I Really Think The World Could Use Some Light And Positivity Today. I Have No Words For All The Tragedies

My dog Chica had a nightmare last night. She doesn’t have them very often but when she does she’ll let out this adorable little howl that startles herself awake. She was a little shaken up about it but after a few snuggles in the hooman bed (usually off limits for doggos) she was happy as can be. After a while she hopped down to her own bed and drifted off into a peaceful pupper snooze. And I thought that was the end of it.

But I had a nightmare too. Now that’s not entirely uncommon, I have them fairly often and they’re something that I’ve gotten used to. But this one was a bad one.

The bad ones are the ones that I don’t wake up from. They’re the ones where my friends or loved ones are hurt in front of me and the only thing I can do is watch and cry and scream in the mad hope that it’s all just some terrible dream. Nothing ever happens to me in these dreams so I’m trapped within until I wake up of my own accord. But tonight was different.

Tonight, I felt something lick my hand and woke up in a cold sweat. There on the side of my bed was Chica, licking my hand and looking up at me with concern. Now I’m not sure how much a dog understands about nightmares and dreams and such, but she’s never woken me up from a nightmare before. I’d like to think that some part of her recognized what I was going through and she just wanted to wake me up to protect me from the scary monsters. I have never been more grateful to have Chica by my side than in that moment.

So I let her hop up on the hooman bed (twice in one night, oh boy!) and after a few snuggles I was happy as can be.

Besides knowing your anatomy from head to toe, what’s often overlooked is the energetic flow, or movement it conforms to.

Throughout the structure of our body we find rhythm, and it’s what determines whether or not you’re able to bring your characters to life on the page.

Here’s an example that describes what I’m talking about in a visual sense. This especially applies to the dynamic poses you’ll draw for your Comic Book characters, and will help them to maintain their fluidity.

http://anatoref.tumblr.com/post/119355955476/legs-design-reference

Have a productive day Comic Artisans – and keep on creating ;)

-Clayton

The flood.

Saturday, August 13th 2016 Denham Springs, Louisiana Me and my friends were frantically texting each other, trying to get a hold of one another. We had no idea if they had gone under or if they were okay. One of my friends texted me saying “There is no water here, I am safe.” The same friend twenty minutes later texted me saying “My house is under water.” I have never been so scared in my entire life, I had no idea if my house was going to go under or not, or if some of my friends were even still alive. Many of my friends houses were full of water, them stranded on their roofs. I watched on the news as I saw the only town I have ever lived in be destroyed by water. My high school started filling up with water. Everyone was terrified. The most sickening feeling was getting text messages saying “Kayla, I am scared. I don’t know if I am going to be okay.”

Sunday, August 14th 2016 Denham Springs, Louisiana I woke up and looked out my window. I screamed when I saw the water had risen three feet. I ran outside to see the water was four inches from coming into my house. I checked on my friends, everyone I knew had lost everything or was stranded in their houses. There was no way to get out of my house, the water was chest deep and the currents were strong. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn’t. We were stranded. The water started to rise, and then the rain came. The water started leaking into my house. I was scared. I was so scared. Soon after the water started coming up through the floors, the water stood at a stand-still. It stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. I had no idea if it would rise suddenly, taking all of my belongings and memories with it, just like it did to my friend’s. The water then fell a foot. The water was no longer in my house, but stayed very high throughout the day. The threat was still there. We then began to realize that we had little food and water. We scavenged whatever we could from my house to make a small dinner for my family. I looked on the news, only to see that my school had been flooded over the roof. The school that only a few days prior I was laughing and learning at. I saw everything. I saw the neighborhoods and shops flooded up to the rooftops. I saw the children and babies being rescued by helicopters from a deadly situation. I saw the amazing Coast Guard and National Guard rescuing people by boat and helicopter. I saw residents going out, risking their own lives to save the lives of others. I saw thousands of people homeless with nothing to their name except the clothes on their backs and the children in their arms. I saw heartbreak, all across my city. All across my state. 

Monday, August 15th 2016 Denham Springs, Louisiana Today I wake up and the water has dropped two feet. I am one of the lucky ones, and I am eternally grateful. Many of my friends remain in shelters, unable to leave. There is no way to get out of the city. The roads are flooded and broken. I am so thankful that my friends are now safe, and out of harms way. I am stranded in my home, still unable to leave. Still unable to get food. I am so saddened by this destruction and this terrible situation we are all in. The places we made these memories at may be gone, but the memories will never be washed away. My heart is broken, but my spirits are not. I know we will come out of this strong. It will take a long time to rebuild my city, but the community is stronger than ever. We must rejoice that our family and friends have come out of this alive, not be mournful of the items we have lost. Items and buildings are replaceable but our lives are not.

If a person wants to be a part of your life, they will make an obvious effort to do so. Think twice before reserving a space in your heart for people who do not make an effort to stay.

marcandangel.com (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

Color(Mimori Ao)

Then, I’ll go first

Wandered into an article with 140 iconic cinematic shots, the comments complained there was no explanation to their composition. Decided to give it a run down and keep it to myself. 

The compositions are mostly self explanatory but I wanted to see what patterns I could find. That’s just how you learn stuffs. 

This is how beasts kiss(and she doesn’t know that of course)