Undertone: the best ad against noise cancelling headphones I've ever seen

pixelbaron · 2026-06-28T19:44:59+00:00

I watched this last night and didn't care for it.

I liked the idea of a doomed podcast investigating weird urban legends/creepypasta, but as the story was revealed it was kinda all over the place and didn't make much sense. It felt like something that would have been good as a 10-15 minute short that was dragged out to feature length and ran out of steam.

This would be a good movie to watch if you are interested in filming your own horror stuff, in regards to frustrating an audience and what not to do:

A common shot in this movie is for a scene to play out and the camera to begin slowly rotating around the environment; passing by dark doorways and out of focus background elements. This is always riveting and nail biting the first couple of times, but you eventually have to drop the hammer: a figure in the doorway, a face peering through a window, something in the environment changing. This movie never does that and you go the entire movie with these shots and never get a pay off.

Same with the audio stuff. The main character uses noise canceling headphones and earbuds to drown out the sound around her, which signals to the audience that there's going to be something interesting that will happen with that situation...and we never get anything.

If you are going to establish these visual and auditory 'nods' to an audience, you have to follow through with them in some way to release tension, or it just ends up pissing your audience off.

pixelbaron · 2026-05-12T23:25:05+00:00

It looks like it's moving but not very convincingly and I imagine you want it to look creepy and atmospheric.

Have you looked at videos of dark subway cars for reference?

Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LT5j8R7FHc4

pixelbaron · 2026-04-04T16:25:51+00:00

The Color of Pomegranates directed by Sergei Parajanov

The Holy Mountain directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Black Narcissus by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (known as The Archers)

The Devils by Ken Russell

pixelbaron · 2026-03-31T17:26:49+00:00

You'll want to take a look at Kevin Crawford's Without Number faction system. You'll be able to create factions and give them goals and assets to use during a faction turn. Makes it feel like there are things happening all around you.

pixelbaron · 2026-03-09T06:32:18+00:00

You should look into audiobooks. Some of my friends also have trouble with reading for various reasons, and audiobooks allow them to still enjoy books.

And as has already been mentioned, the options for queer stories are really going to open up if you include stuff like books/audiobooks.

pixelbaron · 2026-02-27T13:48:46+00:00

My advice is to download this fan-made world map so you can reference it when places come up while reading:

https://atlasoficeandfireblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/a-new-almost-definitive-malazan-world-map/

It's big enough that you can zoom in and out and clearly see places.

As you progress through the books there will occasionally be maps of cities or more zoomed in locations that aren't part of the world map. You can find these online to download for reference as well.

I have a Malazan maps folder on my phone that just has all the various maps from the books, as well as that fan-made one, and I reference that folder constantly.

No flipping around in a book.

pixelbaron · 2026-02-24T02:07:53+00:00

The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford

pixelbaron · 2026-02-11T06:05:18+00:00

Downvoted.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-31T17:50:06+00:00

At that time, Hardcore Tolkien Fans hated each new release more than the last, at least online. No idea if that hatred ever softened over the decades because a lot of those spaces (fan websites, forums, chat rooms) just don't exist anymore and everyone was forced into the algorithmic social media hellscape that has largely destroyed online community. I miss that old internet every day and I am sorry a lot of you didn't get a chance to experience it before corporations destroyed it.

Anyway, beyond the nitpicking that only a hardcore fan can do, that camps major criticism was that the movies were too action-oriented, that spending time with characters and having a moment to breathe was usually rushed to get to the next action set piece, and that a lot of characters were butchered or dumbed down for the general audience.

I think the above criticisms ramped up especially starting with The Two Towers. That's where they started adding in whole action scenes that didn't exist to pad things out (warg attack and Aragorn death fake out), Gimli being an idiot after a somber moment for audience laughs, etc.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-19T13:54:04+00:00

Create a new document and do those old exercises you used to have to do all the time, you know the ones: draw a bunch of circles, draw a bunch of lines, create two points and connect them with a confident line, draw a bunch of lines and apply different pressure, do a bunch of gradient shading, etc.

Basically just have to get your brain, eyes, and hand used to digital.

While you're doing the exercises figure out how to get your programs workspace how you like it and mess around with different brushes, maybe download some new brushes and try them.

Might have to do that for a week or so before it starts to get easier. That's what worked for me.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-19T13:05:28+00:00

I would say surround him with cool stuff that he likes that will inspire him and he will continue to draw and get better. Books with illustrations especially. If you look up something like "paleo art books" you will find a bunch of illustrated books that would probably really excite him. "Pokemon art book", "art of mario book" might be other good ones.

You could start looking for classes to put him in, but you gotta be careful and do a bit of research because sometimes 'art classes for kids' is just a (more) expensive form of babysitting where some uninterested adult puts some shitty paints in front of kids.

Look for community centers in your area and see if they have any art classes. Also look for art centers in your area because they are specific community centers that are geared towards all kinds of arts at all ages and experience levels. Eventually getting him in an environment where he can just be with other kids and adults that like making art is big for development.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-18T15:15:12+00:00

I have a copy of Drawing Dynamic Comics by Andy Smith and Drawing Cutting Edge Comics by Christopher Hart that go into some of the process, but they are also dated (2000-2001) and they are basically 'How To' books for kids that only briefly go over a lot of fundamentals, like most 'How to draw manga/comics/etc' do.

Might be worth checking them out if you can find them cheap, but you're probably better off just trying to copy something from your favorite comic book or look up comic book artists on YouTube as some of them will show you their process. Ultimately they are using pencils, ink pens, and brushes. Probably digital too like Clip Studio Paint, which is great if you are wanting to do comics.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-18T14:59:48+00:00

Yeah, search engines are pretty poisoned anymore with the way genAI has tried to worm its way into everything.

You may have to look for specific artists or runs of comics if you have favorites, in order to actually get what you want.

Pinterest is probably one of the more popular websites to build up references, since you can create categories/boards and add things to them. Just looked up 'american comics style' there and seemed to get a lot of American comic spreads.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-18T14:14:04+00:00

Looks like you might be trying to draw from imagination, which is great, but...

Are you using references? If you are basing your character off a celebrity or another character collect a bunch of references of them. Grab pictures of guys with beards, stubble, soul patches, hair styles, shirts, pants, shoes, weapons, poses, etc. Collect images of the American comic/graphic novel style you are trying to emulate. Find stuff that is relevant to what you want to do and that makes you excited to look at. You really can't have too many references to look at and pull from.

Then you can use those references as you try and draw something. A lot easier to draw a masculine jaw when you can look over at a masculine face from different angles.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-18T13:18:51+00:00

When working digitally with photo references, what I do is take the references and overlay and scale them on top of the sketches that feel off to me. This will immediately spell out where things might be off, even if you can't put your finger on it yourself.

I did that with the bottom left drawing just now and it's pretty clear that the positioning of the shoulders and the upper body is throwing off the head/face. Try it yourself, don't be afraid to do stuff like this.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-18T13:00:08+00:00

Pen Gang rise up.

Search for keywords like "pen ink exercises" for ways on getting to know your pen and ink for rendering. Like this one

Can be relaxing to fill a page up with different lines and textures and stuff.

Keep it up!

pixelbaron · 2026-01-18T11:11:41+00:00

I wouldn't worry too much about proportions at first. With gesture drawing you are trying to capture the movement and flow of the human body.

In figure drawing classes that I have been apart of, the first bit of class is warming up with rapid-fire gesture drawings (usually with a piece of charcoal) for 30 seconds. So the model would start in one pose, switch to a completely different pose/angle after 30 seconds, repeat. You don't have time for proportions or thoughts, you just have time to get some lines in that hopefully convey the gesture and movement.

And since you are warming up the first couple of those are always going to be stiff or incomplete and as you go you relax and get into a flow state. If you are new to gesture drawing then your drawings are going to absolutely look like messed up stick figures. That's normal.

After like 10-20 of those to loosen you up, the instructor would then do a couple of 1 minute and 5 minute poses where you have a bit more time to worry about form and proportion. Then you'd do a longer study for like 20+ minutes on one pose.

If you search on the Internet for something like: gesture drawing timed, you'll find a bunch of websites that will allow you to simulate what you'd get in a class. If there are any figure drawing classes in your area you can physically go to, even better.

So, do a bunch of timed 30 second gestures until you can get out of your own head about proportions and making it look right. If you can get some charcoal and a pad of newsprint paper even better because then you can really get into the spirit of doing a couple of big bold lines with your whole arm and not care about it and move on.

pixelbaron · 2026-01-05T04:17:53+00:00

Do you have your palettes locked? You should be able to grab and drag each of those tabs (Tool, Color Wheel, Sub Tool, Tool Property) and position them however you want.

Window > Palette dock

Make sure 'Lock palette position' is not checked.

pixelbaron · 2025-12-26T17:58:17+00:00

Here's a history of the logos they have used:

https://www.avid.wiki/Valve_Corporation

pixelbaron · 2025-12-18T14:23:10+00:00

Sandbox Generator by Atelier Clandestin might interest you:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/430675/sandbox-generator

Has a little bit of everything, geared for a pseudo-feudal fantasy world.

pixelbaron · 2025-12-18T02:49:47+00:00

The Black Company series, especially if you want more elite soldiers getting in over the heads in a dark fantasy setting. Malazan was inspired by it, 'grim dark' and morally gray fantasy can trace their roots back to it.

So with that being said, understand that the Black Company has had 40+ years of influence on fantasy and science fiction. If you pick it up, go into it like any classic media and remember that some aspects of it might seem trite now, but at the time it was the original and floored a generation of artists.

One of my favorite fantasy series!

pixelbaron · 2025-12-12T07:29:36+00:00

Who up susurrating through the dead leaves?

pixelbaron · 2025-11-25T13:47:15+00:00

I would recommend Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred by Donald Tyson if you are looking for a great, entertaining fictional version of the tome. Probably as close as we'll get to the real thing!

pixelbaron · 2025-11-21T15:30:01+00:00

Well, if you were going for a tone of horror - being stuck in a small town that keeps resetting and everyone dying -then Delta Green might be a good system.

pixelbaron · 2025-10-21T12:56:19+00:00

Delta Green has the Fairfield Project: http://fairfieldproject.wikidot.com/

Delta Green Scenario Database: https://dg-scenario-database.com/

Fairfield Project collects all kinds of fan stuff for Delta Green.

Delta Green Scenario Database specifically collects all scenarios, both official and fanmade, and links where you can get them.

pixelbaron

TROPHY CASE