Clearwing Tussock Moth, Carriola Ecnomoda, Lymantriinae

Did a small #tutorial for class on “How to Improve Storytelling in Panel Layouts”! Thought it might help some peepz around here!

Top Tips for Clues, Red Herrings, and Breadcrumbs

One of the most important parts of writing MYSTERY is figuring out what to do with clues and red herrings - and how to use them effectively. Here’s some advice that’s never steered me wrong: 

Hide the real clue before the false ones! Most people, so by extent your readers and your sleuth, tend to focus on the last piece of information presented to them. A good strategy is to mention/show your real clue and then quickly shift focus. 

Do a clue cluster! Squeeze your real clue in among a whole pile of red herrings or other clues, effectively hiding it in plain sight. This works especially well with multiple suspect mysteries. 

Struggling to think of what a clue could be? Try this list: 

Physical objects: Letters, notes, tickets, emails, keepsakes, text messages, diaries, etc. 

Dialogue: voicemail recordings, overheard conversations, hearsay, gossip, rumours. All of these can hold grains of truth! 

Red herrings distract and confound your protagonist and your reader, so you should be careful not to overuse them. Well balanced, red herrings should lead your characters down false paths to create confusion, tension, and suspense.

Contradictions! Have characters claim they did so-and-so at such-and-such a time, but other characters have evidence that contradicts this.

Balance! Avoid a clue that’s so obvious it’s like a neon sign saying “Look at me, I’m a clue!” but don’t make it so obscure it’ll be missed entirely. A good clue should leave a reader saying “Damn, I should have noticed that” 

Image ID: a close-up picture of a spider. It’s looking up at the person taking the photo with its head tilted. It’s mostly mottled brown with two iridescent green patches on the front of its head. It has 4 round eyes, with the center pair being larger than the outer two. You can kind of see a silhouette of a person in the reflection of its eyes. It has little tufts of hair all of its body, with two larger tufts on either side of its head. Frankly, it’s adorable. /End ID

Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax)

March 27, 2023

Southeastern Pennsylvania

Range: Costa Rica, Panama, & Colombia.

Closet cosplay of Arthur Lester!!

Development 🐉

㋡🥀

I've found this nifty reference website for artists called www.dimensions.com that has a database of exact measurements for various objects, plants, and animals

They have a premium version with 3D models that I haven't tried yet, but it's definitely very informative if you're trying to get the anatomy and proportions for different species of animals right!

Here you go anon!

AdorkaStock

Pose reference by artists, for artists by AdorkaStock

AdorkaStock provides safe-for-work pose references for artists of all ages. We include a diverse range of body types.

Line of Action

Line of Action

Line of Action

And here’s one for animals if you want that too:

Warren Photographic

Warren Photographic

Photographs of Pets, Nature and Animals in Action

Do you have any resources for pose references?

God no, sorry. At most I trace the skeleton of a meme if I'm redrawing it or watch an anime with veguely similar concepts, but my posing is freehand and attrocious for it, and I'm terrible at collecting references. You can probably find someone on deviantart I think I remember seeing references there back in the day.