Miniature Awlsnail Out And About

A long time ago an anon asked my thoughts about drawing backgrounds, so I finally got around to putting this together. It’s more prop-centric, but it still represents my philosophy to backgrounds. 

I’ll try to do something more about drawing actual background spaces in the future! Please let me know what you think, if anything is unclear, or if you have suggestions for other tutorials you might find helpful!

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” 

girls love to eat soup

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

Image IDs: all of the images are photographs of the same subject matter, which is a close-up of a very small saptha beryllitis moth on even smaller bright pink and white flowers. The moth is cone-shaped, with its head being the point. It has two long, thin antennae that are all black except for one white stripe near the top of each. Its eyes are comically large compared to the rest of its head. Only 4 of its legs are visible, which are black with 3 white stripes on their lower sections. Its wings are iridescent green/teal on top, followed by an iridescent black/gold stripe, a stripe of teal, then two thin pink stripes, then the bottom half is all iridescent black/gold. It’s so tiny you can see all the little scales that make up its wings. The background is mostly just green, likely the out-of-focus leaves of the plant.

ID1: the moth balancing poorly on one of the flowers, it’s thin, barely visible pink proboscis curving into the flower. One of its legs is blurred in movement. It’s photographed from the top.

ID2: the moth balancing much better on one of the flowers. This one is also photographed from the top.

ID3: a photo of the moth from the side and further back than the others. To the right of it there is some sort of bee or wasp also feeding on the same plant. It is mostly dull yellow and black, with alternating neon green and black stripes on its abdomen.

ID4: a photo of the moth from the side, also balancing on a flower but with its antennae touching the flower.

ID5: a photo of the moth from the front. It’s sitting on some flower buds while feeding from an open flower. Its antennae are slightly out of focus and blurred with movement.

/End IDs

happy pride month

brought to u by my most tolerant rat & some vegan food dye

[Image IDs: three gifs of a beautiful, long-haired dog with alert ears in slow motion. It’s dark enough that the dog, the slightly hilly horizon, and the clouds are all stark black, but the sky is still lit up with pale orange and blue-grey. In all the gifs the dog’s pupils are reflecting a bright white, but its features are otherwise impossible to make out aside from its silhouette. In the first gif the dog is looking to the right and turns towards the camera to look right at the viewer. In the second gif the dog is looking at the viewer and lowering its head toward the ground, its fur billowing a little with the movement. In this one, there’s a very faint light that illuminates some grass and what appears to be the dog’s lower canines, or potentially a white patch under its nose. In the final gif the dog is loping just to the right of the camera, its head lowered and tail wagging. /End ID]

black shepherd at night | source

[PHOTO TAKEN: JUNE 12TH, 2023 | Image ID: A photo of a brown horsefly with eyes that go from dark green to red, with two bands of red going across, on a car window, the underside reflected in said window /End ID.]