Summer Dress, 1860′s

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Mandy’s baka guide to draw Japanese sleeves or something

Samurai Top Image Row 2 (Left), 3, and 4  Row 2 (Right) Row 5: Left, Right Row 6: Left, Right

More instagram daily-sketch dump

on my dA

So I was chatting with the lovely Justin Oaksford yesterday, and he casually asked if I used photo reference for my recent Rolemodels piece- not as a bad thing, but because the pose and the camera angle read well.  Pretty sure I grinned like an idiot when he brought it up because, goddammit, I’m proud that the work shows!  I’ve felt like my work has been somewhat stilted as of late- I could feel myself subconsciously trending towards easier angles, easier poses, easier expressions just because it's slightly less frustrating for my brain to process- so getting that confirmation from a colleague was pretty damn satisfying.

I think there’s a tendency for artists to take pride in being able to draw out of your head, and, while that’s an admittedly important skill, what’s actually important is what that skill implies- it implies that you’ve internalized reference.  That you’ve spent so much time looking at the world around you, studying it, drawing from it, breaking it down, that you’ve amassed an extensive mental library that you can draw from.  You are Google reborn in the shallow husk of a human being.

But heck, the world’s a big place- what are the chances that you ever get to a point that you’ve internalized all of it?  Internalized it AND ALSO are never going to forget it ever?  Probably no chance at all.  Sorry buddy.  So rather than bemoaning the fact that we don’t have impenetrable search engine cyborg brains- yet- you sure as hell better still be using reference to fill in/refresh those empty shelves in your mental library.  You shouldn’t have worm-ridden books about dinosaur anatomy from the 60’s in there.  Stegosauruses with brains in their tails?  CLEAN THAT SHIT OUT.

So my general process for using reference of any sort is:

loose thumbnails and brainstorming.  If you have an idea, get that raw thing- unadulterated in it’s potential shittiness- onto paper.  Good art is a combination of both instinct and discipline, so you don’t want to entirely discount those lightning strikes of brilliance.  Or idiocy.  Happens to all of us.

research and reference.  Start gathering and internalizing whatever reference is pertinent to your piece- could be diagrams, art, photos, good old-fashioned READIN’, whathaveyou.  Please note that this doesn’t mean find one picture of a giraffe- this means find tons of photos of giraffes, read about giraffes, understand giraffes, and learn how to incorporate that knowledge into your art with purpose and intent (Justin uses the word “intent” a lot so I’m stealing it).  Don’t blindly copy what you see, but understand how to integrate it in an interesting and informed manner.

studies and practice.  Could be lumped in with the previous step, granted, but it’s worth reiterating- if you’re drawing something new, it’s worth doing some studies.  You discover things that you wouldn’t otherwise by just staring at them.  It’s weird how I’m still learning this- “Gee golly, six-shooters are way easier to draw now that I’ve drawn a ton of them!” Yes wow Claire BRILLIANT.  Gold star.

go for the gold.  Finally, I’m sure it goes without saying, you integrate all of that research and knowledge into your initial thumbnails.  If you learned something about anatomy, or fashion, or color, or butts, now you can drastically improve your original idea with this newfound knowledge.  Also, per the images above, this is also your chance to improve on the reference- photos are a fantastic tool, but trust your instincts.  Cameras can’t make informed decisions.

…So that’s my soapbox- it’s pretty easy, and it’s totally worth it.  Research and reference lets you stand on the shoulders of giants- it lends legitimacy, specificity, and allure to your work that wouldn’t be there if you were just drawing out of your head 100% of the time.  To put it simply- it makes your work ownable.  It makes you stand out.

It makes you a better artist. :)

-C

Lavenderwhisp’s Witch Type Masterpost (edited)

Witch: magical practitioner

Elemental Witch: Witches who work around the 5 elements: Water, Earth, Air, Fire, and Spirit.

Earth Witch: Witches who specifically work with their magic around the element of Earth, through grounding exercises, rock/soil collecting, crystal magic, and Green Witchery.

Types of Earth Witches:

Green Witch: use plants/herbs/flowers in herbal and natural magic, such as using them in spells and creating remedies with them.

Garden Witch: A version of a Green Witch, they enjoy working with the earth through gardening and using their herbs and plants to help and care for their families and loved ones.

Flora Witch: Similar to the above witches, they work with flowers in their practice. Their Book of Shadows would likely be full of Green Witchery, such as than herbs and herbal recipes, and flower classifications and associations.

Crystal Witch: Witches who work with stones and crystals, such as through crystal healing. Their Book of Shadows will most likely have information about the stones, chakra balance, and crystal meditation.

Forest Witch: A witch who enjoys the company of trees and live amongst them. The seclusion is perfect for cottage magic and tree magic. They also enjoy the company of fey and woodland animals, and use local plants. 

Swamp Witch: Witches who live within the swamps, use swamp plants, and enjoy the company of swamp animals. 

Desert Witch: A witch who lives in the desert, enjoys the natural desert scenery, uses desert plants, bones, sand in their practice, and collects desert rocks. They normally worship desert deities and study desert lore in their area.

Water Witch: Witches who work with the element of Water. Water magic includes water scrying, collecting water, swimming and other water-related actives.

Types of Water Witches:

Sea Witch: They work with magic and deities around the ocean and oceanic world. The practice sea magic using seashells and bones, sea weed, beach sand, driftwood, ocean water, etc. They also may worship sea deities and enjoy the imagery of sea creature, like mermaids.

Ice/Arctic Witch: A witch who lives amongst snow covered land for most of the year or have a deep appreciation for the cold and snow. They worship ice deities, use snow water, and enjoy the cold. 

Air/Wind Witch: Witches who center around the element of Air. They work with wind, using tools and symbols associated with air.

Fire Witch: Witches who focus on the element of Fire and fire magic, such as candle magic.

Other Natural Witch types:

Seasonal Witch: Witches who draw magic during a specific time of the year. They are known as Winter, Fall, Spring and Summer witches who have a deep connection to the season they love.

Storm/Weather Witch: Witches who combine one’s energy with the energy of the weather and storms. They collect rain water, utilize the energy of a lightning storm, and so on.

Sun Witch: A witch who enjoys sunshine, works with spell work involving the sun during the daytime, and sun deities.

Nocturnal Witch: A witch who works with nocturnal deities and magical work at night. They find solace in darkness, the darker side of life, and normally wear dark colors. There is a great book by Konstantinos called Nocturnal Witchcraft.

Lunar/Moon Witch: A witch who draws magic from the moon. They are nocturnal witches and do magic at night. They also tend to worship moon deities.

Astronomical/Space Witch: Witches who focus on the planets and stars. Their Book of Shadows will have information about each planet, the zodiac and astrology, and enjoy nocturnal magic.

Animal Witch: Witches who have a deep appreciation for all animals and use animal materials, draw on their energy, and most of the time worship animal deities.

Special Witch types:

Divination Witch: Witches who work with practices of divination, such as tarot readings, palmistry, tea leaf reading, and so on.

Hedge Witch: Also known as shamans. They use a type of magic that is oriented around the spiritual world. Astral travel/projection, lucid dreaming, spirit-work, healing, and out-of-body experiences are some of the magic they do.

Fairie/Faery/Fey Witch: Witches who communicate and work with the fey, such as calling on them and leaving them offerings regularly to thank them for their assistance.

Draconian Witch: Witches who call upon dragons, use dragon imagery in their practice, and worship dragon deities.

Modern and Domestic Witch types:

Kitchen Witch: Witches who enjoy working in the kitchen and put their magic into herbal mixtures, brewing, baking, and cooking.

Cottage Witch: A lot like a kitchen witch, they enjoy being in their home and doing things for their loved ones.

Urban Witch: Witches who live in a urban environment and use more modern practices of magic.

Country Witch: Witches who enjoy living in the country. Some may have a large ranch with livestock, while others enjoy the seclusion for their practice. Most likely they will enjoy the company of horses. 

Technological Witch: Witches who work with technology. They practice modern witchcraft through phone apps and most likely have a digital Book of Shadows.

Music Witch: Witches who enjoy music. They use magic in their singing, chanting, and playing instruments. Music is in their lives everyday is played whenever they do spell work.

Artist/Craft Witch: Witches who put their magic into art, such as drawing, sculpting, painting, and creating.

Literary Witch: Witches who enjoy books and literature. They enjoy reading and studying witchcraft, lore, and magical practices of every culture.

Athletic Witch: Witches who enjoy pushing themselves physically. This could be through yoga, running, or a sport. Their practice includes keeping themselves healthy and using their healthy energy to help others through physical challenges. 

Eclectic Witch: Most modern witches follow many practices and traditions, and go by many titles. 

Religious Witch: Witches who are Wiccan, Druid, Satanic, Christian, and so on. They practice their religious beliefs in cohesion with their craft. 

Any suggestions? Message me!

France City View | Source | WAV

Sketches that came with the Magi DVD vol.7 that depict the main three going on a journey. Here’s Ohtaka’s comment:

“These are sketches that I did before the serialization. I drew them while looking at pictures of the Mogao Caves in China. At first, Magi was going to be a manga that revolves more around conquering dungeons, and so I did a lot of sketches like these.”

Evening dress ca. 1930

From Kerry Taylor Auctions