He-who-devours-book - He Who Has A Main Blog

i’m gonna drop an art tip here

i think an important thing to learn, especially if you start out with drawing anime, is that faces don’t necessarily have to narrow from top to bottom

i like to think of wide top, wide middle, wide bottom, and rectangle-like as the 4 main face shapes

what you should keep in mind about them:

you’re only halfway done: the jawlines, the width-length ratio, the amount of fat in the cheeks, the intensity or subtlety of the face’s curves are all important components you still have to decide on after choosing the shape itself

none of these shapes are exclusively feminine or masculine, don’t hesitate drawing them on any gender

most people in real life have some variation of the wide middle type

if you are trying to draw real people, getting the shape of their face down is the first step

i’ve seen tutorials say the shape of the face can tell a lot of the character’s personality - you don’t necessarily have to live by that rule. as long as you aren’t unrealistically drastic about their proportions, their face shape determines their inner qualities as much as it would in real life (not at all)

I know the American healthcare system is already a joke but this is to funny

ayo i found 2 pages with head angles of humans and animals, could be useful to anyone reading this

hoomans

animals

People who

Drink water voluntarily during meals terrify me. Like other than when you’re at restaurants. Like why the fuck would you want water when you could be having literally any other beverage in the fridge.

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Approaching Your World-Building Through Two Perspectives

Creating a new world for a story is intimidating! Sometimes it feels like as you're writing, you're tacking on world-building details that get buried in your draft.

I've also re-read my work and felt like the characters were vivid, but their world was blurry. There are a few ways to help your work when you come across these problems.

Perspective 1: Zoom In From Outer Space

Imagine looking at your world, country, city, or any other location from outer space. Create a new document or grab a fresh sheet of paper and start taking notes as details come to you, like:

Is your world mostly water, land, or a mix of both?

Do the inhabitants of your world survive on oxygen?

Is your protagonist more human or an otherwordly creature?

Where on that planet or in that country does your protagonist's story take place?

After getting these ideas down, you can zoom in a bit closer. Ask yourself questions like:

What's the geography like where your protagonist lives/experiences your plot?

How does society operate in that location? (Are there economic classes, politics influencing their lives, discrimination holding them back, etc.)

Who fits best in that society, who doesn't, and why?

What does your protagonist like about that location and what do they not like?

Zoom in further if you want to start your world's backstory. You should be able to answer things like:

What local or national history created that societal or political system?

Did any historical event take place that influenced your protagonist's current life? (Maybe their grandparents relocated after a regional drought devastated their farms and others nearby. There could have been a national tragedy or success.)

What is your protagonist's personal history with the area? (Are the fond of their hometown because it's where they were born? Did they move there as a kid and meet their antagonist?)

This method is best for people who love to plan their work. Enjoy learning about the world that influence's your protagonist's journey and remember that it's okay to start writing at any point!

Perspective 2: Start With Your Protagonist

You can also start world-building by focusing on your character. Address details of their personality like:

What is their normal routine?

How does their routine work with or against their local society?

Do they enjoy their current lifestyle?

What's most important to them?

What do they believe in, outside of themself and their abilties?

Then you can start asking the most important question—why.

Why does your character never eat meat?

Why doesn't their current life serve their interests?

Why do they have the relationships with friends and family members that they have?

Why do they have their specific set of values?

Why does their life start changing at the inciting incident of your story?

The "whys" will lead you down natural paths to expanding your new world. It's better suited to people who write without planning—just make sure you keep a record of your answers/world-building details along the way!

Play Around With Your World Building Routine

Creating your first in-depth world is a challenge, but it will come much more easily with practice. Try both perspectives in your writing to see what works for you!

Art tutorials by Disney artists Griz and Norm Lemay