Aesthetics that I really love Pt.3

I promised. When I make a promise I will never ever break that promise.

…especially when it comes to making these posts. I sorry, I’m just a helpless pinterest girl.

1. Koicore

This is an aesthetic I sort of made up awhile back. Basically it’s characterized by a love of fish, lilypad-esque color schemes, and an emphasis placed upon reducing plastic use. Yaknow, cute stuff like that.

I separated the aesthetic into two types….White Koicore and Green Koicore. I even made a little graphic showing the visual differences between the two.

Cute, right?

Anyways here are a few more mood boards just in case you don’t entirely get the gist just yet.

2. Persephone

Kind of proud of the name I came up with for this one. Basically this aesthetic is botanical gothic. It is characterized by statues covered in ivy, a heavy mist hanging about a garden, and pomegranates of course. Perfect for when you’re feeling girly and feral at the same time.

3. Lady Detective

Lord have mercy, I am an absolute sucker for this aesthetic. I couldn’t find any other fitting name for it to be entirely honest. But surely I can’t be the only one who lives vicariously through this aesthetic? Surely? Its the perfect mix of vintage and adventurous that just makes me oh-so-happy. Alas, I blame my obession with Nancy Drew as a child.

4. Jaded

The perfect mix of luxurious and dark, Jaded is an aesthetic that is characterized by royal imagery as well as the color pairing of green and gold. Examples can be seen below!

5. Stainglass

There is something magical about stain glass windows. The shimmery, colored says of light that stream through the glass onto altars and pews evoke a such a positive and peaceful feeling. So it’s no wonder that I’m drawn to such an aesthetic as this.

I was sad to find through a few pinterest searches that this aesthetic is severely underrated/barely exists if at all. So I, of course, had to remedy that. I created a new section in my Aesthetics pinterets board and got to work. This aesthetic I think would be characterized by Renaissance-type imagery and fashion. Pearls, harps, lutes, candles, crosses, gold, tapestries, and tunic tops seemed to suit this aesthetic nicely.

I doubt this aesthetic will catch on however, I hope a few pinterest girls who have a thing for medieval inspired fashion and the Renaissance era can appreciate the few moodboards I’ve created.

And I think that just about wraps up our little aesthetic-round up though, if we’re being completely honest here, I’m probably going to continue this series as more novel aesthetic concepts pop into my head or onto my pinterest feed. There is no end in sight! See ya’ll soon!

Tips for Artists & Keeping Motivated

While I generally enjoy populating my blog with tips for writers primarily, from the few art posts I have on my blog, you can probably tell that I dabble a bit in the realm of drawing both digitally and traditionally. It is not a source of income for me nor do I ever really plan on it being however, I still find myself in a much better mood having created something that appeals to my eyes (for the most part. Every artist knows you must create an abomination every now in then to keep thinks spicy).

So, all that being said, I felt like it would be fun to make a little “tips and tricks” post for my fellow artists out there for keeping motivated to draw and create even when you feel like you’re not improving or find yourself in a rut creatively.

1. It’s okay to have a pretty scuffed sketchbook.

I know first hand the discouragement that Pinterest drawing journal inspo can produce. On one hand, I feel inspired to create such beautiful pieces myself! On the other, it can cause me to obsess over the “cleanness” and perfection of not just my individual sketches but the state of my sketchbook itself. And, like I often say over here on my blog, perfectionism can be one of the biggest obstacles an artist must overcome. So take heart, artists with beat-up and banged-up sketchbooks! It is totally fine to have a collection of drawings with a few “scrap” pages and maybe a few coffee stains on the cover. Actually, I’ve found that I often draw more when I have a slightly scuffed sketchbook as it prevents me from being nervous about messing up the book with a less than perfect sketch.

2. Draw, Draw, Draw. Quantity (mostly) over Quality.

Just like with writing, often skill comes overtime with the production of a lot of creations. This is the whole practice makes perfect phenomenon. Not that you shouldn’t try of course. Keep trying, by all means. But try not to get all caught up in creating the perfect piece now.

3. Not every art tip you find online will apply to you.

This is another important thing to note when you’re an artist with an internet connection. You have an endless supply of lists of “Do’s and Don’t” that you should follow when drawing. However, while it is good to at least CONSIDER these tips when making your own art, you probably shouldn’t follow every single one. Certain things are creative decisions and a piece that follows all the “rules” can sometimes feel boring or devoid of creativity.

4. Practice the things you struggle with.

I don’t like this tip but once I decided that I was going to draw a hand every day for a month, I saw a huge (though gradual) improvement with my ability to do so. Now that’s a pretty intense solution that I don’t think everyone should do, but I think you get the idea. Try not to avoid things that you struggle with and feel you aren’t good at it. Not that you have to now make your living as a hand-sketcher but it really pays off to put extra practice into those artistic pet-peeves you have whether it be drawing hands, eyes, people, animals, etc.

5. It takes time to find your style.

Not to mention it also evolves constantly. That’s alright though. That’s actually good because if you weren’t changing, you wouldn’t be improving in the slightest. Remember, change is (usually) good.

And I think that’s about it! Thanks for dropping by and reading! Also feel free to let me know in the comments section below of what tips really helped you as an artist! I’d love to hear them!

And I’m outta here! Bye!

The Disappearance of a Blogger

Brooke: Sorry I’ve been gone for a month! I’ll post a life update soon!

Also Brooke: *Disappears for another month*

Ahem….so anyways! Thanks for sticking with me through this busy summer. I honestly did not expect it to be as eventful as it turned out (in a good way of course). But as a result, my once somewhat established blogging schedule is a little off-kilter. Which for the time being I’m somewhat alright with seeing as how I think I can get it back on track as I start back to college in the coming weeks (it’s much sooner than ever thought. Time flies!). But, regardless, I still miss posting regularly and at least wanted to do a quick life update for all 3 of my blog readers (perhaps I’m being a bit generous).

As many (3) of you are probably aware, the majority of my time has been devoted to my summer internship which has been going swimmingly as they say. I enjoy the work, albeit pretty exhausting work. I do a lot of field research and data gathering so I’m out in the sun for about 30+ hours a week and with the heat wave we’ve had this summer, I’ve found myself rather drained at the end of the day after sweating my brains out. But it’s definitely not all bad. In fact, I’ve quote enjoyed the experience and the variety in tasks that I get to do at work.

And, very honestly, a lot of my exhaustion may simply be in part that this is my first consistently full-time job. I’ve worked full time hours before at other places prior to this, but not on a regular basis. Really I think a lot of my tired can be contributed to everyone’s favorite words: change and adjustment.

Ugh. Sorry to give you cold-chills like that.

Anyway, as I alluded to in the earlier paragraphs of this post, I will be starting back to school however. I am actually looking forward to this semester as my schedule looks a little lighter class-wise so I’m hoping to squeeze in some nice hobby time somewhere in there. At this moment I have a masterlist of posts that I’ve wanted to write these past months that I simply haven’t gotten to so I am delighted at the thought of slowly making my way through said list. I’ve also got a butt-load of digital art that I want to share with you guys as well!

Basically, don’t worry friends! I am not, in fact, dead. Good things are coming!

And I think that will wrap this post up for now! How has your summer been? Despite being on busier side this summer, I rarely find myself lacking time to read comment!

Have a lovely day!

Steampunk Writing Prompts

Hahaha I’m gonna pretend it hasn’t been like a month since I’ve posted. I will probably type up a quick life update/overview post soon but for right now, I’m just gonna post this real quick. I’m excited to hopefully get a few more posts out seeing as how I took an impromptu month break without meaning too (oopsy daisy!) but I do have lots to talk about now that I’m back. I’ve gotten settled into my internship position, have gone on vacation, seen the ocean for the first time ever, and am now feeling refreshed and ready to write!

Phew! That was a lot. I have been gone for a month after all so I’ve been saving it all up I guess. Anyways, onto the prompts!

★Nightstalker  

An city’s industrial economy begins to grow. Thousands of new factories are built and a heavy smog begins to coat the city, cloaking it in darkness despite the time of day. The people did not mind this until they realized the 24/7 lack of light attracted something…. 

★Victorian Avengers  

I don’t see why a steampunk city can’t have super heroes. Weave a tale of Victorian crime fighters. 

★Botanical Apocalypse  

As the industrial revolution begins, nature begins to fight against man’s machinery in an act of revenge and rebellion.  

★A Girl and her Goggles 

A girl steals a pair of goggles from a family member only to find a new perspective. The sight of ghosts and spirits passed greet her as she explores her home city and figures out what in blazes is going on?! 

★A Fox made of Cogs 

An boy who grew up in a forest far away from the city gets a job as an inventor in a bustling, Victorian metropolitan area. He accepts his fate but cannot shake this feeling of homesickness for the woods. So, in his spare time, he assembles together mechanical forest creatures, the most special and clever of them being the Fox. So, when the inventor is murdered, it is not wonder the Fox wishes to solve the case and enact revenge.  

★The Age of Dragons

The time of draconian domination has all but passed at the time of the industrial revolution. And yet many still survive, learning to cope with this cruel world that man has manufactured. Some have even managed to thrive. Some choose to befriend humans while others slink back into the sewers and abandoned factories and wait….

I Review an Obscure Art App

Hey, everyone! Thank goodness it’s the weekend. I started a new job recently as I’m sure some of you have heard about via a blog post of me basically saying “Haha I’m tired because of work so sorry but there will be less posts hahaha”.

But it’s Saturday! And this post has been something I’ve wanted to share and talk about for a week or two now but just haven’t found the time to really MAKE it. Honestly, this post isn’t quite like a normal one for me. I usually splash my blog with writing related posts, a few personal posts, and maybe a FEW art posts here and there but writing seems to be my real bread and butter. I haven’t really had any inspo for writing prompts or tips though so HERE WE ARE.

Wow, that’s a lot of backstory without any real context to the specifics of what I’m talking about. Apologies. Getting to the point is not always my strength. What was I talking about again?

Oh yeah!

I found an interesting though slightly obscure art app that I wanted to talk about with ya’ll. It’s called Wombo Dream. It is an AI art tool that generates pieces based off of your “prompts” which tend to consist of a few keywords and phrases. It’s a fascinating tool and I’ve played with it on and off for a few weeks now. I think the best way to really explain this AI and how it works is to share with you some of the results I got while using it as well as the prompts I used.

The prompt for the image above was “Circus Tent” and, as you can see, the results are pretty trippy yet also recognizable. Let’s try another!

The prompt for this guy was “cozy coffee shop”. You can definitely see it, even if not everything in the picture is completely identifiable.

The prompt for this one was “Rivendell” which is a location from Lord of the Rings. I can recognize this one really well, especially with that waterfall in the background.

The Prompt for this one was “Emerald Castle”. You can really see the AI doing its best here to create a structure that resembles as such.

You might be able to tell the prompt for this one already, but in case this structure doesn’t seem at all familiar to you, the prompt that I used was “Tardis Castle.” As in, the Tardis from Doctor Who.

This one is definitely a little vague but hopefully it seems recognizable when I tell you the prompt. The prompt was “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”. I can see them twirling in a group here, their skirts swirling round them creating such an appealing composition for the image. It’s crazy to think that an AI generated this!

I think you get the idea now so I’m going to stop explaining the prompts and just show you a little showcase of other beautiful images I got from using this tool. Let me know in the comments if you recognize any of them!

I know this was sort of an odd post but hopefully you found yourself just as fascinated as I was upon finding out about this app. Just the idea that a AI tool could create things that look so familiar has such neat implications. Will there be a time when this AI is perfected so well that It will be hard to tell the difference between AI art and human art? I don’t know but until then, I definitely encourage you to check out this art tool. Not only is it fun to play around with, but it might be good for art inspiration or even writing inspiration for when you have a fictional place but aren’t sure how to exactly describe it.

Oke doke! I think that’s about it! Thanks for sitting through my rambling review of an obscure art app.

Take care!

Awkward Blogger Award

Hello everyone! You’ve read the title so I’m pretty sure you have an idea of what to expect. Is it any surprise that I got nominated for this? Special thanks to Amy over at Procrastiwriter for nominating me! Now, on to the rules!

★Rules★

• Thank the blogger who nominated you
• Include the graphic and rules in your post
• Answer the 5 awkward questions:
• 1. What are three words you find boring?
• 2. Finish this line: “I feel awkward because…”
• 3. What’s the last thing you thought about before the thought you’re thinking now?
• 4. Have you ever gone to give someone a high five and you guys missed?
• 5. Why is being awkward awesome?
• Leave an open nomination for all the other awkward bloggers out there!

Now it’s time to answer these questions and rather awkwardly I might add…

1. What are three words you find boring?

Hands down “brown”. I love the color but did they really didn’t have to do it dirty by making it sound like that.

“Aloe”. This word sounds stupid. I don’t know why. This could definitely be a me thing.

“Data”. Such a bland word for small informational tidbits. No personality if you ask me. And no, I’m not telling you the criteria I used to make this list (definitely not because I don’t even know it myself….)

2. Finish this line: “I feel awkward because…”

I don’t know how to do small talk. I suck at it. Period. I can’t think of things to say that are socially acceptably shallow. Someone talks to me about the weather, and my brain automatically thinks something like “You think THIS weather is bad? Well I heard it rain glass on Uranus SIDEWAYS.”

3. What’s the last thing you thought about before the thought you’re thinking now?

I am currently drinking a milkshake. So, clearly, I was think something like “Why is this so hard to suck up?? I shouldn’t have to use a spoon for this. Am I defective?”

4. Have you ever gone to give someone a high five and you guys missed?

This is a way of life for me. In fact, I notice the high-fives that I actually ACHIEVE because they’re so rare. Eh, maybe my depth perception is bad. Idk. Just remember, ya gotta own every high five you miss and every time you trip. Laugh at yourself every now and then.

5. Why is being awkward awesome?

I think on some sort of innate level, we are all awkward. And I think realizing this is, ironically, what helps people become less awkward. The thing is, life isn’t a movie. We do dumb things that have no significance to our life “plot” and often cringe at certain things we’ve done. If you haven’t, I would ask “ARE YOU AN ALIEN OR SOMETHING???”.

Ahem.

What I mean is I think being awkward is awesome because once we realize that we all don’t really know what we’re doing and own it, this opens the doors for people to come to you and say “Hey, I don’t know what’s going on either.” The best thing about being awkward is we are all awkward on some level and do so together.

So! Final words! Go forth and be awkward! Be yourself! And, hopefully, in doing so, make someone else feel a little less alone!

And that’s where I’m gonna wrap it up. Ciao!

Aesthetics that I really love Pt.2

And so the series continues. As I continue making these posts, I am coming to the realization that I could probably make a blue-zillion of these. So, if you one day click on my blog and see a post titled “Aesthetics that I really love pt.10292093”, mind your own business or at the very least humor me.

A little note, some of these aesthetics are not as well known, in part due to the fact, some I am purely making up. Dark Academia and Cottagecore appeared in the previous post and I am sure are recognized by many, and rightly so (they are lovely). However, I am just as eager to share some obscure or completely made up aesthetics with you readers!

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s look as some aesthetics!

Unicore

As the name suggests, this aesthetic is based off of the mythical creature, the Unicorn. There have been various iterations of this aesthetic over time that is hallmarked by bright pink and rainbows, I, however, prefer the more “magical” version of Unicore (I don’t know if that’s officially the name. I just thought it sounded cool), the version that has a more opal-y appearance and is complimented by gold. That feels like a true unicorn.

Shakespearcore

This aesthetic feels like an infusion of Renaissance, Dark Academia, and Botany. It has a distinctly dreamy feel while also feeling a little gothic. I love how this aesthetic marries those traits together perfectly while throwing in a little bit of romance and adventure. What’s not to love?

Botanical Wonderland

Okay, full disclosure, this one I’m pretty sure I made up. I’m uncertain if I entirely made up the previously mentioned aesthetics on this list but this one I’m pretty certain about. I’m really not sure where the inspiration came from. I never even really liked “Alice in Wonderland” as a book (it was rather weird in my opinion) but I still really loved the designs of many of the creatures and places in the story. I think this aesthetic is born from my desire to see a friendlier wonderland. A greener one. One that is essentially just a magical garden.

Snow White and Rose Red

Again, another one I’m fairly certain I made up. It was based off of a Pinterest board I made for one of my favorite fairytales called “Snow White and Rose Red”. The aesthetic is punctuated by medieval style/inspired clothes and red’s and white’s as you can see.

Boho

What can I say? I love flowy skirts and the outdoors (despite being deathly allergic to one of those things). While this is an aesthetic I shall probably never embody, I always thought it was pretty and admired the air of freedom it seemed to have. Despite the fact that I will probably never have room with that many well kept plants or fully commit to the flowy shorts and skirts life, I still really really love this aesthetic.

And I think that concludes part 2 in this post series! Without a doubt, be on the look out (eventually) for a part 3. See ya’ll in the next post!

My Personality but Only Described in GIFS

Guest Post Announcement!

Hey everyone! In the last post I teased a guest post with Corrie from over at Miraculous Homeschool.

So, without further ado, here it is!

https://miraculushomeschool.wordpress.com/2022/05/16/writing-prompts-and-writing-techniques/

Special thanks to Corrie for letting me ramble about writing for waaaay too long. Go and send her some love for sure!

Alright! That’s it for now!

Aesthetics that I really love!

Just a fun little post about types of aesthetics that I find appealing and oh-so-cute! I’m a pinterest girl so it was only a matter of time before this post came to fruition. Enjoy, my fellow pinterest gremlins!

Goblincore

Because I like shiny things. This aesthetic thrives on shiny, colorful stones, cool little trinkets, and the love of soup. Coincidentally, these are the three things I prioritize in life.

I love the raggedy style of the outfits and the emphasis placed on mushrooms in this aesthetic. It reminds a little bit of fairycore but “muddier” if that makes sense. I feel like Fairycore is the pastel cousin of Goblincore just like how Crowcore is the goth cousin of Goblincore. I don’t know if that made sense…

Cottagecore

This aesthetic basically encapsulates my dream life. A mysterious but cute cottage in the woods, a garden, bread, cats, and tea. I love the european style houses as well as the plant type of decor. It really seems to romanticize a simple life and really resonates with broke college students such as myself.

Dark Academia

The aesthetic that would make you actually like school. One thing I think it neat about this aesthetic is it helps people romanticize education which I find valuable. It’s easy to get lost in the drudgery and repetition of school. This aesthetic, however, injects a little more magic into it.

Pearlcore

A rather dainty and classy aesthetic, I can’t help but appreciate the airy and graceful vibes that Pearlcore encapsulates. Not to mention I’ve always been a sucker for vintage looking decor and outfits. Truly the finer things in life.

Lighthousecore

The beach house aesthetic was never my cup of tea. Lighthousecore, on the other hand, is a whole different story. With all the vibes of “Moby Dick”, this aesthetic looks like something of an introvert’s dream. It’s a very simple aesthetic, emphasizing dark, stormy horizon’s, violet waves, yellow raincoats, and the beauty of grey cliffsides. This aesthetic is as beautiful and haunting as it is moody and I adore it.

And that’s it for now! I think there are probably more aesthetics I’d love to share with ya’ll so perhaps there’ll be a part two to this post? Maybe be on the look out for that?

Also! A little mini announcement! A will be doing a collab/guest post with Corrie from over at Miraculous Homeschool so definitely be on the look out for that coming soon!