How to help an artist:
Ditch the like button
No, seriously. If you don’t have money to help out an artist financially, the second best thing is to reblog all the things you like. While liking it does tell the artist that “hey I really like this!” It does jack shit because the only ones who will see that are me and you.
Why do you think there are so SO many posts made by people that are literally summed down to “please reblog my artwork I need the notes!”? Because no one reblogs artwork. Unless you’re a ridiculously popular blog with thousands of followers, you’ll only end up getting 1 or no reblogs.
SO HELP OUT ARTISTS AND PLEASE REBLOG OUR ART, BECAUSE WE REALLY NEED THE VIEWS ;V;)/
Friendly reminder. Reblog it if u dig it :)
^^^^^Allllll of this 👏👏👏
Hey this goes for fanfic writers on tumblr too!!!
I have a habit of reblogging original tumblr art, not because I want to help out the artist, but because I LIKE THE ART. But, ( a big but) I post my own art too, and if it gets ONE HEART I smile…..and that smile is priceless.
A lot of stuff I hit the heart, partially to say I like it or understand, but if it’s really good, I hit the reblog because advertising is better than nothing else…
And sometimes, like in @theartofmichaelwhelan’s case, you already know his work, just maybe didn’t realize it….
Yes, this…and it goes for all creators who put quality out there.
True story regarding our history as a Tumblr blog
I started this page 4 years ago. Despite Michael’s name recognition and existing base of followers on the website, it took a couple years to grow an audience organically here. A huge chunk of our 13k followers came when one of our posts was spotlighted on the Tumblr radar—I believe it was PEGASUS IN FLIGHT.
It happened randomly, probably thanks to a reblog hitting the right person’s feed at just the right time. Within 24 hours Tumblr featured Michael as a top artist on the platform and we were off to the races.
Because we found a receptive audience here, we create content specifically for this platform and blog here everyday. And I can tell you, Michael does pay attention to not just the messages we receive but all of the engagement on our page. It means a lot even to an artist of his stature.
So imagine what that kind of exposure does for an artist just starting their career? The truth is we all need an audience to engage and respond to the work we create.
Likes are great. Reblogs mean the world.
Signal Boost.
Do not underestimate the flooding in Texas right now.
Houston has had over 18" of rain fall over the past 24 hours and they’re expecting at least 2ft more in the next 24-36 hours. They are underwater. The rain isn’t going to relent until at least Wednesday.
There are still tornado watches going up, and with shelters and basements under water this will make things worse.
We need to rally together and donate to relief efforts. The Weather Channel has already said that this will be the worst flooding event in US history.
Donate to local crisis control resources. Please share any reliable links and numbers you have. A lot of peoples’ go-tos are The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army, but if you want to avoid those large groups it will be better to donate to local resources. You can also donate to Save the Children, Samaritan’s Purse, and Heart to Heart International.
Coalition for the Homeless runs the shelters in the city of Houston https://www.homelesshouston.org/take-action/donate/
Donate to Corpus Christi’s children’s hospital, which is directly in the path of the storm. http://www.driscollchildrens.org/
Texas Diaper Bank is making disaster relief kits, and you can donate at http://www.texasdiaperbank.org
Feeding Texas is a network of food banks that will need assistance https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/feeding-texas
Please share this and get the word out.
My friends are being evacuated by boats in the morning. So many people I know have lost their homes. There have been two reported deaths so far. My side of town is starting to flood as well. This is real, it’s happening, and we need help. Please signal boost this.
These are all excellent links and resources, and donating to local groups is absolutely recommended. Here’s some more resources I’ve found over the weekend:
You may consider donating to BakerRipley. They’re located in Houston and have a focus in long-term disaster relief—when initial responders leave, they help with stuff like reconstruction, aiding citizens with insurance resources, securing employment, and more.
The Houston Food Bank would also be a good place to send some funds. If you’re in the area there will most definitely be some opportunities to volunteer as well.
Galveston, TX—one of my favorite places in the world—definitely needs help as well. Donating to their food bank is definitely on my list of things to do.
Although it’s not a local org, I’d also recommend helping Portlight. They’re a non-profit group that focuses specifically on helping disabled folks. “We are already hearing from people being turned away from shelters, denied sign language interpreters and many of the same issues we’ve heard throughout past disasters,” the organization said. [KTLA5 news]
shout out:
comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick started #VisibleWomen on twitter to give female artists and writers the visibility we (many times) don’t have but desperately need.
i recommend following the hashtag to discover new talents (i’ve met like 200+ amazing women today in just a few hours!), and also if you’re a writer, illustrator, cartoonist, comic creator…etc, tweet at her using that hashtag because she’s being super kind and supportive and is signal boosting everyone.
Hey, folks!
We’re doing another round of #VisibleWomen on AUGUST 7th 2017. This time we’re opening submissions up to include women* colorists, letterers and writers as well.
So you have time to prepare, it works like this:
Tweet your portfolio link(s) in the appropriate format below with the hashtag #VisibleWomen *any time on August 7th.*
We will signal boost the tweet AND add your info to our #visiblewomen spreadsheet, which is available free of charge to any hiring professional in the comic book industry.
The goals of the initiative are to raise the visibility of women in our industry and to get you work.
Here are some templates for tweets that will be easy for us to put in our spreadsheet.
IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST: I’m [your professional name - even if it matches your Twitter handle], I draw [a couple words about style or titles of works you’ve done] & my portfolio is at [link/links]. I also [color/letter/flat/write].
IF YOU ARE A LETTER: I’m [your professional name - even if it matches your Twitter handle], I lettered [title of book(s)]. Resume & work samples are online at [link/links].
IF YOU ARE A COLORIST: I’m [your professional name - even if it matches your Twitter handle], I color[ed] [title of book(s)]. Resume & work samples are online at [link/links]. [I also flat for other colorists.]
IF YOU ARE A WRITER: I’m [your professional name - even if it matches your Twitter handle], I wrote [title of book(s)], which is available online at [link/links]. [My resume with more of my work is LINK.]
140 characters is not a lot, so if you can include a word or two about your style, GREAT! If not, give us enough to get us started.
If you just want the signal boost for readers or visibility, you can play looser withe the format. For instance, “My name is [name], I’m the cartoonist behind the webcomic [name and link]. We’re a [mecha/horror/romance] - check us out!”
Make sense?
IMPORTANT: SELF SUBMISSIONS ONLY. It’s GREAT that you want to support your friends, but do not submit for them. We don’t want to risk signal-boosting someone who does not yet feel ready.
Cool? Cool.
Join us on Twitter on August 7th. If you have questions in the meantime, either hit me on Twitter @kellysue or email me at info@milkfed.us
Cheers,
Kelly Sue
* #VisibleWomen is intended to raise the profiles of women** comic creators, but we also welcome (and have always welcomed) non-binary creators too. If you identify as “not male” and would like to participate, please do!
** Because we’ve gotten the question every time we’ve done this, yes, trans women are welcome. Trans women are women. We also welcome short women and tall women. We don’t want to add to anyone’s anxiety around gender identity. No one is going to ask for papers – if you know yourself to be a woman (or not a man), and could use a signal boost, please join us!
Ambient sounds for writers
Find the right place to write your novel…
Nature
Places
Garden with pond and waterfall
Study room from victorian house with rain
Fictional places
Chloe’s room (Life is Strange)
Blackwell dorm (Life is Strange)
Two Whales Diner (Life is Strange)
Star Wars apartment (Star Wars)
Star Wars penthouse (Star Wars)
Tatooine (Star Wars)
Coruscant with rain (Star Wars)
Yoda’s hut with rain ( Star Wars)
Luke’s home (Star Wars)
Death Star hangar (Star wars)
Blade Runner city (Blade Runner)
Azkaban prison (Harry Potter)
Hogwarts library with rain (Harry Potter)
Ravenclaw common room (Harry Potter)
Hufflepuff common room (Harry Potter)
Slytherin common room (Harry Potter)
Gryffindor common room (Harry Potter)
Hagrid’s hut (Harry Potter)
Hobbit-hole house (The Hobbit)
Founding Fathers Garden (Bioshock)
Things
Transportation
Historical
Titanic first class dining room
Sci-fi
Futuristic apartment with typing
Post-apocalyptic
Horror
World
Trips, rides and walkings
In case anyone wants some ❤️
Where had this fucking been my entire life !
a couple to add:
Anonymous asked: I've been studying art and writing skills through books for awhile and I was wondering what tutorial books or indie comics would you recommend for a writer/artist kid looking for a different influence?
I actually started a tumbler specifically aimed at process and the art of comic making that I am slowly building as I put the finishing touches on my book for Random House on comic book making
some start following
http://bendiswordsforpictures.tumblr.com
and I will be updating it pretty frequently
Another valuable resource for those of us addicting to picture-book making.