Unplanned Adventure Comics!

Computers Warping My Brain Again

I'm sure everyone has had one of those moments where they did some sort of mistake in real life, and thought "Ctrl-Z!" to no avail.

I was inking something, thought "Where did I put my hawk-quill nib?" and instinctively reached for Google Search.

I'm pretty sure there's just no hope for me anymore.

Ember-Bell's story is entirely plot driven, and she is an entirely passive character. The story moves forward because things happen to her, not because of things that she does. She endures her problems, but does not attempt to actively solve, resist, or avert them. She doesn't attempt to do anything to improve or alter her situation. She is reactive rather than proactive.

Because she is passive, her character doesn't experience any struggle. As such she is fairly pitiable, but does nothing to earn sympathy. I feel sad for her plight, but I don't have any way to cheer for her because she just isn't trying. I don't feel invested in the story or emotionally attached to the character, because there's nothing to make me wonder "will she make it?" or "how is she going to handle this?" She isn't trying to make anything happen, nor is she trying handle the situation at all. She just sits through it apathetically and suffers.

This powerlessness is Ember-Bell's only defining personality trait. It's the only thing that defines who she is, and everything else about her focuses on what she is. For comparison: Twilight Sparkle is intelligent, logical, methodical, and awkward outside her element. These are personal traits, and independent of whether she's an earth pony, unicorn, or princess. Ember-bell, on the other hand, is... well, she's resigned to her fate. We don't know anything about what she's like other than that. If she were something else, like an ordinary earth pony, she wouldn't even have that trait because she wouldn't have this horrible fate to be resigned to.

This goes far deeper than personality traits like her favourite colour or distinctive catch phrases... we don't know how she thinks, we don't know what her attitudes or morals are, we don't know if she has any principals or ideals. She's just... resigned.

Further exacerbating this is the fact that Ember has no character faults. She didn't do anything wrong to deserve this fate, so there's nothing for her to atone for... or she can't remember  what she did, which has the same end result. She doesn't have any flaws or shortcomings, so there's no potential for her to grow. Typically, in stories like these, a character gains the power to break their curse by overcoming their inner weaknesses. Ember doesn't seem to have any inner weaknesses to overcome, though.

To play devil's advocate, I suppose Ember's helplessness could be due to the format of an ask-tumblr: her actions are dictated by prompts from the reader. Unfortunately, Ember's ignorance of the mechanics surrounding her "condition" is transferred to the readers: she doesn't know how this actually works, and neither do we. All we know is what doesn't work. We know how to loose the game, but not how to win or even how to play. We, like her, are left stumbling around in the dark desperately trying not to make a wrong move. The only option is to guess randomly, grasping at straws, hoping to eventually poke something that works.

Even then, Ember responds to most such guesses with "that doesn't work, you don't understand at all." Which isn't exactly encouraging or motivational.

Conversely...

I love the concept, and how it's presented. The story is about a character who is aware that she is in a story, and that kind of meta-narrative/self-awareness is hard to handle well... and it's handled quite well so far. And I honestly can't get enough of stuff like that. If it weren't for the whole "stumbling around in the dark" thing, I would be submitting asks on a daily basis because this is a universe that I want to play in.

A Long Answer For A quick question

So I’ve been thinking a bit on this, and about my blog here, and I decided that I really need some sorta of feedback from you guys, my followers. It’s very important, and it’s just a little question or two. It’d really help me out in the long run. <3

1. Do you guys enjoy Ember’s story?

2. If so, what would you like to see more of?

Sat down and took fifteen minutes to figure out the right and wrong way to use an ellipses template and straightedge to draw cylinders.

I'm pretty sure everyone else in the whole entire world already knows this. I hate having to figure these things out on my own. I could always just stop making art, I suppose.

Pfffft, naw. Who am I kidding. Once more into the breech.

Possibly because you're learning: in the time it takes to process and post your work, you've already figured out multiple ways to improve it.

Alternatively: maybe you spent a few hours working on it, so you're already sick and tired of it before it's even posted.

The only reason artists ever post things is that once you display something publicly, it's finished: it's like putting the final nail in the coffin... no take-backs, no do-overs. If you don't post something, you end up fussing with it forever. Once you post, you can put it behind you and move on.

Since artists learn by doing, by the time you're done, you're a better artist than when you started: as such, the features of the work you did at the beginning aren't as good as what you're capable of by the time it's done. So, of course it looks wrong in retrospect: hindsight is 20/40.

Why do I get the urge to delete all my art from the Internet the day after I post it? Am I tired of looking at it already????

UGGG.

Steal This Rant

Alright, so, a friend of mine (Flux Chord) is getting trolled because he allegedly copied another artists work. As reprehensible as I find plagiarism and theft, quite frankly these people have no idea what they're talking about. It's a disgrace to allegations.

Here's how this whole thing went down... Flux Chord used a piece of art drawn by CandyClops as reference for the pose of two characters (in an amorous situation. I'm not gonna link either of the images or the artists tumblrs, because I have a pretty strict SFW policy). On the one hand, he only used the ref to draw a couple of sticks and circles before continuing on independently. On the other hand, he did not credit the original artist when the work was posted. CandyClops' followers... not Candy, mind you, the followers... have since been directing some very inappropriate and unwarranted comments at Flux. Here's the thing... this can barely be considered theft. Sticks and circles, people. There's a big difference between using reference, and tracing something. I've taken a good close look at both images, and I highly doubt that it was traced. Are the two poses very similar? Yes, they are. And I don't see what the problem is.  Before we start slinging mud about unoriginality, let's not forget that, well, they're My Little Ponies. Their designs were inspired by a cartoon show. CandyClops' work was inspired by another artist, just as much as Flux's was. Fan art is kind of like that. Furthermore, it's an extremely generic posture. There are probably hundreds artists that have used it. It's practically a stock pose. So, again, I don't think CandyClops' followers really have any high ground in that regard either. If it were a distinctive or iconic pose that CandyClops was known for, I could understand being upset. This pose is downright ubiquitous, everyone uses it. Is it cheating? I really don't think so. I use real life photos as reference all the time. It's a fundamental element of how you learn to draw: do studies till you're familiar with the subject, and then you can draw without refs. What's that? That's different because I use a photo, while Flux was using another artist's work? Well, I hate to break this to you, but Flux wouldn't be the first. You see, "copying from the masters" is a standard learning exercise. And I don't mean drawing some sticks and circles, I mean copying famous paintings and drawings verbatim. They did it in Renaissance Europe, they did it in ancient Japan, and they're still doing it today. Now... Flux didn't give credit. That's rude, totally not cool. Let's be honest, though, this was a faux pas. A minor oversight, which was quickly redacted. Hardly an infraction of the Artist’s Ten Commandments, or one of the Seven Deadly Artist’s Sins. Let's face it, plagiarism is reprehensible but I honestly think this was just an innocent mistake. Wanna know why? Okay, let's take a minute to look at why people plagiarize or steal art. Unwarranted reputation, for one. Artists generally steal work to make themselves look better than they actually are. I've known Flux since he first started getting into art, though, and I've never known him to take any such shortcuts to fame. The guy is constantly working hard to improve his abilities, and I've never once seen him cheat before. That's the main reason why I really think that using CandyClops' work as reference was nothing more than educational experience, rather than theft. Tracing is a really lazy way to make art, and that's one of the major reasons why plagiarized work is so contemptible. I've compared the two drawings, and Flux definitely wasn't tracing... no question there. He wasn't being lazy, either: the sticks-and-circles stage takes the least amount of effort, it's all the inking and coloring afterwards that's a pain. Profit's another motivation for such things... except that Flux wasn't drawing a commission. He isn't even taking commissions, so it's not like he's trying to attract undeserved clients. Well, there's always popularity... make yourself look better to attract followers. Except that if Flux was trying to attract followers, he'd have a lot more R#34 in his Tumblr and a lot less story-driven comics. Plus, that'd be Discorded Whooves and Derpy in the artwork, or Luna and one of the Royal Guards, or... well, you get the idea. His and his girlfriend’s OCs, on the other hand? Yea- no. That's not what I call pandering to an audience. (By the way: the OC's are married adults, making this some of the least illicit R#34 in the fandom I've ever seen) So, what is this really? Flux used some artwork for reference, and didn't credit the original artist. When objections were raised he took it down immediately, fully admitted to his mistake, and made an apology (sounds pretty responsible to me). Which CandyClops accepted. That's right: the matter has been settled between the two artists. What's the deal then? Why is Flux getting hounded (and his girlfriend too, for that matter)? The trolls smell blood in the water, that's what. This is harassment and nothing else, and any moral high-ground is just a pretense to spew forth vulgarities and abuse. It takes very little spin to make Flux look like a villain in this situation, making him an easy target for slander, but there's really no substance behind any of it. Seriously. There's actual plagiarism going on all the time, and people are twisting the subject like this to get a few desperate jollies by making life miserable for a legitimate artist? Is this supposed to come off as some kind of white-knighting attempt, or act of social justice? I don't think so. Like I said: this just gives allegations a bad name.

First real piece of MLP fan art I've done.

Ideas are like demons. They can't be ignored, and they can't be destroyed. The only way to get rid of them is to exorcise them. In my case, by drawing.

I don't know why people picture muses as smexy babes in flimsy drapery.

Went to the zoo.

Got to feed alpacas.

Totally worth it.

Robot attempting to attain the perfect form because his crude metal body is ineffectual for his true calling: synchronized swimming.

Skynet becomes self aware, takes over the entire worlds telecommunications: forces news agencies to publish the unbiased factual truth, and mandates proportionate coverage in demographics and international events: ten years later, everyone can’t believe how much better off they are. Fox news, in a last ditch effort to survive, sends a terminator back in time to prevent it from happening.

why is it always that the sign that the robot/AI is becoming ~*too human*~ is when they fall in looove

give me a robot who realizes they’ve ~*exceeded their programmed parameters*~ when they get incredibly emotionally attached to their favorite movie and start writing fanfiction about it

First decent shot of James. I usually avoid curtained hair like an old cliche, but it just seems to work for him. The inking went pretty well.

Principal character for a future comic.

I need to do more studies of bats. Argh.

Livestream is Streaming Lively

WhiteFox Art Studio: Come on in, everyone's welcome.

Chat rules:

Be polite, be civil.

If there's a problem in the chat, bring it up with me or a mod.

Posting of links is allowed, as long as they're personal (ie: your tumblr, dA, or FimFic page), or relevant to the conversation.

Stream is mostly SFW: no R#34, no graphic violence. Other than that, I don't object to people discussing mature subjects, there may be some blood or nudity in the art I work on, and I'll be very surprised if I go the whole night without saying a few bad words.

Discussion is encouraged, arguing is not. If you want to share your opinions, by all means do so... do not rant endlessly, shout down others, or get your panties in a bunch. Listen as much as you talk.

Roleplaying is fine, as long as you aren't obnoxious about it. Chatting in-character is okay: inane slap-fights, zaney madcap antics, and inappropriate displays of affection can get annoying if they're taken too far.

This list of rules is not comprehensive. If I say something is not allowed, it's not allowed.

What's on the schedule?

Purely digital painting and drawing. Which I've never done very much of, so it should be hilarious watching my epic flails. Bluey suggested doing some urban scenery, so I'll probably be trying some of that.

Perceptionality character art.

Scanning, editing, and colouring of an Unplanned Adventure Comic page.

I might be taking a few requests, on an "if I feel like doing it" basis. If I can get my web cam set up with a minimum of fuss, I'll stream the traditional media part. Or something

Art critique and commentary: if you have work you'd like feedback on, or there's a particular subject you wanna hear me talk about, go ahead and ask. I'll see what I can say about it.

During breaks, I may be putting on a movie or something. Probably R.E.D., we'll see.

I may sing a little bit.

Well! I think that's everything, so let's get this trainwreck started!