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ephoria516

AI ruined this site lol
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ephoria516

No One Here But Us Chickens

2 min read

OH HAI.

Hey there dA, long time no see! Just doing my tri-monthly lurk and login. Feels a bit weird to write one of these considering how little I bother with this site anymore and the insanity that is 2020. I have a few things to say:


1) I'm on Twitch now! 💜💜💜Follow for art streams, photography editing, and some light-hearted gaming. Still very new to the platform so my channel isn't fancy but it's there. Full disclosure I don't have a consistent stream schedule, but I'll be around. I hope to stream more frequently soon but no promises.


2) I have an art page on Instagram! 📸 Also a small page but it exists and I've been posting my newest art on there. Give it a follow for updates & art posts.


3) dA posts will still happen, but way less often. I keep coming back hoping that all the things we have been asking for literally FOR YEARS will finally be done on this site, but every time I come to check it's disappointing to see more of the same. Ah well! This is what happens when a platform doesn't adapt enough for its users.


That's it, hope my dA friends from the old days are well, especially since this year has been so crazy. Stay safe, say healthy, and hopefully we can close out the year with a bit more joy and optimism of better days to come.

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Might Be More Active

1 min read

Oh hai! 👋🏽

Gotta hand it to dA, after ELEVEN years on this darn art site, they finally listened and redesigned it, job well done!! Because they did, I'm kind of enjoying lurking around here again. I've logged in more in the last couple months than I had all of last year lol. Gotta get used to how everything works again.


As y'all can see, I'm also still uploading some arts. I'm quicker putting it up on Tumblr but you'll see some of it here too (Tumblr will also have sketches & WIPs for funsies). Honestly, Instagram's algorithm is super annoying, and I don't feel like building up my art account over there, so yeah, I'll be around here again. Apologies if I have delayed responses, but you can always find me on the social medias & hit me up there! That's all for now. Working on some new stuff that might pop up here in a bit. Tah!

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ephoria516

Hello? Is Anybody Out There?

2 min read
Hi :wave:

I don't come on dA much anymore.  I feel like there are simpler alternatives for sharing my art with the interwebs. That being said, I will still post some stuff here, but you're probably better off following my Tumblr or Instagram pages for more frequent updates if you actually like seeing my art lol. 

Won't get too personal the way I used to either.  I am a grown-ish adult person who has learned the importance of keeping things more private. Plus I'm old now and just don't have the same giddy excitement drafting a journal that I once did as a kid so many, many years ago. But I will say this:

Stepping away from dA and focusing more on my art and less on sharing is what reinspired me to draw again, which feels awesome.  Picking up new tools has been a tremendous help as well.  I moved on from Photoshop/Corel Painter to Clip Studio and I ain't NEVER going back! I've also been using a full-sized graphic tablet from Huion the past year, and just picked up an iPad Pro to see how I like the newly discovered freedom of a smaller, cord-free, portable thing. 

I'm also learning to do my art at my own pace, which is honestly crucial to avoid losing your creativity.  I finally understand that I need to do it on my own time and without the pressure of feeling like I need to push stuff out to entertain anybody.

If any of my OG dA friends are still around say hello! If you're new, hi as well, but don't get too used to me being on here often.  Welp, I guess that's it.  Let's see what happens! 
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New Toy! XP-Pen Artist 10s

3 min read
I only write journals when I have something interesting to share 😅

And boy do I! Since first working with a tablet, I've only known the Wacom brand.  I've had three touch tablets, the Bamboo Fun, Intuos, and Intuos Art.  I decided it was time for a screen. I've always envied artists with their fancy pants monitor tablets, but honestly, I couldn't justify spending $800 for a Cintiq because I'm not good enough for one 😭  Thankfully I've found a solution!

I recently purchase an XP-Pen Artist 10s. It's a lesser known brand with intermediate level monitor tablets that have a good reputation. For $300 on Amazon, I was willing to give it a try.

It's WAY easier to draw now with this. I've drawn on and off for years (mostly because of my busy life), and I often found myself frustrated because I felt like I wasn't improving.  I'm realizing now I needed better tools.

Guess the disconnect between my hand and eyes on a basic tablet was more severe than I thought. On the 10s, everything feels natural and fluid. It makes me WANT to draw again, which is a beautiful thing.  I've been up late doodling every night since I got it. The first thing I tried was redrawing Isis, I think it came out pretty well. 😊🦄




Hopefully, this means more art soon and more consistently from here on out. I'm truly in love with this little gadget. 💻♥🎨✏️  


If you're looking for a budget monitor tablet I highly recommend this one, it doesn't disappoint! 

re-colored by: demonofsarila

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Umm, Corel Painter is AMAZING.

3 min read
Back in November, I purchased a new Wacom Tablet to jumpstart my return to drawing.  If figured some new tools would help inspire me to get back to it. And I was right! 

With the purchase of my Wacom Intuos Art, I also got a license key to Corel Painter Essentials 5, which I'm learning is truly amazing with a tablet.  I used to think Photoshop was the absolute answer, but now I'm seeing otherwise.

Corel is way more user-friendly in my opinion and seems to be more oriented towards fully utilizing the tablet's software. Namely, the default pen sensitivity was insanely good without any adjustments (which I eventually did make after fiddling with it for a bit). 

Why am I babbling about something I'm sure many others have already discovered? Because I'm excited! I thought my skill level had hit a plateau, but I'm learning now that perhaps I just didn't have the right software to suit my drawing style.  Even after just a few pieces, I'm seeing major improvement (mostly with my coloring as I play around with different brushes).

Now don't get me wrong, Photoshop has its reputation for a reason, but Corel Painter is also a great choice, it's down to personal preference.  

That being said, I'm happy with the switch so far and I can't wait to see more improvement as I work more with Corel Painter. :)

re-colored by: demonofsarila

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No One Here But Us Chickens by ephoria516, journal

Might Be More Active by ephoria516, journal

Hello? Is Anybody Out There? by ephoria516, journal

New Toy! XP-Pen Artist 10s by ephoria516, journal

Umm, Corel Painter is AMAZING. by ephoria516, journal