carmella

@carmahnart / carmahnart.tumblr.com

carmahn ♡ | she/her ◇ | illustrator ☆ | [ links ]

mustardday asked:

Hi! I was thinking the Afro Index might do well to have illustration & 3d rendering resources and tutorials! I made this ( https://www.instagram.com/p/CEC8Ss-gtGE/?igsh=MTRoZnJrdXFmNGk3Mg== ) way back when, since I saw that there were very few tutorials for beginners.

The index is excellent, but for people who are just getting into art they may find breaking down the shapes or "reinventing the wheel" intimidating at first. So maybe some artists/illustrators/sculpters can show shorthands for things like braids, fros, locs, etc

As for 3d renders, I'm aware of presets? I think they're called? For coily hair. That's been very difficult for people to make.

And of course traditional artists may need help finding the right implements or techniques. To create the right effects or shapes.

All that said, your work is immensely appreciated and deeply needed! This is the best thing to hit the art community since the apple pencil 😂

Wow being compared to the apple pencil is actually goated thank you sm! 🥰 And yes, I have plans for drawn/video tutorials, especially for breaking down shapes so that drawing a full head of braids/twists/etc doesn't seem so daunting. There's a page for Black hair resources I want to add to the Afro Index, for things like afrohairlibrary which is for 3d hair sculpts specifically!

Thank you for your message! :) 💛

#afro index #ask tag #updates coming eventually y'all #life been lifing frfr

arillscorner asked:

Hii I wanted to drop by because a post I made sharing Afro Index (on Twitter) blew up and it might have led to the site being down for a bit so I wanted to apologize for that.

Anyway, thank you for your wonderful work!! Afro Index is a great resource and it's amazing that something like it exists

Hi, no worries at all! I was able to update the site a few hours after it went down so no biggie, but thank you for letting me know! Always happy to see people spreading the word :) And thank you, love to see that the resource is helpful 💛

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

Just wanted to say thank you for making Afro Index! It's really great having references for so many different hairstyles and really be able to diversify my designs when creating Black characters.

I've shared the site with the rest of the games art students in my year and am hoping they find it as useful as I do ❤️

Thank you so much for spreading the word with your peers! I hope the gaming students find it useful too! 🥰💛

#ask tag #afro index

Anonymous asked:

Do can you put tips on drawing some of the hair in your website?

I want to draw some of the images that have a billion braids but I don't know how to draw so many of them. (I'm a teenage artist who struggles with drawing small stuff/details like that)

Thanks for reading!

Hi! Tutorials that break down the structure of certain hairstyles is definitely in the pipeline! I put a lil snapshot of the roadmap for the site in the About page, but the full document has suggestions from people who submitted a form too! When new features are added, I'll update here, on the website itself, and on the afro index instagram page! :) 💛

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

you're incredible <3 as soon as i get my next paycheck i'm gonna send you a tip on ko-fi, afro index is a life saver

Appreciate the support, thank you! <3

#ask tag #afro index

Anonymous asked:

Would you ever consider adding drawn references/how-to-draw guides to the Afro Index?

(Thank you for your work with the site by the way!)

Hi! Yes, drawn references and video tutorials are in the future pipeline!

I've been working on putting together info for grants so I can get a team to help implement all of that, so when all of that drops, I'll put out an announcement! :) 💛

#afro index #ask tag

hey-im-chillin asked:

Thank you for making Afro Index! It's so hard to find good references for black hairstyles and your website is so well organized!

Thank you, I appreciate it! I'm so glad people are liking the site 🙏🏾♥️♥️

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

A few years ago, I was on a flight and saw a Black flight attendant with one of the most beautiful hairstyles I've ever seen. Hair like a halo behind her head. It's been on my mind ever since, and I now finally have an OC I can give that hairstyle to. I've searched for reference pictures many times and did find a fair amount, but I was never sure what it's actually called. Thanks to your website, I today learnt that it's called an afro puff. Thank you so much, it's a really great website!

yay! I'm so glad the site was able to help you! 🥰💛

#afro index #ask tag #i love hearing things like these #it makes all that time developing this worth it <3

grimdork asked:

from the absolute bottom of my heart thank you for Afro Index.

Thank you very much, your gratitude is very appreciated! 🙏🏾💛✨

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

Hi, I absolutely love your Afro index! As an artist it's a great resource.

That being said the usage of the word "boho/bohemian" is something that I noticed. The word originates as a slur used for Romani people in France. I am under the impression that "boho braids" are also referred to as "goddess braids" so when you have the time you could change the language you use.

Keep up the great work!

Hi! Thank you so much, I really appreciate this 💛 I wasn’t aware of that history, so I’m definitely going to look into it more.

Right now I’ve been using some of the more common/searchable names so people can actually find styles, but for this case, I'm certain I can find a name that is still descriptive but more respectful. At the very least, that term can be moved from "common name" to the "also known as" section with an asterisk to let people know about its history.

I also want to be careful not to mix it up with styles like “goddess braids,” since those are actually a bit different in structure; goddess is in the "alternate names" section because you can mix them with these types of braids, and they are often confused!

Thank you again for sharing this! I will be adding the change to my updates list. Feedback like this really helps shape the project 🙏🏾

#afro index #ask tag #but yes if there are any other misnamed styles please continue to let me know!

coughwheezecough asked:

Hello! First, thank you sosososo much for the afroindex and all your beautiful art. Sadly, I can't access the website due to a usage limit. Is there anyway to get around this 🙇🏿‍♀️? Regardless thank you!!!

Thus far, I've been using your pieces as references (not copying and not profiting I promise!!). You're amazing and thank you.

Thank you! Yea I went to bed and apparently the site had to be upgraded again because of the high usage which is awesome haha, it’s back up now though! If anyone would like to help support with maintenance costs I have a ko-fi for the project here: https://ko-fi.com/afroinde

And reference it what is for, I’m happy you’re finding it useful! 🤗💛

Support The Afro Index

Support The Afro Index

#thanks to y’all who dropped a msg to let me know!#afro index #ask tag

wizzardbaby asked:

Thank you so much for making the Afro Index 🩷

of course! and thank you for using it! 🤗💛✨

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

the responsiveness and speed of your website is beautiful

omg thank you sm the dev in me is crying 😭🫶🏾 I was worried about the load since it’s image heavy but I’m glad it’s staying speedy! also sites that break when you switch to mobile irk me so trust the responsive design was an important factor 💪🏾

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

A 'bald' category. I laughed. AfroIndex is such a great website. Thank you.

haha gotta be inclusive of *all* hairstyles! 😂 thank you for using it 💛

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

Hi! With the release of your afro index tool, I realised I have a question! Do you have any advice on creating more original/artistic hairstyles while still being respectful to Black hairstyles? I love the creativity behind styles like Aika's (from I don't want to be a magical girl, an indie animation) but am fearful that I may accidentally design something disrespectful. Thank you for any advice!

hi! thank you for the question! also yes good example I love idwtbamg 😩❤️

a helpful approach is to treat Black hairstyles the same way you would any cultural reference and design: start with real examples, learn their structure and naming, and then iterate creatively from there. like once you understand what makes a style a style, you can push it in more stylized or exaggerated ways for your character. I added a lil diagram to show what I mean 👍🏾

afro index can be a starting point for that! once you understand the base styles, you can remix and adapt them while still keeping that connection to reality.

the first step is approaching it thoughtfully, so you’re already on the right track! happy designing 💛

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

hello! ive been exploring the gallery of afroindex and truly thank you so much, ive been needing a tool like this forever !! trying to look up hairstyles and getting one million ai results or pinterest pics with #y2k #cottagecore and no identifying info has been. exhausting lol anyway cant wait to try and draw with those refs :^)

ahh thank you! 😭💛 that searching struggle is what pushed me to create this tool in the first place, so many refs are ai or they don’t have the name of the style I feel you! I’m so glad Afro Index is useful, have fun drawing!! 🫶🏾

#afro index #ask tag

Anonymous asked:

hi i was looking at your website.... and its super cool and helpful omg.... for some of my ocs i based their hairstyles off of hairstyles i saw irl which while it was fine i didnt really know the names til i looked at your site... and now im gonna be able to have so many more reference pictures and be able to draw their hair way better 💖💖 again tysm aaaaaaa

thank you! that’s exactly what I built it for I’m so glad Afro Index was able to help you out! 💛

#afro index #ask tag