Figures in the Firmament

Figure Drawing in Final Fantasy XIV

UPCOMING SESSIONS

ALEPORT SESSION
Crystal :: Coeurl
Date: November 16, 2024
Time: 10pm-12am Eastern
Host: Haurchefant Stelegris
Notes: US Evening session!

• ARTICLE - The Gamer: FF14 Community Spotlight: Figures In The Firmament Figure Drawing Sessions

On this carrd you will find ALL info pertaining to this event, from typical artist info to in-game modeling basics to how to organize a session. Read as much or as little as you want! I'm a big fan of transparency so expect a full breakdown of everything if you care to read past this section.Feedback, questions, and requests can be sent to @hersheyfont on twitter.

For Artists

Want to brush up on your figure drawing skills? In need of a quieter kind of art party?

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For Models

So you want to be a model? Anyone can do it!

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For Organizers

Want to run your own sessions? Here's what I've got figured out!

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For Artists

Welcome, artists, to Figures in the Firmament! This event is geared towards artists specifically to help with foundational figure drawing. Whether you are old, young, new, experienced, or just wandered in confused to find a bunch of people posing in the nude while adventurers crowd around them silently, Figures in the Firmament is for everyone who wants to try their hand at drawing the human(oid) figure!ANATOMY OF A SESSIONAt the beginning of the event, I will have the models line up so you can pick which one you would like to draw at the start. The model can invite up to 7 artists to be in the group with them. Once everyone is sorted out, your model will lead you to a select part of the chosen location for drawing.Once you reach your location, the model will begin doing timed poses for you, with party macros to alert you to a change. If you have any specific requests for your model, feel free to ask in party chat.You are allowed to switch groups if you want to draw a variety! There will be a CWLS for in-game sessions that will be cleared at the end, so you will be able to ask in there regarding the location of a different group. You don't need to be part of the group necessarily, but it helps for GPose if you aren't already friends with the model.Your goal is not to draw a simple bust, but to draw the figure as a whole. Don't worry about facial features! Keep 'em vague and let's see those MUSCLES--ahem.Due to this, the models themselves will be wearing skintight outfits for the duration of the event. This is, after all, a figure drawing session :)GPOSE BASICSTo enter GPose, type /gpose and press enter
The i button on the far right of the top row of buttons will bring up the guide if you lose itYou will have subjects you can control and subjects you cannot. This depends on whether or not they are A) in your group, or B) on your friend list.To freeze all controllable subjects, use 1 (keyboard) or L2 (controller).
You can also target specific subjects using TAB (keyboard), or left/right on D-pad (controller).
To freeze ONLY your target, use 2 (keyboard) or R2 (controller).To have all unfrozen subjects turn their heads toward the camera, use SPACEBAR (keyboard), SQUARE (playstation), or Y (xbox).To tilt or move your camera, use your mouse or controller as you normally would.To show or hide specific categories of characters or NPCs, go to the 5th button down on the left side of the menu and check or uncheck whoever you want to hide or show.To adjust lighting and add up to 3 extra lights, go to the 3rd button down. You can adjust quite a bit from there. I recommend messing around to see what you can do.Below, you will find several example screenshots of lighting in gpose. Models will have various skintones, so it's important to know what you can do to adjust lighting so you can see what's going on.For darker models, you'll want to use the "Manual Brightness Adjustment" option under General Settings. After that, you can tweak the location and strength of the 3 additional lights you can use under the Lighting Settings. As you can see, a model with paler skin will not need as much overall lighting adjustment, even in darker areas.

ETIQUETTEBe respectful of each other, full stop. If I hear or see of any trouble, the troublemaker will be removed from the CWLS, Discord, and modeling group.While you may make requests of the models, please respect any boundaries they may have. At the same time, the models and your fellow artists should also respect your own boundaries. I will do my absolute best to resolve any conflicts that come up, with fairness to all involved parties.If you use mods, I respectfully request that you either turn them off for the session or avoid taking screenshots with the mods present that you plan to share. Mods can have unexpected effects or change another player's appearance without their consent, so I prefer that we stick with the vanilla game.POSTING YOUR ARTWORK ON SOCIAL MEDIAUp to you! If you do, use #firmamentfigures to tag the posts so we can check them out later! :)

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For Models

OverviewModeling for a figure drawing session in a game is not as easy as one might expect, but I promise it is still quite easy. That said, there IS some work involved, so please read through this entire section before deciding if you want to model. As a model, you will be responsible for keeping a pose set list, timers for the poses, and paying attention to the needs and requests of the artists in your group.The first thing to prepare for a modeling session will be your outfit! This outfit is to help emulate IRL figure drawing, with a nude model and no extra clothing. Because FFXIV's clothing physics leaves a lot to be desired, I've deemed it prudent to try to keep models in skintight glams so artists don't have any obstacles to the true subject: the figure. Below, I have an infographic and an example to help a new model set up a modeling glam.

Ideally you will be able to match dye to skin so your character looks as close to nude as possible. If not, then either black or white can be used. Try to stick with black if your character has a darker skintone, or white if they are on the lighter side.If you cannot match your character's skin with one of the dyes available and you don't think simple black or white looks right, my next recommendation is to find a color that is the correct shade, i.e. when rendered in black and white, it matches your character's skintone. See below for an example.

BASICS AND JOB DESCRIPTIONEach session will take approximately 2 hours. Please try to arrive about 15 minutes before the session so the organizer can get everyone settled before artists need to be herded.Due to the way GPose is coded, for full pause function on another player, the artist would need to either be in a group or be friends with the model.To avoid models ending up with 5 billion artist friends on their friend list who don't talk to them, I group everyone up and send them to different locations in Ishgard. With a large number of artists, I would have 1 model with 7 artists max, a full party. With smaller attendance, it's possible to have multiple models in a party. Previous models tell me it's fun to have a modeling buddy as well :)As a model, your responsibility is to either pose on your own, with chat announcements, or to take requests from artists if they have a specific pose they want to tackle. You can do this with regular emotes or with non-targeted job actions from whatever jobs you have unlocked. I suggest bringing your own playlist or TV show or what have you to listen to while you model, as artists will be trapped in gpose and concentrating for the most part.You can, of course, take silly gpose pictures of yourself or of the artists as you work. If you use mods, I would respectfully request that you turn them off beforehand if you are going to post the screenshots or share them anywhere. The goal for this figure drawing art party is not the glitz and glam but to help artists with foundational drawing skills.HOW TO POSEWe rely on artists using GPose to get models in the correct position, but you will need to do emotes and wait for the artists to go into GPose. (Having player names visible is recommended for this so you can see when an artist has the gpose icon by their name.) Depending on the needs of the artists in your group, you can change emotes every few minutes or every twenty to thirty minutes.- You will need a timer or an alarm set for each pose.
- You will want a macro that gives a 1 minute warning before it's time to change a pose.
- You will want a party macro with a <sfx> built in to alert artists to a pose change.
- There will be a bit of lead time as everyone adjusts their settings in gpose before they can start drawing.Example Macro
Each - indicates a new line in your macro window. This is a 1 minute warning macro that can be used for each pose.
- /p 1 minute until pose change! <se.7> <wait.30>
- /p 30 seconds! <se.7> <wait.30>
- /p Pose has ended! <se.8>If the artists themselves do not have any specific requests, I suggest doing a number of fast poses, then gradually lengthen the time for each pose. This is standard for IRL figure drawing as well and in-game should go something like this:
⭕ pose 1: 5 minutes
-> announce change, with SFX, in party chat to let artists know time is up
⭕ pose 2: 5 minutes, same as above
⭕ pose 3: 5 minutes, same as above
⭕ pose 4: 5 minutes
⭕ pose 5: 10 minutes
⭕ pose 6: 10 minutes
⭕ pose 7: 10 minutes
- break if they need it
⭕ pose 8: 15 minutes
⭕ pose 9: 15 minutes
⭕ pose 10: 20 minutes
⭕ pose 11: 20 minutes (if they want an additional pose/there's time)WHAT MAKES A GOOD POSEEmotes and animations in FFXIV were made with gestures in mind - they are always communicating something! Go through your repertoire beforehand and see what you think looks super cool. Job actions in particular have a lot of hidden gems!When picking emote poses for your line-up (absent requests), look for a good variety of motion in your set. A basic example set would be: /welcome, /disappointed, /happy, /rally, /dance, /furious, /bstance, and /vposeSURPRISE, YOU ARE PARTY LEADERModels will be the party leader and therefore responsible for inviting artists to the group. Models are also responsible for knowing where their modeling spot will be and taking the group there.At the start of the session, I will have models line up and artists will cluster around the one they want, if they have a preference. Otherwise they will be assigned to you at random by me. Artists can move between groups or spots if they wish.Please try to accommodate any requests as best as you can. If there are none, see the previous post for a basic structure for the session. If the request is not one you are comfortable with, let the artist know and try to reach a compromise.If anyone misbehaves or is rude to you or another artist, please let the organizer know so they can try to resolve the conflict.
MODEL CHECKLIST
⭕ Modeling outfit
⭕ Timer or alarm
⭕ Set of poses to default to during the session
⭕ Party macro with SFX for pose changes
⭕ Self-entertainment

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For Organizers

Organizer EssentialsOrganizers are mainly responsible for all pre-session prep work, such as finding models able to attend specific time slots and teaching them how to do pose sets and alerts for pose switching, as well as organizing artists in the beginning and directing lost artists around to different models. You are also responsible for conflict resolution, accepting feedback, and dealing with people being people. You also need to find and establish specific modeling points in a location where lighting is good and there aren't obstacles in the way of cameras.If you have teaching experience or figure drawing experience, you can give tips or even do a bit of tutoring, but as these are mainly self-directed sessions and everyone is at a different skill level, it's best to refrain from such things unless specifically requested.Some event organizing experience may be necessary as well. You must know how to communicate clearly and keep track of your models' schedules. I've found 10-12 eastern slots work best for myself and my regular models, but it may be different for you, especially if you are not US-based. Always make sure to give your models advance notice and options for time slots! I've found in the US it's best to check around the beginning of the month, as part-time or hourly workers typically know their schedule for the month by then.It's important to be very flexible as well - you WILL have models who need to drop out suddenly, who get sick, who sleep in or forget what time the event is. You, as the organizer, can also be a model in case you don't have enough! In which case, I suggest learning the ins and outs of modeling as well.Before A Session
⭕ Location, date, and time must be established.
⭕ A list of available volunteer models for that session should be kept, either publicly or privately, but either way you need to keep track of this.
⭕ List of modeling spots at a location. Know what the lighting is like before you go in, and place your models based on their skintone. Darker skinned models ALWAYS need the best lighting available.
⭕ OPTIONAL: Have a CWLS or LS available for artists and models to chat in during the session. I typically have my models as mods in our CWLS so they can also invite.Start of a Session
When you're ready to go, proceed in this fashion:
⭕ Gather your models and line them up neatly with space between them.
⭕ Tell your models where they will be! This should be decided by the organizer beforehand.
⭕ OPTIONAL: You can issue invites for your optional CWLS or LS at this time or throughout the session.
⭕ After the stated start time, speak to the artists assembled and have them line up behind their desired models
⭕ If there are too many artists for one model, there are a few options.
1) If the artist's heart is set on that model, have the artist send a friend request so they can use the pause function in gpose.
2) Offer an alternative model.
3) See if another artist with that model is willing to switch halfway through the session, or if an artist closer to the front of the group is willing to switch.
⭕ Send your models and their groups to their spots
⭕ Wait for stragglers for the first 30 or so minutes at the meet-up point.During A Session
Your responsibilities this point are much lighter now. In fact, you can even join a modeling group and draw yourself! Still, there are some things to do I have found to be useful during a session:
⭕ Periodically remind all attendees to stretch and drink water, yourself included
⭕ Indicate either in /y or your optional CWLS or LS when sunrise (6am) and sunset (6pm) occurs, as this can change the lighting a lot.
⭕ OPTIONAL: Indicate periodically what hashtag you're using for artists to post their studies under, if you have one. The standard one for Figures in the Firmament is #firmamentfigures
⭕ Respond to any questions about the event
⭕ Deal with any conflicts that may come upAfter A Session
⭕ You can let artists know the hashtag you're using for them to post their studies under.
⭕ THANK YOUR MODELS
⭕ THANK YOUR ARTISTS
⭕ Answer any questions anyone has about this or future events if you're planning any.
⭕ Remind your artists to drink water and stretch out their hands! 2 hours of studies is no joke!ALWAYS THANK YOUR MODELS!!!
You are nothing without them! They do a LOT of work during a session, far more than a typical IRL model as they also have to help manage small groups of players. Make sure they are comfy and not stressed out!TAKE CARE OF THE ATTENDING ARTISTS!!!
We have a lot of art parties these days, most with fun themes and the intent to socialize. A lot of artists love these art parties as they are good places to go to get some practice in, but they come with a lot of pressure as well, both hidden or self-inflicted and outright stated. This particular kind of art party is by artists, for artists, to draw and paint and practice figures, with zero expectation of posting to social media. It's here to help hone skills without pressure, to make available a kind of activity that may not be accessible IRL due to no availability, illness, chronic pain or disability, or upfront costs. As an organizer, never forget what you are really here for: helping artists.