young human person. They’re just as aware and alert as you and I, and they need constant stimulation to keep happy. Parents really have it cut out for them; they have to raise this little human larva into a fully grown homo sapien that will function well in society, and in order to do that they have to provide a lot of TLC to make sure the baby’s mind develops correctly.
A lot of parents in stories don’t do this; they only give their baby attention when it’s crying and I can’t help but think: that’s not??? How it works????
Things that parents do for their children to help them develop:
Read books
Sing songs
Play with toys with them
Play games like peek-a-boo and patty cake
Put on music
Put on educational TV and movies (Though they shouldn’t do this too often!)
Simply be around them
Parents should not leave the baby alone for extended periods of time.
This is a given. Babies can get themselves into a lot of trouble: They can roll of couches, touch hot or sharp objects, and eat things that they shouldn’t. Babies have to be under constant supervision, and it gets me really annoyed when characters in stories leave their child unattended for a long time.
Babies need a lot of equipment, which can include:
- Crib
- Bib
- Pacifier/Binky
- Bottle and formula (If parents don’t breastfeed)
**FYI babies on formula or breast milk need to be burped after they’re fed because they swallow air and can have gas buildup within their stomach and intestines. Some babies need to be burped a lot, while others don’t; it all depends on the baby, though bottle fed babies tend to swallow more air than breastfed ones.**
- Blankets and mats to lie on
- Toys (LOTS of them!)
- High chair
- Baby friendly food (for older babies that are off formula, which occurs after the sixth month mark), which can include actual baby food, Cheerios, fruit that is cut into small pieces, animal crackers, and anything that can be eaten with fingers that can’t be choked on.
The parents, if they’re caring ones, are always thinking about the baby.
This is especially if they’re first time parents. Babies are a BIG DEAL, and they become the most important things in their parents’ lives. They’re always thinking about the baby and can tend to worry a LOT when they’re separated from them. They take many precautions, such as baby-proofing the house, to keep their little ones safe, and most parents would take a bullet for their baby.
If the parents in your story don’t fret over their baby at least once, then you’re writing baby parents wrong.
Toddlers (Ages 2-5)
Many important milestones in a human’s life happen during these critical years. They start forming complete sentences and developing social skills. They learn that to get what they want they don’t just have to cry; they can communicate in other ways, though sometimes they take to crying if they don’t get their way.
Toddlers can be marginally more worrisome than babies; they’re mobile now, so they can now reach higher and move around faster than their younger counterparts. Their crying no longer is cute, but rather more annoying now that they’re older and are starting to develop their personalities, and there’s a reason why they’re called “The terrible twos”
Toddlers are just like upgraded babies that need most of the things babies do but can now communicate, walk, and eat real food.
However, the most important thing writers should know: TODDLERS ARE NOT SAGES
They should not be spouting deep, philosophical life lessons at every turn; that aspect of children that’s been developed in books, about how they “know things” just because they’re young and innocent, is completely false. One or two meaningful lines should be fine, but remember that they’re still kids; they like talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, princesses, animals, and trucks, and 98% of their dialogue should merely be them being a kid.
Nothing wrong with never being drunk (in fact, it’s probs a good thing) but it can be hard to write convincingly about alcohol if you’re not familiar with it, and I’ve read enough fics where 5 secs into reading I’m already cringing sooooo
1. It takes more than 1 beer to get drunk
Personally, it takes me (a small female occasional-drinker) either around 3 shots of any spirit, 2 large glasses of wine or 2.5 beer-like drinks within a short space of time to get over tipsy into drunk territory, and to be really drunk-drunk, a bottle of wine (3 or 4 glasses), or 5 shots should do it. BUT IT VARIES FROM PERSON TO PERSON
2. Lime and salt is literally only for tequila
and I know like less than 3 people who actually enjoy the taste of any alcohol
3. Your vision isn’t “blurry” or “foggy”
Alcohol affects your balance not your eyes, so the room defo can seem like it’s spinning but you’ll still have your 20/20. Sometimes it’s hard to focus, but it’s not constant - just every so often your eyes miss their mark.
4. Speech is less “slurred”, more in the wrong order
It’s less a state of horniness and more a state of lowered inhibitions and social pressure
6. Coffee doesn’t sober you up like magic
Alcohol dissipates from the body at a rate of about .015% of BAC per hour, and drinking coffee doesn’t alter that rate
7. Alcohol rarely sends you into a deep and heavy sleep
You’re more likely to sleep fitfully and keep waking (sometimes to be sick, more likely to piss/drink water - sometimes just bcos being drunk is uncomfortable), unless you’re an alcoholic who depends on drink for sleep
8. You don’t *hic* in the middle of every sentence!!
If the drink is carbonated, then maybe, but you’re way more likely to have a problem with bloating etc with alcohol
9.
You don’t go straight to black-out, speech-slurring drunk
10. Having drunk sex is difficult, awkward and rarely sexy
And you’re more likely to make-out with your friends than any strangers at a club, just because
11. Hangovers are rarely pounding, light-aversion torture
The younger/more tolerant you are, the better. Generally, for a night of heavy but not black-out drinking, you’ll be thirsty, probs nauseous and tired. The room may still be spinning but in an annoying, not painful way, and this’ll go away after a couple of hours and eating something, getting fresh air or having a shower (whatever works for you)
12. People talk nonsense when drunk
You are less likely to get a love confession and more likely to hear about all the rules for a complicated game they just invented, right that second
13. Everyone is different
Don’t make all your characters hyper, or depressive, or angry. For most of the night they won’t get to that stage anyway. Also, remember this whole list is based on my experiences, so feel free to ignore it all and do your own thing.
Here’s what you’ll need to know!
Learn all about the wonders of the human body and add scientifically-accurate drama to your stories.
MALNOURISHMENT
DEATH: average - 21 days (3 weeks), max ever recorded - 70 days (2.3 months)
6 HOURS: grouchiness and hunger due to lack of glucose.
24 HOURS - 48 HOURS: hunger very apparent; pains in stomach; body has entered ketosis and is using fatty acids as energy.
72 HOURS+: muscles begin to get broken down for energy.
You will become: increasingly depressed, irritable, hysteric apathetic; decline in concentration, comprehension and judgement; social isolation and withdrawal; possible self-harm.
If your character doesn’t eat for 5 consecutive days, they are at risk of Refeeding Syndrome. This is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.
Psychology of starvation based on the above experiment.
DEHYDRATION
DEATH: average 3 days; some live 8 - 10 days
for the calculations: TWV = total water volume in body; average adult loses 2.5 litres of water per day.
Assuming that your character does not eat, drink or absorb any moisture.
9 HOURS/2% TWV: thirst, discomfort, dry skin, loss of appetite; 50% loss of performance for athletes; elevated body temperature, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, dizziness when standing, decreased fluid secretion (sweat, urination, tears, etc).
24 HOURS/6% TWV: sleepiness, severe headaches, nausea, tingling in limbs.
DEATH: not known, but can stay awake for 11 days; max chronic sleep deprivation ever recorded (until death) - 6 months.
NOTE: This does not mean you can stay awake for 6 months. It means you can survive that long with chronic sleep deprivation - going days without sleep and then sleeping once or twice.
24 HOURS: mental ability impairment of someone who has blood-alcohol content of 0.10%; everything is worse - emotional control, memory, attention, decision-making, hand-eye coordination.
36 HOURS: hormonal spikes everywhere; losing time; lack of motivation; head buzzing like you’re dehydrated.
48 HOURS: microsleep, regardless of what you’re doing (you fall asleep for 1-30 seconds and then become disorientated);
72 HOURS+: say goodbye to higher mental processes like decision-making and planning. Also, say good bye to saying goodbye because even simple conversations are hard.
80 HOURS+: … and hello, hallucinations!
recommended reading:
this article of a soldier’s experience with sleep deprivation.
So I come from a small (midwestern) town. And I mean - an actual small town (less than 1,500 population). I’ve lived in towns of under 500 population, and in towns of about 2,500 population, and in towns of 15k population, and in cities of 100k, and currently in a 700k city.
So here’s some things about small towns you might not know if you’ve never lived in one:
If it’s got a population higher than 30 thousand, it’s not a small town. It’s just a town. Hell, I’d probably argue that if it has a population higher than 10 thousand it’s not small town, but I’m being generous. However the people in towns 30k–50k probably think they’re in a small town (they’re not).
The experience is vastly different depending on how far you are from a small-large city. And by that I mean - the people are vastly different.
Are you less than 60min drive to a city of 80k+ population? the people are probably less likely to be farmers, more likely to work in said small-large city and commute (which doesn’t mean that everyone commutes or that no one is a farmer). The people probably lean slightly to the right of the closest city, but aren’t necessarily staunch conservatives. The town sizes probably bottom out around 2k min.
Are you more than 2hrs drive from a city of 80k+ population? The town is more self-sufficient. Most work within their small town or a nearby small town. Depending on the terrain, more people are farmers. They’re probably mostly conservative, both socially and fiscally. The town sizes could be as small as 300 people.
The farther from the city, the more likely to be conservative, more likely to be farmers (depending on the terrain).
Population 15k+:
This town probably has a (singular) hospital, several doctor’s offices, probably a dozen department stores - and if it’s rural enough, probably a couple kinds of hardware/diy type stores (lowe’s, menard’s, home depot etc.)
There are several options for vets and at least one emergency vet
1-2 dozen hotels
If it’s got anything touristy, double the hotels (2-3 dozen) - touristy being water, especially large lakes, hiking trails, fesitvals, nearby ski resort - any thing that would draw people there on vacation, even if it’s only people from that region
Also add a “down town” area - boutiques, nice restaurants, probably a theatre
It has at least 4 options of elementary schools, and 3 options each for middle and high schools. It might have a community college (but probably not). There are private or charter options, specifically for religious students
There are multiple denominations of churches (catholic, lutheran, baptist, episcopal etc). Depending on ethnic make-up, it may or may not have a synagogue. It probably won’t have a mosque.
If it’s in a rural-ish area (the closest towns are all smaller) it probably has some kind of shopping mall. If it’s the smaller town, it may not.
It’ll have several bars, probably clustered in a central location, with a few others a little farther out from that area.
This town has a few coffee shops (3-10), but may or may not have an actual starbucks. At least one is a local place, at least one is a chain (starbucks, dunkin, biggby).
People drive everywhere. There is a bus system, but only the “down town” area would have issues finding parking. Most businesses/hotels have their own parking lot.
Most people live in houses but there are a few (3-7) apartment complexes, most of which are several buildings
There will be lots of restaurants, mostly chains or small mom & pop places, with at least a couple niceish options
This town might even have its own airport, but likely only serves regional flights to “nearby” larger towns/cities. Regional means like, less than 2hr flights, so that’s probably a bigger distance than you’d think.
There are dozens of gas stations and at least a dozen fast food places
Is it on a freeway? increase the gas stations, fast food places, department stores etc.
This town probably has a rec-type center with a community pool and courts and what not. There are several options of gyms.
Population 10k ish:
May or may not have a hospital - if it does, it’s small. A few doctor’s offices, a couple of department stores, at least one hardware/diy type
A few vets, may or may not have an emergency vet
a dozen or so hotels. again - double that if it’s got smth that would attract people, especially water.
may or may not have a “down town” area
2-4 options at least of elementary, 2-3 options of middle and high school. No community college.
Still at least a few options of churches. Still might have a synagogue, still probably doesn’t have a mosque.
Probably doesn’t have a shopping mall, but might have a “business district - basically a few intersections with most of the stores, hotels, and restaurants.
Probably has at least two, maybe three coffee shops. At least one is a chain.
Probably doesn’t have its own bus system unless it’s near enough to a town of 15k+ or more - people drive everywhere. There’s plenty of parking.
Most people live in houses, but there are a couple of apartment complexes. Mostish of the houses have yards, but some might not.
A few options of restaurants, but maybe only 1-2 niceish places. A couple chain, a couple mom & pop.
It would be strange for this town to have an airport. May have a landing strip at most, but unlikely.
There are probably half a dozen to a dozen gas stations. Several fast food places.
Is it on a freeway? increase the gas stations, fast food
This town might have a community rec center w/pool. Still a couple options of gyms.
Population 5k ish:
This town doesn’t have a hospital. It probably has 1-3 doctor’s offices. At least one department store
2-3 vets, likely no emergency vet
3-8 ish hotels or inns
Might have a quaint but very small “down town” area
Likely only 2 options of schools, maybe only one high school. Possible to go to school with same people your whole life
2-3 options for churches. Probably doesn’t have a synagogue unless there’s a large Jewish population
There’s no shopping mall of any kind, but probably has an area where most of the businesses are - at most 2-3 intersections worth
Probably has a coffee shop or two, but might not. Could be a chain or a local - but probably a local.
There’s no bus system unless it’s near enough to a town of 15k+. People drive everywhere.
Most everyone lives in houses. Most if not all have yards. There might be 1-2 apartment complexes but maybe not.
There are a few restaurants - mix of chain and mom & pop places. Might have a nice restaurant, but only one.
There’s no airport.
There are probably 2-6 gas stations, maybe 1-2 fast food.
Is it on a free way? increase the gas stations and fast food.
Likely does not have its own rec center/pool, but probably has 1-2 options of gyms.
Population under 2k ish:
No hospital. Probably has one doctor’s office, but might not if it’s close enough to a larger “small” town. No department stores, but probably at least one, maybe 2 decent grocery stores. Could be a local chain or a mom & pop.
Probably has a vet’s office, but just one.
1-2 inns/motels. If it’s an older town, it has like, a street that’s mostly made of older style buildings and is the “down town” - just a couple of blocks
Just one school system - elementary through high school. Everyone goes through the same school - you probably graduate with the same people you went to kindergarten with
1-2 churches. Probably no synagogue
There is probably a generalish area where the store/post office/school/etc is, but those are probably just as surrounded by homes and yards as everything else.
This town probably doesn’t have a coffee shop, and if it does, it’s local, not a chain.
There’s no bus system unless it’s close enough to a town of 15k+. People drive.
There might be an apartment complex. Everything else is houses. The houses pretty much all have some kind of yard.
There are probably two restaurants, probably both local. Nothing fancy.
No airport.
Probably 2ish gas stations.
Is it on a free way? add a gas station and a fast food restaurant.
There’s no rec center (unless maybe an outdoor like, field type rec center), but still likely has at least one gym.
I could keep going down but I think you get the idea. If you’re writing about an actual town, do research on its population. If you’re making up a town, think about what size you need it to be to have the things you want (or don’t want).
If your “small town” has more than one hospital, it’s not a small town. If it’s got a population above 10k, there is definitely more than one (and likely, many) hotels.
Is it near decent-sized water (largeish lake, ocean)? People probably have vacation homes there. That increases property value and tourism. Even if it’s not a like, nationally-known vacation spot, people within 100-200 miles could likely make weekend trips there.
Is it the largest town within 75-100 miles, even if it’s under 20k? it’s probably got more department stores and other such industry bc it’s serving a population greater than its own. if there are other towns nearby of equal-to-larger size, it might need less of those things.
I didnt finish reading but my town is ~10k people and we have no hotels, one elementary and one middle/high school, at least 4 low-income apartment complexes, no gym, yes to pool, more bars than regular restaurants, one “shopping area”… you can make your small towns realistic, but there’s a variety of realism here.
This is really good information, though, just wanted to put my own in.
Man, I’m kind of bummed out that the best resources for deer anatomy and body language are all on hunting sites. I mean, it makes sense, but it’s still kind of disorienting to be reading along and then have a description end with like, “…so if you see the buck’s ears do that, stay still and keep your gear from making noise”. I’m not crouching in the grass with a compound bow, I’m just an artist! I just want to draw a bunch of fake fictional deer and deer-adjacent creatures, not put on some forest camo and hunt me a Big Antler Boy or w/e in real life!!
Yeesh, I bet I’m going to get targeted ads about hunting equipment now. Just another way that the Research Struggle can be really real sometimes.
Here are amazing deer skeletal references by Rico LeBrun! They were created during production of Disney’s Bambi, to help aid the artists.
The link to download the images in their full glory:
It’s here !! The guide for two-legged people who don’t know how to draw wheelchairs !!!
7 pages of infodump !
Disclaimer
: I don’t know everything, I have one (1) experience of wheelchair user
who used both bad and good chairs, and I share what I learned.
Image description :
1) Calvin in his wheelchair saying “yo” under a
huge title “how to draw manual wheelchairs properly by Calvin Arium, a
wheelchair user comic artist”.
2) A character says “my character self propels in a chair that was outdated in 1970 lol” Calvin says “so it looks like you two legged people don’t know the difference between an hospital chair and a chair made to be independant” an arrow point the crapppy chair, saying “we never want to see this again”
a bubble says “the hospital chair is extremely unpractical, tough considering it’s cheaper than a good custom chair a lot of us have only this”
3) a character hurt himself trying to reach the wheels of the hospital chair. Several arrows point why the chair is unpractical : “high backrest restrain shoulders movement” “huge armrest restrains wheel access” “separated footrest : amovible, cheap, bulky” “x structure, foldable but heavy” “huge front casters for stability” “heavy wheels”
4) Several arrows point an active wheelchair (the KSL by Küshall) : “usually no armrest” “a low backrest allow more movement” “light, design, ferning expersive” “special cushion to avoind injuries” “knee angle is usually 90°” “one single piece of frame, sometimes entirely welded” “weight : from 4 to 10kg” “often rigid” “center of the wheel is the center of gravity” “higher quality wheels : less spikes”
5) A hand grab different parts of the wheel, pushing harder in the second half. Bubbles says “some have gloves, some don’t. The hand must grab the biggest area possible. Less movement = more energy. This is a common but not only way to push.Calvin is on his back wheels, rolling on grass and dirt bubble says “popping a wheelie is when a wheelchair user rolls on their back wheels to roll on every complicated surface.
6) several drawings illustrate the folding frame, the ergonomic but rigid and expensive backrest, the separated footrest (only for folding frame), the handles, the folding handles, athe amovibles handles, or no handles, the cool fancy loopwheels, the pretty custom colors
7) More Features ! The fancy rigid-foldable frame, the anti tippers (sometimes used by beginners), the motorization (wheels, smart drive) when propelling yourself is difficult Calvin says “and now vroom vroom motherfuckers”
Anonymous whispered:Your designs always have such lovely details. May I ask, how do you find the time to do so much intricate detailing? I feel like it takes me forever to do stuff like that and it's a bit discouraging. I end up sticking with simpler designs despite loveing more detailed designs. I've tried using custome brushes but your details look so much more natural.
Trakoclock asked:
Hey, if you don’t mind sharing, I’ve always wondered how you got that soft celling look on your characters in your comic. Any tips? I’m currently working on my own comic and I kind of want to go for a less harsh form of cell shading. Thanks!
