behold the fluff, actually

Anonymous:

As a very hairy woman with small breasts myself, your female Thorin gives me literally life and makes me feel so normal and even cute Thank you for this happy boost!

omg thank you!!! I bet you’re a cutie, don’t even think about it!!! But realistically, I do wish women weren’t put under a microscope to “check if they’re REALLY pretty”, it’s exhausting… 

I love that since female Thorin is a fan creation, we can headcanon her appearance however we want!! with Bilbo though, I tend to give her a chunkier body so she doesn’t look too much like a child >_> (not that it’s an ugly look, I just don’t want Bilbo to look like a child bc martin freeman is a lovely older man and, in my opinion, fem Bilbo should look like a lovely older woman)

Anonymous:

all of your art is just so lovely 💕 I remember finding your blog when my body image and mental health had hit rock bottom and I would just go through your blog page by page and literally break into tears bc you drew fat people beautiful, drew people whose bodies looked like mine in a light that just made them lovely and i'll never be able thank you enough for your wonderful art, it makes my entire day every time i see you post smth new❤️ I hope you have a great day

omg that’s SUCH a pleasure to hear! I’m so happy!!!

I’ve been thinking about this exact issue lately, too, though… I feel such a huge pressure from everyone around me irl to change my appearance, and the only time I feel relaxed is near friends who’ve complimented fat folk, around fellow fat folk, or when I see art/media of us? 

Sometimes I’m lying down in bed thinking about dieting or how my body needs to shrink for some bullshit reason my tangled sad brain will throw at me, and the best way to make it all go away (I found) is to think of these fictional characters lol! I don’t need that kind of self-deprecation keeping me up at night, pff

It makes me feel bittersweet, though, like… I wish it didn’t have to be this way, of course? We shouldn’t need to feel shunned for looking different from the socially-accepted norm. But it makes me content that I can change my little art corner! I can’t separate politics from whatever I consume anymore, personally, I try to incorporate a bit of reality and variety in my illustrations (fandom or not). and every time I get a comment like this, I feel invigorated to keep on drawing us! 

so thank you, and everyone else who sends me these wonderful messages! ♥ 

I hope your mental health will keep getting better from now on, too!

Anonymous:

I don’t know why but tumblr keeps unfollowing you so now I have to periodically check to see if it’s dun goofed again ;-;-;;-;-;-;-;;-;;-;-;-;

sounds like pure homophobia on tumblr’s part…

Anonymous:

Oh my God! Your art is so amazing!! I really love how you make thorin so cute - I mean, that man is cute 💁 I always come here to see if you post something new and I get so happy whenever I find the cute bagginshield or thorin (I love bilbo, but your thorin makes me so soft haha) also, your work kinda made me start to accept how I am and this is really important to me. So never stop doing this amazing work ❤❤ and thanks for doing it ^^

aw dude that’s so sweet!!! thank you for all the love and attention!! it makes me so happy!

Thorin is an absolute… enigma………… how can he be so cute…?? I don’t get it… grumpy ass dwarf… 4′10 of pure !?? complexity?… still so adorable? wtf…

and it’s lovely to hear that my work’s helping you somehow ♥ ;w;

Anonymous:

I know you probably get this a lot, but do you have any advice to someone who is an aspiring artist? Thank you!!! ❤️❤️

hi! I actually don’t get this message as often as you think! (but I do have a few messages I still have to answer, sorry for the delay, all!)

I’m not sure if you’re talking about illustration, fanart, or actual art? I’m gonna answer it for the illustration/fanart categories, since it’s what I do:

in my opinion, it’s important to study anatomy to then move onto a stylized drawing. I’ve been around many illustrators, and the ones who have most experience with drawing based on reality are the artists who are most flexible and have more confidence in their skill. Use references. Watch tutorials. Study. It’s one of those things you really have to invest time into, otherwise it’ll be a frustrating experience.

Feedback is great, but don’t get hung up on it, if you can. Fame comes and goes, but your knowledge and experience won’t leave you if you don’t stop practicing and having fun with art. You’re making it out of love for the characters, or out of inspiration, out of need to illustrate the scene, after all! If you love what you do and have fun doing it, feedback will only be a complimentary deal, not the goal of making art.

Copying someone’s style is fine if you’ve been drawing for a short period of time and don’t know what to do. It’s best to study someone’s style without posting the results, if you want to understand their art. That’s where the experience in drawing realism will come in handy: knowing what each artist does to make their drawings feel unique by being able to pick it apart.

It’s the same with art trends, if you understand the basics, you won’t use them as a crutch, and in my opinion, you’ll grow even more. (I’m talking from experience here lol)

and, most of all, be nice to your peers and fans! There’s always a looming feeling of competition between artists, but it’s made much easier to deal with if you reach out and actually talk to them. Making art becomes much more fun if it’s done to make someone happy! ✨