Bechdel Test, pt. 4

Wow, this is really racking up, isn't it? Anyway, I wanted to showcase one more example I think passes this test really well. I'll probably sound like a giant dork right now for saying it's a video game I've been obsessed with lately, Dragon Age 2.

There's one character, Isabela, who is, um, quite promiscuous, but that's not all there is to her. She is a rogue, and the pirate captain of a ship that has sunk, and she spends the majority of the game looking for a new ship. She's devious, cunning, and selfish, and doesn't care much for other things outside of how she'd personally benefit from them. She's witty and very funny, and can be occasionally compassionate and caring. I personally don't like her too much, but I can believe she can be a real person and I'm happy with that.

In this game, one's gender doesn't come strongly into play in terms of opportunities or how you're treated. Hawke, the protagonist, can either be played as a male or female character, and outside of that there's also Aveline, who eventually becomes captain of the city guard, and Meredith, the leader of the templars. Meredith is extremely powerful, but is also kind of crazy, and loses her sanity and becomes an eventual villain at the end of the game.

In that regard, I like that the female characters are diverse (they can be good or evil, friends or rivals, allies or enemies, and everything in between, much like Lauren Faust's quote) and that there's no normative 'male' default. There are random people in positions of power such as guards and assassins that are women, and no one questions that. All of these women, regardless of whether you like them or not, are given the opportunity to be equally as competent (or incompetent, in some cases) as their male counterparts.

Another thing I appreciate is the costume design. They look functional and practical; something I could envision women of their occupation would actually wear. While they can be sexy, you certainly don't get the vibe that they're trying hard to make them look so.

So, I thought I'd give creating my own characters a go...

Bechdel Test, pt. 3

On more positive notes, I do really like this quote by Lauren Faust. She's the creative force behind My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (which I watched as part of my research...honest...it's actually really good!).

"There are lots of different ways to be a girl. You can be sweet and shy, or bold and physical. You can be silly and friendly, or reserved and studious. You can be strong and hard working, or artistic and beautiful. This show is wonderfully free of “token girl” syndrome, so there is no pressure to shove all the ideals of what we want our daughters to be into one package. There is a diversity of personalities, ambitions, talents, strengths and even flaws in our characters – it’s not an army of cookie-cutter nice-girls or cookie-cutter beauty queens like you see in most shows for girls."

Another shining example is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Its female characters are wonderfully well-rounded; they kick ass, but are also full of flaws and traits that are complex and make them engaging characters.

I kind of did a fun little doodle on what I envisioned characters based on Faust's quote would look like:

Easter Break + A Knife In The Hand Is Worth...

Well, it's Easter! Happy Easter to all who celebrate it! (It was just an excuse to eat chocolate for me. Actually, most things are just an excuse to eat chocolate for me.) I've been feeling a bit sick lately. Not sick enough to stay at home all day and have chicken noodle soup, but sick enough that being out for too long makes my head throb. Then again, that may have also been because I watched Clash of the Titans. Hm. Anyway, my throat feels itchy. I've been drinking lots of water but perhaps I just need sleep.

This was supposed to be an entry into the design brief competition for the launch of 'The Left Hand of God', but it turns out the last day for submission was today! It seems I have just barely missed the deadline :( I fail hard. >.<

I used Jeong Juno's Tekken 5 (clenched fist) as reference for this, which I would link but cannot find online. Check him out! He's awesome.

A late-night revelation

I-I've just realised.

My type, according to my drawings, are scruffy, rugged, masculine-as-hell men. The classic tall, dark, and handsome, with a side helping of mysterious and a sprinkle of exotic on top. With razor-sharp bone structure and a hostile attitude.

While this bodes well for my offspring, my stance of feminism seems doomed.

Artistic Crisis Ahoy!

I'm having an artistic crisis.

The one adjective my illustration style seems to evoke in many people - whether they be my friends, tutors, or random people on the internet - is 'interesting'. Or if not that, 'strange'.

(Or, as Shallman kindly put it, 'like Japanese manga but with Western influences', something I can definitely deal with anyday.)

I kind of view it with an amused raised eyebrow, for those two words usually mean 'Um, it looks weird, but I don't want to hurt the poor artist's feelings, so I'll just settle with this ambiguous word that may or may not have negative connotations.' Most of the time, I just nod my head, grunt, and move on. After all, at the end of the day there seem to be a handful of people who still like my work.

But as I am viewing some of my illustrations now, I am starting to see...the strangeness. The lines are very harsh. The shading is non-existent. The chins may as well be forged from steel, with the power to cut through diamonds. The eyelashes could be used as a substitute for a duster. Eyes are simultaneously too big and too small, yet either option seems to look fine on the face. It looks weird, things jut out at uneven angles, things are missing that shouldn't be and replaced with things that aren't there.

While I'm happy my style is anything but generic - and dare I say, extremely unique - it certainly is not the type of style that will capture everybody's aesthetic appeal. And even now, it doesn't capture my own.

Maybe at the end of the day I'll look at all of this and just laugh at my arty-farty moaning, but sometimes I wish I could draw...prettier.