Naw, LET HER COOK!

fat bodies tutorial!

ALRIGHT SO my pal @kalreyno wanted help with drawing fat characters and as a fat artist i felt like i could give a bit of helpful insight on that. there’s also been a lot of complaining about “boo hoo fat characters are hard to draw so i can’t include them in my work Ever” goin on lately so if that’s your case then this is for you too!! and also just for anyone who would like help with fat bodies in general, ofc. anyway, let’s get this show on the road!!

let’s start with some common misconceptions. these are the two main attempts at chubby bodies i run into, so i’ll focus on them. 

the Anime Chubby i see everywhere, and it’s just……so wrong in many ways. first of all, there is almost no additional body fat compared to your average thin character - except for where it’s added in “attractive” places (breasts, hips, thighs). the breasts are way too perky, and don’t have the realistic shape fat would give them (though how to draw accurate breasts is another tutorial all on its own lmao). there is still a thigh gap, which usually only happens in very thin people, and bones are still visible on the surface of the skin, which also rarely happens in fat people.

the Michelin Man is better in some ways, but still not that great. it’s a slightly better attempt, but basically all that’s done there is taking a thin character and blowing them up, while giving no thought to fat distribution. the thigh gap is usually still present, and they look a lot more hard than soft - and fat is very soft and pliable.

here’s a chart on how fat usually distributes (if you can’t read my messy writing, “1. next to no fat, 2. moderate amount, 3. most of the fat distribution”). basically, the more muscle an area has, the more prone it is to develop fat, such as the abdomen, thighs, and upper arms. it’s important to note that fat sits on top of muscle, and that it does distribute in different levels, and not evenly across the body as shown in the Michelin Man. 

now, here’s an accurate fat body with all of that kept in mind!! notice how the fat isn’t only kept to aesthetically pleasing areas, and how it sits realistically on the character’s body. their breasts sag a lot more, which happens even in thin people with larger breasts, and the nipples are pointing more downwards than straight out. there is no thigh gap in sight, there are no bones in sight, and most importantly, they have fat rolls, which are very important in drawing a convincing fat character!! as far as i know i’ve never met a single person with no rolls at all, and everyone has them, whether thin or fat - they’re just more prominent and more consistently present in fat people. pay close attention to where they are and how they’re shaped.

here are a couple of drawings showing how fat is affected when sitting vs stretching. as seen in the first, the fat specifically on the stomach is distributed a lot more evenly and stretched out, so it becomes “flatter”. the love handles are still pretty visible, though, as well as the fat on the thighs and arms. the breasts are raised with the shoulders, and the fat on the shoulders and near the neck forms rolls as it’s being pushed together. 

in the second, there is a lot less room for distribution, so the fat is all pushed together. the breasts sag and the stomach forms rolls and spills into the lap. a good analogy for the way fat works is to liken it to a water balloon, and thinking of how its shape would change when resting flat on a surface, hanging off of a ledge, held upright, etc.

here are a few extra tips i find a lot of people miss!

first on the top is the hip/pubic region. the first circle is showing the way the bellybutton is folded in fat people, as opposed to stretched out in thinner people. the second is the stomach fat spilling over onto the pubic region and creating a separation in the two areas, which is something that’s missing in a lot of art. in addition, the pubic mound also gains fat, making it round as seen in the profile drawing i did up there (i’ve heard people refer to it as fupa?). the last in the hip region is the lack of a thigh gap. i can’t stress this enough!!!! if you’re trying to draw a convincing fat character, make sure their thighs are pretty much always touching!! for reference, mine literally don’t separate until my feet are about 2ft from each other.

the bottom right is showing the double chin, which a lot of people are afraid to draw!! fat does distribute itself here too, and there’s nothing wrong with it, so don’t feel like you shouldn’t give fat characters a double chin in your work for fear of it looking like a caricature.

in the bottom middle, it’s showing how fat affects different types of breasts with the presence of more or less breast tissue. 

lastly, at the very right are stretch marks with their usual locations and directions, which i also can’t stress enough!!!!! i sometimes forget to add them honestly, but they’re so important in accurately portraying fat characters, as they literally come from the skin being stretched from fat being gained (and they’re also just rlly neat lookin like why wouldn’t you lmao). some people have less and some people have more, feel free to experiment with them!

the last thing is body types!! there isn’t one single way for a person to be fat, so feel free to experiment with shapes once you’ve learned the basics!! 

so there you have it, a tutorial on how to draw chubs!! now go forth and make some accurate fanart or some rad fat characters, because the world could always use more of both. hmu if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks for reading!!

EDIT: someone pointed out the bad wording in the tutorial. thank you for bringing it to my attention and sorry for offending anybody. i’ve updated the tut, so please reblog this one!

See, while "gender is not inherently tied to sexuality" is true, I think it's a bit more complex than that. Often, you'll fond that society conflate gender and sexuality to the point that they influence each other, and that's important also to recognize.

My manhood isn't contradicted by my queerness, but I spent so many years feeling like I have failed as a man because societal manhood hinges on performing heterosexuality. It actually made me dysphoric to be queer because my manhood was already under scrutiny.

I've found that this is something cis queer guys and I have been able to bond over, though. Even though these guys are cis, their own manhood is just as criticized because of their queerness. They have been treated as lesser men or not even as men but gay men (derogatory). It's made me so much more aware of how fragile manhood can be if you base it on society rather than your own internal world.

Help a disabled trans man live

I have a couple of job interviews coming up in the near future but I still need to pay my rent and groceries, I also have a hefty medical bill hanging over me.

If you can't donate then please share!

cashapp: $vredia

venmo: @vredia

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Pride, Awareness, Acceptance, Remembrance, and Visibility Events Calendar

(This is an incomplete list and will be updated as needed.)

January:

Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Thyroid Awareness Month

World Braille Day (Jan 4th)

Trans Prisoner Day of Action and Solidarity (Jan 22nd)

International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan 27th)

February:

LGBTQ+ History Month (UK)

Black History Month (USA/Canada)

Polyamory Week (Canada, week of Valentine's Day)

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (first full week after 14th.)

Chosen Family Day (Feb 22)

Rare Disease Day (February 28th)

March:

Women's History Month

National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Bisexual Health Awareness Month (#BiHealthMonth)

Disability Day of Mourning (March 1st)

Zero Discrimination Day (March 1st)

Dyscalculia Day (March 3rd)

International Women's Day (March 8th)

National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day (March 10th)

World Down Syndrome Day (March 21st)

Neurodiversity Celebration Week (March 21st-27th)

Atheist Day (March 23rd)

World Bipolar Day (March 30th)

Trans Week of Visibility (week of March 31st)

International Transgender Day of Visibility (#TDOV, March 31st).

April:

Autism Acceptance Month

Queer & Trans Kink Month

Arab American Heritage Month

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

World Autism Acceptance Day (April 2nd)

International Asexuality Day (April 6th, may change yearly)

National Deaf LGBTQ+ Awareness Week (second or third week, alternates yearly)

Day of Silence (date varies)

National Transgender HIV Testing Day (April 18th)

Nonbinary Parents Day (third Sunday)

Anniversary of "Genderqueer" being added to the dictionary (April 20th, 2016)

Lesbian Visibility Day (April 26th)

May:

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

EDS and HSD Awareness Month

National Day of Reason (first Thursday)

International Family Equality Day (first Sunday)

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (third Thursday)

National Honor Our LGBT+ Elders Day (May 16th)

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (May 17th)

Agender Pride Day (May 19th)

Harvey Milk Day (May 22nd)

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day (May 24th)

World Thyroid Day (May 25th)

World Multiple Sclerosis Day (May 30th)

June:

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

Global Day of Parents (June 1st)

National Gun Violence Awareness Day (first Friday)

Pulse Night of Remembrance (June 12th)

Learning Disability Week (third week)

Autistic Pride Day (June 18th)

Anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges (June 26th)

National HIV Testing Day (June 27th)

Stonewall Riots Anniversary (June 28th)

July:

Disability Pride Month

Abrosexual Awareness Day (July 2nd)

International Femme Appreciation Day (First Saturday of July)

Queerplatonic Relationships Day (#QPRDay, third Saturday)

International Nonbinary People's Day (July 14th)

Nonbinary Awareness Week (week of 14th)

International Drag Day (July 16th)

National Parents' Day (USA, fourth Sunday)

International Self Care Day (July 24th)

August:

International Childfree Day (August 1st)

Autistic Dignity Day (August 8th)

Gay Uncles Day (second Sunday)

Polyamorous Awareness Week (third week)

International Butch Appreciation Day (August 18th)

Transgender Flag Day (August 19th)

Wear It Purple Day (Australia, last Friday)

International Day of Protest Against ABA (August 31st)

September:

Bi Pride Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15th-Oct 15th)

Bisexual Awareness Week (week of Sept 23)

Celebrate Bisexuality Day (Sept 23)

International Day of Sign Languages (Sept 23)

International Safe Abortion Day (Sept 28)

National Day For Truth and Reconciliation (Sept 30th, Canada)

October:

LGBTQ+ History Month (USA/Canada)

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15th-Oct 15th)

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

ADHD Awareness Month

National Kink Month (USA)

Black History Month (UK)

International Lesbian Day (Oct 8th)

World Mental Health Day (Oct 10th)

National Coming Out Day (Oct 11th)

National Freethought Day (Oct 12th)

OCD Awareness Week (second full week of October)

Trans Cake Day/Cake For Trans Friends Day (October 14th)

International Pronouns Day (third Wednesday)

Spirit Day (third Thursday)

Intersex Awareness Day (Oct 26th)

Asexual Awareness Week (last full week of October)

November:

Native American Heritage Month

Autistics Speaking Day (Nov 1st)

Intersex Day of Remembrance/Intersex Solidarity Day (Nov 8th)

Transgender Rite of Ancestor Elevation (Nov 12th-20th)

Trans Parent Day (first Sunday)

Transgender Awareness Week (Nov 13th-19th)

Nonbinary Children's Day (Nov 13th)

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR, Nov 20th)

National Polyamory Day (Canada, Nov 23rd)

December:

World AIDS Day (Dec 1st)

International Day of People With Disabilities (Dec 3rd)

Bisexual Pride Flag Day (Dec 5th)

Gender Expansive Parents Day (Dec 6th)

Pansexual Pride Day (Dec 8th)

Human Rights Day (Dec 10th)

seeing other trans people be happy and enjoy being trans is not a threat to you. to doubt their transness because they're (perceived as to be) not as miserable as you is, however, a threat to them. - transmonstera

[IMAGE ID: "to measure the validity of other transsexuals by their misery is to hold the cissexual narrative higher than your own right to joy" in bold white text. the background is a number of yellow measuring tapes and rulers. the base of the measuring tapes has a sad face sticker on the side. the background is solid black. END]

Some of you are only cripplepunk until it's about disabled people with deformities, until it's about disabled fat people, until it's about disabled trans people, until it's about people with "gross" or "unrelatable" symptoms, until it's about rare, severe and life-threatening disabilities, until it's about seeing disabled people being bitter and angry because the system fucked us over. Cripplepunk is about not giving any shits about the ableds discomfort and it is about uplifting our voices. Otherwise you are just a poser.

“Johann Scheff, trans lady SW arrested in 1932 for nicking women’s clothes from a department store in Berlin.” We’ve always been here. Not even book burnings can truly erase it.

CW: antisemitism, pale of settlement, pogroms, genocide, cultural erasure

I don't think goyim can really conceive of how much Jews actually hold back in our criticism of antisemitism in media, and when you hear us it is often because we see a dangerous message that you don't... Yet.

I have a complicated relationship with Tim Burton's rendition of The Corpse Bride. I love it as a beautiful piece of stop motion art, but it isn't what it should have been, he took a Jewish story from the Pale and with intention stripped it of its Jewish origins. This alone is incredibly antisemitic. The criticism you will hear has probably been "this is a Jewish story, it should have retained its Jewish elements" but have you heard why we feel strongly about this story?

The story of the corpse bride is incredibly important to me and was born from Jewish trauma and Christian violence. Mobs would routinely attack Jewish weddings, they would murder brides and they would bury them in unmarked graves by the roadside still in their wedding clothes, they reasoned that without Jewish wives there are no Jewish mother's. Jews are intrinsic to the story.

It is antisemitism to take our story, about our pain, at the hands of non-jews and strip it for "useful" parts, in fact it is heartbreaking every time.

We are often forced to pick our battles and fighting a battle over a movie that has already been released by a director with a cult following is not worth it, you only hear us speak up in numbers when the antisemitism may lead to another century of violence, because raising our voice means picking a fight, because so many of you already see our pain as inconvenient and it is exhausting to never be heard.

-anyone can reblog

I am so sick of the way others talk about and treat trans men. All of the time, people talk about how much they hate men and then say things like “only cis men though” or “ but not YOU because, you know…” . They think they’re protecting our feelings, but really they’re erasing the identities of trans men. Don’t separate trans men further from cis men, i am so sick of the constant comparison. Don’t tell me you hate men, but love trans men. That just makes me think you don’t think trans men are men. I’m just so tired of how hard trans men have to fight to be considered men instead of this quirky way of liking men without being around cis men. Some people are just too ashamed to admit that they like men. It’s okay to like men and masculinity. Liking men is amazing and so many people do. There is nothing wrong with having men in your life, so stop using Trans men as scapegoats and stop erasing our identities, we deserve better! Trans men deserve better!