mistformsquirrel

Well - Like I said, <^.~> there's no harm in asking me - its just that I *probably* won't do it unless you give me a good reason or I happen to like you.

The reason is simple: Once you start acquessing to people's random requests for art, then it 'feels' both to you, and others, like you should do more for everyone who asks.

Sure, its not technically true - but that's how it can feel; and then you get trapped doing work you don't want to do <-.->; It'd be different if money was involved, but in a purely free situation, I, personally, don't feel like accidently getting stuck under a stack of requests.

This doesn't make the request-er bad; though I do find it sometimes a tad rude to, as Scarf said "pop into a thread, say "nice! link in my sig..."

Its like walking up to someone in RL and going, "Hey, that's a nice suit, would you want to clean my gutters for free? I'll hug you if you do!"

Its just... well... how's the guy being asked supposed to respond? You just got complimented, but then you're being asked to do something you don't have time or energy to do for someone you don't really know; and if you do it - then what happens when someone else does it? And the one after that? Because the more people that you do it for, the more that tell their friends...

<x_X> Yeah.

Its even worse on the forums, as obviously anyone could just scroll by and see it - thus lending to the belief that you'll work for anyone, free, whenever, all you gotta do is ask <X.x> and if you say no people think you've got a problem with THEM or that you're mean <x_X> That's why I just don't get into it. If I draw you, I never expect a return <^.~>b I just did it "cause". Course I'm self obssessed some mostly I draw my own characters <;_;> Don't hate me, I'm a writer too.

Alrighty my fellow art forum-goers <@_@> I had a thought earlier today; and its sorta blossomed and expanded since.

My thought is this - we get alot of wonderful people here, including many who don't draw themselves; we also get *alot* of folks who are just starting. Goofing around and practicing in queues helps - but I notice something... its hard to critique someone's work adequeately when they're just starting out.

I at least, feel like if I go to easy on them, they won't get the information they need (I'm always polite and kind <;_;> but when I make 35 different suggestions it feels like too much) - however if I *DO* give them enough info, I fear squashing someone's dreams; or much worse - making them defensive. (A defensive person becomes much harder to help <;_;> and its especially bad when it feels like its your fault.)

So anyway - here's my idea:

This thread will allow us, as a forum, to give eachother hints, tips, suggestions - and more importantly be very straightforward in what we're trying to say: all without 'invading' someone's thread.

The idea here is more to look at an artists overall tendancies, skills, what they do right on a general and broad level, and where there is room for improvement. Sometimes its something simple - like needing to take more time with your pieces; or not being super-sketchy with a pen when you're going for smooth lines (I've been guilty of both of these).

Obviously - participation in this thread is wholly voluntary and I'd ask people not to bring someone up until that person actually appears in this thread.

The idea here again - isn't to look at any singular work; but instead to look at an artists portfolio and tendencies on the whole. Obviously, there will be some differences that are purely opinion or stylistic, and I think we can recognize those pretty well; but I think this will help everyone improve. After all, what applies to one person's work may just apply to your own as well! <@_@>

So; before I get started or anything, do we think this is a good idea? Or a really stupid one? Again, wholly voluntary, its not like someone would go pick out a random artist on the board, bring them up here, and we discuss their work - its only the people actively participating in the thread that I'd want discussed; because we don't want people feeling picked on, rather, this is meant to strengthen us all.

<. .>; Ok so really, what do we think? >.>;

[ QUOTE ]
I doubt you'll be getting ignored anytime soon as you actually provide feedback on folks work and generally post both before after and during lots of folks threads regardless of weather art is offered or not .

You'll note my disdain is merely for folks that show up go "nice , draw me -----> link in sig" in threads where the artist hasn't even suggested that they ar looking to draw anyone else , as well as never actually contributeing to the art forums in either comments, feedback or art .

I find these sorts of folks reprenhensiable as well as a very good deterrent to ever actually doing sketches for folks that I don't know very well .

once again these are IMHO YMMV and take with a grain of salt

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I tend to agree.

I try to be as polite as possible - but with the exception of a queue set up by... well... me - I don't do art for other people unless we agreed in advance. There's not any harm in asking me *politely* - but I tend to turn people down outside of queues for... well, the reasons you stated.

That, and I'm not good enough to be paid - but my art still eats up *ALOT* of time. That's not a bad thing - but if I'm going to spend 6-10+ hours on a piece, I wanna do a piece that I *want* to do ya know? <,<;

I think I have a new idea for a thread though that comes out of this line of thought - though its not quite on the same subject.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
*happens by the thread*

*turns the nob*

!!! <O.O> <steam blows out the squirrel's ears and he jumps back>

*lands on an acorn*

*acorn breaks*

<;_;> Sonova. <kicks the broken acorn back into the grass>

So many busted nuts. <_ _>

[/ QUOTE ]

I swear, Mist, can't we go one thread without you whipping out your nuts and shoving them in peoples faces? I know you like to share acorns and all, but it's getting rediculous.

[/ QUOTE ]

<. .> would you prefer a cashew? Pecan? Almond perhaps? I have a whole variety tin <@-@> it kicks nuts. <. .>b

[/ QUOTE ]

No thanks. But you should ask Paris Hilton. Juding from her videos, she loves having a mouthfull of nuts. Especially Horse-Chestnuts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll pass >.> I'm not into Freakshow. <X_X>

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
*happens by the thread*

*turns the nob*

!!! <O.O> <steam blows out the squirrel's ears and he jumps back>

*lands on an acorn*

*acorn breaks*

<;_;> Sonova. <kicks the broken acorn back into the grass>

So many busted nuts. <_ _>

[/ QUOTE ]

I swear, Mist, can't we go one thread without you whipping out your nuts and shoving them in peoples faces? I know you like to share acorns and all, but it's getting rediculous.

[/ QUOTE ]

<. .> would you prefer a cashew? Pecan? Almond perhaps? I have a whole variety tin <@-@> it kicks nuts. <. .>b

You're getting better Derek! <^_^>

Can I offer a bit of advice though? <. .>;;


Its cool that you can work so fast - but do your best to slow wayyyyyy down. Take each line a bit at a time.

You've improved alot but the thing I see you still doing wrong, is that you're going too fast.

Sketch slowly, bit by bit - the speed will come in time <^,~>b Trust meh! ,@_@>


*sigh* I should get to work on Shakester again ><; I been a lazy rodent. /stumbles off back to his own thread.

[ QUOTE ]
DJ you're my hero!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

*stands atop a broken acorn shell*

*whips out a microphone*

*ques music*

"Did you ever knowwwww that you're my heeeeeeero~~
Did you ever knowwww that you're the one I waited forrrrrrr~~"

*gets hit with multiple random foreign objects*

<X_X> OUCH!

<T_T> LiquidX = priceless.

*happens by the thread*

*turns the nob*

!!! <O.O> <steam blows out the squirrel's ears and he jumps back>

*lands on an acorn*

*acorn breaks*

<;_;> Sonova. <kicks the broken acorn back into the grass>

So many busted nuts. <_ _>

[ QUOTE ]
BTW, I looked up femme in the dictionary, and it said that a femme was a homosexual woman with feminine looks. interesting. :/

[/ QUOTE ]

Wait what? <o,@> err...

<. .> Wouldn't most women... by the nature of being uhm... women... have feminine looks? <,<

With a few exceptions of course <>,<> But... that's... uh... weird <o.@>

[ QUOTE ]
Well I know there's like Chicken feet and things like that so i dunno...

maybe only in soviet russia, squrriel eats you! :P

[/ QUOTE ]

*spotlight hits a stricken tree-rodent stumbling throught he brush*

Woe... woe betides, my storage bins lay empty
Tis the season of frozen tears, clinging to the end of my nose
For here, I find myself about to enter eternity
Dying from overeating, what a way to go.



















What?! >.> It took me a whole 5 minutes to come up with that <;_;> Appreciate my nonexistant poecy!

Lol, and I'm glad Rowr at least got it <,<b

Squirreliness has many advantages, one of which is a dozen ways to make people squirm without saying anything naughty <,<b

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm getting veklempt.

Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic; the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.

Discuss.

[/ QUOTE ]

Funny, someone just had that line on one of their takes in dailies this morning. Bizarre...

[/ QUOTE ]

Its especially funny though <,< cause its true!

I really like that one Juggy! <@_@> I mean, more than most! In particular, I think you did a wonderful job with the assault bot ><

It makes me yearn for MechaAT goodness >.>;


Ok everything does; whatcha want? >.>

*falls over and busts a nut*

DAMMIT. <-.-> <tosses shattered acorn back into the grass> <;_;> This is what I get for being easily distracted.

WOOT! <^_^>

Did I see Sidekick in that?!! <,< Hahaha


<;_;> I'm laughing, I shouldn't but I'm laughing.

Hahahaha >_< I like it! <,<

I make my friend's presents each Christmas <^_^> They seem to actually enjoy them *better* than the time I bought them stuff <O.O> it makes me teh proud <~_~>; err, what I'm saying is - I think its cool that you're doing this for them <^_^>

Oh, and "The Hulk has a tank!" Sounds like the Hulk is playing CoH <,<;; yeah... ok, <p_q> too much gamin for me!

[ QUOTE ]
I hope this doesn't go against policy. I read up on it and it doesn't seem to be so I'm going to go ahead and post anyway. I really want to get back into drawing CoV art. I got out of it for awhile (what with that crazy thing called college and all) but now I'm getting back into it with the arrival of my new gaming PC.

These are some of the drawings I've done of my character Thistle Bloom. I'm looking for requests but I'll probably draw Thistle interacting with the other villain in some way. If you have a character, drop me a link. :3

Thistle in Color
Thistle Doodles (I love these)
Another Thistle I doodled on the computer

[/ QUOTE ]

I *really* like that first pic! <O.O> You're quite talented <. .>

You know what this means right?













WELCOMING PARTY <,<

<. .> *breaks out a fresh tin of mixed nuts* Cashew?

[ QUOTE ]
*makes whip cracking sound*

[/ QUOTE ]

<. .> *hands Hexadecimal some handcuffs*

Show 'em who's boss! >.>;







What?!

I think its cute Rowr <^o^>! I can't wait to see the finished version!

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah - I saw that video yesterday. Was thinking: "Okay, make-up and hairstyling, pretty standard for a model shoot."

Then we jump to Photoshop. -and they begin actually moving her features around! Thats where it becomes surreal. but, c'mon - the whole thrust of advertising is to make us see ourselves as deficient, as unsatisfactory - and then there's the advertiser right there with just the product that can make us a better person. We do this to ourselves.

Honesty left the building a long time ago.

um. er - hey! They used Photoshop there! um, some of us artists here use photoshop in their art, too! (see - its sorta topical! )

[/ QUOTE ]

I use photoshop! >_<; ALOT <,<; Tis a wonderful tool, a powerful tool... a tool that can be used to make Christina Aguilara do naughty things... uhh... >.>

But seriously; what I mean is -

Yes, to an extent we do it to ourselves, but if you go *WAY* back - you know how women shaving their armpits and leghair got started right? >.>;

I'll give you a hint - its only been since the 20th century that it became common; and it sure wasn't really considered a problem beforehand.

Alot of these beauty problems have been invented - and its just been worse as people have felt the need to delude themselves with further quantities of the stuff.

I'm not saying "I hate makeup"; or that I find the idea that women shave certain parts as a matter of course a bad thing per-se; but rather I find the way some of the beauty insanity got started was well... distasteful.

And I have to honestly wonder - had that not happened; would we honestly (and I'm serious) - would we honestly care if women shaved their legs and armpits? I mean there's admittedly a base level aestetic to things; but beauty is awful subjective, so the question I'm wondering is - have we been fed a particular view of beauty?

I'm so sleepy I think I lost coherence in paragraph 2 >< uhh... if I made any sense, I thank you for your superior reading comprehension skills. If not... <;_;> don't mind me, I'm a squirrel who's spent the last day and a half burried in political blogs.

Wow. Just wow.

Thanks for sharing that. I've honestly wondered for a long time "Where do they find these people?!" Making them up... that explains alot.

Of course I may be *slightly* biased because I tend to find 'average girl' quite attractive <. .> /shrug; but they make an excellent point; err... that's what I'm getting at.

Ahh, <@.@> that does make sense... so basically - I'd do it pretty much exactly like I'd do my color layer right now <@.@>; I think.

(Err, basically - assuming I'm understanding right; would it look like:

Layer 1 - Line - Multiply

Layer 2 - Colors/B&W, What have you - Normal

Layer 3 - Black Background - Normal


? >.>


(thanks for answering btw >< huge help)

[ QUOTE ]
Here's a sketch:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/41816714/

I don't think I made her all that frosty.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, Battlewraith <o.O> can I ask a really stupid question? ><

How do you do that flat grey without being all uhm. Liney. >.<; I can't seem to do that with pencil - and my pens are too dark and never cover enough; is it a special pen or marker? Or just a photoshop technique I haven't mastered yet?

>< Sorry to ask >< it looks really cool!

I like that MarDun <@_@> I mean, the proportions aren't perfect - but the style he's done it in makes it so that that's kind of 'the point'; at least imho.

MarDun looks tough'n'scary >.>b