The Young Woman, Though Startled, Immediately Put Her Hands On His Arms To Make Sure He Was Steady.

Immediately relaxed by their attitude, the young woman chuckled too. Definitely, a little bit of company wouldn't hurt after the long day she'd had. It was even refreshing. Having someone near would probably refrain her mind from wandering into gloomy territories. -" Well, I'll accept your invitation without any remorse then." She sat beside them, keeping a respectable distance between them. After all, personnal space was something important and comfortable for most of people. She waited a bit before adding : -" By the way, I'm Lysandre. Nice to meet you." The smile she directed at them was somewhat tired but genuine.

Let's find your muse : ⭐️- Stargazing.

Lyntel sighs, having escaped their business for the day to sneak into one of the gardens of Vesuvia for the night. They watched the stars, enjoying the flask of drink they had brought. They didn’t even turn when they heard footsteps come up from behind them, hoping it was just someone else here to enjoy the stars.

Lys, I hope you're recovering well. I dropped by to remind you that you're an amazing girl and that I loved you very much!!! Even if people don't see their luck, I certainly see mine! Thank you for motivating me every day! I hope to see you soon with a huge smile on your face! ♥♥♥XOXO ♥♥♥

Oh thank you Sweetie! What an adorable message! Things are okay here and I'll go back home soon. Let's keep each other updated to see when we can meet :) Thank you for your kindness Dear! xoxo ~-Lys

Kneel for me, unknowing fool Kneel for me, unworthy pig

Let me hug this sad boy <3

Murder be thy name Murder be thy And let there be blood

Top 12 alternatives to Photoshop for digital painters and illustrators

Hello there!

Yes, we haven’t done this in a while… but our inbox and chat are swamped with questions on the subject, so this article was very much needed.

it’s a simple list of art apps, but we know you love those :D

Enough with the intro, here it is, a list of twelve art apps you may want to check out.

ArtRage is an art program for beginners and professionals. With its minimal interface, it’s easy to keep the essential tools at hand without stealing space from the canvas. Panels can be moved around and tools can be customised. We all know how important it is for digital artists to be able to modify brushes!

Pros: easy to use; friendly interface; essential tools from professional apps available; available for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac

Cons: it may get sluggish with big files and when using big brushes, but performances also depend on the running machine; limited selection of editing tools if compared to Photoshop - ArtRage is more of a painting program rather than an editing one.

Paid

ArtRage Lite is a different version at a cheaper price, mostly for beginners, but also for professionals if they need the essential.

Now free, Sketchbook is the famous app created by Autodesk for various platforms.

Pros: clean, friendly interface; easy to use; professional features

Cons: lack of official tutorials; doesn’t offer as many tools as other apps (it’s down to the essential); paid subscription in Adobe style for multiple licenses

Free and paid

Black Ink is a powerful little program few actually know, but there’s a reason: this isn’t your classing drawing app. What’s cool about it is the vast selection of special brushes, completely non-realistic, and definitely able to boost your creativity.

Pros: vast selection of customisable brushes; excellent performance

Cons: not very easy to use; non-intuitive interface

Paid

This is probably the most complete software for painting, drawing and animation. It was originally known as Manga Studio, but with its updates and addition of features, it became Clip Studio Paint. 

This doesn’t say much about the quality of the features themselves considering the affordable price (if you haven’t used the app yet, that is), but among graphic apps, this one is the top seller.

Pros: professional features for illustrators; layout tools for comic/manga artists; 3D reference models; customisable tools; various sales with special prices

Cons: the interface may not appear intuitive at first; the program may lag (again, performance also depends on the running machine)

Paid

GIMP is the famous open source image editor originally created for GNU/Linux and available for OS X and Windows. 

Best known as Photoshop’s main competition, this is a manipulation program for both beginners and professionals who love design.

It offers many professional features, making the program a powerful tool.

Pros: professional editing tools; supports different formats; supported by different platforms; active community

Cons: in spite of the simple design, many options are hidden and it takes time to discover all the features; slow startup

Free

Krita is an open source painting app created by artists for artists.

Pros: easy to use; intuitive interface; great brush workflow; brush stabilizer; customisable brushes; general good performance; very enthusiastic, although small, community

Cons: it may be slow or even crash depending on the running computer and the app’s version; very few editing tools compared to Photoshop

Free

MediBang Paint is a free and light app for drawing and painting, perfect for manga and comic creation.

Pros: vast selection of brushes; cloud sharing; friendly, minimal interface (non-desktop app); also available for iPad, iPhone and Android

Cons: requires an account to use all features; non-intuitive interface (desktop version)

Free

Mischief is a sketching app with essential tools, useful for brainstorming and ideation.

Pros: infinite drawing canvas; friendly interface; easy to use; cheap pro version

Cons: few updates; offers only the essential (but that’s the point); no editing/adjustment tools

Free and paid

Corel’s jewel, Painter is the most famous software that offers digital tools able to give a traditional feel to brushes and canvas.

Pros: different selection of media; many professional features; PS-friendly

Cons: certain brushes may work slow; not easy to use at first; the software may crash (this is the most common report); pricey

Paid

Paintstorm Studio is a professional software for digital painting. It’s focused on the use of brushes and blending, which makes the software a little gem in the digital painting field.

Pros: good brush workflow; brush stabilizer; “close gap” feature; customisable interface and tools; professional features; affordable price

Cons: non-intuitive interface (desktop version)

Paid

Procreate is the powerful drawing app for iOS. 

With the very sensitive Apple Pencil, Procreate is so easy to use that many artists chose the iPad over the most famous graphic tablets.

Pros: friendly interface; makes it easy to organise files; excellent brush workflow; customisable brushes; video recording; affordable price

Cons: hidden features; only available for iPad

Paid

SAI is a simple app for artists who want to focus on painting and drawing. 

It’s well known for its good pressure support and its essential tools for manga artists, but SAI can be used by any kind of artist who wants to paint.

Pros: easy to use; friendly interface; light software; customisable brushes; tons of (non-official) tutorials

Cons: limited selection of tools, even basic ones; limited canvas sizes and uses; it might crash from intensive work, especially with big canvases and brushes; supports only RGB colour mode; lack of support

Paid

We hope you’ll find this list useful. 

If you think there are other apps that should have made this list, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Thank you and peace out,

G&M

Buy us a coffee ❤

Other articles:

10 inspiring and helpful YouTube channels for digital artists

6 inspiring Art Podcasts for digital artists

7 amazing Photoshop extensions and tools for digital artists

She didn't have enough time to stop him before the whole place drown in chaos. She watched all the drunkards fight with wide, curious eyes. Since the shop was always a quiet place, the blond woman wasn't used to such pandemonium. There was something exciting in watching the brawl from afar. Her life had come to such a dull state that even the smallest thing changing her habits was welcomed with open arms.Blue eyes scanned the crowd with interest before turning to Julian at the sound of his voice. But, as she was going to answer him, someone suddenly drenched him in alcohol. If she didn't dare to laugh at first, the moment she felt the drips touch her, she broke down into childish giggles.

« You dare to splash me Doctor ? You must know this affront won't go unpunished right ? »

Feeling terribly playful, she approached him with a feline gait, predatory eyes gleaming in sheer amusement. The drinks she had were starting to really affect her and the boundaries she always forced upon herself had dissipated from her mind. Once close enough for their bodies to brush, she planted her gaze in his, her hands coming to rest on his chest. In the back of her mind, a little voice was shouting how wrong this situation was. In less than an hour she had besmirched her family's code of conduct and thrown etiquette out of a window.Was it really important at the moment ? No one knew her here, nor her social status. The feeling of Julian's form under her palms was making her giddy and for once she decided to be herself.

« No answer... Cat got your tongue ? »

Lysandre let her hands glide downwards very slowly, shooting him a flirty smile to distract him. If she remembered well, the good doctor was ticklish and she was dying to try it.

@lysandresamaeldhaucourt​

Her first reflex was to shoot this nuisance a furious stare but, as her eyes set on him, recognition hit her. So when he wasn’t breaking in her shop, he was getting drunk… What an amazing schedule. A sigh escaped her lips as she eyed him disaprovingly.

“Julian… Are you really drunk enough to be unable to recognise me? I was going to tell you I was fine but now I’m offended…”

As much as she wanted to scold him for interrupting her brooding session, her lips curved in a small smile. With a vague movement of her hand, she gestured to a vacant chair near her own.

“You should sit before embarrassing yourself further.”

There was no aggressivity in her tone, only amusement. After all, seeing this supposed murderer tripping over himself wasn’t the most scary of things. Plus, even drunk, he was quite handsome… Not that she would admit it though. Blue eyes checked her drink and she groaned, realizing her glass was nearly empty. Tonight, she definitely needed more to let go of her bitterness towards Asra, to forget her duties towards the countess. Tonight, she wanted to have some fun no matter what.

To put it briefly: yes, yes he was that drunk. He had to narrow his eye to even be able to tell who it was, and surely enough, after his eye had adjusted to the familiar face it was as if the light had finally turned on in his currently vacant brain.

An embarrassed blush crept upon his pale complexion as he fell into the chair vis-a-vis her own, trying to brush the incident off with a smile - although, if one were to look at the way he was swaying, they could tell he was more than a bit tipsy.

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite lady!”, he exclaimed and reached to tap her on the shoulder in a friendly manner, although that was all the more giving him motion sickness so he stopped soon after, going back to resting his head in his hands as he was when he was sitting down at his own table.

“Oh, what d’you know…your glass is empty, I don’t have a glass…A fated encounter.”, a cheesy grin appeared on his lips as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “A couple more over here, if you are so kind!”, he called out for the bartender to bring them another round. Although observing her through a drunken haze, he could still notice that she wasn’t feeling entirely like herself. “Somethin’ bad happen? You’re usually not one to come here. Oho, am I perhaps rubbing off on you?”

Quick sketching during my classes today.  I was listening too, I swear ;)

The young woman wasn't prepared for such a response on his part but she wasn't going to complain. After all the times she tries to make him understand how much he represented to her, she was finally happy to see him expressing himself so passionately. Her heart was beating  hard and his touch upon her skin was setting her aflame from inside. The young woman's state didn't get better when she found herself trapped. Stuck between him and the door, she would have panicked if it had been any other than the Doctor. Instead, she brought him even closer, moaning lightly at his new fervor. She let him take the lead, her lips soft and hungry against his, even when he was stealing her breath away. Of course she was okay with him taking everything she had to give. She wanted to tell him so badly. She desired to be his and his only. But he didn't wanted to understand...Sometimes, Lysandre was feeling the urge to shout at him, to knock some sense into this thick skull of his, other times she just felt like breaking down and crying, ready to forget her pride and beg for his life to be saved. Had it been about anyone else, she would have already given up. Each time he pushed her away resulted in her feeling down for days and sometimes, the hurt she felt was consuming her entirely. Maybe was it silly to wish for a life with him. All the times she was daydreaming about contemplating the night sky in his arms could be useless wanderings about a future that wasn't hers to have. The apprentice didn't know but she wanted to believe... Her lips had nearly formed an answer when his expression cracked and she found herself witnessing a heart-wrenching scene. The moment she heard Julian cry, everything disappeared around her, letting her focus on the man hunched over her shoulder.

“Shhh... Everything will be okay Julian... You're not alone in this mess.”

Lys did her best to keep her voice calm and quiet not to upset him even more. The hand that was in the back of his neck found its new place in the man's hair, massaging his scalp in soothing motions while the other went to his back, drawing invisible lines across his shirt.

“I know you're tired of everything happening and you just want for it to end but death isn't the only solution. There's still hope for you and I refuse to let you go without a fight... It may be hard to accept to be loved since life and people has been hard with you but please, trust me when I say I 'll be here for you no matter what. “

She squeezed him slightly, continuing to caress his hair.

“I trust you. I trust you with my whole being. You're not a bad person. I don't care about the accusation weighing upon you, somewhere within me, I know you're not a murderer. Now, in order to understand you better, I need you to talk to me... Could you do that for me Dear?”

It would be difficult for him to talk but she had to try anyway. It would surely help him feel better afterwards. Not wanting to rush  the Doctor, Lysandre kept her silence, continuing to cuddle him softly against her.

@lysandresamaeldhaucourt

She let herself be pushed to the door and, if the situation wasn’t so upsetting, she would have enjoyed to have him towering over her smaller frame like that. Her eyes didn ’t left his gaze, and for a moment, she drowned in it, admiring every emotion passing over. Did she hate life in itself ? No . What she dreaded was a life without him, returning to being an empty shell carrying on with her existance by automatic reflex, because Asra expected that from her. Julian had brought her back to life and she wouldn’t let him be killed by those blood-thirsty vultures. No matter the price to keep him alive and well, the apprentice would pay it. As  his hand found her neck, squeezing lightly, she pushed herself against it a lot more frankly to prove the point of her next words.

« A life without you isn’t worth living. If I can’t save you from your fate then I’ll hang by your side. I love you Julian and I’m not scared of it nor am I scared to die. If this is our future then so be it ! But we’re going to face it together. »Unable to resist longer, one of her hands sneaked its way to the back of his neck, caressing his skin, and she joined their lips in a desperate kiss, attempting to pass all of her feelings through it.

________

Trapped in a trance while staring at her, a shade of pink crept upon his cheeks at the feeling of her fingers on his nape and as soon as he was pulled into the kiss, he put up no resistance. Ravenous, hungry kisses had befallen her in between his soft wails of despair to rival her own misery, unable to understand her stubbornness and the feeling that was growing inside of his chest due to her words full of kindness and selflessness. 

“I…why…you’re making this so much harder than it has to be, listen to me…”, he spoke clumsily, trapped inside the kiss, voice trembling from the sudden feeling of his heart dropping inside of his stomach. What he felt wasn’t something that he could put into words, instead, he decided to show her. He did want a life alongside her more than anything, but he did not want her to sacrifice herself if it turned out that he was the bad guy, no matter how much he loved her. And oh, he did love her, to the point where he would have taken her away and left this wretched place behind in memory; but he still had to do good by Portia and those who helped him escape for so long. He couldn’t run away anymore.

“Someday, I will have to face the music…one way or another.”

With the same fervor, he smacked his lips against hers as if to dissipate the thought from his mind, even if for a short, fleeting moment. The hand on her neck was only gently squeezing her from time to time while his thumb was caressing the side of her throat, feeling the pulsing life through her soft skin. Only for a moment did he break the kiss, enough to call her a downright fool for being such a martyr - he was quite familiar with the concept - and with a grunt of frustration, he pushed himself against her, trapping her form with a leg between her own, stealing all the kisses he wanted from her lips even if he was soon to run out of breath; until he did though, he took this opportunity to dig his other hand into her hair and move her head as he pleased until he took everything he could. With a heavy satisfied exhale, he parted from her lips with a thin string of saliva, panting softly as he then chose to rest his forehead against hers.

“If you keep offering yourself on a silver platter like that, I will take everything you give me and then some. Are you really okay with that? I’m not a good person, Lys. I will hurt you.”, try as he might to keep up a villainous facade, it all came crashing down when he looked into her eyes, biting down on his lip in an attempt to get himself to shut up - he would never hurt her. He would rather die, and even that wouldn’t help, it would just hurt her even more. As much as he wanted to pretend that he was capable of such a thing, the truth was he was in love with her. But those sweet words got stuck in his throat every time he tried to spell them out, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to live up to them. 

His scowl twisted into a pitiful expression that was quick to tear up, much alike a beat-down puppy’s abandoned on the side of the road. His body and mind were losing their strength and in order to hide his tears, he wrapped his arms around her upper back and waist, his head now resting atop her shoulder, grieving loudly into her clothed body, burying his face into it so he would stop already. The doctor was fully aware of how pathetic he looked and sounded like.

Aye aye Captain!

Pirate Mazelinka !

I mean.. captain Mazelinka.

Blue eyes looked up at him when he tried to explain his gesture and the young woman smiled.

“It's more than alright. Thank you my dear.”

She nuzzled the doctor's neck, making herself comfortable against his body. This man had a heart of gold and his charming nature was making her melt. The hand caressing her back was lulling her to peace, a feeling of security enveloping her tormented mind.

“To be honest, I didn't expected this night to turn out like this.”

Julian's presence was soothing and it encouraged Lysandre to pour her heart out like all drunkards do.

“You asked what brought me here tonight… Well, Asra did. He left me behind once again and I lost it. He's important to me you know? I couldn't put a precise word on our relationship since everything is confused but we're really close and he's being very affectionate. I've always been proud to be by his side but now, I wonder how pathetic I must be for him to let me rot alone in the shop… It happens so often…”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips and she suddenly seemed incredibly fragile, huddled against Julian's tall body. This was one of the rare occasions where the woman was showing the need to feel protected. Such weakness had never been allowed in her younger years of life.

“But then, why does he keep me around if I'm being a disappointment? I don't understand. It doesn't make sense…”

She sighed, shaking her head lightly.

“ In a way, I'm very grateful for your sudden appearance in the shop. Our encounters always bring me back to life ... Being in this damned house only makes me feel empty. And tonight… Tonight has been amazing. You were so incredible I nearly forgot HIM...”

Lysandre sneaked her arms around the doctor and squeezed lightly. The alcohol was starting to lose its effect and her education was coming back to her mind, forbidding her to be any more sincere towards the fugitive.

“I'm being ridiculous. Please, forgive my inappropriate behavior Doctor Devorak. You're keeping me warm ans I take advantage of the situation… How rude of me to take such liberties.”

Her arms retreated from his waist and she brought them against her chest awkwardly.

Several long seconds that felt like hours passed by while he was admiring her more or less discreetly before he unconsciously turned his head to face her like it was no big secret anymore that he was shooting her glances. Her words completely went over his head, because in that moment, the only thing on his mind was her and her alone. What guards, what safety? The entire world was at his feet for the time being and the confidence he had towards the fact that no such incident was to impact that night negatively was easily spotted in his grin. With his usual dramatic flare, he gestured by flailing his hands in the air as he spoke loud enough for anyone else who was outside to hear.

“So, let them come! They can try to catch us, but I swear I’m invincible!”, much alike a drunkard, he let his arms fall to his sides quickly after, as if he was too tired to keep them up in the air anymore and he lowered his voice for the next utterance; he didn’t exactly want to tempt fate, no matter how confident he might have felt.

“You’re an amazing dancer, I bet you’re also fabulous at running. I am quite nimble myself, a creature of habit, you see…escaped the law for 3 years…what’s 3 years more, right?”, he chuckled for a brief moment, his laughter interrupted by her sudden shiver. Reflexively, he reached over his shoulder to grab his coat, but instead only grasped at the cold air of the night - he had forgotten his coat inside the bar.

“Ah, curses…”, he muttered to himself when he realized he did not have anything to comfort Lysandre with but his own cold body, which he knew would not suffice, but he was willing to try it out anyway. His arm wrapped around her upper back and pulled her closer to him, enough for Julian to be able to hug her to his chest, pink cheeks growing hotter by the second. Only then he realized how crude he was being by not even asking permission first, but it was too late to part from her now, it would have just been even more awkward to push her away just to pull her back in, in case she accepted his embrace. 

“Y…you looked cold, so I-…I hope it’s alright.”, he spoke quietly, exponentially more tame than before, a hand gripping at her arm while the other was warmly stroking her back. His poor heart was almost thumping out of his chest, his breathing had become irregular, as if he was trying to hold it or to slow it down, in a way that would not hinder her while her head was resting in the crook of his neck. What a fragile form in comparison to his own, and yet…he was not afraid to squeeze her in his arms, in order to make her body feel warmer and to shield it from the weather. The closer their hearts were to each other, the better Julian realized that their giddy heartbeats were in sync, which lifted some weight off his shoulders - perhaps he wasn’t being a creep after all.