Requested: Modern time (if that’s okay) and African American! Shy!Reader… Morris is noticing kids in your grade is bullying you because of the color of your skin and how quiet you were…that All I got,let you mind go from there
Warnings: bullying
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You never really spoke to anyone at school
But that didn’t mean that people never noticed you
You knew it was true for the girls that had always picked on you
They made sure to torment you everyday
You had been the only African American student at your school
You never stood up for yourself
You didn’t know how
Morris saw it everyday
He’d almost been waiting for you to say something back
It hadn’t been until he saw you sitting by yourself and crying one day after school that he’d realized you never really had stuck up for yourself
He’d sat down next to you and started to talk
You hadn’t responded at first
Wiping your eyes of your tears until he’d said it was okay to cry
Morris hadn’t expected the meek little voice that had come out of you once you’d finally started talking
You both started hanging out everyday after that
Both of you getting closer and closer by the day
You hadn’t asked him to, but he stood up to those girls for you
It wasn’t long until you started dating
You didn’t want anyone knowing at first
You’d been worried about things people would say
Especially if people started to say things to Morris
You wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself if you’d been the reason he was being treated poorly too
It hadn’t been as bad as you expected
There were a few comments from people
But over all everyone had left you both alone when they’d finally gotten to know you
And that’s all you had wanted ever since you’d started going to school there
Making this guide because I see this question time and time again on here. This post is mostly directed at white artists and writers who are wondering how to best design their characters of color. Full text description is at the end under the cut.
Full disclaimer, I am biracial (mixed E/SE asian and white) and grew up in majority poc communities, but I am just one person and this post is only based on my own experiences. If any other poc want to chime in, feel free to do so.
Once again, a full plaintext description is under the cut. If you find the information useful, please pass it on by reblogging <3
(Finally, even though I spoke vaguely on genetic inheritance, this is NOT the place to comment on certain features being mutations, as if being a mutation means something is inherently lesser or isn’t supposed to exist. Mutations is everything! All of our traits were at some point or another, an emerging mutation. Love yourself ^__^)
Text Description: A Brief Guide on Designing Biracial Characters: “Are my character’s green eyes REALISTIC?”
Disclaimer: I am a geneticist but this is by no means my topic of expertise. The information here is based on EXPERIENCE, and common knowledge of genetic inheritance.
A LOT of people will ask “If my character is mixed white and X, is it OK/realistic for me to give them green/blue/grey eyes?”
SHORT ANSWER: Biracial people with super light eyes exist, but this is uncommon and often plays into trends of whitewashing.
[Two diagrams. One is of light eye colors being combined with dark eye colors, and the other is light hair colors being combined with dark hair colors. Both of them display a range of potential hair and eye colors from these combinations. The brown, dark brown, and black colors are noted as “Most Common”, while green, blue, grey eyes and blonde, red hair fall outside this range. end image]
When someone has one parent with darker features and another parent with light features, their features will normally be a mix of the two or the darker color will be dominant.
Having green or blue eyes if one of your parents has very dark eyes is really rare.
Green and blue eyes are characterised by a LACK of melanin, which means that if that person inherited even one melanin-producing eye color gene from their parent, they will have eyes that are at LEAST hazel or light brown.
[Drawing of four people. A person with dark skin, black hair, and black eyes and a person with pale skin, brown hair, and brown eyes are marked as “Pretty common”. A person with tan skin, dark brown hair, and blue eyes and a person with dark skin, black hair, and hazel eyes are marked as “Very rare”. end image]
A good rule of thumb for making ANY characters of color is make their eyes around the same shade as their hair. Also, hair tends to be several shades darker than skin, and eyes will almost never be lighter than their skin.
Biracial characters can range from looking a lot like only one of their parents to looking like a perfect mix of them, but if one of the parents has extremely light features like blue eyes or blond hair, it’s unlikely your character will have identical traits.
As always, EXCEPTIONS EXIST, but if you are white and choose to make your character one of these rare exceptions, you should examine WHY you find light eyes more desirable.
It is extremely common for media to give characters of color light, unnatural eye colors, and then justify it by saying “it’s possible” or having an in-universe explanation (eye colors in ATLA, Yennefer in the Witcher series, etc).
This plays into tropes of whitewashing (touched on earlier in this post) and inadvertently teaches children of color that their dark eyes are somehow less desirable. As mentioned, the VAST MAJORITY of half-white biracial children have brown to black eyes, so I would really recommend that you give your own characters dark eyes, because they’re lovely too!
Some Miscellaneous Notes:
If a character is E/SE asian and white, their hair texture might be thick like their asian parent’s (even if light colored!), or have a thinner texture like their white parent (even if dark colored!).
If a character is mixed black and another race, their hair texture is going to very likely have the same or a similar texture as their black parent’s.
Hey everyone! I recently made an instagram for my photography, if you’re curious about everyday humans in NYC, please give me a follow! Thank you so much ❤️ instagram @street.visions
1. Sarah Forbes Bonetta by contemporary artist Hannah Uzor. Queen Victoria became a patron of freed slave Sarah Forbes Bonetta and raised her as a goddaughter. The painting is displayed by English Heritage at Osborne House in the Isle of Wight as part of
A new painting of Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter has gone on display as English Heritage said it would feature portraits of “overlooked” black figures connected with its sites.
Sarah Forbes Bonetta was sold into slavery aged five and presented as a “diplomatic gift” to Captain Frederick Forbes in 1850 and brought to England.
She then met Queen Victoria through the captain, who paid for her education.
The painting is on show at the Isle of Wight’s Osborne House to coincide withBlack History Month.
2. Portrait of Sara Forbes Bonetta, 1862 by photographer Camille Silvy, on which Hannah Uzor’s painting is based.
3. Lithograph of Forbes Bonetta, after a drawing by Frederick E. Forbes, from his 1851 book Dahomey and the Dahomans; being the journals of two missions to the king of Dahomey, and residence at his capital, in the year 1849 and 1850.
A repost from a few years ago! I still really like the overall color and design of this piece in particular.
My husband and I are in the process of moving (which is both exciting and a little daunting!), so there hasn’t been a lot of time to make personal art on the side, lol. Maybe I’ll be able to make something fun soon.
It’s been a handful of months since I last posted! Life has been full of a wide variety of changes that have kept me from drawing (or at least posting drawings).
One significant change is that I’ve gotten married. :)
I’m still reeling at the wonder of being the wife to someone so kind and wonderful, and I’m still getting used to describing myself as someone’s wife. In the meantime, here’s a drawing to celebrate this transition.
I wanted to draw a celebratory piece before Black History Month came to a close!
I’m reminded that when I was a little girl, I had several qualms about my blackness. I resented my wooly hair and broad nose; it seemed that people who were a lighter shade were almost always more beautiful. Over time, though, I came to realize that I was beautifully and wonderfully made - carefully crafted and melanated by God Himself. He intentionally weaved the kinks and coils of my hair and the breadth of my lips. The history and culture that preceded me was a valuable one that I did not need to resent. I came to understand that all shades and hues are equally wonderful, and mine was no exception.
I hope and pray that any other little boy or girl who feels inadequate because of their skin comes to realize just how beautiful they are, and just how loved they are by the One who made them.
For Valentine’s Day, I drew a portrait of my fiancé. He is the most selfless, kindest, sweetest, and funniest person I know; he is easily my best friend. I cherish every memory we’ve made thus far, and I look forward to our future to come.
I see a ton of flaws in this piece, but he seems to like it a lot. He’s about a head taller than me, but happened to be leaning on my shoulder in the photo that this is referenced from.
Between school, work, and wedding plans, I’ve found less time to make art, but I will be sure to make some soon. In the meanwhile, please be safe, God bless, and be sure to guard your mental health. <3
A very quick and rough comic based on something that happened a few days ago. Not an MS Paint drawing for once! I actually doodled this on my phone and added text via Pixlr.
I am very, very happily engaged (no number of words can express how much I love my fiancé!), and I love the ring that my fiancé got me. However, I somehow forget that I’m wearing a ring whenever I try to slip on a glove. I realize that this might seem like a subtle brag, but in reality it is a testament to my obliviousness. Also, I don’t have dreads! My hair has just been twisted and styled.
Also, I wanted to thank everyone for liking and sharing my bust commission sheet. I truly appreciate all of you so much. Commissions are still open, but I just wanted to express my gratitude in the meanwhile.
Hi, friends! I’ve had the urge to open commissions for a while, so I’ve decided to announce a commission sale of sorts!
As a Black artist, I strive to make colorful, vibrant artworks that uplift women of color and celebrate diversity. Additionally, one ‘quirk’ of mine is that I love to make art with Microsoft Paint, which is what all of the portraits above were made with. It would be my pleasure to draw your characters!
I am offering bust commissions with a starting price of $15 for simple portraits and $25 for portraits with complex backgrounds. For either selection, I can incorporate a simple blinking looping animation for an additional $10. At your request, I can leave a portrait in flat colors for a discount of $5.
For any questions or inquiries, please email me at [email protected] or send me a message via Tumblr!
And if you’re at all interested in having any of my existing art as merch, I have shops on RedbubbleandTeespring.
My first post of the New Year! In less this two weeks, this year has already proven to be textbook worthy. I hope and pray that you all are managing your mental health in the midst of these times.
This drawing is actually a cropped version of a photostudy that my fiance suggested I draw. The reason why it’s cropped is because the full version is quite the departure from my usual work - not so inappropriate that it would be flagged in most places, but risqué enough that it would stand out awkwardly on this page (which several of my family members have access to). Still, I was proud of the study, and I at least wanted to show a fragment of it.
Another sketch in Krita! Slowly, I’m growing more familiarized with the interface. Something that might be apparent is that my goal isn’t necessarily a clean, neat product; in addition to the fact that it’s a bit of experimentation, I realize that I kind of like the way traditional linework looks over imprecise digital coloring.
Another fun thing that I’ve realized is that this workflow is faster than my usual MS Paint style, though I will never abandon the latter.
For the first time in almost ever, I started with a traditional piece of line art and moved it over to a digital program (in this case, Krita).
The reason why it took so long took for this first is a tad bit complicated. On one hand, I just love Microsoft Paint, even if it is not necessarily not the most efficient program to work with, haha! The other reason is that at some point, the laptop I primarily drew with (and used throughout college) stuttered horribly whenever I opened anything more complicated than MS Paint, so I held it off. Fortunately, my sweet boyfriend gave me his laptop, and it handles Krita like a dream, so I have no more excuses.
I still have so much to learn, and I will be looking to refine my workflow. (I haven’t abandoned Microsoft Paint, for anyone wondering! - it just feels good to branch out, especially while I have no classes to occupy my attention.)
Also, if you’ve ever wondered what I listen to while I draw, I really like PogoandWillow, lol.
I asked my boyfriend to give me ideas for the background and hairstyle for this one. He is very proud of himself.
I’m alive! I hope and pray that everyone who sees this is doing well. My first semester in graduate school has fortunately come to a close, and I’ve been able to enjoy this most recent time with those I love dearly. It cannot be overstated how grateful I am to be able to be safe and sound (as well as to have those classes finally, finally behind me).
As always, please continue to keep yourselves safe. Social distancing saves lives. Wherever you are, please be sure to nurture your mental health and wellbeing, even in the small ways. Reach out to loved ones if you can.
A project that was fun and involved a lot of learning! There were several different colors across her face, but I realized that simpler shading suited the face best.
Not one of my favorites! As you can tell, I could not decide what direction I wanted to go in. Nevertheless, this was great fun to draw, and good practice.
Praying that you all are staying safe in the midst of these stressful times. Please stay healthy and mindful of the well-being of others.
Please let me know if you have a favorite out of the three!
