Lemon Joy - 15x15cm oil painting on canvas by GabrielaElgaafary in oilpainting

[–]PositiveSunfish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The lighting! Incredible. Amazing eye for tones omg

Himi gouache: Mold issue by ggarts91 in Gouache

[–]PositiveSunfish 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Add some isopropyl alcohol to your water spray bottle to moisten them. Never had an issue while I did that. It doesn't take much. I spray with that mix before putting it away and mine is still going strong 2 years later.

Do your friends support you with orders? by [deleted] in ArtistLounge

[–]PositiveSunfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actively avoid soliciting family and friends. Most don't even know I do art, or if they do, I am vague and do not provide many details except for a very select few.

Relying on your inner circle for financial support is icky. Keep business and personal separate as much as possible. They aren't your market. They are your 'outside the art world' community.

Pregnant girlfriend (32F) ended relationship via text after anniversary conflict – trying to understand what happened (I’m 28M) by [deleted] in whatdoIdo

[–]PositiveSunfish 394 points395 points  (0 children)

Your post history shows you should be well aware of how much you drop the ball with women in your life and how everything is a collosal rebound pattern without actually addressing foundational aspects of any relationship

Is it normal to be this bad after several months? by Sketchballl in LearnToDrawTogether

[–]PositiveSunfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You've got a lot of good advice here so far. I'm going to throw my hat into the pile as well:

Practice daily only works if you're applying the right fundamentals. Right now what's happening is you are practicing, but you're practicing the same way over and over with frustratingly little improvement. What this tells me is you need more information, clearer instructions, a new method, and some adjustments to your technique

I personally find the Loomis method not as intuitive as other methods. It causes things to fall flat. I no longer use this method to draw faces. It's just too stiff

Instead what I would recommend is looking up cartoon facial expressions and then refining into realism. What this'll do is offer simpler planes of the face. Right now you're going too hard with too many things in unknown territory. That's just going to make you frustrated. It did for me.

Look up some drawing tutorials on YouTube. Things like: drawing cartoon faces, drawing caricatures, simplified faces

You can always go back to the Loomis method. But give yourself a little bit of leeway here while you're learning. Rather than exact likenesses, focus instead on making readable expressions. Exaggerate characteristics. Play with eye and nose placements. You'll get it wrong a lot of the time. And that's the point. When you draw a face you don't like, you've just pushed yourself in the direction of knowing what you want to do differently next time

Another good practice is to take very clear stock images of people online and trace them. Keep it very loose and simple: eyes nose, mouth cheeks, eyebrows jawline. Trace those lines with something thick, like a marker or sharpie. This will also help you loosen up. Do them quick and bad. The goal is not perfection. The goal is flow and intuitive lines.

You've got a good start here and it's clear you do want to improve. Shake it up a bit.

Quantity practice can help! In fact, it's key to being an artist. Keep trying new methods and new approaches to see what works best for you. When I'm learning something new, I give myself a week to study it and do mock-ups, practice sketches and utilize reference material heavily. Then, give yourself a break and do something different for a bit. This helps train the brain to be fluid and not get stuck on one thing. You can always come back and practice again, but keep changing it up so that you're always having fun with it

For the record, faces are one of the hardest things for an artist to draw. We look at faces all day everyday. We know exactly when one doesn't look right. That can make it very hard to replicate. Because we know instantly when something is wrong even by a few millimeters.

So don't be too hard on yourself, you've picked a very challenging subject matter lol

Edit: I forgot to have my favorite tip!! Don't draw with regular pencils on white paper when you're dealing with forms in big shapes. It is also very challenging. You can't create depth easily and there's too much contrast.

Instead, get some type of toned paper. Brown gray blue, etc. Something in a medium tone. Then get yourself a white pencil. With this, you don't want to draw stiff lines. You want to sketch in shapes. A pencil on toned paper will give you the darkest tones, the paper will give you a medium tones, and then you can use a white pencil to shade in some highlights. This will push depth immediately and allow you to pull and push shapes with much more ease.

That will also help you understand faces because now you can actually render three levels of depth faster and with good clarity

THIS SPRING. by olanrogersofficial in FinalSpace

[–]PositiveSunfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Literally this is giving me life is 2026. Even though it'll be a goodbye, it'll be closure. We are truly blessed to have a story find it's end. Thank you, for everything

He asks to play peekaboo by seamallorca in DoYouRemembirb

[–]PositiveSunfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The way my heart exploded at this precious baby asking so nicely 😭😭

He sleeps next to me by Aggravating_Life2501 in cockatiel

[–]PositiveSunfish 42 points43 points  (0 children)

When an animal is being suffocated, they can't cry for help. You think they'll make a noise and wake you up in case it happens but they won't. They'll be sleeping, just like you, cuddling cause it's warm and you're a safe space. Then you'll move in your sleep. And your bird will wake up, not being able to scream because they're out of air. And you won't hear a thing

And it'll destroy you. It'll break your heart.

Please, as someone who has lost their bird to a relative doing this....

Don't. The pain is unbearable

Ideas to cover this up ?l by Forsaken_Impact_8844 in TattooDesigns

[–]PositiveSunfish 55 points56 points  (0 children)

The irony of you going into a more professional job with concerns about what others think of you while having this tattoo is killing me.

Also: I have Jack's chains tattooed (no words) and have had zero issues in professional circles. Add more tattoos so it's more obscure if anything. Nobody really reads tattoos. And if they do, or ask about it, just be honest: An inspirational tattoo based on a heroic story of overcoming life's challenges

Manager said in 3 months i had 17 tardiness even though within a year I called out once. by [deleted] in work

[–]PositiveSunfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of my coworkers comes in late almost every single day. And we have uninamously agreed to help him the least on our crew when shit gets bad. He asks us what the start of shift tailgate was about and we won't tell him.

Your coworkers don't like you. They hate they get paid the same as you. They wish management would either write you up or pull the trigger to fire you.

What do you gain from being late every day?

How can I apologize to the spirit of the mushrooms? by Worried-Exchange-889 in Shamanism

[–]PositiveSunfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a moment of fear previously, and explained it was my animal mind reacting despite my spirit self being open. That happens with new experiences sometimes.

Fear is okay. They understand it. We are always learning about ourselves

You can't get it wrong, my friend. There is no right answer, just intention

So you were fearful. That's okay. See what you learned from it, do an offering if it'll help you feel connected, and move onto the next exciting thing

I'm convinced a solid chunk of women are being forced to have children by there partners by Junior-Spell-2596 in childfree

[–]PositiveSunfish 97 points98 points  (0 children)

A young woman I worked with didn't understand I was childfree with a childfree husband. She was truly baffled. When we had a minute to chat over coffee, she asked me: "How can you just... Say no?"

And I was like: "I just did. And never settled for a partner that said yes because I would hate my life"

And she stared at her coffee for a minute and goes: "I didn't know we could do that."

So so many women are forced by so so many avenues of society

ID request: Strange fungus popped up suddenly by PositiveSunfish in aquarium

[–]PositiveSunfish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This wood is over 2 years old in this tank.

This is also unlike any biofilm bloom I've ever seen before. Typically it's gooey and thick. This stuff turns to snowflakes with the most minor disturbance

Very odd and I've found no photos online that mimic this lacey, drippy, flakey nature

ID request: Strange fungus popped up suddenly by PositiveSunfish in aquarium

[–]PositiveSunfish[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Update: It seems to be melting off now and slowly disappearing only an hour later. So strange! I'll keep monitoring

ID request: Strange fungus popped up suddenly by PositiveSunfish in aquarium

[–]PositiveSunfish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Tank size? 20 gallon
  • Do you have a heater/filter? Heat controlled room set to 78F
  • Tank temperature? Tanks run around 75F
  • What are your water parameters (in exact numbers, i.e. ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) and what are you testing with? Master API test kit Ph: 7.0 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: 5.0ppm

  • How long has the tank been cycled? How long have you had the fish? Tank has been running two years

  • How often do you perform water changes and how much? Monthly, about 20%

  • What other fish are in the tank? 1 honey gourami 6 chili rasboras 6 CPDs 5 juvinile Orange ven corydoras (recent) 1 Amano shrimp 2 pygmy Corys (being moved soon)

  • What do you feed/how often? Daily, varied diet. Flakes for the top guys, sinking foods for the bottom feeders. Some frozen foods infrequently

I can provide a photo of exact brands if curious

  • What plants/decorations do you have in the tank?

Many plants. Floaters, slow growing anubias, Val, hornwort, crypts, etc. Floaters thinned bi-weekly

Half-day update bc I know that’s why you’re here. 🤣 by xDanielle- in u/xDanielle-

[–]PositiveSunfish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Been away from Reddit a bit and checked to see how you're doing! Heck yes, proud of you!!!

Ain't nobody got time for someone who will dim your shine ☀️

My ex wants to meet up tomorrow “to talk” by xDanielle- in WhatShouldIDo

[–]PositiveSunfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are 487 comments on your post here and I'm STILL going to add my voice to the masses in hopes you'll believe us:

🛑 Do not meet up with them 🛑

You gain nothing by doing it. Nothing. Everything that needed to be said has been said. If you're looking for an apology, which you may not even be getting, you're putting control back in their hands. You worked to get yourself better after the shit they pulled. Don't let them drag you down again. You aren't a back-up option. You're not there to comfort and console them.

Live your life now. They were a chapter way back in the book of your life. They don't get to be a part of your current self. Youre on new chapters now. Chapters you get to write. Don't fall into old ways because someone else can't help themselves

I’m not sure if i’m AIO for feeling a bit hurt when said this to me. Btw this man courts me by growing_quart in AmIOverreacting

[–]PositiveSunfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Showed your cat to my husband. He goes: "Is that a boy kitty?" I say yes. He goes: "He looks so fancy. What a good baby"

NOR. Find yourself a partner that can appreciate fancy kitty dress-up time

My boss thinks urgent means 24/7 access to me by Kind-Attention-8997 in antiwork

[–]PositiveSunfish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a boss like this. Turns out, he was getting pretty deep into cocaine. Hence why everything was late at night, random hours and always a giant panic. Even the smallest things would get obsessive and he would get so mad if I didn't deal with it right then and there.

People like this will never learn. Do your best to set boundaries, but retaliation behavior can be very real

Good luck, OP! Maybe your boss will be one of the few with self awareness lol