The Inkblot - Vol. I - October 12th, 2020
Welcome to the first volume of the Inkblot, an art and writing newsletter to help bring some attention (and potential commissioners) to artists around the site. In this section, there will typically be news in the community, addressing TH specific issues, questions, and sometimes global topics. Think of it as "Dear Reader, I would like you to know...," but for now, it's an introduction to the paper itself! Below, there will be featured artists, writers, and their links. Below that, will be a "Reader Questions" section, where future readers can ask anything, whether it be for advice, for inspiration, so on and so forth. Below those questions, will be a shortlist of 'featured characters,' slots that will show off some of the well rounded written and drawn characters of the community, and any appreciable warnings will be listed along with them. Second from the bottom, will be some "Get to know the writers/artists/staff/TH community" short interviews. There will be four of those per week in the future, this week, it won't be there at all while I drum up some attention for this. At the very bottom, will be a writer credit for this newsletter (for now, just me), for future contributions.
Featured Artists
A traditional and digital artist whose instagram is absolutely overflowing with gorgeously drawn hair, posessing a mastery of showing luster even in black and white sketches.
A digital artist whose drawings are somehow done before the commissioner can open Venmo to pay for them, and whose resin crafts bring a bit of joy into any day.
Reader Questions
Wish we had some, hope you'll submit some!
Featured Characters
An adventurous, clever cat and demi-goddess hyena of stars and wrath together is a recipe for both a loving couple, and incredible inspiration. Character owned by Parasolhyena.
A knight in shining armor out for coin, adventure, and maybe to woo a fair maiden or two, full of stories to tell and accompanied by her trusted bracelet snake. Character owned by xLILM0NSTERx.
Contributors
- Tobin
- This could be you!
- Maybe this one instead if you prefer third?
This is an amazing idea I would write a big detailed thing on why I think so but I don’t feel up to it but yeh rlly cool idea! 😊
3 years, 5 months ago
3 years, 6 months ago
The idea of transferring it to a world is something I'll definitely look into! Right now I'm checking out whether or not it gets traction for the first few issues before dedicating to a fully-fledged publication with multiple contributors, at which point it will be a lot more pressing to transfer it into a world. Thank you so much for this!
3 years, 6 months ago
I honestly love the idea for this newsletter, I think it can really help the community know more about the gems hidden within!! I actually kinda need some advice, I want to add some back stories/ personality to some of my characters but I'm not sure how to about it. I mostly go based off how they look, which most of them are shy or just soft overall. Any help is greatly appreciated since I wanna try writing some stories^^
3 years, 6 months ago
Not a professional writer but, in my opinion, as a lifelong reader and artist, you don't have to go with the characters' looks all the time! It's definitely a good starting point (and you basically can't go wrong with it), though I always found that characters which didn't act the way you thought they would stuck with me more (-easily) than the rest; as an example, the most common tropes I know are definitely the two "extremes" - soft-looking characters that are brutal and ruthless on one hand, tough looking characters that are actually big softies on the other. For figuring out personalities, I often get inspired by people I know in real life. Obviously, I don't copy and paste all of their personality traits, but it can help figuring out how to make your characters more three-dimensional! And no matter what, one can definitely see hints of personal issues I went through implemented into my work/characters' flaws.
You could also take a look at personality trait lists (like this one, for example!), see if there's anything that inspires you and build your character based around that. Try not to balance out their whole character on one trait - they can definitely have a defining one, though they can feel pretty bland if there's no reasoning behind their actions/no other aspects of their personality.
This last one counts for both personality and backstory - think about movies, books or shows you like and figure out what it is that you like about them! There's no issue with getting inspired that way. I for myself have always been a huge fan of shows that tackle dark themes, revolve around criminals or break stereotypes. So, that's what I try to implement into my stories for the most part! (My main story's central theme is literally about the protagonists not being as "good-hearted" as one would naturally expect them to be from mainstream media.)
Overall, make sure you have fun writing whatever it is that you want to write. There's nothing wrong with implementing "mainstream themes" in your stories as long as you're having fun with it! I'm guessing you're not planning on making a living off of these, so you're good to go with whatever you want to write about, really (as long as it's not offensive, of course).
I know this wasn't super long/detailed but I hope I was able to help you out a bit!
3 years, 6 months ago Edited 2:21 am