Queste1 - Art And Stuff - Tumblr Blog

At the gate for my flight home from visiting friends and there's a woman here with a service Shiba Inu. No pics because he has a Do Not Disturb vest and taking pics of strangers is illegal but I need to stress how ON DUTY this animal is. Ears up. Eyes doing Lazer scans of everything. Examining everyone who passes within 10ft like a security guard. Ass planted on her feet. I have never seen a dog with such intense chivalric guardian energy before. He has tiny eyebrows and they are FURROWED with concentration.

So a couple days ago, some folks braved my long-dormant social media accounts to make sure I’d seen this tweet:

And after getting over my initial (rather emotional) response, I wanted to reply properly, and explain just why that hit me so hard.

So back around twenty years ago, the internet cosplay and costuming scene was very different from today. The older generation of sci-fi convention costumers was made up of experienced, dedicated individuals who had been honing their craft for years.  These were people who took masquerade competitions seriously, and earning your journeyman or master costuming badge was an important thing.  They had a lot of knowledge, but – here’s the important bit – a lot of them didn’t share it.  It’s not just that they weren’t internet-savvy enough to share it, or didn’t have the time to write up tutorials – no, literally if you asked how they did something or what material they used, they would refuse to tell you. Some of them came from professional backgrounds where this knowledge literally was a trade secret, others just wanted to decrease the chances of their rivals in competitions, but for whatever reason it was like getting a door slammed in your face.  Now, that’s a generalization – there were definitely some lovely and kind and helpful old-school costumers – but they tended to advise more one-on-one, and the idea of just putting detailed knowledge out there for random strangers to use wasn’t much of a thing.  And then what information did get out there was coming from people with the freedom and budget to do things like invest in all the tools and materials to create authentic leather hauberks, or build a vac-form setup to make stormtrooper armor, etc.  NOT beginner friendly, is what I’m saying.

Then, around 2000 or so, two particular things happened: anime and manga began to be widely accessible in resulting in a boom in anime conventions and cosplay culture, and a new wave of costume-filled franchises (notably the Star Wars prequels and the Lord of the Rings movies) hit the theatres.  What those brought into the convention and costuming arena was a new wave of enthusiastic fans who wanted to make costumes, and though a lot of the anime fans were much younger, some of them, and a lot of the movie franchise fans, were in their 20s and 30s, young enough to use the internet to its (then) full potential, old enough to have autonomy and a little money, and above all, overwhelmingly female.  I think that latter is particularly important because that meant they had a lifetime of dealing with gatekeepers under our belts, and we weren’t inclined to deal with yet another one.  They looked at the old dragons carefully hoarding their knowledge, keeping out anyone who might be unworthy, or (even worse) competition, and they said NO.  If secrets were going to be kept, they were going to figure things out for ourselves, and then they were going to share it with everyone.  Those old-school costumers may have done us a favor in the long run, because not knowing those old secrets meant that we had to find new methods, and we were trying – and succeeding with – materials that “serious” costumers would never have considered.   I was one of those costumers, but there were many more – I was more on the movie side of things, so JediElfQueen and PadawansGuide immediately spring to mind, but there were so many others, on YahooGroups and Livejournal and our own hand-coded webpages, analyzing and testing and experimenting and swapping ideas and sharing, sharing, sharing.  

I’m not saying that to make it sound like we were the noble knights of cosplay, riding in heroically with tutorials for all.  I’m saying that a group of people, individually and as a collective, made the conscious decision that sharing was a Good Things that would improve the community as a whole.  That wasn’t necessarily an easy decision to make, either. I know I thought long and hard before I posted that tutorial; the reaction I had gotten when I wore that armor to a con told me that I had hit on something new, something that gave me an edge, and if I didn’t share that info I could probably hang on to that edge for a year, or two, or three.  And I thought about it, and I was briefly tempted, but again, there were all of these others around me sharing what they knew, and I had seen for myself what I could do when I borrowed and adapted some of their ideas, and I felt the power of what could happen when a group of people came together and gave their creativity to the world.

And it changed the face of costuming.  People who had been intimidated by the sci-fi competition circuit suddenly found the confidence to try it themselves, and brought in their own ideas and discoveries.  And then the next wave of younger costumers took those ideas and ran, and built on them, and branched out off of them, and the wave after that had their own innovations, and suddenly here we are, with Youtube videos and Tumblr tutorials and Etsy patterns and step-by-step how-to books, and I am just so, so proud.  

So yeah, seeing appreciation for a 17-year-old technique I figured out on my dining-room table (and bless it, doesn’t that page just scream “I learned how to code on Geocities!”), and having it embraced as a springboard for newer and better things warms this fandom-old’s heart.  This is our legacy, and a legacy the current group of cosplayers is still creating, and it’s a good one.  

(Oh, and for anyone wondering: yes, I’m over 40 now, and yes, I’m still making costumes. And that armor is still in great shape after 17 years in a hot attic!)  

my boobs r big because my massive heart pushes them out. peace and love on planet earth.

Poe!!

Don't talk to me or my son ever again

I've seen a number of posts where the OPs are taking fans to task for mourning the way their fandoms have been marred by the revelations about Neil Gaiman.

And yeah, what Gaiman's victims went through was way worse, and we should be supporting them and doing what we can where we are to make sure that sexual assault is no longer a thing in our world.

But fans are also entitled to have their own feelings about this. It's okay to feel sad and angry and grossed out and confused when you learn that your favorite creator, who you thought was a decent human being, is a serial sexual predator. It's okay to wonder aloud how you're now going to relate to the media that person created, because it's okay that that media actually meant and/or continues to mean something to you.

Being upset about shocking news is a normal reaction, and it's okay to talk about how it made you feel. Admitting what you're feeling in this situation doesn't take anything away from the victims, but remaining silent about how you feel doesn't do anything to help them, either.

If anything, stating publicly that you are disturbed, angry, confused, or whatever other emotion about Neil Gaiman's behavior and about his work is sending a message to media companies that Gaiman is now tainted goods and that they shouldn't work with him anymore.

"I should draw Māori Miku!" I said to myself. "Just a fun sketch, it shouldn't take me long" I said to myself. Six hours later I come to with this in front of me and a wrist begging for mercy but holy fuck worth it. I love this trend this was so much fun

PLEASE DON'T REPOST!!! ASK ME FIRST!!!!!

DISCLAIMERS AND NOTES ETC.... I'm Pākehā, meaning I am not of Māori descent. I hold so much respect for Māori people, for their values and traditions, and for the fierce pride with which kapa haka is performed. I thought if I was going to design a Māori Miku, it makes sense to dress her in a kapa haka kākahu, as her whole thing is singing and dancing!!! The tā moko is not based off any real person's moko. I referenced the temporary moko a lot of kapa haka performers wear!! Was tricky finding out whether or not depicting her with a moko was a good idea, so I went the safe route- showing an aspect of Māori culture without stepping over any boundaries!! Brown eyed Miku is everything to me shout out brown eyed Miku.... I referenced like seven different outfits to put hers together!! I really hope this looks accurate or at least passable. Thanks to adorkastock for the pose ref!!

🎶🎵🪲THE BEATLES🪲🎵🎶

⬇️RINGO⬇️

⬇️PAUL⬇️

⬇️JOHN⬇️

⬇️GEORGE⬇️

Hello! I never draw the Beatles but I wanted to this time. I only ever draw animals and I want to get back into human stuff again. Idk if I can keep doing animals after this because no one sees them, I’m going to start practicing more humans and do animals on the side. I think because I don’t draw human Beatles no one sees my posts maybe idk, it’s very confusing. Anyway enjoy and also PLS GIVE ME ADVICE ON DRAWING THEM, I’m to slow.

chuuya concept i had 🎶

Palestine campaigns with under a thousand donations

Trying a new tactic with the fundraisers on my pinned list. These campaigns appear to gain a lot more traction when the number of donations hits a thousand, so here's a way to highlight those that could use more. These have all been vetted by Palestinians on Tumblr. Just like the main list, I'll keep you all updated with how things progress, and as always, if you can't donate, reblog.

LAST UPDATED 8/16

Under 100:

Under 300:

Zaen and Yehya @mohammedshehab111 293

Under 500:

The Al Tibi family @mahmoudeltibi1 463

The Sharif family @amnehsharif10 432

Aya's family @ayaalanqarsblog 499

Amal's family @amlanqar 363

The Hor family @salahaldinhor

Under 700:

Ahmed's family @ahmed-ziad

The Ismaeel family @m0hammed1

The Sami family @eyadeyadsblog

Walaa's family @ahmed79ss

Under 900:

The Saftawi family @nadasaftawi

The Aburass family @samerpal 761

The Abushammaleh family @bshaeromars-blog 760

The Atalla family @mohammed-atallah

Nearing 1000:

The Shorbaje family @tahanibaby 951

1000 donations:

Amira's family @ameera-anq

The Khalaf family @mahmoudkhalafff

The Alnabih family @ahmedalnabeeh11

Ashraf's family @ashrafanqer

The Alostaz family @ahmed-ostaz

i know we joke about cis artists having the weirdest sense of anatomy, but also even when the anatomy is fine, no one seems to want to draw women doing normal things

My first post here 😞 here is a Tachihara drawing I made.

my older brother

Vent art

Oda didn't let Cora and Belle-mere meet in canon because they'd be too iconic of a duo

after hours

Welcome to the...

With 56 participants for a total of 66 little guys (based on 21 different characters!) plus my own, the daycare is full to bursting!

I invite you to click and take the time to look through our adorable tiny friends! Can you find:

-8 little guys who came with their own snacks? -5 little guys who brought their plushies with them? -3 fibre art little guys? -8 traditional art (paper) little guys? -The imposter?

Thank you all so much for your participation!! This little event was an adorable success thanks to all of you! ❤

Artists credit with a closer look at their respective friends under the cut!

@alanzz28, @arsomniacdemon, @asterikishi,

@blenderfullasarcasm, @bloop-n-dupe, @cathy-plus-e,

@choushikii, @chuyawine (x2), @de4cades,

@dragonfairy1231, @dragon-seahorse, @dwg666,

@elaemae, @enevera, @esp3riadr3ams

@exymybeloved, @freedomclown, @frickfrackchickenstack,

@fvedyetor, @grilb-cheebs, @imagineinfinityxx,

@inkingkitsune (x2), @insanebsdfan, @joostytoasty,

@konbupie, @kuro-chi69, @madnessmayhemmalarkey,

@magic6lgear, @mechizilla (x2), @melonn-soda

@mitzuna, @mythicalmochiii, @nobodysodontquestionit,

@notewithstanding, @orthoeatspaperclips11, @perianthkat (x2),

@pillonemelody, @pinkisacreativecolour, @queste1,

@rabiesbites, @ratty-qeen (x2),

@sargentcat, @scotchfairy (x2), @shenanigatorseatingcake,

@sillypotatoess, @sleepynlazy, @soukoku13 (x2)

@sproutzai, @stellarlylost, @sushi-flavored,

@totally-silly-artist-yep-stable (x2), @thebrookesnook, @whathorselegs,

@wowokmanchill, @zestylemonsz

and a special mention to @ask-osamu-dazai-stuff because with this I'm closing the tiny daycare saga, but didn't want to leave your art in the void! I still added your little guys with the other 💖

thank you all again for playing along! And don't hesitate to post your pieces if you haven't already! ❤

I was bored in class

Hey Ken

Poe!! Still figuring out how to draw in my style

idk if it’s the mental illness but sharing literally any information feels like oversharing. i’ll be like “i skipped breakfast this morning” and immediately im like “i might as well have told them where i buried the money”

They are already selling data to midjourney, and it's very likely your work is already being used to train their models because you have to OPT OUT of this, not opt in. Very scummy of them to roll this out unannounced.